Originally Posted By DVC_Pongo >>>On another subject ... notice how quiet this place has been of late? Has everyone lost their homes? Or is everyone hiding in fear from swine flu (a local high school was just shut down until next Thursdays because two kiddies apparently have it ... let the madness begin!)<<< I've wondered that myself. I know that there seem to have been little waves of people leaving the boards for a while now. Recently there was a blowout in a silly BBQ thread that spilled over into the Express Jet thread and a lot of (some long time posters) people left over that spat. There have been a handful of folks that are dealing with some very serious health issues with family members. And of course it's probably not "as much fun" to discuss Disney, when you actually are in jeopardy or losing or have lost your home. I know of one person that actually has. So, who knows why it seems quiet. I think there are probably a host of reasons, none of which seem to be good. Alas, I am still here. As for Marty, In my mind he is completely untouchable. If you don't have anything good to say, shut your damn mouth about him. I have a great deal of respect for everyone here, and I don't want to make anyone mad, so in light of that you can see why I have been reluctant to post my opinion on this.
Originally Posted By DVC_Pongo ^ ^ ^ In light of my snide remark above, I probably should quickly state for the record that I have stayed completely out of both threads mentioned above, and as far as I know, I have had nothing to do with anyone leaving the boards. In fact this last post of mine is easily the most certainly the most contrary thing I've ever said in a very long time. And it is NOT directed at The Spirit, whom I know and respect as a true insider...for the record. It's just a general "how I feel about Marty" statement.
Originally Posted By danyoung >...notice how quiet this place has been of late? Has everyone lost their homes? Or is everyone hiding in fear from swine flu (a local high school was just shut down until next Thursdays because two kiddies apparently have it...< Hey, Ft. Worth school district was one of the first if not the first in the nation to totally close down for a couple of weeks. I'm wondering if history will show them as being panicky or ahead of the curve? And as to quiet, I know TDLFAN isn't speaking to me any more, but that's probably for the better all round! ~Captain Trips, anyone?~
Originally Posted By Bob Paris "As for Marty, In my mind he is completely untouchable. If you don't have anything good to say, shut your damn mouth about him." Lovely. This is a discussion board. It wasn't set up as your private kingdom where you get to dictate who can say what and when. And you wondered just above why people are leaving in droves?
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 ^^^Well if y'all can get a little controversery started here, maybe everyone will come back. Hopefully none of the absent are due to health or financial reasons.
Originally Posted By CarolinaDisneyDad Yea , just doesn't seem to be much new going on. Only reason it was so good for a while was that MPierce's trip reports started so many topics and inspired other new ones.
Originally Posted By CarolinaDisneyDad I'm pretty much able to keep up only checking in every 3 days or so. Wierd
Originally Posted By CarolinaDisneyDad I also think its not much fun to kick someone while they are down and Disney seems down right now. I hope they rebound soon and put some energy back into our obsession.
Originally Posted By DVC_Pongo >>> It wasn't set up as your private kingdom where you get to dictate who can say what and when.<<< Nice. You got me.
Originally Posted By DVC_Pongo Oh and BTW thanks for showing me the door. You are right, it's not my private kingdom. I won't let the door hit me on the way out.
Originally Posted By Schmitty Good Vibes I hope everyone has had a chance to see The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. In it he speaks about the wonderful nice rejection letters that WED and WDI send out. I received one signed by Marty. My timing was awful. Disney just finished building EPCOT and WED was laying people off, not hiring, but Marty's rejection letter was so nice that I've always had a soft spot in my heart for him. I felt pretty privileged to have the head honcho of WED send me the letter and not one of his aids, but then again, it was a pretty impressive resume. I wish him the very best in his retirement, and I hope whatever he does after retiring will influence WDI to do even better things. Please, see The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. You'll be a better person for it.
Originally Posted By mousermerf Note: Many folks don't post because we're completely over it. Over mediocre and over the hype. Side-Note: Disney is sending out cards to WDW passholders thanking them for the business and trying to remind them to visit. I see a trend..
Originally Posted By danyoung > I won't let the door hit me on the way out.< I hope you won't leave over one silly incident. I agree that no one person gets to dictate content here. But just take criticism in stride and keep on posting, buddy!
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<I hope everyone has had a chance to see The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. In it he speaks about the wonderful nice rejection letters that WED and WDI send out. I received one signed by Marty. My timing was awful. Disney just finished building EPCOT and WED was laying people off, not hiring, but Marty's rejection letter was so nice that I've always had a soft spot in my heart for him. I felt pretty privileged to have the head honcho of WED send me the letter and not one of his aids, but then again, it was a pretty impressive resume.>> Weird synergy here. My ex is in grad school studying robotics at Carnegie Mellon where Randy taught. (You're correct about the Last Lecture. Highly recommend both book and video.) During our marriage many moons ago, he was actually accepted at WED's manufacturing arm, MAPO, to work with AAs. But the job position was eliminated before he could begin working. (Fortunately, his old job hadn't been filled and the company took him back.) I've never personally seen a WED rejection letter. But the acceptance letter looks really cool!
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 <<Side-Note: Disney is sending out cards to WDW passholders thanking them for the business and trying to remind them to visit. >> I've gotten several letters letting me know how much I'll save by re-newing my AP.
Originally Posted By MPierce Mr. Sklar is truly a Disney treasure. His knowledge alone is worth every penny of his salray. In my heart I know that he is as likely to retire from Disney, as Walt Disney would have been. I certainly hope he enjoys his retirement, but I can't help but feel it was not of his own choosing.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<Mr. Sklar is truly a Disney treasure. His knowledge alone is worth every penny of his salray.>> I respectfully disagree. Marty is one of several current Disney executives who are grossly overpaid for their services, which I'm certain is the main reason for his "voluntary" departure. (Expect to see more overpaid execs leaving Disney in the future, as earnings continue their downward slide.) Marty should write that book to reap the rewards of his knowledge and experience. I would definitely buy a copy to add to my collection, as would most Disneyana fans. I predict it will become an instant classic like DL Nickel Tour and the original Imagineering book.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Just to bump this up a bit, Wing Chao announced his 'retirement' last week as well. Another very talented, very well paid dude. Sure makes you wonder what's going on at WDI ... and did I miss it or has Leemac not weighed in on Marty leaving? (or is he just as bored with Disney right now as I am and spending far less time in these parts?) ~What lies in the shadow of the statue?~
