Can't beat Amish craftsmanship!

[aemeijers]

I'll second that on the furniture at least. There is a boutique furniture store a few blocks from here that I go into maybe once a year, just to drool, that specializes in Amish-produced goods. Absurdly expensive, but most of it would easily last a century or more, with reasonable care. I have maybe 30 years left at best, and no heirs, so not much point in my paying the super-high prices. But if I was to hit the lotto or something, and build my dream house, that is definitely where I would go to furnish the place.

You can like a poem or a song, without liking the person that wrote it. I agree that the convoluted strictures the Amish follow are silly, but they sure know how to put pieces of wood together, and I do respect that.

-- aem sends...

[HeyBub]

A teaching moment...

The operative rule is that an observant Jew is permitted to take advantage of a process that began before the Sabbath. Heck, all one's food was GROWING on some prior Sabbath!

Some people think it's a CHORE to pre-tear the toilet paper, but not really. The paper's got to be torn eventually...

[HeyBub]

[e-mail] wrote: .

Who cares? They still make hand-crafted stoves!

[celticsoc]

rote:

You give three links to stories about the same person, and you want that extended to the whole community? By the way, do you know what an unbiased source is? A website dedicated to "athiesm, evolution, skepticism" hardly qualifies.

OK, we have established that you don't like the Amish. Now, instead of taking a single story about a supposed event that allegedly happened to someone else who has a bone to pick with the Amish and spreading unsubstantiated stories about the Amish in general, why not acknowledge that, if this did happen, it appears to be an isolated incident. Then tell us what your real problem is with the Amish. It's a lot easier to win arguments when they aren't based on fabrications that can be uncovered as such later. Of course, it is certainly possible to poison the well and raise doubts among those who look no further, but the backlash can be hell...

[salty]

The account I gave a link for is a FIRST HAND account. If you dismiss that so easily, then it's obvious that it is you that has the agenda and bias.

[DerbyDad03]

Thanks...like I said I could be wrong and obviously I was - sort of anyway.

Some of the areas of NYC where I hung out (Forest Hills comes to mind) had large Jewish populations and lots of tall apartment buildings. I don't recall seeing elevator control panels like the one shown in the Wiki page. In fact, I just called my wife, who grew up in an apartment building in Forest Hills and she never heard of them either. I then called my sister-in-law - a Jew (non-orthdox) living on Long Island and working in Manhatten and she has never seen one either. She knew all about families that had "goys" who would turn on lights and stoves at agreed upon times for the Jews and other "automatic" mechanisms like I mentioned before, but she has never heard of nor seen a Sabbath elevator. But obviously, they exist.

She also mentioned, just like they say in the Wiki article, that it all depends on your level of observance. Some Jews feel that using things like goys to turn on a light or riding in a Sabbath elevator would be bending the rules too far, while others think it is fine.

In any case, it can make for an interesting discussion.

[mm]

Absolutely. I've found rather than buy particle board furniture, it's worth paying twice as much for big-particle board furniture.

Just kidding. You're right.

Sometimes with men's clothes, if you spend twice as much, you get something that lasts 4 or 8 times as long. Etc.

[AZ Nomad]

and sometimes the exact opposite, ie: designer jeans.

[Ed Pawlowski]

In any case, it can make for an interesting discussion.

*********************************************************

Honey, I'm hungry. Can you call Rent-A-Goy to turn on the stove?

When I was in high school I worked in a grocery store owned by a Jewish couple. A few times we were asked to do certain things at the time of the Holidays, but it was minimal. Their level of observance was low.

[DerbyDad03]

The local Rent-A-Goy dealership had better be close by 'cuz she wouldn't be allow to "call" them on the phone. The best she could do was holler out the window.

"Oh, Goy...Could you come here a minute, bubbala? My husband is making such a tzimmis about his dinner."

[N8N]

Funny you should mention that... I used to be a Levi's snob, but AFAICT their quality isn't any better than anyone else's today. Needed a new pair of jeans over the holidays, bought a pair of Wranglers for $16 at Target (spoken with a French accent, of course.) They had Levi's one rack over for more $$ but I couldn't tell them apart from one another if you covered the labels. Last pair of Levi's I bought (at a real Levi's store, not the cheap ones you get in department stores) got a hole in the denim right over the right front pocket after maybe 6 mos. of wear... not going to pay $40 for that again.

nate

[HeyBub]

That may have been intentional. Levi-Strauss is a gay-friendly company.

[aemeijers]

You sure seem to pay a lot of attention to the gay world, for a presumably straight guy...

But as to Levi-Strauss- they are naught but a brand name now, just like all the others. I don't think they have operated any of their own plants in at least ten years, and I haven't seen 'made in USA' on any of their products in longer than that. It made me sad when that happened- I used to be a loyal customer. I started drifting away when they tried to become a fashion company, rather than a vendor of durable reasonably priced clothing. Because of the long-term contracts they had with the 'name' department stores, they had to bring out a cheap line (aka 'signature series') to get space at wally world and such. No tabs, and no pocket stitching. But even their fancy line has gone to hell- only a couple colors and styles, sky-high prices, way too much catering to urban hood styles, etc. And I haven't seen the real jean jackets in at least 10 years.

For a couple years, one of the other manufacturers (Dickie, I think) made a pretty good knockoff of the 550 5-pocket style, in several non-blue normal colors, and not pre-frayed. I could even wear them to the office. But alas, those too have vanished. When the ones I have now wear out, I'll be trapped in khaki hell till something else comes along. I don't do 'dress' pants, so my choices are limited.

-- aem sends...

[AZ Nomad]

what an idiotic comment.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 1/2/2009 2:56 PM AZ Nomad spake thus:

Actually, it's true. That may have been written as an irrelevant joke, but it is a San Francisco-based company that is gay-friendly (a credit to them in my book, but whatever).

[clare]

It is a first hand account - yes - but I would say she has an axe to grind. Does it happen sometimes? In some communities? Undoubtably - but it is NOT part of their religion. It happens in ALL communities, to one extent or another - not unique to the Amish.

If a young person does not want to become an adult Amish, they are free to leave. They WILL be shunned - to their community they will be no better than the "english" - they will not be allowed to associate with their own people. THAT is true.

I grew up in an Amish area, and currently live in an area with many Old Order (as well as other) mennonites, and about 30 miles from "amish country"

[HeyBub]

I wouldn't have to if they'd simply paint themselves in vivid colors.

Well, some DO, actually -- but I mean all of them.

It's well known that Global Warming was caused by the AIDS quilt...

[Ed Pawlowski]

******************************************

Couple of months ago I bought a pair of Dockers from Casual Male for $50 or so. A few weeks later I bought a pair of George brand slacks at WalMart for $20. The details of the two are identical. Even some pocket stitching and so forth is identical. Difference is the label and price tag.

[Cheri]

Many years ago I worked briefly for Catalina Swimwear (which was an expensive brand at the time) the same swim suits and sportswear also went out under a different label and were cheaper. Same stuff, different price.

Cheri

[KLS]

Same here: now I just buy whatever carpenter pants or jeans I see at a good price that fit reasonably well. I do have a pair of black Levi's reverse cut jeans that are a model discontinued around 1986 or so (when I bought them); I could never find another pair like these, and they are in perfect shape, albeit faded from years of wear. They don't fit, sadly, so I'm holding them for one of my nephews or niece to grow into because by that time they'll be vintage, probably.