bigugli

Pretty hard to turn a profit once the son started his spending spree!!! Gotta admit there were some sweet deals.

The public's perception of our health care system is full of myth's, misconceptions, stereotypes, and plain naivete. I spent 10 years at what was once called TGH as a clerical and administrative assistant. In the off hours, I was part of a small administrative team responsible for keeping the wheels turning for the other hours of the day when the suits and paper doctors are not present. To start with, Ontario does not run our hospitals. They fund them, and then leave it to the hospitals boards of directors to spend the funds wisely. When a hospital goes over budget, they freeze OT, and close beds, but you never see management take the hit. A department may get shut down, but the dept head always seems to have a job. Did you know that TGH originally had a 1600 bed capacity? In my 10 years I watched 6 wards completely shut down and beds removed. At the time I was downsized out, capacity was around 750 beds. Lots of new research clinics and offices, because that is where the big dollars are. It's all about the politics of funding. As for wait times, well the Moose's story sound typical for even 20 years back. Patients are prioritized based on severity of need. On top of that, not every Emerg bad is available for Emerg patients awaiting treatment. You have the admissions backlog and bedspacers. Patient stacked up in the hallway on gurneys waiting for a bed in a ward. Then all you need is one patient to code, and one MVA trauma to roll in the door, and all your resources will be tied up for at least the next 2 hours. Meanwhile life in the rest of the hospital is no better. JC is suddenly doing another prototype transplant tying up 2 OR's for the next 12 hours. While additional transplants are quickly being fed into the OR for additional transplants made possible by the sudden availability of a donor. Which means I have to find ICU beds and additional ICU staff before the next shift start. The trickle down is that some of the more stable ICU patients get bumped into general wards earlier while still hooked up. More skills nurses are needed to look after them. Meanwhile, the wards now have a gurney or 2 out in the hallway by the nurse's station. While all of this is going on, the hospital is already short 10-12 skills nurses and 30 other RN's for the next shift. Outside agencies and overtime can't fill the holes. At one point I had 2 skills nurses in the system who were so valuable that they had not been able to take a vacation in 2 1/2 years. The hospital would not pay to increase the number of staff with their specific skill sets. It took the ministry's direct involvement to forcibly sideline one for 3 weeks. I have stayed many an extra double shift to sit and watch over disoriented patients so as to free up a nurse whose skills were better put to use caring for a number of patients. In short, the issues are manpower and money. There are people in the health system earning $1/2 million P.A. and more, who never get there hands dirty in health care. Hospital wards are converted to clinics and offices. Meanwhile actual patient care is overcrowded and understaffed. The money can be better spent. Just how that can happen is lost on me. I don't think another layer of government supervision will make any difference. Just another group of bureacrats adding to the cost of the system. As I said before, I was downsized out in the mid 90's. Best thing that could have ever happened to me. To be honest, we were already at the point where patients had already become nothing more than objects, not people. It was wrong then and it is wrong now.

Here I was expecting a pic of a goat.

Inform the College immediately. Find a new pharmacist

Disney has their own BASS charter service within the park. Fishing locales are in front of the Kingdom, Disney downtown, or over by Epcot

That is where the good old Webley has a distinct advantage

The assailant is inside the bus, 20 cops are outside. How in the heck are they supposed to taser him? At some point, an officer has to enter the bus and face down an armed individual. Is the assailant going to charge, strike out or surrender. You cannot know that. That is the heat of the fight. That is what brings the adrenaline surge. Easy to criticize from the comfort of a padded chair

The truth is that, despite all the training and practice, one never knows how a person will react in a given violent encounter. Especially a first time weapons encounter. Will the shooter make one calculated and controlled shot, or will he lose control, let the adrenaline take over, and empty the magazine. In the moment it is all too easy to let the "rush" take over. I had small arms instructors with experience from both WW II and Korea who admitted they themselves had, in the heat of a fight, fire blindly in the direction of a target rather than pick a target (also known as the American method). Although this may explain the behavior, it does not excuse it. In my opinion the officer in question failed miserably

As I recall, I won that derby with a duct tape wrapped cane pole from D'rama. Too bad they no longer carry that jig kit in the cool colours.

We got our first open water crappies 2 days back on micro bucktails. It's still early, but they are a movin in

Riots are not a frequent occurrence in Canada, thankfully. There have been 7 hockey riots, by the way. However, when they occur, they get nasty quickly. Toronto has quite a history in this regard. Most recently the G20 in 2010 and the Yonge st. riot of 1992. Most famous was the Christie Pits riot in 1933. Personally, I think the best way to deal with a rioting mob is the old fashioned approach. Call out the militia, read the riot act, "God Save the Queen", and after 30 minutes, if you don't disperse, all's fair game. A riot is a violent event, and needs to be stopped with whatever force necessary to subdue and stop the event.

Why remove it? Great mounting point for a water cannon. Much safer means of dispersing rioters than the shield line.

I'll have to pass. On the road Friday evening.

Yes the liberals are crooks, but so is every other dirt bag running for office. The Harris gang was not any better. They all promise everything and anything to get elected, and once in they screw you royally. Not one of them gives a tinker's darn about any of us (unless some here are shoving wads into their party funds)

Total load capacity for the Freestar was 3700lbs and a tranny cooler was recommended. Caravan's max load capacity is about 600 lbs lower. Load capacity also includes passengers and gear in addition to the towed trailer. At least that was how it was explained by a mechanic before I bought the cooling package

Only after cleaning fish for 2-3 hours

I'm looking forward to the Weston show as well.

I'm game.

I do the rod and reel thing as well. A couple of the local organizations know how to find me.

It would just seem wrong to deny a child the opportunity to enjoy something that has given me a lifetime of happiness.

My fave with the kids

You are most welcome. For a good cause. Just remember..., they are for the kids

Thanks. Missed that part of the small print before. The rep I spoke to didn't steer me straight either. There is also a $5 surcharge on orders under $50. A 10% federal surcharge, plus our border fees and HST, unless you have a US postal box. I've been dinged real good a couple of times by Canada Customs on US shipments from other suppliers.

I am so sorry to hear about such a sudden loss. It hurts. You have my sympathies.

Hagens has a great wholesale selection, but you have to order each component in quantities of 500, as in 500 white Colorado, 500 yellow, etc.... I don't sell that kind of volume in a 2 year period