What is the New Jersey Council of County Colleges, anyway?

Who is the New Jersey Council of County Colleges?  And what do they do, anyway?

There’s a bill in the New Jersey state legislature that would allow the county colleges to not be required to join the council and pay the estimated $90,000 per year in annual dues. Instead the colleges could spend that money to lobby legislators on their own, or not spend it at all. Either way, taxpayers and students are on the hook, since that’s where all the money for the county colleges comes from. State taxes, students paying on their own, and federal funds that are given to students in the form of financial aid.

You’d think that the state legislators would be intelligent enough to provide sufficient funds to the county colleges to operate. I guess that isn’t the case, since taxpayers and students have to pay lobbyists to fight for their cause in the state capitol of Trenton.

Too many lobbyists, not enough common sense.  But what else is new?

New baseball book for middle grade readers: The Perfect Game

THE PERFECT GAME is a novel for middle grade readers. It is about a twelve year old boy’s roller coaster experience while playing one season of organized baseball. It is available in Kindle at Amazon for 99 cents, as well as at Smashwords and Barnes & Noble.

Joey Coltasanti, nicknamed “the professor” by his father, is ambivalent about playing his last year in summer league. A shortstop, he loves baseball and longs to realize his dream of making the town’s all-star team, and then winning enough games to advance to the state’s world series. However to reach this goal he must overcome his own anxiety that blocks his talent from shining through on the field.

Internal concerns are not the only obstacles in Joey’s path. He also has to deal with Mr. K, the coach of his team for the past two years. Mr. K uses sarcasm and intimidation with his players, as well as favoring his own son over Joey and his teammates. Added to the mix is Joey’s new neighbor and friend, twelve year old Mindi. A saxophone-playing member of Mensa, she is also a pitcher in the summer league who mows down opposing hitters with a blazing fastball and pinpoint control.

Joey decides to play, with events during early season contests testing his will to continue. Eventually a tumultuous game involving adults who can’t seem to grow up leads to changes in the league. A benevolent new coach arrives in town, and things begin to turn around for Joey and his underdog teammates. Eventually joining forces with Mindi on the all-star team, Joey moves closer to fulfilling his dream.

Advancing to the state’s world series means finding innovative ways to win pressure packed games, which leads to Joey confronting his fears on the field. Ultimately he learns more about winning, losing, and the exciting game that is baseball.

Some TV studio bosses are full of baloney

In this week's issue of TV Guide the heads of eight television studios were asked a number of questions, such as "What would you say is your new sleeper hit?" and "Which actor is poised to become a superstar?"   I have no problem with their answers to most questions - even though for those two questions they're just guessing - but the one question I sense some B.S. with their answers is "What would you be doing if you weren't in the entertainment business?"

The most honest answer was from Jamie Erlicht, president of programming and production at Sony Pictures Television. His reply was "Trying to get back in."   Honest and funny.

But the two ridiculous answers were from Kevin Beggs, chairperson of Lionsgate Television Group, and Peter Roth, president and chief content officer of Warner Brothers Television Group. Their response?  "Teaching."

Really? I'm supposed to believe that these guys would give up their six or seven - or maybe eight - figure salaries and work as teachers?  They would actually work at a difficult job such as teaching, for fifty or sixty thousand dollars a year?  If they were not working in the entertainment business? Come on.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since they're really in the bullshit business, so they're trying to make themselves feel honorable by saying they'd be teachers if they weren't in entertainment.  I'd like to see some of them spend even one day as a teacher. Actually they probably wouldn't last two minutes in a classroom, let alone a day.

Come on Beggs and Roth. I could do your jobs better than you, and I've never worked in the entertainment business. At least I'd pick some quality shows to be on TV instead of junk that lasts one episode.