In the news 02/25/2011

Article headline from the Dallas News states:

Cowboys running back Marion Barber donates $500,000 worth of computers to Dallas ISD high schools

Click here for article while it lasts.

I read this article and I give props to Marion Barber for giving back to a few schools in the Dallas ISD.

I think all high-paid athletes should give back. They are making millions and with all these budget cuts and the down economy every amount, especially $500k, helps.

It's also the right thing to do when it's these communities that are helping to pay their salaries. These children's parents are probably fan(atics) that pay top dollar to attend the football games and frivolous events with their family and friends. They should be acknowledged and rewarded in some way.

Anyway, big high five to Marion, for his donation could not have come at a better time with the anticipated education budget cuts. Oh yeah and it says that Marion approached the principal of one of the schools to see what he can do.

BIG HIGH FIVE TO BARBER!

Racists, racists everywhere

I just got a chance to write about this but there was an incident at my roller hockey game a couple of weeks ago.

No, it didn't involve me.

It could have easily been avoided but there's this uncanny knack that men cannot take the high road (I'm guilty of this once in a while as well). It bears no weight that most are at least in their late 20s and above on whether they act like a jackass or not!

This though was completely ignorant and 95% one guy's fault.

So, picture my teammate: about 6'2", Caucasian, biker mustache/goatee, definitely seems to have anger issues. He's on the bench with me and my brother when a team member of the opposing team seemingly (more than likely) takes a dive to draw a penalty. One is called on our team but for slashing instead of tripping. Weird but we move on.

"Angry man" responds to the call with something like "What was that?" "Are you seriously going to call that?" "That was a Dora-like performance!"

Where that last comment came from is beyond me other than the fact that the "diving guy" was seemingly (more than likely) Hispanic or Mexican. The Dora comment was pretty ignorant but I guess if one dug deep enough the correlation could be made...maybe. The point is there was really no need to bring ethnicity into it.

So, the immature bantering goes on between my teammate and the "Diver" and a couple of others on the opposing team. There is about 20 seconds left in the game and what players just happen to be left on the rink: White guy, the Diver and a few other Hispanics (presumably), and my brother (who looks Mexican like I do).

All of a sudden we see White guy get tackled by Diver. Which is just plain stupid to begin with because we are all "adults" but I do understand the Diver's reaction to the ignorant Dora comment. White guy gets out from under Diver but is in a kind of sitting position and then Diver's brother bum rushes White guy, knocking him to his back and sucker punches the White guy on the left side of his face.

It's not my altercation so I remain on the bench as to not bend/break any of the "rules" as I really don't know what the facility's rules are to begin with. I just know it's not my issue and I'm not friends with White guy or Diver.

My brother sees it another way. He's three years older than me and a little shorter and scrawnier. But he has the same temper - we get that from our dad. Anyway, my brother sees the sucker punch and goes in to pull Diver's brother off White guy. I yell from the bench for him to stay out of it. His wife and son are in the stands watching and I hear her voice the same sentiment. I keep a close eye on my brother because if someone did involve him, I would have jumped off that bench and leaped over the wall to bust some knees! Fortunately, the facility workers were able to separate and settle things if not temporarily. They went ahead and ran the remaining 20 seconds off the clock and the game was called. Our team was victorious.

We are removing our equipment in the locker room (basically the back side of the stands without doors or really a room) when I told my brother that I'm glad he stayed out of it. His wife and son again shared the sentiment. My brother said he wasn't getting involved until he saw Diver's brother sucker punch White guy. He just wanted to make sure it didn't happen again.

After a few minutes or so, when we were done de-equipping and getting ready to leave, my brother walks down to White guy and says something. My brother starts to walk back towards me and I hear White guy say, "No disrespect," and my brother says, "That's alright. I'm not Mexican."

My brother sits back next to me and says that White guy skated by Diver and said, "Chico." This apparently is what set off Diver. This is also some portion of what White guy probably said and "apologized" to my brother because White guy thought my brother was Mexican.

So, other than the obvious immaturities, I was a little bothered by the situation. Granted, I'm not Mexican but as I've stated time and again, I look Mexican, especially to the ignorant gringos of the U.S of A. especially in the border states!

Should I feel offended by White guy's comments even though it wasn't me and I'm NOT Mexican? Yes, because that very well could have been me he asininely called, "Dora" or "Chico." Would it have pissed me off like it obviously did Diver? Fuck yeah it would have!

Should I feel awkward by my brother's oblivious statement of "It's okay, I'm Hawaiian?" Because fucking White guy thought he was Mexican to begin with. And as such, his Dora and Chico comments could have indirectly affected us. Just because we aren't Mexican, doesn't mean we haven't had to deal with the outright ignorance, stupidity, racism and dickheadedness of White guy in some form or fashion.

White guy is obviously a pigheaded dip shit that doesn't know any better. Diver is probably an asshole too but it has nothing to do with him being Mexican. My brother is just a dumb ass for encouraging White guy and thinking that whatever White guy said was funny or intelligent sounding.

So, it bothered me a bit. I'm over it but I wanted to write what I was feeling/thinking at the time. I'm just as racist as the next White guy but I've written before about how I don't think it's racism by me when I hate and make fun of every race. :-) Most of the time I'll make fun of your intelligence, your overall life skills and your wife or family in general (even though I don't know her/them). Sometimes, deep down in my mind I may have some damn good racial slurs waiting to creep out of my vocal chords but the odds are I won't bring them to the plate unless the other person brings it first. Even then, I really try to keep my arguments precise and to the point and if your race had nothing to do with it, why even bother mentioning it? It's a waste of time and effort for the argument and it just shows the ignorance of the person who flung the race card because they can't hold their own without turning it to race.

I guess that's all I have to say about that.

The homeless are on my nerves

I am so done with dealing with the homeless! Okay, so I don't actually "deal" with them but I do have to see them. I can't go to an intersection these days without seeing a freaking vagrant on the corner. Not only do they "pollute" the street with their presence, they have the audacity to come up to my window looking like pitiful people with these cardboard signs that say, "Please help, God bless" or "Hungry, please help God bless" or some variation of the form. Most of the signs usually have something about "God". Now, if these people truly believe in God do they really think that it was his plan for them to sit on a street corner looking for hand outs? Ok, ok...I know some of you will say that a lot of these people aren't there by choice. They are mentally challenged or some bullshit like that. Give me a break! I'm mentally challenged. Sure I have a high IQ and I have a job and family and blah, blah, blah, but that doesn't mean I'm not mentally challenged in some form or fashion!

I'm sick of these people invading my space. I can bare with the fact that they are on the street corner or wherever they may be. What I don't like is when they approach my vehicle. I don't know if they are just going to stand there and beg or they are going to reach in my window - if open - and grab my McDonald's double cheeseburger! Seriously though, they are inches from my vehicle and they could attack me, my vehicle or anyone else for that matter.

I consider these people no different than the phone salesman that calls me at home anywhere from 9am to 9pm. You don't like these people so why do you feel any pity for the vagrants stinking up our street corners? They both are making money. The phone salesman probably is making a steady base versus the vagrant who reaps what he sows. A lot of these vagrants make a decent, tax free living. Our local news channel did a study on these people and one reporter even pretended to be homeless and made about $100 for his day of work. I've seen a few myself walk from the street corner to a local parking lot not far from where he was pacing and get into a vehicle that's newer and in better shape than mine!

My problem with these people, whether they are on the phone or on the street, is that they are intruding on my personal time and space. Why should I be made to feel - it's a very quick feeling - a sense of guilt for these "homeless and hungry" because they are putting themselves in my personal space? I work hard for my money. I work hard for my free time. I don't need my time and space infringed upon by these people. I mention again how safe do you feel when some burly man - black, white, mexican or whatever - comes about a foot away from your vehicle window? It's a dangerous situation, especially if you encounter one of the "mentally ill" ones. Why would a person feel safer if one of these vagrants approached their car versus some other "normal" person? No sane person would.

They could buy buy some island in the middle of the ocean or something that has vegetation and wildlife - I don't want the guys to starve to death anymore than they already are! But I do think that they should fend for themselves and stop polluting our streets with their...bodies. There is this movie called No Escape where prisoners are sent to this "prison" island. In the movie, they get supplies dropped off periodically but all in all they pretty much fend for themselves. No bothering people that contribute to society and no littering the city streets. Now I don't know how fancy we'd get with the homeless because in the movie they were hardened criminals - most of them anyway.

Sometimes I drive by these people on the street and they are wearing name brand clothing like Nike, Addidas, Gap or FUBU. Some even have newer clothes than I do. I even saw one guy with a dog. I can't even afford to have a dog! Anyhow, I am sure these people have tried to enter and contribute to society in an "official" manner but have failed or bailed for some reason. It's never their fault, right, like a druggie or alcoholic?

My local city is a booming metroplex. They have come up with a possible plan to "help" the homeless problem. They have proposed to make some kind of center downtown, which is where the homeless typically tend to hover, wander and sleep. This sounds like a wonderful thing but that's only if the homeless take advantage of it, the center provides them with whatever the hell it is they might be looking for and if they bums stop begging on the street corners. I hope that the city doesn't expect the working people in the city to pay for this venture through our tax dollars. I'm not into helping out those that don't want to help out themselves. I need all my money just as much as they don't want to work!

So there is my rant. Just put your feelings into perspective...you don't like that phone salesman calling while you are eating dinner or waking you from a nap. Why would you want to have this "street salesman" interrupt you while you are driving or leisurely walking around town with your family or friends? At least the phone salesman doesn't have the chance to reach into your vehicle window or attack you on the street!

Later!

Presentation DONE!

Put that in the history books, folks!

I think I spoke a little fast (usually done when I'm exited or nervous) and a little long (I did something like 7 ^1/2 minutes..oops!) but I think it went really well. My presentation partner did a great job too. In fact, I think we had to stay up at the front of the class after our presentation longer afterwards than anyone else. We were questioned and inquired to on various aspects of our topic: corporate (and individual) philanthropy.

Good job, Jay and John (my presentation partner)!

[slaps self on back]