![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[if you’re new to the Journey, read this to see what we’re all about!]
By Ashley R. Pollard
And another year draws to a close with what promises to be a White Christmas after a foggy start to the month. December has been a bad month for people with breathing problems living in London as the smog has been terrible. So bad that it has been mentioned as a topic not only on the BBC news, where you'd expect it to be, but mocked in their new satirical weekly news show, That Was The Week That Was. But, before I delve into that show, allow me a few lines to remind people how serious this problem is.
The smog of 1952, called the Great Smog of London (which should be a clue to how bad it was) killed an estimated 4000 people, and caused respiratory complaints in another 100,000 more. At its worst one could only see a few yards ahead, and it shut down the London Ambulance Service, which forced people to make their own way to hospital. This pea-souper, a euphemism for thick fog, was so serious it led directly to the introduction of the Clean Air Act of 1956.
This year's smog has not been, on any scale, as bad, but 90 people have died. As someone who has suffered from bronchial problems, this has been personally worrying. However, a few days ago the weather changed, and we had snow. We've also been told to expect more very cold winds arriving from the East -- a present from Siberia that quite frankly I could do without, but there again, anything is better than more smog.
And, looking on the bright side, it means this year there's a good chance of London having a White Christmas.
Anyway, enough of the doom & gloom; there's more entertaining things to talk about...
(see the rest at Galactic Journey!)
By Ashley R. Pollard
And another year draws to a close with what promises to be a White Christmas after a foggy start to the month. December has been a bad month for people with breathing problems living in London as the smog has been terrible. So bad that it has been mentioned as a topic not only on the BBC news, where you'd expect it to be, but mocked in their new satirical weekly news show, That Was The Week That Was. But, before I delve into that show, allow me a few lines to remind people how serious this problem is.
The smog of 1952, called the Great Smog of London (which should be a clue to how bad it was) killed an estimated 4000 people, and caused respiratory complaints in another 100,000 more. At its worst one could only see a few yards ahead, and it shut down the London Ambulance Service, which forced people to make their own way to hospital. This pea-souper, a euphemism for thick fog, was so serious it led directly to the introduction of the Clean Air Act of 1956.
This year's smog has not been, on any scale, as bad, but 90 people have died. As someone who has suffered from bronchial problems, this has been personally worrying. However, a few days ago the weather changed, and we had snow. We've also been told to expect more very cold winds arriving from the East -- a present from Siberia that quite frankly I could do without, but there again, anything is better than more smog.
And, looking on the bright side, it means this year there's a good chance of London having a White Christmas.
Anyway, enough of the doom & gloom; there's more entertaining things to talk about...
(see the rest at Galactic Journey!)
