NFL Week 5: Etiquette

Back to normal now in the Zahn household; we arrived at home late last night at 2 am due to the 1 hour wait in immigration. It is customary to have 15 immigration lines open for Chinese citizens, and only 1 or 2 for foreigners, even when the population of the incoming flights is about 50% residents and 50% foreigners. Also, it's clear they put the trainees in the "foreigner" lanes to insure extra delay.

The Browns are back this week after a very early bye; it's like I have to re-learn the routine again of trying to watch the Browns game while keeping an eye on the other 8 games. On this note, I'll talk about the constant education of the Chinese public of the customs and mannerisms of other cultures.

Attached is a snapshot of a page in the resident's newsletter. This tries to explain to the Chinese on the manners and etiquette of Americans.  I think it's hilarious as to what they highlight and what they choose to ignore.

Go ahead and click on the picture to expand it - you can read the 7 helpful hints given below. Let me take a minutes to explain each point:

1. This may seem over-extreme; we certainly ask people "What's your name?", but the rest of the advice is appropriate. Chinese people will say, to complete strangers, "where are you going? Why?" They are curious - genuinely - but it does come across as obtrusive. Especially after 4 years of explaining yourself.

2. Chinese love numbers, and the number 8; the number 4 is very unlucky in China ("4" is "si", which is the same word as "death"). So they are very interested to hear what other numbers are unlucky in other cultures.

3. This point can not be mentioned enough. "How old are you?" "tell me about Christianity...." "How much do you weigh now?" are common questions heard daily in China .

4. I won't touch this. Got to love the reference to "the black people".

5. Not sure what this one is all about. It's not offensive to shake hands at the end of a party, is it?

6. Toothpicks are like the 4th course in a Chinese meal; 5 minutes are taken after the entrée to clean one's teeth. Just a reminder that's not common in the US.

7. It's sad this needs to be said, but oh so true.

I could add 20 others to the list - like "it's common in the US for women to shave their armpits" - but that would be a post in itself.

Back to the Browns - a big game today to see where we are as a team. If we are an 8-8 team - or maybe even a 9-7 team - then we should beat a below-average Titans team on the road. Will the Titans team from week 1 magically show up to beat us? Willl we have a 4th game decided by a last-second field goal? The answers coming up in 4 hours.

To the games:
Car 26, Chi 20.  Thoroughly unimpressed with the Bears. They are one-dimensional on offense; a good defensive team should shut down a 1-D team.

Hou 27, Dal 20. Love Houston's defense; they should be able to get pressure on Romo, and that could cause mistakes. Also, Dallas has Seattle next week; this is a classic sandwich game (with the Saints last weekend).

Det 31, Buf 16. I think Orton is a bad choice vs. the Lions and their defensive line.

Ind 31, Bal 24. The one weakness the Ravens have is their secondary; I saw this first hand 2 weeks ago. This is the Colts' strength. Now, can the Colts' D handle Flacco?

Pit 27, Jax 23. Pit can't lose again to another horrid Florida team.....can they? Please say yes.

NO 26, TB 13. Can we really trust the Saints to come out ablazing vs. the Bucs? Not sure.

Atl 24, NYG 20. Just a gut feel. I really have no handle on the Falcons, but I don't think the Giants' D is all that good.

Phi 24, StL 13. Talking about teams you can't trust...the only reason why I think the Eagles win big here is because I'm not sure the Rams have many weapons on O.

Den 24, Az 17. Should be a defensive battle here; Arizona's defensive front will cause problems for Manning but can't score enough to win.

SD 23, NYJ 20. The Chargers always have problems with the Jets at home, and the Jets D can make some plays. This is a desperation game for the Jets, who now know they can win the division.

SF 23, KC 17. This is not a letdown game for the Chiefs, since the 49ers are just not that good.

NE 27, Cin 24. In Belicheck I trust  - at least for this week only. Just when you think they are done.....

Sea 23, Was 16. Both teams will try to control the ball and the clock, meaning a lot of long drives.

Best bets: 15 of them. Last week: 5-8. Overall: 29-28-1.

Car -2 1/2
Hou +6 1/2
Det -6 1/2
Ind -3
Bal/Ind over 49
TB/NO under 48
Atl + 3 1/2
Atl/NYG under 50
Phi -6 1/2
Stl/Phi under 47 1/2
Az/Den under 47 1/2
NYJ +6 1/2
NE +1
Cin/NE over 45 1/2
Sea/Was under 45

Supercontest: Last week: 4-1. Overall: 13-7.

Car -2 1/2
Hou +5 1/2
Ind -3 1/2 (there's that hook again)
NYJ +6 1/2
NE +1