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- Thread starter Gutwrench
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at some point this morning I realized I was hearing the sound of a recorded voice saying something over a phone.....from outside my apartment!
This never happens, until now any way, but after paying attention I heard my neighbor (Japanese guy) trying to explain something over the phone to some customer service agent....he's lived there for several years and I've never heard anything like this, but now he was outside his apartment talking on the phone.....for some reason.
I couldn't avoid hearing it all, so of course I listened!
It was all about an order being delivered by GrubHub.....he explained that the order had been cancelled and all of the customer service agents agreed that it had been cancelled; and all that was required was for the GrubHub driver to call in to discuss whatever to do with GrubHub. But somehow this didn't lead to a resolution and my neighbor would be transferred to a different customer service agent which lead to the whole discussion being repeated all over again....about 5 times
The problem was that the grubhub driver didn't speak English
This never happens, until now any way, but after paying attention I heard my neighbor (Japanese guy) trying to explain something over the phone to some customer service agent....he's lived there for several years and I've never heard anything like this, but now he was outside his apartment talking on the phone.....for some reason.
I couldn't avoid hearing it all, so of course I listened!
It was all about an order being delivered by GrubHub.....he explained that the order had been cancelled and all of the customer service agents agreed that it had been cancelled; and all that was required was for the GrubHub driver to call in to discuss whatever to do with GrubHub. But somehow this didn't lead to a resolution and my neighbor would be transferred to a different customer service agent which lead to the whole discussion being repeated all over again....about 5 times
The problem was that the grubhub driver didn't speak English
On a slightly different tack: People don't seem to be aware of some of the basic apps on the phone like Maps. I was stopped by a couple on the street asking me where a specific address was. I know my neighborhood but not to the address number level. I was able to give them directions but wondered after why they didn't just plunk the address into Maps.Most mobile phones allow translation these days....
Did you see their phone(s)? Perhaps they did not have phones. Not everyone carries a phone everywhere. Or maybe they just wanted some good old fashion human interaction with a stranger.
Also not everyone has a smart phone. Mrs AFB doesn’t for example. She only has the phone to call if there was an emergency.
Oh, I didn't mind at all that they asked me and I was happy to help. I would think that most tourists carry them. I always carry mine although not in my hand.
Possibly worried about someone snatching it from their hand and running. Glad you helped them.
Most mobile phones allow translation these days....
yes and both the driver and my neighbor had their phones in hand. Maybe it never occurred to either of them, or maybe the language the driver spoke wasn't one of the languages available for translation on the phone....I dunno.
And given the series of customer service agents my neighbor talked to, I don't know if the grubhub driver had any understanding of what had happened and what he was supposed to say to whoever he was supposed to call at grubhub.
Poor guy
Read an interesting article about the insurance market and how it will affect individuals in disaster vulnerable areas. Florida has a state insurance fund as private insurance companies are pulling out of the state. They are insuring vulnerable properties such as those on islands. If the fund runs out of money then taxpayers pick up the bill.
The question the article raised is that this is a path to state bankruptcy. It looks as if the 2023 Florida budget is ~$103 billion. Hurricane Katrina had insured losses of ~$98 billion. When no private insurance is left then even the state will not be able to provide insurance if there are > $100 billion in losses.
The obvious solution is that construction has to be forbidden in these areas - vulnerable Florida islands, fire susceptible areas in California and the West. No one is willing to bite the bullet.
The question the article raised is that this is a path to state bankruptcy. It looks as if the 2023 Florida budget is ~$103 billion. Hurricane Katrina had insured losses of ~$98 billion. When no private insurance is left then even the state will not be able to provide insurance if there are > $100 billion in losses.
The obvious solution is that construction has to be forbidden in these areas - vulnerable Florida islands, fire susceptible areas in California and the West. No one is willing to bite the bullet.
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I have a friend who lives near Miami and she's very concerned. The disaster liability insurance companies are making moves to leave Florida. But developers are still putting up high-rise condos. Apparently it's full speed to the edge of the cliff. It's not so much that nobody wants to bite the bullet but that there's still money to be made selling condos. As long as that is going on nothing will get fixed.
Very warm here in England today. Glad I’m not hiking today. Instead I’m jet washing the astroturf. We have 4 lawn. 3 grass. 1 astroturf. It would be easier if they were all grass. Whoever said artificial grass was low maintenance lied. It came with our house.
Then there is jet washing. Brings up whatever you are cleaning a treat. But everything in the surrounding area (including yourself!), not so much.
Then there is jet washing. Brings up whatever you are cleaning a treat. But everything in the surrounding area (including yourself!), not so much.
A bit UK centric this one. With the potential sale of Wilkinson’s to B&M will they rebrand and become BMW?
😀
😀
A heatwave in September, bliss; I love these warm (velvet warm) evenings.
This is what we would have called "back-to-school weather" for the kids, one can feel for them, as the summer was less than ideal.
This is what we would have called "back-to-school weather" for the kids, one can feel for them, as the summer was less than ideal.
Here in the US we used to have two big grocery chains. A&P and Stop&Shop. The joke was that they were merging into Stop&P.
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There's "warm" weather and there's also "downright hot" weather. In the Washington, DC area we're experiencing the latter here, with the current high being 94° (Fahrenheit) right at the moment (6:05 PM). In August, sure, no problem and sort of expected, but in September? Ehhhhh..... We're really ready to start cooling down now as Autumn approaches. I hope the Weather Gods are listening!
Fair enough.
This is "warm" not "downright hot".
Moreover, your latitudes are a lot further south than ours.
Okay, well, what is here is a sort of Indian summer, a late heat-wave, with warm days and pleasantly balmy - I love that balminess in the evenings - that lingering warmth, of a genuine (northern European) late summer warm spell.
What is wonderful is that I am still able to wear a t-shirt (or polo shirt) at midnight without needing to reach for a jacket or pullover (and I have no tolerance for the cold; I feel the cold, and detest it), and I am writing this attired in a polo-shirt, which - at this hour - at this month, is nothing short of amazing.
Interesting article about places that will face life threatening heat by 2050. The threshold is a wet globe temperature of 89.6 degrees - a metric that combines temperature, humidity, sunlight and wind. Dry heat equivalent is 120 degrees, or 90 degrees with high humidity. Healthy individuals active outside at these temperatures for more than 15 minutes are susceptible to heat stress.
Of course it is the poorer countries which will experience the worst conditions. Those who don't have ready access to AC. Projections show Belem Brazil with 222 such days, Kolkata India with 188.
You can enter your location to see how many days will be expected. London value is 0.
www.washingtonpost.com
Of course it is the poorer countries which will experience the worst conditions. Those who don't have ready access to AC. Projections show Belem Brazil with 222 such days, Kolkata India with 188.
You can enter your location to see how many days will be expected. London value is 0.
Where dangerous heat is surging
By 2050, over 5 billion people could face at least a month of extreme heat each year. See the risk level in your city.
www.washingtonpost.com
I’m sure it will be worse than they are predicted. For example in the UK only about 2 million homes have AC. As the temperature heats up, more will buy them. Then we will just speed up the process.Interesting article about places that will face life threatening heat by 2050. The threshold is a wet globe temperature of 89.6 degrees - a metric that combines temperature, humidity, sunlight and wind. Dry heat equivalent is 120 degrees, or 90 degrees with high humidity. Healthy individuals active outside at these temperatures for more than 15 minutes are susceptible to heat stress.
Of course it is the poorer countries which will experience the worst conditions. Those who don't have ready access to AC. Projections show Belem Brazil with 222 such days, Kolkata India with 188.
You can enter your location to see how many days will be expected. London value is 0.
Where dangerous heat is surging
By 2050, over 5 billion people could face at least a month of extreme heat each year. See the risk level in your city.
We all need to do our bit.
0 here too (Sweden, Gothenburg)Interesting article about places that will face life threatening heat by 2050. The threshold is a wet globe temperature of 89.6 degrees - a metric that combines temperature, humidity, sunlight and wind. Dry heat equivalent is 120 degrees, or 90 degrees with high humidity. Healthy individuals active outside at these temperatures for more than 15 minutes are susceptible to heat stress.
Of course it is the poorer countries which will experience the worst conditions. Those who don't have ready access to AC. Projections show Belem Brazil with 222 such days, Kolkata India with 188.
You can enter your location to see how many days will be expected. London value is 0.
Where dangerous heat is surging
By 2050, over 5 billion people could face at least a month of extreme heat each year. See the risk level in your city.
I would survive a bit warmer without any discomfort at all here without AC.
This summer has not given any heat problems at all.
In reality it's like 1,5-2,5 months in the summer where it is hot/warner and general 'shorts weather'.
Then we have the real Vikings here, like me, that wear shorts and enjoying it 6 months/year.
But I guess our citizens in the most nordic part have a different experience in our elongated country.
I'm having a lot of fun at orientation week! I've been practicing a lot, and trying my best to get to know some people. This evening, all the conservatory students (which is around 100 of us) played 4 against 3 polyrhythms (at the same time) with boomwhackers, which was a lot of fun! Also the most rain I've ever seen come down at once this afternoon, it was pretty ridiculous
Beer (I'm almost out), books, bills, - I could have added bins, but they were emptied yesterday - are all on my mind.
Glorious weather outside (but not if you are just back at school, when the sight of pellucid blue skies and the sensation of warm weather - not to mention lovely, late summer temperatures must be exceptionally frustrating).
Glorious weather outside (but not if you are just back at school, when the sight of pellucid blue skies and the sensation of warm weather - not to mention lovely, late summer temperatures must be exceptionally frustrating).
Too warm for me.
I’m trying not to think about work on Monday. But unfortunately I’m not very good at that!
Just lovely for me.
Dry and warm and sunny.
Actually, this is close to perfect - the range of 20-30 is, for me, the proverbial "Goldilocks" zone; I can handle up to the mid thirties, but anything higher is uncomfortable, while, once we breach 40, it becomes deeply and downright unpleasant.
Short sleeves in September; gorgeous.
Winter (and bleak short days, dark dismal skies, cold, wet and miserable weather) will be all too soon upon us, alas.
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