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"The
difference between the almost right word and the right word
is really a large matter—’tis the difference between the
lightning-bug and the lightning." - Mark Twain
The opposite of a
correct statement is a false statement.
The opposite of a profound truth may well be another
profound truth.
Niels Bohr (1885-1962), physicist
"Beware the man
of one book."
Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274), Theologian,
philosopher
Life is not a
journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely
in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly
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WOW - What a Ride!"
"Consciously or
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Oliver Wendell Holmes
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a close relationship to the buffalo. He is our brother. You
can't understand about nature, about the feeling we have
toward it, unless you understand how close we were to the
buffalo. That animal was almost like a part of ourselves,
part of our souls." Lame Deer, Lakota
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Billery
Harley-Davidson
Published: 4/2/2007 | Last Updated: 4/2/2007 19:30 London Time Being a frequent subject of business school case studies is a bit like riding a motorcycle. It is pleasant – as long as you don't let the thrill of the ride distract you from the dangers ahead.
Take Harley-Davidson. On Friday, workers at the motorcycle maker's largest assembly plant went on strike for the first time in 16 years. Its shares actually went up on the news despite dark mutterings from Harley that it could end up in the same position as Detroit's car industry if it does not get its way.
Such warnings sound premature with profits running at record levels. But they are a reminder of how unusual Harley's return from the brink has been – and what it might risk if no quick settlement is reached.
Harley once had a virtual monopoly in the US but was hit even worse by Japanese competition than Detroit's big three. Its revival was based on positioning its bikes as a lifestyle choice with no real substitutes – and on copying the best of its Japanese rivals' management techniques to ensure its products lived up to their billing. Chief among these was a collaborative approach towards employees in order to get continuous quality and efficiency improvements.
That served Harley well. Shipments have risen fivefold over the past 15 years. But despite recent successes overseas, Harley's size makes slower growth and some margin pressure likely. To avoid turning today's pay negotiations into tomorrow's legacy costs, the company is right to push for stingier healthcare benefits and tweaking the terms of new employees.
Pairing that with subdued wage increases, however, was bound to cause unrest at a company that prides itself on treating all stakeholders well. Harley and its dealers have plenty of inventory to sit out a short strike. But it should remember that collaborative labour relations are easier to destroy than to build. Just look at Detroit.
??G?: FT.com Copyright The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved.
FLFLHTC: Date
shown at top of article is in European format.
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No matter how cold it gets, they will be there.
"24/7," said Dave Lindsay, a Harley-Davidson assembler. "We walk around and talk to each other, keep each other going."
Lindsay talked about his strike experience Sunday morning, during his 9 a.m. to noon strike shift.
The West Manchester Township resident and fellow members of Local Lodge 175 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers went on strike at 12:01 a.m. Friday.
Standing near Harley-Davidson's Eden Road entrance, Lindsay, 48, said the union has more than kerosene heaters and hot cocoa to help them handle the cold.
"It's the camaraderie that keeps us warm," he said.
Union members each take turns picketing for three-hour periods that correspond with the shifts they were working at Harley prior to the strike, said Gordie Spangler, Local Lodge 175's president.
Each union member is expected to picket at least three hours weekly, Spangler said.
Several members were willing to picket extra hours or trade shifts with those who wanted to watch Sunday's Super Bowl, Spangler said.
"People are stepping up," he said. "That shows how much we're in this together."
'These are my people': Spangler said he's been spending much of his time picketing at his workplace and organizing activities from the union's strike headquarters behind Kelly's Inn in Springettsbury Township.
The headquarters consists of a port-a-potty and a union member's recreational vehicle, where Spangler meets with strike captains. Kerosene heating equipment, snacks and warm drinks also are kept at the headquarters.
Spangler said that since the strike began, he has been averaging about two to three hours of sleep per day.
"These are my people out here," he said. "I don't want to be sleeping and cozy in bed somewhere when my people are out here in the cold."
Donald Boyer, the owner of Kelly's Inn at 1906 N. Sherman St., said union members contacted him last week about setting up headquarters in the back parking lot of his business.
Besides headquarters space, Boyer said he also is allowing the union to use the inn's coffee, water and electricity.
Also female workers prefer to use the inn's restroom rather than the port-a-potty.
That's the least he can do for workers who have kept his business thriving for the past 28 years, Boyer said.
"I know the York County retail businesses depend on Harley workers, whether it's management or the union," he said. "I've known a lot of Harley-Davidson workers who come here regularly. Some of them, I've seen them when they started and I've seen them retire.
"Harley-Davidson is what built us up and supported us."
Wants to help: Boyer said though he was sorry to learn about the strike, he understands the union has to do what's best for its members.
"I just think about them being in the cold and I want to help them as much as I can," he said. "I'm concerned about how they're going make it. They have family, kids, mortgage, car payments."
Boyer said business has been affected by the strike, as several union members and management officials have not been to the inn since the strike started.
Spangler said the union appreciates Boyer's help and has been getting support from the community. However, he said he's also hearing from "naysayers" who think the union is being greedy.
"It's not greed," he said. "Our benefits are being attacked and taken away. This is not a bad place to work, but we're standing for what's right. I hope it's not a long strike, but I'm willing to stay our here until we get this resolved."
Company spokeswoman Pat Sweeney confirmed Friday that the company has disabled union workers' cell phones, pagers, e-mail and voicemail access.
No negotiating sessions were scheduled as of Sunday night, union business representative Thomas Boger said. |
A man walked into a very high-tech bar. As he sat down on a stool he noticed that the bartender was a robot. The robot clicked to attention and asked, "Sir, what will you have".
The man thought a moment then replied, "A martini please". The robot clicked a couple of times and mixed the best martini the man had ever had.
The robot then asked, "Sir, what is your IQ".
The man answered "Oh, about 164."
The robot then proceeded to discuss the theory of relativity, interstellar space travel, the latest medical
breakthrough's, etc.
The man was most impressed. He left the bar but thought he would try a different tact. He returned and took a seat. Again the robot clicked and asked what he would have. "A martini please".
Again it was superb. The robot again asked. "What is your IQ sir". This time the man answered, "Oh, about 100".
The robot started discussing Nascar racing, the latest basketball scores, and what to expect the Dodgers to do this weekend.
The guy had to try it one more time. He left, returned and took a stool. Again a martini, and the question, "What is your IQ".
This time the man drawled out, "Uh... about 50".
The robot clicked then leaned close and very slowly asked...
A-r-e......... y-o-u-r.....
p-e-o-p-le..........g-o-i-n-g...........
t-o........n-o-m-i-n-a-t-e..........
H-i-l-l-a-r-y-?????
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Sarasota corrections deputy charged in fight
A Sarasota County corrections officer was charged Friday with felony battery, simple battery, criminal mischief and perjury in an unofficial statement for allegedly beating up some guys in a New Year's Day fight at Fishermen's Village, then fibbing to the officer investigating the incident.
A Sarasota County corrections officer was arrested Friday for his alleged participation in a fight early on New Year's Day at Fishermen's Village.
According to a Punta Gorda Police Department report, Michael Todd
Mante, 36, hit two men
breaking one's nose and damaged a car during the altercation in the parking lot of the shopping center, then gave false information in a statement to a Punta Gorda police officer.
Judge Peter A. Bell signed a Charlotte County warrant for Mante's arrest Friday on charges of felony battery, simple battery, criminal mischief and perjury in an unofficial statement. He was taken into custody by the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office around 4 p.m. and was later released after posting $5,000 bond.
No charges were filed against Mante or the others involved in the incident
Ray Joseph Berta, 28, and Kyle Jon Evers, 22, of Port Charlotte, and Christopher Eugene Slattery, 28, of North Port
at the time of the incident.
According to the PGPD report released Friday, the fight began around 1:15 a.m., when Berta and Evers allegedly approached the wives of Slattery and Mante and joked about having a sexual encounter. Michael Mante became angry, struck a car and punched Berta and Evers, breaking Evers' nose, the report said.
When witness Denny Poulakis told Mante he would call the police, Mante allegedly showed him his sheriff's star and said, "I am the (expletive) police," the report said.
When a PGPD officer took statements from those involved, Mante told him Evers and Berta had groped his wife's breasts. That account entered into the original incident report.
The others involved in the incident later issued a complaint with the
PGPD, which sparked another investigation.
Friday's report stated that Mante's wife disagreed with her husband's account and told police she had not been groped.
Crohn's disease: New diagnostic technology
VIENNA, -- Austrian scientists say they've developed a new diagnostic technology for Crohn's disease: computerized tomography enteroclysis. CT enteroclysis is reportedly superior to conventional enteroclysis previously
con sidered the gold standard as an imaging method for the evaluation of the small bowel in patients with Crohn's disease. Crohn's disease is an inflammatory disease of the intestinal wall. "The big advantage of CT enteroclysis is its ability to detect complications which exist outside normal parameters of the diagnosis and identification of Crohn's disease," said Dr. Johannes Sailer of the Medical University of Vienna and lead author of the research. "Our recent study proved that CT enteroclysis can detect fistula, abscess and conglomeration tumor superior to conventional enteroclysis, with no disadvantages in the detection of minimal mucosal changes (a sign of early stage Crohn's disease). "CT enteroclysis is an excellent technique for diagnosis of all small bowel diseases (that) show
morpho logic changes to the bowel wall," added Sailer, who said the technique should replace conventional enteroclysis in patients with Crohn's disease.
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TED
NUGENT
Ted was being interviewed about his deer hunting by a touchy-feely French journalist.
The journalist asked, "What do you think is the last thought in the head of a deer before you shoot him? Is it, "Are you my friend?" or is it "Are you the one who killed my brother?'"
Nugent replied, "Deer aren't capable of that kind of thinking. All they care about is, "What am I going to eat next, who am I going to screw next, and can I run fast enough to get away. They are very much like the French." |
If you are faced with a really filthy toilet that has brown staining, simply pour a liter bottle of coke down into the bowl and leave overnight. You will be surprised in the morning that all the hard stuck fast residue will brush away with ease.
Does your brickwork look worn, but doesn't need to be replaced? Brighten up dull brickwork by rubbing it with a piece of broken brick of matching color and texture.
Use the broken surface as the abrasive, and it will remove the face of the bricks being renovated, exposing a clean surface. You can also use this same treatment for a grubby stone surface.
Since pharmacies may charge widely different prices for the same medicine, call several. When taking a drug for a long time, also consider calling mail-order pharmacies, which often charge lower prices. A lot of times in the Sunday sale Ads there is also a coupon for a 10 or fifteen dollar gift card if you purchase a new
prescrip tion or even if you transfer one... for example at Target,
Walmart, K-Mart Etc. I find myself doing that and it saves me money that I can use for other stuff.
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Young
riders pick a 
