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ImageSMART TALK
by Dr. Winton "Windy" Prolix

SNOW SHOWER:  When did we stop having flurries?  The Institute for the Linguistically Impaired being in Underbelly, Texas, we don't see snow all that often, but when we do, the prognosticators foretell snow showers.  What are those?

An informal poll of institute staff by our psychologist, Dr. Viva Palaver, reveals that we always thought shower connoted water unless otherwise specified, and that flurry was the word for a brief, relatively light snowfall.  Yes, snow shower specifies otherwise, but why did this clumsy term replace the perfectly descriptive and graceful flurry?

And flurry always connotes snow, unless otherwise specified, as in a flurry of confetti, which makes snow flurry redundant.

Speaking of redundant, the weather yobs are even saying rain showers now.  Simply using showers and flurries would not only make their jobs easier but also make their messages clearer, which in turn would make our lives easier.

Is computer modeling eliminating intelligence from the criteria for a career in meteorology?  Perhaps forecasters have resorted to arcane sounding terms for showers and flurries in a pathetic attempt at self importance.

At the institute, we have showers and flurries, and our weather seems the equal of our neighbors'.

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