January has not been kind to the London commuter. Journeys to and from work have mutated from the tiresome to the ridiculous. Wet socks and red noses now come as standard as we undertake epic campaigns that Ranulph Fiennes would recoil from. Yes, yes all this snow was awfully Christmassy in December when the sound of boot meeting snow was savoured, but now we’d rather walk on the road and brave the onslaught of cars than tackle the ice.

We used to sigh at the sight of 4 minutes on the District Line, now we’re lucky if it says 14 minutes (not that you’ll get on it anyway). Trains decide to linger at stations so to “even out the service” while everyone on the train knows this is to “give the illusion of a decent service”. Planes stop, trains we’ve covered and automobiles slip and slide all over the place because we’ve run out of salt (the nation’s obsession with fish & chips was bound to catch up with us).

It’s hardly surprising so many of us fail to get from home to work and another massive portion simply don’t even bother to try. It’s no contest; sit at home in the warm as newsreaders scream about the oncoming snow apocalypse or venture out and endure a journey six times longer than normal?

Stating that everything comes to a standstill when snow strikes is a cliché but there’s little else we can do. Estimates suggest disruptions caused by the weather over the last week may cost the economy billions. Not exactly ideal timing considering you know what. Isn’t it time that we learnt from our European and American friends and learnt to carry on despite the weather? Perhaps this is the perfect time to invest in a virtual office service. Mail Forwarding and Telephone Answering services are available where you can give the pretence of having trudged into work when in fact you are working from home. Business as usual!

London was warned to prepare itself for two days of travel chaos yesterday as a RMT and Aslef unions announce further strike action.

The city was brought to a virtual standstill last month as strike action was carried out and yesterday some commuters were warned to expect more of the same tomorrow and on six more consecutive days throughout the next month.

The strike will affect all trains run out of Liverpool Street Station by National Express and East Anglia and is a consequence of union’s unwillingness to accept salary increases offered.

It is thought that almost 300,000 commuters will be affected and more will have to deal with the overspill overcrowding their services.

Efforts by both sides to reach an agreement failed and talks broke down at the start of this week. Both companies warn that all services run by the National Express and East Anglia will be disrupted.

The nominees for the Mercury Prize -an awards ceremony synonymous with prestige and coolness – have been announced today. Among the delighted nominees were three female Londoners; Florence Welch, Elly Jackson and Debelle .

Beyond the £20,000 prize it is also thought that the Mercury Prize often leads to notoriety and a massive increase in album sales. This was the case for Manchester band Elbow, though the same cannot be said for 1997 Roni Size, who, after receiving the award, vanished into virtual career oblivion.

The prize is notorious for awarding the outside chance instead of the artist who is widely though of as the favourite. So this year’s firmly established favourite Kasabian, the four piece indie band, whose sound resonates notes of Manchester bands Oasis and The Stone Roses, better watch out.

Hosted by industry patriarch, Jools Holland, the winners will be announced at a lavish awards ceremony on 8th of September and will be televised live on BBC 2.

Mercury 2009 shortlist
The Invisible – The Invisible
Led Bib – Sensible Shoes
Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Twice Born Men
Speech Debelle – Speech Therapy Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
The Horrors – Primary Colours
Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires
Glasvegas – Glasvegas
La Roux – La Roux
Florence And The Machine – Lungs
Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
Lisa Hannigan – Sea Sew

You can’t switch on the T.V or open a newspaper, without being faced with the doom and gloom of recession; unemployment is at an all time high, house prices are falling and the word ‘depression’ keeps jumping off the page. However, recent reports revealing that retail sales increased by nearly 5% in June, indicates that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The retail sector has been badly effected by redundancy, job insecurity and rising unemployment, as shoppers cut back spending on ‘non essential’ items. The slump in sales led to many large corporations – including the British institution of Woolworths – closing their doors for the final time. So why the increase?

According to the London Retail Consortium, the increase was in part the result of June’s heat wave. As more Londoners were out on the street, all important footfall increased, so more buyers were actually in the shops looking for that all important summer wardrobe.

In the light of increased retail spending, it would very interesting to have a look at June’s sales figures of Pubs and restaurants across the capital!