These Midnight Ponderings kept me awake one recent sweltering summer night when the air conditioning and the ceiling fan weren’t enough to cool me down enough to fall asleep:

Bring $500,000 home
As you might know, Lake High School is in the running for a donation of up to $500,000 from Kohl’s department store, which is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Kohl’s Cares program. The company is giving away $10 million to 20 schools. The top 20 vote-getters on www.facebook.com/kohls will get up to half million each providing they meet other contest rules.

As of this writing Lake is ranked first with 32,303 votes, a lead of 4,577. Six of the top ten schools are Jewish schools nominated by those hoping to increase scholarships, teachers or enrichment programs. Two are Christian academies and one is a school for the disadvantaged in Mooseheart, Illinois.

None has the compelling story of a school destroyed by a tornado, but votes, not need, will determine the recipients. It would be a shame if popularity trumped need. To help, go to the website listed above and vote. Deadline is September 3.
 

World Cup announcers
After watching this summer’s World Cup, I’d make two suggestions for changes. First, adopt a video review for disputed goals and second, give yellow cards to the whiners who exaggerate or fake an injury in an attempt to solicit a yellow card for the opponent. Soccer at this level is a physically demanding, sometimes brutal sport, however, it is unseemly to watch these world-class athletes writhe on the ground until the referee ignores them then get up and continue play as if nothing happened. Where is the honor in this?

The one thing I wouldn’t change—the announcers. Clever and erudite. Here’s a sampling.

We say, “The score is lopsided.” They say, “It’s an unpalatable score.”

We say, “It’s a two on one break.” They say, “They have numerical superiority.”

We say, “The offensive coordinator has signaled in a play.” They say, “A plot has been hatched.”

We say, “He threads the needle.” They say, “What a clinical strike.”

We say, “The defense needs to stiffen up.” They say, “The defense has an important challenge to foil the impending danger.”

We say, “The Cowboys need to bring their A-game.” They say, “The team needs something heroic from their main protagonists.”
 

On the way to somewhere
On the way to reading my e-mail, I cleaned out my spam box. A man could get an inferiority complex deleting spam. Here are a few come-ons from those who intend to scam you or to pick-pocket your identity information: “Every man needs this.” “Be the man you always wanted to be.” “Things women like about men.” “Your wildest dreams can come true.” “Be the Superman she always wanted.”

Curiosity still prods some fools to click despite warnings in the media about those who have lost money or had their credit ruined.

Speaking of being on the way to somewhere, I noticed this license plate the other day—“nowhere.” Is this driver nowhere or now here?
 

The best SLL school in sports?
Mike Gardner, long-time golf coach at Eastwood, has kept track of sport-by-sport rankings for all SLL sports since the 1972-73 inaugural season. As the SLL will disband at the end of this year, The Press has been publishing charts based on Gardner’s statistical analysis. Eastwood has had the most success over the years finishing first in both boys and girls sports. The top team in each individual sport are: Eastwood—football, boys golf, girls basketball, boys basketball, girls volleyball; Genoa—boys baseball, boys soccer; Lake—girls soccer; Lakota—boys cross country, boys track; Woodmore—girls cross country, girls track.; Elmwood—girls softball, boys wrestling.

Forever in rage
An East Toledo woman has learned how a personal moment of rage can go viral and be seen by millions. Go to the 13 ABC website or You-Tube and search McNugget and you can view her rage at the drive-through window of the Main Street McDonalds where she tried to put a beat down on a worker who told her they had stopped serving McNuggets. The chicken-deprived woman, who admitted she was drinking, tried to climb through the window to continue her attack on the worker. After the worker succeeded in closing the window, she shattered it by throwing a bottle through it.

The woman was recently sentence to 60 days in jail, two years probation and restitution.

The lesson: In this day of camera phones and surveillance devices any moment can last forever.

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