So, I'm putting my kid on a plane to London, with three bags--'cuz he's moving there for a year to spend a gap year.
We step up to the United Airlines counter, knowing there will be a surcharge for the extra bag, but knowing that all bags are well under the weight limit. The website quotes extra bags at $125.
'That will be two hundred dollars please.'
What? I ask--nowhere does it quote $200 for one extra bag.
Oh, comes the reply, we do that by destination, and you have to call us to get a quote...
I hand over the card for my haircut, and grimly say, 'Well, at least he's not taking a guitar...'
The chirpy response: 'Oh you saw that video? We now use it as a training video!'
Words fail. They just fail.
They never made the guitar destruction right, never learned anything from the experience. But they do view the video for training, created at someone else's expense.
What do you think the odds are that I ever, ever, ever spend another penny voluntarily with United Airlines?
But, as a zombie company, it will never be allowed to fail, and join Braniff, Eastern and so many others on the ash-heap of business history.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thoughts for Mid-American Mom and Dad
For parents and their children who are planning for college: an article from 'Inside Higher Education'(a very informative site in general, by the way), discussing the increasingly competitive environment for university admission.
It is a sobering read.
Eight years ago, I sat in meetings with a high-powered university financial administrator of a major public university. He had a certain black humor about his job, as it was his role to inform all the deans and department heads that the day was approaching(he estimated 12-15 years) when his institution would function as a private university. The twin realities of an inexorable shrinkange of the tax base and inexorably growing demand on those dollars(due to promises made by previous legislatures) could lead to no other conclusion. Every dean would have to think and act aggressively about how to attract and retain both development dollars and high-value students to their public, state-supported university.
He said it made him the most hated man on campus.
The only error in his message was the time-line he projected, shortened dramatically by the ongoing shift in the economy. The deans that took him at his word are weathering the storm. One in particular who did not heed advice is no longer a dean, and his successor has been playing 'catch-up' ever since.
So, Mid-American Mom and Dad, who may have gone to college in the 1980's or 1990's: It is a different world that your children are embarking upon.
Math scores really matter.
The ability to write and converse coherently in English really matters.
Grades, SAT, and ACT scores really matter. AP courses really matter.
Whether your kid had a wonderful time in the umpteen kiddie soccer and softball programs now dangled before you does not matter.
University admission, with substantial scholarship assistance, is not a slam-dunk assumption, and your child's competitor may well be sitting in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangalore, or Capetown.
I can assure you, his/her family is paying attention to the list cited above.
It is a sobering read.
Eight years ago, I sat in meetings with a high-powered university financial administrator of a major public university. He had a certain black humor about his job, as it was his role to inform all the deans and department heads that the day was approaching(he estimated 12-15 years) when his institution would function as a private university. The twin realities of an inexorable shrinkange of the tax base and inexorably growing demand on those dollars(due to promises made by previous legislatures) could lead to no other conclusion. Every dean would have to think and act aggressively about how to attract and retain both development dollars and high-value students to their public, state-supported university.
He said it made him the most hated man on campus.
The only error in his message was the time-line he projected, shortened dramatically by the ongoing shift in the economy. The deans that took him at his word are weathering the storm. One in particular who did not heed advice is no longer a dean, and his successor has been playing 'catch-up' ever since.
So, Mid-American Mom and Dad, who may have gone to college in the 1980's or 1990's: It is a different world that your children are embarking upon.
Math scores really matter.
The ability to write and converse coherently in English really matters.
Grades, SAT, and ACT scores really matter. AP courses really matter.
Whether your kid had a wonderful time in the umpteen kiddie soccer and softball programs now dangled before you does not matter.
University admission, with substantial scholarship assistance, is not a slam-dunk assumption, and your child's competitor may well be sitting in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangalore, or Capetown.
I can assure you, his/her family is paying attention to the list cited above.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Let's Be Careful Out There
If you ever had the pleasure of watching the venerable 'Hill Street Blues', from the 1980's, the character of the old Sergeant stands out vividly in the memory. He gave the morning briefing to the patrol officers in a drug-ridden and despairing neighborhood, and would always end with the admonishment: 'Let's Be Careful Out There'.
Fast-forward to Summer 2009. There is a gentleman named Tim Wood, whose public credits are as follows:
Timothy L. Wood is an assistant professor of history at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri. He is the author of Agents of Wrath, Sowers of Discord: Authority and Dissent in Puritan Massachusetts, 1630-1655 (Routledge).
There is another Tim Wood out there, who posted some sort of rant comparing our current President to Adolf Hitler.
Someone, with waaay toooo much time on his/her hands, decided that Timothy Wood, the professor, and Timothy Wood the wearer of tin-foil hats, were the same person!
(Which they definitely are not!)
Timothy Wood the professor has been bombarded with email from all corners, and his life has been disrupted by thousands of gullible people who assume: 'Well, it's on my email, it must be true!'
Take a moment to read his account, please.
It's insightful, both as to how this sort of lunacy gets underway, and why it can flourish so easily.
Let's Be Careful Out There!
Fast-forward to Summer 2009. There is a gentleman named Tim Wood, whose public credits are as follows:
Timothy L. Wood is an assistant professor of history at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri. He is the author of Agents of Wrath, Sowers of Discord: Authority and Dissent in Puritan Massachusetts, 1630-1655 (Routledge).
There is another Tim Wood out there, who posted some sort of rant comparing our current President to Adolf Hitler.
Someone, with waaay toooo much time on his/her hands, decided that Timothy Wood, the professor, and Timothy Wood the wearer of tin-foil hats, were the same person!
(Which they definitely are not!)
Timothy Wood the professor has been bombarded with email from all corners, and his life has been disrupted by thousands of gullible people who assume: 'Well, it's on my email, it must be true!'
Take a moment to read his account, please.
It's insightful, both as to how this sort of lunacy gets underway, and why it can flourish so easily.
Let's Be Careful Out There!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
United Breaks Guitars Part Deux
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.
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.
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.
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