Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

nyccarguy

fintail said:

Enjoy it, pensions are a fairytale from the past for most of the private sector now, and the private sector will probably end up taxed more to support generous public sector entitlements. Spend less than you make, but be sure to stop and enjoy the fruits of your labor now and then. Live like nobody else, and remember that tomorrow isn't guaranteed.

So true.  Especially the last statement.  Today (8/26) would have been a good friend of mine's 41st birthday.  He died a few months shy of his 27th birthday.  Ate a baked clam that was brushed with peanut oil.  He didn't have his EpiPen with him.  

imidazol97

nyccarguy said:

He died a few months shy of his 27th birthday.  Ate a baked clam that was brushed with peanut oil.  He didn't have his EpiPen with him.  

That's really sad.

My son's pediatrician's daughter at college at Indiana U ate a cookie with some nuts. She
also died from the reaction. I believe she knew she was allergic. I don't know if she
carried an epipen in those days--that was 12-15 years ago. Every time I go past the
group's office I think of the doctor and the loss he felt. Then he was in the office
treating others folks' youngsters up till they went off to school at 18.

bwia

explorerx4 said:

Education can be just as big a snake pit as any of those other industries that have been complained about here.
My sister had her first PHD thesis and research appropriated by HER ADVISOR and published as their own.
Makes me a bit skeptical.

There is something missing to this story. First, it is unethical and not to mention illegal, and second, that can *never happen at an accredited university as there are too many safeguards to prevent such malfeasance. The advisor may steal your idea or the topic but not the dissertation itself.

roadburner

qbrozen said:

breld said:

That's okay - just think of me when you start feeling guilty. You'll perk right up.

Oh, I definitely throw your reputation around anytime my wife expresses frustration. "My dear, you are lucky I'm not as bad as Breld!"

My friend Rob Siegel writes "The Hack Mechanic" column in the BMWCCA magazine Roundel; at any one time he has 10-12 cars. My wife doesn't give me any hassle over my "collection" but when seeking to enlarge it I have used the "Rob has twice as many cars as me!" gambit. And I love his latest book:

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

fintail said:

Enjoy it, pensions are a fairytale from the past for most of the private sector now, and the private sector will probably end up taxed more to support generous public sector entitlements.

Spend less than you make, but be sure to stop and enjoy the fruits of your labor now and then. Live like nobody else, and remember that tomorrow isn't guaranteed.

So true.  Especially the last statement.  Today (8/26) would have been a good friend of mine's 41st birthday.  He died a few months shy of his 27th birthday.  Ate a baked clam that was brushed with peanut oil.  He didn't have his EpiPen with him.  

That is a sad story. It brings to mind the quote "Life is what happens when you are making other plans." I've made a few impulsive/impractical decisions with respect to my automotive habits, but in the end I regret maybe 1% of them at most.

stickguy

Edd on wheeler dealers did a 2002Tii like that. Also dead for years. Expensive rebuild on the FI unit required.

carnaught

Prayers to all in the path and aftermath flooding of Hurricane Harvey....

Mr_Shiftright

explorerx4 said:

Education can be just as big a snake pit as any of those other industries that have been complained about here.
My sister had her first PHD thesis and research appropriated by HER ADVISOR and published as their own.
Makes me a bit skeptical.

Ho-ho. If you want to learn the art of 14th century renaissance back-stabbing, poisoning and gruesome torture, join Academia.

cdnpinhead

Where have all these nut allergies come from? Were people reacting to and dying from such things 50 years ago and they just didn't know what caused it, or what? Very strange, or maybe I missed the memo.

abacomike

Ditto on t he hurricane Harvey - God bless those in its path and keep them safe.

If a hurricane similar to Harvey ever hit us here in South Florida, it would be like another Hurricane Andrew - in fact, the entire southeastern part of the State of Florida just completed a day of remembrance of Andrew. Andrew literally wiped out most of Homestead and most of South Miami-Dade County. The devastation of a category 4 hurricane with 12 foot storm surges and 25+ inches of rain would wipe out the entire east coast of Florida. I lived through Wilma which was forecast to be a category one hurricane and when it finally hit us in northeast Broward Country Florida, it was a category three hurricane. In my condo community, we lost over 760 trees, most of which ended up blocking the streets and roads in and out of the area. It was awful, yet no where as bad as this Harvey.

Can you imagine - 25+ inches of rain?

abacomike

cdnpinhead said:

Where have all these nut allergies come from? Were people reacting to and dying from such things 50 years ago and they just didn't know what caused it, or what? Very strange, or maybe I missed the memo.

Come to think of it, pinhead, I also don't remember so many allergies to peanuts or other nuts. The need for an Epi Pen for certain allergies such as bee stings was well known when I was a kid - but the Epi Pens or serum(s) were kept in the school's nurse's office or in the home of kids allergic to bee stings. But I really don't remember anyone in my group of 30-40 boys when I was growing up who had an allergy to peanuts. Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches were the mainstay lunch for most of us back then.

Mr_Shiftright

It's water that kills people in storms like this, not wind.

I thought the authorities used a clever ploy to get really stubborn people to evacuate. They suggested that if you're going to stay in the danger areas, that you write your name on your forearm in magic marker so that we can identify you.

I bet that got some people's attention!

abacomike

Mr_Shiftright said:

It's water that kills people in storms like this, not wind.

You are correct - the torrents of water is the culprit in many deaths in hurricanes. The worst part of living through Hurricane Wilma was the lack of electricity for 5 days. We had no running water as all the pumps were out in the community. Every couple of hours, I would go down to our swimming pool with large buckets to fill up with water so we could use the toilets. It was awful. Cell towers were all down - but for those of us that had land lines, the phones were working throughout the entire power failure.

We couldn't cook anything because we only have electric ovens and stove tops - no gas allowed in the condo community. No TV, no water, food shortages, and the food that was in the refrigerator all had to be thrown out after 24-36 hours.

You couldn't get gasoline for your car because all the pumps were down at the gas stations. Luckily, I was still working at the Infiniti dealership so I was able to get gasoline siphoned out of the new cars on the new car lot - we had some mechanics filling up gas containers for all the workers and sales personnel. We were very lucky since you need a car down here to do almost anything. The toughest obstacle was getting out of the condo community - but once the workers in the condo community got to work, they were busy moving trees and had gas driven saws to cut the trees into movable pieces to clear the streets and roads.

Fire was another serious hazard. The fire Department only had enough water in its engines to put out small fires - all the hydrants were dry because of all the pumps being down in the city.

I tell you, if another storm was inevitably going to hit my area like that, I would get in my car and drive north to my brother's house in Ponte Vedra. No way would I remain at home alone. I would pull down the hurricance shutters on my terrace, secure them, pack a few bags, and away I would go up I-95.

bwia

In the Caribbean, the water and landslides cause the most damage. As more "development" come to the region they clear the land by cutting the trees that hold up the soil. In the end, tropical storms and hurricanes create mayhem leaving poor people even more destitute.

Not sure, but climate change could be a big contributor to rising sea levels and bigger and more violent storms around the world. Coral reefs that act as natural storm barriers are dying and low lying areas like South Florida and Louisiana are exposed to increasing flood damage. As the climatologist would say, it is not fake news. Global warming is real.

ab348

bwia said:

In the Caribbean, the water and landslides cause the most damage. As more "development" come to the region they clear the land by cutting the trees that hold up the soil. In the end, tropical storms and hurricanes create mayhem leaving poor people even more destitute.

Not sure, but climate change could be a big contributor to rising sea levels and bigger and more violent storms around the world. Coral reefs that act as natural storm barriers are dying and low lying areas like South Florida and Louisiana are exposed to increasing flood damage. As the climatologist would say, it is not fake news. Global warming is real.

The only real debate is what if anything can be done about it.

nyccarguy

cdnpinhead said:

Where have all these nut allergies come from? Were people reacting to and dying from such things 50 years ago and they just didn't know what caused it, or what? Very strange, or maybe I missed the memo.

Growing up (I'm 41), my friend Jason was literally the ONLY person I ever knew or had heard of that was allergic to peanuts. We used to break his chops about it because it was such a strange thing to be allergic to. I have 3 kids (11, 8, & 5). There is AT LEAST 1 kid in each one of their class every year that's got a nut allergy. One year one of my there was NOBODY in one of their classes that had a nut allergy and we were shocked. There's definitely something going on.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

cdnpinhead said:

Where have all these nut allergies come from? Were people reacting to and dying from such things 50 years ago and they just didn't know what caused it, or what? Very strange, or maybe I missed the memo.

Growing up (I'm 41), my friend Jason was literally the ONLY person I ever knew or had heard of that was allergic to peanuts. We used to break his chops about it because it was such a strange thing to be allergic to. I have 3 kids (11, 8, & 5). There is AT LEAST 1 kid in each one of their class every year that's got a nut allergy. One year one of my there was NOBODY in one of their classes that had a nut allergy and we were shocked. There's definitely something going on.

Agreed, my wife is a kindergarten aide at my son's old school and every class has at least one kid with a peanut allergy.

berri

Despite Andrew, in very "southern" Florida, isn't the gulf side more susceptible or probable to a hurricane occurrence than the eastern part? I agree they are worse than a tornado because of the extreme precipitation and the much larger land mass affected. Wish those in Texas well.

Allergies can be much more dangerous than many think and kids are often the most at risk. All the more reason why big pharma and the Epipen price gouging is repugnant and really, sort of un-American if you think about it. That company basically did things that were very hurtful and dangerous to more than a few US citizens.

fintail

I'm sorry to read about that. Things like that hit home. I know a few people I knew in grade school/high school who are gone now, and I am the same age as you. It makes me want to enjoy life a little more - I was really frugal when I got my first job after school, but as time goes on, I try to enjoy a little more.

What hit me was my dad passing unexpectedly just before he was 70. He was 40 when I was born, so I was still relatively young. It made me think, if I only make it til around that age, the time to enjoy a few things is now. I'd rather travel and/or enjoy a nice car etc when I am still in relatively good shape, physically.

I'm also glad I don't have nut allergies. Hard to resist some good cashews, macadamias, or even good dry roasted peanuts.

nyccarguy said:

So true.  Especially the last statement.  Today (8/26) would have been a good friend of mine's 41st birthday.  He died a few months shy of his 27th birthday.  Ate a baked clam that was brushed with peanut oil.  He didn't have his EpiPen with him.  

thebean

Mr_Shiftright said:

It's water that kills people in storms like this, not wind.

Counterpoint (paraphrasing comedian Ron White) - it's not THAT the wind is blowing; it's WHAT the wind is blowing. If you get hit by a Volvo, the tide level don't come into play.

imidazol97

bwia said:

Global warming is real.

ab348 said:

The only real debate is what if anything can be done about it.

Global warming is not caused by anything over which mankind has a control. Climate does change. The data collection manipulation and misrepresentation are major errors for political purposes. Since the global warming concept was turned into a political tool, I suggest it's not a subject for the car forum unless we want to start analyzing thoroughly. Then maybe Edmunds will start a separate topic.

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

cdnpinhead said:

Where have all these nut allergies come from? Were people reacting to and dying from such things 50 years ago and they just didn't know what caused it, or what? Very strange, or maybe I missed the memo.

Come to think of it, pinhead, I also don't remember so many allergies to peanuts or other nuts. The need for an Epi Pen for certain allergies such as bee stings was well known when I was a kid - but the Epi Pens or serum(s) were kept in the school's nurse's office or in the home of kids allergic to bee stings. But I really don't remember anyone in my group of 30-40 boys when I was growing up who had an allergy to peanuts. Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches were the mainstay lunch for most of us back then.

I mentioned once before that on one of my bus runs the passenger sheet listed about 50% of the kids having some sort of allergy.

berri

Global warming is not caused by anything over which mankind has a control. Climate does change. The data collection manipulation and misrepresentation are major errors for political purposes. Since the global warming concept was turned into a political tool,

I'm not sure a lot of scientists are political animals. Seems there may be components of both, natural and man made issues. Asia blowing tons of CO2 over the Pacific into North America is not a positive, nor is North America doing the same over the Atlantic into Europe, etc. I don't see how trying to reduce carbon emissions around the globe is a problem if done smartly.

imidazol97

oldfarmer50 said:

I mentioned once before that on one of my bus runs the passenger sheet listed about 50% of the kids having some sort of allergy.

I read recently there's a way to help youngsters overcome a peanut allergy. Something of a conditioning process IIRC. A friend of ours in the past wouldn't go into a bird seed store because some of the seeds contain peanuts along with squirrel food in the specialty store. Yet she could eat other kinds of nuts. She treated both her sons as though they too had peanut allergy although I don't know that either had been verified by testing.

Kids living too clean when little is what some say leaves them susceptible to allergies. Licking dirt off our hands when we ate something when I was a kid should have kept me from being allergic to some ragweed and spring allergies. Handing the hay bales on the wagon should have innoculated me. But instead I ended up with strong reactions making me miserable for the next day.

thebean

imidazol97 said:

bwia said:

Global warming is real.

ab348 said:

The only real debate is what if anything can be done about it.

Global warming is not caused by anything over which mankind has a control. Climate does change. The data collection manipulation and misrepresentation are major errors for political purposes. Since the global warming concept was turned into a political tool, I suggest it's not a subject for the car forum unless we want to start analyzing thoroughly. Then maybe Edmunds will start a separate topic.

Imid, I very much disagree with you, but I respect your opinion. We'll just have to agree to disagree. I don't think there is any definitive evidence that proves either side. The discussion is a rathole and is probably best abandoned.

Mr_Shiftright

imidazol97 said:

bwia said:

Global warming is real.

ab348 said:

The only real debate is what if anything can be done about it.

Global warming is not caused by anything over which mankind has a control. Climate does change. The data collection manipulation and misrepresentation are major errors for political purposes. Since the global warming concept was turned into a political tool, I suggest it's not a subject for the car forum unless we want to start analyzing thoroughly. Then maybe Edmunds will start a separate topic.

Let's not go there at all.

driver100

FYI
What percent of children have food allergies?
Food allergies are on the rise, but no one knows why. The percentage of children with a food allergy has increased by about 50% between 1997 and 2011. One in 13 children in the U.S. now has a food allergy. Around 15 million people in the United States have a food allergy.

Mr_Shiftright

One theory being researched is that children in highly industrialized countries lack vital gut bacteria, possibly wiped out by heavy uses of antibiotics.

murphydog

Shifting gears here. Day 1 of end of summer vacation in Phoenix. First we find a scorpion in the house...even dodged the vacuum when my wife mistook it for a dust bunny.

Then I find a dead mouse in the pool strainer...must have been fresh as it had nearly all of its fur

berri

Scorpions, swimming pool in Seattle - Wow!

qbrozen

Mr_Shiftright said:

One theory being researched is that children in highly industrialized countries lack vital gut bacteria, possibly wiped out by heavy uses of antibiotics.

I blame that plus the horrible things in all the processed and preserved food that is so prevalent. 

houdini1

nyccarguy said:

fintail said:

Enjoy it, pensions are a fairytale from the past for most of the private sector now, and the private sector will probably end up taxed more to support generous public sector entitlements.

Spend less than you make, but be sure to stop and enjoy the fruits of your labor now and then. Live like nobody else, and remember that tomorrow isn't guaranteed.

So true.  Especially the last statement.  Today (8/26) would have been a good friend of mine's 41st birthday.  He died a few months shy of his 27th birthday.  Ate a baked clam that was brushed with peanut oil.  He didn't have his EpiPen with him.  

Yes, there is an old saying that says if you want to make G*D laugh, just tell him your long range plans.

houdini1

ab348 said:

bwia said:

In the Caribbean, the water and landslides cause the most damage. As more "development" come to the region they clear the land by cutting the trees that hold up the soil. In the end, tropical storms and hurricanes create mayhem leaving poor people even more destitute.

Not sure, but climate change could be a big contributor to rising sea levels and bigger and more violent storms around the world. Coral reefs that act as natural storm barriers are dying and low lying areas like South Florida and Louisiana are exposed to increasing flood damage. As the climatologist would say, it is not fake news. Global warming is real.

The only real debate is what if anything can be done about it.

I think they want to replace all those dying reefs with bales of taxpayer money.

Mr_Shiftright

Please let's stay off this subject. Thank you.

stickguy

keep it car related. Take all the unusable VW diesels, and sink them to make an artificial reef!

ab348

BREAKING: Dudes on automotive forum solve climate change problem!

stickguy

well, if you gather together a large enough number of intelligent people, you can accomplish a lot with crowd sourcing.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

well, if you gather together a large enough number of intelligent people, you can accomplish a lot with crowd sourcing.

That's assuming you can find any intelligent people. Watching reports from Texas and I couldn't believe the number of dumb people driving through high water. I saw one Corolla looking like a submarine plowing down the street with the bow wave topping the hood. That car must have a high intake inlet because I don't see how it kept going without hydro locking.

I guess we'll be seeing a lot of 'extra clean' southern car bargains flooding CL in the coming weeks.

I know there are ways to wash a flood car title so it's history is not readily evident. Does anyone know how that is done exactly? Are there certain states where this is done more than others and more importantly would these damages show in a CarFax?

stickguy

some states IIRC had loose rules, so you could take a tainted title and register it in S. Carolina I think, then re-register it elsewhere to come out with a clean title. Just have to hope that Carfax catches it.

driver100

Does this storm mean the price of gas is going to go up?
And, why, even when they raise the price, is there always enough anyway? We just pay more for it!

stickguy

yes, and shortages in some areas of the country

driver100

This would be a good time to have at least one......electric car.

driver100

murphydog said:

Shifting gears here. Day 1 of end of summer vacation in Phoenix. First we find a scorpion in the house...even dodged the vacuum when my wife mistook it for a dust bunny.

Then I find a dead mouse in the pool strainer...must have been fresh as it had nearly all of its fur

Maybe the scorpion....killed, the mouse.
I have been watching a lot of British mysteries lately?
Anyone watch Sherlock on Netflix.
I hardly ever watched the TV, then I discovered Netflix!!!!!!!!!

carnaught

driver100 said:

This would be a good time to have at least one......electric car.

NOT good if there's no electricity though.

ab348

driver100 said:

Anyone watch Sherlock on Netflix.
I hardly ever watched the TV, then I discovered Netflix!!!!!!!!!

I tried to watch it on PBS when friends told me how great it was.

I absolutely hated it.

I am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes and loved the Jeremy Brett series. To me that is how it should be done.

Putting it into today's time and having Cumberbunch as the lead just killed it for me. Plus I hated all the production gimmicks and SFX they used. Could. Not. Watch.

jmonroe

carnaught said:

driver100 said:

This would be a good time to have at least one......electric car.

NOT good if there's no electricity though.

So true, which is why if I ever get an electric car, my first purchase after installing the home charger, would be to get a gasoline powered generator.

FWIW, I've been thinking about getting one anyway.

jmonroe

stickguy

we have gas, so I would get the generator plumbed into that. no worries about getting fuel delivered.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

This would be a good time to have at least one......electric car.

Unless the power goes out.

imidazol97

I wonder how the Tesla owners in that area are doing? Are their noses still in the air?
Leaf owners?

driver100

jmonroe said:

carnaught said:

driver100 said:

This would be a good time to have at least one......electric car.

NOT good if there's no electricity though.

So true, which is why if I ever get an electric car, my first purchase after installing the home charger, would be to get a gasoline powered generator.

FWIW, I've been thinking about getting one anyway.

jmonroe

Don't you need gas for the generator?