Author / Frank Maduri

Posts by Frank Maduri

I am passionate about producing quality writing as a freelance writer and business development consultant. I am also a professionally trained grant writer with experience in fire, school, and emergency services grants. I also write short fiction, poetry, and prose. I enjoy sports and I am a fan of the NJ Devils, NY Giants, and NY Knicks. I enjoy sharing my views about these teams. I was raised and currently reside in New Jersey and I enjoy writing about my state and The Shore where I live, it is a beautiful place that has inspired my writing.
by Frank Maduri

Defining Moments

Over the past few weeks I have watched several episodes of a series on MSG Network called “The Garden’s Defining Moments” which focuses on the back story to some of the most iconic events in the history of Madison Square Garden in New York City. The series has featured the visit of Pope John Paul II, now Saint John Paul The Great from the perspective of both the attendees and the event organizers as well as Garden employees.

 

The series has also included classic sports moments such as Larry Johnson’s unforgettable four point play for the New York Knicks, the incredible hockey playoff series between the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils, and the unbelievable college basketball game between Syracuse and the University of Connecticut which needed six overtime periods to be decided.

 

I viewed this series as a trip down “memory lane” in my own life, though I was too young to remember the visit by the Pope back in 1979, I found that episode in the series particularly poignant and inspiring. This episode took on increasing significance when you consider that last week we remembered Saint John Paul II because it has been 10 years since he passed away. This holy man was beloved throughout the world but particularly in America, which was demonstrated by the reception he received in the Garden in an event geared toward the youth, which essentially served as the precursor to what would become World Youth Day in the Roman Catholic Church.

 

Four Points

 

Another episode in this series on Madison Square Garden’s history focused on the improbable and stunning four-point play converted by New York Knicks forward, Larry Johnson, during a playoff game in the 1999 push by the team to the Eastern Conference Championship. This episode coupled with the before-mentioned Devils vs. Rangers playoff series were the two episodes that evoked the strongest memories for me.

 

It was Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals with the Knicks and the Indiana Pacers in a series tied 1-1 setting the stage for a pivotal third game at the Garden. The Knicks would be without Patrick Ewing who sustained an injury at the end of the previous game, so the team needed Johnson to have a big game to replace the scoring they were going to lose with Ewing on the bench.

 

I watched that game, as I did so many other big Knicks games, with my mother. My mother enjoyed watching the games with me, especially basketball, and like all other things she did, she made it feel like a special event. She made sure to prepare dinner early so that everything was wrapped up and the kitchen was cleaned up by the time the game began. The playoff games helped because they generally started a little later in the evening.

 

I remember that series well, and being a Knicks fan, I was always preparing for the worst possible scenario. I recall thinking that the Knicks were in trouble without Ewing, the Pacers were a tough team, but I remember my Mom being optimistic that they would win because, as she explained: “it was at the Garden”. My mother made a bunch of different “game day” type snacks, and of course she had a nice dessert made too.

 

The game was dramatic, close, and the Garden crowd was raucous throughout the action. The Knicks and Pacers were like two heavyweight boxers exchanging blows, going toe-to-toe in the center of the ring, each team matching the other: basket for basket, dunk for dunk, and rebound for rebound. The Knicks kept the score close with Indiana largely due to the ability of each player utilizing their strengths and through a standout offensive performance by Larry Johnson.

 

In the closing moments of the game, the Knicks trailed by three points and the prospects of victory seemed bleak. Larry Johnson attempted a three point shot which he made successfully and a foul was called on the shot attempt giving him a trip to the foul line for one shot. The three point field goal tied the game at 91 and Johnson stepped to the foul line and time seemed to stop too. Johnson knocked down the free throw to give the Knicks an improbable 92-91 lead which would end up being the final score.

 

The roar of the crowd after that four point play was palpable even while watching it at home on television. My mother and I were elated that the Knicks were able to come from behind and win a pivotal playoff game without their best player and in front of their devoted fans. Of course, my mother also had to basically say “I told you so” and joked that I should have known also that the Knicks would get the much needed win.

 

The Road Ahead

 

New York would go on to win the series with Indiana in six games to advance to the NBA Finals to play the San Antonio Spurs, the top seeded team in the Western Conference. The Knicks would lose the series to San Antonio in five games, including losing twice on their home court and by one point in the deciding game 78-77. The Spurs have gone on to win multiple NBA titles since that series, while the Knicks have largely struggled for the better part of the past fifteen seasons.

 

It was a “defining moment” for MSG, the Larry Johnson four point play, but it also was a defining moment in my own journey. A month after that Game 3 victory in June 1999, my mother would be diagnosed with cancer. The four long years of fighting the disease took us to Philadelphia, where she received treatments. That was during the Allen Iverson days of the 76ers in Philly when they made their own run to the NBA Finals. My Mom and I would watch those games together when we were staying in Philly, and we would debate whether the Knicks teams from the mid-90s could have beaten that Sixers team.

 

My mother would pass away four years after her diagnosis. Now, when I watch Carmelo Anthony drop 45 points on an opponent I will say to my wife, “Mom would have liked that game” to which my wife will reply, “She did, she saw it with you”. The seasons move on and life moves on, but the memories remain.

 

The MSG series “Defining Moments” was really enjoyable and well produced. It took me on a trip back through time, into some defining moments in my own life, not only regarding sports, but in bringing me back to some events in my life that I had forgotten about in the busy nature of recent years.

 

I am grateful for that introspection, for eliciting the memories of nights watching playoff basketball with my Mom, and of times we shared together when life was different than it is today. The NBA regular season ended last night, and while the Knicks failed to make the playoffs, I will be watching the playoff games, and as my wife will remind me, my Mom will be right there watching them with me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Frank Maduri

Strong Bucks: The Strength of the US Dollar & The Impact on Small Businesses

The financial news outlets have run a variety of pieces on the growing strength of the U.S. dollar as compared to other foreign currency such as the Euro or the Japanese Yen, but this development is already exerting a negative impact on the small business community.

 

The stronger dollar means that the importation of American products is more expensive. This translates to “Made in the USA” products being less capable of competing with products made in China, Europe, and other emerging markets. The result has been a domino type of effect where the distributors of US made products located overseas are either placing smaller orders or seeking some type of price reduction to be able to move the inventory.

 

This scenario places the American small and medium sized business in an unenviable position of having to shave profit margin points in order to remain competitive in overseas markets. The reduction in profit margin often means that they have less money to reinvest into their business to either develop new products or new methods to produce goods as well as having less money to hire additional workers.

 

Weak Forecast

 

The news of the strengthening of the US dollar comes against the backdrop of a weak jobs report for the month of March. This forecast will look especially bleak when you consider that the majority of new jobs are created by small businesses, and they are dealing with a negative outlook on their respective profitability due to the stronger currency performance of the dollar.

I compare this situation to a negative feedback loop because it is all tied together and the consequences are serious for the small business community and the future of American manufacturing. I have read accounts of small business owners who remain committed to making their products in the USA, but they acknowledge that the currency outlook will force them to innovate and work with smaller head counts.

 

The labor outlook continues to be troubling not only for Wall Street but the Federal Reserve as well. The forecast for growth of better paying jobs as well as overall wage growth is an area of increased interest by the Fed in recent months. The majority of the American work force has not seen wages increase much, if at all, in recent years. The improvement in the economy was supposed to change that trend, but it has not.

 

The American economy went through several months of adding jobs in traditionally lower pay sectors such as retail and hospitality services. The real indication of an economy that is turning the corner is the addition of higher wage paying positions in a variety of other sectors, which would have a direct correlation to wage growth, but these metrics have been slow to develop.

 

Clogging the Engine

 

The American small business is the engine which gets the rest of the job market moving again, and I fear that the strengthening of the US dollar in the currency markets will have a negative effect on their profitability. This will directly impact their ability to hire more workers, which will have a widespread effect on the American labor participation rate.

 

The strong US dollar might be great for tourism because Americans can go and get significantly more value for their money in their European trips this spring and summer, but this will be offset by the ability of American small and medium sized businesses maintaining profitability. The economic realities of that change will have profound impact on the domestic economy through the rest of 2015.

 

(Some background information courtesy of CNBC.com and CBS Marketwatch.com)

by Frank Maduri

Best Practices in Project Management

A small business, like any other business, needs to efficiently manage the projects they are working on for their respective customer base. Please allow me to preface this article by stating that the type of project management I will be focusing upon in this article is not Information Technology (I.T.) based project management.

 

 

This article will focus on marketing and business development project management, and I will draw upon my over 14 years of professional experience in these two areas to share the best practices I have utilized in my career.

 

 

The key to effectively managing projects which develop business for your company is the ability to be nimble and flexible. The fast-paced business world changes rapidly, and your small business has to be able to adjust and adapt to this changing landscape in order to survive.

 

 

The first step – Project Entry

 

 

Every company whether it is large, medium, or a small business; each one has a system for managing their work. The entry of a project into this system is a critical first step in this process. In order to be efficient in turning out projects the entry process must be:

  1. Concise – the project synopsis must be short yet detailed and precise
  2. Action oriented – the project must clearly relate the action(s) needed
  3. Past work – the project should always reference related previous work in order to help efficiency and save precious work hours to maximize sales

 

 

In my experience, I always used the project synopsis to provide my colleagues with the most critical information. It was written as directly and clearly as possible to eliminate potential misunderstandings or ambiguity. My projects were very action oriented and clearly demonstrated the action needed and by which individuals where needed to bring the project to a successful closure.

 

 

I also made it a habit to reference past projects and past work done either for that same customer, or for a related business objective. I would refer to the prior project number and the outcome of the project to assist my colleagues in providing a baseline for their work.

 

 

Workflow Organization

 

 

I found in my experience, the best way to organize your workflow on the projects within the system was via Excel. I would set up Excel spreadsheets for pending projects, new projects, and closed projects (usually backed up 4-6 weeks) and would track the status of each project by updating the Excel sheets with new information.

 

 

Then, at points where I was juggling several projects all within tight deadlines, I would print hard copies of the projects and the Excel sheets. I would separate them in piles in the categories I listed above, and file new information by attaching it to each project. I found that this method helped me to see the whole picture more clearly by having hard copies in front of me. It has to work for you and your respective business, but this method usually helped me to not miss an important detail or deadline.

 

 

This topic encompasses so much information that I created a second part to this article. In the second part of this series on Project Management, I will share my experience with a priority system, and also provide ideas for tracking projects that require the involvement of several different members of your company.

 

 

 

Priority System – Why your business should have one

In several businesses which I have worked with in the past, a priority system was implemented to help with managing projects for business development. Some companies divided and categorized their customers as: “A”, “B”, or “C” with type “A” customers being the top priority for incoming projects. Other companies used a number system to rank their customers: 1,2,3,4. Obviously, group 1 would be the top priority customer category, and group 4 would be a low priority customer or low priority business opportunity.

 

In this system, when a project is entered, the priority for attention would go from the top accounts down to the “type B” or “type C” accounts. This enables a division of labor and resources which is clear to all those involved in your company to manage the projects in the system effectively.

 

In my experience, I had several points where I was managing projects for several top tier customer accounts, or “Type A” accounts and each project had a deadline in the same two or three day window. Those types of days are stressful and hectic, but in order to cut through the potential chaos, the priority system can still work.

 

In the case of having several top priority projects due all at once, then you must come together as a team and discuss the projects. The account manager, the project manager, the head of marketing and any other key personnel need to meet to weigh the business opportunity versus the cost of the project to your company. This is like a “sub level” to the priority system that will help to address multiple projects with tight deadlines. This type of team communication and communication with your customers can really help in those difficult days of growing pains for your small business.

 

The Weekly Report – simple yet effective

 

I have worked with a few different companies that did not have a weekly report as part of their project management function; until I arrived there and made the suggestion to implement one.

The weekly report for project management is a simple function yet a very effective component to your business operation. In setting one up, I would use a template and send the report out on Friday every week via email to all the key personnel appropriate within a given organization.

The report detailed all the projects which were scheduled to be due for completion during the following week. It listed: the project name, project number, the customer account name, the due date, current status, and action needed.

This report allowed all the key personnel, and myself to see the work we had ahead of us for the upcoming week, and allowed for any feedback or objections to be made known ahead of the project due date.

It is a simple function to implement into your business and I worked for two companies that found this report so helpful to their project management, that they implemented it across the board for their respective businesses.

 

Summing Up

In summary, the role of project management for your incoming business opportunities is very important to the health of your company. This article listed only some of the suggested ways you could improve project management within your business.

 

A small business with limited manpower will need to place an emphasis on project management best practices in order to efficiently respond to business opportunities. These tips will help to streamline your activity and help your business save time and money from wasting resources in an undefined project management environment.

 

 

 

 

by Frank Maduri

Song Lyrics By Frank J. Maduri

In the past here at Frank’s Forum I have shared selections of my poetry which is, for the most part, lyrical in nature. Many people I know and trust have been suggesting for years that I take this poetic talent and write lyrics for songs. I have no musical ability myself but I did some research and it turns out the lyrical poetry is very similar in nature and process to writing lyrics for a song.

 

In early March I began to write lyrics and I have a growing collection of them which I have pitched to both musicians and music publishers for use in a collaborative project this spring. The process so far has yielded three song lyrics which have been copyrighted through the U.S. Copyright Office.

 

I am going to share those lyrics with you all today again with the disclaimer that this material is copyright protected through the U.S. government and will be in the process of being recorded in the near future.

 

There is no copying or redistribution of this material without my express written consent. The penalty for doing so is severe.

 

I hope you all enjoy the lyrics to these songs and that it will prove to be an inspiration to you with the Easter holiday coming up this Sunday.

 

 

“Send Me”

By Frank J. Maduri

 

Lord when You need a sentinel in Your army

When You cast Your Heavenly eyes down

Here I am Lord, I ask You to send me

 

When You need a disciple to be your hands and feet

And You feel Lord You need someone to hear Your plea

To go forth and spread The Word to sinners, to greet

Here I am Lord, I beg You to send me

 

To send me to feed Your hungry

For patience Lord to help me see –

Your plans for my life each day

I beg forgiveness Lord for when I went astray

 

Lord when You need a sentinel in Your army

When You cast Your Heavenly eyes down

Here I am Lord, I ask You to send me

 

When You need someone to visit prisoners in captivity

I ask You Lord to please send me

To send me with courage and the Holy Spirit

So I can give the downtrodden Your Good News

So the One True Way they will choose

 

Lord when You need one to help the sick and lonely

Here I am Lord, I ask You to send me

To send me with Your healing love

To send me with Your compassion from above

 

Lord when You need a sentinel in Your army

When You cast Your Heavenly eyes down

Here I am Lord, I ask You to send me

 

Lord, when You need someone to aid the poor

To bring them clothes and love they lacked before

To provide them with a sense of dignity

Lord, for all of this, I ask You to send me

 

Send me Your mercy Lord for my human frailty

Send me Your forgiveness and Your pity

For all the times I have failed in sin

I’m ready to live for You, ready to begin

 

Lord, when You need a sentinel in Your army

When You cast Your Heavenly eyes down

Here I am Lord, I ask You to send me

 

When You need one to find shelter

For those of Your children who have none

Send me Lord so I can make it occur

And we will give praise to the Glory of Your Son

 

When You need someone in the world to come

When my time here is done, Lord send me

I hope I am worthy to live with You in Eternity

I will pay any ransom, I will meet any sum

 

Lord, when You need a sentinel in Your army

When You cast Your Heavenly eyes down

Here I am Lord, I ask You to send me

 

Alleluia Lord I ask You to send me

I will be Your hands and feet

Alleluia Lord, I ask You to send me

I will be Your trusted disciple

Alleluia Lord I ask You to send me

To build the glory of Your Kingdom

Alleluia Lord I ask You to send me

 

Copyright – Frank J. Maduri – 2015 all rights reserved

 

 

 

“Justified”

By Frank J. Maduri

 

We have all been justified

Saints and sinners, the pious and heathen

When Jesus was crucified

We live forever, free of sin

 

We are justified by His Blood

Shed for us all, rich or poor

We are justified by His Blood

To go forth and sin no more

 

We all struggle in the dark and grim

We all lose our way, stumble and fall

Our Savior is the Light, turn to Him

His mercy boundless, He will forgive it all

 

We are justified by His Blood

Shed for us all, rich or poor

We are justified by His Blood

To go forth and sin no more

 

We are all called to listen to His voice

The noise of society, it’s hard to hear

He loved us so much He gave us the choice

Be still and at peace, His voice will be clear

He has rolled back the stone

He lives beyond mortal skin and bone

Our Savior redeems all of His children

We can return no matter what, no matter when

 

We are justified by His Blood

Shed for us all, rich or poor

We are justified by His Blood

To go forth and sin no more

 

When the world looks chaotic and bleak

When it doesn’t look like it’ll turn around

When we feel scared, defeated, or weak

Trust in Jesus, your strength will be found

 

He suffered for us all in the Passion

He will return to save us once again

Jesus died for us all up on Calvary

So a perfect example of love we can be

 

We are justified by His Blood

Shed for us all, rich or poor

We are justified by His Blood

To go forth and sin no more

 

Copyright – Frank J. Maduri – 2015 all rights reserved

 

 

 

“His Grace Will Reign”

By Frank J. Maduri

 

Our Savior came so that we may know love

He left His throne up in Heaven above

He knows how it feels to be hungry or hurt

He knows how it feels to be lonely in a desert

Our Savior came so that we would learn –

The power of faith and all it can do

He spoke in Parables so we could discern –

To find our steps to the Way that’s True

 

His grace will reign forever and always

His grace will illuminate all of our days

His grace will reign if we let Him in

His grace will reign, and change us from within

 

Oh Lord You taught us to love one another

Oh Lord You are the Prince of Peace

Oh Lord You said we’re all sister and brother

Oh Lord Your Mercy provides us a new lease

 

Your grace was formed in Mother Mary’s womb

Your grace was there at Your Baptism in the Jordan

Your grace allowed Lazarus to rise from the tomb

Your grace conquered all evil, death and sin

 

Our Savior lives bringing new life

Our Savior lives victorious over strife

 

His grace will reign forever and always

His grace will illuminate all of our days

His grace will reign if we let Him in

His grace will reign, and change us from within

 

Lord Jesus You are the Good Shepherd

To You, O Lord, we worship in song

Your love guides us when the lines get blurred

To guide us with love to choose right not wrong

 

Our Savior came so we could know grace

Our Savior died so we could know love

Our Savior came so we could see God’s face

Our Savior has gone ahead building the Kingdom Above

 

His grace will reign forever and always

His grace will illuminate all of our days

His grace will reign if we let Him in

His grace will reign, and change us from within

 

Copyright – Frank J. Maduri – 2015 all rights reserved

 

 

I will continue to provide updates on my progress with this exciting project of creating an album of songs which I hope will provide others with inspiration, hope and encouragement. I wish you all a blessed and Happy Easter!

 

Copyright – Frank J. Maduri – 2015 – All rights reserved. No duplication, distribution, or replication without expressed written consent of the author.

 

by Frank Maduri

Poetry By Frank J. Maduri

These poems have all been either published previously on different platforms or they have been entered into poetry contests or challenges. I thank you for your interest in my work and I hope you enjoy!

 

“Dawn Arrives”

 

Lying awake, unable to sleep

Later today I’m really going to be shot

My racing mind cannot keep –

Focused on one single thought.

I think about dawn, the day ahead

My mind tells me I can do it all, instead –

I know that I’ll have to alter my plan

And accomplish whatever I can.

The house is still, quiet surrounds me

Some days I just run through the motions;

Other days I have very lofty notions.

On these mornings I can clearly see

Dawn arrives, with all new possibilities

Which I’ll do my best to seize.

 

 

 

“Ukraine”

 

Praying for peace in our society

Losing hope that will ever come to be

The world’s attention now on Ukraine

The protests there were insane

The brutality of the police was horrifying

Images of innocent people bloody, crying

Standing up for what they feel is right

The government punished them with might

Until the people were triumphant

Into hiding their President was sent

A new government was appointed

A country now so disjointed

Airports in Crimea controlled by Russians

This is where international tension begins

The Russians have 150,000 troops at the border

In Ukraine, there is rampant disorder

Some want the old government restored

In other regions, the old regime is abhorred

President Obama warned Russia not to use force

If they do, it will send us on a perilous course

I don’t know how this all will end

But I pray peace to them God will send

 

 

“In The Ether”

 

Days like these, painful days

Where ideas don’t normally flow

When the pain comes and stays

When I just want it to go

The creative process is stagnant

I am uncomfortable in every position

My mind feels small, ideas scant

I could complain, who would listen?

The creative process has a need

To go off into the ether to work

Once I find that initial idea: the seed

But it’s all very hard when the pain will lurk

How will I combat this, rise above

So I can feel somehow fulfilled

So I can write about life and love

About faith, nature, and tears spilled

I go off, in the ether, that place

And everything is so slow or stuck

It’s hard to create in cramped space

I need some faith and some luck

To make all of this right

To move out of the dark, into the light

 

 

“Searching for Reasons”

 

What am I doing here?

I don’t know where I’m going

Why is the path so unclear?

 

These changes come without knowing

A future that is undetermined

Each day I’m still growing

 

I continue to take each bend

Willing to see where it’ll lead

Ready for what life will send

 

Faith, hope, and love are all that I need

As I move on, searching for reasons

For some clarity here I’ll plead

 

Moving forward, taking it day by day

Confident I will find the right way

 

 

“February Storm”

 

I awoke to sleet pounding the window;

I watched as it gradually turned to snow.

Then I watched it pile up and blow –

Around the yard and into the street.

The morning storm was there to greet –

All my neighbors who stayed at home;

Working from computers, not far to roam.

The snow is coming down at a fast clip;

It will freeze tonight, temps will dip.

A typical snowy, winter February storm;

I’m so grateful for a home that’s warm.

 

I think of those with no roof over their head

No food, no heat, no decent bed

The huge gap in income disparity –

Is something I dislike about society.

Somehow it doesn’t seem fair

That some people spend money without a care

While others live in complete despair

Spending money on fancy haircuts, fake tans

While others eat out of garbage cans

I hope those people find shelter today

And that our society finds a better way

A typical snowy, winter February storm

I’m so grateful for a home that’s warm.

 

“Repeatedly”

 

Why does it seem so frequently

The important discussions in life

We have to have repeatedly

What is it within our makeup

That makes this fact so universal

What component within the human condition –

Disconnects when it comes to issues –

Which are rather significant in scope

Those matters are discussed repeatedly

While others are mentioned once.

Why can’t that information be retained?

Maybe most of us can’t separate ourselves

To have the right perspective needed,

Or maybe we feel differently-

About the message, we disagree.

We think we are capable;

And fail to comprehend our own failings.

Even when the evidence is clear,

And staring us right in the face.

Even when others tell us repeatedly;

We continue forward with disregard.

And those decisions have consequences

That are then dealt with repeatedly.

 

 

“Long Live The Night”

 

Everything really slows down

In this quiet small town

The crickets and bugs roam the ground

Some nights you can’t hear a sound

The days are sunny and bright

Long live the night

Where peace of mind comes easy

Hit the diner for a burger really greasy

Drive the desolate state highway

Be thankful for another day

Watch the wind in the trees under the street light

Long live the night

Watching the TV all alone

Talking to your girlfriend on the phone

Meeting friends at the ballgame

Enjoy them all the same

Reading a letter in very low light

Long live the night

If you drink to hide the pain

An escape from a world gone insane

You try to hide the fear, the scar

You want to run away far

Go away far from sight

Long live the night

Coming back to the ones you love

Praying to God far above

Reaching out to those in need

Trying to do a good deed

Visit someone who’s dying

Kicking a bad habit, or trying

Losing your husband or wife

Picking up the pieces of your life

Lying in bed trying to pray

Feeling like you have nothing to say

Resting your body, tired of the fight

Long live the night

 

 

 

“Daylight Savings”

 

The two words I dread

Happen each year: “Spring ahead”

Daylight savings, and I lose

An hour in bed to snooze

The first week goes fast

Trying to make days last

But they only fly

And it’s Friday, I sigh

Daylight savings is so dumb

I’m stressed, need some rum

Fighting with the clock on the dash

Wishing for extra time to stash

It reads 1 PM instead of Two –

Daylight savings time leaves me blue

I try to go early to sleep

Time just seems to leap

And I’m still awake

Daylight savings, and I need a break

It’ll be back again next Spring

I’ll say the same thing

I know we do it in the Fall

But the extra hour doesn’t bother me at all!

 

“Laid Bare”

 

Scared at the future unknown

Searching in the dark for light

My true feelings now shown

Trying to make what’s wrong, now right.

In a ball on the floor crying

Laid bare for only God to see

To be a better person, trying

As the world moves on around me

The quiet here is a curse and a blessing.

Laid bare on the floor with tissues

The loneliness can be so distressing;

Next task is to work on these issues.

To face them like I know I can

To face them with bravery

To come up with a master plan

Laid bare all the things unsavory

All the stuff others find strange

To pick it up, mend, and fix

To move, clean up, to change

To get back into the mix;

The mix of living like before

Before the darkness came to destroy

To stop looking at it all as a chore

Laid bare, healing, seeking joy.

 

 

“Sand”

 

Sand is here all around me

Sand as far as I can see

Sand sticks to my toes

I wonder where it goes

Some gets washed into the ocean

Gone until who knows when

Some gets blown away in the wind

So much sand, it is hard to comprehend

Sand from crushed rock

Sand on the side of my block

Sand running through an hour glass

Marking days, weeks that pass

Sand piled off to the side

About to be moved to a truck so wide

To be brought to other jobs to the south

I watch as sand blows in my mouth!

Sand, its origin can be pondered

It was in the desert where Jesus wandered

It was on the island coast

When Columbus made his New World boast

Sand was here in the beginning

Through the struggles, wars, and sinning

Sand will be here in the end

When Jesus will once again descend

 

 

 

 

“When We Were That Young”

 

I watch them at the table next to me;

They’re a young couple: 18, 19 no more than that.

I look over at them and all I can see;

Is a table where we once sat

Back when we were that young.

They’re holding hands, in love, so sweet;

Before the pains of life have stung.

Reminds me of the summer nights we’d meet

After we got off from work – we’d drive

We’d walk, talk, kiss under the moonlight

I never felt more carefree and alive

But even now our love’s strong, we don’t fight –

Like other couples we’ve seen or know.

I think of the past, think of things today;

The challenges that this couple has for their love to grow.

We had challenges in a different way;

Back when we were that young.

Thoughts of our college days back in ‘97

Before our incredible marriage had begun

Before our world was changed by 9/11

This young couple has grown in a different age.

We had a time that had some innocence, grace.

They have seen terror, war, constant rage

He touches her, like I still touch your face;

It makes me think back to when we were that young.

When we were that naïve about society;

When about our later years we would dream.

I look at them, and all I see is you and me

It’s a long time ago – though not as long as it may seem.

I love you even more now than when we were that young.

 

 

“Trust”

 

Days go by quickly and I do my best –

To separate myself from the rest.

But I feel I need a new directive;

To make my work hours count, more selective –

With the projects which I choose.

I fear that I have no time to lose.

In the Lord I have put my trust;

In order to stay sane I must –

Trust that He guides my life.

Through all the tumult, chaos, and strife.

He guides my ideas and my mind;

So the path to His goals I’ll find.

Trust to ignore what’s important to society.

Trust that God’s voice is guiding me –

Toward all that is a part of the plan

To make me a better person, a better man

I look to tomorrow and the next day –

As the Lord continues to guide my way.

 

 

 

 

 

“Listening to Springsteen”

 

“Born in the U.S.A.” was the first album I got

“Tunnel of Love” was a great one also

Listening to Springsteen in a parking lot;

In my college dorm – anywhere I go.

The music is part of me, a soundtrack –

Of my life from back when I was a boy.

Those days you wish you could go back;

Days of confusion, hope, pain, and joy.

Listening to Springsteen wherever I was;

Sitting in my room just reading

Or at a college party getting a buzz.

Sometimes quietly, others, the chorus I was leading

Or listening in the afternoon on a Sunday while cleaning.

Alone in the car, or driving with a date.

Listening to Springsteen all along;

With my sister at a concert on my 30th birthday.

Home just chilling with my beautiful wife.

It is a part of all I do, my song.

A part of me in a special way

Listening to Springsteen throughout my life.

 

 

“The Paper”

 

The paper glows so pure and white

It’s a shame, I think sometimes

For me to use my strength and might

To fill it up with all of these rhymes

The paper is empty and free

Until I scratch on it with my pen

The blank paper filled with opportunity

Until I get done writing and then –

Its purpose and destination is set

The paper now bears marks and scars

That others may or may not get

Some paper sits empty, unused bars

Of unlimited potential in a store

Or pages in the back of an old notebook

They’ll never know what purpose they’re for

They’ll never be given a second look

The pages of inspiration they could provide

The many ideas they could’ve brought

In a home of an inventor they could reside

The countless hours of boredom they could’ve fought

The page, when full, could provide peace

To those who have had none

Could bring to the downtrodden, a new lease

So they choose to see a new day’s Sun

Could inspire others to love, overcome, or heal

The paper, when full, has so much to reveal

 

 

“In Park”

 

The lot is pretty crowded today

But I’m able to find peace anyway

In my car, parked in a tight space

I’m pushing my thoughts to a place

Far away from here, this spot –

In a large shopping center parking lot

I think of those I love, wonder where they are

As the sunlight glistens into my car

I hope that they’re well, that they’re okay

And that they get time like this today

A few minutes to rest and evaluate

After tackling all the stuff on my plate

I think of those struggling mightily

With life and all of its uncertainty

I hope that solutions they will find

As they toil through this daily grind

I think of those with various illness

I pray God helps to alleviate their stress

I think of those living out in the cold street

I pray that kind people they will meet

So they can have a place to live

And focus on the love that they can give –

Back to others in that same position

Here, in park, I hope God will listen

 

I think of all the support in my life

From my family, friends, and loving wife

I watch as condensation clouds the windshield

I wonder when my pain will finally yield

I can resume life like it was before

And let my pursuit of dreams really soar

Other days I just push myself – no limit

Because my dream is there for me to get it

I think of others with physical disability

That must know the pain of limited capability

In a society that ignores their every need

Because of its pursuit of greed

I pray that they get the help they deserve

So with their talents, they can serve

Help others develop a sense of belonging

Instead of a culture of blame and wronging

I hope that those with wealth

Will come to help others, not just themself

Here, in park, I pray behind the wheel

That kid in a gang will no longer steal

That teenage girl will keep her baby

I know bad things happen, but maybe –

My prayers will matter – it may seem odd

But here, in park, these moments, I feel closer to God.

 

 

(Frank J. Maduri is a freelance writer with publishing credits for a variety of web sites. He has written hundreds of poems as well as a novella. His chapbook length collection of poetry will be published in the Spring of 2015. He has served as a judge of a national poetry contest held by a well-respected literary journal. He is currently working on writing lyrics for a collection of songs for submission to music publishers.)

 

Copyright – 2015 – Frank J. Maduri –All rights reserved. No copying, retransmission, or reuse of this material is allowed without the express written consent of the author.

 

 

 

by Frank Maduri

China Floods International Steel Market

I was running at the gym yesterday morning and watching Fox Business channel where I saw that the Chinese are flooding the international market with surplus levels of steel because of the downturn in demand in their country. China produces more steel than the rest of the world combined which is an astonishing figure, and the influx of Chinese steel at a lower price has had a dramatic effect on the Western economies.

 

The production of steel in China has caused the amount of steel imported into the United States to increase by 34% in February 2015. This massive influx has triggered layoffs at U.S. Steel and Nucor, among others in American steel marketplace. Overall, the U.S. steel industry has seen 22 companies declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

 

The cumulative effect of the market flooding by China has led to the discussion both in Europe and the United States of whether a tariff should be instituted on steel. This is due to the fact that Chinese steel is made far cheaper than the rest of the world primarily because of the dramatically lower labor costs.

 

I disagree with the editorial in Forbes on this subject, while some of the information in the article there is sound, the author is against the implementation of a tariff on Chinese steel. The main rationale for that position being that he maintains that with the escalating costs for companies to manufacture products in the United States they should be entitled to access to materials such as steel at a cheaper cost to them.

 

I disagree with this position for two reasons: the impact it has on the American middle class worker, and I believe it is unfair for any country to dump excess products into the market and essentially undercut a particular industry, in this case the steel industry. This maneuver by China to flood the marketplace with surplus steel has hurt the American steel industry at a time when our country needs to keep as many manufacturing jobs as we possibly can. It has caused the layoff of the average American laborer which will have a profound effect on the already shrinking middle class in this country and will impact entire families as well.

 

The implementation of a tariff would be at least a prohibitive measure to safeguard the marketplace against this type of surplus flooding. It would allow American companies to level the playing field in their competition with emerging Asian economies.

 

In Our Defense

 

In all the commentaries and reports on this topic I have not seen anyone else mention an important aspect of this situation which is the fact that the U.S. government does not allow parts from China to be used in a Defense Department contract. The cheaper steel from China would not be able to be used in any of the products procured for the defense purposes of our country. Therefore, the American steel companies will have to produce to serve those contracts with a decreased labor force due to the market conditions changed by China’s actions within the marketplace over a period of years.

 

The lack of a duty or tariff on steel also means that the Defense Department could be paying more for domestic steel which is an issue that effects all taxpayers since we are footing the bill. Other Western nations are feeling the same effects to their respective domestic economies due to the activity of the Chinese companies handling of the supply dumping of steel.

 

The reports that I have read regarding the analysis and testing done on the quality of Chinese steel is that it is substandard when compared to other steel sources in the market and that is part of the rationale behind why certain companies and the Federal government will not use it for the defense contracts.

 

In India, also an emerging world economy, their steel production companies are asking the Indian government to impose a tariff to offset the impact of the influx of Chinese steel imported into their marketplace.

 

In the end, the tariff should be adopted in order to preserve fair market competition regarding the commodity of steel so that the Chinese companies will be forced to think twice before dumping excess product and disrupting the market conditions in the future.

 

(Some background information courtesy of Fox Business News, Forbes, WSJ.com, and Economic Times.com)

 

by Frank Maduri

Major League Soccer Expansion Update

In a follow up to an evolving topic I have covered previously on Frank’s Forum, Major League Soccer (MLS) made an announcement recently about their expansion efforts. The premier soccer league in North America plans to expand from their current level of 20 franchises to 24 franchises by the year 2020.

 

In my prior coverage of this expansion effort I detailed the bid from Atlanta which was approved and they will enter the league in 2017. The league also sold Chivas USA and the new ownership group renamed the club “LAFC” which will join the league in 2017 after rebranding and attempting to build a second soccer-only venue in the Los Angeles area for their team to have a whole new identity.

 

This leaves two expansion positions and many potential bids from interested markets. The interest is so strong regarding expansion that MLS now appears to be considering the idea of going beyond that 24 team goal for membership in the league. The following are the latest potential candidates and the latest news on the bids:

 

Minnesota / Twin Cities: MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced that the league has entered what he termed “advanced talks” with the Minnesota United bidding group regarding an expansion franchise. The Twin Cities area originally had two bids in play for MLS expansion: the Minnesota United bid organized by the ownership group of the minor league team currently playing there, and a bid from the owners of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings who are currently building a new state of the art multi-purpose stadium that could be used to host an MLS soccer team. However the league office announced that the Vikings bid has been eliminated and that MLS is moving ahead with the United bid. That group is rumored to have plans to build a privately financed new soccer stadium somewhere in downtown Minneapolis. The fact that this announcement was made comes as no surprise because MLS has been eyeing expanding into Minnesota for a long time and for many reasons. It fills a void on their league map as far as regions where they lack a geographic presence, it is a big television market, and the fan support and interest for the Minnesota United is very robust. It is likely that they will be one of the bids selected in the next round of expansion.

 

Miami: I covered this bid in my earlier coverage but essentially this bid has a leg up on the others because David Beckham is the key. Some background for those who do not closely follow MLS, Beckham had a clause in his contract when he came to the US to play in the league for the LA Galaxy that he could get his own franchise for a greatly reduced expansion fee and choose the market it would play in. Beckham and his business partners chose Miami for the expansion bid. The one main issue since that announcement about 14 months ago has been the stadium. MLS stated that it will not approve their bid without a solid plan for the construction of a new stadium. Miami has been unwilling to approve the sites that Beckham has proposed. A temporary stadium has been approved by the city officials at FIU Stadium on that college campus for the team to use until the permanent stadium is constructed, which Beckham thinks could take 3 years. Some other land in the greater Miami area is under consideration at this point. The Miami bid should be accepted by MLS once the stadium issue is resolved. The demographics and size of the market there in South Florida make this expansion a good fit for both sides involved. However Beckham needs to get the stadium land deal secured soon in order for that to happen.

 

Las Vegas: This bid will be easy to summarize and update. MLS sent a letter about six weeks ago to the Mayor of Las Vegas stating that the city and their bid for expansion was no longer in the running. The league has walked that statement back slightly in now repositioning and some sources report that Las Vegas is out of consideration for this current round of expansion to 24 teams, but they may be a candidate again in the future. So the door is not closed, but I never got the feeling that MLS would fit well in Vegas, it is so hot there in the summer during three months of the league’s playing season, I also think MLS does not want to be the first pro league to expand there.

 

Sacramento: The Sacramento bid had (up until the announcement regarding Minnesota) made the most progress and built the most momentum. The ownership group has grown to include business leaders who own the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL. The Sacramento Republic club in the USL Pro league has set attendance records consistently over recent years. The city leaders support the construction of a privately financed soccer stadium, which after the MLS press release regarding Minnesota’s bid, they emerged yesterday to state that they are refining their pitch to MLS specifically around the stadium proposal. Some sources report that this bid made such a positive impact on the league office that MLS may decide to go beyond the 24 team limit to add Sacramento by 2020. I have seen other reports that state that the league will eventually expand into this city at some point if the last two spots do indeed go to Miami and Minnesota in this round of the process.

 

San Antonio: MLS officials have met with the delegation from San Antonio in the past and in my view I think the market makes sense for MLS from a geographic, population growth, and demographic perspective. They have a minor league team in place with a solid fan base (which is a preference of MLS for expansion candidates) and they would have to approve expanding their current soccer stadium to meet MLS specifications. In the end perhaps the biggest issue with their bid is the fact that MLS has two franchises in Texas already and the league may need to use the 2020 round of expansion to enter regions where it does not have a presence currently.

 

St. Louis: This city is very passionate about soccer and has characteristically drawn large crowds for numerous events involving the sport. However it lacks a current minor league team and the bid is very closely tied to the proposal for a new NFL stadium for the St. Louis Rams that would also accommodate an MLS team. The approval for the stadium plan on the riverfront is still in doubt, and it is unknown whether the Rams will remain in the city or move to Los Angeles, as it has been rumored. St. Louis is considered the birthplace of American soccer and the local support for an MLS franchise is undoubtedly there, but they need to still put together an ownership group and they need a stadium. When you consider that the last stadium built there for the Cardinals in 2006 was done with mostly private funding, their bid requires an ownership group with deep pockets that could afford both the expansion fee and financing the construction of a stadium.

 

MLS has stated that they will make an announcement in 45-60 days on expansion of the league. The television ratings have been up significantly over last season in the nationally televised games particularly. The popularity of MLS is growing, and soon the league will have an announcement regarding the growth of the number of teams in the league and people in many cities wait for that news eagerly.

 

(Background information courtesy of NBC Sports.com, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, The Sacramento Bee, St. Louis Business Journal, Miami Herald, USA Today, and the Associated Press)

 

 

 

by Frank Maduri

Hershey’s Chocolate Takes Steps To Remove GMOs

The Hershey Chocolate Company announced that they will be taking steps to manufacture certain products free of any GMO containing ingredients by the end of 2015. The specific products mentioned in the press release are the original Hershey’s Chocolate bars, and the Hershey’s Kisses product line.

 

This is the next step in a series of production changes made by the company in the past several months to focus on the manufacturing of their products with an emphasis on more natural ingredients. This shift is part of a larger food industry trend to satisfy the increasing demand by a more informed consumer base for products that are made from components of natural origin.

 

The Hershey Company had previously announced the removal of high fructose corn syrup from certain product formulations by replacing it with sugar. The company has been focused internally on a review of all of their product lines with the focal point being the replacement, when feasible, of certain ingredients with their natural counterparts. The basis for these formulaic changes is not just strictly along the lines of cost effectiveness. The ingredient substitutions have to make sense from a variety of perspectives in order to be instituted.

 

Saying No To GMO

 

The food industry has been much maligned within the mainstream media for their use of GMO containing ingredients in their respective products. The move today by Hershey has been met with praise by many groups with vested interest in the fight against GMOs in our food supply.

 

However, some reports mentioned that certain groups are pressing Hershey about whether they will stop using GMOs in more products. The three main areas were genetically modified sugar beets, milk from cows that has not been modified, and modified forms of vanilla. Hershey will also be removing the lactose present from these two product lines which is great news for Americans who are intolerant to that naturally occurring sugar present in milk derived products. I have written about this controversial topic in the past based upon my professional experience in the food industry for an ingredients supplier.

 

The main issue here for large multinational food producing companies is that the non-GM supply of certain ingredients is not large enough globally to meet the demand for the product. Therefore, the formula cannot be “scaled up” to meet the required amounts in order to be produced GMO free. It is what they would term in the food industry as a “production reality”.

 

Nevertheless, in my view, I think the Hershey Company should get credit for their announcement today and for taking steps to move toward producing some of their iconic confectionary products in a GMO free manner. Only a handful of companies in the industry have taken such a pro-active stance towards the potential revision of product formulations with the goal of removing GMO containing components. Hershey is an industry giant and this action will push others in the confectionary segment to follow suit.

 

The public perception of GMOs is a hot button topic. I have covered the debate on this issue for a couple of years now and it is only intensifying in the forum of American public opinion. The end of 2014 featured the latest chapter in the public backlash against agricultural chemical giant, Monsanto, which won a court decision in Hawaii. The people of the island of Maui had voted in a referendum measure on Election Day to have the use of any GMO products for farming banned from use on that island.

 

Monsanto appealed the results of the referendum measure by arguing that the law of the State of Hawaii super ceded the public voting mechanism on the island of Maui, and they won the decision. The people in Maui and in other parts of Hawaii remain divided on the issue. Some feel that the GMO ban would have caused the end of farming jobs in an already slow economy in the island state. The converse side of the debate was the belief by some that the use of GMO agricultural chemical products is harmful to the land, water, and environment in Hawaii and there is a growing sentiment there in the public that these products should be eliminated.

 

Hitting The Wallet

 

The public backlash against GMOs, hormones, and artificial ingredients in food products coupled with the trend toward health and wellness is forcing more and more food companies to review their supply chain sourcing methods as well as their product formulations. The objective of those reviews being to determine if alternative natural and/or GMO free ingredients could be substituted into the formulation and scaled up effectively.

 

This anti-GMO sentiment and the emphasis on wellness, what I refer to as the “natural foods” phenomenon, is also shaping the methodology for the research and development of new product line offerings for food companies. The recent product line announcements by General Mills are a good example of this response by a major food manufacturer to these trend lines.

 

The company announced new products in 2015 which focus on the incorporation of ancient grains and protein into their cereal lines. They also will roll out gluten free cereal formulations, and other products with a focus on wellness and natural ingredients.

 

The American consumer has been very vocal about their opposition to GMO products and artificial ingredients. The consumer public is much more informed than it was even 10-15 years ago because of the increased amounts of information available via the internet, and the rate in which that information spreads via social media platforms is unparalleled. Consequently, that same American consumer has to be prepared to face the facts that they will have to most likely face higher costs for those food products when they are made with healthier ingredients. The long and short of the matter is that these healthier products or GMO free versions of products will be more costly for the manufacturer and they will pass along that increase to the consumer.

 

In the case of the Hershey Company, they have most certainly studied the impact of the costs of making this formulation change with the products I mentioned earlier. In my experience, some commodity products, especially items like cocoa and vanilla, are highly sensitive to cost fluctuations based on a variety of factors. In the case of confectionary products in general, there are other key ingredients that must be sourced very carefully to avoid further cost increases for the finished consumer product. In my view, these factors drove the decision to phase in the GMO free production change at Hershey in a limited fashion to those two product areas.

 

The confection industry just recently completed a program to increase prices based on the changes in the market price of key ingredients such as cocoa. The Hershey Company specifically used a very intelligent approach by phasing in the cost increase to the consumer in stages over a period of several months instead of giving the consumer “sticker shock” by introducing the price increases in one large jump. I have written previously about this strategy, and all consumer feedback being considered, it was a successful method by Hershey to employ these increases in the pricing of their products.

 

Whether or not the American public will continue to pay higher prices for healthier food product choices remains to be seen. In the short term, it appears that it is not slowing down anytime soon. I would look for other food companies to follow Hershey and their lead from their announcement regarding the removal of GMOs from certain products where it is feasible. The continuation of that trend will lead to potentially higher prices, but in the end it is a “win-win” both for the food companies and for the consumer when it comes to this trend toward healthier or more natural food products.

by Frank Maduri

NBA All Star Weekend: Lost In the Shuffle

The NBA held their annual All Star weekend of festivities which culminated in the All Star Game last Sunday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Western Conference All Stars won a very high scoring game last Sunday night in the marquee event of the weekend.

 

The problem with the NBA All Star Weekend is that the general consensus was that most people did not care. The NBA All Star Game is known throughout sports circles to be a mostly unwatchable event because the teams play zero defense. That trend certainly continued in this year’s installment. Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder finished as the MVP of the game with 41 points which is one point shy of the record for total points scored in the event.

 

The Skills Competition took place over in Brooklyn in a first for the All Star Game, having events in multiple arenas. The entire weekend of NBA events was not even on the radar screen for many people in the New York City and New Jersey metropolitan area. I think that several reasons exist for that sentiment around this game and this past weekend:

 

  • The performance of the two local teams – both the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets are playing poorly this year and coming into the season both were expected to at least compete for playoff spots. The Knicks have the worst record in the entire NBA at the All Star break, which is one of the biggest surprise storylines of the season. New Yorkers characteristically like winning teams so this cannot be underestimated as a role in diminishing local interest in the event
  • The weather – it was very cold over the weekend in the New York area with temperatures dropping into the single digits or below zero with the wind chill values. That goes a long way toward lowering the interest level in the events surrounding the All Star Weekend in the NBA. When it is that cold, the average casual sports fan is not going to head out or take their children out in that type of brutally cold weather
  • The Big Apple – the large scale sporting events which normally would dominate all the attention in other cities end up getting swallowed up by New York City. A good case in point was the Super Bowl being held in the New York area in February 2014. The biggest showcase in sports was a small blip on the radar screen in New York, it was almost like a side bar to everything else going in the City at that point in time. The Big Apple has so many people with so many different interests that it just eats up these larger events, and I think the NBA All Star Weekend fell into that dynamic

 

No Comparison

 

The most revealing way to demonstrate the impact of these factors on the NBA All Star Weekend is to compare the reaction of New York City and the surrounding metro area to the Major League Baseball All Star Weekend. When it was held at Yankee Stadium and then more recently at the Mets home, Citi Field, the MLB events drew huge crowds and had an interest level untouched by the NBA event and even the Super Bowl.

 

That interest level is driven by a few factors: the local baseball teams both have extensive fan bases respectively, the weather was warm because it was the middle of the summer, and New York is known to be a baseball town. I also think some of the interest in the game when the Yankees had it was because it was connected to the final year of the old Yankee Stadium, one of the most historic sports venues in the world.

 

The MLB All Star Game is similar to the NBA event of the same kind in that it does not carry the same interest level from the perspective of some fans. The MLB All Star event is seen as a simulation of a real baseball game, where the pitchers usually pitch no more than an inning or two at the most. The powers that be within the league office at MLB attempted several years ago to “up the stakes” on the All Star Game by having the winning league from the game gain home field advantage for the World Series competed at the end of that given season.

 

However, that change did little to increase interest in the MLB All Star Game, in fact the TV ratings have gone down in the past 4 years when compared to earlier in the 2000s when the game would average around 10 million total viewers compared to 6.7 to 6.9 million total viewers over the last four years.

 

Lost In The Shuffle

 

The NBA All Star Game this season in New York scored a 4.3 rating and 7.2 million total viewers airing on both TNT and TBS networks. This rating could be viewed as disappointing considering the event was held in the world’s most famous basketball arena, Madison Square Garden, and was held in the media capital of the world.

 

By comparison, the NBA All Star Game’s ratings for last season were 4.3 and 7.5 million total viewers, and in 2013 the rating was a 4.6 and total viewers topped out at 8 million. These figures are comparable to the baseball event and in my view they reflect a growing disinterest based upon a similar common thread to the root of the disinterest in the baseball event of the same type: it is a simulated game, an exhibition. The fans of the NBA, by and large do not want to see a game played with no defense at all and at times questionable effort by the players. I have seen so many times in the NBA event the attempts for trick plays and fancy dunks get missed or poorly timed, it ends up being a spectacle of sloppy play and endless turnovers. That is not fun to watch.

 

I have read in some other mainstream sports sites, the suggestion that the NBA should consider moving the start time of the game up by an hour, so in this way it would not have competition from prime time programming on the East Coast and in the Central time zone either. Those in the audience might remember that NBC would utilize the earlier start time when they held the NBA television broadcasting contract, the game would air at 5 PM Eastern time especially in the year that the Winter Olympics were televised on NBC.

 

I remember those earlier telecasts as a kid, and I actually think that they work better for a younger audience which would be tuning in to see their favorite NBA stars compete in this showcase event. It may also increase social media traffic for the event too because a larger “tween” and teen audience from a demographic standpoint would reflect an increase in social media activity.

 

Furthermore, in what should give the NBA further evidence that a change of some kind needs to be made to increase interest in the event, the NBA All Star Game was not even the highest rated program within that time slot. The AMC scripted drama series, “The Walking Dead”, outperformed the game in the ratings which is almost unheard of today with live sports programming of almost any type characteristically always winning the time slot.

 

The only event of the All Star type which performs worse in the ratings is the NHL hockey event which this season was held in Columbus, Ohio. The NHL game drew only 1.1 million total viewers in the U.S. and the ratings in Canada were down about 40% from the prior year. The game has already changed the start time to begin earlier to reduce competition from other programming.

 

The rationale behind this decline, in my view, is probably similar to the other events of its type, it is unwatchable because the game is not competitive. The NHL game has been maligned for years for the fact that nobody gets hit in the game and nobody plays defense. A hockey game stripped of intensity is not an event which will tend to draw the average viewer or the casual fan. The case in point is that this year’s edition of the NHL All Star Game featured a record 29 goals scored between the two teams. That is not the type of game that fans will tune in to see.

 

In addition, the other reason why the NHL game viewership could have declined stems from feedback I observed on social media regarding the drafting of the teams to play on a team captained by a player rather than a selection based on the best players in each conference. The feedback I read was that many fans want to return to the East vs. West format of the game rather than teams that are a mix of talent from across the entire league.

 

The fact remains that regardless of the sport, really with the exception of NFL football, the ratings for certain sports programming remains variable. Baseball is a regional sport, so it is never going to gain the same national viewership as other sports. The ratings for NHL hockey have seen an upward trend in recent years but that is also relative to the size of the fan base for the sport. The regular season games are still heavily market dependent for television ratings and the most popular way to see hockey remains the in-person live game experience.

 

The viewers have more choices than ever before with the advent of streaming television services, video on demand services, and movie rental options from services such as Red Box. If these games celebrating a collection of the best players in that particular sport are going to rebound in the ratings they have to embrace some changes.

 

Back To Broadway

 

I have lived in the New York – New Jersey metropolitan area my whole life, and I have listened to people I know and fans on sports radio shows here complain in the past that New York rarely gets the chance to host the larger sporting events. The argument being that the leagues would never have the ratings, the interest, and the revenues that they have currently without the large contribution from the New York area based on the sheer size of the population of the market alone.

 

However, the fact is that with the exception of the baseball All Star Games held here in recent years many of these larger sporting events have not captured the broad based interest in New York like it has when the same events are held in other cities. I am not sure why that is exactly, it could be weather dependent, it could be the expensive nature of the event in a down economic market for this area, or it could just be that the people here have access to so many other options that it is difficult to capture their collective focus on one event.

 

In the end, these events and their ability to be held in New York especially during the winter, need to be reevaluated. The leagues need to determine how they can recapture the attention that these events once held in the national consciousness within the rapidly changing dynamics of the media, entertainment, and social media.

 

(Television ratings data and some background information courtesy of Yahoo! Sports, The Sporting News, The Baseball Almanac, Sports Media Watch, and CBS Sports)

 

 

by Frank Maduri

Poetry Forms: The Terza Rima Sonnet

I have been writing poetry for many years now, and of the hundreds of poems that I have written in that time, many of them are sonnets. I prefer the sonnet form of poetry to many of the other various forms, though I continue to challenge myself to write in new poetic forms on a continuous basis.

 

The sonnet form has so many different variations, as I have written about previously both on this site, Frank’s Forum, and on another website where I did some guest blogging on the topic. I have written previously for Yahoo! a series of “how to” articles for young and new writers about the differences between the sonnet forms with tips for practicing and navigating some of the nuances of those specific sonnet types such as the Italian sonnet or the Pushkin form.

 

Furthermore, I have also written in the past about hybrid sonnet forms which I created by mixing and matching components from all of the variations of the sonnet; or thinking of completely “out of the box” ways to write a sonnet with the basic fundamental variant of how to play with the fourteen lines needed to characterize the form.

 

This will be my first blog post of 2015 on the topic of poetry, which is a major sub-theme of Frank’s Forum, so I chose to focus on a relatively more obscure form of the sonnet known as the terza rima form. I will review this form of sonnet and then compare the structure to other variations of the sonnet complete with my advice from my own experience writing in each of these forms of poetry.

 

Origins

 

The terza rima form originated in the late 13th century and was created by famed poet Dante Alighieri who sought a way to structure his now famous canto epic length poetic work, “The Divine Comedy”. The structure of the form, similar to other variations of the sonnet, folds in the rhyme scheme from one set of lines into the subsequent sets of lines.

 

Since the terza rima is divided into sets of three lines called tercets, the rhyme scheme flows from one tercet into the next, connected by common lines in the rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme in a terza rima sonnet is as follows:

ABA BCB CDC DED

 

Therefore you can see how the tercets are connected by a common line in the verse. Most of the sonnets written in this format are in iambic pentameter, though some poets have written in a different meter such as dactyl, the use of another meter is permissible but the lines have to all remain the same length.

 

It is important also to note that the terza rima form can be of unlimited length, where some other poetic forms have very strict standards for length. The writer could continue stringing together tercets in the same format demonstrated above just resetting the scale back to “A” at the end of the four sets of poetry.

 

The Couplet Question

 

Over the years, the terza rima form has remained unchanged with the exception of some poets adapting the structure to add a couplet to the end of the four tercets. The rationale behind this adaptation is uncertain, it could have been added so that this form of sonnet would equal fourteen lines in compatibility with the other forms of the sonnet.

 

In my own personal experience, I was taught to write the terza rima in the traditional format I listed above, in four sets each containing three lines of poetry. I felt at one point around four or five years ago, when I was writing a variety of sonnets for a poetry collection with a winter nature theme, that the traditional twelve line form was leaving something behind. So I started adding a rhyming couplet to the end of the terza rima sonnets because I was accustomed to using couplets at the end of the other sonnets I have written in the past.

 

I did not realize that this change to the terza rima form had already been made until a fellow writer was reviewing my work during a poetry challenge. This fellow writer felt that the couplet was a nice touch and referenced the other poets who had initially used this format change, to which I was unaware, I just knew that it felt cleaner to me with the added two lines.

 

The terza rima form with the added couplet at the end looks like this:

ABA BCB CDC DED FF

 

The use of the couplet is completely at the discretion of the writer, and has been included for so many years, that it is a completely accepted alternative version. I also feel that it provides the author with some additional room to finish their thoughts and cap off their piece of poetry with the couplet at the end. However, there are poets and writers who do not agree with this adaptation and will stick with the traditional format originated by Alighieri.

 

Common Miscues

 

The terza rima sonnet has a different flow and a different feel to it, which can lend itself to some common miscues. Some other forms of poetry are more forgiving should your idea take an unplanned direction. This form of sonnet can seem a bit restrictive, especially in the beginning until you have practiced your style and are able to lend your poetic voice to the variations found in this format.

 

A common miscue that I made when I first began writing and experimenting with the terza rima form was “boxing myself in” as they call it in poetry. I would work with an initial idea, and being so accustomed to the other types of sonnets where you only had to rhyme the end word in a line no more than twice, I would get boxed in within the restraints of this rhyme scheme.

 

In the terza rima form it requires the writer to rhyme the “C” and the “D” lines in the scheme a total of three times. Therefore, I had to train my mind to not think in terms of couplets or schemes where the scale rhymed twice, I had to shape my idea around words that would rhyme a total of three times at two different points in the poem. This is going to be more difficult than it may seem when you try it.

 

My advice is to think about the “C” and the “D” lines ahead of time and plan out what words you will use as the end words in those respective lines. It will also help the flow and the alliteration of your finished poem.

 

I also must add that as I became further accustomed to writing in different forms of poetry and practiced more with other sonnets, this method of creating and thinking became more natural to me. The other method which helped me was writing in the Pushkin sonnet form (which remains one of my favorites) which has the following format: ABABCCDDEFFEGG

 

You will notice that the “C” and the “D” lines in the Pushkin form are also very important, granted they are in double couplets which break up the middle of the sonnet, but it still helped to train my mind for the importance that the same corresponding lines, the “C” and the “D” lines have in the terza rima form.

 

The other practice which helped my adaptation to writing within the terza rima form was to practice with the Spenserian form which has some common traits. The Spenserian sonnet has the following setup:

ABAB BCBC CDCD EE

 

In the Spenserian form the “B” and “C” lines are rhymed four times, so they are very important to determine ahead of drafting the poem. This form also featured “transfer” from one group of lines to the next so continuity is very important to writing a good Spenserian sonnet. My practice with these elements helped me to write within the terza rima form with much better effect.

 

It is my hope that all the writers out there who are new to writing poetry or new to writing sonnets have gained some valuable insights from this article. I will now close with an example of my own work in the terza rima form.

 

“Into The Light”

Wandering along on this lonely road

Weary, tired but there’s no going back

Feeling burdened from this heavy load

 

So many obstacles there to distract –

Me from the path to my ultimate goal

My focus is sharp it will not lack

 

I have seen others lose control

The pity, self-doubt, endlessly question

The answers to them are in your soul

 

The road is packed, temptation and sin

Walk into the light, avoid the darkness

Find your compass which lives within

 

The light will guide you on your way

So you can find the goodness each day

 

 

(Some background information courtesy of Poets.org)

 

© Frank J. Maduri 2015 – All rights reserved – No copying or distribution without express written consent from the author.