Subj : Re: aunt was: Miss.RvrDamBre To : Barry Martin From : Nancy Backus Date : Thu Apr 23 2020 17:49:18 -=> Quoting Barry Martin to Nancy Backus on 14-Apr-2020 10:35 <=- NB>>> That message was just getting way too long.... NB>>> So, continuing into a new message....... BM>> The thread that wove itself into a garment! NB>> Not quite.... but at least a chain... :) BM> Oo! Chain stitch! And now the original first half was also split.... at the rate we are going, it might turn into a garment.... BM> NB> BM>> Yes: I may have said this already but had seen where the Vienna BM>> Airport is essentially closed except for receiving supplies, so even if BM>> my Mother and I had decided to fly over might not have been able to BM>> enter the country. At least by air -- borders (via highways) -- ?? NB>> Not surprised about the airport... and I'd also not be surprised if NB>> there were also checkpoints on the highways to keep people out... I've NB>> heard of some places (not sure if states or countries) that are using NB>> the military to police the borders... the US/Canada border is closed to NB>> at least all non-essential traffic, which at least includes all of us.. BM> Right: probably everywhere is overwhelmed and probably some people are BM> making the choice to leave one country to go to another because the BM> second country has better medical facilities. Or maybe the country's BM> medical care is fine just where the person lives the other country's BM> really good hospital is closer. And I'm not sure if that's even allowed at this point... even from state to state, in some cases.... BM>> (Should check 'for fun' just flying in to Zurich -- did receive an BM>> e-mail from SWISS [airlines] they had cut back the number of flights in BM>> general.) NB>> I'd bet that Zurich would also be closed at this point... Most NB>> international flights seem to be for citizens only, for repatriation... BM> That would make sense. OK, so "just for fun": BM> https://ch.usembassy.gov/covid-19-info/ BM> Updated 9 hours ago (so April 14) BM> Flights to the U.S.: BM> Flights to the United States from Switzerland BM> International commercial flight options currently exist in BM> Switzerland. U.S. citizens who wish to return to the United States BM> should make commercial arrangements as soon as possible unless they BM> are prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period. The U.S. BM> government does not anticipate arranging repatriation flights in BM> Switzerland and Liechtenstein at this time. Yup, that's been the general advice... BM> Direct flights: There is only one remaining direct flight from BM> Switzerland to the United States in operation, the Zurich to Newark BM> route operated by Swiss International Air Lines. This flight is BM> currently scheduled 3 times a week, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, BM> however this may change it any time and without prior notice. The BM> flight can be booked directly through Swiss or most travel BM> arrangers. BM> Transit flights: Many countries have closed their national borders. BM> Travelers flying to the U.S. by transiting through a third country BM> should work directly with the airline to confirm that they are BM> allowed to transit. Note that those are all flights INTO the US, not out of, as well.... BM> So the flight my Mother and I have been taking out of Boston appears BM> to have been cancelled. There was also another flight from Chicago to BM> Zurich, So out of those three examples two are temporarily eliminated BM> and one is halved. And, as I said, seems to be only for those US citizens returning home... no options for going there.... BM> As of March 26, the Swiss entry ban now applies to all countries BM> except Liechtenstein. It also applied to air and land entry points. BM> Any foreign nationals who wish to enter Switzerland and do not hold BM> a valid residence or work permit will be refused entry. BM> Further down does give exclusions including immediately continuing to BM> another country which will allow entry. From what I read before and BM> elsewhere "visiting" isn't a valid reason. Exactly... Tourism and visiting is shut down... along with so much else... BM>>> I did check the phone number with my Mother and I had a digit doubled BM>>> -- she essentially swears up and down it was my fault though I know I BM>>> had triple-checked the number - whatever, resolved now. NB>>> That could explain the odd length of the number, I suppose... ;) BM>> Well, still a lot longer than the 'U.S. standard'. At least it works BM>> now. :) NB>> Working is what counts... BM> Called on Easter, still working! Good... :) BM>>>> thinking I'd like to find out how their telephone numbers are BM>>>> structured. There seems to be some 'coding' in the way given: spaces BM>>>> in the print version, grouping in the vocal; LIS they don't use the BM>>>> same convention as we do here U.S. (3-3-4: area code, exchange, line). NB>>>> I've noted similar with the UK numbers... some of them seem to be the NB>>>> same number of numbers as ours, but sometimes spaced differently... NB>>>> others have fewer or more numbers... plus, one has to add the country NB>>>> access code to the front of the number instead of the leading 0... BM>>> I'm sort of wondering how the telephone computers know where to direct BM>>> the call! If the telephone number in Austria begins with a "1" is for BM>>> a landline number in Vienna but "699" for a mobile phone. And it's not BM>>> a 6 and then 99-something. (I tracked down a list - 'quirky' to my BM>>> U.S.-based thinking,) NB>>> Clearly the computers are programmed to handle it.... :) BM>> Hmmm, possibly! LIS there's probably a rule, just like U.S. area BM>> codes used to have a 1 or a 0 as the middle digit: 603, 617.... NB>> Used to, being the operative there... ;) As they expanded codes, NB>> that's no longer the case... ours, for example is 585.... BM> We went from 319 to 563 years ago. Recall there was discussion to BM> have an overlay: new phone numbers would receive the 563 area code and BM> old/current phone numbers would stay the same. Ended up splitting so BM> northern eastern Iowa became 563 (and we kept the other seven digits) BM> and southern eastern Iowa didn't have to change. Recall pros and cons BM> with each option due to population centers, the University of Iowa BM> systems - schools plus medical facilities, and a few other etc.'s. Yup, similar here, also years ago... the western part of the state got to keep the 716 area code, and we got 585... the numbers didn't otherwise change here either... NB>>> And to think that once upon a time phone numbers here in the states NB>>> were just 4 numbers.... ;) Or "two shorts and a long", referring to NB>>> the rings.... ;) BM>> Things have changed!! I remember Dad being told when BM>> calling to make a reservation for a cabin in Pittsburg NH (as far north BM>> in NH as one can get) someone else may pick up the line because he was BM>> cutting trees and couldn't always hear the number of rings, just his BM>> phone had rung. NB>> Back in the days of local operators and party lines.... ;) BM> Yup! I don't recall dealing with party lines other than Dad calling BM> for cabin reservations but have seen on the older TV shows were someone BM> nosy listens in on phone calls to get juicy gossip or picks up the BM> phone to make a call, doesn't know the phone is already in use and BM> hears a snippet of converation, misinterpreting as a plot to kill BM> somebody or 'bad vibes' between two people or.... It made for a useful plot device... ;) BM>>> She tends to use the "I'm old therefore I don't know how" or "it's BM>>> been so long I've forgotten" excuses. Of course there are times when I BM>>> don't do something because I'm not sure. NB>>> Some magic spells one does have to use regularly to be able to retain NB>>> them at all easily.... ;) BM>> Very true! I need to create a cheat sheet, or maybe index cards... BM>> I've got small notes taped to the hutch. NB>> Her hutch or yours....? BM> Mine. And that's the hutch to the computer desk, not the one the BM> china is in downstairs. Oh, ok... NB>>> My cell phone has no camera, so I can't take pictures with it... but NB>>> it can receive pictures as a text, and store pictures either with the NB>>> texts or in a separate section that has pictures including the NB>>> choices for background screens for the main screen... BM>> As long as you don't need to take pictures or carry a separate camera BM>> you're fine. As for viewing, not too convenient. but as long as don't BM>> receive picture too frequently not that much of an inconvenience. If BM>> not urgent to view might just wait until get home. NB>> If I thought I might want to take pictures, I'd use a separate NB>> camera... Most of the photos I have in my phone were sent me by a NB>> girlfriend that likes to share pics of her kids and grandkids.... NB>> At least she doesn't overdo it... BM> My 'thing' was the camera was just something else to carry around. Back when I carried a camera, I didn't have a phone to carry... ;) BM> So I did end up sending an Easter card with pictures to my Aunt's BM> apartment and then an Easter letter with the same pictures plus a BM> couple more (local station had news segment about polar bear cub at the BM> Vienna Zoo) to the Kurhaus. As of Easter Sunday neither was received. BM> Card to the apartment might be sitting in the mailbox, or with one of BM> the people watching the apartment and haven't been able to get to the BM> Kurhaus yet. The letter direct to the Kurhaus was sent late, so BM> possibly would have arrived just after Easter anyway. Now with highly BM> reduced transAtlantic flights the mail is probably taking much longer BM> than before, though less passengers might allow for more freight. Have you heard yet whether or not she's received anything yet...? BM>>> Of course what I would do and what someone else would do........ NB>>> True, we might have different customs here, from how/what they do NB>>> there... but you never know... :) BM>> And I've found what I would do automatically isn't always what anyone BM>> else would do. To me a once-a-week mail drop-off wouldn't be that BM>> inconvenient -- I know can't visit patients in the hospital -- U.S. BM>> nor Austria -- but seems like get-well cards have to be getting through BM>> so why not mail packs for long-term patients? NB>> There might be some restrictions on certain packages of things, due to NB>> concern that they might be carrying the virus.... nothing is exactly NB>> normal nowadays... BM> Right: I don't know how paper could be sanitized. They're always BM> talking about wiping items down with soap/cleaner: fine for individual BM> use or even spraying off grocery carts but don't want to soak paper BM> envelopes! UV light? Quarantine for a week or so? Paper can't be washed down... the quarantine might be what they'd do.. the virus should die off if it were there if it were left alone for a period of time.... ttyl neb .... Taglines are like cats. You just think they're yours. --- EzyBlueWave V3.00 01FB001F * Origin: Tiny's BBS - http://www.tinysbbs.com (454:1/452) .