Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[doghog]

1 minute ago, Ocean Boy said:

How are we going to upgrade the grid to supply enough electricity to charge all these future cars? How do you generate the electricity? No one wants a nuclear plant in their back yard. How do you mine the minerals needed to build the batteries without greatly affecting the environment? I can fill my gas tank in five minutes. Are they going to come up with batteries that don't need a 45 minute rest stop? What do you do when a 10 minutes trip on the Cross Bronx Expressway turns into 50 minutes and you run out of charge?

Not to forget disposal of all those huge batteries. 

[Ocean Boy]

Just now, doghog said:

Not to forget disposal of all those huge batteries. 

Yes, that too.

[akcruz]

54 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Wednesday was the anniversary of my official diagnosis. Time sure does fly!  Physically things have changed a lot.  I am not going list those changes.  I think the one thing that has changed for the better is my love of life and those around me!  I give thanks for each new day!  So much love shown to me and my family.  An example of how we have been blessed, remember me telling about our new neighbor, on her own, came over and shoveled the snow off our driveway?  Well, yesterday she surprised us with a great homemade strawberry pie!  We are still having people bringing us meals each week to help ease the burden off Sharon and to bring a smile to our face.  And what I love the most is so often I still hear someone add their name to the long list from around the world of those that are thinking and praying for us.  So special!

 

Just shows what a loving person you are having so many thinking positive thoughts for you.  Hugs to you and your family 💖💖

[Ocean Boy]

58 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

 And what I love the most is so often I still hear someone add their name to the long list from around the world of those that are thinking and praying for us.  So special!

Don't forget all of us here.

[Vibe]

57 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Wednesday was the anniversary of my official diagnosis. Time sure does fly!  Physically things have changed a lot.  I am not going list those changes.  I think the one thing that has changed for the better is my love of life and those around me!  I give thanks for each new day!  So much love shown to me and my family.  An example of how we have been blessed, remember me telling about our new neighbor, on her own, came over and shoveled the snow off our driveway?  Well, yesterday she surprised us with a great homemade strawberry pie!  We are still having people bringing us meals each week to help ease the burden off Sharon and to bring a smile to our face.  And what I love the most is so often I still hear someone add their name to the long list from around the world of those that are thinking and praying for us.  So special!

Blessings to you and your family. 🙏 Enjoying the simple things in life like gardening and appreciating each day surrounded by love ❤️ is the best medicine anyone could ever hope for. 

[Vibe]

25 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

How are we going to upgrade the grid to supply enough electricity to charge all these future cars? How do you generate the electricity? No one wants a nuclear plant in their back yard. How do you mine the minerals needed to build the batteries without greatly affecting the environment? I can fill my gas tank in five minutes. Are they going to come up with batteries that don't need a 45 minute rest stop? What do you do when a 10 minutes trip on the Cross Bronx Expressway turns into 50 minutes and you run out of charge?

The electric cars are very heavy because of the batteries, I wonder if parking garages will be able to handle the additional weight once the majority of the cars parked in them become electric.

 

Another issue is the hazard that they impose if they catch on fire, it takes awhile to extinguish those fires.

[George C]

4 hours ago, Luckynana said:

I love the show "Elsbeth"  Jim like it also.  I loved watching her on "The Good Wife" years ago.  Elsbeth cracks me up!  She's kind of like a female "Columbo"😁

I also have enjoyed this new show , never have seen Good Wife , loved Colombo ,my dad was a taxi driver in New York City for a while and he had Peter Falk in his taxi a long time ago pre Colombo , Dad was a fan and refused to take any money from him , so he wrote me and my brother and sister a short note saying how nice my dad was  , I was in Germany at the time in the army .

[Ocean Boy]

1 minute ago, Vibe said:

 

Another issue is the hazard that they impose if they catch on fire, it takes awhile to extinguish those fires.

Heck, they don't even want lithium ion batteries in the cargo holds of airplanes because of fires. Why would I want a huge one in my garage?

[Coralc]

Re: shower doors. I think I would like frameless, but I don't really want clear shower doors in the guest bath. Sometimes there might be 2 people in there. I haven't been able to find frameless with partially obscured glass. That is probably why we are going semi-frameless. 

 

Re: electric vehicles. There are millions of them here. The Tesla factory is local. Just about every other car is a Tesla, EV or a hybrid. The people across the street have 2 Teslas. What I have noticed, is that most people that have them here also have solar, that they can use with their (in garage) charger and backup battery. No one seems to be too concerned about a fire risk. They mostly catch on fire after they have been in a crash. 

 

We are not particularly interested in them though. Charge/distance anxiety is a real thing. And I can fill my vehicle in 10 minutes at a gas pump. I have no interest in waiting around for a charge.  

 

[HBE4]

I was at the NY Auto Show last week and every manufacture had their electric cars displayed  proudly front and center under bright lights  while the older cars were relegated to the dark, back corners.  While talking with the many automotive representatives there, they told me the biggest obstacle in selling EV is most people have "range anxiety",  that they will get stranded when their car run out of juice. The irony there is that study after study shows that something like 80% of people will typically (key word) refuel their gas-powered car after driving 300-350 miles which is within range of most EV. Again, talking typical range, not maximum range. So their "range anxiety" is really unfounded. 

 

The bigger obstacle is charging time.  Rapid chargers have reduced empty-to-full charging time from several hours to as little as 30 minutes, which is still substantially longer then the 5 minutes it takes for gas cars. One big benefit to EV's is that you can charge your car at home, which you can't do with a gas-powered car. So there's that. People just will need to get in the habit of plugging in their cars at night, just like they do with the cell phones. 

 

And for most driving needs - going to work, school, shopping, etc - that will be just fine. It's the long road trips where you need to fill up 4 or 5 times what it still the big obstacle that the industry needs to work out.

 

All the other "obstacles" being suggested - not enough electricity in the power grid, how to recycle, cars catching fire, etc - are valid concerns that can be fixed just like all the "obstacles" that faced gas-powered cars when they first came out. Not enough gas stations, no paved roads, no traffic lights, no auto mechanics to fix cars , no schools to train auto mechanics, no drive thru McDonalds, no XM radio, etc, etc etc.  It just takes time.   In 1900, there were 8,000 cars in the US. Yet despite all the obstacles I listed, by 1920, there were 8 million and 25 million by 1930. From 8,000 to 25 million in 30 years. Give EV 30 years to mature. and solve the obstacles.

 

BTW, while I sound like a EV proponent, I'm in no rush to buy an EV and I think it's silly to mandate them by 2035 or even 2055.  The technology still needs more time to mature. If the government is going to mandate/encourage, it should be for vehicles that drive a predictable range every day. Commuter buses, school bus's, garbage trucks, mail carriers, delivery trucks etc while the geniuses that invent stuff figure out to to charge a light-weight battery in under 5 minutes giving a car a 500 mile driving range under all extreme weather conditions and never needs to be recycled.

Edited April 13 by HBE4

[lenquixote66]

9 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Sorry if its rude to ask, but I noticed you have parkinsons activities go do. Sorry to hear about this. 

 

I dont stream so just cable tv. Have you seen ellsbeth. Is it worth watching Thursday nights?

I normally do not watch much Network TV.Carrie Preston is a very good actress but I have not watched her show.

I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in November 2014.It is in Stage 4.

I can no longer walk and am not able to do outside activities.I try and do every Zoom activity.Aside from the Zoom I post on CC as much as I can .

[lenquixote66]

4 hours ago, Luckynana said:

I love the show "Elsbeth"  Jim like it also.  I loved watching her on "The Good Wife" years ago.  Elsbeth cracks me up!  She's kind of like a female "Columbo"😁

Her husband is a very good actor.I saw Carrie Preston in an obscure film :Thirty Miles from Nowhere.

[HBE4]

4 hours ago, Luckynana said:

I love the show "Elsbeth"  Jim like it also.  I loved watching her on "The Good Wife" years ago.  Elsbeth cracks me up!  She's kind of like a female "Columbo"😁

 

i loved Elsbeth on The Good Wife.  I never saw the spin-off show - The Good Fight (?) - but I guess she was a regular on that show?

 

I watch very little cable/network TV these days but I'll definitely check out her new show.

[HBE4]

Speaking of TV shows, I just finished watching "Midnight Mass", a horror show on Netflix. Great acting and interesting story line although every episode was about 15 minutes too long, Very preachy. Literally. The ending is pretty heavy too so now I'm alternating between "The Gentleman" and "Kleo" for some lighter, more fun topics.

[HBE4]

2 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Wednesday was the anniversary of my official diagnosis. Time sure does fly!  Physically things have changed a lot.  I am not going list those changes.  I think the one thing that has changed for the better is my love of life and those around me!  I give thanks for each new day!  So much love shown to me and my family.  An example of how we have been blessed, remember me telling about our new neighbor, on her own, came over and shoveled the snow off our driveway?  Well, yesterday she surprised us with a great homemade strawberry pie!  We are still having people bringing us meals each week to help ease the burden off Sharon and to bring a smile to our face.  And what I love the most is so often I still hear someone add their name to the long list from around the world of those that are thinking and praying for us.  So special!

 

I believe people reap what they sow. The fact that you are on the receiving end of so much love and caring tells me a lot about YOU as a person.  

 

And I doubt it's because they want to hear the latest dad joke. 😉🙂

 

[Etta1213]

2 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

How are we going to upgrade the grid to supply enough electricity to charge all these future cars? How do you generate the electricity? No one wants a nuclear plant in their back yard. How do you mine the minerals needed to build the batteries without greatly affecting the environment? I can fill my gas tank in five minutes. Are they going to come up with batteries that don't need a 45 minute rest stop? What do you do when a 10 minutes trip on the Cross Bronx Expressway turns into 50 minutes and you run out of charge?

This is what happens when policies aren't based on true wisdom. I've learned so much from my brother, an engineer. 

[Keksie]

When EVs are all that and a bag of chips people will want to buy them.  Until then they will be expensive yard art on dealer lots.  I am also keeping my gas stove and my ceiling fans.

[BonTexasNY]

@Ozark_Kid John, I think you're totally amazing.  Your love of life and feelings of gratitude show the kind of man you are, a man I am proud to call friend.

 

In the Yiddish language there is a word "mensch".  Google it.   It describes you.

[grapau27]

6 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

How are we going to upgrade the grid to supply enough electricity to charge all these future cars? How do you generate the electricity? No one wants a nuclear plant in their back yard. How do you mine the minerals needed to build the batteries without greatly affecting the environment? I can fill my gas tank in five minutes. Are they going to come up with batteries that don't need a 45 minute rest stop? What do you do when a 10 minutes trip on the Cross Bronx Expressway turns into 50 minutes and you run out of charge?

Excellent response.

I feel like we are being pushed into buying Electric cars especially if combustion engines are no longer going to be made in the future.

Self charge Hybrid's are a better proposition than all electric but it would be much better to refine cleaner petrol and cleaner engine emissions.

I drive 320 miles to Southampton for our cruises and have the same drive home so most electric cars would not get us there non stop.

When driving at night or in rain with windscreen wipers on or having the heating or air conditioning on in our cars are all going to drain the batteries meaning less driving range without charging.

[grapau27]

Good morning.

It is 48°F and cloudy here at 08.00am.

I hope everyone is safe and in good health and prayers for Dani @dani negreanu and her family and friends for a peaceful future.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

[grapau27]

@aussielozzie18.

I hope you and your family are safe and well.

There is breaking news in the UK about an incident at a Bondi beach shopping centre in Sydney Australia.

[aussielozzie18]

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

@aussielozzie18.

I hope you and your family are safe and well.

There is breaking news in the UK about an incident at a Bondi beach shopping centre in Sydney Australia.

Thank for asking Graham. For those wondering - Westfield Bondi Junction - a large shopping complex in Sydney’s East - had a critical incident occur in the middle of the busy Saturday afternoon of shopping.

 

I appreciate your concern Graham  as I spent the afternoon doing last minute shopping for my trip at a Westfield complex but thankfully it is located on the other side of the city.

 

I am waiting for the official police media conference but from media reports - lone male, multiple fatalities and injuries including an infant.  Lone policewoman shot the offender dead.  Absolutely horrific and traumatic on what has been a beautiful autumn day in Sydney.

 

 

Edited April 13 by aussielozzie18

[dani negreanu]

10 hours ago, MJSailors said:

I do not think electric vehicles are sustainable for reasons that have been posted.

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

 

My DH thinks the future lays in hydrogen fueled cars. BMW and Toyota already have some "on the road".

 

 

7 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Don't forget all of us here.

 

+ 1 John @Ozark_Kid

 

3 hours ago, BonTexasNY said:

@Ozark_Kid John, I think you're totally amazing.  Your love of life and feelings of gratitude show the kind of man you are, a man I am proud to call friend.

 

In the Yiddish language there is a word "mensch".  Google it.   It describes you.

 

+ 1 John @Ozark_Kid

 

 

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

I hope everyone is safe and in good health and prayers for Dani @dani negreanu and her family and friends for a peaceful future.

 

@grapau27

 

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers, Graham.

 

Very stressful here, sitting ducks waiting "to happen". Our high ups are so narrow minded, think only in terms of more power/war instead of compromise and peaceful solution. The extremists (sadly on both sides) have the last word....

 

This morning we were so looking forward to travel and visit our good friend, who suffered a stroke more than 2 months ago. He can now spend Friday and Saturday at home. We didn't visit him for the last 3 weeks, since I was sick with flu.

 

Instead of visiting, we're all stuck at home, waiting for a missile attack from Iran.

 

"Hopefully", it will happen today/tomorrow and we'll be "done with". Our son and family, who live in Amsterdam, are supposed to fly in a week from now, for the Passover holiday, and we're eagerly waiting for them.

 

Afraid that the flights will be cancelled, again....

 

 

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

@aussielozzie18.

I hope you and your family are safe and well.

There is breaking news in the UK about an incident at a Bondi beach shopping centre in Sydney Australia.

 

@aussielozzie18

 

+ 1, so sorry to read that there are 6 dead.

[aussielozzie18]

@dani negreanu Words fail me (again) about your situation.    It’s breaks my heart that you cannot see friends and that your son & family much anticipated visit may be impacted.  Please stay safe 

[grapau27]

3 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Thank for asking Graham. For those wondering - Westfield Bondi Junction - a large shopping complex in Sydney’s East - had a critical incident occur in the middle of the busy Saturday afternoon of shopping.

 

I appreciate your concern Graham  as I spent the afternoon doing last minute shopping for my trip at a Westfield complex but thankfully it is located on the other side of the city.

 

I am waiting for the official police media conference but from media reports - lone male, multiple fatalities and injuries including an infant.  Lone policewoman shot the offender dead.  Absolutely horrific and traumatic on what has been a beautiful autumn day in Sydney.

 

 

I'm so pleased you are okay @aussielozzie18 but so sad to hear of the several stabbing deaths.