I had my breakfast on the deck and just enjoyed lounging around in the sun.....but I had chores to do and first was laundry followed by getting my clothes and suitcase sorted out...then some work on the computer...Skyped my Brother to find out what happened to him....one of his passions is golf and he is pretty good and this morning he was playing in his club's singles championship.....he was at one stage up by two shots but when it came to the final hole he missed a putt and finished up one shot behind....still so proud of you Malc and I want you to accept this on behalf of all my readers!!!!!
Do you remember Bob Hope? You'll enjoy this.
I had forgotten that he lived to be 100, and also didn't realize it has been over 10 years since he died.
Always enjoyed him, his movies, and his show. He touched a lot of lives during his life.
Thought you might enjoy a bit of memory touching. Enjoy and recall a neat comedian.
__________________________________________BOB HOPE IN HEAVENFor those of you too young to remember Bob Hope, ask your Grandparents and thanks for the memories. WHAT A WONDERFUL E-MAIL.
I HOPE THIS WILL PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART.
This is a tribute to a man who DID make a difference.
ON TURNING 70
'I still chase women, but only downhill.'ON TURNING 80
'That's the time of your life when even your birthday suit needs pressing.'ON TURNING 90
'You know you're getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.'ON TURNING 100
'I don't feel old. In fact, I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap.'ON GIVING UP HIS EARLY CAREER, BOXING
'I ruined my hands in the ring. The referee kept stepping on them.'ON NEVER WINNING AN OSCAR
'Welcome to the Academy Awards, or, as it's called at my home, 'Passover.'ON GOLF
'Golf is my profession. Show business is just to pay the green fees.'ON PRESIDENTS
'I have performed for 12 presidents but entertained only six.'ON WHY HE CHOSE SHOWBIZ FOR
HIS CAREER
'When I was born, the doctor said to my mother,
Congratulations, you have an eight pound ham.'ON RECEIVING THE
CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL
'I feel very humble, but I think I have the strength of character to fight it.'ON HIS FAMILY'S EARLY POVERTY
'Four of us slept in the one bed. When it got cold, mother threw on another brother.'ON HIS SIX BROTHERS
'That's how I learned to dance. Waiting for the bathroom.'ON HIS EARLY FAILURES
'I would not have had anything to eat if it wasn't for the stuff the audience threw at me.'ON GOING TO HEAVEN
'I've done benefits for ALL religions.
I'd hate to blow the hereafter on a technicality.'
Give me a sense of humor Lord, give me the grace to see a joke,
To get some humor out of life, and pass it on to other folk.
To the person receiving this, the grace to pass it on to others.
Over the weekend at a huge tennis competition in Indian Wells, California the CEO of the association made some really unbelievable comments that are sure to be his down fall this article below follows on top of that...
'Equal pay is as much a myth as it is a minefield'
We're more popular. Pay us more.
An apparently simple argument put forward by Novak Djokovic, one that seems to make both philosophical and financial sense. Why should female tennis players be paid the same as their male counterparts when fewer spectators want to watch them?
Except equal pay is as much a myth as it is a minefield.
While each of the four Grand Slam tournaments offers the same prize money for men and women (although it took Wimbledon until 2007 and the French Open until 2006, while the US Open had done so as far back as 1973) tennis does not reward its stars in anywhere near the same way.
Djokovic, world number one in 2015, won three of the four Slams last year. He was victorious in 93.18% of his matches. His reward for that, in prize money alone, was £14.5m.
Serena Williams, world number one on the WTA Tour, also won three of the four Slams. She won 94.64% of her matches across the year. Her total prize money? £7.3m.
A little of that disparity came from Djokovic's greater success outside the Slams, and a little more from the fact injury ended Serena's season in October.
Men's v women's tennis
973 million
viewers for men's 2015 ATP tour
395 million
for women's 2015 WTA events and finals
- $21.65m won by Novak Djokovic in 2015
- $10.58m won by Serena Williams in 2015
- 1973 US Open became first Grand Slam to offer equal prize money
- 2007 Wimbledon joined other Grand Slams in offering equal prize money
But it was not a historical anomaly. In 2014, Williams - again ranked number one - won one Grand Slam, seven titles and the year-end WTA championships. That earned her £6.5m.
Djokovic, also top ranked, won one Grand Slam, seven titles and the year-end ATP championships. He earned £9.9m.
After winning in Indian Wells at the weekend, Djokovic said: "We have much more spectators on the men's tennis matches. I think that's one of the reasons why maybe we should get awarded more."
That, at best, is only a selective argument. Most tennis fans describe themselves as exactly that - lovers of the game, rather than one tour above the other, with the usual partiality for a particular player more likely to be based around their character and on-court style rather than gender.
It is also only selectively true. As Serena pointed out after her final in California: "Last year the women's final at the US Open sold out well before the men."
Djokovic will pick up on stadium attendances because they are there around him as he plays, although the 21st century sporting world is one in which bums on seats contribute far less to finances than television deals.
In the financial year to April 2014, Premier League champions Manchester City made £47m from matchday income - not just tickets, but all revenues at Etihad Stadium during games. From television and broadcasting they earned £133m. Professional tennis follows a similar pattern.
Men's tennis already earns far more from broadcasting rights than the women's game. The latest WTA media deal is worth £365m over 10 years; Stuart Watts, CEO of ATP Media, is forecasting £904m revenues over same period.
That already feeds into the respective prize funds. It is also not a result solely of the popularity of the two tours.
It reflects too a historical cultural predisposition to male sport, the way sports broadcasting is frequently marketed at a predominantly male demographic, how the rest of the mainstream media devotes so much more coverage to men's sport than women's and so influences demand.
If female tennis players are the beneficiaries of the sport's collective bargaining at the biggest events, as some argue within the men's game, then so are many male players.
Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are all huge draws. People fill arenas to watch them. At the big tournaments they will queue overnight to get tickets.
What of the men they beat? How many of those who sat courtside in Indian Wells on Sunday did so because they wanted to watch Milos Raonic, who Djokovic beat in straight sets?
Men's tennis, just as women's tennis, is not unanimously appreciated. Specific players are, and specific rivalries.
Djokovic, a wonderful player, as relentless in his training and preparation as on court, deserves his success. He is also fortunate his career has overlapped with those of Federer, Nadal and Murray, for it is the intensity and frequency of the battles between those players, rather than their gender, that have made them such a draw.
How many of those who came to the semi-finals at Indian Wells were drawn to see Raonic's defeat of David Goffin, and how many to see Djokovic take on Nadal? Goffin and Nadal left with identical prize money all the same.
Popularity alone can never be the defining factor in how the cake is divided. Had Raonic won this weekend, should he have received less prize money because more spectators had come to watch and support Djokovic? Should Federer have won more than Djokovic at the 2014 Wimbledon final because he had the backing of more of those seated around Centre Court?
If there is an argument about who is paid what in tennis, it might more profitably be focused on the more jarring incongruities - how Maria Sharapova, who has won a grand total of one set in her past 14 matches against Serena, could nonetheless have yearly earnings that dwarf those of the 21-time Grand Slam singles winner.
If there is an argument in tennis to be made about inequity, it should be as much about attitudes as cold cash - about why Serena's dominance of the women's game is frequently described as boring when Djokovic's supremacy on the men's tour is breathtaking; why a series of broken service games in men's tennis is likely to be depicted as a thrilling, see-saw contest while in a women's match it's often blamed on mental flakiness or physical inability.
People watch women's tennis for the contests and the characters, for the skill and the strategies, for the fact we are witnessing the best in their chosen field.
To claim that men should take an even larger proportion of a revenue pool they already dominate would be to denigrate so much of that.
Ignore too the old caveats about how many sets are played, or else Usain Bolt will have to be satisfied with a fraction of the earnings of a marathon runner, and Chris Gayle see a batsman who scores a Test century over seven hours be rewarded in a way that he could not be for doing the same in 47 balls.
Sport is not like most of the industries the rest of us work in. At its basic level it is as meritocratic as is possible: if you are the superior player on that day, you will win.
I think that is a great article....and tonight just heard on the news the man at the middle of the controversy has resigned his position immediately...good riddens he needs to get his thinking updated!!
At 1 pm I walked the few hundred yards to the tennis club and happy to report that I played 4 hard sets and it was so much fun and I do not know when I shall have a racket in my hand again so I savored every game.
Back home I relaxed on the deck with my book and then had supper and tonight just reading and going to watch an old classic movie Titanic.
I have really enjoyed my stay here even though I know I went on a bit about the rain it has given me a chance to unwind and relax and a bit of a joy not to be on the road.
I leave tomorrow afternoon for the Blue Mountains where I have a small studio rented for three days and then Saturday I come back to Sydney and I am staying at the same place I stayed a month ago and I have a ticket for my first Aussie Rules football game....then Sunday evening at 7pm I start the long journey to Johannesburg!!!
Yashi Kochi!!
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