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OM News # 73   - Delivered to 32021 subscribers

ISSN 1668-4877 - February 1, 2004

ORDERING YOUR PIZZA IN THE YEAR 2012. The dialogue below is written in a humorous manner, but it scares to see how much the information integration can affect our lives, even paralyse us. George Orwell might be only off by a couple of decades or so when he wrote his amazing "1984" (click ON THE PICTURE to download the book).

PIDIENDO TU PIZZA EN EL AÑO 2012. Este diálogo está escrito con humor pero asusta analizar hasta que punto la integración de la información puede afectar nuestras vidas, incluso paralizarnos. George Orwell tan sólo se desfasó en dos décadas cuando escribió su sorprendente "1984" (clic EN LA IMAGEN para descargar el libro).

OPERATOR:

"Thank you for calling Pizza Hut. May I have your..."

CUSTOMER:

"Hi, I'd like to order a pizza."

OPERATOR:

"May I have your NIDN first, sir?"

CUSTOMER:

"My National ID Number, yeah, hold on, eh, it's 6102049998-45-54610."

OPERATOR:

"Thank you, Mr. Sheehan. I see you live at 1742 Meadowland Drive, and the phone number's 494-2366. Your office number over at Lincoln Insurance is 745-2302 and your cell number's 266-2566. Which number are you calling from, sir?"

CUSTOMER:

"Huh? I'm at home. Where d'ya get all this information?"

OPERATOR:

"We're wired into the system, sir."

CUSTOMER:

(Sighs) "Oh, well, I'd like to order a couple of your All-Meat Special pizzas..."

OPERATOR:

"I don't think that's a good idea, sir."

CUSTOMER:

"Whaddya mean?"

OPERATOR:

"Sir, your medical records indicate that you've got very high blood pressure and extremely high cholesterol. Your National Health Care provider won't allow such an unhealthy choice."

CUSTOMER:

"Really...? What do you recommend, then?"

OPERATOR:

"You might try our low-fat Soybean Yogurt Pizza. I'm sure you'll like it"

CUSTOMER:

"What makes you think I'd like something like that?"

OPERATOR:

"Well, you checked out 'Gourmet Soybean Recipes' from your local library last week, sir. That's why I made the suggestion."

CUSTOMER:

"All right, all right. Give me two family-sized ones, then. What's the damage?"

OPERATOR:

"That should be plenty for you, your wife and your four kids, sir. The 'damage,' as you put it, heh, heh, comes $49.99."

CUSTOMER:

"Lemme give you my credit card number."

OPERATOR:

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm afraid you'll have to pay in cash. Your credit card balance is over its limit."

CUSTOMER:

"I'll run over to the ATM and get some cash before your driver gets here."

OPERATOR:

"That won't work either, sir. Your checking account is also overdrawn."

CUSTOMER:

"Never mind. Just send the pizzas. I'll have the cash ready. How long will it take?"

OPERATOR:

"We're running a little behind, sir. It'll be about 45 minutes, sir. If you're in a hurry you might want to pick 'em up while you're out getting the cash, but carrying pizzas on a motorcycle can be a little awkward."

CUSTOMER:

"How the heck do you know I'm riding a scooter?"

OPERATOR:

"It says here you're in arrears on your car payments, so your car got repo'ed. But your Harley's paid up and you just filled the tank yesterday, so I just assumed that you'd be using it."

CUSTOMER:

"@#%/$@&?#!"

OPERATOR:

"I'd advise watching your language, sir. You've already got a July 4, 2006 conviction for cussing out a cop."

CUSTOMER:

(Speechless)

OPERATOR:

"Will there be anything else, sir?"

CUSTOMER:

"No, nothing. Oh, yeah, don't forget the two free liters of Coke your ad says I get with the pizzas."

OPERATOR:

"I'm sorry sir, but our ad's exclusionary clause prevents us from offering free soda to diabetics. Thank you for calling Pizza Hut."

We thank subscribers Cristina Muscat and Antonio Fovakis (Argentina) for their contribution.

BILINGUAL GLOSSARY
hold on: hold the phone line open (aguarde, espere en línea); Where d'ya get? = Where do you get? (¿De dónde obtienen?, informal); wired: connected (conectados, intercomunicados); Whaddya mean = What do you mean? (¿Qué me quiere decir?, informal); blood pressure: pressure of circulating blood (presión arterial); unhealthy: not healthy (insalubre, nada sano); low fat: low calories (bajas calorías); soybean: soja bean (porotos de soja); checked out: examined (miró, revisó); recipe: directions for cooking (receta); What's the damage? = How much is it? (¿Cuánto es?, informal); plenty: more than enough (más que suficiente); Lemme give you = Let me give you (Le voy a dar, Permítame darle); run over: rush to (irse corriendo, hacerse una escapada hasta); ATM = Automatic Teller Machine (cajero automático); That won't work = That will not be useful (no va a servir); running a little behind: delayed (algo demorados); to pick'em up = to pick them up (pasar a buscarlas);  to pick'em up = to pick them up (pasar a buscarlas); awkward: cumbersome, causing inconvenience (molesto, incómodo); How the heck? = How the devil? (¿Cómo demonios?, informal); scooter: small two-wheeled cycle (escúter, motoneta); in arrears: in debt (atrasado con los pagos); got repo'ed = was repossessed (fue incautado) (car repossession: when you finance a car and your payments are late, your creditor has the right to repossess your car); paid up: cancelled a debt (completamente pago); watching: paying close attention to (prestar atención a); conviction: in jail (en la cárcel, condenado); cussing out: blaspheming (blasfemar); cop: informal expression for "policeman" (cana, policía); speechless: unable to speak with surprise (sin poder articular palabra); liter (US) = litre (UK): unit of capacity (litro); ad: advertisement (aviso); exclusionary clause: a legal rule excluding special aspects (cláusula de exclusión); diabetic /dáia-bétik/: someone who suffers from diabetes (diabético).

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answers

RESPUESTAS ACTIVIDAD DE LISTENING COMPREHENSION - OM NEWS # 72
(Haz clic en el título si necesitas ver el boletín anterior)

1. Why did working hours change after the invention of electricity?
    Because there was no need to stop working when it got dark. 
2. Who invented the light bulb?
    Thomas Edison. 
3. How many hours a night did the inventor of the light bulb sleep?
    Four hours.
4. Who needed less sleep - Albert Einstein or George Bush?
    George Bush.
5. Do scientists think people should sleep more or less?
    More. 
6. Which type of sleep helps restore our mind?
    REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. 
7. What should we not do before going to bed?
    Drink coffee or alcohol, smoke or exercise.

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