Three Super Bowl Rings*

Of the last six Super Bowl Championships, the New England Patriots have won half of them. That is quite a remarkable feat for any team to accomplish. Also remarkable is that Bill Belichick was the Head Coach for each of those seasons.

But the most remarkable is that it was recently discovered that an employee of the Patriots was instructed to videotape signals being given from the Jets coaching staff to the players on the field. Belichick has been fined $500,000, and the team has been fined an additional $250,000. They will also lose their highest pick in the 2008 draft.

Belichik said, “Part of my job as head coach is to ensure that our football operations are conducted in compliance of the league rules and all accepted interpretations of them. My interpretation of a rule in the constitution and bylaws was incorrect.”

What about integrity? Forget about the league rules, but isn’t that the same as sneaking a peek at your friends cards when you’re playing Gin Rummy? Would he have felt any worse had he stolen the Jet’s playbook aside from the fact that he knew it was against the rules?

Two weeks ago, the Mayor of Passaic Samuel Rivera, along with 11 other New Jersey officials, was charged with accepting bribes from insurance and construction contractors. He reportedly received $5000 in exchange for favoring certain businesses to have exclusive rights to work with the municipality.

Unfortunately, Mr. Rivera is by no means the only government official who has been swayed by financial kickbacks. It is only the humor-factor that makes it news worthy to write about the Congressman who hid bribe money in his freezer.

What has become of integrity? What has become of honesty?

It is crucial for Jewish leaders to stick to their values and remain loyal to what they believe in. It is easy to be tempted, but in the end of the day you will feel better about what you are doing if you do it the right way. If you have an opportunity to cut corners, sneak something by, or lie to someone, you have to fight that temptation.

Even if you are never caught like Bill Belichick, you don’t want to live your life with a Barry Bonds asterisk.

Presidential Leisure

President Bush is well on his way to beating the record for most vacation days taken while in the White House. With a whopping 417 vacation days as of last week, George W. Bush is likely to put Reagan’s 436 to shame.

While the President is taking flak for his frequent trips to his Crawford ranch, the New York times reported that many Presidential hopefuls are foregoing personal vacations to make a point of their undivided devotion to their work.

A spokesman for Democratic hopeful Dennis Kucinich said “Do most Americans get several days off from the problems they face every day? I don’t think so. They work hard every day. Dennis Kucinich works hard every day.” Kucinich has no summer vacation days planned.

But is that really the right attitude? Don’t people had Sundays? Don’t people take vacations from time to time? While W may be taking it to an extreme, isn’t not taking any vacation setting a bad example?

In Europe, government mandated vacation days are common practice. To be a member of the European Union, you must provide a minimum of 20 paid vacation days each year. In France, they upped it to 30!

So what about the United States? Zippo! Zero! Nada! No government enforced vacation days.

It seems that instead of swearing off of a trip to the beach, Presidential Candidates should be pushing for mandated paid vacation days to ensure that “most Americans” will be able to take a break.

Not to worry, plenty of the Presidential Candidates still took some sort of vacation in the last two months. Here’s  recap:

Sam Brownback - five days in the Colorado Rockies. Barack Obama - Bus trip through Iowa (with campaign stops). Joe Biden - Iowa State Fair. John Edwards - 3 days at Lake Winnipesaukee (with interviews). Mitt Romney - 5 days at the same lake. Rudy Giuliani - Some golf near his home in Water Mill on Long Island. John McCain - Weekend in the Caribbean. Fred Thompson - 2-day Birthday party in Tennessee. Mike Huckabee - 1 lazy afternoon with his wife and 3 dogs at home in Arkansas. Ron Paul - Large birthday party in Texas. Bill Richardson - Celebrating anniversary at a spa with his wife. Dennis Kucinich, Chris Dodd, and Hillary Rodham Clinton claim not to be taking any time off.

Maybe taking a little time-off isn’t so bad. Maybe it keeps you from burning out. Shame on you Rep. Kucinich - maybe Mitt and John can still save you a spot in their fishing boat.

A Hero Reborn

Apparently, Sylvester Stallone’s fame has crossed an ocean, and then some.

Over  30 years ago, Rocky Balboa burst onto the scene as the underdog boxing champion.  Over the years, he has taken on Apollo Creed,  Mr. T,  Ivan Drago, Tommy Gunn, and Mason Dixon.

And now he is the local hero of the small Serbian village of Zitiste.

As the village has rebuilt itself from years of flooding, and is beginning to make a comeback, it created a life sized replica of the Rocky Balboa statue from Philadelphia.

At its annual chicken factory, the town unveiled the hero who they claim reminds them of themselves. They are going through a rebirth just like Rocky did in the sixth movie of the series, Rocky Balboa.

It seems that a good hero doesn’t even have to be real, as long as people feel they can relate to him. You never know where inspiration can come from.

More Public Speaking Strategies

Know Your Audience - Get information about who will be attending your presentation. Are all participants familiar with what you are talking about, or is this something foreign to them? Don’t speak above or below the level of your audience. Speak at their level, and they will be receptive.

Make a Strong Start - The first few minutes of your talk should be the most prepared and polished, and the most entertaining. You want to get off to a good start, and you want to grab the audience’s attention. This is most likely the part you will be most nervous about, so don’t leave anything to chance. Establish early on that you know what you are talking about, and that you will be interesting as you speak.

Speaking from Notes - If you want to speak from notes, it’s ok. But if you spend the whole speech looking down, nobody is going to want to listen to you! So if you use notes or an outline, you still have to know your material well. That way you can look down to find your place if you lose it.

Look Alive - If you aren’t into your speech, the audience won’t be into it. Make sure you are energetic and even dramatic at times. You shouldn’t be all over the place or scaring the audience, but you should make sure to keep them awake.

Be Funny - A great way to keep people connected and listening is to tell a joke or two. You’re not trying out for stand-up comedy, but you want to make sure everyone is having a good time. Sometimes a personal story that is embarrassing or funny  can fit perfectly in a speech. Make sure not to poke fun at the audience unless you are 100% sure that they will appreciate the jab

How to Become a Successful Pubilc Speaker

A crucial skill for any leader is the ability to stand up in front of a group of people and speak. While there are many ways to be active without speaking in public, this is one skill that can set a true leader apart. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come naturally to many people.

Glossophobia, or stage fright, is the single most common phobia in the United States - it ranks higher than the fear of death. Jerry Seinfeld once observed “the average person at a funeral would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.”

But don’t use this as an excuse! It is much easier than you think if you just get yourself in the right mindset. Here are a number of tips to help you become more comfortable speaking in public:

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare - Before you speak, plan out what you want to say. Think about the occasion at which you are speaking, who the audience is, and write yourself an outline. Stand in front of a mirror and rehearse your speech, and even ask friends to serve as a practice audience.

Feel Confident - There is a good reason you are getting up to speak, so believe in yourself. Since you have prepared what you plan to say, it’s probably something important and even interesting. People are going to want to listen to you as long as you have faith in your presentation.

Practice Makes Perfect - Use every opportunity to practice speaking in public. Share an idea at your family dinner table; ask your teacher if you can present something to your class; try to speak up at the next meeting of your club or team.

Before you know it, you will be up there amongst some of the greatest orators of all time!

For more strategies on preparing your speech, click here.

A Young Hero

Amidst the chaos and devastation in Minneapolis this past week has emerged the story of a young 20 year-old mechanic turned camp counselor turned hero. Jeremy Hernandez was on the school bus that has been highlighted as being caught on the I-35 bridge during the collapse.

Jeremy had fallen asleep, and awoke to the jolt and screams of the bridge breaking. His instinct and adrenaline kicked in, he jumped over two seats, and kicked open the emergency door in the back of the bus. One by one he helped 60 children and staff off of the bus, handing them to strangers who arrived to help.

Everyone on the bus survived the crash, 14 were sent to the hospital with 10 of those being released the same day.

Jeremy was a young man who responded to the situation he was in with bravery. He exhibited an amazing quality of leadership that is hard to learn and even harder to put into practice.