The recession, benefits, the safety net, and the learning curve

harryhound

For new readers of this thread, the self help link for the unemployed to which reference is being made, can be found here.
http://charliecroker.wordpress.com/

On the subject of fashion, I was employed as part of the fashion industry for a couple of years, in the days when the UK still produced its own clothing.
Quite frankly I thought the whole thing was vaguely immoral, and largely exploiting women; almost like selling cigarettes.
That said, it was quite fun "knowing" what next year's woman would look like.
The buyers tended to be big middle aged women, with street walker hand bags, accompanied by small "birdy" men.
At a fashion show evening, I could smell the gin and tonic in the car park two floors down.

So this is leading up to a few thoughts about "fishnet". What goes around comes around. Some times aided and abetted by new technology.
Is it now time to revisit the 1960's coupled with technological developments?

The male fishnet vest was a product of the 60's, probably a final throw of the "vest" industry before cheap gas central heating made vests redundant. The fair sex, creatively made a takeover bid for these garments; dying them for added effect and wearing them as over garments or buying an extra large size and wearing it as a sort of mini skirt over bra and pants.
(My photographic memory still recalls one of those parties, at the stage where Leonard Cohen was singing "Suzanne": A young woman in the hall way, mid traffic from living room to kitchen and loo, announced it was getting warm and proceeded to demonstrate her fish net mini "chemise", but minus the bra. Very daring for those days:D)

On the technological front, I wonder if the need to run low carbon homes, minimise energy costs will mean that the time has come for modern battery technology to supply heated clothing. Is it time to wander about wearing a chic tailored version of the electric blanket?

lostinrates

harryhound wrote: »

before cheap gas central heating made vests redundant......
On the technological front, I wonder if the need to run low carbon homes, minimise energy costs will mean that the time has come for modern battery technology to supply heated clothing. Is it time to wander about wearing a chic tailored version of the electric blanket?

Vests are not quite redundant Not here anyway. They range from full deal with thermal qualities and arms, to pretty lacey to wear under wrap dresses.

electric blankets were once the only source of heat in my home. And then I was told they have fairly depressing studies suggesting links to female infertility and the female cancers (is nothing bloody safe and without downsides?:rolleyes:) so we ditched it. The carbon friendly heating here is called the cats. when its really cold we crank it up to ''dog'' setting. Its actually surprising how much colder a sedetary lifestyle (often forced by our working practises) makes it.

SingleSue

I was going to post on the thread today (yesterday now) but completely forgot! Been so busy recently doing my study and now I know I am not a complete dunce, have taken the plunge and signed up to the next course in the degree...scary stuff!

Oh and apparently, I am a bad parent according to my middle son because I make him do chores to earn his pocket money!

Sorry for rambling, had a glass or 4 of wine..........

StevieJ

SingleSue wrote: »

Oh and apparently, I am a bad parent according to my middle son because I make him do chores to earn his pocket money!

= Top parent.:T within reason

dopester

lostinrates wrote: »

electric blankets were once the only source of heat in my home.

We have a stoneware hot-water bottle. I first read about them on HPC. A guy posted how their 80-year-old+ relative never uses central heating when it gets colder. Just fills his stoneware hot-water bottle with hot water. Again at night, fills it with hot-water, and takes it to bed, keeping him really warm till morning. Then empties in to bathroom sink with water still hot for wash and a shave.

Can confirm how good the old English stoneware versions are. Bought one from a car-boot sale for £5 after checking no cracks in it. Excellent. Great design, although heavy ofc, unlike modern day rubber/pvc. Flat base, so stays in position in bed (wedged against wall I find best so less risk of falling out of bed), and filler/stopper on top. Water can't escape upwards. Boil kettle, allow a few minutes for kettle to cool off, fill. Wrap some thick jogger-material around as very hot, and as a barrier in case should ever leak. Has a handle to transport.

Really gives off heat all night.. till morning. Not just a few hours like a rubber/pvc hot-water bottle. Checked/used water after 12 hours, poured in to bathroom sink, and water still nice and warm for washing. Even seen really big versions which must have been for heating a large room.

They've made a comeback in last couple of years in Japan.. their older version, slightly different design to that of the stoneware version that was made and sold in the west. Yutanpo. Japanese version of Harrods selling them for £100.. although stoneware / metal. I wouldn't like the metal ones and have read the cheaper plastic versions lose the heat too quickly.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/11/hot-water-bottles.php
http://www.artisticnippon.com/nippondiary/yutanpo.html
http://www.gamenews.ne.jp/en/archives/2006/01/the_hotwater_bo.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5254354.ece

Sitting by the kotatsu heating table, under a thick blanket, is still the way for entire families to keep warm on winter evenings. Rather than heating up the entire house, the cosy kotatsu is a comfortable way to spend a couple of hours together, with a much lower energy bill by the end of the month.

Thought there might be an entrepreneurial opportunity to import new Japanese versions here as luxury product, or manufacture and revive old English versions here and sell via net world-wide.... but so many complications to it.. passing modern safety regs / costs / markup / market / lots of old ones still on ebay ect.

StevieJ

Dopester you are a legend, you are the Urban Crocadile Dundee, sorry I meant Ray Mears

harryhound

lostinrates wrote: »

Vests are not quite redundant Not here anyway. They range from full deal with thermal qualities and arms, to pretty lacey to wear under wrap dresses.

electric blankets were once the only source of heat in my home. And then I was told they have fairly depressing studies suggesting links to female infertility and the female cancers (is nothing bloody safe and without downsides?:rolleyes:) so we ditched it. The carbon friendly heating here is called the cats. when its really cold we crank it up to ''dog'' setting. Its actually surprising how much colder a sedetary lifestyle (often forced by our working practises) makes it.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=VVwJCmtO8GAC&pg=PA66&lpg=PA66&dq=%22Thiers+France%22+dog&source=bl&ots=UY0AOc1bAf&sig=MNnTtVD4Iv9Gt2KAx90T4LILqko&hl=en&ei=CQJ1SuDuBKfajQeP56i9Bw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=17#v=onepage&q=&f=false

vivatifosi

Speaking of sustainability, I saw this book at the library yesterday, it really made me think of you dopester...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Eat-Dog-Sustainable-Living/dp/0500287902/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249202549&sr=8-1

PasturesNew

dopester wrote: »

Thought there might be an entrepreneurial opportunity to import new Japanese versions here as luxury product, or manufacture and revive old English versions here and sell via net world-wide.... but so many complications to it.. passing modern safety regs / costs / markup / market / lots of old ones still on ebay ect.

I looked into a great idea I had a few years ago, it involved importing things from India... but it was almost impossible to work out how import etc worked - and it seemed that I'd have to import a container load at a t ime, have dock-side storage/a van waiting to take a whole container of stuff away, import duties, warehousing to store these things ... and all I wanted to do was import a few dozen at a time.

Trying to work out import duties and regulations in itself rocket science.

vivatifosi

PasturesNew wrote: »

Trying to work out import duties and regulations in itself rocket science.

Mmmm... maybe we need to get you and Sue sitting down in a room together, could be the start of something interesting.