This is interesting if a bit disturbing. For the next summer Olympic games, China is going to try to control the weather to insure good weather for the games. They do this by seeding rain clouds prior to the event using aircraft and artillery to cause it to rain heavily before the event, hopefully deminishing the chances of a downpour during the event. Admittedly, according to the article, Russia did it first, but I guess the chinese, having seen how bad weather affected the winter games in Torino, are taking no chances.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13107271/site/newsweek/
Besides alluding to punishment for failing to create nice weather during an important event, this paragraph also disturbed me:
"...tampering with Mother Nature has been known to backfire. Cloud-seeding shells and rockets have sometimes gone astray, damaging homes and injuring inhabitants. City dwellers have raised concerns about environmental pollution, though meteorologists insist the silver iodide is used in such tiny quantities that it brings no negative health consequences. And the rainmaking scramble became so intense in 2004 that five Henan province villages reportedly squabbled over “cloud theft” after they all seeded the clouds simultaneously but only one district received the lion’s share of rain."
Cloud theft? Seeding the clouds with pollution? Shells going astray? All to induce or prevent rain? 
Why didn't they just get someone to do a raindance?
I wonder if during the games, if another country is leading in the medal count, will the Chinese government will aim one of those stray shells at that country's olympic headquarters 
The Chinese government likes it's control, apparently. Controlling the weather, forcing people to have only one child, one in the same. No way this could backfire, at all. I mean, the one child thing had no consequences, right? You forgot about how they forced filthered google results for IPs from that region XD
I'm pretty sure there have been some (sort of ) conclusive studies that cloud seeding is not really effective at producting rain or weather in the desired reagion or predictable.
I think they apparently tried this once here in India. I'm not too sure about it though. There was quite a bit about cloud seeding in the news. At the same time, there were reports that the govt was only considering it and hadn't actually done it.
The end result, however, was that all we got was a really good laugh (and no extra rain ^^)
| noexes89 wrote: |
| No way this could backfire, at all. I mean, the one child thing had no consequences, right? |
Good one! 
| noexes89 wrote: |
| The Chinese government likes it's control, apparently. Controlling the weather, forcing people to have only one child, one in the same. |
Show me a government, any government, that doesn’t like its control. I bet you can’t. That is the whole purpose of government, as we know it today: control. The US was founded on some semblance of individual freedom -- but there’s very little of that left. Show me an area where people, any people, believe they’re free and I can usually (there are some exceptions) show you how they are in a fog.Apparently, you guys have never lived in China, dont you?
So how can you say those words since you have no direct impressions about China.
Let me tell you objectly, as a man live in China for more than 20 years, I know that Chinese government did lots of bad things that hurt Chinese people's life, media control, civil rights limitation and too many other things, yet as one important part, people in China are living better and better, this is a no denying fact. Now the problems are more and more, but no body could say that no problems occured during the developing process of other developed contries, like U.S England Germany and so on.
So why do you turn around and take a look at yourself? Be more generous to Chinese? Each countries has its own developing way, isnt it?
| ylmun wrote: |
| This is interesting if a bit disturbing. For the next summer Olympic games, China is going to try to control the weather to insure good weather for the games. |
| noexes89 wrote: |
| The Chinese government likes it's control, apparently. |
I think maybe we're just looking too much into this.
This is not the first time I've heard of cloud seeding being used to ensure smooth conduct of sporting events.
Trust me ... if this works at a popular event like olympics, China will not be the only one using it in the future.I say, if they're able to do it, why not do it? An experement on that scale would provide a vast amount of data on the technologies enviromental and meteorogical affects.
I watched a tv prog a few days ago (and sorry the info is sparse... I did glaze over a bit) in which a team cloud seeded on a regular basis in the USA it was something to do with tornados and protecting crops or something....oh how I wish I had paid attention 
... the program did make it look very scientific. yes，guys, I am glad that we turned back to the right thing we discussed.
Obviously, weather control is not a bad thing, no body wish to celebrate their holidays or hold a sport game under thunder or heavy rains. So if we could control weather to benefit people, why not? This is not the reason to blame Chinese or Chinese government.
China ,a great country!
Do you think so?
Uhm, that's WAY off topic. Following that thread could lead to a human rights debate.
Weather modification is not a proven technology right now, while it is used, it's uses are irregular and erratic. With the increasing scale of the chineese use of the technology, perhaps more data can be collected to more effectively control the weather.
I belive we all agree that control of the weather benifits us all, with the ability to reduce the impact of a drought or storm season. Perhaps if the technology is proven enough, it can be used to reduce the number and severity of hurricanes and tornados, saving thousands of lives in the long run. It is interesting that you brought this topic up regarding China trying to control the weather. I recently started my own forum discussing the control of weather through electormagnetic waves. Like you said, yes, it is a bit disturbing to find out that other nations can control the weather. According to Tom Beardon, weather modification is the next terror weapon. According to Tom Beardon's article, the 1997 secretary of defense William Cohen stated, "“Others [terrorists] are engaging even in an eco-type of terrorism whereby they can alter the climate, set off earthquakes, volcanoes remotely through the use of electromagnetic waves… So there are plenty of ingenious minds out there that are at work finding ways in which they can wreak terror upon other nations…It's real, and that's the reason why we have to intensify our [counterterrorism] efforts.” Is that scary or what? Well, with all this strange and unexplainable weather happening in the world, especially in the U.S., has def. made me a believer. Lets hope this world can find a better use with this amazing knowledge and power. I recommend anyone to look more into weather modification. It is very interesting stuff,
| saveexclusive wrote: |
| It is interesting that you brought this topic up regarding China trying to control the weather. I recently started my own forum discussing the control of weather through electormagnetic waves. Like you said, yes, it is a bit disturbing to find out that other nations can control the weather. According to Tom Beardon, weather modification is the next terror weapon. .... |
Do you mean Tom Bearden? The guy who claims to have invented a device, the MEG, that creates electrical energy for free (link to wiki article -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motionless_Electrical_Generator )? Lordy, reading his papers reminds me of the guys who wrote "Chariots of the Gods" | menhao wrote: |
Obviously, weather control is not a bad thing, no body wish to celebrate their holidays or hold a sport game under thunder or heavy rains. So if we could control weather to benefit people, why not? This is not the reason to blame Chinese or Chinese government. |
Of course there would be benefits to controling the weather, but it doesn't look like there has been a huge amount of research done on the technology. If this is the case, it doesn't seem right to me to test it during a huge sporting event in the second most populated city (I think) of the most populated country in the world. If there were health related side-effects related to the technology, it would be a major disaster.
...Anyway, being in the driest continent on the planet, I know many people that would kill for the ability to bring rain to their drought affected farms.China is a great country ,more and more stronger 
| zlang wrote: |
| China is a great country ,more and more stronger |
What has this got to do with the weather thingy?I suppose... they have the advanced military ability... to make it rain on their enemy at close range and with far advanced warning...
They're unbeatable now!
China, in an effort to guarantee a rain-free Olympics in 2008, has begun a project to launch silver iodide capsules in large numbers to cause rain to fall before reaching beijing. This is the most laughable idea i've ever heard. First, it has never actually been proven that cloud-seeding works, and second the fact that the chinese are doing this is so pathetic.
They're trying to prove how advanced their technology is.
If they're planning to do "cloud seeding", then, probably, their technology is advanced enough 
Let's wait and see | Helios wrote: |
They're trying to prove how advanced their technology is.
If they're planning to do "cloud seeding", then, probably, their technology is advanced enough
Let's wait and see |
Yeah. That's pretty new and advanced stuff right there.. there's only about 1/2 a century of data to rely on...
But hey, there's no proof that it works.
Right?
| wiki wrote: |
| In Australia, CSIRO’s activities in Tasmania in the 1960s were successful. Seeding over the Hydro-Electricity Commission catchment area on the Central Plateau achieved rainfall increases as high as 30% in autumn. The Tasmanian experiments were so successful that the Commission has regularly undertaken seeding ever since in mountainous parts of the State. |
| Quote: |
| China, in an effort to guarantee a rain-free Olympics in 2008, has begun a project to launch silver iodide capsules in large numbers to cause rain to fall before reaching beijing. This is the most laughable idea i've ever heard. First, it has never actually been proven that cloud-seeding works, and second the fact that the chinese are doing this is so pathetic. |
I would be interested to read the original source of this post, to see if it gave more details, or a comment from the Chinese themelves. | Helios wrote: |
They're trying to prove how advanced their technology is.
If they're planning to do "cloud seeding", then, probably, their technology is advanced enough
Let's wait and see |
what do you mean by saying these?are you hate China? 
k3ys, i'm not updated lol
Really, I thought that this was pretty new stuff lmao
and no, I have nothing against China.
The United States tried this in the mid 20th century to weaken a hurricane. Two hurricanes were bombarded with silver iodine. One hurricane remained unaffected, the other was weakened. Later analysis of the second hurricane revealed that it would have weakened without the aid of silver iodide, and to this day it has been plausible, but not really used because it's not too effective.
I don't quite understand why it CANNOT rain during the Olympic Games?
Does this make sense?
| noexes89 wrote: |
| The Chinese government likes it's control, apparently. Controlling the weather, forcing people to have only one child, one in the same. No way this could backfire, at all. I mean, the one child thing had no consequences, right? |
I suggest you visit china~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | noexes89 wrote: |
| The Chinese government likes it's control, apparently. Controlling the weather, forcing people to have only one child, one in the same. No way this could backfire, at all. I mean, the one child thing had no consequences, right? |
it is a pity to see you people do not understand the great chinese policies. The birth policy in China Mainland now is to control the overflow of the huge population. China doubled her population from 1949 to 1980! It was due to the international political reasons. But it was not good appearantly, even to the whole world! Do you like to have 500 million of new inhabitants in your country suddenly?
And then they saw the problem and try to adjust the birth policy. It is to control the overflowed population, not to restrict people to give birth. The policy is successful that Now the increasing speed of the population is in a reasonablel range.
And, not to be misunderstood, the policy never says that only one child for every family. But it is said, as long as one of the couple is a single child, they could have more than one child.
Well, for the developed coutries like many in Europe, government are worried about the negative population increasing rate. People are unwilling to give birth, even not one.
If you were the president of your country some day and willing to ask chinses people to give birth to your nation, i think they would like to help.
