try glasgow more

My colleagues and I are currently engaged in a "who's got the biggest snowdrift in their garden/driveway/street" photo competition on WhatsApp. This is pretty much leading to a third successive snow day, I think, since work has now added an "if it's possible and safe" disclaimer to our requested attendance in the office.

I'm having a delightful time.

The buses are running again, mostly, so unfortunately I have no excuse to not go into work. I just can't imagine why anyone would leave the house if it wasn't essential today though. People have been posting on the FB pages of Braehead and Silverburn complaining they couldnt walk round the centre despite the red alert which to me is crazy.

those fb commenters in full

https://deadclydeside.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/dotd3.jpg

Morning Glasgow.

I've been up here for twelve years or so, and this is definitely the worst weather I've ever experienced in Scotland or England. So Tom D's mother otm.

I think most of this tendency is a result of the desire for people running these events to be seen as academics and intellectuals.

Jed, this is so, so OTM. I don't think I've ever been more embarrassed than when witnessing the Arika guy pitifully trying to talk theory to Sam Delany over two separate, excruciatingly awful q&a sessions last year at the Tramway.

Agreed also on the mediocrity of this year's Counterflows line-up(I'm only booked to go and see Susie Ibarra). I know that the festival passes sold out more quickly than ever this time, so I guess they've got a loyal enough core following who will attend no matter who is on the bill.

Buses may be running but fuck trudging half a mile through a foot of snow to get to the bus stop then trudging through Kelvingrove Park to get into an empty office on a campus my employer has warned hasn't actually been fully gritted.

(xp) My mother's 85 so I'm thinking she probably has seen worse tbh.

worse counterflows festival line-ups?

Och, she's always moaning about that.

I remember snow just as bad around a Christmas between 2000-2002.

I think some people are really overreacting in some areas. I recognize that the various locations they might have to travel are worse and genuinely difficult or dangerous but it generally isn't that difficult to get around where I am.

where in the glasgow area are you?

Mearns/Eaglesham/Barrhead

I didn't struggle to get from the southside to East Kilbride this morning but the way back at 6pm was a NIGHTMARE

I saw the documentary "Nae Passaran!" today that told the story about The East Kilbride Rolls Royce factory - the munitions arm of RR, not the luxury car arm - that stood in solidarity with the people Chile in defiance of Pinochet's attacks on Chilean civilians. The men at Rolls Royce were the only people that could maintain and repair the engines for Hawker Hunter military jets that had bombed locations in Santiago and elsewhere. The men of the factory refused to repair the engines of these machines of destruction instead leaving them for so long, unrepaired, that they became unusable and irreparable through corrosion. It was a really beautiful film and will be getting a fuller release later this year, so keep an eye out for that. I can assure you that many a tear was shed in a sold out GFT1 today. I was really humbled to hear the stories from Chile and from Scotland.

There were Chilean refugees in the audience who spoke a little afterwards. One man who had fled Chile as a child and moved to Scotland and has lived here since then, he's in his 50s now.

Am i mistaken in thinking that OOR Jim (not in Glasgow) lived in Chile?

this was history I knew nothing about until today! as i said, it was really very humbling to watch it but a real treat to be there.

actually the Chilean man who had been a refugee was the last person to speak at the Q&A. The convenor of the Q&A asked the director to respond to the man's comments but he couldn't. I think he was overwhelmed himself!

my parents were there at that showing, my dad is a chilean refugee. Really fancy seeing this, the story was one that I grew up knowing about because I'm from Lanarkshire and my dad was very involved in the exile organization Chile Democrático, and friendly with all the Chile solidarity folk, but not sure when I'll get a chance this side of the pond. I will definitely greet my eyes out

wow Jim!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkvCqmyc18U

I put Eno's An Ending (Ascent) on in the background for watching that.

Good to see the pleasantly 70s brutalist Western Infirmary building at the start of that video, since demolished.

homesick watching that. sigh

as a maryhill boy it's kind of annoying that they end it at maryhill. maybe a logistical/ technical issue though. i'm amazed that they managed as much as they did!

seems that the mackintosh building at the gsa is on fire again

There is a fire at the Mackintosh Building. The fire brigade are currently on scene. We will report back with news updates as soon as possible.

— Glasgow School Art (@GSofA) June 15, 2018

what the FUCK

fuck sake

it honestly looks like a monster fire, i fear the building is done for.

total fucking shiter

it does. fuck.

some people are now saying it has collapsed

oh no :(

what a fucking shiter, also my boyfriend is working about fifty metres away in the ABC tonight and not replying to texts

(I assume he will be fine but you never can get a reply quick enough at times like this)

Came past there about an hour ago. The fire is huge. ;_;

Came past the abc too - it looked fine xpost

That's a relief. I assume if there was any danger etc they would have been punted out. I hope everyone is ok and I haven't seen any news of casualties yet which bodes as well as these things can

Was just about to ask... did you manage to get hold of him boxedjoy? I assume they've evacuated the immediate area, though I guess that may not be an entirely straightforward process at midnight on a Friday.

Still nothing yet. I know i'm just being dramatic but even though i want to go to bed (working at 9am tomorrow eek) I know i won't sleep til I get an update

he was evacuated early and quickly and his phone and bag were left behind which is why he hadn't replied. So thankful this morning!

https://i.imgur.com/iogjReG.jpg

Everyone using the word ‘heartbreaking’ and I’d say that’s accurate.

Holy fuck, how could it happen for a second time. Isn’t the degree show on just now.

Renovations and roofing work seem to cause a lot of fires, but how exactly = ?

this is so fuckin sad

Rotten news to wake up to. Second big fire in the city centre within a matter of months :-(

oh shit that's very sad, rip iconic CRM building :(

"Renovations and roofing work seem to cause a lot of fires, but how exactly = ?"

Was just listening to a report that the builders renovating the roof had to relearn 100 year old roofing techniques, but I'd presume this wouldn't include forsaking all modern fire safety regs as well.

Glad to hear that he was safe, boxedjoy.

Does anyone know how things are this morning? There's a few photos from earlier today in this Guardian 'In Pictures' piece, but it's hard to really tell: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/gallery/2018/jun/16/flames-spread-through-glasgow-school-of-art-in-scotland-in-pictures

OK, here's my answer, from police helicopter... awful.

16.06.18 Assisted @GreaterGlasgPol @fire_scot by providing images of the damage to Glasgow School of Art and surrounding buildings. Road closures will be in place throughout the day. pic.twitter.com/3AIpi9xRdf

— PoliceScotlandAir (@polscotair) June 16, 2018

aye looks done

This is crazy + wtf. It's like Glasgow's gone back to the 70s, when the whole place was constantly catching fire.