Belgian_Draft

Damn it, Bill. Not you've set me to thinking of how to do it. Now I won't be able to sleep until i figure it out. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Yeah, I realize it was a joke. But there is one question.... Can the surgeon do a valve job on a Harley with it running? I highly doubt it. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Anybody can learn to weld. Even a surgeon. Few have what it takes to be good at it and perform the job day in and day out in extreme conditions that would make most people run home to mommy. A rare few have the ability to look at any job, analyze it, and make a perfect repair the first time every time. To reach that stage of perfection takes years of study,practice, and dedication to learning the unique requirements of every conceivable alloy in any conceivable situation. Sure I could teach a surgeon to weld. I've done it. But would I trust him enough to send him into a hot section of a nuclear power plant to do a critical repair on a nickel based superalloy? Not anymore than I'd trust the worlds best weldor to do a heart transplant. In fact, I'd sooner let a weldor do the heart transplant. That way only one person dies. Sorry, but your claim that 100 hr work weeks for doctors are ok doesn't cut it. Your own JAMA has published articles showing how long work hours and/or lack of sleep negatively affect a doctors performance including critical decisions such as diagnosis. When the number of deaths due to doctors mistakes falls below the number of deaths due to drunk drivers, then you might have an argument. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

You do realize that if a person DID try to do a valve job on a Harley with the engine running he would probably lose a finger or two, maybe an eye, probably get severely burned,...... Cute story, but hardly accurate or relevant. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Not necessarily true. Residents work outrageous hours for a reason- it's called conditioning. Just as a mountain climber must go up a mountain slowly to allow his lungs time to adjust to lower air pressure (by developing more alveoli and increasing efficiency of profusion), so does a surgeon develop more efficient sleep cycles. Sorry, you are mistaken. There is no way to condition a human into a super human. There is no way to condition a person to avoid the cumulative effects of sleep deprivation combined with stress. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Don't forget to ask if they want fries. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Didn't say I had one. But I can say this: Whatever the solution is, it will not be quick or easy and everyone will feel they are being screwed over. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Aha. If people have an inalienable right to work, howcum everyone wants to deprive aliens of the right to work? My head hurts. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

The violence is a product of the society we have created. We have TV and movies that glorify violence, esp. gun violence. Programs aired as entertainment show the hero cutting down countless bad guys in pursuit of his goal without repercussions. The bad guys, who are human beings similar to us, are treated as objects that didn't exist until just before their demise and leave no family or loved ones behind. We are conditioned to feel no remorse in killing those who stand in the way of our goals. Video games. Where do we start? The most popular video games have the player killing other people using any number of weapons. We now have an entire generation who have been "trained" from childhood to kill in a virtual world. It is not a big jump from killing in a virtual world to killing in the real one. This is known as desensitization. Get somebody to become used to killing in a simulated world and they will be far less likely to hesitate to kill in the real world. Then we have the rhetoric. Politicians and their supporters referring to their opposition as if they were sent by the evil empire to destroy our way of life. To oppose a politician is to be slandered without mercy with no hope of ever being able to address the same audience. It is no wonder that some become so frustrated with constantly being called a bad person without a means to respond to the masses the same way a politician can. Combine this with the relative ease with which a gun can be purchased here in the States and we have managed to set ourselves up for just the situation that happened yesterday. We, as a society, share the blame. WE taught this young man to kill. WE gave him a reason, valid or not. WE enabled him to procurre the means. Yes, the young man, if guilty, deserves punishment. But what of us, those who created the culture and society in which he felt he had no choice? HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

When a skyscraper is built, it is the architect who gets reception. Not the the guy who was 50 stories up on a beam doing whatever his trade is. Fact is, most people get no recognition, or even noticed unless they fuck up big time. Then it cost them their job and everything they worked for. Unions, here in MO have typically assured good wages for welders, plumbers, pipe fitters, mill rights, electricians... Now their is a Republican push for the Right to Work Law.. Voted no on it in 1978, the year I turned 18. The article is dead on about on about down here in Southern Missouri. Jobs just up and left starting back around 2007. http://www.news-leader.com/article/20101226/NEWS01/12260355/Right-to-work-bill-again-on-Missouri-legislature-agenda The new threat is to American truckers, as soon Mexican truckers are given the green light to drive loads beyond the 25 mile zone. Personally, I don't know why we let the Mexican drivers come in as far as we do. Five miles would be plenty to set up a lot to drop a trailer. As far as right to work...why do you want to deny a person their inalienable right to work for whom they wish without paying a third party for that right? If the unions don't want to negotiate a contract that covers all employees, union and non-union, then they should decline to represent the non-union people and allow them to speak for themselves. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

I can almost agree with that except for one point...we could still function as a society with some not-so-minor changes if we had no surgeons. If we had no weldors our society would come to a screaching halt. Virtually every product made today is either welded or made with or transported to you by equipment that is welded. It is almost IMPOSSIBLE to get through your day without YOUR LIFE depending upon the skill of a weldor at some point during that day. Surgeons play a critical role when their skills are needed, which is relatively rare in a persons life. Skilled tradesmen play a critical role in every persons life every day....and get little thanks for it. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

I wonder what welders malpractice insurance runs annualy. Chicken/egg argument. If welders had the same assets to protect as surgeons, their liability insurance would be higher. Assets = Value last time I checked. Welders don't have as much valuable assets hence the risk is less and the fees associated are less. Not that hard to follow. Dude, the man had a good argument going and you just pissed all over it! Assets do not equal value. As I have stated before, operating a fab shop that can handle almost any machining and joining need is not cheap any way you look at it. One safety critical part leaving my shop with a bad weld can lead to bankruptcy, plant closure, and lots of people out of work...not to mention injuries and deaths as a direct result of failure. Not as much to lose? Think again. A surgeon screws up his patient dies. One of my weldors screws up and MANY people can die. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

I wonder what welders malpractice insurance runs annualy. Again, it depends. Quite often we are required to purchase liability coverage for projects. One good example was a custom trailer to educate kids about nature. Total project cost was about 250K. Over 50k of that was for insurance. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

I should have posted a link to begin with. My apologies. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Magic! Not really. It is actually a matter of physics. First, keep in mind that the strength of the pipe was selected with a safety factor in mind...it has "reserve strength". Second, the area to be welded is completely inspected to be certain there are no discontnuities that could lead to rupture if welded on. Third, the weld process and parameters are chosen so as to maximize fusion with no more penetration than is needed. Fusion area is what matters, not penetration. Last, but by no means least, is that while the outside of the pipe is being taken to a molten state in a small localized region, the gas flowing through the pipe is acting as a coolant on the inside. This effect can be so great that sometimes the hardest part of the job is preheating the pipe so a weld can be made that won't cool too fast and trap hydrogen in the steel and result in cracking. Done right it is very reliable and safe. Done wrong... Ah...so you're welding something on the OUTSIDE of the pipe - when you said 'hot tap', I thought something like another pipe joining into the existing one, or something of that nature. It is. A hot tap is a method of attaching another pipe, fitting, valve, etc. to an existing pipe that is in use without relieving pressure, draining, or stopping flow. There are a few cases where welding is prohibited such as high pressures, substances that can become unstable from the heat, etc. Nothing quite like welding on a big ol' pipe full of gasoline! Ok, you cut a hole in an active pipe, stuck in another pipe, but the gas/liquid that is flowing out around the new pipe isn't going to catch on fire or blow the slag puddle out of the weld? A special fitting is welded onto the pipe. In some cases it is like a clamshell and ecloses the full circumference. Once the welding is finished a holesaw like device inside the fitting is used to cut a hole into the existing pipe. A valve between the new hole and the saw is shut to seal the pipe, the saw removed, and whatever attachment is desired is attached. The valve is then reopened. This explains the process and has some pics. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.easervices.com/images/ls4.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.easervices.com/tap.htm&usg=__02WzXxErGEgQxbKkc-TZCZ_HEHI=&h=853&w=640&sz=102&hl=en&start=9&sig2=URrXzi7fUDxV2C9nE7s2YQ&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=wCP4LzWHyZTFHM:&tbnh=145&tbnw=109&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhot%2Btap%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=AQkpTaniMMOC8gbSmtiJCg HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

It is interesting to note that the jobs we have put on a pedestal are relative newcomers. Lawyers have been around for only a few hundred years, doctors who can actually help a patient even less. Society could continue even if they all quit working. Not to say we wouldn't suffer, but we would go on. Meanwhile, the trades that are the oldest are often looked down upon. Farmers and hunters/fishermen are mostly underpaid and overworked. Yet if all of them were to quit their jobs...where would the other 95% of the population get their food? They wouldn't and most likely without farmers and hunters/fishermen most of the worlds people would die of starvation within a few months. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

It's a pissing contest. Fill yer hands you SOB and commence emptying yer bladder! HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Magic! Not really. It is actually a matter of physics. First, keep in mind that the strength of the pipe was selected with a safety factor in mind...it has "reserve strength". Second, the area to be welded is completely inspected to be certain there are no discontnuities that could lead to rupture if welded on. Third, the weld process and parameters are chosen so as to maximize fusion with no more penetration than is needed. Fusion area is what matters, not penetration. Last, but by no means least, is that while the outside of the pipe is being taken to a molten state in a small localized region, the gas flowing through the pipe is acting as a coolant on the inside. This effect can be so great that sometimes the hardest part of the job is preheating the pipe so a weld can be made that won't cool too fast and trap hydrogen in the steel and result in cracking. Done right it is very reliable and safe. Done wrong... Ah...so you're welding something on the OUTSIDE of the pipe - when you said 'hot tap', I thought something like another pipe joining into the existing one, or something of that nature. It is. A hot tap is a method of attaching another pipe, fitting, valve, etc. to an existing pipe that is in use without relieving pressure, draining, or stopping flow. There are a few cases where welding is prohibited such as high pressures, substances that can become unstable from the heat, etc. Nothing quite like welding on a big ol' pipe full of gasoline! HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Physician, heal thyself. Some kids are beyond help. What's the point in explaining something to a person who will intentionally misunderstand every chance he gets? Huh? I don't understand. Could you explain further? HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Magic! Not really. It is actually a matter of physics. First, keep in mind that the strength of the pipe was selected with a safety factor in mind...it has "reserve strength". Second, the area to be welded is completely inspected to be certain there are no discontnuities that could lead to rupture if welded on. Third, the weld process and parameters are chosen so as to maximize fusion with no more penetration than is needed. Fusion area is what matters, not penetration. Last, but by no means least, is that while the outside of the pipe is being taken to a molten state in a small localized region, the gas flowing through the pipe is acting as a coolant on the inside. This effect can be so great that sometimes the hardest part of the job is preheating the pipe so a weld can be made that won't cool too fast and trap hydrogen in the steel and result in cracking. Done right it is very reliable and safe. Done wrong... HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Since I've never had surgery, I'd say that welders have had far more impact on my life than surgeons. uhg.... I've also never had surgery... but I have cashiers, cooks, waiters etc.. service me every day, maybe their training and expertise is as valuable too right? Depends. Would you consider the consequences of being short changed by the teller, undercooked steak from the cook, or poor service from the waiter to be capable of causing hundreds of casualties? What would you consider to be a fair wage for sitting on a 36" natural gas line, under pressure and in service, while welding a hot tap in place? One little screw up and you not only kill yourself but everyone within 300 feet...if you're lucky. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Well put. Thank you. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

Yeah but that same doctor can also do a thoracotomy (crack your chest open) and massage your heart if need be. Sometimes they also need to delegate people to do the small shit like stitching a cut. Also, I don't know many people that would just let any random person stitch them up, or make the decision of whether or not to do so for that matter. And in our shop we could do far more than just repair the hitch on a boat trailer. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

I had to make a trip to the ER once for a cut on my hand. The doctor who looked at it charged a fee of almost $300. that was HIS fee...not the hospital or the guy who stitched it up. It took him less than 60 seconds to look at it, ask how it happened, and tell someone else to clean and stitch it up. Did it take someone years of med school and a small fortune in tuition to do that? Nope. Hell, anybody would know to clean and stitch it. Sure med school would buy a shop full of welders. But it wouldn't buy a CNC machining center and a laser cutting table. Sure I overcharged him out of spite. It was also a form of protest. Just because you will kiss someones ass just because they have "MD" after their name doesn't mean everyone else will. Fuck that. "He" did not bill you. The ER did. "He" doesn't have a say in what is charged. The ER pays him either by the hour or salary. "His" name with "his" fee was itemized on the bill. Other items such as medication, supplies, etc. were also itemized. The only thing on the bill higher than his fee was the hospitals fee for the ER visit. But that is understandabl. They have millions wrapped up in equipment and overhead. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

I had to make a trip to the ER once for a cut on my hand. The doctor who looked at it charged a fee of almost $300. that was HIS fee...not the hospital or the guy who stitched it up. It took him less than 60 seconds to look at it, ask how it happened, and tell someone else to clean and stitch it up. Did it take someone years of med school and a small fortune in tuition to do that? Nope. Hell, anybody would know to clean and stitch it. Sure med school would buy a shop full of welders. But it wouldn't buy a CNC machining center and a laser cutting table. Sure I overcharged him out of spite. It was also a form of protest. Just because you will kiss someones ass just because they have "MD" after their name doesn't mean everyone else will. Fuck that. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.