FINN(COM) DAILY RECORD: TUESDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2004
Compiled by J. Brock (FINN)
FISH ADAMANT: GLOBAL WARMING IS THE REAL WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION
By J Brock (FINN)
In answer to a student at the Falkland Islands Community School, Michael Fish, the longest serving weather presenter has condemned global warming as the most threatening weapon of mass destruction. The exchange took place on Tuesday afternoon when Mr Fish, who was being hosted by the MPA Met Office, visited Stanley and accepted an invitation to speak at the school. “I have been trying to tell President Bush for years that he is going after the wrong weapon of mass destruction,” he told the students. Global warming will kill more people than any war will do,” he continued. Mr Fish went on to say that there are plenty of opportunities to exploit renewable energy here in the Falklands and that the older generation has a responsibility to the younger one to hand the world over to them as they found it.
During his presentation Mr Fish went into the history of weather forecasting and began with Aristotle’s book about the weather and unfortunate lack of instruments to winnow out his theory, to Captain Fitzroy, the First Director General of the Met Office. He went on to chart the history to WWI, with the theory that the air was fluid and that high pressure, low pressure, warm fronts and cold fronts could be tracked. “Unfortunately, in 1919, it would take 64,000 civil servants with pen and paper to do the predictions and at the time it was a non-starter. He continued through to the use of computers after WWII and the emergence of satellite technology to forecast the weather by enhancing global models to help predict where the weather systems will be during a given period of time. He explained that one satellite was stationed 55km above the equator and followed the earth as it spun around. Though the satellite’s images did not have high resolution, it is enough to see weather systems. A much lower satellite orbited from pole to pole and could pick out showers and smaller features within a weather system.
“The Met Offices processes eight million pieces of weather info a day,” said Mr. Fish. We rely on ships and aircraft to provide us with weather information.”
Following the brief history, a video showing the weather studio and clips of people working behind the scenes as well as other weather presenters was shown.
Mr Fish fielded general questions as well as some technical ones from students, such as: How do you use Satellite pictures to predict the weather? Why do we get 4 seasons in one day down here? What category of hurricanes effect Great Britain? What are the levels of a hurricane? What are the requirements for being a weather forecaster? Why are math and physics rather than geography and geology preferred as requirements to be a weather forecaster? Who was doing the weather on TV before you started? He also answered some more personal questions like: What made you become a Weatherman? What is the biggest mistake you ever made? Do you ever feel sick or nervous before a weather forecast? When you started did you find it difficult? What did you want to do after you finished school?
In answer to some of the questions, Mr Fish said that his favourite kind of weather is the kind that manifested itself in the Falklands during the past few days - cold and windy. He continued that snow was a rarity in the UK today. And, in the next 25 years, it could disappear all together. Math and physics were the best requirements for weather forecasting because it is a highly technical field that required proficiency in these subjects. He also said that the seas around Britain are too cold for hurricanes and temperatures of 28C were needed to produce them. As for the four seasons in one day - it was the same in the north of Scotland as well. It’s our proximity to the pole that causes weather to be so changeable.
On the personal side, Mr. Fish said that there was no one in the TV weather forecasting profession when he started and that he did not find it difficult to begin his work. When he got out of school he had wanted to be an RAF Pilot but he had an interest in the weather since the age of 14 and set this interest as a career goal. Six weeks remained in his career at the BBC and he speculated that after retirement he might want to work in the Falklands - who knows?
After the presentation, Geography teacher, Mr. Nigel White, presented Mr. Fish with a pen that was crafted by Mrs. Miriam Purvis.
Mr. Fish is on a weeklong visit to the Falklands. Today he toured Stanley and tonight he will attend a reception at Government House in his honour.
The Tierra del Fuego newspaper Surenio reports today that the mayors of Ushuaia, Rio Gallegos, Rio Grande and Punta Arenas and other Argentine and Chilean towns in southern Patagonia signed the “Convenio de Integración Municipal Patagonia Sur-Sur” in Punta Arenas yesterday. This is an agreement to promote Argentine and Chilean Patagonia jointly as if it were one region. Tourism and economic, institutional and other projects will now be carried out on an integrated basis in southern Patagonia. Surenio commented yesterday that this “bi-national region” together with Antarctica and the Falkland Islands had enormous potential.
In late news today all Argentine papers are reporting a disaster from the town of Carmen de Patagones, (which is a lot further north). A 15 year-old schoolboy took his father’s pistol with him this morning and killed four fellow pupils who had been bullying him and wounded several others. Ironically the school was named “Islas Malvinas”.
(100X Translation Service)
FIBS NEWS DIRECT: 28 SEPTEMBER 2004 - Corina Goss (CG)
HEALTH AND MEDICAL SERVICES COMMITTEE REPORT:
There has been no further indication of Listeria in milk from the Stanley Dairy. Dr. Roger Diggle told the Health and Medical Services Committee yesterday afternoon that the milk was still being tested on a weekly basis and that there’s been no sign of the bacteria. He did say that one cow could have an intermittent infection that would test negative for a year and then provide a positive result, saying that it would be impossible to prove negative and said three months is a reasonable compromise. He said the situation should be left as it is for two weeks and then the dairy can be declared free of infection. This will also coincide with the increase of air temperature over 3C, as this lowers the chances of the infection occurring.
The health of the nation paper has been submitted to Human Resources for comment before moving on to a wider group. The Board did state that the paper is only currently in the discussion stage. And, Norman McGregor-Edwards reported to the Committee that there is a new Consultant Psychiatrist arriving in the Islands, who will be assisting the hospital in developing a mental health strategy. This will hopefully start in November.
COMMENTS ON FREE LEISURE CENTRE FACILITIES:
Dr. Roger Diggle said he had received positive response after he commented that Leisure Centre facilities within the Islands should be made free of charge. One individual said that the total cost of the leisure facilities for a year were in excess of £500.00. It was, as one board member commented, cheaper than smoking. This morning we asked people whether Leisure Centre facilities should be free of charge.
Voice 1: I do. I think it’s a good idea. Put a bit more tax on cigarettes and then you can pay for the Leisure Centre.
CG: Would you personally use the Leisure Centre more if it was free?
Voice 1: I can’t really say as I haven’t used the Leisure Centre. But I agree exercise is good for you. But Tax Cigarettes.
CG: But not everybody had that opinion.
Voice 2: I think at the moment we pay a very competitive price. I just came back from the UK and paid £4.00 for an adult swim. I went swimming with my daughter this morning and we both got in free because she is under 5. As somebody with enough money to pay I think they are well priced.
Voice 3: No. Price isn’t really a factor. We are in a privileged position and other people may be rich.
Voice 4: I don’t think it would make any difference for the use of it. People will use it as they feel fit to do so. I don’t think cost comes into it that much.
Voice 5: I don’t think they should be free. I don’t really think you should get these things for nothing. And, I don’t think any more people will go because it’s free.
LEGCO NEWS:
Jetty Centre Parking and the Falkland Landholdings are the subjects of two questions that are being posed during Friday’s Legco. Both questions are by Cllr. Mike Summers. He will be asking Cllr. John Birmingham to advise of the progress being made with extra parking around the Jetty Centre. And, particularly relating to the progress at FIC about acquiring apparent redundant land next to the Jubilee Warehouse, which, he says will provide substantial additional public parking. He will also be asking Cllr. Richard Cockwell what plans are in place to return Falkland Landholdings to profitability and particularly what strategies are being employed to achieve it.
FISHERIES COMMITTEE NEWS:
Worries that exploring for scallops could interfere with Lolligo breeding grounds arose during this morning’s Fisheries Committee meeting. Cllr. Richard Cockwell says that this needed to be explored anyway, indicating that interference on a small scale would be much better than finding out too late that Lolligo stocks are being disturbed. Also, there would be an observer onboard the vessel to monitor the fishing practices. Fisheries Director, John Barton, says it’s clear that there are scallops in areas other than those already being explored but that the quantities aren’t known, saying the fishing vessel would carry minimal crew in carrying out further research. The Committee agreed that an experimental licence can be issued to Hanswell Maritime. One of the target areas being looked at is near Beauchene Island. The Company had applied to fish closer than the three-mile no fishing zone but this was turned down due to the island being a nature reserve.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS:
Telecommunications Consultant, Dr. Chris Doyle (CD) was recently invited by the Falkland Islands Government to review the replacement of the Camp Telephone system. Sian Ferguson (SF) asked how the Camp and Stanley systems differ.
CD: The Camp system is different because of the nature of the customers and where they live. It’s different to the rest of the Island. And, it’s much more expensive to get the service out to individual Camp dwellers.
SF: What sort of problems does it make?
CD: Radio systems are reasonably robust and have been in use for many years. They are subject to degradation due to weather conditions. Take the Camp Telephone system for example, you probably see if you drive into Camp occasionally, a little antenna on top of a hill somewhere. It is part f that system - a repeater. And, those repeaters do literally repeat the signal. They boost the signal that is coming from Stanley that may be going out to a distant farm. It may go through one or two repeaters. These repeaters have to be situated at high altitude in order to give greater coverage so that the signal can travel further. But in order to boost the communications signals, they need power. So, when you see the antenna on top of the hill, what you probably cannot see as easily is the little wind turbine and the solar panels. Because the winds can be extremely strong on these exposed ridges and precipitation can be very icy, this exposes the elements - the equipment to very severe weather conditions. So, they tend to break more easily. The costs of maintaining the equipment is quite high.
(100X Transcription Service)
