Here's the transcript to Bowl of Cheese Podcast #45. Maybe we'll make it to 50 before the summer's over. Enjoy! And remember, if you have an idea for a Bowl of Cheese podcast, call the talk like at 206-888-2715 or leave a comment on this post. I'd be glad to have another guest host read their submission for the audience. I require you to be clean, well-spoken, fun and relevant. Podcasts are between three and five minutes long. Rants are always welcome. Enough of that, here's the transcript.. The rainâs coming down in droplets as large as jelly-beans and the windâs got my curtains sticking into the room at right angles to the wall.I can feel the temperature of the air drop by many degrees. Where it was 80 earlier itâs now about 65. Itâs a welcome respite from the humidity and baking temps of the past few days.As the thunder alerts me to more unsettled weather, I wonder whatâs behind our aversion to the elements.Certainly, being struck by lightning, washed away in a flood or a tornado, and smashed to bits by tsunamis and hurricanes isnât anyoneâs idea of a great adventure. But more often than not, we huddle inside when faced with a deluge, blistering heat or high winds.Is this a condition of our evolution? Did we evolve just to run away from the challenges of our environment?We canât control the weather yet. So maybe itâs a flight reaction similar to when a Hippo charges us or when we see a gun. Regardless of the reason - genetic coding or learned response - people return to their homes, cars, offices or other sanctuaries for safety when the weather goes bad.In some ways people remind me of ants. Fill up a watering can and pour it on an anthill and those creatures respond in the same way they would if the skies opened up and water fell from above. They donât know any better and maybe they donât care.But we have the knowledge that storms move over us. That rain makes us wet and that lightning, while deadly, probably isnât going to strike us when weâre in the city or while walking down the street. So what makes us fearful?Human skin hasnât been found to melt. Standing in the rain wonât give you pneumonia. Tousled hair is about the worst youâre going to suffer from a summer breeze. Whatâs our problem?A Livescience.com story published in 2006 told of a study by psychologist John Westefeld at the University of Iowa. He surveyed 130 people about their reaction to weather and a large number of them were affected significantly by storms, wind, rain and other phenomena.âOf 139 people surveyed, 89 said a good storm sometimes or occasionally gets their heart pounding, and 65 said they panic now and then,â said the Livescience article.The articleâs author - Robert Roy Britt - wrapped up the article with this...âOverall, the researchers said 73 percent of the survey participants had "a little bit" or "moderate" fear of weather, while 24 percent had none. Just 3 percent were labeled as fearing Mother Nature "quite a bit."The results are detailed in the June (2006) issue of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.âIn many cases, unless you believe in Noah and feel that weâre back on a path that will feature storms lasting a month and a half, the events only last a little while. They might cause some immediate damage to physical structures and to peopleâs psyches, but theyâre over fairly quickly.Perhaps itâs the spectacular nature of a sudden rainstorm that gets our attention. The sudden onset of black clouds and the chilly wind.Except for the extraordinary storm, most events just last a little while and soon the status-quo returns. People emerge from their modern caves and go on with their lives.In fact, the birds have started singing again and the last drops of rain are falling off the leaves. I started this column as the skies began to darken about 22 minutes ago. Now the sky is getting lighter and I guess Iâll leave my cave too.See you inside the next time we have a storm. Iâm not afraid.

[ Thu, 3 Jul 2008 10:55:00 GMT ]

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