Ah, summer. Nothing quite like it. Year in and year out, the long hot summer provides a respite to replenish the reservoirs, recharge the batteries and look about for the next hot topic of the day.

There’s a bit of a lull right now. The major shows and conventions have come and gone, or else they haven’t quite breached the horizon, leaving plenty of time (and column inches) for…

Throwing in the towel and admitting that it has reached a point where the sports news of the day is better suited for National Lampoon than Sports Illustrated. Back in June, sandwiched between Martha Stewart and monkeypox, a big piece of cork wedged itself right up baseball’s integrity courtesy of Slammin’ Sammy. It was around that time the NBA Championship started, or at least that’s what I’m told. Something about an Admiral and a Kidd; a fabulous bedtime story, it put me right to sleep. Hockey held court for a time, though the only name that should follow “Mighty” is “Mouse.”

Funny Cide lost the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown; Serena lost in France; Tiger lost at Muirfield; Rick Neuheisel won a pool and lost his job. Beckham got bent about Barcelona, a Petty fired an Andretti and the WBNA settled its differences, strapped on really big shoes and hit the hardwood. It’s enough to make you want to fill up the tank, pick a direction and drive until the needle hits “E.”

That’s what makes these summer issues so special: no distractions. That’s why, in among the high-caliber work you’ve come to expect from Steve Toburen, Tom Hill, Armand Taddeo and Lee Pemberton, you’ll find Bob Merkt looking at why “Natural Stone Floor Care Takes Planning,” and Aaron Groseclose closing out his examination of Persian Rugs with “The American Sarouk.”

Larry Cooper is the focus of a feature delving into the inner workings of the Connections 2003 Convention and Trade Show in Las Vegas this October. Advertising luminary Paul Loomis offers up “The Finer Points of Advertising,” OSHA trainer and restoration professional Patrick Paluga opens the door to “Crime-Scene Cleanup,” and IICRC President Lee Zimmerman and ASCR Executive Director Larry Jacobson offer their respective views on “Education and Certification in the Cleaning and Restoration Industry.” This is one of the most well rounded and editorially packed July issues ICS has produced in a long time, and we’re quite proud of it.

Just in case you’re still holding out hope for quality summer sports, here’s one more nugget to keep in mind: pre-season football tees it up in three weeks with the American Bowl in Tokyo. Kicking off at 5:00 a.m. EST should attract a whole new generation of fans for the NFL; the only problem is convincing a bunch of 6-year-old New Yorkers dressed in their jammies that the Jets and Buccaneers make for better television than “The Wild Thornberrys” and “MegaMan: NT Warrior.”