I was in London almost two years ago ~ August '03 ~ for the hottest day in recorded history.

It was comparablke to an average July envening in New Orleans, but the difference is that here in the subtropics we have air conditioning everywhere, whereas in London not even the subway system (underground) or Heathrow Airport has A/C, so the rare occasional 90-degree-Farenhieit day can be really intolerable.

Here on the south coast of the US, the weather isn't "shite," it's downright scary. Tropical Storm Emily (note that initial "E" is the fifth letter of the alphabet) is out in the Carribean, poised to become a hurricane any hour now. This is the earliest date in history for the fifth "named storm" of the year.