DIYbanter - OT - Predicting a Cold Winter

Predicting a Cold WinterÂ*

It's late fall and the Indians on a remote reservation in South Dakota
asked their new chief if the coming winter was going to be coldÂ* or
mild.€¨
Since he was a chief in a modern society, he had never been taught the
old secrets. When he looked at the sky, he couldn't tell what the
winter was going to be like.€¨
Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his tribe that the winter
was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should
collect firewood to be prepared.€¨
But, being a practical leader, after several days, he got an idea. He
went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked,
'Is the coming winter going to be cold?'€¨
'It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold,' the
meteorologist at the weather service responded.€¨
So the chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more
firewood in order to be prepared.€¨
A week later, he called the National Weather Service again. 'Does it
still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?'Â* €¨
'Yes,' the man at National Weather Service again replied, 'it's going
to be a very cold winter.' €¨
The chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect
every scrap of firewood they could find.
€¨Two weeks later, the chief called the National Weather Service again.
'Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?'
€¨'Absolutely,' the man replied.Â* 'It's looking more and more like it is
going to be one of the coldest winters we've ever seen.'
€¨'How can you be so sure?' the chief asked. €¨
The weatherman replied,Â*'The Indians are collecting a huge load of
extraÂ*firewood'