#mike donlin

[travsd]

For Opening Day of Baseball Season: A New Book About Turkey Mike Donlin

Yes, it’s true — it’s MLB opening day…and shaping up to be a rain day here in NYC. But it seemed like a good time to let you know about an upcoming new biography of pro baseballer and sometime vaudevillian Mike Donlin. Mike Donlin: A Rough and Rowdy Life from New York Baseball Idol to Stage and Screen was penned by Steve Steinberg and Lyle Spatz. It’s not officially released until May but…

[byneddiedingo]

Buster Keaton in The General (Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman, 1926)

Cast: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender, Jim Farley, Frederick Vroom, Charles Smith, Frank Barnes, Joe Keaton, Mike Donlin, Tom Nawn. Screenplay: Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman, Al Boasberg, Charles Henry Smith, based on a book by William Pittenger. Cinematography: Bert Haines, Devereaux Jennings.  Art direction: Fred Gabourie. Film editing: Buster Keaton, Sherman Kell. 

The Civil War had been over for 60 years when The General was made, and from the tone of it you might think the South had won. That was, however, the prevailing attitude in Hollywood, and would remain so for perhaps another 40 years. The reason usually given for Hollywood's avoidance of treating the Southern states as what they really were -- i.e., racist traitors -- is a fear of losing the considerable market that the former states of the Confederacy constituted. So The General seems biased toward treating the Confederacy as a genteel homeland full of honorable, self-sacrificing heroes. There's no shying away from waving the Confederate battle flag as there would be today, and the strains of "Dixie" are used to stirring effect even in the score composed for the restored version -- as they would have been in any theatrical showing in the year of its release. Sentimentality about the Southern past held on for so long in large part because Hollywood encouraged it, and it still enables politicians to treat  unsentimental views of history as needlessly “woke.” But The General is a great film despite its wrongheaded view of history, and Keaton is one of the masters of the medium. Every time I watch it I see something new: This time, for example, I was taken with the sequence near the start of the film when Johnnie Gray (Keaton) arrives home with the first of his two loves (his engine, the General) and goes to see the other love, Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack). He is trailed to her house by two small boys, following in single file, and unknown to them Annabelle joins the little procession. Arriving at her door, he knocks, only to notice with a double-take that she's right behind him. They enter her living room, with the two boys following and seating themselves on the couch to observe. Johnnie sees them, pretends that he's leaving, goes to the door, ushers them out first, and then closes the door behind them. It's a simple gag routine of no importance to the plot (we never see the boys again), but it's executed with such straight-faced precision, as if it were being performed to a metronomic beat, that it becomes a small delight. Henri Bergson's theory of comedy is as unreadable as most theories of comedy are, but he makes a point that some things are funny because they show human beings behaving mechanically. Human beings are elastic and unpredictable, and when they turn inelastic and predictable, they can become funny. Almost everything in The General is done with this straight-faced precision, so that we laugh even when Keaton departs from it. Marion Mack proves herself a game performer here, subjected to all sorts of torments from being caught in a bear trap to being tied in a sack and flung into a boxcar to being drenched with water. Throughout it all she remains a ditz, and we often want to throttle her because of it. So when Keaton gives in to the exasperation we are all feeling with her, he does start to throttle her -- and then, endearingly, changes his mind and kisses her.

[genevieveetguy]

There were two loves in his life: his engine and...

The General, Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman (1926)

[busterkeatonsociety]

This Day in Buster… August 15, 1929

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle interviews Ernest Orsatti, Louis Cardinal player and Hollywood player! He was recommended to Buster Keaton by Mike Donlin and, for a time, he was part of Buster’s crew, including taking his place in some long shots. Ernie is second from right — you can see the likeness, can’t you? He said of Buster, “He’s the best of the players, a great little third baseman and fast as a flash.”

[goalhofer]

1905 New York Giants roster:

Front: Roger Bresnahan, Chris Mathewson, Mike Donlin, William Clarke, player-manager John McGraw, mascot/batboy, Bill Dahlen, Leon Ames, Sammy Nicklin and Billy Gilbert.

Back: Luther Taylor, Joe McGinnity, Claude Elliott, Dennis McGann, Frank Bowerman, George Browne, George Wiltse, Art Devlin and Sam Mertes.

[frankenpagie]

4.16.18

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[manualstogo]

For just $3.99 Released on June 6, 1926: The classic Cinderella fairy tale updated to Hollywood style and presented as a slap-stick comedy. Genre: Comedy Duration: 1h 15min Director: Alfred E. Green Actors: Colleen Moore (Ella Cinders), Lloyd Hughes (Waite Lifter), Vera Lewis (Ma Cinders), Doris Baker (Lotta Pill), Emily Gerdes (Prissy Pill), Mike Donlin (film studio gate guard), Jed Prouty (Mayor), Jack Duffy (the fire chief), Harry Allen (photographer), Alfred E. Green (director), D'arcy Corrigan (editor), E.H. Calvert (studio actor), Russell Hopton (studio actor), Harry Langdon (himself, Harry Langdon), Chief Yowlachie (American Indian) *** This item will be supplied on a quality disc and will be sent in a sleeve that is designed for posting CD's DVDs *** This item will be sent by 1st class post for quick delivery. Should you not receive your item within 12 working days of making payment, please contact me so we can solve this or any other questions. Note: All my products are either my own work, licensed to me directly or supplied to me under a GPL/GNU License. No Trademarks, copyrights or rules have been violated by this item. This product complies with rules on compilations, international media, and downloadable media. All items are supplied on CD or DVD.

[travsd]

Measuring Mabel Hite

If not for her early death at age 29, the likelihood is strong that more people might know the name of Mabel Hite (1883-1912), for there might have been some films to remember her by. I’m startled this morning to note that, though the farthest thing from a sports person, I have already done a post on Hite’s husband, baseball player Mike Donlin, before doing one on her. (To be fair, Donlin also…

[allviewescape-blog]

You can Find Gold Nuggets While On Vacation In Alaska

Adventurous travelers are always looking for something new, and to meet this need, in recent years there has been a something of a new form of tourism growing in the state of Alaska. Several historically productive gold mines have created facilities to bring in prospectors and tourists to see and experience the remote gold country of the Alaskan wilderness and find their own nuggets. Comfortable facilities and some luxuries allow the traveler to experience the wild backwoods of Alaska without the hardships of the pioneers. The mine owners provide the necessary equipment and help so that everyone finds some gold. Both experienced hands as well as new prospectors are given an opportunity to experience a new environment and potentially make some spectacular finds.

There are a number of operators beginning to offer this type of unique recreation, including the Moore Creek Mine in the Iditarod area, the Gaines Creek Mine and several others. This new tourism offers significant benefits to both the mine owners and the visitors. Visitors have the opportunity to potentially find some very significant gold while experiencing the breathtaking beauty of the Alaskan wilderness. Visitors at both Moore and Gaines have produced some very large nuggets and even for those who do not set records, many visitors find the largest nuggets they have ever found. On the other hand, mine owners gain a new and unique source of financing for exploration of their property and other operations. Initial funding to get a project off the ground can be difficult to acquire and tourism offers a very unique and creative way to gain those first seed monies for a mining property.

In June of 2006, I had to opportunity to visit and sample the primitive Alaskan mining experience for myself - I went to visit the Moore Creek gold mine. I've been prospecting as a hobby for 30 years, but it was an experience like nothing I have ever done before. There is no practical access to the mine, except by air. I went in with 9 other guys - we met in Anchorage, and flew together to the little Alaskan community of McGrath. From there, our bush pilot, Mike Stewart, was able to transport us and our gear from McGrath out to the mine in three trips. The flight into the mine with the Mike was really exciting with spectacular views of the surrounding country. I have never flown in a little single engine plane before, so this was a real first for me. The runway in McGrath was paved, but out at the mine it was just dirt and grass. In such a little plane you really get the feel for how fragile the plane is and how the dangerous outcome can be if you have any problems. Mike is a very safe pilot and there were no problems at all.

It was so strange to me that it was never dark the entire time I was there. I think the sun set around 12:30 at night, and rose again around 4:15 am, but it was like dusk the entire time in between, so it was never really dark enough to see any stars. Evening campfires were held in what seemed to be essentially full daylight. This gave those participants who desired to do so hours of extra time in the evening to prospect. One night I went to bed at 11 pm and the sun was shining through a window in my tent right into my eyes - that's something I'd never experience at home.

There was lots of wildlife, and beavers, rabbit, birds, wolves, etc. were in or around our camp. We saw moose droppings, but no moose. The only bears we saw were viewed from the air in a plane. However, we did find fresh bear prints in the mud about 150 feet from our tents one morning after it had rained.

The facilities at the Moore Creek Mine are very comfortable with large cots and two men assigned to each roomy tent. The tents are pitched on a flat along side a stream at the site of and old camp marked by original log cabins that are still in use. Tasty and hearty meals were provided each day by camp cook Bob Herschbach, Steve's cousin.

Moore Creek Mine Owner Steve Herschbach and his partners have recently leased out the property to a Vancouver mining company, Full Metals Minerals (FMM-TSX:V) to explore for hard rock deposits on the property. Arrangements are such that this does not impede the ongoing tourist operation. Moore Creek mine is not too many miles from the recent big gold visit here at Donlin where Barrick and Novagold have discovered a 28 million ounce gold resource. The Moore Creek property has been only lightly explored for in place lode-gold deposits and may hold significant potential.

While I was up at the mine, a team of geologists from Full Metals was exploring the property, taking samples and mapping the area geology. While it is generally believed that the most likely locations for any gold bearing resources still in place lie within the Monzonite pluton on the hill above the mine and the volcanic rocks adjacent to it, other possibilities were being considered. Future plans for drilling and other efforts will be determined based on the results of the current exploration efforts.

The group I went in with was a really great bunch of guys, but as for me, my luck was as bad as its ever been. I never got my detector over a single piece of gold - I was completely skunked for the entire week. I dug at least 50 targets - all trash. As an example of my luck, one of the last days I went out and crossed a small stream and turned right and hunted some tailing piles, I found only junk targets with my detector. The next day, another guy from the group crossed at the same point, turned left went about 10 feet and found a 2 ounce nugget - that's just the way the ball bounces. The nuggets are just kind of spread all over in the old mine tailing piles and there is no way to know in advance where they are - so a bit of luck does play a part. On the other hand, Glen, one of the other guys in our group, really had the lucky hand - he got more than a pound of gold during the week, including 5 pieces over an ounce. He worked very hard and his largest nugget was over three ounces in weight. He told me he was digging around 4 trash targets to every one gold target and that was far better results than I achieved. By the end of the week, folks were calling him "Mr. Lucky" - His luck for the week was pretty much the exact opposite of mine.

To try may hand at some other gold mining operations, I started spending part of my time shoveling gravel into a high banker sluice box. I did a bit better there and I recovered one third of an ounce of gold with the high banker - so I at least had some nice Alaskan gold to bring home. The detecting is a hit or miss type of thing, but the high banking and dredging operations offer a surer chance to get some gold. The odds for a spectacular big nugget find may be less, but the gold more sure.

[floydvalleyhealthcare]

CEOs Pass the Torch Friday, Nov. 30th

Join us for an event honoring retiring CEO Mike Donlin and welcoming new CEO Dustin Wright. 

[sarahtaing-blog]

WP2 Full Draft

Sarah Taing Eli Dunn

Writing 150

21 February 2018

           Los Angeles is known as one of the most diverse cites in the United States, with people of many races, ages, occupations, and religions (Romero). Still however, people are unwelcomed or unincluded in parts of LA because of their identity. The University of Southern California, whose campus is in the heart of Los Angeles, is known for its vibrant community and drive to reach the ranks of Ivy Leagues. There is a great contrast in the attention that USC is currently receiving and the lack of attention given to the poor and rundown neighbourhood around it. The new expansion of the campus is a 700-million-dollar project, adding 1.2 million square feet (Jackson and Logan). The plaza, thoughtfully named The Village to replace the old University Village, provides just about everything a well-off college student with supportive parents could need. Defining inclusiveness as whether a group of people were in consideration during the planning and building of a space, The Village is not inclusive to the families and communities that surround it. Although publicly presented as a project that would also benefit the economic status of the community, in reality, the village caters only to the students who can afford the expensive vendors along with the souring tuition of a USC degree.

           When The Village was just an idea in 2000, it was met with a great deal of controversy from within the campus and throughout the community (Jackson and Logan). One of the biggest motivations that pushed the LA county to approve of the implementation of The Village in 2012 was that along with more housing for students, the project would help the surrounding area by employing many locals (Jackson and Logan). The final agreement to start the ambitious project included a pledge from USC that they would hire “30% of the construction crew and permanent workforce from the [local] neighbourhoods” (Bachrach). Although this seems all like a win-win situation for the school and for the community, USC’s previous ventures out to the neighbourhood have resulted in higher poverty rates and local displacement (Daily Trojan Fall 2017 Editorial Board). “Over the last 10 years entire blocks surrounding the neighbourhood have been turned over into student housing. Instead of addressing poverty its displacing poverty” (Paulina Gonzalez of Strategic Actions for a Just Economy).  Most of the victims of displacement within the University Park Campus, the area surrounding the university, are Black and Latino families; these families are also of low-income (Donlin). As USC’s projects venture out of the campus and into the neighbourhoods, these statistics depict the displacing effect it has on the community. Low-income families of mostly Black and Latino/Latina members are leaving because they find the changes to not suit their living styles or one could even say their price range. A history of USC’s projects outside of campus have been seen to drive out these residents; however, since The Village is such a new project, having just opened to the public in Fall of 2018, the demographic changes have not yet been collected. Through analysis of their previous efforts, more displacement and a rise in wealth inequality is to be expected. If USC put more effort into minimizing the effects of gentrification and maximizing community usage, then the space may have been more inclusive.

Another reason people of the surrounding community feel the need to leave is because more affordable options are replaced by vendors that suit the tastes of USC Students, many who come from privileged homes and can afford the pricier and trendier options. “The median household income within South LA is $30,000”, while families of students attending USC are paying $50,000 for tuition, not including housing, textbooks, food plans, and other necessary fees that often add up to a total of $70,000. It is clear that the life styles of the majority of students differ from what locals can afford. Focusing on The Village especially, the products sold are geared toward the USC students as their main consumers because most of the foot traffic is from the students. With so many of them living just a few feet away and constantly walking to and from classes, it only makes sense that these stores focused their efforts on the most available group of possible consumers. Although not directly excluding the local people from also accessing these stores and amenities, The Village unintentionally became a place that is more focused on serving a younger and wealthier buyer. Take for example the $28 smoothie that is sold at Sunlife Organics and burger at Wahl Burgers that can cost over $8. Where are the fast food chains or restaurants that offer cheap options for those who can’t afford to spend over 15 dollars a meal? Without putting much effort to suit the needs of the local community, The Village is not inclusive those who aren’t students and don’t have the income to afford the products. From how poverty rates in the area around the university have been on the rise since 2000 and rates are almost “double of the overall rate in Los Angeles”, this puts many of the locals on the list of those excluded (Chan and Cheung).

           More directly, the expansion of the university to remake the University Village forced out the families that relied on their small businesses in the old plaza. Yes, the enormous project offered many jobs during the construction process as well as jobs within the village afterward, but it took away the chances for locals to own their own business. They are reduced to having blue collared jobs under bosses and supervisors and stripped of their chances to run their own business or have their own restaurants. The owners of the small family businesses are left watching as their hard work is “replaced by retailers and corporate chains” owned by already successful entrepreneurs looking to multiply their profits (Chan and Cheung). Small local businesses do more to benefit the community because tax dollars are kept in circulation in the local economy rather than going to corporate chains that are rooted in another city or state (Nugent). Some of the previous tenants, like Mike Zokai’s father, owner of a printing shop, spent their entire lives building up their business and were suddenly told to move out and start over somewhere else (Chan and Cheung). They were offered professional help and some compensation from the university, but the compensation rarely ever came close to the actual value of the business (Chan and Cheung). It was not nearly enough to compensate for uprooting the stability of having control of one’s own business and income. Although it was possible for their businesses to remain in the village, the higher rent, the loss of customers, and the increase in competition made it difficult to stay. Owner of a bike repair shop, Aaron Flournoy, is still in the process of figuring out where to move the 40-year-old business he inherited from his father (Chan). With the onset of these new developments, however he was told he could no longer set up shop on the side of Jefferson, across from the village. He offered cheap and honest repairs, but with the implementation of more expensive and trendier bike shops: Sole Bicycles and Urb-E, it is just too much competition. The creators of the village overlooked the impact of such a large construction project, not realizing that it would have endangered many families that relied on the old university village plaza through their small businesses.

           The University of Southern California had good intentions with The Village Project, but as their main goal was to provide a better living experience for their growing student population, naturally they overlooked the perspective of the locals. Through the lack of consideration for how the expansion efforts would realistically affect the local people, The Village was not inclusive to the low-income families within the surrounding community. With how rapidly the university if progressing, the surrounding areas would benefit from the help of the university. Perhaps from these mistakes and their previous projects, USC could better accommodate to the needs of the community while also improving their own systems.

Words: 1353

 Works Cited

Chan, Sarah. “With USC Village set to open, Lil Bill's Bike Shop told to leave campus.” Daily Trojan, 26 Mar. 2017, dailytrojan.com/2017/03/24/usc-village-set-open-lil-bills-bike-shop-told-leave-campus/.

Cheung, Sarah Chan And Kylie. “With the rise of USC Village comes a community left in limbo.” Daily Trojan, 26 Aug. 2017, dailytrojan.com/2017/08/23/rise-usc-village-comes-community-left-limbo/.

DAILY TROJAN FALL 2017 EDITORIAL BOARD. “OPINION: USC Village must fulfill its obligations to the outside community.” Daily Trojan, 28 Aug. 2017, dailytrojan.com/2017/08/25/usc-village-must-fulfill-obligations-outside-community/.

Donlin, Joe. “South LA Coalition Celebrates the Community Struggle Around the University Village Development at USC; Continues to Fight Displacement in the Neighborhood .” UNIDAD, www.unidad-la.org/2017/08/17/statement-release-usc-university-village/.

Fox, Hayley. “USC's $1 billion development plan is a 'David and Goliath battle,' says activist.” Home, Southern California Public Radio, 24 July 2012, www.oncentral.org/news/2012/07/24/uscs-1-billion-development-plan-david-and-goliath-/index.html.

Jackson, Abby. “The University of Southern California dropped $700 million on a student 'village' that includes a Trader Joe's and a Target.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 26 Aug. 2017, www.businessinsider.com/usc-700-million-student-village-photos-2017-8.

Nugent, Paul. “10 Ways Small Businesses Benefit the Local Community.” ShopKeep, ShopKeep, 18 Dec. 2017, www.shopkeep.com/blog/10-ways-small-businesses-benefit-the-local-community.

Romero, Dennis. “L.A. Ranks as One of America's Most Diverse Big Cities.” L.A. Weekly, 16 May 2016, www.laweekly.com/news/la-ranks-as-one-of-americas-most-diverse-big-cities-6925960.

[manualstogo]

For just $3.99 The General A Rebel Civil War romantic comedy released February 5, 1927. Johnny Gray's sweetheart and his beloved train are stolen by Union soldiers, and Johnny must get them both back, at any cost. Directed by: Clyde-Bruckman Written by: Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton, Al Boasberg, Charles Henry Smith, Paul Girard Smith The Actors: Buster Keaton Johnny Gray, Marion Mack Annabelle Lee, Glen Cavender Captain Anderson, Jim Farley General Thatcher, Frederick Vroom Southern General, Charles Henry Smith Annabelle's Father, Joe Keaton Union General, Mike Donlin Union General, Tom Nawn Union General. Runtime: 1h 47m *** This item will be supplied on a quality disc and will be sent in a sleeve that is designed for posting CD's DVDs *** This item will be sent by 1st class post for quick delivery. Should you not receive your item within 12 working days of making payment, please contact us as it is unusual for any item to take this long to be delivered. Note: All my products are either my own work, licensed to me directly or supplied to me under a GPL/GNU License. No Trademarks, copyrights or rules have been violated by this item. This product complies withs rules on compilations, international media and downloadable media. All items are supplied on CD or DVD.

[kittalksaboutbaseball-blog]

The Weird Old Days: Turkey Mike Donlin

Ah, for the days of yore, when being a ballplayer was enough for a man, and fame was an unwanted byproduct of skill, and the bright lights of Hollywood could not tempt a ballplayer. If you've ever thought this, then 1) you talk really weird and 2) the time you wish for may not have existed.

Look at the quiet intensity, the curious look. Does this image say "Broadway leading man" to you? Mike Donlin certainly hoped so in 1908. He and his wife, Mabel Hite, had a play that was going to send them straight to the top.

Donlin was an all-hit, no-glove leftfielder who had drank and punched his way out of Cincy, St. Louis, and Baltimore before finding steady playing time with John McGraw's New York Giants, winning the 1905 World Series. After missing most of 1906 with a broken ankle, he demanded in 1907 to come back at the same salary plus a 600 dollar bonus for staying sober.New York's owner balked (although to be fair there's no way Donlin would have ever gotten that bonus), and Donlin sat out the season in what must be the Ur-Example of a contract holdout.

He spent 1907 hanging around with his wife, who made her living on Vaudeville, and took note of the theatrical lifestyle. There was a lot less physical exertion involved, it seemed to him. Less pressure to perform. Very little consequence for, say, lackluster fielding. And most importantly, roughly the same amount of booze.

Donlin returned to the Giants in 1908 and had a career year; even his fielding was okay. And that winter he and Mabel debuted a play they co-wrote,Stealing Home. Hite got rave writeups and Donlin was good enough, and the play was a smash. Donlin claimed he made more money from the play than he ever did from baseball, and vowed never to play again. Someone seems to have not told Mike that he might have to write a second play, though; after the gates forStealing Homedried up, he went slinking back to the Polo Grounds.

He bounced around the National League three more years before retiring for good in 1914, and once again turned to acting. He never reached the heights of stardom he did with Stealing Home,but he does have a small role in Buster Keaton's The General.He also became great friends with John Barrymore, because of course he did.

[floydvalleyhealthcare]

Bon Voyage Mike Donlin

After twenty years at the helm of Floyd Valley Healthcare, Mike Donlin will be retiring on November 30th. Mike has a long list of accomplishments during his tenure at FVH including the acquisition of Medical Associates, PC and new clinics in Le Mars and Remsen, a number of additions including the ED and North Additions and multiple interior remodels, the garden and a number of technology upgrades right up to his retirement, adding a 3D mammography system that will be installed after the first of the year.

What he is looking forward to the most in retirement is summed up best in one word – REST! After serving in the Navy for 23 years and then as administrator at FVH, there have been many tough decisions, campaigns, meetings, after hours work and the list goes on and on! Being able to set his own schedule looks very appealing.

Mike is excited to have the flexibility to travel and time to visit family and friends. With his children being spread out, he will be making trips to Omaha to visit Liz, travel to Toronto to see Kate and Anthony and to New York to spend time with Chris, Maeva and his three granddaughters. He is will also take advantage of warm weather to the south during the winter months.

This spring he will take the time to work on his golf game! He will continue to volunteer with local causes such as church, the Legion, Kiwanis and Knights of Columbus. But before then, he will be taking some much-deserved time for himself and his family. Bon Voyage Mike!

This piece was originally published in the Le Mars Daily Sentinel.