The Way I See ItBy cj pollickClearwater Jazz Festival - Kudos to all those volunteers who made it another successful year. One Reader Writes To Add Perspective - One Gazette reader wrote to state that not all college studies are the same; thus, John Kerry and George W. Bush might have had different class grades due to the complexity of the subjects taken. Maybe that is why Bush's overall grades were better than Kerry's. For example, one student at Yale might have taken classes in genetics, chemistry, etc., while some others studied geography, political science, etc. Yes, it is true that there are some college majors that are classified as "tougher" than others. Thus, there is a degree of perspective that could be added to the differences between John Kerry and George W. Bush. The way I see it, there is not much of a difference between these two Yalies regardless of the classes they took at Yale... and, neither one studied genetics. They both are multi-millionaire politicians with little understanding of the plight of the common working class. Hillary Clinton? Yes, another well educated, politically-driven person who is now worth over $50 million. Having the $50 million makes Hillary (and other candidates) financially secure while they talk like they have the same problems as working people. Of course, this is the same political rhetoric for most of the candidates running for president who seek the working class vote. "You should vote for me because I'm one of you!" What about a common man/woman candidate? Never happen. The two-party political machine is too powerful to allow such a wonderful thing to occur. A third party? Let's hope one day there is that choice. William James Sidis - You probably had never heard the name of William James Sidis (1898-1944), but he was/is perhaps one of the brightest people to have ever lived. Brighter than Einstein? Yes. However, the history of this intellectual genius reflects the life of a person merely trying to live life as a regular citizen without all of the media attention due to his genius. (A math whiz, he lectured at Harvard at age 11.) How bright was Sidis? An average IQ is reported to be about 92-108. Doctors, lawyers and engineers fall somewhere between 124 and 139. Nobel Prize winners are stated to have IQ's of about 156 to 187 (some very bright people.) The famous chess champion Bobby Fisher is thought to be somewhere from 172-188. William James Sidis was reported to be over 189. In all of history there may have been only a few people that would fit into that amazing category. Among other things, Sidis was the first person to predict that blackholes existed in outer space, fifteen years before another scientist made such an assertion! One of the things that Sidis and his father stated that helped to develop his special mind was early education (training.) An early childhood education - - the earlier the better, said Silis. USF Lost To Rutgers - Give credit to the fans at Rutgers, they filled the New Jersey stadium with the largest crowd ever to see one their football games last Thursday evening. Yes, Rutgers' fans supported their team even with two losses. Kudos to the Scarlet Knights at Rutgers - - a good win. On the other hand, USF fans watched the game on television and most likely could not imagine all the crazy calls and strange way the Rutgers' coach handled some defining moments. Fake punts, fake field goals, etc., etc. Several important coaching calls worked to Rutgers' benefit, to the dismay of USF fans. Of course, a few controversial referee calls helped to add some spice to the last quarter of the hard-fought football game. USF was in the game until the last defining seconds when a long USF pass reception was cancelled due to alleged "pushing-off" by the receiver. A field goal would have meant overtime. Nevertheless, there was no comeback and the Bulls lost their first game to a good Rutgers team. By the way, is there anyone who still wonders if the USF Bulls should be part of the Big East? Folks, that was big-time football last Thursday evening . . . and the USF Bulls need to rally the fans for the next home game, much like Rutgers' fans. This is a good USF team loaded with underclassmen who have gained much experience in dealing with NCAA rankings and media types with an agenda. Who is USF? People have learned the past few weeks that it is Tampa Bay Florida's hometown college football program. A solid, BIG EAST football program on the rise. USF fans need to stay the course and support this exciting football team. Fill the Raymond James Stadium and proudly wear your green and gold. GO BULLS. And, how about those GATORS beating Kentucky! Portland, Maine - Beautiful country, lots of trees, awesome New England coastline and people still proud of that "Yankee" mindset ... welcome to the great state of Maine where the city of Portland is the gateway to southern Maine. Funny thing about the citizens of Portland, Maine, they are about as liberal-minded in their politics as places such as Madison, Wisconsin, New York City or Boston. Recently the Portland School Committee voted (7-2) to allow 11-year-old students to receive contraceptive pills, condoms and patches to be distributed at their middle school, grades 6-8, and parents might not know what was being distributed to their young children. "Kids don't talk to parents about these things," said one committee member who voted in support of the condom and contraceptive pills. Only two committee members voted to not support the contraceptive student giveaway idea. Big school problem? According to Portland school officials, only five out of 134 middle school students reported having sexual encounters in 2006-7 (about 3% of all students.) However, it is not known how this new contraceptive protection might help to increase those numbers in future years. How many lower-age schools in America are giving away various forms of condoms, pills and patches? One school-based group reported that they distribute such things to about one-fourth of their 1,700 middle school (grades 6-8) school centers across America. Amazing. Plaid shirts and LL Bean woodland hiking boots for the young students in Portland, Maine. Oh, and yes, let's not forget the school-provided contraceptive patches and pills for sixth graders going on the outdoor adventure.
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