[PRCo] Re: A Great Brussels Museum Video

[Edward H. Lybarger]

I have walls of bookcases...but only one shelf of railroad/trolley books.
There are too many other things of interest! If I want trolley books I go to
the other library that I manage... 

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf Of John
Swindler
Sent: Sunday, October 17, 2010 12:34 PM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: [PRCo] Re: A Great Brussels Museum Video



Try finding bookcases in many American homes today - (railfan homes
excepted)(:>)



> Subject: [PRCo] Re: A Great Brussels Museum Video
> From: fwschneider at comcast.net
> Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2010 19:12:42 -0400
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> 
> 1.   In the 1960s when I went through F&M, you simply flunked out if you
didn't know how to write a paper.
> 
> 2.   Back in the 1970s my wife was teaching remedial English at Franklin
and Marshall for students who didn't get it.
> 
> 3.  It's gotten worse today ... the schools have almost given up.   Jim
Henwood, who spent his life as a history professor at East Stroudsburg State
University, admitted to me that he retired because the kids came there
expecting that the school would give them a degree because daddy was paying
for it.   They didn't belive in the 1990s that they should actually have to
work for it.   
> 
> 4.  And this year East Stroudsburg is converting the library that they
built years ago to dorm space because the kids don't read and the professors
have given up trying to force them to read.   
> 
> 5.  I had a similar experience when I toured my township high school a
month ago.   The current high school has roughly eight times the enrollment
that was there when I graduated.   The library is only twice as large.   The
metal and wood shops are half as large.   But the cafeteria is a boutique
restaurant ... the kids don't stand in a cafeteria line like we did, they
walk around and select what appeals to them and then go to the cash
register.   Then they go to booths or tables to relax with their friends.
Very space effective ... probably takes twice the space per person as it did
back in the 1950s.   But they have the important things like a television
studio and a planetarium.  
> 
> Your taxes at play John. 
> 
> On Oct 16, 2010, at 6:49 PM, John Swindler wrote:
> 
> > 
> > 
> > Don't colleges already offer remedial courses for students who didn't
learn the basics in high school?? 
> > 
> > Cheers
> > John
> > 
> > 
> > 
> >> Subject: [PRCo] Re: A Great Brussels Museum Video
> >> From: fwschneider at comcast.net
> >> Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010 13:13:19 -0400
> >> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> >> 
> >> This is really off base for the nature of the website but I agree with
education and the need to do it.   I am also getting to that point where I
am thinking that we need to provide a university level education for our
kids as a benefit of just living here.   
> >> 
> >> When only college was needed by only 10% who went into management and
executive positions and a college education was cheap enough that the
average kid could work his way through if he wanted to, then I might not
have felt that way.   But today with a huge chunk of the jobs requiring a
post high school education in infuse a technical background into our kids,
seems to me its in the public interest to train them or pay welfare.  
> >> 
> >> Foreign languages?   Most nations acknowledge when they have more than
one language.   We have a problem admitting that close to 20% of us speak
Spanish and the number is rising because every nation to the south of us has
lower incomes.   You can put up all the walls you want but it isn't going to
keep people out if they can earn 3 or 4 or 10 times more money here.   Maybe
we simply need to recognize that anyone willing to risk his life getting
over or around the wall has some ambition ... maybe more than our own kids
(certainly more than mine). 
> >> 
> >> The ability to navigate around the internet did nudge one toward
English.   However, it is my understanding that other languages and
alphabets are now possible????   However, some of my friends in other
countries solve the problem by writing in multiple languages.  Dwight Long,
on this site, knows very well a mutual friend who works for German rail ...
name of Christopf Grimm.   Chris writes notes to friends around the planet.
He often sends out photos with two accompanying notes, one in German and one
in English and I might add that I've noticed that they are not necessarily
the same messages ... one does not translate to the other.   
> >> 
> >> 
> >> On Oct 15, 2010, at 12:32 PM, John Swindler wrote:
> >> 
> >>> 
> >>> Hi Fred
> >>> 
> >>> Of course I am aware of the British colonies.  I have second cousins
scattered in many of them.  And as for British colonies, don't forget the
British settlements in South America.  There is a Andes Highlanders pipe
band in central Chile.  (And the Germans' settled in Chile's lake district.)
Surprising what comes up when browsing youtube for the '79th farewell to
Gibralter'. 
> >>> 
> >>> But that was then.  What about now?   If I lived in a foreign country,
the ability to navigate around the internet would tend to nudge me towards
English as a second language.  Sure there are multi-language websites, there
is content in other languages, and there are translators, but so much seems
to be in English.  There are also many opportunities to travel overseas to
be an English instructor - even for just a couple weeks.  If the opportunity
in Prague still exists in a couple years, I'd be tempted.
> >>> 
> >>> Concerning Gates, the problem with the internet is that it is
difficult to determine if someone is commenting or the commet is in jest.  I
was jesting - but also throwing in something outlandish to ponder.  
> >>> 
> >>> As for German students coming to the US to improve their English, 
> >>> the piece of information you don't have is the relative cost for a 
> >>> semester/school year in different countries.  Sure, I could think 
> >>> of other places,  but as a hint - the US is cheap.  The problem is 
> >>> finding host families in the US, not foreign exchange students 
> >>> with parents willing to spend around $10,000 for a school year in 
> >>> America.  Check website for Experiment NV. (if I remembered it 
> >>> correctly)
> >>> 
> >>> This strays totally beyond the site topic with no hope of recovery.
> >>> 
> >>> Cheers
> >>> John
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: A Great Brussels Museum Video
> >>>> From: fwschneider at comcast.net
> >>>> Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2010 17:28:42 -0400
> >>>> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> >>>> 
> >>>> You are blaming Bill Gates?
> >>>> 
> >>>> Come on John. Remember your mother's heritage. 
> >>>> 
> >>>> Think of all those paces the British colonized: Canada, the United
States, Hong Kong, South Africa, Rhodesia, Jamaica, India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, St. Kitts and Nevis, the
Falkland Islands, Ireland, Grenada, Gold Coast, Zulu, and so on and on and
on. Close to 2 billion people in the world speak English because Britain
colonized them. 
> >>>> 
> >>>> I can think of other places to go if a student wishes to "improve"
their English. 
> >>>> 
> >>>> 
> >>>> On Oct 5, 2010, at 10:25 AM, John Swindler wrote:
> >>>> 
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> And there is Beau Graham's story about riding a SEPTA vehicle in
front of some Korean women making derogatory comments about Americans and
the US. As he got up to exit, he thanked them for their commentary - in
Korean. 
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> Beau had spent his Army time in Korea, and unlike so many others,
had taken the time to learn the language - at least enough to tour the
countryside looking for steam.
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> And as for so many in foreign countries knowing English, perhaps we
should give Bill Gates some of the credit. So much of the internet is in
English. There are many opportunities available to travel to foreign
countries to teach English, and many students come to the US to
learn/improve their English. We are currently hosting our tenth exchange
student.
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> Cheers
> >>>>> John
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> 
> >>>>>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: A Great Brussels Museum Video
> >>>>>> From: fwschneider at comcast.net
> >>>>>> Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 16:41:30 -0400
> >>>>>> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> >>>>>> 
> >>>>>> Thanks for the tip. I didn't see if before. I particularly liked
the 8th archived video of them rerailing an errant Hague articulated PCC.
Yes ... PCC. Those red 3000s used trucks from the older scrapped single-unit
PCC cars. 
> >>>>>> 
> >>>>>> I went to Lisbon with a now deceased man from Baltimore. It took a
while for him to catch on that a lot of Europeans spoke and understood
English even though they might now which to acknowledge that skill. While he
was astonished at and never ceased to explain to others back home that the
Central Station information clerks in the Hague in Holland all spoke four or
five languages (Flemish, English, German, French and one other rotating
language), it never quite sunk into the poor man that English was the second
language of choice in those smaller (minority language countries) until we
got to Lisbon on one trip. And then it bit him in the ass.
> >>>>>> 
> >>>>>> We were riding back from a private tour of the car shops. The car
was being run by a young lady who was a student operator. Dick was making a
bad mistake. He just could not refrain from telling me what he thought of
her performance based, of course, on his prior years of experience as an
operator for Baltimore Transit Co. I kept trying to signal him to shut up. I
was getting no where. I eventually dragged up finger across my throat like a
knife. That didn't work. I finally looked at him and said, "Shut your
f--king mouth." Well, we stopped. The instructor got off the car to make a
phone call. The student operator turned around. She smiled at me. Then she
looked at Dick and in most clear and frosty English, said to Dick, "Does by
performance meet your lofty expectations sir?" You could have scraped him
off the floor of the car. Perhaps that is why the next day he was in a
London hospital suffering from a stroke? He did learn his lesson. Not ever!
> >>>>>> yone in Lisbon speaks only Portuguese and Spanish isn't always the
second language.
> >>>>>> 
> >>>>>> 
> >>>>>> On Oct 4, 2010, at 3:56 PM, John Swindler wrote:
> >>>>>> 
> >>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>> There is also an archives button upper left that leads to several
videos of Lisbon. Also found the Antwerp video in the archives section of
interest. Includes PCC mu train in subway.
> >>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>> Some of the Lisbon videos were taken in vicinity of what appears
to be a large plaza near the town center. What a difference from the area
around Philadelphia's city hall. 
> >>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>> From: fwschneider at comcast.net
> >>>>>>>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: A Great Brussels Museum Video
> >>>>>>>> Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 15:06:47 -0400
> >>>>>>>> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> >>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>> Well, at least Derrick, Herb, Dwight, and Ed looked at something
furrin on the Pittsburgh list and seemed to enjoy it. I don't feel too bad
about posting it. My wife gave me hell for trying to educate people. 
> >>>>>>>> Frankly, sometimes I think we need to take a good long look at
how other people do things. 
> >>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>> On Oct 4, 2010, at 2:30 PM, Derrick Brashear wrote:
> >>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>> On Oct 4, 2010, at 12:40 PM, "Edward H. Lybarger"
<trams2 at comcast.net> wrote:
> >>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> I've never seen anything as clean as Singapore.
> >>>>>>>>>> City...transit...countryside...airport...you name it.
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>> Litter, get caned!
> >>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> On the other hand, there are the birds that share the food 
> >>>>>>>>>> buffets...so clean may not always equal sanitary.
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
> >>>>>>>>>> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
> >>>>>>>>>> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On 
> >>>>>>>>>> Behalf Of Dwight Long
> >>>>>>>>>> Sent: Monday, October 04, 2010 12:27 PM
> >>>>>>>>>> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> >>>>>>>>>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: A Great Brussels Museum Video
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> Fred
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> That's an excellent, professionally-done, video. Thanks for
sharing!
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> I was struck by the superb condition of the open track. Eat 
> >>>>>>>>>> your hear out, Pittsburgh Railways Co!
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> Also noticed was the fact that not all cars bore the 
> >>>>>>>>>> dreaded Faively "pantographs." Real pantographs, bow 
> >>>>>>>>>> collectors, and--gasp--actual trolley poles still in use--wow!
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> Wattman--one who regulates the consumption of watts?
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> Now as to cleanth, would you venture a comparison with 
> >>>>>>>>>> Singapore? I would think that it is the measuring stick these
days.
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> Dwight
> >>>>>>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
> >>>>>>>>>> From: Fred Schneider
> >>>>>>>>>> Sent: Sunday, 03 October, 2010 20:18
> >>>>>>>>>> Subject: [PRCo] A Great Brussels Museum Video
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> Thanks to Jack May who alerted me to this item ...
> >>>>>>>>>> No it isn't Pittsburgh. So what. 
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> It is one rather interesting video of a Traction 
> >>>>>>>>>> Extravaganza in Brussels using museum equipment. Their 
> >>>>>>>>>> local trolley museum has a feature that who do us all 
> >>>>>>>>>> proud. The museum carbarn sits right on a major STIB line 
> >>>>>>>>>> on the Rue de Turvueren. STIB operators who are museum members
run the museum fleet on the outer end of city route 39 and 42 on Saturdays
and Sundays.
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> Their museum fleet is almost entirely former STIB equipment
from Brussels.
> >>>>>>>>>> I think they might have one Vicinal car in the museum. But 
> >>>>>>>>>> the video of the extravaganza shows all sorts of wonderous 
> >>>>>>>>>> other stuff ... a red car from Wien (Vienna) (thats 4038 
> >>>>>>>>>> with the Schottentor destination sign), a gold and brown 
> >>>>>>>>>> car from Rotterdam, a cream and green PCC from the Hague, a
Milan Peter Witt clad in yellow, and that fantastic Liege car in two-tone
green.
> >>>>>>>>>> They brought stuff in from all over. 
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> For people who like running strange cars, the Liege car has 
> >>>>>>>>>> a series - series/parallel - parallel drum controller, i.e. 
> >>>>>>>>>> three running points: (4 motors in series; 2 series pairs 
> >>>>>>>>>> connected in parallel; then all motors in
> >>>>>>>>>> parallel) It goes like hell. I rode it over that same track 
> >>>>>>>>>> about ten years ago before it was sent to Liege for static 
> >>>>>>>>>> display. He left ahead of one schedule car and before long had
caught up its leader.
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> The interiors of Brussels cars are easy to pick out. You 
> >>>>>>>>>> will see some pictures views of a narrow PCC with do not 
> >>>>>>>>>> talk to the motorman signs in two
> >>>>>>>>>> languages: Ne pas parler au Wattman (French) on the left 
> >>>>>>>>>> ... and Niet ........ sparken on the right (Flemish). The 
> >>>>>>>>>> old rules used to be that if you wanted a job driving a bus 
> >>>>>>>>>> or a streetcar in Brussels, you had to bilingual or you 
> >>>>>>>>>> simply were not qualified. Can you imagine Dallas or New 
> >>>>>>>>>> York or San Diego or Los Angeles telling bus drivers they 
> >>>>>>>>>> need to speak Spanish and English if they want to drive bus? Or
the bus drivers serving Alhambra (CA) need Korean, Vietnamese, Spanish and
English?
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> The final thing I want to draw your attention to ... look 
> >>>>>>>>>> for the clutter and trash on the ground. How much do you 
> >>>>>>>>>> see? Brussels is the capital of Belgium, so why not compare 
> >>>>>>>>>> the litter to our capital. How does it compare to 
> >>>>>>>>>> Washington DC? Now compared to most German cities, Brussels 
> >>>>>>>>>> will be dirtier. Compared to Switzerland, Brussels will be 
> >>>>>>>>>> a lot dirtier. I've seen Swiss people walk a block out of their
way just to throw a candy wrapper in a trash can.
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> Enjoy. 
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> http://www.digitaletramfoto.nl/video/2010/201009/20100919-0
> >>>>>>>>>> 1.htm
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Brussels_Tramway
> >>>>>>>>>> _Museum
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>> 
> >>>>>>> 
> >>>>>> 
> >>>>>> 
> >>>>>> 
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> 
> >>>> 
> >>>> 
> >>>> 
> >>> 		 	   		  
> >>> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> > 		 	   		  
> > 
> 
> 
>