West Wing Week: May 20 - May 26, 2011

West Wing Week "OCONUS III: A Homecoming of Sorts"

This week, President Obama embarked on a six-day trip to Europe, visiting Ireland, the United Kingdom, France and Poland to engage our allies in the region on a host of issues. While overseas, the President pledged support for those back home affected by devastating tornadoes in Missouri and across the Midwest. Before leaving, the President met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and went to the CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA. That's May 20th to the 26th, or "OCONUS (Outside the Continental United States) III: A Homecoming of Sorts.

The United Kingdom explained: The difference between the U.K., Great Britain & England

The United Kingdom Explained from Colin Grey on Vimeo.

(via Roger Ebert)

Snow brings Britain to a standstill

Yep. It's happening all over again.Travel chaos after a heavy snowfall across most of southern Britain today.It couldn't have happened on a worst weekend. This weekend before Christmas should be the busiest travel and shopping weekend of the year. Instead the bad weather caused misery and a massive travel disruption just about everywhere.

Both Heathrow and Gatwick airports were closed and roads were gridlocked. It was so bad in the midst of the snow storm that police closed several access roads to Heathrow because of dangerous driving conditions. So even if the airport had been open, it would have been virtually impossible to get there by car. In fact, Heathrow Airport was advising people not to even attempt the trip.

Heathrow airport will remain shut until until at least 06.00 Sunday morning. When it does open again, "There will be further cancellations & delays for airlines tomorrow due to the knock on effects of the severe weather." (info via Twitter)

Gatwick Airport was closed for five hours but it's open, with some delays and cancellations.

The snow is very pretty but it really does bring everything to a standstill here. Drivers were urged not to travel unless the journey is essential but of course most people just ignored the warnings. I think people are desperate to get their Christmas shopping done and to buy food (panic buying).

Were you affected by the bad weather today? Did you have plans to travel out of the UK or expecting family members to arrive? Did you have your flight cancelled?

What are your thoughts about how this country copes (or rather doesn't cope) with snow and ice? I know there are warnings about icy roads for tomorrow. It would make sense for the gritters to get out during the night and make sure all the roads are gritted and/or plowed but it seems that there aren't enough gritters to go around.

By the way, it's probably going to be the coldest English December since records began in 1910, according to the Met Office.

Satellite image: snow-covered Britain on 2 Dec 2010

CREDIT to 'NEODAAS/University of Dundee'.

This image was taken by NASA's Terra satellite and released by the University of Dundee.

Frozen UK - snow causes chaos!

The UK is frozen and not just because of the freezing temperatures. It's frozen as in nearly coming to a stand-still in many places. Two major airports are closed, Eurostar trains delayed, scores of other rail services cancelled and motorways blocked. Thousands of schools are shut.

This bad weather started a few days ago when very cold temps and heavy snowfall hit Scotland and northern England, parts of Wales and Northern Ireland.

On Nov 28th, the Met Office reported that:
Lowest overnight temperature last night was -18.0C in Llysdinam, Powys making it the coldest November night in Wales since records began.

Scotland has been hit the worst with very heavy snow and even though they are used to heavy snowfalls and cold temperatures, this was very early in the winter for such severe weather. Edinburgh Airport is closed until at least Thursday morning due to heavy snow showers.

The snow and freezing temperatures have gradually spread to most of England now. Yesterday, snow moving across London and the surrounding areas, caused traffic chaos.

Gatwick Airport (Britain's second busiest airport) closed today! There are no flights until 6am Thursday [update: until at least 0600 GMT on Friday] due to heavy snow and further snow forecast. Check website for updates.

Snow closes Gatwick Airport


Heathrow, Stansted, Luton and London City all open, but with delays to flights. You're advised to check before you head out.

Due to current weather conditions Eurostar services are delayed by up to 90 minutes. See this Eurostar link for the latest news.

The forecast is for fresh snowfall across the majority of the country.

How is everyone faring? We've only had a smattering of snow where I live. It is very cold though.

Edited to add:
Lincoln's famous Christmas Market has been cancelled due to the bad weather. This is the first time it has had to be cancelled.

British airspace is closed due to Iceland volcano!

All flights to and from UK airports have been cancelled due to clouds of volcanic ash from Iceland

Flights cancelled by volcanic ash: what are your rights?

A cloud of volcanic ash has forced the closure of all UK air space and the cancellation of hundreds of flights, leaving passengers to choose between a refund or waiting for airports to reopen.

(link via telegraph.co.uk)

It's officially British Summer Time! Did you change your clocks?

British Summer Time (BST) starts today!

UK clocks moved forward one hour today, Sunday 28th March 01:00 GMT (02:00 BST).

Did you remember to change your clocks?

Follow a Museum Day on Twitter

Sometimes the simple ideas really are the best!

The first Follow a Museum Day was today, February 1st 2010, to help draw attention to the museums on Twitter, and get more people to consider following a museum.

The hashtag #followamuseum is being used to help everyone follow the subject on Twitter.

It is really a fabulous idea because I've discovered quite a few museums to follow and to bookmark for reference when I'm looking for ideas for museums to visit.

Here's a list of museums in the UK to follow on twitter:

http://www.followamuseum.com/uk.html

I was already following some of them but I found some new ones too, such as; Museum of Childhood , The Museum of English Rural Life , The Computer Museum , At Bristol and The British Postal Museum & Archive (if you're on Flickr and have photographs of anything British and postal, you can add it to Britain's Postal Heritage )

I really enjoyed this idea. It was very interesting to find out more about various museums. And I'm sure the publicity it generated will help the museums a lot.

Police sledging, Oxford - watch the video

What do you think about their moment of fun using riot shields to sledge down a snowy hill while on duty?

Are you angry about their behavior since they were on duty? or do you think they should be allowed to have a bit of fun - as long as they didn't stay long and went right back to work?

Snow, ice, sleet across UK causes travel chaos

Snow and ice continue to cause travel chaos across the UK, disrupting the Christmas holiday plans for thousands (link via BBC News)

Well, despite the snowstorm back in February, and the chaos it caused, the councils up and down the country didn't seem to learn anything from that experience. Yesterday, the chaos from roads that didn't get gritted (sanded) or salted, is inexcusable. It's unbelievable that news reports are about the gritters showing up today - the day after they were so urgently needed.

Yesterday was a real nightmare for a lot of people in many parts of Britain. There were many car accidents and a lot of drivers were forced to abandon their cars because the roads were so icy and treacherous. Traffic came to a halt in many towns and cities. Conditions were just appalling. Even emergency services and automobile breakdown companies were struggling to get through. In fact, an ambulance and a fire engine were both stranded on our road because of the ice!

A friend said that buses were getting stuck and blocking the roads in London. The bendy buses were the worst because they jackknifed all over the place until even they got stuck and jammed the roads even better. It meant very long journeys home for a lot of people yesterday.

I wonder if any of the roads were salted or gritted yesterday. Apparently they used to add molasses to the grit mix to make it sticky but the cost has gone up and now they don't however this means the grit and salt soon wash away particularly if you have some rain or sleet. Can someone verify if this is true?

Fortunately, Eurostar was back in business today after three days of stopages, although Eurostar services between London and Europe which were thrown into chaos by snow (more than 2,000 passengers were trapped on trains overnight in the Channel Tunnel on Friday) will not return to normal until "after Christmas" according to the latest report from the company.

And it's still only December! Winter has barely started.

What has the weather been like where you live? Have you had a bad experience on the road or perhaps waiting to travel via the Eurostar? What are your thoughts about the lack of gritting?

Related Post:
Frozen UK - snow causes chaos! (December 1, 2010)

The Big Lunch: a street party throughout the UK on Sunday, July 19th

What is The Big Lunch? Basically, it's a party in your street, in everyone's street. On 19th July we're asking the people of Britain to stop what they're doing and sit down to lunch together. Why? Well for lots of reasons really but mainly to put a smile back on Britain's face. The Big Lunch - hints and tips on getting started I think it sounds like a cool idea - and a great way for everyone to get to know their neighbours and encourage community spirit. I will have to check with my neighbours and see if anything is being planned. To organise an event such as this one takes a lot of time and effort so I'm sure there will need to be a lot of meetings to work out the details. What do you think of the idea? Do you think your street will take part?

'Pudsey Bear' refused a passport

'Pudsey Bear' in passport fight A woman who has changed her identity to that of BBC Children in Need mascot Pudsey Bear is fighting to get a passport issued under her new name. The dental receptionist, 37, from Denbighshire was told by officials her new name was "frivolous" and could also bring her problems at border controls. She said her two daughters called her "Mummy Bear" and she was Mrs Bear on her driving licence and bank cards. She has approached her MP Chris Ruane, who said he will raise the matter. (link via BBC News) For those of you don't know, Pudsey Bear (a yellow bear with a red spotted bandage) is the popular mascot and Children in Need's official logo. BBC - Children in Need is a registered charity that donates money towards projects helping disadvantaged children in the UK. When I first read this news, I thought how ridiculous for her to change her name to 'Pudsey Bear' and to expect a passport in her new name, and then to get her MP involved when I think MPs must have more important matters to contend with. However, after thinking about it more, she has legally changed her name so it should be accepted. I think she should be given a passport in her legal name (even if it does seem like a silly name). What do you think?

How prepared is the UK for a pandemic?

How prepared is the UK for a pandemic? I know the official view is that the UK is one of the best prepared countries to deal with swine flu. (link via BBC News) I would like to believe we are well prepared but I have to wonder after reading this article: UK GP Investigates Suspected Swine Flu Case Without Adequate Support Or Access To Antivirals (link via medicalnewstoday.com) The experience by this one GP is very worrying indeed but it also begs the question - how many other GPs are not prepared for a flu pandemic? I realize a pandemic hasn't materialized yet (and hopefully it won't) but shouldn't a strategy be in place before a pandemic strikes? Am I worrying unnecessarily? I don't think so. In fact, I just read this alarming news: More than 30 million face masks are being ordered by the Department of Health as fears grow that swine flu could become a pandemic. (link via telegraph.co.uk) The masks are needed by healthcare professionals. Why didn't the Department of Health have a stockpile of face masks ready before now? We are told to stay calm and not to panic but I can't help feeling anxious and worried about how the NHS will cope. What do you think? Do you still believe the UK is one of the best-prepared countries in the world for dealing with a pandemic? Related post from my blog: UK Department of Health: "CATCH IT. BIN IT. KILL IT." - new advert showing how to prevent swine flu Links via the web about Swine Flu: Human Swine Influenza: advice for the public (link via Health Protection Agency) Important Information About Swine Flu (link via NHS Choices) Swine influenza frequently asked questions (link via World Health Organization)

Spring Forward: British Summer Time starts today!

Today - Sunday, 29th March - the clocks move forward one hour at 1am ("Spring Forward"). The UK is now on BST (British Summer Time) which is GMT plus 1 hour.

Did you remember to change your clocks?

Google launches Street View in UK

Google Street View launches in UK Google's 'Street View' service, which gives users the ability to take a virtual tour of cities mapped from thousands of specially-taken photographs, has launched today in the UK. The service, which will initially launch in 25 British cities including Manchester, London and Belfast, was originally unveiled in May 2007, and has since been expanded to nine countries, including Japan, Australia, France and Spain, as well as the US where it launched. And although I dislike Street View because of privacy worries, I think this sounds like a fun challenge: As a cheeky sidenote to the launch, Google have hidden popular children's book character Wally from Martin Handford's Where's Wally series somewhere in today's release, challenging users of the site to find the forgetful traveller, who is wearing his trademark jumper, walking stick and red and white striped bobble hat. (link via independent.co.uk) What do you think about Street View? Do you think Street View is an invasion of privacy, or a fun and useful navigational tool? I will admit it can probably be very useful and also quite a bit of fun to take a virtual tour of just about any location. The privacy issue is a valid one however. I can see why people worry (myself included) about their privacy being invaded even though Google claims they have employed special techniques to obscure faces and number-plates in the images. Cities currently covered by Street View UK: London, Edinburgh, Leeds, Bradford, Cambridge, Cardiff, Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Oxford, Sheffield, Nottingham, Derby, Bristol, Coventry, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Swansea, York, Newcastle, Dundee, Southampton, Norwich and Scunthorpe. Walk through the UK's streets with Street View Update 20 Mar 2009: Where’s Wally found in London Internet sleuths have uncovered one of the great mysteries of Google Street View -- the location of children’s character Wally, from the Where’s Wally? series. (link via telegraph.co.uk) That was fast!

Mid-Suffolk best place to live in UK

The Halifax Quality of Life Survey has announced that Mid-Suffolk is the best place to live in the UK: For everything from sunshine to traffic levels, Mid Suffolk is top of the British table for quality of country life (link via independent.co.uk) Mid Suffolk sounds very nice but if I could choose anywhere to live in the UK, I would probably pick somewhere in Devon or Cornwall. I adore all the towns and villages in that part of England and I could see myself living in that area quite happily. If you could choose anywhere to live in the UK, where would it be? Or are you happy with where you live now?

Foreign drivers in UK face £900 roadside fines

Foreign drivers face £900 roadside fines to halt rise in crashes Foreign drivers will have to pay on-the-spot fines of up to £900 for flouting traffic laws under new legislation to be introduced next month. If they do not have enough cash or a working credit card their vehicles will be clamped until they pay — and they will face an additional £80 release fee. (link timesonline.co.uk) I think it's about time foreign drivers be held accountable for their driving offences in the UK! Currently, drivers from outside the UK are rarely prosecuted because police cannot pursue them if they don't respond to a summons. Why should foreign drivers be able to break British laws (and potentially put other motorists and pedestrians in danger) and get away with it? I hope this new law will be used vigourously. What are your thoughts about the new law?

Million Ponds Project

Pond Conservation launched the Million Ponds Project yesterday. What is the Million Ponds Project? The Million Ponds Project will create an extensive network of new ponds across the UK. Ultimately the aim is to reverse a century of pond loss, ensuring that once again the UK has over one million countryside ponds. I have been considering creating a pond in our back garden but I keep procrastinating. I think this is the year that I will go ahead and create one. I would like to create a traditonal pond to attract frogs and other wildlife but I might start with something small like a barrel pond. Please share your tips and advice about creating a pond if you've created one yourself.

Tories launch plan to use empty homes

I've always wondered why the government doesn't make use of all the empty homes in the UK as a logical solution to the housing shortage. Well, the good news is that the Tories (the Conservative Party) have proposed plans to use the empty homes: David Cameron reveals plan to bring empty homes back to use David Cameron today unveiled details of an empty property "rescue scheme" he claimed could bring some of the almost 1 million empty homes in the UK back to use. The Conservative leader said he would change the rules governing the way housing associations spent their money to make it easier for them to buy or rent properties that were lying empty. (link via guardian.co.uk) Gordon Brown and the Labour Government should be embarrassed and ashamed about ignoring the potential of Britain's empty homes. It seems to me that not only is the Empty Property Rescue Scheme (EPR), the perfect solution to the housing shortage but it would also help prevent the increasing practice of squatters*. *when someone is occupying an empty or abandoned property which they don’t own or rent, and without the owner's permission. Related Internet Links: The Empty Homes Agency Report Empty Homes Unlocking the Potential of Empty Homes - Empty Homes Agency Blog

Happy 200th birthday Charles Darwin

Today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin. Darwin Day in the UK Today is also the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of ­Species, Darwin's most famous work. (link via guardian.co.uk) Related Internet Links: Darwin 200: Celebrating Charles Darwin's bicentenary Darwin - Big Idea Big Exhibition - The biggest ever exhibition about Darwin at the Natural History Museum. Special Darwin stamps from Royal Mail - The Royal Mail is issuing ten new Darwin stamps to celebrate his life and work. The BBC is marking Darwin's birthday with several radio programmes The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online The Voyage of the Beagle "blog" and cdarwin Twitter and an interesting article from NPR (National Public Radio) in the USA: Darwin, Britain's Hero, Is Still Controversial In U.S. I have to say that I was shocked after reading this in the NPR article: "There are actually 34 states in the United States that have passed anti-evolution laws of one kind or another," says Krishtalka, "whether it's stickers in textbooks or warnings that 'Reading this book with be injurious to your mental health," ... I think this is outrageous! How can anyone dispute scientific evidence?! Frankly, I'm rather embarrassed that this backward thinking is encouraged (through laws, no less!) in the USA. And to end on a happy note: Send your birthday wishes to Charles Darwin Edited to add: Today is also Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday! Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. Lincoln's Birthday to be Celebrated Across D.C. (link via washingtonpost.com)