[pianotech] NY Times article on pianos (OT)

[paul bruesch]

Or, just press ctrl and + to make it larger, or ctrl and - to make it
smaller... at least on Windows. Not sure what to do on Magic Macs.

Paul Bruesch
Stillwater, MN

On Tue, Jul 31, 2012 at 6:59 PM, David Lawson <
dlawson at davidlawsonspianos.com.au> wrote:

> **
> Hi Terry,
>
> Any messages you get with a font too small or hard to read can be
> rectified by clicking on the "forward" or "reply" button, then highlight
> the text that is hard to read and you can change the font & size to
> whatever you like (see below!)
> Hope this helps.
>
> Regards,
>
> Alastair
> David Lawson's Pianos
> Australia
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Terry Farrell <mfarrel2 at tampabay.rr.com>
> *To:* pianotech at ptg.org
> *Sent:* Tuesday, July 31, 2012 7:18 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [pianotech] NY Times article on pianos (OT)
>
> Susan - I don't know if I am the only one who receives your posts in the
> tiny courier font or not, but it is very difficult to read. It is tiny and
> looks like you were running out of ink on your ribbon. Is it possible for
> you to use a larger, more readable font? I've always enjoyed your posts,
> but I have to admit that I tend to not read them now because the font used
> is so difficult to read. Or is it on my end?  :-)
>
> Terry Farrell
>
>  On Jul 30, 2012, at 11:02 PM, Susan Kline wrote:
>
>  Hi, Bill
>
> We can agree to disagree about that. Certainly there's plenty of blame to
> go around.
>
> The predatory lending, and the draconian bankruptcy bill which saddles
> young people with debt
> for their natural lives, and the vicious collection practices (pressuring
> kids to
> pay their loans before their rent, their utilities, their food, or their
> medicine)
> seem to be to be far from blameless. And the way they've set up loans so
> if graduates
> can't make payments, the principal just mounts up and up -- doubling,
> tripling --
> "I owe my soul to the company store" comes to mind.
>
> It all seems very similar to the mortgages banks sold to people who
> obviously would
> default. They privatize the profit while socializing the risk.
>
> I'm done with politics, here. Suffice to say that no one newly graduated
> with
> a six-figure debt will be able to study piano tuning, or live on a
> beginning
> tuner's earnings. And that has been going on for decades already. No
> wonder
> routine work isn't getting done.
>
> It reminds me of places where the cost of real estate and rent gets so
> high
> that the service people (gardeners, window cleaners, day care people,
> etc.) can't
> afford to live within commuting distance.
>
> It all feels like endgame to me. If things can't get any more expensive
> and complicated and impractical, in the end they will come crashing down.
>
> Best to keep a wary eye on the basics in our lives -- where does our food,
> electricity, fuel, etc. come from, and will it keep coming? Is the
> division of
> labor which we've become totally dependent on really going to go on
> forever? Anyone feel like investing in some nice high-paying Spanish
> bonds? 25% unemployment in Spain these days. What are they all going to
> do?
>
> Thumpe's right -- gardening is good. Not because it is financially
> profitable
> right now, but because the food is better than store-bought, and growing
> it
> teaches people how to do it successfully, and how to use the produce and
> plant the right amounts at the right times. Someday they might really need
> this
> skill. Plus some plants like fruit trees and berry bushes and nut trees
> need time to grow.
>
> Best,
> Susan
>
> Bill Fritz wrote:
>
> Susan, while I'd agree that this world is indeed changing...
>
> However, I would respectfully suggest that Wall Street is not at fault for
> the massive Student Loan mess... it is the US Govt, the Colleges, & the
> Professors who encouraged students to take on too much debt at too young an
> age.  I'll also fault the parents, though the students are by law allowed
> to make their own decisions, and indeed do so too willingly.
>
> Easy loan money from the USGovt encourages students to step up to more
> expensive colleges, and only encourages the Colleges & the Professors to
> raise their rates.
>
> The law of supply & demand... except in this case, Wall Street had nothing
> to do w/ it.
>
> Best Regards...   Bill Fritz, St Louis
>
>
>   From: Susan Kline <skline at peak.org> <skline at peak.org> To:
> pianotech at ptg.org Subject: Re: [pianotech] NY Times article on pianos
> Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2012 14:28:37 -0700
> What I see is one more way in which this country has paid for letting
> Wall Street put most of the young and educated into indentured servitude
> via student loans.
>
>
>
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