ED Whiteout

[Shaggy]

Any geologists out there who can answer this?

This morning, after walking in the rain the evening before, I saw that my black shoes had white streaks all over them. I thought I had neglected cleaning them, But today driving around I saw white damp patches all on buildings and white stains on the road. Rain full of chalk from the Chiltern hills? Anyone have an idea?

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

I'm not a geologist but I believe they are salt deposits. There is a remedy to remove them from your shoes but I can't remember what!

[Shaggy]

Hmm. Interesting. Why so much salt now one wonders? Or maybe I was noticing something that everyone else clocked years ago.

[????]

in 1978, Ralon's Staitoner's owner, in a huge error of misjudgement, missed the advent of the PC and bought 15 gallons of Tippex in a job lot, he has since sold some 7 bottles of Tippex because although as he is a bad judge oft rends in stationery he is a good citizen and takes solvent abuse very seriously...anyway to cut a long story short it has fermented and the sudden drop in temperature led to some kind of odd chemical reaction and tipeexed large areas of SE22 and your shoes..maybe

[pk]

Shaggy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hmm. Interesting. Why so much salt now one

> wonders?

cos it been freezing at night?

[spadetownboy]

birds?

[falcao]

Because East Dulwich is the salt of the earth of course.

[lozzyloz]

Groan.

Typically it's sunshine and blue sky now.

[Michael Palaeologus]

I suspect that it is actually white sand from the Caribbean. The weather systems follow the Gulf Stream down from that area. The Caribbean sand is made from coral and as such is esily lifted into the clouds by the high tropical winds. When they reach colder climes rain drops form around the sand grains and fall.

Something similar regularly happens in the Med - except there it is red rain with sand from North Africa. The white painted houses are turned a lovely shade of pink in these circumstances.

Why they have disapeared overnight is conjecture, perhaps they were blown away by the prevailing winds - has anybody heard of sand-dunes forming in Sydenham perchance?

[Brendan]

That would explain why I was killed by a falling coconut in Dulwich Park over the weekend. Must have blown over with the weather from sunnier climes before it fell out of nowhere, killing me stone dead, while I was walking off my Easter lunch.

I once read that more people are killed by falling coconuts than by something else that would surprise you but I can?t quite remember what it is right now.

[Brendan]

Or the ture reason could be even stranger.. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7302591.stm

[david_carnell]

Brendan Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> That would explain why I was killed by a falling

> coconut in Dulwich Park over the weekend. Must

> have blown over with the weather from sunnier

> climes before it fell out of nowhere, killing me

> stone dead, while I was walking off my Easter

> lunch.

The swallow may fly south with the sun or the house martin or the plover may seek warmer climes in winter, yet these are not strangers to our land?

Maybe a swallow (African or European), gripping it by the husk, carried it. Then dropped it.

[Brendan]

Well I suppose that is more plausible than suggesting that coconuts migrate.*

Oh by the way I found out what it is that kills less people than falling coconuts. It is sharks apparently. Well that is according to a fellow called George Burgess, Director of the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File. And he should know.

He goes on to say that, "The reality is that, on the list of potential dangers encountered in aquatic recreation, sharks are right at the bottom of the list."

Which leaves me asking, how long is this list and what are all these other things more dangerous than bloody great big fish with razor sharp teeth?

You are coincidentally 100% more likely to be killed by a shark when you are wet than when you are dry. Which is bad news if you live in Manchester.

* Although I suppose if they employed sparrows (African or European) or weather systems as a naturally evolved (guided by the hand of an intelligent creator of course) modus operandi for transport it could be said that they do in fact migrate. But I won?t muddy the waters of conventional wisdom with that kind of talk at this juncture.

[Michael Palaeologus]

What are the chances of being killed by a shark falling from the sky whilst walking (the victim, not the shark) in Dulwich Park after Sunday lunch?

One for the statisticians I think.

[Michael Palaeologus]

.... or was the white fluffy stuff falling from the sky yesterday - desicated coconut?

[Brendan]

Well it did rain frogs in Chislehurst last summer.

[TJ]

the white stuff on your shoes is not just salt from the road, but also fat liquors and your sweat in the leather seeping out and solidifying.

Easy solution is to wipe clean with a damp cloth then use a leather nourisher (Bally does an excellent one for shoes) and then polish with wax polish as usual.

Also - don't let your shoes dry out before you do this... and dont ever dry them nr a radiator.

Never - never use silicon polish or instant polish. Just adds to the problem.