the great storm of 2013

[TANGODANCER]

I really am sorry for any death or injury caused by the weather but hey how many trees get lost up north every year to the weather? It's just like the 2" of snow the south gets from time to time, the end of the world as we know it!

There have been over 100 trees falling just on trainlines alone in the last 24 hours.

This is not normal anywhere in the country.

It is in Hoboh country. Sensitivity isn't his strongest asset.

[mrkint]

I really am sorry for any death or injury caused by the weather but hey how many trees get lost up north every year to the weather? It's just like the 2" of snow the south gets from time to time, the end of the world as we know it!

There have been over 100 trees falling just on trainlines alone in the last 24 hours.

This is not normal anywhere in the country.

*frees mummy from the keepnet*

[Lost Leopard Spot]

I'll enter the debate if I might. I'm sitting on top of a mountain called Beinn Lair. I'm a full eleven kilometres from the nearest house and about a ten hour walk from civilisation, and for the first time ever in Fisherfield I've got mobile and WiFi connection.
As for number of deaths that constitute a storm I can add categorically that as I look south over to Liathach I know for a fact that three people got blown to their deaths off that mountain not much more than a fortnight ago. Anybody down there ever hear about that? I don't think the news channels even bothered with a 'it's a bit windy up in the Scottish mountains' tag line to the weather forecast, never mind an actual news story, so I'm sorry Gary, but news IS dictated by where it occurs (down South) and who's determining who is to report it (Southern based TV executives).

[Gary the Enfield]

I'll enter the debate if I might. I'm sitting on top of a mountain called Beinn Lair. I'm a full eleven kilometres from the nearest house and about a ten hour walk from civilisation, and for the first time ever in Fisherfield I've got mobile and WiFi connection.
As for number of deaths that constitute a storm I can add categorically that as I look south over to Liathach I know for a fact that three people got blown to their deaths off that mountain not much more than a fortnight ago. Anybody down there ever hear about that? I don't think the news channels even bothered with a 'it's a bit windy up in the Scottish mountains' tag line to the weather forecast, never mind an actual news story, so I'm sorry Gary, but news IS dictated by where it occurs (down South) and who's determining who is to report it (Southern based TV executives).

...and those deaths are no less pertinent but I could be just as flippant and say they perhaps shouldn't have put themselves in that position. The people who died today died from abnormal circumstances, not pissing about half way up a hill.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

I wasn't being flippant. I could as equally well say maybe you shouldn't sleep in a flimsy temporary structure right next to a large fullleafed conifer weighing in the region of twenty tons when you know 80 mile an hour winds are coming.
Two weeks ago and yesterday were both storms. People died in both. One was deemed newsworthy and one wasn't. It doesn't take a genius to work out which was reported. That's all I'm saying.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

I wasn't being flippant. I could as equally well say maybe you shouldn't sleep in a flimsy temporary structure right next to a large fullleafed conifer weighing in the region of twenty tons when you know 80 mile an hour winds are coming.
Two weeks ago and yesterday were both storms. People died in both. One was deemed newsworthy and one wasn't. It doesn't take a genius to work out which was reported. That's all I'm saying.

Presumably the one touching the lives of the greater number of people by an absolute mile was the one covered?

[Lost Leopard Spot]

I wasn't being flippant. I could as equally well say maybe you shouldn't sleep in a flimsy temporary structure right next to a large fullleafed conifer weighing in the region of twenty tons when you know 80 mile an hour winds are coming.
Two weeks ago and yesterday were both storms. People died in both. One was deemed newsworthy and one wasn't. It doesn't take a genius to work out which was reported. That's all I'm saying.

Presumably the one touching the lives of the greater number of people by an absolute mile was the one covered?

Density of population is probably a factor, although as the Scots around me on Saturday night were saying BEFORE any storm struck England, the storm a fortnight ago up here was not even mentioned on the news. It might have areas of undiluted wilderness, but it's not unpopulated. There are a few million people or so.
The real reason for the differential in newsworthiness ain't the NUMBER of people affected, it's the supposed SIGNIFICANCE of them (being Southerners and all).

[Gary the Enfield]

I wasn't being flippant. I could as equally well say maybe you shouldn't sleep in a flimsy temporary structure right next to a large fullleafed conifer weighing in the region of twenty tons when you know 80 mile an hour winds are coming.
Two weeks ago and yesterday were both storms. People died in both. One was deemed newsworthy and one wasn't. It doesn't take a genius to work out which was reported. That's all I'm saying.

Having searched for the deaths you spoke of it's no surprise it didn't make national news as I can't even find it in the local rags up there!

The point is many people across the south of England, not just London, have been affected by this and it IS nationally relevant. It doesn't take a genius to realise that.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

I wasn't being flippant. I could as equally well say maybe you shouldn't sleep in a flimsy temporary structure right next to a large fullleafed conifer weighing in the region of twenty tons when you know 80 mile an hour winds are coming.
Two weeks ago and yesterday were both storms. People died in both. One was deemed newsworthy and one wasn't. It doesn't take a genius to work out which was reported. That's all I'm saying.

Presumably the one touching the lives of the greater number of people by an absolute mile was the one covered?

Density of population is probably a factor, although as the Scots around me on Saturday night were saying BEFORE any storm struck England, the storm a fortnight ago up here was not even mentioned on the news. It might have areas of undiluted wilderness, but it's not unpopulated. There are a few million people or so.
The real reason for the differential in newsworthiness ain't the NUMBER of people affected, it's the supposed SIGNIFICANCE of them (being Southerners and all).

None of our secretaries made it into the office until gone 1pm today.

If we take a measure like 'total number of working hours lost due to the storm', then it will be far greater when a serious storm hits a densely populated area with a lot of economic activity that depends on commuting.

That's the supposed significance.

[Lord Kangana]

It stands to reason that when about 85% of the journalists in this country are based in The Greater London area there'll be more written about the area they're based in.

Also based on the known given that 95% of all journalists are lazy alcoholics, the only reason they'll be filling out gigabites of the internet with how horrendous the storm is down south is so they can say there were leaves/trees/water on the tube line, an ideal excuse not to have to go into work, and can instead indulge their twin passions of drinking in the pub and doing nowt. Perfectly logical.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

There is that, too.

[mrkint]

[Lost Leopard Spot]

I entered the debate because a statement was made about people dying, and therefore it being a proper storm. All I've pointed out is that we've had equally fierce storms with equally serious loss of life and not a word in any media. Personally, I don't give a f*ck if it's reported or not. But get a grip... It is reported because it is in the south - you say economics, I say TV executive influence. At the end of the day, as far as I'm concerned, that's the same reason.
Anyway batteries dying so cannot respond. But am defiant in my stance on this, you'll just have to wait until I can take up cudgels.

[bobo the clown]

None of our secretaries made it into the office until gone 1pm today.
If we take a measure like 'total number of working hours lost due to the storm', then it will be far greater when a serious storm hits a densely populated area with a lot of economic activity that depends on commuting.

That's the supposed significance.

... or, maybe ... just a vague possibility here, of course ... but maybe ... as their excuse not to turn up anything like prompt had been pretty well advertised for days then ... and again, this is merely a hypothesis ... they came in after 1pm, en-masse, despite living in all sorts of directions and distances away from the office ... because ... and I stress this may only possibly be the case ... they fancied doing ???

Not saying this for fact, of course.

[Gary the Enfield]

I entered the debate because a statement was made about people dying, and therefore it being a proper storm. All I've pointed out is that we've had equally fierce storms with equally serious loss of life and not a word in any media. Personally, I don't give a f*ck if it's reported or not. But get a grip... It is reported because it is in the south - you say economics, I say TV executive influence. At the end of the day, as far as I'm concerned, that's the same reason.
Anyway batteries dying so cannot respond. But am defiant in my stance on this, you'll just have to wait until I can take up cudgels.

And not just the southern biased ones.

[Raven]

What storm, nothing in the midlands, yesterday was worse

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

None of our secretaries made it into the office until gone 1pm today.
If we take a measure like 'total number of working hours lost due to the storm', then it will be far greater when a serious storm hits a densely populated area with a lot of economic activity that depends on commuting.

That's the supposed significance.

... or, maybe ... just a vague possibility here, of course ... but maybe ... as their excuse not to turn up anything like prompt had been pretty well advertised for days then ... and again, this is merely a hypothesis ... they came in after 1pm, en-masse, despite living in all sorts of directions and distances away from the office ... because ... and I stress this may only possibly be the case ... they fancied doing ???

Not saying this for fact, of course.

Actually, one came in at 1pm, one at 2pm, one at 3pm... and the other 10 or so have just stayed away.

It's a bit of a joke actually.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

I entered the debate because a statement was made about people dying, and therefore it being a proper storm. All I've pointed out is that we've had equally fierce storms with equally serious loss of life and not a word in any media. Personally, I don't give a f*ck if it's reported or not. But get a grip... It is reported because it is in the south - you say economics, I say TV executive influence. At the end of the day, as far as I'm concerned, that's the same reason.
Anyway batteries dying so cannot respond. But am defiant in my stance on this, you'll just have to wait until I can take up cudgels.

And not just the southern biased ones.

They're all Southern biased. Even the Scottish ones.

[Gary the Enfield]

I entered the debate because a statement was made about people dying, and therefore it being a proper storm. All I've pointed out is that we've had equally fierce storms with equally serious loss of life and not a word in any media. Personally, I don't give a f*ck if it's reported or not. But get a grip... It is reported because it is in the south - you say economics, I say TV executive influence. At the end of the day, as far as I'm concerned, that's the same reason.
Anyway batteries dying so cannot respond. But am defiant in my stance on this, you'll just have to wait until I can take up cudgels.

And not just the southern biased ones.

They're all Southern biased. Even the Scottish ones.

Riiiight!

Anyway, I think the Scottish Tourist Board are missing a trick. If they can almost guarantee getting blown off whilst on holiday up there, then tourism would rocket.

[bobo the clown]

None of our secretaries made it into the office until gone 1pm today.
If we take a measure like 'total number of working hours lost due to the storm', then it will be far greater when a serious storm hits a densely populated area with a lot of economic activity that depends on commuting.

That's the supposed significance.

... or, maybe ... just a vague possibility here, of course ... but maybe ... as their excuse not to turn up anything like prompt had been pretty well advertised for days then ... and again, this is merely a hypothesis ... they came in after 1pm, en-masse, despite living in all sorts of directions and distances away from the office ... because ... and I stress this may only possibly be the case ... they fancied doing ???

Not saying this for fact, of course.

Actually, one came in at 1pm, one at 2pm, one at 3pm... and the other 10 or so have just stayed away.

It's a bit of a joke actually.

You know .... and I'm not sure if you could tell, but .... I suspected as much.