High temperatures can greatly influence our daily routines. Extended exposure to extreme heat poses a well-known risk of heatstroke, making it essential to limit time spent in direct sunlight. Staying hydrated and avoiding strenuous activities during the hottest parts of the day is vital for health and safety.
In addition to heat-related health risks, hot weather conditions, combined with strong winds and low humidity, create ideal scenarios for fires to start. One often-overlooked fire hazard is leaving water bottles inside vehicles during extreme heat. Clear bottles can act like magnifying glasses, concentrating sunlight and generating focused beams of light.
When light passes through a transparent or semi-transparent bottle, it can create a concentrated heat point. This intense heat can ignite nearby flammable items, such as paper or clothing, leading to a fire in just minutes. This is why fire safety officials advise against leaving water bottles in cars.
In July 2017, Dioni Amuchastegui, a battery technician at Idaho Power, experienced this firsthand when he noticed smoke rising from his truck’s center console during his lunch break. At first, he thought it was just dust. However, he soon realized that sunlight was bending through a water bottle, causing smoke to form.
Acting swiftly, he removed the bottle and averted a potential fire. Amuchastegui later shared his experience with coworkers, which inspired the creation of an awareness video highlighting the dangers of leaving water bottles in vehicles during hot weather.
I Told My Friend She Married a Useless Man, and Now She Hates Me
I take it that everyone of us must navigate our own lives and take responsibility for our decisions? However, it is in our nature as humans to want to help friends who are actually in need. However, what would you do if your friend—the one you always stand by—started confiding in you about all of their issues, repeatedly, and with no sign of stopping? This Reddit member is exactly in that predicament. She wondered if she was managing the matter with her buddy correctly, so she looked to the large internet community for advice.
I(32F) am a single mother of two kids (6M and 5m F). I am a single mother by choice (my kids are donor conceived).
I am lucky enough to have a good job (French teacher in a private school), and a paid off house (parents’ life insurance and inheritance).
Before I had either of my kids, I made sure to have a year’s living expenses saved, then I would take a sabbatical to recover from birth, as well as bond with my kids. While on sabbatical, I still tutor some kids for some extra income.
My friend (34F), just had a baby 2 months ago. She is the breadwinner in her household, and her husband has been unemployed since he was laid off during COVID.
It was great to be pregnant at the same time, as well as having a friend with a newborn. But it has turned sour.
She has been saying how jealous she is of me being able to take off a whole year from work, how she would have loved to not worry about losing their home, how she doesn’t even have a couple hundred dollars in her savings account, let alone a whole year’s worth of living expenses….
I usually ignore it, or brush it off, because I kind of can understand the stress she is under.
Well, starting about 10 days ago, she started hinting at not being able to afford daycare, and any mention of her husband taking care of their kid is brushed off. Then she started remarking on how much free time I must have, which I deflected by saying -truthfully- that being a single mom to a baby and a small kid left me no free time actually.
Then last night she came out with it, and asked if I could “do her a favor” and watch her kid while she’s at work. I was firm, but polite, when I said that I couldn’t, that I am not capable of watching two kids under 6 months.
She started almost begging me, saying she can’t afford daycare, and if she is not back at work, she will lose her job, and they will end up homeless. I again brought up her husband, and she said that he was not good with kids, and isn’t capable of taking care of her kid.
I kept saying no, she kept pushing, until it escalated to her calling me heartless, and me telling her that it’s not my problem she chose to have a kid with a useless man.
Now she blocked me, I am feeling very guilty about what I said, and feeling like an AH.
Leave a Reply