Tuesday, July 31, 2001

Words Matter

I believe in the power of words to affect perception, so I make the following plea to the nation's weathercasters: Please reverse your use of the terms "wind chill" and "heat index". Somehow, "99 degrees with a wind chill of 115" just sounds cooler. Likewise, I imagine in February I'll appreciate "10 degrees with a heat index of 11 below" much more.

Oh, and while we're at it, could you please stop referring to the Midwest as "America's midsection"? Between that and "the Bible Belt", I'm getting rather tired of feeling as though I live in the crotch of the country.

Thank you.