I read this when I was looking to purchase the Kobe: "Kobe Range Hoods are designed and manufactured by Tosho & Company, Ltd., their Japanese parent company." (misleading statement, states only "Japanese parent company" leading one to assume that it is made in Japan. They need to go on to state "with manufacturing facilities in China). A lot of info here about Kobe: http://www.thenaturalhome.com/stainlesssteel.htm An interesting read about the quality of these hods, but then again they are selling them and are somewhat biased. I try whenever possible to buy locally and support sustainable manufacturing practices. China does not have a very good record when it comes to the environment. The quality is variable but some companies who locate their facilities in China maintain excellent quality control. So you can get excellent quality with Chinese made but at what cost? I ordered the Kobe hood from the website listed above. I called first and had the best customer service so far compared to other companies I contacted. It was ordered via the internet late Monday night, order processed on Tuesday and the hood arrived on Thursday afternoon. All the paperwork was English with some Japanese writing on it. Looked everywhere to find where it was made to make sure and could not find it stated anywhere. Finally on the outside of the box I saw "Made in China". I was a little disappointed but no surprise really. Does anyone have a list of countries of origin for appliances? I went and looked at a few different websites and none of them stated where their product is manufactured. I think that as individuals we can vote for changes by how we spend our money. Another point might be individual parts. While an appliance might be "manufactured" in one country, they still might get individual parts from Chinese manufacturers. Not sure if this is true but someone told me that most refrigerators have compressors which are made in China. My next search is for buying a Bosch dishwasher and a Sharp OTC MW. Thanks for all the input on the hood decision! Wade

"Pilot20, I'm going the owner/builder route and I'm pretty good with the DIY construction, what brand of panels should I go with and how many for a 800 sq' pool in central California? I have a 400K heater that can be valved into the pool, but it is mainly for the spa. This could be programmed,(via the Intellitouch) to supplement the pool heat." I don't recommend DIY for solar installation unless you have some background in hydraulics. Not just because I sell/install solar systems, but I have been called to fix numerous DIY jobs. First, if you are attaching the panels to your roof, you need to know what you are doing to avoid damage/leaks to your roof. You will need to make numerous penetrations to your roof, and making sure that the penetrations are sealed is obviously crucial. Second, you need to be able to calculate the head pressure and water flow for the panels to work properly. An undersized pump will not work properly, and an oversized pump will waste energy. To size the pump properly, you need to calculate your pipe runs and lift. If you are placing your panels on a second story roof, the head pressure required may be greater than what your existing pump can handle. When your pool builder sized your pump, he was not anticipating a solar system. Therefore, you may need to add a booster pump to the system. Wiring in a booster pump can be tricky. Third, you need to determine how many panels are required for your pool. For an 800 sq. ft. pool, I would quote a minimum of 640 sq. ft of panel area. That would be 13 - 4 x 12' panels. Each panel requires 5 gpm of flow to function properly, so you would need 65 gpm. Can your pump handle that flow rate? To handle that much water, you would also need a minimum of 2" pvc. Anything less will not be adequate. Last, but not least, you cannot connect more than 400 sq. ft of panels together in one bank, as water will seek the path of least resistance, and if you have a panel bank larger than 400 sq. ft., water will not flow through all of the tubes in the panel, reducing the heat absorption. When I install larger solar systems such as yours, I always plumb separate panel banks. In your case, assuming 13 panels, I would separate the panels into two banks of 6 and 7 panels each. Dividing your panels into more than one bank requires some plumbing expertise that the average homeowner doesn't have. I often get requests to supply components as a DIY kit. For the reasons stated, I always decline because 99% of the DIYs are not happy with the results, and then they blame the panels/equipment. As far as my recommendation for a panel manufacturer, I highly recommend Heliocol. That is what I supply because they make a high quality product and they stand behind it. Heliocol has been in business for over 30 years and they know what they are doing when it comes to solar systems for swimming pools. I have very few problems with the Heliocol panels and that is...

i need to find 3 boxes of catalog ue3s series montagna , color Belluno(16) square please contact me at beregszazi@gmail.com thank you

I don't know if this would fit the bill. We always had SUVs with three rows, and we still do have one with three rows that we need on long trips (with 5 of us, the dog, and my girls' shoe assortment). But most of the time, we don't need 3 rows. OTOH we get a lot of snow and there are a lot of winding country roads so I personally like an SUV. I have the Range Rover Sport (it's a little shorter than a Range Rover) and I love it. It's probably just good marketing, calling it a "sport"! But if you want to fantasize, get a BMW convertible. They are readily available used (because really, where we are, it's kinda dumb and I think people often regret it). We got one for the beach, and boy does it make sitting in summer traffic when you are doing errands a lot more fun! For years I would not have considered it because who buys a car that seats 4 when you have 5 people? Too bad! I never wanted a convertible, even as a kid, and now I love them. Don't you have a birthday coming up? : )