[SOC] G5RV

Sun, 15 Jun 2003 15:54:58 +0100

Well we're enjoying just about the best weather you can hope for in the UK.
The sky is clear; it's warm and sunny but not too hot; the barbeque is
heating; beer and wine in the fridge.

Trouble is that I've lost the sodding corkscrew!

P#529;-)

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Besemer" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, June 15, 2003 3:46 PM
Subject: RE: [SOC] G5RV

> Gee, John... we were almost neighbors (at least my Mojave desert
> standards!).  I was at Edwards from 94 - 98.  The weather was great, but
we
> got tired of the long drive everywhere.
>
> Maybe if you write to Gov. Davis, you can get some sort of research grant.
> I'll be glad to help carry your luggage!
>
> 73,
>
> Mike
> KG8L
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]On
> Behalf Of JMcAulay
> Sent: Saturday, June 14, 2003 11:56 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: RE: [SOC] G5RV
>
>
> At 09:04 PM 06/14/2003 -0400, Mike wrote:
> >Paul,
> >
> >DON'T DO IT!  From what I remember from my time in both CA and the UK,
the
> >taxes in SoCal are even worse than the UK and the gov't services aren't
> near
> >as good in SoCal as they are in the UK.  (Except for, perhaps, the BBC!
> >British TV nearly drove me crazy... thank goodness for the pubs!)
> >
> >Sorry guys... I couldn't resist!
> >
> ><Shields UP!>
>
>
> Well, Mike, neither can I.
>
> The real tale-teller of who likes to live where in the US is the business
> of renting vans and trailers for moving household goods.  Thirty years
ago,
> when you rented a van to move out of California, the rental company would
> almost kiss you.  A friend who moved to Los Angeles from Boston paid three
> times as much rental for a small trailer than would have been required for
> a move in the opposite direction.  It was difficult for the companies to
> keep enough vehicles in other states for everyone who wanted to move to
> California.  I knew one young man who was given the use of a van to move
to
> Virginia; he only had to pay for fuel.
>
> During the last several years, the situation has reversed.  More people
are
> now trying to get out of here than to get in.  In Oregon, just north of
> California, intriguing bumper stickers are seen:  "Welcome to Oregon; now
> go home," and "Don't Californicate Oregon."  A few years ago, I sold my
> vacation Condo in Brian Head, Utah, and was able to hire an enclosed
> trailer to bring the furniture and other stuff back to California for an
> extremely low fee.  Someone said recently about the comparison of living
> conditions in various countries, "If you want to know what life is really
> like in a country, find out how many people are trying to get in and how
> many are trying to get out."  Well, that goes for areas within a country,
> too.
>
> I like it here in Los Angeles county (although I'm just a few miles from
> its northern border) at 1234 M elevation on the north slope of the San
> Gabriel mountains.  When the Rose Parade is televised on New Year's Day
(or
> 2 January in some places) and you see those mountain peaks in the
> background, I'm just on the other side of them, 50 kM north of Pasadena.
> I've lived several places in and around Los Angeles in the last 30 years
or
> so, and this is my favorite of all.  To me, it even beats some years ago
> when I could stroll from my home to a beautiful, sandy Pacific Ocean beach
> in two minutes.  I guess I'm just a Desert Rat at heart, here on the edge
> of the Mojave.  And by the way, right now, petrol sells locally for about
> �0.27 per litre.  Not bad, eh?  And plenty of people around here are still
> complaining because it's so high.   heheheheh
>
> Taxes in California are pretty heavy, and now the Governor tells us we are
> 38 Billion Dollars in the hole.  This is about $1,150 for every human
being
> (or close) who resides in the state (not just citizens).  Of course, no
one
> has yet figured out how we will overcome the situation.  Here's one reason
> the Governor is not so well-appreciated:  last October, two weeks before
he
> was re-elected, he told us the deficit was *three* Billion.  My, my....
> Many businesses have left the state over the last several years, and many
> continue to do so because of the state government's perceived unfriendly
> attitude toward business operations.  Simply put, other states have
offered
> extremely appealing tax and other concessions for companies to move into
> their jurisdictions. California hasn't done anything like that in the
past,
> but it simply may have to happen for the state to remain competitive.
Many
> businesses stay because of the good base of available workers, the great
> climate, and a lot of executives as well as lower-level workers really
love
> it here.  California, it has been said, would have the seventh-largest
> economy on Earth if it were an independent nation.  That may sound great,
> but surely the existing situation cannot go on forever.
>
> For those times when this area sort of overwhelms my wife and me, we have
a
> very small place about three hours' drive to the north of here.  We try to
> get there frequently for weekends and holidays.  It's located in a county
> with a population of only 12,000, and the fishing there is wonderful.  The
> valley floor is about 10 kM across, at about 1,200 M elevation.  There are
> mountains 3,000 M high to the east, 4,000 M to the west.  The valley floor
> is only a few miles across.  It's just plain strikingly beautiful.  Our
> ability to spend time there conveniently is another advantage to
California
> living that is hardly encountered in many other places.
>
> There are plenty of Brits who live in Southern California.  Plenty of
> Canadians, too.  In fact, more Canadians live in Los Angeles than in any
> other city except Toronto.  But they are almost all here for the same
> reason:  on their trees, they prefer citrus fruits rather than icicles.
> Where I live, no oranges are grown, although the peaches are outstanding.
> Here, we enjoy snow in winter.  My home is less than half an hour from
> Mountain High Ski Resort.  But in summer, it's quite warm, reaching 45�C
on
> some days.  Fortunately, the relative humidity is down in single digits
> much of that time.
>
> Anyway, whether the overall cost of living to the same standards would be
> lower in Southern California or Britain, I just don't know.  If I could
get
> some sort of Grant for extensive research, traveling throughout Britain
> (maybe even Ulster, too), remaining in certain locations for months at a
> time, I would be pleased to prepare a comprehensive report which could be
> made available in no more than three years.  I will not hold my breath
> while waiting for offers.
>
> 73
> John WA6QPL  SOC 263
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