Dave Carroll continues his musical saga with United Airlines.
It's truly a 'Lemonade from Lemons' sort of story, and in the Bigger Scheme of Things, Mr. Carroll may well look back upon his guitar's destruction as the best thing that ever happened to him.
Of course, there's a lesson or two to be drawn here.
1. A creative, imaginative, and humorous response to a stupid situation such as this is usually quite effective. Great writing, and the audio is slickly produced. The video keeps a 'home-made' flavor, well-done within a small budget. (His mom provided catering services!) Great product does not necessarily cost a fortune to create, if the creator has the chops.
2. United Airlines is willing to sustain hundreds of thousands of dollars (at least!!) of lost goodwill before it will quietly make certain this passenger's complaint is addressed. That's because they know that they can always go to Timmy Geithner and BHO, 'cuz They're Just Too Big To Fail, and they'll be the recipients of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars(or dollars borrowed in the name of the taxpayer, at least), when top line revenues go seriously south in the coming months.
3. What if the CEO of United, instead, were to (a)call Mr. Carroll up, apologize, and quietly write a check (out of his own pocket) to the luthier of his choosing, and (b) fly to Toronto, take him to dinner, apologize again, and negotiate a deal with him to produce quirky folk-songy ads for United Airlines?
Maybe United could brew some lemonade for themselves out of this embarrasment.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
WTF?
It continues to be quietly reported that the S&P is selling for 140 times earnings.
(And coincidentally, that 13% of the mortgages in the USA are at least one month overdue...)
(And, by the way, the FDIC just took over a three billion dollar hit today, closing three banks.)
(That makes 81 for the year, with at least another 150 or so to go.)
Where were we??? Oh yeah--the S & P...
Well, okay, this chart says it's only selling for 129 times earnings....that makes it all ok, right?
Silly ole' me was raised with the idea that 12 times earnings was the benchmark, and 10 was preferable. I mean, if one was to sell a business in its entirety, what sort of premium would a prudent person pay?
So, the question here isn't about money--lots of people profoundly qualified to enlighten us all about money.
The question is cultural: What happened to our sense of prudence? Our sense of what is proportional and appropriate? How much is enough? How much is too much, for our own good?
I just read a letter from a buddy on academic sabbatical overseas. He took his bride out for a splurge dinner at a famous restaurant. They had saved up for the evening's indulgence, and it was everything and more than they could have ever expected, a magical evening. I was so happy for them.
At one point though, he wondered out loud 'about the propriety of it, in a world of such turmoil and poverty...' In other words, had they gone overboard?
This sort of thing is why I've admired him so for thirty years--he lives his life always working to strike the balance between living generously and responsibly, and making certain he takes the love of his life to a fabulous restaurant for her birthday.
People like him don't buy $800,000 houses on a teacher's salary, or toss their money onto a 129x earnings bonfire..
...or encourage others to do that sort of stuff, so he can make the kind of money that affords him the ability to eat at that sort of restaurant weekly.
How do we create more like him?
(And coincidentally, that 13% of the mortgages in the USA are at least one month overdue...)
(And, by the way, the FDIC just took over a three billion dollar hit today, closing three banks.)
(That makes 81 for the year, with at least another 150 or so to go.)
Where were we??? Oh yeah--the S & P...
Well, okay, this chart says it's only selling for 129 times earnings....that makes it all ok, right?
Silly ole' me was raised with the idea that 12 times earnings was the benchmark, and 10 was preferable. I mean, if one was to sell a business in its entirety, what sort of premium would a prudent person pay?
So, the question here isn't about money--lots of people profoundly qualified to enlighten us all about money.
The question is cultural: What happened to our sense of prudence? Our sense of what is proportional and appropriate? How much is enough? How much is too much, for our own good?
I just read a letter from a buddy on academic sabbatical overseas. He took his bride out for a splurge dinner at a famous restaurant. They had saved up for the evening's indulgence, and it was everything and more than they could have ever expected, a magical evening. I was so happy for them.
At one point though, he wondered out loud 'about the propriety of it, in a world of such turmoil and poverty...' In other words, had they gone overboard?
This sort of thing is why I've admired him so for thirty years--he lives his life always working to strike the balance between living generously and responsibly, and making certain he takes the love of his life to a fabulous restaurant for her birthday.
People like him don't buy $800,000 houses on a teacher's salary, or toss their money onto a 129x earnings bonfire..
...or encourage others to do that sort of stuff, so he can make the kind of money that affords him the ability to eat at that sort of restaurant weekly.
How do we create more like him?
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
And We Wonder Why Kuhlifornia Is In Bad Shape
On the way to somewhere else, I tripped across this nugget from ABC News, about the ready availability of marijauna in Los Angeles. (You'll need go to the bottom of the page, and click on 'High Times'.)
All perfectly legal, with a doctor's note.
And doctors perfectly willing to issue that note for any number of reasons.
In 1992, one of Bill Clinton's inside circle kept hammering home 'It's about the economy, Stupid!'.
He was wrong.
It's about the culture, always has been, always will be.
All perfectly legal, with a doctor's note.
And doctors perfectly willing to issue that note for any number of reasons.
In 1992, one of Bill Clinton's inside circle kept hammering home 'It's about the economy, Stupid!'.
He was wrong.
It's about the culture, always has been, always will be.
Time Warp
This from Inside Higher Ed, a stark reminder of how quickly the culture now moves.
It's well worth a read, as it is a guide to a college faculty about the world-view the incoming freshmen hold as they arrive to campus.
A few highlights include:
The Green Giant has always been Shrek, not the big guy picking vegetables.
They have never used a card catalog to find a book.
Margaret Thatcher has always been a former prime minister. (n.b.--That's assuming they know the name 'Margaret Thatcher'.)
Salsa has always outsold ketchup.
Earvin "Magic" Johnson has always been HIV-positive.(Ditto--most will have never heard of Magic Johnson, fewer still Kareem...)
Rap music has always been mainstream. (OldSouth having an episode of anxiety-induced tachycardia on this one...)
On the one hand, it's humorous, on the other it's a bit chilling.
How do we keep a culture functioning that (a) moves so quickly, and (b) has such a short memory?
This March, I was conducting a select choir of high-schoolers through a jazz-tinged composition. At one point I asked the girls to inject some 'Pointer Sisters' inflection into the passage. Dead, stunned, uncomprehending silent response, as it dawned on me not one of the 150 kids had heard of the Pointer Sisters. I recovered, and said, 'OK, you do know who Beyonce is?' All faces lit up, and they sang the passage like angels.
It was a valuable lesson in how far I had fallen behind, and in how little even these best and brightest kids were connected with even the past 40 years of pop culture, much less the mainstream culture of the West.
The process of teaching and learning can never be allowed an interruption, at any age.
This is OldSouth, pointing the finger at himself...
It's well worth a read, as it is a guide to a college faculty about the world-view the incoming freshmen hold as they arrive to campus.
A few highlights include:
The Green Giant has always been Shrek, not the big guy picking vegetables.
They have never used a card catalog to find a book.
Margaret Thatcher has always been a former prime minister. (n.b.--That's assuming they know the name 'Margaret Thatcher'.)
Salsa has always outsold ketchup.
Earvin "Magic" Johnson has always been HIV-positive.(Ditto--most will have never heard of Magic Johnson, fewer still Kareem...)
Rap music has always been mainstream. (OldSouth having an episode of anxiety-induced tachycardia on this one...)
On the one hand, it's humorous, on the other it's a bit chilling.
How do we keep a culture functioning that (a) moves so quickly, and (b) has such a short memory?
This March, I was conducting a select choir of high-schoolers through a jazz-tinged composition. At one point I asked the girls to inject some 'Pointer Sisters' inflection into the passage. Dead, stunned, uncomprehending silent response, as it dawned on me not one of the 150 kids had heard of the Pointer Sisters. I recovered, and said, 'OK, you do know who Beyonce is?' All faces lit up, and they sang the passage like angels.
It was a valuable lesson in how far I had fallen behind, and in how little even these best and brightest kids were connected with even the past 40 years of pop culture, much less the mainstream culture of the West.
The process of teaching and learning can never be allowed an interruption, at any age.
This is OldSouth, pointing the finger at himself...
Monday, August 17, 2009
A Fascinating Trip Into the Early 1930's
Joliet, Illinois sits at the junction of I-80 and I-55, to the southwest of Chicago.
I've visited friends there over the years, and have come to like the place and the people a great deal.
A poster at The Big Picture left this link, which makes for interesting reading.
It's a collection assembled by the Joliet Public Library of newspaper headlines from the 1930's.
It needs little elaboration, but does deserve attention.
I've visited friends there over the years, and have come to like the place and the people a great deal.
A poster at The Big Picture left this link, which makes for interesting reading.
It's a collection assembled by the Joliet Public Library of newspaper headlines from the 1930's.
It needs little elaboration, but does deserve attention.
David and Goliath
Congrats to Mr. Yang, winner of the PGA Championship just ended this afternoon, over Tiger Woods.
It marks the first time in fifteen occurrences that Tiger stepped onto the first tee with the lead on Sunday, and didn't win.
Mr. Yang remained patient, kept his courage, and in the process won the gallery over to his cause. He never allowed Tiger's presence to rattle him.
South Korea, and all of Asia, have a genuine hero.
We'll see him again in years to come, with a long exemption status on the PGA tour, invitations to the Masters and the Open, etc.
Here's to many more inspiring afternoons with Mr. Yang.
It marks the first time in fifteen occurrences that Tiger stepped onto the first tee with the lead on Sunday, and didn't win.
Mr. Yang remained patient, kept his courage, and in the process won the gallery over to his cause. He never allowed Tiger's presence to rattle him.
South Korea, and all of Asia, have a genuine hero.
We'll see him again in years to come, with a long exemption status on the PGA tour, invitations to the Masters and the Open, etc.
Here's to many more inspiring afternoons with Mr. Yang.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
An Inkling of Progess
After weeks of attempting to push through The Bill before it could be read (FAIL!), then attempting to characterize any and all opponents as racists, Nazis, Astroturf, un-American...
Then Himself hitting the road to staged town hall meetings with shills bussed in, and opponents locked out--captured and posted to Breitbart...
An acknowledgment that rooms full of otherwise unengaged citizens showing up to say NO! to an unprecedented power grab by an Administration that sees the Constitution as just so much paper to shred may have had a sobering effect upon members of Congress.
The minions hit the talking head shows this morning, and the back-pedaling began.
Running tens of millions of dollars of ads didn't work.
Calling out the Kool-Aid Korps hasn't helped.
The neighbors aren't showing up, 'cuz the economy has tanked on Obama's watch, and they suspect His intentions toward them are not benign.
It's not over, but progress is being made.
And even the New York (nearly bankrupt, by the way) Times acknowledges it.
Expect more name-calling from the Left...more lies, more charges of racism, etc.
And expect them to try to insert the same nonsense in via the back door, hoping no one notices.
But the ground has shifted a bit.
Now, let's get about the business of crafting a sane, workable, affordable means of making certain health care is within the reach of every citizen and legal resident of these United States.
Then Himself hitting the road to staged town hall meetings with shills bussed in, and opponents locked out--captured and posted to Breitbart...
An acknowledgment that rooms full of otherwise unengaged citizens showing up to say NO! to an unprecedented power grab by an Administration that sees the Constitution as just so much paper to shred may have had a sobering effect upon members of Congress.
The minions hit the talking head shows this morning, and the back-pedaling began.
Running tens of millions of dollars of ads didn't work.
Calling out the Kool-Aid Korps hasn't helped.
The neighbors aren't showing up, 'cuz the economy has tanked on Obama's watch, and they suspect His intentions toward them are not benign.
It's not over, but progress is being made.
And even the New York (nearly bankrupt, by the way) Times acknowledges it.
Expect more name-calling from the Left...more lies, more charges of racism, etc.
And expect them to try to insert the same nonsense in via the back door, hoping no one notices.
But the ground has shifted a bit.
Now, let's get about the business of crafting a sane, workable, affordable means of making certain health care is within the reach of every citizen and legal resident of these United States.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Too Much Fun...
Poor Nancy Pelosi.
She just keeps getting caught in the act of being herself.
She has the unique gift of pouring gasoline onto any fire with reach.
On the first attempt to pass the TARP, she delivered a scathing partisan speech, and then called for the vote, which failed. She was notably silent the next time.
Now, of course, we can't criticize The First Woman Speaker In The History Of This Great Country.
After all, she's a girl, and that would be sexist.
And we can't object to any of the grand designs of the President.
After all, he's black, and that would be racist.
This reasoning is beginning to wear thin.
She just keeps getting caught in the act of being herself.
She has the unique gift of pouring gasoline onto any fire with reach.
On the first attempt to pass the TARP, she delivered a scathing partisan speech, and then called for the vote, which failed. She was notably silent the next time.
Now, of course, we can't criticize The First Woman Speaker In The History Of This Great Country.
After all, she's a girl, and that would be sexist.
And we can't object to any of the grand designs of the President.
After all, he's black, and that would be racist.
This reasoning is beginning to wear thin.
The Health Care Bill, All 1018 Pages Of It
Congress hasn't read it, some reportedly refusing to read it.
So, let's read it ourselves.
An enterprising guy has posted a pdf copy on his blog, here.
His link is about a quarter of the way down the page, and it downloads quickly.
He's vociferously against it, so for now, ignore him, download and read.
A confession:
OldSouth hasn't read it yet,(trying to make the deadline on the 2008 return), but it's a project worth undertaking.
Just the snippets read so far make him wonder: Given the track record of state and federal governance since about 1930, how will these provisions play out over time?
Will we want to live in this sort of world?
So, let's read it ourselves.
An enterprising guy has posted a pdf copy on his blog, here.
His link is about a quarter of the way down the page, and it downloads quickly.
He's vociferously against it, so for now, ignore him, download and read.
A confession:
OldSouth hasn't read it yet,(trying to make the deadline on the 2008 return), but it's a project worth undertaking.
Just the snippets read so far make him wonder: Given the track record of state and federal governance since about 1930, how will these provisions play out over time?
Will we want to live in this sort of world?
Julia Project Week 1, and a Bach Moment
The goal--to learn every Bach chorale as published in the classic Breitkopf edition--to able to sing any line whilst playing the other three.
Week one: This is fun, and it is a mind-bender for those like me, trained as single-line orchestral musicians. But it's fun for just that reason.
I've spent great stretches of my life feeling vaguely restless and at times unhappy. After the privilege of marriage to my bride and raising two bright children with her, it finally dawned on me that the restlessness was borne out of boredom: If I'm not learning something, working on the next project, creating something, I'm not happy.
Everyone in the house is the same sort of person, including the border collies.
Bach scratches that itch. And ideas for my composing/arranging trade are beginning to flow fast and furious.
And, for this week's Bach moment: Rostropovich performing the prelude to the first Cello Suite. It's about two minutes long.
Bach worked in obscurity, in deeply difficult circumstances.
Rostropovich survived both WWII and Stalin in Russia.
Both endured to create this moment.
Week one: This is fun, and it is a mind-bender for those like me, trained as single-line orchestral musicians. But it's fun for just that reason.
I've spent great stretches of my life feeling vaguely restless and at times unhappy. After the privilege of marriage to my bride and raising two bright children with her, it finally dawned on me that the restlessness was borne out of boredom: If I'm not learning something, working on the next project, creating something, I'm not happy.
Everyone in the house is the same sort of person, including the border collies.
Bach scratches that itch. And ideas for my composing/arranging trade are beginning to flow fast and furious.
And, for this week's Bach moment: Rostropovich performing the prelude to the first Cello Suite. It's about two minutes long.
Bach worked in obscurity, in deeply difficult circumstances.
Rostropovich survived both WWII and Stalin in Russia.
Both endured to create this moment.
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