What are you stitching next?

I'm totally with you. I think if you live in a lower-income neighborhood, where the area is in a similar socio-economic strata, then you might not have the same envy, social dynamic problems of what you and kids expect as standard of living versus being the minority lower income families (like those living in moderately priced housing units) in a more middle-upper middle class area. The numbers for income that seem to supposrt a reasonable SOL in some locales, are so not sufficient in expensive urban areas, like DC. Not just housing, but food costs have been high here for 20 years. While in other areas the same $$ go further, though some of the other expectations are different.

Personally, I think we (not just Americans) have a society which for the most part has a lot of disposable income and have become people that place way too much economic value on the business of entertainment. This is the conundrum of democracy and open-market economics. If businesses don't do well, then people lose jobs - at all the income levels, if business do well, then along with jobs there are the other accoutrements - and our market bears it. So while, it is a talent/skill to become a super athlete or actor/musician - we spend way too many millions for that. But, we don't live in a truly socialist and barter economy with people working according to their skills and talents and recompense accordingly to rarity/specificity of skill and work effort - on a reasonable scale. It's way out of proportion in entertainment, the financial jobs, the support our litigious nature jobs - versus education, technical skills, science, fine arts, etc.

Anyhow - on the poverty thing - while all over the world there are truly poor and horrid situations, the number in the US is still not nearly the percentage that it is in so many other places. But, it has so worsened in the last 10 years that finally people's eyes are being forced to open.

I always tell friend that are contemplating a trip to India that it's not a good place to visit unless they have been to other foreign countries. The differntness, the poverty and contrast with upper classes and the rising middle class is hard for the western eye to behold, and not just emotionally react. Trying to understand how poverty and education are being dealt with on such a large scale, and a slow process isn't easy. Even beginning to think that the poverty issues here are on anything like the scale of horror in Darfour, South Africa, areas all over SE Asia, central China, the hills of S. America, Mexiao, Haiti and so on is IMHO a prime example of American naivete.

OK - off the box. I do hate seeing homeless people, and people living in cars, or families in shelters - but at least it is not on the scale of families dying in the streets all over. I don't know - ask me how I feel if I get this job I'm in the final decision process for administering the patient care at a large, privately endowed county free clinic. The exec director told me part of the challenge (as I would be overseeing all the patient care side of the clinic) is that while 70% of the clientele are nice, trying to make it, happy for help people - there are the other 30% who just don't want to do anything to get a job, better there situation. Part of what to me is the t.v. Generation attitude of everyone should have a big screen or fancy sneakers - regardless of working to earn it.

Ellice

LOL - this is the reason we have a TT coupe and not rag-top. The large goalie bag, sticks, and if needed could squish another bag in - all fit - with 2 adults. It's kind of unbelievable. 2 ref bags go easily.

My DB had one in law school. I taught him to drive a stick for that car!

Ellice

DH is only 6', but he's also longer torso. So, I'm longer from the hips down - whatever that gets you, but he's definitely the one needing headroom. In the TT, I pull the seat up into the "high" position, but then slide it back to just 1 minor click from furthest - and that is fine for clutch reaching, etc. When DH gets in, if I haven't dropped the seat - he'll hit his head - he drives with it down low (on the floor) put pulled a bit more forward. In the Expedition it's easier with the electronic control.

ellice

What's interesting is that with our 1985 Jetta GLI, it had virtually no maintenance issues, and we sold it in 91/92? With the TT, the only issues were a bad receiver for the remote locking system, which finally we got some Audi tech to understand, and it was replaced. No problems at all - the Quattro has been fine, until at the nearly 7 year old mark - we did the last warranty service. And we had been bad, skipped a 60 K major maintenamce- doing it at closer to 75 K. Then, we'd had a problem with some of the on-board controls and the repair people (who we love, not a dealer, but authorized by Audi) pulled the control system, dash, etc. And the driver's window motor had gone wonky. So, that was a huge repair bill, between the service, and what the warranty covered versus us - we had to replace a serpentine & timing (cause if you're in that part of the engine, might as well do both) and do the 4WD alignment, plus 4 new tires. But, no major issues with suspension or anything else.

Personally, I am more and more committed to believing that auto repairs really warrant multiple opinions and knowing something about your mechanics

- cause finding one that doesn't mis-diagnose is a real gem. All too often I think some of them will tell you what they think - but that may be the first, easiest problem to solve. Or the big bucks one. Ack, who knows.

Good luck.

Ellice

LOL - I can't believe that DD is playing with a stick longer than about 50"-

Ellice

Audi had a real problem with reliability and QC in the late 70s - early 80s. They did a bunch of retooling, changing standards at their factories, and by the mid- 90s seemed to have come through that. When we bought the VW, they were in the "we've fixed our problems" stage. At one time, Jaguar had similar issues, and lost badly out of the lux car market. With the Audi/VW/Porsche - it's interesting to see what components are common between the lines. There is a lot of similarity between an A4 and a Jetta, or Passat and A4/A6. Stamped right on the engine parts. To a good degree - the similarity and sharing is such that one car is almost the same as its more expensive cousin - differences being in some creature comforts, and finish (cosmetic) details. Not quite the same - but if you're not a label person - then......

Ellice

Good point. On the Africa topic - though lighter - I really loved reading the Alexander McCall Smith series about the "No 1 Ladies Detective Agency" - as it is a gentle reminder of life and the philosophies in other places, and I think gives some idea of life/values and the mixing of old and new in the villages, towns. Granted - this is set in a stable part of Africa, but I think it made for a reflective read - and the mystery content was fine! It's more of a life statement. It does however point to the fact that even in the rural areas - there is some medie and knowledge of the rest of the world. Good or bad - MTV is everywhere.

Ellice

No DD's are about chin height (on skates) - but DS has a some extra long player sticks for coaching...

Cheryl

Jim, this is Texas where it is sunny at night! The sun is so sunny one can't walk around without sunscreen on with an umbrella. I haven't been able to garden and it hasn't rained or been cloudy since May. We have about 300 days of full sun around here. I suppose we'd have to invest in battery banks. We are going to have some companies out to test the waters with estimates. There may be a way to use the swimming pool to install radiant heat under the floors, which we plan to install stamped cememt over foundation. I am not a tile person, but I love the way many of the new concrete finishes can look. I collect primitive furniture so a nice distressed concrete would be nice. Rip out the dust mite infested carpets. I hate them.

On and on.

My question to Karen was how her friend (or was it cousin) invented some solar device to run a television.

I don't know any details but here in Florida I have a couple of friends who use solar heating to heat their swimming pools. It works very well for them.

Right. There in Florida, people buy solar panels. Karen said her cousin invented one. That's a bit different.

Elizabeth

Just addressing your thesis that this woman is getting away with being demanding only because of her losing a child, decades ago.

There are people that are demanding of special treatment, who receive it just because they are so unpleasant to deal with otherwise that many give into it. I tend to doubt that after decades people treat this women with special privilege because of that. IME it's more likely because she authored something, albeit about her tragedy, and that has given her privilege to impose on those who want her to sign books, or be at a discussion, etc.

I've seen women who teach needlework make great demands on their hosting organizations when they come to teach - with a complete air of entitlement - right down to the cooler contents that the "host" must lug to class including particular brands/flavors of yogurt, drinks, etc. So, since your tale relates to people travelling on a book tour - I tend to think her privileges were aceded to based on that, in conjunction with her personal tragedy. Had she not written a book which sent her around to places outside of her community - different story. People who know her in the community I'd guess would be sympathetic and then after some time likely raise their eyebrows in sympathy or suggestion of therapy if she's still carrying such a long-term grief issue. However, people who have some claim to fame, no matter how little earned, or widespread, and authors, artists, etc can often demand privileges and get them as those around chalk it up to artistic temperament, etc.

Personally, we have good friends who also couldn't have children after some losses, and though they are socially exceptionally well-connected, and well-moneyed - and she's written a couple of things, plus being asked by a publisher to write a specific business book (which sells for about $200) - she is exactly the opposite. Always genteel, polite, and virtually apologetic for asking for things.

I think you've mixed apples and oranges in your argument. People in general may be too polite to tell someone they only know vaguely - i.e. Through a book tour or speaking engagement - to so to speak "get over it" . And they generally will deal with the demands of people making such book tours, speaking engagements, etc. Iniitial sympathy may be because of a tragedy, but it's a specious argument to generalize one woman's demands into an attitude of a culture. I suspect that you've taken your example beyond what can truly be attributed to it.

Ellice

It's not difficult to make anything that runs on electricity work by solar power. It's just how much power, currrent needs, and how much sunlight you have for panel type and sizing, and energy storage. That's really part of it - can you store the energy to use it.

The first "lab" job I had - one of the groups there actually invented the kind pedal generating thing - like a stationary bike which you pedalled and could power all kinds of things. This technology was converted into all kinds of commercially available items - like crank operated emergency flashlight/radios, etc. The guys who invented and perfected this actually won an award for it, and transferring the technology from the government application to the private/public sector.

Inventing these things is interesting. One of the groups I almost joined in grad school (they were at Princeton) was completely focussed on efficient, green energy in building applications. They were doing an entire office complex that ran on solar and geo-thermal resources. Some things are kind of "duh" why didn't I think of it - to invent - like an easy solar cooking thing - just using a parabolic mirror surface. Others - well - you can have an idea - but to make it function - you need to have knowledge of thermodynamics - and associated sciences (from someone with a masters in the thermo-fluids - and one thesis in solar energy). It is pretty cool coming up with ideas that can translate into useful items - but IME it takes a particular brain type - not just being analytic - but creative and abstract thinking. For a lot of the energy derivatives - someone might have the basic idea for part 1 - but getting it the full path takes a lot of knowledge and skill, not just intuition. I have friends that are engineering inventor types - but I'm not really one of them - I'm okay from step 1B, but not 1A!

ellice

Absolutely right. Vic was talking about using solar panels for radiant heating and I imagine that's the same kind of roof system my friends have for their pools.

Um, Jim - you forgot about the energy storage factor. It's just not this simple - there is effective technology in cost and application - but the geography factor has to play in as well.

Ellice

Even here - we almost put a solar heating unit on the pool. They tend to need about 20-30 linear feet and about 3' of depth - you can put them in parallel. But, work great. Even putting a solar blanket on the pool was a big difference (just don't do it if you don't spring for the roller to wind it up onto).

Ellice

Well, it's radiant heating in the collection, but generally the rest of the system is some sort of convection/conduction to transfer the heat to the circulating water. Even in houses, you can collect via radiation, but a smart thing done in energy efficient examples is to have long window panel with a top and bottom awning type window opening (above/below a solid panel) and that allows the use of natural convection to help in heating or cooling. In the SW, dry areas (Arizona, New Mexico) the air conditioning systems are usually "swamp coolers" which run on evaporative cooling of water passing through, and the electricity is merely running the circulating fans, as opposed to pumping coolant as well.

Ellice

A solar panel would give you the power for a television and they do have the wind up variety in a lot of places, plus of course they also came up with very cheap, virtually unbreakable lap tops, which may be the single best thing to ever happen to impoverished children in another twenty years. I have also read about televisions which are powered by a stationary bike, something a lot of petted and pampered NA kids could well do with !

If the greatest invention of the last millennia was considered to be the printing press, so I think those lap tops will be prove to be for a coming generation. A way to investigate the rest of the world.

On Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:17:16 GMT, ellice opined: \>

Knowing India I am sure you are familiar with the village television ! One of the first countries I witnessed that phenomena.