I've been having PC problems again, and to get it to work I have to keep turning it on and off until I can get online without an error message that forces it to shut down. My IE browser is also down, but fortunately I discovered I can surf the web using the browser on my Realplayer.

Like the above title says, there is the likelihood of a strike where I work unless the company meets the union's demands by November 13 (Friday the 13th). That appears unlikely. The company has made it pretty clear that they have made their final proposal, so the union will likely call a strike. They so far refuse to allow a vote on the company's proposal. Their rationale is that we already voted on it at a union meeting in September, one which I and many other members did not attend for a variety of reasons, in which members voted to authorize a strike. That vote, however, was not so much a refusal by members of the new proposal, as a vote to give the union bargaining power. Now it appears they have already gotten the best proposal we can hope for. In my observation, most of my fellow employees, at least at my store, find the new proposal agreeable, and anything better is not worth risking our homes over. Yesterday at work there was a petition calling on the union to allow us to vote on the contract, and the number of signatures was overwhelming. As far as I know, this petition has no binding authority, but we're hoping it will convince the union that there is little support for a strike, and that they should let us vote.

In past comments I have defended being a union member, and I do not regret it. Unions come in handy as a safeguard against companies that try to make a profit with little or no concern for their workers. Years ago at one time this company had such leadership, and that was what provided the welcome mat for this union to come in, whereas before there had been little talk of unionization. I only wish that this union would defend our rights without forcing us out of our homes. This strike isn't necessary.

I have some money in a savings account, already made smaller by giving to relatives in need, and some of which I had hoped to use for a pilgrimage to Italy and the Vatican. If this strike happens, a strike that would likely last for months, I will need every penny just to get by until it runs out in a few months. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and my head bowed in prayer.

Sorry, no quizzes for a while. Perhaps when and if this thing blows over.

I'm falling behind some of you on TV.com levels because of some inactivity, due to personal problems, which remain unresolved, but here's something that's been on my mind lately. He has been hunted for more than 30 years, like Javert hunting Jean Valjean (Les Miserables) . During these years he has directed several movies, most notably The Pianist, for which he won an Oscar, but couldn't be there to accept because it would have meant his arrest. His surprise arrest by Swiss authorities, apparently at request of the U.S., outraged the arts community, especially in France, though a few American notables signed the petition "demanding" his immediate release. He was there to accept another honor at the Zurich Film Festival, thinking he would have a safe haven, as though such events are international territory. There is a word for this kind of dogged persistence for a respected member of the arts community, The word is: JUSTICE. You can argue about some of the legal technicalities of the case, and you can make excuses for him due to his hard life, such as losing three generations of immediate family members, first his mother in a Nazi death camp, then his wife, Sharon Tate, and unborn son at the hands of Manson family bloodthirsty cutthroat killers. But, what it all boils down to is, he raped a 13-year-old girl, and then skipped the country to avoid the consequences. He had sex with a girl who did not want it, who asked him to stop. Call it rape or call it "rape rape", it is a vicious crime. I am sickened by the arrogance of many in the arts community who actually think he should be excused because of his artistic merits, especially among French artists. Many artists and intellelectuals in France have long thought that. Fortunately, the French public seem to think differently, as well as the public in Poland, where elements in the government have urged his release. Sure, Rosemary's Baby was a great movie, and I'll be sure to catch it this Halloween, but let's bring the film's director back, in chains, and treat him like we would any non-artist who did what he did.

I don't have a quiz for you right now, but maybe in a few days or so, if I feel like it. Here are the answers to The Brady Bunch quiz:

1. Robert Reed, who played Mike Brady, earlier co-starred in the 60s legal drama The Defenders as a young lawyer. Who was the star?

d. E.G. Marshall, though any of the others would have done as well.

2. Reed also had a recurring role in what crime drama just prior to The Brady Bunch?

a. Mannix, as Lieutenant Adam Tobias. According to the TV.com entry, it was during the show's second season, 1968-69.

3. Ann B. Davis, who played lovable maid and nanny Alice ("Oh, Alice"), earlier co-starred in what sitcom?

c. The Bob Cummings Show, aka Love That Bob, 1955-59. She played Bob's assistant, Shultzy, who had a crush on him, but he had his eye on on more glamorous girls. Poor Shultzy!

4. Which female cast member was replaced by a different actress in the weird 70s variety show The Brady Bunch Hour?

c. Eve Plumb (Jan). I don't remember ever watching that show, though I might have. TV Land showed it for a while during the 90s.

5. Who was the show's producer and creator?

b. Sherwood Schwartz, actually the executive producer. He also created and produced another childhood favorite, Gilligan's Island.

No one got all the answers, but thanks to those who participated and commented.

Well, here it is, my 1000th post. It took a year and a half after getting 500, though I'm wondering if some of them might still be lost after the glitch a couple of months ago. Is there an emblem for it, or is it only after 500? Anyway, this blog is in honor of the 40th anniversary of the debut of an American icon, The Brady Bunch. As a child it was one of my favorite shows, and I looked forward to it every Friday night on ABC, along with The Partridge Family and Nanny and the Professor. I think the first episode I saw was a few episodes after its debut in 1969, the one where Cindy's doll Kitty Karry-All is missing, and Bobby gets blamed. It soon became a favorite of mine and my family, and we saw each character as ourselves, since we're from a family with three of each (though with the same parents, and not quite in the same order). I was Peter. Another bit of trivia: it is said that Louisiana's current governor and possible future presidential candidate Bobby Jindal, the son of immigrants from India, liked the show so much he named himself after the youngest Brady boy. That should be an interesting campaign issue! Before the Brady quiz, here are the answers to the Bonanza quiz (congratulations to Jokipper for getting them all):

1.Which cast member had a #1 song on the pop charts in the 1960s?

a, Lorne Green. The cast members actually recorded a couple of albums in the early 60s, and Lorne Green had a song (I think it was actually a poem read to music) called "Ringo" in 1964 that made it to #1.

2. Which cast member was a native of Canada?

a, Lorne Green again. He was a well known radio and TV personality in Canada before Bonanza.

3. Which cast member did not have a regular role in another television series?

c, Dan Blocker, although he did have a couple of fairly regular roles before. I remember when he died in 1972. My dad was pretty upset, probably because he knew it spelled the end for the show. After it was cancelled in 1973, Lorne went on to star in the popular Battlestar Galactica and the less popular Code Red. Pernell Roberts was the title character in Trapper John M.D., and, of course, Michael Landon starred in Little House on the Prarie and Highway to Heaven.

4. Which cast member starred with Frank Sinatra in a theatrical movie?

c, Dan Blocker again, in Lady in Cement, in 1968. He was considered a protagonist in it, but not at all the teddy bear that he was as Hoss.

5. Who played Michael Landon in a TV biopic?

b, John Schneider, though any one of the others would have done well. It aired in 1999 and I haven't seen it since, though I'd like to. It was pretty good. Now, here's a Very Brady quiz:

1. Robert Reed, who played Mike Brady, earlier co-starred in the 60s legal drama The Defenders as a young lawyer. Who was the star?

a. Mason Adams

b. John Houseman

c. Martin Balsam

d. E.G. Marshall

2. Reed also had a recurring role in what crime drama just prior to The Brady Bunch?

a. Mannix

b. Dragnet (the 1960s version)

c. Hawaii Five-O

d. Felony Squad

3. Ann B. Davis, who played lovable maid and nanny Alice ("Oh, Alice"), earlier co-starred in what sitcom?

a. The Donna Reed Show

b. Mr. Ed

c. The Bob Cummings Show (aka Love That Bob)

d. Hazel

4. Which female cast member was replaced by a different actress in the weird 70s variety show The Brady Bunch Hour?

a. Florence Henderson (Carol Brady)

b. Maureen McCormick (Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!)

c. Eve Plumb (Jan)

d. Susan Olson (Cindy)

5. Who was the show's producer and creator?

a. Paul Henning

b. Sherwood Schwartz

c. Jess Oppenheimer

d. Don Fedderson

Again, leave your answers in a comment below or in a PM, and share any memories or tidbits about the show.