http://www.telegraph.co.uk/Today's Daily Telegraph headline asks the simple question that people were asking throughout England on Wednesday:
Why did Britain slide into snow chaos again?
An inquiry into how the freezing weather crippled Britain's transport network ordered by the Government
Caroline Gammell and David Millward 10:19PM GMT 01 Dec 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/8175167/Why-did-Britain-slide-into-snow-chaos-again.html
Channel 4 News -Half of England & Scotland stay home from work due to heavy snow and transport problems, especially smaller towns. Scotland gripped by the worst winter in 45 years
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid601325122001?bctid=694613892001
http://www.channel4.com/news/uk-snow-arctic-weather-set-to-stay
The bad weather created a larger than usual captive audience for BBC Radio 5 live and listeners took advantage by generating lots of calls and emails about what people were doing with their time, or, alternatively, relating their "war" stories.
Over 150 motorists were stuck in their vehicles on the A57 for two days and were helped by Mountain Rescue teams.
On Richard Bacon's afternoon program it was apparent that residents of Kent, Surrey and Essex largely stayed home, staying out of gridlocked, motorways and London after driving 6 hours hours to get 15-20 miles.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pstlg
http://www.channel4.com/news/snow-gallery-november-2010
In Kent, estate agents (real estate) signs were being snatched by kids from in front of properties and being used by kids to slide down hills, i.e. what we call sledding, but they call sledging.
And reports are that the snow is only getting worse there.
One particularly interesting conversation I heard concerned the Halifax Courier publisher discussing the era of the new media, but then saying that while he was in charge of a media business with a newspaper component, at times of such bad weather, those abstract ideas about the future would have to take a back seat to him and his team trying to cope with getting news to readers while snow made deliveries impossible on Wednesday, with no print edition.
http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/View-a-digital-edition-of.6645971.jp
http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/
At one point, someone, I don't know who, even remarked that they couldn't wrap a set of dishes in an iPad, which caused me to laugh, but depending upon your point of view, that's either an overly-romantic image of the news business, or merely stating the facts Jack Webb-style.
Gatwick Airport is now officially closed until Friday.
http://www.accuweather.com/ukie/index.asp?partner=dailytelegraph
