Aug. 29, 2003 - 18:12 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Side Of The Week

Two days after 'hump' day is Friday. I wonder how many folks got off work today to make that glorious four day weekend, summer's final fling. A time of fun and games that some folks never fully recover from and some folks die. The rest of us cautiously have a grand time with no regrets.

It is again time for the Friday Five,

1. - Are you going to school this year ?

A. - No.

2. - If yes, where are you going (high school, college, etc.)? If no, when did you graduate ?

A. - I would have graduated in 1938, but quit school. In 1963 I obtained my GED.

3. - What are/were your favorite school subjects ?

A. - Art, literature, (Social Science - now called what ? Civics maybe.

4. - What were your least favorite school subjects ?

A. - A part of English called Grammar. I had almost perfect usage then, but having missed fourth grade I had never learned the basics of grammar. Mathematics, Algebra too.

5. - Have you ever had a favorite school teacher ? Why was she/he a favorite.

A. - My first grade teacher, Mrs. Gray who was quite old it seemed to me, she was gray haired and wrinkled, who had love for children and patience enough to lead us into learning. Mr. C. E. Armstrong in Junior High who in one afternoon after school taught me as much math as I could handle, mainly by answering my "why" questions. Mrs. Wilson, my English teacher (who was also an accomplished artist) who spent hours after school trying to pound that esoteric art of grammar into my head and finally on final report card day, held me back after class and gave me my card with a "D" on it, she cried as she gave it to me, possibly because after all her effort I was still a dunce. I loved her to the nth degree - she was so kind. Mr. Mcglone in high school, a 'straight on' man with great integrity who believed me when others didn't.

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In today's (8/29/03) Rocky Mountain News, an article by Ted Bridis of the Associated Press. "FBI to arrest 'Blaster' suspect." "18-year-old allegedly created worm that wreaked PC havoc."

And I felt like a vandal when I went out and soaped windows on Halloween. Jeepers I never dreamed of waxing windows as some kids did. Now teen age kids can cause damages of millions of dollars because they are vandals. I expect they will plead that they had a bad home life. Maybe they are right, real parents would have taught them better.

A column by Deroy Murdock of the Scripps Howard News Service - titled, "Are 'ethics' officers a good idea ?"

Corporate 'ethics' officer ? Oxymoronic I think. Looks to me that if accounting firms can be bought to do the dirty, so could 'ethics' officers.

Mentioned in the column, "Corporations can fly into moral turbulence without breaking the law. Just ask American Airlines (AMR). Last spring its management gave 45 top executives $100 million in bonuses and pension payments even as it sought federal bailouts and secured labor concessions. These emoluments were buried in an SEC filing that arose after union members ratified $10 billion in wage and benefit cuts over six years to keep AMR from landing in bankruptcy court."

Better check and see if some of those vandalistic teen agers have corporate parents of that kind.

TGIF and some folks who have slaved over underpaid jobs may get a respite over this long weekend, but I'll bet they won't go sailing on their own yacht.

Life in these United States over the hump and on the down Side Of The Week . . . . . . . . . . .

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