The Olympic stadium in Beijing, China, will be dry during the opening ceremony, officials said, but not because the structure has a roof (it doesn't). Instead, Chinese meteorologists claim they can stop rain from falling over the stadium, despite the fact that the games will take place during the monsoon season this August. The process of stopping rain from falling is similar to cloud-seeding procedures that meteorologists around the world have used to try to prompt rain to fall. Stopping the rain involves shooting liquid nitrogen and silver iodide into clouds to force water droplets to shrink in size and, if all goes well, keep the rain in the clouds. "If you're talking about a small rainfall, you can eliminate it," said weather modifier Wang Guohe of the Chinese Academy of Meteorology. "But if it's going to be raining cats and dogs, there's nothing [people] can do about it." Just try not to step in any poodles!
source: Los Angeles Times, Reuters
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danielbarker123 Posted 12:02 am
02 Feb 2008
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has asked people to boycott the Olympics, and I agree.
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Wolverine Posted 3:58 am
02 Feb 2008
And to Patrick, here's absolute proof that the Chinese government couldn't care less about the environment, just like the governments of all large countries. I've always hated the Olympics because of the immense environmental and ecological harm they cause, and this one will be no different.
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bookerly Posted 10:31 am
04 Feb 2008
Dear Wolverine,
You may or may not hate the Olympics, but most of the world loves them!!! If you want to promote environmental causes, they are a great place to put out a positive message (because of the number of people who will be watching).
Actually, one of the major themes of the Olympics (there are three) is "Green Olympics".
People who are interested could explore this further. It is part of a new trend in Olympics (with others to follow).
But if you hate them, turn off your tv!! (That's what I always did over things like the superbowl... now... the NBA playoffs are another matter!!!).
patrick in Beijing
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Wolverine Posted 9:51 am
05 Feb 2008
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bookerly Posted 12:45 pm
06 Feb 2008
Dear Wolverine,
It sounds like your dislike of the Olympics means your mind is closed, fair enough.
For anyone who might be interested, here are some links.
http://en.beijing2008.cn/
http://www.solarcities.org/beijingolympics.htm
A google search on "green olympics" beijing will bring you information (from a variety of sources and viewpoints) in more detail.
patrick in Beijing
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