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762 are active on the Distribute site. The site had 4,240 unique visits last week. This issue is at: http://www.jasperjottings.com/2007/jasperjottings20070304.htm Send email to http://tinyurl.com/yh34ut (gives you an email address), fax 781-723-3746, or call 732-917-4816 (It’s the phone on my computer) anytime. |
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Computer problems are forcing me to prep this with Google Docs. (The old Writely web word processor) Hence there may be format breaks. However, I was able to maintain the regular schedule. Hopefully next week, things will be better. (Or, maybe not.) Fasten your metaphoric seat belts. The ride may be a tad bumpy.
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April 21-29, 2007 |
Trip to the Italian Riviera sponsored by MC (at least according to the snazzy brochure I was mailed). Book by 10/17 and save $200! 800-323-7373. Sigh! |
September 21-23, 2007 |
Hold the date: By the way, the Retreat this year is scheduled for September 21, 22, and 23 at the Retreat House in Riverdale. |
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- Afghanistan |
- - Feldman, Aaron (1997) |
- Korea |
-- Stephanie (????) |
- Unknown location |
- - Lynch, Chris (1991) |
- Uzbekistan |
- - Brock (nee Klein-Smith), Lt Col Ruth (1979) |
… … my thoughts are with you, |
and all of you that I don't know about. |
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For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin--real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. |
-- Alfred D. Souza |
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http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/the-hands-of-god.htm
The Hands of God
*** begin quote *** |
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Reflect well on our alma mater, this week, every week, in any and every way possible, large or small. God bless. "Collector-in-chief" John reinke--AT—jasperjottings.com |
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2 |
Messages from Headquarters (i.e., MC Press Releases) |
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Good_News |
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1 |
Obits |
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3 |
Jaspers_in_the_News |
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1 |
Manhattan_in_the_News |
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2 |
Email From Jaspers |
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Jaspers found web-wise |
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0 |
MC mentioned web-wise |
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New Jasper Bloggers (14 Previously reported) |
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Class |
Name |
Section |
1968 |
Kaufmann, Dick |
Email01 |
1968 |
Kelly, Jack |
Email03 |
200? |
Morello, Rocco |
JObit1(cited) |
1969 |
Patterson, James |
Jnews3 |
1975 |
McNally, Jim |
Jnews1 |
1965 |
Giuliani, Giuliani |
Jnews2 |
1973 |
Ungaro, John R. |
Jfound2 |
1974 |
Quinn, Tom |
Jfound1 |
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From: alumni-bounces --
at -- listserv.manhattan.edu On Behalf Of
alumni@listserv.manhattan.edu Grand Prize: 2007 Dodge
Caliber
http://www.manhattan.edu/alumni_friends/athleticsraffle.php
[JR: Too late to do anything with!]
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(Memento Mori)
Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) February 23, 2007 Friday Ronald J. "Ron" Nowak BYLINE: Intelligencer Journal Staff SECTION: B; Pg. 3 DATELINE: Lancaster, PA
Ronald J. "Ron" Nowak, 58, of 83 Black Oak Drive, Lancaster, formerly of Thorndale, Pa., died unexpectedly at Lancaster General Hospital of a brief illness after living courageously with Parkinson's Disease for 20 years. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., he was the husband of Melinda Fisher Nowak and they celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary on September 22nd. He was the son of the late Len and Marcia Jablow Nowak.
Ron earned his Associate's Degree from the University of Maine, Portland, Maine and his Bachelor's Degree from Temple University in Business Administration. He worked as a State Parole Officer in New Jersey; a Child Abuse Investigator for the Chester County Children and Youth Services; Executive Director for the former Susquehanna Independent Living Center, Lancaster; and Manager of the former Darmstetter's Card and Gift Shop, Lancaster. He proudly served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War and was stationed on the destroyer, USS Zellers. He shared memberships with Temple Shaarai Shomayim, Lancaster, and the Upper Octoraro Presbyterian Church, Parkesburg. Ron most cherished his family and the time they spent together. Ron was a brilliant man with a curious nature, interested in everything. Many will remember him for his great sense of humor; always making someone laugh. For a time he performed as a stand up comedian telling jokes about Parkinson's. He was a brilliant man, able to read the New York Times by the age of five and he was an avid reader all his life. When he was no longer able to read, Ron listened to a wide variety of books on tape. His passions included travel, especially a 1996 trip on Route 30 from Philadelphia, Pa. to Astoria, Oregon; music ranging from Bob Dylan, Gilbert and Sullivan, Hank Williams to Beethoven; movies of any type, especially Oscar nominated movies before the event and comedies; and astronomy as well as other sciences. Ron loved flying and would often convince a pilot to let him assume the co-pilot position. He loved fencing and also was a faithful fan of the New York Yankees. He is survived by his wife and daughter, Tamara Faith Nowak, currently attending Temple University; two sisters, Paula Rose, wife of Dennis Wolintz, Manhattan, N.Y.; and Ivy, wife of Rocco Morello, Monroe, N.Y.; a nephew, Rocco Morello, currently attending Manhattan College, Riverdale, N.Y.; two nieces, Nicole Morello, currently attending the Fashion Institute of Technology, Manhattan, N.Y., and Samantha Morello, Monroe, N.Y. Many relatives and friends truly will miss him. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral from The Funeral Home of Fred F. Groff, Inc., 234 W. Orange St., Lancaster, PA, on Sunday, February 25, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. with Rabbi Jack P. Paskoff and The Rev. William E. Kelly officiating. Interment will be held at Shaarai Shomayim Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the Funeral Home on Sunday from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. The family requests no flowers. Memorial contributions may be sent in Ron's name to the Parkinson's Disease Center at Pennsylvania Hospital, c/o Matthew Stern, M.D., 330 S. Ninth St., Philadelphia, PA 19107 (specify for research); or the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped Free Library of Philadelphia, attn: Vickie Collins, 919 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19107. Fred F. Groff, Inc. www.lifecelebration.com
LOAD-DATE: February 23, 2007
[JR: Yeah I know he wasn't a graduate or even and attendeee. There's a Jasper connection thru his nephew. And, since I had to read it to find the Jasper connection, I gave it my usual consideration. I found that the man was a unique and I wish I could have chatted with him. My own Mom is battling Parkinson and I know how tough it is just to move. I found it impressive that he could take a road trip from Philly to my birth state of Oregon. On Route 30 no less. A vet. A reader. (I empathize. My "job" in First Grade was to sit a read the New York Daily News to the elderly nuns in the convent when my peers were learning to read. It gave me a challenge in reading and it gave them a sense of contributing and, my Mom was told, that the old gals got quite a thrill out of still be able to teach. I wonder who benefited more?) Any way, I felt that this was one of those individuals from whom I could take inspiration. Perhaps you can as well.] |
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[JR: Alerting old friends seeking to reconnect or “youngsters” seeking a networking contact with someone who might have a unique viewpoint that they are interested in.]
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New Mexico Business Weekly (Albuquerque) February 26, 2007 Monday McNally: A true belief in passion, perseverance BYLINE: Kevin Robinson-Avila
Jim McNally is at the height of his 30-year career as an optics engineer.
As President and CEO of TruTouch Technologies Inc., McNally is earning national recognition as a cutting-edge innovator whose company could offer the first effective control for drunken driving. In November, Time magazine called the TruTouch 1100 -- a device that detects intoxication with a flash of light -- one of the best innovations of 2006. McNally and Albuquerque-based TruTouch have been profiled in some of the world's biggest newspapers, including The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today and France's Le Monde. But no matter how impressive his achievements, McNally says his success can be chiseled down to just three words -- passion, planning and perseverance. "I call them the 'Three Ps,'" McNally says. "Passion for what you do, solid planning at all times, and perseverance in the face of challenges and set backs." Those who know him say McNally's passion is infectious. Terry Huertaz, state executive director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, says TruTouch's innovative technology and McNally's dogged perseverance in bringing it to market have given her hope, for the first time, that drunk driving can be controlled. "Jim is a true visionary," Huertaz says. "The first time I ever heard the words 'eliminate' and 'drunk driving' in the same sentence was at a press conference with him about the new technology. It made me take a step back, but then it made me realize that just maybe this can be done."
Kim Sanchez Rael, a general partner with Flywheel Ventures and a member of the TruTouch board of directors, says McNally is a top-notch leader who inspires people.
"He has a real passion for what he does," Sanchez says. "It's not just a business for him, it's about doing good things for people. That's an inspiration to everybody involved."
As a 20-year Air Force veteran who reached lieutenant colonel before retiring in 1996, McNally is no stranger to challenges and perseverance. He entered the military as an officer in 1976 after earning a bachelor's degree in engineering from Manhattan College -- where he graduated summa cum laude -- and a master's degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
While in the military, McNally led some of the Air Force's top research projects. At Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts from 1976-1981, McNally helped develop precision radar-guided missiles and worked on a ground-based radar system that could detect the launch of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles from Europe or Asia.
He worked as a physics professor and researcher from 1981-1989 at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. While there, he participated in research on super-conducting materials directed by Paul Chu, a nationally acclaimed physics leader who was later profiled on the cover of Time. The Academy research contributed to huge technological advances in a number of fields, including medical devices and transportation technology. McNally received the Air Force Academy Award as top researcher for 1988.
While at the Academy, McNally earned a Ph.D. in optical engineering from the University of New Mexico, making him the first person to earn a doctoral degree in that field from UNM.
He transferred to the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base in 1990, where he worked on three projects -- a satellite-based laser system, an airborne laser defense system, and construction of a four-meter optical telescope in Maui, Hawaii.
McNally says the $150 million telescope project marked the highlight of his military career.
"I led that project," McNally says. "It was the largest optical telescope system ever developed by the Defense Department. It provided significant enhancement to U.S. capacity for ground-based space surveillance."
After retiring from the Air Force in 1996, McNally joined SVS -- an Albuquerque-based defense contractor that specialized in imaging systems and lasers. SVS was later bought by Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA), but during the two years that McNally worked there as vice president of operations, he helped build company revenue from $5 million to $11 million and helped double the workforce from 50 to 110 people.
Then, in 1998, the future came calling. The founders of Rio Grande Medical Technology recruited him as company vice president to assist in developing a revolutionary device that could diagnose diabetes with light rays rather than blood tests.
The company soon changed its name to InLight Solutions Inc. and then spun out four new optics companies based on technology developed by McNally and his colleagues. The spin-offs include VeraLight Inc.to diagnosis diabetes, Lumidigm Inc. to verify a person's identification, Luminous Inc. to monitor a patient's progression during and after surgery, and TruTouch Technologies to detect the consumption of alcohol and other drugs.
McNally and two partners -- Ben Ver Steeg and Trent Ridder -- formed TruTouch in January 2005. The company launched with about $1 million in start-up funds that included seed money from InLight and personal investments by the three partners.
Trutouch later received a $2.4 million venture capital investment from Flywheel Ventures, Verge, New Mexico Community Capital and Fort Washington Capital Partners. In December, TruTouch received a second round of investment, but the company has not disclosed the amount it raised.
Last year, TruTouch molded its technology into a marketable prototype. The device, which cradles a person's arm, shoots a tiny flash of infrared light at the skin. The light detects intoxication levels within 60 seconds, eliminating the need for time-consuming and invasive blood, urine or breath tests.
The company rolled out its product for the first time in early February at the American Probation and Parole Association's annual meeting in Atlanta. McNally says the Atlanta launch marks the first of many trade-show promotions aimed at four target markets -- probation services, DWI courts, prison release programs and residential treatment facilities.
"We'll start ramping up production in the next few months," McNally says. "The initial units will be built in-house, but we're negotiating with a potential partner to manage large-scale production later on. The goal is to produce 50 to 100 devices per month by 2008."
McNally plans to upgrade the TruTouch 1100 to make a version compatible with inter-lock devices for cars. Current inter-locks depend on breath analyzers to keep people convicted of DWI from operating a vehicle, but convicts can sidestep that system by asking another person to breathe into it.
The TruTouch device, however, eliminates that glitch because the light ray can identify the person being tested for intoxication. It's that innovation that has McNally and anti-DWI activists like Huertaz enthusiastic about TruTouch technology's ability to control dunk driving.
"I think this technology will be embraced nationally," Huertaz says. "Jim is helping to put Albuquerque on the map. This could raise New Mexico from its dismal state record as one of the worst states for drunk driving to the state that leads the world in controlling DWI."
LOAD-DATE: February 26, 2007
[Dear John, I believe that Jim is a member of the Class of 1975. Mike]
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The Frontrunner February 26, 2007 Monday New York GOP Holds Off On Giuliani Endorsement SECTION: NATIONAL CAMPAIGN NEWS
The White Plains Journal News (2/25, Blain) reported that ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) "tops the field of GOP candidates in most polls and is known nationally as America's mayor, but that doesn't mean his home state's Republican Party is ready to embrace him as its candidate for president -- at least not yet. While stressing that Giuliani enjoys strong support among New York Republicans, party leaders from around the state also made it clear in recent interviews that they are in no rush to endorse his candidacy and intend to look at the other candidates, including Arizona Sen. John McCain.
'I think just like the newspapers have to vet things that come in, we owe it to the people to take a look at everybody,' said New York GOP Chairman Joseph Mondello, who also leads the Nassau County Republican Committee. Mondello even invited McCain and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is also seeking the presidency, to attend the state GOP's annual dinner in Manhattan on May 17." The News noted, "The take-it-slow approach of New York Republicans concerning Giuliani stands in contrast to the reaction state Democratic leaders had about New York's other major contender for the presidency: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Even before Clinton formally announced her candidacy, many party leaders were openly encouraging her to run."
As College Student, Giuliani Penned Columns Critical Of GOP.
The New York Post (2/25, Haberman, 631K) reported, "There was a time when Rudy Giuliani, now a GOP White House front-runner, hardly sounded like a Republican stalwart -- strongly defending Robert Kennedy and blasting Barry Goldwater as 'incompetent.' Those fiercely worded opinions were in political columns a 20-year-old Giuliani wrote as a Manhattan College student, while he was still boosting Democratic candidates, a Post review of the pieces found. In a blistering criticism of then-New York Sen. Kenneth Keating, Giuliani blasted the Republican for repeatedly calling Bobby Kennedy a 'carpetbagger' -- the same term the GOP used against Hillary Rodham Clinton in her 2000 New York campaign. 'The 'carpetbagger' issue...is a truly ridiculous reason for not voting for a man in the year 1964,' Giuliani wrote in a October 1964 column for the Manhattan Quadrangle student newspaper. He dubbed GOP heavyweight Goldwater an 'incompetent' flip-flopper who pandered to 'extremists.' The young Giuliani also said the senator's presidential candidacy took the GOP to the 'lowest ebb in its long history.'" The Post noted, "Giuliani's camp described the early writings...as part of his own evolution. 'Rudy is always the first to paraphrase Churchill when he echoes if you aren't a liberal in your 20s you have no heart, and if you aren't a conservative by your 40s you have no brain,' said Giuliani's top adviser, Anthony Carbonetti."
LOAD-DATE: February 26, 2007 |
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Palm Beach Post (Florida) February 27, 2007 Tuesday FINAL EDITION JAMES PATTERSON'S PALM BEACH BYLINE: By THOM SMITH Palm Beach Post Staff Writer SECTION: ACCENT; Pg. 1E
He's at McCarty's, ahead of the lunch crowd, sitting at a table along the back wall. Windbreaker, polo shirt, a baseball cap tucked into his pants pocket. His glasses occasionally slide down his nose and once in a while he cleans them with his napkin. He is cordial, attentive. He doesn't show it, but you get the feeling he's soaking up mannerisms and ideas for the next Alex Cross thriller or the Women's Murder Club, or the Maximum Ride kids' books or those romances ("the hardest to write"). A diner occasionally nods, but no one really pays attention.
Why should they? After all, this is Palm Beach, where the rich and famous hide so easily in plain sight.
That's just fine with James Patterson. So what if he's sold $1 billion worth of books. He just wants to eat his grilled cheese sandwich, talk a little about writing and then go home and write some more. He writes about four books a year. Over the last five years, he's had more bestsellers than J.K. Rowling, Tom Clancy and Dan Brown combined. Cross debuted in November at No. 1 and remains atop the chart. Step on a Crack was released earlier this month with an advance printing of 1.25 million copies.
It's his fifth with a co-writer. Michael Ledwidge, whose three singularly written novels sold 20,000 copies total, shares author credit with Patterson. They met 10 years ago when Ledwidge was an unpublished doorman in Manhattan. Ledwidge had the good fortune to have attended Patterson's alma mater, Manhattan College, and they struck s college student - long hair, bell-bottoms, slightly grubby - he went to Woodstock but after two days of peace and music, he left. Leaving was easy, he said, only the cars coming in were caught in the traffic jam.
"Oh, the music was great, even if you couldn't see the stage," he says, tossing a sugar packet to the floor. "That's how big it looked."
He also ushered at the Fillmore East, the mother church of rock 'n' roll. He went on to grad school at Vanderbilt to take a master's in English and creative writing.
Both degrees, by the way, came summa cum laude.
J. Walter Thompson hired him as a junior advertising writer in 1971. He published his first novel, The Thomas Berryman Number, in 1976. It won an Edgar Award for best first mystery novel. But for another 20 years Patterson remained an adman.
That experience was crucial. It's how he knows what readers like and how to hook them: Order Cross now and get the next four books at a discount, his Web site urges.
Created Oscar Mayer jingle
In 1984 he became Thompson's youngest-ever executive creative director, and six years later was chairman of North American operations.
He created award-winning campaigns for Kodak, Burger King and Toys "R" Us. Not great literature, but it gets your attention.
He once told a New York paper: "I'd read Ulysses and I thought, 'Well, I can't do that,' but maybe in the page turners I could do something. So that's what I set out to do."
And his readers do turn the pages. James Joyce could fill a book with one sentence; Patterson focuses on the story. His sentences are short, and so are his chapters. Some are only a couple of pages, ideal for reading in waiting rooms, on airplanes or toilets. His characters are well framed, but he leaves the description to the reader's imagination.
Hollywood knows about Patterson: Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls were big hits and more are coming - Maximum Ride, Santa Kid and Lifeguard, his only novel set in Palm Beach. But Patterson isn't exactly enamored of Hollywood, where the author is "one step below the caterer."
Some critics suggest that's about where his books should rank, but Patterson argues, "Here's what I know about what I do: A lot of people like it."
He talks about his life the way he writes his stories. Short sentences, no ifs ands or buts, no pauses. He gets right to the point and keeps you interested. When asked why he moved to Palm Beach and why he plays golf he answers: His wife's parents lived in Delray Beach. She wanted to be close. Delray was nice; Palm Beach was nicer. He thought it was a good place to live and to raise their son, Jack.
Married on 17th green
Patterson bought an $8-million home on exclusive Everglades Island, just south of the Everglades Club. Most days he walks at least nine holes at Everglades or Trump International, often with his wife, Sue Solie.
"She's the golfer," he says. "She's a great athlete. A three-time All-America swimmer. She already has three holes-in-one."
In 1997, shortly after leaving the ad business and co-authoring Miracle on the 17th Green with Peter de Jonge, Patterson married Solie, on the 17th green at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough, N.Y. He had known her for 14 years, since hiring her as an art director. An accomplished photographer, she shoots his author photos.
A seven-year "idyllic relationship" with another co-worker ended in 1983 when she died from an inoperable brain tumor. He needed years to get over her death. Along Came a Spider didn't arrive until 1992, Kiss the Girls in '95. Her death inspired Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas in 2001, a love story.
Now the writing doesn't stop. He's up at 5:30 a.m., writes for a couple of hours, has breakfast, walks the golf course, writes some more - with pencil, in longhand (typing gave him back problems and he never figured out computers). He sends the drafts to an assistant who types them up, triple-spaced, and sends them back. He makes changes and the process is repeated, often 10 or 12 times. He's always working on several projects, each stacked on his desk.
A dozen projects at once? "Right now, probably more," he admits.
'Very disciplined' writer
He's successful, Sue says, because he's "very organized, very disciplined." But he's hardly an automaton. Often in the afternoon, he heads across the bridge, sometime with Jack and Sue in tow.
"It's my little release," he says. "To brake the train of insanity, I'll go to the movies." Usually he goes to CityPlace. He catches nearly every new release, then writes mini-reviews on his Web site.
The Pattersons are hardly reclusive but they like their privacy. When the Palm Beach Daily News reported they would be hosting a reception for a local charity event, he said he requested an immediate correction.
"There's another James Patterson in town," he said. "I know him. He's a nice guy. He was doing the party, not us. We haven't gotten into that. We have a small circle of friends and we do go out. We usually reserve two days a week for ourselves and the rest we spend with Jack."
Patterson did lend his support to auctions for Jack's former school Academy of the Palm Beaches, now Palm Beach Day, offering to place the high bidder's name in an upcoming book. When two fathers reached an impasse at $35,000, Patterson settled it by agreeing to use both their names.
"But we're putting an end to that," Patterson said. From the writer's standpoint, it's "just not a good idea."
He won't, however, stop doting on his favorite topic: Jack.
"He's 8 and reads on an 11th grade level," Patterson says proudly. "He's already written two books."
In 2005, Patterson began his own charity, The PageTurner Awards, and donated $100,000 to schools, libraries, community groups and others who promote reading. The second round of winners was expected in November, but the overwhelming response forced a delay. Now, they're due to be announced Friday.
"We just got too many applications," Patterson said. "We just couldn't evaluate all of them in time.
But that's good. It means people are interested in reading."
What he loves most about his island home: 'The name Palm Beach itself, high hedges and lush gardens and royal palms, stately homes, the people - especially the ones who don't take their press clippings too seriously, the ride on Ocean Boulevard from Brazilian to Sloan's Curve.'
Patterson's
favorite Palm Beach things: * The off-season * Not attending any party, dance or sporting event that requires a tuxedo * Christmas Mass at St. Edward's with his wife and son * Break-of-dawn tee
times at the Everglades Club and Trump golf course LOAD-DATE: February 28, 2007 |
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The Journal News (Westchester County, New York) February 27, 2007 Tuesday GWPR Edition OK to boo? Depends on whom you're booing BYLINE: Mike Dougherty SECTION: SPORTS; Pg. 1C
Knicks coach Isiah Thomas flashed a disarming smile, then quickly went about changing the subject.
When is it acceptable to boo?
Local fans will be at the Westchester County Center all week for the Section 1 tournament. And they might catch up with Iona or Manhattan when the MAAC tournament gets under way this weekend, or they could check in to see if the Knicks survive a critical seven-game stretch that will go a long way toward determining their playoff fate.
The win-or-go-home pressure often inspires added passion, and some might want to express their disappointment when expectations are not met.
So the question remains: When is it acceptable to boo?
Earlier in the season, Thomas attempted to stem the negative reaction and wound up drawing even more attention. He will not be going one-on-one with the fans anymore. The dedicated patrons who drop by Madison Square Garden these days in search of progress still have no reservations about making their feelings known.
"They get paid a whole lot of money, so I don't ever have a problem getting on the Knicks," said Cliff Abrams, a youth counselor from Greenburgh. "I only boo the effort, though."
It's a universal trigger.
All of New York's professional mainstays have felt the wrath of the fans in good times and bad. Booing is part of the landscape the Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets and Rangers have grown accustomed to.
When the Knicks fail to match an opponent's intensity, the reaction is predictable. After five consecutive losing seasons, they are on a very short leash.
"Those people are paying top dollar for tickets," Knicks center Eddy Curry said. "They have a right to boo. We understand their frustration. We don't hold any grudges."
Earlier in the season, though, the Knicks were pleading for mercy.
They were routinely booed as they went 1-7 to open the home schedule. All of the optimism was replaced by frustration over repeated mistakes and lousy starts.
"It's kind of daunting to go out there in light of all that," Malik Rose said back in November. "I'm not looking for sympathy. Certain guys are shaken right now. It's just going to take a little bit of time for them to get their confidence back."
While the booing slowed when the Knicks improved, the faithful are by no means silent. They still react noisily to shortcomings.
"It's OK to boo when they're not trying hard," said DaVonn Jefferson, a White Plains resident whose passion is expressed in a Knicks blog.
"Sometimes, when we lose to the mediocre teams, we kind of go through the motions. If we have the highest payroll in the league, then we should play like it. New York is the Mecca of basketball, so the players have to understand what type of fans they have. Knicks fans are truly students of the game, so we know when to boo and when not to boo."
The fans here are known for getting on everybody from Patrick Ewing on down. They'll even boo their own - those who fail to impress when chosen from the crowd to participate in contests between whistles are sent off with a chorus of boos.
"You have to know that's just how the Garden is," Stephon Marbury said. "If you're out there competing, they respect that."
There are worse places to play.
"I once had hot coins tossed at me in Rome," said Iona coach Jeff Ruland, who played basketball in Europe for a season before starting a productive NBA career. "I went into the stands, and some old lady hit me over the head with an umbrella. We got escorted out by policemen with submachine guns."
So it's all relative.
"Fans do have a right to boo," Knicks forward Channing Frye said. "They pay their money. I just feel like people don't respond well to negativity. Like in college and high school, when we weren't playing well, people supported us."
The atmosphere is completely different where basketball is considered an extracurricular activity.
"We've never had that here," White Plains coach Spencer Mayfield said. "It's a lot more encouraging on this level. The fans usually reserve their criticism for the officials and coaches."
The reasons are obvious.
"As members of the community, we need to be appropriate and cheer for our children," Stephanie Bronzo, mother of White Plains players Elise and Paul, said while rooting for the boys team in a Class AA tournament game last Wednesday. "It's about doing the right thing. You never boo, even in the most tenuous of circumstances."
On the collegiate level, a certain level of booing is tolerated, as long as it's coming from the student section.
"It makes the game more exciting when the opposing team's fans get on you," Manhattan College sophomore and White Plains alumnus Devon Austin said. "The students are coming to have fun, and they do whatever it takes to give their teams some kind of advantage."
Rarely do they turn on the home team.
It was a long season at Iona, which finished the regular season with a 2-27 record. But the Gaels were treated civilly at the Hynes Athletics Center.
"The fans here have been great," Ruland said. "We barely won a game, and we still had 2,000 a game. And we only had one or two who yelled anything."
LOAD-DATE: February 28, 2007 |
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{NOTHING} |
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From: Dick Kaufmann [1968]
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Jack: Couldn't do anything about the email I sent out. But, I
did fix the web copy for those who read it online. I'll ship the
update next sunday. Enjoy the cruise. I'm jealous.
fjohn68 |
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http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/spotlite/news/index.php?link=022307
Three Staffers Bring Skill, Experience to Communications Office
Tom Quinn, assistant director of communications for publications: Born and raised in the Bronx, Tom graduated from Manhattan College with a B.A. in English and education. He went on to pursue a Writing Project Fellowship at the CUNY Graduate Institute, where he was certified as a specialist in the teaching of writing. Teaching and freelance magazine writing led to a position as chief speechwriter in the office of Governor Mario M. Cuomo and then to a corporate writing career, which eventually took him to the Ford Foundation, where he served in various writing and editing posts for nearly two decades. A documentary he scripted for PBS in the late 1980s on the history of McSorley's Ale House, New York City 's oldest drinking establishment, earned him an Emmy Award for Best Historical/Cultural Documentary.
{Extraneous Deleted}
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[Dear John, I believe that Tom is a member of the Class of 1974. Best, Mike] |
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http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/03/prweb508081.htm
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BAS (2001) http://blog.myspace.com/blog/rss.cfm?friendID=61855618
My list of previously reported Jasper Bloggers here:
http://jxymxu7sn5ho9d.googlepages.com/blogging_jaspers
{JR: My backlot pages aren’t editing correctly so I have had to carry this over. Until I find a home for them}
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Control your own subscription:
(1) Send a message from your old email account to Distribute_Jasper_Jottings-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com saying that your switching.
(2) Send a message from your new email account to Distribute_Jasper_Jottings-subscribe@yahoogroups.com with your name and class year.
To keep me from spamming you, Yahoo only permits me to invite and delete people. I can NOT just ADD your email address.
AND you’re done. With zero extra work for the CIC! :-)
http://www.jasperjottings.com/boilerplate.htm
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Two Elks lodge employees charged in $50 football pool The
Californian / North County Times
- Ahhh, your government at work!
In the CIC's blog, he uses the word gooferment a lot. I like it. Especially for this story.
If you're in CA, I think you need to write your critters and get them under control. Clearly they have too much time on their hands.
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And
that’s the last word.
Curmudgeon
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