text:
The closing of a movie theater is a metaphor for the decline of a town in "The Last Picture Show" - a favorite of many film fans.
HIGH SPRINGS — The closing of a movie theater is a metaphor for the decline of a town in "The Last Picture Show" — a favorite of many film fans.
High Springs is not the dusty, dying Texas town in which that movie is set, but residents here nonetheless are hoping life doesn't imitate art.
The Priest Theatre at 15 NW First. St. — for more than 100 years a stage for youthful romances, a social hub and a place to escape reality or simply enjoy a first-run movie at a cut-rate price — soon might screen its last picture show unless fans of the theater come through with money for digital technology.
Priest owners Janet and Alan Alligood said movies soon will no longer be distributed as film reels. Instead, movies will be digital. That will require a digital projector and other equipment, which cost about $85,000.
"It's not just that the children have a safe place to go or that it is something for our kids to do, it is a piece of High Springs history," Janet Alligood said. "It is an iconic place in High Springs. It started with vaudeville. Somebody was on that stage. There are ghosts in the past that you want to revisit."
The big box of a theater is as popular today as it was when entertainers first took the stage a century ago.
Screening films only on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays, the Priest often has a full house at 240, or close to it. The movies are first run, usually about a week or two after initial release, and cost $5.
Some High Springs natives have been watching movies at the Priest all of their lives.
"I have grown up going most every Monday night to see a movie at the Priest, and now my kids go there most every Monday night," Dena Griffith wrote on the theater's Facebook page. "It's nice knowing that you can send your kids there knowing they will be safe and not watch something they don't need to and not spend a lot of money. I pray you don't close down."
But relative newcomers enjoy movies in the red-curtained, balconied theater as well.
Jose Valdes, the owner of Ship It and More in High Springs, has lived in the area about nine years and said his family members are regulars. Valdes added that his 17-year-old daughter, Aida, and her friends from neighboring counties meet at the Priest.
"I definitely think it would be a loss if it shut down. It's part of the charm of the town," Valdes said. "It's also a lot more affordable than going somewhere else. A lot of times we'll wait to see a movie here rather than going to Gainesville."
Independently owned theaters across the U.S. are facing the same predicament as the Priest — and they already were dwindling prior to digital as single-screen houses gave way to multi-screen megaplexes.
Statistics from the National Association of Theatre Owners website shows that the U.S. had 39,580 movie screens at 5,697 individual sites in 2011, including 606 drive-ins. That averages nearly seven screens per site.
More than 17,000 screens now are showing digital, which provides a crisper picture and is cheaper to produce and distribute, according to the association. The national chains such as Regal Cinemas are leading the conversion to digital.
Rick Fosbrink, executive director of the Theatre Historical Society of America, said the need to convert to digital is a major problem for independent theaters.
"Unfortunately we are on the downhill side of the problem. I don't know that there is a way to really do anything about it at this point in time," Fosbrink said. "It was a conversation that started a couple of years ago, and everyone said, 'oh, it will never happen.' It became more and more realistic, and now a lot of smaller independents are stuck."
Janet Alligood said it is already difficult to get films from some distributors. All distributors might be digital-only by the end of the year, she added.
"We are being told by Hollywood that there will be no 35-millimeter film by the end of 2013," she said. "Fox has been the strongest about it. My booker told me that by mid-2013, don't call me."
The Alligoods took over the theater from Janet's parents, Bobby and Janice Sheffield, who ran it for about 26 years. It was built in 1910 by car dealer William Priest and initially featured live performances on the stage before movies existed.
Only movies appropriate for children are shown.
The Sheffields have seen a lot of movies at the theater and have some of their own favorites.
" 'Driving Miss Daisy,' " Janice Sheffield said.
" 'Forest Gump' — that was probably one of the best," Bobby Sheffield said. " 'Saving Private Ryan' — that was a good one."
There have been some stinkers.
"There have been too many sorry ones," Bobby Sheffield said. "If you want one of the sorry ones — oh man, 'White Men Can't Jump.' In 10 minutes we shut it off. It was all cursing. We gave people their money back and went home."
The town hopes they don't have to shut the movies off for good.


text: The PXI-1440 IF Downconverter Module is a PXI 3U, 1-slot module that facilitates additional frequency translations to lower intermediate frequencies (IF) when high-dynamic range digitization is required. The module can receive multiple IF inputs from two different downconverter modules. The IF-input signals can either be bypassed and sent out in wideband mode or filtered and further down converted before being up routed to the appropriate alias filter for additional processing in the narrowband mode. The two input sources to this module are normally the IF signals from the RF Downconverter Module (PXI-1430B) or from the MW Downconverter Module (PXI-1420). Additionally, the PXI-1440 contains video-processing circuitry to enable video demodulation or IF video triggering implementation in a PXI downconverter system. Features and controls include: incoming signal routing, anti-alias filter routing, IF output routing, LO level indicator, and several signal-path options for testing.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Re: A day of vinyl -- a reminder of inferior technology Reply #50 – 2017-11-30 10:16:48 Quote from: KozmoNaut on 2017-11-30 09:55:18I've seen this theory a number of times (and I used to believe it myself), but I have not seen any definite proof at all. Nothing points to this being a common practice at all.Most of the time, it seems to stem from a misunderstanding of DR values posted to http://dr.loudness-war.info, without accounting for the fact that calculating DR values from LPs is akin to black magic and very prone to faults.I have checked a number of albums I own on both CD and LP and as far as I can tell, the actual dynamic range is extremely close or identical, pointing to the fact that they have been created from the exact same master, clippression and all, in some cases. So far, I have only found a single album (Lamb of God - VII: Sturm und Drang) where the LP may have been created from a different master, but it isn't 100% conclusive.The vast majority of LP releases are simply cash grabs, intended to extract additional cash from fans, by offering a seemingly endless array of "limited edition" colored vinyl releases, with false promises of higher sound quality and fake collectibility. Fortunately, this fad seems to be winding down. Hopefully I will manage to sell off all of my modern LPs before the prices crash.I don't listen to vinyl myself, so I have no way to compare and thus test this theory. Common example appears to be "I'm with you" by RHCP. And of course there is the broad range of "digitally remastered" crap out there - and those people who own the original master on vinyl and then buy the new CD because they fall for the "digitally remastered" propaganda will be disappointed and spread the opinion that "vinyl sounds better". I agree that current releases are usually either quite good on any medium (Daft Punk - Random Access Memories) or crappy on any medium (Metallica - Death Magnetic)... EDIT:There are a few more examples in the knowledge base:http://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Vinyl_Mastering Last Edit: 2017-11-30 10:42:42 by McGlear


text:
In 2009, Tyler Wigg-Stevenson took to a darkened stage at the Q Conference-a gathering of prominent, forward-thinking evangelical Christians-to demonstrate what would happen if a relatively small atomic bomb were to hit Austin, Texas, where the conference was being held. He walked attendees through each stage of humanitarian, environmental, and economic devastation after an atomic bomb drops. The crowd fell silent as a sense of urgency for the abolition of all nuclear weapons grew, and it was on that stage the Two Futures Project was launched.
A nonprofit organization with a vision to educate Christians on a biblically based call to abolish nuclear weapons, the Two Futures Project has since hit the ground running, gathering a broad multigenerational coalition of supporters from across the ecumenical Christian spectrum, including Miroslav Volf, Lynne Hybels, Shane Claiborne, and George Shultz.
In this video interview, Tyler Wigg-Stevenson and George Shultz talk about why Shultz cares about ending nuclear proliferation, and how he believes we can enter into a world free of nuclear weapons.


text:
I already don't like Tim Leiweke…
- at 8:00 PM
- Labels: Stafford Smythe, Tim Leiweke
54 comments:
Why can't we get somebody who will just do the job? Why all the BS all the time? Why not somebody who walks softly and carries a big stick? Do thy think we are impressed by their bravado? Stay in the background and let your people do their job and when they do give them all the credit and if they don't YOU take the responsibility. Severing the ties with the past sounds more like Ballard who seemed to have little regards for the Leaf heritage re: Dave Keon. When Nonis took over it looked like the product on the ice would do the talking. Sadly it didn't last long!ReplyDeleteReplies
You said it better - and much more succinctly - than I did, purch. And you are on the money with the Ballard reference (though at least he was the owner and put his own money into the team...). Thanks purch. Let's see how others feel...Delete
As you might expect, I had a similar reaction to the photo takedowns. It's a slap in the face to all the Leaf fans who've supported this team over the decades. Only a knuckleheaded outsider, with no real respect for the teams under his sway, could sashay into town make a pronouncement like that. To me, he's proven he is NOT a hockey guy. He has no understanding of its place in our community, our city, our hearts. Quite frankly, his running off at the mouth reminds me of the departed GM, and at least Burke did understand the place hockey has in Toronto. This guy sounds like the usual "bottom line" executive who has no respect for anything or anyone that precedes him, and will seek to please his corporate masters by any means necessary. You know, the kind of guy who fires 100 employees then gets praised for his cost cutting.ReplyDelete
I'll also add that his comment about the parade route will be a great motivator... for every team that plays against us.
This guy puts his foot in his mouth every time he opens it and tries to impress the northern hicks he so obviously thinks we are. Very unimpressive.Replies
Like you, Gerund, I don't understand why these guys have to come across the way they do. Who are they trying to impress? As purch said, talk softly and let your results speak for themselves. It's baffling to me, Gerund- and it sounds as though Leiweke has not hit any of the right notes with you, either. Thanks for posting.Delete
- WillburJuly 16, 2013 at 11:00 PM
I'm kind of on the fence on this one. Taking down all mention of the past is stupid, scaling it back is smart. The Leafs don't need to have a celebration of the past every dam night they play which is what it seems like they have now. They don't need to have a team photo of the 2004 squad hanging in the Marlies dressing room (which I heard is the case). This is a team that hasn't won squat since 1967 and rarely have had extended periods of even being average. Respect the past don't wallow in it which is what they do now.ReplyDelete
It reminds me of the Oilers, we won 5 cups in seven years. Twenty some years ago. Or the Blue Jays, we won back to back world series, twenty freaking years ago.
What it becomes is a crutch to distract people from the fact that there has been no success for the last millennium. The Jays have rarely been good in the last twenty years so lets have Flashback Fridays ( which were cancelled this year) and trot out every single person who was involved with those world series teams twenty years ago from Joe Carter to the guy who washed the jock straps. How many times in a year do we have to a ceremony that involves Jonny Bower? I would guess at least 4-5 times a year. I'm freaking sick of it.
So yes while I wish Lewieke would walk softly and carry a big stick, I also understand where this is coming from. Taking down all mention of the past is over kill but the whole nostalgia thing definitely needs to be scaled down. Like I said earlier, respect the past quit wallowing in it.Replies
Very fair points, Willbur. I, too, found all the "celebrations" in recent years almost silly- whether it's the old team stuff, or recent individual players who received video tributes. (I've long said, if they want to "honour" the great old teams, make it a special night, a free event where old-time fans like myself who actually saw those teams play could be a part of it. Most people at the ACC now don't really know or maybe even appreciate those old teams from the glory years.)Delete
But for me, the old photos are special. They represent the best of the past- the finest players and the most memorable moments. Taking those down won't help these guys play any better.
Scale back, no problem, but do it the right way...thanks Willbur.
- WillburJuly 16, 2013 at 11:21 PM
It also depends on which photos are coming down. If it's all photos in the building including the public or fan areas then that is ridiculous. If it's just photos in the player areas it doesn't bother me at all. Let the fans have the memories let the players worry about creating new ones.ReplyDelete
And yes Lewieke does strike me as another blow hard who likes to hear himself talk. We finally had a no drama season lets not have a return to the off ice antics over shadowing the on ice.Replies
- Oliver TJuly 17, 2013 at 12:06 AM
I wish I had made it here half an hour earlier so I could have taken credit for this point myself! I think that really is the critical issue. If he is taking down pictures in the public areas that would be completely disrespectful and crossing a line. If he is only talking about the private areas of the building I don't think it does any harm. It could be argued that the pictures would provide inspiration, and remind the current players of what the Maple Leaf means, but it could also be argued that the past is more or less irrelevant for the guys putting on the uniform today.Delete
I'm completely with you on the pre-game celebrations. I was embarrassed when I sat down to watch a game and instead had to endure a ceremony for some event that happened decades ago. I could almost hear the laughter and derision from the opposing players and fans. And why not? I would do the same if I was watching the Islanders have a big party to remember the 80s...
As I mentioned to Willbur, I can understand (to an extent) if we are talking about the players' rooms only. But if Leiweke is taking down pictures in the public access areas, then this is just silliness- and wrong-headed.Delete
And we are on the same page when it comes to these pre-game and in-game celebrations. I love the history of this franchise and those players and executives who helped make it what it is, but the last few years it felt like we were having a ceremony a night, and most of today's Leaf supporters don't honestly know a lot about the old days. That doesn't mean we should ignore our heritage (the Habs usually do a fantastic job with that- can you imagine if they took down pictures of the Rocket?), but we just don't seem to be able to match their efforts. Thanks Oliver.
Michael, you know my feelings on this-what a bunch of horsebleep. I don't mind bluster when it is warranted-coming from a hockey man like Burke who had a respect for the tradition of the Maple Leafs as well as that of the Smythe family that this stuffed suit who just flew into town does not.ReplyDelete
I do agree the ceremonies need to be dialled back as it is at a point where they are no longer 'special.' But the photos in all areas of the ACC, public and private, should be untouchable. I am too young to remember any Leafs cups, but my first introductions came via the pictures and stories of those men who were Champions in a 6 team league that, to debunk another straw argument I have heard, consisted of roughly a hundred elite players, far from today's watered down 30 team league.
I sense you speak for a lot of Leaf fans, including some of those who, as you say, were not around for the "Cup years", Sean. The past does matter, and handling these memories respectfully is the way to go. Thanks for chiming in.Delete
- AnonymousJuly 17, 2013 at 12:27 AM
Seeing pictures of the old Leaf greats hanging on the walls of MLG is a cherished memory from my childhood in the 60s. It feels like those memories are being disrespected by this move.ReplyDelete
I wonder what the response would be in Montreal if someone, especially an Anglo, came to the Canadiens and announced they were removing symbols of their team's past? Hard to believe someone would have the cajones to even suggest it in Montreal. An American coming to Toronto and doing the same thing here must be raising similar feelings in some Leaf fans.
It is at the very least insensitive. Removing the photos seems like the move of a small minded person with an over-inflated self-importance.
But still nowhere as bad as Ballard sending the Gondola to the garbage dump.
Like you, those photos meant everything to me the first time I visited the Gardens in the mid-'60s, and any time I was able to afterwards, Steve.ReplyDelete
And no, I can't conceive any incoming "executive' in Montreal doing this sort of thing. Unthinkable. And yes, we both remember the Ballard/Hewitt/gondola mess, no fault of Foster's, of course.
I like history. I have a graduate degree in history. I view most things in life through a historical lens. It helps me make sense of the world, and more informed decisions.ReplyDelete
I cheer for the Leafs partly because they are a team of history. That 60's player, Dave Keon was my dad's favorite player. That connection to the players of 60's Leafs always makes the current Leafs just a little more endearing.
I'm in the West, so I don't have the same connection of locality. The Leafs are not the NHL team of my city. If I wanted a team without history, I could cheer for the Columbus Blue Jackets. I'm sure their executives also want to win.
The 2013/2014 Leafs are going to have to be good. Some very likeable players are gone: Grabovski, Frattin, Scrivens. I always enjoyed hearing what Dallas Eakins was doing with the Marlies, but now he is gone.
Now they remove 60's era Leafs photos?
So far, the new Leafs are proving to be harder to like than last year's version. If they miss the playoffs it could be a brutal year.Replies
Let me say DP that you are consistently not only one of the thoughtful but also positive voices here when it comes to the Leafs. That you have this perspective tells me this guy really is off-base, and way off the mark.Delete
It feels like he is kicking those of us who have stood by this franchise (not just the "team" or the players, but the crest and the organization's history) to the curb. I'm sure that's not his intent...or is it?
You appreciate history, as do I. Of course the current team matters now and fans want them to win now, but they still matter now in large part because of the foundation set seventy and 80 years ago...thanks DP, well said.
Well there are things to be happy about.Delete
At Leafs development camp David Broll was one of the most impressive prospects. He was hitting everything (I think he injured 2 guys) plus he was making terrific passes:
"Each time David Broll steps on the ice, people are aware and he makes noise. Broll caught Granberg attempting to clear the puck and knocked him on his posterior during the second period of play. Having said that, not only can he hit but he made a solid saucer pass to an area of the ice where his line mate skated directly to it for an excellent scoring opportunity."
A 20 year-old 240 lb playmaking enforcer that can make saucer passes in an intriguing thought. I have seen video of Broll and his passing skill is yards above NHL enforcers.
The idea of Broll being able to push arround a smaller Milan Lucic while getting assists makes me smile. I doubt Broll ever makes it off the 4th line in the NHL, but he might be quite a good 4th line guy. One phrase I have never heard: "Colton Orr with a terrific saucer pass."
I appreciate hearing the latest about Broll, DP. You've mentioned him before as a potential fourth-line guy, but one who can be a difference-maker. I'll make sure to keep an eye on him when training camp opens in September. You can't teach size, and if he brings skills to the table, too, all the better...Delete
Boy, I just stumbled on this and it was like reading one of my own posts. I haven't seen too much of Broll - just his Marlies games, none of his games in the O - but what I have seen I love. I think his absolute minimum potential is as a quality enforcer in the NHL. As far as I'm concerned, he has already replaced Devane in what was supposed to be his role on the Marlies. I think this clip from YouTube demonstrates well the reasons why -Delete
Sol is like 6'5" or something and straight out of the pile as a rookie comes Broll and with enthusiasm - look at that bucket toss! - and then his technique, for a 20 year old, my Lord! Sets the big man up with a left jab then over the top for a huge punch. And then one more huge right and crumples him. Fantastic!
And that was at a time when the Marlies were badly getting pushed around. So that's the enforcement: A+
As to his hockey skills - deceptively good skater like Biggs, strong in the corners, essentially impossible to move off the puck once he's established position, good passing as you say, otherwise unremarkable to me. As a 5th round pick (that what it was?), Broll was an absolute steal. Like Leivo in the 3rd. Biggs, not so much.
Lots to like, Daniel. Anytime, as I discussed above with DP, that the Leafs can develop a player with true toughness (who can also fight) and has some talent as well, that will help a ton. Fourth-line guys are so important nowadays. If they can play, and the coach is comfortable giving them ice time, it's a huge factor on a good team. Thanks for posting, Daniel.Delete
I completely agree with you. Leiweke reminds me of another blowhard we had very recently in...Brian Burke. The difference was Burke could mold the team into what he wanted it to be because he was the GM. Not just some useless suit that has no involvement in day-to-day operations.
I find it ridiculous that a bunch of Leafs fans are praising what Leiweke says now but you ask them about Burke and they completely dismiss him for being a blowhard. What a bunch of, excuse my French, horse shit. But...it is what it is, in with the new out with the old. That definitely appears to be Leiweke's new mandate anyways. All I know is if I were involved with the Leafs in some capacity I wouldn't be sitting there planning a freaking parade or signing my daughters soon-to-be husband (think Troy Bodie, we signed him earlier this week). This guy seems to be full of himself but unlike Burke, he has nothing to do with the actual building of a winner. Burke set this team up well before he was dismissed. I don't particularly like what Nonis is doing so far but here we are talking about an extension being put in place. Meh, it is what it is I suppose.
Always good to hear from you, Michael :)Replies
While I acknowledge I was not as big a Burke enthusiast as you, Sasko, I respect the fact that Burke worked hard to improve the club, he did some good things here and he was, as you say, involved moment-to-moment.Delete
I fear this guy will in fact be involved day-to-day, but the problem is he shouldn't be because he doesn't have a clue. This guy knows a hockey player any more than you or I or millions of "fans"? C'mon.
Thanks Sasko. I always enjoy hearing your take on things. Talk soon...
My question is: Why stop at taking down historical photographs? Let's just get it done. Why not gather all of the Maple Leaf historical artifacts in one gigantic pile on Maple Leaf Square and have a spectacular bonfire? Like all great sports franchises the Leafs are not about championships as much as they are about our history and culture. Great sports teams are about the place they occupy in our hearts and minds as a tenuous coherence, an energy which resonates from blood and sweat photographs hanging from hallowed walls. Without doubt, any attempt to erase history and culture is an antagonistic act bound to enrage supporters and former employees alike. What is more surprising is that it would come from a man with, in the true historical context, about as much significance to the Toronto Maple Leafs as a pigeon dropping stuck to a rafter of the venerate old Gardens.ReplyDeleteReplies
I loved every word of that, Bobby C.- just the right smattering of history, perspective and sarcasm (though what you penned was much better than mere sarcasm).Delete
I always appreciate well-penned condemnation. Thanks Bobby.
- TML__fanJuly 17, 2013 at 12:14 PM
Michael, I'm going to share a story with you that may help explain my feelings about Leiweke's decision to have the historical photos removed.ReplyDelete
I used to work on a airforce base and in one of the main operational buildings. Being an older building, it was completely renovated one year, and once completed it was a very modern and new facility. The recently appointed Operations Officer (who was an avid historian) decided the walls of this new facility would depict many large historical photos of military planes flown by the RCAF in the 50's & 60's. Many people (including myself) take great pride in our history, and past achievements, and that it should be honoured.
The contrast though was this new modern facility, laced with vintage photographs, and no depiction of the transition to modern day. Visiting aircrew (especially those from other countries) would walk through these halls, and wonder to themselves "are they still flying these birds?", or "what have they doing in the last 50 years?".
Since retired, I have been back to visit the building in which I worked, and I was proud to see that a new Operations Officer had stepped in and elected to make changes to the wall displays. Now the vintage posters greet you as you start to enter the building and the first main hall, but then transition through the years to the modern aircraft flown today, as well as vibrant posters depicting the main squadrons of the base.
By sharing this story, I just wanted to show the need for organizations to take pride in their past, honour that past, but also take pride in what has changed over the years, and successes a long the way. You need to proudly illustrate the past, the present and future. If Lieweke can't see the significance of this alone, he has failed before he has even really started. No different than that Operations Officer who laced the walls with nothing but historical photos. Good intentions maybe, but naive and narrow-minded thinking.
Owners decision to bring in Lieweke now make me questions their other decisions since taking over MLSE. *gulp*Replies
Thank you for sharing that story, Don (TML_fan). It wonderfully illustrates what I was trying to convey, and much better than I did in my rambling piece.Delete
I so agree- the past in isolation and without context is not much of a measuring stick (or influence) on the present. But thoughtfully weaved together, an understanding of the true history of an organization - the good and the not-so-good - can do wonders for current staffers in any workplace. And in the case of the Maple Leafs, that includes today's players.
I, too, now worry and wonder about the instincts of this ownership group. Where can you find a Mike Illitch these days? Thanks Don.
- Pete CamJuly 17, 2013 at 1:01 PM
Three things hit me immediately as I read the article.ReplyDelete
I'm sure you know how I feel about the pictures. Many of those pictures adorned the Maple Leaf Gardens walls and were a great source of pleasure for Leaf fans over the years. It is difficult to conceive Leiweke's thought (or lack of) process on this issue.
"Plan the parade" is a catch-phrase that provides a great deal of glee to those who would mock Leaf fans. Leiweke is playing right into their hands and providing more grist for the mill.
I think we are witnessing, in Leiweke, the second coming of Brian Burke. I am not saying either of them is remotely incompetent, only that I abhor their bombastic styles...and I was just beginning to enjoy Nonis' laid back demeanor.Replies
We're likely very similar in this regard, Pete Cam, in that we don't appreciate hubris and unnecessary bombast, which this new guy seems to have in abundance.Delete
It's a shame. He may well be a qualified, experienced individual (by all accounts, he is) but in my view he has already mis-stepped seriously in how he handled the Raptors GM situation (not firing Colangelo, but the peculiar way that all unfolded) and now the Leafs. I fear his fingerprints will be all over this team, and that's not good. It was bad enough when Peddie interceded in hockey matters and he was clueless, too.
And you're so right- the whole parade thing a standing joke. Why did he even go there? Does he even understand this market? Thanks Pete.
InTIMinator? InTIM-Dumb-inator?ReplyDelete
It appears he has managed to reach Harold Ballard Status in less than a month. He must be incredibly fast, or very dumb. It looks like both. It doesn't look like he read "Dale Carnegie's How to Win and Influence People".
Like many here, I have good memories of walking through the halls of Maple Leaf Gardens viewing history. I have never been to ACC, but have asked Toronto based friends to make a comparison for me. They have generally said 'none', in a negative tone. (For me, a future posting on this subject would be very interesting).
A view of team sports suggests that History and Legacy are a very important part of selling that sports team. What are the Yankees without Babe Ruth, the Packers without Lombardi, the Dodgers without Jackie Robinson - and many others.
I have lived in Atlanta now for 30 years, and Bulldog fans will never forget Hershel Walker and the National Championship in 1980. Going to a big Georgia game is an incredible experience. But, how do 30,000 students fill a stadium with 95,000 fans - Answer: History, Legacy, etc. My non-fan daughter has attended baseball games in Wrigley Field and Fenway Park and found the experience incredible - History? The Leafs have the same cachet.
It is no mystery why "the Original Six" are still among the most successful, while most of the expansion teams are still trying (unsuccessfully)to build a similar legacy and history. If they could buy it, they would, not throw it away.
While you cannot live on this history for ever, why would anyone voluntarily throw this away. If he believes that he can build an equivalent legacy in a 30 team capped league he is very naive. I am sure that Bell and Rogers paid a lot for this "goodwill" when they were paying an outrageous? sum for MLSE. If I were either company, I am not sure I would condone dumping on my sports investment, or impacting my corporate Name.
So, while I can see no logical business reason why Tim would do this, maybe he is just trying to keep the Leafs in the spotlight in a dead period. It appears he has accomplished this, but at what cost.
As an individual owner there was not much fans could do about Ballard. In a corporate environment, this type of shenanigan will grease the skids.
While we both would like to see a 24 team league, I am sure many want to know where to get tickets for the "Markham Whatchamacallits".Replies
Superb post, Ralph (RLMcC).Delete
I love the Dale Carnegie reference, and you're right- this guy smacks of hubris, which is fine, I guess, until that collides with showing zero respect for what amounts to a Canadian institution -and a fan base - that employs him (we help pay his salary).
All the names you cite- Ruth, Lombardi, Robinson (and we could throw in Gehrig, Starr, Campanella and many others) are indeed tied inexorably to the guts of the franchises they played for. To in any way cut that off, as this guy is doing with the Leafs, is sadly misguided.
Keeping the Leafs in the spotlight is great. Doing it in this fashion is, well, bad form. Great stuff, thanks Ralph.
- InTimeFor62July 17, 2013 at 3:50 PM
I really hope Mr. Leiweke takes the time to read the thoughtful perspectives of longtime Leaf fans (and where better than Vintage Leaf Memories - where the past meets the present in a wonderful synergy that ought to be reflected in the ACC).ReplyDelete
If the pictures in the hallway that the players traverse on their way to the ice are the only ones that have been removed, then I have three things to say to Mr. Leiweke:
First, that was a rather ham-fisted approach to addressing the 'problem' you are perceiving;
Second, you apparently gave little (to no) thought about how you would be perceived in this marketplace, and:
Third, you could have cut the bombastic blustering and prefaced your comments with an intent to honour the history represented by those photos in a public viewing area (even if you rotate them in smaller groupings). Perhaps it's not too late for some damage control.
We honour the crest and the heritage of the Maple Leafs, not some corporate talking head... so humble yourself and get to know the people who have been here a lot longer than you, Mr. Leiweke!
I am hopeful that the photo removals are limited to the players' hallway space where 'they' have chosen to test out their 'theory' about a winning culture AND and that those photos are merely 'removed to' a display case where the fans can enjoy a trip down memory lane.
We really don't need to be alienated from our common historical journey as workers or fans, perhaps our 'sensitivity' to the issue will give the corporate heads some pause for thought (it's never too late for some of that!).Replies
Thank you for that, inTimeFor62.Delete
Not that this person cares (at least he presents as though the only opinion that matters is his), but if someone "new" on the job doesn't want to be perceived as a thoughtless outsider, a bit of sensitivity training might be in order. Study the franchise's history, the fan base- young and old. Show you care- and not just about doubling the "value" of the franchise for ownership.
"Success" has gone to this guy's head, clearly. He figures he can blow into town and talk like he is "the man". Well, here, the fans are "the man", because we appreciate and respect what has come before us. Thanks, InTimeFor62.
- InTimeFor62July 17, 2013 at 4:10 PM
Follow-up observation for Mr. Leiweke:ReplyDelete
If you want to double the value of your corporate interests, why would you alienate the fan base of the most valuable element that has grown despite failing to win the cup since '67? Do you not risk squandering the cache of a historical connection that has allowed the franchise to line the ownership coffers during extended periods of disappointment (and downright futility).
We are the fans that have survived precisely because of the heritage and hopes we hold in our hearts... tread softly, Mr. Leiweke...
- InTimeFor62July 17, 2013 at 4:29 PM
Here's 'the' quote that churns the stomach (if some haven't seen it):ReplyDelete
"I don't want the players walking in the hallways of the Air Canada Centre and seeing pictures from 1962," Leiweke said. "Get rid of those pictures and tell them, this is your legacy."
I sure hope the pictures from 1962 are actually there for ME to see, whenever I may make it that far east again!
Reading that line was a kick to the gut. Does this blow hard really think some player walking past a photo from the past, would decide he does not have to play his best because some team has already done it. He shows he knows nothing about the Leafs. From not knowing what a stupid thing it was to talk about a parade, to saying I don't know this other fellow is as good was as Bernier? How do you not know how your players play. I found it interesting on sports net they had the story and a poll, asking if the photos should be taking down. It was 70% against and people were giving it to him in the comments. Later that day the story was edited and the poll taken down, and all the comments were gone.ReplyDeleteReplies
Good to hear from you, Dave. Could it be that the powers-that-be at MLSE, owned by Bell and Rogers, told Rogers Sportsnet to take the poll down because it showed them organization in a bad light? The perils of of censorship via media ownership, eh?Delete
This guy clearly does not care who he offends. He wants to go down in history. He already has a long way to go to gain back the respect he never earned here in the first place. Thanks Dave.
Another reason Leiwicke's pronouncement is a red herring: as a former MLSE worker, I can confidently say that you are more likely to run into a Leafs player during an underwater ocean cruise on the other side of the world than in one of the ACC's public hallways or concourses.ReplyDeleteReplies
Agreed. I just do not see why the photo thing was even an issue for him....Delete
- AnonymousJuly 18, 2013 at 9:09 AM
David Clarkson was widely quoted concerning the importance of the Leaf's heritage, particularly Wendel Clark, in his decision to join the Leafs I hope for his sake they leave any photos of Wendel on the walls. Perhaps Gustafson would feel the same way seeing photos of Hammarstrom and Salming? Which is a way of saying that for some players the photos may well be inspiring - sure they are all pros, but they are also human.ReplyDelete
And a comment about David Broll, who I had the chance to watch many times during his time here with the Greyhounds. He was really a man playing among boys in his time here, with above average speed and fairly good hands. He was not a prolific scorer in junior, but did score some nice goals from time to time. While he was able to fight, he more often just calmed down the other team when it looked like things might erupt for Hounds that were not fighters. That said, he was never shy about dropping the gloves when needed.
I doubt very much that Broll becomes an enforcer in the NHL. I see him more as an up and down the lane, big, speedy winger who can inject some energy when needed. Not afraid to drop the gloves but I don't see him having that as his primary role. I'm looking forward to seeing how he develops in the Leaf's system.Replies
The Clarkson reference fits very much with what we have batted around here the last couple of days, Steve. Appreciating or acknowledging the past doesn't mean you are obsessed with it- simply that you recognize that it means something.Delete
As for Broll, I'd be fine with the player that you described. You had a first-hand view. We don't necessarily need a big-time fighter, but we always need guys who are hard on the puck and are difficult to play against. Thanks Steve.
I get where he's coming from but not necessarily agree with it. As with most leafs fans, what I remembered most were the sad Ballard Years while tempered with moments of joy during the 93 run and the Quinn era. Still it is difficult not to be reminded of 67 whenever the Leafs subject is brought up. Personally I think the Toronto market demands a strong type A personality bordering on psychopathy.ReplyDelete
Let's face it, win or lose, Leafs nation will always be there and that means the money will never be in short supply. Truth to be told that this demotivates the willingness to take risks in order to win. Professional sports is unique in ways that it imitates most business processes and practices but are ultimately unpredictable. So taking risks in a typical business fashion rarely are applicable to sports. That being the case, it is difficult to fathom the need to 'rock the boat'. That seemed to have happened throughout recent memory. In this case, it requires someone that is motivated by the accolades received from winning. Someone that wished to be worshiped by the masses. Someone that perhaps is self-serving and narcissistic to a degree that winning and only winning matters.
I think most of leafs fans remembers Leafs tradition as Saturday night prime time, CHCH Wednesday night hockey watching with our idolized father or friends rather than the tradition of winning on the ice. To be reminded of the wining past also will likely to be reminded of the almost 40 years of failures. That said, I understands his motivation - to start anew. But I also think that there are room for both honouring the past while creating a new legacy. I don't agree with him but understand the motivation. We all know at the end of the day, the Leafs organization have never been on very good at honouring anything.Replies
I like what you wrote, Lukas. Very fair.Delete
For sure, any new "leader" deserves the opportunity to develop his own vision and all that. I don't think any of us is saying we should be stuck in the past, especially parts of the past that were not all that impressive.
But for me, it's a question of balance and respect. I'd prefer a strong, quiet leader (the Red Wings...whether it be ownership or management people, don't just talk their fans to death...). I realize, as you say, this is a different market, so the 'need' may be different, too.
I'm all for positive thinking and having a real plan for success. I just didn't like hearing this guy talk the way he did about the past. Toronto fans will be here long after he's gone. Thanks Lukas.
- leafdreamerJuly 18, 2013 at 12:02 PM
I feel every word posted here and I really think it's outrageous for a new suit to walk in and erase the history of the Maple Leafs with one sweeping brushstroke like this. I absolutely HATE everything about types like him and his superiors and what they stand for. I am disgusted by the acquisition of his son-in-law and his comments on "the guy we inherited". He's an arrogant, ignorant prick.ReplyDelete
Having said that I must admit that I'm kind of excited about what's been going on with the Leafs lately and I see Leiweke as the final step in the process of 'getting our pride back' and pushing for the Cup - a process that started with the hiring of Burke. I think Leiweke is pretty much the only guy in the NHL who has the power to swing some kind of blockbuster trade to get us Crosby or Toews. He does have a serious resume (much like Burke did) and he may well be exactly what we need - a modern, arrogant, megalomaniac that won't settle for less than all the gold and winning.
I kind of like the narrative: An old franchise that's been living in the ancient past and that's become a laughing-stock of the sports world gets bought by a huge monopoly corporation and goes for the home run and gets a bunch of brutal corporate slayers who have their eye firmly on the prize to run it and they win. This is happening just as T. is becoming North America's 4th largest city (right after LA) and is indeed becoming for real the center of the universe - growing and extending (Boston's home arena is called Toronto Dominion). I like the hype and I like the fact that free agents are finally becoming excited to sign here - we've taken a huge stride forward this past season and we are feared and respected for the first time in forever.
If you remember some of my earlier posts you'll know how I feel about the establishment and the place of pro-sports in it and especially about the disrespect for the people that matter, namely the fans who care and were there in the old days and are still watching and blogging and living and breathing blue and white. But I know that the corporate world is what it is and I think it would be foolish to expect it to be anything else. You don't win the cup with good hard-working home-town elders in charge and on the ice. You win by bringing in the best 'pieces' and by investing heavily in every aspect of the project and it is guys like Leiweke and Burke and Bell/Rogers that are the winners in today's society.
I know that I sold my soul when I took on cheering for the Leafs - there ain't nothing just or fair about this game, there's no good guys and there's definitely no good corporate CEOs or good corporations. It's a game and it's a corporate game. I think the choice we're facing is either send them all to hell (as quite a few old Leafs fans have done) and watch the kids in minor or run with the devil. I made my choice. I like the show. The show must go on.
It's time to plan the parade.
I well recall your earlier (always thoughtful) posts, leafdreamer. Today, you well touch on the unnerving (for some of us) dance that we must do to cheer for the team we have loved for generations, while recognizing the world (including the sports/hockey world) has been taken in a direction some of us don't like.Delete
You're right. It is what it is. Nowadays teams are generally run by corporations and slick-talking folks who are hired guns, with no loyalty to the past.
I guess if this gets the Leafs to the promised land...
Thanks leafdreamer.
Hi Michael,ReplyDelete
I am a little late to this discussion, thought I would add, or try to as the case may be. First, another new corporate leader has come down from the heavens, here to impart all of his great wisdom. I have heard this story before, culture change, more mindless crap, it never ends. From Stavro, JFJ, Peddie, Burke, Leiweke, Colangelo, this is the same recycled quasi motivational garbage that I have heard a thousand times before. I can't wait til his next interview where he spouts off about paradigm shifts, divsestiture, and thinking outside the box, all things that have no real meaning. Yet, they are constantly trotted out by these corporate suits, trying to sound like they actually have a clue. They don't, a new CEO will come along in a few years, saying the same thing but using new improved words made up by the marketing department.
We have talked about the over reliance on history before. We both see this the same way, its nice to remember Bower, just not every Saturday night. If the Leafs don't win the Cup in the next 20 years is Darcy Tucker going to be trotted out to centre ice to remember past victories? Its bad enough Tiger WIlliams gets to drive an armoured vehicle on the ice. I personally can't wait for Tie Domi's ring of excellence night. I hope they show his mauling of Niedermayer in the 2001 playoffs. There is just too much of this on the part of MLSE, way too much. It really is offensive at some level. The constant reminder of teams past, seems to me to be a carnival, or magicians trick at this point. Look over here, and ignore what you are seeing right in front of you. Pay no attention to the forty five years of futility, remember all the great teams that were around before most of you were born. It comes across as an organization who has no present, or future and limps along on past victories.
Finally, I could really care less if old photos are removed from the players areas of the ACC. I believe all of those players and their triumphs occurred at Maple Leaf Gardens, not the ACC.Replies
Thanks for posting, Jim. You could throw Tanenbaum's name in the mix, too. If people find this new guy inspiring, great. I don't.Delete
I know I already sent you this link on Twitter, Michael, but thought I would post it here as well for those who may not be on there.ReplyDelete
I received an email from MLSE asking me to fill out a survey on my thoughts on the Leafs. This is a perfect opportunity to let them know how you feel about these issues and others. It is a short questionnaire and at the end there is an open question asking if you have anything else you'd like to tell them about the Leafs...I wrote a few paragraphs!
Here's the link to the 'Fans First' website:
You have to create an account first which is pretty simple.
Feel free to pass on to all in Leafs Nation.
- InTimeFor62July 22, 2013 at 2:11 PM
It would appear that Tim Leiweke has struck a balance between 'humbling himself' with a sincere apology for the offense his words have caused and 'holding his ground' on what he intended to convey.ReplyDelete
I'm actually quite impressed with the sensitivity he has shown and the backbone to state his focus for the players.
Perhaps he was listening to voices that needed to be heard...
Here's the TSN article link:
Thanks for that link, InTimeFor62. Apologies are nice, as long as they are sincere and not just about saving face. This guy really, really missed the mark with his initial comments. No one suggests the current players/team should not build their own "legacy" and strive to win a Cup, but he still speaks as though the previous team leaders (players, coaches and GM's) did not fight their ass off for that very thing. Does he really believe he is the first executive here that thinks winning a Cup is a good idea? I know some of the people who have worked for the Leafs. Winning a Cup was indeed all they thought about, in professional terms.ReplyDelete
If Leiweke thinks Pat Burns, Pat Quinn and all kinds of players did not work their tail off to establish a modern-day Leaf legacy, he could not be more wrong. I still don't think he "gets" it, but whatever. He likely never will- or it will take a long, long time for him to truly understand what being a Leaf- and a Leaf supporter - is about.Replies
- InTimeFor62July 22, 2013 at 3:06 PM
Great points regarding the predecessors working their tails off and the perception that HE is the only one who can turn things around.Delete
My primary hope is that, at the very least, Mr. Leiweke becomes more sensitive to the world he has entered... I hope the article reflects a genuine apology (not just a corporate OOPS).
The proof will be in the pudding! Let's see how he acts in the future, I'm just appreciating that the need was great enough to have been 'addressed'.
Glad you're on the watchtower giving us a voice!
Agreed, InTimeFor62. And I appreciate that you took the time to make me aware of this piece. It would be nice to think our voices were at least 'heard' a bit in the halls of MLSE....ReplyDelete
I guess Mr. Leiweke thought he should start with the least of our problems. It is not his fault that he does not understand the culture. The history of the Leafs is wrapped up in the history of our nation. I doubt he sees it that way, and even if we do not realize this consciously, we have that feeling in our gut. The man who shouted greetings to everyone entering Maple Leaf Gardens, fought in the trenches with Conn Smythe. The voice of Foster Hewitt was a voice from home for soldiers overseas in the second world war. Our history is part of our understanding of what it means to be Canadian. How is a man breezing into town, sneering at photographs of champions, set on changing things, going to know that? Even if he hired someone to get him up to speed, he would not have that same feeling in his heart. The best we could hope for is a modicum of understanding and a respect for our great country. We are emotionally involved. Perhaps he will come to understand that.ReplyDeleteReplies
Beautifully said- thanks for posting on this subject, Elizabeth. Let's hope that, over time, he will come to fully appreciate the opportunity he has been given...Delete
Hi Michael,ReplyDelete
in honor of your anniversary I search your archives a bit deeper and I came along this nice piece!
You never commented on my rants about Leiweke but now I know you feel the same.
The tradition of the Leafs attracts me very much, that is a point I can very much relate to.Replies
Glad you saw this piece, Marcus. I guess it's difficult for anyone who doesn't know the history of this organization to realize just how important it is to longtime supporters.Delete


text:
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AXIS M1114 Network Camera
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Discontinued product. Supported until 2020-10-31.After this date, please see the support documentation.
As long as the product is within the warranty period you will be supported.
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text:
ROCKFORD — Two Democrats want to succeed retiring Winnebago County Sheriff Dick Meyers.
Retired police veteran Bob Redmond and one-time sheriff's candidate Randy Olson announced plans this week to run in the March 18 primary.
ROCKFORD — Two Democrats want to succeed retiring Winnebago County Sheriff Dick Meyers.
Retired police veteran Bob Redmond and one-time sheriff's candidate Randy Olson announced plans this week to run in the March 18 primary.
Redmond has 34 years' experience in law enforcement, most of it with the Rockford Police Department. He retired as a sergeant in the detective bureau after working in multiple roles — from traffic to burglary units, hostage negotiations, theft investigations and the violent-crimes unit — and investigating or supervising about 150 homicide cases.
"I started in the Public Safety Building two years after high school," he said. "That's what I've done my entire life."
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Olson is a Winnebago County Forest Preserve District commissioner. He served as its president until fellow commissioners voted him out of the seat in August 2012. Commissioners were upset that Olson created a public safety management job — and made a hire — without their consent.
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text:
Cloud Dough
In the mood for a winter play activity, but no snow in the forecast? Never fear! Your Little Pnuts will love playing with this peppermint-scented cloud dough so much, they won't even miss the fluffy stuff! Scented cloud dough only needs three ingredients and the possibilities for creative sensory play are limited only by your imagination.
What You Will Need
- A large plastic container
- Flour
- Cooking oil (we use olive oil, but vegetable oil, canola oil, and coconut oil work, too
- Peppermint essential oil (optional)
- Assorted kitchen tools, containers for filling/dumping, cookie cutters, small toys, pinecones, etc. for playing in your "winter wonderland"
Making the Cloud Dough:
Place your container on a low table or on the ground where your Little Pnuts can access it easily. Add flour and cooking oil (stay away from baby oil – it smells nice but can be toxic if ingested or inhaled) in a ratio of eight parts flour to one part oil. Add a few drops of peppermint essential oil if desired. Have your Little Pnuts help you mix the oil into the flour with their hands, a spoon, or even a whisk.
Let the Fun Begin:
Encourage your Little Pnuts to explore the cloud dough with their hands and feet, kitchen tools, and/or toys. Use your imagination…gently press the dough into balls to make snowmen, or if you are brave, have a "snowball fight!" Flatten the powder with your hands and use cookie cutters to stamp holiday shapes. Use pinecones to make "trees" in your tiny winter landscape. Measuring cups and ice-cream scoops are the perfect tools to make pretend food with your cloud dough. You can even use a stick or a cotton swab to draw or write letters in the dough. Open-ended play activities such as this are wonderful opportunities for language enrichment– talk about how the dough feels and smells and describe your play as you go.
Try using various essential oils to and/or spices to add different scents to your cloud dough. Pumpkin pie cloud dough would be a fun autumn activity; lavender-scented cloud dough would be very soothing. If you are concerned about Little Pnuts ingesting the dough, be sure you buy "therapeutic grade" essential oils as they are the only ones that are edible.
To add color to your cloud dough, try adding crushed colored chalk, powdered gelatin or drink mixes. Make it sparkly by adding fine glitter. Of course, just plain-ole' cloud dough is loads of fun, too!
Developmental Milestones:
This activities focuses on the following Developmental Milestones for your Little Pnuts:
Fine Motor Skill Development, Hand/Eye Coordination, Focus & Concentration, Vocabulary Development, Symbolic Play, Sensory Development, Social Interaction
—Stephanie Haass, Little Pnuts Early Childhood Activities Expert & Blogger, www.two-daloo.com


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|Members List
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|Jan 7th, 2015 04:33 AM
|Nice sink hole! I wanted to play this ever since I saw the AVGN movie & general hysteria about the E.T. game.. funny - thanks!
|Oct 31st, 2011 08:35 PM
Lol! XD
I remember how bad the original E.T for the Atari 2600 was.
|Apr 20th, 2009 06:28 PM
|cow cookies buffalo bagles random stuff lol make the gamefunny
|Apr 10th, 2008 12:00 AM
|El Sammo
|Still haven't beat it. I noticed some people up there that may not have realized it is a huge joke on the player. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
|Apr 6th, 2008 05:18 PM
|I haven't laughed so hard at a game since Psychonauts. Keep up the good work RoG. BTW, how is the new Pickleman game coming along?
|Apr 2nd, 2008 08:47 AM
|Last one to play this game...couldn't stop laughing, ended getting eaten by pickle man 3 times. This one of the greatest games, up there with portal(lol).
|Apr 2nd, 2008 01:37 AM
|Apr 2nd, 2008 01:12 AM
|Ancient Echo
|I hated this game with all my heart and soul. Why do I keep falling in holes for no reason. But its awesome that you can make something like this.
|Apr 2nd, 2008 01:02 AM
|I lyke eh ah lot
|Apr 1st, 2008 11:53 PM
|yes jaimas, yes it is, but this may or may not be simply stemming from deeply repressed penile fixations.
|Apr 1st, 2008 11:38 PM
|This game sucks! I can't believe they just thought they could slap PickleMan's name onto this piece of crap and expect people to play it. Somebody needs to take every copy of this game and stick in in a crater or a landfill or something.
|Apr 1st, 2008 10:26 PM
|I demand you submit this to Newgrounds!
|Apr 1st, 2008 07:46 PM
|you officially made me laugh out loud during class. Kudos!
|Apr 1st, 2008 07:46 PM
I just want to win once...
And be loved for who I am. Those two things, win and be loved for who I am. Thanks.
|Apr 1st, 2008 06:52 PM
|s0n1c m0nk3y
|Whatever you do, DO NOT press enter while playing the game!
|Apr 1st, 2008 06:09 PM
|JJ the Jetplane
|I ran away from Pickleman for, like, 3 hours. I just couldn't pull myself away from this game Rog.
|Apr 1st, 2008 05:44 PM
|s0n1c m0nk3y
I like this game! Even almost as much as the original ET game.
But I think that there should be more ways to die, other than having your head ated and eating a cow pie.
I only played the game for a couple of minutes and I'm not sure if there are any other ways to die, so, yeah.
|Apr 1st, 2008 04:16 PM
Best game i have ever played!! How cool is it randomly falling down various pits?!
Seriously though. It was great to see Pickleman eat ET's head!
|Apr 1st, 2008 03:38 PM
|This isn't a Reese's, that's COW PATTY!
|Apr 1st, 2008 03:33 PM
|It was preety sweet... But is there anything to do other then getting beaten?
|Apr 1st, 2008 03:28 PM
|10,000 Volt Ghost
|At first I thought the game was just Pickleman eated'ing E.t. I thought I won the game in the first 3 seconds....then I realized I was playing as E.t. I like my way better.
|Apr 1st, 2008 01:33 PM
|stupid cow patty I was doing good...
|Apr 1st, 2008 12:42 PM
I can honestly say, this is the greatest thing I've ever been randomly selected for. Seriously. This is better than midgets wrestling on the lawn of a Dan Quayle's house while golfing with Laura Hall.
|Apr 1st, 2008 12:11 PM
|Heh heh heh... Nicely done guys (:
|Apr 1st, 2008 11:46 AM
|Am I the only one severely creeped out by ET's neck?
|This thread has more than 25 replies. Click here to review the whole thread.


text:
Is it time to overhaul Medicare?
Related Articles
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Reports on the passage of an Omnibus Appropriations Bill provision that would eliminate some percentage in physician Medicare payments in the U.S. Implications for the health care industry.
- Where Medicare money goes. // AHA News;12/16/96, Vol. 32 Issue 49, p6
Presents a breakdown of Medicare spending from 1990 to 1996. Hospital inpatient; Skilled nursing and long-term care; Home health; Physicians and other practitioners.
- Medicare payment experiment forces docs, hospitals to cooperate. Dunn, Philip // AHA News;09/15/97, Vol. 33 Issue 36, p4
Reports on the pre-testing of the Medicare Provider Partnership Demonstration project designed by US Health Care Financing Administration to physicians and hospitals. Mechanics of the project; Steps concerning Medicare reimbursements; Limitations of the project.
- Medicare extends coverage for pap smears, adds mammograms. // Aging;1991, Issue 362, p42
Announces that Medicare will now pay for Pap smears and also pay 80 percent of the cost of mammograms once every two years for women aged 65 and over. When the benefits started; Restrictions.
- Medicare drugs top Congress' health agenda. Hofmann, Mark A. // Business Insurance;12/23/2002 Double Issue, Vol. 36 Issue 51, p3
Reports on the decision of U.S. congressmen to give priority to medicare prescription drug benefits in their health agenda for the year 2003. Control of health care by patients and physicians; Brief information about reforms for health insurers.
- Catastrophic health benefits translate into catastrophic taxes. Ferrara, P.J. // Consumers' Research Magazine;Apr89, Vol. 72 Issue 4, p11
Describes the cost to the elderly, of new catastrophic medical benefits, recently included in Medicare. Increase in monthly premiums; Range of benefits; Services not covered; How to correct the problem. INSET: Long-term reform..
- Medical savings accounts and managed-care plans. Hanson, Cynthia; Nordahl, Peter // Christian Science Monitor;7/19/95, Vol. 87 Issue 163, p2
Reports on the plans of the House GOP to revamp Medicare. Outline of the plan given to the Associated Press.
- Medicare Benefits. // Economic Trends (07482922);Aug98, p13
Presents information on Medicare benefits in the United States. Details on reimbursement rules in the United States; Rate of growth for Medicare; Details on Medicare benefits for middle-aged people in the US.
- Hospitals prevail on Medicare `disproportionate share' computation. Sutter, Ronald N. // hfm (Healthcare Financial Management);Aug84, Vol. 48 Issue 8, p60
Reports on the controversy on the Medicare `disproportionate share' computation. Case of Jewish Hospital Inc. versus Shalala; HCFA's opposition to additional Medicare payments to disproportionate share hospitals; Rejection of the Sixth Circuit Court of HCFA's position.


text:
| 7.6°C Belfast
Cycling facilities at train stations are to get a £15 million Government boost.
The improvements will make it easier for people to ride bicycles and use trains by providing more and better cycle parking and other cycle-friendly facilities at railway stations, helping cut pollution and ease congestion on the roads.
Transport Minister Baroness Kramer announced the funding as she officially opened the new £850,000 Sheffield Cycle Hub - a flagship facility that provides 415 bike spaces alongside changing rooms and repair facilities at the city's train station.
She said: "When people take rail journeys they need to know how they will get to and from the station.
"We are transforming cycling facilities at stations up and down the country to make it easier to choose the bike for the journey to the station. That is why we are providing this new funding."
Cycle Rail Working Group chairman Philip Darnton said: "It is great to receive such welcome news from the Government at the opening of such a great facility."


text:
Posted 9 years ago
(1 item)
I got this from my mum years ago. I have just found it in my drawer and wondered if anyone knew if there is a market for something like this. I am not planning on selling it at present, but a interested if there is any value. It is like new, i don't think she used it very much, and i don't even know how to open it. If any one can give me a clue, that would be great. I don't want to put pressure on anywhere and then break it.
Hope you can help.


text:
Blood Covenant
- Lisa Harris
- 2011 15 Mar
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is an excerpt from Blood Covenant by Lisa Harris (Zondervan).
Monday, February 21, 8:55 a.m.
Vensi, Mponi region
Dr. Paige Ryan hesitated in the open doorway of the Cessna Caravan before stepping down onto the grassy runway. An early morning mist lingered along the edges of the clearing, but even the cloudy veil wasn't enough to mask the handful of thatched huts smoldering on the far side of the landing strip.
The familiar feeling of helplessness pressed against her chest. The last time she'd gone out with the mobile medical unit, the pilot had been forced to do a low-level pass before landing to scatter the herds of goats and the children playing soccer with their homemade balls on the airstrip. Today, all that greeted them was an eerie silence coupled with the bitter smell of burning huts.
Simon Love, head of emergency relief, stepped up beside her and tugged on the bottom of his Volunteers of Hope T-shirt. "Apparently the government's statements that the rebel's threats are nothing to worry about were exaggerated. It looks as if most of the villagers have fled this area."
Except those slaughtered by the rebels. A lump swelled in Paige's throat. She hadn't wanted to believe the rumors. Seventeen dead in Mkondi. Six in Latasha. Fifteen near the border town of Marani . . . But if Simon was right, those deaths could easily be the tip of the iceberg.
Their pilot, Nick Gilbert, grabbed Paige's medical bag from the storage compartment and handed it to her, temporarily distracting her from the haunting scene. Given another place and time, she'd have given his boyish good looks a second glance, but today all she could see was the smoky destruction in the distance.
"I'll wait here with the plane, but we need to be in the air by eleven if we're going to have time to visit the other villages and still make it back to Kingani before dark."
The pilot's strong southern drawl sounded out of place in the middle of the African bush, but to Paige it helped soothe the recent renewed pangs of homesickness. Tennessee had never seemed so far away.
She slung the bag over her shoulder and shot him a smile. "Then I reckon we'd better get moving."
Nick's reply was cut off by the loud rumbling approach of a beat-up 4x4, replacing any feelings of familiarity with the reality of the situation. Fighting between government forces and renegade Ghost Soldiers had escalated in the past seventy-two hours, with the villagers scattered across the base of Mt. Maja caught in the crossfire of the conflict. And while the government insisted that President Tau's army was maintaining control over the situation, the senseless killings being reported only reinforced her helplessness.
As soon as the boxes of hygiene kits and medical supplies were loaded into the back of the waiting vehicle, Simon wasted no time in making introductions to their ground contact. "Abraham, this is Dr. Paige Ryan and Michael French, my logistician." Simon turned to address her. "Abraham used to work with Volunteers of Hope but now is the full-time director of the four clinics here in the Mponi region."
"It's nice to meet you." Paige shook the man's weathered hand.
Nodding good-bye to the pilot, she stepped over a trail of ants crossing the dark red earth, then jumped into the back of the vehicle with her colleagues. Abraham slipped the vehicle into gear. It sputtered and sped off down the runway.
"What can you tell us about the situation?" Simon shouted above the roar of the engine. "We've had a hard time contacting you until this morning."
"Most of the cell-phone towers in the vicinity are down, and despite the government's propaganda about what's happening, in this village alone we buried forty-seven after the attacks. It is impossible to know how many are missing, because of the hundreds fleeing the area." The jeep crashed through the thick brush edging the bumpy dirt road that was barely wide enough for one vehicle. "Those who remain fear the rebels will return, so most of them are staying inside the hospital compound. I'll take you there first."
Paige's fingers tightened around the door handle as the hot breeze from the open window dried out her eyes. Any hopes that the number of deaths reported had been exaggerated faded like the morning mist. The International Criminal Court had sent out dozens of warrants for the rebels involved in the forced enslavement of hundreds of Dzambizans in the nearby mountains. The rebels' response to the arrests of five of their commanders had been a vow to fight until the indictments were dropped and their demands for amnesty were met. A stance that meant until a resolution was negotiated, innocent people of the RD would continue to be slaughtered.
A minute later, the narrow bush path merged into the main road of town. A dozen cinder block buildings lined the street with colorfully painted walls advertising soft drinks, toothpaste, and cell-phone providers. But no one walked the dusty road through town today. Even the market, normally bustling with vendors and buyers, lay bare. Bensi had become nothing more than a ghost town.
Abraham parked inside the large compound of the hospital, where at least a hundred people waited beneath a thatched shelter sitting adjacent to the medical structure. At the sight of the aid workers their faces lit up with expectation. Paige undid her seatbelt and slid out of the vehicle. Three months in the country had taught her that a couple of hours were barely enough time to scratch the surface of everything that had to be accomplished. Today's crowd had multiplied those odds against them.
A uniformed nurse met them at the door of the main ward, determination registering in her dark eyes. "I am Patience. We were afraid you were not coming."
"We came as soon as we could. I'm Dr. Paige Ryan."
By the time Paige entered the long, rectangular ward behind the nurse, several men had transferred the medical supplies to the floor by one of the pale-green cinder block walls. The nurse jutted her chin toward the other side of the room where two rows of metal beds lined the walls, each one holding a patient. "Most of our staff has left and our supplies are almost gone, including our generator that was stolen by the rebels. But I stay . . . hoping this will all be over soon."
Paige caught the heavy note of desperation in the woman's voice and stopped at the end of one of the rows. "They stole your generator?"
Obviously the hospital's six-foot-high perimeter wall strung with razor wire had done little to deter the rebels' rampage.
"And left three of my patients to die."
Paige's jaw tightened. Constant power outages made generators essential for surgeries and other critical life-saving operations. Without one, the death rate would automatically climb.
"I'm sorry. We had no idea things had gotten this bad." Paige stopped at the end of one of the beds where an old woman lay sleeping beneath a tattered sheet. "The local media has reported outbreaks of fighting in the region, but always with assurances that the president's army is in control of the situation."
Patience shook her head. "I have yet to see one of President Tau's soldiers come to our aid. The government only says what they want the world to hear. And they do not care if our women are raped and our children murdered in their beds as long as their pockets and bellies are full."
Paige expelled a sharp breath. The past few months had taught her to think fast on her feet and find solutions to what often seemed to be impossible situations, but those scenarios hadn't included rebels in the equation. Any solid answers to resolve the problems facing this woman and her people escaped her.
"We should get started." Paige pushed aside the dismal reality that seemed all too prevalent in this country — and the lingering guilt. In four days she wouldn't have to deal with any of this anymore. "Even though our time is limited on this initial visit, I want to do everything I can to help, especially by evaluating your specific needs for this clinic. But for now, if there are any patients you'd like me to see . . ."
"Where do I begin?" Patience pointed to one of the women. "Sari's seven-and-a-half months pregnant. We managed to stop her contractions, but without the generator, if her child is born anytime soon, the chances of the infant surviving are small." She nodded at the child in the next bed. "We diagnosed Tayla, who's six, with pneumonia and have done what we can, but she is not responding. She's so weak . . ." Patience's words faded as she turned toward the mother.
Paige picked up her medical bag and crossed the cracked cement floor of the clinic, stopping at the metal-framed bed. A woman sat on the edge of the thin mattress next to her daughter, a vacant expression covering her ebony face.
Paige rubbed the little girl's fuzzy, black hair and studied her lips and the tips of her fingers. Both were a dusky, unhealthy shade of gray.
"I cannot lose my daughter." Tears filled the young mother's eyes. "They killed my sons and husband in front of me. Tayla is all I have left."
She'd heard stories of other countries where villagers were forced to hide in the forest at night in fear of the rebels who stole their children, raped their women, and murdered their families in front of them. But she'd never imagined being thrust into the center of a similar nightmare. She eyed the stack of hygiene kits they'd brought and felt the nausea return. Free hygiene kits, with their limited contents of toothbrushes, chlorine tablets, and mosquito nets, seemed useless compared to the needs of these people.
The clear tremor of fear lacing the mother's words filled Paige with a renewed sense of determination. Back in Tennessee her niece had just celebrated her seventh birthday. Tayla deserved the same chance.
"I'll do everything I can to help your daughter." Paige touched the woman's hand, wishing she had a better answer.
She turned Tayla onto her side to listen to her lungs with her stethoscope. The crackling sound confirmed the nurse's diagnosis. Upper respiratory infections in young children and infants, especially those who didn't have the chance for adequate nutrition, could quickly turn lethal. If she were back in Tennessee, she'd have sent the child to the ICU. Here, listening to the grunts of the small child as she fought to breathe, she didn't have that luxury.
The handheld radio she'd brought with her buzzed inside her bag. "Hello, Echo Lima, this is November Gold, over."
She picked up the radio and pressed the Transmit button. "Roger . . . November Gold . . . Send, over." One day of practice on the field radio wasn't nearly enough.
"I've just received a radio communication with orders to fly you out immediately. Over."
Paige dropped her stethoscope around her neck and moved toward the screened window overlooking the dozens of people who'd come seeking safety inside the hospital compound. If she and Michael and Simon left now, it could be days until another team was sent, which meant more lives lost. There was no way she was leaving.
Blood Covenant
Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Harris
This title is also available as a Zondervan ebook. Visit www.zondervan.com/ebooks.
This title is also available in a Zondervan audio edition. Visit www.zondervan.fm.
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530


text:
'Coming home': Judaism provides healing
As a child, Drew Alexander sang in his Episcopal church choir and skipped Sunday school, preferring to sit through lengthy services with his parents.
"The pageantry of the high church Episcopal thing appealed to me a lot," he explains.
It's hard to imagine how that Christian boy became the man Alexander is today: a practicing Hasidic Jew. While the road was long and winding, the journey, Alexander says, started with tragedy.
When he was 16, Alexander and his family his parents, a brother and three sisters were involved in a horrific car accident. His parents and brother died, and Alexander and his sisters were sent to live with a guardian.
"The people in the church were not very helpful," he recalls. "I was really wounded, and I was looking for a fight with God."
Soon after college, Alexander married and spent the next 12 years "following the normal, agnostic way of being in the world." But when his marriage began to fall apart, he says, the loss of his family weighed heavily.
"A lot of the grieving issues started to come up," he recalls. A therapist recommended he attend meetings of Adult Children of Alcoholics, even though his own parents had not been alcoholic.
"Substitute 'dysfunctional' for alcoholic," his therapist advised.
Step two of that 12-step program presented a problem for Alexander.
"You have to accept that there's a higher power," he explains. As he considered that step, "It occurred to me all of a sudden that to repair my relationship with my father it would help if I tried to repair my relationship with my heavenly father. They were both cut off at the same time."
He began seeking a compatible theology, but returning to church was uncomfortable.
"I started going to a Unity church, but my problem was that the more Jesus was involved, the less comfortable I was," he says, "and the less Jesus there was, the more pointless the whole thing seemed."
Around that time– 1993Alexander, a bluegrass musician, began dating Liz, the woman he would later marry. It was a long-distance relationship at first, and during one pivotal phone call, Liz explained to Alexander that she couldn't marry someone who wasn't Jewish.
Although at first he believed the relationship was doomed, he soon realized there was a solution. He could convert.
Alexander began studying with a rabbi, and in August 1994, he officially converted to Judaism in a ceremony that involved a ritual bath called a mikvah, as well as a bit din, a hearing before three Jewish judges, who are usually rabbis. He also had a symbolic circumcision in which a doctor drew a small amount of blood while a rabbi observed. (Alexander says he was circumcised as an infant in a non-religious ceremony.)
That same week, he took another step– he finalized his divorce and moved from Texas to be with Liz in New Haven, Connecticut.
Soon after, while teaching at a Hebrew high school, Alexander was introduced to Orthodox Judaism.
"I was very taken with the observance," he says. But in order to become an orthodox Jew, he needed to undergo a more rigorous conversion– and he needed to be willing to adhere to certain guidelines, including keeping kosher both inside and outside the house and praying formally three times each day. In addition, Liz, who was now his wife, would need to commit to immersing in the mikvah, which orthodox Jews require for cleansing following menstruation, and which must be supervised by a rabbi.
The first two Alexander committed to quickly, but the last one was out of his control. "I'm the one who's converting; why does she have to change?" he wondered.
By 1999, two years after they'd wed, Liz "took pity on me," Alexander says, and agreed to the mikvah. Once again, Alexander went through the conversion ceremony.
Today, Alexander is a Hasidic Jew, a subset of orthodoxy. He has adopted the traditional dress– including a black hat, untrimmed beard, and ritual fringe worn visibly around the waist.
On an average day, he spends as many as three hours in prayer and religious study. The Alexanders strictly observe the Jewish Sabbath, called shabbes. From sundown Friday until sundown Saturday, they do not drive, turn lights on or off, cook, or make phone calls, among other things. While to people addicted to the conveniences of modern life these sacrifices may seem too much to endure, Alexander says it is a time of joy and reflection with his family. Lunch is a lengthy affair, and on this day, Alexander says, he allows himself a nap. "It's the day of rest," he laughs.
Now a father of two– six-year-old Charlie and three-year-old Nancy– Alexander recognizes the challenges his children face belonging to one of only two Hasidic families in Charlottesville. (The other is the family of Chabad of Charlottesville Rabbi Shlomo Mayer.)
"You want to adhere to the law, enforce your customs. That's how you can maximize the chances your kid is going to follow in the path you're living," he says. "But at the same time, if it's all about, 'you can't do this; you can't do that,' it can be counterproductive, and you make them hate it."
As an example of how the family negotiates the secular world, he cites the time he spends watching skateboarding shows with Charlie, who's fascinated by the sport.
"We need to come up with a Hasidic way to be a skateboarder," says Alexander. "I need to see that he's very strong in his [Hasidic] practices. If he's flaky in his practices, skateboarding is going to pull him away. If he's strong, it won't pull him away from them. He'll use it as a vehicle for expressing them."
Alexander doesn't shy away from letting his expectations be known: he would like Charlie and Nancy to remain practicing Hasidim throughout their lives. It's not too much to expect, he says, but he has a big job to do now to make sure that happens.
Of his son, Alexander says, "I'm always asking myself, 'Am I giving him what he needs to accomplish what I'm asking him to do?'"
In the end, he says, he hopes Judaism will provide his children with the comfort it has given him.
Converting, he says, "was like going into the Birkenstock store and putting your foot into a brand new sandal and finding your footprint was already there. It was like coming home."
Drew Alexander
Raised Episcopal, Drew Alexander is now a Hasidic Jew.PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO
Keeping kosher inside and outside the home poses a challenge for Drew Alexander and his family. There isn't a single kosher restaurant in the Charlottesville area.


text:
Sonoran Strange is the title of a new collaborative performance piece by Logan Phillips and Adam Cooper Terán.
The piece includes video projection, bilingual spoken word and performance art.
Phillips said Sonoran Strange is an expression of the unique cultural landscape of Southern Arizona.
"Sonoran Strange is a collection of poems," Phillips said. "Sometimes when we limit ourselves to words we might lose the other ways of knowing the world around us...so we try to get at a combination of all those things."


text: The all-new Mk4 or Typ 9N VW Polo was put on sale in early 2002 and shares its platform with the SEAT Ibiza Mk3, Skoda Fabia Mk1 and Skoda Fabia Mk2. Also includes the Facelift Mk4 Polo Typ 9N3 in 2005 to 2009 with Passat-style one piece headlights and tail lights, and a different hatch. This facelifted model is officially known as the Mk4 Phase II.


text:
Have the ads for the disaster porn movie "2012" worked you to a tizzy? Are you wandering around the house, fretting about the Mayan calendar? Are you hoarding tin foil, constructing not just hats, but entire suits, including wee little ones for the 14 cats you own? If so, you're a nutball.
And that's why the rest of us are all thankful that the government is ready to respond to all citizens, sane and insane alike.
The good folks at NASA -- who've brought us such innovation as Tang and those pens that write upside-down -- have outdone themselves with their latest effort. They recently posted a 2012 FAQ: your guide to the end of the world.
"Question (Q): Are there any threats to the Earth in 2012? Many Internet websites say the world will end in December 2012.
Answer (A): Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012."
Oh yeah, but what about IN-credible scientists? What do they say? I mean, I was just reading this thing on the internet about how the Mayans predicted that real government scientists would try to dupe the unsuspecting public into tranquility before the world exploded, just like in the movie.
Off-beat news from NBC4.
"Q: How do NASA scientists feel about claims of pending doomsday?
A: For any claims of disaster or dramatic changes in 2012, where is the science? Where is the evidence? There is none, and for all the fictional assertions, whether they are made in books, movies, documentaries or over the Internet, we cannot change that simple fact. There is no credible evidence for any of the assertions made in support of unusual events taking place in December 2012."
Oh, but Mr. Scientist -- Mr. Can't-Be-Trusted Government Scientist, that is -- can you show us any evidence that there WON'T be doomsday in 2012. Your puny calls for facts and so-called "evidence" ring hollow until you provide said "evidence" for yourself. Prove to us that there ISN'T an invisible planet tracking silently behind the sun, waiting to emerge in a few years to destroy Earth.
On one hand, we have government scientists telling us we'll be OK. On the other hand, we've got a capitalist visionary like Roland Emmerich, director of the movie, telling us something else. Who's got more at stake? The scientists in their cushy taxpayer-funded jobs or the director who stands to lose millions of his business' money should the movie lack credibility.
Hmm... Maybe those tin-foilers aren't so crazy after all.


text:
Exhaust manifolds, or exhaust ports, were components of starships responsible for venting plasma from the vessel's propulsion systems into space. Exhaust manifolds could often get clogged with EM residue, and required periodic purging. Vectored exhaust ports, as those installed on the Delta Flyer, lent themselves to increased speed and maneuverability. (VOY: "Drive")
In 2151, Enterprise NX-01 experienced a number of malfunctions as a result of an unexplained constriction in the flow of the ship's plasma exhaust. Enterprise's chief engineer, Charles Tucker, initially suspected the constriction was due to EM residue buildup in the exhaust ports, however, upon checking, discovered that was not the case. (ENT: "Unexpected")
In 2152, upon discovering a mysterious vessel from the 31st century, initial scans indicated no signs of any plasma exhaust ports, leaving the Enterprise crew confused as to the vessel's method of propulsion. (ENT: "Future Tense")
In 2154, after a devastating attack by the Xindi, T'Pol ordered Commander Tucker to make inspecting the damage done to Enterprise's exhaust manifolds a priority, as it was crucial that impulse drive be restored as soon as possible, in order to facilitate their mission of locating the Xindi weapon. (ENT: "Damage")
In 2373, Captain Janeway assigned Neelix the task of scrubbing the USS Voyager's exhaust manifolds for a period of two weeks, as punishment for his unauthorized attempt to trade some of Voyager's warp plasma for a map of the Delta Quadrant beyond the region known as "the Nekrit Expanse." (VOY: "Fair Trade")
In 2375, the crew of a duplicate version of Voyager, created by a substance known as the "Silver Blood," attempted to purge their warp field of interstellar dust with which it had become contaminated, but was unable to do so as the vessel's exhaust manifolds had disintegrated, due to exposure to a form of subspace radiation. (VOY: "Course: Oblivion")