Only 39 Percent Polled Gave Aid to Katrina Victims

Click on the title of this post to see the poll. This is an outrage. I'm not surprised over the anger with the government, but the government is us. If only 39 percent of us gave -- I did -- it's no wonder we have a system that can't help people. We can't ask our government to do it, if we're not going to ourselves. Come on America -- dig deep and donate! Let's get this number up to 70 percent!

I need a Vector Animation Specialist

If you understand how to make animated representations of characters and buildings (like stadiums) on the web for online games, please contact me ASAP. If you have a website, share the address with me. I can't go into detail here!

The Progress of My Friend Jody

I have to share this with you all, as my friend Jody May gets ready for her participation in the "Nationals" in Atlanta later this year. She's a terrifically lovely woman with a kind heart. I wish the best for her. More on that later, but here's what she looks like, now:

My friends ask me why I like this kind of look, and I can't explain it except to say that it's been with me since I was old enough to realize I was attracted to this kind of woman. (Which was when I was nine years old and had the "hots" for a girl named Debbie who lived in the same townhouse we did in Chicago.) I also have always had an affinity for the way Robert Crumb -- "R. Crumb" -- draws women in his comics and cartoons. They have muscle and shape -- not skinny mini at all. (Oh, geez, nothing against the "thin" practiced by some of my women friends. You look terrific! Besides, it's not just the outside, it's the inside.)

But Jody's my friend and that's because she's just a good person. For me, it doesn't matter how great the woman looks, if she's not warm of heart, her outer beauty is diminished.

All of that aside, Jody -- in my view as a friend -- is at a major juncture in her life. I think bodybuiilding -- given its nature -- should be considered a stepping stone to something else. In Jody's case, I think she can be a terrific spokesperson for products and services. NO -- not one of those models than stands next to a car. I'm thinking more along the lines of commercials and ads. I think she's got a healthy and tight look that -- in a body-concious America -- can really sell. She can apply this to the medical industry to start, as that's her occupational home.

Beyond that, I think she can make a hellofa politician. She should run for some kind of office in Odessa to start.

My personal concern is that she listen to advice and get help from people who really are in her corner. I guess a large part of me sees her as kind of -- well, so "well-meaning" and trusting, that she can open herself to the wrong people. In that way, she's a lot like me! (LOL) I think that's why I kind of worry about her, and I shouldn't do that. But it's the way I am.

I'd like to see her develop a huge national network of successful friends -- women and men, but mostly women because it's good to have a connection with other successful women -- who really share their contacts wiithout some inner desire to "take" from Jody. There are a lot of people out there. I have such a small group of people I know, like my buddy Beth Schnitzer (an awesome person who will also make a great elected official). It takes time and determination and focus -- on building these relationships.

Bob Denver - Another Signpost in The Zeitgeist Passes On

I know I'm getting to the point of middle age, when this happens: Bob Denver, star of Gilligan's Island, passed away last week. I grew up watching the syndicated re-runs of Gilligan's Island, and fell totally in love with Dawn Wells (who played Mary Ann and marked the first time I realized I prefered brunettes to blondes!) and those terrific legs of hers.

But I always felt sorry for Denver's character. I always rooted for him. In retrospect, it was because even though he made mistakes, he had a good heart. Denver communicated that aspect of Gilligan very well.

I have to admit, that there's a weird feeling with all of these signposts passing. I think I need to create a kind of "rolling list" of people who "mark" our culture at a moment in time.

More on Dating From Sam and Gabe

We were returning from a rousing game of Laser Tag, and got onto the subject of women and dating again. John and I were talking about one of his women friends with John's twins, Sam and Gabe. (Both six years old at the time.)

I said "She's hot." So, Sam said "Dad, is she hot..or is she "hot." Gabe then said "Yeah, what is she?"

John said "Well, she's a friend. You know." And I said "She's hot. A good looking woman that you hang with but want to ..you know...but don't. That kind is just hot -- not 'Hot.'

John said "Yeah, she's just hot."

So, Gabe said "Dad, if she's just hot, are you telling us the truth?"

Perls of Wisdom From My Friend's 7-Year Old Son

What I love about kids is their simple and to the point statements of observation about all aspects of life. But this takes the cake. My friend John's twin seven year old boys Sam and Gabe are a never-ending source of joy for me. They're always smiling and nice -- and smart as heck.

On the way back from our Sunday golf game -- they beat me at "nine-hole," we were talking about women and dating (as John's recently divorced and I'm single). Gabe said this: "Women like guys with money. If you want to tell if a woman likes you, this is what she does -- she laughs all silly, and plays with and tosses her hair back when she's talking to you. If women do that to you, then a lot of women like you."

If I am ever dismayed by the complexity of life, I'll always remember never to forget how to look at matters so simply and basically as when I was seven years old myself.

To My Friend Mike Silver on His New Orleans Super Bowl Home Idea

Hey Sil,

In general, I liked your idea of a permanent home for the NFL's Super Bowl Game in New Orleans, as expressed in your Sports Illustrated Online column (for those reading this, read "Open Mike" by Mike Silver by clicking on the title of this post). If I may provide some detail to shape your proposal, I do so here.

The NFL can certainly add to its $1 million donation (considering the estimated revenue of the league is somewhere north of $5 billion), by pledging $350 million toward the redevelopment of New Orleans "Sports Events Infrastructure" and specifically the establishment of not just a new stadium but four 1,000 room hotels and a new building specifically designed to host the NFL Experience and on a permanent basis.

The NFL has a unique opportunity to be involved in the economic planning of a new New Orleans, one that eventually could have the population large enough and well-moneyed enough to support teams representing all of the major sport leagues. Commissioner Tagliabue should immediately convene a meeting of the "big four" sports commissioners (all in New York, so it's easy to do) and craft a coordinated plan of action.

The disaster is done. What it demonstrates is just how much we as a country have allowed our governments resource base -- it's revenues adjusted for inflation -- to deteriorate. We've forgotten how our government once was able to provide money to sustain and improve the quality of life in America. But, after decades of disinvestment in all manor of social and science programs, we've seen the results: declining school performance, The Challenger and Columbia disasters, and now this. The NFL can be part of a major and much needed turn around in America.

Thanks,

Zennie Abraham
Chairman and CEO
Sports Business Simulations
Head of the Super Bowl - Oakland XXXIX Bidding Committee