Last week I teased the latest release of the Architectural Billings Index (ABI). The July report was surely more positive than the previous editions but still treading below where it used to be. But the telling part of the story was a quote by the AIA’s chief economist. He commented that one of the reasons that business is tough right now is that the banks are not lending. And in that comment you have the dirtiest little secret around. The biggest story in this country shouldn’t be the health care or Cap and Trade debacles. It should be that the credit markets are still frozen and despite TARP’s, bailouts and stimuli, credit is NOT flowing- thus hampering everything and everyone in its path. Why this issue is getting no media scrutiny is beyond me, but it is a huge reason that architects are not drawing and commercial construction is stuck in the mud.
Elsewhere…
-- MUST SEE TV….errrr WEBCAST… Thursday (and I know most people don’t read this until Thursday PM, but there’s many who check this out Weds nights when I post) at 8AM CST. The Webcast is live from the GANA Fall conference in Kansas City for the energy portion of the event. The webcast is being sponsored by the fine folks at that up n coming publication Solar Glazing Magazine. So hopefully you get to check it out, it really should be pretty interesting based on the speaker line up. For more information and to jump on to the webcast go to GANA’s website at www.glasswebsite.com or just click HERE!
-- Speaking of GANA, I just hate not being at the Fall Conference… hearing from many people that are there and the reviews have been excellent. Good crowd, strong discussions. Exactly what you expect from a GANA event.
-- The world of LEED has been taking some hits lately…. This week the New York Times weighed in with a piece about the grumblings on whether or not in the long run LEED is worth it. Here’s the articlebut best line in there was along the lines of “they should have removable screws for the plaques they put up”…. I love it…. It’s funny how many times I hear that the biggest part of LEED is getting that plaque… and not what it’s supposed to do for the building.
-- One more weekend of fake NFL Football and then the real thing… ah I can’t wait! Plus College football starts this weekend… excellent!
-- Short post this week… just way too much going on in the “real” world….
Off to the links!
Thank goodness for the “Link Chick”…. And when I tell her she gets compliments all the time, she totally doesn’t believe it… c’mon like someone in the glass industry would lie?
-- Traveling sucks enough but can you imagine having to stay at a place with beds made of hay? Yeesh!
-- Only in China… they have a basketball league for shorter folks and what happens when someone “too tall” tries to join… mayhem…
-- Can you believe there was still a working bartender left over from the days of prohibition? Well there was… and he just served his last drink…
Comic of the week: Marg Webb sent this to me…. And it really reminds me of an organization that we all know and love…. click on the comic to make it bigger and easier to read!
Video of the week: Thanks to Brian Pitman who I know is swamped this week… but he found time to send this quick instant classic in… a ball boy at the US Open… not real graceful…
I hammer the Department of Energy a lot and its makes some you squeamish. However they are really deserving of the bashing. Today’s latest? A story in the New York Times about the fact that the DOE doesn’t pay attention to its thermostats! Yes instead of putting in controls to dial thermostats back when people aren’t in their buildings they just let em run! A recent audit shows they could save 11.5 million in annual energy costs by just doing what they tell all of us to do! It’s another classic example of their pathetic waste and why they are allowed to run that division so poorly, when energy is so crucial is a mystery. So add this to the DOE giving money away like candy, blindly allowing the NFRC and other special interests to dominate them, and failing to control their own efficiencies. The NYT piece in its depressing glory is HERE.
Elsewhere…
-- If it wasn’t already clear enough, the Chinese influence in our lives is pretty severe. This week on the Solar side one of the biggest solar players, Suntech, said the following in the New York Times: In response to this, and to reduce shipping costs, Suntech plans to announce in the next month or two that it will build a solar panel assembly plant in the United States, said Steven Chan, its president for global sales and marketing. “It’ll be to facilitate sales — ‘buy American’ and things like that,” Mr. Chan said, adding that the factory would have 75 to 150 workers and be located in Phoenix, or somewhere in Texas. So no need to hide this it’s pretty obvious… you know so they can meet that pesky “Buy American” and things like that…. Yep keep supporting these guys as it’s just a matter of time before they come take your business. By the way in the same article, Suntech said they’d sell solar panels below cost to gain market share too… that’s a healthy maneuver… but they can do that because their government will subsidize them… while our government subsidizes some of the most worthless things ever. And they noted that they have gotten involved with the solar trade groups in order to protect themselves…. Unreal.
-- Speaking of subsidies… the all famous Stimulus money is being used for interesting things… it was reported this week: Among the most titillating grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health are studies that would: * Examine "barriers to correct condom use" at Indiana University, at a cost of $221,000. * Study "hookups" among adolescents at Syracuse University. Study's cost: $219,000. * Evaluate "drug use as a sex enhancer" in an analysis of "high-risk community sex networks" at the University of Illinois, Chicago. That study will cost $123,000. * Study how methamphetamine, thought to produce an "insatiable need" for sex among users, "enhances the motivation for female rat sexual behavior." Some $28,000 has been awarded for the University of Maryland at Baltimore study
Yep and while that million or so would not make a dent in the deficit it surely could be put to better use. But I have to ask, how do you get to lead one of those studies and what do you do? Have people out on the street asking if they know how to put their condom on right? I mean seriously?
-- The power of Twitter… GM used the reaction and posts on Twitter to help decide the fate of a new Buick concept vehicle. The “Twitterers” or “Tweeters” said they did not like it and thus GM/Buick killed it. So when people say that social media is just for telling people inane things, evidently some people are taking it very seriously.
-- Speaking of Twitter, the gang at USGlass have been using it to tease the world on their next issue. Evidently it’s a blockbuster… and most likely it gets that status because this month’s offering will NOT feature an article by yours truly….
-- Hey when can we do “Cash” for single pane windows?
-- The latest ABI is out and it actually has better news to it. I'll get into that more next week as a part of the analysis was very interesting.
Off to the Links!
-- Ok maybe this is worse than the above Stimulus sex spending…. A study on if Zombiesexisted how we would handle an attack…. Yep…. Man people have waaaay too much time on their hands.
-- I am not a fan of the writer Rick Reilly, but this piece on kidswho have a rare disease going to Yankee stadium is excellent.
The story of BIM (Building Information Modeling) has been one that continues to stay in the news. What looked like a “flash in the pan” effect has withered away and every day the BIM movement gets traction. The big move this week was the announcement in Texas that the state facility commission will use BIM for its projects. Steps like this obviously push more legitimacy to BIM which really has been lacking it thanks to many platforms, suppliers and overall styles. Not to mention costs that are pretty intense too. I have been on both sides of the BIM argument (yes I am a flip flopper) as I see the value but I also felt like there’s more hype than true substance. On the value side, it surely could help speed processes and make people more efficient. On the hype side, it’s not everywhere yet, and there’s still a massive majority of architects just not ready to dive in. In any case news like the Texas announcement move the process forward, now we’ll see if some of the issues that plague BIM (platforms, costs etc) will even out and allow it to become more mainstream.
Elsewhere….
-- By the way, the newest issue of USGlass also has some serious BIM info in it too... always leave it to the talented people there to stay on top of the trends.
-- On the rough side, I have been getting comments and e mails regarding some depressing news in our industry… and yes I have chosen NOT to print it as it is not confirmed. And yes I know I am hypocrite because I did stuff like that in the past… so hammer away at me. But maybe this is me turning over a new leaf as I think I am like many of you out there, just not interested in wallowing someone else’s misery. And right now, there’s a lot of misery… (and if you are not miserable then you are in denial)
-- I am also totally depressed that due to a scheduling snafu I won’t be at GANA’s Fall conference. I was so looking forward to the epic return of Greg Carney and also seeing the great things about our industry. So many good and talented people in one place does help to inspire me and focus. Funny, I am sure there are a couple hundred people who WILL be at Fall Conference thrilled that they know I won’t be there!
-- Greenwashing… yes the process of over-selling your “green” ability has always been an issue… now for those of you who care about this stuff, there’s a 41 page report on the evils of greenwashing… it’s hereand it’s actually somewhat interesting…
-- One of the greatest movie lines of all time was from “Stripes” and it was:
John Winger: C’mon, it’s Czechoslovakia, we zip in, we pick em right up, we zip right out again. We’re not going to Moscow, its Czechoslovakia! It’s like going into Wisconsin! Russell Ziskey: Well I got the **** kicked out of me in Wisconsin once. Forget it!
Well last week, the meaning of getting the crap kicked out of you in Wisconsin came out when a would be robber walked into a bar with the intention of holding it up… except he picked a bar in Janesville, WI that was hosting a night out for Wisconsin POLICE officers! Needless to say… he got the **** kicked out of him in Wisconsin! Life imitates art… I love it.
-- Sad news on the passing of Peter Lisec. Our condolences to his family and the folks at Lisec. You know you are legend when your name is used the way his was. The “Lisec” line is akin to using Kleenex or eating Jell-O. And for most people in our industry automated machinery started and ended with the Lisec products. Obviously a great loss for the industry.
-- Amazing that this week saw our first foray into Hurricane season… but as many people forget Hurricane season goes until November 1st, so there’s a ton of time left to see what happens- though the experts are saying it will be a light season. We will see…. You know the conspiracy theorist in me says we need one to threaten the Gulf, so gas prices can rise just because….
Off to the links…
-- You may not know this but the all famous “link chick” is a world class track and field star…. So I am sure that’s what drives the world’s current fastest man… Usain Bolt with an incredible world record smashing effort…
-- A nun chases down a burglar…. The only thing that would’ve made this story perfect is if the nun was from Wisconsin!
-- And finally, awesome news… the potbelly look is back!! Hooray…. Who needs that diet now! Plus no need to have the Walker boys dress me according to this article, I am in style baby!!
Video of the week:
From the “people have waaaaay too much time on their hands” department…. There’s folks out there that are “mashing” music- basically mixing full songs together… and I was sent one this week- check this out… it’s the classic “We will rock you” set to the tune of Outkast’s “Hey Ya”…. Creative as heck, just wonder who has time to do this stuff!
After a few weeks of the battles domestically, it’s time to change the focus to an oldie but goody topic. China. Yes my pals from China are back in the news again and it continues to amaze me how they get away with what they do. Last week there was a widely published story on how the Chinese glass industry was doing and it stated the pricing in the marketplace there. But of course when you figured it all out, the pricing of the material being sold in China for that market is double or more the price that they dump…errrr sell it here for. But alas buyer beware as you really do get what you pay for from there. Right now there’s two large jobs, one on each coast, that are turning into quagmires of bad product…. All courtesy of the Chinese. And I have a feeling some North American companies will take some serious heat and hurt while the Chinese reps and suppliers will whistle quietly down the road…. By the way… speaking of the Chinese… one of the largest American Solar panel manufacturers, E Solar, was proud to mention that they bought 24,000 mirrors from China for their last project. Wonderful. And thus the problem with the “green job” theory… the products needed for these “green jobs” will come from China and that is not good for anyone….
Elsewhere…
-- Good news about people working together for the GOOD of the industry… as mentioned here several weeks ago, the newest plan for ASHRAE would limit the overall glass usage on buildings. And while parts of the plan are good, there are parts that are just not logical or helpful for our industry. Well the folks at GANA stepped up and have gotten every main player in our industry on board on promoting a unified message. It is truly wonderful that this unselfish industry first approach took place. Now hopefully the folks at ASHRAE and DOE will take the necessary value in it. But even if they don’t kudos to everyone who did the right thing!
-- Did I re-jinx gas prices? I wrote months ago that gas would go to 4 bucks in the summer… thankfully it didn’t… so I ate the crow and celebrated the lower prices… well since then prices are on the rise again and oil has been trending upward. High gas prices is surely not what we need now or going into what looks like a pretty ugly winter.
-- Class Act alert… the gang at Edgetech IG did a tremendous thing last week acting as the “Rally Point” for a bike run to honor veterans. The bikers were transporting a traveling Vietnam Memorial wall and paid homage to those incredibly brave folks who fought in that war. Very classy and patriotic and props to all involved at Edgetech who made it happen.
-- Last week I linked to the tremendous article on Harvard and their lost endowment cash and I had incredible feedback. I think many went into checking that link with expectations of a blah story about a rich university but got totally engrossed into the amazing story that came out. The comment made by most people after they read it was- “amazing that they could blow so much money”- well sometimes all the smartest people in world can’t keep egos in check….
-- Pre-season football is HERE! And I know it’s horrible to watch but it is football and dang it I am very pumped…. All I can say is… Here we go Steelers… Here we go!
-- Have I told you how big of a sham that lawsuit against the primaries are lately? It just kills me that we will be wasting time, money and resources on the ultimate ambulance chase while so many other more crucial issues happen around us.
Off to the Links!
One e mail last week to me said “too many Max links, not enough Link Chick”- so your wish is my command… 3 good ones from the lady of the links!
-- “Who can it be now”…. Famous line from the 80’s singing group “Men at Work”…well now they are being sued for plagiarism! Wow.
-- A floating apartment complex.... Wonder what the backcharges would be if you needed to set up a swing stage…. Would hate to have any failed IG on this one! Neat stuff…
So last week I wrote about the TRACO-Peerless issue and I mentioned that another similar situation was happening on the primary glass side. And thanks to several readers, I got confirmation. Cardinal Glass decided to take a shot at Guardian by having a note out there basically saying that Guardian’s published and tested performances on their Low E glass were wrong. The piece focused on the emissivity values and quite frankly stunned me for many reasons. First it was the whole “taking a shot” angle that I mentioned last week. Second was the fact the Cardinal not only accused Guardian of having wrong totals but they also listed one CARDINAL product as being wrong. (So you are accusing them of something you may be guilty of?) And of course third was the fact that Cardinal is basically not only accusing Guardian of being wrongful, but in turn they are saying that YOU CAN’T TRUST THE NFRC! These were NFRC tested totals. Cardinal is basically saying they are wrong… hmmmmmm So the mighty NFRC, which Cardinal loves CAN’T BE TRUSTED! Someone wake up Marc LaFrance! Seriously this is an amazing accusation which leads me to ask… if NFRC totals are wrong, why are we suffering through this crap again? As for the issue at hand, Guardian obviously tested everything via NFRC and their procedures and their numbers came out to what was published. Knowing the folks at Guardian, and especially their Science and Tech guys, I am pretty dang confident that there is no way they are in the wrong here. Obviously someone is jealous.... So I think Cardinal is misguided here, while they try to take a shot at Guardian, at the end of the day the finger is actually pointed at NFRC! (Note Cardinal went and had samples they acquired of the Guardian product tested and came up with different totals than the NFRC ones...) And like last week, when you take a shot like this, to me it shows a serious weakness. To make claims like this instead of trying to sell the products on their merits really shows some desperation. Anyway color me stunned that Cardinal, the biggest NFRC booster around, would basically tell the world that YOU CAN’T TRUST NFRC TOTALS!! Classic!
Maybe the NFRC needs a 3rd party to check their 3rd party stuff eh?
Elsewhere…
-- Speaking of NFRC… class act Chuck Knickerbocker of Technical Glass Products has a tremendous and passionate post online about the NFRC. You can access it HERE. Chuck’s reaction is what most people will have as it starts to go more and more mainstream…
-- Congrats to PPG and Rob Struble on winning a national marketing award from the Business Marketing Association. I know I pick on PPG from time to time, but I have a ton of respect for Rob and the work he does and it’s great that he and his group are getting some recognition. There’s no doubt they deserve it as Rob has consistenty positioned and marketed PPG extremely well over the years.
-- CONFLICT OF INTEREST ALERT! Over the last few years the ICC (International Code Council) has fought back attempts by AAMA to have their 3rd party certification track be considered an equal to NFRC. The NFRC trots out their tried and true supporters and the ICC buckles- despite the logic involved. Anyway now look who is advertising in the ICC newsletter/website…. NFRC… wow… isn’t that special? So the ICC takes ad dollars in from a group that needs their endorsement and support. Filthy. So AAMA, why don’t you advertise in there… maybe it will help your case?
-- Twitter… yes I broke down and now do Twitter. And for the last two days I am taking tons of fun abuse about… Twitter….
-- Now while I may Twitter I actually don’t watch American Idol (doesn’t Twittering and watching AI go hand in hand?) so I am one of the people who have no idea why the outrage over Paula Abdul not coming back to the show. My brother on the other hand is an AI expert so I’ll have to ask him for the proper insight. Now that Paula has time on her hands she can come to Atlanta and work Glassbuild…
Off to the LINKS…
-- Another article on the Cap & Trade… this one talking about costs. It’s funny health care came about and Cap & Trade really fell to the background… just wish it would fall all the way off the radar…
-- Long, but worthwhile readon the problems at Harvard… and for those of us in the building industry you can see the BOOM and the bust, just by reading what Harvard did over the last few years. By the way the author of this piece Nina Munk wrote an awesome book about the AOL downfall called “Fools Rush In” and that too is a great read.
-- From the “Link Chick” and this will make you laugh… and cry… a highway sign in dire need of spellcheck!!
Video of the Week:
Also from the “Link Chick” the classic video about a 7 year old taking the family car for a drive… this is some amazing stuff… and at 7 my man is very advanced!
When times get tougher it sometimes forces people to ratchet up the rhetoric. In our industry that rhetoric usually comes in advertisements. And usually the ads intimate differences between brand “a” and brand “b” but rarely do they go into full scale mudslinging specifics. But in the past few weeks that bridge was crossed when TRACO took on Peerless Window with an attack in a newsletter. It was amazing stuff seeing one company just blatantly calling another one out. Peerless answered the bell and returned fire, with class, in my opinion. Still when it gets down to taking a massive potshot like TRACO took, you wonder why they did it and what they expected to gain. Hey we all do it from time to time, but this was a blatant blast that really came off as sour grapes. And yes I admit I am biased. I like the folks from Peerless. And I don’t really care for the TRACO group, pretty much based on their blind love and affection for the disaster of the NFRC CMA program that they pretty much endorsed cluelessly (and pushed) from day 1. Still end of the day, this was a wild event and even crazier is I heard rumblings that something very similar to this is also going down on the primary glass manufacturer level. However I have not gotten anything on paper yet… when I do, I’ll pass along.
And yep I know people will say “wow that’s the pot calling the kettle” when it comes to me and what I do, but this attack was different because of the tone and tact it took. And I give Peerless credit for being classy in the face of this insanity.
EDIT/ADD: Because I am already being asked... Basically TRACO is saying that Peerless is making false claims about some of their products performances. This is actually right from the NFRC playbook... comical.
Elsewhere…
-- By the way… as a special re run…. Because some people “in the know” missed it. The fantastic article from Dr. Helen Sanders of Sage for the GANA Energy committee is HERE.Good stuff.
-- The good ole DOE was back in the news this week. Guess which department wasted tons of energy last year? Yep the Department of ENERGY! Classic “do as we SAY, not as we DO” angle. An audit released last week showed that the DOE lost 11.5 MILLION dollars in wasted energy costs last year. The New York Times wrote about it in more detail here. These guys kill me, maybe they should stop giving money to NFRC and anyone who asks (without justification or legit need) and start to clean up their own house some. Hypocrites of the highest regard.
-- By the way the White House announced that many cabinet secretaries made cost cutting measures to save 104 million next year. Missing from the list…. The DOE.
-- Big weekend coming up… 7-11 is coming out with WWE wresting related souvenir cups…. And my son being the insane fan, will probably be stalking the local 7-11 until he collects em all…
-- For those of you “24” fans out there, the plot for next year has been released. Evidently its Jack trying to stop an assassination. That’s an “old school” plot since that was season 1. I swear they could have Jack Bauer stock shelves at a supermarket and I’d watch.
-- Did you catch the story on USGNN on the ABC’s construction backlog report? I am pretty dense, most of you know that… but I could not for the life of me follow what that index is all about…. Anyway I am an ABI guy… Architectural Billings Index… and that’s been depressing too… maybe I shouldn’t read anything.
-- Last this week… what is a “Green” job? Evidently some controversy is popping up after Newsweek ran a piece (click here) that questioned if any “green” jobs have been created yet… Can you have such a thing as “green job-washing?”
Off to the LINKS…
Link Chick back at it with a vengeance this week…
-- People with the same First and Last names getting married…. Yes its true… what a wild cool rare thing.
-- Very cool list... the top 100 thingsyour kids may never know about. And I can tell you #83 happened to me once. I said to my son, “you wanna go to Kentucky Fried Chicken” and he said “ no way”… I was stunned because I knew he loved it. Well when we passed it, he said “Dad, why not KFC?” And I said “that’s what I offered” to which he replied “No you didn’t, you offered Kentucky Fried Chicken!”
Video of the Week:
A few weeks ago I posted one of those “literal” videos and just could not resist doing it again. This one is a classic Journey tune… and now made even better with this video!!! Just funny stuff….
This past week I experienced something that stunned me. In one city, a supplier skipped over the glaziers and quoted direct to a developer/GC. Initially no one wanted to make a fuss and so the supplier was going to be able to pull this off. But then something happened. Maybe because it’s slower than normal out there or maybe people just came to their senses. But the glazing community actually stepped up and pressured the supplier to walk from the job… and they did. Reason I am stunned is pretty much everyday people buy from their competition in one way or another. Yet no one seemed to care. Maybe that worm is turning.
Elsewhere....
-- Speaking of worms turning… months ago I predicted $4 a gallon gas. I am so thankful that I was/am wrong. Hate that the economy sucks and that’s part of the reason gas is low, but glad it is as there’s so much pressure on families these days as it is- $4 gas would be awful.
-- A tremendous and bold post by David Walker over at Glassblog (click here) on the Health care bill and its possible effects. No matter your party or your preference you need to check the post and really get familiar with this possible legislation, because it will be game changing.
-- I hate to always be so alarmist here, but there’s so much happening out there with repercussions to your business life, I have to. Another one is a transportation bill that is poking around Washington right now. This bill is basically a roadmap to figure out how to pay for the updates to our roads. And of course the way that will happen is probably taxes as well as new rules for over the road drivers and of course the “environmental” angle. And while we need to keep up on the repairs needed for the roads, something tells me this bill will be so much more and it will cost everyone a lot more in the future.
-- On my last blog Paul DeGray left me a comment that said I have been sounding down in the dumps lately. I am trying not to, but man there’s so many goofy things going on, it’s overwhelming me. But he’s right. Gotta work harder to get back to a lighter time. Thanks for the note Paul!
-- The story that USGNN linked to from Boston was a good read- but check out the comments. That’s where it gets interesting with all of the spontaneous breakage going on and how people dealt with it. I would love to know how much of that came from China… I am betting 85% of those comments.
-- A must read right herefrom one of my all time favorites, Dr. Helen Sanders of Sage. She does a nice job explaining some of the adventures our industry is facing. Especially note page 2, that page was brilliant.
-- Was asked why I don’t attend NFRC events but yet I still pick on them. And basically it was not worth the money and expense. We sent people for years but they were ignored and downplayed. Hell when you have lopsided votes (and some were very lopsided) but then the board just overturns it any way, what’s the point? Furthermore, aside from the juicy CMA stuff, those meetings were painfully boring. And those who go know that (and even have slept through it!)
-- Football training camps start like next week… and its already fall weather too! (well the fall weather part sucks.. but football season is awesome!)
To the LINKS…
-- Vanity Fair had this great readon the AIG situation… long piece but very interesting. The issues at AIG were not as simple as they appeared.
-- And keeping the “Wall Street” theme, the “link chick” checks in with a story on Goldman Sachs biting the handthat fed it.
-- Another thing from our past going bye bye… the big blue Mail Box….
Pictures of the week
You may have seen these already but this is a building in China… that fell over…. Yep keep ordering stuff from over there… it won’t fail ya… (like the tires or drywall too!) Seriously it looks fake but the entire building just fell over!!
Video of the Week
You may have heard that world class soccer player David Beckham is not too happy playing here in the States… well evidently the fans of his team aren’t happy either. This is amazing as just 2 years ago the guy was the “savior” of American soccer… and now…not so much.
Rare good news from an NFRC meeting... a grant was given for a study by IGMA... amazing actually... I thought the only money went to board members and friends of board members.
It makes me think back.... I wonder how that 30 grand was used by Gary Curtis to educate the architects on CMA a few years ago.... Yep that was probably money well spent (SERIOUS SARCASM)...especially since no one still knows or understands the Titanic outside of us few people who pay attention to this stuff.
Gary is listed to be at this meeting, if you are there you should ask him how those meetings went!
Regardless, nice that a good organization like IGMA at least gets some love.
But all in all you add the money this group spends on people like Potomac (who seemingly add nothing) and now a high powered marketer (because they have to beg people to use their program) and its pretty amazing that they get away with it. That money could be used to work better with their "Consensus" to defray costs (and don't give me the BS grandfather clauses and 33% discounts- thats petty) and help launch programs. But instead they'd rather spend money to stick it down people's throats....
It's sad.. but sadder yet is if this program hits, it will catch people so off guard and the problems it will bring will be unreal. No doubt good people will get burned. But don't worry the test labs and the consultants (like Gary) will be just fine.
Quick post... from the NFRC meeting and some of their new "Core Values" released today:
"Consensus driven process- Varied interests working together crafting a balanced approach to our work."
What crap. Votes that go 42-6 and the get overturned by the board is NOT CONSENSUS. This group is unreal.
By the way they did promote everywhere they could that they had a record number of attendees... but its funny, I wonder how many are staff members since they have at least 15 of those now.. (Great that all of us get to pay for that too... NFRC may be the only business in this economy that is actually growing!) how many are board members... how many from Hunter Douglas came to see their guy speak... and how many new labs/consultants showed up for the gravy train to come...
There's more to write on, but we'll save til tomorrow... I just want to let it sink in that these people love to push things that aren't there... and I can tell you any sort of "Consensus" has never been there... unless you include all the people that will make a huge windfall from this upcoming epic disaster...
A wild week it’s been. Two major issues are floating out there, one that is misrepresenting people’s views and another that could have a terrible effect on our industry. Let’s start with the maneuver at play that could hurt all of us and that’s the move the reduce glass (window areas) by 10% in the next round of ASHRAE codes. Now some people don’t pay any mind on what goes on in these various code groups, and unfortunately because of that, folks that are very unfriendly to our industry are taking our lunches and running away with them. 10% may not seem like a lot to you, but in reality losing that available area is very bad. And I must admit I was one of the people who was missing this ongoing effort until a wise man pointed it out to me. So once again our industry is under attack, will we do anything about it? Or will we just complain about things like the surcharge and just take it because it has no monetary effect right at this second? And I must note again for the millionth time… our industry is never ever against energy efficiency. What we rail against (for those of people at the DOE who just can’t get it through your thick skulls) is the crap that always gets attached to it. The unnecessary policing, the money grabs, the lack of intelligence or education on how things get done. That’s where we have the issues, but of course it’s always spun as “the glass industry doesn’t want energy efficiency.” Anyway this ASHRAE thing deserves your attention and will be getting mine as we dig into it more.
Elsewhere…
-- Last week a website featuring many glass industry related companies came to light… the site sponsored by the Environmental Defense Fund was showing companies that support “green jobs” but when you dug into it and got more detail you found that the site was being used to show support for the Cap and Trade bill and the whole Carbon adventure. People were being mislead at every level because if your name was on the site you were “supporting” the current Cap & Trade effort. (One example- Congresspeople were being told these companies supported Cap & Trade because they were on the list) AAMA immediately addressed it to its membership and the folks at GANA I know were aware and addressing it via their energy division. Anyway, here’s the site. The key is the site tries to come off as innocent but in reality it’s far from it.
-- The NFRC had a webinar on Wednesday that was pretty interesting. Some basic notes because I know most of the audience has moved on from the NFRC adventure… but I still have to pound away…
-- The DOE will be throwing more money at NFRC… like they actually need it… so this program can go. Funny if the DOE would push the money towards the manufacturers and the people truly affected by the implementation of this boondoggle it would have more potential. But why should they do anything logical?
-- The poor folks in California… especially the glaziers are screwed. They will pay for the sins of terrible code enforcement and blatant cronyism. Gotta be tough enough to do business now in that state how it is and come January 1st its going to get a lot worse.
-- Custom curtainwalls will really suffer under this program and be prepared to spend money and time because both are keys to everything that will happen. Not to mention duplication of efforts to ensure the Keystone Certifications of the world can have an easy living.
-- NFRC has a marketing company out promoting this to code officials and energy providers hoping they’ll push this stuff. Chances are the code guys will love it, it gives them something new to do. Glad the NFRC can spend cash on the marketing company too… that’s why they need money from DOE I guess…
-- The marketing company said the key of this program is it will “show the value of high performance glass” Yep… that’s it… and really it was all a part of the message that you could never trust the performance values you got from the manufacturers. That’s been it from day 1. And that’s a travesty.
-- Last on this, NFRC listed the 675th and 676th reasons we are getting this nightmare. (Remember #1 was the Marv Stover famous “congressional mandate” that did not exist) Yes John Lewis said that this program is needed because it’s good for comparison of products and differentiation of products. Comical. I could go on and on… but I won’t. I will say John Lewis does have a tremendous radio voice though, so if the NFRC stuff does not pan out, he could easily be a talk show host.
-- Last quick note on Cap and Trade… Window and Door magazine did a poll last week on people’s attitude towards it and 81% said it was bad for the country. Nice to see 81% of the industry has a clue. Just wonder what some of the other folks are thinking…
To the Links…
-- And while we are feeling sorry for California, here’s one… the people who invested in Solar may be about to lose their subsidies…
-- An inmate throws a Bar Mitzvah for his son… behind bars… oh his mother must be so proud.
-- Good story about a good man… after 9 heart surgeries a man spreads his love of music to kids. NINE heart surgeries… my goodness, the line after that could be anything and it would still be a good story.
Video of the WEEK…
The “Link Chick” turns into the “Video of the Week” chick with this submission… very cool bat swinger… I would hurt myself badly…
Last week I wrote in the Cap & Trade bill that was pushed through congress and for those of you who read it you’ll know I came out significantly against. Anyway over this past weekend, I decided to throw myself into this whole debate (and probably did more studying than the people in Washington who never even read it!) and get all sides of the story. Needless to say it was pretty fascinating. Its funny how one bill could illicit so many opinions and so many of them starkly different… I also consulted with people that I really respect to get their take on it. Anyway here’s a quick synopsis of what I found as I went from every far right website to every far left one… Overall the funniest part was that the people who were against this bill hated virtually everything about it. But the people who were FOR this bill ALSO hated a lot of it as they thought the bill did not go far enough… So in normal cases you would think if the hard right hates and the hate left hates it then it should be perfect right? But this is not the normal case…. And the reason why is that to get the votes they needed to pass, certain industries and regions were given perks- the biggest among it the farm lobby. So that had both sides up in arms. So you had a watered down bill (for the left) that was still awful (for the right). Same thing from the coal lobby as well… (Basically the not selling of carbon permits at auction is the thing that has both sides a mess since folks like the big utilities and big oil will somehow get these for free… and WE ALL will have to pay for them) As for our industry, while it pushes more energy efficiency, which is a good thing, it calls for a creation of a national energy code that depending on how that is put together could make the NFRC folly look like a walk in the park. Especially if you have people like Marc LaFrance of the DOE involved… and to make things worse, some of these codes will basically limit the usage of glass (which if you are reading this blog, is your life) so that’s a very scary proposition. This does not include what the bill will do to the domestic float guys as I covered last week. But there was an interesting angle where the bill called for a tariff on countries that don’t follow a climate plan (China). However the tariff will not be a deterrent because China will have a field day shipping glass and solar panels. Especially since that will be one of the few places to get the material… All in all, the debate was wild- from the folks at Mother Nature Network to the people at the National Review it really was a battle of wills. I guess it depends on what you think is more important in life. But at the end of the day the thing I found the most interesting was that it really turned into a bill (those of us who read it) no one actually likes. Right or Left. The Senate has their take now and of course the rancor has begun. While I believe with a 60 person majority (not to mention awful GOP Senators like Olympia Snowe) this thing will pass, but many people I discussed with think it will see dramatic changes before that may happen. So I guess we shall see…
Elsewhere…
-- In my research I came across this line in a Forbes Magazine article… But the fundamental problem remains. California's economy--once wondrously diverse with aerospace, high-tech, agriculture and international trade--has run aground. Burdened by taxes and ever-growing regulation, (emphasis mine)the state is routinely rated by executives as having among the worst business climates in the nation. No surprise, then, that California's jobs engine has sputtered, and it may be heading toward 15% unemployment. So there ya go… California is a mess because of regulation and who helped drive the nightmare regulation of the NFRC….hmmmmmm Get ready for Cali style regulation… what a pathetic waste of our resources for a totally unnecessary program….
-- Saw Kawneer is starting a company info blog. I must say it’s a tremendous idea-a great way to get info out and especially if the green legend Henry Taylor posts. But since it’s a blog I wonder if I can post there?????
-- Last… here’s what I don’t get…. The Alliance to Save Energy is this big powerful special interest group… they appear in front of code orgs and do their thing. Well recently the Alliance “founded” another group called the Building Energy Efficient Codes Network (BEECN)… So now they’ll come at it from another angle too. See this is where we miss it- these guys start all of these groups and we actually try and focus our energies on our various mainline groups… So I think AEC, GANA, NGA, IGMA and AAMA should start a couple of new groups too- so then this way that’s more people to send to the microphone at these hearings because they are all from different orgs…. And yes I know this is pretty common but the Aliance gets basically carte blanch so starting another group just will probably make life even more insufferable…
Off to the links…
-- Your wasted tax dollars at work… the government gives 465 MILLION to a car company to “re-tool” for electric and Hybrid cars… oh that company that got 465 MILLION is an ELECTRIC car company… so they need to “re-tool” why?
-- On the Cap and Trade… here’s an interestingand basically biased read from the right. However as a tax payer you should be furious…. No matter what your party..
My old roommate Brad comes through again… cool concept here… take a video and actually sing what is happening in the video… this is the class “Aha” video “Take on Me” from back in the 80’s… good stuff.
What a wild week it has been… a huge part of the 70’s and 80’s culture dies all within a few days, and the Cap and Trade disaster makes it past the congress. And amazingly they are both linked. Thanks to Michael Jackson passing, the media spent a ton of time on him and very little on the Cap and Trade bill that could dramatically affect our industry. This bill will hamstring the float glass industry and the trickledown effect will be severe. If you care one iota about this business you will educate yourself on this issue or you will contact GANA to get the details and then get with your Senators to fight before this thing becomes law. And because of the supermajority in the Senate, there’s no doubt that most of this bill will make it through. Like me or hate me (and I know most of you hate me- at least the loser anonymous ones) please at least take my call on this one. As bad as the NFRC is, as much as you probably “hate” the surcharge, those things will pale in comparison to this.
Basically here’s the deal… this bill will make it very expensive for the domestic operators to do their thing. Which means we get more imports… And even though many of you love the imports, keep in mind two things. One they will sell direct. They are doing it now and will do it more in the future. (But for some reason people don’t care about the whole selling direct gig. It’s baffling to me) Two… have fun going back on them when you have an issue. On top of that the energy portions of this bill could push glass and glass usage out the door. Since glass is our life, we kinda need to have it everywhere. Again that’s the basic info, if you want true education, go to GANA and they will explain it professionally.
Elsewhere… -- Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon (the entertainer, not the cool metal guy from Texas) and Billy Mays all pass away within a week. Unreal… By the way Farrah easily one of my first loves…
-- One major thing everyone should do while times are tougher is to try and stay ahead of the competition. A good way is education. I prop and pimp stuff all the time here and I have a good one today. The Glass Management Institute (GMI) is a terrific way to learn and get ahead. Click here for the website. Seriously check it out and yes, I am involved in it, so that’s a reason to talk about it here, but the other instructors are very, very strong and worthwhile. (and much better than me, that’s for sure!)I am huge fan of guys like Rod Van Buskirk and Jeff Haber as they are truly top notch industry guys. I can also tell you the people who took the class last year really benefited from it, so it really is worth it. So this is a chance to get ahead of the game, get ahead of the competition and educate yourself, your co workers and your employees.
-- Last Friday I got to talk to the one and only Greg Carney. Simply awesome to hear his voice and thrilled that day by day he is getting stronger. The GANA Fall conference will be great for many reasons but will be even better by being able to see Greg in person!
-- Saw last Thursday that the bogus anti-trust lawsuit was progressing. If there is justice this suit will go the way of the manufacturers. Believe me if I thought they were even close to guilty I would say it. But they are not. And knowing how this thing was “manufactured” by ambulance chasing lawyers, it just makes me sick that it’s progressed even this far.
-- By the way I see Karl Malden died today too… wow what a run of famous people passing.
Off to the links…
Thank goodness for the awesome “Link Chick” as without her there’s no way I get any links to this blog lately…
-- More goofy feesfrom the airlines… this one is a rough one because it’s another fee for baggage which means more people carry on, and then life gets miserable on the plane… if you fly a lot you know exactly what I mean…
-- Very cool story, the toughest Laptop around.. even surviving a Tiger! See I cherish my lap top… but my phone I drop every two seconds… that’s one that I need protection for….
-- This one was mainstream a bit this week before everyone famous started to die. It’s about a girl who doesn’t age…. And it’s baffling her doctors…
Video of the week My old college roommate Brad sent this to me (even he now reads this blog… poor guy) and its pretty awesome. Some of the best sports press conference moments set to an incredibly cool tune. I wish I could download it on Itunes… that catchy…
Every day the world of “green” continues to gain influence. It is not only a buzz word but according to many, it is the way we all survive what the future holds and in some cases will make a difference in your career. Today I came across a release from YKK that stated you would need to have the LEED AP accreditation to be eligible for a promotion. It’s a very interesting angle that’s for sure but is it right? The reason I ask is you have some amazingly talented people who never got their LEED AP but know the system better than most. And then you have others who just geared up to take and pass the test but wouldn’t know a green building compared to a blue one. And as for that test, those that have taken it will tell you it’s one of the most insane processes ever. Anyway props to YKK for advancing the green push… I'll be curious to see if it has any appreciable effect.
Elsewhere….
Sorry that this will be a very short post. Way too much going on out there that takes precedence…. next week should return to normal... or whatever normal is in my odd world.
-- A MUST read… GANA talks about the Climate Change Legislation and the industry. CLICK HERE. Seriously important to at least view and get a flavor. And by the way guys like Warren Buffett- who is a lot smarter than me, feel like this legislation- as it is written now- is very bad.
-- Saw a very interesting story from the New York Times that several people sent me. Basically the gist is that the solar world is now getting introduced to labor unions. And the unions want their piece. Click here to read.
Off to the links..
The awesome “link chick” was after it again this week…
-- Great storyon a woman who was married 68 years that loses her wedding ring (the original) but it gets found and returned by a guy with a metal detector.
-- 80 year old guys playing ice hockey. These guys are awesome. At 80 I hope that I can watch hockey let alone play.
-- And since we are on the track of seniors and their exploits, let’s finish with an 80 year old woman who chases down a purse snatcheron her bike. She must be related to Lance Armstrong.
Video of the week:
Incredible bicycle tricks… sent in by good friend Pat Pickrell. Pat just actually retired making him a hero of mine. (Though he was a hero even before he retired…) So I am guessing with all of his free time he’ll be working on bike tricks too. Thanks Pat!
At the bottom of last week’s post, a comment was left with a link to a very interesting story. The story was on how some people thought that any Buy American treaties would be bad and bad for jobs and so on. The article had some interesting points, some I agreed with and some not. The biggest frustration I have is I’d actually like to see the act be a Buy North American play. I simply cannot get why in some circles Canada is considered the enemy. Drives me crazy actually. Yes we are two different countries but our ideals are very similar. There was no worse usage of “Canada is a foreign country” then in the World Trade Center debacle… where the Port Authority in New York basically said buying from China and buying from Canada was the same. The article in its entirety can be found HERE. So if we can get over that hump and remember who our friends are, then I think some good policy could be written. Until then it’s going to be very shaky. By the way in a ironic move… China announced a “Buy China” plan for their stimulus money… story is herefor your comic relief.
Elsewhere….
-- One item that came up in an e-mail to me at the end of last week was the old battle of suppliers selling direct to the end customer. That has been an adventure for years and it’s happening now more than it has happened ever before because its slow out there. However, for some reason, the people who should be mad, aren’t. I’ll never understand it, but getting mad over losing work to your supplier is seemingly not a priority…
-- In case you have not heard, Greg Carney has been released from the hospital and is now at home. Simply awesome… no news now can bring me down when you think about the return to health by one of legends in our industry. Now hopefully in time, Greg will be back at it and the values of our industry will be back in his very capable hands.
-- So many comments I could make on the Bill Stone buying back his company from the UGC… but I can’t bring myself to it. So we’ll leave that one alone… yep finally an issue that even the therapy of this blog can’t help. But I do have to say that they (UGC) did do one good thing, they let BDM Products go, easily the industry’s most talented manufacturers rep firms go… so for that I am grateful.
-- On to good news… the Penguins winning the Stanley Cup… what a year for the Pittsburgh sports fan… Steelers in January and Penguins in June… now if the Pirates win it in October…. Ha ha… actually no way the Pirates can win it in October because if they would make the World Series, the games would be cancelled because all hell would be frozen over….
-- Check out this quote from the GPD in Finland and was on USGNN… Despite the strong theme of solar energy at this year’s event, Bostick did note one “non-trend“ of sorts: “Solar cells are not really big on any architect’s mind … I think it’s also too expensive still,” he said. He added candidly, “I don’t think the architects are quite that interested in energy efficiency yet.” Did this architect really say that architects are not into energy efficiency? Did I read that right? Maybe he meant solar, which he’s also crazy on judging from the excitement virtually any architect gets talking about BIPV. Wow. Hell if this guy doesn’t think energy is an issue I may have found an ally against the NFRC- heck he’s gotta hate them!
-- By the way speaking of Solar and new technology I am dying that I am not at the IGMA meetings this week. They have some tremendous speakers going covering some of the newest and most interesting advancements in solar, switchable, thermo-reflective and so on.
-- Last this week… I noticed that the NFRC hired a marketing consultant to push the CMA program in California and then beyond. Yep gotta love this program that no one wants… now big money will be spent promoting it. THIS IS SUCH A WASTE. It’s a freakin shame that so many people will get burned by this and the NFRC and their benefactors will just roll on and count their cash. Simply despicable…
Off to the links…
The Link Chick was all over it again this week…
-- First up… 7 things that will annoy a flight attendant… and me… and anyone else who has to fly a lot for a living…
-- Nice storyabout unselfish kids and striving to be better than your surroundings allow…
-- Good ole AIG is at it again… this time making life miserablefor passengers from the USAIR Hudson river flight. Unreal.
Video of the Week:
The biggest story video wise was Artie Lange’s appearance on HBO… but that keeps getting scrubbed off the web. It was heavy duty guy humor that is for sure. So with that out of the running, I then move to dedicate this space to the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins… here is the best of game 7 with calls provided by the best hockey announcer ever created... Mike Lange.
Is it too early to have the summer doldrums? Well when it comes to the weekly adventure of this blog I do. Usually news is flowing like crazy and there’s always stuff to comment on, but lately that really has not been the case. Basically it’s the same issues coming up again and again with no new good scuttlebutt to work off of. Thanks to the economy the fun of spoiling a sale or acquisition is gone too since it seems like no one is doing any of that right now. So that said, if you have an issue or insight that you think I should be aware of, please drop me a note. Otherwise we’ll keep doing the best we can to keep the industry up to speed on all of the goings on out there… even if they are few and far between right now.
Elsewhere…
-- Color me stunned that my Pittsburgh Penguins are in a game 7 vs the might Red Wings… Friday night will surely be ulcer inducing.
-- Greg Carney update… heard today that Greg may be released from the hospital and heading home. Again that is great news. He is still far from being active and at it, but every day it seemingly gets better. No doubt as he recovers I can guarantee you he will be blown away and thankful for all of the thoughts and prayers sent his way!
-- Old story new twist… I have been convinced for years that Marc LaFrance of the DOE does not ever think for himself. And this week I had another example when LaFrance came out in a speech promoting the use of Triple Pane glazing. (Which is a story I'll save for next week) He also had this comment:
“…for the layman, Congress, etc., they understand an R-value better.”
Hmmm.. I wonder who he is been talking to… maybe the guys from Serious Materials… since that’s a big piece of their promotion and this quote was recently published:
“U-value is confusing to the consumer,” he contends. “All of them are close to zero. The insulation industry talks R-value because R-20 is different than R-1, and consumers get that. The world talks R-values.”- Kevin Surace- Serious Materials
Yep all of a sudden “R Value” is everywhere… sorry it’s not a coincidence that LaFrance and Surace are speaking the same language…. and more proof that the DOE has people that are so clueless it hurts. Especially when they have money to spend and rules to make… Very sad… and I wonder how long before LaFrance starts pushing hard for heat mirror…
-- And while I am at it on the whole window thing… when the goofy 30/30 came out, the folks from Weathershield Window actually sent a letter to President Obama praising its greatness… and then soon after they closed on of their plants… wow must not have been that great eh? Note I am never one to wallow in something like that, but the letter to the President was so arrogant that it amazes me to this day they sent it. (and then promoted it). And even more so since the stimulus was propped today for saving and creating jobs yet it seems like daily (Philips, Silverline, Jeld Wen and so on) you have plants closing…
-- By the way how do you qualify a "saved" job? Would love know how that's figured.
-- Last week the prediction for this year’s hurricane season came out and it’s expected to be light… these guys have been wrong before so we will shall see… but one interesting note is that if anyone is at a higher risk for hurricanes it’s the east coast from the Carolinas and north. Hurricane codes up in that region are nowhere near as stringent as in the south, so this could be a lesson learning time for those folks if Mother Nature takes action.
-- I wonder what’s new on the bogus lawsuits that were filed in the states after the European price fixing debacles came up. I ask because once again someone thought I was involved in it because a company that jumped on shares the same last name(dishonorably, in my opinion). No way would I ever put my name on something so seedy.
-- I hate plane travel and this update on new seats and lack of leg room is pretty depressing… details here.
Off to the LINKS! -- Funny one off the top… a Holiday Inn gets a crank call that says to hit the fire alarms, make the sprinkler system work and break some windows… and amazingly the front desk person does it… 50k later, you have a mess… the sordid and sad yet comical details HERE.
The “Link Chick” was back with a serious vengeance this week… in fact over the weekend she sent me like 60 stories… it helped me on Sunday forget about the terrible hockey game played the night before. Anyway here’s some of the best of the lot…
-- Don’t you usually consider a vending machine something for candy or pop? Well not here… check out the 10 most bizarre vending machines…. Wild.
-- I just celebrated 15 years of marriage last week… but I have nothing on this couple that has been married 80 years… 80… That is incredible…
-- Answering the age old question… is it OK to steal hotel amenities? By the way I admit I took everything from the Palm this year at BEC.. that was good stuff… but my normal haunts of the Drury Inn just don’t cut it…
Video of the week:
You may have heard about Bret Michaels of Poison getting beheaded by the curtain at last week’s Tony Awards… if you did not see, here it is… not a great close up, but you’ll get the jist…
How does this work? While we are watching the economy take a beating, watching unemployment rise, watching our gas prices careen towards $3 per gallon (on its way to 4 by July 4th) and just watching an overall malaise in the business climate, somehow the stock market is doing great! And not only great now but a recent article states that the stock market is headed towards the 14,000 mark… This to me is a massive mystery. How can the stock market do well and everything else around it does badly? What am I missing here? In any case maybe the markets will lift the rest of down areas or maybe this is just a mirage. I guess time will tell…
Elsewhere…
-- Greg Carney continues to battle, and he is being moved to a hospital in New Orleans. Again all thoughts and prayers are still the call. Can’t wait to get Greg back at it and hopefully his health will continue to progress.
-- Last week the NFRC sent out their newsletter and announced they found yet another sucker….errr sponsor for their meeting. Hunter Douglas will throw money away at the upcoming meeting. Not sure what their angle is (because usually there is an angle!) but I am sure someone knows and will tell me. Otherwise all Hunter Douglas customers should absolutely demand a price break because if they are so rich to sponsor a technical meeting then they have money to blow. What a freakin joke. Maybe Marc LaFrance needs new window coverings so they can pick him up as a customer!
-- Speaking of jokes… let me clarify one item on my issue with the 30/30 sham. I have no issues with creating a standard, for people to hit to get a rebate. My rants are not meant to make the rebates for “everyone” like I have been accused. The issue is the 30/30 makes no real sense nationwide and intelligent, logical people know that. A program that truly met the needs of the regions would’ve added value for the “stakeholder” but this thing as constituted does not.
-- By the way I saw on DWM that Philips Products may be going out of business. If that’s true, that is sad as that was a good old line window company. I thought the 30/30 “saved” everyone because how great it was. Guess not.
-- The Wings are owning the Pens, but as I write this its 2-2 in game 3…(listening to the awesome Mike Lange on play by play) but still I have a feeling my pal Scott Surma will be getting a big bag of M&M’s since his Wings will probably prevail. Dang.
-- Congrats to the folks at Frank Lowe Rubber & Gasket for achieving ISO 9001-2008. Good company, class people that deserve some props. And while there are some companies that just must have publicity to assuage their egos, it’s refreshing that USGNN gave some space to the Frank Lowe achievement.
To the LINKS….
-- Thanks to blog reader W. Cash for this AWESOME article on the price of doing business with China. I am actually shocked I did not get this from Bob Lang because he’s usually all over it. Anyway, click HERE for a great read on how doing business with China could save you money in the short term but ruin you long term.
-- Yet another person calls 911when McDonald’s screws up an order. Do people not learn in grade school what 911 is for? Unreal.
The “Link Chick” checked in with a couple of good ones…
-- In August Archie, from the “Archie” comic strip will finally pick his chick- either Betty or Veronica… man tough call.. if it’s me, I go with Betty…
-- A code so toughthat even the CIA can’t crack it… and no it’s not the rules and prices of the NFRC CMA program… (though I doubt the CIA could crack or actually believe it either)
Video of the week
I love tennis and love the French Open… but the controversy this week was a teenager that was making some serious grunting noise when she connected. Turn the volume on and listen to this and imagine being on the other side of the net… you’d need ear plugs! (She comes on first for a few seconds and explains herself and then they show the highlites.. wow)
Are we there yet? If you have kids and ever did a road trip with them, those are 4 words you surely heard… a lot. Now I hear them from customers and suppliers in various regions and segments of our industry as it pertains to the economy and our industry. Some locales and specialties are doing better than others but the folks that are suffering are constantly asking if we hit bottom yet. Are we there yet? No, in my opinion not yet. But I believe we are close. The residential industry is starting to see positive signs (and don’t tell me it’s because of 30/30 either… it may be from the stimulus, but that inane plan actually did a ton more damage than help) and with some new energy related technology gaining traction, we may be “there” hopefully sooner than later…
Elsewhere…
-- The latest Greg Carney update is very promising. Greg is actually up and around and has even talked with some of the folks at GANA. Pretty dang awesome if I do say so myself… We’ll know for sure when he is recovered when he starts reading blogs again… in any case the news has been good and that means the good, solid positive thoughts and prayers that went to Greg were answered!
-- Saw that the GICC announced some new folks into their version of a “Hall of Fame”- a major congrats to those guys… but it makes even more excited for when USGlass brings back the “Hall of Fame” for our industry. We have so many great candidates and really people that deserve the honor, recognition and credit due them for their efforts and impact on the industry.
-- USGNN ran a story last week on a survey done by PPG of architects and their desires. One of the fascinating areas was that the need for ENERGY STAR compliance was high on the list. Which leads to the following questions: Were these folks residential architects? Were they confusing the question when it comes to ENERGY STAR? (maybe thinking of washers and dryers?) Could they really not know that there’s no commercial ENERGY STAR? See that last one is the rub… if an architect thinks that there’s a commercial window version of ENERGY STAR, well that’s pretty scary… It’s coming, you can be assured of that… because someone at DOE will be awake long enough to try and get that program going. But as of now it does not exist- so the fact that an architect may consider a program that does not exist yet an “important attribute” is downright frightening. Oh and the self serving part of the survey… it was funny when they noted that PPG was recognized as the green leader by 33% over its nearest competitor. Of course they would since they have the name recognition (especially since most architects still spec things like Polar Pane and Spectrum etc..) but I’d have to wonder if Viracon and Kawneer were listed as options, no way would that total bear out. Hell I think some architects spec those guys to put in toilets they love them so much.
-- Man summer is weak for TV…. I wish they’d save Survivor or Amazing Race for summer…
-- Stanley Cup is coming around the corner and hopefully my beloved Penguins will be there again… and if it’s a rematch with the Red Wings, I will once again be an enemy in my neighborhood and my house will be subject to all of the great abuse from the Detroit fans… hopefully though this year the Pens will pull it off… Still as I write this both Pittsburgh and Detroit need to clinch and hopefully I have not jinxed them.
-- Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day and hopefully everyone took a little time to pay a thought to the incredible men and women who have protected us from evil. Every current member of the forces and every veteran deserve your respect and good thoughts. Without them, we would never have the freedom to do all we do…
Off to the LINKS…
-- Living in Michigan is good for a few things… the weather for 3 months out of the year is awesome… and the bizarre Detroit City Council is always good for laughs… this week.. a City Council member only paying $68 in taxes on her house… and saying she did it because why would she question a bill like that? Story is hereand it’s pretty comical…
-- Beware the evils of texting… the New York Times takes a look…
-- The “Link Chick” checks in with an awesome and cool one… check out these pictures that look seriously photoshopped… but they are not… wow.
Book of the WEEK… “Bust” by Adam Resnick… the story of a very sick compulsive gambler and one that ended up losing millions and going to jail because of his addiction. Pretty riveting read and while some of the story you would say “no way” the author sells it well. It is a true story by the way. Thanks to my brother for lending the book.
Video of the WEEK… A very huge hockey hit that blows up the glass… always fun to see when you are in the business… but oddly did you know that at the United Center (home of the Blackhawks) that they use PLASTIC for their “Glass” along the boards? What’s going on there? Are there no tempered suppliers there? I mean that’s sacrilegious!
Folks once again I am here to sound the alarm and this time on the list is the Cap and Trade provision that is currently working through congress. This bill will be a massive disaster to our industry (and not to mention all of us personally- but that’s another story for another time.) Basically this bill will hurt the primary glass guys badly, even the “beloved” Cardinal (who always seems to get their way). Cap and Trade has not been successful and Europe and it won’t be here either. What it will do is run industries like ours into even bigger issues than we all already deal with. I am no expert, but do some research, check out the info GANA has on it and you will agree (if you have logic) that is not good. And once again I expect to be skewered for being a puppet of the primaries (even though most of them can’t stand me either.)
Elsewhere….
-- By the way follow all of the Energy stuff on GANA’s incredible Energy page that can be found by clicking HERE.
-- Greg Carney update… according to the last note I received not much has changed with Greg but he did make what was termed a “baby step” in the right direction. Let’s keep the thoughts and prayers going his way, the man deserves that much.
-- This week the 30/30 disaster was back in the news again via USGNN and a story on how this provision makes no sense from the skylight side of business. So yet another angle appears that wasn’t thought of by the brain surgeons on Senator Olympia Snowe’s payroll. (That makes like 112 so far…) The funniest part of the story was this line: "Collins' office said they are working to change it while Snowe's office sent a form letter, which didn't address any of our issues," said Magnuson. WOW what a stunner, you mean the person that slipped this idiotic provision in with a 3AM discussion did not reply? Color me shocked. Hopefully the folks of Maine have an option when Snowe runs for re-election because she needs to go.
-- And by the way, Gas went up again this week and Oil is at $60 per gallon… sorry I have to do this, its my therapy… talk it out and hope I am oh so wrong.
-- 24 ended and if you did not watch it, skip this paragraph… I did not like the finale… you invest 22 hours in something and then the end is a let down… that pretty much sucks. Still a bad Jack Bauer is better than no Jack Bauer! All in all I just thought they should’ve ended it with more of a 24-like shock and less of a skittish soap opera obvious cliffhanger.
-- I just finished my next column for USGlass (on newsstands where the best magazines are sold) and one angle I hit was this… are you surprised that in this slowing economy everyone is still standing? Or do you like many others think that it’s just a matter of time when companies will start to fall off? To me that is the story to watch for the 2nd half of the year.
Off to the LINKS…
-- A solar house in Michigan… good idea right? Well not when the pipes freeze… oh boy… methinks there’s still a lot of technology that has to be figured here before we all live this way.
-- Fewer people are flying this summer but travel will still suck according to this article. But you know what sucks… people who use up the overhead space for their laptop case/purse/briefcase. THAT’S FOR BENEATH THE SEAT MORON… I swear one day you’ll read about me getting tossed off of a flight for that. Major pet peeve.
From the always awesome “link chick”… who is unlike me… positive and happy…
-- Interesting story on how people in Indonesia beat traffic… by using Carpool jockeys…
BOOK OF THE WEEK:
You may have heard about the two girls who were involved in a major car accident 2 years ago and the folks at the scene mis-identified the girls and for five weeks one family believed their daughter was dead and the other family sat bedside with a girl that they “thought” was their daughter. Now the whole story of that time is being told in a book by both families called “Mistaken Identity” Great read and your heart just goes out to everyone involved. It also makes you want to hug your kids and not let go.
VIDEO OF THE WEEK:
Former KC Royal great George Brett goes off on the media… and you have to love his passion… but his choice of golf slacks has got to go.
No question the biggest news of the week was the release from GANA on Greg Carney’s health. As you may know by now, Greg is fighting very serious health issues and as an industry we all need to keep Greg in our thoughts and prayers. It is no secret that I am huge Greg Carney fan. He has done so much for this industry… he has stood up and fought for what is right, he has helped develop technical documents and he has brought people from various backgrounds together for the good of the industry. Bottom line is Greg Carney is a class act and good man and now all of us need to send as much positivity as we can as he fights on.
Elsewhere…
-- By the way I am sure Greg would’ve preferred that no one know what he is going through, but he has touched so many people that it would be unfair to not spread the word and let people know that their friend and cohort is fighting. The more people who can send prayers and thoughts his way- the better.
-- I know I was not the only one who was sickened on the puff piece the Las Vegas Sun did on Chinese company Zetian. Journalism took a beating with that one sided piece that’s for sure… (It should be titled “Advertorial”) heck I am surprised that it’s not in there that Zetian can cure cancer too. I have already gone on and on with this issue but it just sucks that sometimes angles like this get justified when in my mind (and I think many others) they do not deserve to be.
-- Postage stamp rates are up to .44 now… but I saw you can buy “forever” stamps now at .44 and use them forever no matter what the price is then… and you buy these at no premium whatsoever… I guess the bizarre way our industry prices stuff is not that unique afterall…
-- Gas went up again this week… more than .20 on average nationally. I’m telling you we’re barreling towards $4 per gallon again and that is depressing.
-- And on that same depressing note… Downsizing the “Big 3” autos has a pretty severe trickledown… dealerships… closing… yikes… check out this storyon an empty stomach.
-- The BIM push is back with a few releases in the last week propping it back up. As you remember last year BIM was smoking hot- USGlass had some tremendous stuff on it and basically everyone was planning on it… then BAM the trail went cold…until the few days… basically it was a combination of items that scared people off… the costs were high, and probably higher now that BimWorld was bought out, and there’s still a major question of usage by architects. So in times where you are tightening your belt, do you really want to spend money on a program that may not be used mainstream for a few years? Evidently a few companies do…
-- I am bumming that 24 is making Jack Bauer look stupid going into the finale next Monday… hopefully the end of the show swerve this week is just that and all will be right with the world come next Monday night!
-- Great blog post from Jim Plavecsky over at the DWM site. (Post is HERE) He writes about the explosion of social networking tools… amen Jim, amen…. I can deal with a LinkedIn but if you see me “twittering” it has to be an imposter….
Off to the LINKS!
Yes after a few weeks break, the Link Chick is back… hooray! -- As someone who wears glasses, they can drive me crazy… but this idea to have “pierced” glasses is simply insane…
-- Something I think you will more of in the future… instead of letting a house sit forever empty… tearing it down… its happening in California..
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Marg Webb sent me this one a few weeks back… if you have not heard of the singing sensation that is Susan Boyle, check out this video… an amazing back story to go along with an incredible voice. Thanks Marg for the video!
