Ok, name the last time 50,000 people died in Europe, in the modern era, from too much snow like they did from the heatwave a few years back.

I love things that make me feel alive. I love thunderstorms and the feeling of electricity in the air and strong winds as you fight against them or are pushed almost out of control. The sea is at its best when there are huge waves and flying down a snowy mountain is best when fighting gravity, undulations, snow and wind.

Calm and moderately sunny days, well, you can keep them. I may as well lie in a coffin for how alive they make me feel.

I've never personally been forced into a life threatening situation by the heat.

Yes, the heat does kill. However, that's one reason I live in middle England. I don't have the stats, but I rather suspect that far more deaths have been caused during my lifetime in my post code by freezing weather and storms than by the heat.

If I wanted to experience extreme weather, I'd go somewhere else. Please don't wish your hell on me!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1754561.stm

I find it much easier to stay warm than cool down, though the latter is usually cheaper *mumbles about gas and electricity prices*.

Fair enough.

I prefer the following quotes:


Seems to me it's not so much the cold that kills as it is laziness, ignorance, stupidity and communal heartlessness.

It depends. When I went to bed last night it was snowing heavily and when I woke up it had all turned to rain. If I had to drive to work I'd have been pleased, but since I only had to walk the dog I would have much preferred the snow.

That is very true, people forget we live on a planet with an atmosphere and to expect changes.

I'll preface all this with the fact I walk everywhere... I don't mind the rain at all unless it's really heavy and I'm only going into town, say, where I'm getting drenched just to pick up a comic

The wind drives me batsh1t, though I like listening to it when I'm in the house. Actually I love seeing the rain pouring down when I'm in the house too

Snow/ice/frost can all fcuk right off

But that is how it works. When I was in Geltendorf and it snowed, we had nearly 1.5M of snow over night.

During the snow and the next day, nearly the wole village was outside clearing their drives, clearing the paths and clearing the streets. Local farmers turned up in the tractors with large trailers and snow ploughs, they plough the roads and people would load tonnes of snow onto the tractors, which would then dump them on fields outside the town.

The same for roofs, a lot of places people would dig the snow off of the roof, before it fell down and crushed people or cars and that snow was also taken away and dumped on the fields outside the village.

The whole comminity rallied together, when they weren't at work. Those that worked on the land or worked at home help with the clearing away, those that worked in offices or in the city drove to work as normal and their neighbours, children and family ensured that their property was also cleared.

Next to our house was an empty plot of land, we piled all our snow there (the kids made igloos) and we also cleared the path and street in front of that plot of land, not because we had to, legally, not because we were paid, but because it was for the common good! When that stretch wasn't also cleared, we wouldn't come out of the road, we wouldn't be able to go shopping, it was simply common sense and community spirit.

JJ, did you like the snow when you were a child?

My childhood would have not been the same without snow.

I had to walk to school, so I hated the stuff as much then as I do now...

So did I, or cycle, and the schools would only close if the Victorian central heating packed up.

I still have fond memories of fighting my way back home in the snow....

And I still have not so fond memories of falling on my arsh. Not whilst walking to or from school of course, as that was over a quarter of a century ago, (does that sound longer than 25 years? ) but from last night, whilst walking to the shop.

I have a 10cm scar on my wrist from slipping on the ice when I was 3 and slashing it open on some glass.

Boo frakking hoo JV, boo frakking hoo.