What's In A Name 2...Retribution!

So ...never one to leave a story untold...I am following up on a previous post concerning the importance of showing even the smallest amount of respect by simply pronouncing their name correctly.

I had a chance to speak with my friend, whose daughter was receiving an award in front of the school when her teacher of TWO YEARS not only failed to pronounce her name properly twice... she then arbitrarily shortened it and continued on with the ceremony.

Well the parent teacher interview that followed a few days later was when payback would be exacted.

After discussing their daughter and her performance in school (an EXCEPTIONAL student I might add) he had a simple question.

"How do you say my name?"

Instantly the teacher began to stammer and tried to explain away the mishap.  At first it looked as if she was going to pull out a tried and true excuse that our children use on us parents.

“Well... I was told that is what all her friends in class called her and when I was scrambling I just went with that”

Before my friend could point out just how preposterous it is to use an excuse like this, she immediately began to apologize profusely as she turned redder and redder with embarrassment.

While he could have really raked her over the coals (and he admits he really wanted to), he took the high road, choosing only to reiterate a statement made by the school principal during the same ceremony about the importance of the names that we have and how we should respect and properly represent our names at all times.

He always has a knack for saying just the right thing.

PS.  Not to justify her behaviour in this case at all, but it occurred to me why the teacher has not learned how to say this name properly after almost 2 full years.  And it has everything to do with just how good a student she is.  This is just a guess on my part, but you hear the saying that the squeaky wheels get the grease.  Do teachers remember the students who cause trouble and are difficult more than the excellent students?  Do you forget the name of the class clowns  or the bullies as opposed to the straight “A” students?

Throwing that out there... let me know if you think I am off base or if I am onto something.

"Madness must not unwatched go..."

Alfred Lord Tennyson just about said it perfectly.

“In the spring a young man’s fancy turns lightly to thoughts of love.”

And while I am an admitted hopeless romantic who has been known to cause diabetic coma’s amongst individuals within earshot (or sight) of my proclamations for my Pixie...I have to disagree with Al.

Perhaps it’s because Basketball was my best sport.  Perhaps it’s because I never played hockey at any organized level.  Whatever the underlying reason, there is one thing that ALWAYS gets me revved up around this time of year.  So instead, I will re-write it properly (albeit with much less decorum than the original and with apologies to Mr. Tennyson’s descendants):

“In the spring THIS young man’s fancy turns lightly to thoughts of MARCH MADNESS BABY!”

The National Championship tournament for NCAA Men’s Basketball is in my opinion the greatest tournament in sports.

Just one game to advance; do or die EVERY contest. Where long shot, “no-name” schools routinely take out higher ranked “Power” programs.  None of the players are being paid exorbitant amounts of money... no agents (unless they are violating regulations which has been known to happen every now and again)... basketball at its PUREST.  The way it is meant to be played.

Keep LeBron James...give me Butler Bulldog’s Matt Howard, scoring a last HUNDREDTH of a second lay-in to win their game this afternoon.  Or Morehead State’s Demonte Harper, who hit a 3-pointer with 4 seconds left to lead his number 13 ranked Eagles over number 4 ranked Louisville...a play that was designed and came to his coach IN A DREAM the night before...and those are just a couple of the exciting games from this year. 

Some of the greatest sports upsets in history originate through March Madness.  Villanova... a team that had never even made the top 20 teams in the rankings in 1985 defeated powerhouse Georgetown and their eventual basketball hall of fame centre Patrick Ewing in the Championship final.  Who can forget the great Jimmy Valvanno running onto the court looking frantically for someone to hug after his North Carolina State Wolfpack beat the Houston Cougars who featured a pair of Hall of famers, Hakeem “the Dream” Olajuwon and Clyde “the Glide” Drexler in 1983.

Basketball Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and Larry Bird began their legendary rivalries in this tournament’s championship game (Michigan State and Indiana State respectively). And thousands of players who never made it to the NBA had their greatest moments in this tournament. Their glory achieved sometimes in a single shot during a first round upset.

And then of course there is “the question”. 

“Filled your bracket out yet?”

Countless hours and millions of dollars are spent, pouring over the selections on who is going to win each game and win it all.  2.5 BILLION dollars is wagered yearly according to some sources, with an estimated 3.8 BILLION dollars in lost productivity to employers in North America.  Madness indeed!

The only thing that comes close to the thrill I get in watching this tournament every year were the three deep runs in the Stanley Cup playoffs that my beloved Carolina Hurricanes have had in 2002, 2006 (Cup win...WOOOOOO!), and in 2008.   The second the tournament is over every year, just like a junkie, I am looking for the next fix that I know will take all too long to find.

So, if I am distracted over the next few days... I apologize.  The Madness has taken hold once more.

A special announcement...

I admit it.

This is a very cheap and sneaky way of getting folks to check out my blog.  Sue me.

It seems my work career has come full circle of sorts as I am returning to a position I held long ago at the start of my career in radio.

This morning I was given the news/sports anchor position at CFOK in Westlock.  It’s a position I held for 8 years and had moved on from to try hosting the morning show for a couple years.  The last 3 years I have been in sales, a position I took for financial reasons and while I enjoyed learning yet another aspect of the medium, my heart and passion have always been in the on air aspect.  It is something that I missed from the moment I stopped doing it and looked for every chance I could to stay involved in it.  Whether it was voicing commercials or co-hosting the morning show for a break or two.

While I am “starting over” in a sense and am technically no further along in my career than I was 7 years ago, I look at this as a wonderful opportunity for me.  Think about it.  You ever wish that you had a chance to do it over again so you could do it a little different?  So that you could take advantage of the knowledge and maturity you have gained over the years? 

This is exactly the opportunity I have now...and I certainly have no intention of wasting it.  Staying in touch with the community and informing the public about important information they need to know to get through their days...like I said...It's my passion.

First shift is set up for this Monday (I have a few loose ends to tie up over the next week or two) so I have a few days to prepare.

I’m excited and thankful for opportunity.

The more things change... the more they stay the same...

Throwing the baby out with the (heavy) bath water...

You had to know this was coming.

With the one/two natural disaster punch given to Japan last week causing explosions at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant and the subsequent releases of low level radiation into the air, people have decided that Nuclear Power is a bad idea and should be stopped completely.

Germany has decided to close 7 of their nuclear plants immediately until the summer, and that they may never be re-opened  (To be fair these plants were scheduled to close in three months anyway...however the precedent has been set).   They’ve gone a step further to suggest that other countries in the European Union should examine their power plants.  Switzerland has put a hold on all nuclear plant construction.  On a closer to home level, I have had a number of friends say that they knew all along that Nuclear Power was a bad idea and it has to be stopped.

Now frankly I get the feeling that way too many people believe that the plants are being operated and run by people like this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqwS0Ew77WE&feature=related

These plants have incredible safety guidelines that they must adhere to and are subject to inspections and regulations that are designed to keep the public safe at all times, while providing the power our society needs to exist.

Let me say that I am not minimizing the dangers of what can happen when these natural disasters occur.  When something goes wrong...it can go very wrong.  The environmental damage that could occur should this incident get to be any greater than it already is would be nothing short of catastrophic and have an effect on the health and economies of the world for years to come.  There is damn good reason to be concerned.

 But let’s take a look at that...

There have been around 20 “incidents” at nuclear power plants all over the world since 1951, with very few of them resulting in radiation leaked into the environment.  We think of Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and now Fukushima, because of the severity of the incident, but forget that for 6 decades nuclear power has provided safe clean power from hundreds of plants throughout the world. (There are over 440 plants in the world with another 60+ in construction)

Taking this accident and saying it’s time to do away with Nuclear power is like looking at the over 50,000 people killed in vehicle collisions in a year and saying that we have to get rid of cars because they aren’t safe.  It’s preposterous.

Stress test these plants... absolutely.  Re-examine the safety precautions that are implemented on these plants in the cases of natural disasters and the like...positively.  Just like we are constantly looking for ways to make cars safer with seatbelts and airbags and anti-lock brakes... so should we look at ways to make sure that nuclear power remains safe. 

And while we are at it... let’s see if we can’t get solar, hyrdo and wind power put into high gear so that we can provide clean alternatives for our power needs so that maybe one day we can have the safest, cleanest, most efficient form of power production possible.  There is absolutely no need to go back to the days where we pollute the daylights out of our world based on this one incident alone.

And for crying out loud can we in North America please not rush to the pharmacies and stock up on potassium iodide!  There is no need to protect ourselves from radiation poisoning, especially when there is no imminent threat.  Let’s use a little common sense here!   There is nothing quite like protecting ourselves from being poisoned, by poisoning ourselves with needless medication.

Tom Petty has it right...

Ever get the feeling as though your wheels are spinning?  Not really sure what is happening or what to do next?

Through many of the events in my past, not knowing what I needed to do to change my situation lead inevitably to the outright fear of changing it at all.  Fearing that I was once again making the wrong decision and that I would most certainly be unhappier than I am now. 

“After all you made big changes before Raymond...and look where it got you?”

Self doubt is a huge hurdle that I deal with on a nearly daily basis.  For some reason I have convinced myself that while I have tons of ideas and advice on how to help others, and am willing to do so at the drop of a hat...I lack the ability to help myself.

There is a great deal of my life that I am not satisfied with and loath frankly...but because of fear, self-doubt and complete lack of confidence, I am left barely treading water...frustrating myself and the people around me who love me and know that I am capable of so much more.

So, finally I decide enough is enough and I get the ball rolling on several fronts.  No more Mr. Nice Guy... ok... I am still Mr. Nice Guy, I’m just not gonna stand around and let the world happen around me anymore

And now that I have made the necessary decisions and moves to put myself on the path I wish to be on...I discover that things are TRULY out of my hands.  And so I wait...which made me think of this Simpson’s clip...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZX0f4CL-T8

The song by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, perfectly describes Homer’s feelings as he waits for the State rule 5 days before he is allowed to purchase a gun. Now I am not looking to purchase a weapon at all (although truth be told there are times when I feel like I am gonna snap, making a weapon pretty handy around that time), however the angst that I am feeling at the moment is getting difficult to handle.

I just find it frustrating that now I’ve finally found the nerve to get something done the power is no longer in my hands to get the result I desire. (and yes I am well aware that I brought all of my current situation on myself and that if I want to blame someone for the current predicament I find myself in I need look no further than in the mirror.)

Of course, I know things can be worse (as I stated clearly in my last posting) so I am not complaining... I am just making a frustrated observation that I have had just about enough of the waiting.

“The waiting is the hardest part,

every day you get one more yard,

You take it on faith,

you take it to the heart

the waiting is the hardest part” –Tom Petty

Perspective is a beautiful thing...

After witnessing on TV Friday and over the weekend the unbelievable destruction in Japan during the Earthquake/Tsunami catastrophe, it was almost impossible to believe there would be any good news at all.

And then this story came to light...

 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110313/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_earthquake_roof_rescue

It’s my hope that there will be many more of these types of stories in the coming hours and days; where despite the longest odds, numerous people are discovered alive amid the destruction. 

I have noticed a great deal of comments and notes on the social networking mediums about how folks are praying for the people of Japan, and sending warmest thoughts and wishes of condolences to the people who have been directly affected.

I have two things to say about that.

While it is great that people are taking time to put the victims in their thoughts and prayers...what is needed now more than ever is monetary support to buy food, clothing, medicine and shelter for the thousands that have been displaced.  It is my hope that everyone who is praying for the victims will also take some time to make a donation of some sort to the humanitarian rescue effort that is currently underway. 

There are a number of organizations that have stepped up, both secular and religious in nature.  I made my donation to and would recommend the Red Cross, however feel free to look into an agency you support and believe in and enquire as to whether or not they have set up a relief fund for the victims of the Japanese disaster.  No matter how small... every cent will bring much needed help.

I also wonder how ANYONE who witnessed the devastation could not be directly affected by the incident.  Certainly we may not have family or friends in Japan...but does this not make you take some time to think about your life? 

From the moment this happened, I instantly gained a little perspective about what is important in my life and what I need to “let go of” a little.

This is going to sound corny, but take some time today to hug the ones you love, reach out to the folks you haven’t spoken to in some time, be thankful for the place and the conditions in which you live.

I know I certainly have.

This could cause a stir...

Before I get into this, for the sake of complete and utter transparency I am in no way a Montreal Canadiens fan.  Truth be told, I don’t think there is a single individual on this planet that dislikes this team more than I do.  That being said... I am keeping that aside while I weigh in on the controversy surrounding the vicious hit by Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins on Max Pacioretty of the Habs.  Further,  it is my hope that Max Pacioretty has a very quick and full recovery that will see him not only continue a healthy life and even a return to hockey.

Now... first things first.  There is no question in my mind that the hit was worthy of a fine and suspension of some sort.  It certainly isn’t like the Bertuzzi attack which was nothing more than an assault on ice.  To me, 50 G and a game or two would have been appropriate, if only for the fact that the RESULT of the hit was so horrendous.  Image is everything and the NHL has a serious image problem with the amount of violent collisions/attacks that have occurred as of late.  Doing something...ANYTHING about the play itself would have been far better than doing absolutely nothing.  I realize that is a very slippery slope to be treading on... punishing based on the severity of the injury suffered by the victim.  The difference is this was an extremely unusual case and can be taken as a stand alone incident.

Even though I believe a suspension/fine was needed in this particular case... there is absolutely NO place for an investigation into possible criminal charges to be laid against Chara.  NONE.  If this hit happened anywhere else on the ice, Pacioretty in all likelihood would not have been hurt (there is no way to be sure he wouldn’t have twisted an ankle or popped an ACL trying to avoid contact) and the result would have been the 2 minute minor for interference. 

This was in no way an “assault”, as many people have labelled it.  It was a tremendously unfortunate result of an event that happens routinely in a collision sport such as hockey, where 200 plus pound players fly around the ice at high speed. (Which incidentally is the exact justification used for not suspending or fining Chara by the NHL)

I do have a few questions that I would like to have answered though...

Where was all of this “moral outrage” that is being shown now, 5 years ago when Carolina Hurricane forward Erik Cole was callously checked from behind head first into the boards in Pittsburgh by defenseman Brooks Orpik?  Cole’s neck was broken in the incident, as Pacioretty’s was this time.  Outside of the folk who support the ‘Canes, nary a peep was made by the general public.  No one screaming for Orpik’s head; no one calling Pittsburgh’s finest to have Orpik arrested at the end of the game.  No sponsors threatening to pull their money from the league.  No politicians talking about it in Question Period.

Nothing!

Where was all of this “moral outrage” that is being shown now, on February 13^th when Trevor Gilles of the New York Islanders wiped out Penguins forward Eric Tangradi with an elbow and several punches?  Or when he blindsided Cal Clutterbuck of the Minnesota Wild just last week?  The league rightfully suspended him 9 games for the first incident and another 10 games for the second...but who was calling the police to have him investigated for not just being a violent criminal but for being a REPEAT offender? 

Were none of the other players who suffered these types of violent hits (that were FAR MORE intentional and premeditated) worthy of stepping up for and raising voices of “moral outrage”?

I have another query that goes right along with this line of questioning that is probably a little more controversial.

If the roles were reversed... and it was Pacioretty who had put Chara into the hospital with a broken neck and concussion... would we hear the same outcry from folks and experts in Montreal calling for, and getting a criminal investigation against one of their own?  Or would they all just call it “an unfortunate part of the game” and “a real shame” and leave it to the NHL to decide?  

You may call that unfair, but based on the complete and utter apathy shown in each and every incident that occurred in the past...it seems pretty clear to me what the answer would be.

Something clearly has to be done.  The movers and shakers in the league need to get together to look at every aspect of the game to see how they can prevent these type of incidents from happening in the future.  The safety of the players and in my estimation the very future of the sport is at risk here.  There is a time and a place for the police to become involved when something happens in the game that leaves the world of collision sport and enters the realm of outright assault (See Todd Bertuzzi)

This time isn’t one of them.

(Again... my heartfelt wishes to Mr. Pacioretty for a speedy and full recovery.  If you can take solace in your future sir, do so in the knowledge that men before you have suffered equally horrendous injuries and have not only come back to play again, but did so and became a Stanley Cup Champion as Erik Cole did.)

What's in a name?

It is the bare minimum you can do to show someone respect. 

Get their name right, when you address them.

Seems like a pretty simple concept.  Sure, not everyone has an easy handle like “Smith” or “Jones” but that doesn’t mean you can choose to arbitrarily shorten it to suit your purpose.

Friends of mine have a surname that many people seem to struggle with for some reason.  It’s pronounced exactly the way it is written and yet people feel compelled to shorten it. (I would give you the name and what it is shortened to, however as I have not asked for permission to identify them in my blog...I am taking the safer route.  You will just have to trust me...while it is a little longer...it really isn’t all that difficult)

This evening during a DARE graduation ceremony, (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) the children were awarded their certificates for completion of the course.  The time came for this young lady to receive her certificate and have her name announced to the audience in recognition of her achievement, and her teacher stammered not once but three times... and then chose to just shorten it and hand out the certificate.

Some might say, “No big deal”... but hold on.

The DARE program doesn’t just teach these kids to avoid drug use, it teaches them the greater lesson about respect for themselves and respect for others.  What kind of respect is being exemplified when the teacher can’t even be bothered to pronounce the name of a child properly.  What’s worse?  This child has been in this teacher’s class for TWO YEARS.

Talking with my friends after the ceremony we were able to have a laugh about it and make a joke or two, but this display of disrespect needs to be addressed.  They suggested that they will do so during the parent teacher interview when they will hold a “phonetics lesson”.  I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall for that exchange.

Now I realize I am being very accusatory in this submission and I know damn well that I have butchered a name or two in my day.  As a sports broadcaster who has had to pronounce women’s tennis star names, I know it can be difficult at times.  But no matter how difficult they are, they deserve to be pronounced properly. 

It really is the very least you can do.

"From thoughtless youth to ruminating age"

I played my first game of volleyball as a 40 year old today and something became brutally clear almost immediately.

I am not a kid anymore.

Now I know how ridiculous that sounds since I was playing the same damn sport just last week and there is very little difference in my play between the two matches.  I described it on my Facebook status as “fleeting moments of adequacy surrounded predominantly by extended periods of ineptitude”. 

As the high paced game proceeded this evening it dawned on me that I just can’t get to the areas of the court I used to by relying on athletic ability (of which I had a little in my day... nothing to write home about... but I did consider myself to be an athlete of sorts).  Now I have to be thinking about 3 plays ahead and try to “cheat” a little to stay competitive with the younger players around me.

(Side note:  I use the word “cheat” loosely here.  It’s not like I am cheating by trimming scores or breaking rules of the game.  I do so to “level the playing field” of sorts.  For example, I can no longer jump very high or maintain the sort of hang time displayed by my opponents, so now in order to execute blocks; I jump much later than I did when I was younger so that my hands are at least above the net when the attack comes.  My teammates who were behind me (and reduced to targets when the block was no longer there) are thankful for the change... it has surely added several years to their lives and reduced the number of bruises on their bodies.)

Oh I TRIED to leap and dive and slide and hustle the way I always have.  The competitive spirit, will and effort were still there. Alas, when I called upon my body... it was just incapable of executing.

Now, those who have watched me play over the past 2 years might suggest that I have had this problem for quite some time and that it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I have completed my 4^th decade of existence...a fair comment.  But it is reaching that milestone that is making me consider it all.

Is there anything to be done about it is now the question.  Do I hit the gym, slim down and re-train the body so I can compete with the younger crowd?  I could... I trimmed down nicely once and as I am currently attempting to lose weight I know I am more than capable of it.

OR...

Do I sit and lament the years gone by and the fleeting youth that I took for granted?

For the love of Pete...

Well, I did it again.  I swore that I wouldn’t do this once I started the blog and lo and behold... I find myself posting my first entry in nearly 4 months. 

It certainly isn’t because I’ve had a lack of things to talk about.  There’s been Ugandan bill writers who want to kill homosexuals, my first driving experience in Downtown Toronto, celebrity train wrecks and the sick desire of the public to watch, my need to torture myself through weekly bowling, proper parental etiquette in watching basketball games and dance recitals, sitting by while a loved one is in a war zone and perhaps the most cliché of topics to write about, turning 40.

While I could bore you to death with some sort of inner turmoil and conflict that I am dealing with by reaching the milestone, it would be a fabrication.  Sure in brief moments of boredom and loneliness, I found myself wallowing; thinking about 40 years that have not worked out as happily as I hoped.  However, it is really true that 40 is just a number and really nothing has changed.  I am still the same guy with the weird sense of humour and the heart on his sleeve that I always was.  So what’s the big deal?

So instead I want to just share a note of pride that I have in some young men I have had the honour of coaching for the past few months in a brief Jr. High basketball season.

When I started coaching to help out a friend over 5 years ago, I did so as a favour and because I loved the sport and I wanted to share that love. 

Over the years I have had teams of different skill levels who had varying levels of success in the sport, and this year was looking to be a difficult one.  There was just one grade 9 boy on the team, less than 10 players total and most of them with very little experience. 

The one thing they did have was desire and effort.  This sounds really corny, but all season long these young men gave effort at every practice, in every drill.  There was simply no quit.

In our final game of the year, after being down for 3 quarters, that desire and effort showed itself and the boys fashioned a come from behind win with a last seconds basket. 

I realize that something as small as this is going to be forgotten by these young men and that in the grand scheme of things the small trophy they won for the consolation final of the Divisional Championship is nothing special. 

What I also know though is that these young men displayed the type of characteristics that will serve them for the rest of their lives.  They showed desire; heart; determination and effort in the face of difficulty.  Sure I showed them how to do proper lay-ups, box out and rebound and how to set screens, but it was the more personal development skills that I hoped would come through... and it did with flying colors.

If I had even the smallest influence in bringing out those attributes in them... then it was mission accomplished.

Congratulations St. Mary Sharks... and thanks for the great season!

As for the complete and total lack of consistency shown to this blog... I apologize.  It’s my hope to prove this will not be another project that fails to hold my commitment. 

So stay with me... and don’t judge this Judge too harshly.