Brass Monkeys

Hello Doug - Based on my interpretation of the issue I think "Global Warming" refers to overall average temps of Earth….its has not been founded on one post by one person referring to an experience of a relatively cold day/night in Mission Beach. Even if it weren’t true (i.e. your interpretation of Global Warming being BS) expect climate to change for better or worse (or stay the same) where ever you live, in your life time or after you have passed on (as we all do). Believe it or not it’s happened before many thousands of times and, difficult as it is to accept, it will happen again – with or without our intervention (a different argument).

Cheers
Greg

Doug

Cold weather is part of Global warming, as is flooding. Read the newspapers tomorrow morning and some fella will regail you with the facts (whilst completing his grant application).

The Great Barrier Reef is going to be destroyed for the tenth time in four decades.

We're not going through a drought, it's Global Warming.

Under no circumstances should we refer to the 1895-1903, 1911-1916 and, devastating drought of 1939 -1945. Not to mention the others since then.

But we'll ignore the facts because it's convenient. Don't even talk to me about the Southern oscillation.

Accept the fact Doug, your going to drown or be fried!

LOL

Regards

Kim

Kim - confusing post - cold weather, flooding and drought are actually all part of any weather pattern and will continue to be so whatever the case may be. The issue of global warming (best referred to as climate change so that people don’t think its going to get hotter where ever they live) is to do with the location and frequency of the weather patterns you mention (and others) so just quoting some past drought periods doesn’t really mean anything (it rained here last year as well – so what! LOL). As I mentioned climate will change (sooner or later) irrespective of human intervention. Time frame is issue - generally regarded that climate is changing a tad faster than "normal" though I don’t think Doug, you or I have too much to worry about (on a personnel level) so go for it – some more LOL.

Cheers
Greg

kimprado & The Explorer
You probably don't realise tha amount of research and reading I do about the past and what has happened and will happen again, and one of my favorites is the scenario of not if but when , these 2 sites far out weigh any worries about global warming when it occurs again , somewhere I had a link showing all the many cold/warm periods the earth has been through, I think Ive read enough to know that microscopic humans have very little effect on climate ,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4391088,00.html#top
Site Link

members.westnet.com.au/dtilley/impacts.htm

Hey Doug, how would I know the amount of research and reading you do?– Is there a link on your website:) My previous comments were based solely on your statement that suggested climate change was BS (you didn’t mention if it was natural or caused by humans).

The cataclysmic events you quote are without a doubt more significant than any effect humans have had in the brief time we’ve had a bash at it. Our continuing efforts to alter the earths vegetation structure and the composition of the atmosphere may however contribute to/alter/accelerate climate change. Cant imagine we have/will have no effect, ever.

I find it strange that people suggest we have no effect at all, which is impression I get from previous posts. Keep in mind it is a global issue - others suggesting drought is pretty normal for Australia is fine, however (for example) melting ice at Artic, Antartic and other polar regions is probalbly worth a bit more consideration when forming views.

Cheers
Greg

"Don't even talk to me about the Southern oscillation"

I would'nt want to embarrass you Kim. It's a very private matter :))))))))

what is it
have i got one?

No 1

It's a secret.

LOL

Kim

Oh no its not!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ni%C3%B1o

Cheers
Greg

what does all that mean explorer

Dont know, didnt read it

i couldnt understand it...lol

Hi Bob.
Not much better down south in Tweed Heads!!.
Good experience for our trip to the corner country on sat.
Regards.
Vince

Zuk,
Mate, cannot understand that you are wearing thermals?????? I am in Sydney and still wearing tshirts but admittly going to work until 8am with a beanie....... I hate the cold and I really have not felt the cold yet this year.
So far have had to scrape ice of the windscreen twice wearing a pair of shorts...... Have a few pairs of thermals but are not required.
I used to live in the Whitsundays for a while and also cairns...... Never did I need more than a pair of trackies or jumper....... Infact the Jumper I was issued for work in Cairns 15yrs ago I am wearing right now with only a tshirt.
I have been in -28 and all was good.
The far north can get a little cool compared to what your used to but it will only be for a couple of days and then you will be saying hahahahahaha it is 28 degrees here whilst we are shivering still with 8 degrees.

Enjoy your trip out there Vince,iwon't envy you as we were between Birdsville & Innaminka this time last year, stopped offthe side of the road overnight in the middle of both places no one in sight for god knows how many k's, got up next morning ready to set off to Innaminka ,bloody flat tyre 7am wind howling through all i had on was shorts & it was about -3deg with the wind factor maybe more but could not find the goolies for a while after i thawed out.:) Lol
Cheers Bob.

Extfilm, i am getting to old now to be pig headed & not be warm & comfortable,i can still remember as a 16 year old travelling to work on the trains in bleep ney jumpers,duffle coat,flannelette shirt, singlet, shorts, long warm duds, get to the job site light a big fire warm up for about an hout till the ice melted so we could do some work. Give me the warmer days any time.:)
Cheers Bob.

It freezes it of 'em :-)

I know how they feel too. (the monkey that is)

Yes, I do know why it is call "brass monkey" weather.

For everybody who doesn't know, in the days of sailing ships, there was kept a ready to use supply of cannon balls next to the cannon. As cannon balls are usually round, they needed to be kept on some sort of implement to stop them rolling all over the deck. This implement was called a "monkey". Steel could not be used, as the salt air would cause them to rust together, preventing use (I suppose they wouldn't roll about the deck then either).
The monkey ended up being constructed out of brass, with indentations for the cannon balls to sit in, so a stack of cannon balls could be made. Brass shrinks and expands readily with temperature changes, so in the colder latitudes, the brass would shrink to the extent that the cannon balls would no longer sit in the indentations on the monkey and roll about on the deck, thereby creating the saying "freeze the balls of a brass monkey".

And you all thought that it was something rude.:))

And it is still cold in Cairns, feather doona on tonight.

Thanks Stu, I knew someone who could type faster than me would spit it out, for those who didnt know ahahah

Cheers Pesty

I'll consider myself enlighted :-)

As an ex navy guy I have always been dubious about that brass monkey explanation. The idea of a pyramid of shot sitting on deck with just the bottom layer held in by dimples in a brass plate just doesn't seem feasible seeing the effort we had to take to make sure stuff did not go wandering around in rough weather. So off to google and this is what I found:

"One theory, of sufficient popularity as to be an example of so-called folk etymology, is that a brass monkey is a brass tray used in naval ships during the Napoleonic Wars, for the storage of cannonballs, piled up in a pyramid. The theory goes that the tray, would contract in cold weather, causing the balls to fall off. This theory is discredited by the US. Department of the Navy and the etymologist Michael Quinion and the OED's AskOxford web site for five main reasons:

1. The Oxford English Dictionary does not record the term "monkey" or "brass monkey" being used in this way.
2. The purported method of storage of cannonballs ("round shot") is simply false. Shot was not stored on deck continuously on the off-chance that the ship might go into battle. Indeed, decks were kept as clear as possible.
3. Furthermore, such a method of storage would result in shot rolling around on deck and causing a hazard in high seas. Shot was stored on the gun or spar decks, in shot racks — longitudinal wooden planks with holes bored into them, known as shot garlands in the Royal Navy, into which round shot were inserted for ready use by the gun crew.
4. Shot was not left exposed to the elements where it could rust. Such rust could lead to the ball not flying true. Indeed, gunners would attempt to remove as many imperfections as possible from the surfaces of balls.
5. The physics do not stand up to scrutiny. All of the balls would contract equally, and the contraction of both balls and plate over the range of temperatures involved would not be particularly large. The effect claimed possibly could be reproduced under laboratory conditions with objects engineered to a high precision for this purpose, but it is unlikely it would ever have occurred in real life aboard a warship. "

See also this site or wikipedia for more info.

The expression is actually as crude as it sounds!

Cheers

Pete

G'day Pete,

you say this theory is discredited by the US. Department of the Navy........what about the US Dept of Pirates !!!!

I like the theory suppoted by Stu050 Much betterer.....LOL

Yes but - Myth Busted!

There was never such a thing as a brass monkey on a sailing or any other kind of ship, but it is still a nice story to convince SWMBO that you ar ento just the crude person she always thought you were.

The orginal expression in the 19th century was "freeze the tail off a brass monkey" and they also had "hot enough to singe the hair off a brass monkey" which is of more use most of the time up north.

Cheers

Pete

They seem to come in for a fair bit of punishment, where was the RSPCA when they were needed?

Agree with you Craig. Much easier to get warm than it is to get cool. Besides, it's the perfect excuse for a campfire :)))

I agree Crackles and Gramps. Sounds idylli to me :))))

I've heard that argument Craig, although it's not one I subscribe to. I'd rather be too hot. I moved out of Melbourne because the cold got to me!!!
Cold beer is much nicer when it's hot than when it's cold.

I have to agree though with the campfire thing. One of the best camps I ever remember was at a little salt lake near Rocket Lake in the Big Dessert NP south of Mildura on the Queens Birthday weekend.

We were expecting - 5 so we had a large fire trench with a roaring mallee root fire. (lit it about 3pm) By 8pm it was beeeeeeeautyfull. Ended up sitting around talking until 3am.

Makes me feel warm just thinking about it.
Chris

I think you'll find that was including the wind chill factor. (those several days of very strong winds ).

Still cold for Toowoomba in any case.

Andrew

Apparently it ended up being -16 with wind chill. All up it got up to a max of 5 being the coldest max for Toowoomba in history. It certainly wasn't the coldest minimum day here (-1.5) but we haven't felt the cold like it is now for such an extended period for ages. And yes the wind was big. Like a blast freezer outlet. Still, it was colder at Stanthorpe (as usual).

So much so that I haven't worn a coat (as I like the cold) while in Toowoomba since 1984 (when it snowed) until last week. I have now bought a new one but I don't think it'll get too much use. Although I could be wrong.
We had sleet yesterday with driving wind while I was standing on top of a silo. That got a bit cold especially as the coat was in the car. I had trouble getting my hands working to get back down.

Gotta love the weather. Winter is for rugging up and summer is for stripping off. Too much of either sends you silly. Woudn't trade it for quids (although I have thought about Tassie)

Cheers Cam

Oh, how i miss Toowoomba...not. Best move, weather wise, we made moving to North Queensland. (though we have ended up in Brisbane lately).

Nothing like working at Oakey in winter handling Galvanised pipe......froze the old fingers off a couple of times.

Andrew

It;s not woodpecker proof

You're a tougher breed down there.
I stayed in Stanley in July once. Swore I'd never do that again, with the wind chill it was real cold. 12C would have been a treat.