We're Fools in the Eyes of Journalists!

August Bank Holiday weekend once again here in England and Wales (but not in Scotland.) Soon schools will re-open, their pupils will don their uniforms and return to their desks. Many theme parks will either restrict their opening hours or close down for the winter. Surely, with all this talk about climate change, should we all be glad and thankful that we had no real heatwave, instead, plenty of rain and lacking sunshine?

Man out, rain. Woman out, sunshine.

At least we didn't suffer the severe heatwave which affected the Mediterranean lands. And so I read: Sicily hit 45C earlier in the month. Not quite sauna temperature but uncomfortable enough to make a beeline to the sea and enjoy a swim in the refreshing turquoise waters. Also, at 45C, 113F, sunstroke can be dangerous, if not fatal. Or the excess drinking of freshwater, diluting the bloodstream to the extent of severe contraction of the muscles to bring about intense painful cramps, an ailment that is known as hyponatremia. A cup of electrolyte drink plays a vital role in coming out from this potentially fatal condition, as the salts in the bloodstream are restored to an acceptable level.

Oh well, there's no need to worry about any of that in the UK this summer. Neither, for that matter, did I feel much concern over forest fires. That's when a prolonged period of drought turns the land into tinderbox dryness, that state of dehydration where it takes only a spark from a portable barbecue or a carelessly discarded glowing cigarette butt to set the whole forest on fire.

This is serious stuff! Where we live, there is a pine forest just literally across the road. Should there be a fire there, we would have nowhere to go to escape the smoky fog lingering in the air. With the health of both of us below parr, breathing in smoke would have been seriously harmful. And so I ponder, after the Met Office forecasting another day of cloud cover accompanied by a chilly northerly breeze - right in the middle of August - I can't help feeling relief that whilst the Sicilian temperatures touched 45C, we were fortunate not to get above 24C, which is the average level for the time of the year in the UK.

Therefore, I grimaced when I read The Daily Mail online the headline, Temperatures set to soar to 71F for the Bank Holiday Weekend. I was able to see straight away how misleading that headline was! Why do these journalists take us for fools? At first glance, a figure such as 71F does look impressive to the unwary. But I wasn't at all impressed. The Celcius equivalent of 71 degrees Fahrenheit is 21.6 degrees. Not all that warm at all, and slightly below average for this time of year.

Furthermore, the present standard scale for measuring temperature in the UK is the Celcius scale, and it's no longer the Fahrenheit scale. For many years, the BBC has always forecasted the weather using the Celcius scale. And it's also easier to understand. For example, it's easier to understand that the freezing point of water on the Celcius scale is 0 degrees, compared with 32 degrees on Fahrenheit. Likewise, the boiling point of water is 100 degrees on Celcius and 212 degrees on Fahrenheit. Yet the Daily Mail still insist on using the Fahrenheit scale.

For the unwary, 71F looks impressive at a glance. But, judging by the long forum column trailing the article, the public was far from fooled. Rather, many commenters rebuked the newspaper for their deceit by using Fahrenheit. 

The Daily Mail upholds the Conservative Party, and it's also a Brexit-supporting newspaper that has one of the widest circulations in the UK. Taking these two factors into account, there is a preference among its journalists to use the Imperialistic measure rather than the European Metric. Hence, the use of Fahrenheit is seen as so British, according to The Daily Mail, and their use of the scale is part of preserving our English heritage hence, enhancing its own popularity and sales. Oh, the irony! According to the Internet, Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686-1736) was actually born in Gdansk in what is now Poland. He was still a child when his family moved to the Dutch Republic, that is, the Netherlands today. He developed the temperature scale whilst living and studying in the Netherlands and has nothing to do with English origins. Indeed, the Fahrenheit scale for measuring temperature is more European than British.

Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit.

But I wonder how patronising these journalists can be as they hide behind the image. Do they really take us for fools? Do they think we're that gullible? As a senior citizen, it may come as a surprise that I have never become that familiar with the Fahrenheit scale. Instead, I quickly took on a favour for the Celcius. Yet, I can still discern that 71F is not that warm - without being all that familiar with it.

I guess 71F has a greater impact than 21C. With the higher figure, it gives more of an impression of a heatwave. And so the public takes the newspaper to task. And then climb into their cars and head for the coast. Traffic jams build up as if there is no tomorrow, whilst the trains are packed as they also head towards coastal resorts. Not because it's going to be warm, but rather, they also know that it won't rain either.

No insult to my PhD friend Andrew, who at this moment is on holiday in Cornwall with another friend. I hope they are enjoying themselves and that the weather will be favourable. Nevertheless, I'm aware it won't be that warm.

And so, the media keeps on pumping out climate change and how our planet is doomed if nothing is done about it. If someone asks me whether I believe in the changing climate, I would admit that my knowledge of it is rather small, perhaps too little to give a dogmatic opinion. It's rather like the Coronavirus pandemic. One group of scientists support lockdowns, mask-wearing, social distancing and greater restrictions, while the opposing party insists that this imposing of greater restrictions are of little value, as the infection rate rises and falls on a constant roller-coaster, as if oblivious to any action we're taking against it. Here in the UK, at present, the infection rate is rising again, but the rate of hospitalisations and deaths remain comparatively static compared with previous waves. Is the vaccine rollout successful after all?

I find it frustrating that at each evening news bulletin, a graph is presented showing a climb of infection numbers along with the rate of hospital admissions and deaths. I have noticed that The Daily Mail gives the same statistics, which appear online shortly before the BBC delivers its report. But what the media doesn't detail is who the patients are. The elderly? The younger ones? Those who are vaccinated or mostly the unvaccinated? Is the lifting of restrictions the real cause of the rise in infections? And what is the recovery rate? And so, there are more questions than answers as the general beliefs of the population drift on without proper direction like a boat that had lost its oars. And as usual, if there's the slightest hint of the possibility of a new variant, then you can guarantee that the newspaper will have the headline high on its priorities.

I have a feeling that the media is more certain about climate change. But what I find irritating, yes, downright annoying. Tacked on towards the end of interesting nature documentaries is a lecture on climate change delivered by the presenter. David Attenborough of the BBC is a classic case. During the bulk of the programme, for example, he makes a thoroughly enjoyable presentation of the wildlife inhabiting the Amazon forests of Brazil, or the marine life at the Great Barrier Reef. Such presentations are so well made, it makes me feel that I'm actually there, filming with the camera.

Then, as the programme draws to a close, we are reminded of the devastation we wicked humans are doing to our planet. For example, the cutting down of trees covering hundreds of acres of the Amazon forest to make way for palm oil crops. Eventually, there will be a change of climate over South America, with less rainfall and oxygen output. All because the President of Brazil wants the economy of his country to prosper with private companies turning the forest into agricultural land and thus, making profits. Indeed, since our lives depend on products made with palm oil, all of this makes me feel somewhat guilty of such a heinous crime, and at the same time, feeling totally powerless to do anything about it.

Or, by boarding a flight for a holiday, I contribute towards the bleaching of our ocean's coral reefs, Another guilt trip. Do we look like fools in the eyes of journalists?

Personally, I believe something is happening to our planet at present. Polar ice caps are melting, so we're told. We are also told that the oceans are getting warmer, posing a threat to the coral reefs and other marine life. Yet, year in, year out, our British climate had remained stable. Or at least that's the way I see it. Generally, it's cold in the winter and warm in the summer. The rate of rainfall has remained stable. After all, 1976 was the driest year on record. After 45 years, the record still stands. And this year alone, we had some hefty rainfall. Isn't it amazing that whenever we have a heatwave, we Brits cry out that the planet is getting hotter? And in the winter, should a flurry of snow was to fall, then all roads become skidpans, all train services disrupted, and the threat of another Ice Age is on the cards!

Coral at the Great Barrier Reef, taken 1997.

Oh, the eccentricity of us Brits! Yes, tell us that the weekend temperature is going to soar. A promised heatwave. Run to the beach. Make our way to the parks. Enjoy a day out by the riverside. Row a boat on the lake. Let's enjoy the outdoors. There's going to be a heatwave. Ice cream sales galore.

Hold on. What will be the temperature this weekend? 71 degrees Fahrenheit!. Wow! That looks to be hot! Hold on, just what is that in Celcius? 21 degrees. What? Just 21 degrees Celcius? Never mind the ice cream and the swimsuit. It's time to get the woollies out. Especially if there's a polar breeze blowing.

We have been truly had by the newspapers!