Wednesday, October 24, 2007

President Theodore Roosevelt ~ Words to Live By

The year is 1907, one hundred years ago......Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."


Theodore Roosevelt 1907
Every American Citizen needs to read this!

"Saving America"
Editorial : Who said, we learn from our history? This is over a hundred, and still applies today ! Yet, we have not learned.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Organ/Donation ~ To Remember Me...




"To Remember Me"
by : Robert N. Test
The day will come when my body will lie upon a white sheet neatly tucked under four corners of a mattress located in a hospital busily occupied with the living and the dying. At a certain moment a doctor will determine that my brain has ceased to function and that, for all intents and purposes, my life has stopped. When that happens, do not attempt to instill artificial life into my body by the use of a machine. And don't call this my death bed. Let it be called the Bed of Life, and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives!
Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby`s face or love in the eyes of a woman.
Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain.
Give my blood to the teen-ager who was pulled from the wreckage of his car, so that he might live to see his grandchildren play.
Give my kidneys to one who depends on a machine to exist from week to week.
Take my bones,every muscle,every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk.
Explore every corner of my brain. Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that , someday, a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat and a deaf girl will hear the sound of rain against her window.
Burn what is left of me and scatter the ashes to the winds to help the flowers grow.
If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weaknesses and all my prejudice against my fellow man.
Give my sins to the devil.
Give my soul to God.
If by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you.
If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.
I have recited this poem many times, during my talks on Organ/Donation and the Gift of Life ! I think it is so beautiful and so from the heart !

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Organ/Donation.."The Gift of Life"



The Solvable Problem of Organ Shortages...
By JANE E. BRODY
Published: August 28, 2007
When the wife and younger daughter of Rear Adm. Kenneth P. Moritsugu of the Navy were fatally injured in separate automobile accidents, he authorized the donation of organs and tissues from both of them. Dr. Moritsugu, acting surgeon general of the United States, calls organ donation “the ultimate act of human kindness.” But the number of donor organs falls far short of the need. As of June, 97,000 people awaited lifesaving transplants, and each day the waiting list grows five times faster than the donation rate. People typically wait three to five years for donated organs, and each day 17 of them die. But, as Dr. Moritsugu noted recently in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association, “The shortage of donor organs is a medical problem for which there is a cure.” When the decision is made to donate, he said, those families, “often in a time of grief and tragedy, rise above personal concern to help others in need of lifesaving transplantation.”The parents of Laurie McLendon, 42, chose to donate when their daughter suffered cardiac arrest at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Two women received her kidneys, a burn unit received skin, her corneas went to an eye bank, and her liver was transplanted into a 61-year-old pediatric oncologist, Dr. Michael Harris of Englewood, N.J., who had contracted hepatitis C years earlier while caring for a patient. Other organs and tissues that can be donated are the heart, pancreas, lungs, intestines, bone marrow, heart valves and connective tissue. A kidney, part of a liver, lobe of a lung and bone marrow can be obtained from living donors. But three out of four transplanted organs come from people who die and had indicated their willingness to be donors by signing an advance directive or by telling the person designated to speak for them when they can no longer speak for themselves. Increasing the Supply Although willingness to donate has risen in recent years, major hurdles remain. Some people, for example, believe incorrectly that patients who might otherwise be saved are sometimes “killed” for their organs. Strict regulations are in place to prevent this. In the early days of transplantation, donated organs and tissues came from victims of cardiac death, people who were no longer breathing and had no pulse, and whose hearts could not be revived. Often by the time organs could be removed after a cardiac death, they had been without a blood supply for too long and were unusable or unlikely to survive in the recipients. In 1968, death was redefined as occurring when the brain ceased to function, although the heart may continue to beat with the support of drugs, and breathing is sustained by a ventilator. With a brain-based definition of death, organs are often in much better condition for transplants. But just 1 percent to 2 percent of patients who die in hospitals are declared brain dead. And because continuous circulation is needed to keep organs healthy, deaths that occur outside a hospital are almost never a source of usable organs. Thus, donation after an unexpected fatal cardiac arrest is rare.There are several ways to increase the supply of organs. They include persuading more people to agree to be donors when they die, putting hospital policies and procedures in place to foster organ donation, obtaining more organs donated from the victims of brain death and cardiac death and increasing the number of live donors, especially people unrelated to the recipients.The success of any transplant program depends on the number of individuals who indicate in advance of their death their willingness to be donors. While most Americans say they approve of donation, only about one person in four has indicated that by signing forms. In Europe, where you are considered a potential donor unless you expressly declares that you do not want to be one, more than 90 percent of people are organ donors. Age is no longer a limit to donation. So consider indicating willingness to be a donor on your driver’s license or in your living will (see the accompanying box). Even more helpful is to tell your next of kin or health care agent that you want to be a donor. And carry a signed organ donor card in your wallet. A card can be obtained through http://www.organdonor.gov/. Through the efforts of the national Organ Procurement Transplantation Network and its regional chapters, more hospitals today have a system in place that fosters donation. When patients who may be suitable donors are dying, families are more often asked to consider donations. But more hospitals need to expand their use of brain-dead donors who are less than perfect, including people older than 60 and those with high blood pressure. Studies have shown that their organs can be successfully transplanted. After Cardiac Death. Another approach is to retrieve more organs from individuals who suffer cardiac deaths, that is irreversible loss of heart and respiratory function rather than irreversible loss of all brain functions, the criterion for brain death. Although organs retrieved from victims of cardiac death account for just 8 percent of donations from dead donors, they are the most rapidly increasing source of donations. According to Dr. Robert Steinbrook, a consultant for The New England Journal of Medicine, the potential for a much higher percentage of donations from victims of cardiac death has been demonstrated at organ banks in Wisconsin, the Boston metropolitan region and the Finger Lakes region of New York, places where cardiac death donors account for more than 20 percent of all deceased donors. Dr. Steinbrook said potential donors included patients on ventilators after devastating and irreversible brain injuries, as might follow a hemorrhagic stroke, as well as patients with high spinal cord injuries and terminal musculoskeletal diseases like ALS, for whom further medical treatment is deemed futile.These patients are technically not dead. But if they are considered suitable donors and the families agree to donation, life-support measures are ended. When the heart stops, doctors wait five minutes before declaring the patient dead and removing organs for transplant. If the heart does not stop within a reasonable time, planned donations have to be canceled, which occurs in about one in five cardiac deaths. To be transplanted successfully, the liver has to be retrieved within 30 minutes and the kidneys and pancreas within an hour after a patient is removed from life support. When this protocol is followed, Dr. Steinbrook said, the success of a transplant after cardiac death is similar to that of a transplant after brain death.
Editorial : This is as good a read as it gets ! Very informative. Please read in its entirety.
"Give The Gift of Life, Be an Organ/Tissue Donor, it`s the Masonic Thing to Do"

Monday, August 27, 2007

Heart-Transplant Operation& Discussion !

Sept 19th at 7:00pm. Eastern time.

Check out this webcast announcement at:

I was not awake during mine. This is good !
"The Gift of Life, The Only Cost is a Little Love"

Friday, August 24, 2007

Heart-Transplant ~ Allomap Test

On August 13, 2007 I had my 13th. heart-transplant annual at Vanderbilt University Hospital, in Nashville Tennessee. I informed you that, I did not have the invasive procedure, called a heart-biopsy. Instead they performed a new test called the Allomap test. I have since discovered a web-site that will explain the test-procedure in detail. Just click on the following site
> http://www.allomap.com/ <

"Give The Gift of Life, Be an Organ/Tissue Donor, It`s The Masonic Thing to Do"

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Union Membership~An American Privilege & Right

Alleged Harassment at Goodyear Settled Monday August 20, 3:43 pm ET

Settlement Reached in Alleged Non-Striker Harassment at Goodyear Plant...




AKRON, Ohio (AP) -- The United Steelworkers union has agreed to drop disciplinary action against four former members who defied a three-month strike last year at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the workers and the union said Monday.
The workers said they crossed the picket line to support their families. They said they were threatened with $620 fines and subjected to continued dues deductions after they quit the union and got harassed by union members using bullhorns outside their homes.
To settle a National Labor Relations Board complaint, Steelworkers Local 2L in Akron agreed to withdraw the disciplinary measures, erase records of the actions and post the locals commitment against harassing union-covered workers. The matter had been scheduled to go before a board administrative law judge on Tuesday in Cleveland. Pete Stamich, president of Local 2L, said the agreement did not include any admission of wrongdoing. He said the former union members mostly work on their own at Goodyear and have little contact with union members. The local has about 470 members, most making racing and experimental tires. The National Right to Work Foundation, which opposes compulsory union membership, represented the former union members.
"The outright contempt that these thuggish union officials have for employees who refuse to toe the union line is despicable," said Stefan Gleason, foundation vice president.

Editorial : National Right to Work Foundation, interpretation > National Right to Work for Less...I did`nt realize until today, I was a Union Thug...lmaon ! If the National Right to Work for Less had their way, there would be no Union, except theirs and they do not represent YOU, The Worker ! The mentioned Workers at Akron 2L said, they needed to support their families. Well, Imagine that ? Isn`t That why we all wanted to work for a livable wage ? Sorry Fella`s, if you crossed your own picket line...! It was pure self preservation and Goodyear has you right where they want You. You oughta be ashamed ! God Help You !

"Saving America"


Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Be An Organ/Tissue Donor...It`s The Gift of Life...




Subject: Wisconsin Leading Country in Organ Donation...



Wisconsin Governor Doyle Announces Wisconsin Leading Country in Organ Donation Mon, 08/06/2007 - 15:37 — admin August 03, 2007-- MADISON – Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle today announced that Wisconsin is leading the country in organ donation. In 2006 alone, 767 organ transplants were completed in Wisconsin. The Governor made the announcement during the 14th annual Gift of Life Medal Ceremony to honor families whose departed loved ones donated their organs. The Wisconsin conversion rate is 83 percent, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration. The conversion rate denotes the number of times organ transplants occur out of all cases in which transplants are possible. The national conversion rate is 63 percent. “I’m proud that Wisconsin is leading the country in organ donation,” Governor Doyle said. “Demand for organ donation increases minute by minute, and the choices made by loved ones to share the gift of life can have a life-altering effect on recipients and their families. We must remain committed to raising awareness about the importance of organ donation and ensuring that people’s wishes are known to their loved ones.” For the last 14 years, Wisconsin Governor’s have hosted the Gift of Life Medal Ceremony to give transplant recipients the opportunity to express their appreciation to organ donor families and encourage even more of Wisconsin’s citizens to sign their drivers’ license and indicate their willingness to become organ and tissue donors. In January 2004, Governor Doyle enacted Wisconsin Act 119. This legislation provides an income tax deduction of up to $10,000 in travel and lodging expenses or lost wages of a person who donates one or more of his or her organs as a living donor. Wisconsin became the first state in the nation to have a law to help individuals and their families offset the costs of organ donation. Nationwide, nearly 100,000 men, women and children are currently in need of life saving organ transplants and every 13 minutes another name is added to the waiting list. The obstacle most frequently preventing patients from benefiting from organ transplantation continues to be the availability of suitable organs. In Wisconsin, more than 50 percent of drivers and ID card holders are recorded as potential donors – an increase of 4 percent since 2004. In 2007 there have already been 52 donors in Wisconsin, but there are currently over 1,424 people on the waiting list for an organ transplant. Source: Wisconsin Governor

"Give The Gift of Life, Be an Organ/Tissue Donor, It`s the Masonic thing to Do " !

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Better Join a Union ! Someone needs to Represent YOU.

Tire Trade Group Paid Lobbyist $100K
July 18, 11:55 am ET


Rubber Tire Trade Group Paid Compass Consulting $100,000 in 2006 to Lobby Government...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Rubber Manufacturers Association paid Compass Consulting Group $100,000 in the second half of 2006 to lobby the federal government, according to a disclosure form. The firm lobbied on failed congressional legislation intended to educate consumers about tires and fuel efficiency, according to the form posted online Friday by the Senate's public records office. Chemtura Corp., Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and Carlisle Cos. Inc. are among the 87 companies that are members of the trade group. Under a federal law enacted in 1995, lobbyists are required to disclose activities that could influence members of the executive and legislative branches. They must register with Congress within 45 days of being hired or engaging in lobbying.
Editorial : And you think you do not need a UNION, better Think Again !

Friday, July 13, 2007

Nitrogen in Tires...for Inflation ? Works for Me !


From Goodyear

Sent by: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Consumer Relations 728 1144 East Market Street Akron, OH 44316 Voice #: 800.321.2136 Fax #: 330.796.6829

Thank you for contacting our website.Goodyear supports the use of nitrogen, as an inflation gas, in all Goodyear, Dunlop and Kelly tires, based on the ability for a tire to retain pressure for a longer period of time. The use of nitrogen will not affect the tire warranty.Please be advised that even with the use of nitrogen as an inflation gas, regular inflation pressure checks are highly recommended.We appreciate your interest in Goodyear tires.


Regards,

Mary

Consumer Relations



From Michelin


Don,


Thank you for your email. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you. Several chemical companies are promoting the use of nitrogen as an inflation gas to the Tire Industry with claims of improved tire performance. The air we breathe and use to inflate tires chemically consists of 78% nitrogen, 20%oxygen and 2% other. When using nitrogen as an inflation gas, the composition of nitrogen increases from 78% to near 100%. Michelin supports the use of nitrogen based on its ability to better retain air over a period of time. If your questions have not been answered to your satisfaction, please call me at 1-800-847-3435 (toll-free) between 8:30AM and 6:00PM Eastern Time Monday through Friday.


Sincerely, Bobby

Michelin North America Consumer Relations


Editorial : I have Nitrogen in my Family Automobile tires, Goodyear Eagle LS 2, The Tire`s run cooler and ride higher...my Gas/fuel mileage has improved noticeably. I was very doubtful. It seems I was wrong ! As you can see Michelin also recommends Nitrogen. The cost is minimal, but I believe will save you more in the long run..my cost was $4.00 per tire.
One of my friends and readers wrote me a e-mail >
Hi Don,

I recommend the use of nitrous oxide (Laughing Gas) in the tires of your automobile. As the tire leaks, as they all do, It promotes a feeling of euphoria and helps prevent road rage.

Steve
"Saving America"

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

USWA & GOODYEAR ~ VEBA






CORRECTED - Union starts process to set Goodyear health trust
Thu Jul 5, 2007


"GOODYEAR/ (CORRECTED) ?

CHICAGO, July 5 (Reuters) - The United Steelworkers Union has filed a federal class action lawsuit needed to establish a retiree health care trust plan agreed with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (GT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) that helped end a three-month strike in 2006.The union filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in federal court in Akron, Ohio, on behalf of more than 30,000 current and future union retirees from Goodyear as a key step in establishing a Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association, or VEBA. Disagreement over the amount of money needed to fund a trust was a main reason for the steelworker union's strike in North America last year. Other auto industry companies and unions may look at the trust to see whether it would resolve some of their liabilities as well. Under the 2006 agreement, Goodyear will contribute $1 billion to set up the trust, which will eliminate $1.2 billion of liabilities and shift the responsibility for maintaining the health benefits to the trust.The lawsuit was expected and the process of obtaining court approval for the trust is expected to take several months, Goodyear said in a statement.

Editorial : Ah, the legal system at work ? If you ask me, and no one did.
They named the VEBA wrong !

"Saving America"

Friday, July 06, 2007

Veba ~ USWA & Goodyear ?




V E B A


As had been agreed by the United Steelworkers union and Goodyear, the union and some retirees on July 3 filed a required class action lawsuit against the company on behalf of all USW retirees. This expected lawsuit is a necessary step in the process of gaining legal approval to establish an independent Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary Association trust (VEBA) for USW retiree healthcare benefits. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. "During our 2006 master contract negotiations, Goodyear and the USW agreed to establish a VEBA trust for USW retiree healthcare benefits, subject to court approval. The class action lawsuit is a required step in the process of gaining legal approval to create the VEBA," said Tom Broderick, director of compensation and benefits for Goodyear. The court will review details of the VEBA as a way to resolve Goodyear’s retiree healthcare obligations. During 2006 negotiations, Goodyear and the USW signed a memorandum of understanding stating that the company would contribute $1 billion to a VEBA to provide healthcare benefits to current and future USW retirees. If the court certifies a class of retirees and gives preliminary approval to the VEBA settlement, members of the class will have an opportunity to review it. Following that, the court will conduct a fairness hearing to determine whether or not the settlement will take effect, and a final court judgment will then be issued. If the settlement is approved, the obligations for USW retiree healthcare will be transferred to the VEBA trust and Goodyear’s current and future post-employment healthcare benefits liability related to the USW workforce, approximately $1.2 billion, will be eliminated. Goodyear and the USW anticipate the court approval process will take several months.

Editorial : This was written in the Union City Today Newspaper > 7/06/07 ? I`m not sure that a lawsuit was negotiated ? Need a little help on this one ? I do !
"Saving America"

Thursday, May 17, 2007

GoodYear~USWA ~ VEBA !




Voluntary Employee Beneficiary's Association ?


Does anyone wonder why there is not any news in regard to the recently negotiated VEBA ?

I`m told the courts must approve this VEBA ? I was wondering where Goodyear was going to get $1 billion dollars to put in the VEBA Account. Now, we know, $700 million to be cash.$300 Million in stocks. We all must realize that this is not and must be added too, over the next few years. Over the life of the 2006 agreement, the first $1.00 in COLA will be diverted to the VEBA. It is estimated that this could generate more than $80 Million additional funding dollars. Under the proposed profit sharing program, 100% of profit sharing proceeds will be diverted to the VEBA for calendar years 2008 and 2009. It is estimated that up to $55 million more dollars could be diverted to the VEBA as a result of the profit sharing formula. This is your new Medical Coverage program, like it or not ? Start-up of the VEBA and hand-off of administration from Goodyear to the VEBA will take place over the next several months ? Now to the very important Committee(Board of Trustees) that will govern the VEBA. Who comprises`s this all-important Board/Committee ? Three of them(3) will be designated by the USWA and four(4) independent members selected jointly by Goodyear and the USWA. It will be the responsibility of the Board/Committee to manage the assets of the VEBA, and determine and maintain the benefit programs provided to eligible participants/you.
This all-Important Board/Committee, who will they be ? They will represent you and me. Do we have an input ? I would like to suggest someone. Would you ? Hey Leo Gerard, are you reading /listening ? What say we appoint someone not only qualified, but dedicated to the union movement. No cronies ! Someone with experience and background in insurance and negotiations. A person who is retired from and worked for Goodyear.
A person who has as much to lose, as say, I do ! No not me. That individual is,
J. Michael Stanley, who is not with the USWA any longer, but still involved and working for a large international union. Take personalities`s out of this selection and choose the correct man for this job. I could have written a letter to Bro. Gerard and perhaps that's the way to go ? I still can. I`m sure there are several qualified individuals for this Board/Committee, but none are more qualified than Mike Stanley ! He may not be interested in this position ? But, if he is, he`s the Man ! This is just one appointment, and if Goodyear must approve his appointment, it won`t happen. Another point in his favor. Just this writers opinion.
"Saving America"






Thursday, April 12, 2007

Has The Good at GOODYEAR Just About Gone ? An Open Letter !

Has the Good at Goodyear just about Gone ?
Goodyear -who are we? I remember when people used to talk and use the words "Goodyear family" when they spoke of fellow Goodyear associates. It may have been born from the generational workforce that was commonplace but it never stopped there. It was a contagious spirit marked by a smile, a sense of belonging, a sense of accomplishment. Your performance expectations were high whether you were on-the-job or off-­the-job. Our "good" name depended on it. Nowadays, it seems those days are dwindling. There is the "Union" and the "Company': And they address each other in their communications like it's the Revolutionary War, "North vs. the South", yet their paychecks both say Goodyear in the corner. There is a "Salaried" workforce who's constant strife with the decisions of "Upper Management" has sounded like a skipping record in the GY lunchrooms over the past 5 years. And there is the mythic "Board of Directors" (does anyone really know who these people are?) that insist on fanning the flames eve/y time they open the Goodyear cash registers to pay our "highly compensated employees" an even larger Bonus. The Salaried workforce was called upon to fill the shoes of Union men and women who went on strike in 2006. Many Salaried workers volunteered for it even though it required a commitment of 12hrs/day from Sunday thru Saturday. And if you got the 12am to 12pm shift, it really took it's toll on you, but people hung in there. Some even accepted a relocation out of the Akron offices to go to a plant in another state while their spouses and children remained put. A lot of people did it for the paycheck but some did it just to help out, to keep our customers getting the tires they needed. The Salaried workforce has been working hard in recent years to achieve "corporate" campaigns like LEAN, 6 Sigma, No one gets hurt ... all the while still outputting some of the best-in-class work any tire company has ever known. Every organization, be it Sales, Engineering, Tire Technology, Marketing, Research, Finance, Legal, et aI, has continued to step up to the plate and hit every curve ball it was thrown, back out into the outfield. We endured staffing reductions in 2003 that were unprecedented. Making promises to meet objectives with less people to share the load and with department budgets that have been tightened over and over again. Travel has been restricted to absolute zero in some areas, as if we have been huddled into a basement waiting for a hurricane to pass over. On a personal level, I know of employees who have poured their hearts into their work, burning the candle at both ends sometimes, to see their projects lift off. I know of people who have even used their own PERSONAL vacation days to get out of the office so they could conduct Goodyear business they felt was critical but some manager did not. The sacrifices number in the thousands. And how are we repaid- like we are the laughing stock of the company. Except nobody on this end is laughing. The Board of Directors-Upper Management has become a disgrace to this company. But who am I to judge, ask our former CEO's and Upper Managers what they think ... you might be surprised what they think you are doing to our "good" name. What kind of conscience does it take, to hit every employee and retiree below the belt on their Medical and Pension Plans, and then the NEXT WEEK, grant MILLIONS upon MILLIONS of dollars to the top brass of the company. Talk about donning Roman armor and pillaging the villages! The Board reportedly gives Keegan 30 years of service on the DA Y HE IS HIRED, a FREE medical plan, plus more ... and then on top of that, during one year of tenure, 2006, they give him (one man) a compensation package worth, $17,300,000? This is close I am told to what Goodyear gave it's ENTIRE Salaried workforce in the matching 401 k program in 2002, the last year before the benefit was cancelled. The new matching program that is coming is sub-standard compared to that previous plan. What accomplishments has our Board of Directors-Upper Management made recently? Well let's see. Sold our rubber plantations for some cold cash. Put our entire Engineered Products Divisions on the auction block. Sold our fabric mills for some more cash. Announce the closing of a tire plant in Texas. WOW- sounds like a company in need of tightening the belt; right? Must have taken some real geniuses to figure this one out- let's just yard sale this bleeding pig before the whole ship goes down! What kind of college degree does this take? Because I think I might qualify! Who was it that said "cash is king"? It was Mr. Keegan himself in his documented “7 Reasons to Believe" that he gave us. I believe it now. He just cashed a Bonus checked that was not 10%, not 50%, not even 100% of his salary. It was DOUBLE his salary. Hmmm ... what was the justification again, "to attract and retain top talent and align... interest with shareholders". So what about aligning interests with Goodyear employees? Does anybody give a damn about the lack of morale inside the Goodyear confines, caused by these type of compensation packages? Those of us in the rank and file are getting about 2-3% raise in our salary, when times are good. This is the thank-you we get? Not even retirees from the past 16 years are safe from the Medical plan changes. (effective 1-1-08). And a frozen pension plan awaits anyone who plans to retire from here on out. After all the hours many Salaried workers have given without OT pay, for keeping the plants running during the 2006 Union strike, for telling our spouses we'll be late for dinner over and over again ... I am beginning to understand the Union's sentiment now and why they address the "Company" just as such. Some tough decisions have to be made to run the business, that is granted. But who is keeping check on their ethicality? Goodyear is saying one thing but then doing another. The concepts of LEAN have been pushed through every facet of the business, to look for ways of doing things more and more efficiently. It was stated that the Pension Plan was frozen because, "Changes in interest rates and market fluctuations make the associated accounting ... unpredictable and increasingly difficult to budget and manage effectively."So instead of stepping up efforts, Goodyear executives have decided to bludgeon every single employee now with the responsibility to prepare for their golden years. How inefficient is this !? And how many hours/week are you planning to give us for training that is necessary to properly manage this, as our livelihoods will now depend on it? Is this going to just be more take-home work for me? Goodyear whether they realize or not is sending the message- We enjoyed you while you are here. Thanks for your intellectual property. Thanks for reducing the complexity of our business. Thanks for maintaining our customer base. Thanks for the computer systems you dedicated yourself to perfecting. But so long sucker! the day you retire. And it is a shame. As one friend put it, “it seems all the advantages for coming to a large company are gone, and all the disadvantages are still here. " Just because it is legal doesn't make it right. Goodyear was built on the backs of many individuals with some of the best talents around. Heaven forbid, a board member sitting in some cozy leather chair to say "NO" over a compensation decision in the future that is as strongly biased as these most recent ones. Or some other highly compensated employee saying “you know what, it isn't fair to everyone who helped me get to this point for me to accept this. " We are not asking you to part the Red Sea. We are asking for fairness, that you might recognize the ''top talent" that exists on all levels of the organization. You want to knock the socks off the competition? You want to perpetuate the greatness that you have been getting from every individual here? You have no idea what this company is capable of until you begin showing that "what is good for the goose, is also good for the gander". Tonight I will go home to eat with my family ... on time. There I have a loving wife and a daughter who give me all the enthusiasm I need to go back to work tomorrow, and get through these troubling days. Tonight I will go to sleep praying for a "Company" that has the all the potential in the world to mend it's broken ways. One where the formula for success is so simple, we don't need to hire any consultant group to tell us that it is the right thing to do ... Begin treating Goodyear employees like they ARE a part of something bigger than themselves again, something truly "Good", something we were ALL made to believe at the time we were hired into this company.

Jim Kish
Goodyear Engineer 3-12-07
Editorial : Mr. Kish, I do not know you personally, but right on ! And "Thank You" ! I could not have said it any better ! God Bless !
"Saving America"

Saturday, February 24, 2007

"The Gift of Life" & Tennessee Masons...

As some of you know, I`m a Heart-Transplant. I was transplanted on August 17, 1994 at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville Tennessee, Vanderbilt`s 189th. Heart-Transplant. I was given a second chance at life. I have tried to be an Organ/Donor advocate ! I am the Director for the Organ/Donor Awareness program for my fraternity, "The Masons" of Tennessee. We have given away to this point some 12,000 Donor Awareness "Green Ribbon Pins"! It is/was our/my way of paying back for my second chance at life. We adopted a slogan, "Give The Gift of Life, Be an Organ/Tissue Donor, It`s the Masonic Thing to Do" I believe we had and an impact, and helped in this humanitarian and loving endeavor. It is/was and awareness program. We wear our green ribbon along with our square & compass ! Tennessee was the first state to adopt the organ/donor program, masonically speaking, in the United States, however we were not the last. There are now several states doing the same program. The following article, I received today. I will add it in it`s entirety.

Tennessee Donor Service Reports 20% Increase in Organ Donation In 2006 !

Knoxville, TN (Feb.12, 2007) TDS..., The federally designation organ recovery agency for 84 counties in Tennessee, reports 2006 as a breakthrough year for organ donation within the agency`s service area. From January through December 2006, TDS recovered organs from 202 donors, a 20% increase over 2005. Because of those donors and their families, 674 organs were transplanted, an increase of 22% over 2005. Also in 2006 668 people became tissue donors, a a 30% increase over 2005. Donors gave corneas to restore site, and tissues such as heart valves to replace damaged ones, bone and ligament to repair dieseased joints and skin for burn patients. TDS distributed 4,688 types tissue allografts to Tennessee hospitals last year-gifts that will restore quality of life to thousands. In the U.S. , 94,800 people are now on the waiting list for life-saving organ transplants. The latest full year figures confirmed by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation network(OPTN) report that in 2005 , the anatomical gifts from 14,489 living and deceased donors provided organs for 28,110 transplants. However, 6,342 persons died waiting for transplants. Right now in Tennessee, 1887 people are on the waiting list, 1,663 of them waiting kidneys. Ultimately though, lives are saved by generous people who have known their decision to donate, and the courage for grieving families who choose the selfless act of donation for their loved ones, in 2005 and 2006, TDS had consent rates of 57% and 56%, respectively. Consent rates shows the percentage of the time that families, when the deceased loved ones meets medical criteria necessary to be a donor, say yes to donation. In May 06, the General Assembly passed into law the Tennessee Organ and Tissue Donor Registry Act, hailed as one of the most important developements for organ donation in the states history ! The registry will provide a statewide database of Tennesseans who register as organ and tissue donors, either on-line at the registry web-site, or through the drivers license application process at any department of safety licensing station. Other states that have already instituted registries have seen donation rates increase by as much as 60%. Tennessee`s registry is now under construction, and should be available by mid-year. We expect Tennessee`s donor registry to significantly increase the exciting progress in donation rates. For now, TDS encourages every Tennessean to sign the donor card on the back of their drivers license and tell your family about your decision to be and Organ/Tissue Donor !
"The Gift of Life" What a Loving Thing to Do !






























































Friday, February 02, 2007

Masons - Patriots of America !

110th U.S. Congress (2007-2008)


H. Res. 33: Recognizing the thousands of Freemasons in every State in the Nation and honoring them for their...
HRES 33 IH
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 33
Recognizing the thousands of Freemasons in every State in the Nation and honoring them for their many contributions to the Nation throughout its history.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES




January 5, 2007
Mr. GILLMOR submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
RESOLUTION :




Recognizing the thousands of Freemasons in every State in the Nation and honoring them for their many contributions to the Nation throughout its history.
Whereas Freemasons, whose long lineage extends back to before the Nation's founding, have set an example of high moral standards and charity for all people;
Whereas the Founding Fathers of this great Nation and signers of the Constitution, most of whom were Freemasons, provided a well-rounded basis for developing themselves and others into valuable citizens of the United States;
Whereas members of the Masonic Fraternity, both individually and as an organization, continue to make invaluable charitable contributions of service to the United States;
Whereas the Masonic Fraternity continues to provide for the charitable relief and education of the citizens of the United States;
Whereas the Masonic Fraternity is deserving of formal recognition of their long history of care-giving for the citizenry and their example of high moral standards; and
Whereas Freemasons have always revered and celebrated St. John's Day, June 24th, as
dedicated to their patron saints:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes the thousands of Freemasons in every State in the Nation and honors them for their many contributions to the Nation throughout its history.




"Saving America"!

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Written for Scottish Rite Journal - 2000 > By. Don Jones


Donald V. Jones, 32°, 121 Brandon Road, Martin, Tennessee 38237–5240 donjones@charter.net

Organ/tissue donation is the gift of life and the Masonic thing to do.
Photo: Bro. Don Jones, 32°, Valley of Nashville, Tennessee, a donor heart recipient, proudly displays his organ/tissue donor card. Today, there are more than 66,000 people on a national organ and tissue donor waiting list. Many Masons are meeting this crisis and proudly adding Green Ribbon Organ/Donor Pins to their Square and Compasses lapel pins. Everything is needed, and what greater gift can one give than the "Gift of Life"? Sharing your decision to be an organ donor with your family is as important as making the decision itself. At the time of your passing, your family will be asked about donation. Their understanding and appreciating your wishes will prevent confusion or uncertainty. Carrying out your wishes to save the lives of others can provide your family with great comfort in their time of grief. Organ/tissue donation is an ultimate act of charity, and a national system ensures the fair distribution of organs in the United States. Organ recipients are identified based upon many factors such as blood type, length of time on the waiting list, severity of illness, and other medical criteria. Factors such as race, gender, age, income, or celebrity status are not considered when determining who receives an organ. You ask, "How can I or my Lodge help?" Simply have it noted on your driver's license that you are an organ donor, and ask your friends, family, and Masonic Brothers to do the same. If your Lodge or Appendant Bodies want to get involved on a larger scale, please contact the Tennessee Grand Lodge Free and Accepted Masons, PO Box 24216, Nashville, Tennessee 37202. Organ donation is part of the Volunteer State's Vision 2013> http://www.gmwp.org/vision2013/oda < Program dedicated to statewide Masonic renewal and the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee in that year. Also, invite an organ donor awareness speaker to visit your Lodge or Appendant Body. As a Past Master of Dresden Lodge No. 90, Dresden, Tennessee, the Home Lodge of Davy Crockett, I am proud to say my Lodge is the catalyst for the organ/tissue donor part of the Tennessee Vision 2013 Program. I guess you could say that I've put my heart into this enlightenment program. On August 17, 1994, after waiting two years and 17 days for a heart, my prayers were answered. I received a 20-year-old heart at Vanderbilt University Hospital, their 189th transplant operation. And I, too, am an organ donor, as are my wife and two sons. Yes, my heart can be used again. Isn't that great! I was elected to the position of Worshipful Master of my Lodge for the first time in 1978. I was again elected in 1997, three years after I received my new heart. This would not have happened without the charitable act of an organ donor. Neither would I have been able to have raised my son to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason on May 1, 1997. These are just a couple of things I have been privileged to do because of an organ donor! I now spend all of my time working on donor awareness. "Give the Gift of Life. Be an Organ/Tissue Donor. It's the Masonic thing to Do." The only cost is a little love! Don Jones is the Chairman of Organ Donor Awareness for the Vision 2013 Program, Grand Lodge of Tennessee.

Raised a Master Mason in Signet Lodge No. 555, Detroit, Mich., in 1962, Brother Jones became a Master of the Royal Secret in the year 2000 Spring Reunion of the Valley of Nashville, Tenn. He is also a member of Rob Reavis Chapter No. 71, OES, Martin, Tenn.; Royal Arch Masons Chapter No. 132; Council No. 122, Commandery No. 29, York Rite Bodies in Union City, Tenn.; and Al-Chymia Shrine Temple, Memphis, Tenn. He was appointed District No. 3 Chairman, Lake, Obion, and Weakley Counties, at Grand Lodge in 1999 and received the John B. Arp Award the same year.