Latest news with #DanHarris
Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mirror
Households in England urged to follow cool down hack as weather warms ups
As May gets underway and the UK faces warmer weather over the coming weeks and months, households have been encouraged to follow one simple tip to keep homes cool As the weather warms up across England over the next couple of weeks, households will be looking for ways to cool down their homes for some much needed reprieve from the sun. The weather this week will be dry and warm, the Met Office has declared, and we can expect sunny conditions to continue over the next week. The west of England will be hit by the very warm conditions the hardest, while temperatures will be slightly cooler for those along the east coast. Dan Harris, the Met Office deputy chief meteorologist, said that there will be 'warm and sunny conditions for the rest of the week'. He added: 'Daytime temperatures will be well above average away from the coast, with low to mid 20°s Celsius across many central, southern and western areas.' Keeping homes cool can be a challenge in the UK, where air conditioning is not as widespread as in other countries with hotter climates. However, while you may feel tempted to open all your windows to let in the air when the temperature is higher, this should actually be avoided, experts have explained. Energy firm OVO said that instead, you should be focusing on keeping the hot air out. "This means keeping windows closed during the day – particularly south-facing windows. Keep curtains, blinds and windows shut when the sun is shining directly on them, and when you're out,' it said. 'Try opening windows on the most shaded side of your home, to avoid sunlight and hot air getting in." British Gas echoed the sentiment, explaining that leaving your windows shut when the day is at its hottest will keep your house cooler. It added: "So try to only let the air in early, or late, in the day. Light coloured blinds and curtains made of a weightier fabric offer the best heat-blocking potential, so go for these if you're thinking of updating yours.' However, the energy supplier said you should 'keep hold of any darker ones that you replace, so you can switch back once the temperature drops to keep the heat in. Keep these closed during the day too to keep your house cool in summer." There are times when it is a good idea to open your windows, according to experts at KGL Rutland. The windows and doors company suggested cracking them open if there is a breeze outside that can bring cooling air into the home. This will 'circulate the air better, which should cool your home', it said. 'Similarly, early mornings when the sun is just rising or late evenings when the sun has gone down also offer a chance to open windows and let fresh air in,' the company added. 'On top of that, you may also consider opening windows if the air outside is less humid than it is indoors, and keeping your blinds or curtains closed while doing so will help prevent heat gain by blocking direct sunlight.'
Otago Daily Times
18-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Next stages of Amberley Village Green approved
The Hurunui District Council has given the green light for the next stages of the Amberley Village Green to get started. Council chief operations manager Dan Harris said this will allow works to be priced and staged. Council approved the next stages of the development plan at its meeting last week, including a recommendation the South Ward committee will adjust sizes or locations of the activities on the plan, as well as being given the go-ahead to spend any remaining funds within the bounds of the plan. The development plan was created by a working group consisting of community members, members of the South Ward Committee, and Mayor Marie Black. The working group considered community feedback provided through the Long Term Plan and Reserves Management Plan processes. Harris says approval for this next stage paves the way for car parking, and planning for landscaping, a playground, croquet lawns and cricket nets to move forward. Cr Robbie Bruerton says it is important to share the development plan with the community. ''The place looks like a million dollars. If we come back in a year or two, it will look fantastic. ''This is coming together now.'' Bruerton noted the plan was a long time coming. Harris says the council agreed to buy the reserve, formerly known as the Eastern Reserve, in 2014. Its purpose was to accommodate sports fields, with an emphasis on cricket. It is intended that the reserve would serve as an alternative large recreation space to the Amberley Domain. Irrigation has already been installed on the site, a viewing embankment constructed, surface shaping done and a water bore drilled. This financial year, funding from development contributions (90%) and local funding (10%) was earmarked to develop the reserve further. Of those funds this year, so far drainage, irrigation and topsoil have been established and the perimeter pathway has been partially constructed. The cricket club has paid for the development of the wicket block. Further works already agreed on include completion of the pathway, a new public toilet block and utility shed, Harris says. West Ward Cr Ross Barnes says it was appropriate that the development plan went back to the South Ward Committee to decide on locations and sizes. Harris says when finished the reserve will provide for a wide range of activities. ''The irrigated area will be a wonderful green space for everyone to enjoy.'' Previously completed activities including land purchase, shaping and the development and drilling of the water bore has amounted to $715,000. This financial year the project has a budget comprising of 90% development contributions and 10% local funding. That has funded irrigation (including electrical), drainage, reshaping and topsoil totalling $390,000; the perimeter pathway $135,000; and public toilets $230,000. The cricket wicket was funded by the Amberley Cricket Club.
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
UK weather: Britain set to be hotter than Ibiza this weekend as temperatures soar to 23C
The UK is set to be hotter than Ibiza this weekend, as Britons are told to expect the country's spell of sunshine to continue. Highs of 23C are forecast in some areas of the country, as the Met Office says the country should prepare to see more hot weather over the next few days. This means that Britain will be warmer than holiday hotspots including Ibiza and some Greek islands such as Corfu, which will see highs of 21C and 22C respectively. According to the Met Office's forecast for the weekend, it will be staying 'mostly dry and settled with further warm sunshine,' however, there will be some 'cooler and cloudier with patchy drizzle in the far north and east at times'. There may also be a shower in the south later in the weekend. The UK has seen warm temperatures this week, with the mercury having hit 24C in London on Wednesday. Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Harris said: 'The settled weather is expected to continue into the weekend too as high pressure remains centred over the UK, although cloud and early mist will probably become a bit more widespread, this gradually retreating back to coasts through the course of the daytime.' Next week, the forecasters said most of the UK will be 'fine with sunny spells', with temperatures likely to be above normal for this time of year. Looking ahead to the bank holiday weekend, a change in weather is expected with more unsettled conditions likely to develop as weather systems move in from the Atlantic. The Met Office's long-range forecast reads: 'This will bring spells of rain to many areas, perhaps heavy at times, with a risk of strong winds in places. Some drier and brighter intervals are likely between systems. Temperatures will probably be near normal or slightly above.' The rain will be welcomed by some, after millions of households were warned of the risk of water restrictions. The Environment Agency has warned of a 'medium' risk of drought in England this summer without sustained rainfall, after the country experienced its driest start to spring in 61 years. The regulator has said there are currently no hosepipe bans planned, but warned water companies might have to implement measures including restrictions in the months ahead. Figures covering spring so far – 1 March to 11 May – also show that south-east England recorded only 34.9mm of rain in this period, the fourth lowest total since daily data began in 1931, while north-east England saw 39.5mm from 1 March to 11 May this year – the lowest since 1938.
New York Times
14-05-2025
- Health
- New York Times
3 Ways to Find Joy in an Anxious World
Sara Bareilles is emerging from a monthslong bought of acute anxiety. The singer, songwriter and Broadway star has grappled with the condition for years. She had been doing well enough to stop taking Lexapro, an antidepressant, she said. Then a close friend died, and she began to spiral downward. 'The bottom dropped out and I couldn't find the surface again,' Ms. Bareilles said onstage at the New York Times Well Festival in Brooklyn last week. Ms. Bareilles was speaking on a panel about living with anxiety, alongside Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. It was moderated by Dan Harris, the host of the '10% Happier' podcast — who, as he told the audience, is perhaps best known for having had a 'coke-fueled panic attack on 'Good Morning America.'' 'If you Google 'panic attack on television,' you can see it for yourself,' he said. 'It's the No. 1 result.' None of the panelists claimed to have conquered anxiety. But they shared some of the strategies that have helped them cope. Focus on action. Mr. Harris applauded Ms. Bareilles's openness about her recent struggles. It's good that our culture talks about anxiety more openly than ever before, he added. 'But one of my critiques is that we — especially in social media — tend to wallow in the suffering,' Mr. Harris said. He wanted people to turn to the 'many, many things you can do about it.' Ms. Bareilles agreed, noting that those with anxiety — herself included — can start to 'wear' the diagnosis as a kind of identity. It's not easy or simple to move forward, the panelists agreed. Dr. Keltner described anxiety as 'one of the hardest conditions to overcome.' Still, as a guiding principle, Mr. Harris said he liked to remind himself: 'Action absorbs anxiety.' Be willing to experiment. Different coping mechanisms work for different people. Ms. Bareilles said she relied on therapy, medication, meditation, exercise and 'lots and lots and lots of human connection.' (An attempt to self-medicate with the drug MDMA was a fiasco, she said.) Dr. Keltner, who said he had his first panic attack at age 30, has sought comfort in music, meditation, pickup basketball and time in nature. 'The single best thing you can do outside of social connection is get outdoors,' he said, adding that research shows: 'Clouds and sky and light and the sound of water and the smell of spring get into your nervous system and calm it all down.' Mr. Harris has been in talk therapy for years, he told the audience, and is using exposure therapy to manage the panic attacks he experiences on planes and in elevators. He and his therapist 'go around New York City and try and find the most diabolically small elevators' and ride them together, he said. 'I really believe that people should do what works for them,' Mr. Harris said. Cultivate mindfulness. The speakers emphasized the roles of mindfulness and meditation in their own lives. It can help to start small, just doing a few minutes here and there, Mr. Harris said. He has built a second career as an evangelist for meditation, but he acknowledged the practice might not resonate with everyone. Meditation might even serve to pile on the anxiety for some people. 'If you're trying to alleviate or mitigate stress, adding a stressful item to your to-do list seems counterproductive,' Mr. Harris said. So what should you do? Find something that can help you tap into a sense of calmness and awe, Dr. Keltner encouraged the audience. Music, for instance, can offer a real sense of peace, he added. So can visual art. Dr. Keltner recently tried a New York Times focus challenge, spending 10 minutes looking at van Gogh's 'Starry Night,' he said. He found himself tearing up as he took in the painting. 'There are many ways to meditate,' he told the audience.
Wales Online
13-05-2025
- Climate
- Wales Online
Weather maps show how warm it is going to be in Wales this week
Weather maps show how warm it is going to be in Wales this week The Met Office is predicting more sunshine in Wales every day this week - but just how hot is it going to get? The Met Office is predicting more sunshine in Wales every day this week (Image: Met Office ) There have been some heavy showers, and even hail stones around today but Wales will be seeing more bright weather this week as the dry, sunny conditions return. Temperatures reaching their early twenties for most areas, and sunshine across most places every day. The Met Office has shared forecasts showing that although a few showers are possible over south Wales on Wednesday, May 14 - high pressure will be firmly back in charge bringing settled, dry, and for the vast majority warm and sunny conditions for the remainder of the week. The settled weather is also expected to continue into the weekend too as high pressure remains centred over the UK. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here So what days can we expect the warmest temperatures? Wednesday, May 14 Wednesday, May 14 (Image: Met Office ) It will feel cooler in the morning than the previous day. Temperatures will start ranging mainly from 13-16°C but it is set to get significantly warmer into the afternoon, with temperatures in the southern region in particularly forecast to soar up to 25° in Monmouth making it possibly one of the warmest points of the week. Article continues below Thursday, May 15 It will be another warm day for Wales as temperatures will start off ranging from 13-14°C in most places and climbing towards 17-19°C by the late afternoon Friday, May 16 Friday, May 16 (Image: Met Office ) We'll see a similar start to the day to Thursday, but it might feel noticeably warmer towards the end of the day, with temperatures reaching up to 25°C again in south Wales. Saturday, May 17 Most parts of the country will see temperatures of around 14°C in the morning, but they will continue to climb again by the late afternoon, mostly reaching the 19-22°C mark. Sunday, May 19 Sunday, May 19 (Image: Met Office ) It will be a warm end to the week on Sunday with temperatures again ranging from 13-15°C in most areas at the start of the day, reaching up to 21°C by late afternoon. Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Harris said: 'Although a few showers are possible over southwest England and South Wales on Wednesday, high pressure will be firmly back in charge bringing settled, dry, and for the vast majority warm and sunny conditions for the remainder of the week. 'Daytime temperatures will be well above average away from the coast, with low to mid 20°s Celsius across many central, southern and western areas. 'Temperatures will be cooler near North Sea coasts, and the extreme north of Scotland with some cloud at times. Article continues below 'Overnight, clear skies will mean we can expect some chilly nights too. 'The settled weather is expected to continue into the weekend too as high pressure remains centred over the UK, although cloud and early mist will probably become a bit more widespread, this gradually retreating back to coasts through the course of the daytime."
