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AlongTheWay

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Posts posted by AlongTheWay

  1. 14 hours ago, RickS said:

    And it has also been my observation that the 'deniers' are generally of two ilks: they 'come from' those who have some sort of vested interest in big business or in the petroleum spectrum.... either financially or taxes or jobs.

    There is certainly truth in this!  But, it's not just the deniers, true of people both against, and for. 

    Having a vested interest is pretty much the only rule of law in our modern world.  People, including many who work for the government in career postions, politicians, ALL Lobbists, most likely all corporations - they all want to profit in some way or another, without regard to the well being or welfare of the rest of the people or world.

    That's partly way so many prescribed "actions" to combat problems end up serving just a minority, at the cost of the majority.

  2. 18 hours ago, CHILLIN said:

    You are discussing in a bullying sort of way. That is not well tolerated here, many people, including myself, will not read whatever you have to say on this topic or any other you post. That is the way it is. Sorry. Move to somewhere that people might be coherced into your point of view. Stevie Wonder is moving to Ghana - maybe that is a good starting place.


    A bullying sort of way?  I guess you don't have a mirror to look in?

    You're bullying at me telling me to go away.  You are bullying me with your words and intent.

    Why is it that you can't offer any facts to prove your point?  Why is it that you and others, have to attack me, instead of providing some proof to support your beliefs??  You don't have any proof?

    Or how about this attempt to again, put me down personally, and which still doesn't offer any actual, supportive facts to support their position?

    "Al Gore has forgotten more about climate change than you will ever know."

    Such is just stupid.  I haven't claimed to know anything about Climate Change, except a little of what history has to offer.  AL Gore made claims of disaster, none of which has come true?  Can you prove this to be inaccurate or false?

    Each of you who've tried to discredit me, have ignored my written acknowledgement of, and belief in, Climate Change.  Instead, you've attacked the journalist's who wrote the articles quoting the "experts", and you ignore that the very same newspapers who've published those past articles, continue to publish more of the same! 

    Doesn't anybody actually THINK?  Are you completely unable to admit, simply admit, those things didn't take place?  Why would that be?

    They were printed in established papers, spoken by experts supporting what appears to be your "cause" and they were wrong.  Admit it.  Then move on!

    This doesn't make the whole Climate Change issue wrong, just those specific precognitions!  Get a life!  In a war, you may lose a few battles, fighting for your cause, but those losses don't mean you'll lose the war.

    Grow up and have the courage, if not humility, to admit, many forecasts related to disastrous events were simply wrong.

    Until you can do that, they only people who will listen to you are those just like you.  Want to make a difference?  What to help change the world?

    Start dealing honestly with facts and admit falsehoods.  Then people will listen.

    What a great world you'd create by attacking and trampling down any voice that doesn't agree with you, where there can be no peaceful discussion, only hate and disrespect.

    Which is most of what gets posted on this board, which is why there are so few gringos who bother to read or post here.  Just a sad little "click" who've nothing better to do.

    Doessn't matter the topic, Climate Change, Trump, Clinton, Biden, same thing, time after time.


    Pitiful.

     

  3. (Medical alert:  If you're a true believer and have any pre-existing co-morbidities, your doctor would certainly suggest  you don't read this.)

    Dire climate predictions from Scientists and Politicians which haven't come true...  (it's a long list)  

    But, as is often said of recent, "It's science!  It must be true."

    https://cei.org/blog/wrong-again-50-years-of-failed-eco-pocalyptic-predictions/

    • Sad 2
  4. Friday, last week, I took a VW Jetta 1.8 Turbo, by appointment, over to Moy to check/fix the charging system.  This was my first time at his business.  (My testing indicated a bad alternator.)

    Moy called me later in the afternoon and said that the alternator was in fact, bad and a replacement alternator is  "about 6,000p", and labor of 2,000p.  The cost for the alternator seemed WAY too much to me, but I needed it done and said yes.  He also said the alternator belt was old and should be replaced. I agreed.

    He called me on Saturday and said the car was ready to pick up, and that he took it for a test drive to see if it was working.  (A test drive isn't necessary to confirm an alternator is working.)  He told he got a discount from the parts supplier so the total ends up less than he'd quoted.
                        
    He complimented the model of my car, the power/acceleration of and driving fun the car gives.  And he asked me how much I wanted for it.  Easy to understand his interest, but I said it's not for sale.  

    As I live some distance from his shop, I said I would come in Monday before noon to pay and pick it up.  He offered to drive it out to me, which sounds nice, but I didn't need it that and frankly, didn't want him taking it for a joy ride.  We agreed on Monday.

    Monday while I'm driving to his shop he called and asked me if I was coming.  I said yes, I'm west of San Juan Cosala and should be there in a half hour or so.  "Fine.  I have an errand to run and will be back in 30 minutes."

    When I arrived at his shop, he wasn't there and neither was my car.  He took my car for this second drive, without asking or informing me, even though we were on the phone just minutes before he left.

    He told me he'd had trouble starting the car, and so he took it for a drive to make sure it was running correctly.  Then he told me the car's computer had three error codes, two indicating a possible bad Cam Position Sensor and one indicating a bad Wheel sensor.  And handed me his bill, with the invoice from Autozone for the Alternator and the Belt and his company invoice.  

    My co-driver spoke fluent Spanish and discussed everything with him, the changed belt, did he exchange the alternator. He said yes.  To be certain, she asked him a second time and again he said yes, he had exchanged the alternator.  They also talked about the two sensors and oil changes.

    I have some auto mechanic training, and asked him to explain to me the function of these two sensors in English, but he really could not explain them at all.  Nothing he was saying about the sensors made any sense to me at all.  Asking the price of the Cam sensor, he said 6,000p and, "you can expect to replace it every six months".  A routine $300 USD part every six months?  Doesn't sound good!

    Unwilling to go further at the moment, I paid him the total on the bill and went home.

    I decided to look the bill over again and thus come to the conclusion that he has padded the bill by almost 100%!

    With an alternator replacement, as with many other parts, it is common to exchange your old part, or, you pay a refundable deposit which you get back if you take them the part later.  

    The Autozone invoice indicated the Alternator had a sale price (costo) of 2,519.10 and an exchange deposit (casco) of 1,800p.  It showed a sale price of 386.10 for the belt.  It's total is 4,705.2p.  That means this invoice does not show the return of the old Alternator.  Often, that will be done on a later visit to the store.

    Attached was his company invoice which listed three items.  The first line listed the Alternator 4,705p.  This amount is the total of the Autozone invoice, which includes the price of the alternator, the belt and the exchange deposit, 2,519, 386.10 and 1,800.

    The next line of his invoice is for the belt, 386.10.  Note, this amount is already included in the first line of his invoice for the Alternator.  (double billing?).

    The last line was for his labor charge of 2,250p (not the 2,000p he told me). His company invoice was for 7,340p.

    So, it appears he's charging me the 1,800p exchange deposit, money he woulds receive back from Autozone unpon exchanging my old Alternator, and he's already said twice he exchanged it (meaning, he'd have received the deposit back).  He's charging me twice for the price of the Belt, and extra 250p labor.

    In order to take off and replace the Alternator, it is necessary to remove and reinstall the belt, it's not an extra service, rather it's a part of his initial 2,000p Labor charge.

    In my view, he's over charged me 1,800p and 386.10p and 250p for a total of 2,436.10p.  When subtracting these items from the other numbers, the actual bill should have been 4,905.10 but he billed me for 7,340p.

    The bill was almost exactly twice the proper amount.

     

    I returned to his shop on Wednesday to discuss this with him, he spent quite a while trying to convince me he didn't exchange the old alternator because "it didn't work, they wouldn't take it."  But that's the whole point of the exchange; it doesn't work, you give it to them, they have someone else rebuilt it and then resell it as a rebuilt part.  I didn't accept this answer.

    He "noticed" that he had double billed me for the belt and was willing to give me 386 back, but, if he paid me the 1,800, he'd lose money on the deal.  He said the extra 250 of labor was because he had to install the belt, which again, is just a part of changing out Alternators regardless of a new belt of putting on the old one.

    In the end, I walked away having been paid back 1,800p, tired of the interaction and willing to let him keep the other 636p just to be done and on my way.  That still gives him a 24% bonus.

    At no time was I or was he, unpleasant or disrespectful or threatening.  He didn’t always look me in the eye.

    As follow up, I stopped at Orma to check the price for the Cam Position Sensor, strangely, it wasn't even close to the 6,000p he told me, it was right at 500p.  Quite a difference.

    To those of you who are very satisfied with him, with his work, you might consider taking a closer look at his invoices/charges in the future.  Or, maybe, this is just a one-time thing, all a big mistake?

    I don't expect to use his services again.

  5. Actually, if you look closely when you go by next time, I think you will see that the sign says "We Accept Most USA Insurances".  At least, that's what I saw last time I passed by and confirmed via google street view just now.

    Their process might be different than what you have come to expect elsewhere, difficult, time consuming, confusing, and even heavily bureaucratic, sure.  But not everyone is going to see it as misleading.

    Another view would be, "Hey, this is great, I might be able to use my USA Health insurance down here!"

    Or not.

  6. "Centros De Servcio Master", Av. Lazaro Cardenas #1723, Col. Del Sur, Guadalajara.

    Authorized service for Makita, DeWwalt, Milwuakee, Bosch, etc.

    Also massive retails sales of the above.

    From the Abastos, head east on the paralle a short distance, you'll see a row of several store fronts, all with signs for the above brands.

    They appear to service all brands.

  7. David,

    Years back I asked a Pharmacist up north if there was a generic alternative to Nyquil. After telling me there wasn't, she went on to say it was "easy to replicate Nyquil's effects, it's essentially just antihistamine and alcohol".  

    Since, I have confirmed this with several Doctors, none have said anything against the practice.

    Read the label, see for yourself.

    A couple of antihistamine pills and a shot of alcohol.

    • Haha 1
  8. 4 minutes ago, ea93105 said:

    Sorry, I remembered reading a "ten times" article but it appears to be ten times more deadly according to the WHO :  "The novel coronavirus is 10 times more deadly than swine flu, also called H1N1 "

    This is the same thing.  A comparison can't be factually stated or correctly made without a proper head count of the number of infected. 

    Nor can it be accurate, for additional reasons. 

    For one, CDC states:  "This includes deaths where COVID-19 is listed as a “presumed” or “probable” cause." 

    Presumptions are not facts.

    https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/tech_notes.htm

    Also, many states and countries report quite differently regarding their "deaths".  A Pew Trusts report a few days ago mentions this.

    "... the patchwork of available information shows the differing ability of health officials to accurately collect and report data"

    https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2020/04/27/public-coronavirus-data-varies-widely-between-states

    And this from USATODAY:

    Mapping coronavirus numbers across the USA reveals stark variations in reported cases between counties separated by state lines".

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2020/05/04/covid-19-numbers-along-state-lines-show-problems-reopening-plans/3050921001/

    And BBC points out.

    "There are differences in how countries record Covid-19 deaths.  France and Germany, for example, have been including deaths in care homes in the headline numbers they produce every day.

    But the daily figures for England referred only to deaths in hospitals until 29 April, when they started factoring in deaths in care homes as well.

    A further complication is that there is no accepted international standard for how you measure deaths, or their causes.

    Does somebody need to have been tested for coronavirus to count towards the statistics, or are the suspicions of a doctor enough?

    Germany counts deaths in care homes only if people have tested positive for the virus. Belgium, on the other hand, includes any death in which a doctor suspects coronavirus was involved.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/52311014

     

    A person might have been dying from, for example, diabetes, become infected and "die sooner".  Or it might have been a 93 year old on oxygen or a ventilator, being held to life by modern medical abilities, become infected and die sooner.

    Certainly many might argue that the virus was the cause, but it's more likely the virus primarily, a catalyst.  I can't prove that.  Nobody can yet.

    Regardless, without knowing the real numbers, and being able to compare apples to apples.

    Nobody knows.

     

    • Like 2
  9. 54 minutes ago, El Menudo said:

    You got that right!  Now we have monkeys.

     

    53 minutes ago, El Menudo said:

    We should and need to be afraid.

     

    40 minutes ago, El Menudo said:

    A shallow and self center point of view.

     

    26 minutes ago, El Menudo said:

    Stop staring at the sun ☀️ 

     

    19 minutes ago, El Menudo said:

    Lame comparison.

    Do you have anything even slightly resembling intelligent thought to share?  Something that any thinking or rational person would consider a valuable contribution to this topic, this form, or this community?   Rhetorical, I assure you.

    • Like 3
  10. 19 minutes ago, ea93105 said:

    The critical difference is that Covid 19 is TEN times more contagious than the flu , no comparison

    How do you know that figure? 

    Nobody on the planet knows how many people are infected.  Nobody. 

    Without it, the contagion percentage can not be calculated. You are right.  There is no comparison, but your reasoning is wrong.  You can't compare these numbers because the first is years behind us and the second has just shown itself.

     

     

  11. Hysteria:  behavior exhibiting overwhelming or unmanageable fear or emotional excess... 

    The year was 1957.

    Elvis Was King, Ike Was President, and 116,000 Americans Died in a Pandemic

    Elvis’s new movie “Jailhouse Rock” was packing the theaters. The last episode of “I Love Lucy” aired on television. The show “West Side Story” held tryouts in Washington, D.C., and opened on Broadway in September. Ford’s new car the Edsel rolled off the assembly line. The Cold War with Russia was on and “In God We Trust” appeared on U.S. currency. The first Toys R Us store opened. 

    Also that year, the so-called Asian Flu killed 116,000 Americans. Here is the full summary from the Centers for Disease Control:

    In February 1957, a new influenza A (H2N2) virus emerged in East Asia, triggering a pandemic (“Asian Flu”). This H2N2 virus was comprised of three different genes from an H2N2 virus that originated from an avian influenza A virus, including the H2 hemagglutinin and the N2 neuraminidase genes. It was first reported in Singapore in February 1957, Hong Kong in April 1957, and in coastal cities in the United States in summer 1957. The estimated number of deaths was 1.1 million worldwide and 116,000 in the United States.

    Like the current pandemic, there was a demographic pattern to the deaths. It hit the elderly population with heart and lung disease. In a frightening twist, the virus could also be fatal for pregnant women. The infection rate was probably even higher than the Spanish flu of 1918 (675,000 Americans died from this), but this lowered the overall case fatality rate to 0.67%. A vaccine became available in late 1957 but was not widely distributed. 

    The population of the U.S. at the time was 172 million, which is a little more than half of the current population. Life expectancy was 69 as versus 78 today. Even with shorter lives, it was a healthier population with lower rates of obesity. To extrapolate the data to a counterfactual, we can conclude that this virus was more wicked than COVID-19 thus far. 

    What’s remarkable when we look back at this year, nothing was shut down. Restaurants, schools, theaters, sporting events, travel – everything continued without interruption. Without a 24-hour news cycle with thousands of news agencies and a billion websites hungry for traffic, mostly people paid no attention other than to keep basic hygiene. It was covered in the press as a medical problem. The notion that there was a political solution never occurred to anyone. 

    [Note of correction. A correspondent pointed out to me that “The October 1957 LDS General Conference was cancelled because of the flu epidemic in 1957 and there may have been other organizations that did so.” I’m grateful for the correction, and it makes the point: society was not ignorant of the pandemic. Instead, there was a variety of intelligent responses depending on the risk. I’m speculating that this event would have included quite a number of people on the list of the vulnerable.]

    Again, this was a very serious flu, and it persisted for 10 years until it mutated to become the Hong Kong flu of 1968. 

    Screen-Shot-2020-05-04-at-9.52.11-AM-1.p

    The New York Times had some but not much coverage. On September 18, 1957, an editorial counseled: “Let us all keep a cool head about Asian influenza as the statistics on the spread and the virulence of the disease begin to accumulate. For one thing, let us be sure that the 1957 type of A influenza virus is innocuous, as early returns show, and that antibiotics can indeed control the complications that may develop.”

    The mystery of why today vast numbers of governments around the world (but not all) have crushed economies, locked people under house arrest, wrecked business, spread despair, disregarded basic freedoms and rights will require years if not decades to sort out. Is it the news cycle that is creating mass hysteria? Political ambition and arrogance? A decline in philosophical regard for freedom as the best system for dealing with crises? Most likely, the ultimate answer will look roughly like what historians say about the Great War (WWI): it was a perfect storm that created a calamity that no one intended at the outset. 

    For staying calm and treating the terrible Asian flu of 1957 as a medical problem to address with medical intelligence, rather than as an excuse to unleash Medieval-style brutality, this first postwar generation deserves our respect and admiration. 

    Jeffrey A. Tucker  

    Editorial Director for the American Institute for Economic Research.

  12. 16 hours ago, Tarheel103 said:

    I heard a rumor that Spider Web has been putting in fiber optics internet in the Chapala Area.  Does anyone have any valid information on this?  Does anyone have it?  Is it reliable?

    I used Spyderweb (over-the-air) in a couple of different locations, for a total of maybe eight or ten months.  My experience wasn't the kind to brag about, somewhat like common complaints toward Telcel and Telmex...  Perhaps it has to do with a lessor inclination toward customer service which is found in many cultures as compared with the USA, Canada, etc.

    A seemingly total lack of caring if you want their service or don't, and if your service is working or not.  It was common to have sporadic internet.  In one case, I called and said "there is a problem, no Internet", and I was told there "isn't a problem".  I called multiple times over two weeks repeating (with details) there is a problem and was told again and again there wasn't.  That is, until they figured out there was.  It made no difference that I was reporting a problem and as far as I could determine, my reports received zero attention.

    However, I know another household that used them for several years, and they reported that "generally" it worked ok.  And yes, it seemed quite expensive for the speeds/bandwidth received.

    I now have over-the-air service from both AT&T and Telcel.  Purchased their modem(s) which contain a SIM card, service comes from the cell system.  The price seems quite a lot better.  There are two price packages (that I know of) with each company, a Five Mb, or a Ten Mb speed options, and if you exceed the monthly maximum bandwidth (150Gb?) there is NO extra cost.  The speed WILL be throttled down to 2 or 3 Mb, until the beginning of the next month, at which time, your bandwidth usage is reset and your speed goes back up.

    If you get either Telcel or AT&T at your location, and, if you can get a decent download speed on your smart phone, one of these might prove to be a better, or much better option.  Not to say they are trouble free, just generally, less troublesome.

  13. Ruben 331 048 9610.  He's been installing window tint for house, motor home, cars, for quite a while.  He commonly carries samples to choose from. 

    There are also suppliers of the material in Guad if you'd prefer to do it yourself, I don't know the address(es). 

    As Alpha1 stated, there are various qualities, colors (tint) and purposes.  Some block heat, some are mirrored.  3M has some great products.

    He'll come by, show you samples and give you a price.

  14. A judgement granted against you by a USA court, in and of itself, is meaningless here in Mexico.  Relax.

    If you lose in the USA and a Judgement against is granted, it is "possible" for the collection effort to come to Mexico, but the costs, steps and time involved would make it highly unlikely unless the amount owed is HUGE. Even then it would not be certain to win.

    The collections agency would have to take the USA Court documents to a Mexican Consulate, have the documents translated into Spanish by a certified translator approved by the Mexican Consulate, and then "certified" by the Consulate, then the documents would have to come to a Mexican lawyer, who would have to start a new action against you here, using the USA Judgement as the basis.

    The process here could take years, without certainty of success.

    You haven't indicated the amount of money that's involved in your problem up north, but, unless it is HUGE, the costs (in Mexico) and time involved would make no sense at all to the collection agency in the USA.

    If the amount of money is HUGE, or if you are charged with a serious USA Federal crime, or if the plaintiff were extraordinarily well connected with a USA Federal Senator, the USA Justice Department, the FBI or some other such agency that would have the potential to pressure the USA State Department, to ask the Mexican Federal government to step in, it might be possible to skip over process in Mexican courts.

    Over a civil problem from the USA?  Not likely.

    Pick a local bank you like, services that fit your needs, move the money, and forget about the threat from up north having any reasonable chance of following you here. 

    On the other hand, if you are really worried, choose a bank in a third country, such as Panama or Cayman Islands or other similar venue.

    • Like 1
  15. What you're looking in Spanish is called, Hielo Seca (the H is silent) and can be purchased from Praxair, a chain of medical supply shops around Guadalajara.  You should be able to search google maps for their locations.  One address is Av 8 de Juli No 1753, Col Morelos, C.P. 44910, Guadalajara.  333 268 1652.  www. praxair.com.mx

    My findings suggest the price is quite a lot higher than further north, perhaps because there doesn't seem to be much use (or awareness?) of it by the general population. 

    Also, if you ask for Hielo Seca, many locals won't know what you're talking about (my personal experience).  Asking at Home Depot had me staring at a type of insulation made from styrofoam pellets...

    If you need a larger quantity, need it over time or not until next week, Praxair can sell, or rent you large Co2 tanks and you can "make it" when you need it, returning or refilling the tank as desired.  (Dry ice can also be made from a Co2 fire extinguisher). 

    Process is easy, search google or youtube "make dry ice".  Releasing the Co2 from a tank into a burlap (or similar material) bag, using some safety measures such as being outdoors and thick gloves, will fill the bag with dry ice.

    Good luck.

    • Like 2
  16. I went by this location yesterday.  To be clear, if driving, you'd need to come from the east side, and still, the road will certainly challenge many cars/drivers.  All that's needed is a vehicle with some road clearance, and a driver with some patience.

    Had a nice talk with a young man there, and he explained the following...  (he doesn't speak English)

    The owners (from Guadalajara) of the property set up the worm business with the young man and his father working there a couple of years ago.  As things went, they added fresh grown foods and enjoyed some success.  Then there were fewer and fewer customers, finally, the land owners put an end to it.  

    The boy got permission to stay on, and he's now living there on his own, with a cat, dog, some chickens and a pig.  He had perhaps a single large bag of castings that could have been scraped off the ground.  He's hoping to rebuild the worm castings but says it will take a long time.  

    Since he has no capital and few other apparent resources, if he succeeds, it will likely require at least a couple of years.  There are perhaps, two dozen long rows enclosed by cinder bricks, a watering system of hoses which may or may not need full or partial replacement.  He's there hoping to get something going.  He could certainly use a angel's help.

    Anyone looking for castings might try some of the other options as mentioned above and check with a few of the local nurseries.

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