School Board Race - There is one Pinellas County school board member that deserves our full support, Nancy Bostock.
She has led the way for intelligent school board conversation about educational issues that, quite frankly, might not have been discussed by other school board members. Bostock always comes prepared for meetings and has shown respect for differing opinions from other board members and/or other speakers. A class person.
Bostock is being opposed by another school board member that would like to see Bostock's views removed from board discussion. The reason for opposing Bostock is clear - a certain group of people that would like to control the school board wants her out.
Vote for Bostock?
If she is not re-elected, an independent voice on the school board will be lost.
Remember this small bit of advice on election day. - September 5, the day after Labor Day, is Primary Day.
On Being The Best - Most people never have the chance to be number one at a major sport, like Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong, Bjorn Borg, Chris Evert, Mia Hamm, Pele, etc., etc. No, many of us simply watch the brillant play of those special athletes and sometimes read about their few downfalls in non-sporting events in life.
With Chris Evert it was her divorce, with Borg it was his financial problems, with Armstrong it was his recovery from cancer, with Tiger Woods it was recovery from the passing of his father. These are real life events that happen to many of us, but are not newsworthy due to our non-public position.
On Sunday millions of golf fans observed the closing emotions displayed by Tiger Woods upon winning The British Open (as a personal tribute to his father.) The pressure on Woods, self-inflicted, most have been immense.
Of course, the same is true for all athletes who have overcome various personal traumas along the way to victory. When you see people like Tiger, Chris, etc., overcome some personal issues and win - it makes you feel good. (Same could have been said about Chris DiMarco and the lost of his mother had he won the golf tournament!)
Imagine how Lance Armstrong felt when he won the last Tour De France?
The way I see it, Tiger Woods has joined the list of special athletes who have overcome adversity while handling the pressure of being number one in their sport.
Football In August? - High school football teams from across America are beginning pre-season football camps. Yes, in Florida football players in high school are wearing winter clothes and heavy pads while running and hitting at full-tilt. Some people, normally non-players, believe that this type of training in the heat better prepares football players for the so-called game-time temperatures of September and October.
Train for 100 degree heat?
Please.
When we played football in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, we thought the heat was too much . . . and the temperatures were in the upper 70's (and cooler at late afternoon.) Yes, it was hot and, crazy enough, the coaches had us take salt pills for the heat. They don't do that any more, but it was accepted practice in the 50's and 60's. But, Pittsburgh was not Clearwater, Florida, in August.
Pre-season football camp is important for team development and training.
However, in Florida training must be tempered to meet weather conditions.
Young men will run and work until they drop, and some do drop. Some have serious injuries due to the heat.
How should this be monitored?
One full-pad workout late in the day, not two or three a day. But, what about winning the first game?
Yes, winning is important. Nothing, however, replaces building team spirit and young men of good character. Personally, I doubt the importance of two or three-a-day in full pad contact. Much can be accomplished by other workouts that meet weather conditions. Athletes that excel will excel and perform quite well in that first game in September. The better athletes tend to come into camp in good physical shape. Two weeks will not take some youngsters from out-of-shape to being in-shape.
Most coaches who played football at high levels know that the heat in Florida is a concern that many coaches in northern states do not worry about.
The loss?
It does happen, even in the best of football programs.
CEO Pay - It makes you wonder why people invest in companies that pay CEO's about 262 times the wages of a common worker. CEO's are clearly needed to help direct and/or re-direct company growth and profitability. Good CEO's are worth a good salary and benefits and not many shareholders would disagree with performance based compensation packages, but 262 times the income of a common worker?
Do the math, if a worker earned $25,000, the CEO would earn $6,550,000 a year.
It is true that many CEO's do not last in the job more than several years, but 262 times? A good CEO does not need to work more than seven years at the top job. Forgetting, of course, that the same CEO probably had earned good money working his way up to the CEO post.
Stockholders at Home Depot, Exxon, and other large public companies are not pleased with these outrageous compensation packages for their top executive officers. Ironically, the big companies (like Home Depot) do not seem to care about small stockholders who voice objections at board of director annual meetings about CEO compensation packages.
The result?
When stock values begin to drop in prices you might notice changes in CEO compensation to something less than 262 times a regular employee's salary. Can you imagine declining stock prices and higher CEO compensation packages?
Trump vs. Steinbrenner? - If Donald Trump moves forward to purchase the Chicago Cubs baseball team, imagine the ownership sizzle Trump would bring to the Cubs' organization! "You're fired!" are words that might be used by both Steinbrenner and Trump.
In fact, if Trump buys the Cubs, he has publicly stated he would make changes in management. That means immediate firings from the top down.
Would the Cubs win more baseball games, much like the Yankees have done under the ownership of Steinbrenner? The answer is, yes. Trump would help make the Cubs a better organization - much like the New York Yankees.
Trump as the new owner of the Cubs?
It could happen.