Last week’s blizzard of the century brought out the best, the worst, the strangest and the dumbest among us.
A quick review:
The best – All those folks who had to work in the record low temperatures. The plow drivers who fought Mother Nature to a draw, the cabbies and bus drivers who got us where we needed to go, the delivery guys and girls were great.
The firefighters, police, letter carriers, ambulance service personnel and the BFI crews who kept up with collection deserve our thanks.
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From a personal standpoint, our Chatham Voice carriers who made sure you had a local, relevant newspaper to read in your homes have a special place in our hearts as do all those folks who helped shovel driveways for their neighbours.
The worst – drivers who believe their skills or equipment (read four-wheel drive vehicles) allow them to ignore the icy conditions, thus endangering not only their (apparently) valueless lives but also the rest of us.
There is a special place in hell for idiots who pass snowplows, but they deserve their own column.
Pedestrians, E-bikers and regular cyclists also did their part as they auditioned for the “most likely to end up in an emergency room” award.
The strangest – An ongoing social media screaming match on a local Facebook site in which grammatically challenged Chathamites butted heads for three days on the ideological battlefield, debating (A) – “It’s not cold, we’re Canadians we should just suck it up;” or (B) – “These are record-setting lows and we should take steps to keep animals and children safe.” It was entertaining, while it lasted.
The dumbest – It used to be a little-known scientific fact that at a cold enough temperature, boiling water thrown in the air will quickly crystalize into a mist. Proving that a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing, people decided to give it a try.
With more than 50 people, according to Buzzfeed.com, receiving burns from throwing the water over their heads, into the wind, etc. the next scientific facts were revealed. First, it has to be cold enough, as in below -24C. Furthermore, “quickly” doesn’t mean “instantly,” and boiling water burns your skin.
Class dismissed.
