French gov't admits as many as 3000 deaths from heat...

Post by **weemadando** » 2003-08-16 01:13am

Fucking hell...

3000. Thats a lot.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-08-16 01:31am

Holy hell...

Just how bloody hot is it in France?

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2003-08-16 01:33am

Funny thing. Because French laws forbid more than a 35 hour work week they're having trouble finding people to work in hospitals to help alleviate this crisis coupled with the fact that in August the country vitrually shuts down as people head out to vacation and such.

Forbidding more than 35 hours? How do they get anything done?

Dark Hellion · Post by **Dark Hellion** » 2003-08-16 01:42am

The smoking gives them a lot of energy. They may work 10 less hours a week, but they get 5 extra minutes an hour.
Hasn't france ever heard of the wonderful invention we here in the states call a fan. I've carried buckets of fucking cement for 4 hours in 100 degree heat. You can see I turned out fine.

Post by **weemadando** » 2003-08-16 01:43am

You're forgetting, France is the home of people who know how to go on strike - REALLY WELL. Thus a 35 hour work week is instituted, or you have trucks parked across every intersection for several days, and if you're really lucky, a horde of students flinging paving stones at police lines...

Dark Hellion · Post by **Dark Hellion** » 2003-08-16 01:45am

Thats cuz they don't shoot enough people on ACCIDENT.
Letting strikers get away with that is no way to run a country.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-08-16 01:46am

weemadando wrote:You're forgetting, France is the home of people who know how to go on strike - REALLY WELL. Thus a 35 hour work week is instituted, or you have trucks parked across every intersection for several days, and if you're really lucky, a horde of students flinging paving stones at police lines...

Shame they never learned the Richard J Daley method of crowd control

Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2003-08-16 01:54am

It's kinda strange how the French work week is 35hrs and the UK's is in the mid to high 40's, and in terms of their economy, you would be hard pressed to choose one over the other. If memory serves the French are ahead by a couple hundred thousand at the moment, however it usually flactuates between the two regularly.

Post by **weemadando** » 2003-08-16 01:59am

MKSheppard wrote:
weemadando wrote:You're forgetting, France is the home of people who know how to go on strike - REALLY WELL. Thus a 35 hour work week is instituted, or you have trucks parked across every intersection for several days, and if you're really lucky, a horde of students flinging paving stones at police lines...
Shame they never learned the Richard J Daley method of crowd control :twisted:

Actually, they taught the Americans that one. The simple fact however is, that shooting 75% of your nations youth is always a bad move.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-08-16 02:04am

weemadando wrote: Actually, they taught the Americans that one. The simple fact however is, that shooting 75% of your nations youth is always a bad move.

Problem is, A few rioters doesn't = 75% of your youth

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2003-08-16 02:15am

I read yesterday how having so many people on vacation this time of year has left a lot of elderly to fend for themselves.

This situation is really dumbfounding. Growing up, we didn't have air conditioning, and that was in hot, humid southwestern Ohio. It isn't like I don't have a frame of referrence, here.
It being this hot, this long may be unprecedented for France, but surely they've had heat waves that are comparable, haven't they? Whether it's 95 F or 100 F, does it make such a difference that 3000 people die? And if that isn't bad enough, one guy in the article I was reading said it might reach as high as 5000 dead!

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2003-08-16 03:18am

The problem apparently is that people are becoming dehydrated, as they don't know basic heat survival skills. I mean, down here in the Peninsula, we regularly survive temperatures 10 degrees hotter than what France is going through, and not all houses down here have AC, so that's not the solution. It's all about water intake. It's only 95 over there, so this is really confusing around here (for comparison, our daily temperatures this week are 90-92, and that's low to average for this time of year...lows are IIRC upper 70s).

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2003-08-16 03:25am

weemadando wrote:
Actually, they taught the Americans that one. The simple fact however is, that shooting 75% of your nations youth is always a bad move.

Mobs always break at the advance of cold steel--I wouldn't even bother with bullets, just issue the mounted police lances.

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2003-08-16 03:26am

Now, in all seriousness, this is a pretty severe and tragic event, but will hopefully be a wake-up call for reforms in the Gaulist system, which is running towards collapse in nearly all sectors.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2003-08-16 03:38am

Sears: Hello?

????: hey, we need that emergency air conditioner installation

Sears: Okay may I have the address?

????: Well We would appreciate it if you could cover Paris first, then move on to the suburbs and then Orleans...

Sears: Whoa, wait a minute, can i have your name sir?

France: This is France.

Sears: shit!

*cut to: thousands of allied Air Conditioner installers landing at the beaches of Normandy*

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-08-16 04:31am

The Duchess of Zeon wrote: Mobs always break at the advance of cold steel--I wouldn't even bother with bullets, just issue the mounted police lances.

Bayonets suffice. Riot police do fix bayonets, the line of steel coming at them is enough to make them break, and if they don't break, then the riot police switch to clubs. That combined with the strange noise they're made to make as they advance is unnerving.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-08-16 04:34am

I think police everywhere need to get themselves some Jaffa boots for extra sound effects.

Xon · Post by **Xon** » 2003-08-16 11:46am

Howedar wrote:I think police everywhere need to get themselves some Jaffa boots for extra sound effects.

If nothing else, the full Jaffa uniform would make for an interesting Riot police equipment. A Zat's effect on a mod would be interesting

Andrew J. · Post by **Andrew J.** » 2003-08-16 12:56pm

The Duchess of Zeon wrote: Mobs always break at the advance of cold steel--I wouldn't even bother with bullets, just issue the mounted police lances.

A whiff of grapeshot sufficed for l'Empereur, no need to risk friendly soldiers or policemen in close combat.

And are you suggesting using cavalry in an urban environment?

Lord Poe · Post by **Lord Poe** » 2003-08-17 12:31am

The Dark wrote:The problem apparently is that people are becoming dehydrated, as they don't know basic heat survival skills. I mean, down here in the Peninsula, we regularly survive temperatures 10 degrees hotter than what France is going through, and not all houses down here have AC, so that's not the solution. It's all about water intake. It's only 95 over there, so this is really confusing around here (for comparison, our daily temperatures this week are 90-92, and that's low to average for this time of year...lows are IIRC upper 70s).

Also, they're drinking wine when they're thirsty, since their water tastes like shit. Thus dehydrating them more.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-08-17 02:26am

The French are quite good at dying. I thought we all knew that already.

Of course, it helps to eat a ridiculously rich diet full of butter and lard-laden sauces and plaster yourself with wine at every opportunity.

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2003-08-17 02:36am

Lord Poe wrote:Also, they're drinking wine when they're thirsty, since their water tastes like shit. Thus dehydrating them more.

Do they really do that?

Dark Hellion · Post by **Dark Hellion** » 2003-08-17 12:53pm

How has france survived 200 years. I have trouble thinking they could survive a cigarrete shortage, let alone wars desease and famine.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-08-17 12:57pm

Dark Hellion wrote:How has france survived 200 years. I have trouble thinking they could survive a cigarrete shortage, let alone wars desease and famine.

The France of today is quite a bit different than the France of Napoleon's time. Perhaps their heavy losses in WW1 drastically changed their cultural outlook.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-08-17 01:00pm

Darth Wong wrote:The French are quite good at dying. I thought we all knew that already.

Of course, it helps to eat a ridiculously rich diet full of butter and lard-laden sauces and plaster yourself with wine at every opportunity.

Of course, compared to what Americans eat, that's fucking Healthy Choice.