Europeans in shock about America's air conditioning (the coincidence of it all)

[C C]

The ones who stayed behind on the heatwave-stricken continent probably wish they could experience it.

Brits can't believe America's air conditioning ... https://youtu.be/Icd36PEU2jk

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Icd36PEU2jk

[Magical Realist]

A/C was an absolute blessing on all my hotel stays across the American southwest 2 weeks ago. Here in Portland not so much. Temps in the 60's with dark clouds and rain. Open windows all day till I can't stand the chill any longer. Then it's on with the heat at night! I love Oregon!

[confused2]

All it takes is money .. and (for the UK) increasing our generating capacity by a factor of 3 - which isn't exactly trivial.

The average U.S. household consumes about 10,500 kWh to 10,791 kWh of electricity per year.

The standard UK household consumes around 2,700 kWh to 2,900 kWh of electricity annually.

[C C]

All it takes is money .. and (for the UK) increasing our generating capacity by a factor of 3 - which isn't exactly trivial.

The average U.S. household consumes about 10,500 kWh to 10,791 kWh of electricity per year.

The standard UK household consumes around 2,700 kWh to 2,900 kWh of electricity annually.

Plus... the two-tier agenda of the EU noble class that discourages proletariat access to AC, though not applicable to Brexit UK.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Global elitism at work: Amid heatwave, EC shuts off AC - but only for lower-level workers
https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/gover...r-AA26GvD6

INTRO: The European Commission is running a literal sweatshop at its Brussels facility -- just not for the Important People™.

In a situation that couldn't be a more perfect illustration of the contempt global elites have for the rest of us if it had been written as satire, the headquarters of the European Union's executive cabinet was forced to shut down the air conditioning of its Belgian-based headquarters building as the city baked from a Europe-wide heatwave.

However, it only shut down some of the building's climate control. And, lo and behold, it seems not to have been done at random.

From Politico on Friday:

Staff working at the Berlaymont building received a text at midday, reading: “BERL — URGENT — Due to extreme weather conditions, forced shut down of air cooling system from floor 1 to 7 for the rest of the day.”

The 13-story building is home to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, her 26 commissioners and about 3,000 staff. Von der Leyen works on the 13th floor, and most of her commissioners’ offices are housed on floors eight or above. ...

“It’s like feudalism,” a Commission official working on a lower level of the Berlaymont, granted anonymity to speak freely, told POLITICO on Friday, referring to the fact that upper floors housing commissioners got to keep their AC on. A second official agreed it was a “disgrace.”

A third staffer working on the 8th floor told POLITICO on Friday that even with working AC, the temperature inside was still 25.7 degrees.

As a side note, screenwriters for the James Bond franchise really missed the boat by not naming a fictional villain named Ursula von der Leyen before a real one popped up.

The shutoff of AC below the eighth floor underscores a wider debate over air conditioning in Europe, which has been frowned upon as a contributor to climate change despite the fact that the lack of it on the continent -- partially because governments there discourage it -- contributes to tens of thousands of deaths from heat-related causes in Europe each year.

And yet, European functionaries seem to be telling the proles the same thing, year after year: Swelter and die so that we won't raise the temperature any more by some of those nasty carbon emissions.

This time, it seems, people aren't listening, with this viral footage from France -- showing people scrambling to get their hands on air conditioners and fans like it was Black Friday -- summing up the general mood among the populace... (MORE - details)

[Syne]

All it takes is money .. and (for the UK) increasing our generating capacity by a factor of 3 - which isn't exactly trivial.

The average U.S. household consumes about 10,500 kWh to 10,791 kWh of electricity per year.

The standard UK household consumes around 2,700 kWh to 2,900 kWh of electricity annually.

The average residential electricity rate in the United States is about $0.19 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Rates vary heavily by region, ranging from under $0.10/kWh in parts of the Midwest to over $0.40/kWh in Hawaii.

The average electricity cost in the UK is 26.11p (34.46¢) per kWh with a daily standing charge of 57.19p (75.48¢).
- gemini

US households average a yearly electricity cost of $2,050.29
UK households average a yearly electricity cost of $999.34 + $275.50 daily standing charge (whether you use any or not) = $1,274.84

So while the average US household uses 3.72 times the electricity, we only pay 1.6 times the cost.

[Yazata]

Europe's heat wave is actually America's fault, says Parisian politician.

Audrey Pulvar, the city's deputy mayor for international relations, has raged at Americans mocking France's limited air conditioning - and claimed their greenhouse gas emissions are to blame.

"Dear American journalists and social media 'influencers': for days, some of you have been criticising and making fun of Paris because the city does not have A/C in every room... OMG, this is so rich!" she blistered.

"As the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, you bear a significant amount of responsibility for global warming and the consequences we, in France, are experiencing."

---

As a side note, screenwriters for the James Bond franchise really missed the boat by not naming a fictional villain named Ursula von der Leyen before a real one popped up.

I thought that they already did.

[Syne]

Hey, they're the ones who have passionately believed in global warming for decades. Why didn't they think to prepare for it?

[Syne]

[Image: C5U8ab1.md.png]

[Yazata]

The fast internet on the airplane is probably due to the plane being equipped with Starlink. And Starlink service is currently approved and available in every European country except Russia, Belarus, Serbia and Bosnia.

Of course Starlink is an American thing... another product of that horrible fascist Elon who Europeans love to hate.

The question to ask is - Why does Europe have so few of the exciting visionary startup companies that America seems to excel in? It used to, 100 years ago. Back then, Americans all looked to Europe for the exciting new developments in every field.

But since World War II? Little or nothing. Europe's decline seems to have been simultaneous with and a product of the rise of the welfare state and its tendency to regulate everything into oblivion... all for the people's protection, of course. Perhaps World War II was too much of an emotional shock and a generation felt that they had to pull their heads in and hide. But this is a new millenium and it's time for Europe to emerge from its shell and lead once again, like it once did so long ago.

Europe has a combined GDP equivalent to the United States or China. It has great universities, plenty of scientists and world class engineers, and advanced industries in every field. Europe could defend itself... if it wanted to. Europe could rival the United States in spaceflight... if it wanted to. It could lead in computers, the internet, robotics and AI... if it wanted to.

Europe isn't even short of young visionaries. But cool European startups always seem to remain small, never seem able to accomplish very much, and go out of business or are bought up by Americans to get their technology. So the European visionaries all seem to end up moving to the United States where there are so many more opportunities. What Europe lacks isn't cool ideas, what Europe lacks is the support infrastructure necessary to turn cool ideas into reality.

Europe needs an American-style venture capital system, like the one that grew up here in silicon valley, so that young visionaries can get initial funding to make their ideas reality. Certainly 90% of those startups are likely to fail. But imagine getting an initial ownership stake in a new trillion dollar company like Tesla or SpaceX! Or getting in on the ground floor of an outrageous new idea like "the internet"! Of course this requires an appreciation for rather than a hatred of "capitalism".

And Europe needs fewer regulations that prevent the young visionaries from making their visions real until a hundred regulatory agencies have signed off ten years later, and without each of them micromanaging the whole thing with often contradictory requirements.

[Syne]

Europe's decline seems to have been simultaneous with and a product of the rise of the welfare state and its tendency to regulate everything into oblivion... all for the people's protection, of course.

Reminds me of Adam Carolla's "In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks." The desire for safety over all else, including freedom or innovation, is a female desire.

Of course this requires an appreciation for rather than a hatred of "capitalism".

And a culture that has some tolerance to risk-taking.