[OT] WSJ: “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior”

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[quote=flu][quote=bearishgurl][quote=jpinpb] . . . Back maybe 30 years ago, if someone had, say, a Mercedes, well, then, you think that person has money. Today, whenever I see an expensive car, I just think that person has a lot of debt. It is not impressive to me. And I think many times that is one of the purposes of some people is to get a car to impress. I think they are fooling themselves.[/quote]

So true, jp. Especially since, if one REALLY wanted a Mercedes, (or any other luxury vehicle) they can get a used one older than five years (the “certified-used” threshold) and let the first (and second, if applicable) owner take the hit on the bulk of the depreciation. These “older” models often “look” perfect, due to quality paint jobs and quality leather interiors and can make the same “impression.”

I see absolutely no reason at all to purchase a vehicle newer than five years old, of any make. Why mortgage your life away or “burn” your casryh, even if you have cash to burn??[/quote]

i disagree. Sorry BG, but It would have to be some exceptional reason for me to buy a preowned european car (like I knew the exact history of it, which I came almost to doing a few months ago). Particularly a high end, fully loaded with electronics thats more than 2 years old. Too many things and too many unknowns. Buying a high end 1-2 year preowned high end car, I wouldn’t really be “saving” that much relative to the entire purchase price. It’s not like 1-2 year old car will get me 50% off… For example. Let’s figure one wants to spend $100k on a S550. I seriously doubt one would consider saving $20k 1-2 year oldpreowned. If you can afford to be in a $100k car, you aren’t going to be worried about saving $20k for a preowned, you’re not going to be shelling out $80k either.

In any cases, most of these higher end cars are not purchased out right in cash anyway. Most are leased since in 3-4 years, people can ditch them for the latest and greatest..

…That is, unless you’re a fobby asian… in which case… you might not lease, but buy outright in cash…Or better yet, you buy your 20 year old college freshman daughter a new S550 in cash because you want her to be in a “safe” car…despite she can’t figure out how to park it into the garage of the 5 bdrm/bath SFH, which fobby mommy and daddy also bought for her while she is in college, which BTW, she got in (through admission of said fobby parents) was “helped” by a financial donation to the institution.

Yes, I’m speaking as from experience as a witness, because I’m the guy that frickin helps her move the car in and out of her garage because she cant figure out how to without banging into walls or the new car next to it……and neither can her fobby boyfriend….And BTW, the new second car exists for fobby reason #2…..Fobby parents hears child’s car broke down one time (well, actually it just needed new brake pads…)…but rather than let protected child go get a dealer provided rental, fobby parent buys her a spare car so it won’t happen again….. I guess that’s what happens when you have parents runs a import/export business that nets $20k PER DAY…. because obviously fobby parents made it very clear to me that that was the case too……So goddamn fob-u-licious.

And no, I am not jealous/envious. It’s pretty entertaining frankly, it’s almost comical…..I say almost, except the times when I think about the irony of the situation…I’m talking about a 15 year mortgage, and this 20 something year old lives in a home that is debt free. That’s the irony. But hey, that’s what happens when we send our hard earned dollars to overseas….It’s just fob-tastic.[/quote]

I don’t resent these kind of people as long as they live well and treat other people accordingly.

But I must say one thing about the word FOB. It kind of wierds me out. I have heard people jokingly use it many times (comes with having asian family) but I have heard it used in horrible context as well. It is almost the “N” word of the asain cultural. I have heard it used as a hateful word as well.

FLU, is this your next door nieghbor? Maybe she could attend Blackwater Summer Camp for the privileged! 😛

CE

[bearishgurl]

[quote=flu]i disagree. Sorry BG, but It would have to be some exceptional reason for me to buy a preowned european car (like I knew the exact history of it, which I came almost to doing a few months ago). Particularly a high end, fully loaded with electronics thats more than 2 years old. Too many things and too many unknowns. Buying a high end 1-2 year preowned high end car, I wouldn’t really be “saving” that much relative to the entire purchase price. It’s not like 1-2 year old car will get me 50% off… For example. Let’s figure one wants to spend $100k on a S550. I seriously doubt one would consider saving $20k 1-2 year oldpreowned. If you can afford to be in a $100k car, you aren’t going to be worried about saving $20k for a preowned, you’re not going to be shelling out $80k either.

In any cases, most of these higher end cars are not purchased out right in cash anyway. Most are leased since in 3-4 years, people can ditch them for the latest and greatest…[/quote]

flu, from my friends’ experiences in buying pre-owned used luxury vehicles, I have been told that the “certified-used” dealer premium can often be $3K to $10K (or more) over a private-party sale and is “pure profit” to dealers. One only has to compare the trade-in and private party values on kbb.com for a specific year/make/model to verify this.

If the “electronics” you are speaking of here are maps and TVs/DVDs, then I feel those “add-ons” are kind of superfluous. I have a “library” of paper atlases and road maps, even “specialty” plastic-coated maps for lakes and rivers, that I load my car up with prior to embarking on a road trip. I usually know in my head how to get to a certain destination, having driven there so many times, so just pull off the road and look at a map only if I need to. I think I’d be too distracted by a screen in the dash. Last night, as I was getting gas, the SUV in the bay next to me had Sponge Bob playing in a screen on the dash. I thought TVs were supposed to be facing the back seat(s). I think it’s unsafe to have a video screen facing the driver. But that’s just me. I’ve driven clear across the country and back sitting on vinyl seats with beach towels over them and non-tinted windows (rolled down/no AC) in 100-deg heat more than once :=]

[bearishgurl]

[quote=flu]i disagree. Sorry BG, but It would have to be some exceptional reason for me to buy a preowned european car (like I knew the exact history of it, which I came almost to doing a few months ago). Particularly a high end, fully loaded with electronics thats more than 2 years old. Too many things and too many unknowns. Buying a high end 1-2 year preowned high end car, I wouldn’t really be “saving” that much relative to the entire purchase price. It’s not like 1-2 year old car will get me 50% off… For example. Let’s figure one wants to spend $100k on a S550. I seriously doubt one would consider saving $20k 1-2 year oldpreowned. If you can afford to be in a $100k car, you aren’t going to be worried about saving $20k for a preowned, you’re not going to be shelling out $80k either.

In any cases, most of these higher end cars are not purchased out right in cash anyway. Most are leased since in 3-4 years, people can ditch them for the latest and greatest…[/quote]

flu, from my friends’ experiences in buying pre-owned used luxury vehicles, I have been told that the “certified-used” dealer premium can often be $3K to $10K (or more) over a private-party sale and is “pure profit” to dealers. One only has to compare the trade-in and private party values on kbb.com for a specific year/make/model to verify this.

If the “electronics” you are speaking of here are maps and TVs/DVDs, then I feel those “add-ons” are kind of superfluous. I have a “library” of paper atlases and road maps, even “specialty” plastic-coated maps for lakes and rivers, that I load my car up with prior to embarking on a road trip. I usually know in my head how to get to a certain destination, having driven there so many times, so just pull off the road and look at a map only if I need to. I think I’d be too distracted by a screen in the dash. Last night, as I was getting gas, the SUV in the bay next to me had Sponge Bob playing in a screen on the dash. I thought TVs were supposed to be facing the back seat(s). I think it’s unsafe to have a video screen facing the driver. But that’s just me. I’ve driven clear across the country and back sitting on vinyl seats with beach towels over them and non-tinted windows (rolled down/no AC) in 100-deg heat more than once :=]

[bearishgurl]

[quote=flu]i disagree. Sorry BG, but It would have to be some exceptional reason for me to buy a preowned european car (like I knew the exact history of it, which I came almost to doing a few months ago). Particularly a high end, fully loaded with electronics thats more than 2 years old. Too many things and too many unknowns. Buying a high end 1-2 year preowned high end car, I wouldn’t really be “saving” that much relative to the entire purchase price. It’s not like 1-2 year old car will get me 50% off… For example. Let’s figure one wants to spend $100k on a S550. I seriously doubt one would consider saving $20k 1-2 year oldpreowned. If you can afford to be in a $100k car, you aren’t going to be worried about saving $20k for a preowned, you’re not going to be shelling out $80k either.

In any cases, most of these higher end cars are not purchased out right in cash anyway. Most are leased since in 3-4 years, people can ditch them for the latest and greatest…[/quote]

flu, from my friends’ experiences in buying pre-owned used luxury vehicles, I have been told that the “certified-used” dealer premium can often be $3K to $10K (or more) over a private-party sale and is “pure profit” to dealers. One only has to compare the trade-in and private party values on kbb.com for a specific year/make/model to verify this.

If the “electronics” you are speaking of here are maps and TVs/DVDs, then I feel those “add-ons” are kind of superfluous. I have a “library” of paper atlases and road maps, even “specialty” plastic-coated maps for lakes and rivers, that I load my car up with prior to embarking on a road trip. I usually know in my head how to get to a certain destination, having driven there so many times, so just pull off the road and look at a map only if I need to. I think I’d be too distracted by a screen in the dash. Last night, as I was getting gas, the SUV in the bay next to me had Sponge Bob playing in a screen on the dash. I thought TVs were supposed to be facing the back seat(s). I think it’s unsafe to have a video screen facing the driver. But that’s just me. I’ve driven clear across the country and back sitting on vinyl seats with beach towels over them and non-tinted windows (rolled down/no AC) in 100-deg heat more than once :=]

[bearishgurl]

[quote=flu]i disagree. Sorry BG, but It would have to be some exceptional reason for me to buy a preowned european car (like I knew the exact history of it, which I came almost to doing a few months ago). Particularly a high end, fully loaded with electronics thats more than 2 years old. Too many things and too many unknowns. Buying a high end 1-2 year preowned high end car, I wouldn’t really be “saving” that much relative to the entire purchase price. It’s not like 1-2 year old car will get me 50% off… For example. Let’s figure one wants to spend $100k on a S550. I seriously doubt one would consider saving $20k 1-2 year oldpreowned. If you can afford to be in a $100k car, you aren’t going to be worried about saving $20k for a preowned, you’re not going to be shelling out $80k either.

In any cases, most of these higher end cars are not purchased out right in cash anyway. Most are leased since in 3-4 years, people can ditch them for the latest and greatest…[/quote]

flu, from my friends’ experiences in buying pre-owned used luxury vehicles, I have been told that the “certified-used” dealer premium can often be $3K to $10K (or more) over a private-party sale and is “pure profit” to dealers. One only has to compare the trade-in and private party values on kbb.com for a specific year/make/model to verify this.

If the “electronics” you are speaking of here are maps and TVs/DVDs, then I feel those “add-ons” are kind of superfluous. I have a “library” of paper atlases and road maps, even “specialty” plastic-coated maps for lakes and rivers, that I load my car up with prior to embarking on a road trip. I usually know in my head how to get to a certain destination, having driven there so many times, so just pull off the road and look at a map only if I need to. I think I’d be too distracted by a screen in the dash. Last night, as I was getting gas, the SUV in the bay next to me had Sponge Bob playing in a screen on the dash. I thought TVs were supposed to be facing the back seat(s). I think it’s unsafe to have a video screen facing the driver. But that’s just me. I’ve driven clear across the country and back sitting on vinyl seats with beach towels over them and non-tinted windows (rolled down/no AC) in 100-deg heat more than once :=]

[bearishgurl]

[quote=flu]i disagree. Sorry BG, but It would have to be some exceptional reason for me to buy a preowned european car (like I knew the exact history of it, which I came almost to doing a few months ago). Particularly a high end, fully loaded with electronics thats more than 2 years old. Too many things and too many unknowns. Buying a high end 1-2 year preowned high end car, I wouldn’t really be “saving” that much relative to the entire purchase price. It’s not like 1-2 year old car will get me 50% off… For example. Let’s figure one wants to spend $100k on a S550. I seriously doubt one would consider saving $20k 1-2 year oldpreowned. If you can afford to be in a $100k car, you aren’t going to be worried about saving $20k for a preowned, you’re not going to be shelling out $80k either.

In any cases, most of these higher end cars are not purchased out right in cash anyway. Most are leased since in 3-4 years, people can ditch them for the latest and greatest…[/quote]

flu, from my friends’ experiences in buying pre-owned used luxury vehicles, I have been told that the “certified-used” dealer premium can often be $3K to $10K (or more) over a private-party sale and is “pure profit” to dealers. One only has to compare the trade-in and private party values on kbb.com for a specific year/make/model to verify this.

If the “electronics” you are speaking of here are maps and TVs/DVDs, then I feel those “add-ons” are kind of superfluous. I have a “library” of paper atlases and road maps, even “specialty” plastic-coated maps for lakes and rivers, that I load my car up with prior to embarking on a road trip. I usually know in my head how to get to a certain destination, having driven there so many times, so just pull off the road and look at a map only if I need to. I think I’d be too distracted by a screen in the dash. Last night, as I was getting gas, the SUV in the bay next to me had Sponge Bob playing in a screen on the dash. I thought TVs were supposed to be facing the back seat(s). I think it’s unsafe to have a video screen facing the driver. But that’s just me. I’ve driven clear across the country and back sitting on vinyl seats with beach towels over them and non-tinted windows (rolled down/no AC) in 100-deg heat more than once :=]

[CBad]

[quote=Stradivarius]I do qualify for phakic IOL but since it has only had approval in this country since 2003, I’m not ready to do it yet, personally. But it’s all risk:benefit. If at some point I can’t wear contact lenses comfortably, certainly I would consider it. But for now my eyes are healthy (near-sightedness is not pathology), so I’m not fixing it if it ain’t broke.[/quote]

FYI, I had this done last year and couldn’t be more pleased. I wasn’t a candidate for Lasik either due to complete-nerdy-coke-bottle-nearsightedness and my correction was too great. While it hasn’t had approval as long, the surgery is the same as long time proven cataract surgery with less risk since you are not removing the natural lens. And it’s reversible.

[CBad]

[quote=Stradivarius]I do qualify for phakic IOL but since it has only had approval in this country since 2003, I’m not ready to do it yet, personally. But it’s all risk:benefit. If at some point I can’t wear contact lenses comfortably, certainly I would consider it. But for now my eyes are healthy (near-sightedness is not pathology), so I’m not fixing it if it ain’t broke.[/quote]

FYI, I had this done last year and couldn’t be more pleased. I wasn’t a candidate for Lasik either due to complete-nerdy-coke-bottle-nearsightedness and my correction was too great. While it hasn’t had approval as long, the surgery is the same as long time proven cataract surgery with less risk since you are not removing the natural lens. And it’s reversible.

[CBad]

[quote=Stradivarius]I do qualify for phakic IOL but since it has only had approval in this country since 2003, I’m not ready to do it yet, personally. But it’s all risk:benefit. If at some point I can’t wear contact lenses comfortably, certainly I would consider it. But for now my eyes are healthy (near-sightedness is not pathology), so I’m not fixing it if it ain’t broke.[/quote]

FYI, I had this done last year and couldn’t be more pleased. I wasn’t a candidate for Lasik either due to complete-nerdy-coke-bottle-nearsightedness and my correction was too great. While it hasn’t had approval as long, the surgery is the same as long time proven cataract surgery with less risk since you are not removing the natural lens. And it’s reversible.

[CBad]

[quote=Stradivarius]I do qualify for phakic IOL but since it has only had approval in this country since 2003, I’m not ready to do it yet, personally. But it’s all risk:benefit. If at some point I can’t wear contact lenses comfortably, certainly I would consider it. But for now my eyes are healthy (near-sightedness is not pathology), so I’m not fixing it if it ain’t broke.[/quote]

FYI, I had this done last year and couldn’t be more pleased. I wasn’t a candidate for Lasik either due to complete-nerdy-coke-bottle-nearsightedness and my correction was too great. While it hasn’t had approval as long, the surgery is the same as long time proven cataract surgery with less risk since you are not removing the natural lens. And it’s reversible.

[CBad]

[quote=Stradivarius]I do qualify for phakic IOL but since it has only had approval in this country since 2003, I’m not ready to do it yet, personally. But it’s all risk:benefit. If at some point I can’t wear contact lenses comfortably, certainly I would consider it. But for now my eyes are healthy (near-sightedness is not pathology), so I’m not fixing it if it ain’t broke.[/quote]

FYI, I had this done last year and couldn’t be more pleased. I wasn’t a candidate for Lasik either due to complete-nerdy-coke-bottle-nearsightedness and my correction was too great. While it hasn’t had approval as long, the surgery is the same as long time proven cataract surgery with less risk since you are not removing the natural lens. And it’s reversible.

[Stradivarius]

[quote-flu] Have you considered cornea reshaping? I know of a few folks that had good results with them. I think it’s called Orthokeratology or something like that. [/quote]

Sorry, forgot to mention that I am optometrist, so I have all this stuff at my disposal, usually at little to no cost. I fit ortho K lenses (aka CRT- Corneal Refractive Therapy) up to around -4.00. The higher the prescription, the more flattening of the cornea is necessary and it gets beat up a bit. So my -9.00 and -7.75 eyes probably wouldn’t like it. I have a a lot of kids in ortho K because some studies say that it slows down the progression of nearsightedness. Hong Kong Polytechnic University is currently conducting another study.

I really don’t bother doing anything different because I don’t have problems wearing soft contact lenses (of course I fit myself with the best ones). I hiked 24 miles through the grand canyon, was awake for 19 hours, and didn’t have any ocular symptoms. I even saw other people on our trail switch to glasses around mile 18.

The other thing is, I like being myopic. I can stream netflix on my iphone at 12.9cm (5in) away from my face. I can remove ANY splinter. I can see the print on a medicine bottle with very little light. And will probably still be able to do so when I’m 85 years old and have macular degeneration. It’s sort of comforting.

Believe me, having been offered free refractive surgery, I’ve thought about all of my risks and benefits, and am happy with my current modality. In 7 years when I turn 40 and start needing reading glasses, I may change my mind. And then there will be all kinds of new technology that my reps from Gordon-Weiss and NVision will certainly brag about.

[Stradivarius]

[quote-flu] Have you considered cornea reshaping? I know of a few folks that had good results with them. I think it’s called Orthokeratology or something like that. [/quote]

Sorry, forgot to mention that I am optometrist, so I have all this stuff at my disposal, usually at little to no cost. I fit ortho K lenses (aka CRT- Corneal Refractive Therapy) up to around -4.00. The higher the prescription, the more flattening of the cornea is necessary and it gets beat up a bit. So my -9.00 and -7.75 eyes probably wouldn’t like it. I have a a lot of kids in ortho K because some studies say that it slows down the progression of nearsightedness. Hong Kong Polytechnic University is currently conducting another study.

I really don’t bother doing anything different because I don’t have problems wearing soft contact lenses (of course I fit myself with the best ones). I hiked 24 miles through the grand canyon, was awake for 19 hours, and didn’t have any ocular symptoms. I even saw other people on our trail switch to glasses around mile 18.

The other thing is, I like being myopic. I can stream netflix on my iphone at 12.9cm (5in) away from my face. I can remove ANY splinter. I can see the print on a medicine bottle with very little light. And will probably still be able to do so when I’m 85 years old and have macular degeneration. It’s sort of comforting.

Believe me, having been offered free refractive surgery, I’ve thought about all of my risks and benefits, and am happy with my current modality. In 7 years when I turn 40 and start needing reading glasses, I may change my mind. And then there will be all kinds of new technology that my reps from Gordon-Weiss and NVision will certainly brag about.

[Stradivarius]

[quote-flu] Have you considered cornea reshaping? I know of a few folks that had good results with them. I think it’s called Orthokeratology or something like that. [/quote]

Sorry, forgot to mention that I am optometrist, so I have all this stuff at my disposal, usually at little to no cost. I fit ortho K lenses (aka CRT- Corneal Refractive Therapy) up to around -4.00. The higher the prescription, the more flattening of the cornea is necessary and it gets beat up a bit. So my -9.00 and -7.75 eyes probably wouldn’t like it. I have a a lot of kids in ortho K because some studies say that it slows down the progression of nearsightedness. Hong Kong Polytechnic University is currently conducting another study.

I really don’t bother doing anything different because I don’t have problems wearing soft contact lenses (of course I fit myself with the best ones). I hiked 24 miles through the grand canyon, was awake for 19 hours, and didn’t have any ocular symptoms. I even saw other people on our trail switch to glasses around mile 18.

The other thing is, I like being myopic. I can stream netflix on my iphone at 12.9cm (5in) away from my face. I can remove ANY splinter. I can see the print on a medicine bottle with very little light. And will probably still be able to do so when I’m 85 years old and have macular degeneration. It’s sort of comforting.

Believe me, having been offered free refractive surgery, I’ve thought about all of my risks and benefits, and am happy with my current modality. In 7 years when I turn 40 and start needing reading glasses, I may change my mind. And then there will be all kinds of new technology that my reps from Gordon-Weiss and NVision will certainly brag about.

[Stradivarius]

[quote-flu] Have you considered cornea reshaping? I know of a few folks that had good results with them. I think it’s called Orthokeratology or something like that. [/quote]

Sorry, forgot to mention that I am optometrist, so I have all this stuff at my disposal, usually at little to no cost. I fit ortho K lenses (aka CRT- Corneal Refractive Therapy) up to around -4.00. The higher the prescription, the more flattening of the cornea is necessary and it gets beat up a bit. So my -9.00 and -7.75 eyes probably wouldn’t like it. I have a a lot of kids in ortho K because some studies say that it slows down the progression of nearsightedness. Hong Kong Polytechnic University is currently conducting another study.

I really don’t bother doing anything different because I don’t have problems wearing soft contact lenses (of course I fit myself with the best ones). I hiked 24 miles through the grand canyon, was awake for 19 hours, and didn’t have any ocular symptoms. I even saw other people on our trail switch to glasses around mile 18.

The other thing is, I like being myopic. I can stream netflix on my iphone at 12.9cm (5in) away from my face. I can remove ANY splinter. I can see the print on a medicine bottle with very little light. And will probably still be able to do so when I’m 85 years old and have macular degeneration. It’s sort of comforting.

Believe me, having been offered free refractive surgery, I’ve thought about all of my risks and benefits, and am happy with my current modality. In 7 years when I turn 40 and start needing reading glasses, I may change my mind. And then there will be all kinds of new technology that my reps from Gordon-Weiss and NVision will certainly brag about.

[Author]

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