Weather Talk

The papers here have been reporting about the recent floods in the unusual parts of the country almost everyday. Floods in Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Oxford (where "that other university" is located) would take up the first few pages in the dailies.

Yesterday two Fellows in my college were "debating" over an article about climate change;

"Today these scientists are saying that global warming is making heavy rain fall more frequently across the world's temperate latitudes. But less than a year ago, they said that the summer this year will be hot and dry and it will be normal occurence in the next 40 to 50 years. They just can't make up their mind as to the effects of global warming!"

"It is not possible to say whether this is a result of climate change or not...but we do know that, in general, warmer climates experience more intense rainfall. Our current wet summer is associated with a jet stream that is further south than normal."

Marks and Spencer's Chief Executive Stuart Rose once said, "Weather is for wimps" after a string of retailers blamed unseasonable weather for their travails.
Recently it was reported "Weather ends the boom times at M&S"
Why? The wet weather caused sluggish sales of their summer clothes.
Rose quipped, "We sold more brollies..."

Other retailers are complaining that their summer stocks for BBQ equipment and food have been dampened by the wet weather.

Not all are losers....

Domino's Pizza reported increase in its half-year profits. "More people are picking up the phone than their BBQ skewers during this wet summer."

Sales in Halfords, the car parts-to-bicycles retailer, rose as motorists were forced to fit new wiper blades during the wet weather.

Opportunities in the face of adversities. Win some, lose some, there are always trade-offs. That's what I've learnt in Sustainable Development.