Remember Donald Trump's February 2020 claim about the coronavirus? That “there were only 15 cases of the coronavirus in the United States” and that those infections “within a couple of days are going to be down to close to zero”?
New York Daily News front cover page reminded him – and the world – of that this week - on the newspaper's front page.
Clearing out useful household goods is another thing entirely.
Many Americans, certainly San Francisco Bay Area residents, use Craigslist and garage sales to sell / recycle household items. Interested parties respond to Craigslist posts and then they show up to view/purchase/haul items away.
In South Africa? Not so much.
Far too many people respond to ads, offer to pay via EFT – before viewing items – and make firm appointments to pick up. THEN THEY NEVER SHOW UP. One simply never hears from them again. This behavior is routine and, apparently, accepted.
Is it just me or is this bizarre behavior?
It’s not just your average Joe Blow doing this. Business people do it too. Yesterday, for example, three different and disparate parties did this:
Realtor called – at least she did that although 2 hours after she’d been due – to say girlfriend “didn’t want to be late for work,” and that they’d come at 5:30pm. At 1pm, realtor called to say they wouldn’t come at all but would bring around “an offer tomorrow morning,” that the purchaser “didn’t want to lose the opportunity to buy.” Well, we’ll see, today, what happens on that.
Pool guy never showed up, never called. Naturally.
Excited TV purchaser never showed up, never called.
Everyone offers advice on how to circumvent dealing with these sorts of issues, but none of those solutions work either.
Now I have a perspective on why one can get nothing done in this country…. It is not just “incompetent” officials. It’s the culture itself. It’s perfectly acceptable, even expected, to be a flake.
New York Daily News front cover page reminded him – and the world – of that this week - on the newspaper's front page.
News blues…
When is the pandemic declared “over”?The “end of the pandemic” means different things in different contexts. The World Health Organization first declared a “public health emergency of international concern” on January 30, 2020, holding off on labeling it a “pandemic” until March 11.
The imposition (and rescinding) of these labels is a judgment made by WHO leadership, and one that can reflect murky, tactical considerations. Regardless of what WHO decides (and when), national governments—and individual states within the U.S. — have to make their own determinations about when and how to reopen their schools and loosen their restrictions on businesses.
Read the Biden administration 200-page comprehensive national strategy for “beating COVID-19.”
Healthy planet, anyone?
Cutting down forests: what are the drivers of deforestation?Since the turn of the millennium, the world has been losing around 5 million hectares of forest every year. Nearly all of this occurs in the tropics; almost half of all deforestation takes place in Brazil and Indonesia.
Three-quarters is driven by agriculture. Beef production is responsible for 41% of deforestation; palm oil and soybeans account for another 18%; and logging for paper and wood across the tropics, another 13%. These industries are also dominant in a few key countries.
Effective solutions will be focused on these agricultural activities and those countries where most deforestation occurs.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Clearing out the garage of years of rubble, some useful, most not - is one thing and, slowly but surely, I’m getting that done. Today, I plan to visit the scrap yard and try to recoup (minimal) funds for recycling metal.Clearing out useful household goods is another thing entirely.
Many Americans, certainly San Francisco Bay Area residents, use Craigslist and garage sales to sell / recycle household items. Interested parties respond to Craigslist posts and then they show up to view/purchase/haul items away.
In South Africa? Not so much.
Far too many people respond to ads, offer to pay via EFT – before viewing items – and make firm appointments to pick up. THEN THEY NEVER SHOW UP. One simply never hears from them again. This behavior is routine and, apparently, accepted.
Is it just me or is this bizarre behavior?
It’s not just your average Joe Blow doing this. Business people do it too. Yesterday, for example, three different and disparate parties did this:
- Realtor said she’d bring current interested house buyer early in the morning – 8am – so his girlfriend could see the place.
- Online shopper phoned to say she’d come at 4pm to purchase a TV – offered at a very affordable price (so affordable that more than half a dozen people wanted it. (I opted for the first person who contacted me and make a plan to pick up. This means I still have the TV.)
- Swimming pool guy said he’d come by – “in the morning” – to check the pool filter.
Realtor called – at least she did that although 2 hours after she’d been due – to say girlfriend “didn’t want to be late for work,” and that they’d come at 5:30pm. At 1pm, realtor called to say they wouldn’t come at all but would bring around “an offer tomorrow morning,” that the purchaser “didn’t want to lose the opportunity to buy.” Well, we’ll see, today, what happens on that.
Pool guy never showed up, never called. Naturally.
Excited TV purchaser never showed up, never called.
Everyone offers advice on how to circumvent dealing with these sorts of issues, but none of those solutions work either.
Now I have a perspective on why one can get nothing done in this country…. It is not just “incompetent” officials. It’s the culture itself. It’s perfectly acceptable, even expected, to be a flake.
