Tonight, as usual, I was down the pub and near the end, when my
mates had gone home (because unlike me they have to work on Monday) I
chatted to the Australian barmaid. She was a qualified science teacher
back in Oz and had an interest in the weather. I think she had also
taught in this country. She was appalled by the sheer idiocy of the
BBC weather presentation and the graphics in particular. She also
mentioned the general dumbing-down of many other things and was
becoming quite embarassed by having to criticise this country but I
told her not to worry as I was far too old to get annoyed and agreed
with most of what she said anyway. Back in Australia they are taught
weather-chart interpretation as part of year 9, apparently. I don't
know if this happens at all in the UK but a a fat lot of good it would
do the pupils if it were. Do we realise how stupid we have allowed
ourselves to become or at least allowed the media to assume we are? At
the risk of offending Australians I'd ask who'd have ever thought
emigrating to Australia would place one in a more intellectual
environment but it seems the question is not impertinent.

Tudor Hughes.

Tudor Hughes wrote:
Tonight, as usual, I was down the pub and near the end, when my
mates had gone home (because unlike me they have to work on Monday) I
chatted to the Australian barmaid. She was a qualified science teacher
back in Oz and had an interest in the weather. I think she had also
taught in this country. She was appalled by the sheer idiocy of the
BBC weather presentation and the graphics in particular. She also
mentioned the general dumbing-down of many other things and was
becoming quite embarassed by having to criticise this country but I
told her not to worry as I was far too old to get annoyed and agreed
with most of what she said anyway. Back in Australia they are taught
weather-chart interpretation as part of year 9, apparently. I don't
know if this happens at all in the UK but a a fat lot of good it would
do the pupils if it were. Do we realise how stupid we have allowed
ourselves to become or at least allowed the media to assume we are? At
the risk of offending Australians I'd ask who'd have ever thought
emigrating to Australia would place one in a more intellectual
environment but it seems the question is not impertinent.

Tudor Hughes.

Sorry, Tudor, just getting used to the system. Hrmph.

You could well be right in your assessment. Not having been part of the
English education system for some 50-odd years hardly endows me with
some right to criticise it.

I suspect though that many education systems in many countries are, to
use your term, 'dumbing down' their curricula. As best as I can gather
it's a fear of singling out an individual by assigning them a mark
which would indicate that they are a failure.

As far as I am concerned the presentation of proper and correct
information in the media leads to the further education of the
reader/watcher/listener - whatever the subject.

It's a shame that this does not seem to happen as often as I would like.

Dujon wrote:
Sorry, Tudor, just getting used to the system. Hrmph.

You could well be right in your assessment. Not having been part of the
English education system for some 50-odd years hardly endows me with
some right to criticise it.

I suspect though that many education systems in many countries are, to
use your term, 'dumbing down' their curricula. As best as I can gather
it's a fear of singling out an individual by assigning them a mark
which would indicate that they are a failure.

As far as I am concerned the presentation of proper and correct
information in the media leads to the further education of the
reader/watcher/listener - whatever the subject.

It's a shame that this does not seem to happen as often as I would like.

I wonder what the ethos behind this ritual stupifying is. One can
understand the madness that irradiated the USA in the early fifties.

One can understand the criminal offering presented to the UK about the
Common Market in the seventies.

It's difficult to see how a Labour leader should become a pictogramme
of the marchionesse of madness and take us, unasked, into a couple of
colonial wars in lands foreign even to us.

It's impossible to see, in the day of broad band internet, that the
slime of government is still propelled in that sublimely "we know best"
way. Perhaps it is the sheer vitriol that besets users of environmental
and political newsgroups that turn moderate people away.

It's no secret that such techniques have been the mainstay of
democracies for centuries.

But why on earth are agencies such as the televison companies so busily
engaged in utter plonk?

Tudor Hughes wrote:
Tonight, as usual, I was down the pub and near the end, when my
mates had gone home (because unlike me they have to work on Monday) I
chatted to the Australian barmaid. She was a qualified science teacher
back in Oz and had an interest in the weather. I think she had also
taught in this country. She was appalled by the sheer idiocy of the
BBC weather presentation and the graphics in particular. She also
mentioned the general dumbing-down of many other things and was
becoming quite embarassed by having to criticise this country but I
told her not to worry as I was far too old to get annoyed and agreed
with most of what she said anyway. Back in Australia they are taught
weather-chart interpretation as part of year 9, apparently. I don't
know if this happens at all in the UK but a a fat lot of good it would
do the pupils if it were. Do we realise how stupid we have allowed
ourselves to become or at least allowed the media to assume we are? At
the risk of offending Australians I'd ask who'd have ever thought
emigrating to Australia would place one in a more intellectual
environment but it seems the question is not impertinent.

I don't know about you, Tudor, but I recall that the weather basics,
including a vertical cross-section of a depression, formed part of the
geography O-Level. What the heck do they learn in Geography today?
The location of Beckingham Palace, perhaps?

Talking about former colonials, the Americans, who in certain parts of
their country are not known for their intellectual aspirations, have a
far less dumbed-down media weather forecasting set-up, notwithstanding
their occasional theatrical presenters.

If nothing else, can the BBC not provide a more technical forecast on
BBC2 or even BBC4 (if anybody watches it)?

Martin





Tudor Hughes.

"Tudor Hughes" wrote in message
oups.com...
Tonight, as usual, I was down the pub and near the end, when my
mates had gone home (because unlike me they have to work on Monday) I
chatted to the Australian barmaid. She was a qualified science teacher
back in Oz and had an interest in the weather. I think she had also
taught in this country. She was appalled by the sheer idiocy of the
BBC weather presentation and the graphics in particular. She also
mentioned the general dumbing-down of many other things and was
becoming quite embarassed by having to criticise this country but I
told her not to worry as I was far too old to get annoyed and agreed
with most of what she said anyway. Back in Australia they are taught
weather-chart interpretation as part of year 9, apparently. I don't
know if this happens at all in the UK but a a fat lot of good it would
do the pupils if it were. Do we realise how stupid we have allowed
ourselves to become or at least allowed the media to assume we are? At
the risk of offending Australians I'd ask who'd have ever thought
emigrating to Australia would place one in a more intellectual
environment but it seems the question is not impertinent.

Tudor Hughes.


Interesting points Tudor, but I don't think the weather would have been my
main topic of conversation, given a similar scenario!!!


--
David Mitchell, 70m amsl, Langtoft, East Riding of Yorkshire.

JPG wrote:

I don't know about you, Tudor, but I recall that the weather basics,
including a vertical cross-section of a depression, formed part of the
geography O-Level.

Martin, I sat my GCEs in the penultimate year that they were used prior
to GCSE taking over (1986) and our syllabus definitely included weather
basics. As I recall, the exam had a forecasting question included.
Unfortunately, my school stopped offering GCE meteorology as a
'lunchtime extra' the year before I started the GCE build-up, so I
missed out on that.

Regards

G.
--
Graham J. Platt
graham (a) bowhunter (d) demon (d) co (d) uk
TRA #10112 L3
UKRA #1264 L3 RSO

Graham wrote:
JPG wrote:

I don't know about you, Tudor, but I recall that the weather basics,
including a vertical cross-section of a depression, formed part of
the geography O-Level.

Martin, I sat my GCEs in the penultimate year that they were used
prior to GCSE taking over (1986) and our syllabus definitely included
weather basics. As I recall, the exam had a forecasting question
included. Unfortunately, my school stopped offering GCE meteorology
as a 'lunchtime extra' the year before I started the GCE build-up, so
I missed out on that.

When I left 6th form in 1989, I know the A level Geography syllabus had a
fair whack of stuff in there, possibly half a terms worth, and it was the
only time I was sure of what I was doing. I was miles ahead of most on that
part and was very popular in class because of it. Learnt all about the
various lapse rates etc, which i know I can't remember now...
--
Rob Overfield
Hull
http://talkingtoomuchagain.blogspot.com

"Tudor Hughes" wrote in message
oups.com...
snip
She was a qualified science teacher
back in Oz and had an interest in the weather. I think she had also
taught in this country. She was appalled by the sheer idiocy of the
BBC weather presentation and the graphics in particular. snip
Back in Australia they are taught
weather-chart interpretation as part of year 9, apparently. I don't
know if this happens at all in the UK but a a fat lot of good it
would
do the pupils if it were.

.... all good points (truncated above): the clip of Helen Young saying
(roughly) ... " the British public aren't ready for jet streams " sums
up the attitude both of the 'public' &, more importantly, the providers
of the information.

It is perhaps relevant that if we want to look at model data in any
depth, we have to rely on domains such as .de, .ch & of course the
various US sources - which for a supposedly commercial society allows a
remarkably large amount of data out 'for-free' to us enthusiasts.

I suppose rather than moaning about it, we should debate whether there
is anything to be done, but I'm at a loss to know where to start. When
my son was going through secondary school (in St. Albans, about 12 years
ago now), on one of my visits up there I noticed that they had a
thermometer screen on the front lawn, falling into disrepair. I wrote to
the school and told them that if they wanted to use my knowledge etc.,
I'd be glad to help out in any way I could. I didn't get a reply.

Martin.


--
FAQ & Glossary for uk.sci.weather at:-
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/booty.weather/uswfaqfr.htm
and
http://booty.org.uk/booty.weather/metindex.htm

"Tudor Hughes" wrote in message
oups.com...
Tonight, as usual, I was down the pub and near the end, when my
mates had gone home (because unlike me they have to work on Monday) I
chatted to the Australian barmaid. She was a qualified science teacher
back in Oz and had an interest in the weather. I think she had also
taught in this country. She was appalled by the sheer idiocy of the
BBC weather presentation and the graphics in particular. She also
mentioned the general dumbing-down of many other things and was
becoming quite embarassed by having to criticise this country but I
told her not to worry as I was far too old to get annoyed and agreed
with most of what she said anyway. Back in Australia they are taught
weather-chart interpretation as part of year 9, apparently. I don't
know if this happens at all in the UK but a a fat lot of good it would
do the pupils if it were. Do we realise how stupid we have allowed
ourselves to become or at least allowed the media to assume we are? At
the risk of offending Australians I'd ask who'd have ever thought
emigrating to Australia would place one in a more intellectual
environment but it seems the question is not impertinent.

Tudor Hughes.



:-) I agree with all this 200%. I have lived in Australia for a number of
years in the late 1980s. I had the pleasure of going back there last year
and was pleased and relieved to see that there has been no dumbing down of
their weather forecasts.

This pap from the BBC is really annoying and unless you have acess to the
Internet and know what you are looking at. Its as near as dammit impossible
to see a proper synoptic chart.

Its a disgrace.