Well I have been to a few NFRC meetings in my past but never a membership meeting. Well this week, I got to go and it was interesting to say the least.
First and foremost you are blown away by the sheer amount of acronyms.
PCP, CMA, LAP, AEP, ACE, and so on. Your head spins as you try and follow some of these things.
Then you are amazed at how far their grasp is. They are working on rating storm doors and windows... Isn't that somewhat crazy? Then again I am not in that world, but I look at my $50 storm door and I see the price going up because of future NFRC labeling. Yippee
As for the main issues, it was un eventful because in classic political style alot of discussion took place outside the room. Why? Because inside the room there's a handful of people who simply love to hear themselves talk and waste significant time doing so. Plus there's people who may look like they are on one "side" and yet they are working close with the other- so that can be public can it?
The thing that was most apparent this meeting was the labs desires to be dominant in the process thus holding their significant revenue stream. The NFRC is their bread and butter in some cases and they are in no mood to give ANY ground. The labs were in a fighting mood so much so that the meeting was stopped for 25 minutes while legal had to clarify a voting snafu. Why the delay, well the labs could not believe they ended on the wrong side of a few votes and instead of letting it fly (they've NEVER lost- so its a new experience) they noticed that their was a problem with the voting involving proxies. When the lawyer was rustled from his room, and figured out what went wrong their was only 1 vote that was affected by the snafu and the re vote ended up RE AFFIRMING the original position.
Needless to say, they would not have paid any mind to this snafu if the votes were coming out on their side.
See but the big thing is NONE OF THIS MATTERS. The board and can and will impose whatever it feels is best. Meaning days like yesterday may be good for debate but nothing more because the Board will eventually make the call. The only difference is more people are watching this board than ever before. Aside from knuckleheads like me, you know have the DOE more interested, as well as BOMA, certain congresspeople and of course the media.
The NFRC knows they must be transparent- they have too much at stake.
So what do I think will happen going forward?
Well work will be done by a task group on this process, meanwhile others will be working the other angles... and we'll all be Virginia in November.
By the way, in the near future, the NFRC will have to figure out yet another excuse for why they even are having this program as that challenge is coming. Remember Marvin Stover former Chair lied in a letter to the membership of GANA that this program was created because of a mandate from congress (Which he and the board knew they did not) then the reason was the codes (nope) and now its because of their "subsidiary" CEC needing it.
Guess what that won't wash.
Anyway it was a special experience all the way around- so much to write about and cover- so after i review some notes I may write some more. Plus doing it on here saves me from having to write it individually to everyone who asked for a report.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Minnesota
Well we are coming up on the NFRC meeting in Minnesota and I noticed no one from the 'reputation salvation" firm that the NFRC hired will be there.
I did notice that they have some parties that are attending probably to show off how great they are... and in some areas they do serve a purpose... but since they make no apparent effort to understand commercial glazing unless certain key members of NFRC can either make a profit or do it for the sake of "doing it" hope these guests are not commercial related because even they will see the trainwreck for what it is.
I can't believe Clark and Weinstock is not going to be there. Damn.
Hey but US Glass and Glass Magazine WILL be there so Potomac can not control the content of the meeting like they have done in the past... so a true accounting will come. I do not know the writer coming from US Glass but I do know the one from Glass Magazine and she is a very level headed and talented writer- so rest assured a fair and reliable account will come through!
((For those of you new to this- the best of Potomac is on display from an October 05 meeting that none other than Deb Levy, esteemed publisher of US Glass Magazine attended and wrote up a piece about. Then Potomac put ut their fiction piece... amazing... like it was 2 totally different meetings... well you can't say Potomac doesn't earn their huge $$$$$ from NFRC!))
I did notice that they have some parties that are attending probably to show off how great they are... and in some areas they do serve a purpose... but since they make no apparent effort to understand commercial glazing unless certain key members of NFRC can either make a profit or do it for the sake of "doing it" hope these guests are not commercial related because even they will see the trainwreck for what it is.
I can't believe Clark and Weinstock is not going to be there. Damn.
Hey but US Glass and Glass Magazine WILL be there so Potomac can not control the content of the meeting like they have done in the past... so a true accounting will come. I do not know the writer coming from US Glass but I do know the one from Glass Magazine and she is a very level headed and talented writer- so rest assured a fair and reliable account will come through!
((For those of you new to this- the best of Potomac is on display from an October 05 meeting that none other than Deb Levy, esteemed publisher of US Glass Magazine attended and wrote up a piece about. Then Potomac put ut their fiction piece... amazing... like it was 2 totally different meetings... well you can't say Potomac doesn't earn their huge $$$$$ from NFRC!))
Friday, July 07, 2006
LIVE from New York
Just finished reading a tremendous book called "Live From New York" by Tom Shales. It was about Saturday Night Live and its history... great inside stories. The book is a few years old, so it can be found in paperback.
If you were or are a fan of the show it gives you a great insight on how it was born and how it survived and grew.
The drug use from the 70's and of course the sad deaths of belushi, Farley and Phil Hartman are covered there as well. Tons of interesting stuff.
On that same note, Jay Mohr also wrote a book about his time on SNL that I read called "Gasping for Airtime" and that too was great... very in depth about the 2 years he was involved in the show.
Anyway, some light book talk on the blog today instead of my normal militant angle!
If you were or are a fan of the show it gives you a great insight on how it was born and how it survived and grew.
The drug use from the 70's and of course the sad deaths of belushi, Farley and Phil Hartman are covered there as well. Tons of interesting stuff.
On that same note, Jay Mohr also wrote a book about his time on SNL that I read called "Gasping for Airtime" and that too was great... very in depth about the 2 years he was involved in the show.
Anyway, some light book talk on the blog today instead of my normal militant angle!
Monday, July 03, 2006
Happy Fourth of July!
Happy Independence day to all of you in the USA. Hope everyone who has the day off enjoys it.
As day like the 4th has a lot of meaning... and I think most adults have an idea of that.
Anyway, we have a lot to be thankful for in this country and in North America as a whole. Hopefully continued safety and no terror will shake our borders our effect our lives and may that extend throughout the world, as peace should be everyones priority.
Meanwhile our efforts to do the best we can continue. The NFRC meets at the end of July in what should be an interesting meeting. They'll have their expensive PR firms and reputation managers on site to spin the reason why they (meaning certain board members who control the NFRC) want to make big profits on the back of the "public" they supposedly serve. Those firms will also keep trying to work over the DOE and the various politicos to keep their funding alive so they can pass those funds on to like minded (read organizations that they all belong to) to do "training" instead of research.
You would never believe the amount of e-mail and comments I get on the money that the NFRC gave to Gary Curtis to "train" architects. Everyone from DOE to NFRC poo poo this as "oh that's no big deal.. its needed.. yadda yadda" but they do not realize that the public can see right through it- so when money is needed to come up with a program to group aluminum frames, so that the cost and time is not stupendous- that must go through a vote. But when a fellow Board member needs the money- it just gets done. Amazing.
I got an e-mail a week ago that hammered me bad about this blog.. "no one reads it, no one cares.. bloah blah" Well I can tell you while the hits dropped a bit when I was off working, they have not gone away, and in fact we've had some solid spikes. People do read and they do comment- and I know people like Potomac probably have this in their Favorite Places to see when I will mention Leonard or Kristine again. But seriously the point is, the NFRC can continue to pound forward, ignore the public it serves and try and create a self serving, expensive program because their sisters in California "asked for it" but they have no idea of the steps that will take place going forward.
As for California- that is the biggest joke in the land. Shame is that no one will take it on, but I will. Plain and simple, NFRC had no mandate or direction to do this program. Actually they STILL DON'T! But they had their puppets in California "ask" them to create and system and SHAZAM we're all busting butt to get this done.
Its a joke.
Oh well.. and see I started this post with hopes of peace....
anyway, Happy 4th...
As day like the 4th has a lot of meaning... and I think most adults have an idea of that.
Anyway, we have a lot to be thankful for in this country and in North America as a whole. Hopefully continued safety and no terror will shake our borders our effect our lives and may that extend throughout the world, as peace should be everyones priority.
Meanwhile our efforts to do the best we can continue. The NFRC meets at the end of July in what should be an interesting meeting. They'll have their expensive PR firms and reputation managers on site to spin the reason why they (meaning certain board members who control the NFRC) want to make big profits on the back of the "public" they supposedly serve. Those firms will also keep trying to work over the DOE and the various politicos to keep their funding alive so they can pass those funds on to like minded (read organizations that they all belong to) to do "training" instead of research.
You would never believe the amount of e-mail and comments I get on the money that the NFRC gave to Gary Curtis to "train" architects. Everyone from DOE to NFRC poo poo this as "oh that's no big deal.. its needed.. yadda yadda" but they do not realize that the public can see right through it- so when money is needed to come up with a program to group aluminum frames, so that the cost and time is not stupendous- that must go through a vote. But when a fellow Board member needs the money- it just gets done. Amazing.
I got an e-mail a week ago that hammered me bad about this blog.. "no one reads it, no one cares.. bloah blah" Well I can tell you while the hits dropped a bit when I was off working, they have not gone away, and in fact we've had some solid spikes. People do read and they do comment- and I know people like Potomac probably have this in their Favorite Places to see when I will mention Leonard or Kristine again. But seriously the point is, the NFRC can continue to pound forward, ignore the public it serves and try and create a self serving, expensive program because their sisters in California "asked for it" but they have no idea of the steps that will take place going forward.
As for California- that is the biggest joke in the land. Shame is that no one will take it on, but I will. Plain and simple, NFRC had no mandate or direction to do this program. Actually they STILL DON'T! But they had their puppets in California "ask" them to create and system and SHAZAM we're all busting butt to get this done.
Its a joke.
Oh well.. and see I started this post with hopes of peace....
anyway, Happy 4th...
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