Gordon Robinson | Needed: A good start

In dominoes, as in life, how we begin anything is all important.

If you get it wrong from the get-go, you’ll likely always need to catch up. You only get one start. If you botch it there’s no starting over

Starting all over again is gonna be rough

so rough

But we’re gonna make it.

Starting all over as friends is gonna be tough

on us

But we gotta face it.

Selecting your pose can be complex. But you should do it quickly. First and foremost, unless it’s “bareback” you should always try to pose a double. Why? A double limits right-hand-opponent’s (RHO’s) opportunities to play. If the double is “bareback” a better pose would be a two-sided domino if holding three pieces of each side. Failing that, you’d need every other card to make a “bareback” pose manageable. Otherwise, find another pose.

You should evaluate which double to pose. A double with guarded by one other like card is “poseable”; with two, very “poseable”; with three, eminently “poseable”. If your double is accompanied by four or more like cards find something else to pose. That double can’t die so posing it only wastes a certain play.

Difficult decisions may arise. Let’s use an example from a hand I drew long ago playing an away game behind the community grocery shop in the Sandy Park square. Gene Autry rarely played away from home so my partner was the late, great domino expert, Baz, of whom I’ve written before.

At Sandy Park they played winners pose. My advice to you is, if you’re forced to play amateur dominoes (i.e. winners pose), at least insist the actual winner must pose.

As poser, I drew this motley crew: trey-deuce; double-ace; double-four; ace-blank; deuce-blank; five-four; four-ace. What should I pose?

The answer is double-ace. Both double-four and double-ace are guarded twice BUT five-four is the only five whilst both ace-blank and ace-four have company. If your five-four was four-trey or four-deuce you’d have a tie so double-four, because it counts more, would be the pose.

You’ll be surprised to find how often application of these simple rules results in RHO passing and your team off to a flying start with opposition needing to catch up.

NOBODY TO BLAME

Speaking of Oppositions, PM Andrew Holness recently gave the Opposition fodder for political cud chewing by belatedly accepting his full salary increase approved almost four years ago. The furore raised by the Opposition and its sycophants is fatuous. However, Andrew has nobody to blame but himself.

It seemed obvious when he rejected the increase that he’d allowed anger at civil society’s pushback and Opposition’s hypocritical inconsistency to get under his skin. My objection then (and now) was that, constitutionally, Cabinet isn’t authorized to fix MPs salaries and, in any event, common sense commands no employee sets his/her own salary.

But it was a done deal and everybody else, including Mark Golding, accepted the increase. I believe pique gave Andrew a leg up on his high horse which he has ridden since. But this was never only about him. His reckless decision affected former Prime Ministers and their families.

We lost what we had

that’s what hurt us so bad.

It set us back a thousand years.

But we’re gonna make it up

though I know it’s gonna be rough

to erase all the hurt and tears.

In 1972 cousins Mel Hardin and Tim McPherson (Mel & Tim) scored big with their R&B hit Starting all over Again written by Phillip Mitchell. The song told of a failed relationship that the parties decided to try again. It was their second and final top 40 hit peaking at No. 4 on the R&B charts

According to The Gleaner, advocacy group Stand Up for Jamaica (whatever that means) argues that Andrew’s acceptance is “tone-deaf” and “a bad move” as Jamaicans face hardships, especially from Melissa, and Government’s new taxes while minimum wage moves “only marginally.”

Sigh.

That commentary is as tone deaf as it gets. The “bad move” was made at the start four years ago. Andrew foolishly delayed his increase for 3½ years while every other MP gleefully accepted. Had he simply taken what was his it would’ve been, like twenty lawyers at the bottom of the sea, a good start!

What on earth has his belated decision to respect difficulties his rash earlier choice visited upon others to do with Melissa victims or minimum wage? Now he’s starting all over again but the first bad start gives pre-determined naysayers an excuse to fulminate against him. Hopefully, next time, he’ll take more care selecting his pose.

It also has to be said that it’s full time some public commentators grow up and stop majoring in the minor by nitpicking every decision by politicians who they may philosophically oppose.

Peace and Love.

Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com