We are ice hockey fans, specifically rooting for the NY Rangers. During the first week in July every year, when the contracts run out and teams look to rebuild, we spend considerable time speculating on what the teams will look like next year – will anyone retire, will free agents seeks greener pastures, will there be trades?
Since the teams now have a salary cap, during the last week of June many of them clean out contracts that they no longer need. Today’s NHL headlines include (quotes from Yahoo Sports):
“The Anaheim Ducks placed Todd Bertuzzi on unconditional waivers…. The Ducks will buy out that final season for $2.6 million”
“The Toronto Maple Leafs put goaltender Andrew Raycroft on unconditional waivers Friday and will buy out the final year of his contract. He was due to earn $2.2 million next season.“
“The Calgary Flames placed forward Marcus Nilson and defensemen Anders Eriksson and Rhett Warrener on waivers Thursday. All three players have a year left on their contracts.”
In sports this is not unusual. And in education it seems to be getting common as well. Our local newspaper featured an article about a nearby school district hiring a new school superintendent with a three-year contract, paying “$160,000 this school year, to be redetermined annually by the board.” Not a bad salary considering that many teachers make less than a quarter of that.
This person had recently been placed on wavers (can we use “fired” any more?) by another school district. Like Todd Bertuzzi, Andrew Raycroft, and the other hockey players, no reason was given, but the separation agreement was astonishing: “a lump sum of $650,000 and free health care for life.”
A few years after college I was working as the manager of a book store for $175 a week (1969), which turned out to be the highest salary anyone in the district was getting paid. One Saturday evening, the division manager came in five minutes before closing and fired me. No severance, no benefits, no reason given. I found out later they had already given my assistant a contract for the position for $85 a week.
Hey, I was placed on wavers. Didn’t I deserve a buyout?
Friday, June 27, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
They Got it Wrong – Again
It is not unusual for an American administration, a Federal agency, or Congress to make mistakes. It seems, though, that during the last seven years the current crop of politicians have had more than their share.
The latest, that we know of, was the recent announcement that Jake Liao’s life has been saved. Although only two years of age, Nate may well go down in history as the first person to have received successful treatment for a little known disease, epidermolysis bullosa (see Slightly Creaky’s Medical Support site for links to sites about this disease).
This is (from EBAers) “a rare autoimmune blistering and fragile skin disorder which can also affect the mucous membranes. Painful injury can occur from minor friction or shearing action upon the skin as well as from even the most minor trauma. Rashes and itching are also common problems associated with this disease. The chronic inflammation, blistering, minor trauma injuries, and resulting scars can severely impair or hinder the normal activity and functioning of the EBA patient on a daily basis.”
There is no treatment, no relief from life-long disability. At least not until the University of Minnesota Medical School, defying the wishes of President Bush, his administration and followers, successfully used stem cells.
(From UMNNews) “On October 19, a team led by John Wagner, head of pediatric blood and marrow transplantation, transplanted bone marrow and cord blood cells into Nate from his brother Julian, who does not have EB. Julian is a 100 percent match for Nate. Wagner anticipates that Julian's bone marrow and umbilical cord blood will result in a new healthy blood system that produces type VII collagen, the protein missing in children with EB.”
The treatment was a success, with Nate now able, for the first time in his life, to wear normal clothing without the blistering that results in skin diseases, and he can now eat solid food.
Hopefully this is only the first breakthrough for stem cell research. Once the current administration is no longer in office and true science can again freely produce the medical breakthroughs that the United States has been know for, there is no telling what other diseases can be cured.
The latest, that we know of, was the recent announcement that Jake Liao’s life has been saved. Although only two years of age, Nate may well go down in history as the first person to have received successful treatment for a little known disease, epidermolysis bullosa (see Slightly Creaky’s Medical Support site for links to sites about this disease).
This is (from EBAers) “a rare autoimmune blistering and fragile skin disorder which can also affect the mucous membranes. Painful injury can occur from minor friction or shearing action upon the skin as well as from even the most minor trauma. Rashes and itching are also common problems associated with this disease. The chronic inflammation, blistering, minor trauma injuries, and resulting scars can severely impair or hinder the normal activity and functioning of the EBA patient on a daily basis.”
There is no treatment, no relief from life-long disability. At least not until the University of Minnesota Medical School, defying the wishes of President Bush, his administration and followers, successfully used stem cells.
(From UMNNews) “On October 19, a team led by John Wagner, head of pediatric blood and marrow transplantation, transplanted bone marrow and cord blood cells into Nate from his brother Julian, who does not have EB. Julian is a 100 percent match for Nate. Wagner anticipates that Julian's bone marrow and umbilical cord blood will result in a new healthy blood system that produces type VII collagen, the protein missing in children with EB.”
The treatment was a success, with Nate now able, for the first time in his life, to wear normal clothing without the blistering that results in skin diseases, and he can now eat solid food.
Hopefully this is only the first breakthrough for stem cell research. Once the current administration is no longer in office and true science can again freely produce the medical breakthroughs that the United States has been know for, there is no telling what other diseases can be cured.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Green Savings at Home
Politicians frequently come up with mixed ideas to save us money and energy: temporary elimination of gasoline taxes, billing the energy companies for part of their vast profits, crying for an increase in petroleum production, stating they are all for alternative fuels, and an assortment of others.
Rather then depend on the election-year promises and statements of politicians, usually empty with exaggerated outcomes, there are steps each of us can be taking to both save money on energy costs as well as reducing our dependence on resources that are in short supply.
Many corporations and organizations have created web sites dedicated to such efforts. Here is a sampling from Slightly Creaky’s new Think Green page (coming in July).
Energy Savers (http://www.energysavers.gov/). From the US Government. “On this U.S. Government Web site you can find information to help you save energy in your home, business, vehicle, or industrial plant. The links on Energy Savers take you directly to resources available across Federal agencies for homeowners, contractors and builders, building managers, realtors, state agencies, drivers and fleet managers, and industry managers.”
Energy Saving Ideas (http://www.hribar.com/energytips.htm). From Keller Williams Realty, Carlsbad, California. Surprisingly, this commercial site has a huge amount of great ideas for energy savings in the home, work, and on the road.
California Energy Commission’s Consumer Energy Center (http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/tips/index.html). “Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency are two sides of the same coin. Most people think they mean the same thing, but they don't. Energy conservation means reducing the level of energy use by turning down a thermostat, or turning off a light, or turning up the temperature of your refrigerator. Energy efficiency means getting the same job done while using less energy. Efficiency is usually done by replacing an older, less efficient appliance with a new one. In this section, you'll find both energy conservation and efficiency tips for your home, office, school, car or truck, and other areas. You'll learn how to get your home ready for summer or winter. You'll learn how to be prepared in case the power goes out. And you'll learn some interesting facts about energy.“
99 Energywise Ideas For Saving Energy (http://www.pnm.com/customers/99_ways.htm). From PNM Resources, Albuquerque, N.M. “Insulating your house, putting in storm windows and installing weather stripping can go a long way toward making your home more energy-efficient. Weatherizing is like buttoning up your coat in the winter: It keeps the warm air in and the cold air out. Examine the following tips and see if they won't help make your home a cozier place.”
Powerful Money Saving Ideas (http://www.energyright.com/tips.htm). From the Tennessee Valley Authority. “Did you know that in most cases a family’s third largest energy expense is from heating water? So if you’re not heating your water the energy right way, you could be sending money down the drain.”
Reduce Your Energy Usage. Increase Your Savings (http://www.directenergy.com/EN/Alberta/MMC/Pages/CUS/EnergySavingIdeas.aspx). From Direct Energy Marketing Limited. “We’ve compiled this list of energy saving ideas to make your home and business more energy efficient and comfortable. Most of these ideas are easy to do and take only a few minutes to perform.”
46 Energy Saving Ideas (http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060910/NEWS/60911008/-1/news33).
From our Hudson Valley, NY newspaper: the Times Herald Record.) “This home energy audit won’t replace having a professional energy auditor come to your home, but it will reduce your impact on global warming.”
For more links to web sites about energy savings and the environment, visit the Slightly Creaky Think Green Page, coming in July
Rather then depend on the election-year promises and statements of politicians, usually empty with exaggerated outcomes, there are steps each of us can be taking to both save money on energy costs as well as reducing our dependence on resources that are in short supply.
Many corporations and organizations have created web sites dedicated to such efforts. Here is a sampling from Slightly Creaky’s new Think Green page (coming in July).
Energy Savers (http://www.energysavers.gov/). From the US Government. “On this U.S. Government Web site you can find information to help you save energy in your home, business, vehicle, or industrial plant. The links on Energy Savers take you directly to resources available across Federal agencies for homeowners, contractors and builders, building managers, realtors, state agencies, drivers and fleet managers, and industry managers.”
Energy Saving Ideas (http://www.hribar.com/energytips.htm). From Keller Williams Realty, Carlsbad, California. Surprisingly, this commercial site has a huge amount of great ideas for energy savings in the home, work, and on the road.
California Energy Commission’s Consumer Energy Center (http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/tips/index.html). “Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency are two sides of the same coin. Most people think they mean the same thing, but they don't. Energy conservation means reducing the level of energy use by turning down a thermostat, or turning off a light, or turning up the temperature of your refrigerator. Energy efficiency means getting the same job done while using less energy. Efficiency is usually done by replacing an older, less efficient appliance with a new one. In this section, you'll find both energy conservation and efficiency tips for your home, office, school, car or truck, and other areas. You'll learn how to get your home ready for summer or winter. You'll learn how to be prepared in case the power goes out. And you'll learn some interesting facts about energy.“
99 Energywise Ideas For Saving Energy (http://www.pnm.com/customers/99_ways.htm). From PNM Resources, Albuquerque, N.M. “Insulating your house, putting in storm windows and installing weather stripping can go a long way toward making your home more energy-efficient. Weatherizing is like buttoning up your coat in the winter: It keeps the warm air in and the cold air out. Examine the following tips and see if they won't help make your home a cozier place.”
Powerful Money Saving Ideas (http://www.energyright.com/tips.htm). From the Tennessee Valley Authority. “Did you know that in most cases a family’s third largest energy expense is from heating water? So if you’re not heating your water the energy right way, you could be sending money down the drain.”
Reduce Your Energy Usage. Increase Your Savings (http://www.directenergy.com/EN/Alberta/MMC/Pages/CUS/EnergySavingIdeas.aspx). From Direct Energy Marketing Limited. “We’ve compiled this list of energy saving ideas to make your home and business more energy efficient and comfortable. Most of these ideas are easy to do and take only a few minutes to perform.”
46 Energy Saving Ideas (http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060910/NEWS/60911008/-1/news33).
From our Hudson Valley, NY newspaper: the Times Herald Record.) “This home energy audit won’t replace having a professional energy auditor come to your home, but it will reduce your impact on global warming.”
For more links to web sites about energy savings and the environment, visit the Slightly Creaky Think Green Page, coming in July
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Princess Cruises in Decline
We are just back from our 5th cruise on the Princess Lines, the first since it was purchased by Carnival. In the past, Princess was high-class all the way: food, service, facilities, and entertainment. No longer.
While we did have a good trip, and I have nothing severely negative to say about Princess, there are some aspects that have declined enough to make me want to look for another (non-Carnival) ship the next time we go. Due to medical problems, we have not cruised in over four years, so perhaps the entire cruising industry has changed. I hope not.
As with most companies, Princess offers the traditional reserved seating and free-choice meals. We traditionally split our meals between the dining room (usually for dinner) and the buffets. This year the food selection was not only considerably reduced; the quality was not much better (in the buffet) than a fast-food restaurant. Breakfast was fine – good selection (although the watery and nearly tasteless oatmeal was the worst I have ever had) with a changing variety of fish and eggs daily. The pastries tended to be dry and the selection was limited and the same every day (no prune Danish). Tomato juice was available only once, grapefruit twice, and cranberry not at all. You could order Cranberry juice in the dining room, but it was not on the menu.
Coffee and tea was available 24-hours a day, when the machines were functioning. During our 9-day trip, we had to search for a functioning coffee machine on five occasions. Twice only brownish warm water came out of the service line. While herbal teas were available, they ran out or stopped offering selections after the third day. I do not drink orange pekoe; so prefer making herbal iced tea. My choice was mint or Dejarling for 6 of the nine days. The water was warm so lots of ice was required and two of the ice machines on the Lido (food and activity) Deck were out of service during the entire trip.
Lunch and dinner offered a large selection of meats, although fish was unvaried and usually breaded and fried. The selection of vegetables was poor and limited. There were plenty of salads and fruit. The lobster was among the worst we ever had.
Due to the incidences of food-borne illnesses reported on cruise ships, Princess shows effort to keep things clean. There are hand sanitation machines at every buffet line, although two never worked and several ran out of fluid and were not soon refilled. As I have gotten sick on two previous cruises, it was a pleasure to complete this trip with no problems.
The staff, though, was not as careful as they could be. When they cleaned up, especially around the pool areas, it was not uncommon for them to wipe the table with napkins left by previous users, a practice I found disgusting. In the dining areas the service and practices were outstanding.
I have absolutely no complaints about room service. Room key-cards, though, were a different matter. During the second day, Roberta’s card did not function so I went to the Purser’s desk to get a new one. On the third day we could not leave the ship since her card was listed as void. The delay was only five minutes.
During the fifth day neither of our door cards worked and it took 12 minutes to get assistance. They gave me two additional cards and told me to keep them away from magnetic sources, such as computers or cameras. We had neither. So now I had four room cards. Roberta took one, I put one in my eyeglass case, left one in the room, and kept the last in a pocket by itself. On Day 6, none of them worked.
The daytime entertainment was typical summer-camp and nursing home fare: bingo, pool games, card games, trivia, and disco music (and some nice live performances). At night the offerings were quite well presented, although I do have two complaints. With the ship hosting over 3,500 passengers, unless you got to the theater or nightclub at least 30 minutes prior to the performance there were no seats available. People were standing and many were turned away. We missed three shows we would have liked to see due to overcrowding. For one of them we arrived almost an hour prior to the show.
Then there was repetition: We sat through Kermit singing “The Rainbow Connection” three times by three different performers. The Eagles’ “Hotel California” was performed three times by different groups and heard piped-in throughout the ship. And every comedian had an uncle that “drank Canada Dry.” There should be some sort of coordination.
Embarkation and disembarkation at all stops and at the beginning and end of the trip were the smoothest I’ve ever seen. We did witness one medical emergency that was handled professionally without upsetting any of the vacationers.
When we cruise next, probably in around a year, we will take a considerably smaller ship and a different cruise line. The large ships dock far away from the attractions and it’s expensive to get where you want to go. The ship-provided port itineraries stress shopping (with the same shops featured at every port). I do not cruise to purchase a watch, diamonds, or tax-free liquor and cigarettes.
This push for extra spending is endemic. Announcements for purchasing Bingo tickets, buying from the on-board shops, and the sale of wine were non-stop. To have to pay $4 for a 12-ounce can of soda or $43 for cruise-long “free” soda was outrageous especially since soda as a fountain drink costs almost nothing to produce. You are constantly reminded that you can just “put it on your room card” so that you’re not really spending money. Not until the bill comes next month.
Yes, we will travel with Princess again, and probably with other large cruise companies. But we are not as satisfied with this experience as we should have been. These are generally little things that can and should be fixed.
While we did have a good trip, and I have nothing severely negative to say about Princess, there are some aspects that have declined enough to make me want to look for another (non-Carnival) ship the next time we go. Due to medical problems, we have not cruised in over four years, so perhaps the entire cruising industry has changed. I hope not.
As with most companies, Princess offers the traditional reserved seating and free-choice meals. We traditionally split our meals between the dining room (usually for dinner) and the buffets. This year the food selection was not only considerably reduced; the quality was not much better (in the buffet) than a fast-food restaurant. Breakfast was fine – good selection (although the watery and nearly tasteless oatmeal was the worst I have ever had) with a changing variety of fish and eggs daily. The pastries tended to be dry and the selection was limited and the same every day (no prune Danish). Tomato juice was available only once, grapefruit twice, and cranberry not at all. You could order Cranberry juice in the dining room, but it was not on the menu.
Coffee and tea was available 24-hours a day, when the machines were functioning. During our 9-day trip, we had to search for a functioning coffee machine on five occasions. Twice only brownish warm water came out of the service line. While herbal teas were available, they ran out or stopped offering selections after the third day. I do not drink orange pekoe; so prefer making herbal iced tea. My choice was mint or Dejarling for 6 of the nine days. The water was warm so lots of ice was required and two of the ice machines on the Lido (food and activity) Deck were out of service during the entire trip.
Lunch and dinner offered a large selection of meats, although fish was unvaried and usually breaded and fried. The selection of vegetables was poor and limited. There were plenty of salads and fruit. The lobster was among the worst we ever had.
Due to the incidences of food-borne illnesses reported on cruise ships, Princess shows effort to keep things clean. There are hand sanitation machines at every buffet line, although two never worked and several ran out of fluid and were not soon refilled. As I have gotten sick on two previous cruises, it was a pleasure to complete this trip with no problems.
The staff, though, was not as careful as they could be. When they cleaned up, especially around the pool areas, it was not uncommon for them to wipe the table with napkins left by previous users, a practice I found disgusting. In the dining areas the service and practices were outstanding.
I have absolutely no complaints about room service. Room key-cards, though, were a different matter. During the second day, Roberta’s card did not function so I went to the Purser’s desk to get a new one. On the third day we could not leave the ship since her card was listed as void. The delay was only five minutes.
During the fifth day neither of our door cards worked and it took 12 minutes to get assistance. They gave me two additional cards and told me to keep them away from magnetic sources, such as computers or cameras. We had neither. So now I had four room cards. Roberta took one, I put one in my eyeglass case, left one in the room, and kept the last in a pocket by itself. On Day 6, none of them worked.
The daytime entertainment was typical summer-camp and nursing home fare: bingo, pool games, card games, trivia, and disco music (and some nice live performances). At night the offerings were quite well presented, although I do have two complaints. With the ship hosting over 3,500 passengers, unless you got to the theater or nightclub at least 30 minutes prior to the performance there were no seats available. People were standing and many were turned away. We missed three shows we would have liked to see due to overcrowding. For one of them we arrived almost an hour prior to the show.
Then there was repetition: We sat through Kermit singing “The Rainbow Connection” three times by three different performers. The Eagles’ “Hotel California” was performed three times by different groups and heard piped-in throughout the ship. And every comedian had an uncle that “drank Canada Dry.” There should be some sort of coordination.
Embarkation and disembarkation at all stops and at the beginning and end of the trip were the smoothest I’ve ever seen. We did witness one medical emergency that was handled professionally without upsetting any of the vacationers.
When we cruise next, probably in around a year, we will take a considerably smaller ship and a different cruise line. The large ships dock far away from the attractions and it’s expensive to get where you want to go. The ship-provided port itineraries stress shopping (with the same shops featured at every port). I do not cruise to purchase a watch, diamonds, or tax-free liquor and cigarettes.
This push for extra spending is endemic. Announcements for purchasing Bingo tickets, buying from the on-board shops, and the sale of wine were non-stop. To have to pay $4 for a 12-ounce can of soda or $43 for cruise-long “free” soda was outrageous especially since soda as a fountain drink costs almost nothing to produce. You are constantly reminded that you can just “put it on your room card” so that you’re not really spending money. Not until the bill comes next month.
Yes, we will travel with Princess again, and probably with other large cruise companies. But we are not as satisfied with this experience as we should have been. These are generally little things that can and should be fixed.
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