Annie's Corner
Weather Changes
By Anne O. Stout 

I am no meteorologist but has anyone noticed the topic of our every day small talk of a late is the weather, and how we all seem to be wondering about the changes in our weather patterns? 

 Hard to believe that here in New York we just had a brown Christmas, the one day we all want snow for a white Christmas. As a child I remember trick or treating in the snow.  Seemed like our world turned white in October and stayed that way till Easter in the spring. We had snow the whole time, a constant covering that kept getting added to, but don't remember anything like the Nor'easters of today. 

 Right now I hear the mountains of California are getting record snow amounts while other areas are getting record rain causing mud slides. The ski resorts in the mountains would be having their best year, if only the skiers could get to the resorts. Ironic, eh?

 Ohio and Utah has had flooding from too much rain, and the news is filled with videos of homes being lost, and I feel bad, wondering what the owners are going to do now.  

 The winter here keeps going from seasonal to frigid to record highs; and from snow to sleet to freezing rain. Personally I would prefer all snow as it's not as treacherous as ice. 

 We watch and can hardly believe the devastation and destruction caused by the tsunami that hit Asia. Seeing the boards with pictures and information of the missing people gave me flashbacks of 9/11 when so many were looking for their loved ones. 

 I read in Time magazine that the tsunami was caused by the shifting of two plates, the Indian plate and the Burma plate, which normally only shift about 2.4 inches a year, suddenly shifted 50 feet at once causing the earthquake and tidal wave. What does this mean? How about the other plates?  Can this happen again, anywhere, and most important, can this be predicted?  With all our modern technology the recent tsunami was not foreseen. 

 Warms my heart to see the way the world has responded to getting aide to the survivors, but do not enjoy the ad by ex presidents asking for help for the victims. Just one question comes to mind, how much have they given?

 All the wars, fighting, and terrorism still take second place in death tolls to the number that die in natural disasters. We will probably never be able to prevent them, but maybe we should work harder on predicting them, and evacuating before it is too late. 

 In our small talk many wonder if it our treatment of the environment that is causing the weather changes, or just our human arrogance that we can live anywhere we want, and any way we want and not worry. Ideas to ponder on next time your involved in small talk.