krw wrote:
In article dfb5d459-8f3b-47e1-998f-e7180f0eabf0
@l76g2000hse.googlegroups.com, says...
On Oct 1, 10:53 pm, "Lew Hodgett" wrote:
....
I read (IIRC FWW some 20 years ago) that the (some?) Amish are allowed
diesel engines as they do not involve electrical stuff to operate and
start easily with (optionally hand-pumped) compressed air. The article
dealt with a shop which was run entirely on hydraulic motors and air.
....
Last spring we bought a couple of rooms of cherry furniture from one
of the local Amish companies (http://www.greenacresfurniture.com/).
They aren't grid connected, rather have diesel generators for their
woodworking and showroom lights. From what I can gather from
talking to them, they aren't allowed to use technology personally
(luxury) but can use it to run their business (necessity). They use
calculators, advertise on the web (and radio), and even use cell
phones for the business.

Like most others, there are different groups/sects/sub-sects w/
differing rules...

Around here some use automobiles as they've been judged necessary owing
to distances making alternatives unviable even though some of the same
still farm w/ horses/mules; otoh, the dairy barns are fully
air-conditioned and equipped w/ the latest in automated milkers and
other production-aiding technologies.

In general, it's impossible to generalize...

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