Par for the course
<p><span word="Reader">Reader</span> <span word="question">question</span>:</p><p><span word="Please">Please</span> <span word="explain">explain</span> “<span word="par">par</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="course">course</span>” <span word="in">in</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="sentence">sentence</span>: “<span word="The">The</span> <span word="Bernie">Bernie</span> <span word="Madoff">Madoff</span> <span word="affair">affair</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="par">par</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="course">course</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="hedge">hedge</span> <span word="fund">fund</span> <span word="industry">industry</span> - <span word="the">the</span> <span word="owners">owners</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="funds">funds</span> <span word="relying">relying</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="handshakes">handshakes</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="relationships">relationships</span>, <span word="rather">rather</span> <span word="than">than</span> <span word="analysis">analysis</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="professional">professional</span> <span word="diligence">diligence</span>.”</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="First">First</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="all">all</span>, <span word="Madoff">Madoff</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="person">person</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="made">made</span> <span word="off">off</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="billions">billions</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="investor">investor</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="money">money</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="biggest">biggest</span> <span word="Wall">Wall</span> <span word="Street">Street</span> <span word="fraud">fraud</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="history">history</span>. <span word="For">For</span> <span word="this">this</span>, <span word="he">he</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="jailed">jailed</span> <span word="for">for</span> 150 <span word="years">years</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="above">above</span> <span word="example">example</span>, <span word="by">by</span> “<span word="par">par</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="course">course</span>”, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="author">author</span> <span word="means">means</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="say">say</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="surprising">surprising</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Madoff">Madoff</span> <span word="affair">affair</span> <span word="occurred">occurred</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="hedge">hedge</span> <span word="fund">fund</span> <span word="industry">industry</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="always">always</span> <span word="fraught">fraught</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="malpractice">malpractice</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="irregularities">irregularities</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="words">words</span>, <span word="people">people</span> <span word="expected">expected</span> <span word="something">something</span> <span word="like">like</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="happen">happen</span>.</p><p><span word="Now">Now</span> <span word="definitions">definitions</span>. “<span word="Par">Par</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="course">course</span>” <span word="is">is</span> <span word="originally">originally</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="golf">golf</span> <span word="term">term</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="game">game</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="golf">golf</span>, <span word="they">they</span> <span word="keep">keep</span> <span word="score">score</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="number">number</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="shots">shots</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="player">player</span> <span word="takes">takes</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="complete">complete</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="hole">hole</span>.</p><p><span word="At">At</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="professional">professional</span> <span word="level">level</span>, <span word="there">there</span> <span word="are">are</span> 18 <span word="holes">holes</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="whole">whole</span> <span word="golf">golf</span> <span word="course">course</span>. <span word="And">And</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="used">used</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="word">word</span> “<span word="par">par</span>”, <span word="meaning">meaning</span> <span word="average">average</span>, <span word="to">to</span> <span word="describe">describe</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="difficulties">difficulties</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="each">each</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="every">every</span> <span word="hole">hole</span>. <span word="Hole">Hole</span> <span word="No">No</span>. 1, <span word="for">for</span> <span word="instance">instance</span>, <span word="may">may</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="Par">Par</span> 5, <span word="that">that</span> <span word="means">means</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="normally">normally</span> <span word="takes">takes</span> 5 <span word="shots">shots</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="player">player</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="strike">strike</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="ball">ball</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="hole">hole</span> – <span word="if">if</span>, <span word="that">that</span> <span word="is">is</span>, <span word="he">he</span> <span word="makes">makes</span> <span word="no">no</span> <span word="major">major</span> <span word="errors">errors</span>, <span word="hitting">hitting</span> <span word="no">no</span> <span word="trees">trees</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="landing">landing</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="ball">ball</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="sand">sand</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="water">water</span>. <span word="If">If</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="make">make</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="with">with</span> 5 <span word="shots">shots</span>, <span word="you">you</span>’<span word="ve">ve</span> <span word="done">done</span> <span word="what">what</span> <span word="you">you</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="supposed">supposed</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="do">do</span>. <span word="Nothing">Nothing</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="brag">brag</span> <span word="about">about</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="words">words</span>, <span word="par">par</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="normal">normal</span>, <span word="commonplace">commonplace</span>, <span word="nothing">nothing</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="write">write</span> <span word="home">home</span> <span word="about">about</span>. <span word="Under">Under</span> <span word="par">par</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="golf">golf</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="better">better</span> <span word="than">than</span> <span word="par">par</span>. <span word="Over">Over</span> <span word="par">par</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="worse">worse</span>. <span word="However">However</span>, <span word="metaphorically">metaphorically</span> <span word="speaking">speaking</span> – <span word="that">that</span> <span word="is">is</span>, <span word="when">when</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="describing">describing</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="golf">golf</span> <span word="game">game</span> – <span word="below">below</span> <span word="par">par</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="worse">worse</span> <span word="than">than</span> <span word="average">average</span>, <span word="therefore">therefore</span> <span word="bad">bad</span>. <span word="Above">Above</span> <span word="par">par</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="better">better</span> <span word="than">than</span> <span word="average">average</span>, <span word="therefore">therefore</span> <span word="good">good</span>.</p>
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