Thread: Olympic Trivia : China Stops the Rain

Chinese rockets 'kept Olympic opening rain-free'

Beijing (dpa) - Chinese meteorologists fired more than 1,000 rockets into clouds to prevent rain from reaching the Olympic opening ceremony at Beijing's National Stadium, state media said on Saturday.

The operation to fire shells filled with silver iodide crystals was the largest ever mounted in China and succeeded in dropping the rain onto other areas of Beijing and nearby Hebei province, the official Xinhua news agency said.

"We fired a total of 1,104 rain dispersal rockets from 21 sites in the city between 4:00 pm and 11:39 pm on Friday, which successfully intercepted a stretch of rain belt from moving towards the stadium," Guo Hu, head of the Beijing meteorological bureau, told the agency.

Humidity reached 90 per cent and "a small bubble in the rain cloud would have triggered rainfall", Guo said.

The bureau issued an alert at 9:35 pm for possible rainfall over the stadium within an hour but managed to disperse the rain, he said.

About 100 millimetres of rain fell on Friday night on Baoding city, to the south-west of Beijing in Hebei province, while Beijing's nearby Fangshan district recorded 25 millimetres, the agency said.

bangkokpost.com

There was a time when most (maybe all) Olympic athletes had to be amateurs.

When did that rule change? I noticed none of the US baseball team is from the major leagues, but the basketball team is comprised of all pros at the highest level, including Yao Ming and Dirk Nowitski playing for their respective teams.

Federer, Nadal and the Williams sisters are certainly pros.

Are all the Olympic athletes professional? I don't think Laos has paid professional athletes. Maybe.

Originally Posted by Texpat

I don't think Laos has paid professional athletes.

Not yet. They're waiting for coconut husking to become an Olympic event.

Originally Posted by Mid

We fired a total of 1,104 rain dispersal rockets from 21 sites in the city between 4:00 pm and 11:39 pm on Friday

Originally Posted by Mid

shells filled with silver iodide crystals

Does this stuff have an effect on the enviroment?

Rowing is on next.....I like a good argument as much as the next man, but an Olympic sport!?

Is there a button on the forum where you can put 'Olympics' on ignore?

Aparently they ain't only good with guns. Looks like the Chinese are pretty handy with a knife as well:

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | US tourist dies in Beijing attack

US tourist dies in Beijing attack


A US tourist has been stabbed to death by a Chinese man in central Beijing, officials have said.

A second tourist was badly hurt in the attack at the Drum Tower monument. The pair are relatives of a US Olympic volleyball team coach. The assailant then committed suicide by jumping from the 13th Century landmark, officials say. The motive is not known.

Seeding rainclouds was invented by his Majesty the King of Thailand - along with many other things

Huh?

Originally Posted by Redneck

Seeding rainclouds was invented by his Majesty the King of Thailand - along with everything else

Ah, better.

The assailant then committed suicide by jumping from the 13th Century landmark, officials say.

They have Thai cops investigating?

Nothing can truely stop November Rain!

Originally Posted by Bugs

The assailant then committed suicide by jumping from the 13th Century landmark,

O, yes, suicide for sure....







wink wink......