[peachy]

matmat, on Mar 24 2009, 11:55 PM, said:

barmar, on Mar 24 2009, 11:16 PM, said:

If you're indispensible, and have to be on-call 24x7, you're screwed and can't enter bridge tournaments.  Public safety trumps leisure activities.

I think that's utter BS

Even if this obnoxious cell phone/electronics ban sticks around there has to be a provision for emergency workers, doctors, etc. If you happen to be the best brain surgeon in whatever city the nationals are at why should you be denied the pleasure of playing in the tournament?

I agree with barmar. Nobody is on call 24/7. The doctor can arrange to be not on-call for the time he/she expects to be at a bridge tournament if bridge is a priority for that person. Nobody is that indispensable that they cannot have a few three-hour segments of time free, without being on call. Exceptions can surely be granted at TD's discretion, if an UNEXPECTED on-call situation occurs.

[H_KARLUK]

peachy, on Mar 25 2009, 09:05 AM, said:

<snip>
Nobody is on call 24/7. 
<snip>
Nobody is that indispensable <snip>  Exceptions can surely be granted at TD's discretion, if an UNEXPECTED on-call situation occurs.

Huh Nobody ? Oh I see, maybe "court order" or a letter signed by th governor office needed to prove that person granted to carry pager and is an indispensable one. Omg.

Sorry, i am unsure you know what means "public safety"

Would you like to hear "we are unable to reach th person you needed immediately. Most probably th electronic communication blocked in a bridge tournament" ?

Please !

[TimG]

H_KARLUK, on Mar 25 2009, 05:11 AM, said:

Sorry, i am unsure you know what means "public safety"

Well, please explain what you mean by it.

I'm with those who think that the case of an individual who must carry a turned on pager or cell phone while playing bridge are very rare. I can't think of one off the top of my head.

[hrothgar]

TimG, on Mar 25 2009, 03:29 PM, said:

H_KARLUK, on Mar 25 2009, 05:11 AM, said:

Sorry, i am unsure you know what means "public safety" 

Well, please explain what you mean by it.

I'm with those who think that the case of an individual who must carry a turned on pager or cell phone while playing bridge are very rare. I can't think of one off the top of my head.

I know plenty of IT professionals whose contracts require that they are "on call" on nights and weekend.

The same goes for lots of folks in top tier technical support positions. This requirement is written directly into their job descriptions.

Many medical professionals are in the same boat.

I'm not sure how things work for folks in the military. Blackshoe is probably in a better position to comment.

[helene_t]

peachy, on Mar 25 2009, 08:05 AM, said:

Exceptions can surely be granted at TD's discretion, if an UNEXPECTED on-call situation occurs.

They could give the phone number of the venue to those who might need to reach them.

A phone on vibrate mode, or at least a phone with the battery and/or SIM-card taken out and carried in a different pocket, should be allowed IMHO, especially if the event is not being vugraphed on BBO so that nobody outside the room can text the players with hand information. Of course someone could go to the toilet, assemble their phone and send a text to someone else who then go to the toilet, assemble their phone and read the text. But there are hundreds of such plots that can't be prevented anyway.

[H_KARLUK]

TimG, on Mar 25 2009, 02:29 PM, said:

H_KARLUK, on Mar 25 2009, 05:11 AM, said:

Sorry, i am unsure you know what means "public safety" 

Well, please explain what you mean by it.

I'm with those who think that the case of an individual who must carry a turned on pager or cell phone while playing bridge are very rare. I can't think of one off the top of my head.

http://en.wikipedia....i/Public_Safety

[mtvesuvius]

I know that for people who are emergency workers, on call, or their mother is deathly ill etc... They can give their cell phone to the director and the director will keep it with him/her for the duration of the session, and letting the player know if it rings, this way the player has no cell phone, unless they are being called for an emergency. The director must also know that it is a true emergency, not that your brother wants to know where to go to dinner tonight. I know this because I have played with a few people who needed to be able to be reached in an emergency.

[TimG]

H_KARLUK, on Mar 25 2009, 08:28 AM, said:

TimG, on Mar 25 2009, 02:29 PM, said:

H_KARLUK, on Mar 25 2009, 05:11 AM, said:

Sorry, i am unsure you know what means "public safety"  

Well, please explain what you mean by it.

I'm with those who think that the case of an individual who must carry a turned on pager or cell phone while playing bridge are very rare. I can't think of one off the top of my head.

http://en.wikipedia....i/Public_Safety

From your link:

Quote

Frontline protection is typically provided by core emergency service organizations such as:

    * Police
    * Fire
    * Emergency medical services (EMS)
    * Security Agency

Additional organizations and job titles involved in public safety may include:

    * Animal control officers
    * Code enforcement officers
    * Consumer protection
    * Emergency telephone number system
    * Health inspectors
    * Parking enforcement officers
    * Police dispatchers
    * Prosecutors
    * Security officers
    * Utility inspectors

Are you seriously suggesting that the dog catcher should be on call while playing bridge? Or even a fireman? Maybe the ambulance is parked outside the playing site and the driver must leave whenever there is a call?

So, I once again ask you to explain what you mean by public safety. Because if this is it, you've got no case.

[ASkolnick]

I still say the "ban" is silly and the real purpose is to not getting cell phones ringing during tournament time. If it rings, you should be penalized, but it needs to be enforced througout.

As for communication, any reason someone couldn't write on a bathroom wall in some area and then erase it? I mean to think that this will reduce people who choose to cheat is nonsense.

And if you need to be called, put it on vibrate.

[blackshoe]

hrothgar, on Mar 25 2009, 07:36 AM, said:

I'm not sure how things work for folks in the military. Blackshoe is probably in a better position to comment.

I would not expect that anyone who is in the military, is on duty, and is not required to be at his place of duty, would be at a bridge tournament. He'd be at home, or running short errands nearby. I would not expect anyone who is not on duty, but is required to be available for immediate recall, to be at a bridge tournament either. The first situation is not uncommon; I would expect the second to be rare. Someone who is not on duty and not required to be available for immediate recall will generally have a specific date and time to return to duty, and can do pretty much whatever he likes in the meantime.

[helene_t]

mtvesuvius, on Mar 25 2009, 02:33 PM, said:

I know that for people who are emergency workers, on call, or their mother is deathly ill etc... They can give their cell phone to the director and the director will keep it with him/her for the duration of the session, and letting the player know if it rings

I think the director is busy enough without having to watch tens of phones that constantly ring with friends wanting to chat about football results and society gossip. Just give the phone number of the venue to those who might need to make an urgent call. Heck, if it is really urgent they will find out themselves as long as you have told them what event you are playing. It used to happen in the pre-cell phone days that a hotel clerk would come to the conference room and say that there is a urgent call for mr Smith.

[TimG]

helene_t, on Mar 25 2009, 08:43 AM, said:

mtvesuvius, on Mar 25 2009, 02:33 PM, said:

I know that for people who are emergency workers, on call, or their mother is deathly ill etc... They can give their cell phone to the director and the director will keep it with him/her for the duration of the session, and letting the player know if it rings

I think the director is busy enough without having to watch tens of phones that constantly ring with friends wanting to chat about football results and society gossip. Just give the phone number of the venue to those who might need to make an urgent call. Heck, if it is really urgent they will find out themselves as long as you have told them what event you are playing.

Perhaps emergency contact numbers should be published on tournament fliers. It's not always as easy as leaving the hotel number, especially when the playing site is a convention center attached to a hotel.

But, I agree with you in principle: there are ways to contact someone in the case of a real emergency that do not involve cell phones.

In the event of Richard's IT professionals, I expect they can have a pager dedicated to true emergencies to be left at a director's station. For those of you who think the director should not be bothered with this, consider that in the case of a real emergency the player will not be able to finish the session, so the director will have to get involved anyway. If the pager is going off for matters that do not require immediate attention and the player cannot delay knowing about these pages until after the session (or at a designated break if permitted), then it is my opinion that the player should not be playing.

[H_KARLUK]

Foresight please. There are scheduled squads and shifts. Also support forces. Levels of admins authorised to form a crisis management center, co-workers. Even those sometimes not enough. Neighbor state/s help highly appreciated depends th size of ind/multiple case/s.

Simply, is a dog "catcher" also licensed specialist to control elephant/s or snake/s or monkey/s or lion/s or tiger/s or bear/s etc. accidentally escaped cage/s in Zoo running uncontrolled in streets & gardens? Perhaps you quickly read only 1st line "Animal control officers", ignored next items & pages and sorry misevaluated or underestimated. In this age frontline protection is a must, noone has th luxury to miss a second. It's not easy to train and keep under best performance such experienced, skilled personnel 24 hours.
Believe me, it is easier to issue electronic call of duties rather than trying to drive in traffic jam.
Public safety also serve to maintain control for maximum chaos situtations.
Yes to child care service but no to communication center service at bridge venue ?

I think forming plans B, C is rationale versus surprises of life. Anything is possible anytime. Th matter is you are ready and firm or not in time when unexpected things happen.

[IdiotVig]

Quote

http://en.wikipedia....i/Public_Safety

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The#The

[gwnn]

LOL

[TimG]

H_KARLUK, on Mar 25 2009, 09:41 AM, said:

Simply, is a dog "catcher" also licensed specialist to control elephant/s, snake/s, monkey/s, lion/s, tiger/s, bear/s etc. accidentally escaped cage/s in Zoo running uncontrolled in streets & gardens?

You're trying to tell me that there is a zoo in Houston that houses lions and tigers and bears (oh my) and that a single bridge player will be critical to the capture in the case of an escape?

Quote

Perhaps you quickly read only 1st line "Animal control officers", ignored next items & pages and sorry misevaluated or underestimated.

If I had ignored the rest of the article, I would not have mentioned firemen and ambulance drivers.

I thought I was being kind not to mention prosecutors, utility inspectors, and parking enforcement officers. But, if you'd like to go through the list and explain to me how an emergency might arise that would require the immediate contact of these people, please feel free.

I'm having a real hard time thinking up an emergency for the parking enforcement officer. I'm looking forward to reading your scenario.

[H_KARLUK]

Pager
Indispensable
Public safety

I am not surprised they are unusual words in daily life for many people.

[JoAnneM]

My son (who is not a bridge player) is an IT person at CALpers and is required to wear his pager and have his blackberry available 24/7. My daughter-in-law who is product manager for iTunes is required to be reachable by "guess what" 24/7.

There you have two. I can think of all kinds of situations and jobs where some of us may not think people are indespensible, but their companies do.

[TimG]

JoAnneM, on Mar 25 2009, 10:59 AM, said:

My son (who is not a bridge player) is an IT person at CALpers and is required to wear his pager and have his blackberry available 24/7. My daughter-in-law who is product manager for iTunes is required to be reachable by "guess what" 24/7.

There you have two. I can think of all kinds of situations and jobs where some of us may not think people are indespensible, but their companies do.

This may not be popular, but if an individual is required to have a powered up cell phone on their person 24/7, then I don't think they should be playing in the Spingold.

[matmat]

TimG, on Mar 25 2009, 11:18 AM, said:

This may not be popular, but if an individual is required to have a powered up cell phone on their person 24/7, then I don't think they should be playing in the Spingold.

again, bull$**t