You CAN control the weather

I had a meeting with someone yesterday in Cincinnati, OH, who recently traveled to China. The weather was overcast for much of the trip. There was to be a festival during the trip and it was a shame that it was so cloudy. This visitor said, "Oh, too bad the weather isn't better." One of the tour guides said, "No problem, the government will clear it up." Turns out the government made it rain through a process known as "seeding the clouds." They used military planes to release chemicals into the clouds, they rained and dispersed, and they had a cloudless sky for the festivities.

Though a typical chemical used for this process is silver iodide, these clouds do not have the typical silver lining. Silver iodide is noxious and can cause environmental biohazards. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_seeding

I don't know the importance of the event that took place, but after reading about it, I think I'd rather use an umbrella.

That it's possible to cry after five years

Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of the death of my dear friend Susan Daniels. She was murdered by a former partner who then killed himself. Thinking of her yesterday the tears came again. I hadn't cried for her in a while. She was an incredible spirit - intelligent, compassionate, fun, curious, committed. The world lost some light with her passing.