A Winter's Tale!

Some images of Winter 2010 to date!!!!

UK Satellite Picture

Benches

Look after the Birds!

Brighton Beach

Cars?

Hedges

Icicles

Airport

Trains

Roofs

Sheep

Trees

Village in Devon

Back Garden

Airports close amid some of the worst weather the UK has seen!

Weather - From the Met Office Official Website

Snow showers for eastern coasts. Dry and very cold elsewhere.

This Evening and Tonight:

Snow across southeastern parts of the UK will move away after midnight and most of the UK will be clear with a widespread severe frost. Snow showers are likely to continue in Northeast England, Eastern Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Sunday:

Most of England and Wales will have a dry, very cold and mostly sunny day. Northeastern parts of England, parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland will see further snow showers.

Updated: 1519 on Sat 18 Dec 2010

Sunny Devon 18 December 2010

News!
Overnight temperatures plunged leaving huge swathes of the country at a standstill.  London's airports cancelled flights as they closed runways due to the icy conditions.  Also many regional airports closed as the icy conditions made runways unsafe! 

Airports in Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands are also suffering cancellations and delays.

Officials have advised all passengers to check their flight status before travelling to their designated airport.

Belfast City Airport was closed last night while all flights were suspended at Belfast International Airport. Air passengers also faced disruptions at Exeter, London City, Aberdeen and Cardiff. 

From the BBC website 

"Gatwick reopened at 1445 GMT after 10cm of snow was cleared from the runway but delays and cancellations are expected for the rest of the day.

British Airways, Easyjet and Aer Lingus have cancelled all flights from the airport for the rest of Saturday, with the exception of the BA2055 to Sharm el Sheikh.

BA has cancelled all shorthaul flight from Heathrow for the rest of the day, and longhaul flights until at least 1900 GMT."

December 18 - Glasgow

Overnight blizzards and plummeting temperatures buckled a huge chunk of the nation's road network and hundreds of motorists were stranded overnight on the M6 Motorway in Greater Manchester.  Similar conditions have been reported in Germany and Italy.

Temperatures dropped as low as minus 13C in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, overnight with Gatwick producing a reading of minus 11C. 


This debilitating weather is certainly going to cause havoc in the run up to Christmas.  The last week before Christmas is the busiest of the year for retailers and courier companies.  Consumers are uncertain how to proceed with ordered goods - to cancel and get a refund or to wait and hope!  Christmas holiday makers too are facing the uncertainty of cancelled flights.  


This is set to be a Christmas that people wont forget in a hurry.  Next year - watch this space - Christmas shopping will be done a lot earlier I am sure!

Julian Assange Freed on Bail

Julian Assange freed on bail - but back in court in early January to fight extradition!

He naturally denies the charges of sex assault brought by the Swedish authorities who are applying for his extradition next month.  (Still find it strange that this should come up now - but maybe I am just sceptical).

Mr Justice Ouseley ordered Mr Assange be released on payment of £240,000 in cash and sureties and on condition he resides at an address in East Anglia.  He will be tagged and will be required to report into the local police station regularly but will essentially be free.  Speaking on the steps of the High Court to dozens of journalists, Mr Assange said: "It's great to feel the fresh air of London again."  

He went on to thank "all the people around the world who had faith" in him, his lawyers for putting up a "brave and ultimately successful fight", people who provided money in the face of "great difficulty and aversion", members of the press and the British justice system.  "If justice is not always an outcome, at least it is not dead yet," he added.  "I hope to continue my work and continue to protest my innocence in this matter and to reveal as we get it, which we have not yet, the evidence from these allegations."

He has been in jail for the last 8 nights but will now stay at a manor home on the Norfolk-Suffolk border owned by Vaughan Smith, a Wikileaks-supporting journalist and owner of the Frontline Club in London.

Mr Assange's solicitor, Mark Stephens, said after the court appearance the bail appeal was part of a "continuing vendetta by the Swedes".

An appeal has been made against the granting of bail but no one is owning up to making it!  The Crown Prosecution Service said they were acting on behalf of the Swedish government and the Swedish Director of Prosecutions said they fully supported the appeal - but a spokesperson from the Swedish Prosecutor's office claimed it was "a purely British decision".

Speaking to the BBC after his release, he said there was a rumour from his lawyers in the US that there had been an indictment made against him there.

Mr Assange's mother, Christine, said she was "very, very happy" with the decision and thanked his supporters.

"I can't wait to see my son and to hold him close. I had faith that the British justice system would do the right thing and the judge would uphold the magistrates' decision, and that faith has been reaffirmed," she said.

And so it goes on.  More leaks - more accusations - more leaks!! The more fuss the more people want to hear more leaks - obvious isn't it?  Ignore it and the furore will die down!! Wont it?

Julian Assange Refused Bail

Julian Assange, Wikileaks founder, has been refused bail by a court in London but but will fight the extradition order from Sweden

Mr Assange has been accused of sexually assaulting two women in Sweden which he denies.

Because of his nomadic type existence Mr Assange was refused bail - the judge considered him to be a "no show" risk! Judge Riddle said he feared Mr Assange "may be at risk from unstable persons".

The timing of this accusation is most fortuitous one would think as Wikileaks has been "leaking" all sorts during the past few days and it appears that there may be more to this than meets the eye.  A Wikileaks spokesman said the arrest was an attack on media freedom and pledged to continue publishing.

Mr Assange's lawyer Mark Stephens claimed the charges were "politically motivated" and he said the judge was keen to see the evidence against Mr Assange, an Australian citizen.

Mr Stephens also said Wikileaks would continue to publish material and added: "We are on cable 301 and there are 250,000 secret cables."

Downing Street denies any involvement in the arrest.

Gemma Lindfield, for the Swedish authorities, gave details of the allegations against Mr Assange.

One of the charges is that he had unprotected sex with a woman, identified only as Miss A, when she insisted he use a condom.

Another is that he had unprotected sex with another woman, Miss W, while she was asleep.

Kristinn Hrafnsson a Wikileaks spokesperson said "Wikileaks is operational. We are continuing on the same track as laid out before.

"Any development with regards to Julian Assange will not change the plans we have with regards to the releases today and in the coming days."

US State Department spokesman said the US would probably seek their own extradition order for Mr Assange but would have to wait for the criminal investigation to be resolved first!

Mr Assange's supporters have written an open letter to Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, asking her to protect him.

Weather may win Adelaide Ashes Contest!

England former Captain,  Kevin Pietersen was confident of victory after his unbeaten 213 put them 306 runs ahead with two days of the second Test remaining.

England were 551-4 when rain put paid to play for the day.

"We had a clear idea where we wanted to be but we'll see how the weather is in the morning and push hard for victory.

"There's a lot of spin out of the rough which will play into Swanny's [Graeme Swann] hands and if we can bowl to our plans we can take 10 wickets," he said.

Pietersen's game has been off during the summer  but he went to South Africa with friend Graham Ford (former coach for Kent and South Africa) and put a lot of time into basic practice in the nets.

"It came back to me and he got me back to the way I used to play and went through bits and pieces I had forgotten."

After the second double century of his Test career Pietersen told BBC Sport: "It was nice to get the runs and it's really really good we're in the position we are, 300-odd ahead of Australia with two days left in the Test match."

Alistair Cook

Alistair Cook continued his fine form from the first test where he made over 200 and came in at 148 in the first innings of the second test.


James Anderson was a prime mover of the first day and England will be counting on a repeat performance when the Aussies  bat again.  As already mentioned Graeme Swann is hoping that the wicket will start taking spin and he will be looking to put several notches on his belt.  Having not shone particularly in the previous test is certainly time for him to make his mark.


A total of 38, 615 people attended the first day of play and it is estimated that more than 72,000 fans will have flocked to Adelaide Oval during the first two days of play.  Will the fans be able to raise the Aussie game sufficiently or will the tourists declare at the start of day 4 hoping to bowl the Aussies out before rain declares another draw!

The Tension Builds over World Cup 2018 FIFA Vote tomorrow

Latest News:  Bill Clinton flies into Zurich to support the USA bid for the World Cup Football tournament 2022 which is also been decided on Thursday.  

Last rounds of Lobbying in Zurich today!

Whilst Bill Clinton "The USA's Heavy" flies in, Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to stay away!!  The England "heavies" include a Prince, a Prime Minister and a King (David Beckham).  So how concerned with "sport" are we - or is this just another political joust?

Russian Premier Vladimir Putin said Fifa had been the victim of a smear campaign and should be left to make its decision "in peace and without any outside pressure".

This was probably in response to the BBC Panorama programme on Monday which exposed the corruption behind this type of vote.  Nicolas Leoz, Issa Hayatou and Ricardo Teixeira took the money from a sport marketing firm awarded lucrative World Cup rights, Panorama alleges. 

Mr Hayatou, vice-president of football governing body Fifa, said money that the BBC's Panorama alleged was a bribe was in fact paid to the Confederation of African Football (Caf)  as part of a sponsorship deal with sports marketing firm ISL.

However, although Mr Hayatou now claims a totally innocent reason for the money, the BBC claim that they repeatedly asked Mr Hayatou to give his version of the story and he declined to reply.   Perhaps he thought it would all blow over or that it was unimportant.  If indeed there are innocent and justifiable reasons for the money then why did he allow it to get so far out of hand!

Whilst all the 2018 contenders do their last bit of lobbying those bidding for 2022 are making their presentations.  Australia, the United States, South Korea, Japan and Qatar all made formal presentations with former United States president Bill Clinton backing his nation's bid and former footballing star Frenchman Zinedine Zidane endorsing Qatar's bid due to his Arab ancestry.

Students Demonstrate against rising University Fees

Now familiar scenes in London of the student clashes with police. Tensions are running high tonight after a mainly peaceful start to the demonstrations earlier today.  Protesters are remaining in Trafalgar square as darkness falls.

After a march across London, demonstrators are being moved out of Trafalgar Square by lines of police.

Meanwhile in Wales, the assembly government has announced that its students will pay thousands less in fees than in England.  The Welsh Assembly Government announced its own fee plans, which will see Welsh students at university in Wales and England paying no more than £3,290 per year.  (This would mean that an English student at an English University could end up spending £17,000 more on a 3-year course than their Welsh counterpart or a student in a Welsh University)  This will be done via 

Student Finance Wales which is a partnership between the Welsh Assembly Government, Local Authorities and the Student Loans Company.

Student Finance Wales provides grants and loans to eligible students who normally live in Wales for both Further Education and Higher Education. This is regardless of nationality or where in the UK students are studying. 

There are also additional services for students with special circumstances, such as disabled students, or those with caring responsibilities.

Business Secretary Vince Cable says he might now abstain in the vote on fees. The vote in the House of Commons, expected before Christmas, will decide whether tuition fees in England will be raised to up to £9,000 per year.  However one of the organisers of today's protest said "abstention is not an option".  The Liberal Democrats are under pressure to honour their election manifesto and sitting on the fence is not considered enough.

Occupations have reportedly taken place in at least eight universities and in Birmingham about 30 protesters occupied the city council's offices.

There were also protests in Leeds, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester and Bristol.

The weather has had a hand in reducing the numbers of protesters.  Only the die hard students have ventured out In today's freezing conditions.

So, will we see a huge rise in the applications to Welsh Universities?  

WikiLeaks - attack on the World!

The general consensus of opinion is "well done Wikileaks".  News around the world seems to think this is stuff that we need to know.  Wikileaks is providing a public service - removing the mystery and bringing out into the open the dealing that governments undertake in the name of the "people". 

However, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has denounced the release of classified diplomatic cables as an "attack on the international community".

She spoke after the release of some 250,000 messages from US envoys around the world by the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks.  Yesterday Wikileaks started releasing some highly sensitive cables sent by US Embassies worldwide.

The cables offer candid and sometimes unflattering views of world leaders and frank assessments of security threats.  Such things as King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia urging the US to attack Iran.  Other concerns include the security of Pakistani nuclear material that could be used to make an atomic weapon.

The US government condemned the release of the documents, which number in the hundreds of thousands, saying they put the lives of diplomats and others at risk.

Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks,  has said the US authorities are afraid of being held to account.

But Mrs Clinton said diplomats often needed confidentiality to be effective.  "This disclosure is not just an attack on America's foreign policy interests," she said.  "It is an attack on the international community: the alliances and partnerships, the conversations and negotiations that safeguard global security and advance economic prosperity.

"I am confident that the partnerships that the Obama administration has worked so hard to build, will withstand this challenge."

The leaks are deeply embarrassing for the Americans, and will infuriate Arab leaders whose remarks have been quoted.

God bless you Julian Assenge. We wouldn't be having so much fun if it wasn't for your geeky ass.

Snow and Ice grip the UK in unseasonal Freeze!

-17 degrees Centigrade - coldest recorded temperatures in a quarter of a century!
Drivers across the UK have been warned to be extra careful as the working week commences tomorrow.  Unfortunately where the snow has been cleared the extreme cold has ensured that the ice takes over and an even more serious risk occurs as ice is not so easily visible.

This is the earliest widespread snowfall in the UK since 1993.  Last winter's extreme weather conditions made sure that the council's have stocked up on grit and salt for the roads.  However, they were not expecting the weather to be so challenging so early in the season.  This may mean that in the traditionally bad weather months of January and February, the local Council's may well have run out of the grit and salt needed.


Snow and Ice have closed Jersey airport today and although its now open again its a rare occurrence for Jersey to be this badly affected.
There are early warnings of more to come on Monday and Tuesday, with eastern counties again the most at risk.  Apparently, according to the BBC weather experts there will be the added problem of quite a severe wind which will hugely increase the cold.

BBC weather forecaster Liam Dutton said:  "It will be really quite strong, so significant wind chill will be an issue. Even where there isn't new snow, what's there already will be blown about and roads that have been cleared could be covered up again."

He went on to say that towards the middle of the week many areas that so far have not been touched will also experience snowy conditions, this includes the South East of England.

The Met Office have issued warnings and urged every region in Scotland, with the exception of part of Strathclyde, to be prepared for frozen roads and snow that could drift in some places.

The whole of Northern Ireland was also told to be on standby for similar conditions

The AA are also experiencing an unprecedented amount of callouts today and they expect that to significantly increase as people try to get to work tomorrow morning. The problem here is that cars have been safely tucked up in a garage on sitting on a drive all weekend and now they need to be persuaded to run in extreme cold temperatures and once running cope with extreme driving conditions.
Of course all the emergency services are concerned about ice because even the treated roads will have patches of it so vigilance is of paramount importance and to not allow complacency to take over when drivers hit the bigger roads. The AA advise drivers to leave extra time to get to work and to exercise extreme caution.

For advice on driving in these conditions 

Airports and trains are the next thing to be affected - this could be the pattern for the next week! 

German Home owners Opt out of Google's Street View Service

Essen West Germany and homes have been bombarded with eggs and had signs posted on their door saying 'Google's Cool' victims of anti-privacy vandals.

Many properties have opted to be blurred on the Google Street View service.

Google itself are not getting involved in the vandalism - of course - saying that people have the right to remove themselves from the street view and they do not condone vandalism for whatever reason.

The German government were adamant that its citizens should have the option to removed before the pictures went live.  Almost a quarter of a million people have requested their homes to be blurred out on this service.

The mayor of Oberstaufen wanted his town on the Street View map

Since going live in Germany, the service has captured a series of bizarre events, including a naked man climbing into the boot of his car on the driveway of a house in Mannheim, south-west Germany.
Another camera appeared to capture the birth of a baby on a street in a Berlin suburb, although there are question-marks over the veracity of the incident.

Germany is the first country to have negotiated with Google to allow citizens to opt out before the service goes live.


But in a recent blog on the German roll-out the search giant warned that it would not be able to respond to all requests immediately.

"Given how complex the process is, there will be some houses that people asked us to blur that will be visible when we launch the imagery in a few weeks time.  We've worked very hard to keep the numbers as low as possible but int any system like this there will be mistakes,"  (Andreas Turk - Product Manager for Street View in Germany said in his Blog at the beginning of the month)


Street View was launched in May 2007 to allow Google users to explore the world through images. At the time, coverage was limited to just five U.S. cities.

The World and Korea hold their Collective Breath!

 North Korean bombardment of Yeonpyeong island

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has been holding emergency meetings in secure underground bunker and has ordered the airforce to take out North Korean missile bases if there is a repeat of this outrageous provocation.  Countries around the world are advocating calm which is difficult after the North Koreans fired shells at a South Korean Island killing two soldiers and injuring civilians.

Tensions habitually run high between the two but this is the most serious confrontation since 1953 and the end of the Korean War. Relations strained at the best of times were pushed further by the new of the North Korean uranium enrichment facility.
 
In an immediate response to the artillery barrage, Seoul scrambled F-16 fighter jets to the western sea and returned fire.

Korean experts around the world don't believe that either want all-out war but incidents like this are not very  encouraging.  Analysts believe that incidents such as todays could end up with an "accidental" war.

The North, in a short statement carried by the official KCNA news agency, said the South had fired first despite repeated warnings. It threatened more strikes if the South crossed the maritime border by "even 0.001 millimetre".

Naturally the South has denied firing towards the North BUT they have been conducting live-fire exercise which are part of their regular drills.

South Korean officials said two marines were killed in the attack and 17 injured, while three civilians were wounded.

The US president, Barack Obama, who was woken just before 4am by his national security adviser, Tom Donilon, to be informed of the attack, issued a statement condemning it and planned to speak to the South Korean president late today.

A White House spokesman said "North Korea has a pattern of doing things that are provocative. This is a particularly outrageous act." but this was the sum total of the comments coming out of the White House this morning.


In London the British foreign secretary, William Hague, urged Pyongyang to stop further "unprovoked" attacks.

Russia's foreign minister, said there was a "colossal danger" of escalation, and China are sitting on the fence, refraining from apportioning blame. 

Stephen Bosworth, the US special envoy on North Korea, was in Beijing at the time. He told reporters he had discussed the clash with the Chinese foreign minister and they agreed both sides should show restraint.
The Pentagon was cautious over applying pressure in the form of sanctions  "It's hard to pile more sanctions upon the North than are already there," said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary.

Han Seung-joo who was a former South Korean foreign minister does not think it will escalate into anything too bad. Han said: "It is not only because it involves civilian casualties, but the deliberateness of the bombardment."But he ad ded: "I don't think it will escalate into anything much more serious."
Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at the Asian Studies Centre, part of the Heritage Foundation, a Washington thinktank, said: "The situation on the peninsula is tense but unlikely to lead to war."

And so the world watches and waits as always when North Korea's has their cage rattled the rest of the world holds its breath.  Lets hope this is just a bit of swagger and sabre rattling - but its an explosive area at the best of times and there is little anyone can do!!

Prince William and Kate Middleton marriage wont last says Bishop Pete Broadbent

The "rogue" Bishop

Clearly not everyone is rejoicing from the mountain tops about the impending royal wedding and one such person, Bishop Pete Broadbent certainly worked on getting his fifteen minutes of fame this weekend.  Likening William and Kate to “shallow celebrities” and predicting the marriage would last seven years he made a reference to the marriage of William’s parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, as a “marriage between Big Ears and the Porcelain Doll” that he tried “to avoid”. He hopes the whole nation “isn’t paying for it.

The Bishop even likenend the Royal Family to “philanderers” with a bad record of marriages that cost the nation “an arm and a leg.”

I think that some knuckles got rapped quite severely after this because today the Bishop has apologised for the comments he made "I accept that this was a major error of judgment on my part," the 58-year-old church leader said "I recognise that the tone of my language and the content of what I said were deeply offensive, and I apologize unreservedly for the hurt caused."

“I have conveyed to Prince Charles and to Prince William and Kate Middleton my sincere regrets for the distress caused by my remarks and the subsequent media attention about the forthcoming Royal Wedding,” he wrote in a statement posted on the Diocese of London website. “I recognise that the tone of my language and the content of what I said were deeply offensive ... It was unwise of me to engage in a debate with others on a semi-public internet forum and to express myself in such language. I wish Prince William and Kate Middleton a happy and lifelong marriage, and will hold them in my prayers."

Hmm I wonder who got to him?

Latest News, Views and Opinions: The Pope says use of Condoms might be Justified

Latest News, Views and Opinions: The Pope says use of Condoms might be Justified: "At last the Catholic Church are moving into the 21st Century. For groups working to combat HIV this is a welcome turnaround. Using condoms..."

The Pope says use of Condoms might be Justified

At last the Catholic Church are moving into the 21st Century.  For groups working to combat HIV this is a welcome turnaround.  Using condoms may sometimes be justified to stop the spread of AIDS, Pope Benedict says in a new book, in surprise comments that relax one of the Vatican's most controversial position.


The Vatican newspaper unexpectedly published significant excerpts from the book on Saturday night, days before extracts were initially due to be made public. The book, called Light of the World, is to be published on Tuesday.


My point is - who is going to apply to the Catholic Church for permission to use a condom when in the throes of sexual passion?
Analysts say that this marks a softening of his previously hard line against condoms in the battle against HIV. However, the Vatican are quick to point out that this was no "revolution" in Church teaching.  The Vatican has long opposed condoms as an artificial form of contraception.  


Aids campaigners have vilified this as they say condoms are one of the few methods proven to halt the spread of HIV.

In excerpts published in the Vatican newspaper on Saturday, the pope cites the example of the use of condoms by prostitutes as "a first step towards moralisation", even though condoms are "not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection".

I wonder how he expects to curb the spread if not through the use of condoms.  After all total abstinence is not really on the cards either! 

UNAIDS, the United Nations programme on HIV/Aids, welcomed the comments as a "significant and positive step forward".

"This move recognises that responsible sexual behaviour and the use of condoms have important roles in HIV prevention," said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe.

Can you imagine the amount of condom marketing that will now take off in Catholic Countries?