ScenicOrNot: click to rate the scenic spots across Britain

Your chance to rate Britain's scenery – at the click of a button Thousands of people are joining in an internet game to map the most scenic parts of Britain with the click of a mouse. ScenicOrNot takes the idea of a ratings website, where people give their views on the value of anything from health care to a person's attractiveness, and applies it to the scenery of England, Scotland and Wales. (link via independent.co.uk) Go ahead and play the game: ScenicOrNot: "Rate the UK's pretty places"

The IoS Happy List 2009 :100 people who make Britain a better & a happier place to live

One hundred people who make Britain a better, more caring and contented nation are named today in The Independent on Sunday Happy List, 2009. The IoS Happy List 2009 - the 100 I think it's quite an interesting list with many worthy names. I agree with these names in particular: Sir David Attenborough - he always presents information in a very quiet and dignified way. Camila Batmanghelidjh - I've read lots of articles about this amazing woman. She is truly inspiring. Shami Chakrabarti - she is an important civil liberties campaigner who is always worth listening to. And she is charming as well as very intelligent. Danny Boyle - a very talented movie director who is obviouly well-liked as well as respected in the acting community. His happiness is contagious. Simon King - he's such a quiet and thoughtful man who comes across as very sweet and charming on Springwatch and Autumnwatch. Ray Mears - I like his enthusiasm about the outdoors and how to live in the wild. Jacqueline Wilson - I've always been impressed by how she treats the young fans of her books with such kindness and respect. I would add physicist and broadcaster Professor Brian Cox. He has the perfect television personality for explaining science and making it exciting. And his enthusiasm about science and his happiness are contagious. What do you think of the list? Is there someone you would add?

A Walk Around Britain: three young men walking & singing their way around the British Isles

I think this is so cool: Three young men - Ed (26), Will (27) and Ginger (27) - are walking the length and breadth of Britain, singing as they go. The modern troubadours who sing for their supper Three young men are walking the length and breadth of Britain, regaling passers-by with long-forgotten folk songs and sleeping under the stars. (link via telegraph.co.uk) A Walk Around Britain - follow Ed, Will and Ginger's progress around Britain. You can also listen to a sample track from their album called Spenser the Rover.

Boy age 13 becomes a father - provokes debate about "broken Britain"

The shocking headlines declaring that a boy of 13 becomes a father has provoked a fierce debate by politicians , parents and the media about "broken Britain". Alfie Patten was just 12 when he and Chantelle Steadman, 15, conceived their child. It's very sad. It's also not surprising when you consider that the UK has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Western Europe. I think stories like this are only going to become more common as society breaks down even more than it has already. Unfortunately, too many children don't have loving parents or they are being raised by a struggling single parent without any other family support. Also, there are too many homes where children aren't getting any discipline at all or they are probably being left alone to fend for themselves most of the time. And as more details were released about the case, it was reported that Alfie's older sister had a baby at the same age. It does seem to point to a problem regarding the way the children in the family are being parented. There is another very unsettling part to the whole story and that's the way the story is being covered by the media. It seems to me that at least one of the parents has already shown what disregard they have for their children by allowing the media access to their photos and to be interviewed on TV. A parent had to give consent. It's a shame that rather than try to protect their privacy, the families seem to be doing the exact opposite. And then lo and behold, there is this disgraceful news: Alfie Patten stands to make a small fortune from the story of how he fathered a child at 13. Charming! And what kind of message does this send to teenagers? Yes the media are behaving despicably but the parents had to give their consent to it. They don't seem to care about the privacy of their children. I think the involvement with the media is making the situation so much worse. And I don't think it's right to give the children special status by flattering them with interviews and certainly not by rewarding them with financial deals. In an ideal world, children are allowed (and encouraged) to have a childhood. I think there are a lot of factors (the over-sexualisation of society is certainly a factor) contributing to a story such as this but I also believe the parents are the most important factor. The government can make sure schools provide sex education but it's very difficult (actually nearly impossible) to ensure good parenting for all children. And as if all of this isn't enough to contemplate and discuss, now there is the news of a dispute over who fathered the child: Alfie Patten may take DNA test after two more teens claim paternity (link via telegraph.co.uk) The whole story is turning into a sad, tawdry soap-opera, only it's real life, unfortunately. And it involves children. Children having children. What are your thoughts?

Snow storm hits England (and most of Britain) - chaos on roads, rails & airports

Wow! It snowed a lot during the night. It looks like a very pretty winter wonderland (it reminds me of Minnesota). It looks like we have about 6 inches of snow here (in East Hertfordshire), and it's just started to snow again! For those of you not in the UK, this amount of snow is very unusual for the southeastern part of England and even a very small amount can cause a lot of disruption to normal services (trains, buses, schools, etc.). It's not surprising therefore to learn that this quite heavy snowfall has caused major chaos with the roads, rails and airports: Heavy snow in Britain causes travel chaos Heavy snowfall overnight in Britain caused widespread travel delays across the country, including disruptions to flights and London's rush hour Monday morning, and forced the closure of dozens of schools. (link via guardian.co.uk) The Met Office has issued an extreme weather warning for England, Wales and parts of eastern Scotland. More snow is forecast later and on Tuesday. It's quite exciting to see this much snow here because it so rarely happens. And I have to say that I'm in shock because this time the forecasters were right! Edited to add: Travel has been severely disrupted in London. I've just heard that every bus in London has been withdrawn from service - for the first time in living memory! And I also heard that there are hardly any taxis in service. All but two Tube lines were either totally or partially suspended. Many mainline trains in and out of London were cancelled with Southeastern and Southern services completely shut. Getting in and out of London is a real problem. Related post from my blog: Brrr-itain: it's cold and we have snow! February 1, 2009

Generous Icelanders donate blankets & warm clothes to UK pensioners

This is a heart-warming story from The Sunday Times today: Iceland finds somewhere that’s worse off – Britain As the people of Iceland struggle to cope with the collapse of their economy, they are still thinking of those who are suffering more – we British, for example. A shipload of blankets and warm clothes will arrive in Grimsby tomorrow, donated by listeners to a popular morning radio show in Reykjavik after a report on the terrible conditions in England. “When we broadcast the story that UK pensioners were dying from the cold, our listeners could not believe their own ears,” says Heimir Karlsson of Bylgjan radio, which organised the appeal. “Families, some from far away, came one after another with garments. One nine-year-old girl gathered 37 beautiful sweaters and delivered it to us at the radio station.” The blankets will be distributed in Britain by the National Pensioners Convention. It is sadly true that a lot of the elderly are suffering badly in Britain and Fuel poverty is putting older people at risk when temperatures plunge. (link via Sky News). The UK Government should be ashamed. I am so impressed by the generous and kind-hearted Icelanders who have their own financial woes in their country and yet they are reaching out to help the elderly in Britain. Thank you to everyone in Iceland!

Britain: 13th in survey of personal well-being in Europe

Britain has been ranked 13th in a survey of personal well-being in Europe that found Denmark, Switzerland and Austria the nicest places to live. Measure smiles, not just GDP: British 'among least happy in Europe' Tired, suspicious, bored and lonely: the British fare poorly in a new, detailed study which ranks European countries according to a sense of national contentment. Britain comes third from the bottom in western Europe in the National Accounts of Wellbeing report, published today. (link via guardian.co.uk) National Accounts of Well-being The personal well-being headline indicator measures people’s sense of how they are feeling within themselves and experiencing their lives. It is a combination of five component indicators which measure: emotional well-being; the extent to which people have a satisfying life; vitality; resilience and self-esteem; and positive functioning. I do think British society is becoming more and more negative generally, especially in regards to opinions and attitudes about young people. That would certainly affect people's self-esteem and sense of purpose. What are your thoughts about the results of the survey?

Brits panic buy as traditional lightbulbs are banned

Britons panic buying last stocks of conventional lightbulbs Britons are panic buying the last remaining stocks of traditional lightbulbs after the Government agreed to plans to phase them out completely. Britain has signed up to an European Union decision to replace conventional 100-watt bulbs with supposedly greener, low-energy alternatives. It means that the staple household item is vanishing from the high street after 120 years. (link via telegraph.co.uk) I understand the benefits to the environment for low-energy fluorescent bulbs but there are also some serious drawbacks. Have you noticed they take a while to warm up? I feel like I have candle-light when I first flip the switch to turn them on! And the new bulbs contain mercury so how are we supposed to dispose of them safely? Plus, there are potential health problems because the new light bulbs may trigger migraines and epilepsy attacks in some people. What are your thoughts about the new ruling? Will you miss the tradtional lightbulbs?

Geograph British Isles - photos of (just about) every square mile of the British Isles!

In 2006, I recommended the Geograph British Isles project on my other blog, Hunkydory Links and today I noticed the Geograph British Isles is in the news because the online project has received its millionth submission. (link via telegraph.co.uk) If you've never heard of the Geograph British Isles, you must check it out: Geograph British Isles

Why are the sparrows disappearing in Britain?

Mystery of the vanishing sparrow The Independent offered £5,000 for a convincing theory about why the house sparrow was dying out in cities. The answer seems to lie with falling insect numbers This excerpt from the article via the above link, further explains:

Dr Vincent, then of De Montfort University in Leicester, said: "This is one of the most mysterious and complex declines of a species in recent years. The study highlights that sparrow chicks are hatching but they aren't surviving. "This is partly down to the loss of green spaces within British cities through development on green space, tree removal and the conversion of front gardens for parking. The loss of deciduous greenery within urban areas may have made life much more difficult for birds like house sparrows that need large numbers of insects to feed their young."

I've noticed fewer and fewer birds (particularly sparrows) have been appearing in my garden this year even though I keep birdfeeders and birdbaths filled. I find it very sad and also quite disturbing. What about your garden (yard)? Have you noticed a decline in house sparrows and/or other birds where you live?

Tourism guide to Britain via "posties" from Royal Mail

First Class Guide to Britain Join Britain's post men and women as they take you on an exclusive video tour around Britain's best kept secrets. (link via VisitBritain)

It's official: one of the wettest summers ever (in Britain)

I don't think we need to be told but September was Britain's least sunny for 15 years compounding the miserable effects of the greyest August on record and one of the wettest summers ever. (link via telegraph.co.uk) I didn't think it was possible for summer this year to be worse than last year but I was wrong. Summer? What summer?

Have you turned on the heat yet?

Okay, this obviously depends where you live in the world but for those of you in Britain, have you turned on the heat yet? We haven't, although we've been tempted to recently. We are trying to wait until at least October before we do. For those of you who live in other countries - and different climates - when do you turn on the heat? Do you put it off as long as possible or do you turn up the heat at the first dip in temperature?

Birmingham (aka Brummie): least cool accent in Britain

Brummie accent voted least cool in Britain List of Cool Accents 2008/9 1. Queen's English 20% 2. Scottish 12% 3. Geordie 9% 4. Yorkshire 7% =. Cockney 7% 6. Northern Irish 6% 7. Welsh 5% 8. Scouse 4% = Mancunian 4% 10. West Country 3% 11. Brummie 2% (link via telegraph.co.uk) My husband and my sons have an English accent and it sounds very nice. I think so anyway! I don't really know what category it is. I guess it's a Hertfordshire accent. As well as the English accent (and all its variations), I love hearing the Welsh accent. I think it's lovely.

UK officially ratifies the EU Lisbon Treaty

Unfortunately, this outcome was predictable. Gordon Brown and his cronies have ratified the Lisbon Treaty: The UK has officially ratified the European Union's Lisbon Treaty. (link via BBC News)

'Family Tree' to help identify British birds at risk of serious decline

Complete 'Family Tree' Of All British Birds Gives Clues About Which Species Might Be Endangered Next (link via ScienceDaily.com) The family tree, or 'phylogeny', covers over 93% of British birds. I notice the article mentions the greenfinch and states that it's, "not currently endangered but closely related to the linnet and bullfinch which are currently experiencing severe levels of decline." I used to see a lot of greenfinches in my garden but lately hardly any. Have any of my readers (in Britain) noticed this too?