Heatwave caused more than 11,000 extra deaths in France

The Telegraph(UK) ^ | 8/29/03

[John Will]

http://www.i-hate-france.com/

[SwinneySwitch]

Les Batards!

[LibKill]

Many bodies are still unclaimed and have been buried in temporary graves by the authoritie.

I guess some frenchies are still on their beloved August vacation.

I guess some are still on vacation, but a lot of them want to dodge the bill and let etat (the state) pay for it.

Almost all graves in France are temporary. You don't buy a plot for eternity, you rent it for a fixed number of years. Upon expiration, they dig you up, throw your bones in an 'ossuary' (boneyard) and rent the space to someone else.

[Brimack34]

120+ degrees in Iraq and 11,000 die in France? They should have went too war.

[Dudoight]

Hey, makes sense. Thanks.

[Dudoight]

Thanks. Makes sense. I love the comment on the 'shrug'.

[Dudoight]

I am copying and saving your comments! Really nice overview.

[miss marmelstein]

Thanks for posting this unintentially hilarious (and annoyingly stupid) letter. I guess the writer of this little epistle never saw the great movie "Jean De Florette" - the story of a drought & heatwave in 1920's France. The fact of the matter is that areas like Provencal & the South of France are blisteringly hot in summer. That's why they build STONE houses - the same in Italy. Paris in July & August is miserably hot - for God's sake - the sun doesn't set until about 11:30pm! All the good hotels are air-conditioned. Why didn't they move the poor, old people into the lobbies of The Ritz??