Tying up loose ends

1. On Dec. 4, a lyric from the Beatles song "Together" showed up on the Chicago Bulls' video board as "He got jew-jew eyeballs." I sent a note to the Bulls telling them that wasn't what songwriters Paul McCartney or John Lennon meant at all; they were referring to the ju-ju candies. A Bulls staffer called me to apologized and said the error will be corrected if the fan participation contest is repeated.

2. I wondered if Emirates, the airline of the UAE, enforces its country's no-Jews policy by screening for passengers' religious faith when boarding its aircraft in the U.S. I wrote to Emirates and asked if that was part of the pre-boarding process. The airline replied and assured me it was not. So I guess a Jewish Westerner is okay if he is just visiting. However, I would expect an Israeli stamp in one's passport to present delay, if not denial of boarding.

3. I emailed the Skatium, Skokie Park District's ice skating center, and asked if open skating hours could be adjusted to accommodate shomer shabbos residents. The Skatium manager called me and told me part of the agreement struck when the Skatium broke ground in the 70's was that its operation must be revenue-neutral. It is not supported by tax dollars, but by rink rental fees. To that end, the Skatium must maximize its rink revenue, and it does that by scheduling hockey and figure skating when the rink is in high demand. Since I am a tax hawk, I have no problem with that.