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Hernando Today

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 6, 2008

Herbert Column Ludicrous

As a recent newcomer to Spring Hill and a subscriber to The Tampa Tribune, I am compelled to comment on a recent edition of The Tampa Tribune/Hernando Today and the opinion of columnist John Herbert. First of all, I assume that the final decision on publishing his column is made by the staff of The Tampa Tribune, not just Hernando Today. Next, I have to say that his opinion that the front-page Tribune coverage of the recent "Lesbian Super Bowl" is "Pandering to Special Interests" is one of the more ludicrous opinions I've seen recently.

I also found myself wondering what Herbert thought about the content of the issue in which his column appeared - the front page stories, the columns and editorial cartoons and letters to the editor. I certainly hope I don't pick up tomorrow's Tribune and find that it drove him to suicide.

I could ramble further, but I will close by saying that I hope your newspaper will continue to keep me informed on all the things, good and bad, that are going on in this world.

You should also know that I am a 70-year-old heterosexual, married father, grandfather and great-grandfather with 12 descendents. I also like living in Florida.

George Carlson

Spring Hill

Editor's note: All content published in Hernando Today is determined by the editors of Hernando Today.

Patient Care

There are certain things in life that I feel compelled to do, and writing this letter is one of them. On April 9, Dr. Flatau operated on my carotid artery, which was blocked 90 percent. From the moment that Dr. Flatau informed me of my condition through the moment that the gentleman volunteer wheeled me to my car the day I went home from Oak Hill Hospital, my entire experience was handled in a caring and compassionate manner. As far as I am concerned, Dr. Flatau stands at the top of his profession and God has yet to make a better vascular surgeon.

Remember, this is coming from a one-legged veteran who has been a patient in other hospitals, both local and south of here. Dr. Flatau's office and David, at out-patient registration at Oak Hill Hospital, handled all my pre-op scheduling in a manner to meet my needs and desires. Russ did my stress test, and I can attest to his knowledge and competency. He is a gem in his lab. Elizabeth made me as comfortable and assured in the recovery room and expedited my transfer to SICU, where I spent the next two days and nights.

Let me tell you, Althea in SICU is like a mother hen the way things run so smoothly with her there. I do believe she fibs about her age. I think she adds about 30 years to her real age, but I must say she's as sharp as a tack. Michael wasn't my nurse but knew why my bed kept shrinking and was able to fix it. I would go to war with him anytime. The vets will know what I mean. Paula was my nurse my last night and we had a common bond, which I will not disclose, but I will tell you she not only helped my body but was also a great comfort to me spiritually. She will never know how much she helped me.

Lastly, but most certainly not least, there is Jayne. She knew what I needed and wanted even before I did. She picked me up when I was down and assisted with my needs. And let me tell you, this little twit of a woman, with a little assistance, was able to physically move my 355 pounds. I want her on my side when all hell breaks loose. My only regret with her was I couldn't take her home with me.

Mr. Administrator, if you were smart, you would give all the people I mentioned a big, fat raise because you had better pray they are there for you if and when you need them because there are none any better. I know because I'm talking from experience.

I do want to apologize to the people whose names I omitted, mainly because I forgot or never got them due to circumstances. My wife, Millie, retired from Oak Hill Hospital after 18 years last July and always tells me the hardest part of retiring was the co-workers she left. Now I understand what she meant by that!

God Bless you all!

Philip Strmensky

Brooksville

Device Few Use

As I have been driving around Spring Hill recently, I've noticed something I don't completely understand.

As I'm driving along, I notice once in a while that one of the tail lights on the vehicle in front of me starts to blink. Then I notice that most of the time the vehicle turns in the same direction as the blinking light - light on the left starts to blink, for example, then the vehicle starts to turn to the left.

Now this doesn't happen often enough for me to figure out what's going on, but I begin to wonder: Does the light start to blink when the steering wheel is turned? Or maybe it's the other way around - the light starts blinking, causing the steering wheel to turn?

Oh, and it doesn't seem to matter what make, model, or age of the vehicle, which makes me think maybe this is some new gadget from one of the auto parts stores or a catalog or possibly something someone has seen on the Internet. I'm told you can find just about anything you want on eBay, but I haven't seen this thing yet.

I know there are a lot of automobile enthusiasts around here, so I'm hoping one of you can help me with this. I'm losing sleep trying to find the answer, so I'd appreciate your advice.

Gail B. Leatherwood

Spring Hill

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