NEWS FLASH: The Iowa Legislature has agreed one something. It has passed a bill that is sure to improve the standard of living of every man, woman and child in this state...or maybe not. Did this group suddenly find a way to solve this state's financial crisis? No. Did it find a way to continue funding for public education and allocate money for preschool education? No. Did it come up with a way to even the playing field for commercial property owners to cut their property tax bill? No. Did legislators at least develop a plan for bringing new business to our state? No.
I said the legislature did something to improve life for all of us. Actually, it will improve the sporting life of a very few hunters and it does nothing for the future of a certain winged species that had, up until now, been a protected species. You see, dear readers, our legislators decided it was time to jump on the bandwagon and join 41 other states and answer the clamor of six or eight sharpshooters in this state. Yes, it will apparently soon be legal to hunt mourning doves in Iowa! Let the fun begin! Get ready to blast away!
Let me say right here that I am not against hunting. I've lived in small town Iowa for many years and I understand that hunting for game such as pheasants and deer is a huge industry and many feel is a great sport. I don't hunt, but whenever I hear of someone taking a deer, I figure that's one less critter to find the hood of my van when I'm out driving.
Proponents of this legislation say that doves are considered a delicacy. They point out that all states surrounding Iowa allow dove hunting. They also claim that allowing for dove hunting in Iowa will bring vast riches to the state in fees to the state and money spent by the flock of hunters who will come here to fill up their gas tanks, buy lunch and ammo and maybe even stay overnight to hunt the best area. After all, since Iowa has not allowed dove hunting up to this point, surely the word has gone out to the dove population that Iowa is a sanctuary and they have apparently flown by the hundreds from the surrounding states to lead a peaceful life in the Hawkeye state.
Opponents of this legislation quote Bible passages and acquaint doves to peace.
I really don't have any big opposition to the institution of a dove hunting season in this state. We have a bird feeder outside of our patio door and we have five or six mourning doves who fatten themselves at our feeding station on a daily basis. They don't seem to leave a mess and don't make much noise. In fact, they sometimes intimidate the pesky squirrel that thinks bird seed is the next best thing to walnuts.
My main gripe is, why is our legislature messing with this stuff when we have so many more pressing matters to decide? It seems that legislators think if they don't have an answer to some of the major problems I cited earlier, they'll pass a bill allowing dove hunting. "Hey look voters! We agreed on something!"
It seems like some of the more wacky ideas come from the Iowa House. Fortunately, many of these schemes are knocked down by the Senate before they have a chance to reach the governor. Some, however, slip through and gain just enough votes by both houses to give something for our governor to sign. It was reported that the dove hunting bill was approved when one body of the legislature substituted "mourning doves" for "raccoons." I don't know what the original bill said, but I can guarantee that more of our sweet corn will be eaten by raccoons this summer than mourning doves.
I guess we all need a diversion. If you are facing foreclosure on your home, if you are unemployed, at least if you can find the cash to buy a box of ammo and a hunting license, you can feed your family on your mourning dove harvest. In the meantime, we'll keep feeding the mourning doves who make it to our feeder. They still have at least one sanctuary in a Davenport back yard!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Enlightened era means better basketball
It has been less than 24 hours since the final horn sounded, signaling the end of the first round of the NCAA basketball tournaments. I think I'm in the early stages of recovery, after attempting to keep track of 32 men's basketball games over a four-day period, as well as at least three women's games. I suppose the NCAA decided to separate the first and second week of the tournament by three days to allow the players to rest and travel to their next sites. But maybe it was also to allow fans a chance to unwind, make excuses on why their brackets took such a hit and to allow the fans to restock the kitchen before Thursday night.
The tournament has become one of the major events of the year. It generates millions of dollars for the NCAA, member universities and the TV networks. We are an enlightened generation here in the 21st century and most of us disregard the race of the players we are watching. But it doesn't take even an occasional viewer long to observe that the majority of the players on the court this past weekend were African-Americans. But it wasn't always that way.
Although African-Americans had played college basketball from the early part of the last century, their participation was generally limited to all-black schools. A few integrated some white major college programs before the start of World War I. But it wasn't until 1947 that an African-American broke the “gentleman's agreement” that had barred blacks from the Big Ten Conference when he joined the Indiana team.
Legendary Coach John Wooden, then coach at Indiana State Teacher's College, was the first to take an integrated team to a postseason tournament. The National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball lifted its ban on blacks and Wooden's first team went all the way to the finals, falling in the championship game to Louisville. It too two more years before the NCAA and the NIT tournaments became integrated.
Imagine how boring last week's games may have been if the NCAA was operating under the ban it had in place before 1949. There were a few white players who had great games in some of the contests I watched, but far more of the spectacular plays were made by young African-Americans.
Another sport that has benefitted by the change in attitudes of team officials and fans is baseball. It's hard to imagine a time when there weren't at least three or four players from Latin American countries and perhaps one or two from Japan, Korea or China on a roster. If Major League Baseball had a rule stating that only players born in this country could play, the game would really suffer.
I once heard someone complain that it seemed that all of the doctors he encountered were from foreign countries. He wondered why there weren't more American doctors around. While we do still have our share of dedicated Americans in the health care field, there is no doubt that many foreign-born health care professionals are filling vital positions in keeping us all healthy. The discipline exhibited by students in many other countries has been well documented. Until we can upgrade our education system from preschool through post-grad education, that trend will continue.
Same goes for sports. If we want to see more caucasians scoring the winning baskets or making the double plays, we have to get our kids away from the TV, video games and computers and put a ball in their hands and tell them not to come home until it's time for supper. But only after they get their homework done!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Three of the best weeks in sports begins now
The NFL season is over and the draft is still several weeks away. Baseball won't officially get underway until the end of this month. Golf's first big event, The Masters, is still almost a month away. But dedicated sports fans realize that for sheer drama, the next three weeks, starting Tuesday, can't really be beat.
Anyone who has watched more than five minutes of ESPN in the past month or even an occasional local sports report knows all about "The Road to the Final Four" and "March Madness." The NCAA Men's Division I basketball tournament gets underway with four games Tuesday and Wednesday and then 16 games on Thursday, 16 more on Friday, eight on Saturday and eight on Sunday. Naturally, as teams are eliminated in these first rounds, the number of games will diminish next week and the Final Four is set for Saturday, April 2, leading to the championship on Monday, April 4.
Fans know that late Sunday afternoon preceding the start of the tournament is another big time as the teams and first round match-ups are announced. In other years, I was glued to the TV, waiting to see where Iowa, UNI or Iowa State would be playing. Unfortunately, this year Iowa is rebuilding and ISU and UNI fell just short of consideration. But after spending the weekend watching some exciting conference tournament games from around the country, it was still interesting to see where the teams would be playing.
The teams are selected for the tourney by a committee of college sports officials. Nearly half of the 68-team field is determined by winners of conference races. The committee members then sort through tons of statistics of other deserving teams to determine who had the best record, who beat the best opponents and probably who would bring the most fans to the tournament games. All of this info is miraculously boiled down to a tournament field by Sunday afternoon and coaches and athletic directors are notified that they must plan on at least one more road trip.
There are studies that indicate that not much work is done in offices around the country following Sunday's selection show as workers study the NCAA Tourney bracket and try to predict the winners. In past years, I have gone out on a limb and listed my picks in a newspaper column. I'm not going to get into that this time. I will say I hope North Carolina does well, since its big star is Harrison Barnes, Iowa's Mr. Basketball a year ago from Ames. He only had 40 points in the ACC semifinals on Saturday. This year's field could provide more than a few first round surprises.
If your team had a respectable record this season but did not make the NCAA field, there's still hope for more play. Shortly after the selection show, the NIT announced its 32-team field. If that's not enough, I discovered two other postseason basketball tournaments that will start action this week. UNI will host Rider Tuesday night in the first round of the 24-team CIT Tourney. Another 16 teams will play in the CBI Tourney. You can Google these tourneys for more information. If my math is correct, that means 140 college basketball teams will each have at least one more game this year.
For fans of Iowa college teams, tonight should be another big night. The Women's NCAA Tourney field will be announced on ESPN. There's a good chance that Iowa State and Iowa will both qualify as at-large entrants. UNI earned its second straight invitation with a conference tourney domination on Sunday (Way to go, Panthers!).
Back in the good old days, when I was gainfully employed with four weeks of vacation each year, I would block out the first Thursday and Friday of the NCAA Tournament week to stay home. Except for a couple of hours out for local programming and news, it was pure basketball from 11 a.m. to after 10 p.m. The start of the tourney is usually around St. Patrick's Day. I'm not a big fan of Irish beer, but there was usually a corned beef brisket roasting in the oven, with the promise of a good dinner followed by a couple of days of reuben sandwiches to go along with plenty of hoops.
I'm currently on a forced hiatus from full-time employment. But the brisket is in the refrigerator, the recliner is in position and the remote is stocked with fresh batteries. Bring on the hoops!
As a postscript, I have been preparing for this week by reading John Feinstein's great book, "Last Dance." It chronicles the 2005 Final Four, but offers plenty of insight into the history of the tournament and the teams and coaches that played there over the years. It also contains a great foreword by Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who is once again taking a strong Duke team to the Dance.
Anyone who has watched more than five minutes of ESPN in the past month or even an occasional local sports report knows all about "The Road to the Final Four" and "March Madness." The NCAA Men's Division I basketball tournament gets underway with four games Tuesday and Wednesday and then 16 games on Thursday, 16 more on Friday, eight on Saturday and eight on Sunday. Naturally, as teams are eliminated in these first rounds, the number of games will diminish next week and the Final Four is set for Saturday, April 2, leading to the championship on Monday, April 4.
Fans know that late Sunday afternoon preceding the start of the tournament is another big time as the teams and first round match-ups are announced. In other years, I was glued to the TV, waiting to see where Iowa, UNI or Iowa State would be playing. Unfortunately, this year Iowa is rebuilding and ISU and UNI fell just short of consideration. But after spending the weekend watching some exciting conference tournament games from around the country, it was still interesting to see where the teams would be playing.
The teams are selected for the tourney by a committee of college sports officials. Nearly half of the 68-team field is determined by winners of conference races. The committee members then sort through tons of statistics of other deserving teams to determine who had the best record, who beat the best opponents and probably who would bring the most fans to the tournament games. All of this info is miraculously boiled down to a tournament field by Sunday afternoon and coaches and athletic directors are notified that they must plan on at least one more road trip.
There are studies that indicate that not much work is done in offices around the country following Sunday's selection show as workers study the NCAA Tourney bracket and try to predict the winners. In past years, I have gone out on a limb and listed my picks in a newspaper column. I'm not going to get into that this time. I will say I hope North Carolina does well, since its big star is Harrison Barnes, Iowa's Mr. Basketball a year ago from Ames. He only had 40 points in the ACC semifinals on Saturday. This year's field could provide more than a few first round surprises.
If your team had a respectable record this season but did not make the NCAA field, there's still hope for more play. Shortly after the selection show, the NIT announced its 32-team field. If that's not enough, I discovered two other postseason basketball tournaments that will start action this week. UNI will host Rider Tuesday night in the first round of the 24-team CIT Tourney. Another 16 teams will play in the CBI Tourney. You can Google these tourneys for more information. If my math is correct, that means 140 college basketball teams will each have at least one more game this year.
For fans of Iowa college teams, tonight should be another big night. The Women's NCAA Tourney field will be announced on ESPN. There's a good chance that Iowa State and Iowa will both qualify as at-large entrants. UNI earned its second straight invitation with a conference tourney domination on Sunday (Way to go, Panthers!).
Back in the good old days, when I was gainfully employed with four weeks of vacation each year, I would block out the first Thursday and Friday of the NCAA Tournament week to stay home. Except for a couple of hours out for local programming and news, it was pure basketball from 11 a.m. to after 10 p.m. The start of the tourney is usually around St. Patrick's Day. I'm not a big fan of Irish beer, but there was usually a corned beef brisket roasting in the oven, with the promise of a good dinner followed by a couple of days of reuben sandwiches to go along with plenty of hoops.
I'm currently on a forced hiatus from full-time employment. But the brisket is in the refrigerator, the recliner is in position and the remote is stocked with fresh batteries. Bring on the hoops!
As a postscript, I have been preparing for this week by reading John Feinstein's great book, "Last Dance." It chronicles the 2005 Final Four, but offers plenty of insight into the history of the tournament and the teams and coaches that played there over the years. It also contains a great foreword by Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who is once again taking a strong Duke team to the Dance.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Too late for compromise?
We live in a country that seems to constantly be on a seesaw. Sometimes the Democrats have the edge, then the Republicans have it. Liberals one day, conservatives the next. I know that those of us who have been in the news business welcome this constant give and take. If everything remained even, there would be little or no news.
For several years, it seemed that unionized workers held the upper hand in this country. With a healthy economy, they could demand better pay and benefits and management would generally agree, since there was a market for whatever was being produced and they knew they could afford it.
As our economy has been on the down slide of late, there has been less work, less money to pay workers and more layoffs. The seesaw is tipping toward management and unfortunately, some of the bosses have taken advantage of this turn of events. There is mounting evidence that the recently elected governor of Wisconsin has seized on his state's dire economic circumstance to attempt to at least weaken, if not destroy, his state's public worker unions.Other states, including Iowa, may also be on that same path.
Union leaders in Wisconsin claim that the governor has repeatedly declined to meet with them to attempt to find a solution to the problem. There has also been an indication that the governor has been in contact with a wealthy California businessman, claiming to be gaining in his goal to bust the union. That businessman was one of the governor's main campaign contributors.
My first exposure to unions came when I was still in school. Several of my relatives worked at Alcoa in the Quad-Cities. Every few years, there was a threat of a strike. The union and company usually came to agreement before any prolonged work stoppage. I remember one contract where union members received 10 weeks of vacation every few years. I seem to remember that my grandfather took advantage of that at least once and spent the summer off growing one of the biggest and most productive gardens in Mercer County, IL.
I have never been a member of a union. Working for weekly newspaper publications, unions were not part of the picture. I was fortunate to work for a couple of bosses who paid me what I was worth and provided what benefits they could afford. A couple of times in my career, the newspapers I worked for were owned by large media companies. I'm convinced that some of the benefits I received (though not pay) were based on what unions at some of our larger sister publications had won through the collective bargaining process.
It has been well documented that some union leaders of the past have been corrupt. Unfortunately, with the recent Supreme Court ruling allowing for unlimited contributions to political campaigns by corporations, the possibility of the seesaw of corruption leaning toward some governors is very real.
I don't deny that states are facing major financial problems. But governors and legislatures have to realize that they represent all of the people in their states, including union members. They shouldn't lose sight of the fact that the best way to iron out problems and to maintain a healthy work environment is for management and the rank and file to work as a team. Both sides must learn to give a little. There can't be any more "My way or the highway" mentality." Camping out in the state's capital and waving signs and shouting has run its course. Stubbornly refusing to negotiate and making threats also won't work. The best way to resolve the problem is for both sides to man up and agree to sit down and negotiate as a team, rather than as bitter adversaries.
For several years, it seemed that unionized workers held the upper hand in this country. With a healthy economy, they could demand better pay and benefits and management would generally agree, since there was a market for whatever was being produced and they knew they could afford it.
As our economy has been on the down slide of late, there has been less work, less money to pay workers and more layoffs. The seesaw is tipping toward management and unfortunately, some of the bosses have taken advantage of this turn of events. There is mounting evidence that the recently elected governor of Wisconsin has seized on his state's dire economic circumstance to attempt to at least weaken, if not destroy, his state's public worker unions.Other states, including Iowa, may also be on that same path.
Union leaders in Wisconsin claim that the governor has repeatedly declined to meet with them to attempt to find a solution to the problem. There has also been an indication that the governor has been in contact with a wealthy California businessman, claiming to be gaining in his goal to bust the union. That businessman was one of the governor's main campaign contributors.
My first exposure to unions came when I was still in school. Several of my relatives worked at Alcoa in the Quad-Cities. Every few years, there was a threat of a strike. The union and company usually came to agreement before any prolonged work stoppage. I remember one contract where union members received 10 weeks of vacation every few years. I seem to remember that my grandfather took advantage of that at least once and spent the summer off growing one of the biggest and most productive gardens in Mercer County, IL.
I have never been a member of a union. Working for weekly newspaper publications, unions were not part of the picture. I was fortunate to work for a couple of bosses who paid me what I was worth and provided what benefits they could afford. A couple of times in my career, the newspapers I worked for were owned by large media companies. I'm convinced that some of the benefits I received (though not pay) were based on what unions at some of our larger sister publications had won through the collective bargaining process.
It has been well documented that some union leaders of the past have been corrupt. Unfortunately, with the recent Supreme Court ruling allowing for unlimited contributions to political campaigns by corporations, the possibility of the seesaw of corruption leaning toward some governors is very real.
I don't deny that states are facing major financial problems. But governors and legislatures have to realize that they represent all of the people in their states, including union members. They shouldn't lose sight of the fact that the best way to iron out problems and to maintain a healthy work environment is for management and the rank and file to work as a team. Both sides must learn to give a little. There can't be any more "My way or the highway" mentality." Camping out in the state's capital and waving signs and shouting has run its course. Stubbornly refusing to negotiate and making threats also won't work. The best way to resolve the problem is for both sides to man up and agree to sit down and negotiate as a team, rather than as bitter adversaries.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Keeping my feet firmly on the ground
Catching up with far-flung family members can be fun, especially if those flung from home are the ones doing the traveling. My sister recently visited from her home in Jacksonville, FL and we had fun catching up and visiting with aunts and cousins we haven't seen for some time.
Due to her job schedule and the uncertainty of Midwest weather this time of year, she opted to fly into the Quad-City International Airport. By the time she finally arrived back in Florida, she had plenty of experiences to share, including cancellations, delays and the fact that for a brief time she was a suspected terrorist.
Her trip here was rather uneventful. She made her connecting flight out of Chicago and arrived here right on time. She was slated to return to Florida on Monday, President's Day. That's where the problems began. She was scheduled to fly out of the Quad-Cities Monday afternoon. But thanks to the automated information center used by the airlines these days, she learned late Monday morning that her flight to Chicago had been canceled. Maybe not enough folks wanted to fly to Chicago on a weekday afternoon to fill the plane.
She got on the computer and quickly was able to reschedule her trip home to Tuesday. After calling her boss and her family, she had another night to spend with us in not-so-tropical Iowa.
Tuesday morning, we all rolled out of bed and left the house at 7 a.m. for the trip to the airport. Her flight was scheduled to leave a bit after 9 a.m. After waiting a few minutes, we said our good-byes and she headed for the security checkpoint with her small carry-on bag and her assorted small toiletry containers. She passed okay and then had to wait 30 minutes when it was announced that the plane would not leave until 10 a.m.
She wasn't too worried, as she had about a two-hour layover in Chicago before catching the plane for Florida. Good thing that flight was also 30 minutes delayed. This time, when she went through security, the TSA officers noticed she had one of those plastic thermo travel mugs that she had gotten as a present for her husband. That was her first mistake. Apparently, terrorists might be able to inject explosives into the lining of those mugs. So the officers decided to check her over a bit closer and an electronic inspection of her hands indicated some material that could be used in bomb making.
That won her a quick trip to a private room, accompanied by a couple of federal officers. It was soon determined that the chemical on her hands came from some hand cream she had put on before she took off from Moline. I don't know if she is on a watch list, but at least she didn't win a one-way trip to Guantanamo!
Her recent adventure has just affirmed my decision to travel by car, rail or bus. I realize millions of Americans travel by air each week. I have traveled by commercial air carrier once. It was fun, even though I was squeezed into a coach seat and had trouble getting my seat belt to fasten. But it's expensive and getting more expensive by the day as the air carriers pile on silly charges on passengers. It's just not worth the hassle, at least not for me.
My sister took her adventure on the return trip in stride, thanking the officers for helping to keep our skies safe. Many folks would probably mutter about the inconvenience. But she figured it's better to be safe than sorry.
This necessary increased security at the airport has really taken a lot of the fun out of flight. When we were little, our folks sometimes took us to the airport so we could sit in the waiting area and watch the plans take off and land. But because of the new terminal architecture, we didn't see any of the viewing areas this time. In fact, I realized as we were driving home that I didn't see a single plane while at the airport!
I am not afraid to fly. I wish I could have the chance again. But I think I'll wait until I win the lottery. Then I can charter my own business class jet, leave when I want and take as much luggage as I need. I'll arrange to take off from Belle Plaine or Independence, where there are no TSA officers and no body scanners. I have no interest in seeing Cuba and neither does my sister.
Due to her job schedule and the uncertainty of Midwest weather this time of year, she opted to fly into the Quad-City International Airport. By the time she finally arrived back in Florida, she had plenty of experiences to share, including cancellations, delays and the fact that for a brief time she was a suspected terrorist.
Her trip here was rather uneventful. She made her connecting flight out of Chicago and arrived here right on time. She was slated to return to Florida on Monday, President's Day. That's where the problems began. She was scheduled to fly out of the Quad-Cities Monday afternoon. But thanks to the automated information center used by the airlines these days, she learned late Monday morning that her flight to Chicago had been canceled. Maybe not enough folks wanted to fly to Chicago on a weekday afternoon to fill the plane.
She got on the computer and quickly was able to reschedule her trip home to Tuesday. After calling her boss and her family, she had another night to spend with us in not-so-tropical Iowa.
Tuesday morning, we all rolled out of bed and left the house at 7 a.m. for the trip to the airport. Her flight was scheduled to leave a bit after 9 a.m. After waiting a few minutes, we said our good-byes and she headed for the security checkpoint with her small carry-on bag and her assorted small toiletry containers. She passed okay and then had to wait 30 minutes when it was announced that the plane would not leave until 10 a.m.
She wasn't too worried, as she had about a two-hour layover in Chicago before catching the plane for Florida. Good thing that flight was also 30 minutes delayed. This time, when she went through security, the TSA officers noticed she had one of those plastic thermo travel mugs that she had gotten as a present for her husband. That was her first mistake. Apparently, terrorists might be able to inject explosives into the lining of those mugs. So the officers decided to check her over a bit closer and an electronic inspection of her hands indicated some material that could be used in bomb making.
That won her a quick trip to a private room, accompanied by a couple of federal officers. It was soon determined that the chemical on her hands came from some hand cream she had put on before she took off from Moline. I don't know if she is on a watch list, but at least she didn't win a one-way trip to Guantanamo!
Her recent adventure has just affirmed my decision to travel by car, rail or bus. I realize millions of Americans travel by air each week. I have traveled by commercial air carrier once. It was fun, even though I was squeezed into a coach seat and had trouble getting my seat belt to fasten. But it's expensive and getting more expensive by the day as the air carriers pile on silly charges on passengers. It's just not worth the hassle, at least not for me.
My sister took her adventure on the return trip in stride, thanking the officers for helping to keep our skies safe. Many folks would probably mutter about the inconvenience. But she figured it's better to be safe than sorry.
This necessary increased security at the airport has really taken a lot of the fun out of flight. When we were little, our folks sometimes took us to the airport so we could sit in the waiting area and watch the plans take off and land. But because of the new terminal architecture, we didn't see any of the viewing areas this time. In fact, I realized as we were driving home that I didn't see a single plane while at the airport!
I am not afraid to fly. I wish I could have the chance again. But I think I'll wait until I win the lottery. Then I can charter my own business class jet, leave when I want and take as much luggage as I need. I'll arrange to take off from Belle Plaine or Independence, where there are no TSA officers and no body scanners. I have no interest in seeing Cuba and neither does my sister.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Coming clean - another shameless admission
First off, congratulations to the Green Bay Packers and their legion of Cheese Heads who are celebrating a hard-fought Super Bowl victory. I've been telling my Packer fan friends that the Bears will see them in about eight months to bring them back down to Earth. But it may be a tough one, since most of those 15 guys who ended this season on injured reserve for the Packers should be back. We'll see.
Saturday morning is often a dead time when it comes to quality television. Even with more than 150 channels available, there's often not much to choose from unless you want to watch infomercials or kids' shows. In desperation, my remote stopped on a "Glee" marathon last weekend. I thought I would watch it until the next commercial, just to see what all of the fuss has been about, then keep on channel surfing. Two episodes later, it was all I could do to turn away from the TV and find something more productive to do.
For those of you not familiar with the show, it is a weekly one-hour program on the Fox network. It is set in a high school and tells the story of the trials and tribulations of young people trying to be "cool" while still performing in the school's glee club. What sounds like the premise for a 13 episode, here-and-gone show has grown into a second season, with the network picking it up for a third. It has won numerous awards and nominations, like Emmys, Golden Globes and a Peabody Award.
The show includes conflicts between a domineering cheerleader sponsor who is always battling with the glee club for school funds, personnel and recognition from the community. There's a football team whose members spend their off time belittling glee club members but are sometimes coaxed, cajoled and blackmailed into joining the club.
Jane Lynch stars as the cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester. She brings the same wry sense of humor she has displayed as Charley's psychiatrist in "Two and a Half Men." Matthew Morrison plays Will Schuester, the glee club coach who is always so supportive of his kids.
Of course, the real stars of this show are the young members of the glee club. If you've been fortunate to see one of the Celebration Iowa performances during the summer, imagine that type of energy and caliber of talent each week!
The show also offers plenty of positive, uplifting messages. One of the members of the glee club is disabled, confined to a wheelchair. But he has a tremendous voice and doesn't let his disability stop him. There's a big football lineman character who is a bully and a homophobe who sometimes lets his guard down to show a softer side - but only for a moment. And did I mention that the football team's star quarterback is also a member of the glee club?
I have always been a big supporter of extra curricular activities in schools. I've always been a sports fan, but from personal experience, I learned that even if you couldn't hit a fast ball, be a football hero or the leading scorer on the basketball court, you could still do something besides go to class and then rush home and spend the rest of the night in your room. Music was a major part of my school life, but we also had debate, speech, debate and other organizations available to us when I was in school.
Since I have been back on the job hunt for the past year, I have become more aware of the value of some of the things I learned while participating in sports, chorus and band. In more than 30 years of observing high school students, I've grown to appreciate the traits that can be learned on the wrestling mat, on the football field or basketball court, in the concert hall or in speech and drama competitions. Many employers are looking for workers who can be part of a team, who are determined and focused, who are not afraid to stand up in front of a group of people to make presentations and who are not afraid to speak up and deal with others.
It's unfortunate that some kids, especially boys, don't think it's cool to sing in the choir. A school, especially in a small town, may have a good football, basketball or wrestling team. But at that same school, there might be one boy to every eight or ten girls in the choir. I've often wondered what would happen if the coach of one of those successful athletic teams told his players they could only compete if they were also in the band or choir. It might help all of the programs.
This state has several super high school show choirs. The message has somehow gotten out that you can be a man's man and still sing and dance. That's the message conveyed in each episode of "Glee." It's a fun show with some super musical productions each week. Check it out!
Saturday morning is often a dead time when it comes to quality television. Even with more than 150 channels available, there's often not much to choose from unless you want to watch infomercials or kids' shows. In desperation, my remote stopped on a "Glee" marathon last weekend. I thought I would watch it until the next commercial, just to see what all of the fuss has been about, then keep on channel surfing. Two episodes later, it was all I could do to turn away from the TV and find something more productive to do.
For those of you not familiar with the show, it is a weekly one-hour program on the Fox network. It is set in a high school and tells the story of the trials and tribulations of young people trying to be "cool" while still performing in the school's glee club. What sounds like the premise for a 13 episode, here-and-gone show has grown into a second season, with the network picking it up for a third. It has won numerous awards and nominations, like Emmys, Golden Globes and a Peabody Award.
The show includes conflicts between a domineering cheerleader sponsor who is always battling with the glee club for school funds, personnel and recognition from the community. There's a football team whose members spend their off time belittling glee club members but are sometimes coaxed, cajoled and blackmailed into joining the club.
Jane Lynch stars as the cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester. She brings the same wry sense of humor she has displayed as Charley's psychiatrist in "Two and a Half Men." Matthew Morrison plays Will Schuester, the glee club coach who is always so supportive of his kids.
Of course, the real stars of this show are the young members of the glee club. If you've been fortunate to see one of the Celebration Iowa performances during the summer, imagine that type of energy and caliber of talent each week!
The show also offers plenty of positive, uplifting messages. One of the members of the glee club is disabled, confined to a wheelchair. But he has a tremendous voice and doesn't let his disability stop him. There's a big football lineman character who is a bully and a homophobe who sometimes lets his guard down to show a softer side - but only for a moment. And did I mention that the football team's star quarterback is also a member of the glee club?
I have always been a big supporter of extra curricular activities in schools. I've always been a sports fan, but from personal experience, I learned that even if you couldn't hit a fast ball, be a football hero or the leading scorer on the basketball court, you could still do something besides go to class and then rush home and spend the rest of the night in your room. Music was a major part of my school life, but we also had debate, speech, debate and other organizations available to us when I was in school.
Since I have been back on the job hunt for the past year, I have become more aware of the value of some of the things I learned while participating in sports, chorus and band. In more than 30 years of observing high school students, I've grown to appreciate the traits that can be learned on the wrestling mat, on the football field or basketball court, in the concert hall or in speech and drama competitions. Many employers are looking for workers who can be part of a team, who are determined and focused, who are not afraid to stand up in front of a group of people to make presentations and who are not afraid to speak up and deal with others.
It's unfortunate that some kids, especially boys, don't think it's cool to sing in the choir. A school, especially in a small town, may have a good football, basketball or wrestling team. But at that same school, there might be one boy to every eight or ten girls in the choir. I've often wondered what would happen if the coach of one of those successful athletic teams told his players they could only compete if they were also in the band or choir. It might help all of the programs.
This state has several super high school show choirs. The message has somehow gotten out that you can be a man's man and still sing and dance. That's the message conveyed in each episode of "Glee." It's a fun show with some super musical productions each week. Check it out!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The official Super Bowl prediction
It's just a few days until the BIG GAME. The Super Bowl has evolved into such an event that if it didn't happen on a Sunday, Congress would have declared the day of the game a national holiday by now. It is usually one of the most watched telecasts of the year.
It is expected that over 100 million people will see all or part of the game. Of course, Steeler and Packer fans will be tuned in. But besides those lucky folks and many more of us who are football fans, the game will also draw some viewers who want to see the crazy commercials that debut on that day each year. Others will tune in because they are sick of watching figure skating or dog shows on the other channels.
Folks who know me have probably seen me wandering around at some point in one of my five Chicago Bear t-shirts or Bear slippers. They might guess that I would be rooting for the Steelers. But they would be wrong.
Actually, at different stages in my life, I was a Steeler or a Packer fan. I remember watching Bradshaw, Harris, Bleier & Co. back when Terry Bradshaw still had some hair on the top of his head. I was a fan of Bart Starr, Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung years ago when they starred for the Packers.
In more recent years, as I've become older and wiser, I have come to realize that the Chicago Bears best represent the history of the NFL and they have my undying loyalty. But that doesn't mean I don't admire the work it took for this week's combatants to reach the pinnacle in Dallas. Who would have thought that a team that had up to 15 players on the disabled list could battle through to the NFC title?
Just because you pull for one team, that doesn't mean you have to hate another team. If a team works hard, battles through adversity and isn't playing your team, there's no reason to hate them. If you are a real football fan, I hope you took time to admire the great career Brett Favre had. If you owned a business and a guy came to work every day, regardless of whether he was sick or hurt and was your best worker year in and year out, wouldn't you want a whole company like him? Regardless of the different stories swirling around him in his last couple of years in the league, Favre was worth every penny they paid him.
His replacement in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers, has shown that he is a solid quarterback that gets better each time on the field. It's tough to replace a living legend, but Rodgers has finally emerged from that formidable shadow to establish himself as the leader of his team.
With all that said, I know I will probably shock a few people, including a certain Belle Plaine city councilman, a former Belle Plaine varsity football coach and a reporter friend who works at the Milwaukee newspaper. But I'm hoping the Green Bay Packers can bring the Lombardi trophy back to Wisconsin.
Green Bay 28 Pittsburgh 14
It is expected that over 100 million people will see all or part of the game. Of course, Steeler and Packer fans will be tuned in. But besides those lucky folks and many more of us who are football fans, the game will also draw some viewers who want to see the crazy commercials that debut on that day each year. Others will tune in because they are sick of watching figure skating or dog shows on the other channels.
Folks who know me have probably seen me wandering around at some point in one of my five Chicago Bear t-shirts or Bear slippers. They might guess that I would be rooting for the Steelers. But they would be wrong.
Actually, at different stages in my life, I was a Steeler or a Packer fan. I remember watching Bradshaw, Harris, Bleier & Co. back when Terry Bradshaw still had some hair on the top of his head. I was a fan of Bart Starr, Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung years ago when they starred for the Packers.
In more recent years, as I've become older and wiser, I have come to realize that the Chicago Bears best represent the history of the NFL and they have my undying loyalty. But that doesn't mean I don't admire the work it took for this week's combatants to reach the pinnacle in Dallas. Who would have thought that a team that had up to 15 players on the disabled list could battle through to the NFC title?
Just because you pull for one team, that doesn't mean you have to hate another team. If a team works hard, battles through adversity and isn't playing your team, there's no reason to hate them. If you are a real football fan, I hope you took time to admire the great career Brett Favre had. If you owned a business and a guy came to work every day, regardless of whether he was sick or hurt and was your best worker year in and year out, wouldn't you want a whole company like him? Regardless of the different stories swirling around him in his last couple of years in the league, Favre was worth every penny they paid him.
His replacement in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers, has shown that he is a solid quarterback that gets better each time on the field. It's tough to replace a living legend, but Rodgers has finally emerged from that formidable shadow to establish himself as the leader of his team.
With all that said, I know I will probably shock a few people, including a certain Belle Plaine city councilman, a former Belle Plaine varsity football coach and a reporter friend who works at the Milwaukee newspaper. But I'm hoping the Green Bay Packers can bring the Lombardi trophy back to Wisconsin.
Green Bay 28 Pittsburgh 14
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