Community Update

“ FYI “ - This
is long, so I will divide it up into sections.

I am famous /
infamous for such communications, but learned with corp politics – it worked so
well to keep them away so I could do my job & once & done – little chance
for misunderstandings – intentional or otherwise – once & done – much more
efficient & effective.

Will be the
last for awhile – see below

This blog is
for “ you, “ not me !

That is why I
started it.

Even start
you own blogs – it is so easy on PATCH – great service by them – yes a

 “ learning curve “ and you saw my mistakes.

If you do not
speak up, some may think it is just not important – but it is of course so much
!

A quote I
started it with – “ when you are young you think you know all the answers, but
as you get older, you just hope  you know
more of the questions ! “

I do not need
any more PR. - had  my “ 15 minutes of
fame “ – “ day in the sum “ – got a good tan also, but almost a sun burn.

My careers
are long over and statistics say – as a scientist – only 5 – 10 years left –
only some good.

So maybe it
is time for all of you and others “ to just take it over “ – pro & con –
neutral – let the “ civil “  discussions
[ we agree to disagree ! } continue for the overall long term benefit of LMT
and “ all “ who live here.

“ You do not
have to see eye to eye “ for the best interests of LMT.

I am just “
one voice / vote  “ among the crowd and
certainly know – the other quote I used –

            “ No simple answers

            Only

            Intelligent choices “

But of course
we all like to see “ the expert / popular media person,  etc. “ tell us what we need to know so that
person, not you,  can do what is best for
you. “

However,
today, things are much too complex and you have to make your own properly
informed decisions and not depend on others + take full responsibility for them.

As Darwin
said – “ Survival of the fittest “ – those that can adapt properly and fast are
the survivors – others not so much !

So we need “ diversity
“ to survive in the long run – no one species can survive forever without
change !

“ Change is
the only constant “ as the saying goes.

Besides you
have a “ responsibility “ to society to make up your own mind and make your own
informed opinions properly known.

“ Freedom is
not free ! “

I can check
back in periodically and of course I will always offer  “ my take “ – as my society responsibility to
our “ jewel of Lehigh County – with many smaller gems / jewels {e.g. Bob White,
Fegley baseball stadium, Limeport Inn, Woodlands, Milky Way, etc. } making it
shine even more brightly !

When I do
wine consulting, I always begin with “ if I knew it all, I would be rivaling
Gallo, Constellation, etc. and all the big wineries becoming rich and famous
!  “

But I do not
so I am not.  But who does ?  Those that say such things “ do not have a
clue ! “

Bit of advice
from “ old timer “ my first week at a prestigious Fortune 500 company plant where
I was a technical supervisor – “ If anyone even thinks they know what goes on
here, they have no clue ! “ – so true I found out really fast.

So it may be
time for me “ to pass the baton “ on to the next relay race runner to continue
the race and hopefully win it – for the best for LMT !.

I will know I
did all I could, when I could and how I could. 
I am at peace with that !

But I will
not abandon you.  If you want my
continued input, just ask of course and I will continue to do the best I can,
again for “ our “ LMT !

But some
thoughts & stories that may help you and others.

If you have
been in the legal system, you know just how “ strange it is and can be ! “

            “ There is not a case that is so “
good,”  it cannot be lost.

            There is not a case so “ bad “ that
it cannot be won ! “

We see it a
lot in the media – an odd technicality gets the person off or convicted ?

Have you ever
been “ deposed “ – can be very grueling, intense, disturbing,  so unpleasant, etc. for hours, days, etc.

That is the
lawyers job everyday,  not yours.  Like buying a car – the dealer sells them
everyday & you only buy a few in your lifetime – so you are at a great
disadvantage from the start !.

Question many
opposing lawyers ask first –

            “ Can you tell me your name ? “

            Your answer ?

            No you do “ not state “ your name,
since the question was “ can “ you state your name, not state it ! “  All part of “ sizing you up “ to better manipulate
you for the “ story the lawyer wants to have told, “ not necessary the “ real “
story.

I was well
trained, but still made mistakes.

But as noted
one [1] of their two [2] lawyers against my just one [1] & she had her own
health issues, but she got the job done, that seven [7] others did not, but
they could have.  Their lawyer even made
the biggest mistake lawyers can make & he was a pro – as mentioned in
another post !

Many stories
to tell but so little time !

But cannot
resist this one for “ both “ females & males –

            She did not go to lunch one day and
we asked why ?  She said she noticed a
small run in her stocking and had to go out and buy a new pair over lunch !

            Does not “ compute “ for us males
from Mars but probably does for you females from Venus !

Lawyers get
paid to “ win “ not loose cases & some may do it at whatever it takes to
get their paycheck – the Al Capone 1930’s era criminal – you just hire a “
mouthpiece ! “

Gail well
knows as a firefighter –“  our heros “ –
do we even have to mention 9 / 11 now – when you get in “ over your head, “ you
just back off you let your brain decide not your emotions – all part of your
extensive training to “ click in “ when it is needed the most.

If not, then
your fellow fighters have to be not only fighting the fire, but fight  to help get you out !

Also, you do
not fight every fire, some are best to just let burn out on their own.

But I am not
a firefighter, but a chemist, some of the same principles apply – but yes we
have our fires also – many stories to tell !

At the plant
I was at, when the “ man down “ radio when off, everyone scrambled over the
over 100 acre plant !  But the great “  sigh of relief “ over the whole plant when
that person just said “ sorry – it slipped off my belt and I did not realize it
! “

Story time –

Right here in
LMT – Gail may be too new to know about it but can ask – so it got “ hot and
heavy “ at the LMT fire department over some personal issues with a few
township residents  - but the consultant
reminded them that “ they are the heroes “ – do not tarnish that image,  you all risk your lives for everyday – back
off and let it all play out on its own – do not get anymore involved – it is
not your place but theirs – your job is to keep LMT safe from fires & to
fight them when necessary.

And they are
all “ volunteers “ so far !  My relative
in a small all volunteer fire department near Troy, NY my hometown told me they
just finally got a “ small pension “ as a benefit for their volunteers !  His mother had a scanner and listened to all
the fire calls intently – it was her one and only son out there and she just
had to know !  He helped carry  the naked dead body out – counseling helped,  although he thought he could handle it being
so ‘ macho. “  But many of  the rest of us just watch it on the evening
news !

Sincere
heartfelt thank you Gail and all the others in LMT who volunteer – we may be on
opposite sides of the fence but we are all in LMT !  I got to know some of you well when our 19
year old ADT system kept giving false alarms – now replaced at $ 2K with a much
better more modern system.

If such false
alarms go off for you, just look at the ”  so relieved faces “ when they arrive only to
find the house “ not “ fully involved in a fire.  To break all our tensions, we started to joke
around and swap “ yarns ! “

How much
would LMT taxes go up if it does not remain all volunteer ?

Can we all
just “ let if go “ to play out naturally with our inputs of course – we are the
voters & residents of LMT

Those of you
with children know so well how hard it is to “ let the apron strings be cut ! “

They are off
on their own new  lives, just try to make
your mistakes small if you can.

But as Vince
Lombardi said –

            “ It is not that you got knocked
down, it is that you got up ! “

Just like my
high school football coach Dom Denio !

But not all
can do that.

We could not
have any children so we devoted ourselves to college teaching.  We have had thousands of “ non-biological “
children that we saw off on their new lives with many very emotional
graduations.  Many still keep in touch
with us – email is super from around the world !

Yes, we can
start letting the “ personal attacks “ fly – but that only raises emotions, not
helping find the “ best rational options “ to properly resolve an issue – with
all the so serious and many  “
trade-offs” involved..  It also “ masks “
the real issues with things that just do not ultimately matter.

As those in
the air force say “ Flak always gets heavier the closer you get to the

 target ! “ 
So closer you get to the “ real “ issues the more emotion can be shown,
not the rational approach so much.

As you can
see, LMT emotions have already been very high in many ways in past and present
– why I mentioned them – nothing violent yet as far as I know – but STS – NSF
training helped us to better deal with that,  as well as those who are very sensitive &
have the reverse of violent emotions.

That is
usually the next step from all my training in STS – NSF.

Can we
proceed at a much more “ mature and sophisticated “ level for LMT, not our own
personal desires ?.

Story time –

My immigrant
grandfather & grandmother from Ukraine just before WW I started had so much
“ wisdom, “  which you get with life, not
an education.  But they were so proud of
their eventual GED’s.

They had five
[5] daughters before they had their only son, so marrying them off was an
adventure – they all married someone of different nationalities – it was like
the UN when we had family gatherings !

So one of my
aunts gets married and lives only a block away. 
A couple of weeks after the wedding the knock on the door at 2 am – “
Pop he is so mean to me, just does not understand me, blah, blah, blah !

So he listens
patiently and lets her vent.  When she is
eventually done, he says –

            ‘ If I side with you, then he is mad
at me !

            If I side with him, then you are mad
at me !

            When you eventually makeup you are
both mad at me.

            So just go back and work it out ! “

            They did & celebrated their 65
the wedding anniversary !

BTW – they
were “ complete opposites “ – he macho & she submissive – well kind of ! –
never even a driver  license, which she
said you could get to heaven with !

            He would start his macho rant &
rave and suddenly stop.  When you looked
at her you just saw a very faint smile ! 
Words were not necessary,  just a
look – they “ just worked it out so well ! “

BTW – he was
at Pearl Harbor 12/7/41 & his comment on 9 / 11 was at least we could see
their smiling faces as they flew by – but no faces at all in 9 / 11 who
commited such a devastation.  Yes, he
went back once, she knew he had too.  But
like all my uncles in the war, they never mentioned it !  “ The greatest Generation “ book by Tom
Brokow – not many left now

Then my
grandmother & why you have to be so careful about the media –

            We “ old timers “ remember the Russian
leader at the UN pounding his shoe on the table with his Russian being
translated into English.  But my
Grandmother was

 “ flush red “ – was she having a heart attack
? – no, she just said that is “ not 
“what he is really saying ! 
Always nice to know another language !

But of course
we can just  “ trust “  our leaders since they have such good

“ advisors !
“  No, as we just found out all these
years later about JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis – the closest – so far that
we know of – coming to nuclear war – JFK was the “ only one “ in the room that
was “ not “ in favor of war since it would go nuclear – but he knew “ people “
– and it did not happen !  Just do a
Google search – a saint no, a leader, yes – like him or not personally  !

As someone said,
if there is nuclear war, the next war will be fought only with “  sticks and stones, “  since so little will be left.  Who remembers the TV show

 “ The Day After ? “

But not today
– really ?  Lot more important than LMT
!!!  So let us settle our differences
and  move on to much more important
things, especially global – it is the only planet we have to live on !

But “  money talks “ 
– LMT, USA, globally, etc.

So can we –“  yes “  -
and will we – “ your decision “ - do the same in LMT for the overall long term
benefit of all who live here ?

!

These stories
are so true for LMT of course - no matter what happens in the election and
elections in the future – we all still have to live here together !

I will post
some other things just  “ FYI “ that you
may want to consider.  Some may be of
some help.  I will try to keep it “ light
“  if I can – you may even get some
chuckles.

The “ art of
compromise “ is one that as we all know is so missing today.

Quote –

Churchill –
just before WW I started – building the new monstrous & so expensive

 “ Dreadnoughts “ battle ships – “ We wanted
four [4], the navy eight [8], so we compromised at “ twelve “ [12]  - so all got a lot “ more “  than what they wanted – but it was the best
for the country since very big & expensive that took years to build – best
to go in “ excess “ to be safe – yet ultimately little used for so many reasons
– Germany even “ scuttled  “ their fleet
rather than have the British have them – just Google it – unbelievable ! –
there are no battleships in US navy now I believe.  Sci / tech made them obsolete – again all
part of my decades of STS – NSF research and even some PowerPoint presentations
– how I got started on much of this research actually.

His reward
for helping to win WW II – “ voted out of office “ – his wife said that it may
be a  “ blessing in disguise – he replied
well it is well disguised ! “

But some just
still ”  despised “ him – at a dinner the
elderly lady sitting next to him said

 “ I just despise you so much I would put
poison in your tea if you were my husband ! 
His reply was that “ he would even drink it if he was ! “

Even for so
conservative British, emotions could get high !

Some current
books to put on your reading list – that may help in some small way & in so
many ways especially with LMT for a much more mature & sophisticated
dialogue over our so many important issues -

e.g. sports –
why some are much better players, but do not get the press, poker, when to hold
them & when to fold them, stock market, etc.  – Signal to Noise – why we missed 9 / 11 &
Pearl Harbor, etc. – media “ noise “ masks “ signal / truth / facts, “ etc. –
politics – we elect them to be leaders & not saints – but media stresses
their so human failures, not their successes – like here in LMT.

“ Why Nations
Fail “ – inclusive / democracies survive & thrive, exclusive /
dictatorships do not – in long run, but may take centuries – luckily we still
live in a democracy, at least so far, including right here in LMT.

Tom Clancy
who just died – told just how “ complex “ the world is today in very
understandable terms in his sci / tech thrillers – but his many so popular
books are over 500 pages, so look at the four [4] DVD’s of the movies about
four  [4] of them – but not before you go
to bed, you may not go to sleep !  Google
search of course

But sometimes
you are just “ thrust “ into a situation you are not prepared for, so have to do
the best you can, like here in LMT !

His “ Hunt
for Red October “ novel & DVD / movie – Jack Ryan [a young Alex Baldwin]
finds evidence for a new “ silent “ Russian sub and tells the CIA – James Earl
Jones – who says it just sailed !  So off
to the big meeting on it – Jack says who is giving the briefing – “ Your are !
“  “ WHAT ! “ { yes that is shouting all
in caps !} – but Jack knows the sub commander very well – the “ people factor “
versus all the high tech – but Jack knows that the sub commander is “ defecting
“ not going to attack theUSA !  So he is

 “ selected “ to prove what he says & go
find the sub – “ disposable “ of course – he is only a CIA analyst, no one
prominent or important !  You take it
from there !

Same with “
Sum of All Fears “ blowing up the Super Bowl with a “ lost “ nuclear weapon – a
younger Jack Ryan played by Ben Afleck sp so well.

DVD’s have a
lot of “ extras “ that are super – e.g. background info, how movie made, etc.

“BTW “
Morning Call did a feature on me & Tom Clancy / STS-NSF research in a
Sunday paper with color pictures – look it up in their archives or I can email
you a scanned copy.

How important
is Tom – his novel years before 9 / 11 had a commercial airliner crash into the
Capital wiping out the government – but he said if he proposed such a novel
about 9 / 11 they would have laughed him out of the room – unconceivable ! – the

 “ unknown unknown “  in the book Signal To Noise – you do not even
know you do not know about it, much more than the so popular phrase “ it is the
unknown that can hurt you  ! “

Then a month”
 before “ they got Osama Bin Laden, after
years of no new novels, he suddenly comes out with one about getting him ! 

Ok all those
who believe in conspiracies – let it fly ! 

But the
ending may not only surprise you but “ shock “ you – there is a special
chemical that simulates a heart attack – the worst pain you can have – but they
bring you back just before you die and say “ shall we do it again ? “ –
actually used to kill a British agent with a prick from the end of an umbrella
?

How did Tom
know all this – facts not fancy – he has many friends in the military !  No one could possibly imagine such things,
even like the English major he was in college – talk about  “ creative writing !  “ But he enjoyed it so much !.

He was regularly
called in by presidents, CIA, FBI, etc. for “ his take “ on so many things –
the military just adore him – he told so well what they really go thru, not
what the media picks to publish – check out about the Navy Seals especially –
80 – 90 % dropout rate !

A recent one
on hacking of our drones to be used against us !  Cyber warfare !

Stay tuned –
the wild ride is just beginning, but now without Tom !  But he did more than his part when he could,
how he could, the best he could !

So long Tom –
you will be greatly missed by so many for so many reasons, especially those in
the military !.

Yes he had
his own so very personal issues also – a great sci / tech writer, but not a
saint also- what did you expect perfection – anyone find it yet ?

Me “ just
thrust into a situation so suddenly also 
“– boss comes in late Thursday & you have to be in NM on Monday –
just call the corp travel agency and they will take care of it all & they
sure did !

All I had to
say was my name and the company name – never flew First Class before &
probably never will again – all else First Class too – I was so naïve that I
used the bathroom in the “ back “ not the one in First Class – I did not know
they even had one !

Big supplier
conference by Phillps Electronics – bottom line there will be “ no defects,
period ! “

We do not
want any statistics – those of you who know them – six sigma, control charts,
limits of error, etc.

But how to
explain it when I got back – they just did not want to hear it !

Then NM – if
you have been there – you know !

I call home
to LMT and my wife is chipping the ice from the doorway to let the dogs out !

I am walking
around in my short sleeve shirt in the cool breezes in the moonlight looking at
the mountains !

Traveled to
over 40 % of states & Canada many times – over 30,000 miles and still
counting – will be over 60,000 – mostly by car – so waking up in LMT is a real
treat – I have not desire to travel ever again !

So who will
be “ so suddenly just thrust into LMT situations “ to do the best they can for
the overall good of all of us ?

Many have
been – so many stories to tell, but some not known and may be best that they
never are for all in LMT !

Are you
ready, can you do it, will you do it, etc. ?

So that is it
for now.  Hope I have done my part for
you all to continue if you want to or not. 
Your so very personal decision of course and we must all accept it, even
if we do not know all the reasons.

Have to get
back to many projects especially downsizing & cleanout while we still can,
if we even make it to a senior assisted living facility – besides continuing my
decades of my STS – NSF research.  I may
even start another blog just on that – will have to wait and see.

All the best
always to all who do so much for LMT, even if not well known!

“ So over and
out at least for now ! “

Frank Gadek

Still a live resident
so far of LMT since 1974 !

Joke – at 72
-  “ always nice to wake up on the right
side of the grass each morning ! “

Happiest ever
& still healthy except for usual aging issue.

Plenty of
local R & R as required of course – what a so rich area this still  is in so many ways.and a lot of it is still “
free “ what a nice four [4] letter word even beginning with the letter ‘ F “ !

Quote -
Churchill said when informed he was dying –

“
I am well prepared to meet my maker, but my Maker may not be prepared to meet me
!

Is that
confidence or what ?

“ BTW “ like
Churchill, it takes me “ hours “ to write all this stuff – few know that about
him and many other things – Google search, books, etc.

So much to
learn, so little time with life being so short !

But he liked
his alcoholic beverages a lot ! – again a leader,, not a saint ! – another
elder lady said to him at another dinner – ‘ Mr. Churchill – you have probably
drunk enough alcohol to half fill this room ! 
So he went over to the wall and looked up and said – “ So far to go, so
little time !”

Even Tom
Clancy said read about something  you
disagree with – you may learn something but still disagree with it.

Also meeting
others from other countries, cultures, religion, politics, etc. – you can learn
so much, but still disagree with them – my grad school work in Washington, DC –
talk about an international city !  Then
the Fortune 500 company I worked for – like the UN – with visitors from all
sorts of countries each week and working with them on international  projects !.

Ever try to
get “ kosher “ food in Hometown / Tamaqua for strict Orthodox Jews of an
engineering firm doing an important plant study ?  But we “ compromised  “ – crackers, fruit and some water would be
fine for lunch – they would go back to Allentown for a kosher dinner & have
breakfast there also !

So do you
like some “ seasoning “ with your steak, A1 sauce, salt / pepper, etc. or do
you like  it “ straight / neat ? “

Do you like
meeting new & different people or just the “ so comfortable same old same
old ? “

If you do not
know of Penzys spices, you are missing out on a lot.

For you
cookers – Bob White started selling  “
Shitake “ mushrooms this past spring – as big as your hand and just
……………………………………….how do I describe them !

Then spring
asparagus – wow !  cannot get better than
that !

But getting
older and cutting back with no real young family to take over.

Cheers !

May see you
at the polls to vote – please introduce yourselves, but you will probably not
know me like Mike, but you will know the name, again like Mike – both “ all in “
as the phrase goes for LMT  for longterm
best overall interests !

P.S.

Last and final
story –

At the plant
in Hometown, one of the “ geniuses “ I was suppose to supervise knew like my
Grandfather what mushrooms to pick – so he would go to the back of the plant
and get whatever he needed when he needed it for his family.

So after
visiting the mushroom museum near Longwood Gardens, I sent him a postcard that
said –

            “ Shitake just happens !”