...other than the fact that things in other threads keep sparking off thoughts at random tangents to the OP and I decided this time not to hijack the thread.

The discussion of the ambiguity of biannual reminded me (heaven knows why - maybe I should get some psychiatric help) of a time when I was visiting Miami.

A weather forecast on television told me that there was a sixty five percent chance of a rainstorm at four O'clock in the afternoon.
"Wow" I thought "American weather forecasters are so much more specific than ours."

Then it occurred to me that this manages the interesting trick of being both completely specific and entirely meaningless at the same time as I pondered the question
"Well if it doesn't rain were they right or wrong?"

I have no idea why that particular story came to mind. Put it down to randomly firing synapses.

(Incidentally it did rain, at four O'clock. It lasted for about ten minutes with drops of water like bullets and visibility down to about six inches. Ten minutes after it stopped the streets were bone dry again and there was no sign that it had rained at all.)

Purgamentum init, exit purgamentum

Read all about my travels around the world here.

You are completely right about the weather predictions here--they are ambiguous and wrong most of the time. They start out on a Sunday saying we'll have 14 inches of snow on Thursday. Everyone runs out and buys groceries, more salt, another snow shovel, etc. By Monday it is 6-10 inches, Tuesday 3-5 inches, and so on--by Thursday it is sunny, 45 degrees and gorgeous. Everyone relaxes. Then on the following Sunday, without any warning, we'll get 20 inches of snow!

Also, the 10-minute rain describes Florida perfectly. When we were in St. Augustine (an interesting city with lots of history), it rained every day at 4 pm for about 15 minutes. Strange.