Beijing Tries a Smoking Ban

In their ongoing attempt to clear the air before the Olympics, Beijing officials have turned their sights to the country's most common kind of smokestack: the cigarette. Today, they instituted a city-wide ban that aims to cut it out in public places. As the above video reminds us, they'll need all the luck they can get.

Like bans on high-emission vehicles, plastic bags, big dogs, and virtually anything, rules don't exactly dictate reality, especially in a place where cigarettes...