[Rhodes22-list] Ed's Foul mood

[Michael D. Weisner]

Brad,

TV, they used to call it the vast wasteland and we laughed - now I can't 
find much worth watching either.  I have yet to invest in a megaLCD simply 
because I don't spend enough time in front of it to justify the time to shop 
for a new TV set, let alone justify the expense.  Yes, I think the Internet 
has replaced my TV time fairly well.  RIP HDTV, WideScreen, 1080p, etc., 
except for a few DVD movies that I like.

I think that the SWG may kill off their livelihood, although they are right 
to ask for a piece of the royalty rights when their product is placed in 
distribution.  The only problem is that they want a fat salary AND 
royalties - in my business, you get either one or the other, not both!  They 
too will learn.

Sail to work?  What a concept!  Let's see, 1.5 miles to the boat (bicycle or 
car) then sail up the Nissequogue River from the LIS to Smithtown about 2 
miles with no maneuvering room, little wind and 18" of water at Route 25 in 
Smithtown and then walk about 1.5 miles to my office ... Nope, not a good 
way to save a couple of ounces of fuel.  In the warm weather, when the days 
are longer, it is not uncommon for me to bicycle to and from work.  That 
works pretty well and I can skip the gym.

Mike
s/v Shanghaid'd Summer ('81)
       Nissequogue River, NY

From: "Brad Haslett" <flybrad at gmail.com> Saturday, January 05, 2008 9:14 AM
> Mike,
>
> Ah yes, PATCO.  I was in college and flying charter.  We found some
> interesting ways around the strike.  ATC would only allow so many 
> departures
> per hour and you had to file for a slot.  Charter and corporate pilots 
> would
> file for a slot when they thought they needed one and then traded with 
> other
> pilots.  A black market of sorts started and it worked amazingly well.
>
> Organized labor is like anything in life, good if done in moderation. 
> I've
> been a union member for over 25 years and wouldn't want to work as a pilot
> for a large company without a collective bargaining agreement.  That said,
> don't back companies or wild animals into corners without leaving them an
> out.  They might just destroy you!  PATCO overplayed their hand - it 
> appears
> the writers are well on their way to the same outcome.  I don't watch TV 
> so
> it has been no personal sacrifice.  Many others are learning they can live
> quite well without them as well.
>
> Any chance you could sail to work?
>
> Brad
>
> On Jan 5, 2008 8:00 AM, Michael D. Weisner <mweisner at ebsmed.com> wrote:
>
>> Brad,
>>
>> Fortunately I do not use the LIRR on a regular basis (I work 5 minutes
>> from
>> home) although an AMTRAK strike would severely affect the local economy.
>> With gas prices at $3.30/gal for regular (and going up rapidly) and Mike
>> Bloomberg talking about midtown access tolls, many area residents rely on
>> public transportation in and out of "the city" for work and pleasure.  If
>> necessary, I could reroute my occasional travels to NYC through the
>> Flatbush
>> (Brooklyn) or Hunters Point terminals and use subways to reach Manhattan,
>> although it would significantly extend the travel time for a daily
>> commuter.
>>
>> I remember the transit, garbage, hospital and newspaper worker strikes of
>> the 60s and 70s.  They were not fun.  Now the Screen Writers Guild strike
>> is
>> killing what little viewer loyalty existed for the small screen.  I don't
>> think that these strikes ever really accomplished much.  It seemed the
>> "worker" never recouped what they lost during the strike - can you say
>> PATCO?
>>
>> Mike
>> s/v Shanghaid'd Summer ('81)
>>       Nissequogue River, NY
>>
>>
>> From: "Brad Haslett" <flybrad at gmail.com> Saturday, January 05, 2008 8:43
>> AM
>> > Mike,
>> >
>> > Don't know if you use the LIRR but you might want to make alternate
>> plans
>> > near the end of the month (story attached).  When I was based in NYC I
>> > would
>> > take a morning departure out of Nashville to either EWR or LGA, the bus
>> to
>> > Penn Station, then the LIRR to lovely Hempstead or the express to
>> Mineola
>> > (had a girlfriend there) and then a hotel van to JFK.  After a while I
>> got
>> > brave and left on a noon flight.  Late in the game I got really brave
>> and
>> > left late afternoon with hardly any backup plan.  I was standing on the
>> > platform at the Jamaica station platform with about 45 minutes to spare
>> > when
>> > an announcement was made that the train hit a pedestrian and was
>> > cancelled.
>> > I showed for my trip at JFK with, oh, about 30 seconds to spare and 
>> > that
>> > was
>> > my epiphany that God wanted me to move to Memphis.  I still miss that
>> > commute - sometimes.
>> >
>> > Brad
>> >
>> > --------------------
>> >
>> > MINEOLA (CBS) ¨D Amtrak workers are threatening to strike. The railroad
>> > and
>> > its unions are struggling to reach new labor agreements. Workers could
>> > walk
>> > off the job at the end of January.
>> >
>> > If that happens, rail lines across the country could be crippled, and
>> Penn
>> > Station in Manhattan would be forced to close.
>> >
>> > Rush hour commuters were beside themselves Friday when CBS 2 HD gave
>> them
>> > word of the breaking news out of Washington that could paralyze rail
>> > traffic, and close Penn Station, which is used by half a million Long
>> > Island
>> > Rail Road, NJ Transit and Amtrak passengers each day.
>> >
>> > "I don't really think you can go on strike against the public good so I
>> > think it would absolutely ludicrous, in violation of the law, and they
>> > should all be locked up," LIRR rider Jack Sullivan said.
>> >
>> > Added fellow LIRR commuter Tiesha Smith: "I hope they're not to strike
>> > 'cause I need my transportation back and forth to work. I live in
>> > Huntington."
>> >
>> > After years without a contract, eight unions representing Amtrak
>> > maintenance
>> > workers and dispatchers could stage the first strike in the railroad's
>> > history, as early as Jan. 30.
>> >
>> > Not everyone CBS 2 HD spoke to was ready to crucify the workers.
>> >
>> > "Workers rights are important -- workers should be allowed to strike,"
>> one
>> > commuter said. "They deserve to strike. They're probably not getting
>> paid
>> > enough."
>> >
>> > President Bush has appointed an emergency board to help negotiate a
>> labor
>> > agreement and a cooling off period was ordered. But if Congress doesn't
>> > step
>> > in Amtrak workers could walk off the job -- or be locked out ¨C
>> shuttering
>> > Penn Station and creating commuter chaos.
>> >
>> > LIRR president Helena Williams is preparing ¨C just in case.
>> >
>> > "If there is a strike Penn Station will be closed," Williams said. "We
>> > will
>> > have to relocate those passengers to other stations in order to get to
>> > their
>> > final destinations. We will have to use Brooklyn, Jamaica Station and
>> > Woodside."
>> >
>> > Subway service would not be affected.
>> >
>> > This is all just a little more than three weeks away, but Amtrak tells
>> CBS
>> > 2
>> > HD it is hopeful for a settlement.
>> >
>> > Amtrak and union leaders say the main sticking points are over
>> retroactive
>> > wage hikes and work rule reform.
>> >
>> > The earliest a strike could be called is 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan.
>> 30.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > On Jan 5, 2008 6:40 AM, Michael D. Weisner <mweisner at ebsmed.com> wrote:
>> >
>> >> Ed,
>> >>
>> >> Please stop lumping all New Yorkers together.  We don't all respond in
>> >> the
>> >> same way.  I don't think that anyone meant any harm asking about the
>> >> archives.
>> >>
>> >> It was a cold and beautiful sunrise here in New York.  Did you wake up
>> on
>> >> the wrong side of the bed?
>> >>
>> >> Maybe you should thaw out in front of a nice winter morning fire and
>> have
>> >> a good breakfast before answering your email.
>> >>
>> >> Mike
>> >> s/v Shanghaid'd Summer ('81)
>> >>       Nissequogue River, NY
>> >> __________________________________________________
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>> >>
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
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>>
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