Letters from our listeners
Host Kai Ryssdal reads listener comments on a few of our recent stories. This week: The yarn industry is tight knit in tough times, defending clotheslines and clearing up a few yellow flags on our Formula 1 coverage.
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Kai Ryssdal: Two stories in particular resonated with listeners over the past couple of weeks.
Many of you wrote -- with brows knitted, no doubt -- about our story on yarn stores struggling in the down economy.
Pat Kirtland's owned the Yarn Barn in Andersonville, Virginia, for 37 years.
Pat Kirtland: Our industry is great in a weak economy. More people are staying home and want something to do. With the cost of heating homes this winter, this is the perfect time to get those needles clicking so they can set the thermostat down and be comfy this winter.
But if you want to hang that knit garment up to dry, you'll probably have to find a spot inside. We told you last week about the American ambitions of an Australian company that makes clotheslines. They're used all over the place down under apparently, but the company's U.S. marketing campaign could run into trouble because a lot of homeowners associations here don't typically like the look of blue jeans and unmentionables flapping in the wind.
Carole Press of Menlo Park, California, spoke for the overwhelming majority of you who just couldn't understand objections to an outdoor clothesline.
Carole Press: Is there anything nicer than getting into a freshly made bed with line-dried sheets? The smell is wonderful. I moved here from Ireland eight years ago and still cannot understand why Americans do not make use of the free sunshine to line dry their laundry.
A quick fix to point out this week. In our report on racing executive Max Mosely's fight with British tabloids, we identified him as the Formula One boss. He gets called that a lot, but Formula One's actually the racing league. Mosley's official title is President of the FIA -- that's the French acronym for Formula One's governing body.
We used some sound that irked F1 purists, too.
Race announcer: Gentlemen, start your engines.
That's really more Indy 500 than Monaco Grand Prix. This is the start of an F1 race.
Comments
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From Brasstown, NC, 07/30/2008
I love telling folks I have a solar dryer. They think I have some fancy machine that runs off of solar cells, but in reality it is just a large wooden rack out on my deck or by the wood stove. I have not use an electric dryer in about 3 years.
I love saving money!
From Franklin, TN, 07/29/2008
You don't save anything using sun drying laundry if you have to wash it two or three times because of birds.
From Milwaukee, WI, 07/29/2008
Hi Kai
I like listening to your newscast every evening. I appreciate the objectivity in your reporting of business news. Thank you.
Recently there was news on NPR possibly in Marketplace stating the States are falling short of revenues from GAS tax because Americans drove less miles in May.
1.) Do states get gas tax on gallons consumed?
or
2.) Is it the percentage of total price we pay at pump, just like sales tax?
If its case 2 than revenues should be going up because price of gas has gone up since last year, so, so should have taxes.
Secondly, another of Wisconsin Public radio news stated that counties are mulling about increasing property taxes because of decline in property prices. I have not see my or anyone I have talked to stating that their assesments have gone down. So how come counties revenues from property taxes have gone down.
Thank you
Achint Lala
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