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MM&P Wheelhouse Weekly

Volume 30… Number 25, June 18, 2024

STORIES COVERED

In This Issue:

Holiday Closing Schedule:

Mark Your Calendar:

Job Opportunities:

And:

HOUTHIS ESCALATE ATTACKS ON MERCHANT SHIPS IN THE RED SEA

Attacks last week by Houthi rebels severely injured one seafarer, left another missing and presumed dead, and forced two crews to abandon ship.

The crew of the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier TUTOR abandoned ship on June 12 following several missile strikes, and an explosion caused by an unmanned surface vessel.

The attacks began near the port of Hodeidah, after members of the crew saw a small white boat in the distance with what looked like two fishermen on board.

Moments later, they realized that the boat was speeding towards them and that the fishermen they thought they had seen were actually dummies.

As they ran for cover, the small boat struck the ship and exploded.

The attack caused severe flooding and damage to the engine room and left the ship unable to maneuver.

A member of the crew who was working in the engine room is missing and presumed dead.

About four hours later, the TUTOR was struck again, this time by an anti-ship missile.

The crew was later airlifted by a U.S. Navy helicopter to a cruiser, the USS PHILIPPINE SEA.

The authorities reported on Friday that the TUTOR was drifting in the Red Sea. Its owners have reportedly hired salvors to tow it into port.

The day after the attack on the TUTOR, terrorists struck the Palauan-flagged MV VERBENA with two anti-ship cruise missiles, gravely injuring one seafarer and forcing the crew to abandon ship.

An update from Central Command said that in response to the escalation, allied forces had destroyed multiple Houthi assets in Yemen and the Red Sea, including seven radars, an air defense sensor, two bomb-laden uncrewed surface vessels, two patrol boats, and an uncrewed aerial system.

Since the Houthis began the attacks in November, 50 ships have been targeted, three sailors have been killed, one vessel has been sunk and one ship has been hijacked.

That vessel—the Bahamas-flagged GALAXY LEADER—has been held for seven months in the Hodeidah port area, along with its 25-person crew.
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AFL-CIO PRESIDENT LIZ SHULER: “HEAT EVENTS ARE A LABOR RIGHTS ISSUE”

Instances of dangerously high temperatures have lengthened in recent decades, becoming increasingly frequent, growing in intensity, and striking parts of the country where excessive heat was previously not a problem.

Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths, killing more people in our country than any other weather phenomenon.

Between 1992 and 2020, heat stress killed 963 workers and caused nearly 33,000 serious lost-time injuries and illnesses, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, 43 workers died from exposure to environmental heat, a 19 percent increase from the previous year.

“These statistics paint a clear picture for us,” says AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.

“Climate change-related extreme heat events are a labor rights issue. There’s no debating that.”

“Employers need to be held accountable for maintaining safe work environments and implementing prevention measures.”

“Lawmakers need to step up and establish regulations—with the necessary teeth to be enforceable—that codify workers’ right to water breaks and cool-down areas.”

“And every workplace needs high standards of training to recognize and respond to illness or injury.”

“The labor movement will continue to lead the charge to demand the policies and protocols that ensure every outdoor worker gets home safely.”

An Associated Press analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data found that last year set a record for U.S. heat deaths: the death certificates of more than 2,300 people who died in the United States last summer mention the effects of excessive heat, the highest number in 45 years of records, according to the AP analysis.

MM&P is one of the 60 AFL-CIO affiliates, which together represent more than 12.5 million working Americans.
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ILA SEEKS “WAGE INCREASES COMMENSURATE WITH EMPLOYERS’ PROFITS”

The International Longshoremen’s Association says it will bargain for a new master contract that includes significant wage increases and tighter protections against the threats posed by automation to the jobs of longshore workers.

The current contract between the ILA and the US Maritime Alliance (USMX) expires on Sept. 30.

The ILA represents about 85,000 longshore workers at 36 East Coast and Gulf ports.

“USMX member-companies’ profits are enormous, amounting to billions of dollars, and the ILA will demand wage increase commensurate with these revenues,” the union said in a statement.

Last week, the ILA suspended contract talks over an automation dispute involving the use of an autonomous gate system to process trucks at the port of Mobile.

The union has also accused USMX companies of encroaching on its jurisdiction in areas that include clerical jobs, and chassis maintenance and repair.

“While our members are battling inflation, trying to pay their mortgages, and send their children to college, our employers and companies are enjoying record profits,” says ILA President Harold Daggett.

“The threat of a coast-wide strike on 1 October is becoming more likely as USMX and its member companies drag their feet.”

The AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department, which counts MM&P and the ILA among its affiliates, has issued a statement of support for longshore workers.

“The shipping companies who make up the U.S. Maritime Alliance are bringing in billions in revenue and can afford to increase the wages of the employees who make those profits possible,” said Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, president and secretary-treasurer of TTD.

“Corporate greed is on the rise but so is our solidarity as we reject the elimination of essential port jobs and the introduction of port automation technology to replace workers.”
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CAPTAIN OF PANAMA-FLAG TANKER FACES PRISON IN OIL DUMPING CASE

The master of a Panama-flag tanker could be sentenced to six years in prison and fined $250,000 for ordering his crew to dump waste oil over the side of the ship during a voyage to New Orleans.

Captain Abdurrahman Korkmaz admitted in a June 10 hearing that he gave the Coast Guard falsified records that omitted information about discharging the oily waste into the ocean before arriving in the United States in January of last year.

Both the shipowner and the ship operator, Prive Overseas Marine LLC and Prive Shipping Denizcilik Ticaret AS, have pleaded guilty to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, obstructing justice, and conspiracy.

Each faces up to $2 million in fines and four years’ probation.

The criminal case against the captain and the companies stems from information provided by a crewmember who reported the incident to the Coast Guard two weeks before the vessel reached New Orleans.

He and another member of the crew had taken photos and videos showing oil being pumped overboard and trailing behind the tanker.

As whistleblowers, they could be awarded up to $500,000.

According to court documents, Korkmaz ordered the crew to pump overboard from the residual oil tank which contained oily waste.

The waste oil, including sludge, originated in the engine room and had been improperly transferred into the residual oil tank on the deck of the ship by a prior PS DREAM crew.

A portable pump placed inside the tank and connected to a long flexible hose was used to discharge directly into the ocean.

The captain informed company management that the oil-contaminated waste had been dumped.

Korkmaz is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 10. The companies will be sentenced on Sept. 26.

“Deliberate pollution from ships, intentional falsification of records and obstruction of justice are serious environmental crimes that will be vigorously prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.

“Maritime laws regulating pollution from ships are intended to ensure that ocean waters are not used as a dumping ground.”
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ILLINOIS STATE LEGISLATURE PASSES BILL BANNING MANDATORY ANTI-UNION MEETINGS

A bill banning mandatory workplace meetings in which company managers discuss union membership is headed to the desk of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker for his signature.

The Worker Freedom of Speech Act, SB 3649, was approved by state lawmakers on May 26.

If Pritzker signs the bill, Illinois will join seven other states in enacting legislation banning so-called “captive audience meetings.”

Captive audience meetings are mandatory meetings during working hours that are organized by employers to discourage employees from organizing or joining a labor union.

They are considered a union-busting tactic because they are used to intimidate workers and spread misinformation: employees can be fired for failing to participate in the meetings or for asking questions.

The bill also gives individual workers the right to sue employers if they are punished for refusing to attend such a meeting.

“Captive audience meetings are a direct violation of workers’ rights,” says Illinois AFL-CIO President Tim Drea.

“They force our most vulnerable employees to choose between their job and personal values.”

The bill would also ban mandatory meetings in which company managers seek to promote their own political or religious interests.

“Employers are increasingly using the workplace to advance their political and religious interests, and this creates an atmosphere ripe for coercion,” Drea says.

“The Worker Freedom of Speech Act ensures that workers are protected when they choose to walk away from these meetings.”

The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Marcus Evans, said employees want to go to work without being burdened by their employer’s opinions.

“Workers want to work, and they don’t want to be mandated to attend waste-of-time meetings and they don’t want to be inundated with stress,” he says.

If the bill becomes law, employers could face $1,000 fines if they’re caught requiring workers to go to mandatory meetings that violate its provisions.
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WSF 2025 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM – MITAGS MARITIME APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM (MAP)

Applications are being accepted for the Washington State Ferries 2025 full scholarship for MITAGS Maritime Apprenticeship Program.

WSF will be sponsoring another 12 scholarship recipients for the MITAGS-West MAP starting in the winter of 2025.

This 2.5-year USDOL approved apprenticeship program will be training another cohort of 12 future Mates for Washington State Ferries.

To find out more, please visit Washington State Ferries Apprenticeship Program (mitags.org).
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TWIC HOLDERS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR FREE TSA PRECHECK

The Transportation Security Administration has identified efficiencies across vetting programs to eliminate credentialing redundancies and reduce costs for applicants.

This means that holders of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) are eligible for TSA PreCheck at no cost and without an additional enrollment requirement.

Just look for your CIN number at the bottom left of the back of your TWIC card.

When booking your flight, input your CIN as the Known Traveler Number (KTN) on the airline’s website.

Questions?

Visit: https://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/tsa_precheck_for_twic-faqs.pdf
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MM&P HOLIDAY CLOSING SCHEDULE

All MM&P union halls, MM&P headquarters, the MM&P Plan Office, and the MM&P Federal Credit Union will be closed on Wednesday, June 19, for Juneteenth.
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MEMORIAL FOR CAPTAIN MIKE MURRAY ON JULY 13 AT MM&P SEATTLE HALL

There will be a memorial for Captain Mike Murray on Saturday, July 13, from 1500 to 1730 at the MM&P Seattle Tukwila Hall.
Please RSVP to Kirsten Wilhelm by July 3 by calling 206-441-8700 or emailing KWilhelm@bridgedeck.org

The Seattle Tukwila Hall is located at 15208 52nd Avenue South, Seattle.
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OFFSHORE JOBS AVAILABLE

There is plenty of work available. Please check the Online Open Offshore Job Board for job availability.

Plus:

— Tanker PIC’s needed.

— CM’s, 2M’s, 3M’s Needed for LMSR’s, please email jhope@bridgedeck.org with any questions or visit any Offshore Hall.
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JOB OPPORTUNITIES ON THE GREAT LAKES

There are job openings on the Great Lakes!

If you want more information about any of the listings that appear below, go to https://bridgedeck.org/job-opportunities/.

Interested candidates should reach out to Thomas Bell at the MM&P Cleveland office: tbell@bridgedeck.org.

CARDINAL POINT CAPTAINS, which operates the RV LAKE GUARDIAN out of Milwaukee, has an opening for a QMED with electrical background and an opening for an Assistant Engineer unlimited or DDE (Dedicated Duty Engineer) 4,000 hp.

KEY LAKES, a division of Key Stone, has openings for Mates with Great Lakes pilotage; they may take an Open Water Mate if COI allows. The company operates a fleet of two 1000’ x 105’ ships.

GRAND RIVER NAVIGATION has openings for two mates with Great Lakes pilotage and may take on an Open Water Mate with valid TOAR. The company operates a fleet of seven ships, two articulated tug/barge units and one integrated tug/barge unit.

GRAND RIVER NAVIGATION has an opening for a 1st Assistant Engineer.

GRAND RIVER NAVIGATION has openings for two mates with Great Lakes pilotage and may take on an Open Water Mate with valid TOAR.

GREAT LAKES TOWING has an opening for a minimum 200-ton Great Lakes master with Towing endorsement, pilotage not required.

If you want more information about any of the listings that appear above, go to https://bridgedeck.org/job-opportunities/.

Interested candidates should reach out to Thomas Bell at the MM&P Cleveland office: tbell@bridgedeck.org.
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MITAGS-EAST SEEKS ADMISSIONS SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE

MITAGS-East has an immediate opening for a full-time Admissions Services Representative.

This is a CBA position with MM&P benefits. Starting salary is $20.49/hour.

The job entails managing the admissions process and providing administrative support for daily operations, registration, courses, classrooms, and materials.

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

— coordinating all phases of the admissions process including advising potential candidates, companies and organizations of admissions procedures as outlined in the Academic Division Operations Manual;

— interfacing with MM&P Plans Office to verify student eligibility;

— processing requests for travel, under direct supervision;

— providing academic administrative support to instructors, staff and directors;

— preparing course guides, manuals and materials for use in classes.

Required qualifications include:

— one year of direct experience or three years in a related area of an academic institution or setting, such as admissions or registrar experience;

— experience with using basic computer skills, such as Excel, PowerPoint and Word.

Desired qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in educational administration or a related area or equivalent experience. Knowledge of maritime industry a plus.

If you are interested, please send your resume to Jsibiski@mitags.org

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MITAGS ACADEMIC NOTES

For registration contact our Admissions Department: 866.656.5568 or admissions@mitags.org

Classes are 5-day unless otherwise noted

Class dates followed by an * are full
AB – Able Seaman (5-Day): 09/16/24

ARPA-OIC– Automated Radar Plotting Aids (4-Day): 11/04/24

AZIPOD (2-Day): Contact Admissions

BRM – Bridge Resource Management (5-Day): Not currently scheduled

BRMP –Bridge Resource Management for Pilots (2-Day): Contact Admissions

BRMP-EMR –Bridge Resource Management for Pilots with Emergency Shiphandling – (Now also included in BRMP-Refresher) (3-Day): Contact Admissions

BRMP-Refresher (Now including Emergency Shiphandling for Pilots) (3-Day) : Not currently scheduled

BT – Basic Safety Training (5-Day): 09/09/24

BT-Revalidation (2-day) (Must have 1 year of sea service in last 5 years): 06/24/24, 09/30/24, 10/28/24

BT-Refresher (3-day): 09/30/24, 10/28/24

CHS-OIC – Cargo Handling Basic (5-Day): Not currently scheduled

[CMM – Chief Mate and Master Courses]

ADVSTB-CMM – Advanced Stability (5-Day): 06/24/24, 10/07/24, 12/09/24

ADVWX-CMM – Advanced Meteorology (5-Day): 09/23/24, 12/16/24

CHS-CMM – Advanced Cargo Operations (10 Days): 10/14/24

CM-OPS 1 – Chief Mate Operations (5-Day): 07/08/24, 12/09/24

CM-OPS 2 Maersk – Chief Mate Operations II Maersk Specific (5-Day): 07/15/24, 12/16/24

ECDIS – Electronic Chart Display Information Systems (5-Day): 08/12/24, 11/11/24

LMS – Leadership and Managerial Skills (Management Level – Formerly MCL-CMM) (5-Day): 08/12/24, 11/18/24

MPP-CMM – Marine Propulsion Plants (5-Day): 09/30/24

(DCS-1 available on request – contact Admissions)

SHMGT-CMM- Ship Management (5-Day): 10/28/24

SHS-ADV-I-CMM – Advanced Shiphandling (week 1) (5-Day): 07/08/24, 08/05/24*, 09/09/24*, 09/30/24, 11/04/24, 12/02/24

SHS-ADV-II-CMM – Advanced Shiphandling (week 2) (5-Day): 07/15/24, 08/12/24*, 09/16/24*, 10/07/24, 11/11/24, 12/09/24

**SHS-ADV-I & II are now approved to include SAR-CMM assessments at MITAGS**

VPEN-CMM – Voyage Planning & Electronic Navigation (5-Day): 11/04/24

WKP-CMM – Advanced Watchkeeping (5-Day): 09/16/24

WX-HW-PAC – Heavy Weather Avoidance Routing: Pacific Ocean (2-day) –06/22/24, 07/27/24, 11/16/24

CIW-DPA/IA – Continual Improvement Workshop: Designated Person Ashore & Internal Auditor (3-Day) ** This course is NOT covered by the MATES Program **

Online: 08/14/24

CIW-SMS – Continual Improvement Workshop: Successful Safety Management (2-Day) – Online: Not Currently Scheduled

CNAV-OIC– Celestial Navigation (15-Day): Not currently scheduled

CRISIS-COMMS – Crisis Communications (1-Day): Not currently scheduled

CRSMGT – Crisis Management and Human Behavior (1-Day): Not currently scheduled

CDMGT – Crowd Management (1-Day): Not currently scheduled

CSE – Confined Space Entry (3-Day): Not currently scheduled

CSE-AWR – Confined Space Entry Awareness (2-Day): Not currently scheduled

DDE – Great Lakes (20-Day): Not currently scheduled

ECDIS for Pilots (2-Day): Not currently scheduled

ERM – Engine Resource Management (5-Day): 12/09/24

ADV-FF – Advanced Firefighting (4-day): Not currently scheduled

FF-BADV – Fire Fighting Combined Basic & Advanced (5-Day): 09/09/24

FF-ADV-Rev (1-day) (Must have 1 year of sea service in last 5 years) – Advanced Fire Fighting Revalidation: 06/26/24, 10/02/24, 10/30/24

FF-ADV-REF (2-day) – Advanced Fire Fighting Refresher: 10/03/24

FSM – Fatigue, Sleep, & Medications (1-Day): Not currently scheduled

Online: Not currently scheduled

GL-Pilot – Great Lakes Pilotage Familiarization (2-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

GMDSS – Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (10-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

HAZ – Hazardous Materials (5 day): 08/26/24, 12/02/24

LAP – License Advancement Program for Mate to Master (20-Day): 07/22/24, 10/07/24

LAP-Great Lakes – License Advancement Program – Great Lakes (15-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

LAP-ORG3rd – License Advancement Program for Original 3rd Mate, Oceans, Any Gross

Ton License (15-Day): Not Currently Schedule

LEG – Legal Aspects of Pilotage (1-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

LNG-BADV – Basic and Advanced IGF Code Operations (3 Day): 07/08/24, 08/05/24, 09/09/24, 10/21/24*

LTS –Leadership and Teamworking Skills (Formerly MCL-OIC) (1-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

MEECE – Management of Electrical and Electronic Control Equipment (Assessments /not included): 12/02/24

MED-PIC – Medical Person in Charge (10-Day): 07/08/24, 08/19/24, 09/30/24

MED-PIC-REF– Medical Person in Charge Refresher: 07/29/24, 11/18/24

MED-PRO – Medical Care Provider: (5-Day): 08/19/24

MED-DOT-DA – Dept. of Transportation Drug & Alcohol Testing (1-Day): 07/13/24, 08/03/24, 08/24/24, 10/05/24, 11/17/24

[MSC – Military Sealift Command Courses]

MSC-ATO-II – Military Sealift Command Anti-Terrorism Officer II (5-Day): 08/19/24

MSC-ATO-III – Military Sealift Command Anti-Terrorism Officer III (1-Day): 08/23/24

MSC-CBRD-OFF – Military Sealift Command Chemical, Biological, Radiological Defense Officer (5-Day): Not currently scheduled

MSC-CBRD-1 – Military Sealift Command Chemical, Biological, Radiological Defense Orientation (Basic) (1-Day): 08/08/24, 09/12/24, 10/31/24

MSC-DC – Military Sealift Command Damage Control (2-day): 08/09/24, 09/13/24, 11/01/24

MSC-ENVPRO (1-Day – Evening Class): 08/09/24, 09/13/24, 11/01/24

MSC-FF-HELO (2-Day): Not currently scheduled

MSC-SMA – Military Sealift Command Small Arms Qualifications (4-Day): 07/15/24, 08/12/24, 09/16/24, 11/04/24

MSC-Security Watch Basic (1-Day/ 8-hour): 08/10/24, 09/14/24, 11/02/24

MSC-Security Watch Advanced (1-Day): 07/14/24, 08/11/24, 09/15/24, 11/03/24

MSC-Ship’s Reaction Force (3-Day): 07/19/24, 08/16/24, 09/20/24, 11/08/24

NSAP-MMP – Navigational Skills Assessment Program-MM&P (2-Day): 06/27/24*, 08/17/24*, 08/19/24*, 08/21/24*, 12/09/24*, 12/11/24*

PSC – Personal Survival Craft (Lifeboatman) (5-Day): 09/23/24

PSC-REF – Personal Survival Craft Refresher (2-Day): 09/26/24

RFPNW – Ratings Forming Part of a Navigational Watch (3-day): Not Currently Scheduled

ROR-1 – Radar Observer Renewal (1-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

ROR-1N – Radar Observer Renewal Evening Classes (1-Night): 10/02/24

ROU-OIC – Radar Observer Program – Unlimited: 10/28/24

SAR – Search & Rescue – (Now with OIC and CMM assessments) (3-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

SHS-BAS-OIC – Basic Shiphandling: 07/22/24

SHS-EMR5 – Emergency Shiphandling (5 Day): 06/24/24, 07/22/24*, 10/14/24*, 12/16/24

STB-OIC – Ship Construction and Basic Stability: 07/22/24

TCNAV/CO – Terrestrial Navigation and Compasses (15-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

TPIC – Tankerman Person in Charge: Not Currently Scheduled

TRAC-TUG-2 (2-Day): Not currently scheduled

TTT – ** NOT covered by the MATES Program **: 10/07/24

VSO – Vessel Security Officer (3-Day): 12/04/24

WKP-OIC – Watchkeeping (Operational Level) (10-Day): Not Currently Scheduled

WX-OIC –Meteorology (Operational Level) : Not Currently Scheduled
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MITAGS–WEST ACADEMIC NOTES

You can enroll online at www.mitags.org or contact our Admissions Department 866.656.5568 or admissions@mitags.org

June 2024

24-25 Basic Training Revalidation

26th Advanced Firefighting Revalidation

July 2024

15-18 Advanced Firefighting

15-2 Terrestrial & Coastal Navigation

22-23 Basic Training Revalidation

24th Advanced Firefighting Revalidation

29-2 Basic Training

August 2024

5-9 Radar Observer Unlimited

12-16 Medical Care Provider

12-23 Medical Person-In-Charge

26-27 Basic Training Revalidation

26-30 Advanced Stability

28th Advanced Firefighting Revalidation

September 2024

4-7 Security Officer – Vessel, Company & Facility

9-13 Basic Training

9-13 Advanced Shiphandling (Week 1)

16-20 Advanced Shiphandling (Week 2)

16-27 GMDSS

23-26 ARPA

23-27 Advanced Meteorology
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The MM&P Wheelhouse Weekly is the official electronic newsletter of the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots, 700 Maritime Blvd., Suite B, Linthicum Heights, MD 21090-1953. Phone: 410-850-8700; Fax: 410-850-0973. All rights reserved. The MM&P Wheelhouse Weekly©2023. Articles can be reprinted without prior permission if credit is given to The MM&P Wheelhouse Weekly.

For subscriptions, address changes or messages to the editor, send an email to communications@bridgedeck.org.