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Category Archives: Steelers Nation
Saluting, Remembering Scott Paulsen's Steeler Nation on July 4th
Posted on July 3, 2015 by KT Standard Reply
As we celebrate July 4th its appropriate for Steelers fans to reflect Scott Paulsen's Steeler Nation, something highly relevant to our nation. To put Paulsen's seminal work into context, we must first take a step back:
January 2006 – Bill Cowher's Pittsburgh Steelers, left for playoff dead in early December, defied the NFL by squeaking into the playoffs by winning their final four games. Pittsburgh opened with a playoff road win vs. Cincinnati. They followed by upsetting the Indianapolis Colts.
Victory over the Colts arrived with a special twist.
The 2005 Colts juggernaut had been anointed as "The Team of Destiny." Then, before Christmas, the son of Colt's coach Tony Dungy, tragically took his own life.
Dungy, who defines the concept of "Class Act," found the entire NFL rallying around him, making the Colts the sentimental NFL favorite. And yet, leading up to their AFC Divisional playoff game vs. the Steelers, the Indianapolis Colts ticket office made a peculiar announcement:
They would refuse all calls originating from a 412 area code.
That's right, Colts were set to play the biggest game in the franchise's Indianapolis history, and yet they still struggled to keep Steelers fans out of their stadium. The sight of Steelers fans invading opposing NFL venues had been common since the mid 1990's – Dan Rooney traces it a 1994 road game in Arizona – but the movement was clearly gaining momentum.
But it lacked one thing: a name.
WDVE's Scott Paulsen changed it all in just over 900 words with his seminal "Nation Building" essay released shortly before the Steelers AFC Championship Game vs. Denver.
Steelers Nation; Photo credit: Fabus, Getty Images/New York Daily News
Paulsen's piece spread like wildfire in cyberspace, yet was not to be found in a Google search nor did it turn up on WDVE's site. Fortunately, an Inbox cleaning effort turned up a copy Paulson's "Nation Building," and Steel Curtain Rising now offers it here, for everyone in Steelers Nation to enjoy.
Scott Paulsen Gives Us Steeler Nation
Nation Building By WDVE's Scott Paulsen – January 18, 2006
Think about this the next time someone begins to argue with you that a professional sports franchise is not important to a city's identity:
In the 1980's, as the steel mills and their supporting factories shut down from Homestead to Midland, Pittsburghers, faced for the first time in their lives with the specter of unemployment, were forced to pick up their families, leave their home towns and move to more profitable parts of the country. The steel workers were not ready for this. They had planned to stay in the 'burgh their entire lives. It was home.
Breath taking Pittsburgh sunrise by Dave DiCello
Everyone I know can tell the same story about how Dad, Uncle Bob or their brother-in-law packed a U-Haul and headed down to Tampa to build houses or up to Boston for an office job or out to California to star in p_rn vide_s.
All right. Maybe that last one just happened in my family.
At this same time, during the early to mid-eighties, the Pittsburgh Steelers were at the peak of their popularity. Following the dynasty years, the power of the Steelers was strong. Every man, woman, boy and girl from parts of four states were Pittsburgh faithful, living and breathing day to day on the news of their favorite team. Then, as now, it seemed to be all anyone talked about.
Who do you think the Steelers will take in the draft this year?
Is Terry Bradshaw done?
Can you believe they won't give Franco the money – what's he doing going to Seattle?
The last memories most unemployed steel workers had of their towns had a black and gold tinge. The good times remembered all seemed to revolve, somehow, around a football game. Sneaking away from your sister's wedding reception to go downstairs to the bar and watch the game against Earl Campbell and the Oilers – going to midnight mass, still half in the bag after Pittsburgh beat Oakland – you and your grandfather, both crying at the sight of The Chief, finally holding his Vince Lombardi Trophy. Good times baby …. good times.
And then, the mills closed.
Damn the mills.
One of the unseen benefits of the collapse of the value systems our families believed in – that the mill would look after you through thick and thin – was that now, decades later, there is not a town in America where a Pittsburgher cannot feel at home.
Pour House, a now defunct DC Area Steelers Bar. Photo Credit: SteelersBars.com
Nearly every city in the United States has a designated "Black and Gold" establishment. From Bangor, Maine to Honolulu, Hawaii, and every town in between can be found an oasis of Iron City, chipped ham, perogies, kilbosa, and yinzers. It's great to know that no matter what happened in the lives of our Steel City refugees, they never forgot the things that held us together as a city – families, food, and Steelers football.
It's what we call the Steeler Nation.
You see it every football season. And when the Steelers have a great year, as they have had this season, the power of the Steeler Nation rises to show itself stronger than ever. This week, as the Pittsburgh team of Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, Jerome Bettis and Joey Porter head to Denver, the fans of L.C. Greenwood, Jack Lambert, Rocky Bleier and Mel Blount, the generation who followed Greg Lloyd, Yancey Thigpen, Rod Woodson and Levon Kirkland will be watching from Dallas to Chicago, from an Air Force base in Minot, North Dakota, to a tent stuck in the sand near Fallujah, Iraq.
I have received more email from displaced Pittsburgh Steelers fans this week than Christmas cards this holiday season.
They're everywhere.
We're everywhere.
We are the Steeler Nation.
And now, it's passing from one generation to the next. The children of displaced Pittsburghers, who have never lived in the Steel City, are growing up Steelers fans. When they come back to their parents' hometowns to visit the grandparents, they hope, above all, to be blessed enough to get to see the Steelers in person.
Heinz Field is their football Mecca.
And if a ticket isn't available, that's okay, too. There's nothing better than sitting in Grandpa's living room, just like Dad did, eating Grandma's cooking and watching the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Just like Dad did.
So, to you, Steeler Nation, I send best wishes and a fond wave of the Terrible Towel. To Tom, who emailed from Massachusetts to say how great it was to watch the Patriots lose and the Steelers win in one glorious weekend. To Michelle, from Milwaukee, who wrote to let me know it was she who hexed Mike Vanderjagt last Sunday by chanting "boogity, boogity, boogity" and giving him the "maloik". To Jack, who will somehow pull himself away from the beach bar he tends in Hilo, Hawaii, to once again root for the black and gold in the middle of the night (his time), I say, thanks for giving power to the great Steeler Nation.
All around the NFL, the word is out that the Pittsburgh Steeler fans "travel well", meaning they will fly or drive from Pittsburgh to anywhere the Steelers play, just to see their team. The one aspect about that situation the rest of the NFL fails to grasp is that, sometimes, the Steeler Nation does not have to travel. Sometimes, we're already there.
Yes, the short sighted steel mills screwed our families over.
But they did, in a completely unintended way, create something new and perhaps more powerful than an industry.
They helped created a nation. A Steeler Nation.
From Steeler Nation to Steelers Nation
Nearly ten years later, reading Scott Paulsen's epistle still raises the hair on the back of my neck.
His term "Steeler Nation" took on a life of its own, morphing into "Steelers Nation" and has been the subject of books and documentaries since then. The movement continues, with the sight of Steelers fans dominating opposing stadiums becoming more and more common.
And as the nation celebrates July 4th, as Steelers fans let's give thanks to Scott Paulsen and WDVE for giving our nation its name.
In Heart of "Redskins Territory," Shadow of Ravens Roost, Steelers Nation Stands Strong!
Posted on September 2, 2014 by KT Standard 2
Our story starts at Dinos Barber Shop in the Aspen Hill Shopping Center. Aspen Hill, Maryland is about ten miles from the DC border, and the shopping center is so thoroughly suburbanly non-descript that the KGB used it as a rendezvous during the Cold War. (Seriously, the Washington Post documented it 1999.)
But in the late 70's, as the Cold War was heating up again, there were no Soviet spies in Dino's, just Steelers fans.
At least there was one. His name was George. He had the front seat on the left hand side, closest to the front of the store. Along either side of his mirror, he had the Iron City cans that featured the Super Steelers. If memory serves, he also had a framed copy of the Sports Illustrated cover of Terry Bradshaw and Willie Stargell's joint sportsman of the year award.
At age 6, even though I was well acquainted with the 4 hour drive to Pittsburgh, this seemed "normal" to me.
After all, when my folks had taken me to Sears to get me a winter jacket, there'd been a rack divided in equal proportions of Redskins, Cowboys, and Steelers jackets. Coming at the end of the Super Steelers Dynasty, this would change quickly.
Just as I reached double digits, Joe Gibbs was working his magic in Washington.
And that meant that I spent the rest of my schooling being asked, "Are you a Redskins fan?" "No." "Then you're a Cowboy stuck in Redskins territory."
Or "Are you a Redskins fan?" "No" "Dallas sucks!"
…Yes, even though suburban Maryland of the 80's was very much a land of transplants, if you weren't a Redskins fan, in most people's minds it automatically made you a Cowboys fan.
Although George the barber remained faithful to his Steelers roots, visual evidence of the nascent phenomenon that we now know as Steelers Nation became sparse. Yes, you could find Steelers stuff, but only in equal proportions with the other 27 NFL teams.
Fans didn't give up on the Black and Gold in the '80's, but there was no internet, no Sunday Ticket, no Redzone, and mediocre teams don't draw that much coverage.
Fast Forward, from Mid-80's to 2014…
A recent trip back to my old stomping grounds in Aspen Hill showed the Aspen Hill Shopping Center alive and well although changed. Dino's is still there, although George is long gone – having been upset when Dino expanded but declined to delegate management of his new stores to the old hands. Peering through the window I saw that Italo, my dad's old barber, was still there.
He, like Dino's itself, is a survivor of a strip mall that has seen incredible turnover. But alas, peering inside, no evidence of Steelers Nation was apparent in Dinos.
A few doors down, it was a different story.
Heading into "5 Below" with my brother's kids in tow, my wife called out "Hey, you need to see this." Here is what she was taking about:
Redskins stuff was obvious. Although Daniel Snyder seems intent on discovering just where their goodwill reaches the breaking point, the truth is the Washington Redskins have a loyal fan base. To outsiders, the Ravens might seem an obvious choice, and perhaps it is, but it caused a raised eyebrow nonetheless.
The last NFL season in which I lived in the US (and Aspen Hill) was 2000, the year the Redskins won hands down the off season Lombardi, and the Ravens won their first real Lombardi. As the two franchises were crossing their respective thresholds to fantasy and reality, you could pick up a subtle undercurrent of support for the Ravens among life-long Redskins fans.
So perhaps the beach head that the Ravens roost laid has grown roots since then.
That seems logical enough given that the DC and Baltimore suburbs have grown into each other, the Ravens have contended while the Redskins have pretended, and given the fact that Washingtonians shift sports loyalties easily (before the Nationals arrived, I only knew one native Washingtonian who refused to root for the Baltimore Orioles as the "home team" — this bud's for you M. W.)
Of course there is no such easy explanation to "justify" the Black and Gold robust representation in this retail sector. And it wasn't just with the backpacks.
You could see it with balls…
Key chains….
And even with sandals.
Yes, ladies and gentleman, in the heart of "Redskins Territory," in the shadow of the Ravens Roost, the footprints of Steelers Nation leave their indelible mark.
The really cool thing about this is that a chain like 5 Below almost certainly manages its stock based on a supply and distribution business intelligence algorithm. In other words, they have a computer program that directs merchandise to where it sells.
That means there are plenty of Steelers fans in Aspen Hill Maryland.
Like all good vacations, ours came to an end. The first leg of our trek back to Buenos Aires began at Washington National Airport, located in Virginia just across the river. As we waited to board, my wife again called my attention to something in in the distance.
What a beautiful sight it was:
Steelers US Airways Jet
As, as yours truly observed in 2008 on the night when Ben Roethlisberger got injured and Byron Leftwich led Pittsburgh over Washington as Steelers fans took over FedEx Field, DC might be "Redskins Territory…"
But it's still part of Steelers Nation!
Chuck Noll Gaining on Bill Belicheat in ESPN Poll – Thanks to Steelers Nation
Posted on May 28, 2013 by KT Standard Reply
Ladies and Gentlemen. Steelers Nation is opening its mouth and raising the pitch of its voice to the sound of a roar.
Two weeks ago ESPN kicked off a poll in anticipation of a series profiling the NFL's greatest 20 coaches. Over 50 coaches were listed, from No Brainers like Vince Lombardi and Paul Brown, to head scratchers like Dennis Green and Jeff Fisher.
At the time Chuck Noll wasn't doing as well as he should have, coming in fifth place:
Before Steelers Nation sprung into action, Chuck Noll was only coming in 5th Place in ESPN's Poll on May 11th
Now fifth place is no dishonor in such a broad sweeping poll, but it was the company that Noll was behind which was at issue. Namely Bill Belichick and Bill Walsh.
Steel Curtain Rising not only implored the faithful to rally for Chuck Noll but we enlisted the aid other sites securing entries in Pittsburgh's Best Sports Blog and Behind the Steel Curtain (full disclosure, write for BTSC, and wrote one of their articles calling on people to vote.)
With just a little effort, look at what we have accomplished:
Steelers Nation is rallying behind Chuck Noll, Pushing him to 4th Place as of May 27th
Not only has Chuck Noll increased his share of the vote, from 58.8% to 66.4% he has also passed Don Shula for four place and now is within striking distance of Bill Belichick!
Vote Early, Vote Often
Now is the time for Steelers Nation to redouble your efforts. You must vote early, and vote often. That's right, you need to vote often.
ESPN is trying to limit multiple voting, but you can get around this by:
Voting from multiple browsers (Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, etc…)
Voting from multiple devices (iPad, desktop, laptop, iPhone)
Voting from the office (as long as you won't get into trouble)
The even better news is that ESPN's cookie-control seems to be time sensitive, so if you voted two weeks ago, you can probably vote again.
Its also important that you don't vote for either Bill Belichick and Bill Walsh
If you're looking for objective reasons to not vote for Belichick and/or Walsh to promote Chuck Noll, then you can click here for our original article or see BTSC's article.
Click here now to vote for Chuck Noll in ESPN's poll.
250 Reasons to Be Proud of Pittsburgh
Steel Curtain Rising has an (almost) strict policy of "Steelers Only" when it comes to content.
And, this video commemorating the 250th Anniversary of Pittsburgh does mention the Steelers, so I guess that counts. Its about 7 minutes long, but worth the watch.
The Steelers and Steelers Nation have brought the city of Pittsburgh fame and notoriety far beyond what the city's population or size would imply. And the Steelers are a rightful source of civic pride.
But there are so many reasons for Pittsburghers to be proud, even those of us such as yours truly who never actually lived there, and this video serves as a pleasant reminder.
Thanks for visiting. Click here to follow Steel Curtain Rising on Twitter.
Carolina Cowher
Posted on June 3, 2009 by KT Standard 4
William Laird Cowher stepped down as Steelers head coach over two years ago, but that hasn't stopped him from making headlines.
Steel Curtain Rising has been late in responding to this. And for good reason.
Twice I sat down to begin writing something with the idea that I would make sense of it only to stop. The more I thought of it, and the more I wrote, one thing became clear — I can't make sense of this.
There are any number of easy explanations, but all of them are wanting, at least to this writer's eyes.
Bill Cowher is just too difficult to pin down.
He arrived in Pittsburgh carrying the moniker of Marty Schottenhiemer's disciple. Translation: run on first, run on second and, if at all possible, run on third…
…Yet in his first trip to the Super Bowl the five wide receiver set and the phenomenon known as "Slash" characterized his offense.
Beginning with his first game as coach, Cowher succeeded in making the Steelers a contender again. Yet, during those early years, over confidence was his Achilles Heel…
…But by the time he left, his team's had mastered the "one game at a time" approach.
By the end of both losing seasons of 1998 and 1999 large contingents of his players had quit on him, and quit badly…
…During the 6-10 2003 campaign, Cowher had his players fighting for every blade of grass, down to the final gun in overtime during a meaningless final game.
Cowher broke into the league as a special teams coach, and he was quite proud of that fact…
…Special teams foul ups led directly to playoff losses against Kansas City in 1993 and of course New England in 2001.
During his tenure in Pittsburgh, Cowher came across as the darling of the national media…
…His relationship with the Pittsburgh media was generally tense and often contentious.
Cowher was almost universally loved by his players, and he gave off a giant Teddy Bear aura in the rare glimpses he gave into his relationship with his wife and daughters…
…Non-football players who crossed his path got frosty receptions at best; according to Jim Wexell's book Steelers Nation, Cowher refused to even acknowledge James Harrison's parents during a chance encounter in an elevator prior to Super Bowl XL.
The day Cowher stepped down as coach, he reaffirmed his connections to Pittsburgh, reminding everyone that his brothers and parent's still lived in the city…
…Press reports indicate that the Cowhers couldn't be bothered to have furniture moved from their Fox Chapel House, instead they had it auctioned off.
Although in the late 1990's he openly mused how nice it would be to have the Browns job, early this year Cowher reportedly asked not to be considered for the coaching vacency in Cleveland out of respect for Dan Rooney…
…Yet, Bob Smizk reports that Cowher declined to publicly root for the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII.
Returning once again to the day Cowher stepped away from the helm, he stated "you can take the boy from Pittsburgh, but you can't take Pittsburgh from the boy…. Yinz understand what I mean…"
We thought we did.
…Rather than root for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Bill Cowher was front and center during game four of the NHL Eastern Conference Semi-finals revving up the Carolina Hurricanes faithful by setting off their Hurricane siren.
Will We Ever Understand Bill Cowher?
Outside of Steelers Nation, The idea of someone shifting sports loyalties is not a foreign concept. Growing up in the Washington DC area, you ran into loads of people who would say stuff like "I grew as a die hard Buffalo Bills fan, but I root for the Redskins now because, well, you know, I can see their game every week."
Never made sense to me.
I am the only person in my immediate or extended family who wasn't born nor ever lived in Pittsburgh, and yet my loyalty to the Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins has never wavered. (OK, confession the O's are my American League team, but I would firmly back the Bucos should the two ever meet in the World Series again…. Yeah, like that's gonna happen….)
Pittsburghers, transplanted or otherwise, are loyal to Pittsburgh teams. It's as much part of the collective DNA as yinz, pop, jumbo, Iron City, and gum bands.
Not surprisingly, much of Steelers Nation is up in arms over Cowher.
I don't blame them.
But I do not completely share in their ire.
I have long been a Cowher apologist, defending him through those AFC Championship losses. (although initially I thought Rooneys erred in choosing him over Donahue after the 1999 season.)
But how ever much his latest escapade may rub me the wrong way, I am not ready to condemn the man who won 149 games, clinched two wild card berths, bagged 8 division titles, snagged a Lamar Hunt trophy along the way, and brought home One for the Thumb.
But if that's true, then it's also true that I cannot take the part of those who dismiss this whole debate as pointless. Because, as I have depicted above, there's a lot more to Cowher than meets the eye. There's a complexity to Bill Cowher that too frequently gets lost in all of the fire and brimstone, Chin Out, Spit in Your Face bluster.
Sometimes that's been for good and sometimes its been for ill, but it has always been one of the things that's made him so interesting.
Or at least that is as close to explaining this as I can get. If you've got your own take, by all means, please leave a comment.
So, what do you think? Leave a comment. All views are welcome, but please, as this is sparking intense debate in Steelers Nation, we only ask that you be respectful of others who have different opinions.
Beware of Alamo Rental Car Buenos Aires: Road Warriors of Steelers Nation
Posted on December 27, 2008 by KT Standard Reply
I struggled over whether or not to include this, as Steel Curtain Rising's has a hard and fast rule of focusing exclusively on Steelers football. But I found myself a loophole in the fact that Steelers Nation is by definition made up of a group of travelers.
So here goes our warning:
To all of you road warriors of Steelers Nation, be very wary of renting from Alamo National Car Rental.
As regular readers of this site know, yours truly is located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. My folks were in town for Christmas, and we needed transport to get us to where we'd be celebrating on the 24th and 25th.
No problem. We reserved a car with Alamo one month in advance.
Everything was in order.
We had our reservation for 4:30 on the 23rd. Now, did they tell you when you reserved that you had a 1 hour time limit to pick up your car? Did they mention that once that hour was up you lost your reservation?
Well, if they told you they didn't tell us.
In fact, they didn't even mention that we were ½ hour into this mystical one hour grace period when my wife called at 5:00 pm to mention that we were running late. In fact, they told us not to worry.
So when we got there, our car was gone. Not only did we lose the reservation, but the person there made it quite clear that he was not going to lift a finger to help us. There was another couple there that also was having problems getting their car, even though they'd prepaid and were on time.
It was clear that Alamo had overbooked, and had no compunction about screwing their customers.
So fellow members of Steelers Nation, if you're traveling and need to rent a car, be careful with Alamo; or better yet, just rent a car from one of Alamo's competitors.
Shanghai Kelly's: The Place to See the Steelers Play in San Francisco
I've now seen two Steelers games on US soil in one season, a feat I have not matched in 8 years. And the irony of the fact is that both of them involved the Ravens.
I watched the first Ravens game with friends of mine (Ravens fans) back in Maryland. I'd been longing to see a game at my beloved Purple Goose, but that was not to be, as the Goose is no longer the Goose — its now a Raven's roost.
The return bout against the Ravens saw me in San Francisco. Thank God for the Internet, as finding a place to see the game was not hard. The Post-Gazette's website listed a number of places in San Francisco, and three within walking distance. I cannot say anything about the others, but for those who find themselves in a similar situation, I whole heartedly recommend Shanghai Kelly's.
Shanghai Kelly's is a small corner bar on Polk and Broadway in San Francisco's Nob Hill. If you go purely on image, San Francisco and Steelers fans would not seem to mix, so I must admit I was a tad bit skeptical as to what I would find.
I must admit, that I am pleased to announce that my skepticism was missed placed.
"Release the Hounds! Release the Hounds!"
The place is small, but its packed. When I found it, I saw a crowd overflowing out the door. Although part of that was because people were indulging their nicotine habits, the simple fact is that the place was packed.
I arrived just in time to see the Raven's final field goal, and stayed through the entire second half.
The place is adorned with all kinds of Steelers and Pittsburgh memorabilia, from Iron City bottles, to a Blitzbergh sign.
Most importantly, the fans were first class. As you'd expect, they were friendly, totally were totally committed the the Black and Gold, and understood the game and the team (which is to say, Bruce Arians is not popular in that bar.)
They didn't play the Western Pennsylvania polka, which my soul longed to hear, and I failed to the "Chew tobacco, Chew tobacco, spit, spit, spit, if you ain't a Steelers fan you and sh_t" going.
But let me tell you, these people have come up with something new, at least for me.
As soon as the defense got into position, a cry would sally forth from the bar, and resonate back through the rest of the place. Its quite simple:
"Release the Hounds! Release the Hounds."
It was infectious. I loved it.
It perfectly describes what the the Steelers defense does to opposing quarterbacks. Its seeks them, it finds, them, it destroys them.
So if you find yourselves in San Francisco and need to see the Steelers game. Shanghai Kelly's is the place to go. One bit of advice.
Get there early.
Thanks for reading Steel Curtain Rising.
Paying Tribute to the Purple Goose Saloon: A Pioneer Outpost of Steelers Nation
Posted on December 13, 2008 by KT Standard 6
"We're from the town with that great football team,
We cheer the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Chuck Noll and all his friends are all on the field.
Go out and get them Steelers.
Bradshaw, and Rocky, and Franco and Lynn,
We love you Pittsburgh Steelers.
It's been many years in coming,
just keep that Steelers machinery humming…"
It was the first time I'd heard the song, it was the first time I'd been the place, and I was hooked on both.
The date was December 19th, 1993. The song is of course the Western Pennsylvania Polka, and the place was the Purple Goose Saloon, then home of the Pittsburgh Steelers Fan Club of Baltimore. In Spanish they say, Me encontre con mi lugar en el mundo, — roughly translated, I've found my place in the world. That was how I felt.
Life can be ironic sometimes. I'd spent my college years in Baltimore, only to learn in the last week of the fall semester of my senior year that there was indeed a place where I could see Steelers games every Sunday.
Fast forward to 2008. I am about to witness my first Steelers game on US soil in five and a half years…. I eagerly anticipated going up to the Goose….
….Only to get Steelers Fan Club of Maryland newsletter and learn that the Purple Goose is now a Ravens Roost!
This is of course not news to the faithful of Steelers Nation in Maryland. The Goose apparently got bought out a year ago, its new owners changed the name immediately, but waited a year to kick out the Steelers fans. For me, if the news wasn't entirely unanticipated, but it surely was disappointing.
"Chew tobacco, Chew tobacco, spit, spit, spit, if you ain't a Steelers fan you ain't sh-t, Go Steelers!"
If you never experienced a Steelers game that Purple Goose, you missed something special.
In the early 1990's, long before the advent of the Direct TV's Sunday Ticket, a Pittsburgh transplant by the name of Jim D. (I'll avoid last names for the sake of preserving privacy) decided he wanted to see Steelers games. There was no web in those days, so Jim starting putting up little three by five cards in super market bulletin boards and spreading the news by word of mouth.
The Purple Goose Saloon: Pittsburgh's Perfect Home Away from Home
The Colts had long ago left Baltimore, and the Ravens arrival was still years off. There as many Pittsburgh expats in Baltimore as there are anywhere else, and the Purple Goose was the perfect location.
The Goose was a medium sized shot-and-a-beer joint down tucked off of Caton avenue in one of South Baltimore's last working-class enclaves. I never made it into one of those bars that used to sit across from J&L's on Carson street, but I'll wager that this place could have held its own against any one of them.
The Goose was dark, it was rough-edged, and there was always a haze, at least in those days.
You couldn't ask for a better environment.
Fans from all over the region, and from all walks of life flocked to the Goose on Steelers Sunday. Plumbers, hair stylists, people who worked for the NSA, nutritionists, private investigators, school teachers, you name it and you could find it at the Goose. Steelers garb adorned the walls, waitresses wore Steelers Fan Club of Baltimore t-shirts, special black and gold colored menus featuring pastrami brothers sandwiches were on every table.
And perhaps most importantly, Iron City and IC Light was available, and always freely flowing.
Sundays at the Purple Goose Saloon
The routine was pretty simple, starting with – Get There Early. If you had any hope of getting a seat, at least when the Steelers were playing well, you had to get their 2 hours or so before game time. There was plenty to do, tailgates in the parking lot were a common occurrence, and it all revolved around the Steelers.
As game time approached, Steve would take the podium, announce the weeks raffle prices, say a few words to get the fans fired up (as if we needed it) and we'd lead into kick off with the Western Pennsylvania Polka, followed of course by Steelers Nation's rallying cry: "Chew tobacco, Chew tobacco, spit, spit, spit, if you ain't a Steelers fan you ain't sh-t, Go Steelers!"
Volunteers would circulate at half time selling raffle tickets, "1 for a dollar, 6 for five, 12 for ten, and you do the math after that." I always bought a raffle ticket. One raffle ticket. No more, no less. I have NEVER had any luck at winning raffles or drawings, but I won the raffle at the Goose at least a half dozen times…..
The Steelers lost my first game at the Goose, getting smashed 26-17 (don't be deceived by the score) by the then Houston Oilers. In fact they'd lose their next game 16-6 to Seattle, but it didn't take long to understand that this place was something out of the ordinary.
I remember the final game of the 1993 season vividly. I showed up an hour early, thinking I was going to find a place to sit, only to discover that I was very, very wrong. The Steelers had an 8-7 record, and needed a win plus help to make the playoffs. This day marked one of the times that Greg Lloyd altered the course of a game with the sheer force of his will.
While I cherish that memory, what happened after the game sticks out.
With a victory in the bag, the Steelers playoff spot depended on the outcomes of several other games. The bar immediately switched to those games, and 90% of the fans stuck around. If memory serves, the easiest route to the playoffs would be for the New England Patriots to beat the Miami Dolphins, which would put Pittsburgh in the playoffs against the Kansas City Chiefs.
I can remember one fan speaking out against this. He wanted things to break another way, a way that would allow us to play Houston in the playoffs again – "I want one more shot at Buddy Ryan," he declared. You gotta love the attitude.
The Steelers did not get one more shot at Buddy Ryan. Drew Bledsoe led the Patriots from behind to beat the Dolphins, and at Western Pennsylvania Polka played at the Purple Goose again.
Following the 1993 season, life would take me to Boston and then Cincinnati, but when ever I was home during the Steelers season, I always made my pilgrimage to the Goose. Between 1997 and 2000 I was back in Maryland, and I only missed two games.
The Josh Miller Fan Club
That stretch included the dark days of the 1998 and 1999 seasons, where the Goose served as a refuge. Numbers might have been down, but the spirit was still the same. Ray Sherman's offense was so bad, a group of buddies would sit there, call the play before the snap, and usually get it right. And usually it meant that the Steelers offense got stuffed. After a time, first downs were punctuated with the caveat, "Josh Miller is warming up to kick!"
Awards, Honors, Accolades, and Memorable Games at the Goose
The Goose was bar none, one of the best places to see a game. Iron City beer honored the Bar naming it one of the top ten out of town Steelers bars. KDKA sent a television crew to do a story on the bar and its fans back in 2001 – I was already living in Argentina then, but one of my friends was featured.
The game time environment at the Goose was something special. The January 1995 playoff victory over the Browns? – Time Square in New York on V-E day could not have been more festive. I missed Super Bowl XXX at the Goose, but the T-shirts said it all "I survived Super Bowl XXX at the Purple Goose."
"Life is a journey in which you never arrive." – Chuck Noll.
After the 2000 season, my journey would again take away, this time outside of the United States. I made my travel plans so that I'd be back in time for the 2001 playoffs, and got to see the Steelers playoff games against the Ravens and Patriots.
I am glad that one of my last games at the Goose featured Amos Zereoue running over Rod Woodson to score a touchdown. I really wish that I could have been there for Super Bowl XL. My first thought when the Steelers finally got One for the Thumb was "My God, the Goose must be crazy."
While it is saddening to know that the Goose is no more, change is simply a part of life. And change is not always for the bad.
The Steelers Fan Club of Baltimore has grown. In fact, it has grown so much that its now the Steelers Fan Club of Maryland. And while the Goose is no longer on their roster of Sunday Watering holes, the club counts four or five other locations. I have never been to any of them, but I can imagine that they will be the place to watch the Steelers play the Ravens this coming Sunday.
Win or lose, a good time will be had by all. But as good as those places might be, however much the might thrive, they'll never be another Purple Goose.
Thanks for reading Steel Curtain Rising. Take time to leave one of your memories of the Goose.
Steelers-Redskins "Rivalry" Sweetens Win @ FedEx Field for DC Area Steelers Fans
Posted on November 8, 2008 by KT Standard Reply
The Pittsburgh Steelers last visited Washington in 1988, making the Steelers romp over the Redskins in their own home all the more special. The Steelers and Redskins are not rivals, in the traditional sense, but in a lot of ways they should be natural rivals. Consider:
Blue collar vs. White collar
Art Rooney Sr. vs. George Preston Marshall – Let's just say their attitudes on "social issues" were… distinct
Jack Kent Cooke vs. Art Rooney Sr. – The former's flair for flamboyance stood in stark contrast to the later's disdain for "putting on the dog."
Joe Gibbs vs. Chuck Noll – Two of the greatest coaches of all time: One built his reputation on offense. He took very good talent and did great things with it. The other's team defined dominating defense. He found exceptional talent and established standards of excellence.
The draft vs. free agency – No team, since 1969, has been more committed to the draft than the Steelers. Even before the days of free agency Jack Kent Cooke spent lavishly to bring in back ups cast off from other teams.
Dan Rooney vs. Daniel Snyder — Need we explain?
Special for Steelers Fans Living in the DC Area
That game is significant for me, and most probably to other Steelers fans living in the DC area. Although I grew up in the DC area, never having lived in Pittsburgh, I've been a Steelers fan all my life. My formative football years were spent there during the height of the Joe Gibbs era, but I was not to be swayed. As my father used to say:
"my son has no divided loyalties whatsoever, he bleeds Black and Gold."
I really wasn't old enough to follow the team until about 1987 or so, and the Steelers didn't make national TV much in those days. So in effect, the Steelers 1988 visit to Washington was one of the few games I got to see at an age when I was really old enough to understand.
It was the second game of the season and the Redskins were coming off of their second Super Bowl and the Steelers were coming off an 8-7 season, and the hope was that with Bubby Brister replacing Mark Malone under center, the Steelers would improve in 1988.
For a time it looked like those hopes would be realized. Brister hooked up with Dwight Stone and Louis Lipps for long touchdown plays and the Steelers were leading up until the last moments of the game.
Alas, the Doug Williams burned the Steelers secondary for 400 plus yards, and led them to score in the final moments as the Steelers lost 30-29. (Interestingly enough, a bobbled snap caused Gary Anderson to miss an extra point that day. I remember telling my father that would be the difference in the game, only to be chided for being too pessimistic….)
20 years later the memory remains fresh, which makes the Steel Curtain's dominate performance on Monday night something to cherish.
Redskin Territory….?
James Harrison lifting his hands up to get the crowd cheering while the Redskins were in the red zone was a sight to behold, for me and for any Steelers fan who has ever lived in the DC area.
I'll limit my comments about Redskins fans (they have their quirks, but so do all of us) to this: Redskins fans are loyal. But they would certainly be the NFL's most loyal fans if they were as devoted as they think they are. (I've talked to several DC natives who've moved out of the area who've all told me variations on: "You know, I followed them with a passion for a while, but after Gibbs left I just gradually lost interest….")
Fortunately Steelers fans are more loyal, and that was on display Monday night. On Tuesday the Washington Post ran an article titled "Steelers Make Themselves At Home." Wednesday Michael Wilbon followed up with another column titled "Fan Deprecation at FedEx." Wilbon's critique is telling:
I got a text message during the first few plays from a friend in Chicago asking me when the NFL started staging neutral-field games. I assured him we were at FedEx Filed. They like an infestation of cicadas, the Steelers fans, so loud they effectively drowned out Redskins fans. They were like a storm of pirates who satisfied themselves at the expense of home folks who just sat and watched. That the Redskins had to use a silent count because they couldn't hear signals through all of the Steelers nose is, well, alarming. It remains the lasting impression of Monday night's Redskins-Steelers game….
….The Redskins like to say the have the best fans in the league. Please, they're not even in the game for consideration of that distinction. You think Steelers fans, no matter how late the game time or how much they hate the stadium, would sell their tickets and let Redskins fans gobble them up?
Wilbon's actually wrong, because the lasting impression of the game is of the Steelers linebackers repeatedly planting Jason Campbell on the turf.
Nonetheless, the sight of the Terrible Towel waving in FedEx field did exorcise one lasting impression from my youth.
One of the things that kids did throughout elementary school (and into Jr. High, if the truth is to be told) would be to ask:
"Are you a Redskins fan?"
"Well then you're a Cowboy* trapped in Redskins territory."
Pithy wasn't it?
20 years later we have a retort:
FedEx Field might be Redskin territory, but its still part of Steelers Nation!
*That's right, at least in the 1980's it was taken as an article of faith that if you didn't root for the Redskins, you HAD to be a Dallas fan.
Watch Tower: Errors in the Steelers Digest?
Posted on March 19, 2008 by KT Standard Reply
Steelers Digest is an excellent publication. It provided Steelers Nation a vital lifeline in the pre-internet days, and today it continues to serve as the source of some of the best Steelers analysis available. It also serves as a pleasant counter-weight to some of the knee-jerkism that tends to inflict the Pittsburgh media from time to time.
I have been a proud subscriber since 1990, only succumbing to the on-line version in 2007 when Correo Central simply refused to stop losing my issues.
Suffice to say it caught my attention when I found not one, but two glaring factual errors in its pre-draft edition. On page 15, the "Fast Fact" under running back states that the Steelers have drafted more Tight Ends in the first round than running backs, listing Eric Green in 1990 and Heath Miller in 2005. True. It also leaves our Mark Bruener, our first round pick in 1995.
They add to the mistake on page 16, stating that Matt Spaeth was highest pick the team spent on a tight end since their number two pick in 1984. Again, this leaves out Mark Bruener and Eric Green.
The errors continue on page 17. Again, in the fast fact section, it states that the Steelers have only drafted three offensive tackles (Jarmain Stephens, 1996; Leon Searcy, 1992; Mike Taylor, 1969) in the first round during the last 40 years. Opps! This leaves out 1989's second first round pick Tom Ricketts. (Ok, we all might want to forget that one, and he did play a few games at guard during his rookie year. Still, he was drafted and played as a tackle.)
Steelers Digest is normally a rock-solid publication, so I am quite surprised by these mistakes, especially since first rounders have such a high-profile. I plan to send a letter to the editor, and we'll see if it gets printed.


text:
Parents of Michigan boy charged in Oxford school shooting
by: COREY WILLIAMS and ED WHITE, Associated Press
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer embraces Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter as the two leave flowers and pay their respects Thursday morning, Dec. 2, 2021 at Oxford High School in Oxford, Mich. A 15-year-old boy has been denied bail and moved to jail after being charged in the Michigan school shooting that killed four students and injured others.(Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A prosecutor filed involuntary manslaughter charges Friday against the parents of a teen accused of killing four students at a Michigan high school, saying they failed to intervene on the day of the tragedy despite being confronted with a drawing and chilling message — "blood everywhere" — that was found at the boy's desk.
James and Jennifer Crumbley committed "egregious" acts, from buying a gun on Black Friday and making it available to Ethan Crumbley to resisting his removal from school when they were summoned a few hours before the shooting, Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said.
By mid-afternoon, authorities said they were searching for the couple. Sheriff Mike Bouchard said their attorney, Shannon Smith, had agreed to arrange their arrest if charges were filed but hadn't been able to reach them.
U.S. Marshals on Friday night announced a reward of up to $10,000 each for information leading to the Crumbleys' arrest.
Earlier, the prosecutor offered the most precise account so far of the events that led to the shooting, three days after four students were killed and others were wounded at Oxford High School, roughly 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Detroit.
The Crumbleys failed to ask their son about the gun or check his backpack and "resisted the idea of their son leaving the school at that time," McDonald said.
Instead, the teen returned to class and the shooting subsequently occurred.
Over the long Thanksgiving weekend, Jennifer Crumbley wrote on social media that it is a "mom and son day testing out his new Christmas present," the prosecutor said.
Asked at a news conference if the father could be charged for purchasing the gun for the son, McDonald said that would be the decision of federal authorities.
He also acknowledged the meeting of Crumbley, the parents and school officials. Throne offered no details but summed it up by saying, "No discipline was warranted."
Asked if school officials may potentially be charged, McDonald said: "The investigation's ongoing."
White reported from Detroit. Associated Press journalist Mike Householder in Detroit and David Eggert in Lansing, Mich., also contributed to this report.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A portable greenhouse is a great way to go for anyone who's looking to extend their growing season but doesn't want to deal with the hassle and expense of a full-scale polycarbonate panel greenhouse. Portable greenhouses generally consist of a lightweight metal frame, with a flexible plastic wrapping that forms the tent. These are held down by tent style stakes and can be moved around pretty easily. After a thorough examination of several portable greenhouses, we have found that the best portable greenhouse is the Ohuhu Walk-in Greenhouse.
It's built with quality in mind and has a great feature set including plenty of shelving for storage. It's also positioned at a rather attractive price point!
For a complete review of the Ohuhu Portable Greenhouse, see our Product Reviews section below.
If the Ohuhu Walk-in Greenhouse just doesn't appeal to you, be sure to check out the Quictent portable greenhouse. The Quictent portable greenhouse is another excellent easy-up, walk-in greenhouse that's more suitable for those wanting to grow quite a lot. Quictent is known for their pop-up gazebos, and they did a good job making this greenhouse easy to set up.
It's spacious, well-made, and looks great. What more could you want?
For anyone who wants to experience growing your garden in a greenhouse, but who needs to stick to a tight budget, the Homewell Mini Walk-In Greenhouse is a great choice.
It's small enough to move around easily, yet large enough to grow a decent amount of crops this summer. The Homewell is well-made and functions as expected.
And best of all, it's cheap!
In this section we will look at five of our favorite walk in portable greenhouses, and compare them. We'll consider the positives and negatives of each, and pick our favorite. If these are all a bit too big for your budget, be sure to consider a mini-greenhouse!
The majority of these greenhouses will keep your plants warm during the day but will cool off during the night. For supplemental heat, consider a greenhouse heater or even a 100-watt bulb left on inside the greenhouse.
Once you've got your greenhouse set up, you'll definitely want to implement a garden irrigation system. These systems make watering your greenhouse plants a breeze!
The Outsunny 5′ square portable walk-in greenhouse is a charming addition to the garden and is capable of growing a significant quantity of plants due to its significant shelving quantity.
This greenhouse is a great choice for those who need some space and flexibility, but who don't want to go full out and splurge on an ultra expensive polycarbonate greenhouse.
Produce the plants you always wanted this summer using this portable greenhouse on offer from Outsunny. With covering that's made from PVC and a steel frame that's been powder coated for extra protection, this greenhouse is pretty durable under normal weather conditions.
Just be aware under high winds it's likely to get damaged. While it may not be great in heavy winds, it is able to withstand both very hot and cold temperatures and will protect your plants happily during these conditions.
In terms of functionality, this portable greenhouse has a zipper door for easy access which also provides extra ventilation for your plants.
There are 4 integrated shelves built right into the frame of the greenhouse. The sleek design of this portable frame means you can place it pretty much anywhere in your garden, as long as it's reasonably level.
Assembly of this product is nothing too taxing and can be completed in around 45 minutes or so. Essentially you build the frame, which includes the shelving as part of the structure, and then slip the plastic cover over it.
One concern with this tent is that there is currently no replacement cover available. For example, if your plastic cover gets damaged or ripped, you'll need an entire new greenhouse, which is a bummer.
The price is good, it's easy to put up, and it looks the part too. However, if you live somewhere that's likely to suffer high winds often, you may want to avoid this greenhouse as it's not the most durable around.
The shelves are also quite weak so be careful when placing heavy plants on them, as this could cause damage to the greenhouse.
Considering that there's barely any difference in price between this and the Ohuhu Walk-in Greenhouse, you're much better off going with the latter. It looks better and will last a whole lot longer.
Ohuhu's large walk-in plant greenhouse is very much reminiscent of the smaller of the Outsunny greenhouses in terms of size and scale, but it has a few features that take it up a notch from the competition.
With a large number of shelves for storage, this greenhouse will provide some protection for your plants, and create a solid growing environment.
For a high-quality, compact greenhouse that will help get your flowers blooming and your plants sprouting like you've never seen before, be sure to check out this model on offer from Ohuhu.
It's lightweight, yet sturdy, and comes equipped with 12 wire shelves in which to store your plants and other equipment. There is a zippered door for easy access, and the frame is wrapped with 0.5mm plastic. The mesh screen at the door opening provides ventilation all around to give your crops and plants the breathing space they need.
Set up of this greenhouse is easier than most with literally no tools need at all to put it together. Unlike the Outsunny 5′ greenhouse covered above, the shelves are not part of the frame structure, and they are detachable. If you don't want shelves in an area, you don't need them, but you have the option to use them throughout the entire outbuilding. This design makes good sense to us!
And it comes equipped with 4 hooks and ropes in which to tie it down, giving it even more stability in windy weather.
This portable greenhouse is our top choice among portable walk-in greenhouses, due to his simplicity, its shelving quantity, and the overall design.
Secondly, it's equipped with 12 handy shelves that are capable of supporting up to 23.4 pounds in weight, which is ideal for storing your pots, plants, soil, and other accessories.
And lastly, the quality is significantly better than many others around. It appears to be much stronger too. So, for all these reasons and more, we've decided to make it our number one choice when it comes to portable greenhouses. The one area we have a bit of concern is with the zipper — just be gentle with it!
The Homewell Mini Walk In Greenhouse is a step down from the others on our list in terms of size, but though its overall footprint is small, it still can hold a decent number of plants, and it is, in fact, a walk-in design. With three shelves on each side, this greenhouse is a little bit larger than half of the size of the Ohuhu greenhouse covered above.
If you don't need a huge building, but just want a decent shelter at the beginning and end of the season, the Homewell mini may be a great choice for you.
If you're in need of greenhouse but are faced with limited space or funds, the Homewell Mini Walk-In Greenhouse may an ideal choice for you. It's especially good for early season use.
Don't let the fact that this greenhouse is so lightweight put you off, as it's more sturdy than you think. Each shelf has a weight capacity of 75 pounds, which is a lot stronger than many other models out there. And being fairly small and lightweight makes it perfect for transporting around.
It may be small, but with the integrated shelves, there's still plenty of room to grow a collection of plants and store a range of accessories. The shelves are optional and can be pulled out if you don't need them or if they're in the way, but in general, they are a big help.
There's no other ventilation in this greenhouse except for the door, though the door is adequate. You can place more delicate plants on the ground, out of as much direct light and heat as the upper tiers, and work your way up in terms of hardiness that way.
Keep an eye on temperatures in the mid-season, as they can shoot up rapidly in this greenhouse!
Assembly of this greenhouse is very simple. No tools are required and it can be done in a matter of minutes.
For a portable greenhouse that's lightweight, functional, and well priced, the Homewell Mini Walk-In Greenhouse is an ideal solution. It may not be quite as top quality as the Ohuhu Walk-in Greenhouse, but for the price you're paying for this model, it's not bad at all.
There's adequate shelving on each side, and it has a roll-up zipper door for easy access. The quality is pretty decent and stands up to most others out there.
The only real downside in comparison to the Ohuhu Walk-in Greenhouse is that's it's a little on the small side.
But if you're looking for a compact greenhouse at an excellent price that won't let you down in a hurry, this could be it.
If you're in need of a larger portable greenhouse, the Outsunny 11′ x 10′ walk-in greenhouse is a substantial outbuilding capable of fostering a significant number of plants!
Six helpful transparent windows, three on each side, will let natural light stream through your greenhouse, and the PVC mesh material will provide protection to your plants even in nasty weather!
If size is what you're after, then this portable, walk-in greenhouse on offer from Outsunny is certainly worth a look. At nearly 12 ft long, this greenhouse has more than enough space to grow a good number of crops this summer.
Built using a sturdy powder coated steel frame, and protected with a UV-rated heavy-duty PE cloth, this greenhouse is extremely durable.
The zippered door enables easy access to the interior, and the six clear windows give light entry into the interior of the structure.
For added stability, this greenhouse comes with 4 guy ropes and 4 ground stakes too. However, significant wind is a big concern with the Outsunny walk-in greenhouse.
Assembly of this Outsunny portable greenhouse is pretty simple and all the tools you need to put it together are included in the box.
In terms of size, you can't grumble at this greenhouse. But, in terms of practicality and quality, it is lacking a little, especially considering the price.
The first concern that needs pointing out is, unlike the Ohuhu Walk-in Greenhouse, there are no shelves for you to put your plants. This is fine for some kinds of crops but doesn't really make the most out of all that space.
The second thing that lets it down is that's it's very lightweight, and even tying it down with stakes may not be enough to be able to withstand strong winds.
The frame is on the weak side, and even mild wind gusts can cause significant damage. If you're in a windy area, consider some of the other options.
So, if floor space is what you're after and you live in a relatively wind-free area, this greenhouse will probably be just fine. Otherwise, you may want to avoid it.
Quictent's entry into the portable greenhouse market is a solid one and is an excellent choice for many. This fairly large walk-in greenhouse is about 10′ square. It has multiple vents around the perimeter that can be opened to allow natural light and air flow through the interior.
Another of the larger variety of greenhouses on offer, the Quictent 2 door portable greenhouse is ideal for anyone that's looking for space. It's fully waterproof and is quite well designed.
The heavy-duty canopy is made using reinforced 140g transparent polyethylene, meaning it will take some force to damage this greenhouse.
And if the canopy fails for some reason, you can order a replacement from the company without having to buy a whole new frame and greenhouse! Email [email protected] and you can request a replacement.
With two metal-zippered access doors and five exhaust vents fitted in this greenhouse, you can be sure your plants will have more than enough ventilation to keep them growing strong.
The ventilation will also help with stability, as well. For additional support, there are 12 stakes included in the package. These will help keep the greenhouse well grounded in even fairly pronounced winds.
For a greenhouse that's large enough to grow plenty of crops, yet lightweight enough to move around as needed, be sure to check this greenhouse on offer from Quictent. It looks good, the quality is great, and despite its size, it's easy to set up.
However, the thing that lets this greenhouse down in comparison to the Ohuhu Walk-in Greenhouse is there are no shelves with this model. You'll need to provide your own shelving, such as this Keter free standing shelf system.
Other than that it's a great greenhouse and is definitely worth considering.
Hopefully, by now you will have a much clearer idea as to which portable greenhouse will best meet your needs. Just remember, for a compact yet top quality portable greenhouse, the Ohuhu Walk-in Greenhouse is the way to go.
But, if you want something a little bigger but just as good in quality, be sure to check out the Quictent portable greenhouse. It too oozes style and quality, it's just a little pricer.
Or, for anyone that's looking to save some money, we recommend taking a look at the Homewell Mini Walk-In Greenhouse. It too is functional and looks good, but this one won't cost you a fortune to buy outright.


text:
//  File vs10xx.cpp
//
//  For more details about the product please check http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/
//  Copyright (c) 2012 seeed technology inc.
//  Author: Frankie.Chu
//  Version: 2.0
//  Time: June 2, 2012
//  Changing records:
//
//  This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
//  modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
//  License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
//  version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
//
//  This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
//  but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
//  MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
//  Lesser General Public License for more details.
//
//  You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
//  License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software
//  Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA
#include <NewSPI.h>
#include "vs10xx.h"
#include "pins_config.h"
VS10XX vs1053;
void VS10XX::init()
{
  newSPI.begin();
  initIO();
  reset();
}
void VS10XX::initIO()
{
  pinMode(VS_XRESET, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(VS_DREQ, INPUT);
  pinMode(VS_XDCS, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(VS_XCS, OUTPUT);
  digitalWrite(VS_XDCS,HIGH);
  digitalWrite(VS_XCS,HIGH);
}

void VS10XX::writeRegister(unsigned char addressbyte,unsigned char highbyte,unsigned char lowbyte)
{
 // while (!readDREQ());
  deselectDataBus();
  selectControlBus();
  newSPI.transmit(VS_WRITE_COMMAND);
  newSPI.transmit((addressbyte));
  newSPI.transmit((highbyte));
  newSPI.transmit((lowbyte));
  deselectControlBus();
}

void VS10XX::writeData(unsigned char *databuf, unsigned char datalen)
{
  selectDataBus();
  while (!readDREQ());
  while(datalen --)
  {
    newSPI.transmit(*databuf ++);
  }
  deselectDataBus();
}

unsigned int VS10XX::readRegister (unsigned char addressbyte)
{
  unsigned int result = 0;
  unsigned char highbyte = 0;
  unsigned char lowbyte = 0;
  deselectDataBus();
  selectControlBus();//XCS = 0
  newSPI.transmit(VS_READ_COMMAND); //send read command
  newSPI.transmit(addressbyte);    //send register address
    //be careful: when read 0xff,dump it,and read agin
    //while((h = SPIGetChar())== 0xff);
  highbyte = newSPI.receive();
  //while((l = VsReadByte())== 0xff);
  lowbyte = newSPI.receive();

  result = (((unsigned int) highbyte << 8) | lowbyte);
  deselectControlBus();
  return result;
}
// reset for vs10xx
void VS10XX::reset()
{
  putInReset();
  delay(100);//it is a must
  /* Send dummy SPI byte to initialize atmel SPI */
  ////SPIPutCharWithoutWaiting(0xFF);
  deselectControlBus();
  deselectDataBus();
  releaseFromReset();
  while (!readDREQ());
  /* Set clock register, doubler etc. */
  writeRegister(SPI_CLOCKF, 0xc0, 0x00);
  Serial.print("\r\nClockF:");
  Serial.println(readRegister(SPI_CLOCKF),HEX);
  /* Wait for DREQ */
  while (!readDREQ());
  softReset();//comment this, as it will be executed everytime playing a music file.

  writeRegister(SPI_WRAMADDR, 0xc0, 0x13);

  /* Switch on the analog parts */
  setVolume(40,40);
  //setVolume(0xff,0xff);
  //SPISetFastClock();
}
/** Soft Reset of VS10xx (Between songs) */
void VS10XX::softReset()
{
  /* Soft Reset of VS10xx */
  writeRegister (SPI_MODE, 0x08, 0x04); /* Newmode, Reset, No L1-2 */
  //Delay(1);
  while (!readDREQ()); /* wait for startup */
    //setup I2S (see page77 of the datasheet of vs1053 )
  //set GPIO0 as output
  writeRegister(SPI_WRAMADDR, 0xc0, 0x17);
  writeRegister(SPI_WRAM, 0x00, 0xf0);
  //enable I2S (MCLK enabled, 48kHz sample rate)
  writeRegister(SPI_WRAMADDR, 0xc0, 0x40);
  writeRegister(SPI_WRAM, 0x00, 0x0C);
  while (!readDREQ());
  //LoadUserPatch();
}
/** Set VS10xx Volume Register */
void VS10XX::setVolume(unsigned char leftchannel,unsigned char rightchannel)
{
  writeRegister(11,(leftchannel),(rightchannel));
}

void VS10XX::sendZerosToVS10xx()
{
  unsigned int i;
  selectDataBus();
  for (i=0;i < 2048;i ++)
  {
    while (!readDREQ());
    newSPI.transmit(0);
  }
  deselectDataBus();
}
/****************The end***********************************************/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Yes, please! I wouldn't mind being in Australia now and to enjoy a couple of hours at the beach, no matter if I would sunbathing or surfing. 🙂 But I didn't chose this title, because I would like to be at the beach right now, name giver are my new Pepe Jeans shoes. Why? Because they have "TAKE ME TO THE BEACH" written inside the tongue. Since I'm not in Australia anymore I decided to combine my new summer shoes with a city look instead of another beach look. The result is another Denim on Denim outfit. I combined my beloved Levi's Trucker Jacket – I still haven't added the new patches I bought in Melbourne… – with jeans from Asos as well as a simple white tee and that's it.
Hast du da Socken an?
Hey hattest du da Socken an? Wenn ja wie machst du das dass man die nicht sieht?
Manno warum verschwinden meine Fragen immer?
Hattest du da Socken an? Wenn ja wie machst du das dass man die nicht sieht? Tolles Outfit!


text:
Q: How draw diagram with Markdown I use Markdig to render the Markdown text. I saw it is possible to draw same diagrams.
So, I wrote this code
var pipeline = new MarkdownPipelineBuilder().UseAdvancedExtensions().Build();
ValueHTML = Markdig.Markdown.ToHtml(value ?? string.Empty, pipeline);

Some functionalities are working, for example Markdig renders the table but not the diagrams.

What do I have to do?

A: It doesn't look like Mermaid is built into Markdig. Rather, Markdig leaves the source unmodified, just as you are seeing:

Diagrams extension whenever a fenced code block contains a special keyword, it will be converted to a div block with the content as-is (currently, supports mermaid and nomnoml diagrams)

Normally, code blocks are rendered using <pre> and <code>. Leaving the content in a ```mermaid block unmodified should allow Mermaid to render it. Note that this doesn't say anything about actually rendering the diagram.
I suspect you'll have to add Mermaid yourself, e.g. by following the "Calling the Javascript API" example:
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/mermaid/dist/mermaid.min.js"></script>

<script>
  mermaid.initialize({ startOnLoad: true });
</script>

(I think Markdig will add the required mermaid class to the relevant div for you, but it's hard to tell.)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


[/caption] Although current astronauts are Twittering and blogging from space, it's a cumbersome process as the ISS, shuttle and Soyuz do not have internet access. Instead, they have to downlink their information to mission control, where someone posts it to the web. But if future commercial space travelers or astronauts living on the Moon want … Continue reading "WiFi in Space Coming Soon?"