Sunday, July 21, 2013

The heat is on

Although it deprives me of my favourite summer smugness, it is rather nice that people back in the UK are having a real summer. But as soon as the temperature rises, out come the articles moaning about it. Now I do know that there are people who are uncomfortable in heat, even if in Greece the temperatures would be seen as pleasant rather than extreme, however the press seem to have an agenda of complaint whatever the weather. And, of course, it would not be complete without alarmist death rates. The Independent led with a figure of 760 deaths and the possibility of the figure doubling. So how do they know? If this article is to be believed, they don't. The figure is extrapolated from expected statistics. There is nothing wrong with this, but should a 0.7% increase in the predicted death rate be a cause for such hyperbolic headlines?

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