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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2008 BARROW JOURNAL PAGE 5A v J Walkin’ round in what? Hospital Lawsuit continued from 1A The holidays are upon us — the time of year when the programmers at the movie channels embark on a pilgrimage to the belly of their vaults in search of the dustiest cans they can find. Why the dusty ones? If you have to ask, you're not a student of clas sic films, and that’s just not accept able. Every red-blooded American should have learned some of the best lessons of history through John Huston's western epics, or Cecil B. DeMille’s Biblical extravaganzas. Who could miss the lessons of the great social commentator Orson Welles in “Citizen Kane?" He and another Wells, H.G., that is, introduced the world to science fiction in “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” The list is endless (and so would be this column), so I’ll leave you to look these up in your favorite television guide. Of course, along with the holiday movies — “A Christmas Story” and “It's a Wonderful Life” being among the top vote getters from the Schmaltz Patrol — there are the songs that evoke the most gut wrenching of emo tions. Hearing folks sing about being home for Christmas, or having a Christmas of a par ticular color, or hearing about some guy’s girl friend running off with his truck and shotgun on Christmas Eve (we don’t want to forget our country fans, do we?) just make you want to cry in your eggnog. Once the holiday emo tions get cranked up, a rousing arrangement of “Frosty the Snowman” starts the waterworks. Whenever I think about Christmas songs, the memory of the Christmas of '93 comes to mind. (You ever notice how old folks talk about “back in ’86” or “I b'lieve it was the Christmas of aught four?” It’s a little disen chanting to realize I'm talking like that now. Sorry, I digress.) We were living in Suwanee at the time and had scheduled new carpeting to be laid December 1st. One wrong carpet that had to be reordered and didn’t get installed till December 22. We finally started getting our decorations up for Christmas. Oh, did I mention we had 34 people coming over for dinner Christmas Eve? By 2:30 a.m. the morning of December 23rd, I had speed-decorated the house - tree and all - and was running off pure adrenalin baking, wrapping gifts, baking, hiding stuff Stephanie simply could not see for a couple more days, baking, and trying to keep the cats out of the wrapping paper and the cookie dough. Did I mention I was baking? Anyway, at o’dark-thirty that morning, I was wrapping gifts while everyone else was fast asleep. One of the Atlanta radio sta tions always played a great variety of classic Christmas music, so I was trying to get out of overdrive and into the Christmas spirit. A beautiful orchestration of “Winter Wonderland” wafted from the speak er and I settled into the familiarity of a favorite Christmas song. Not really paying a lot of attention to the lyrics, I realized something was amiss when I heard them singing about “walking ‘round in women's underwear”... Do what? I thought I was just in a stupor and misunderstood til I heard them singing about lacy things and dressing up like Madonna (the singer) and so forth and so on. This was not a song I’d heard before, but morbid curiosity being, well, morbid, I just had to hear it again. All the next day, I listened, called all the stores in my area that carried music. Everybody knew about Twisted Radio's new CD, but it was not to be found. The music stores had assumed us traditional Southerners wouldn't want somebody messin' with our holiday music and had grossly under-ordered. So the radio station decided they'd play the song again so we could illegally record it in the privacy of our own homes. My oldest brother Haase and I shared the same twisted sense of humor (we are our father's children, after all), so I called to let him know to turn the radio to Peach so he could hear this great Christmas song he'd never forget. Twenty minutes after the song was over, I hadn't heard from him. I mean, he’d married a Baptist, but I couldn't imagine he’d be insulted. So I dialed him up. “Is Haase upset?” I asked his wife when she answered the phone. “Hear for yourself,” she said and held the phone so I could hear him “wha-wha-wha- ing” in the background. “Walking Round in Women’s Underwear” became one of our favorite Christmas songs right then and there. We'd call each other, sing part of the lyrics, and collapse laughing. For the past 13 Christmases, I’ve not had him to share the fun of “Underwear.” Now I know why holiday movies and songs evoke such deep emotion. This year, school pushed me to just a few days before Christmas getting ready, but the frantic pace of decorating reminds me of that Christmas of '93. With the trees up and the boxes all over the house. I’m reminded of Peach radio - also gone. But I have my own copy of Twisted Radio's “I Am Santa Claus.” Here's to you, Haase! I’ll put on the music — you join me under the tree. Helen Person is a product of Winder hav ing been born and raised here. She did a 21-year exile in Gwinnett County from which she and her family returned in 2006. She loves being back home and can be reached at HelenPerson @ wind stream, net Robinson to be honored at celebration The Barrow County Sheriff's Office will host a retirement celebration for sheriff Joel Robinson Thursday. The event will culminate 24 years of law enforcement for Robinson, who is retir ing as sheriff at the end of the year. The retirement event will be held at the Winder Community Center. The cost is $15 per person, which includes meal and gift, or $25 per couple. Call 770-307-3080, ext. 3098 or 3133 for more infor mation. STATE REVIEW OF APPLICATION Northeast Georgia Health System submitted a CON application with the Georgia Department of Community Health in 2006 for a 100-bed hospital on Thompson Mill Road in Braselton. At the time, the health system said the $209 million Braselton hospital would be a replace ment facility for the 96-bed Lanier Park hospital in Gainesville. Barrow Regional and Emory Johns Creek Hospital filed objections to the pro posed Braselton facility in February 2007. The state department later recommended that Northeast Georgia submit a change to its CON application stating the Braselton hospital was a “new” facility and not a “replacement.” Northeast Georgia made that change in April 2007 and said it wasn’t closing its Lanier Park hos pital. Northeast Georgia’s CON application for the Braselton hospital was approved by the state department, but Barrow Regional appealed the deci sion. In December 2007, a hear ing officer favored the state department’s decision and the State Health Planning Review Board also sided in February 2008 with the deci sion to approve Northeast Georgia’s CON application. Barrow Regional took its last legal avenue in March 2008, when it filed a request for judicial review. Barrow Regional has con tended that a new hospital in Braselton would have a “significant, potentially devastating impact” on the 56-bed Winder hospital. It also says Northeast Georgia should have submitted a new CON application when it no longer viewed the Braselton hospital as a “replacement” facility. Adamson’s ruling means Northeast Georgia will have to ask the Georgia Court of Appeals to hear its case. The health system has 30 days to file an appeal and Barrow Regional then has 10 days to file a response. Northeast Georgia plans to file a request with the www.BarrowJournal.coin % Wellborn Promotional Printing Promotional Products Medicine Wheel Clinic 85 Auburn Park Drive Auburn, GA 30011 770-277-7958 “Methadone as Medicine” medicinewheel@bellsouth.net Do you or a loved one have a problem with pain pills? We can help! Screen Printing, Embroidery, Pad Printing, Fund Raisers & More Small & Large Quantities, Personal Service Brian & Katrina Wellborn Advertising Specialists V 770-868-0088 www.wellbornpp.com • kwellborn@windstream.net ✓ Georgia Court of Appeals, Gardner said. “We’re disappointed in the decision and disagree with the court’s ruling,” he said. “We obviously believe that the three decisions — not one, not two, but three previ ous decisions made by the Department of Community Health, the hearing officer and the review board were correct in their approval of our CON application.” Gardner said the health sys tem is confident the court of appeals will hear its request and confirm the original state department’s ruling. “This application was always about bringing much- needed access to healthcare, including life-saving emer gency services to South Hall,” he said. "And the fact that the Department of Community Health very carefully and very thoughtfully looked at the data, and again approved our application at three dif ferent levels — to have a court in essence reverse that, it’s definitely a disappoint ment. Bowers said if the CON application process starts again, changes in the econ omy may require a differ ent analysis of how a new hospital in Braselton would impact Barrow Regional. The state didn’t do a true adverse impact analysis during the initial CON application pro cess, he added. “We’re thankful at the order,” Bowers said. “It’s a major development for the Winder area. Adamson’s decision came three weeks after attorneys for both hos pitals argued their cases in a Barrow County courtroom. The judge is retiring at the end of December. Northeast Georgia has already opened the first build ing on its 119-acre South Hall medical campus, called “River Place Braselton.” Medical Plaza I opened in September 2008 and is a 100,000 square-foot facility that includes an urgent care center, medical practices and a lab. 7z. Z&PJL , YOUR LOCAL HOLIDAY SHOPPING DESTINATION Present this ad for 20% Off Select Merchandise (Selections vary weekly) Unique & Affordable Giftware Baby ~ Cards ~ Gourmet Foods ~ Home Accessories Spa Items ~ Custom Soy Candles & Silk Flower Arrangements Wedding ~ Original Local Art ~ Sterling/Gemstone Jewelry Free Gift Packaging Special Holiday Hours: Mon. - Thurs. Noon - 6 p.m. Fri. Noon - 7 p.m. • Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Christmas Eve • Closed Christmas Day Lynn Hammond, Owner/Artist 9 W. 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