Some credit to the NHL is in order as I took in a couple of periods of the Flames vs Hawks last night at Big Al’s pub over at International Avenue. No fights! Some inspired play by John Goudreau of the Flames. Fairly tight checking with low scoring and the O/T shoot out didn’t conclude until the 7th round. The goalies prevailed over the course of thirteen straight one on one encounters. Some sharp stick handler tallied the winner with a somewhat controversial deposit following a deke which arguably entailed backward movement of the puck – hence testing the rules. In fact, I’m surprised that officiating didn’t utilize video replay for confirming the game winning goal.
The game has taken positive steps to enhance the entertainment value. In spite of there being regulations around the size of goalie equipment, in my opinion those goalie pads are still too big. The Hawks may have won the game had the Flames goalie been fitted with a smaller catching glove. There weren’t many penalties and much to my surprise the game was played quite cleanly. Moments of suspense were endured by Flames fans when their team was shorthanded in the overtime period. However; the dump and chase style of play is still evident asking one whether coaches believe that offense can penetrate to the net with the three on two rush. This particular game was defensive dominant thereby limiting the excitement factor. The four on four format for the overtime is a definite positive. Advertisement interference was pleasingly tolerable – especially when matched up against the adjacent screen carrying the Broncos and Texans. I did not witness any acts of poor sportsmanship and coverage by Sportsnet was good. Given my criticism of the NHL, some balance was due. A shout out to Big Al’s for your warmth as my host!
The “one tough woman” phrase gets me thinking. Yes, it’s arisen in the context of one newbie politician attempting to walk back insults directed toward his adversary. However; the basis of female toughness deserves scrutiny. Call me old fashioned but I like a woman that’s not tougher than me. I like chivalry in places and I like the interpersonal dynamic of a woman in my company who’s not fighting for equality at every turn. Bonding is beautified in the context of protection. The act of protecting is goodness in men’s nature and I’m suspicious of any particular woman’s compulsion to equate in the most ridiculous of situations. I admire those women who are in fact mentally sharper than their husbands but have a skill in managing their prowess in the context of the relationship. Genuine joy is predominant in softness as opposed to toughness. Life requires toughness but couples require softness in order for chemistry to endure. We are caring when our emotional posture moves like a free flowing pendulum in our daily lives ensuring that we mirror our environment existentially.
The Star this morning has reported on the plight of immigrants working through temp agencies. It should be no surprise that take home pay for such workers are a pittance when factoring in day care costs, taxes and the “pimp”. I have a client who introduced me to this label which I actually find quite fitting. Ryerson University will be reporting on these “middle men” in an upcoming report. When I lived in Vancouver for a time, I was registered with about five agencies. I’d get on the phone in the morning to see what was happening and mostly get the cold shoulder. One particular agency was responsible for the majority of my hours. One occasion led to a respectable full time job where I was able to make an impact. In fact, this position launched my “reworked career”. This should be what “temping” is all about. A worker should be in transition while pursuing a focused primary career goal. It should not be a way of life.
In Canada, we pay too much income tax. Employers are also burdened by payroll taxes which tempt them to temp out situations which arise in their business as opposed to binding themselves to legacy like costs. It makes business sense. It also reduces the burden placed on an “HR department”. Unfortunately, socialist government models impede the capitalist instinct. Workers are less inclined to promote themselves directly to employers and employers are less inclined to make commitments to workers. Ryerson will be releasing a “study” but I can espouse with confidence that one doesn’t need a PHD in economics to deduct the street level ramifications of the market condition for temps. When business can’t compete with public sector salaries and pension plans, it will look to the market for ways and means to obtain non-payroll help. Alternatively, it will close up shop or find a more business friendly jurisdiction.
There is a kindness crisis according to a poll conducted by Sesame Street. Seventy per cent of parents claim that the world is unkind to their kids. This adult senses it on the street – literally in traffic. I sense it in our political discourse and I sense it in the voidance of cordial gestures of etiquette. I sense it at the poker table and in the board room. I sense it in transit and telephony systems. I sense it in the body language of souls transfixed by their electronic “devices” and in the spoken language of those perhaps ill equipped to reach for an empathetic word when “f@ck” is at the tip of a tongue. It’s as if a new substandard came into being precipitated by a confluence of events imperceptible to the naked eye producing a cultural shift engineered by a generation naive to the values of their forefathers and the historic deeds undertaken to sew a landscape of autonomy.
Materialism as a precursor perhaps forms an element. The great divide between the haves and have-nots has never been greater. A tempestuous outreach in order to “acquire” may brew in the hearts of some looking to hurdle through patronage, political partisanship, and indifference. Perhaps, it’s a proclamation of entitlement to rudeness in the face of perceived injustice casting out emotional residue to a society dumbfounded.
My sister and I today speculated over the degree of contempt our mother would have expressed had she been alive to witness the news today of despicable behavior apparently conducted by one candidate for the presidency of the United States, Donald Trump. Our mother would have espoused that character matters in a world leader. This person would need to represent the values of the people of whom he or she would hope to lead. This person would need to possess maturity, grace, and thoughtfulness toward all ethnicities while appreciating each other’s individual differences. This person would be positive and attuned to the basic aspirations of goodness driving humanity. This person would be articulate, reciprocal, and strong with ideals compatible with shaping the common good while not interfering with one’s quest for liberty. Our mother would have expected a political campaign to be infused with conceptually intriguing debate tempting her to stretch her own boundaries of belief on public policy matters. She would have imbibed intangible “between the lines” candidate remarks and telling body language. Her attentiveness would have been keen with a perception that her children’s lives north of the border could be affected by policy produced by the U.S.A. She would have been onto him at word one.
Although hardly immune from humanity’s dark side having taught school while raising six kids, I’m frankly grateful that her life was not tainted by exposure to displays of indecency by one, Donald Trump, candidate for U.S. President.
