Moscow's ban on snow

Talk about audacity, said the New York Daily News. The mayor of Moscow, Yir Luzhkov, wants to enact a ban on snow in his city. More precisely, Luzhkov wants to use the Russian Air Force to spray liquid nitrogen, silver or cement particles into clouds, in order to "force the precipitation to fall long before it hits Red Square." Luzhkov has no fear of creating "weather-related havoc" for surrounding areas. "Men playing God cannot be responsible for all the consequences of their actions."

Mayor Luzhkov isn't trying to play God, said Maria Antonova in The Moscow Times. He's just trying to be thrifty. Blasting clouds from the sky is projected to save Moscow $10.2 million in snow removal costs this winter. As a bonus, forcing the snow to fall before it reaches the capital will mean that snowfall won't "spoil holidays like Victory Day and City Day."

Needless to say, officials in the towns and farms surrounding Moscow "are less than thrilled with the plan," said Joshua Keating in Foreign Policy. "Locals have also criticized Luzhkov's previous cloud prevention schemes, noting that they make 'the cucumbers turn yellow.'"

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