Draconian vacation policies for US slave workers
in [Europe]
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From: Miguel Cruz on 27 Jul 2006 10:49 Mxsmanic <mxsmanic(a)gmail.com> wrote: > The Reid writes: >> is the difference here between a perception of an "international" >> district and one of the country in general? > > Perhaps it is the difference between a civilized metropolis and a > backward countryside. Call them what you will, they still work hard and have no trouble with the climate. miguel -- Photos from 40 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu Latest photos: Malaysia; Thailand; Singapore; Spain; Morocco Airports of the world: http://airport.u.nu
From: Miguel Cruz on 27 Jul 2006 10:55 Mxsmanic <mxsmanic(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Miguel Cruz writes: >> The amount of clothing required to maintain core temperature at the >> below-freezing temperatures typical of densely-populated Europe, >> north America, and east Asia does not make it practical to do most >> household tasks or perform most work functions. > > The amount of perspiration and air movement required to maintain core > temperature at the high temperatures typical of densely-populated > Paris these days in summer does not make it practical to do most > household tasks or perform most work functions. Either there is something different about Paris or something different about the physiology of the people, because the same conditions are fine for people elsewhere. >> You can insulate yourself in 4 inches of goose down and cling film >> but then you are not going to get anything else done, not least >> because your fingers have become giant senseless sausages. > > You can drench yourself in sweat and sit in the direct airstream of > three fans but then you are not going to get anything else done, not > least because you are dripping water on everything and you cannot move > away from the constant air stream or exert yourself in any way without > raising your temperature. This isn't what actually happens. I am sitting in front of the computer with one fan and my skin is dry to the touch. The humidity today is in the high 80s. >> Hence heating is necessary in order to do all the other things that >> people have to do in order to stay alive. > > So is cooling, as I've demonstrated above. No you haven't. You've claimed it. Different from demonstrating. Real-life counterexamples trump your empty assertions. >> Meanwhile, in the densely-populated areas of the tropics, etc., >> air-conditioning is a luxury, by no means necessary to safely conduct >> normal business. It's only in extreme desert areas that it becomes a >> necessity. > > In a modern society in hot weather, air conditioning is as necessary > as running water. Those who realize this win; those who deny it lose. Lose what? People here are happy and comfortable. What else do they stand to gain from wasting money on air conditioning? >> However, when you take all the places that people actually live, and >> weight by the number of people actually living there, it's a lot >> easier to get hypothermia than hyperthermia. > > That makes no difference for individuals in extreme temperatures. The > fact that the Arctic is cold doesn't help you if you are in a 50 C > environment. Ok, if your argument is that people in 50C climates need air conditioning in order to function comfortably, I will agree, you win, case closed. Why didn't you say so in the first place? miguel -- Photos from 40 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu Latest photos: Malaysia; Thailand; Singapore; Spain; Morocco Airports of the world: http://airport.u.nu
From: Miguel Cruz on 27 Jul 2006 11:00 "Tchiowa" <tchiowa2(a)hotmail.com> wrote: > The majority of people in Thailand have A/C available. Whether they > choose to buy it or not is a different story. In Bangkok probably 95% > of the middle class has A/C and half of the poor. Half of the poor? What? Have you stepped outside the Paragon and the Skytrain recently? You clearly move in rarefied circles that do not represent the reality of Bangkok. Walk along the railroad tracks, along the khlongs, all the really high-density areas. I'd be surprised if half the poor in Bangkok have running water and four walls, let alone AC. There is not a chance in hell that 50% of the Thai population has AC available, unless you mean they have the option to walk into a 7-Eleven. miguel -- Photos from 40 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu Latest photos: Malaysia; Thailand; Singapore; Spain; Morocco Airports of the world: http://airport.u.nu
From: Miguel Cruz on 27 Jul 2006 11:02 The Reid <dontuse(a)fell-walker.co.uk> wrote: > Following up to Miguel Cruz >> The amount of clothing required to maintain core temperature at the >> below-freezing temperatures typical of densely-populated Europe, >> north America, and east Asia does not make it practical to do most >> household tasks or perform most work functions. > > I don't think you mean typical, I think you mean worst? I know > I'm in a temperate island but I rarely wear more than a fleece in > winter, supplemented by a shell jacket if it gets wild in the > hills. Sorry, yes, I mean temperatures that occur there each winter and thus must be prepared for. Not the typical year-round mean or anything. miguel -- Photos from 40 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu Latest photos: Malaysia; Thailand; Singapore; Spain; Morocco Airports of the world: http://airport.u.nu
From: JohnT on 27 Jul 2006 11:51
"Mxsmanic" <mxsmanic(a)gmail.com> wrote in message news:0rmfc2p57ka1iukbc5jg8gc1phjm5h80av(a)4ax.com... > Miguel Cruz writes: > >> That's irrelevant. We are only talking about the people who need cooling >> or heating. > > That certainly includes warm and hot climates. > >> The people who are able to survive just fine (e.g., almost >> all of the people living in warm or hot climates) are not among that >> number. > > I wouldn't call living in dirt huts "just fine." In hot countries > where people are living in something better than dirt huts, there is > air conditioning. > >> Among those who do need some sort of climate control in order to >> survive, the number who need heating is greater than the number who need >> cooling. > > You're certain of this? > I shouldn't think that Miguel would be too worried if he had to live in a "dirt hut" (whatever that may be) for a while, but I doubt if that is his current station in life. In any event, it certainly is better than living in a large overheated airconditioned cupboard in Paris. And if Miguel offers an informed opinion, as he has done in this case then I, for one, believe him. Why don't you try it for a few months - you could do some Voluntary work in Asia. Would be a lot better than your current miserable existence. JohnT |