How Disruption Reminds us of the Routine we Follow
Suddenly after our everyday activities are interrupted, one naturally is reminded of how smooth it “normally” works out. Yesterday’s weather condition has brought London to a stand still and even today there is plenty of reasons to stay home. In the news the routines are the big topic. The articles cover the whole range from complaints to positive remarks about the capitals happiness, but mainly revolve around the normal routine.
I put together a collection of how the terms cycles, rhythms and routines suddenly are used a lot as something disruptive happens.
London under the snow, 10 cm do change the way the city beats.
Following up from yesterdays disruption of the city’s everyday activities there is much talk today about the daily cycles.
One of the phrase used in the news yesterday and today is: “… this snowfall is a once in a life time experience…”
“LONDON struggled back to work through snow and ice today.” (Dick Murray, Transport Editor, Evening Standard, 03.02.09)
An article in the online Evening Standard, titled “This transport collapse is inexcusable”, is questioning the transport collapse also uses the terms. “THIS has been the worst weather-related transport chaos in living memory.“ and ”…no point spending tens of millions on snow ploughs and other equipment that will be used once in a generation…“ (Christian Wolmar, Evening Standard 03.02.09)
Boris Johnson, the Major or London was of course also talking about the events and is quoted with this: “This is the kind of snow we haven’t seen in London in decades…” on www.streathamguardian.co.uk The former Major of London immediately used this opportunity to attack his procedure and told the BBC “There has never been a day where the bus service has been cancelled for bad weather. Not in 100 years,” (on the guardian)
In an other article by the same news paper the focus lies on the routines of the evening venues in London. ”London’s streets empty as snow shuts theatres and bars.“ The street life was described as ”…frozen trade: the normally bustling streets of Soho, including Old Compton Street, were virtually deserted as the icy weather forced restaurants and bars to close…“ (Rashid Razaq, Evening Standard 03.02.09)
Image from BBC London
Regarding the conditions the weather was compared to the past as ”…The biggest snowfall to hit London in 18 years idled the city’s trademark red buses and Underground trains…“ by The Associated Press on msnbc
”A brief history of snow“ is a collection of important snow related events in the UK in the past, going as far back as 1600. Collected by Charlie English, Tuesday 3 February 2009.
Again the weather compared to the past by the Guardian titles ”Certainly not a blizzard, but it was the heaviest snowfall since 1991“ and it concludes ”This is the heaviest fall since 1991, and so there’s a whole generation of children who haven’t seen snow like this. If I were a teenager I would love to be out tobogganing.“ (Michael Fish, The Guardian, Tuesday 3 February 2009)
Twitter was employed to spread information of course. Everything from closed school updates in Camden, numbers of snowmen and of course amount of snow was integrated.
Image from benmarsh
Anyway updates on conditions, weather, traveling and more can be found on the Guardian New Blog.
An other timelapse to show the snow conditions in London, by, MosReel, February 02, 2009
