UK Politics Thread (Part 2)

Not playing Top Trumps. Once went running in Vegas in Summer at lunchtime. Guess that’s a 100 :wink:

Next week is the last day of term isn’t it? Doubt much learning will happen anyway so kids leaving early / not going in for a few days is hardly likely to make a difference to their education.

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Neither was I. Just trying to compare previous experience to see whether the UK is overreacting. They’re not.

Everyone seems to be mentioning the summer of 1976. I remember the draught and I remember getting sunburnt in New Brighton. What they might not remember is that peak temperatures were 35°C and there were 20% excess deaths (that’s extremely high).

In the 2003 heatwave temperatures peaked at 38°C and excess deaths were 59%.

If temperatures are forecast to exceed 40°C on top of a wave of Covid and a shortage of NHS staff, I don’t think the government are overreacting at all. I have worked in emergency planning before and this looks pretty extreme to me.

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There will be an impact where both parents (or lone carer) work. On a personal level it would be great to have a heads up of even a “we might close or close early” so we can get childcare or work rearrangement sorted.

Maybe we can send all the geriatrics to huddle together in a tube station if they can’t afford their heating in the winter, they can harness some of that wartime spirit and stop complaining about energy prices.

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When was this?

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That’s really stupid!

It was a statement of what the government stated would happen IF.

It’s a me thing, go somewhere hot and run. Extra weight loss.

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This is a key point. 35c in very low humidify (eg Canberra or Adelaide) is hot (slightly too hot imo) but not uncomfortable provided you can find shade when needed and have access to cold water. 35C in the tropics - or even Brisbane or Darwin - is so much more uncomfortable and, if you overheat, your body struggles to cool down via sweat. Without refrigerated air con it becomes intolerable, very quickly. A very humid environment over 37C, where the body can’t cool itself, can become deadly fast.

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Haven’t been following conservatives leadership saga too closely - being in oz and all - but saw this shot of the erstwhile favourite according to bookies - and wondered whether Mordaunt was appealing to the (surely already overrepresented?) BDSM tory set with an aloof, stern look or her policy on smiling is ‘user pays’?

All this talk about the heat is missing a crucial detail. In Singapore, as @gasband will attest to, schools do not shut down for high temperatures, even though it’s usually really humid and hot. But those conditions are present all year round, so people will be more acclimatised to it.

This is literally a 10ºC delta over the last couple of days, and with predicted minimums expected to exceed historical records by 1ºC or more.

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From Guardian letters:

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Every photo of her has that same look for some reason. Don’t know enough about her to have an opinion on it. I don’t hold much hope though.

Lying in plain site I suspect :roll_eyes:

Yeah we practically don’t shut down for anything, definitely not for high temperature probably because we are consistently in the low 30s, hot but not extremely hot and we don’t get extreme fluctuations of temperature. And even when it gets too hot, you can always jump into a building for shelter which almost would have aircondition. So heat injuries are not common but not unheard of. The only time we hear something get suspended is like army training in the jungle when we get extremely hot or heavy rain with lightning…

Its not comparable though. The government most likely assumed Germans wouldnt target schools. Keeping children in the school also stops them being caught in other areas where fighting may take place or defenders are preparing for conflict. They are then also centralised so can be evacuated much easier.

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No, it was just a simple honest mistake, in view of UK education it was always going to be difficult to distinguish between Albania and Turkey, even the spelling is similar!

I’ve only been for a run once in the low/mid 30s (late afternoon, almost sunset) in SE Qld and yes it’s a little unbearable. I ended up stopping at every public toilet along the route to dunk my head under the tap. The destination was the beach though so a dip afterward did the trick. But no I wouldn’t do it again. Running in hot humid conditions is shit.

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Hey @gasband do you know if school classrooms have aircon in Singapore generally?