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uk.sci.weather (UK Weather) (uk.sci.weather) For the discussion of daily weather events, chiefly affecting the UK and adjacent parts of Europe, both past and predicted. The discussion is open to all, but contributions on a practical scientific level are encouraged. |
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#1
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"Dave.C" wrote in message
. .. I am praying this will be a hard winter, not for my usual selfish reasons, but to spare Metcheque the most massive egg on face since MF "no hurricane, madam". ! Although he was of course correct, both for the UK and for the part of the world to which he (and the lady) were referring. 'urban myths' ... why do I have to keep reading the MF myth even though I live 'in the country' ... sigh. Gianna |
#2
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![]() Moneyextra Monthly Dear Moneyextra user, You're receiving this Monthly Email because you've registered with our website. To change your subscription options, please follow the link at the bottom of this e-mail. 1. Savings should be child's play Sponsored by Prudential 2. Are they blackening your name? Sponsored by Com Direct 3. Cover up this winter, prepare for the big chill Sponsored by FT 4. Court rules on credit card consumer protection 5. Moneyextra's Comparison Services 1. Savings should be child's play PruFund Investment Plan New bond designed for medium to long term investments of £5000+. Get your lazy lump sum to work harder.Value may fluctuate and you might not get back the full amount invested. Click here for details. What does the Child Trust Fund, also known as a "baby bond", do for you? Well, parents of any children born on or after 1 September 2002 will receive a voucher worth at least £250. Poorer parents will get more. 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According to Scottish Friendly, the £250 that your offspring gets will, at 6 per cent a year, turn into £951, worth, adjusted for inflation, just £609 in 18 years' time, assuming you get a second voucher for £250 when junior turns seven. That's not going to go far against a potential bill for university education that has already been forecast to pass £30,000 within the next six years. What will make Child Trust Funds fly is the money you put in, not the money the government is putting in - which is, after all, just some of the tax it has taken off you being given back. However, what about those of us with kids born before the start date - children born on or before 31 August 2002? The short answer is that there is nothing to stop you making savings provisions for your kids. Remember even the smallest sprog has the same tax allowances available to him or her as an adult. Take advantage of them! Not all ISAs are the same. Moneyextra is here to help you compare ISAs and find the right one for you. www.moneyextra.com/isas/ 2. Are they blackening your name? Com Direct Choose comdirect and pay a flat £12.50 per trade for all investments. Enjoy fast, efficient dealing and helpful customer service. Visit ComDirect Are you in the black or are you worrying about black spots, balls or lists? Do they exist? Do you need to be worrying? Let's take them one by one. You can blame Robert Louis Stevenson for the black spot - a literary device carrying a death threat in his book Treasure Island. A piece of a paper was marked with a black smudge on one side and a message on the other to make the threat specific. Black balls used to be a private matter between gentlemen. If you were trying to join a club, the members would vote with white balls (for acceptance) or black balls (for rejection). Get two or more black balls and you would be rejected, hence "black balled". 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If you've had any CCJs that you've paid off, ensure they're listed as "satisfied" on your credit report - the same goes for Bankruptcy Orders that have been discharged or annulled. Also check that other accounts are displaying the right status information, and confirm that the number of credit searches is correct and any addresses you're linked to are relevant. Get your FREE online Experian credit report and a 30-day FREE trial of CreditExpert, here. 3. Cover up this winter, prepare for the big chill FT.com's FREE funds service You need to monitor your funds, but you don't want to spend all day doingit. View company fund prices at a glance and get detailed analysis. To find out more click here. This turned up in my e-mail via a financial site - Moneyextra whose sponsored link FT.com contained the following gem. "3. COVER UP THIS WINTER, PREPARE FOR THE BIG CHILL. The prediction by Metcheck.com that this winter is likely to be one of the colder ones in recent years is enough to make most of us wish we could go into hibernation. It's not exactly something to look forward to and, as well as being the least popular season, it's also the worst time for burglaries, burst pipes, floods and central heating breakdowns." Goes on to advertise home insurance. It just goes to show that if something is said enough it becomes gospel - hence the urban myth. I am praying this will be a hard winter, not for my usual selfish reasons, but to spare Metcheque the most massive egg on face since MF "no hurricane, madam". ! Dave. Going balmy in S.Essex. |
#3
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![]() "Gianna Stefani" wrote in message ... "Dave.C" wrote in message . .. I am praying this will be a hard winter, not for my usual selfish reasons, but to spare Metcheque the most massive egg on face since MF "no hurricane, madam". ! Although he was of course correct, both for the UK and for the part of the world to which he (and the lady) were referring. 'urban myths' ... why do I have to keep reading the MF myth even though I live 'in the country' ... sigh. Have your ever thought, Gianna, that Mike Fish's own version might be the mythical one? Here is the full transcript of the first part of his 1325z broadcast, published in the Meteorological Office Report: The Storm of 15-16 October 1987, Met.O., December 1987, p 4.19: "Good afternoon earlier on today apparently a woman rang the BBC and said she heard that there was a hurricane on the way. Well of you are watching don't worry, there isn't. But having said that actually the weather will become very windy but most of the strong winds incidentally will be down over Spain and across France as well but there is a vicious looking area of low pressure on our doorstep nevertheless, around the Brittany area and that is going to head across the southeastern corner of the country bringing if nothing else a lot of rain with it. On the satellite picture you can see that there is of course a lot of cloud as well as a lot of rain stretching right across Europe and indeed most areas there are just as unsettled as we are having some outbreaks of rain. That's the way the rainfall pattern is looking at the moment, a lot of shading, a lot of rain across many parts of Europe. Let's zoom in a little bit closer and have a look at the British scene though, as you can see rain is now further north left over from last nights weather system. Now as I run the sequence you can see just how quickly the rain comes up from France, affects many southern and eastern areas and then eventually later on tonight clears on out of the way and leaves us tomorrow in a fairly stiff run of westerly winds bringing along quite a few showers." [Spelling and punctuation as in the report's transcript] Philip Eden |
#4
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"Philip Eden" philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom wrote in message
... Have your ever thought, Gianna, that Mike Fish's own version might be the mythical one? I'm sure I heard, probably on here, that there was no phone call ? Jon. |
#5
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"Dave.C" wrote in
: It just goes to show that if something is said enough it becomes gospel - hence the urban myth. I am praying this will be a hard winter, not for my usual selfish reasons, but to spare Metcheque the most massive egg on face since MF "no hurricane, madam". ! I like to think that Piers Corbyn was the pioneer of "professional meteorological crowing" with Weather Action. He was crowing about extreme weather long before the advert of Metcheque etc.. It's a simple rule - crow about a forthcoming event a month off with lots of hyperbole, then stay very quiet if nothing happens (as it does in the large majority of occasions) and no-one will notice you - or double crow if it comes off and then people say "oh yes, I remember that forecast". Richard |
#6
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"Philip Eden" philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom wrote in
: "Good afternoon earlier on today apparently a woman rang the BBC and said she heard that there was a hurricane on the way. Well of you are watching don't worry, there isn't. But having said that actually the weather will become very windy but most of the strong winds incidentally will be down over Spain and across France as well but there is a vicious looking area of low pressure on our doorstep nevertheless, around the Brittany area and that is going to head across the southeastern corner of the country bringing if nothing else a lot of rain with it. Seems as though from that they were thinking the track of the low would stay further to the east with only the rain affecting the SE. And of course it's worth mentioning Bill Giles' evening forecast only stating "a bit breezy in the channel" even closer to the event. Richard |
#7
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"Jon O'Rourke" wrote in message ...
I'm sure I heard, probably on here, that there was no phone call ? A few weeks back there was a piece by Michael to mark the end of his time with the Met Office, played at the end of the One O'Clock News. Apparently on that fateful day in 1987 the last story on the news had been about a hurricane in Florida and someone at the BBC had asked him that she was worried about her relatives out there, and would the hurricane reach them? As far as I'm aware *that* was the woman asking about the hurricane, and the hurricane referred to the USA rather than here in the UK! Aah, to heck with it. I've just remembered there was a bit on the BBC Website about it.... Here's the link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/bbcweat...987storm.shtml or, if that wraps, http://tinyurl.com/4dafs will also get you there. |
#8
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![]() "Darren Prescott" wrote in message ... "Jon O'Rourke" wrote in message ... I'm sure I heard, probably on here, that there was no phone call ? A few weeks back there was a piece by Michael to mark the end of his time with the Met Office, played at the end of the One O'Clock News. Apparently on that fateful day in 1987 the last story on the news had been about a hurricane in Florida and someone at the BBC had asked him that she was worried about her relatives out there, and would the hurricane reach them? As far as I'm aware *that* was the woman asking about the hurricane, and the hurricane referred to the USA rather than here in the UK! As I was saying ... pe |
#9
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![]() "Richard Dixon" wrote in message . 1.4... "Dave.C" wrote in : It just goes to show that if something is said enough it becomes gospel - hence the urban myth. I am praying this will be a hard winter, not for my usual selfish reasons, but to spare Metcheque the most massive egg on face since MF "no hurricane, madam". ! I like to think that Piers Corbyn was the pioneer of "professional meteorological crowing" with Weather Action. He was crowing about extreme weather long before the advert of Metcheque etc.. It's a simple rule - crow about a forthcoming event a month off with lots of hyperbole, then stay very quiet if nothing happens (as it does in the large majority of occasions) and no-one will notice you - or double crow if it comes off and then people say "oh yes, I remember that forecast". Richard As someone used to say to me 15 years ago, "keep up the good work but don't expect all the rewards in this life" - think about it. Will. -- |
#10
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Apologies for all that other stuff that got sent. The cut and paste didn't
work properly but it looks as though most of you got to the Metcheck reference! Dave |
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