Moderna Advantage? It Has Been A Year – Let’s Be Thankful. Speak Your Words.
In last week’s post I mentioned the challenges with both vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna requiring deep-freeze refrigeration. Upon further review, I was was incorrect as the Moderna vaccine does not need to be kept at Antarctic-like temperatures. This is actually very good news for General Perna and Operation Warp Speed. My bad with the incorrect information.
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2020 – a year of challenges, uncertainty, heartbreak and despair. As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I thought it might be time to keep the glass half-full. I am thankful for many things and here is a list in no particular order.
- For the first responders and healthcare workers – they are fearless and amazing.
- For the season the Braves had, short as it was.
- For the freedom to vote.
- For the diminished campaign ads.
- For my daughter and son-in-law.
- For the technology such as Zoom that drives us crazy but allows us to spend time together.
- For my baking skills (yes, I said it), though one of my friends has been quite critical that I can do better. Meh.
- For the owners, staff, players, conferences, leagues, and media who during this very difficult time have pulled off live and televised sports.
- For my friends who bring camaraderie, laughs and sometimes a good bottle of wine.
- For the ocean and the mountains, both bringing a bit of serenity to this year of infamy.
- For leaders like General Gustavo Perna, who has the weight of this country on his shoulders.
- For the weather in Central Florida now being amazing.
- For all of you, who read my blog, (this being #197), offer up suggestions, and comment whether you agree or disagree. Remember, it is “Just My Take”.
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Many posts ago, we had these young hip-hop artists, who are twins, reacting to hearing Phil Collins for the first time. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought we would all enjoy their reaction to listening to Bob Marley for the first time. Some of their comments are hilarious. “Is he from Jamaica?” These kids are great and I really do like how open they are to trying out artists and their music that they have no clue about. This is Bob Marley’s ‘Is This Love’:
Life lesson. Landon Donovan is probably the most decorated player ever to play with the United States Men’s National Team. He was a creative force in attack, arguably the greatest player ever to pull on a U.S. jersey, and a pivotal figure in the rise of the American game, both at home and on the global stage. Whether you follow soccer or not, his goal in the 2010 World Cup to advance the U.S. into the round of sixteen sent Americans watching at home and in bars into a wild frenzy. It is also recognized as one of the greatest broadcast calls ever, this one in Spanish by Andres Cantor:
Landon Donovan’s career has taken him to San Diego, where he just completed his first year as the manager of their professional team. Among many challenges including Covid-19, he states what we all know is obvious but often difficult to make happen: communication. As we deal with the issues relating to the pandemic and approach the holiday season, his message below definitely will resonate with most of us. His response to a question about his biggest hurdle with managing a professional soccer club for the first time:
“I think that the biggest learning for me this year was that when I actually communicate, and I’m in the moment of communicating, I’m a very good communicator. What I didn’t do well this year was I wasn’t proactively communicative enough. I needed to take the initiative to talk to a player about something or speak to the staff about something. And that was the feedback I also got from our staff. So I needed to do a better job of just going and having conversations even when I didn’t think there was an issue there, being more aware and then going in and talking through it. And so that for me is probably the number one learning lesson”.
I think we could all agree that we can all do a better job with communicating.
Adios, be safe, pay it forward, and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!