Am I a bad person??
Last night I stopped on the way home to pick something up. Inside the store I was asked by a man for "some help". At first glance I thought he would ask for money but that wasn't it. He had a piece of paper that contained directions from Google Maps to an address that I eventually determined was about ten blocks from where we were. I told him how to walk there. His direction sheet showed how he'd taken the bus to try to get to the address on the page. He said he was running late for his first night at work at his new job. I repeated how to get there and then I left.
Now where he was going was on my way home. I could have easily offered him a ride. It would have been generous of me, but would it have been prudent? I didn't do it because I felt it was too big a risk. It was ten at night. The piece of paper was worn, as if he'd had it folded up in his pocket for days, not hours. Am I a bad person for being suspicious? Am I a bad person for not being generous? Was I guilty of profiling, racial, gender or otherwise?
I don't know if I was a bad person, but I know it wasn't a case of profiling. I'd be suspicious of anyone dressed like that for their first night of work. Even if it was a gorgeous young woman I would not have offered a ride. I don't think it makes me a bad person. It just makes me overly cautious. At least that's what I think.
* * * * *
"Smash" was an NBC TV series that was about writing, producing and staging a musical on Broadway. It was a good idea that was very poorly executed. In the series finale, someone somewhere screwed the pooch and badly. Anjelica Huston was the show's marquee star. An Academy Award winning actress. In that final episode, in the credits Ms Huston's name was spelled as "Angelica Huston". It boggles the mind.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNnB0GbFcn8
That's video of a pizza delivery driver committing the ultimate no-no. Picking the toppings off of the pizza he's delivering. Since this video is from Russia, I hope he wasn't delivering to the local leader of the Russian Mob. He wouldn't take kindly to having his pizza picked over.
Is participation in varsity sports at the high school level a right or a privilege? In NJ, a father is suing the track coach, the principal, the superintendent and the school board because his son was booted off of the track team. The son did miss practice sessions but they were caused by an injury and a death in the family, so calling them "unexcused" sounds a bit harsh. There's more to this, involving who was allowed to compete and allegations that the son was the fastest member of the team but was held out of races in favor of seniors who might well be running their last races.
I tried out for several varsity sports teams in high school and didn't make the team. I didn't go out and file a lawsuit. I made the varsity in a sport but almost never competed in league competition. I didn't go out and sue. In the military, "varsity" indicates the level of competition where one base's team competes against a team or teams from other bases. I was a varsity athlete at that level in two different sports and made a varsity team in a third, although I had to leave the team because of work requirements. So I feel moderately qualified to opine on this.
Making a varsity team and being allowed to represent one's institution is a privilege, not a right. Little League may have rules requiring all players to get playing time, but that isn't the case with varsity sports. You make the team based on ability, or at least on the coach's perception of your ability. Coaches should have wide latitude in choosing who to play. As long as the choice doesn't involve illegal discrimination, a coach is the best person to determine who makes the team and who is in the lineup. I hope this lawsuit is quickly dismissed.
I laugh whenever I read about Keyshawn Johnson chasing Justin Bieber down to take him to task for speeding through their residential neighborhood. I tried to find a metaphor to illustrate the message that Johnson might have been trying to send and thought of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnSAAVuEob8 The last two lines seem to say what Johnson's message is, and how Bieber SHOULD be reacting.
This Date in History:
On this date in 1328, Philip VI is crowned King of France.
On this date in 1453, Constantinople falls, ending the Byzantine Empire.
On this date in 1727, Peter II becomes Tsar of Russia.
On this date in 1790, Rhode Island becomes the 13th and last of the original colonies to ratify the Constitution.
On this date in 1848, Wisconsin is admitted as the 30th state.
On this date in 1886, pharmacist John Pemberton places his first ad for Coca-Cola, in The Atlanta Journal.
On this date in 1931, Michele Schirru, a U.S. citizen, is executed by firing squad in Italy for plotting to kill Benito Mussolini.
On this date in 1942, Bing Crosby records "White Christmas", best-selling Christmas single in history.
On this date in 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reach the summit of Mt. Everest.
On this date in 1973, Tom Bradley is elected Mayor of Los Angeles, first black ever elected to that office.
On this date in 1988, President Ronald Reagan begins his first visit to the Soviet Union.
Famous Folk Born On This Date:
Patrick Henry
Max Brand
Bob Hope
Stacy Keach, Sr.
John F. Kennedy
Al Unser
Danny Elfman
LaToya and Rebbie Jackson (six years apart, but on same date)
Annette Benning
Rupert Everett
Melissa Etheridge
Hornswaggle (he'll need a small cake)
Movie Quote(s) of the Day today come from the brilliant 1970 film "M*A*S*H":
[a gun goes off at the football game]
Hotlips O'Houlihan: Oh my God! They've shot him.
Colonel Blake: Hot Lips, you incredible nincompoop. It's the end of the quarter.
#2
Painless: [lining up during football game] All right, Bub, your fuckin' head is coming right off.
[the first use of the word "fuck" in a major motion picture]
Now where he was going was on my way home. I could have easily offered him a ride. It would have been generous of me, but would it have been prudent? I didn't do it because I felt it was too big a risk. It was ten at night. The piece of paper was worn, as if he'd had it folded up in his pocket for days, not hours. Am I a bad person for being suspicious? Am I a bad person for not being generous? Was I guilty of profiling, racial, gender or otherwise?
I don't know if I was a bad person, but I know it wasn't a case of profiling. I'd be suspicious of anyone dressed like that for their first night of work. Even if it was a gorgeous young woman I would not have offered a ride. I don't think it makes me a bad person. It just makes me overly cautious. At least that's what I think.
* * * * *
"Smash" was an NBC TV series that was about writing, producing and staging a musical on Broadway. It was a good idea that was very poorly executed. In the series finale, someone somewhere screwed the pooch and badly. Anjelica Huston was the show's marquee star. An Academy Award winning actress. In that final episode, in the credits Ms Huston's name was spelled as "Angelica Huston". It boggles the mind.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNnB0GbFcn8
That's video of a pizza delivery driver committing the ultimate no-no. Picking the toppings off of the pizza he's delivering. Since this video is from Russia, I hope he wasn't delivering to the local leader of the Russian Mob. He wouldn't take kindly to having his pizza picked over.
Is participation in varsity sports at the high school level a right or a privilege? In NJ, a father is suing the track coach, the principal, the superintendent and the school board because his son was booted off of the track team. The son did miss practice sessions but they were caused by an injury and a death in the family, so calling them "unexcused" sounds a bit harsh. There's more to this, involving who was allowed to compete and allegations that the son was the fastest member of the team but was held out of races in favor of seniors who might well be running their last races.
I tried out for several varsity sports teams in high school and didn't make the team. I didn't go out and file a lawsuit. I made the varsity in a sport but almost never competed in league competition. I didn't go out and sue. In the military, "varsity" indicates the level of competition where one base's team competes against a team or teams from other bases. I was a varsity athlete at that level in two different sports and made a varsity team in a third, although I had to leave the team because of work requirements. So I feel moderately qualified to opine on this.
Making a varsity team and being allowed to represent one's institution is a privilege, not a right. Little League may have rules requiring all players to get playing time, but that isn't the case with varsity sports. You make the team based on ability, or at least on the coach's perception of your ability. Coaches should have wide latitude in choosing who to play. As long as the choice doesn't involve illegal discrimination, a coach is the best person to determine who makes the team and who is in the lineup. I hope this lawsuit is quickly dismissed.
I laugh whenever I read about Keyshawn Johnson chasing Justin Bieber down to take him to task for speeding through their residential neighborhood. I tried to find a metaphor to illustrate the message that Johnson might have been trying to send and thought of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnSAAVuEob8 The last two lines seem to say what Johnson's message is, and how Bieber SHOULD be reacting.
This Date in History:
On this date in 1328, Philip VI is crowned King of France.
On this date in 1453, Constantinople falls, ending the Byzantine Empire.
On this date in 1727, Peter II becomes Tsar of Russia.
On this date in 1790, Rhode Island becomes the 13th and last of the original colonies to ratify the Constitution.
On this date in 1848, Wisconsin is admitted as the 30th state.
On this date in 1886, pharmacist John Pemberton places his first ad for Coca-Cola, in The Atlanta Journal.
On this date in 1931, Michele Schirru, a U.S. citizen, is executed by firing squad in Italy for plotting to kill Benito Mussolini.
On this date in 1942, Bing Crosby records "White Christmas", best-selling Christmas single in history.
On this date in 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reach the summit of Mt. Everest.
On this date in 1973, Tom Bradley is elected Mayor of Los Angeles, first black ever elected to that office.
On this date in 1988, President Ronald Reagan begins his first visit to the Soviet Union.
Famous Folk Born On This Date:
Patrick Henry
Max Brand
Bob Hope
Stacy Keach, Sr.
John F. Kennedy
Al Unser
Danny Elfman
LaToya and Rebbie Jackson (six years apart, but on same date)
Annette Benning
Rupert Everett
Melissa Etheridge
Hornswaggle (he'll need a small cake)
Movie Quote(s) of the Day today come from the brilliant 1970 film "M*A*S*H":
[a gun goes off at the football game]
Hotlips O'Houlihan: Oh my God! They've shot him.
Colonel Blake: Hot Lips, you incredible nincompoop. It's the end of the quarter.
#2
Painless: [lining up during football game] All right, Bub, your fuckin' head is coming right off.
[the first use of the word "fuck" in a major motion picture]
posted by me at 10:25 AM
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