text:
Jack S. Futterman Oral History
Part V- Budget Officer
Trust Fund Interest
In 1948 I became the BOASI Budget Officer (Chief of the Financial Management Branch). One of my earliest contributions during this period was what I've been calling lately, The Futterman Provision.
Very early after I became Alvin's Deputy, within a matter of weeks, there was a big discussion with the head of Research, and the head of Program Planning, in Alvin's office. They were talking about legislation. In those days, Social Security was getting 3% interest on the Trust Funds, and Civil Service was getting 4%, and other funds were getting different amounts. There was some discussion about this. The group was then beginning to talk about what we should write into legislation we were seeking for changes in how the Trust Funds were handled by the Treasury. And there was a lot of stuff going back and forth. And out of the blue it seemed to me that there were three principles which should be in any legislation we would seek:
Q: For T-bills and the like?
No, long-term debt. Because the Trust Funds hold long-term debt.
Q: Because prior to that time, it wasn't based on that?
We were getting 3 percent, as I recall; Civil Service was getting 4. And for all I know there might have been other rates for others.
Q: It was kind of arbitrarily determined?
It was a legislative process in the basic law.
Q: Okay.
That's what we are doing, even today. And that was a very key provision. For a guy who just came in, without any background--I still remember it as noteworthy.
The Townsend Plan
Right from the first, before I went to Program Analysis, I did a few jobs that they solicited from me as Budget Officer. I remember one stands out.
They were having a lot of trouble on the legislative end about Dr. Townsend's proposal. There was a growing interest in that plan, especially the other side. I think they were opposed to Social Security, and Dr. Townsend's plan, which is really not a plan, was to pay people $200 a month, everybody would get it, very simple, etc.
As the Budget Officer for DAO I had to make a defense for Alvin David, who was then the head of Program Analysis, of our recordkeeping system in the light of the Townsend Plan, which would save all this money because there wouldn't be any extensive record-keeping involved.
Q: The Townsend Plan was still active even after the Social Security Act was passed?
Oh yeah. It was very powerful, even in around 1951-52. I recall doing this analysis that Alvin David never forgot, you know. He thought it was just magnificent and it dealt with this problem which he didn't know how to handle. I mean he and his staff were involved in legislative policy and stuff like that, and they just didn't know how to handle that kind of a situation.
Q: So the argument was that if you went to a Townsend Plan we would eliminate all this cost of maintaining earnings records?
Q: And not keep records?
And not keep records. It soon becomes apparent that it was a very expensive and inefficient operation. Keeping records produces a lot of benefits, at a lower cost, than the so called "simple systems." The question of establishing who was qualified was the question, who met the requirements for benefits. It becomes clear in a Social Security wage record system, but establishing entitlement later on without such records, and investigating their whole circumstances, was a hell of cost.
And here I'm coming up the line from DAO, a smart kid. I graduated from college, a Phi Beta Kappa, and all that stuff. But I wasn't privy to the issue, or the technical aspects, because I wasn't trained in that, even at Social Security. And here I was dealing with the fiscal matters and trying to persuade the Bureau of the Budget and the Congress, in ways that were meaningful to them, of the importance of the Social Security program.
Q: So you wrote something?
I wrote the paper. Maybe you somehow could dig it out of the files--this was in the early fifties. It might be in the files. But the memo was rich in figures. I gave him the cost of operating and maintaining an account and then I compared that cost with the cost of interviewing people at the end of their work to see if they would qualify.
Basically, I set out to do it without any guidance. They just said, "This is the problem." And my first realization was, "Well, they're being sold a bill of goods." Because the cost of administration in Social Security was extremely low. We were talking about less than 2 cents on the dollar that we received in contributions. And so I established that. Then, I established that you're not going to eliminate all of that cost because you still have to take claims, you have to adjudicate them, you have to send checks and all that. The only thing that you would be eliminating was recordkeeping. And then I established that recordkeeping was extremely inexpensive in terms of the whole process.
Q: A very small part of the whole operation relatively.
Just to keep the records, when we're talking about 2 cents on the dollar, we're talking about 1/10 maybe, a fraction of that 2 cents. And then I showed that for that fraction of 2 cents, one gets a tremendous amount of value in terms of reducing the cost of the program. Because otherwise, what controls do you have in terms of fraud, duplicate payments, duplicate claims? One of the benefits that flows out of assigning an account number to each individual is that when it comes time for him to make a claim, he has to bring with him, in that record for his account number, a lifetime of earnings. And so people can't just show up at 65 with a phony account number, as they can in systems that don't keep records. So the lifetime record identifies the individual and really ties him down; it really ties him down so that he really can't get away with multiple claims.
In order to prevent that under the Townsend plan, to have some defense, you have to go into an extensive interview; to establish that he met the requirements. Now, there's no requirement in the Townsend Plan except age; so you have to check that out, and check it out real good. But also, you have to check out that multiple account number business; to rule that out. But under the Townsend Plan, it was very, very difficult to do that in the 1950's. You didn't have a national register. The guy could pop up and in one sitting come up with another and all that. And we just didn't have a good way of associating it. So that interview and the investigation of the facts of that individual would be very, very expensive, many times the cost of a lifetime earnings record.
Q: How did they use that paper? What happened to it?
I gave it to Alvin. But apparently, it was used very effectively. But they never reported back to me. Because you didn't hear too much about the Townsend plan after a while. That was one thing that stuck in Alvin's memory about me. As I said, there was no follow-up; I just did it and he thanked me for it. But it turned out years later that it must have been very, very helpful and really was effective (and I don't know what other considerations were involved). But it must have been very effective in stopping what was then looking like the beginning of a stampede in Congress.
Q: Well, I want to get clear a little bit on approximately what time this all happened. Because the Townsend plan, of course, was around at the beginning of the Social Security program, as a competitor. And after Social Security was established, it stayed around at least until after the 1950 Amendments; at least, it was being talked about.
Well, I went to Fiscal in 1949, or late December of 1948. And I left in 1955. And this was early on.
Q: So, it was sometime between those dates?
Yes. But it was more likely around 1950. I was new to Fiscal. And I did this job by myself. Alvin approached me and asked me whether I could write a paper; they said they didn't have the background to answer that and needed it for whatever books and briefing stuff. For all I know, we may find that.
Q: Yes, that would be very interesting.
I think you might find that in the Program Analysis files.
Sense of Program Values
But I had--and this is something Bob noted in the years before I became his administrative officer--that I had a strong sense of program values. He once called me, and asked that I not take Bartlett's policy job, which I didn't aspire to. He said to me, "You could have it; you're one of the best policy people in the place." I thought of myself more in administrative terms. And I used program values in making fiscal decisions. How do you decide where to put your money unless you have a good sense of priorities? How could a budget officer have a good sense of priorities if he isn't guided by the very highest values in connection with program objectives, etc?
Q: Okay.
I didn't have the details. But I had a very good sense of those priorities and in what direction we should be going all the time. So he said, "You could have it; that job. You're entitled to it. But I'd rather keep you (I was his Executive Officer); I'd like to have Tom Parrott do it." I said, "whatever." I wasn't aspiring to it, but it was a higher grade than I was getting.
Q: So he asked you to sacrifice that, and stay put?
More than once. He wanted me to sacrifice when Joe Fay left. Well, you see, they were always having trouble getting my grade up in terms of the substance that appeared on paper, the classification factors. Actually, our system of classification gives no real weight to substance, to quality; it gives it to quantity. In real life, some people could take a little bit of experience and run with it. And others could go to school, and get all kinds of degrees, and then they get all tripped up.
Herman Downey & Departmental Budget Officials
This was the first time I met Herman Downey. And I was new at this job, at financial planning. And I got to know Roy Wynkoop, he might have been sick at that point. But he and I became close friends. Roy Wynkoop occupied a sort of an overview position on administrative matters for the Commissioner's office, which was in Washington. Altmeyer was there; Mitchell was Altmeyer's Executive Officer.
Q: Okay.
Now I'm going to tell you the other thing, because it becomes a part of this story. I go over to the Senate Appropriations Committee office, the main office. And he's occupying the Appropriations Committee Chairman's office, Herman. He's got his papers all over, running it like it's his own show. The man he worked for was Senator McKeller of Tennessee, known throughout government as a machine politician who was big on patronage and that kind of thing, and who could be mean. And Herman was his man, and Herman ran the show for McKeller. McKeller was, I think either the senior or next to the senior senator. I entered Herman's office, the Senator's office, and he's on the phone. This burly guy, big burly guy. And he's listening and he says, "Listen to me General. Will you shut up?" And he started telling him. And he just began to lay him out. I'll pause there, because I later learned that Nelson Rockefeller, who was the Under Secretary of HEW, I think was under Hobby, was in Herman's office, and he threw him out. This is why I can reconstruct the conversation between Roy and myself; I didn't know this all at that time.
Well, I have several modes. One mode is: I'm the earnest technician. I don't know about any of those things, they're beyond me. And I began to explain to Herman, Mr. Downey then, how we constructed our budget and why, you know, we had a budget that was based on production data. And I would tell him how many man-years we needed, how we figured it out, what we did last year, etc. And that was an eye-opener in those days. Of course, not all of our budget was that way; just parts of DAO were on a production basis, like all the punchcard operations were, and all the production operations were; the clerical operations. But we did a pretty good job that way. We simulated that approach in the area offices and in the district offices, although the district offices were tallies; they'd tally how many claims they handled, how many account numbers they issued, whatever. It was very much subject to creative production recordkeeping.
Q: But that was an innovation in budgeting, right? Not every agency did that?
That's right. It was at that time, they had a word for that; it was a production budget, based on production data, etc. And in fact, when I was Budget Officer, which was at this time, I could make very, very accurate budget estimates of what a provision of law would involve. We were very good, I was good at it. What was important when you did that was that you had to be able to visualize each step of the operation. Because the things that you didn't think of could be the most costly. Like, you know, if you had to stop and go out and get proof of something in the field, that would add a factor of "x" to the cost. But where you were continuously processing something, you could be very accurate.
But the point I wanted to make is that this approach was received very favorably by Herman Downey. He became enamored of Social Security. He would come over to Baltimore and visit with me a lot. But my pose was the earnest technician, technologically-oriented budget person, not involved in the machinations either at the Social Security level or the Department level. He knew that I wasn't that simple, and that Bob Ball wasn't that simple either.
Q. How did he react to that pitch? Did you persuade him of anything?
Oh yes. Shortly after this he started coming over for lunch, and we would explain more of the issues. It was all legitimate stuff. But he enjoyed it. Because I think he was so used to going to places where he ripped their arguments apart. And here he liked it.
A Letter From Herman Downey
Well, this is a letter from Herman Downey.
Q: Yes.
I think this letter was given to me by Herman Downey, in a jocular way, and this letter says, and I'll read it to you. This is on Social Security Board stationery and it is addressed to Mr. H. E. Downey at Maple Street, Johnson City, Tennessee. "Dear Mr. Downey: Your letter of June 30 addressed to Mr. J. Reed Carpenter has been referred to me for reply." J. Reed Carpenter was a personal assistant to Oscar Pogge who was the Director of Bureau of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance, and the signer of this letter is H. Norman Milburn, Jr., the head of Personnel, who assumed that role, well he was early on, the head of the Personnel Office, from the beginning until about World War II, and then there was some problem then. "We have forwarded your application to the Field Division," that's McKenna's, "and the matter has been taken up with Mr. H. E. Bray, Regional Representative of Region VII." (That's down in the Tennessee Region.) "Since this region includes our southern states, Mr. Bray informs us that due to present budgetary limitations, he will have sufficient eligibles for positions at $2,300 per annum and above for some time to come."
Q: He's turning him down.
Yes. "We regret that we are unable to give you any encouragement concerning appointment at this time. However, I will retain your application in case of future vacancies. Very Truly Yours, H. Norman Milburn, Jr." Now I've pasted to it a memorandum slip from the United States Senate and it says: "Memorandum: (It's a pink slip only about a fifth or sixth of a normal page, and it's dated 3-21-62.) "Mr. Futterman: Here is a copy of a recent letter which might indicate that the Bureau of Old-age and Survivors Insurance had made mistakes, horrible mistakes, Downey of Johnson City (he gives his Social Security number) issuance of which is not to be charged to IRS." It's some kind of joke. I took this letter and had it pasted to a backing, and put the memorandum note on it. Then I had the drafting staff that did some of this letter work add this big line says: "The big boner of 1943," with an exclamation mark. I had it in a frame and I had it for a while on my desk, particularly so I could have it on anticipated visits when Downey came to visit. This was my penitence--you know it was a game. I mention this only in terms of here's a holy terror, and he was and continued to be, but I found that he had some very good soft spots, and we struck the right chemistry.
The Move To Woodlawn
Q: I have two topics I thought we could talk about today. One is the move to Woodlawn. I would like to have you tell me about the planning for that, the preparation for that, the politics of it, any of that stuff. That is the main topic I want to talk about. The other topic I thought we might talk about was the Program Simplification Project.
I was hoping I could dig out some of the materials.
Q: Alright, you want to do the move to Woodlawn or what?
I'll do the move to Woodlawn, but obviously without having given even a moments thought about it, and going back all the way to the early '60's.
Q: Late '50's even.
Yes. Well I'm afraid that this will not be a complete or full accounting because I am reaching back now with hardly any, with no preparation, about the planning of the Social Security building in Woodlawn. I was involved, I think, lets see, the years were the late '50's, right?"
Q: Right. It was built in '56, '57, '58 and '59.
I told you how as Budget Officer of the Bureau of Old Age and Survivors Insurance, I short-cut the whole process in which, for years, going back to immediately after the war, I was a small participator. I obtained in 1951, I think that's the correct year, an appropriation for, I believe, $129,000 for plans and specifications for a building. All the years before, going back immediately after the war, to the time that it was decided for Social Security to move out of the building that was being erected for it in Washington, I am sure that the question arose about what do we do about Social Security now that we were going to give that building away.
When I came back from service, in January of 1946, I became the Chief of the Control Branch in the Division of Accounting Operations. That was in my bailiwick although we had no staff to do this, we had no assigned function up till that time. I was the repository of all managerial tasks that were not a part of the operating scheme of Social Security, of the Division of Accounting Operations. I was the representative whenever they required some kind of participation by a lower echelon like the Division of Accounting Operations, which did not, off the record, have much status then in matters like that. The people on high, meaning the people in the Equitable Building, called on us when they needed something. We were sort of hangers-on in that process.
During all of those years, from the time that I moved in and became the head of the Financial Office, the Budget Officer, and handled the Budget and the financing of BOASI, we were going the route of trying to get legislation authorizing the construction of a building for Social Security, preliminary to getting a budget for it and we went up that hill and down it time after time and year after year.
You will recall that the Social Security building, which was built for us in Washington, was turned over to others, and BOASI moved here. So we had all of the BOASI, of Social Security, here except welfare: welfare was Public Assistance, the Children's Bureau and the Rehabilitation Agency, they were very small, and the Commissioner's Office. These were all in Washington. But BOASI, which was the forerunner of SSA, came to Baltimore; they were housed in the Equitable Building.
Then we began to overflow; so the idea was to bring them all together in Baltimore. And we sought an alternate approach, which was to go to the Hill, go to the Public Works Committee, ask them to authorize the construction of a building. I have to amend that; for a building, not necessarily in Baltimore. But it was for a building, because we lost the one that was already built. And this had been going on before I got involved around the mid-1940s. They'd have one of the top people in the Department or in Social Security involved with legislation on the Hill to promote this building. Sometimes we got it through the House. If we did, it failed to get through the Senate and become enacted, and it would lapse and we'd have to start all over again. Never did we get a bill through both houses. The best we did was get it through the Public Works Committee. And then I became BOASI's Fiscal Officer, and that was around 1949.
I became quite effective in drawing in Herman Downey in participating in these problems and departing from his normal way of operating with us up to that time, which was usually to be the guy who said "no" to things. I got him to approve the approach that would add a small appropriation to do some beginning things, to prepare the way--this was my tactic, my strategy, and this was on my own, without any direction from on high. I would report back that I was working on this. My strategy here was to get an appropriation, no matter how small. Because once the Congress made an appropriation, now matter how small the amount, it led in the course of things to the additional amounts, and that is precisely what happened. My recollection is the first amount was $129,000 and it was I think in the 3rd supplemental of 1951, which meant that really it was probably around 1950 when this was occurring, a supplemental appropriation to the 1951 appropriation, which in those days ended June 30th. It was passed and we were on the way.
Prior to that we were also doing some investigation in the location of sites. Because it is one thing to talk about it in abstract, but the minute you get people who are interested they want to know specifics. People who are amicable to supporting you, but they would want to know specifics. Roy Touchet was officially the head of Administrative Management and Planning, that was an office under Oscar Pogge the then Director of the Bureau of Old Age and Survivors Insurance. It was a staff office and he had direction over three branches: the Fiscal Management Branch, which I came to occupy in 1949; Warren Belcher, who was my co-equal, headed the Management Planning Branch, and then we had several people succeeding one another who handled the Supply and Service Branch. Supply and Service giving you space and working out contracts for procuring of services and things like that. I remember that we had many offers from people, this antedates my being in there, I recollect Joe Fay being my boss and so during these site visits, I was involved, I was in the loop so to say, and I also visited a number of the sites.
Q: Were all these sites near where we ended up?
No, no. We had one site in Silver Spring where the hospital now is on St. Johns Lane. I think it's St. Johns Hospital. If my recollection is right, the owner of this site also owned a liquor store that did a lot of business in those days in that area. But he was not just in the liquor business he was a real estate operator and all of that. I think that he offered us a free 10 acres or something of that size in a very desirable location and he didn't ask anything for it as far as I knew, except that obviously benefits would flow to him. I am sure he had or owned the surrounding territory and things like that. We visited that site, I didn't myself, but there were people who visited it who were familiar with it and so that was in the mix.
We also visited what was called the Alexander Brown Estate. Alexander Brown was the founder of the brokerage house that used to be for a long, long time, and the building is still there I am sure, on Calvert, Southwest Calvert street off Charles. Alexander Brown Brokerage House. And that was an estate, of about 10 acres, an enclave in the Mondawmin community. That estate was an enclave, truly an enclave, streets went all around it but not through it. It was very enticing because there were major highways on the boundaries. Major transportation. Reisterstown Road, the park was on its southern border, by the, what is the name of that park?
Q: Leaken Park?
Not Leaken, it's right here in town where the reservoir is. The major park. See you are stirring up memories for me. It was a major Baltimore City park and that was an asset. The street car lines, Reisterstown Road street car lines and others, as a matter of fact the street car barn was within blocks. So that was a major place for important ways of urban transportation, that was a heavy consideration. There were other sites in the Harford Road area and in the area where Social Security now is located in Northwest Baltimore. There were quite a few sites.
Q: Did we ever talk about going back to D.C., was that part of the consideration?
Well that was a little later.
Q: Ok, go ahead.
It's hard you see, I'm being propelled way-back, I need to reorient myself and it's not easy with all of those memories of mine to precisely place myself before or after.
Q: Yeah. Ok.
But I'll talk about that if you want me to pick it up.
Q: Yes, please do.
My recollection is that Joe was willing to go ahead with the 10. I was on the staff and I just knew that was bad, bad. We would get stuck with 10 acres and I thought that what we needed was plenty of space with plenty of space for parking so that we could grow, and this was a generalization, not just with the Alexander Brown Estate. When I could, as a member of the team, without being disloyal in any way, I always spoke up for that we should get a lot, a lot more acreage than 10. I was trying to reach out to the future and not just come up with a solution that would be very temporary.
Put yourself back into 1951 or that time that we were growing at great length and at great speed. Enormous jumps in size in workload and all of that. Think about it. In 1950 we had the major Amendments and we had a whole series of Amendments and then we had additions like 1953 that we had temporary disability?
1953, and 1955 we had the Disability Freeze.
Q: In 1954, and then Program Benefits in 1956.
Yes. We had that whole series and there was hardly any year that we didn't have major additions. Even without that, our workloads were growing as more and more of the population became eligible to go on the rolls. We started out after all with only one person on the rolls. That wasn't our purpose just to pay one person, our purpose was to establish a program that, after equilibrium, after maturation took place, we would be big enough to handle the rolls and to maintain them and to issue account numbers and service the employers and all of that.
Of course not every thing was going to be handled in Baltimore, but obviously we were going to have a lot of growth in the Central Office. Especially since the major operation of Accounting Operations in Baltimore was, sort of by agreement, going to remain centralized, and in terms of the technology that existed then that was a pretty good conclusion. I told you earlier about the intent within Social Security, within the Division of Accounting Operations, to assess whether a Regional dispersion of that function would be the way to go and the early determination that it would involve too many problems. That was about 1939. So that question was put to bed for a long, long time. So growth was certainly in the picture.
So I kept interjecting. I kept interjecting. I wasn't holding out for a particular map. I said many times, I would take 50 thousand, I'll take 30 thousand, but not 10. And I would want particularly, even if I was taking a lesser amount, I would want the ability in the area to be able to grow. Not be jammed in and the cap be placed by the very geographical situation in which we would be moving into.
Then we got to this offer from Knott, he offered a self-serving deal with 26 acres as I recall it, for about a 100 and so odd thousand dollars--peanuts even in those days. Of course he owned or had options on a lot of the surrounding territory. You could see what happened as a result of Social Security going there. We then got Social Security Boulevard, a big two-lane highway, and a lot of the underpinnings for the business community which developed around Social Security. Knott was advantaged by his ownership of the surrounding territory. Before we moved there it was just a farm, and in fact it was known as the Weiss farm.
Roy Touchet was very active with GSA, once we made that selection, because GSA had to handle that deal and sometimes they had some of their own axes to grind, but in this case they pretty much went the way we agreed. Even though I didn't have a major vote, I had a minor vote in those things in terms of decision making. I was effective in bringing up things that were later adopted by the decision of people above me. Oscar Pogge made that decision for BOASI and he might have been influenced by some of the arguments I made.
Anyway, I didn't feel I could oppose 26 acres, particularly because it was still surrounded by a lot vacant property. In short there were a lot more things that related to that period, but that's how we came about picking Baltimore, 26 acres in this place where we knew a beltway was going to be, that was accessible to the people who lived in the city or in the suburbs. And we got land where we could build a lot of parking space and could build a campus, which was acceptable.
But I immediately started thinking about expansion. I started working with Downey on this. Without his support we couldn't get to 1st base. Without him the development of Social Security could not have happened the way it did, which was in part dependent on, in a major way, dependent on the physical way we grew in headquarters. If we were jammed as we were before we moved, we would never have had the capacity to really run an efficient operation. It would have almost forced an operation which would have been full of problems for employees, and all the kinds of things that happen when you have politicians involved. I am not saying that this happened, but I foresaw it happening, it would have happened. When you try to close down a facility and you awaken all the wrong motivations in terms of local political reaction.
Q: Did you have to go back to the Congress for an authorization at any point in this process or for another appropriation at least?
We just went back for appropriations. We never went back for authorization. From there on we were on the appropriation track.
Herman Downey was the Clerk in the Senate Appropriations Committee and a very powerful guy who had a terrible temper, everybody was afraid of him. He was always intrigued on how to solve problems, especially if he became interested in finding the solution to do something that he thought was good. He had his own standards. He was tough and rough and sometimes he had a mean streak, I don't know whether he was mean, maybe that's not the right word, but he was, he didn't mind exercising raw power. But with this dog-eat-dog kind of existence, he came up through with Senator McKeller's machine, he became powerful and of course McKeller had a lot of power. He was not popular I'm sure. He was a very powerful Senator and I am sure that he didn't make friends, and he didn't mind grabbing the fruits of his power, and Downey was one of his key persons that helped him do those things. I had a special relationship with him. Anyway, he and I worked out an appropriation.
Now, you know you're not supposed to get into an appropriation, technically, before an authorization. If somebody does propose an appropriation that is not authorized, a single member can get up and object that it's not authorized, so it gets thrown out. We had to survive that kind of thing. Herman Downey and I worked out that we would get at the end, I think in fiscal year 1951, I could be off on the date, an annual appropriation. I think it was for around $200,000. Now obviously, $200,000 isn't going to buy you anything, even in those days. It was for planning, or some word like that. And we got it. And you know what that meant? We could forget all this going up the Hill and down the Hill for years, which we had been doing. Because once you get an appropriation, you just keep on getting appropriations on the basis of they already gave you $200,000 for planning and whatever. So the next year, we got $200,000 to do something else, additional.
I didn't break any rules, not when the Clerk of the Committee asked me to do this. Of course, he got the idea from me, but I didn't ask him. I explained to him the problem. He became convinced that the problem was worthy of getting done. And in his job, he wasn't going to be bound by these regular rules, he was an operator too. So between the two of us we did this.
I'll give you one more example with Herman, that had to do with this kind of thing. We got 26 acres, ultimately, with that first appropriation, 26 acres, and we built up the main building, etc. It was all on that first series. And then I began to be concerned, because real estate people were beginning to impinge on that pristine area, almost pristine area, to our left, where the computer building is now. That was about a hundred and some-odd acres. It was plotted years before for a community. There was a church in there, a Mormon church. There were a few houses here and there, and a lot of abandoned junk like bathtubs and all that-- people would drop things in there. So again, the routine way, and it was very tough to overcome it, was to get the Bureau of the Budget's approval in the budget to budget for more land for additional buildings. I wanted to acquire that land because I was afraid it would be eaten up by the speculators who were moving in and pressing on that. I thought that by the time we got around to being able to demonstrate an immediate need for it, it would be gone. And we would have to then consider doing what we did originally in Baltimore: build up separate installations wherever we could. And our operations at DAO particularly, I was convinced, you know, would be utterly disastrous if it had to be spread around. And I was also convinced to a lesser extent, but strongly convinced, that the operations of headquarters, where claims policy could meet with BRSI, what was then BDO (Bureau of District Office Operations) would be inhibited in our operations if they were in separate parts of Baltimore. And so to me it was vital then to get that land. Nobody else in the building was preoccupied by that; it never even came up.
So I entered into discussions with Mr. Downey, off the record. He used to come over to Baltimore to visit me at restaurants he liked; it was just for lunch, I wasn't bribing him or anything. But he liked my company, and he liked to tease me. Because he was a Southerner and had grown up in the Deep South and he looked down on Negroes. He knew that I wouldn't stand for that. You know, he teased me on that. But over time, I got him to moderate his own views on that. So he didn't get me to change; I got him to change. He became a very likeable guy.
Anyway, I negotiated with him. He said, "But the Committees always want to know when you're going to use it? They won't vote something that you're going to use for 10, 15 years from now." And I said, "well, the thing about it, Herman, is that if you play that game, you see what's going to happen. We've got to strike now to protect our ability to do it later. If we were a private business, we would have done it long ago. We would have made sure that when the price was low and the place was still available without competition, we would go and keep that. Because look at our history in those days, look at our history. It's every year we're growing X amount; that many people. And our headquarters is growing too. So it's inevitable that we're going to grow; it's just a matter of being able to give you the exact specifications for a particular year. We can make projections now." So he became convinced, he wasn't stupid. And as I say, his heart was good, but he was tough as hell, tough as nails. Meaning he was sometimes very generous to some people, to poor people; he had a real feeling for them. And he wanted to do good, but in his own way. And he said, "Well, how can we do it?" I said, "We can make projections." Then he said, "But then the problem is there are people in this Congress who will not want to buy land that's not needed immediately and dispossess people from it." And I said, "We don't have to do that." And he says, "How?" And I said, "Easy." Write the legislation so that it says, and you can check it out, legislation to say that Social Security is authorized to buy all the land adjacent to it, that the individuals who own property within it are willing to sell." And I thought I was being very smart, as fair as I wanted to be to the individuals. I said, "We won't dispossess them until we really need it. And we may not need it for 10 or 15 or 20 years."
Well, it was that language, which had never been done before, that enabled us to acquire some 127 acres or 150 acres adjacent to us. And we flowed around the individual houses. Now I thought I was being fair to them. But years later, and I'll tell you that in a minute. Anyway, the Mormon church was glad to do it; they moved, they got the money, and they moved. Furthermore, we made sure that the GSA people that were dealing with them did not deal harshly. In those days, GSA was not the complete master, although they did have the authority and we didn't. Nonetheless, they were not without fear that we might get some political support. I never have gone for political support; I am entirely apolitical in that sense. And it went through swimmingly, although the Bureau of the Budget tried to stop it later on; they said they didn't authorize it. But we overpowered them at that point.
Keep in mind that Roy Touchet was my boss, so he was in on all of this. But after that I was the one who took the lead and I always of course fully apprized my boss, and whatever direction that he gave I followed. But the major force was my connection with Downey. He had influence, not only with the reaction that the Senate gave to our action, but he also influenced indirectly the Bureau of the Budget's reaction. They didn't want to stir his animus up, although they wouldn't hesitate to do so on something major. But if there wasn't any major directive to the contrary, some current priority to something that was involved, they wouldn't stir up Downey. Roy Wynkoop and the Department were also similarly influenced. They had a lot of "fish to fry" with him and they didn't want to get into any hassles with him. Furthermore, they decided to ride the coattails of Social Security and they did.
What was in effect an initial relationship with Herman and I expanded to include Roy Wynkoop and Bob Brown, who were the people I reported to up the line. They often would all come over to Baltimore and I would take them out to lunch, at a certain place, Goeitz, where there was some delicacy, just ordinary eggs, whatever with ham, Smithfield ham. This was a well-known restaurant at that time, not fancy. It was very well served, but not expensive. I am not talking about a place where only the highest economic rank would go to. It was a place where ordinary people would go, but it had a very good reputation in those days. And they would come over and spend the day in Baltimore.
So we were all on the team together. Roy Wynkoop, who was Bill Mitchell's executive officer, and before Bill Mitchell, Arthur Altmeyer's, and in the interim, Schottland and a number of other Commissioners we had. Then Bob Brown, who was Marion Stieffens "man," and who handled the budget. Marion Stieffen was the DHEW Assistant Secretary for Finance--I don't remember the right title.
Q: Did Herman Downey or any of the members of the Congress try to influence the site selection that you came up with?
Not in those days. Not to my knowledge. I wasn't entirely in the "loop" on things coming the other way. Although I would be in the loop for most of it. Some of it that never got very far may never have gotten to me. But the dominate measure, the dominate force was that axis. When we got ready to get additional appropriations we got it through the regular budget. You see, both Wynkoop and Bob Brown were in the budget process.
Prior to my coming into that process as Budget Officer, the major emphasis was getting an authorization to build and influencing the Congress, visiting individual Congressmen, and the head of buildings and whatever. We had a Chairman that lived in Baltimore, I forget his name, but the post office building, I think, was named after him. He wasn't particularly favorably inclined, maybe he was completely unaware, but he was an operator on buildings, public buildings, I mean a political operator within the Congress. But I never was aware of his interest or lack of interest in the Social Security Building. He had other fish, apparently, to fry.
Q: Tell me a little bit about the construction then. Did we have to do a lot of planning and preparation and all of that stuff?
We hired two architectural firms, of which I cannot tell you the names now. Dick Ayers was the lead man, Ayers and Saints, I think. But Ayers and Saints are, I think, a firm that is in business currently, they may have some change of name now. There was another architectural firm that was associated them. The other guy was from Texas, the lead man from the other firm, was a "hale guy," you know, "well-met," slapped you on the back, ho! ho! ho! and told good stories and all of that. I didn't have much to do. Dick Ayers was sort of the intellectual leader of the group and through him we got a complete mutual understanding of the kinds of atmosphere and surrounding that we were seeking from the physical layout, from the interrelationship between the various aspects of the buildings, to the kind of auditorium and other facilities that we would want, and in general the kinds of offices we would want for the Commissioner, etc. I remember particularly that I had a lot to do with the Multi-Purpose Room, that idea was mine. I suggested to him that we not have an auditorium in the standard way, but that we have these removable doors that would enable us to go from 500 in the auditorium on an occasion to a thousand. I wonder if they still do it?
Q: Oh yes we still do it. We do it the exactly the same way.
Then shut it off and use the two rooms separately.
Q: Yes, we still do it today.
It was wonderful to have that Multi-Purpose Room and precisely where it was and the kind of outside arrangement we wanted. We wanted something pleasant. I am of course, giving you what I know and what I was responsible for. Others too, I am sure, had their way with Dick, but my focus was on interrelating to the community, so that had an effect on the lobby and the layout and the attractiveness of the whole thing to the community. So that it would be an enhancement, would be regarded as an enhancement rather than a negative influence on the community. And so it was. Those people were proud.
When I was in charge of the facilities, later on, I established sort of a general rule that we wanted to interrelate to the community. We didn't want to keep the building "up on the hill" away from the public, we wanted to blend in the community and we looked benignly, I looked benignly, on the use of our lobby by the retired folks who would come in for no other purpose than to have a nice experience, etc. They asked for permission to use our cafeteria and I said, "by all means." You know I often was called upon and I told them, "sure." We would give them passes when we established some kind of fairly lenient security measures, not with all of the police around and all of that, so that they could still come in. I've gotten a little off of the topic, but I think that it is part of the atmosphere with which we dealt with Dick Ayers. He also had major responsibilities for the esthetics, the color schemes that we established in the various parts of the building, and of course he was very expert in knowing which colors were effective for which areas. So Dick Ayers lead the team which continued to be associated with us even when we built the Annex.
We had the Social Security Building, the Altmeyer Building, and the Accounting Operations in the back, and I think that we then had Disability in the East Building I guess, and then we needed more space to expand in, so we built the Annex, and then the West Building.
The Annex was first, and of course Dick Ayers and his outfit were the people that we worked with. GSA, we had to work with GSA, did all of the legal contract work, we didn't have that authority. But as I said, in those days they didn't feel constrained to try to give us much direction. I personally did not have direct dealings with GSA. Roy Touchet loved to handle that part of it and he was quite friendly with them and he knew the people there and that was where he spent most of his attention. He also had a close relationship with Dick Ayers who was the architect I'm talking about. So they led that. When they developed the architectural plans then they went to GSA to do the building for construction. There was I'm sure politics in that end, but I personally had no involvement that I can recollect now. If there was any it was of just incidental nature, with who was to get the contract. I'm sure GSA had its own considerations when they made awards, but there was no public discussion of it. Nobody that I was aware of within the community of builders and contractors really raised an outcry that this was unfair, that this was politics. They were sort of routinely done. I think the guy who did the East Building, the contractor on the East Building, he missed time after time the sub-dates, they were always calling for adjustments. Ultimately it got built you know, but not lickety-split right on-time.
Q: Now were you involved in the planning of the physical move and who was going to be where and how you were going to move everybody and did you get involved in any of that?
What are we talking about, the move from Baltimore?
Q: Yes, from the other buildings, Equitable and from Candler. I imagine if it were nothing else it was a big logistics problem.
What was it 1961?
Q: It was 1960 I think.
1960. Yes, but in 1960 I was no longer in the Candler Building. In 1960 I was the Fiscal Officer or Financial Officer.
Q: You were in Equitable at that point?
I was in Equitable, but the Branch of Administrative Planning and Management, or whatever--the Division--was under Roy Touchet. They had involvement in that, the Supply and Service outfit. I don't remember whether that was the official title of the organization, but they handled those physical things.
Q: I guess the thing that I really want to get a little information about is just the transition to the new facility, any stories you can tell me about moving in and getting things set up?
My recollection now is that it was very, very smooth. That the actual physical moving of the machines, the IBM machines, was well coordinated. I believe that it was scheduled in a way that we didn't actually move a lot of equipment that IBM had. We established in the new building the later versions, the newer versions. To some extent, I couldn't offhand tell you in detail, but it sticks in my mind that these enormous machines, which today are hardly the equivalent of a desktop computer, which required air conditioning rooms and under-floor cabling and all of that stuff and many, many reels of tape, were pioneering things on the part of IBM that we were very much involved in. Because we in effect were their laboratory. We were the ones that were identifying needs and that would be worth some review at some point. How IBM really moved from being a producer of National Cash Register machines to a punch card system machine maker of very limited outlook, and how that outlook was suddenly magnified many times in terms of business systems by the necessity to invent a collator, a collator machine that performed the function that we wanted performed in matching our master records against income items reported by employers. And how to match them, you know, on what characters, etc. We led the way in photographic developments, that were married to the data processing operation.
Q: I imagine that everybody was happy to be out in Woodlawn?
Yes that is the other point that I was going to mention myself, but I'm glad that you reminded me. It was one of those things that was a happy event, it was looked forward to. The vast majority of people were delighted with their new working situation, their cafeteria, the whole ambiance of the campus and also the fact that the building was for us. It increased the stature, the obvious stature of Social Security from a number of different offices, which were helter skelter, various kinds of leftovers from commercial use that we occupied, to a building built especially for us. So it was a relatively joyous event and of course was very good, I think, although I am speaking not without any particular evidence or study of it, that it was very good for the morale of the organization, contributed to it. It contributed to the attractiveness of working for Social Security in Baltimore.


text:
Results tagged ' Matt Wieters '
Around the MLB.com Blogs
This one's for the dogs: Fenway the Dog is a dog's eye view of the Red Sox. Written from the perspective of Fenway, the team's official service dog in training, the blog aims to raise awareness of the amazing work done by these invaluable canine companions. And Dallas Latos, wife of Reds pitcher Mat Latos, posted about their dog, Balls. Leaving it at that.
One of my favorite posts of the year is when Spring becomes official and our good friend Murray Cook shares lawn-care tips with the rest of us. Murray, who has been a groundskeeping consultant to the Commissioner's Office since 1989 and most recently has been ensuring that the Tokyo Dome is ready for MLB's openers, is one of our original MLBloggers, as his forever-capitalized MURRAY COOK'S FIELD & BALLPARK BLOG was created just moments after Tommy Lasorda's World got us started on April 18, 2005. Feel free to ask Murray questions and you also can follow him on Twitter @cookmurray.Mitch Williams writes on his MLB.com Blog Wild Things that the Orioles should follow the Rays' model. See what the MLB Network studio analyst and MLB.com columnist has to say about Matt Wieters in this post, leave comments and share.
So, did you see where Ozzie Guillen has been living during Spring Training? He blogged some pics.
Want your blog promoted on MLB.com Blogs? Just say so with a blog post, use the "Jumbo MLBlogs" tag, and include a (good) 480×270 graphic in your post that we might be able to snatch for use as a Jumbo panel to feature it.
Contest alert from Erik at Counting Baseballs. And by the way, he is on a torrid page-view run and closing fast on Rays Renegade and Baseball Collector atop the FANS category of Latest Leaders. Can they hold him off? Will post the next Latest Leaders around April 1.
Speaking of Latest Leaders, one MLB.com beat writer is running away with the overall crown for most page views by any MLB.com blogger in March. Will see if you can guess what team she covers and then check back to see if she stayed in front.Will it be the Year of Kansas City? The All-Star Game is headed there in July, and a rising young team could surprise a lot of people, especially with Jonathan Sanchez on the hill. For a reminder of their young talent, take a look at the post on Around the Horn in KC. It's a nice look at the Omaha ring ceremony for the 2011 Pacific Coast League title. Will winning rise up through the ranks? Anything can happen in today's Major League Baseball.
If you ever need a hand around here, remember that our good friends at WordPress.com (capably) handle all blog Support, so use their contact page as needed. You also can post comments here whenever you wish and I see them immediately and follow up if I can help. Do not contact MLB.com subscription product customer service people for blogs needs, as they have nothing to do with that since last June.
Do you know what Giants World is? Pretty cool. Find out on the club's photo blog.
Nationals fans have to follow Curly W Live — took another step forward in Spring Training and will be even more must-follow starting Opening Day.
Welcome back to the Tigers. When you see what we mean, you will growl.
Want to see what a Japan Opening Series ticket looks like? Check it out.
New look on the MLB.com Fantasy 411 blog, check it out. Oh, and make sure to follow my colleagues Mike & Cory so you can dominate your league.
If you have FB, TW & Pinterest pages, then you have to have an MLB.com Blog as well. Your brain is big enough, and you can have your FB and TW streams on the side panel to encourage Likes and follows. Every time you post, set it so it becomes a blurb on your social pages. A blog is a key part of the overall arsenal…more than ever, in fact. That's why so many Major League clubs start blogs year-round.
Seen a great MLB.com Blog post? Let us know in the comments with full URL please, and tell everyone to blog at http://MLB.com/blogs

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The diesel technology agriculture concentration will teach you the basic knowledge and skills needed to service and repair diesel and gas-powered equipment. In addition to classroom study, students receive over 1,000 hours of lab training and 360 hours of actual experience through a summer cooperative internship program.
You'll learn to repair and test diesel fuel systems, engines, hydraulic systems, electronic control systems, power trains, brakes, electrical systems, and air conditioning systems, as well as gaining experience with various hand tools and test equipment. Related courses in math, computers, communications, human relations, and personal and business finance are included to prepare students for the world of work and to enhance technical skills.
Classes are held Monday through Thursday, allowing for a three-day weekend. Wayne State College will accept up to 66 credit hours from Northeast to apply to a bachelor of science degree in technology. (Enrollment in this program is limited and based on the date of completed requirements for acceptance into this program. )
We also have an established summer internship program that will provide you with on-the-job training. This is a great way to network with future employers.
Increasingly, diesel technicians must be versatile to adapt to customers' needs and new technologies. It is common for technicians to handle all kinds of repairs, working on an electrical system one day and doing major engine repairs the next. Diesel maintenance is becoming increasingly complex, as more electronic components are used to control the operation of an engine. Employment of diesel service technicians and mechanics is expected to grow over the next decade. Many skilled technicians are expected to retire and will need to be replaced.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average salary for farm equipment mechanics in Nebraska is $34,902.
You have one option available when enrolling in this program of study.
Northeast Community College, 801 East Benjamin Ave, Norfolk,
Nebraska 68701
phone: 402-371-2020 | tollfree: 1-800-348-9033 | email:
© Northeast Community College 2020. All Rights Reserved.
Northeast does not discriminate based upon any protected status. Please refer to our nondiscrimination section and privacy statement for more information.


text:
Universal reports that Furious 7 once again held first place on Friday with an estimated $8.3 million, down 56 percent from last Friday. That brings the well-received blockbuster sequel's domestic total up to $273.65 million through 15 days of release, just 3 percent behind where The Hunger Games stood at the same point in its release during the same time of year in 2012. The studio projects a very strong $25.5 million third frame.
Opening in second place yesterday, Sony's Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 bowed to $7.3 million, giving Kevin James his best opening day as the leading man in five years. The sequel to 2009's surprise hit comedy was off 25 percent from its predecessor's first day take and is expected by the studio to land around $22 million for its opening weekend. Unfortunately, early reviews score a flat 0 percent out of 37 critic entries on Rotten Tomatoes, while the audience score sits at just 58 percent. Given the target audience, however, the film is expected to play somewhat better with families than the Internet crowd, but don't expect long legs for this entry as with the first pic. Overall, with a $30 million production budget, this is certainly a successful opening.
Universal's Unfriended took in $6.8 million in its first day yesterday. By comparison, last year's Oculus took in $4.97 million on its first day. The horror-suspense aimed at teens and young adults had been the recipient of big social media buzz for the past few months (mainly Facebook), but that hype peaked a bit too soon and prevented a larger breakout. At 66 percent, critics are favoring the film slightly more than audiences (56 percent). That said, this debut still bests studio expectations and should be considered a success for the low-budget pic. Universal is projecting a $16.2 million opening weekend.
Home claimed fourth place yesterday with another $2.425 million, off over 56 percent from last week. The DreamWorks hit animation has tallied $134.7 million to date and is projected to earn $10.4 million this weekend.
In fifth place, The Longest Ride dropped 56.5 percent from opening day last week to $2.4 million yesterday. With $19.1 million in the bank through eight days of release, the film is pacing nearly 32 percent ahead of fellow Nicholas Sparks adaptation The Best of Me. Look for a $7.5 million sophomore frame.
Also opening this weekend, DisneyNature's Monkey Kingdom pulled $1.55 million yesterday. While that's down from Bears' $2.3 million first day last year, this is the first DisneyNature release to receive a standard Friday opening while also lacking the aid of Good Friday-boosted grosses. That said, opening weekend should land around $4.7 million. Early reviews are enthusiastic with a 93 percent critics' score, and a modest 72 percent audience score.
Meanwhile, opening in semi-limited release this weekend was True Story, a dramatic feature starring Jonah Hill and James Franco. The pic earned $685,000 from 831 locations on opening day, making for an $824 per-screen average. For the weekend, the film could bring in around $1.9 million.
Also opening in limited release, Child 44 brought in $0.23 million from 510 locations yesterday, giving it a $443 per-theater average. BoxOffice projects a $0.7 million opening frame for the under-the-radar flick led by Tom Hardy.


text:
Adult Protective Services
Disabled adults are vulnerable to abuse, neglect, and exploitation. County departments of social services receive and evaluate reports to determine whether disabled adults are in need of protective services and what services are needed (as required by Article 6, Chapter 108A of the North Carolina General Statutes).
If you have a concern that an elderly or disabled adult is being exploited, abused or neglected, you can make a report at 336-342-1394, ext. 7168 or 336-342-3537 after normal business hours.
County agencies protect adults by:
Guardianship Services
Guardianship services are provided to an adult who is alleged to lack informed capacity and who may be in need of a guardian. The service includes the assessment of an adult individual's need for guardianship; activities aimed at locating the appropriate person(s) to serve as guardian(s); and providing information to the family on the process to petition for the adjudication of incompetence. Additionally, if an individual is found to lack informed consent and the Clerk of Court has deemed the individual an incompetent adult, the agency may be appointed as legal guardian for an incompetent adult if no other appropriate individual or family is capable to serve. When the agency is appointed to be guardian, ongoing case work with clients for whom the agency's director or assistant director has been appointed as guardian is also part of this service. The following web site provide additional information concerning guardianship:
Adult Placement Services are activities necessary to assist aging or disabled individuals and their families or representatives in finding substitute homes or residential health care facilities suitable to their needs when they are unable to remain in their current living situations. Activities include completing an initial screening and assessment while providing guidance to help the individual and his family/representative to determine the need for initial or continued placement; assisting in the process for completing necessary financial application and medical evaluations; helping to locate and secure placement in a suitable setting and level of care and supporting an individual and his family or representative in the individual's transition from one location to another.
For assistance with mental health or developmental disability placement services, please contact the appropriate MCO (link is provided by county): http://www.ncdhhs.gov/mhddsas/lmeonblue.htm
Adult and Family Care Home Monitoring
Social work staff routinely monitor licensed family care homes (6 beds or less) and adult care homes (7 beds or more) to ensure compliance with the rule and regulations according to General Statutes 131D-2(b)(1a). The social work staff will receive complaints and complete investigations; submit corrective actions and plans of protections; then follow up on the corrective actions of homes which are out of compliance. If you would like to file a complaint on a family care home or adult care home in Rockingham County, please call: 342-1394, ext. 7168 during normal business hours or at 336-342-3537 when the agency is closed.
Children and Families Prevention Services
This program provides social work intervention services which, in addition to core services, protect and promote the welfare of children, including the strengthening of their own homes where possible. Activities include gathering information about and assessing the needs and problems of a child within the context of family interaction, environment and/or coping patterns; helping a child and the family gain insights into and understanding of their needs and problems, and assisting them to know about and use other services and resources available to them. Activities also include collaborating on a case by case basis with individuals in other systems (e.g., judicial, health, education) to plan with and support a child and those involved with him through a crisis or an at-risk situation. These services may also include purchases to alleviate non-recurring, episodic events impacting the child's welfare.
Integrated Case Management Services
This program coordinates, and/or monitors the delivery of health related/medical services on behalf of adults who have health or behavioral health conditions which have a significant impact on their day to day functioning. Social work staff will link the individual and family with Medicaid service providers to plan, carry out and maintain a health service plan. Examples of services include:
Indigent Cremation Assistance:
Assistance is offered to families who may not have resources to bury or cremate a loved one. Families will not receive any other benefits, such a funeral service. Families are encouraged to discuss their options with the funeral home of their choice. Inquiries should be directed through the funeral home.
General Assistance:
This program is designed to help families with children through a short-term crisis. This program can be used to pay or help pay past due rent to avoid eviction, final notices or disconnected utilities when the usual means of payment has discontinued through no fault of the client or there was unexpected expenses. The program is not intended to subsidize those who have created their own emergencies. It is not intended for those who have experienced no change in income, but simply failed to budget for routine household bills.
What to Bring:
The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) provides for a one-time payment to help eligible low income families pay their heating bills.
Services for the Blind
This program provides services to enable the blind and visually impaired to function at their highest level of independence and self-sufficiency in everyday life. Staff will provide services such as specialized counseling and teaching services to visually impaired persons. For additional information, please contact 336-342-1394 ext. 7117.


text:
UH announces recipients of the 2006 Hung Wo and Elizabeth Lau Ching Foundation AwardUniversity of Hawaiʻi
External Affairs & University Relations
The University of Hawaiʻi has announced the recipients of the 2006 Hung Wo and Elizabeth Lau Ching Foundation Award for Faculty Service to the Community. The award recognizes significant contributions that strengthen ties between the university and the community. Established in 1997, it is presented annually to two faculty members (one female and one male) from Mānoa and two from other UH campuses.
Patricia Lanoie Blanchette, chair and professor of the Department of Geriatric Medicine at the John A. Burns School of Medicine, is recognized by her peers for being a committed leader in gerontology and geriatrics. Blanchette developed a formal gerontology and geriatric medicine curriculum for medical students, residents and fellows, to educate them about normal and pathologic human aging, the aging society and the provision of excellent medical care to elders. Her leadership resulted in one of the largest and best academic geriatric programs in the country. Blanchette also gives her time by serving on various local and national organizations such as: the Board of Medical Examiners, the Hawaii Medical Association, the Medical Executive Committee, Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific, the Alzheimer's Association, among many others.
Charles H. Fletcher, professor of geology and geophysics in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at UH Mānoa, is acknowledged for his devotion and team-building efforts in establishing new guidelines and policy for the protection of Hawaiʻi's shorelines and beaches. Over the last 15 years, Fletcher has worked closely with the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources and various county planning departments to nourish Hawaiʻi's beaches. He wrote the Hawaiʻi Coastal Erosion Mangement Plan, the state's only comprehensive plan, to address coastal erosion problems. In addition to his outstanding community service, Fletcher created an internationally-recognized research program at the school that has attracted more than $5 million in extramural grants to the university.
Linda Nishigaya, professor of sociology at the University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu, is honored for using her sociological insights and social research skills to benefit the university and the larger community. Nishigaya has touched many people and organizations on various levels. In the classroom, she continues to provide opportunities for her students to exceed as future sociologists by developing and implementing innovative courses into her curriculum. Nishigaya also generously gives her time to organizations like Upward Bound and the National Guard Youth Challenge, the Institute for Human Services, Hansen's Disease Settlement at Kalaupapa on Molokai, Hospice of Hawaiʻi, among many others. The Catholic Church community in the Makiki area, particularly Sacred Hearts Parish, have benefited from her recommendations in program planning.
Ken Staton, associate professor of music at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, has been a guiding force in bringing excellent orchestral music to the Big Island. His passion for music and for teaching is obvious through his years of service to the university. Staton created the first University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Orchestra, comprised of highly skilled students and community musicians from all over the Big Island and the other islands. The orchestra has created a sense of pride within the community. Staton also coordinates activities for the Hilo Community Chorus and oversees the university's chamber singers, an elite performance ensemble. Staton is instrumental in attaining major grants and donations to support his efforts in bringing professional musicians to Hilo to work with the students and community members.
The recipients will be recognized for their contributions to the university along with other UH award recipients at a system-wide ceremony in September:
For more information, visit: http://www.hawaii.edu/about/awards/index.html


text:
Late yesterday, news about the White House's opening offer on the fiscal cliff began to leak to the media.
One of the key ideas to emerge was that the president would push to put an end to the debt ceiling. Under the new plan, Congress would have to vote to block a debt ceiling hike rather than vote to raise the debt ceiling. A debt ceiling vote would effectively become a ceremonial vote.
This morning, Business Insider's Joe Weisenthal was on Bloomberg TV with Roger Altman, chairman of Evercore Partners and former assistant treasury secretary.
Weisenthal asked Altman if he agreed with Geithner's proposal [3 minute mark]:
"Yes it is a good idea. There are a lot of anachronisms in Washington, but the need to periodically raise the debt limit by Congressional vote is certainly one of them.
It's crazy. As we all know the budget decisions which give rise to increased debt are what counts, and the debt is just a by-product of those budget decisions.
So the whole idea that you have a budget on the one hand, but then have to raise the debt ceiling through a separate process is nonsensical."
Watch the interview at Bloomberg TV:
SEE ALSO: The Ultimate Guide To The Fiscal Cliff >


text:
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Does She Live in a Mansion?
I was talking to a friend yesterday, a non-writing friend. We were talking about my novels and I mentioned to her that a friend of mine had signed a contract for her first novel last year.
"So does she live in a mansion now?"
I'm pretty sure my mouth fell open. Fortunately, we were on the phone so she couldn't see my expression.
"Um, no. She lives about a block away from me."
I bit my tongue to keep from saying more. I know how much my friend's advance was and I can guarantee it wouldn't cover the property tax, let alone buy a whole new house! And I know other writers who have published multiple books and still live pretty much the same lifestyle that they had before.
So where does this misconception come from? Very few people get the big advances. Fewer still reach the level of J.K. Rowling (who is reportedly worth more than the queen of England).
Luckily, I'm not in it for the money. I mean, sure, I'd LOVE to make a ton of money from my books. But I write because I love to write. And I want to someday hold a book in my hands that has my name on it. And hide behind the stacks and watch someone actually pay to own one of my books.
Mansions are for famous athletes, actors and reality stars. I don't want to have to clean that much. I'd rather move into Barnes & Noble. Right under the shelf that has my books :)
18 comments:
- Kelly H-Y said...
That is so true ... I think some of that misconception also comes from stars who publish books ... the publishing companies know they can easily market and sell their books, so they get huge advances! People have no idea your regular author may get only about 1%-10% and - if they're lucky - a small advance! You are so right about the cleaning ... a mansion would be too much! :-)
- March 5, 2009 at 3:48 PM
- Kelly Polark said...
I remember when a children's author (Jamie Gilson) came to my school when I was in fifth grade. Someone asked her how much money she made. She answered it politely, but made sure we understood that it really wasn't that much!
- March 5, 2009 at 5:51 PM
- PJ Hoover said...
Hey, it's a picture of my house!!!!
Yeah, this is such a funny thing. But way back when, I used to think it, too :)
- March 5, 2009 at 6:49 PM
That is funny!
Mansions are overrated. You can only be in one room at a time.
- March 5, 2009 at 8:52 PM
- Sarah Laurenson said...
McMansion maybe.
The misconception is interesting, but I like your idea of living in a bookstore. Much more practical for me since that's where most of my 'extra' money goes.
- March 5, 2009 at 9:40 PM
- Sherrie Petersen said...
Kelly H-Y -- You're right that the "stars" with the big advances make it seem like all writers make a fortune
Kelly -- How cool that you remember meeting that author! See, school visits pay off!
PJ -- I snuck into your back yard to snap this photo :^)
Tara -- Mansions are overrated. Blame Robin Leach :^)
Sarah -- All my extra money goes to books, too...
- March 5, 2009 at 10:21 PM
- Rena Jones said...
I keep hearing this sort of thing too. "Remember us little people when you're rich & famous." Ummm, I write picture books, so that might take awhile. It's funny how people think getting a book published will earn you millions of dollars.
- March 6, 2009 at 6:48 AM
- Michelle D. Argyle said...
Yeah, I hear this all the time. I would never expect anything like that! The percentage of authors who make it BIG time is so miniscule that no newbie published author should actually expect it to happen to them! I wouldn't want it anyway. I like my life simple, thank you. :)
Thanks for a great post!
- March 6, 2009 at 8:07 AM
This is funny--do people really think writers make a lot of money? I guess maybe books ARE getting more expensive to buy, but still...Whatever happened to the image of the starving writer in the garrett? (Not that I want to go THERE, either!)
- March 6, 2009 at 2:08 PM
However, I think people authors should make more than athletes. Their work is more valuable!
- March 6, 2009 at 7:14 PM
- Sherrie Petersen said...
Rena -- See, it's that Robin Leach thing...Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Children's Book Authors! Ha!
Glam -- I like my simple life, too :)
Becky -- I guess people don't think writers are artists, especially since we're not starving...
Meredith -- Writing is SO much more worthwhile than carrying a ball. Those sports figures get more in one year than anyone should need in a lifetime!
- March 6, 2009 at 9:44 PM
- Suzanne Casamento said...
I think most people who aren't in the publishing industry are under the impression that authors make tons of money. People have asked me what I'm going to do with all the money. WHAT money???
I like your idea of living in a bookstore. Great idea for a book. In fact, I remember a book from when I was kid called, "Help, I'm a Prisoner in the Library."
Not a bad place to be imprisoned!
- March 7, 2009 at 8:41 AM
- Beth Kephart said...
Oh, this is so true, so very true. Writers and architects—the romanticized professions. Most of us, I can assure you, have day jobs!
- March 8, 2009 at 7:27 AM
- Shelli (srjohannes) said...
i feel the same way - but I woulnd't mind a mini-mansion that someone else cleaned :)
- March 8, 2009 at 12:10 PM
- Sherrie Petersen said...
Suzanne -- You write it, I'll read it -- I would LOVE to be locked in a bookstore :^)
Beth -- We can all dream about being able to ditch the day job, huh?
Shelli -- Yeah, I guess if you can afford the mansion, you can afford the cleaners, too :^)
- March 8, 2009 at 9:32 PM
- C.R. Evers said...
I think it's 2 things. 1st is the movies and t.v. They always seem to portray writers as those who hermit themselves away in a European country-side retreat or a posh NYC loft or a Mansion in Beverly Hills.
and then there's the real life media. The only authors they tend to talk about are the ones who are making lots of $$$$$.
Well--I guess there's a 3rd thing too. Most people don't really like to write, so they probably figure that writing wouldn't be worth it unless there was some good $ involved. ;0)
Those are my guesses.
- March 12, 2009 at 10:09 AM
- Kimberley Troutte said...
I think I might know this author down the street from you. Mansions are overrated. I lived in one once and had to clean six toilets. *Shivers*. Of course a mansion equipped with cleaning service might not be so bad, except then people other than your family sort your underwear. Nope. I don't need a mansion, just give me the people I love around me, a comfy bed, a working computer, and spending money to go out to eat with friends.
- March 13, 2009 at 11:15 AM
- lotusgirl said...
Great post! So true. It is a lot to clean, and I hate cleaning.
- March 13, 2009 at 10:49 PM


text:
With a matter of minutes until the first foursome match kicks off in Chicago, I wanted to explain why I'm more excited than usual to watch the battle between USA and Europe rekindled once again (and yes it may have something to do with the rather long spell since my last post). The truth is that since the high emotions and superhuman efforts of the Olympic and Paralympic athletes, it has been difficult to find that same level of sporting drama and entertainment.
Of course, when I say this to other sports fans they stare in some disbelief, as if I'm not aware that the new football season is well under way. This is true and, so far, both the English Premier League and Champions League have started from where they left off, with plenty of goals and unexpected comebacks already. Real Madrid's dramatic 3-2 victory in the Bernabeu has been one of the highlights. Continue reading


text:
This is the 2012-13 version of the NBDA's Cost of Doing Business study, conducted every two years. Specialty bicycle retailers were surveyed in early 2012, with most answering based on the full 2011 calendar year.
This unique research effort for bicycle shops represents the most up-to-date comparative financial performance information available anywhere. This study is designed to serve as an easy-to understand tool for industry firms to evaluate their own company's operating results in order to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses, and improvement opportunities.
During the spring of 2012, the National Bicycle Dealers Association mailed a strictly confidential survey questionnaire to all NBDA member firms, as well as a random sample of non-member firms
The survey collected detailed financial and operating information from industry operators by sales revenue size, store type, geographic region, and number of locations.
The NBDA Cost of Doing Business Survey was compiled, tabulated and prepared by Industry Insights, Inc., headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, a professional research and consulting firm which specializes in industry operating surveys, compensation studies, educational programs and customized research services. Completed surveys were returned in strictest confidence through early June, to Industry Insights, Inc. In all, 71 bicycle retailing firms responded to the survey, providing completed and usable questionnaires to Industry Insights for processing. All company identification, if any, was removed from each questionnaire and only a confidential identification code remained. The data was then coded, keyed, and edited by Industry Insights' financial analysts for validity. Computer processing was performed on all data to insure statistical validity and to produce the financial and operating ratios contained in this study.
Using this information, bicycle retailers can compare their own figures with other firms in their revenue category; with other single or multi-store operators; with stores of similar size; with stores of a particular geographic region, and with the high profit firms (i.e., those in the upper 25% based on before tax return on assets). Spotting significant differences between your own store's performance and the industry composites can be the first step toward improving performance. However, deviations from industry norms do not automatically call for some action.
To use this report, determine which of the above data groups pertain to your operation so that you can compare your own store's results to retailers that are comparable to your own. Be concerned only with those sections of the report that are relevant to your business.
Price: $75. NBDA member price: $35 delivered as PDF file only.


text:
Christ Is Risen!
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
A close friend of mine is in the hospital with a severe infection in his leg. Late this last winter he took a nasty fall on some ice and broke his leg and ankle in several places. He was patched back together with some added hardware. Anyways, his body apparently ended up rejecting the hardware and that was taken out about a week ago. Things have not healed as planned. He went back into the hospital last night and has been on IV antibiotics for the last 24 hours and they are not working as hoped. The doctors are considering another surgery tomorrow morning if things don't improve through the night. My friend is worried that he might lose his leg. I have no idea if that is a logical fear or not. Anyways, please pray that his leg is healed.
Page created in 0.069 seconds with 24 queries.


text:
- "Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size, and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it."
- —Excerpt from Most Macabre Monstrosities.[src]
The Basilisk is a giant serpent, also known as the King of Serpents. It is a creature bred by Dark Wizards. Herpo the Foul was the first to breed a Basilisk; he accomplished this by hatching a chicken egg beneath a toad which resulted in the creature known as a Basilisk. Basilisk breeding was banned in Medieval times. The practice can be hidden when the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures comes to check by simply removing the egg from the toad.
Although classified as an XXXXX creature, meaning it is a known wizard-killer that cannot be domesticated due to its immense powers, because the Basilisk is still a serpent, a Parselmouth may place a Basilisk under his or her control. This depends on the relationship between the Basilisk and the Parselmouth, as Tom Riddle, alias Lord Voldemort, was the only one who could command Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk, while Harry Potter had no control over it.
The Basilisk can grow up to fifty feet in length, and is a dark green colour with large yellow eyes. These eyes have the power to instantly kill anyone who looks into them. If the victim looks indirectly at the Basilisk's eyes, such as its reflection, they will merely become Petrified, as was the case with Hermione Granger and Colin Creevey, however Myrtle (commonly known as Moaning Myrtle) was not so fortunate, and looked directly into the Basilisk's eyes, which resulted in her dying immediately. Another way of surviving a Basilisk's gaze is by seeing it through another object. Another example mentioned above was when Colin Creevey saw it through his camera, resulting in his petrification and his camera lens becoming melted. Justin Finch-Fletchley saw the Basilisk through the translucent Nearly-Headless-Nick, and both were petrified. Sir Nicholas, being a ghost, was already dead; as such, he only became Petrified as well, although he did look at the beast's eyes directly. This petrification seems quite powerful, as even the Elder Wand-wielding Dumbledore concluded that the only way to reverse the effect was through the use of Mandrake Restorative Draughts. It is also known for its ability to squeeze itself through pipes.
Phoenixes are immune to this deadly gaze, and spiders, such as Aragog and his ever-growing clan, are terrified of the Basilisk, and describe it as their enemy, refusing to even speak of it or mention its name.[1]
The Basilisk's sharp fangs are full of deadly venom, powerful enough to kill a human in a matter of minutes; Phoenix tears are the only known cure. It can also damage inanimate objects so thoroughly that they are impossible to restore, and thus it is one of the few substances powerful enough to destroy a Horcrux. The venom is potent even long after death. Basilisk skin is armoured like that of a dragon's, which deflects spells cast upon it. The Basilisk sheds its skin at intervals, like all other snakes, when it grows.
Basilisks can live a natural life of at least nine hundred years, though Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk lived for approximately a thousand years. This is accomplished by using Parseltongue to put the creature into a deep sleep that prevents it from aging, similar to suspended animation. Their mortal weakness is the crowing of a rooster. Basilisks feed off vertebrate animals. The male can be distinguished from the female by a single scarlet plume on its head.
Basilisk's venom
- Hermione: "It doesn't have to be a basilisk fang. It has to be something so destructive that the Horcrux can't repair itself. Basilisk venom only has one antidote, and it's incredibly rare —"
- Harry: "— phoenix tears."
- — Harry Potter and Hermione Granger on how to destroy Horcruxes using Basilisk venom.[src]
Basilisk venom is an extremely poisonous substance that only has one known cure: phoenix tears. Basilisk venom is so powerful that it can kill a person within minutes, making the person drowsy and blurry-visioned before they die. It has a very long lasting effect which still remains potent even up to five years or more after the snake has died. The venom is one of the very rare few known substances that can destroy Horcruxes.
When Harry Potter slew Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk with Godric Gryffindor's Sword in 1993, the sword became imbued with the basilisk's venom, giving it the ability to destroy Horcruxes.
Basilisk egg
A Basilisk egg is the egg of said creature. They are chicken eggs hatched beneath a toad, thus creating the deadly King of Serpents. This method was first discovered by Herpo the Foul, in Ancient Greece, and has been banned since medieval times.
The Ancient Greek basil(eus) means "king", with the suffix -iskos being a diminutive, the whole having the sense of "princeling" or the like, purportedly for the crown-like white spot on its head.
Behind the scenes
- According to Igor Karkaroff, Alastor Moody has smashed apart a birthday present that he thought in paranoia was a cleverly disguised basilisk egg before finding out it was a carriage clock.[2]
- The basilisk is often confused with the cockatrice, but the basilisk is born from a chicken's egg hatched beneath a toad, while the cockatrice is hatched by a chicken's egg incubated by a serpent. The cockatrice is also usually depicted with wings, while the basilisk is not.
- Although an average basilisk is said to have an average lifespan of 900 years Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk lived for approximately 1000 years, being there since Slytherin built the Chamber of Secrets around that time.
- In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, the basilisk is male because it has a red plume on its head.
- Newt Scamander stated in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them that there have been no recorded sightings of Basilisks in Britain for the last 400 years. Harry Potter wrote in his copy of the book "that's what you think".
- Wearing glasses will not protect a person from the fatal effect of the basilisk's stare, because glasses still allow one's line of vision to connect directly and clearly with the serpent's eyes, unlike looking in a mirror or through a camera.[3]
- It has been theorized that spiders fear basilisks because arachnids can see 360-degrees around them and cannot shut their eyes, leaving them extremely vulnerable to the monster's killing gaze.
- In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry watches the basilisk by its shadow on the floor.
- Rubeus Hagrid asked Aragog "many times" to name this creature, but Aragog refused to speak of it.[4]
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (Mentioned on a Famous Wizard Card)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) (Mentioned) (Appears in flashback in Disc 2)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game) (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game) (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (As a corpse)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
- Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book (Mentioned only)
- LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
- LEGO Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- Harry Potter LEGO Sets
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
- Pottermore
- Harry Potter for Kinect
See also
- Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk
- Chamber of Secrets
- Herpo the Foul's basilisk
- Basilisk venom
- Basilisk egg
Notes and references
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- ↑ 16 July, 2005 press conference at Accio Quote!
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 15 - (Aragog)
|Magical Creatures by classification
|Flobberworm · Horklump
|Augurey · Bowtruckle · Chizpurfle · Clabbert · Diricawl · Fairy · Ghoul · Gnome · Grindylow · Imp · Jobberknoll · Mooncalf · Porlock · Puffskein · Ramora · Winged horse
|Ashwinder · Billywig · Bundimun · Crup · Doxy · Dugbog · Fire crab · Fwooper · Glumbumble · Hippocampus · Hippogriff · Hodag · Jarvey · Knarl · Kneazle · Leprechaun · Lobalug · Mackled Malaclaw · Moke · Murtlap · Niffler · Nogtail · Pixie · Plimpy · Pogrebin · Red Cap · Salamander · Sea serpent · Shrake · Streeler · Winged horse
|Centaur · Demiguise · Erkling · Erumpent · Golden Snidget · Graphorn · Griffin · Hidebehind · Kappa · Kelpie · Merpeople · Occamy · Phoenix · Re'em · Runespoor · Snallygaster · Sphinx · Tebo · Thestral · Thunderbird · Troll · Unicorn · Winged horse · Yeti
|Acromantula · Basilisk · Chimaera · Dragon · Horned Serpent · Lethifold · Manticore · Nundu · Quintaped · Wampus cat · Werewolf


text:
James Melvin "Jimmie" Lunceford (June 6, 1902 – July 12, 1947) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era.
Lunceford was born in Fulton, Mississippi. Little is known about his parents, though his father was a choirmaster in Warren, Ohio, before the family moved to Denver. He went to high school in Denver and studied music under Wilberforce J. Whiteman, father of Paul Whiteman, whose band was soon to acquire a national reputation. After high school he continued his studies at Fisk University. During 1922, Lunceford played alto saxophone in a local band led by George Morrison which included Andy Kirk, another musician destined for fame as a bandleader.
In 1927, while teaching at Manassas High School in Memphis, Tennessee, he organized a student band, the Chickasaw Syncopators, whose name was changed to the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra when it began touring. Lunceford was the first high school band director in Memphis. This band recorded in 1927 and 1930. After a period of touring, the band accepted a booking at the Harlem nightclub The Cotton Club in 1934. The Cotton Club had already featured Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway, who won their first widespread fame from their inventive shows for the Cotton Club's all-white patrons. Lunceford's orchestra, with their tight musicianship and often outrageous humor in their music and lyrics made an ideal band for the club, and Lunceford's reputation began to steadily grow.


text:
Bridge the gap between thought leader theory and classroom practice with learning that is relevant to what you need and collaborative in nature. Learn how to use your instructional programs flexibly, dynamically, and effectively in your classroom.
Browse our discipline specific offerings that include training on Savvas products. Additional professional development services are available for improving instructional practices and teaching performance for specific educational focus areas.


text:
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Farewell to the Beej
We all saw this coming when you signed on for five years, back at the Winter Meetings in '05. But those worries are for another time, we figured. We're building a winner here!
In 2006, you won our hearts by fucking nailing it in your first season as a Jay. 38 saves? 1.37 ERA? 10.7 K/9? Slipknot and terrifying fist pumps? Sign me up for four more years of that, dude. YES.
Very early on in 2007, we knew something wasn't right. Your back hurt, we were told, and your pitching suffered. Alas, the sore back magically morphed into full blown Tommy John surgery (familiar with the term, everyone?), so under the knife you went. "Better to happen now", we all said, "We have three more years on this deal."
In 2008, you took back the closer role (thanks for holding it down, Acorn), and though it didn't appear your stuff was all the way back, you gutted out 32 saves for the team. "That's OK", we all thought, "Everyone knows it takes two seasons after TJ to get it there."
Enter Spring training 2009. Fastballs in the low 80's. A slider that didn't want to slide. "Uh, he'll come around, right? He's a veteran, he knows how to get ready for the season." But it didn't come around. Not even close. "Oh, shit."
So now whatta we do? A closer who can't close, still on the books for this season and next at $10 million per, reduced to mop-up duty. Only the mop must have been saturated, because even that wasn't working. "Oh, shit."
I wish you well, B.J. I really do. You seem like a proud guy, and your struggles today surely aren't for lack of effort. Someone will pick you up - they always do - on Rogers' dime. Good luck old friend.
18 comments:
What kind of conditioning did you do in the offseason BJ? Chicken wing?
- July 9, 2009 at 3:30 AM
- QJays said...
We did have some good times with Beej. Those times seem awfully expensive in retrospect, but no hard feelings. Good write-up Ack.
- July 9, 2009 at 8:03 AM
Well put. Excellent entry.
- July 9, 2009 at 9:46 AM
- The Ack said...
I've always been a BJ apologist. This was my final tip o' the cap to him.
- July 9, 2009 at 10:10 AM
Hate to agree with Griff, but it sure looks like Cito's pulling the strings these days.
- July 9, 2009 at 10:14 AM
- Voodoo Matt said...
It's finally an end to a bad situation. It's sad to see him go, but Hayhurst belongs in the pen. He joins other closers for this team that met with a sad ending, Duane Ward mainly.
I don't know why losing him bothers me so much, but I find it sad. I guess I remember his 91 mph fast ball and his unhittable slider better than I do his 87 mph fastball and non-strike slider.
- July 9, 2009 at 10:52 AM
- Stedron said...
Goodbye to my 2nd favorite BJ ever.
That time in the storage closet of the bowling alley will always be special. Hmmm, what was her name....
- July 9, 2009 at 11:05 AM
- The Ack said...
His time here was fairly brief, but I do have some vivid memories of the dude. Weird things, like listening to the late innings of a game while driving home, Ryan coming into a tight spot, and knowing he would nail it to close it out (which, in '06, he did).
I really like Scott Downs, but I don't get that same feeling when he takes the mound in the ninth. Better than the '08 and '09 versions of BJ, but not close to '06 Ryan.
While we're here, I'll take the '87 George Bell and the '84 Dave Stieb, please.
- July 9, 2009 at 11:05 AM
- brainiac said...
I was at the Rogers building when they signed him and afterwards as he was waiting by the entrance for his ride, I needed to step past him for the door...it honestly took me two side steps to get around him he was so huge and wide...he was powerful and awesome at his best. He deserved a better fate but I think he is done...
- July 9, 2009 at 11:32 AM
- Navin Vaswani (@eyebleaf) said...
$15 million is a lot, A FUCKING LOT, of money to swallow. But I guess it had to be done. I'm sure B.J. refused a trip down to the minors, and the Jays were left, really, with no choice. The Cito no longer has faith in The Beej, so he had to go, cheque in hand.
But, fuck, that's a lot of money.
Anyway, great post on his time in Toronto. It began so well and, like many things in life, ended badly. We'll remember the good times.
- July 9, 2009 at 2:06 PM
- MK Piatkowski said...
I'm sad to see Beej leave too. I remember the time when you could trust him to shut the door. Love his personality and fire too. Having said that, I do think he's done but hope he gets a chance to prove me wrong.
- July 9, 2009 at 2:28 PM
- Haywood Jahblowmee said...
I just wanted to say that I can take the Jays having a losing season. I can stand rebuilding, failing, whatever this year turns into but what I can't abide or ever get used to is being lied to. It's just a sore back, this year we're going to run more, 2010 is going to be the year, etc.
No more lies is all I ask.
- July 9, 2009 at 3:56 PM
- furcifer said...
Sadly we're done now. Under .500 behind the Rays, Sox and Yanks.
- July 9, 2009 at 3:57 PM
- Torgen said...
Sadly if being under .500 at any point in a season disqualifies a team from the postseason, there won't be any participant from the AL East.
- July 9, 2009 at 6:04 PM
So Lind didn't make the All Star Game. And his quote made me die a little inside:
"I did," Lind said on Thursday. "I was hoping Canada would come out and vote strong. I figured if I played hockey, it would've been a landslide
- July 9, 2009 at 8:57 PM
Prepare for your Roger's Wireless and Cable package price to go UP !!!!
- July 9, 2009 at 9:52 PM
what was her name....
Jennipher Parks?
Fuck off Parks
- July 9, 2009 at 10:11 PM
Met BJ Ryan and Brandon League in a bar after the Canada Day 08 game at Safeco.
BJ was smoking a menthol and it seemed cool so I bummed one, and I asked him how stoked he was that Cito was back. He was pretty indifferent.
I told him to get super pumped because Cito was gonna take them to the 'Ship. Then Brandon League told a really funny joke.
Those 2 are gonna wish they took Cito more serious. Or maybe they'll land elsewhere and thrive. I just hope League's next. After Dellucci of course. But NEVER Doc. All for now.
- July 10, 2009 at 7:36 AM


text:
While it takes a long time to write files to the Pearl, reading from it is impressively swift. But that's not the unique thing about the Pearl.
It's tiny - and comes with a stylishly simple necklace chain, so you can wear it around your neck as a piece of jewellery. Granted, this can make it a little awkward if it's in constant use, and it may elicit a few odd stares, but we love the mother-of-pearl inlay, and the neat flip-out action.
And the icing on the cake? It's £17. Nuff said.