"Our long national nightmare is over." That's what Gerald Ford said to the country after replacing Richard Nixon in 1972.
January 20, 2009 marks not just the end of another nightmare, but a rebirth in our country. Has there ever been a time when the country was in so much peril, yet the people felt so optimistic?
FDR's first inaugural and Kennedy's were both times of fear. In 1933 the country was in the midst of the Great Depression and people literally didn't know if they'd have a roof over their heads or food to eat. 1961 was the height of the Cold War and school children were well practiced in what to do in case of a nuclear attack (how kneeling with our heads on the floor against the wall would protect anybody is beyond me, but that's a discussion for another day).
The inauguration of Barack Obama is entirely different. We're fighting two wars, the economy is totally in the tank and the prospect of a terrorist attack is ever-present, yet 2 million people are in Washington just so they can say they were there. The biggest fear today is that internet will be clogged with people streaming video at their desks and cell phone networks will be jammed with people in DC sending pictures back home.
I don't think it's just because Obama is the first African-American president. Yes, that's an important component of the excitement, but only part. People are desperate to believe in our own better nature, that the country is better than what we've demonstrated over the past two decades.
We've had 16 years of bitterness at the core of our national dialogue. George W. Bush came into office claiming to be a "uniter, not a divider" but in the cynicism that marks the right wing, it was all just words. Bill Clinton was hounded by Republicans for his entire 2 terms because they didn't like him or anything he stood for.
Barack Obama's transition has been marked by a nearly unbelievable willingness to engage the other side. The right looks at this with cynicism. They don't believe that Obama is serious when he reaches across the aisle. Of course they don't believe him. They're the ones who coined the term "compassionate conservatism" and then ignored the poor and give tax breaks to the rich. The right dresses up "change" by inviting half a dozen faces of color to be on screen during the Republican Convention, but continues to fight immigration reform. But we as a nation want to be better.
In September 2001, the country was waiting to be asked to sacrifice for the greater good. People would have done just about anything including paying higher taxes for the right war (how was a tax break for the top tier a good idea when launching a war?). George W. Bush asked us to go shopping and vacation at Disneyworld.
Today is another such opportunity. I believe President Obama will ask us to sacrifice for the greater good. He will appeal to our better selves. And I hope/believe the country will take up his call.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Winter in Boston
Why is everybody in Greater Boston surprised when it snows around here. It's not like Boston Common is lined with palm trees, you know.
You'd think that the fact that we're in New England would give everyone a clue. But, nooooooo. At the first warning sign by those remarkably competent weather forecasters, the populace goes into a panic. There's a run on grocery stores as even folks who are lactose intolerant stock up on milk. I'm told it all goes back to the Blizzard of '78, but come on, that's more than 30 years ago. Get over it!
It's open season on the roads too, as native drivers, already among the worst in the country, apparently think that a little snow or ice on the pavement is a reason to channel themselves to the Autobahn. In fact, it would appear everyone thinks they're in a Ford Explorer- free to test the mettle of their four-wheel drive vehicle, even if they're behind the wheel an '98 Corolla.
And while we're at it, have you ever seen anything like the local weather forecasters. It's hard to imagine a group of people better paid to do their jobs as badly, except maybe left-handed pitchers. Earlier this winter, in the first real storm of the season (yes, it's winter kids), our intrepid meteorologists all promised that the snow would be west of Rt. 495. Well, unless the Prudential Tower was somehow transported across the international date line, they were wrong, because it snowed like a sun-of-a-gun in the Back Bay all day.
What's truly remarkable is how much time and money is spent on television weather forecasts. They've got the most sophisticated computer generated graphics, and more time than any other segment of the news, and yet, it's all still guess work. A local broadcast executive once told me that research showed that the weather was the most popular part of the news-the reason people tuned in-the ratings driver.
I had to explain that they were misinterpreting the data. People don't want a seven-minute weather report (particularly when it's rarely correct). They want seven ten-second weather reports throughout the newscast. It's like Jimmy Tingle says, "Just tell me-Do I need a coat?"
I'm convinced that's why people in California seem happier, and more spiritually enlightened than we do. It's not just that it's sunny all the time. It's that they don't have to spend ten minutes every morning standing frozen between their closet and the television waiting to be told if they should wear wool or cotton. That's ten minutes every day to sleep, seek spiritual guidance, or just roll over and.........
You'd think that the fact that we're in New England would give everyone a clue. But, nooooooo. At the first warning sign by those remarkably competent weather forecasters, the populace goes into a panic. There's a run on grocery stores as even folks who are lactose intolerant stock up on milk. I'm told it all goes back to the Blizzard of '78, but come on, that's more than 30 years ago. Get over it!
It's open season on the roads too, as native drivers, already among the worst in the country, apparently think that a little snow or ice on the pavement is a reason to channel themselves to the Autobahn. In fact, it would appear everyone thinks they're in a Ford Explorer- free to test the mettle of their four-wheel drive vehicle, even if they're behind the wheel an '98 Corolla.
And while we're at it, have you ever seen anything like the local weather forecasters. It's hard to imagine a group of people better paid to do their jobs as badly, except maybe left-handed pitchers. Earlier this winter, in the first real storm of the season (yes, it's winter kids), our intrepid meteorologists all promised that the snow would be west of Rt. 495. Well, unless the Prudential Tower was somehow transported across the international date line, they were wrong, because it snowed like a sun-of-a-gun in the Back Bay all day.
What's truly remarkable is how much time and money is spent on television weather forecasts. They've got the most sophisticated computer generated graphics, and more time than any other segment of the news, and yet, it's all still guess work. A local broadcast executive once told me that research showed that the weather was the most popular part of the news-the reason people tuned in-the ratings driver.
I had to explain that they were misinterpreting the data. People don't want a seven-minute weather report (particularly when it's rarely correct). They want seven ten-second weather reports throughout the newscast. It's like Jimmy Tingle says, "Just tell me-Do I need a coat?"
I'm convinced that's why people in California seem happier, and more spiritually enlightened than we do. It's not just that it's sunny all the time. It's that they don't have to spend ten minutes every morning standing frozen between their closet and the television waiting to be told if they should wear wool or cotton. That's ten minutes every day to sleep, seek spiritual guidance, or just roll over and.........
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Zen of Travel
As I was boarding a flight from Salt Lake City to the East Coast recently, I overhead the flight attendant say “Every day is a great day to fly,” and it occurred to me that was only true if you could find the silk purse in every sow’s ear you ever came across It was a sunny morning, so with the prospect of flying over the Rockies with a window seat in first class I thought I’d give her the benefit of doubt.
Some people love to travel; others hate it. I’m pretty much ambivalent. But the fact is, since I fly on average twice a month I’ve found it essential to accept everything that comes along as just part of the day (or night). Maybe I’m stupid lucky and by writing about it here have jinxed my next five years of flights, but in the past 20 years, I’ve only had two flights canceled/delayed to the point where I didn’t get to my destination the day I was scheduled. And, one of those I was with my son coming home from visiting my parents, so it was kind of a bonus anyway.
I have some personal coping mechanisms for making it a good travel day. First and foremost, unless you’re traveling with a 5 iron, NEVER check luggage. There are two reasons to do this. The first, obviously, is that the airlines will loose your bag. Of the maybe 20 times I’ve checked luggage, it hasn’t landed when I did at least a half dozen times. That’s means over 25% of the time, the airlines screwed up. Hell, once going on vacation I saw them take my golf clubs off the plane after an announcement that we were overweight and some bags were going on the next flight.
The other reason to carry-on is that you have flexibility. The airlines will almost never rebook you on a different flight if your bags are in the system. When there are flight delays and cancellations, being the passenger with only carry-ons, you’re one of the first candidates for rerouting, rather than waiting around for that long delayed flight to be canceled.
And, on certain good days, if you’ve got a connection and arrive early, you just might get on the next flight to your destination, rather than a 3-hour layover. If you get where you’re going early, that’s usually a good thing. Who wouldn’t rather be either home or at the hotel for a few hours rather than an airport lounge?
I recommend always have something to read with you. And don’t depend on finding a decent selection of books at the airport. I actually plan my reading when selecting a book from the library. If it’s a long one, I might start it a few days earlier at the gym, so that I finish in the last hour of the flight home. If push comes to shove, I’ve found that you can always get through a flight with a copy of the New Yorker or, surprisingly, Esquire, which always has a few articles worth reading.
Finding good airport food is always makes the travel day go better. Generally speaking, I try and find the local non-chain place, hoping that I know, for instance, that if I’m traveling through Austin or Charlotte somewhere in the lunch or dinner hour, there’s great BBQ in the central food court. At O'Hare down concourse E you’ll find a Greek diner that has great Gyros for lunch and a feta omelet that will start the day off right if you’ve got an early flight. On the other hand, I had an absolutely horrible breakfast sausage/egg/cheese biscuit in Memphis the other morning. But just today, the Wall Street Deli at SLC produced a perfectly balanced breakfast burrito. Add that to the sunshine over the mountains, and it’s not such a bad start to the day.
Getting a complimentary upgrade when you didn’t expect it almost always makes for a nice day, although not so much when it’s a short flight and the only benefit is your beverage in a glass and an extra bag of sun chips.
Sometimes, just a good seat is enough. Of course exit rows are great because you’ve got the extra leg room, but every now and then your seatmate is somebody who’s interesting and you have a wonderful conversation with a stranger for a couple of hours.
Of course, there’s no way to dress up a flight in a middle seat between two fat people, one of whom has a crying baby on their lap. Just put on headphones, close your eyes and hope you fall asleep fast.
Some people love to travel; others hate it. I’m pretty much ambivalent. But the fact is, since I fly on average twice a month I’ve found it essential to accept everything that comes along as just part of the day (or night). Maybe I’m stupid lucky and by writing about it here have jinxed my next five years of flights, but in the past 20 years, I’ve only had two flights canceled/delayed to the point where I didn’t get to my destination the day I was scheduled. And, one of those I was with my son coming home from visiting my parents, so it was kind of a bonus anyway.
I have some personal coping mechanisms for making it a good travel day. First and foremost, unless you’re traveling with a 5 iron, NEVER check luggage. There are two reasons to do this. The first, obviously, is that the airlines will loose your bag. Of the maybe 20 times I’ve checked luggage, it hasn’t landed when I did at least a half dozen times. That’s means over 25% of the time, the airlines screwed up. Hell, once going on vacation I saw them take my golf clubs off the plane after an announcement that we were overweight and some bags were going on the next flight.
The other reason to carry-on is that you have flexibility. The airlines will almost never rebook you on a different flight if your bags are in the system. When there are flight delays and cancellations, being the passenger with only carry-ons, you’re one of the first candidates for rerouting, rather than waiting around for that long delayed flight to be canceled.
And, on certain good days, if you’ve got a connection and arrive early, you just might get on the next flight to your destination, rather than a 3-hour layover. If you get where you’re going early, that’s usually a good thing. Who wouldn’t rather be either home or at the hotel for a few hours rather than an airport lounge?
I recommend always have something to read with you. And don’t depend on finding a decent selection of books at the airport. I actually plan my reading when selecting a book from the library. If it’s a long one, I might start it a few days earlier at the gym, so that I finish in the last hour of the flight home. If push comes to shove, I’ve found that you can always get through a flight with a copy of the New Yorker or, surprisingly, Esquire, which always has a few articles worth reading.
Finding good airport food is always makes the travel day go better. Generally speaking, I try and find the local non-chain place, hoping that I know, for instance, that if I’m traveling through Austin or Charlotte somewhere in the lunch or dinner hour, there’s great BBQ in the central food court. At O'Hare down concourse E you’ll find a Greek diner that has great Gyros for lunch and a feta omelet that will start the day off right if you’ve got an early flight. On the other hand, I had an absolutely horrible breakfast sausage/egg/cheese biscuit in Memphis the other morning. But just today, the Wall Street Deli at SLC produced a perfectly balanced breakfast burrito. Add that to the sunshine over the mountains, and it’s not such a bad start to the day.
Getting a complimentary upgrade when you didn’t expect it almost always makes for a nice day, although not so much when it’s a short flight and the only benefit is your beverage in a glass and an extra bag of sun chips.
Sometimes, just a good seat is enough. Of course exit rows are great because you’ve got the extra leg room, but every now and then your seatmate is somebody who’s interesting and you have a wonderful conversation with a stranger for a couple of hours.
Of course, there’s no way to dress up a flight in a middle seat between two fat people, one of whom has a crying baby on their lap. Just put on headphones, close your eyes and hope you fall asleep fast.
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