Dawood Khan's Blog

Archive for May 7th, 2008|Daily archive page

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Talking

In Literature, Middle East on May 7, 2008 at 4:44 pm

And then a scholar said, “Speak of Talking.”

And he answered, saying:

You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts;

And when you can no longer dwell in the solitude of your heart you live in your lips, and sound is a diversion and a pastime.

And in much of your talking, thinking is half murdered.

For thought is a bird of space, that in a cage of words many indeed unfold its wings but cannot fly.

There are those among you who seek the talkative through fear of being alone.

The silence of aloneness reveals to their eyes their naked selves and they would escape.

And there are those who talk, and without knowledge or forethought reveal a truth which they themselves do not understand.

And there are those who have the truth within them, but they tell it not in words.

In the bosom of such as these the spirit dwells in rhythmic silence.

When you meet your friend on the roadside or in the market place, let the spirit in you move your lips and direct your tongue.

Let the voice within your voice speak to the ear of his ear;

For his soul will keep the truth of your heart as the taste of the wine is remembered

When the color is forgotten and the vessel is no more.

from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

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Dick Vitale is an emotional tampon

In Sports on May 7, 2008 at 4:18 pm

Below are excerpts from a Dick Vitale article which laments the firing of Avery Johnson. It would seem that Vitale thinks that Basketball coaches should be retained no matter what happens. Teams or Team owners should be satisfied with a coach no matter why he was hired and no matter how much money these coaches demand in compensation and benefits. The Coach is always right. Even if they’re wrong. And should never be fired.

In the NBA, it is all about what happens today. If you don’t do well, just pack your bags because you’re gone. Go ask Avery Johnson, formerly the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. All he did in less than four full seasons was put up an impressive 194-70 regular-season mark.

When you are brought in to take a team to the next level and you fail to do so…

The problem is, his playoff record was 23-24. Dallas was on the verge of winning an NBA title, which would have made Johnson a hero. But after going up 2-0 against the Heat a few years back, the Mavericks won just three of their next 15 postseason games, ultimately leading to Mark Cuban’s decision to say bye-bye to his coach.

Exactly, no play off success…no big pay day. It’s not that difficult to figure out.

Johnson handled his firing with real class. He said there was no animosity between himself and the Mavericks, even believing that a change could be beneficial to everyone. Johnson did a phenomenal job in Dallas; his personality is so infectious. I feel his knowledge of the game is certainly special. He got the most out of his ability and did the same with his talent.

Unfortunately, life in the NBA can be unfair. It takes just a couple of poor performances in the playoffs to lead to the hook. Last year’s loss to the eighth-seeded Warriors was painful for the Mavs. Then following that up with a loss to New Orleans led directly to the dismissal.

Same as with the Tubby situation. Huge amounts of cash were being transferred to Avery Johnson’s bank account for one reason and one reason only.

WINNING CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!

He wasn’t being paid to have class. That’s something you do to make your mother proud. It’s not something for which one is paid.

Again. Johnson was being paid HUGE dollar amounts to WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS. What about that is difficult to understand.

Dallas could not handle the unbelievable play of Chris Paul. So a man who won 60, 67 and 51 games over the last three seasons found himself unemployed. My friends, he will not be out of a job for long as several teams have openings.

Johnson will survive and he will not be kept down. He has spirit, energy and enthusiasm. Johnson has knowledge and knows how to communicate.

Who is trying to keep him down? Who is threatening Johnsons survival?

Again, he was being paid HUGE SUMS of money to take Dallas to the next level. He couldn’t quite do it. And over the past few years, he was heading in the opposite direction.

Again, I ask. Who is trying to keep him down? Who is threatening Johnson’s survival?

It is all about winning the gold trophy. If you don’t accomplish that lofty task, it is tough to survive. You can be Coach of the Year one season and then out of work the next. With the mega-dollars being thrown around, the owners certainly have a right to make changes when they desire.

Life in the big time is like a rollercoaster. Johnson has gone through a few bumpy playoff rides, but trust me … he will land on his feet and do just fine.

I’m glad that he’ll land on his feet. I just wonder why Dookie Vitale needed to pull off this puff piece. He dogs the owners out. Then excuses the failings of the coach.

If you take that big money, you take the risk of being fired. These coaches are well compensated. At both levels. College and Pro. It would serve Vitale well to remember that.

Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN’s first college basketball game in December 1979. Send him a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.

There is a reason that Dick Vitale is no longer a College or Pro Coach. He wasn’t very good at it.

Avery Johnson is a victim of nothing. It’s laughable to state such a thing. He was well compensated. He had a good run. In the end, he fell short of the goals set forth by Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks. Like Avery himself stated, it was time for new leadership. Time for a change.

Dick Vitale is an emotional tampon. This opinion/puff piece was as worthless as most of the trash that he cruelly thrusts upon the unsuspecting world wide web.

Comments. Questions? Smart remarks…

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College Basketball Recruiting

In Sports, UK Basketball on May 7, 2008 at 3:49 pm

The trend of players choosing a college before a high school

You’re joking.

Howard Avery uttered those two words into his phone last Monday after Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie offered Avery’s son, Michael, a scholarship. Avery had called to follow up on an encounter with Gillispie at a LeBron James-sponsored tournament in Akron, Ohio, the previous weekend. NCAA rules forbade Gillispie from discussing Michael’s play with Avery at the tournament site.

Gillispie could, however, field Avery’s call two days later, after the family had returned home to Lake Sherwood, Calif., Gillispie told the proud papa that after watching Michael, a 6-foot-4 combo guard with a sweet shooting stroke, play in a pair of games with the Indiana Elite travel team, he had seen all he needed to see. Gillispie wanted Avery’s son to come to Lexington. The brevity of the evaluation didn’t cause the elder Avery to question Gillispie’s tone, though. Neither did the fact that such a momentous occasion was taking place during a phone call instead of during a campus visit.

Avery simply couldn’t believe the University of Kentucky head coach had just offered a scholarship to an eighth grader who had never set foot on campus and who still had yet to decide where he would attend high school. By now you know Michael Avery accepted that scholarship offer. When the news hit the Web shortly after Avery committed last Thursday, criticism rained on Gillispie and Avery.

The questions were pointed but predictable:

1. How could Kentucky — college basketball royalty — stoop to offering a scholarship to an eighth grader?

2. How could that child’s parents allow him to accept a scholarship offer 40 months before he can sign a Letter of Intent?

3. Will this turn into college basketball’s version of the subprime mortgage crisis with coaches (banks) trying in four or five years to excavate themselves from the wreckage of a series of bad offers (loans)?

Here are the answers:

1. Gillispie offered because he was worried someone else would beat him to the punch. In this case, “someone else” translates loosely to USC coach Tim Floyd, who accepted commitments in consecutive years from players who had yet to suit up for a high school team.

2. After three days of deliberation and discussion, Avery’s parents were quite comfortable with their son’s choice. Howard Avery — who said he wasn’t comfortable allowing his son to be interviewed for this story — will explain further in a few paragraphs.

3. Possibly, depending on how well coaches can project 13- and 14-year-olds. For the time being, get used to the early offers. “These aren’t aberrations,” Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Jerry Meyer said Monday night, minutes before he called Greenfield, Ohio, ninth-grader Vinny Zollo for a story about Zollo’s commitment to Kentucky. “It’s like an arms race,” Meyer said. “You’ve got to offer first.”

Sometimes early commitments pan out. Sometimes they don’t. Huntington Beach, Calif., forward Taylor King committed to UCLA prior to his freshman year at Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.). Two years later, he told the Los Angeles Times, “I made my decision way too early. It was too early to know what I wanted.” King eventually signed with Duke. After spending much of 2007-08 on the bench, King announced last month he would transfer to Villanova.

This guy hits it pretty much exactly as I see it.

And you’ll notice that Gillispie wasn’t the first to do this and 8th Grade is not the youngest recruiting commitment out there. But Dick Vitale and the other talking heads often open their mouths before they know all of the facts.

In sports, there is not much investigative journalism. There are a mass of pinheads who are paid to shout at the top of their lungs of the greatnress of Coach K or Duke or UNC or insert any ACC school. Sports “journalism” is a collective of arrogant loud mouthed hooligans who get paid to shout the company line and to react to scandal.

Dookie Vitale and the rest are charlatans, BABY!

Finally, one guy at CNNSI spends a little time and effort and uncovers the real story behind this rising recruiting trend.

Dick Vitale in his usual reactionary, superficial manner tells us that this was nothing more than “headline grabbing” and that it is unhealthy. Vitale is one of the worst columnists in the biz. The guy is as deep as a mustard stain on Michael Moore’s favorite t-shirt.

Dick Vitale and the rest of his cronies should learn the facts before they wail and lament the downfall of civilization or college basketball as we know it.

See also Dick Vitale is an emotional tampon.

Comments. Question? Smart remarks.

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An Afghan Wedding

In Afghanistan, culture on May 7, 2008 at 8:30 am

Wahid is one of the terps who works with me here in Herat. He’s a pretty laid back guy. We’ve developed a pretty good friendship over the course of the past year. I didn’t always think that such would be the case. So it’s kind of funny to be making that statement. He moonlights at night in Herat as an English teacher. What you see below is the product of 6 months study (and a bit of an attitude…lol) on the part of one of his students. Nether I nor Wahid made correction or edited the piece. This is straight from a 16 year old Afghani male English student.

An Afghan Wedding

In our country Afghanistan, the youths mostly get married in the early ages. And the marriage process has its own traditions and customaries which sometimes make difficulties for the both sides. Comparing to the other countries Afghan people have kept their culture even though it sucks.

Initially the groom’s family propos to the bride’s family through a traditional gathering. They usually do it several times to get the agreement from the bride’s side and in order to become more familiar with them. During the proposing process, the bride’s family investigate to find out more about the reputation of the groom; for example they will check if the groom is a nice guy, he has a good job, he is able to look after his future wife and in the other words if he is healthy and not addicted to the drugs like opium or hashish… At the end if they find out that the groom fits into their family, they will choose him as their future son in law. Then the both sides will be taking care of the wedding traditions. That’s just the beginning of the misery. This misery is definitely pleasant for bride’s side because they get paid really good but poor groom is going to live hand to mouth for the rest of his life.

I read it out loud in our office and everyone burst out laughing. It’s hilarious. And it contains a lot of truth. Reading that passage will give you a good idea of the typical conversation around the office. You kinda have to translate their English along the way. But we have a good time.

We spend a lot of time talking about the cultural differences of our countries. Fawad is another terp in our office. When he first came to work with us, one of the first conversations I had with him was about weddings. He asked me how much it cost to get married in America. I started talking about Weddings and such. But what he was asking about was the dowry. How much for the bride price. In Afghanistan, you have to pay the brides family to marry her. They have a traditional sit meeting called the Nikah where they haggle over the bride price. I’m told that the average is around $5,000.

Another guy who works in my office named Farhad told me that he couldn’t marry the girl that he wanted because his mother refused to participate in the “barbaric practice.” His mother’s words. Not mine. So regardless of Farhad or the girls feelings, they had to break it off. Later, he told me that she was to be married to a guy from Kabul. He was pretty heart broken. But, the girl threatened to kill herself if she was forced to marry. So the wedding was called off.

I’m told that this is common in Afghanistan and Pakistan. A girl being forced to marry someone that she doesn’t want to marry will threaten to commit suicide. Sometimes the wedding is called off. Other times, the father forces the marriage. Sometimes with fatal results.

This is a funny video about attending Afghan weddings.

Here are a few links that give you insight to Afghan Weddings. Good and bad.

Afghan girl in Britain is taken to Afghanistan and Pakistan to find a suitable husband whom she is forced to marry.

Observations from an American (?) Girl at an Afghan Wedding.

Modern Afghan Wedding.

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