Have you ever been up close to watch the world’s greatest skiers race down a mountain or one of the top golfers on the 18th green at the Masters Golf Tournament? Maybe you’ve sat in the front row at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the cars stream by at 200 miles per hour? The magnitude of forces in play almost stops your heart. Professional drivers are putting everything into the race—their expert driving, precision training and their lives—to capture the checkered flag.

In the very near future—perhaps as soon as this year or next—Matt Kemp, the prodigious young San Diego Padres center fielder, will match up against legendary pitcher Sandy Koufax when he was in his prime as one of the most dominant left-handers in the 1960s.
No, we’re not talking "Back to the Future" time travel here, so how can a matchup like that be possible? Kemp is 29 years old and developing into a perennial Triple Crown threat. Koufax, the Hall of Fame Los Angeles Dodger, is 78 and won his last National League Cy Young Award nearly 50 years ago.

Although the latest revision of the ISO 9001 quality management standard will not be released until later this year, many companies are already investigating what 9001:2015 will mean to their quality management systems. One element many are anticipating is the section concerning risk management.

The focus of this particular column may not be popular and it may put some readers on the defensive. The focus isn’t entirely on America as it’s a global issue but it certainly seems rampant in today’s modern society.