Letters to the Editor
Malusinka
Published Letters: 350 Editor's Choice: 49
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Front loaders are a better design, but
[Read the article: Shopping for a clean washing machine]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]the smell comes from the rubber seal keeping the water from leaking out the door. You have to wipe the seal out regularly, otherwise lint and soap scum (if you have hard water) collect and start to go moldy -- and smell.
I use about half the recommended amount of detergent and my clothes are clean and I have no suds problem. Remember, recommended detergent amounts are decided by the manufacturer, who, of course, wants to sell more detergent. As well make sure the dirtiest (and un-pre-treated) piece of clothing comes out spotless.
Pre-treat stains and experiment with reducing detergent until you have the least detergent needed to get your sweaty sports clothes smelling Fresh.
Oh, and use a clothes line. Your clothes will smell better. And you'll save more energy than the most efficient dryer. (But keep your dryer for a rainy day. At least where I live, there are weeks when you won't get your clothes dry.)
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Huckabee's energy policy =Tax on fuel?
[Read the article: Huckabee: God wants us to fight global warming]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]He says: "The key is to create the kind of unbridled marketplace that turns innovators loose to find the solutions."
A huge tax on energy, particularly gasoline would create lots of incentives for innovation. The Europeans have been paying high prices for fuel for a long time. In England, 80% of the price of a liter (yep, they count it in liters) is tax.
Because right now, I don't see a bridled marketplace that inhibits innovators (or chains on the innovators in need of loosening).
And when I look at nature disappearing in the US, most of it is going for housing and support (ie the stores that the supply the families in the houses). American is growing and 80% of that growth is due to immigration. So, if you want to preserve open space and the environment, you need to restrict immigration.
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Tough decision
[Read the article: I cared for my dad in his final months -- but who gets his car?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You've got to think through what you think is fair. What will make you feel like you did the right thing? It sounds like the neighbor is going to think you treated her badly regardless of what you do (unless you give her the car and rent-free tenancy in the house).
My feeling is that by taking the car against your wishes, ignoring your concerns about insurance and having the gall to leave you with the bills, she has forfeited all right to anything.
You need to explain this to the lawyer and get him to deal with it right away. If your father's lawyer's deputy advises patience and restraint while the crazy neighbor is doing God knows what in your house and with your car, find another lawyer. There's no requirement that you use your father's lawyer.
As for your sister, I, of course, have no idea of what her relationship with your father was and what responsibilities she had to her family. But, you don't want her to feel lasting resentment against you and your father over the will.
One thing you do want to make sure of -- that you limit any inheritance tax. Changes is the distribution of your father's estate should be made before inheritance tax.
As for being executrix - doesn't your sister know that is a chore, not a privilege?
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What's wrong with privatization?
[Read the article: Corporate profiteering against Iraq vets?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The article quotes: "This administration, besides the cronyism, they have this ideologue thing that government is bad and privatization is good,"
It seems to me that Salon has the bias that privitazation is bad and government good. I worked for the Federal Gov't. 3 months was all I could stand. Never again have I encountered a workplace with more stupid rules and less effort at getting the job done. I've spent a fair amount of my career working for Gov't contractors (not anything to do with the VA or DOD). Based on my experience,I find it easy to believe that contracting out work to for-profit companies is a more effiecient and effective way to deliver services.
My parents are on Medicare. Their health care is delivered by an HMO, not the Gov't. They get SUPERB care. I've been a consumer of health care in 4 countries, including England's NHS. And my parents get by far the best care. The clinic my father was in makes the NHS hospitals look half way to the third world.
In any situation, Gov't or private, non-profit or for-profit, needs to have accountability. Effective methods to measure performance.
The article didn't provide any evidence to suggest that the contracts to QTC were not adequately reviewed. The US Gov't has a huge number of contractors in just about every branch. Are you suggesting to nationalize it all?
As a final point, Blackwater is a red herring. It's a disgrace, but operating where bullets and IEDs are flying is a completely different situation than operating in the US.
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I buy pirate DVDs.
[Read the article: Chinese pirates can't touch the Brits and the French]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I've lived in 4 different countries and 4 different DVD regions. I have about 100 legitimately bought DVDs and a DVD player in my car that won't play them because I now live in the wrong region. So, whenever my kids are watching Tom and Jerry (found pirated on every street corner in Russia) instead of the many educational DVDs we own, I feel lots of anger towards the Video industry. I hope they lose lots of money thanks to the stupid regional encoding.
Pirate DVDs are never region encoded. I know that whatever country I'm in, they'll play. My experience is that the quality is good.
And, of course, to sell American movies in China, you have to dub or subtitle them. That limits the market.
PS, anyone know how to hack the panasonic in-car DVD player that comes factory installed in a Chevy Trail blazer? I'll be forever in your debt.