Executive Compensation at the PGA (2020)
The Professional Golfer’s Association of America (PGA) is always a headline grabber but recently for all the wrong reasons. Seems the PGA is being investigated by the US Justice Department for anticompetitive behavior in their battle with the new Middle East start up, LIV Golf circuit. Apparently, the PGA has suspended players who have chosen to play the for LIV Golf (who is offering vast sums of earnings for players who join and play golf on their circuit).
The PGA is a tax-exempt non-profit 501 (c) 6 – a professional business association – that is set up and operates differently than most other professional business organizations: Read more 
It’s July 6th: 309 Mass Shootings So Far
July 4th is the day we celebrate our country – the United States of America – whose states don’t seem united on many issues but especially on guns. When the nation’s 309th mass shooting killed 7 people and injured dozens of bystanders at an Independence Day (the irony is not lost on anyone) parade in Highland Park, Illinois, I was in my home where I tend to be more these days because I am afraid to be in a place with crowds. Read more
I’m Struggling to Understand
I’m struggling to understand what’s going on in this country. We’ve been dealing with a pandemic for about 18 months and we just can’t seem to get control over a killer virus that we have vaccines for. Nearly 1,500 people died in the US from Covid on August 20, 2021 with more to come if we don’t get this virus under control.
The US has about 330 million people. Approximately 50 million are under the age of 12, which leaves 280 million eligible to take the vaccine. To date, about 170 million people have been vaccinated leaving 110 million Americans age 12 and over eligible for the vaccine. But, they won’t take it for a variety of reasons. As a result, we are losing the battle by allowing the virus to mutate: causing more illness and killing people. Read more
I Am Not Alexa
Just a few short months ago, we were doing simple things – turning the lights on and off, playing music, and shopping on-line – all by ourselves. But, things changed around the holidays when the cloud-based voice service called “Alexa” entered our home. Thinking her dad would love to have someone turn the lights on and off, give a weather update, or turn on whatever music he wants to listen to, my daughter decided to give him “Alexa” for Christmas. But, my daughter was also thinking of me. Read more
Executive Compensation at ERCOT
Most people outside of Texas had not heard of ERCOT (Electrical Reliability Council of Texas) until this past week when the company was slammed for the massive loss of power across the state.
Although ERCOT is considered an independent system operator, the organization is a membership-based tax-exempt, non-profit 501 (c) (4) governed by a board of directors and subject to oversight by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Legislature (who decided decades ago not to allow power to come from outside the state to avoid having to comply with federal regulations that kick in with interstate transactions). In other words, the responsibility to provide power falls upon the management of ERCOT and Texas state officials – not the federal government.
ERCOT’s members (303 as of 12/31/2018) include consumers, cooperatives, generators, power marketers, retail electric providers, investor-owned public utilities, transmission and distribution providers, and municipally-owned electric utilities. Read more
Covid and the Future of Pandemics
It should come as no surprise to anyone that China refuses to give the World Health Organization (WHO) full access to Covid data. There’s no upside for them to cooperate and so, WHO and many of the other scientists who (no pun intended) know that Covid-19 was transmitted from an animal, likely a bat to a human, claim they won’t get the answers they need to understand how this virus erupted and evolved to produce a worldwide pandemic. But, I think they know. The cause of Covid-19 and most viruses is the elephant in the room that no one really wants to talk about, and so people blame other nations and politicians instead of really trying to prevent the next worldwide pandemic virus. Read more
Majorie Taylor Greene is Allowed to be an Adult but Chooses Not to be
The controversy surrounding Marjorie Taylor Greene has become a national obsession over the past few weeks. Greene, who was elected to Congress this past November to represent District 14 in Georgia has a colorful past (check out You Tube for videos she made in the past few years leading up to her Congressional run before the PR people got to her) that has shown her support for controversial issues, of which there is insufficient space to go into. Read more
Israel’s Discriminatory Policies on Covid 19 Vaccination
Israel clearly values some lives more than other lives and its no more apparent than in the distribution and rollout of the Cover-19 vaccine in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
Five days after Hanukkah (the 8-day festival of lights that commemorates the Jews rising up against their oppressors), Israel began vaccinating its citizens, which includes Israeli settlers living inside the West Bank and Palestinian residents of Jerusalem.
Excluded are the nearly 5 million Palestinians (including doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers) who live in the West Bank (under Israeli military occupation) and the Gaza Strip (which is considered by most people to also be occupied by the Israeli military), according to Amnesty International. How is it that a country who just celebrated rising up against its oppressors exclude Palestinian doctors, nurses, and the elderly in the West Bank (a territory that is not a part of Israel) and the Gaza Strip? Read more
The Future of Birthday Cake Candles is Dim
Remember back when we used to eat cake after someone blew all over it? Man, we were wild….
Have you ever wondered why we put candles on a birthday cake? Many historians believe the Greeks started the tradition to honor the goddess Artemis’ birth on the sixth day of each lunar month. Another group of people believe the origin of birthday candles came from the ancient belief that fire is associated with power and that evil spirits visit people on their birthday so celebrants surround the honoree and make noise while the burning sticks of paraffin scare the offenders away. Ironically, if anyone blows out the candles on a cake nowadays, the evils of coronavirus are a real possibility. Which brings me to modern day birthday celebrations: Read more
The Tortoise and The Hare
I’m not sure how the rest of the American public is feeling right now, but I’m guessing half the population is relieved while the other half is disappointed. This election has been going on for nearly 2 years, and besides being incredibly redundant and boring, the whole process has been a waste of time, resources, and money (Do we really need 2 years to elect a president?). Stupid me thought that come November 3rd, the process would end but it wasn’t until yesterday, November 7th that a winner – Joe Biden – was finally announced. Read more
Paddock Post 