Donald Tokowitz (who legally added the last name Sterling when he became an adult) Sterling was born to Jewish immigrants in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois. He married Rochelle Stein in 1955 and had three children. One son was found dead in 2013.
Sterling started his career as a divorce and personal injury lawyer. He bought the NBA franchise known as the San Diego Clippers in 1981 for $12.5 million. The team was later moved to Los Angeles, CA. Sterling has owned the Clippers for 33 years. Sterling is currently a billionaire.
Sterling has had a pattern of corrupt or bad behavior with the NBA. For example, in 1982 he was fined $10,000 by the NBA; in 1984 he was fined $25 million for moving the team to Los Angeles without approval, he sued the league and the fine was dropped to $6 million. He is also known to heckle his own players, according to the news story I read.
Sterling has many real estate holdings and in 2006 was sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for housing discrimination. His fine was $2.73 million (plus over $4 million in attorney fees to the plaintiff) to settle the claims for his rental discriminatory practices.
A few days ago, TMZ Sports released an audio recording of a conversation between Sterling and his girlfriend (Sterling and his wife are estranged) which showed a racist rant and hateful feelings. Sterling admitted to the recording. The team rebelled, even the President condemned the remarks, and the outrage was taken straight to the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
Today, the commissioner took swift and harsh action against Sterling by banning Sterling for life from any NBA functions, fining Sterling $2.5 million, and banning him from any business decisions regarding the Clippers or the NBA. Silver is also encouraging the Board of Governors to force Sterling to sell his share of the Clippers, which would require consent of three-quarters of the other 29 franchise owners. According to the CNN news coverage of Silver's press conference, the other owners agree with Silver.
“Other NBA owners have called Sterling's remarks “abhorrent,” “reprehensible,” and have no place in the league or anywhere in society,” according to CNN.com.
Corporate sponsors are already suspending their support for the team until Sterling is removed (CarMax, Virgin America, Addidas, State Farm Insurance, as examples).
I applaud Silvers swift and stern condemnation of Sterling's remarks and racist attitude. There are very few athletes or owners of any sport that are banned for life, but Sterling now heads the list of bigots for showing his stupidity.
Watch Commissioner Silver's remarks HERE.
Saturday was a beautiful warm day out. I accomplished many things in the house and in the yard because of the nice day.
One special thing was the "coming out" of my big baby. She has been cooped up in the garage all winter and during the rain last week. But the 14 year old came out of the garage today and got her first run to town.
My dog and I took a ride to Dairy Queen for my first Blizzard of the season. I'm looking forward to more warm (and hot) days so we can get around town and experience the "top-down" effect and getting the needed vitamin D from the great sunshine.
GO SUMMER!
A: it is one
CLARITY: intellect, judgment, splendor...
EVER: it can mean once or always
BELITTLE: finding fault with, criticism
DUSK: partial darkness, twilight
These definitions are pusuant to an article I read today about the five most beauiful words in the English language this year, as rated by five poets. Because April is National Poetry Month, and they say that poets are the best-versed diction connoisseurs, the Poetry Foundation did the survey.
After reading the five chosen words, I decided to put them all in one sentence.
The article stated that WORD AVERSION is a negative response to a word, and WORD RAGE is a dislike for a word. They used the word MOIST as an example of word aversion, and LITERALLY as an example of word rage.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder – or the ear of the listener – when it comes to the English language.
I used to write poetry in high school and college, but I am still learning as the English language changes or matures, each year adding new words to the dictionary.
After working in the yard on Saturday, I knew it would soon be time to mow the grass for the first time this year. The majority of other yards on my street were mowed in the last seven days. This morning I looked outside and noticed an explosion of yellow on the green grass, so tonight was the night it was mowed. I also purchased some dandelion weed killer, not that I don't like yellow, I just don't want all the weeds.
The bunnies are watching the naked ladies grow and the hen-chicken is lookin' good. I LOVE SPRINGTIME!
I noticed today that I have new tulips blooming and another eight ready to open. We are supposed to have a little rain overnight, which means they may open in the next couple days. I love the new life blooming in my garden.
I have a gaggle of geese and three of them have been standing on my front porch - naked for a week. Embarrassing.
One stays on the back porch and a small one resides in my living room.
I had new outfits made for the "naked ones" and today they were dressed. Of course, Americana was the theme. Now I realize I need new outfits for the two little ones!
I have hats for them, but with the rain and wind we get in April, I am saving them for their summer sun shade.
The back porch was cleaned Saturday and today I enjoyed my first lunch there. It is nice to sit in comfort and warm weather without the bugs that usually accompany outdoor picnics.
When lunch was over, my cat looked to see if I left anything for her (no) as she looked around at me as if to say, "Not even a scrap; just taking more pictures of me!"
The flowers in my yard are beginning to bloom and new life is the sign of spring.
The red tulip was the second bloom, after my daffodil.
My red rose bush shows new growth.
The peonies have sprouted.
The lilies are green, but will have bright yellow flowers.
I'm looking forward to more colorful blooms soon.
I had been searching online for the original patent number for some time, because the letter only stated the serial number of the filing. I finally found the actual patent number recently.
My father's patent was filed December 22, 1930 for cable terminals. Cable terminals hold the wiring to the battery of a car. Every car has two (I haven't seen the engine of the new electric cars, so I don't know about those). This was a major invention back in the 1930s when cars were just beginning to be manufactured. They have been improved and changed since the old days.
Being an engineer and draftsman in his early career, he drew these plans himself.
This was not my father's only patent or invention. The older I get the more I realize what a brilliant man he was. He taught me a lot.
I visited the Greenfield Historical Society building, called Traveler's Rest, last Thursday. I had been to a couple auctions lately and found a few inexpensive items of historical value to the society. As a member, I took them to the office to donate them for their collection of memorabilia.
I found 1946 and 1948 phone books.
Also the History of Friends Church, Leesburg, Ohio, book.
And my favorite, a rain gauge advertising item from the old Marion and Russell Baxla Marathon station of Greenfield.
Today was a sunny day, 56 degrees. Finally. I am already tired of the rain.
It was the day to sweep off the porch, get the chairs ready, and take off the burned out lights off the grapevine tree (and put fresh ones on).
It was also a good day to feed the birds. I had some old, leftover slices of bread to share. My hanging birdfeeders are not out of the garage yet. (Nothing to put in them yet.)
A few birds see the new offerings, check out the bread, then tweet about it to their feathered friends. And then there are many. TWEETS work!
A family has made a birds nest in my porch awning, so babies will be on the way soon enough.
I am so glad to see signs of spring. It was an awful winter here. SUMMER COME SOON!
Fool me twice, shame on me.
That's the old saying that I remember so well. In this case, I won't be fooled twice.
Young or old, spread your wings
To see the world, or just a piece
Learn the ways, the rules, the ways
Then follow them as best you can.
When you see unjust, after a rule is learned
Correct it the best you can,
But when contradicted, stand your ground.
Talents and skills are assets of worth
But don't let them be used and abused
By those who want to further their aim.
Better to let them find their own way
And seek another path for your worth.
I've recently "been there, done that" and now I move on to seek other knowledge. No one is too old to learn, but don't teach those who will take advantage of you and dismiss you. Keep your dignity and self-worth, for the dismissers are the losers.
In the end, they will lose more than your talents. Let the cliques be cliques. In the end, you will still be able to feel good about yourself.
That's my lesson for this week. Have hope and move on. Tomorrow is another day.
I bought a brand new ceiling fan (real cheap) at an auction a couple weeks ago, because I didn't have one in my living room. The bedrooms have had ceiling fans installed for several years.
I called my favorite electrician friend, who is also my favorite fireman (the same person from yesterday's blog), and asked him to install it. Sunday afternoon, the Master Electrician got to work. A Master Electrician is a professional status license issued by the state after an exam by the licencing board. There are very few Master Electricians in this county, but I am fortunate enough to know the best one.
Since I did not have any overhead light in the room, he had to drill a hole first. The wiring was run in the attic and connected to the breaker box.
Behind my front door I have a coat closet. The light switch is on the wall next to it. For ease and convenience, he enlarged the single switch to a double switch, so the fan light is next to the closet light.
The finished product is beautiful and brightens the room. It will also help in summer to cool and in winter to send the hot air back down to heat the room. I am proud of my new light, and blessed to know a friend who would install it for me.
His old white truck needed a jump. Bad battery maybe??? Or something loose??? He finally got the truck running as his wife arrived on the scene to assist, just in case he needed a ride home. I was glad to help.
Now he has a blue pickup truck. Sunday, my friend and his wife came over and spent a few hours at my house. When they went to leave, I walked out to the driveway with them. He put the key in the ignition and 'click-click'. Nothing.
HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF.
I backed my truck up onto the grass next to his truck and, again, out came the jumper cables. My truck, which I've owned for 12 years, is OLD FAITHFUL. He got his truck running and as we put the hoods down, I hollered, "maybe a new battery soon?" He just laughed.
The irony: the electrician needs his battery jumped now and then!!!
I had my big checkup today with my ophthalmologist. The report was all good.
I had left eye laser surgery for narrow angle glaucoma four weeks ago. Two weeks ago, I had the right eye laser surgery for the same thing. My mother had glaucoma in both eyes and also had laser surgery when she was about my age. It is inherited, according to my doctor, so to my family - have your eyes checked regularly.
Referencing the graphic, narrow angle glaucoma is when the anterior chamber is narrowed because the lens moves forward toward the cornea. Fluid, which naturally flows threw the anterior chamber, is restricted causing eye pressure to increase (which is not a good thing). The laser surgery corrected this condition.
The glaucoma had to be corrected before the next step could be taken.
I can now see better without my glasses for distance vision. My current distance prescription, now over a year old, sometimes makes things a little fuzzy. I will get new glasses in June or July.
The next step in my 'eye on the future' is my left eye cataract surgery, which is scheduled for next month. If all goes well, I'll have a sunny, bright summer - seeing things much clearer.
AND THIS IS NO APRIL FOOL. ENJOY YOUR DAY. I KNOW I WILL.
