Black Mana

[Chromatix]

Perhaps more to the point: every car made in the past 50+ years has four-wheel stop*. You don't magically get eight-wheel stop with four-wheel drive.

So while it's easier to get going, and you probably get more balanced traction in the corners, you don't stop any better than normal. So keep your speed down like everyone with sense.

(* Except three-wheelers. But they're technically enclosed motorcycles anyway, not cars, and they tend to have ONE-wheel drive.)

[Jester]

Ah, but you had said that the quote "If it has nipples you can milk it" was wrong.

Well, yeah. I mean, you can milk a male, but the majority of the time, it is useless.

You could also jerk off a stick, but you aren't going to get anything out of that, either.

I was singing "let it snow" all the way until I pulled out of my driveway

Thank you TA for the excuse to break this out:

"Oh, the weather up north is frightful,
but the Keys are so delightful.
So down here we'll let the rum flow...
Up north let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

[Buglady]

Jester, I'm coming to crash on your couch. I like rum, and I'm tired of snow

[Sonoma]

Jester,

I'll just grab some space on the floor & crash there until this &*^$^% stuff is gone.

[Taubin]

I've learned so much from this thread. Thank you

And, thank you for the laughs, I really needed them tonight...

[pacman]

and GK sir, you are at least a 4/5 with flying.

And with trample.

Oh, whatever. Heh, I've been amazed at the two Great Western Countries (not counting parts of Canada) that if you get an inch of snow everything will stop. Nothing works, no public transport, no schools, no governmental offices, nothing public is open except stores and they also are only open because owners want profit. Alas, they don't get it because no-one moves from their homes at that point... When here, in the Small Eastern Country Neighboring Russia, nothing changes. Buses are in time, schools, offices, libraries, everything goes on as normal. I'm wondering how our winter differs from northern US or Canadalandialandish winter. Can anyone here tell me?

[Chromatix]

Well, the buses are not necessarily on time in a blizzard... but they do still run. That has saved my hide once or twice.

I think the difference is that Finns is prepared to do what it takes to handle the weather. That means spending more on the roads so that it's not necessary to outlaw studded tyres. It means training the drivers to handle bad weather conditions safely and confidently.

It means building houses (and apartment blocks) with proper insulation and heating systems, so people don't have to stay at home just to make sure the pipes don't freeze.

It means people being *used* to going out in cold weather, so they aren't afraid of it. The media doesn't over-hype it either, they just say "oh there will be some heavy snow and strong winds tomorrow, here is the map of difficult driving conditions expected, have fun".

Americans - and I include Canadians here - aren't prepared to do these things. In general they prefer to ignore weather (with technological assistance) as far as possible, rather than doing their best within it.

[Gravekeeper]

Americans - and I include Canadians here - aren't prepared to do these things. In general they prefer to ignore weather (with technological assistance) as far as possible, rather than doing their best within it.

I'm from Charlottetown, PEI originally and I refute this statement. Back on PEI ( and the Maritimes in general ) the only way you didn't go to work or school in the winter is if it was physically impossible to open your front door and leave your house due to the depth of snow. Which....happened a fair bit, but still. ;p

Its just a subsection of Vancouverites that seem ill-prepared every winter despite it happening every year. They actually seem *surprised* when Winter turns out to be cold.

The rest are smart enough to stay home or go snowboarding as our public transit actually goes right out to the ski hills.

[Chromatix]

Perhaps there's an exception for areas where winter covers more than about half the year.

[Sonoma]

Public transit is the only reason I've gotten into work at all this week. Yeah TriMet.

[lightmylamb]

Americans - and I include Canadians here - aren't prepared to do these things. In general they prefer to ignore weather (with technological assistance) as far as possible, rather than doing their best within it.

I'm wondering how our winter differs from northern US or Canadalandialandish winter. Can anyone here tell me?

I'm from a small town in BC, and I can tell you that we're prepared for snow from October-May. It rarely happens, but last year there was still snow on the ground in Whistler in May. Or was it the year before? I do travel through Whistler a lot in the winter, and, from Whistler to Vancouver, there are cars lining the ditches. I believe one time I counted 10 in the 20 minute drive it takes to get to Whistler. I'm thinking this is mainly caused by the t-t-tourists!

Only once was school ever cancelled because of snow in my town, and that's because it snowed something like, 3 feet, in one night. I don't remember, I was young, but I'm pretty sure it became a snow monster and tried to eat my house.


Oh, and I sort of wonder if the guy running for the skytrain did it on purpose. I probably would. I just moved to Vancouver, but I notice that people here are really pushy. Like, they actually push me to get in front of me. I haven't had that happen since elementary school.

[Gravekeeper]

I'm from a small town in BC

Hope small or Boston Bar small? ;p

I just moved to Vancouver, but I notice that people here are really pushy. Like, they actually push me to get in front of me. I haven't had that happen since elementary school.

Welcome to my Hades. I've never had anyone push me though. But than I am fairly tall and I can't imagine what my default expression when on public transit is. But it probably discourages pushing. ;p

[lightmylamb]

I am fairly big. I'm about 5'8, and everyone who pushes me is about 5'! It shocks me so much that I don't push back. I'm gonna have to be on the alert.

My town has about 2500 people in it.

[Munkie]

I'm an Albertan, born and bred, I even used to live on a farm. Now, I live in Edmonton, and so does most of my family. My father will refuse to drive is the weather is below -35 with a really sucky-ass -4 000 000 000 wind chill. Understandable, road conditions in that kind of temperature suck worse than... well, I don't know. I'll drive as long as I don't slide off the road, cause I'm crazy like that...

I've seen quite a few vehicles in the ditch on my way to and from work, and the majority of those vehicles are... trucks! ZOMG! Your massive Road Warrior vehicle didn't hug the road like the commercial promised it would! You also, what? I'm sorry, say that again? You have summer tires on that beast?? Where are your winter tires! You can't safely drive on icy roads with summer tires!

Then again... the Evil Snowflake has come down... and 8 000 000 people forget how to drive.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

I am fairly big. I'm about 5'8, and everyone who pushes me is about 5'! It shocks me so much that I don't push back. I'm gonna have to be on the alert.

The key is to keep your elbows up. That'll discourage shovers.

Where I live (Dawson Creek, BC... yes, it's a real place), the snow flies from November to May-ish, but we've had snowfall in June before. I remember driving home on dangerous mountainous roads from Prince George at the beginning of October through a blizzard, to find my home town under 2 feet of snow.

The highways are usually clear from ice and packed snow... there's so much traffic that passes through that they are almost dry a few hours after a big storm. The road in town are the real dangerous ones.