The street, ma-a-an!This is the view from the front door of my north London flat this morning. It snowed yesterday, it snowed through the night and today it's still snowing.
Such a thick covering of snow is unusual for the capital city, London being far enough south and generating enough heat to melt normal snow flurries in minutes. As picturesque as this is, it's playing havoc with transport. Buses are cancelled, tube and rail badly disrupted.
The economy's screwed, the weather's trying to kill us, we can't travel. This is the End Of Days!
I feel sorry for the strikers having to stand outside all day if it's anywhere near as bad up North.
The gardensThe birds and the squirrels will be having a bad time, too. I've put out dishes of boiling water which should last a while without icing up, and they now have a selection of fat balls (a sad affliction — don't ask!), bird seed and peanuts.
So, guys, while you're taking pizza and solidarity to the protesters, don't forget the wildlife.
15 comments:
I know its awful for the strikers, Mm Miaow, but all that teeth chattering & those blue fingers will surely warm the sympathies of the viewers snuggled indoors in front of the Box...
Yes, we'll all be down there with blankets and thermoses like a shot. Erm, when it warms up a bit.
well, the only wildlife we get is a gang of pigeons who have made our 4th floor balcony there club house.
We gave them extra seed today. In thanks one landed on our satalite dish there by cutting off Mandelson in mid slime.
We shall give them extra again tomorrow!
I can empathize. Here in Upstate NY it is wicked snowy. We have probably around 4 feet or so, but that happens every year, so I'm pretty much used to it by now. It's still unreal to look at though. Very Narnia-ish. But not in a good way. In an oh shit my house is now a fortress that looks like Bunker Hill sort of of way.
FOUR FEET OF SNOW??? That'd kill us.
Do they grit all the roads and the pavements where you are? I mean, two inches and the entire bus system grinds to a complete halt. That's useless.
We have the technology. But we can't afford it.
Purty, though.
Tony, I put out food for the more exotic species but there's a family of fat wood pigeons who are always first in line when I put out food.
At first I was annoyed coz they're so big and should be able to fend for themselves unlike the more delicate birds, but now I'm quite fond of them.
British food for British pigeons! Exotic birds sod off!
Oh. That's me, innit?
Hi Ms Miaow. In order to give this post a slight relevance to the topic: due to the snow, I was able to stay at home today and thus managed to finish writing an article I've been working on for a few days.
It's about the economic crisis and the USA's threat of a trade war against China, so I think you (and perhaps also some other readers of your blog) will find it quite interesting. Its up on the 21st Century Socialism website, at:
http://21stcenturysocialism.com/article/did_china_cause_the_crisis_01808.html
Best wishes,
Noah
You won the The Premier Dardos Award Check out my blog.
Madam Miaow,
I know what you mean. Sadly we never get anything exotic up here so its a closed shop of British Pigeons.
I fear Kens war on there comrades in Trafalgar Square has led my lot in a lurch to the right. Still, there cooing is very relaxing.
Hello, Noah. Thanks. OK, I'll try to blog on your article and link but can't do it today.
First thoughts after the most rapid of skims:
1) Worrying headline. But glad you are taking on this blame game which is a joke, considering what got us here.
2) Home Depot and the others have been caught out making major efforts to shaft their own US workers. No wonder they need to shift the blame:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/27/bank-of-america-hosted-an_n_161248.html
3) Reagan and Thatcher began the deregulation process, dismantling rules installed the last time we had one of these in the 1920s. Because of them we've been trading with thin air.
4) "... in 1949 China, a country whose population is bigger than that of the USA, Western Europe and Japan combined, fell to the Communist Party."
That's a funny way of putting it. "Fell"?! No political and social causes, then?
Will give this a proper read. But have to blog Morecambe Bay first and meet writing deadlines.
it is cold, but that gives us time to think about things?
and what nonsense about "indigenous population" at SU blog?
what a decline in the Left,when such terms are used about the "British"
I am with Mike Rosen on this, http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=3513#comment-115762
yeah i think they have the funds for all the plows and salt and such pretty well allocated in the budget. I should send you pictures. Walking out to my driveway there are huge walls on both sides of me that just about reach my head. Luckily there's a super nice gent down the street who snow blows my driveway for me. He's a lifesaver. And the only reason i can walk out of my house.
Thanks, Renegade, for the Dardos award. I got one from Dark Party Review a week or two back, but you have reminded me to reciprocate with both of you. Which I will do ...
Noah, sorry, I'll get to yours after Morecambe Bay ... and my latest Battlestar Galactica review which I'm about to post.
Mod, yes, "indigenous", indeed! Where's the cut off point. The ocean? The border? The next county? My front door?
And when? When my Mum's lot came over centuries ago? Or my dad in the 1920s? The '70s? Last year?
Madam Miaow,
indeed, what a slippery slope
Have you heard anything directly from the Italian or Portuguese workers themselves?
they seem to be the OBJECT of discussion but I'd like to hear their views, what their real conditions are, etc, from them?
has anyone heard ANYTHING from those international workers?
I haven't, so if you do please let me know as we are getting a very one sided view of events
Hi Madam Miaow - just re: your first thoughts on my article about the 'Blame China' campaign:
1) Worrying headline.
Yes. But that's the accusation which is being made in the USA. It cannot be avoided, and needs to be countered with detailed facts and an understanding of how the crisis has come about.
2) Home Depot and the others have been caught out making major efforts to shaft their own US workers...
Absolutely.
3) Reagan and Thatcher began the deregulation process, dismantling rules installed the last time we had one of these in the 1920s. Because of them we've been trading with thin air.
Indeed. But we need to be clear that the underlying reasons for the crisis lie in the fundamental nature of fundamentalist capitalism, including the way in which material goods are produced- not merely in the financial engineering of 'thin air' in the operations of which, the capitalist fiasco made its appearance.
4) "... in 1949 China, a country whose population is bigger than that of the USA, Western Europe and Japan combined, fell to the Communist Party."
That's a funny way of putting it. "Fell"?! No political and social causes, then?
An excellent objection. Indeed, there were plenty of political and social causes. My writing style involves sometimes looking at events from the viewpoint of the capitalists & imperialists, to see where they are 'coming from' and thus to explain their actions.
Very best wishes,
Noah
Post a Comment