DOLPHINS REDESIGN
NEW TIMES
2800 BISCAYNE BLVD., #100
MIAMI, FL 33137
You folks should stick with the sex ads: I have three points to make about your campaign to somehow get the Dolphins organization to change their logo ("Dump This Dolphin!" August 11).
First, and contrary to the article, the Dolphins did change their logo about six years ago. They went from an expressionless, realistic dolphin and aqua colors, to a cartoonlike dolphin with an angry expression and a darker teal color. Good or bad, at no point was the dolphin smiling.
Second, it is the players who instill fear in the hearts of opponents, not the logo. Logos carry a tradition that only someone who doesn't know anything about sports would abandon. Do you think that the letter C (Chicago) or the word Jets (New York) or the number 49 (San Francisco) or the letter G (Green Bay) has ever instilled fear in an opponent? Yet those teams have.
Third, you guys have given very little attention to South Florida sports over the years. All you have cared about is uncovering scandals; printing club, restaurant, and movie reviews; and selling sex in your back pages. Give us all a break and stick to what you know!
Jorge Vicens
Miami Beach
No quick fixes, so give the coach a chance: Dump whoever wrote this asinine dreck! The author suggests that changing the look and feel of the team's mascot and team colors will reverse the fortunes of a team done in by years of bad drafting, especially during the Dave WannstedtRick Spielman era?
Are you kidding?
And since when did three seasons become an instant? The Pats changed their logo in 1993, sure, but they made it to the Super Bowl three seasons later, in 1996 -- only after Bill Parcell's picks had a chance to develop and he was able to fully execute the Tuna's offense and defense. They didn't begin their current reign until 2001, a full nine seasons after the logo change. Regardless, that really has nothing to do with anything.
C'mon now! Give Nick Saban some time for his system to work.
Michael Mut
Hialeah
Try putting the Patriots in Dolphins uniforms: I just read the article in favor of dumping the Miami Dolphins logo, and it appears to me that whoever wrote it has no idea what is going on. Granted it was all in fun in a superstitious kind of way (I'm guessing), but there were so many holes in it and it was so poorly researched that it's evident the author is not a football fan.
As examples, four team logos were depicted to give strength to the argument that changing logos and uniforms is a major step for teams winning or getting to the Super Bowl. The Buccaneers, Broncos, and Patriots were all valid points, but last time I checked, the Eagles hadn't changed their helmet logo. Rather they added the eagle head to their sleeves and "tweaked" the wing on their helmets much like Miami did with the dolphin. (And yes, I did notice.)
I also add the fact that the Jets changed their logo and uniforms to green with Jets written on the side of the helmet, and went back to their original uniforms, but they still haven't even sniffed the Super Bowl. Not to mention that the Packers, Steelers, Colts, Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders, Chargers, Cowboys, Eagles, Bears, Vikings, Rams, 49ers, and, yes, even our beloved Dolphins have all made it to the Super Bowl with their original logos intact. I also believe the "adorable, smiling sea mammal arching over unseen waves while sporting a bulbous football helmet atop its head" went undefeated. I guess the logo and colors were menacing in 1972.
As animals go, a dolphin can hardly "strike fear in the heart." Maybe we can put the M on the helmet instead. The Packers, Bears, and 49ers all won Super Bowls with letters as logos -- menacing indeed. But of course if the helmets change, the colors must also change, because "sashaying" onto the field in aqua and orange isn't intimidating. Let's just go black like 80 percent of all professional teams; never mind trying to represent Miami's tropical climate.
We won't mention the University of Miami; they already do enough sashaying in their menacing green, orange, and white. The Marlins haven't won a World Series since 2003, so I vote they change their logo depicting a dumbfounded marlin cradling the letter F to something more intimidating. That'll help. And who exactly is afraid of temperature? We should change the name of the Heat while we're at it.
The point is that players, not clothing, make for championships. But you're right about one thing -- something drastic needs to be done with the Dolphins, and it's called getting better players and coaches. I promise you this: Put the Patriots players in Dolphins uniforms and we wouldn't be having this conversation.
Carlos Galarza
Miami
I can say conditions at JMH are grim: As one of the Jackson Memorial Hospital ICU nurses who took care of Forrest Norman's mother-in-law following her transplant ("Disappearing Nurses," August 11), I must say that we fight to keep our patients in intensive care as long as possible. Unfortunately once the patients are on the floors at Jackson, they are subject to uncaring nursing assistants who move like molasses through winter.
Currently hospital management is in negotiations with the registered nurses at Jackson. They are trying to take and take from us. We continue to struggle to give good care, but it is not surprising to hear that staffers have short tempers, are arguing, and do not do their best. Blame Jackson president Marvin O'Quinn for the lack of professional performance. People who feel they are appreciated, respected, and needed will ultimately go the extra mile for patients.
I wish I could say that things are looking better for the nursing care at JMH. However, for the immediate future things look grim, especially on the hospital's general wards. Staff regularly are overworked, have too many patients, and face poorly maintained environmental conditions.
We salute Forrest Norman for bringing to light some of the problems at JMH. We hope this becomes a change agent in our struggle against the odds to take care of our patients.
Name Withheld by Request
Miami
I can say JMH is about quality care: We are writing in response to Forrest Norman's "Disappearing Nurses," his story about his family's experience at Jackson Memorial Hospital's transplant center. We strongly feel the article is misleading and sensationalized, and does not paint an accurate picture of the quality of care we provide to all patients.
We take patient complaints very seriously and investigate all instances in which an individual has received anything less than world-class care at our hospital. In fact all patients are given a Patient Bill of Rights upon admission that highlights who to contact should any patient have a concern during their stay. We take issue with much of the information presented in the article. Mr. Norman provides a detailed account of the problems he saw during his mother-in-law's post-liver-transplant stay, but never filed a formal complaint with the hospital.
In addition Mr. Norman says he personally witnessed two other incidents in which a patient was not immediately attended to, yet was unable to provide us with any details that would allow us to investigate these matters further.
Our entire staff is deeply committed to providing quality patient care, which is why the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center consistently ranks among the top U.S. medical centers for total solid organ transplantation. Our teams perform more than 400 lifesaving adult and pediatric transplants each year. All of our patients are provided with the best opportunities to receive new organs, and enjoy a longer and better quality of life. We also provide support from our transplant team 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In a patient-satisfaction survey, West Wing 15 received an 83.4 percentile rating in nursing care and a 92.6 percentile rating in the likelihood to recommend friends and family to the unit.
We will continue to offer excellent care from a multidisciplinary team, state-of-the-art treatments, the latest immunosuppressive therapies, and all the resources that make us South Florida's leading academic medical center.
Joseph Rogers, senior vice president
Jackson Health System
Miami
Free weekly relishes role as community vent venue: Wow! Your readers are fired up. Witness a sample of the offerings from the letter-writers in the August 11 issue.
1. Jasmine Naylor is angered that in the West Grove, black people are victims in a lost battle against developers.
2. Henry Gomez is offended that a previous letter-writer attacked Cubans in South Florida.
3. Mervyn Solomon mentions the persistent anti-gay prejudice in this community.
Bravo. I like to see involvement, even if it is just a letter to the editor. (While we're at it, as a Sicilian-American, I believe that stereotyping in the mold of The Sopranos is a giant step backward in our advancement.)
So thanks to the New Times for inspiring passion in your readers.
Tony Scornavacca, Jr.
Coconut Grove
No one is safe from everything all the time: It is a scary world out there, and if it were not for journalists like Bob Norman, it would be even more frightening. His series about Donna Weaver, her missing husband Gary, and Operation Airlift is excellent ("Forever Missing," August 4, August 11). It proves that anyone can be caught up in a terrible event -- anyone. Most people live their lives under a blanket of security, believing that "someone" will keep them safe, "someone" will make it right.
Who do they think that person is?
Susan Purtee
Columbus, Ohio
Editor's note: Bob Norman's series continues in this issue. See "Forever Missing, Part 3" in the Metro section.
Not Missing Intensity
A widow, her children, and my sympathies: Reading "Forever Missing" is quite an intense experience. I feel deep sympathy for the poor wife and children of this murdered father. Fortunately for her, New Times's Bob Norman wrote it.
Again, a perfect example of why we need a paper like this.
Raelene Mercer
Miami Beach
A letter concerning Arthur Teele that appeared in last week's issue was signed "Carlos Balasino" of Miami. The letter was not authored by Carlos Balasino. It was written as a prank by Jeffrey Giordano, who falsely used Balasino's name.