Let Freedom Ring

The disintegration of the Middle Eastern dictatorships and fiefdoms is so surprizing and seemed to come from nowhere.  Just a little while ago, we were worrying about Radical Islam taking over Egypt, but it's hard to imagine the freedom loving rebels settling for another face of repression.
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Now I'm less fearful of a hostile backlash towards the West and more curious as to how the people of this region, who have never had a Democratic culture or background, will manage their new found freedom.
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Wish them the best.

Wood Joinery

One of the best systems for joining wood is the Kreg Jig.

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Since becoming a woodworker, I have gravitated from dowels to biscuits, and now to the Kreg jig as the preferred method to join two pieces of wood together.

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The jig allows you to countersink a diagonal hole that is precisely measured to use appropriate sized square headed screws based upon the thickness of the boards in question.
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So what's your problem????  I just didn't feel like blogging about Somali Pirates or Islamic revolts today.
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Sometimes, good old wood joinery fills the bill.

Union Movement

When I was a kid growing up in Lynn, Massachusetts, unions held a lot of importance for me.  My father was a firefighter and was active in the union, and my uncle worked in the General Electric.  I remember well the strikes that occurred there and the pall of concern that permeated those times.
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Coming from a Democratic working class family,  the need for strong unions seemed obvious.  Better hours, bettter working conditions, and better pay.
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There was a time in this country when businesses exploited the workers.  The unions forced minimum wage, minimum workweeks, child labor laws and other reforms that were badly needed and gradually became not only contract provisions, but the law of the land, embodied by the Department of Labor. 
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But once the major issues of fairness for working people were addressed by law, the unions still hung on.  I remember strikes at the General Electric for minor issues that seemed to hurt the union members more than helped them.
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Then, back in the early 80's I got a job as the Executive Director of the Lynn Housing Authority.   Of the forty employees, I was the only non-union member by virtue of my position as the executive manager.  Still, my upbringing and background caused me to be sympathetic to the union position.
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The time came  through Propostion 2 1/2 in the mid 80'swhen the people of Massachusetts voted for extensive fiscal cutbacks in government budgets, and I was forced to initiate substantial layoffs.... about 25% of the workforce or 10 jobs.   It was a time of anquish for me but I worked out a plan whereby, if all of the union members agreed to a modest salary cutback, I could save seven jobs and only have to lay off 3 people.
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I was sure that the "brother" union members would rally behind this plan.
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I was wrong.
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They turned on each other with a heartless callousness that astonished and dissapointed me.  What mattered most, was the seniority in the union and to hell with those at the bottom of the barrell.
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I was forced to lay off the ten least senion union members - when seven jobs could have been saved.
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That was an eyeopener.  Also the lack of thought by the members was atrocious.  The rank and file let the union leadership make their decisions and never seemed to think on their own.  It was like lemmings heading for the ocean.
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Now public teacher  unions in Wisconsin are showing the ugly face of a movement that is past its time.   Striving for benefits that far and away eclipse what the private sector provides.   Course the membership votes... and votes in a block.   BO has already jumped to a political conclusion in support of the protesters.  What a shock!

Outmoded Repression

This impulse to rebel and seek freedom from Middle Eastern dictatorships is starting to get inspiring.   I didn't see it coming, and figured that the medieval cultural tendencies were immovable.
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But people crave freedom, and it's hard to subjucate and oppress people who have the ability to communicate and share their feelings and desires.    That's exactly what Facebook does today.   What used to be the clandestine cells and secret organizational meetings that fed revolutionary fervor is now accessible to the masses over the internet.
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Repressive regimes need to control the flow of information and fabricate propaganda into the big lie.  Open communication thwarts this.
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So Saudi Kings, and Libyan Dictators will be going through a tough patch for a while.  Time to fire up the personal aircraft and find a safe, reclusive retirement.
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This upheaval is reminiscent of the fall and Communism and the crumbling of the Berlin Wall.  Something else that I didn't see coming.
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The world will be a nicer place without these outmoded, repressive regimes.

POTW Week 7

This was a tough week... transitioning back into Nanepashemet Telecom after the move was essentially completed.  Cash flow is less than expected, mainly due to the weather screwing up the completion of some construction projects.   It's always a pain to look for cash.  Especially when you know that you will be flush again in a few short months.
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Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 7th week of 2011

Ben Martin
Scuba Steve Lewis
Lisa Panakio Rowe
Kelly Light
Hosni Mubarek
Dave Bruett

In about a month, things will be back to normal.
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BTW... to the Peep in Key Largo who has been checking out this Blog.... you lucky Bastard,  I'd love to be kicking back where you are these days.

Rape and Peaceful Protest

While our network news spindoctors were cheerily reporting the party in that Egyptian Square concerning the peaceful overthrow of Hosni Mubarek, Lara Logan, a CBS news correspondent was being publically raped by a frenzied mob right in the middle of it all.

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What kind of a culture does this???? Gang raping a person for a half hour while screaming, "Jew, Jew!"

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But the networks were enthralled by the peacefulness of the activity in the square.  Reporting how people picked up the trash and fixed the bricks and stuff.

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I don't understand why the liberal press treads so lightly on the Muslim culture......   the way that women are oppressed and the West is vilified.  I've often felt that liberals have a deep seeded hatred for themselves and their own base emotions... which is why they lash out at others and project their own maliced feelings upon others.

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Could it be that the Liberal press embraces a culture that is so blatantly opposed to our way of life  simply because it is akin to the hatred of us?
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It's not right to generalize, and downright dangerous and wrong to characterize a whole group or religion.  But when stuff like this rape occurs, against the liberal spin, we should stand up, take notice, and express our outrage.
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Didn't see any of that from Katie Couric or George Stephanopoulos.

Marblehead Gunning Dory Revival

It's been over four years since I've started building the Marblehead Gunning Dory.  And now, with no onsite workshop and no real practical room to set up in our Nanepashemet Telecom shop in Peabody, it seems like the project is pushed out for the foreseeable future.
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The shop in the backyard will have to be built first.  But the new shop will undoubtably be influenced by the space needs required to build the 18' dory.   The base, frames, and laminated bow have been  completed for some time now.
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With no other conflicting prorities, the Gunning Dory will be resumed in the autumn of this year, in a new backyard boatshop disguised as a detached garage.  The design and appeal of the craft is timeless, but it is starting to feel like the project is endless.

Carpe Diem

Tomorrow morning, I'll be up at dawn and barrell assing down to Rhode Island with stops in Johnston and East Greenwich.  Have to jump through some hoops to process a permit and then meet the power company to ponder an easement problem.
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If all goes well, I'll roll back into Marblehead before mid afternoon, with another 200 miles racked up on the F-150.
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Not every day is as exciting as this one at Nanepashemet Telecom.
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Living the Dream.

Tuna Lips said...
you gits tired of that telephone business, c'mon down el Paso way, get your fixed up runnin' special packages over the border. Pays good, and all the jails bait you can handle, no word of a lie, I tells ya. Coooo cooo ca choo!

Walk like an Egyptian

Not to sound too unsophisticated about world affairs, but I just haven't been worked up about this Hosni Mubarek, Egypt thing.
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I mean.... what does a few million Muslims crowding around the Nile River, who are pissed off about their government, have to do with me?  So what if they screw around with the Suez Canal for awhile.  How much can that cost?  The mega oil freighters can't fit through anyway.
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And our President, Barack Obama says its a new day for Egypt.  But as far as I can see, there is just the military in charge and parliament suspended.  Not such an exciting new day if you ask me.
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But the network newcasters keep saying that it is mega important.
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I don't get it.

Access to Condoms

The debate is on today regarding whether or not students in Boston Public High Schools should have access to condoms.
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Am I missing something here?
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Can't anybody at any age stroll into the local drug store and pony up some cash for a Trojan Enz or two?   I believe they can.
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So the debate isn't about "access to condoms" from the schools.  It's about whether the schools should distribute free condoms.   Clearly kids already have access to condoms.  It's really a budget issue.  Schools that can't afford athetic and sports, now seem to be able to dish out rubbers.  Go figure.
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I personally don't see any morality issue here.  Just because a horney kid has a rubber, doesn't mean he is going to get laid.    It's the same problem that comes with Viagra.  You might have the ability, but the opportunity is a whole other matter.
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Possessions and Memories

So we have substantially completed the move of our accumulated possessions from Beverly Ave. to the Sundance building.   There still are some stuff in the garage, and our deck furnishings remain covered with snow.
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I filled the F150 to capacity with trash this morning, and Mike and Scuba Steve helped me to move the dining room table back, because our tenants wanted to use it, and from here on in, Joanne and I will be sorting out stuff and putting things away at our new Sundance home.
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Peeps....
The amount of stuff that we have is mindboggling, and I'll be tossing stuff away agressively for the next couple of weeks.  
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My problem with accumulating things is that when I look at a book, a file, or a piece of clothing... it stimulates a memory associated with the item.   And then, I'm afraid to part with it because I think that I won't be able to retrieve the memory without the stuff.   This has become an issue because I can't continue to haul around all of this baggage.
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Plus I have trouble parting with electronic equipment that I paid so much for, and now is obsolete.   So I have a few useless, CPU's and laptops hanging around that I have to trash.
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The bottom line is this.... I'm not placing a file in the file cabinets unless it has a present relevancy... otherwise it will be trashed.   I'm not putting any clothes in my closet or dresser that I haven't worn in the last year... otherwise, it will go to the Salvation Army bin in the Town Dump.   I'm not putting any book into a bookcase unless it has current relevance.... otherwise, it is going to the book bin that Joanne will soon have removed from the  Sundance building.
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There is simply no sense in carrying around these possessions that have no place in the present or the future.  Just don't have the space.
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So I'm heaving them and taking the chance that memories that they hold will still crop up from time to time.
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Power Day

Yesterday was one of those power days that don't come too often.... because if they did, then I'd be rubbing elbows with guys like Donald Trump, Bill Gates, or even Bill Hillegas.
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Closed the rental deal on Beverly Ave., received orders from a highly sought after carrier with the promise of more to follow, was invited to bid on a major regional build by another of the big four carriers, and picked up a couple of paypoint milestones for our core customer.  Plus other stuff confidential to Nanepashemet Telecom.
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And in between, Joanne and I substantially completed the move of our stuff from Beverly Ave. to the Sundance building.
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All of this didn't come without cost, as I was pretty wasted by the end of the day.   But you know the routine... Mountain of a Man... yada, yada, yada.
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I'm not expecting today to match yesterday's accomplishments, but you never know.