Hotel @nyware

I'm not an Anchorman, I'm an Anchor,Man!

Visiting the campus of The United States Merchant Marine Academy, also called  Kings Point. I ran a few laps around their track. My pace is like Clapton's Layla, just the slower, raw heart-felt  unplugged acoustic version. 

 Mission Accomplished- I 've been a 1 man National Geographic on that everywhere trip. Now cancel my subscription because I am done with that "issue".

You Get What You Pay For

Qualifying for an MMD Card was so much fun

99.9% of every cruise ship flys under flags of convenience, to save money,  but hires grads of the USMMA, who are some of the best trained navigators. 

June, 2007, I worked on the only American flagged cruise ship, the NCLA's Pride of America, I had to go to the Seafarers Academy, in Piney Pint, MD  to qualify for  a land-based SCTW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping) aka,  a Z Card-a  US Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, even though I was in the Hotel Division of a cruise ship!

Young faces about to go out to sea. Hay guys "During an disaster,  what would a passenger do on an Italian ship? --- Easy, follow the Captain.

The Jones Act

You learn geology , the day after an earthquake. You learn about the Jones Act  the moment you miss your cruise ship's all aboard time and are stuck in the port of call  like Ensanada , Mexico  and have to take a bus  back to San Diego via   TJ (Tijuana), instead of chasing the ship in Cabo  San Lucas and re-boarding.

What? You can't win an earthquake and you can't win an argument with a Port Agent or Cruise line to get back on  a ship at another port of call

Let me splane

The Jones Act designed to protect American free trade and shipping, but it might be due for an overhall when it comes to cruising, or cleaning up oil spills, like the BP one.

The act forbids foreign ships, which includes most major cruise line fleets, to transport cargo or passengers between two US  ports without first stopping at a foreign port.


Class Dsmissed

 August,2012, I was sailing in Alaska on a Princess Ship, flagged for convienece in Bermuda, but manned with a UK and US Deck Department. We had to go to Victoria, Canada before dropping off passengers  in Seattle to comply with the Jones Act. On top of that, some of the  TCN's (Third Country Nationals) like my buddies from South Africa, weren't even allowed off the ship.

 The crew don't pay for tickets so who cares about the crews wants and needs, right?  What happens when PIF Paid In Full passengers  miss, for instance,  their all aboard embarkation Day 1 of a cruise.

Your plane is late, you  arrive in FT Lauderdale, and see the ship sailing away Bon Voyage waves and all.  You being resourceful  " Think  I'll chase the ship in Key West,  the next port of call", right? The Jones Act says  "NO you can't re-board in Key West because your  Carnival, Royal, or  fill-in-the-blank ship you are on is  foreign flagged, for convenience"-They are clearly an economic benefit to a cruise line but not to you. They are also a benefit to the flag states like Panama., Malta,  Bermuda and The Bahamas in  maritime registration fees, taxes, inspectors, agents  and lawyers.

I'm not a Businessman,  I'm a Business, Man!

Old Dog New Tricks

The US law dates  from 113 years ago, and is called the "Passenger Services Act," but Senator Wesley L. Jones, who sponsored a 1920 Merchant Marine Act amendment relating to the shipping of MERCHANDISE, not passengers, has unfairly been tagged as the author of the restrictions on what a foreign cruise ship may do or not do in US waters. 

The basic rule is that "foreign" ships may not carry passengers (whether Americans or others) between US ports, subject to certain exceptions.

It's hard to disagree with the basic purpose of the Passenger Services Act (the "PSA") which the US Marine Administration Branch describes as,

"assuring reliable domestic shipping service that is completely subject to national control in times of war or national emergency." 

The Administration also states that

 "the money earned by these vessels remains in the national economy as opposed to being exported, while public revenues benefit from both corporate and personal tax receipts."

What's A Foreign Ship? 

If you're cruising on a ship such as the Carnival Spelndor, with 85% of the passengers being American, an American captain and officers, and an entertainment and cruise staff which is largely American, it's difficult to believe that this ship is "foreign."

 But check the ship's "registration" - on the stern of the ship and on the lifeboats, it will say "Panama" or "Monrovia" (capital of Liberia), or "Bahamas" or somewhere other than the USA - meaning that the ship is registered in that "convenient" country, and therefore not subject, among other things, to American employment standards or US income taxes, despite the fact that (in the case of the Carnival Splendor), its ultimate owner is Carnival Corporation, a publicly traded company on the US stock market.

I'm not an Anchorman, I'm an Anchor,Man!

Visiting the campus of The United States Merchant Marine Academy, also called  Kings Point. I ran a few laps around their track. My pace is like Clapton's Layla, just the slower, raw heart-felt  unplugged acoustic version. 

 Mission Accomplished- I 've been a 1 man National Geographic on that everywhere trip. Now cancel my subscription because I am done with that "issue".

You Get What You Pay For

Qualifying for an MMD Card was so much fun

99.9% of every cruise ship flys under flags of convenience, to save money,  but hires grads of the USMMA, who are some of the best trained navigators. 

June, 2007, I worked on the only American flagged cruise ship, the NCLA's Pride of America, I had to go to the Seafarers Academy, in Piney Pint, MD  to qualify for  a land-based SCTW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping) aka,  a Z Card-a  US Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, even though I was in the Hotel Division of a cruise ship!

Young faces about to go out to sea. Hay guys "During an disaster,  what would a passenger do on an Italian ship? --- Easy, follow the Captain.

The Jones Act

You learn geology , the day after an earthquake. You learn about the Jones Act  the moment you miss your cruise ship's all aboard time and are stuck in the port of call  like Ensanada , Mexico  and have to take a bus  back to San Diego via   TJ (Tijuana), instead of chasing the ship in Cabo  San Lucas and re-boarding.

What? You can't win an earthquake and you can't win an argument with a Port Agent or Cruise line to get back on  a ship at another port of call

Let me splane

The Jones Act designed to protect American free trade and shipping, but it might be due for an overhall when it comes to cruising, or cleaning up oil spills, like the BP one.

The act forbids foreign ships, which includes most major cruise line fleets, to transport cargo or passengers between two US  ports without first stopping at a foreign port.


Class Dsmissed

 August,2012, I was sailing in Alaska on a Princess Ship, flagged for convienece in Bermuda, but manned with a UK and US Deck Department. We had to go to Victoria, Canada before dropping off passengers  in Seattle to comply with the Jones Act. On top of that, some of the  TCN's (Third Country Nationals) like my buddies from South Africa, weren't even allowed off the ship.

 The crew don't pay for tickets so who cares about the crews wants and needs, right?  What happens when PIF Paid In Full passengers  miss, for instance,  their all aboard embarkation Day 1 of a cruise.

Your plane is late, you  arrive in FT Lauderdale, and see the ship sailing away Bon Voyage waves and all.  You being resourceful  " Think  I'll chase the ship in Key West,  the next port of call", right? The Jones Act says  "NO you can't re-board in Key West because your  Carnival, Royal, or  fill-in-the-blank ship you are on is  foreign flagged, for convenience"-They are clearly an economic benefit to a cruise line but not to you. They are also a benefit to the flag states like Panama., Malta,  Bermuda and The Bahamas in  maritime registration fees, taxes, inspectors, agents  and lawyers.

I'm not a Businessman,  I'm a Business, Man!

Old Dog New Tricks

The US law dates  from 113 years ago, and is called the "Passenger Services Act," but Senator Wesley L. Jones, who sponsored a 1920 Merchant Marine Act amendment relating to the shipping of MERCHANDISE, not passengers, has unfairly been tagged as the author of the restrictions on what a foreign cruise ship may do or not do in US waters. 

The basic rule is that "foreign" ships may not carry passengers (whether Americans or others) between US ports, subject to certain exceptions.

It's hard to disagree with the basic purpose of the Passenger Services Act (the "PSA") which the US Marine Administration Branch describes as,

"assuring reliable domestic shipping service that is completely subject to national control in times of war or national emergency." 

The Administration also states that

 "the money earned by these vessels remains in the national economy as opposed to being exported, while public revenues benefit from both corporate and personal tax receipts."

What's A Foreign Ship? 

If you're cruising on a ship such as the Carnival Spelndor, with 85% of the passengers being American, an American captain and officers, and an entertainment and cruise staff which is largely American, it's difficult to believe that this ship is "foreign."

 But check the ship's "registration" - on the stern of the ship and on the lifeboats, it will say "Panama" or "Monrovia" (capital of Liberia), or "Bahamas" or somewhere other than the USA - meaning that the ship is registered in that "convenient" country, and therefore not subject, among other things, to American employment standards or US income taxes, despite the fact that (in the case of the Carnival Splendor), its ultimate owner is Carnival Corporation, a publicly traded company on the US stock market.

On The Set of Lost  (November 2007)in Haleiwa-- As Terry O'Quinn's  Stand-In Body Double.

MY SAAB!

Michael Emerson and Ed Reif

Here with "Vincent The Dog", and Michael Emerson

In 1994 On Board The SS Constitution

My first extended stay In  Paradise was on America Hawaii Cruises. I just wanted a different experience, and I took the first job I could get, which was a deck hand. We sailed for seven  days and each day we had a port of call.

Starting off with an embarkation day at Aloha Towers in Honolulu, then a sea day, and we hit Kauai, Maui(Lahina and Kahalui) Hilo and Kona. It was the best! 

The weather was always temperate and I had the most energizing and spirtually uplifting time, enjoying the weather, the people, the food, the culture and the OHANA-family atmosphere of Hawaii. I have been hooked ever since on these beautiful islands.
The definition of ecstasy is that you are not doing your ordinary everyday ho-hum existence. Shoveling sunshine in Hawaii beats a day at the office.

I showed up In Hawaii and magical things began to happen.  It all started with the simple decision-to go.

Being T/here in Hawaii has put me in a unique space .. 

With Terry O'Quinn

 I am the hero of my own life.When I think of The Hero's Journey, refers to Joseph Campbell's basic pattern found in many narratives from around the world. The Bill MOyers Interview still rings in my ears....

With Josh Holloway

Great Car I got!

My Most Under -Rated Travel Experience: the Lahaina- Meat Grinder -Visitor Industry that took a chance on an unknown kid from Los Angeles and made an Aloha Graduate of him!

No Monster Waves until Winter ..but I did see Steve and Dano in Maui, complete with 4-year varsity letters, Portuguese last names and healed acne scars, handing out speeding tickets. Bad Cops. No Donuts. Hawaii 5 OMFG!

Is There life After Luau? An OOM "out of money" experience.

One of the best things to experience on your South Pacific vacation, is spending all your cash on things you don't need to impress people you don't know. It ranks as one of the Top Ten Best activities Hawaii has to offer, and Lahiana is no miraculous exception. Giving in to the urge of paying too much for things that comes with a side of Polynesian paradise is truely under rated.

Let's see who can hit this moving target. Let me display my skill--- that is no regard or knowledge for the unwritten rule of this place---take their money and run I'm just a volunteer salt of the earth rainbow lover, with a large supply of energy drinks who wants to dance the hula and be volunTOLD by mainland guilt, Pearl Harbor, Captain Cook, whatever to support the local economy.

Why is there no pine in pineapple? I don't know; but I did stay at a Holiday Inn and saved a ton on my car insurace by switching to Geico.
Lahaina. Even a caveman can do it.

The usual over priced rip-off francised suspects are hawaiianized.---Hard Rock Cafe, ABC Stores(Aloha Bring Cash). Starbucks Coffee. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Cheezy(Burger) in Paradise--- . Seeing the world through rose colored Maui Jim's, the surf and sun provide the perfect brain dump. I go into default mode of island wear. I'm " One of those tourists". a temporary colonists, like a carton of milk with an expiration date stamped right on my forehead.

As the locals , indigenous and disadvantaged engage in some parallel hemp induced struggles, they look on in disguist, chin checking me with patronizing "Howz it's", and "Sup Brah" surfer dude speak. Way. No way. I don the loud expensive aloha shirt I charged $85 bucks two days before, at Hilo Hatties--- the Hamburger Helper for Mainland haole (pronounced howlie) Scum! It's just tuition for an Aloha graduate--- an edjamacated expense in a bowl of stupid. When I get home and get the bill--it's called the after life.

What they're really thinking is pu' insai,the contemporary pidgin-english slang term for having sex. literally meaning 'put inside'; getting screwed out of my hard-earned money.

Merchants put you through the meat grinder of souvenir turn and burn shops, with wampum and beaded shells made in Chinese and Cambodian sweatshops for ~$0.12/hour. Mahalo. I feel like I am in TJ, or some Mexican netherland border town. The rage subsides. After all, there is no place on earth like Hawaii. The best things in Hawain life aren't things, they're people---and I have been meeting some fantabulous people -a creamy blend of the fantastic and the fabulous, beyond belief and my wildest expectations....Lisa, Cheryl,Lauren and Chris, Nadine and Sherry, Martin, Javier, Rick, Matt, Zac, Keith, Kyle, Paul H-Tuna, Paul L and Johanna, David S. and others...


I love the smell of fractional real estate time shares in full bloom in the morning. It screams of "tourist trap" yet this ocean FRONT Street- is THE street on the west coast of Maui.

The ambassador of Aloha Don Ho, singing his lazy golden hits with the help of karaoke monitor lyrics was M.I.A. Today, it's the post humorous Izzy's "n Dis Life" soundtrack. Kamakawiwo'ole's tricked up lyrics:. "Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" The vibe is the anti elevator muzac de jour.



Israel Kamakawiwo'ole n Dis Life Lahaina Hawaii 5 O Front Street Don Ho Maui
ed reif

My Most Under -Rated Travel Experience: the Lahaina- Meat Grinder -Visitor Industry that took a chance on an unknown kid from Los Angeles and made an Aloha Graduate of him!

No Monster Waves until Winter ..but I did see Steve and Dano in Maui, complete with 4-year varsity letters, Portuguese last names and healed acne scars, handing out speeding tickets. Bad Cops. No Donuts. Hawaii 5 OMFG!

Is There life After Luau? An OOM "out of money" experience.

One of the best things to experience on your South Pacific vacation, is spending all your cash on things you don't need to impress people you don't know. It ranks as one of the Top Ten Best activities Hawaii has to offer, and Lahiana is no miraculous exception. Giving in to the urge of paying too much for things that comes with a side of Polynesian paradise is truely under rated.

Let's see who can hit this moving target. Let me display my skill--- that is no regard or knowledge for the unwritten rule of this place---take their money and run I'm just a volunteer salt of the earth rainbow lover, with a large supply of energy drinks who wants to dance the hula and be volunTOLD by mainland guilt, Pearl Harbor, Captain Cook, whatever to support the local economy.

Why is there no pine in pineapple? I don't know; but I did stay at a Holiday Inn and saved a ton on my car insurace by switching to Geico.
Lahaina. Even a caveman can do it.

The usual over priced rip-off francised suspects are hawaiianized.---Hard Rock Cafe, ABC Stores(Aloha Bring Cash). Starbucks Coffee. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Cheezy(Burger) in Paradise--- . Seeing the world through rose colored Maui Jim's, the surf and sun provide the perfect brain dump. I go into default mode of island wear. I'm " One of those tourists". a temporary colonists, like a carton of milk with an expiration date stamped right on my forehead.

As the locals , indigenous and disadvantaged engage in some parallel hemp induced struggles, they look on in disguist, chin checking me with patronizing "Howz it's", and "Sup Brah" surfer dude speak. Way. No way. I don the loud expensive aloha shirt I charged $85 bucks two days before, at Hilo Hatties--- the Hamburger Helper for Mainland haole (pronounced howlie) Scum! It's just tuition for an Aloha graduate--- an edjamacated expense in a bowl of stupid. When I get home and get the bill--it's called the after life.

What they're really thinking is pu' insai,the contemporary pidgin-english slang term for having sex. literally meaning 'put inside'; getting screwed out of my hard-earned money.

Merchants put you through the meat grinder of souvenir turn and burn shops, with wampum and beaded shells made in Chinese and Cambodian sweatshops for ~$0.12/hour. Mahalo. I feel like I am in TJ, or some Mexican netherland border town. The rage subsides. After all, there is no place on earth like Hawaii. The best things in Hawain life aren't things, they're people---and I have been meeting some fantabulous people -a creamy blend of the fantastic and the fabulous, beyond belief and my wildest expectations....Lisa, Cheryl,Lauren and Chris, Nadine and Sherry, Martin, Javier, Rick, Matt, Zac, Keith, Kyle, Paul H-Tuna, Paul L and Johanna, David S. and others...


I love the smell of fractional real estate time shares in full bloom in the morning. It screams of "tourist trap" yet this ocean FRONT Street- is THE street on the west coast of Maui.

The ambassador of Aloha Don Ho, singing his lazy golden hits with the help of karaoke monitor lyrics was M.I.A. Today, it's the post humorous Izzy's "n Dis Life" soundtrack. Kamakawiwo'ole's tricked up lyrics:. "Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" The vibe is the anti elevator muzac de jour.



Israel Kamakawiwo'ole n Dis Life Lahaina Hawaii 5 O Front Street Don Ho Maui
ed reif