freethefly

Hellbound Airlines has been overbooked. Those not being seated will have to wait for the next resurrection. Thank you for sinning. Your Hellbound Airlines Representative. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

Well, let's see now. she broke no laws, was not under arrest. She was forced to the ground at the station. Where were the rest of the cops who could had help to calm the situation? Couldn't cuff her so the only answer is to taser? I'd hate to sneeze near an officer as he may consider it an assualt (might catch the flu) and taser the crap out of me. Whatever happened to calm, cool and collected reasoning that cops use to use. It seems that it is taser first and then taser again and again. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

did you also do your own NDT? what types? When I was welding, I did not do any testing. Not allowed. All of our welds on pressure pipe was RT'd by St.Louis Testing. While with Sperry Rail Service I learned UX and EMF NDT. I was a level 2 examiner (we were more like a level 3 as we also setup, repair and made technical changes to the equipment). The rail test car employed UX and EMF testing methods. The shop in Danbury can take a test a bit further with xray (RT) and destructive testing such as etching as can be seen in pic #4. The rail test car use 4 roller search units with three piezo crystals to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy (a focused vibration) set at 0, 70, and 37 degrees. 2 RSU's are used on each side configured at 70,0,37,37,0,70 so as to see every part of the rail. Time gates (in milliseconds) allow the impluses to pass without hitting each other. If there is no defect to return the energy it just dissipitates off into the rail. A defect is like a wall that you would toss a ball at. It's the end of the line and the sound is returned along the path it followed and back to the crystal to be converted back into electrical energy and then amplified and regitered on a read out tape to be interpeted by the examiner. This all happens within a few milliseconds while the test car travels at 6.5 (in switch areas) to 13 mph (on clean rail). Speed is determined by rail surface conditions. EMF sets an electrical field around the rail and a coil is passed over the surface of the railhead. Being that an electrical current follows the path of least resistance, the lines of force will deviate from the path to go around a defect. The coil is "hit" by these deviations as it rides but 1/8th above the surface. The line takes on the form of a "bump" and hits the bottom of the coil to give an indication that something is below the rail surface. A bit of history on SRS http://www.trainweb.org/elso/SPERRY.HTM "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

Eat Steak by Reverend Horton Heat Eat steak, eat steak eat a big ol' steer Eat steak, eat steak do we have one dear? Eat beef, eat beef it's a mighty good food It's a grade A meal when I'm in the mood. Cowpokes'll come from a near and far When you throw a few rib-eyes on the fire Roberto Duran ate two before a fight 'Cause it gave a lot of mighty men a lot of mighty might Eat steak, eat steak eat a big ol' steer Eat steak, eat steak do we have one dear? Eat beef, eat beef it's a mighty good food It's a grade A meal when I'm in the mood. Eat meat, eat meat, filet mignon Eat meat, eat meat, eat it all day long Eat a few T-bones till you get your fill Eat a new york cut, hot off the grill Eat steak, eat steak eat a big ol' steer Eat steak, eat steak do we have one dear? Eat beef, eat beef it's a mighty good food It's a grade A meal when I'm in the mood. Eat a cow, eat a cow 'cuase it's good for you Eat a cow, eat a cow it's the thing that goes Mooooo Look at all the cows in the slaughterhouse yeard Gotta hit'em in the head, gotta hit'em real hard First you gotta clean'em then the butcher cuts'em up Throws it on a scale throws an eyeball in a cup Saw a big Brangus Steer standing right over there So I rustled up a fire cooked him medium rare Bar-B-Q'ed his brisket, and roasted his rump Fed my dog that ol' Brangus Steer's hump Eat steak, eat steak eat a big ol' steer Eat steak, eat steak do we have one dear? Eat beef, eat beef it's a mighty good food It's a grade A meal when I'm in the mood. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

I can teach someone to tig in less than an hour. You're right, it is not that hard to learn how to make a simple weld. It is hard to make certification welds. There is far more to doing pressure vessel than there is to sticking two pieces of metal together. What do you know about pre-heating and control cooling? What rod do you use on any given schedule pipe? What grade is the pipe? A? B? C? Do you know that there is a certian way to start and end a weld so not to produce a defect. Undercut any part of the toe and it is a bad weld and it's marked to be grinded. Spatter is another visible that is not allowed on cerification work. Overlap the toe and it's a defect. Can you produce a uniform bead vertical up. Bead height and width the same along the entire weld? How many passes are needed for 1"? How do you tie in each bead? Why is a vertical up your strongest weld? All pipe is welded up unless it is welded on a rotating positioner or inline positioner for submersible welding. We welded most jobs with SMAW. Even more intensive as there is more possibilties for a defect. You can go ahead and say that it is a comparably simple to learn task and you're right. The basics are easy but, beyond that it takes years of continous learning and doing to do it right. That is the same with any job that actually require skill and knowledge. Myself, I haven't welded in 6 years and I know that I would have an extremely hard time passing certification today ( I worked bothsides of the field, welding and NDT since 1980 starting in the Navy as a C-1 welder). With a few days of practice I'm sure I could regain part of those skills but would still be iffy. If I can pass the test, I want top pay and nothing less. The union sees to it that top dog welders get that pay in most areas. They also see to it that someone who skipped across the border does not. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

I use to be a racist. Then I blew up the engine in my car. I no longer race. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

He has my vote. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

If there were more companies like yours, I would agree that unions are not needed. I also detest union members who did what was done to your equipment. They are the ones who make union members look like thugs. Not everyone resorts to those types of tactics. They are criminals and I hope they are caught and forced to pay for the damge done. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

Funny thing (not laughable funny), when I was up on the CP rail in B.C. all was fine until, word got to the authority that I had a DUI sometime back in my past. The Mounties showed up and took me in as an undesirable to be deported. I was told that I was more than welcomed to come visit Canada but I could not work in Canada due to the DUI. A Mountie stayed with me all the way into the US and said goodbye when I past through US customs. Hmmm, oh well, I still like Canada (not real fond of the French Canadians, however. Damn, were they hard to work with) As for specialized, I am not saying that we in the TIG area were so special that we deserved more. Not at all. What I mean is that the position required far more skill and welding knowledge than the guy who only knows how to squeeze the trigger on a MIG gun. Same as those in the machine shop. These jobs were not OJT. You hired in due to your ability to produce a top quality weld that will not break. During the destructive test, the parent metal better break and your weld must be intact. If your weld breaks, you did not get the job. That simple. There was only 2 TIG welders per shift. Certian fields in the welding industry are specialized and the skills need to be developed to produce the strongest, defect free weld. Those fields get the higher pay. Those who did not develope those skills stayed in the booths that merely threw a bit of weld on two pieces of metal and sent them to the line. As for muti tasking, we did far more than just TIG weld in our area. We also fabricated our own parts. We ran the CNC turret as well as the CNC brakes. We cut all of our own metal. We built the framework for the portapaks as well as the walls and roofs. It was never the samething each day. All of the units were built to the customers need. After Ingersol Rand sent these jobs away and shut us down, I put in a bid for the robotic welder and won it. Honestly, I hated the job. It was repetitive and more than boring. Samething day in and day out. These days I'm still trying to make my home business thrive. Sometimes it does well, sometimes it does not. I'm never bored though. I enjoy doing embroidery and t-shirt printing. Being happy with what you do is far more important than the big dollar. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

My dues weren't all that bad. 20 some dollars a month. $48.00 per month for medical insurance. Well worth it the same as my union dues were well worth it. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

And they bitched and moaned about their jobs going to India for the cheap wage. Those same people thumbed their noses at us on the factory floor when our jobs went to China and Mexico. Fair turnabout. Not much anyone can do when the boardroom decides that they would rather pay sweatshop wages overseas than pay a fair wage here at home. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

Not true. I've bounced through quite a few fabrication shops before I got the top pay. Many of those shops did not do certification work. Some did. It was in the union shops that the pay was great. Management in those shops were also great. They were more than happy to know that the guy welding was more than qualified due to his ability to pass any test. The non-union shops paid what they did and if you didn't like it, hit the bricks, which I did. The pay got me through but not what I thought I should be paid for my skill. My dues weren't all that bad. 20 some dollars a month. And we never went on strike. Ingersol Rand on the otherhand had no problem sending the jobs to Mexico and putting people on the street to look for another job that will support what they were building on before the layoffs. Layoffs? Are you aware of those? "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

Gee, I hope you didn't bust your nut rolling all about yourself. According to some, the man or woman on the factory floor is crap and not worth more than minimum wage. Hell, you people would be happy to see unions gone and leave it up to the corporation to set the wage. Bill, believes that the worker on the floor would be able to negotiate their wage with management. Would never happen if management had free range on what they would pay. They would pay far under what minimum allows. My wage in the factory was high, as it should be. I made far more than the guy who swept and for good reason. My job was specialized as not many in there could weld aluminum, copper and bronze. With proper training they could. However, not everyone wants to weld. When I worked as a pipe welder I made union scale there also. Not every welder can weld a vertical up and pass the NDT. With proper training they could. Then again, not everyone wants to weld pressure pipe. Those wages allowed me to live fairly nice in a nice area. My money was spent in my community. It filtered into the shops around me. If everyone were making chump change, many of the shops we patronize would not be in existence. Go ahead and use illegals and pay the chump change they are willing to take. That money will quickly leave the area for somewhere south of the border. I much rather pay rate and know that my money stays in the US to support the guy down the road. Not someone south of the border. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

You constantly blame the union for the failures of the US auto industry. The truth is it was management that brought about the failure. Why complain about some guy making $20.00 an hour when the people who actually performed below standards are the people who made the decisions that brought the curtain down? I often heard people blame the assembler for a car that runs like crap. Why not blame the idiot who designed it? How about complaining about his/her over inflated salary. Can't blame the guy turning the bolt if the bolt is not designed correctly. Often the mistakes that upper management makes are corrected by those on the line. Who gets the credit? Management does. You can sit there on your high horse and boast how easy it is for you to just walk off of a job if you don't like it but, you do not know the story of each and every person sweating on a factory floor. Not everyone has the luxury to just pick up their tools and hit bricks. Sadly, before long there will be very few manufacturing jobs left in this country. Those who do great on the line may not be suited for high tech jobs. Same goes for those in the high tech fields, some don't do well on the factory floor. The give me a raise or I quit shit would never fly on a factory floor. I have no idea what your experiance working on a line is but, I get the feeling that you have none. If you did, you would know that any position down there can be filled at any given time. If you don't like the pay, hit the bricks. Many stay where they are because they are comfortable. If benefits are good, wages are good they are putting food on the table, keeping a home and saving for their future while they raise their families. You seem to say that these people are lazy, uneducated non-driven fools. You seem to blame them when corporations fail. You seem to know very little about the blue color world. If I am wrong, correct me. I have a lot of respect for you, Bill but, we'll never agree on this. I come from a union background and will always support the union. I find it odd that so many want to bash the guy on the floor for wishing to just do his job and make a decent wage but will always defend the CEO's who are pulling down millions while the company sinks due to his inabilty to navigate the ship. You'll find more pride on the floor than you will in the boardroom. Next time you go to the gocery store, take a look at the refrigeration units that keep the food cold. Most likely it is a Hussmann. I built that along with everyone else on those lines. I am proud of that. The guy in management can't say that. Drive around back and you'll see a large white trailers. Those are portapaks. I use to build those. Much of the design came from us on the floor. Our input made them better. We found the flaws that were designed into them. We were proud of our work. We corrected them and built them. Management can't say that neither. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

I'm in freaking pain from laughing so damn hard. Did you write that or find it on the web? Edit to add, I googled and found it. Man, that's funny. Just got my hunting dog(puppy) back from the vet today. He's a CONEHEAD. LOL. Should we take this to the pussy BONFIRE? GUNS!!!!GUNS!!!!GUNS!!!!! There I saved this thread from being cast into Bonfire Hell. Y'all can thank me. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

I'm in freaking pain from laughing so damn hard. Did you write that or find it on the web? Edit to add, I googled and found it. Man, that's funny. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

In a perfect world companies would be willing to pay fair wages but, it is not a perfect world, as you know, most companies would pay the least they could. You bring up the guy with the shovel or the slow sign. I am sure that you are aware that unions have different scale for different jobs. Not everyone is making $20.00+ an hour. In the factory, I was a tig welder and ran the robotic welder. I made near $9.00 an hour more than the guy who pushed the broom. In construction I contracted siding jobs and when on a union jobsite I still got my $200.00 a square but, I was protected by the union and was guaranteed the work. When working outside the union it was dog eat dog. Low bid gets the job. If your speaking of the factory maintenance electrician, I can agree that they do far less than the guy who is wiring a house. Yet the guy in the factory is doing his job and does not have to worry about someone else of a lower pay grade taken his position. On the jobsite the skilled carpenter, plumber, electrician... make far more than the guy who is hired on to clean up. Not everyone makes a crap load of money in the union. Everyone speaks has if their job is special and only they can do it. I say bullshit. Everyone may not be able to do any job yet, most people can do many different jobs just as well as the next person. I've worked as an UX/EMF rail inspector, made great money without a union. I've worked as a pipe welder, made great money with a union. Worked construction and made great money with a union. Worked in a factory and made great money with a union. I believe I can perform near any job, given the right training. So could anyone else. Some jobs require a union to speak gor the workers. With Sperry Rail Service, we negotiated our salaries once you became a chiel operator. Your salarie was also based upon your ability to test rail. Not an easy job at all but, most people could learn it. In the factory or jobsite an individual cannot negotiate their pay. Not doable. Factories and construction needs unions. True some locals are crap. Others are great and work well with management. Some factories are great and work well with the unions. Some companies are so great that the union is not needed. Others would pay dirt if not for the collective bargaining table. Not everyone can do that. You know that is true. If everyone could and did there would be no one to work the factory floors or do other blue collar type jobs. But, I guess we could always use the illegals for those jobs. I do agree with you on some points but coming from union background and seeing the good and bad of it, I believe there is more good that comes from them. I'll always support union. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

My cats are plotting a violent overthrow of my kingdom. They are inherently evil "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

It is pretty clear to me from this statement that when Mr. Horn left his house, he had no other intents other than to shoot to kill. Or he said that to encourage faster police time than sometime in the morning after the bad guys were gone. Listen to the tape. The police were there seconds after he killed them. This guy stepped out the door after stating that he was going to kill them. He did exactly what he said he was going to do. It cannot be any clearer to what his intent was. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

LisaH

For the last few weeks, I have noticed that my laptop was always warm, as if it was just running, when I would lift the top to start it up. I would think how odd that was. Hmmm, maybe there is a problem? Well, early today when I came in, I was shocked to see my cats on the desk working furiously on my computer. Lucky for me I had my camera to get the proof needed. I was even more shocked to see that they were at a terrorist website. I was sorta wondering who was bombing doghouses in the area. How odd I thought. Who would bomb a doghouse. Apparently the kitten I took in several weeks back is a terrorist and the ploy was that he was an abandon kitten. It seems that their plan was to infiltrate my home for access to my computer. Should I report them to the humane society or homeland security? "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

Blaming the folks on the factory floor? How about blaming the management at the top for bad decisions and crappy designs. Blame them for pushing out overpriced gas guzzling monster size trucks and SUV's that didn't sell. Toyota went the other route and designed quality vehicles that did sell. The fault for a failing US auto industry is the fault of those at the top. Go ahead and blindly blame the guy on the factory floor who is busting his ass while the suits at the top pull in the bigger dollars. But, you being a suit yourself, I guess it is beyond your ability to see that the working stiff is also human and has to pay the same bills that you do. It's not the unions fault that the top excutives are not worth their salt. Cut the pay at the top to what the factory worker makes. Fair is fair. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

What are you pulling down a year, Bill. More than 50 grand? Are you worth it? You probably believe you are worth far more. Do you believe that you should be compensated fairly for your time and skill? You probably do and so does the man or woman who is busting their ass in all types of weather to build the homes we live in. You union busters are part of the problem. You suit and ties see unions as the enemy when unions work to see that the employee is compensated fairly for their time. That compensation flows right back into the community. The more I make the more I spend. If the employee is only making pennies, that hurts the economy. It hurts the local resturuants. It hurts the local stores. It hurts the community because there is less tax flowing into the city coffer. You union busters would rather sit back and watch the people who build the buildings you use starve. I'm not in the unions these days but, if I were to go back into the trades, damn right, union all the way. My time and skill is worth every dollar. You folks who believe that the union turns a blind eye to shoddy work have never worked a union jobsite. Shoddy work will get you blackballed. Good luck finding work on a good paying site. They'll have your name. Maybe the illegals will take you. Hell, if the carpenter isn't worth what he makes then all the suits out there are worth far less as there is no danger in pushing a button. Try working where things are moving. Try working above the ground up on ladders and planks slamming nails. Try it in freezing weather or extreme heat. Try being at the top of a 40 while the winds are slamming you. So cozy to detest what you do not know, eh Bill? "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

Larry Carlton is right up there on top for one of the greatest guitarist. His work with Steely Dan was amazing and his solo work is awsome. Love the album Alone but never alone. Smiles and smiles to go is amazing. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young

Seconded. All in favor, all opposed. Motion carried. I take it that you and headoverheels have no idea what the trades unions guarantee. They guarantee that your project will be built up to code. They guarantee that a strong wind will not rip the roof and siding off of your building. They assure you that your home will not burn to the ground due to shoddy electrical work. You can rest easy knowing that the frame of your house is strong. With the trades unions you get the best in craftsmanship. If there is any problem whatsoever, the union bends over backwards to remedy the problem as their reputation depends on it. You may not have ever been union and that's fine. But, by not being so, you have no idea what it takes to stay on a union jobsite. You do shoddy work, you are out of there as the union does not tolerate corner cutters. With illegals you have nothing but crap. You may save a few dollars by hiring those guys but when shit falls apart you have nowhere to turn. You union haters can say what you want about unions but remember it was the unions that built the USA. Not some illegal who refuses to speak english or give a damn about build codes. It's the union worker who pays taxes not the illegal you hire to put a roof on your home for chump change. It is the union folks who spends their money in the community, not the illegal who sends it south of the border. Go ahead and bitch about the carpenter who is pulling down 50 grand a year. Maybe you refuse to realize that these people have families to support. Maybe a child in desperate need of the medical benefits that the union negotiated. They have bills and mortgages like everyone else. They learned their trade and are proud of their work. I always felt proud when I drove past a building that I helped build. I loved to point out a complex where my buddies and I did all of the siding, soffit and fascia on. I think it is freaking funny when some moron hires a crew of job thieves and then has to hire in union later after their great deal falls to pieces. Illegals do not guarantee their work. They do not go by codes. None of them are even licensed to work in the counties they infect (in St. Louis you are required to be licensed to do contract work). Honest contractors pay for the right to apply their trade. Illegals do not. Go ahead and hire those thieves. You are only doing a disservice to yourself, your community and your country. You want a thriving community? Hire the union. "...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young