Photo: Jalopnik.comSo they got a foot of snow in London–or as they measure it there, one third of a meter. The city was incapacitated. But how their frigid problems rate against our snowy December paralysis? Let’s compare:Transportation HeadachesLondon Stranded commuters are forced to walk home or use “the Tube,” which is not to be confused with “the Telly.”Seattle Stranded commuters have no idea what “the Tube” is. Instead they walk home to watch TV.Emergency MeasuresSeattle We sand our roads, rather than salt them, because it’s supposedly more environmentally benign.London England’s dietary dependence on fish ‘n’ chips means tons of salt are readily available for the task.Snowplow SituationLondon Not enough to do the job.Seattle Not enough to do the job, but at least our trucks drive on the right-hand side of the road.Mayoral ResponseLondon Boris Johnson rides bicycle to work despite snow.Seattle Greg Nickels is chauffeured in city-supplied SUV across West Seattle Bridge that, compared to other city routes, is suspiciously snow-free.Citizen ResponseSeattle We Twitter like mad and upload photos of our pets frolicking in snow to our Facebook pages.London People retire to nearest pub and drink til closing time.Celebrity AngleLondon “How will the snow affect Madonna?”Seattle “How will we get home to watch American Idol?”Public Health CrisisSeattle If newly laid-off and without health insurance, broken wrist from icy sidewalk will just have to heal on its own.London No charge for similar injury at National Health Service, though you may have to wait til after the snow melts to see a doctor.Economic EffectSeattle Those who do go to work spend all their time at the office blogging about the weather, looking at Internet slide shows about the weather, or planning how to get home.London Those managing to reach the office retrieve bottle of Scotch in filing cabinet drawer and return home immediately.Consoling ThoughtLondon “At least we’re handling it better than the bloody French.”Seattle “At least we’re handling it better than fucking Portland.”