Pressure

Patterns abound in nature. The rings in a tree stump, the spots on a leopard, the ripples in a pond all speak to patterns.  Weather has patterns.  Weather patterns are the recurring behaviors of the atmosphere in a region over time, showing predictable trends in temperature, precipitation, wind, and pressure.  Weather patterns describe how the atmosphere behaves over weeks, months, or even years.   They are, however, not forecasters of daily weather, which can change rapidly.

“Pressure” was the name of a film I saw recently.  It’s a slightly fictionalized tale of weather events leading up to D-Day, June 6, 1944, the Normandy invasion given the Code names Operation Neptune and Operation Overlord.  The story centers on the weather forecast for June 5, 1944, Major General Eisenhower’s chosen day.

The invasion planners had determined a set of conditions involving the phase of the moon, the tides, and the time of day that would be optimum for an invasion using over a million troops. A full moon was desirable, as it would provide illumination for aircraft pilots and have the highest tides. The Allies wanted to schedule the landings for shortly before dawn, midway between low and high tide, with the tide coming in. This would improve the visibility of obstacles on the beach while minimizing the amount of time the men would be exposed on the open beach.

The two primary meteorologists disagree on the prediction for June 5th. Group Captain James Stagg is the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF)’s Chief Meteorologist Officer.  His adversary is US Col. Krick.  Krick fully believes in the historical weather patterns for June 5^th throughout decades that show a bright sunny day.  Stagg violently disputes the use of the historical data and instead relies totally on incoming and up-to-date reports from the field.  His weather intelligence, sent in from a weather station on the western coast of Ireland, indicates a storm brewing in the Azores which would bring heavy rains and high seas to the Channel on June 5^th.

Surface weather analysis map showing weather fronts

 Eisenhower reluctantly postponed D-Day to June 6, and Stagg is proved right when heavy rains sweep the area, there are high and turbulent seas in the Channel, and the cloud cover prevents aircraft from flying.  Stagg further predicts a break on June 6^th.

The rest is, in fact, history.  That history proves the point that weather patterns are excellent historical records that have a place in forecasting.

 

Stephanie Booth 

 

Rovers Club International Zoom Meeting

The Zoom meeting in February 2026, gave Rovers members an opportunity to see and speak to fellow members from different parts of the world.  As most of the clubs activities are in the form of written documents, it is good to develop skills in other forms of communication in a fun, enjoyable way.  Members from England, Scotland, Florida, New York and California attended.

The theme for the meeting was “Cultural Traditions and Customs” and members took part in a contest of short speeches of maximum 3minutes, based on the theme.

This proved an ideal choice of topic, with contributions on New Year Celebrations in Northern England; Bagpipes and Haggis in Scotland, West-Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn, New York; Gasparilla Festival commemorating a Spanish Pirate Attack in Tampa; Artichoke Festival in California; Differences in food preferences between Scotland and England; and Afternoon Tea in Glasgow.

 
Following the speeches, members placed the speeches in 1st 2nd and 3rd place. These results were sent to the Contest Chairman using the “chat” feature on Zoom.  The winner was Ruth for Afternoon Tea, with Stephanie in second place for Artichoke Festival and Arleen in third for Gasparilla Festival.

In addition to learning about different customs and traditions, members improved their skills in using Zoom.  One of the main points with Zoom might be learning to be patient while someone tries to explain or resolve an issue with internet connections or use of features on Zoom!

Margaret Robertson 

 

What I Miss Now!

Joining POWERtalk gives you many opportunities to develop confidence in speaking and thinking on your feet.  The one I really enjoyed was organised formal debates.   Unfortunately, this has not been part of our programmes lately, partly, I think, because you need quite a number of people to have a really “ding-dong” event.

  

Designed by macrovector / Freepik

 A debate can be between two people or any number of people.  A  formal debate is usually between two teams.   The teams can have any number of speakers.   Our country is governed by debates — the House of Commons is a debating chamber.    

It is also an exercise that demands self-discipline.   First, you have to do quite a lot of research to gather facts, figures and quotes from authorities to reinforce your arguments when putting your case and secondly, you must decide what arguments your opponents will use to refute your points so that you in turn counter your opponents' arguments.

Then you have to determine your strategy.   Who is going to lead your team, who is in a supporting role,  and who says what.
 
The formal debates  where I used to take part usually had two teams of two people in each.  The teams can be called Positive and Negative, Affirmative and Negative, Proposer and Opposer, or simply For and Against.

The order of speaking is:  First Speaker:       Speaker No. 1 of  Positive;  
                   Second Speaker:  Speaker No.1 of Negative;  
                   Third Speaker:     Speaker No. 2 of  Positive;  
                   Fourth Speaker:   Speaker No. 2 of Negative.

At that point, the event could be open to comments or arguments from the audience.

 Then the Summing Up speeches are presented:
                                           Fifth Speaker:     Speaker No. 1 of Negative,
                          and lastly Sixth Speaker:     Speaker No. 1 of  Positive team.

A debate motion is usually presented in the form:  “This House believes that … .”
The wording of the Motion is important.   It should be short, simple and positive, a subject that can be debated, not one that most people would agree with anyway, such as “Reading widely is beneficial”.  And certainly it must be positive, not negative.   You cannot prove a negative.

The first speaker, the leader of the Affirmative, should define the motion.   But the definition must give the opposition a realistic chance of arguing the point.

Consider:  “All citizens should carry a national ID card”.     “All” ?    Every country in the world?   Do you mean your own country?   Citizens?   What about Subjects?   In Britain you can be one or the other.   What about foreign students studying here?

The first Affirmative Speaker should also explain what points he/she will cover and what points the other Affirmative speakers will use.   A debate is team work, not a series of separate speeches.

The Negative team has to accept the Motion as defined, even if they do not agree with it.

Points of Information should be used throughout, but debaters should know the difference between Points of Information and Points of Order.

Points of Information
These can be used to seek or provide information.
They should be clear, short, succinct — definitely not a mini speech.
Speakers may accept or refuse at their discretion.
A competent, judicious use of the ability to accept or reject impresses judges and audience.
But they must not be used during the first and last minute of speeches and not at all during summing-up speeches.

Points of Order
A Point of Order is used when a participant believes that the rules of procedure are not being followed.
The clock is stopped for a Point of Order.

Qualities expected in a debate

Relevance
Speeches should be germane to the motion.   Persistent irrelevance will be penalised by the judges.

Refutation
The skill with which a speaker counters or undermines the arguments of opponents.   This is  particularly demonstrated in the handling of Points of Information.

Analysis
Analysis of the issues contained in the motion and of the points made in opposing arguments.

Delivery
The speaker's ability to gain and hold audience attention, including wit, plausibility, use of gesture and ability to deal with Points of Information, as well as tone modulation and audibility.  Judges should discriminate against blatant gimmickry.
 
Evidence
The relevance of the authorities cited and the fluidity with which they are adduced.

Teamwork
The extent to which speakers work as a team, complementing and supporting their partners.

Participation
Each debater should make judicious use of Points of Information and, if necessary, Points of Order.

PROTOCOL

Always respect your opponents.   Good manners should prevail throughout.   Lack of courtesy to them will be penalised by judges.   Don't belittle them or their ideas.   
Don't try to be too clever or gimmickry.   Both judges and the audience will be offended by a “Clever Dick”.
 

Nancy Sanderson

nms//23.3.25

 

The Power of Positive Speaking

For many people, one of the scariest things in life is to stand up in front of a group of people and give a speech.  It doesn’t matter whether the group is friends — e.g. at a wedding – or whether it is a group of strangers,the feelings are the same.  We can prepare well and practise but it does not take away that fear.  Of course, the more one speaks in public the more confident one becomes but for many the occasion is a ‘one off’.  So how can we deal with these fears and positively enjoy the occasion?

 

‘Fear’ or F.E.A.R. is simply ‘Future Expectations Appearing Real’. We create our own fearful feelings through our imagination — the ‘What ifs’

‘What if I forget what I am going to say?’

‘What if I stumble over the words?’

‘What if I bore everyone?’

Why does this negative internal chatter affect us so much and how can we change it?

 

We have a conscious and subconscious part of our brain. The conscious is that part which takes in information and makes decisions. The subconscious controls the reactions to the messages sent to it by the conscious, it never questions or makes decisions, it just believes what it is told. Consequently all those negative messages our conscious is sending to the subconscious are being acted upon. The result is our stomach churns, our mouth goes dry and we feel really nervous. To change the way we feel we need to change those negative voices into positive ones.

The phrases need to be in the first person ‘I’. When the subconscious hears ‘I’ it becomes alert and ready for a command. The instruction should be in the present tense (it’s happening now) and it needs to be specific and positive.

For example –

‘I am speaking clearly and confidently.’

Not

‘I am not stumbling over my words.’

Practise this and replace every negative statement with a positive one.

In everyday life avoid speaking negatively to your friends or colleagues, it has the same effect on your subconscious. Instead of saying ‘I am really worried/nervous about this.’ You could say, ‘I am working at controlling my nerves.’

 

Finally, remember to believe in yourself and overcome those last minute nerves. I recall many years ago, standing in the wings of a stage waiting to make my entrance in my first amateur dramatic play. I tried to remember my first line (or any other line for that matter) and nothing! I was beginning to go into panic when I stopped and told myself – ‘I’ve learnt my lines, I have successfully rehearsed them, just trust yourself.’ And sure enough, as I stepped on to the stage the words began to flow.

 

Remember, when you come to make your speech do your preparation, practise your speech, think positively and trust yourself. Do all of these things and enjoy the experience.

Lesley Smith

Improve Your Communication Skills

What do I write on a blog? Would other people be interested in what I have to say? Who knows? But here goes. I joined POWERtalk GB many years ago — long before I had even heard of the Internet, webpages and blogs. So I definitely did not join in order to become a blogger.

When the Edinburgh Toastmistress club was started up again in 1971 I was working as an Administrator but had just landed a job as a Further Education lecturer. It occurred to me that this might just give me more confidence to stand in front of a class of adults, some of whom could well be older than me, and teach them. I still remember the first topic I was given — “You have won £1 million. What would you spend it on?” I think I spoke for about a minute. But that was the start, both of my Further Education career and my ongoing fascination and involvement with communication in the widest sense.

 

Communication is so important in life. We are social beings, but not perfect, so to be able to hone our skills in speaking, listening, organising, debating, contributing to discussions in meetings, minute-taking and finally chairing meetings in a welcoming, friendly, supportive atmosphere of a club meeting is one of the major plus points of ITC, now POWERtalk.

At school I was terrified to open my mouth at a debate; at university it was an ordeal to present a paper to my tutorial group. Taking minutes was fine for me after my secretarial training, but to take part and to chair a meeting…

I enjoyed teaching in Further Education. Yes, some of the students were older than me. Some were men and women who wanted to change careers of get back into the workplace after a break. I enjoyed researching the subjects I taught — at the same time as I was enjoying researching for the speeches I was making in ITC. The opportunity for promotion came and I had the confidence to go for it and eventually became head of section. More communication skills were required now — delegating, listening, organising timetables, counselling and meetings.

In ITC I was taking part (and winning) speech contests and debating — how proud my parents were with my achievements. I held office, club right up to region and finally helped organize an international convention here in Scotland. This would not have happened without the support of fellow ITC members, each of us putting our ITC training into action.

I am still a member of POWERtalk, now retired from lecturing, but still learning and improving my communication skills with my friends in The Rovers Club and Stirling POWERtalk.

If you have just been surfing the internet and found yourself reading this, I hope it was of interest — it’s never too late to improve your communication skills for business or for pleasure.

Diana Porterfield

What is Shibui?

First I would like to explain that one Japanese word usually implies various kinds of meanings and therefore they describe different Japanese words.  I assume this is the case with English words.  I would like to mention the various meanings of this word “Shibui” here, as follows:—
 
1.    Mouth-puckering
Bitter (tea)
Sour persimmon
Rough wine

2.    Glum, sour, sullen
Look glum (blue)
Frown at/on
Pull a wry face
Grimace

3.    Quiet and simple
Sober, austere
Be tight, stingy, tight-fisted:
(Don’t wait for Gillian to buy a drink — she too tight-fisted)
Be a miser
(On environmental spending, the president is a miser)

4.    Tasteful
Shibui – a sense of beauty：this category fits “Wabi-Sabi”.
In traditional Japanese aesthetics, Wabi-Sabi is world view acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of appreciating beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete” in nature.  It is prevalent throughout all forms of Japanese art.

Wabi-Sabi is a composite of two interrelated aesthetic concepts.  Wabi may be translated as “subdued, austere beauty”, while Sabi means “rustic patina”.
Characteristics of Wabi-Sabi aesthetics and principles include asymmetry, roughness, simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy, and the appreciation of both natural objects and the forces of nature.

Zen Garden of Ryoanji in Kyoto is an good example of the Wabi-Sabi arts. The clay wall, which is stained by age with subtle brown and orange tones, reflects Sabi principles, with the rock garden reflecting Wabi principles.

 

I would like to emphasize the last “Shibui” meaning. This directly
connects Japanese aesthetic with the basic sense of beauty of Wabi-Sabi.  I really hope you will be able to visit Japan and taste (or feel) at first hand this essence of Japanese Arts and Culture.

Reiko Uchiyama
Nagoya, Japan
27/11/22

Rovers Training Weekend

The final day of the Rovers  Training Weekend started with a workshop on ‘Expanding your Word Power’ led by Vice President Iris Gibson. After a break for refreshments the second workshop  on writing was led by the President, Rosemary Low, and the Secretary, Laurence Coates.

A brief evaluation session followed before the weekend was brought to a close.

Rovers Training Weekend

The Rovers Training Weekend in Carlisle commenced with an informal meal at SannaS Sardinian Restaurant on Friday night. Members enjoyed a relaxed atmosphere and there were a lot of favourable comments afterwards about the meal.

Saturday morning commenced with the AGM followed, after a short break by the speech contest. The winner of the contest was Yvonne Baker, pictured below receiving the Tibbie Brown trophy from club president, Rosemary Low.

President Rosemary presenting the trophy to winner Yvonne Baker

 

After lunch the club parliamentarian, Ruth Maltman, led a workshop on Practical Parliamentary Procedure. The second part of the afternoon was a mini debate chaired by Margaret Robertson.

In the evening we had a meal at the Crown and Mitre hotel followed by table topics led by Nancy Sanderson.

Members and Guests at the Crown and Mitre

Rovers Spring Weekend in Chester 2022

Janya Statue

The Rovers Spring Weekend took place this year in the historic city of Chester, in Cheshire, NW England from 22^nd to 24th April 2022. We were fortunate to have fairly good weather with little rain — always a plus for any area in the west of the UK!

On the Friday evening, we all met for a meal at our city centre hotel which allowed us to catch up with all the news and to have a reasonably early bedtime, prior to a prompt breakfast before our first activity of the day — a private guided walking tour of the centre from Stephen Shakeshaft, one of the city’s Guild of Tour Guides who provided a fun and educational background to the city. 

City Walls

 Chester has a compact and easily walkable city centre, Particular highlights from the tour were the Roman walls and amphitheatre and the famous “The Rows.”  Unique to Chester, these consist of covered walkways above the shops at street level and are reached by steps from the street. Some date as far back as the 13th century but their origin is unclear with many their facades being restored in Victorian times. 

 

 

 

 

Foregate

 In the afternoon, members had free time, shopping, museum visits and sightseeing. Many visited the impressive Chester Cathedral for lunch and an exhibition of some stunning mosaic work. As a bonus, the Chester Symphony Orchestra was rehearsing for the upcoming celebration concert of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and we were treated to stunning renditions of classical pieces like Elgar’s “Nimrod.”

Our Saturday evening’s Members’ Dinner was located at the Georgian “The Architect” bar and restaurant near “The Roodee” — Chester’s racecourse. The experience was most enjoyable with excellent food and an after-dinner presentation, by our tour guide Stephen, on other aspects of this historic city. Meeting face-to-face for the first time since 2019 allowed President Rosemary Low to present Diana Porterfield with the Tibbie Brown Trophy for winning the 2020 Rovers Speech Contest.  

 

 

 

 

Diners in the Architect

 

 

Diana with Stephen Shakeshaft and Rosemary Low

Diana with the Tibbie Brown trophy

  

On Sunday, half the group departed for home, but those remaining enjoyed a variety of pursuits including river cruising, Chester Zoo, more shopping, visiting local museums, restaurants and cafes. Everyone then headed home on Monday after having a most enjoyable weekend  — great: company; food; and the chance to learn about this historic city.

 

 

 

Iris Gibson