LOVE THOSE SUMMER OLYMPICS. NBC Television has been saved temporarily by the Summer Olympics. After a year of the lowest ratings ever, NBC has bounced bank at prime time with millions watching the Summer Olympics. I could care less about which station hosts the Games, but I’m addicted to them this year, particularly the swimming events. Michael Phelps hopes to win 8 golds, and he can thank his teammate Jason Lezak for surging in the last lap of the 400 meter freestyle relay to win by a “miracle” against a French team that had said it would easily beat the Americans. This event was one of the most crucial for Phelps who hopes to win 8 gold medals in his quest to pass Mark Spitz in golds. Phelps had two by Monday morning, and I’m hopeful he can pull out a few others by the time you read this column. Besides swimming, there is plenty of other fabulous events to keep you excited like the basketball and beach volleyball, two other favorites of mine. This is a busy week for me, so I’ll probably have to keep up to date on the computer (you can find out who won the events early here, before NBC actually broadcasts the events) and the newspaper.

SCHOOL DAZE HERE AGAIN. Athletes are practicing and students are preparing for another school season on the West Side. Some campuses (like Patterson) opened this week and others are set to welcome students next week, and most before Labor Day. With the start of school, the West Side gets moving again with lots of activities, events and fun; most events are the result of students who have busy schedules. However, it’s also a time when our own business organizations prepare for what they hope is a very busy fall and holiday season. The economy has dampened some of the enthusiasm, but our largest local enterprise, agriculture, is busier than ever right now, and some of that could resonate at our local stores into the fall.

ELECTION COMING UP TOO. Your attention won’t be directed solely to presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama this fall. Newman and Gustine will feature local races that could be interesting. You’ll hear more about the upcoming election when filing is complete; then the men and/or women who spend the most time walking our towns will win. It’s easy to give advice to good candidates. Spend most of your evenings and weekends walking and talking to voters and you should win. Supervisor Jim DeMartini can attest to that. He has met thousands of West Siders at their doorsteps. When you ask DeMartini what your neighbor had to tell him during the campaign, he goes to his computer, finds the address and reads exactly what that person told him and on what day they talked! How is that for organization?

BLUETOOTH HEADSET SALES SOAR.     It certainly was easy to predict that sales of Bluetooth devices would rise when the “hands-free” talking became law in California July 1. The pessimist in me is also certain that AT&T and Verizon were lobbying hard for the new law. Can you imagine how many of those “hands-free” devices they’ve sold already? And what makes it even more lucrative for these companies is the fact that we usually buy more than one headset until we find one we actually like in our ear! My Bluetooth is in my car’s speaker system so I’ve avoided the ear piece, which irritates my ear and makes me look like some guy from outer space. But since Im one of the few walking around now without something in my ear, I guess I’ll soon be one of the abnormal looking Californians!