Last week, while perusing Time magazine online, I stumbled onto the periodical’s interactive poll where readers cast votes for movers and shakers  - leaders, artists, innovators, icons and heroes – who readers believe are the most influential people in the world.

            Who would top a “most influential Nebraskans” list?  I did what any inquiring journalist would do: polled my Nebraska Twitter friends and Facebook pals, and to cover all age demographics, I queried my Publication Journalism class at SMH.

            Time releases their top 100 online on April 21. I’m beating the media mogul to the punch and releasing my unscientific, unofficial poll the day before.

            Poll results show a clear-cut winner. The top six each received multiple votes. Then, things get a bit murky, as ten individuals each received one vote.

            Who’s on first? Dr. Tom Osborne won by a landslide, receiving double the number of votes than second place.

            I agree with voter comments about Tom’s quiet leadership style. It’s effective; the man continues to inspire. He possesses integrity. And his dedication to both the football program and the educational institution has created a lasting legacy.

            Fellow speech coach Gailen Volquardsen said it best, “His quiet way commands respect in an Atticus Finch sort of way.”  Agreed.

            Coming in second is the Oracle of Omaha. On the world stage, Warren Buffet may be a bigger commodity than Dr. Tom. Daughter Cassie, who works in economic development, believes Buffet’s practices, insights and knowledge make him respected around the world.

            “He’s a simple man who believes in the importance of education, charity and hard work. And he’s pretty comical and likes ice cream,” asserts Cassie.

            A number of people voted for Malcolm X, primarily for historical reasons. He lands at number three.

            Next up, Father Flanagan.  After moving to America from Ireland, Flanagan’s first parish was in O’Neill.  Later, Flanagan borrowed $90 to pay rent on an old mansion and opened his first home for boys in 1917.

            The fifth most influential Nebraskan – Bob Devaney. My mom believes he (and Tom) pulled the state together with Husker football. Friend Gregg Moeller believes Devaney singlehandedly changed the state’s image on a national level.

            “We were ‘South South Dakota’ before 1962.”

            Tied with the legendary coach is Lincoln funny man Tim Siedell, a.k.a. @BadBanana to the Twitterverse.  His 140-character tweets landed him a book deal. His daily dose of humor makes him a social networking favorite. With comments like, “Tried to swim some laps today. I think I invented the stroke stroke” or “Someone out there thinks he or she could be the Steve Jobs of the pudding cup lid adhesive industry”, Siedell makes the list for pure awesomeness!

            Others received one vote each: Governor Dave Heineman, George Norris, J. Sterling Morton, Gerald Ford, Ernie Chambers, Keith Blackledge, Dick Cheney, Hilary Swank, Ben Nelson, and Evan Williams (Twitter and Blogger founder).

            A few of these may have been tongue-in-cheek nominations, but Nebraskans have a clear vision of the people who have or do impact our lives.

            Who tops your list as most influential Nebraskan?

Personally, I do not like going barefoot. Even in our house, I have a pair of flipflops close by. But, most people in underprivileged countries don’t own shoes. Connie Gildersleeve of O’Neill, Nebraska organized a “One Day Without Shoes” event and collected 1,005 pairs of shoes. Check out my story at the Norfolk Daily News.

Even though the celebration began yesterday, an entire weekend’s worth of activities await visitors to Nebraska’s Irish Capital, O’Neill. Check out my story in the Norfolk Daily News for more information.

O’Neill High School is one of 52 schools across the U.S. to receive Apple Distinguished School recognition. The school’s 1 to 1 laptop initiative has built a school of digital natives whose work is showcased during Apple presentations. Check out the story at Norfolk Daily News.

From the notebook:          

            Time.

            It is one commodity many of us take for granted.

            Now I’m not going to start a diatribe about living each moment to the fullest, because you should already be living life like the George Strait song that says it’s not the breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away. 

            Last week, my one-act play cast gave their most dynamic performance of the year at the district meet. I’ve always told them the true test of drama is how a play affects the audience. If you move them to tears, if you make them reflect, you’ve done your job.

            They held up their end of the bargain.

            Unfortunately, the stop watch – which plays an important role in one-act rules and regulations – presented a 34-second dilemma.

            We went overtime, ultimately dropping us from the district championship to third place.

            I’m not sure where the extra time came from; our show had been running at 29 minutes for the last two weeks of rehearsal.

            This much I know for sure: it’s a powerful lesson about practicing the way you perform.

            But most of all, it’s a lesson about the power of creativity and connection made with the audience.

            And that, in itself, is a championship moment.

 **

            Many times, you’ll hear people talk about teenagers and the lack of respect and compassion they exhibit. Hopefully, this example will change your mind.

            At last week’s one-act award ceremony, St. Mary’s received the runner-up trophy. A clerical error to break the three-way tie was discovered at the same time the SMH students were in the process of taking a team photo with the 2nd place plaque. After announcing the correction and awarding the trophy to the actual second-place team, SMH students applauded that school’s efforts and congratulated them.

            Sportsmanship goes a long way, even in the fine arts.

 **

            Husker football reigns supreme in this state, but there’s a new team and game in the state, and they drew huge crowds during the 2010 season.

            The Omaha Nighthawks – members of the UFL (United Football League) – played at historic Rosenblatt Stadium. Other teams in the league include the Florida Tuskers, Hartford Colonials, Las Vegas Locomotives, and the Sacramento Mountain Lions. In 2011, the league expands to Virginia.

            Former Nebraska standouts Ahman Green, Jay Moore, and Matt O’Hanlon compete for the Omaha crew. All home games were sell-outs, with over 20,000 attending the inaugural kickoff in September.

            The league’s championship game featuring Vegas and Florida played out at Rosenblatt. Vegas won.       

            If a fledgling professional league can support a championship game in Omaha, perhaps some Nebraska-based group or business ought to host a college football bowl game. Consider these possibilities: the Cabela’s Corncob Bowl; the Berkshire Hathaway Bugeaters Bowl; the Dorothy Lynch Corn Salad Bowl; the Baker’s (Corn) Candies Bowl.

            Seriously, in a nation of football fanatics and bowl games for any-and-all-occasions, the economic impact for the state would be immense.

            My fantasy inaugural game: Texas vs. Mizzou.

            Go Big Red!

Share your ideas for Nebraska-based bowl games at http://luannschindler.com.