Author Topic: Overheard at Work 2  (Read 1112805 times)

cloudsail

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1350 on: August 22, 2019, 01:55:21 PM »
This thread is making me hungry.

eljefe-speaks

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1351 on: August 22, 2019, 01:56:58 PM »
I really miss having a manual transmission.

I always had them prior to marrying my first husband. He was terrible at driving them, so I hated it when he drove my car as he would grind the gears and make me crazy. As a result, the next car I bought was an automatic. And since then I haven’t gone back to manual. The car I have now, I’ll drive into the ground, and I am hoping to have a good long time before that happens. It’s in good shape, and I don’t drive much anymore.

I may never have a manual again. Sigh...

Get yourself a motorcycle! Win/win!

ysette9

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1352 on: August 22, 2019, 04:27:40 PM »
To get back on topic:

"I'm investing big in McDonald's!"
-"why?"
"Because when the economy is down, everybody gets MacDonald's because it's cheap, and when the economy is up, everybody gets MacDonald's because they're too busy to cook!"
yup. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-how-all-the-dividend-aristocrat-stocks-have-performed-this-year-2019-07-25

They're investing in something solid... Just not for the right reasons

I really don’t know if McDonald’s can compete going forward.  They’ve tried so hard for so long to increase their perception of quality and to get people to move up from the languishing dollar menu.  But why on earth would I want to spend day $4 on a Big Mac when I can get an in n out double double for $3.45?  The only thing they have going for them is essentially a loss leader
In-n-out isn't everywhere though.  As much as I like their burgers (lettuce wrapped of course), their fries kinda suck.  I know they are fresh.  But...meh.

I don't eat at McDonald's though.
Nor will I eat at Chick-fil-A
The fries do sort of suck. If you get them extra crispy and animal style it helps a lot

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1353 on: August 22, 2019, 05:25:23 PM »
To get back on topic:

"I'm investing big in McDonald's!"
-"why?"
"Because when the economy is down, everybody gets MacDonald's because it's cheap, and when the economy is up, everybody gets MacDonald's because they're too busy to cook!"
yup. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-how-all-the-dividend-aristocrat-stocks-have-performed-this-year-2019-07-25

They're investing in something solid... Just not for the right reasons

I really don’t know if McDonald’s can compete going forward.  They’ve tried so hard for so long to increase their perception of quality and to get people to move up from the languishing dollar menu.  But why on earth would I want to spend day $4 on a Big Mac when I can get an in n out double double for $3.45?  The only thing they have going for them is essentially a loss leader
In-n-out isn't everywhere though.  As much as I like their burgers (lettuce wrapped of course), their fries kinda suck.  I know they are fresh.  But...meh.

I don't eat at McDonald's though.
Nor will I eat at Chick-fil-A

Sure, but they aren't unique in their ability to beat McDonalds on both price and quality.  McDonalds has location going for it once you leave populated areas.  But didn't you know that cities are growing while rural areas are depopulating?

Dicey

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1354 on: August 22, 2019, 06:03:21 PM »
A work friend of mine - who is lovely - sends her children to private schools, even though she really can't afford it. She earns a slightly above average income, but her husband's been unemployed for a long time and has only just got a job. They've taken out a second mortgage to afford it, even though they're in the catchment area for a really well respected, high performing and sought after public school. Then she says that she struggles to afford the private school and is annoyed that people think that private school kids are privileged.

It's just weird to me. If you have to struggle to do it, and there's no REASON to do it, why are you doing it? I also think that some people struggle to just get food on the table and a roof over their heads, so I will reserve most of my sympathy for them, as opposed to (lovely but misguided) people who are basically living above their means.

Can't really say that, though. But when she says things like "Should I keep them in private school?", I say "You don't have to, the other school's a really good option."

People get very emotional about their kid's education. I've looked at private schools myself, and even though we can well afford it, I just don't want to go down that rabbit hole. What has helped me avoid that expense is a) my older one would not be accepted into most regular private schools because of his special needs and b) I've heard some not so nice things about extreme snobbiness from parents whose kids have attended private schools near us.

I can totally understand the draw though, especially since I work part time as an educational consultant. Especially when it's a place where your child is spending most of their waking hours five days a week. I haven't yet found a totally convincing argument against private education for friends who have this emotional want for it for their kids.
Back in the olden days before the internet, I was a Money Magazine addict. I remember reading an article to the same effect. Buying the more expensive house in the best public school district was a better return on investment than paying for private school. It made total sense to me. OTOH, I kinda know where you live. If those schools aren't top-notch, where the hell are they?

OtherJen

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1355 on: August 22, 2019, 07:03:06 PM »
To get back on topic:

"I'm investing big in McDonald's!"
-"why?"
"Because when the economy is down, everybody gets MacDonald's because it's cheap, and when the economy is up, everybody gets MacDonald's because they're too busy to cook!"
yup. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-how-all-the-dividend-aristocrat-stocks-have-performed-this-year-2019-07-25

They're investing in something solid... Just not for the right reasons

I really don’t know if McDonald’s can compete going forward.  They’ve tried so hard for so long to increase their perception of quality and to get people to move up from the languishing dollar menu.  But why on earth would I want to spend day $4 on a Big Mac when I can get an in n out double double for $3.45?  The only thing they have going for them is essentially a loss leader
In-n-out isn't everywhere though.  As much as I like their burgers (lettuce wrapped of course), their fries kinda suck.  I know they are fresh.  But...meh.

I don't eat at McDonald's though.
Nor will I eat at Chick-fil-A
The fries do sort of suck. If you get them extra crispy and animal style it helps a lot

Yeah, Five Guys has them beat on fries. But man, I wish we had In-N-Out here. Those are good burgers and much cheaper than my favorite local restaurant burger (which is absolutely worth it a couple times a year).

cloudsail

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1356 on: August 22, 2019, 07:08:54 PM »
A work friend of mine - who is lovely - sends her children to private schools, even though she really can't afford it. She earns a slightly above average income, but her husband's been unemployed for a long time and has only just got a job. They've taken out a second mortgage to afford it, even though they're in the catchment area for a really well respected, high performing and sought after public school. Then she says that she struggles to afford the private school and is annoyed that people think that private school kids are privileged.

It's just weird to me. If you have to struggle to do it, and there's no REASON to do it, why are you doing it? I also think that some people struggle to just get food on the table and a roof over their heads, so I will reserve most of my sympathy for them, as opposed to (lovely but misguided) people who are basically living above their means.

Can't really say that, though. But when she says things like "Should I keep them in private school?", I say "You don't have to, the other school's a really good option."

People get very emotional about their kid's education. I've looked at private schools myself, and even though we can well afford it, I just don't want to go down that rabbit hole. What has helped me avoid that expense is a) my older one would not be accepted into most regular private schools because of his special needs and b) I've heard some not so nice things about extreme snobbiness from parents whose kids have attended private schools near us.

I can totally understand the draw though, especially since I work part time as an educational consultant. Especially when it's a place where your child is spending most of their waking hours five days a week. I haven't yet found a totally convincing argument against private education for friends who have this emotional want for it for their kids.
Back in the olden days before the internet, I was a Money Magazine addict. I remember reading an article to the same effect. Buying the more expensive house in the best public school district was a better return on investment than paying for private school. It made total sense to me. OTOH, I kinda know where you live. If those schools aren't top-notch, where the hell are they?

We live in a great school district but our neighborhood school will not allow my son to attend because of his special needs :( The district assigned him to a special class in a different school, which I didn't feel was beneficial for him. We fought hard for it, but stopped short of suing the district because I found a better solution. That's also why I was looking at private schools.

I remember a while back in the Bay Area you could totally see the price disparity on real estate in different school districts. But as the market continued heating up, even houses in the not so good school districts started selling like hot cakes. Hell, even a burnt shack in a crappy district sold for over a million dollars. But you could see that over the years the public school test scores started going up too. My theory is that the parents spent so much money just to get a place to live that they no longer had any dough left for private school.

A Fella from Stella

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1357 on: August 23, 2019, 06:25:44 AM »
I can understand private school when it fills a clear need that public does not. The public closest to us is 80% English language learners/subsidized or free lunch, so most parents who are more affluent and educated choose something else for their kids. Whether there really is a need there or not, I have no personal experience. I could be convinced that if the majority of the school population has one set of needs and your kid has a different set of needs, the kid may be netter served elsewhere. Who knows?

The second biggest need in my area that sends kids to private school is language immersion. We have a pretty diverse set of neighbors who send their kids to school in Spanish, German, French, and Mandarin. We are lucky to have found a public Mandarin program but no French or German in public yet. With one kid it probably doesn’t make a big difference but once you have two or three kids, it seems to me you would be better off selling and moving someplace that offers what you need in the public system, even if you have to pay a good bit more for housing there.

I don't understand why parents would, on the one hand, not want their children to go to school with bilingual kids ("English language learners") and then on the other hand send their kids to an immersion school where those same kids will be be bilingual and going to school in a language that they themselves are weak in ie they will be "Mandarin language learners" or whatever.

Although my kids were born here in Italy I guess you could say that they are Italian language learners as we speak 90% English at home and most media, reading etc is in English. My kids go to a heavily immigrant school and the majority of kids in both of their classes are "Italian language learners" just like my kids.  I see no negative side to this.  IMO bilingualism is a strength not a weakness.  I'm glad my kids are bilingual and I'm glad that they go to school with kids who speak a zillion different languages at home.  The kids who get the best grades in the class in Italian are both bilingual BTW.

It's the culture and poverty that comes with 80% sub lunches and english language learners. Bad personal habits of the parents, gangs, drug use, property crime, violence. Bilingualism for the win, but cultural issues make it a net loss all the way around.

Just a matter of values.

Buddy of mine is of Mexican descent and his kids speak Spanish. He makes very good money (like, living large in a HCOL area kind of money) sends his kids to public school. He sent them to public school when they lived in a small town in The Deep South, and he does it where he lives now.

jinga nation

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1358 on: August 23, 2019, 07:15:19 AM »
To get back on topic:

"I'm investing big in McDonald's!"
-"why?"
"Because when the economy is down, everybody gets MacDonald's because it's cheap, and when the economy is up, everybody gets MacDonald's because they're too busy to cook!"
yup. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-how-all-the-dividend-aristocrat-stocks-have-performed-this-year-2019-07-25

They're investing in something solid... Just not for the right reasons

I really don’t know if McDonald’s can compete going forward.  They’ve tried so hard for so long to increase their perception of quality and to get people to move up from the languishing dollar menu.  But why on earth would I want to spend day $4 on a Big Mac when I can get an in n out double double for $3.45?  The only thing they have going for them is essentially a loss leader
In-n-out isn't everywhere though.  As much as I like their burgers (lettuce wrapped of course), their fries kinda suck.  I know they are fresh.  But...meh.

I don't eat at McDonald's though.
Nor will I eat at Chick-fil-A
The fries do sort of suck. If you get them extra crispy and animal style it helps a lot

Yeah, Five Guys has them beat on fries. But man, I wish we had In-N-Out here. Those are good burgers and much cheaper than my favorite local restaurant burger (which is absolutely worth it a couple times a year).
Popeyes > ChickFilA, when it comes to this:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2019/08/22/yes-the-popeyes-chicken-sandwich-is-great-heres-how-it-stacks-up-against-the-competition/

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1359 on: August 23, 2019, 10:29:04 AM »
Yeah, Five Guys has them beat on fries. But man, I wish we had In-N-Out here. Those are good burgers and much cheaper than my favorite local restaurant burger (which is absolutely worth it a couple times a year).

Five Guys is so good but so expensive at the same time. Easily can spend $45 on fries, shakes, and burgers for our family. We reserve it for a treat.

We have mostly quit Chik-Fil-A. Last we heard their politics/religion are not a good fit for us. If they don't approve of us then we don't approve of them. ;)

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1360 on: August 23, 2019, 10:52:54 AM »
But this woman should probably actually try driving a manual car before she buys one.  They can be a pain in the ass, especially in the city or in emergency situations.

Why?

In the extremely rare instances that you evade a nearly car-total crash and hospital, you can always start the engine new. I would be surprised if that situation happens to anyone so frequently that they get angry about this detail.

And in the city I like that I can say how much braking my engine should do (and also saving on fuel). I don't see your problem.

magnet18

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1361 on: August 23, 2019, 10:57:44 AM »
Yeah, Five Guys has them beat on fries. But man, I wish we had In-N-Out here. Those are good burgers and much cheaper than my favorite local restaurant burger (which is absolutely worth it a couple times a year).

Five Guys is so good but so expensive at the same time. Easily can spend $45 on fries, shakes, and burgers for our family. We reserve it for a treat.

We have mostly quit Chik-Fil-A. Last we heard their politics/religion are not a good fit for us. If they don't approve of us then we don't approve of them. ;)

Their politics are indeed questionable.  The fact that they have food service down to a perfected science, is pretty indisputable.

You'd think they'd be vulnerable to somebody else copying their customer service experience, but for some reason that escapes me I continue to get comparativley sub-par service everywhere else
(It's been 2 years since my last visit, but it's still the benchmark)

Chipotle, please take a hint
« Last Edit: August 23, 2019, 11:01:46 AM by magnet18 »

magnet18

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1362 on: August 23, 2019, 11:04:51 AM »
But this woman should probably actually try driving a manual car before she buys one.  They can be a pain in the ass, especially in the city or in emergency situations.

Why?

In the extremely rare instances that you evade a nearly car-total crash and hospital, you can always start the engine new. I would be surprised if that situation happens to anyone so frequently that they get angry about this detail.

And in the city I like that I can say how much braking my engine should do (and also saving on fuel). I don't see your problem.

I missed this

What?  I've always driven a stick shift, I've driven stick in downtown sanfran, in Chicago, in the mountains.... I don't get it?
Eventually it's as second nature as using your blinker


Also, rear wheel drive stick shift is soooo easy and cheap to maintain, I could swap my transmission in a single Saturday

Jouer

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1363 on: August 23, 2019, 11:05:54 AM »
Yeah, Five Guys has them beat on fries. But man, I wish we had In-N-Out here. Those are good burgers and much cheaper than my favorite local restaurant burger (which is absolutely worth it a couple times a year).

Five Guys is so good but so expensive at the same time. Easily can spend $45 on fries, shakes, and burgers for our family. We reserve it for a treat.

We have mostly quit Chik-Fil-A. Last we heard their politics/religion are not a good fit for us. If they don't approve of us then we don't approve of them. ;)

Their politics are indeed questionable.  The fact that they have food service down to a perfected science, is pretty indisputable.

You'd think they'd be vulnerable to somebody else copying their customer service experience, but for some reason that escapes me I continue to get comparativley sub-par service everywhere else
(It's been 2 years since my last visit, but it's still the benchmark)

Chipotle, please take a hint

I've never eaten at chic-fil-a. I'm interested in what they do differently that has you raving abut their great food service. Mind filling me in?

Sugaree

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1364 on: August 23, 2019, 11:12:50 AM »
Yeah, Five Guys has them beat on fries. But man, I wish we had In-N-Out here. Those are good burgers and much cheaper than my favorite local restaurant burger (which is absolutely worth it a couple times a year).

Five Guys is so good but so expensive at the same time. Easily can spend $45 on fries, shakes, and burgers for our family. We reserve it for a treat.

We have mostly quit Chik-Fil-A. Last we heard their politics/religion are not a good fit for us. If they don't approve of us then we don't approve of them. ;)

Their politics are indeed questionable.  The fact that they have food service down to a perfected science, is pretty indisputable.

I don't know about that.  I hear the one that just opened here is taking 20-30 minutes.  Mainly because 90% of town is trying to eat there. 

My kid is mad at me because I won't take him to their indoor play center.  Sorry kid.  Get one of the grandmas to do it.

sherr

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1365 on: August 23, 2019, 11:49:03 AM »
I've never eaten at chic-fil-a. I'm interested in what they do differently that has you raving abut their great food service. Mind filling me in?

Food is good, service is fast and friendly, tables floors and bathrooms are clean. If you have kids then most of their restaurants still have the playground, whereas McD and others seems to have forgotten about the concept recently, and their kids meals / toys / activities are second to none. It's not like they do something that no one else does, it's just that they do everything well.

It really is a wonderful fast food place - especially if you have young kids - but I cringe every time I walk in knowing that I'm supporting "conversion-therapy" camps and similar.
« Last Edit: August 23, 2019, 12:00:46 PM by sherr »

magnet18

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1366 on: August 23, 2019, 11:52:42 AM »
Yeah, Five Guys has them beat on fries. But man, I wish we had In-N-Out here. Those are good burgers and much cheaper than my favorite local restaurant burger (which is absolutely worth it a couple times a year).

Five Guys is so good but so expensive at the same time. Easily can spend $45 on fries, shakes, and burgers for our family. We reserve it for a treat.

We have mostly quit Chik-Fil-A. Last we heard their politics/religion are not a good fit for us. If they don't approve of us then we don't approve of them. ;)

Their politics are indeed questionable.  The fact that they have food service down to a perfected science, is pretty indisputable.

You'd think they'd be vulnerable to somebody else copying their customer service experience, but for some reason that escapes me I continue to get comparativley sub-par service everywhere else
(It's been 2 years since my last visit, but it's still the benchmark)

Chipotle, please take a hint

I've never eaten at chic-fil-a. I'm interested in what they do differently that has you raving abut their great food service. Mind filling me in?

Last time I went was right after DWs masters degree graduation event, so the place was swamped, line almost out the door, almost bailed, but thought "eh, this'll still be faster than walking anywhere else" so we went for it.  Maybe 300 seconds in line max. 

Got to the counter, "I'll have a #2 spicy no tomato and a dr pepper" (or something similar)
Dw said something similar
Drinks were handed out immediately and we found a seat
Food came out delivered to our table maybe 120-300 seconds later, the order was perfect

Asked if we wanted any condiments, and produced them from their apron on the spot

The entire time, everybody we interacted with was incredibly polite, manners 100% on point, no mumbling and easy to understand what they were saying, they always communicated what the next step in the process was clearly, and to top it off while we were eating the manager was making rounds and stopped over to check that everything was to satisfaction and we see if we needed anything



A previous visit at a drive through on a road  trip, right off the interstate at lunchtime, line around the building

Before we got the the speaker box thing, someone with a headset was walking the line taking orders, so they were taking orders two at a time, and someone else then ran the order out to our car and processed payment and provided condiments and we were on our way in what was faster than some "taco bell at non-crowded hours" experiences I've had

Again, everybody 100% perfectly polite, food perfect


Not service related, but another instance we were eating in the parking lot and an employee was in the parking lot and either in the middle of moving or living in her car, flustered she was running late and she couldn't find her matching black work shoe, she went in in non-matching shoes in tears, and the manager came back out with her and helped her find her shoe


And dozens of other experiences, most of them "average", 100% of them pleasant, not a single one of them "bad"


In general, their sheer process efficiency while maintaining completely flawless customer service is enough to move an engineer to tears


I've since learned that to "own" a franchise you must have years of experience working there, and the barrier to entry is only $5,000, so essentially any employee can be eligible to be a owner/manager if they want to.  Chick-fil-A then buys you a building, which you lease for an affordable rate, and when remodel time comes around every few years it is $0 out of pocket and the corporation foots the whole bill


They aren't vegan friendly unfortunately, I suppose chicken is kind of their thing

Wrenchturner

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1367 on: August 23, 2019, 12:35:15 PM »
But this woman should probably actually try driving a manual car before she buys one.  They can be a pain in the ass, especially in the city or in emergency situations.

Why?

In the extremely rare instances that you evade a nearly car-total crash and hospital, you can always start the engine new. I would be surprised if that situation happens to anyone so frequently that they get angry about this detail.

And in the city I like that I can say how much braking my engine should do (and also saving on fuel). I don't see your problem.
I'm not quite sure what you're saying here.  I'll make my points more clear:

Manuals can be more dangerous if you suddenly need to accelerate, like an unexpected lane ending.  My little yaris doesn't pull in fifth gear very well.  It's better to simply be able to stand on the accelerator rather than downshift twice.

In traffic, stop and go is rough on the clutch and often first gear is fairly jerky switching from throttle on to vacuum, or vice versa.

magnet18

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1368 on: August 23, 2019, 12:47:45 PM »
But this woman should probably actually try driving a manual car before she buys one.  They can be a pain in the ass, especially in the city or in emergency situations.

Why?

In the extremely rare instances that you evade a nearly car-total crash and hospital, you can always start the engine new. I would be surprised if that situation happens to anyone so frequently that they get angry about this detail.

And in the city I like that I can say how much braking my engine should do (and also saving on fuel). I don't see your problem.
I'm not quite sure what you're saying here.  I'll make my points more clear:

Manuals can be more dangerous if you suddenly need to accelerate, like an unexpected lane ending.  My little yaris doesn't pull in fifth gear very well.  It's better to simply be able to stand on the accelerator rather than downshift twice.

In traffic, stop and go is rough on the clutch and often first gear is fairly jerky switching from throttle on to vacuum, or vice versa.

I find automatics more dangerous for the same reason
I was in a rental kia soul and tried to clear an intersection, and when I punched it instead of shifting it just revved up to the rev limiter in first gear and I went nowhere fast

I like having direct mechanical control over my drivetrain, but it's about knowing your vehicle either way, neither is really bad, both are fine


I'll grant that stop and go is harder on a clutch

But you can't bump start an automatic ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1369 on: August 23, 2019, 12:49:18 PM »
I'll make my points more clear:

Manuals can be more dangerous if you suddenly need to accelerate, like an unexpected lane ending.  My little yaris doesn't pull in fifth gear very well.  It's better to simply be able to stand on the accelerator rather than downshift twice.

In traffic, stop and go is rough on the clutch and often first gear is fairly jerky switching from throttle on to vacuum, or vice versa.
Sorry, I still don't get it. And I have driven a manual for nearly two decades now. (In mustachian amount though)

If you have a manual, you can go down the gear from 5th to 3rd, in an automatic you can't?? (I have never driven one; also I drive a car that has no "good" acceleration in any gear ;) ) So an automatic would actually be worse in that situation?

Regarding the Burger Places, the guys at BoingBoing must read this thread, not the first time they have a post nailing the current topic:

https://boingboing.net/2019/08/23/dataviz-of-burger-satisfaction.html

Wrenchturner

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1370 on: August 23, 2019, 12:52:07 PM »
But this woman should probably actually try driving a manual car before she buys one.  They can be a pain in the ass, especially in the city or in emergency situations.

Why?

In the extremely rare instances that you evade a nearly car-total crash and hospital, you can always start the engine new. I would be surprised if that situation happens to anyone so frequently that they get angry about this detail.

And in the city I like that I can say how much braking my engine should do (and also saving on fuel). I don't see your problem.
I'm not quite sure what you're saying here.  I'll make my points more clear:

Manuals can be more dangerous if you suddenly need to accelerate, like an unexpected lane ending.  My little yaris doesn't pull in fifth gear very well.  It's better to simply be able to stand on the accelerator rather than downshift twice.

In traffic, stop and go is rough on the clutch and often first gear is fairly jerky switching from throttle on to vacuum, or vice versa.

I find automatics more dangerous for the same reason
I was in a rental kia soul and tried to clear an intersection, and when I punched it instead of shifting it just revved up to the rev limiter in first gear and I went nowhere fast

I like having direct mechanical control over my drivetrain, but it's about knowing your vehicle either way, neither is really bad, both are fine


I'll grant that stop and go is harder on a clutch

But you can't bump start an automatic ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I would be surprised if any cars made in the last 15 years could be bump started.  The Honda b series was the last holdout for points ignition iirc.  Most modern engines use coil on plug and they require ecu voltage.

Maybe a modern diesel but I think they have two stage fuel pumps and that is probably computer controlled too.

magnet18

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1371 on: August 23, 2019, 12:53:59 PM »
I'll make my points more clear:

Manuals can be more dangerous if you suddenly need to accelerate, like an unexpected lane ending.  My little yaris doesn't pull in fifth gear very well.  It's better to simply be able to stand on the accelerator rather than downshift twice.

In traffic, stop and go is rough on the clutch and often first gear is fairly jerky switching from throttle on to vacuum, or vice versa.
Sorry, I still don't get it. And I have driven a manual for nearly two decades now. (In mustachian amount though)

If you have a manual, you can go down the gear from 5th to 3rd, in an automatic you can't?? (I have never driven one; also I drive a car that has no "good" acceleration in any gear ;) ) So an automatic would actually be worse in that situation?

Regarding the Burger Places, the guys at BoingBoing must read this thread, not the first time they have a post nailing the current topic:

https://boingboing.net/2019/08/23/dataviz-of-burger-satisfaction.html

His point was automatics automatically downshift for you

Wrenchturner

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1372 on: August 23, 2019, 12:54:46 PM »
I'll make my points more clear:

Manuals can be more dangerous if you suddenly need to accelerate, like an unexpected lane ending.  My little yaris doesn't pull in fifth gear very well.  It's better to simply be able to stand on the accelerator rather than downshift twice.

In traffic, stop and go is rough on the clutch and often first gear is fairly jerky switching from throttle on to vacuum, or vice versa.
Sorry, I still don't get it. And I have driven a manual for nearly two decades now. (In mustachian amount though)

If you have a manual, you can go down the gear from 5th to 3rd, in an automatic you can't?? (I have never driven one; also I drive a car that has no "good" acceleration in any gear ;) ) So an automatic would actually be worse in that situation?

Regarding the Burger Places, the guys at BoingBoing must read this thread, not the first time they have a post nailing the current topic:

https://boingboing.net/2019/08/23/dataviz-of-burger-satisfaction.html
Standing on the gas in an auto will downshift pretty fast.  And the torque converters already loading up.  Plus it requires less thinking.

Not a likely scenario, but it happened to me a couple months ago when I tired, on an unusual road and a merge sign was missing.

magnet18

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1373 on: August 23, 2019, 12:55:01 PM »
But this woman should probably actually try driving a manual car before she buys one.  They can be a pain in the ass, especially in the city or in emergency situations.

Why?

In the extremely rare instances that you evade a nearly car-total crash and hospital, you can always start the engine new. I would be surprised if that situation happens to anyone so frequently that they get angry about this detail.

And in the city I like that I can say how much braking my engine should do (and also saving on fuel). I don't see your problem.
I'm not quite sure what you're saying here.  I'll make my points more clear:

Manuals can be more dangerous if you suddenly need to accelerate, like an unexpected lane ending.  My little yaris doesn't pull in fifth gear very well.  It's better to simply be able to stand on the accelerator rather than downshift twice.

In traffic, stop and go is rough on the clutch and often first gear is fairly jerky switching from throttle on to vacuum, or vice versa.

I find automatics more dangerous for the same reason
I was in a rental kia soul and tried to clear an intersection, and when I punched it instead of shifting it just revved up to the rev limiter in first gear and I went nowhere fast

I like having direct mechanical control over my drivetrain, but it's about knowing your vehicle either way, neither is really bad, both are fine


I'll grant that stop and go is harder on a clutch

But you can't bump start an automatic ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I would be surprised if any cars made in the last 15 years could be bump started.  The Honda b series was the last holdout for points ignition iirc.  Most modern engines use coil on plug and they require ecu voltage.

Maybe a modern diesel but I think they have two stage fuel pumps and that is probably computer controlled too.

I have bumpstarted my 2018 honda fit

Key just has to be on

Wrenchturner

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1374 on: August 23, 2019, 12:59:21 PM »
But this woman should probably actually try driving a manual car before she buys one.  They can be a pain in the ass, especially in the city or in emergency situations.

Why?

In the extremely rare instances that you evade a nearly car-total crash and hospital, you can always start the engine new. I would be surprised if that situation happens to anyone so frequently that they get angry about this detail.

And in the city I like that I can say how much braking my engine should do (and also saving on fuel). I don't see your problem.
I'm not quite sure what you're saying here.  I'll make my points more clear:

Manuals can be more dangerous if you suddenly need to accelerate, like an unexpected lane ending.  My little yaris doesn't pull in fifth gear very well.  It's better to simply be able to stand on the accelerator rather than downshift twice.

In traffic, stop and go is rough on the clutch and often first gear is fairly jerky switching from throttle on to vacuum, or vice versa.

I find automatics more dangerous for the same reason
I was in a rental kia soul and tried to clear an intersection, and when I punched it instead of shifting it just revved up to the rev limiter in first gear and I went nowhere fast

I like having direct mechanical control over my drivetrain, but it's about knowing your vehicle either way, neither is really bad, both are fine


I'll grant that stop and go is harder on a clutch

But you can't bump start an automatic ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I would be surprised if any cars made in the last 15 years could be bump started.  The Honda b series was the last holdout for points ignition iirc.  Most modern engines use coil on plug and they require ecu voltage.

Maybe a modern diesel but I think they have two stage fuel pumps and that is probably computer controlled too.

I have bumpstarted my 2018 honda fit

Key just has to be on
How dead was the battery?

magnet18

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1375 on: August 23, 2019, 01:16:31 PM »
But this woman should probably actually try driving a manual car before she buys one.  They can be a pain in the ass, especially in the city or in emergency situations.

Why?

In the extremely rare instances that you evade a nearly car-total crash and hospital, you can always start the engine new. I would be surprised if that situation happens to anyone so frequently that they get angry about this detail.

And in the city I like that I can say how much braking my engine should do (and also saving on fuel). I don't see your problem.
I'm not quite sure what you're saying here.  I'll make my points more clear:

Manuals can be more dangerous if you suddenly need to accelerate, like an unexpected lane ending.  My little yaris doesn't pull in fifth gear very well.  It's better to simply be able to stand on the accelerator rather than downshift twice.

In traffic, stop and go is rough on the clutch and often first gear is fairly jerky switching from throttle on to vacuum, or vice versa.

I find automatics more dangerous for the same reason
I was in a rental kia soul and tried to clear an intersection, and when I punched it instead of shifting it just revved up to the rev limiter in first gear and I went nowhere fast

I like having direct mechanical control over my drivetrain, but it's about knowing your vehicle either way, neither is really bad, both are fine


I'll grant that stop and go is harder on a clutch

But you can't bump start an automatic ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I would be surprised if any cars made in the last 15 years could be bump started.  The Honda b series was the last holdout for points ignition iirc.  Most modern engines use coil on plug and they require ecu voltage.

Maybe a modern diesel but I think they have two stage fuel pumps and that is probably computer controlled too.

I have bumpstarted my 2018 honda fit

Key just has to be on
How dead was the battery?
Hmm... Not dead at all, as I was just messing around and getting infinitely good gas mileage going downhill... Now I'm curious

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1376 on: August 23, 2019, 01:17:05 PM »
I was guessing the “danger” is someone needs to drive you to the hospital but you are the only one who can drive manual

Wrenchturner

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1377 on: August 23, 2019, 01:24:11 PM »
But this woman should probably actually try driving a manual car before she buys one.  They can be a pain in the ass, especially in the city or in emergency situations.

Why?

In the extremely rare instances that you evade a nearly car-total crash and hospital, you can always start the engine new. I would be surprised if that situation happens to anyone so frequently that they get angry about this detail.

And in the city I like that I can say how much braking my engine should do (and also saving on fuel). I don't see your problem.
I'm not quite sure what you're saying here.  I'll make my points more clear:

Manuals can be more dangerous if you suddenly need to accelerate, like an unexpected lane ending.  My little yaris doesn't pull in fifth gear very well.  It's better to simply be able to stand on the accelerator rather than downshift twice.

In traffic, stop and go is rough on the clutch and often first gear is fairly jerky switching from throttle on to vacuum, or vice versa.

I find automatics more dangerous for the same reason
I was in a rental kia soul and tried to clear an intersection, and when I punched it instead of shifting it just revved up to the rev limiter in first gear and I went nowhere fast

I like having direct mechanical control over my drivetrain, but it's about knowing your vehicle either way, neither is really bad, both are fine


I'll grant that stop and go is harder on a clutch

But you can't bump start an automatic ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I would be surprised if any cars made in the last 15 years could be bump started.  The Honda b series was the last holdout for points ignition iirc.  Most modern engines use coil on plug and they require ecu voltage.

Maybe a modern diesel but I think they have two stage fuel pumps and that is probably computer controlled too.

I have bumpstarted my 2018 honda fit

Key just has to be on
How dead was the battery?
Hmm... Not dead at all, as I was just messing around and getting infinitely good gas mileage going downhill... Now I'm curious
If your battery has a charge but the starter won't run, you should be able to get the car to fire assuming the ecu doesn't lock out since the start position at the key is not being used.
I'm not 100% certain you can't push start a new car with a dead battery. 

ysette9

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1378 on: August 23, 2019, 01:24:14 PM »
Personally I like the control of a manual for when I need to accelerate quickly or, more likely, slow down or otherwise have a lot of control around corners or up and down hills.
The engine braking is something I especially prefer because I feel it gives a lot more control to downshift going down a hill than just relying on coasting and the brakes. The manuals I tend to get as rental cars don’t seem to choose the gear I would want.

ysette9

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1379 on: August 23, 2019, 01:25:32 PM »
I was guessing the “danger” is someone needs to drive you to the hospital but you are the only one who can drive manual
My husband worried about that sort of scenario when I was biking to work late in pregnancy. I pointed out that Lyft and ambulances were things. ;)

magnet18

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1380 on: August 23, 2019, 01:29:50 PM »
I was guessing the “danger” is someone needs to drive you to the hospital but you are the only one who can drive manual
My husband worried about that sort of scenario when I was biking to work late in pregnancy. I pointed out that Lyft and ambulances were things. ;)

That would be one heck of a story for the lyft driver!

Kris

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1381 on: August 23, 2019, 01:55:11 PM »
I really miss having a manual transmission.

I always had them prior to marrying my first husband. He was terrible at driving them, so I hated it when he drove my car as he would grind the gears and make me crazy. As a result, the next car I bought was an automatic. And since then I haven’t gone back to manual. The car I have now, I’ll drive into the ground, and I am hoping to have a good long time before that happens. It’s in good shape, and I don’t drive much anymore.

I may never have a manual again. Sigh...

Get yourself a motorcycle! Win/win!


Ha! Yeah, I havd had them in the past, and I must admit to some pangs of desire to get another one as of late. Not very mustachian, though, as totally unnecessary.

Kris

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1382 on: August 23, 2019, 02:05:15 PM »
I was guessing the “danger” is someone needs to drive you to the hospital but you are the only one who can drive manual
My husband worried about that sort of scenario when I was biking to work late in pregnancy. I pointed out that Lyft and ambulances were things. ;)

That would be one heck of a story for the lyft driver!

I heard a story on NPR the other day that Uber and Lyft drivers in the US are  increasingly being called by people needing to go to the hospital who can’t afford an ambulance. Sounds like it’s becoming frequent enough that the above scenario might not be all that amazing.

Horrible position for an Uber/Lyft driver to be in, answering a call and being confronted by a very sick or wounded person needing to go to the emergency room. Man, our system is messed up.

ysette9

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1383 on: August 23, 2019, 02:21:46 PM »
Previous pregnancy my water broke just before midnight and I was going to drive myself to the hospital, but my husband called me a Lyft. I told the driver to go to Kaiser and she casually asked if I was going to work. I just as casually replied “no” and I could tell from her driving that she wanted to drop me the heck off. Once we arrived I just as casually mentioned that the only entrance open at midnight was the emergency room, so she might as well drop me there (truth). But I was fine and walked up to L&D with no incident.

It seemed to make more sense to pay $40 for Lyft than $x,000 for an ambulance when it wasn’t really an emergency.

But yes, our system is f-ed up.

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1384 on: August 23, 2019, 02:33:31 PM »

It seemed to make more sense to pay $40 for Lyft than $x,000 for an ambulance when it wasn’t really an emergency.

But yes, our system is f-ed up.

I don't think that's f-ed up.  The more people who take ambulances for non-emergencies the more expensive ambulances will be for the people who need it.  If you don't need a rolling hospital to transport you, take a cab why not?

magnet18

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1385 on: August 23, 2019, 02:46:51 PM »

It seemed to make more sense to pay $40 for Lyft than $x,000 for an ambulance when it wasn’t really an emergency.

But yes, our system is f-ed up.

I don't think that's f-ed up.  The more people who take ambulances for non-emergencies the more expensive ambulances will be for the people who need it.  If you don't need a rolling hospital to transport you, take a cab why not?
That in and of itself isn't messed up
What's messed up is when you DO need a rolling hospital, then the insurance company says both the cab and the ER they took you to were out of network, please pay bleventeen thousand dollars for your emergency appendectomy (or for crashing your car and breaking multiple ribs)

What's ALSO messed up, is when ambulances are free but they take multiple hours to arrive and the woman ends up giving birth before getting to the hospital, which I saw happen to a couple that decided to give birth in Norway, so I'm not totally on the socialized healthcare bandwagon

partdopy

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1386 on: August 23, 2019, 03:12:00 PM »

It seemed to make more sense to pay $40 for Lyft than $x,000 for an ambulance when it wasn’t really an emergency.

But yes, our system is f-ed up.

I don't think that's f-ed up.  The more people who take ambulances for non-emergencies the more expensive ambulances will be for the people who need it.  If you don't need a rolling hospital to transport you, take a cab why not?
That in and of itself isn't messed up
What's messed up is when you DO need a rolling hospital, then the insurance company says both the cab and the ER they took you to were out of network, please pay bleventeen thousand dollars for your emergency appendectomy (or for crashing your car and breaking multiple ribs)

What's ALSO messed up, is when ambulances are free but they take multiple hours to arrive and the woman ends up giving birth before getting to the hospital, which I saw happen to a couple that decided to give birth in Norway, so I'm not totally on the socialized healthcare bandwagon

For every $1.00 billed, they can count on not collecting $0.65.  The result is that responsible people and insurance companies are expected to make up the difference.

Officials in Washington DC recently did some investigations that show around 70% of ambulance calls are for non-emergencies, and an ambulance trip costs $300-$400 (wages, vehicle expenses, supplies, insurances, etc...).  That money has to come from somewhere if people continue to abuse the system.  As an aside, insurance is required to cover your ER visit if you have a real emergency.  By law.

The problem is people abuse the system and take an ambulance to the hospital for a sore throat or sprained ankle, and don't pay the bill.  No pay = no service.

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1387 on: August 23, 2019, 03:45:08 PM »


The problem is people abuse the system and take an ambulance to the hospital for a sore throat or sprained ankle, and don't pay the bill.  No pay = no service.

Ugh, this falls into the "eating out at restaurants is a waste of time" category.  Like if I have a sore throat I want to be sitting in the ER waiting room for a couple hours so a doctor can tell me to go home and rest?

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1388 on: August 23, 2019, 06:58:03 PM »

I'm not quite sure what you're saying here.  I'll make my points more clear:

Manuals can be more dangerous if you suddenly need to accelerate, like an unexpected lane ending.  My little yaris doesn't pull in fifth gear very well.  It's better to simply be able to stand on the accelerator rather than downshift twice.

In traffic, stop and go is rough on the clutch and often first gear is fairly jerky switching from throttle on to vacuum, or vice versa.

You know you can skip gears, right?  And automatic transmissions on cheap cars are horrible too,

Monerexia

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1389 on: August 23, 2019, 10:47:19 PM »
I can understand private school when it fills a clear need that public does not. The public closest to us is 80% English language learners/subsidized or free lunch, so most parents who are more affluent and educated choose something else for their kids. Whether there really is a need there or not, I have no personal experience. I could be convinced that if the majority of the school population has one set of needs and your kid has a different set of needs, the kid may be netter served elsewhere. Who knows?

The second biggest need in my area that sends kids to private school is language immersion. We have a pretty diverse set of neighbors who send their kids to school in Spanish, German, French, and Mandarin. We are lucky to have found a public Mandarin program but no French or German in public yet. With one kid it probably doesn’t make a big difference but once you have two or three kids, it seems to me you would be better off selling and moving someplace that offers what you need in the public system, even if you have to pay a good bit more for housing there.

I don't understand why parents would, on the one hand, not want their children to go to school with bilingual kids ("English language learners") and then on the other hand send their kids to an immersion school where those same kids will be be bilingual and going to school in a language that they themselves are weak in ie they will be "Mandarin language learners" or whatever.

Although my kids were born here in Italy I guess you could say that they are Italian language learners as we speak 90% English at home and most media, reading etc is in English. My kids go to a heavily immigrant school and the majority of kids in both of their classes are "Italian language learners" just like my kids.  I see no negative side to this.  IMO bilingualism is a strength not a weakness.  I'm glad my kids are bilingual and I'm glad that they go to school with kids who speak a zillion different languages at home.  The kids who get the best grades in the class in Italian are both bilingual BTW.

It's the culture and poverty that comes with 80% sub lunches and english language learners. Bad personal habits of the parents, gangs, drug use, property crime, violence. Bilingualism for the win, but cultural issues make it a net loss all the way around.

Just a matter of values.

Buddy of mine is of Mexican descent and his kids speak Spanish. He makes very good money (like, living large in a HCOL area kind of money) sends his kids to public school. He sent them to public school when they lived in a small town in The Deep South, and he does it where he lives now.

Yes for sure! To each their own. I have friends who have purchased homes in some difficult neighborhoods. I visit and joke, "aren't you afraid to go outside?? Isn't everybody kidnapping everybody all the time??" They roll their eyes haha. Pretty funny.

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1390 on: August 24, 2019, 12:26:52 AM »
Yes for sure! To each their own. I have friends who have purchased homes in some difficult neighborhoods. I visit and joke, "aren't you afraid to go outside?? Isn't everybody kidnapping everybody all the time??" They roll their eyes haha. Pretty funny.

At mondays they roll the dice to decide on which day they get kidnapped.
Sunday is family day, so either you don't get kidnapped (kidnappers need a day off too) or you only get kidnapped with the whole family.


Quote
What's ALSO messed up, is when ambulances are free but they take multiple hours to arrive and the woman ends up giving birth before getting to the hospital, which I saw happen to a couple that decided to give birth in Norway, so I'm not totally on the socialized healthcare bandwagon
I have never heard of that (except in the case of the woman who had already called it a dozen times in the week before), but if it is so far outside that an ambulance needs hours or the heli isn't available (or no landing place) than it is also unlikely that a taxi is there.
If it is not far outside, than someone from management needs too be seriously slapped for not doing their duty. In "socialized medicine" you can at least do that. In "capitalized medicine" it was just the free market letting you sit there. Go on, nothing to be seen.

flipboard

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1391 on: August 24, 2019, 01:15:28 AM »
What's ALSO messed up, is when ambulances are free but they take multiple hours to arrive and the woman ends up giving birth before getting to the hospital, which I saw happen to a couple that decided to give birth in Norway, so I'm not totally on the socialized healthcare bandwagon
Sounds like every emergency in Alaska.


Imma

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1392 on: August 24, 2019, 02:00:12 AM »
What's ALSO messed up, is when ambulances are free but they take multiple hours to arrive and the woman ends up giving birth before getting to the hospital, which I saw happen to a couple that decided to give birth in Norway, so I'm not totally on the socialized healthcare bandwagon
Sounds like every emergency in Alaska.

And Norway is just as remote in many places. If you choose to live in a remote location, you know what the consequences can be.

In my country (not Norway, to be clear) it's a law that a woman in labour has to be able to reach a hospital within 45 minutes of making the call. Which means that some islands have a heli permanently on standby to make sure that happens. Of course there's also some responsability on the woman to contact the emergency services in time - if you live in a big city next to a hospital like I do you can wait a little bit but if you live on an island you can't postpone calling until you are completely in labour. I'm sure sometimes happens that babies are born at home or in the heli, because labour can go fast. But that's the risk you take by choosing to live in a remote place. Of course heli and ambulance rides are not charged. We believe it's a civil duty to help someone in urgent need - if you don't you may be committing a crime.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1393 on: August 24, 2019, 10:02:56 AM »
What's ALSO messed up, is when ambulances are free but they take multiple hours to arrive and the woman ends up giving birth before getting to the hospital, which I saw happen to a couple that decided to give birth in Norway, so I'm not totally on the socialized healthcare bandwagon
Sounds like every emergency in Alaska.

And Norway is just as remote in many places. If you choose to live in a remote location, you know what the consequences can be.

In my country (not Norway, to be clear) it's a law that a woman in labour has to be able to reach a hospital within 45 minutes of making the call. Which means that some islands have a heli permanently on standby to make sure that happens. Of course there's also some responsability on the woman to contact the emergency services in time - if you live in a big city next to a hospital like I do you can wait a little bit but if you live on an island you can't postpone calling until you are completely in labour. I'm sure sometimes happens that babies are born at home or in the heli, because labour can go fast. But that's the risk you take by choosing to live in a remote place. Of course heli and ambulance rides are not charged. We believe it's a civil duty to help someone in urgent need - if you don't you may be committing a crime.

In Norway they are closing down more and more small, local hospitals that let women give birth locally. The women there are of course protesting against the closing down, because they didn't sign up for living far away from a hospital.

On Spitsbergen, you may not stay on the Island during the last months of your pregnancy. There is no hospital there and they don't want you to give birth on the commercial flights. So you need to stay on the mainland for the last 6-8 weeks (don't remember exactly how long).

BTDretire

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1394 on: August 24, 2019, 10:48:49 AM »
Previous pregnancy my water broke just before midnight and I was going to drive myself to the hospital, but my husband called me a Lyft. I told the driver to go to Kaiser and she casually asked if I was going to work. I just as casually replied “no” and I could tell from her driving that she wanted to drop me the heck off. Once we arrived I just as casually mentioned that the only entrance open at midnight was the emergency room, so she might as well drop me there (truth). But I was fine and walked up to L&D with no incident.

It seemed to make more sense to pay $40 for Lyft than $x,000 for an ambulance when it wasn’t really an emergency.

But yes, our system is f-ed up.

 When my wife said she thought it was time, ( I wasn't sure) I made her drive and I also drove, so I could go to work if she didn't have a baby, she did. It's been 27 years, she won't let me forget. :-)
 Expectant husbands---it's not a good idea!

gaja

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1395 on: August 24, 2019, 12:31:07 PM »
What's ALSO messed up, is when ambulances are free but they take multiple hours to arrive and the woman ends up giving birth before getting to the hospital, which I saw happen to a couple that decided to give birth in Norway, so I'm not totally on the socialized healthcare bandwagon
Sounds like every emergency in Alaska.

And Norway is just as remote in many places. If you choose to live in a remote location, you know what the consequences can be.

In my country (not Norway, to be clear) it's a law that a woman in labour has to be able to reach a hospital within 45 minutes of making the call. Which means that some islands have a heli permanently on standby to make sure that happens. Of course there's also some responsability on the woman to contact the emergency services in time - if you live in a big city next to a hospital like I do you can wait a little bit but if you live on an island you can't postpone calling until you are completely in labour. I'm sure sometimes happens that babies are born at home or in the heli, because labour can go fast. But that's the risk you take by choosing to live in a remote place. Of course heli and ambulance rides are not charged. We believe it's a civil duty to help someone in urgent need - if you don't you may be committing a crime.

In Norway they are closing down more and more small, local hospitals that let women give birth locally. The women there are of course protesting against the closing down, because they didn't sign up for living far away from a hospital.

On Spitsbergen, you may not stay on the Island during the last months of your pregnancy. There is no hospital there and they don't want you to give birth on the commercial flights. So you need to stay on the mainland for the last 6-8 weeks (don't remember exactly how long).

The rules you mentioned for Spitsbergen also cover other remote area in the north. We have no 45 minutes rules, it is simply not possible with the distances and weather we have. So pregnant women have to move closer to the hospitals (or find a midwife willing to go to them) for the last few months.

Some of the hospitals that are being closed down had so few births the doctors were dangerously out of training. Don’t ask me how I know.


Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1396 on: August 24, 2019, 02:12:26 PM »
Their politics are indeed questionable.  The fact that they have food service down to a perfected science, is pretty indisputable.

You'd think they'd be vulnerable to somebody else copying their customer service experience, but for some reason that escapes me I continue to get comparativley sub-par service everywhere else
(It's been 2 years since my last visit, but it's still the benchmark)

Chipotle, please take a hint

They do have service down to a science. I've noticed over the past couple of years that otherlocal  drive-thru businesses are copying CFA with the extra greetings and thanks. Competition can be good for the customer.

Tough business. I witnessed a lady at a Wendy's act like a three year old b/c they were out of something. Husband ushered her out of the store before it got any worse. Workers kept their poker faces despite the tantrum.

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1397 on: August 24, 2019, 02:23:33 PM »
If your battery has a charge but the starter won't run, you should be able to get the car to fire assuming the ecu doesn't lock out since the start position at the key is not being used.
I'm not 100% certain you can't push start a new car with a dead battery.

The fuel pump, ECU, and ignition needs much less power than the starter. As long as you can power those things minus the starter, you can roll start a manual even in 2019.

We own several manual transmissions (gearhead family). The modern automatic is a nice thing but I still prefer a manual except about once a year when I go to a certain crowded town for a car show.

Wrenchturner

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1398 on: August 24, 2019, 04:00:21 PM »
If your battery has a charge but the starter won't run, you should be able to get the car to fire assuming the ecu doesn't lock out since the start position at the key is not being used.
I'm not 100% certain you can't push start a new car with a dead battery.

The fuel pump, ECU, and ignition needs much less power than the starter. As long as you can power those things minus the starter, you can roll start a manual even in 2019.

We own several manual transmissions (gearhead family). The modern automatic is a nice thing but I still prefer a manual except about once a year when I go to a certain crowded town for a car show.

Good to know.  My 03 Corolla had a manual headlight switch and coil-on-plug ignition.  I once left the lights on and couldn't push start it.  Most modern cars probably have timers to shut the headlights off to prevent this.

But it still means you need adequate voltage at the ecu, something you didn't need with a points ignition.

I keep jumper cables in my car at all times anyway.

Dicey

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #1399 on: August 25, 2019, 10:43:33 PM »
I miss my late eighties ('86??) CRX-si. That sucker was so much fun to drive. I think Car & Driver called it a wolf in sheep's clothing, and it was. I also loved that I could easily fit my bike and gear in the hatchback.

I learned to drive a stick on a late '70's BMW 2002tii. Good memories.

And now back to our regularly scheduled topic...