DEAR SUN SPOTS, the purveyor of useful information: Where may one purchase men’s underwear (briefs) in size 36? All I am able to find are the sizes small, medium or large, or 34-36 or 36-38. None of these fit me adequately.

I do not have a computer so am not able to search online. Thanks for all the work that you provide to our community. — D.R., No Town

ANSWER: Sun Spots online search turned up other complaints by men with ill-fitting underwear, but not the product that you sought.

She thought that maybe better underwear might come by waist size, so she checked with a men’s store in downtown Portland, David Wood Clothier, to see if it sold underwear by waist-size number, and the owner did not know of any place that does.

David said that most manufacturers rely on the elastic to adjust for the size gap.

Sun Spots cannot see that companies would be motivated to have more sizes, which is what would happen if they went by number, because that would increase the number of products they’d have to make and thus their manufacturing costs.

In her search, Sun Spots came across a site with tips for buying underwear. It suggests that you buy the best underwear you can afford and that you try and buy several different styles and brands, as they all fit differently and certain styles work best under certain trousers, shorts, etc.

If you visit your library, you can read those tips at http://tinyurl.com/bcqc8cc.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I read your column the morning of Nov. 12 as usual. Enjoyable as always. Regarding Jeremy Kapstein, the man who wears the yellow headphones at Red Sox games: Maybe he uses them because of hearing issues or as a way of cutting down on the crowd noise.

Also, thanks for the information on contacting Fox in respect to scores and NASCAR on-screen data streams. Hopefully people will do so. I have contacted them before with no response in respect to both issues mentioned in your column. Probably didn’t like me also adding that they should get rid of Tim McCarver on their baseball telecasts.

I really appreciate your work with the column. It is a lot of work but must be fun having a job where there are interesting and challenging things to pursue each day. Thank you. — Charlie, newellcw@gmail.com

ANSWER: The possibility of hearing issues did occur to Sun Spots, but she hesitated to say so.

As for working on the column, Sun Spots enjoys it thoroughly and learns a lot even though she doesn’t always succeed at finding an answer.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: You published my letter on Oct. 17, in which I asked about how I might get help starting a business. You answered that you needed more information about what kind of business I wanted to start and why I needed to hire three people.

The business I would be interested in opening would be a limo service with only one limo to start with and see how it goes from there. I owned my own taxi company many years ago when I lived in Maine.

Since then I have become disabled and cannot do the work myself. That’s why the desire to hire three other people, who would be able to do the work for me. — No Name via email

ANSWER: Maine Small Business Development Centers (www.mainesbdc.org) provide comprehensive business management assistance to the small business community through a network of professional, certified business counselors. And the Service Corps of Retired Executives (www.score.org), which is supported by the Small Business Association, will offer advice and mentoring.

However, Sun Spots does not know of any group that will give you the startup capital you’d need to buy that first limo. If you have excellent credit and could save up a down payment, you might be able to borrow the rest of the money. But she doesn’t know of any organization that would give you the money to buy a limo.

Perhaps readers will have additional suggestions.

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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