"Hey it's time for beach blanket bingo!"
Posted on 12/18/2006 6:52:20 PM PST by blam
Russians are pining for a white December
By Adrian Blomfield in Moscow
Last Updated: 1:51am GMT 19/12/2006
Russia is experiencing its warmest December since 1870, raising fears of serious economic consequences and prompting warnings about the effect the lack of snow is having on the national psyche.
On Friday, the mercury hovered just below nine Celsius — 14 degrees above the average daily temperature for December. The weather has led to predictions of a dearth of grain and psychiatrists are worried about people's fragile emotional states.
Companies selling fake frosted window patterns are doing a roaring trade as Russians try to convince themselves that their beloved snow is all around.
But bump into a Russian acquaintance on the streets of Moscow and there is a strong chance he or she will gaze heavenwards and dolefully quote Pushkin at you.
"That year the autumn weather lingered/Around the yards, over the field/Nature waited, lost, as winter held back/Snow fell only in January, on the third, at night," he wrote in Eugene Onegin.
"Everybody quotes Pushkin's lines about snow not falling till January, but the current phenomenon we are experiencing is very rare," said Gennady Yeliseyev, deputy director of the state meteorological department.
Experts claim snow reflects much-needed light that boosts the flow of mood-enhancing chemicals in the body. "We have not seen the sun this autumn and the psychological state depends directly on the light," said Baleria Mikulina, a social psychologist.
Bright posters and extra street lights have been erected, while government-controlled newspapers have urged people to turn on all the lights, hang up yellow curtains and wear colourful clothes.
Bush's Global Warming fault.
They must not pay their own heat bills. Sounds like a boon to me.
This is one of the nuttiest articles ever posted here (no reflection on you, blam). Sounds more like the Russian shrinks are trying to cash in on something that is admittedly "very rare". If there was 10 feet of snow and ice and they couldn't leave their houses it would probably create yet another mental disorder. Good grief!
On Friday, the mercury hovered just below nine Celsius — 14 degrees above the average daily temperature for December. The weather has led to predictions of a dearth of grain and psychiatrists are worried about people's fragile emotional states.
Fragile emotional state? Russians? They never met my family.
ping
You'd think they'd be thrilled. We've been having a heat wave here in Washington--nearly 70 degrees today!--so I'm not going to have to pay Washington Gas anywhere near as much as I usually do in December. What's to complain?
And people still Say Global warming is True!!!
Gee, if only Napoleon and Hitler could have held on long enough...
Yes, and speaking of palms, the Russians might as well cheer up. Florida may be on its way to Siberia.
On a different note, I wonder how the Ukranians are faring this winter?
Weather like this in 1941 and Russia would be speaking German.
Yup. my first thought.
Do people write "Wash me" in English in the dirt on the back of vehicles in Russia, too? Apparetntly so...
A good one where my commute isn't screwed up by snow and ice. But seriously, even I'm starting to wish it would get and stay cold enough around here for the ski hills to make snow. Although, I've always had this weird desire to ride my motorcycle to the hill to go skiing.
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