Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel now belongs to a brotherhood like no other. He is now a Heisman trophy quarterback. I'm sure everyone knew that barring a major catastrophe, the trophy was his. And that brings about another one of those uncomfortable truths of college football.
Traditionally, an offensive player is traditionally the favourite to win the trophy. Manti Te'o was actually the best candidate, because his play elevated the Fighting Irish to finally vie for the national championship for the first time since the BCS system was brought in.
But apparently Johnny Football's story was the one that won the day. A freshman winning the Heisman for the first time ever was more important than a senior having the best season of his career, finally realizing the dream that every Notre Dame football player has. It comes down to the fact that offense has more sex appeal than the defense. But what wins championships? Defense, of course.
Forget the fact that Manti Te'o was a spark plug that challenged others on his team to rise to the occasion. Forget the fact that it was his leadership and play that others played under and in some cases ascended to his level. He was an inspiration to his team and to the program as a whole. It is because of him that others will follow and aspire to play like he did. Isn't that the true embodiment of the sport?
One thing is for sure. Not only did the votes forget about Manti's performance, they forgot about the youthful indiscretions committed by Johnny Football. They fell for the hype and in the end, they were more interested in a news headline than they were about maintaining the integrity of the sport. Furthermore, Texas A&M has proven that their decision to join the SEC was a good one. These don't bode well for the future of college football.
College football has been consistently behind the times and can barely find the way forward. One can only hope that at some point progress can be made at a faster pace. Penn State's indiscretions, the Cam Newton incident, Ohio State and USC sanctions and a half-assed four-team playoff system have shown that the NCAA still has quite a ways to go to clean up their biggest cash-cow in all of collegiate sport.
One can only hope that changes for the better will come sooner rather than later.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
Disappointed, but not Surprised
Once again the opportunity for Hamilton to think big has once again left a bad taste in our mouths. It's that same taste of an expressway that was almost studied to death. It's that taste of a promising vision of an rapid transit system in Hamilton, to have it shelved at the last minute by our mayor.
The best metaphor for this would be in the form of a monarch butterfly. It looks beautiful, almost as majestic as its name purports itself to be. It is resilient and unique. Next thing you know, it all goes south, leaving you with that incredibly bad taste in your mouth, that birds recognize enough to leave alone. But then there's always that one stupid bird that decides that maybe things will be different. That bird is us. We take another kick at the can and come out sickened.
The stadium reveal and design should have been meant to give us something special to look forward to. It should have been an exciting moment. But it ended up more of a dog than a dog and pony show. I watched the reveal on Tigervision at Ivor Wynne Stadium. And it was indeed a disappointment.
Gone was a grand vision of a cathedral of a stadium, one which the White Star Group actually dared us to dream of. Gone was the number of seats, from a 30,000 seat stadium, degraded to a 22,000 seater. Gone was the parking, from over 500 spots, to 200 spots, if you're lucky. As usual, our city took an opporunity to dream big, turned it right on its head and just left it in shambles. It was a rude awakening indeed. And it was just as depressing see the disappointment during a disappointment in itself, namely watching our Hamilton Tiger-Cats, once the home of defensive legends, dishonour that great tradition by getting shredded left, right and center by a virtually flawless BC Lion passing attack. It was barely Tiger-Cat football, at least it wasn't the kind of football we've all been accustom to seeing.
Yes it was a disappointment and it was not surprising at all either. We knew that as soon as the conversation returned to Ivor Wynne, it wouldn't end good at all. We would return to the same problems that plague the current stadium. And that has all been confirmed.
Yes, this city desperately needs a mayor that will dream big. Bob Bratina doesn't cut it. Fred Eisenberger will bore us to death. And Larry DiIanni would still make a better kingmaker than a king. The past belongs in the past. Time to move forward.
So who is it that has the audacity to think big? Maybe the picture will become clearer in two years. One thing is for sure - the next mayor still needs to be an outsider. All that mayors that were previous councillors have done is simply disappoint. We don't need to settle for this.
The best metaphor for this would be in the form of a monarch butterfly. It looks beautiful, almost as majestic as its name purports itself to be. It is resilient and unique. Next thing you know, it all goes south, leaving you with that incredibly bad taste in your mouth, that birds recognize enough to leave alone. But then there's always that one stupid bird that decides that maybe things will be different. That bird is us. We take another kick at the can and come out sickened.
The stadium reveal and design should have been meant to give us something special to look forward to. It should have been an exciting moment. But it ended up more of a dog than a dog and pony show. I watched the reveal on Tigervision at Ivor Wynne Stadium. And it was indeed a disappointment.
Gone was a grand vision of a cathedral of a stadium, one which the White Star Group actually dared us to dream of. Gone was the number of seats, from a 30,000 seat stadium, degraded to a 22,000 seater. Gone was the parking, from over 500 spots, to 200 spots, if you're lucky. As usual, our city took an opporunity to dream big, turned it right on its head and just left it in shambles. It was a rude awakening indeed. And it was just as depressing see the disappointment during a disappointment in itself, namely watching our Hamilton Tiger-Cats, once the home of defensive legends, dishonour that great tradition by getting shredded left, right and center by a virtually flawless BC Lion passing attack. It was barely Tiger-Cat football, at least it wasn't the kind of football we've all been accustom to seeing.
Yes it was a disappointment and it was not surprising at all either. We knew that as soon as the conversation returned to Ivor Wynne, it wouldn't end good at all. We would return to the same problems that plague the current stadium. And that has all been confirmed.
Yes, this city desperately needs a mayor that will dream big. Bob Bratina doesn't cut it. Fred Eisenberger will bore us to death. And Larry DiIanni would still make a better kingmaker than a king. The past belongs in the past. Time to move forward.
So who is it that has the audacity to think big? Maybe the picture will become clearer in two years. One thing is for sure - the next mayor still needs to be an outsider. All that mayors that were previous councillors have done is simply disappoint. We don't need to settle for this.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Severe, but Appropriate
So Penn State has lost all their wins since 1998, they've lost scholarships, they won't appear at a bowl game for the next four years, fined the value of their TV revenue last year and afterwards, they will be on probation. The Joe Paterno legacy continued to unravel over the last 72 hours, as 48 hours earlier, the statue of Joe Paterno was removed from the site. The saddest thing about this is that Mr. Paterno is not among the living to watch this happen before his eyes. But at least Jerry Sandusky will be behind bars for the rest of his natural life.
Yes, this goes beyond everything I suggested, but the intent behind these punitive sanctions is very much there. As much as I hated to say it, they needed to be hit hard. After all, this situation up to now was unprecedented. And a lot of us know that this is merely the tip of the iceberg.
People in a position of trust have a responsibility to the community they reside in and to the organizations they have a part in. But of course, people will denounce it, saying that Joe didn't deserve this and neither did the university as a whole. The man responsible was punished and that's where it should end, they say.
Those of you thinking this, give your heads a shake. Once again, Joe Paterno had a responsibility to maintain the integrity of the program. Did he do that? No. He passed the buck, letting someone else make a decision that was really his to make. And when he passed the buck, did the next guy do something about it? No. From the athletic director, it went to the university president who, just like other two, did nothing. When the integrity of your college or university is in danger, you don't cover it up. You get rid of the problem, before it gets worse.
For that reason, Penn State is being punished for the actions of their previous administration. Unfortunately, no sanctions were given to the people who were responsible for the perpetuation of this atrocity.
But was the punishment right? Some have said that the punishment is too severe, citing USC's and Ohio State's transgressions. Theirs is about an ongoing issue with student football players who are continuously worshipped by the boosters and fans alike. Even Miami, Auburn and several other colleges have experienced the same problems and a lot of it happens behind the backs of the administration.
But in this case, crimes were committed and the university had a duty to its community and their residents to report the crime and ensure the perpetrator faces the music. The university, its administration and its athletic department didn't take these steps. They didn't cooperate with the law and hoped that it could be swept away like it always was then. That was then. This is now.
Now Penn State will pay the price for not doing the right thing. This is not about money, like other colleges and universities. It's about the cover-up of a heinous felony. That is why they now face the punishment dealt to them, and rightfully so.
Yes, this goes beyond everything I suggested, but the intent behind these punitive sanctions is very much there. As much as I hated to say it, they needed to be hit hard. After all, this situation up to now was unprecedented. And a lot of us know that this is merely the tip of the iceberg.
People in a position of trust have a responsibility to the community they reside in and to the organizations they have a part in. But of course, people will denounce it, saying that Joe didn't deserve this and neither did the university as a whole. The man responsible was punished and that's where it should end, they say.
Those of you thinking this, give your heads a shake. Once again, Joe Paterno had a responsibility to maintain the integrity of the program. Did he do that? No. He passed the buck, letting someone else make a decision that was really his to make. And when he passed the buck, did the next guy do something about it? No. From the athletic director, it went to the university president who, just like other two, did nothing. When the integrity of your college or university is in danger, you don't cover it up. You get rid of the problem, before it gets worse.
For that reason, Penn State is being punished for the actions of their previous administration. Unfortunately, no sanctions were given to the people who were responsible for the perpetuation of this atrocity.
But was the punishment right? Some have said that the punishment is too severe, citing USC's and Ohio State's transgressions. Theirs is about an ongoing issue with student football players who are continuously worshipped by the boosters and fans alike. Even Miami, Auburn and several other colleges have experienced the same problems and a lot of it happens behind the backs of the administration.
But in this case, crimes were committed and the university had a duty to its community and their residents to report the crime and ensure the perpetrator faces the music. The university, its administration and its athletic department didn't take these steps. They didn't cooperate with the law and hoped that it could be swept away like it always was then. That was then. This is now.
Now Penn State will pay the price for not doing the right thing. This is not about money, like other colleges and universities. It's about the cover-up of a heinous felony. That is why they now face the punishment dealt to them, and rightfully so.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Gross Negligence at Penn State and the Solution
I'm sure those of you following the investigation on Penn State regarding the Jerry Sandusky affair are still digesting the information that investigator Louis Freeh provided to the university trustees. And it all points to one conclusion.
The Penn State athletics department and the university president conspired with Joe Paterno and the football program to protect a pedophilic predator from prosecution and "bad publicity." They did everything they could to hold on to someone who they knew could not be trusted around young boys. They knew this almost 20 years ago.
When confronted with the information, Joe Paterno swept it under the rug and carried on as if nothing happened. So the wagons were circled before the allegation was made public last winter. Even worse was the arrogance shown by Paterno when he said that he would retire after the end of the season. He was rightfully dismissed, but by then it was too little too late, even on the university's part.
By definition, the university was grossly negligent in their duties to the students, the trustees, and to the community in which they reside. They know that Jerry Sandusky should have been dismissed and reported the very moment they found out what happened, but they didn't. They knew that letting this matter go on could have been far more damaging to the university and its reputation, but they went forward, perhaps hoping that Joe Paterno would leave and with him, his coaches. But he didn't leave and the atrocities continued. Somebody had to know that things would get worse if they continued to avoid taking action, but asking why at this point won't help in the healing. The horses have already left the barn.
But we at least know that all the actions taken against Joe Paterno were justified, including the removal of his name from the Big Ten conference football championship trophy. Not even his unfortunate death would bring any form of redemption. It simply leaves a chasm of credibility where the firm ground of a strong reputation once sat.
So as the one part of the closure process will commence the moment Mr. Sandusky sits behind bars until the end of his natural life, another part will commence. And it will be on the part of the university. A logical start is putting the football program on probation, followed by the dismissal of all remaining people who were in the position to act, but didn't.
As callous as it is to say, Penn State needs to be made an example before the NCAA community. They need to atone for their sins as a whole. They need to be punished.
Closure won't be achieved until all the surviving people involved in this debacle are appropriately sanctioned for their actions and inactions.
The Penn State athletics department and the university president conspired with Joe Paterno and the football program to protect a pedophilic predator from prosecution and "bad publicity." They did everything they could to hold on to someone who they knew could not be trusted around young boys. They knew this almost 20 years ago.
When confronted with the information, Joe Paterno swept it under the rug and carried on as if nothing happened. So the wagons were circled before the allegation was made public last winter. Even worse was the arrogance shown by Paterno when he said that he would retire after the end of the season. He was rightfully dismissed, but by then it was too little too late, even on the university's part.
By definition, the university was grossly negligent in their duties to the students, the trustees, and to the community in which they reside. They know that Jerry Sandusky should have been dismissed and reported the very moment they found out what happened, but they didn't. They knew that letting this matter go on could have been far more damaging to the university and its reputation, but they went forward, perhaps hoping that Joe Paterno would leave and with him, his coaches. But he didn't leave and the atrocities continued. Somebody had to know that things would get worse if they continued to avoid taking action, but asking why at this point won't help in the healing. The horses have already left the barn.
But we at least know that all the actions taken against Joe Paterno were justified, including the removal of his name from the Big Ten conference football championship trophy. Not even his unfortunate death would bring any form of redemption. It simply leaves a chasm of credibility where the firm ground of a strong reputation once sat.
So as the one part of the closure process will commence the moment Mr. Sandusky sits behind bars until the end of his natural life, another part will commence. And it will be on the part of the university. A logical start is putting the football program on probation, followed by the dismissal of all remaining people who were in the position to act, but didn't.
As callous as it is to say, Penn State needs to be made an example before the NCAA community. They need to atone for their sins as a whole. They need to be punished.
Closure won't be achieved until all the surviving people involved in this debacle are appropriately sanctioned for their actions and inactions.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Bob Rae does the right thing
Bob Rae did the right thing today.
He has confirmed that he will not seek the leadership of the Liberal party. Some will be disappointed and some will be elated. In the last almost 150 years that this country has been around, there hasn't been a prime minister who was previously the premier of a province. The major reason for this is that there is always a point in time in a leader's reign when the leader ceases to be an asset to his party and begins to become a liability.
Bob Rae had that moment, as did Mike Harris, who resigned before he could face the music. So did Brian Mulroney, Jean Chretien and Pierre Trudeau. A former leader carries a history along with a record of everything that happened on his watch. So such history can be explosive to the party.
That is why leaders need to stay fresh. Once the decomposing begins, there is no stopping it.
Don't get me wrong. I think Bob Rae would have made a great Prime Minister, but his history will always be his greatest liability.
He has confirmed that he will not seek the leadership of the Liberal party. Some will be disappointed and some will be elated. In the last almost 150 years that this country has been around, there hasn't been a prime minister who was previously the premier of a province. The major reason for this is that there is always a point in time in a leader's reign when the leader ceases to be an asset to his party and begins to become a liability.
Bob Rae had that moment, as did Mike Harris, who resigned before he could face the music. So did Brian Mulroney, Jean Chretien and Pierre Trudeau. A former leader carries a history along with a record of everything that happened on his watch. So such history can be explosive to the party.
That is why leaders need to stay fresh. Once the decomposing begins, there is no stopping it.
Don't get me wrong. I think Bob Rae would have made a great Prime Minister, but his history will always be his greatest liability.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Dear Hamilton Spectator
It's nice to be recognized as one the LINQ community voices.
But could you at least look at my blog to get my name right?
Love,
Ren.
Update: I did this entry on my son's computer and didn't realize that I spelled Spectator wrong.
Where's my proof reader Adrian when I need him???
But could you at least look at my blog to get my name right?
Love,
Ren.
Update: I did this entry on my son's computer and didn't realize that I spelled Spectator wrong.
Where's my proof reader Adrian when I need him???
Friday, June 1, 2012
One-way, two-way - Is there any way???
The gang over at Raise the Hammer are now debating how Main Street should look when some councillor begins the really crazy idea of slowing downtown to a crawl, not even during construction season!
Being a Hamiltonian, there is no rite of passage greater than the quest of navigating your way through downtown along the one way streets. It is your initiation into the great brotherhood of Hamiltonians. Of course that would go hand in hand with driving along Burlington Street and Industrial Drive (oh no! one way streets!) and coming out to either end of the road with your suspension still intact! But I digress...
I am only going to say this: I cannot get behind such a plan without a suitable traffic management plan which would have the same level of traffic flow or better. Any plan that would end up creating inconvenience for many to create some semblance of livability for the few is not a step forward.
James Street and John Street are now two way roads and while there is improvement to life north of King Street, there is chaos to the south. Not a day goes by without a pedestrian crossing St. Joseph's Drive, walking uphill along James Street South, experiencing a near miss from a car that was turning onto St. Joseph's Drive from James Street.
And what about the International Village stretch of King Street? How will anyone navigate through that while going through downtown to get on the 403? There's only two lanes and they both go the same direction. There would a lot of work to do, should we somehow head in that direction.
Hamilton used to be a place where people met and now it's not so much anymore and that's not attributed to one-way or two-way streets, but to the lack of vision and imagination that made cities like Toronto great and cities like Hamilton end up with more street level parking lots. Apart from Lister Block can you name a great office building or real estate project that could mill all the great visionaries over to us?
We are about to embark on building a new rapid transit system and a new stadium, neither of which required or solicited a radical vision, but radical visions are needed to keep our city vibrant and they need to move the city forward, and not turn back the clock.
Being a Hamiltonian, there is no rite of passage greater than the quest of navigating your way through downtown along the one way streets. It is your initiation into the great brotherhood of Hamiltonians. Of course that would go hand in hand with driving along Burlington Street and Industrial Drive (oh no! one way streets!) and coming out to either end of the road with your suspension still intact! But I digress...
I am only going to say this: I cannot get behind such a plan without a suitable traffic management plan which would have the same level of traffic flow or better. Any plan that would end up creating inconvenience for many to create some semblance of livability for the few is not a step forward.
James Street and John Street are now two way roads and while there is improvement to life north of King Street, there is chaos to the south. Not a day goes by without a pedestrian crossing St. Joseph's Drive, walking uphill along James Street South, experiencing a near miss from a car that was turning onto St. Joseph's Drive from James Street.
And what about the International Village stretch of King Street? How will anyone navigate through that while going through downtown to get on the 403? There's only two lanes and they both go the same direction. There would a lot of work to do, should we somehow head in that direction.
Hamilton used to be a place where people met and now it's not so much anymore and that's not attributed to one-way or two-way streets, but to the lack of vision and imagination that made cities like Toronto great and cities like Hamilton end up with more street level parking lots. Apart from Lister Block can you name a great office building or real estate project that could mill all the great visionaries over to us?
We are about to embark on building a new rapid transit system and a new stadium, neither of which required or solicited a radical vision, but radical visions are needed to keep our city vibrant and they need to move the city forward, and not turn back the clock.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Ontario Budget - The Slow Painful Return of Sanity
So the Ontario Budget has passed and it is with great credit to both Premier Dalton "Dad" McGuinty and Third Party Leader Andrea "Mom" Horwath. I would like to first congratulate the two leaders for deciding to compromise together. They certainly understood that no one wants another election and neither of them want the other guy in power, which could have been the result.
And of course "Tea Party" Tim Hudak gets the brickbat for his inability to negotiate a suitable plan, hoping he'd get a do-over of a disastrous campaign. But it was not to be and Timmy once again was on the outside looking in. And I'm sure he can expect far more of this. Tim Hudak still hasn't learned his lesson and will have to sit in opposition for another two years. Too bad, so sad. No power for you!
Now it's time for McGuinty and Horwath to co-operate with each other and keep shutting Timmy out. This man is a loose cannon and is truly not worthy, let alone mature enough to take the reins of the economic powerhouse that is Ontario. Yes folks, Ontario is still the economic powerhouse. No prosperous Ontario, no prosperous Canada. That's the equation.
We certainly can't afford to tie our economy completely into the energy industry. At some point, one energy company will do something incredibly stupid and next thing you know, energy companies start going under. If there is anything we should be learning, it is not to put all our eggs into one basket. Ontario remains the financial center of the country and where most acts of commerce happen. Ontario doesn't need to be in lockstep with Alberta, because we're not Alberta.
The sooner we realize this, the sooner we will understand that such ideologies should be confronted with the same level of ferocity as they have used in dividing us in the first place. Social conservatism will be ruin of our country, our province and our place in the world.
And of course "Tea Party" Tim Hudak gets the brickbat for his inability to negotiate a suitable plan, hoping he'd get a do-over of a disastrous campaign. But it was not to be and Timmy once again was on the outside looking in. And I'm sure he can expect far more of this. Tim Hudak still hasn't learned his lesson and will have to sit in opposition for another two years. Too bad, so sad. No power for you!
Now it's time for McGuinty and Horwath to co-operate with each other and keep shutting Timmy out. This man is a loose cannon and is truly not worthy, let alone mature enough to take the reins of the economic powerhouse that is Ontario. Yes folks, Ontario is still the economic powerhouse. No prosperous Ontario, no prosperous Canada. That's the equation.
We certainly can't afford to tie our economy completely into the energy industry. At some point, one energy company will do something incredibly stupid and next thing you know, energy companies start going under. If there is anything we should be learning, it is not to put all our eggs into one basket. Ontario remains the financial center of the country and where most acts of commerce happen. Ontario doesn't need to be in lockstep with Alberta, because we're not Alberta.
The sooner we realize this, the sooner we will understand that such ideologies should be confronted with the same level of ferocity as they have used in dividing us in the first place. Social conservatism will be ruin of our country, our province and our place in the world.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Modernizing the Labour Movement
Let's touch on the bigger problem with unionization in this day and age. It's not that the whole idea is antiquated. It's not that unions are irrelevant. And it's not that there is no need for unions. We do need unions to keep the powers that be in check.
It's the scope of the union that's the problem. It's too small and territorial. It can't compete against the corporations, whose fingers have crossed oceans and have taken advantage of their new found powers to force their workers to concede things they normally wouldn't, with the threat of closing their plants and throwing them out of work. What was once unconscionable has become acceptable in today's economic climate of shock capitalism. And things seem more hopeless than ever before.
But does it have to be this way?
Let's face facts. Our governments have sold us out. Rather than defend the interests of the people who elect them, they have in fact acted against our own interests. A lot of those people have vilified unions as anti-democratic, elitist and neglectful. How many times have we heard the meme "union bosses" wielded like a machete in the hands of a madman? A lot of that criticism stems from the negotiation team refusing to put a proposition to a vote. But it should be understood that holding such meetings on the insistance of the employer has "waste of time" written all over it. The union elects the negotiation team to negotiate as instructed by the membership. So why all the hate? Part of it is envy and the other part of it is the fact that the union will defend those who really shouldn't be defended, but in their view if they throw one of their own under the bus, then what's to stop others from the same fate.
So for one thing, unions need to choose their battles a little more wisely. Even the membership needs to be kept honest now and then, so perhaps they need to re-assess that end and stop defending those who don't deserve to be defended. They sometimes have sacrifice the few for the sake of the many.
There is also a lot work needed in the way unions are presented. They need to push back on the "entitlement" meme that has been going around and talk about how there may not be anyone to buy the cars, the houses or even the furniture that makes life easier to live without unions. What about those vacations? Who's going to take them? I recall an interesting epiphany made by a CFO for a company I did work for, who pointed out that it was the people on the production floor that made money for the company and everyone else was merely overhead. That's a winning line right there.
Up to now, it's the unions that changed the way people are employed, but with companies going global, the companies gain more leverage and are better able to get concessions from their workers. And with nationalism being ramped up as a diversion, the unions can ill afford to take the bait. It's time for the unions to cross the borders, get international, and go global. The only way to defeat a multinational corporation is to go multinational yourself.
Show the world what unions are truly about and get connected. Gain partnerships, even start investing in companies that support unions. And if the goal posts are moved, move with them.
The world is changing and the unions have only two choices: adapt or perish.
It's the scope of the union that's the problem. It's too small and territorial. It can't compete against the corporations, whose fingers have crossed oceans and have taken advantage of their new found powers to force their workers to concede things they normally wouldn't, with the threat of closing their plants and throwing them out of work. What was once unconscionable has become acceptable in today's economic climate of shock capitalism. And things seem more hopeless than ever before.
But does it have to be this way?
Let's face facts. Our governments have sold us out. Rather than defend the interests of the people who elect them, they have in fact acted against our own interests. A lot of those people have vilified unions as anti-democratic, elitist and neglectful. How many times have we heard the meme "union bosses" wielded like a machete in the hands of a madman? A lot of that criticism stems from the negotiation team refusing to put a proposition to a vote. But it should be understood that holding such meetings on the insistance of the employer has "waste of time" written all over it. The union elects the negotiation team to negotiate as instructed by the membership. So why all the hate? Part of it is envy and the other part of it is the fact that the union will defend those who really shouldn't be defended, but in their view if they throw one of their own under the bus, then what's to stop others from the same fate.
So for one thing, unions need to choose their battles a little more wisely. Even the membership needs to be kept honest now and then, so perhaps they need to re-assess that end and stop defending those who don't deserve to be defended. They sometimes have sacrifice the few for the sake of the many.
There is also a lot work needed in the way unions are presented. They need to push back on the "entitlement" meme that has been going around and talk about how there may not be anyone to buy the cars, the houses or even the furniture that makes life easier to live without unions. What about those vacations? Who's going to take them? I recall an interesting epiphany made by a CFO for a company I did work for, who pointed out that it was the people on the production floor that made money for the company and everyone else was merely overhead. That's a winning line right there.
Up to now, it's the unions that changed the way people are employed, but with companies going global, the companies gain more leverage and are better able to get concessions from their workers. And with nationalism being ramped up as a diversion, the unions can ill afford to take the bait. It's time for the unions to cross the borders, get international, and go global. The only way to defeat a multinational corporation is to go multinational yourself.
Show the world what unions are truly about and get connected. Gain partnerships, even start investing in companies that support unions. And if the goal posts are moved, move with them.
The world is changing and the unions have only two choices: adapt or perish.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Another Betrayal
It seems that Electro-Motive is now closing their plant in London after offering a boot to the head that the union rightly refused to accept in the form of a 50% pay cut.
When corporations negotiate in bad faith, lock out their workers and then close the plants, it sets labour relations back in years.
The CWA did do the right thing, but they got punished anyway. How this gets handled from this point is anyone's guess, but one thing is definitely for sure. The old way the unions have fought for their rights is starting to lose its effectiveness. We'll talk about this in another post...
All things aside, I recall a certain country which beat down their unions and subjugated others for being different. They even had a really crazy guy in charge with a war monger and a propagandist for lieutenants.
Parallels... they have a funny way of showing themselves.
When corporations negotiate in bad faith, lock out their workers and then close the plants, it sets labour relations back in years.
The CWA did do the right thing, but they got punished anyway. How this gets handled from this point is anyone's guess, but one thing is definitely for sure. The old way the unions have fought for their rights is starting to lose its effectiveness. We'll talk about this in another post...
All things aside, I recall a certain country which beat down their unions and subjugated others for being different. They even had a really crazy guy in charge with a war monger and a propagandist for lieutenants.
Parallels... they have a funny way of showing themselves.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The Betrayal Continues...
Well it seems that that other shoe has dropped.
The strike ended months ago, but U.S. Steel seemingly has no intention of resuming operations at the Hamilton plant. And to make matters worse, the case between the Feds and USS is now closed and justice once again never gets done.
So when corporations commit crimes against the people, purchasing other companies and factories to close them up and take out a competitor. Selling out our national security, through the removal of our manufacturing capacity and in turn selling out our self-sustainability, seems be a priority.
Anybody who says that justice is universal isn't paying attention.
Welcome to Stephen Harper's Canada, an unjust shadow of its former self.
The strike ended months ago, but U.S. Steel seemingly has no intention of resuming operations at the Hamilton plant. And to make matters worse, the case between the Feds and USS is now closed and justice once again never gets done.
So when corporations commit crimes against the people, purchasing other companies and factories to close them up and take out a competitor. Selling out our national security, through the removal of our manufacturing capacity and in turn selling out our self-sustainability, seems be a priority.
Anybody who says that justice is universal isn't paying attention.
Welcome to Stephen Harper's Canada, an unjust shadow of its former self.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
A Modest Proposal to the BCS
Did you know that there were 35 bowl games played this year? That doesn't even count the all-star bowl games like the Senior Bowl, the Shrine Bowl and even a Texas vs. the World bowl. I devised a system that would fill those spots with qualified teams, featuring 22 playoff and consolation games and 13 exhibition bowl games. You could start off with the top 32 teams qualifying for the playoffs, while 20 teams would vie for a spot in one of the 13 games.
For the Conference final week, there would be 32 teams divided into two groups of 16. The AQ group would be comprised of the 12 AQ finalists and 4 top at-large teams. The winner of the games in this group would get a bye, while the losing team is relegated into the first playoff round. The second group of 16 would be comprised of the 10 non-AQ finalists and 6 top at-large teams. The winner of these games go into the first playoff round, with the AQ runners up. The losing non-AQ teams in the conference round would be put into a pool of 26 teams to play one last bowl game.
So now we'd have 24 teams. These teams are guaranteed one more consolation game, should any of them lose during the three rounds leading up to the championship. The 8 losing teams in the non-AQ group are now in the 26-team pool, the 8 winning teams in the AQ group earned a bye and the remaining 16 do the playoff round in which the winner advances further into the playoffs, while the losing teams are added into the 26 team pool, which now needs 10 more teams. This could be decided by a 20 team pool in which the winning team is placed into the pool, while it's "better luck next year" for the losing team in the 20 team pool. This round is done the week after the conference round, so we could call it the post-conference round.
The bowl season, which now begins the weekend before Christmas should begin a week earlier to start the first playoff round. The second playoff round (elite eight), would take place the week of Christmas. The semi-final round would take place on New Years Day. And either the Rose Bowl becomes a semi-final or the consolation between the Big 10 champion and Pac 12 champion, if they have reached the second round. What games become the semi-final and elite eight consolation would obviously be up to the BCS.
During this time, there's 13 exhibition bowl games to enjoy, along with 22 playoff and consolation games. The biggest feature to this plan is that spots are earned and not just given. This could even open the door to more bowl games. In this playoff, the eliminated teams get a final consolation game in the next round.
So the first round of 8 games would lead up to the week before Christmas, then the 8 games of the second and first consolation round would lead before Christmas. The semi-final round would be New Year's Day and the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta and Orange Bowls would have the semi final and consolation games.
Finally, we get amped for the BCS National Championship, but not before the final consolation game, which could be the Cotton Bowl.
So in all, there would be up to 5 additional games for the playoffs. And that once and for all ends all debates, does away with all the silly polling politics and ensures that each game will have a quality and some excitement to it.
So in summary:
What do you think?
For the Conference final week, there would be 32 teams divided into two groups of 16. The AQ group would be comprised of the 12 AQ finalists and 4 top at-large teams. The winner of the games in this group would get a bye, while the losing team is relegated into the first playoff round. The second group of 16 would be comprised of the 10 non-AQ finalists and 6 top at-large teams. The winner of these games go into the first playoff round, with the AQ runners up. The losing non-AQ teams in the conference round would be put into a pool of 26 teams to play one last bowl game.
So now we'd have 24 teams. These teams are guaranteed one more consolation game, should any of them lose during the three rounds leading up to the championship. The 8 losing teams in the non-AQ group are now in the 26-team pool, the 8 winning teams in the AQ group earned a bye and the remaining 16 do the playoff round in which the winner advances further into the playoffs, while the losing teams are added into the 26 team pool, which now needs 10 more teams. This could be decided by a 20 team pool in which the winning team is placed into the pool, while it's "better luck next year" for the losing team in the 20 team pool. This round is done the week after the conference round, so we could call it the post-conference round.
The bowl season, which now begins the weekend before Christmas should begin a week earlier to start the first playoff round. The second playoff round (elite eight), would take place the week of Christmas. The semi-final round would take place on New Years Day. And either the Rose Bowl becomes a semi-final or the consolation between the Big 10 champion and Pac 12 champion, if they have reached the second round. What games become the semi-final and elite eight consolation would obviously be up to the BCS.
During this time, there's 13 exhibition bowl games to enjoy, along with 22 playoff and consolation games. The biggest feature to this plan is that spots are earned and not just given. This could even open the door to more bowl games. In this playoff, the eliminated teams get a final consolation game in the next round.
So the first round of 8 games would lead up to the week before Christmas, then the 8 games of the second and first consolation round would lead before Christmas. The semi-final round would be New Year's Day and the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta and Orange Bowls would have the semi final and consolation games.
Finally, we get amped for the BCS National Championship, but not before the final consolation game, which could be the Cotton Bowl.
So in all, there would be up to 5 additional games for the playoffs. And that once and for all ends all debates, does away with all the silly polling politics and ensures that each game will have a quality and some excitement to it.
So in summary:
- 32 teams play in the conference round
- 8 teams get a bye, 16 play in the post-conference round
- the eliminated 8 join the 8 non-AQ runners up and 10 qualifying round winners to play in one of the 13 exhibition bowl games.
- the remaining 16 play four rounds of playoff and consolation games leading up to the championship and consolation final.
What do you think?
Monday, January 9, 2012
Alabama! Surprised? No!
Some of you watching the BCS Championship game are probably asking yourselves how it is that the team that beat them before is now leading and is quite likely to win it all. I'm surprised at all. I watched the first game. The fact is that LSU got lucky winning that meeting. Alabama made more scoring attempts than LSU did. The Tigers only won where it counted.
The fact was that the Tide moved the ball forward better than the Tigers did at their first meeting. They only had an unlucky kicker that day. If he scored the other three, there would have been no dispute and it would have been the OSU Cowboys there instead of LSU.
It was simply the way the Tide played against LSU the first time around that kept them in the hunt as the number 2 team. They did outplay LSU, but didn't have the luck with them.
But tonight, LSU will have run out of luck.
The fact was that the Tide moved the ball forward better than the Tigers did at their first meeting. They only had an unlucky kicker that day. If he scored the other three, there would have been no dispute and it would have been the OSU Cowboys there instead of LSU.
It was simply the way the Tide played against LSU the first time around that kept them in the hunt as the number 2 team. They did outplay LSU, but didn't have the luck with them.
But tonight, LSU will have run out of luck.
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