Late Sunday night, I had a last minute sale that took a lot of time to finish up and took me 20 minutes past closing before it was done..
While waiting with the customer, one of the managers said something to another, ( I found out it was goodnight in Arabic) and the customer took offense. Her husband was Muslin and she went off on a tirade about being offensive, out of place and disrespectful and so on.
How offended her son would be if he had heard it. He might only be offended because they taught him to be offended.
Personally I wanted to close the sale and go home.
It wasn't said to her, the translation was no big deal and she looked like a white New Yorker who was wrapped a little to tight.
WTF.
To me it was another example of religion being used as a divisive tool against someone else.
And she went on and on and on..
I wanted to walk away. And leave the sale. Unsold.
Don't look to me for sympathy. Don't try to validate your actions with indignation. I am not buying it.
If everyone kept their religious preferences private what a quiet world it would be.
ray
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Thursday, March 26, 2015
The College scam or how the NCAA makes billions and gets players for free!
Okay, maybe just a billion dollars. The March Madness will pull in about a billion dollars this year and the players get nothing.
Student athletes, right.
Growing up we always wondered how the players had time to study, laughed at basket weaving courses and the like. It has gotten worse.
Now for basketball they have a new once and done where in agreement with the NBA they have to stay in school for one year before moving on. In reality most will not play anymore. They, like Mungo "only pawn in life."
The highest pay goes to the coaches some a million, some ten million while the players live on ramen noodles.
The NCAA gets a nod nod wink wink to it all because schools have hitched their financial success on the almighty sports dollar and the TV money that keeps rolling in to their coffers.
College sports is an addiction that many can not out grow. For others it is a reprieve from the fact that done right a college education will support and nurture you for a lifetime, but man, it's hard work.
Either way the madness is almost done and then it is back to the reality grind.
enjoy.
ray
Student athletes, right.
Growing up we always wondered how the players had time to study, laughed at basket weaving courses and the like. It has gotten worse.
Now for basketball they have a new once and done where in agreement with the NBA they have to stay in school for one year before moving on. In reality most will not play anymore. They, like Mungo "only pawn in life."
The highest pay goes to the coaches some a million, some ten million while the players live on ramen noodles.
The NCAA gets a nod nod wink wink to it all because schools have hitched their financial success on the almighty sports dollar and the TV money that keeps rolling in to their coffers.
College sports is an addiction that many can not out grow. For others it is a reprieve from the fact that done right a college education will support and nurture you for a lifetime, but man, it's hard work.
Either way the madness is almost done and then it is back to the reality grind.
enjoy.
ray
Friday, March 20, 2015
The Miracle on Ice or how my love of hockey faded away
I have not followed hockey for many years and yet I grew up in Chicago, home of the Blackhawks and my early years and well into my twenties, my love of the game was insatiable. And it all faded away.
Why?
I was watching a documentary on the Russian team and their point of view on losing to the USA team in 1980, a huge upset. Honestly, if they played one hundred times more, the USA team would have lost one hundred times. Their team concept of play, speed, strength, passing, shot making ability was next to none. If they played full time in the NHL, they would have been multiple Stanley Cup champions. They were that good.
By then the NHl had developed into a game of thuggery, where fights were a constant. Every team needed an enforcer to protect the star players. Sometimes fights would break out right at the beginning of the game and they hadn't dropped the puck yet.
A game that was a showcase for considerable skills on ice was a game had become boring and predictable and like a jilted lover, I walked away and never looked back.
This was from a guy whose ear was glued to the radio listening to the away games, who yelled at the TV so loud, Mom came downstairs to see who I was talking to, who once got so mad at an outcome of a game that I broke the on-off switch with my hand in frustration. This is from a guy who along with others would travel for hours to play at 4:00 am in the morning in an enclosed arena where we would rent the ice to play like our heroes as opposed to bringing a shovel to the park to help clear the ice so we could play.
This is from a guy, like others loved to hit and knock people down, who were respected for our relentlessness effort of our play, whose shoulders still hurt from knocking into people wearing full equipment and pads while we just wore a jersey. yep, the Chicago way. This from a guy who had great stick handling skills but limited skating skills who became a goaltender because that is what crazy people did.
and walked away from it all, till this day.
Why?
I was watching a documentary on the Russian team and their point of view on losing to the USA team in 1980, a huge upset. Honestly, if they played one hundred times more, the USA team would have lost one hundred times. Their team concept of play, speed, strength, passing, shot making ability was next to none. If they played full time in the NHL, they would have been multiple Stanley Cup champions. They were that good.
By then the NHl had developed into a game of thuggery, where fights were a constant. Every team needed an enforcer to protect the star players. Sometimes fights would break out right at the beginning of the game and they hadn't dropped the puck yet.
A game that was a showcase for considerable skills on ice was a game had become boring and predictable and like a jilted lover, I walked away and never looked back.
This was from a guy whose ear was glued to the radio listening to the away games, who yelled at the TV so loud, Mom came downstairs to see who I was talking to, who once got so mad at an outcome of a game that I broke the on-off switch with my hand in frustration. This is from a guy who along with others would travel for hours to play at 4:00 am in the morning in an enclosed arena where we would rent the ice to play like our heroes as opposed to bringing a shovel to the park to help clear the ice so we could play.
This is from a guy, like others loved to hit and knock people down, who were respected for our relentlessness effort of our play, whose shoulders still hurt from knocking into people wearing full equipment and pads while we just wore a jersey. yep, the Chicago way. This from a guy who had great stick handling skills but limited skating skills who became a goaltender because that is what crazy people did.
and walked away from it all, till this day.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
3 Storeys in Each Day, China's New Normal
It is not just the speed of the building going on
but the planning and the precision of the building
that most impresses me.
The next time you have a remodeling job going on
and it seems to take forever, remember this video.
and laugh.
Monday, March 9, 2015
Maybe, Just maybe let sleeping golf balls lie
My story starts with an overcast day, a little bit of rain and an offer of free golf and beer. After a morning of working at my daughter's house I had a late tee time of 2:06 last Friday.
I was already tired and normally don't play so late in the day because of the heat and darkness factor, but what the heck, exception time.
It was a first time for me at this course and did not know what to expect. I met my friend from work and off we went. For such a late start time the course was full and the race against the clock was not looking good. We added on a third which was not uncommon but in a rare occurrence he was a pain and would not play with him again. But that is a story for another time.
Being that I had not swung a club since mid November of 2014 I was a bit anxious but I hit it nicely
down the center of the fairway and off we went. In fact I was pleased with most of the front nine ball striking and we were having fun.
And then the trouble began on the back nine.
First the rain came, lasted for a couple of holes. But we play golf and rain won't stop us. Then after one swing I felt my left knee give way and knew that it would cause me problems later on and as expected it began to stiffen.
Then a shot of mine rolled down the slope and stopped just on the edge of the water. It was not playable and I was to pick it up, take a penalty stroke and continue on.
And the I saw it. A brand new, pristine golf ball sitting by its self within reach, a new golf ball for the taking. And even though I had stopped fishing for golf balls many years ago, what the heck. And after a few attempts out popped the ball on to dry land and then it happened.
Reaching down to pick it up I felt myself start to lose balance. Sensing the inevitable I tried to at least to try not to get hurt. First the right foot, than the left, both hands in, down to my knees and hands, scraping my left knee in the process. I arose from the water sheepishly and trudged back to my playing partner who was laughing hysterically. Luckily he did not get it on his camera phone. Splish , splosh. We ended our outing soon after, I was no longer in the mood. I left for the day to lick my wounds and to dry out.
The next day on arriving at work, everyone took their turn asking me about my swimming lessons on the golf course. Sigh... All in good fun.
and yes, I did keep the golf ball. Thankfully an alligator did not show up!
coffee time
achy ray
I was already tired and normally don't play so late in the day because of the heat and darkness factor, but what the heck, exception time.
It was a first time for me at this course and did not know what to expect. I met my friend from work and off we went. For such a late start time the course was full and the race against the clock was not looking good. We added on a third which was not uncommon but in a rare occurrence he was a pain and would not play with him again. But that is a story for another time.
Being that I had not swung a club since mid November of 2014 I was a bit anxious but I hit it nicely
down the center of the fairway and off we went. In fact I was pleased with most of the front nine ball striking and we were having fun.
And then the trouble began on the back nine.
First the rain came, lasted for a couple of holes. But we play golf and rain won't stop us. Then after one swing I felt my left knee give way and knew that it would cause me problems later on and as expected it began to stiffen.
Then a shot of mine rolled down the slope and stopped just on the edge of the water. It was not playable and I was to pick it up, take a penalty stroke and continue on.
And the I saw it. A brand new, pristine golf ball sitting by its self within reach, a new golf ball for the taking. And even though I had stopped fishing for golf balls many years ago, what the heck. And after a few attempts out popped the ball on to dry land and then it happened.
Reaching down to pick it up I felt myself start to lose balance. Sensing the inevitable I tried to at least to try not to get hurt. First the right foot, than the left, both hands in, down to my knees and hands, scraping my left knee in the process. I arose from the water sheepishly and trudged back to my playing partner who was laughing hysterically. Luckily he did not get it on his camera phone. Splish , splosh. We ended our outing soon after, I was no longer in the mood. I left for the day to lick my wounds and to dry out.
The next day on arriving at work, everyone took their turn asking me about my swimming lessons on the golf course. Sigh... All in good fun.
and yes, I did keep the golf ball. Thankfully an alligator did not show up!
coffee time
achy ray
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