Airplane rage is all the rage. It's not a new problem.
I have long legs and don't like being elbowed by the person sitting next to me, so to stretch my legs and move out of the way of flying elbows, I always reserve an aisle seat weeks in advance of my airplane rides ( and these days avoid airplanes as much as possible altogether).
One flight during my consulting days at the end of a long itinerary, I settled into my precious aisle seat, closed my eyes and started to doze, even before the plane took off. A commotion started at the front of the plane. A man who hadn't planned things the way he wanted was nastily abusing the flight attendants, demanding he be given a seat alongside his wife. The flight attendants said that they'd see what they could do, but it didn't look good since the plane was very full. Then the guy spots me and the empty seat next to me.
Will you move so my wife and I can sit there.
Find me an aisle seat, says I. I reserved this one weeks ago.
Then he got nasty and abusive with me.
Shut up sucker or I'll stuff you in the overhead bin, says I.
He was dumbstruck.
The guy in the aisle seat behind me gets up and moves into the seat next to me.
I don't mind, says he.
Gutless, says I. You shouldn't reward an abusive bullying person.
He shrugged his shoulders and I went back to dozing.
After the plane took off and we were safely aloft, someone gently nudged me.
It was a flight attendant. She whispered in my ear, can we buy you a drink.
Thanks, says I.
Friday, September 26, 2014
Thursday, September 25, 2014
The Dragon Hires a Temp: No Country for Old Men
* * * * *
An added advantage to hiring young women -- besides them not going to strip clubs at lunchtime for beers -- was that they weren't likely to be a difficult manic-depressive ex-marine contractor who was prone to skipping his lithium and liked shooting his pet machine gun in the desert after work.
* * * * *
Another drawback to hiring women in the days before Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill. The women always seemed to be riled up about something. I couldn't figure out what until our biggest project was nearly over and the senior partner had packed his bags and gone home, leaving me to straighten out the broken pieces.
"Everybody Loves" Grace checked in with me.
(Grace was so sweet that she never figured out until after he retired that, when she lived in Vientiane during her junior high years, her dad worked for the CIA and was head of Air America security)
Sorry if Jacq and I were grumpy sometimes.
No problem. You should work with fisherman who've been pulling nets for a week straight... or sailors who've just spent a month firing 10,000 5" rounds during all night raids on Haiphong Harbor and other scenic tropical places.
Oh... it was just that X [senior partner] kept bugging us.
I knew that.
No you didn't. He used to walk up behind us and snap our bras and other dirt bag stuff like that.
You should have told me. I'd have stopped it.
We were afraid you'd get mad and punch him out.
You're a good judge of character, my dear.
[Too bad, though, that Deloitte job was one I'd have loved to have left in a legendary blaze of glory. I was disappointed I'd missed the excuse to do what I wanted to do anyway.]
* * * * *
The women weren't without sin. Sweet Grace and her pals had their "mean girls" counterparts. They liked to gossip about everyone's sex lives and Partner X loved to personally indulge them (no wonder we were behind schedule and losing money). In particular the ladies, even the sweet ones, liked to speculate and confirm which men were gay. STOP. I don't care that you saw Bob kissing his boy friend goodbye this morning. I need Bob to lead you people, develop the specifications for the claims system and make sure you people program it according to spec. Short of personally sleeping with the guy myself, I will do anything to keep him happy.
Monday, September 22, 2014
RIP Captain Robert Regan -- the Right Stuff
Third Eli Baseball Game Cancelled
"Because several players will have to leave for compulsory Naval Science cruises on June 18, the third Harvard-Yale baseball game, originally schedule for June 20 (1941), has been called off. The Crimson players involved include: third baseman Gilbert F. Whittemore '42, catcher Robert F. Regan '41, and Sophomore outfielders Fred S. Troy, Jr. and Robert S. Potter."
My uncle Rob was the starting catcher for the Harvard baseball team in 1941. Not bad for the son of a Gaelic speaking farm girl from Lisdoonvarna (Honoragh Lafferty) and a trolley car conductor from Cork (Tim Regan). Jack and Joe Kennedy sat behind my grandmother at baseball games and shouted encouragement for "Shanty" Regan. No one seemed to mind nicknames back then. Joe Kennedy was Uncle Rob's inspiration for going Naval Aviation: "If that bum Joe Kennedy can be a pilot, so can I."
Uncle Rob was assigned to VC-38 a squadron of TBF torpedo planes that fought in the Solomons Campaign. My mother called the torpedo planes "Ensign Eliminators", a well-earned nickname due to their heavy losses during the Pacific war. At Midway in June of 1942, VT-8's entire complement of TBDs and TBFs was wiped out during their repeated desperate attacks on the Japanese fleet.
For valor during many World War II battles, including the raids on the heavily defended Japanese naval bases at Rabaul and Kure, the son of Irish Catholic immigrants was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross (three times).
After the war, Rob became one of the Navy's first jet test pilots and finished his career as the commander of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi.
REGAN, ROBERT F.
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross [America's second highest award for combat valor ] to Lieutenant Robert F. Regan (NSN: 0-106999), United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Torpedo Plane in Carrier Air Group THIRTY (CAG-30), while leading a flight of torpedo bombers in a bombing attack on major combatant units of the Japanese Fleet in Kure Harbor, on 19 March 1945. Lieutenant Regan skillfully and courageously selected the best point of attack and pressed home his own bombing run to a very low altitude despite intense anti-aircraft fire scoring two direct hits on a heavy cruiser [sinking IJN Tone, whose aircraft had participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor]. His courageous and skilled tactics set the pace for the remaining attacking planes resulting in heavy losses to the enemy vessels. His outstanding courage and determined skill were at all times inspiring and in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
[It was during the Kure raid that Holy Cross College professor Joseph O'Callaghan, SJ., displayed valor meriting the Congressional Medal of Honor when USS Franklin was struck by a devastating attack from Japanese bombers and nearly sunk]
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Lieutenant Robert F. Regan (NSN: 0-106999), United States Naval Reserve, for gallantry and intrepidity in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Torpedo Plane in Carrier Air Group THIRTY (CAG-30), while participating in an aerial flight as leader of a squadron of torpedo bombers in an attack upon an enemy convoy in the East China Sea, on 24 March 1945. As a result of careful planning of the attack of his squadron, the planes in his flight scored several torpedo and bomb hits on enemy ships. He personally scored a direct hit with his torpedo on a large enemy cargo vessel which exploded and sank. As a result of his and other attacks the entire convoy was destroyed. His courage, determination and devotion to duty in the execution of this mission were at all times in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
"Because several players will have to leave for compulsory Naval Science cruises on June 18, the third Harvard-Yale baseball game, originally schedule for June 20 (1941), has been called off. The Crimson players involved include: third baseman Gilbert F. Whittemore '42, catcher Robert F. Regan '41, and Sophomore outfielders Fred S. Troy, Jr. and Robert S. Potter."
My uncle Rob was the starting catcher for the Harvard baseball team in 1941. Not bad for the son of a Gaelic speaking farm girl from Lisdoonvarna (Honoragh Lafferty) and a trolley car conductor from Cork (Tim Regan). Jack and Joe Kennedy sat behind my grandmother at baseball games and shouted encouragement for "Shanty" Regan. No one seemed to mind nicknames back then. Joe Kennedy was Uncle Rob's inspiration for going Naval Aviation: "If that bum Joe Kennedy can be a pilot, so can I."
Uncle Rob was assigned to VC-38 a squadron of TBF torpedo planes that fought in the Solomons Campaign. My mother called the torpedo planes "Ensign Eliminators", a well-earned nickname due to their heavy losses during the Pacific war. At Midway in June of 1942, VT-8's entire complement of TBDs and TBFs was wiped out during their repeated desperate attacks on the Japanese fleet.
For valor during many World War II battles, including the raids on the heavily defended Japanese naval bases at Rabaul and Kure, the son of Irish Catholic immigrants was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross (three times).
After the war, Rob became one of the Navy's first jet test pilots and finished his career as the commander of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi.
* * * * *
REGAN, ROBERT F.
 |
| INJ Tone under attack at Kure |
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross [America's second highest award for combat valor ] to Lieutenant Robert F. Regan (NSN: 0-106999), United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Torpedo Plane in Carrier Air Group THIRTY (CAG-30), while leading a flight of torpedo bombers in a bombing attack on major combatant units of the Japanese Fleet in Kure Harbor, on 19 March 1945. Lieutenant Regan skillfully and courageously selected the best point of attack and pressed home his own bombing run to a very low altitude despite intense anti-aircraft fire scoring two direct hits on a heavy cruiser [sinking IJN Tone, whose aircraft had participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor]. His courageous and skilled tactics set the pace for the remaining attacking planes resulting in heavy losses to the enemy vessels. His outstanding courage and determined skill were at all times inspiring and in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
[It was during the Kure raid that Holy Cross College professor Joseph O'Callaghan, SJ., displayed valor meriting the Congressional Medal of Honor when USS Franklin was struck by a devastating attack from Japanese bombers and nearly sunk]
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Lieutenant Robert F. Regan (NSN: 0-106999), United States Naval Reserve, for gallantry and intrepidity in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Torpedo Plane in Carrier Air Group THIRTY (CAG-30), while participating in an aerial flight as leader of a squadron of torpedo bombers in an attack upon an enemy convoy in the East China Sea, on 24 March 1945. As a result of careful planning of the attack of his squadron, the planes in his flight scored several torpedo and bomb hits on enemy ships. He personally scored a direct hit with his torpedo on a large enemy cargo vessel which exploded and sank. As a result of his and other attacks the entire convoy was destroyed. His courage, determination and devotion to duty in the execution of this mission were at all times in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Throwing Acetone on Holy Cross ROTC students
As if it weren't bad enough to suffer the distain of my fellow students and harassment by some like the Holy Cross black student provocateur, it is amazing to discover that a Holy Cross professor claims it's all a myth. It is certainly no myth that Holy Cross students threw acetone on my fellow Holy Cross NROTC students in 1969.
Holy Cross: Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers
Brother Rat
It is also no myth that I had to endure an abusive graduate school interview at Stony Brook University where the program director concluded that I should go elsewhere because my veteran's benefit made it possible for me to afford a more expensive graduate school. Since then I've interviewed many and went out of my way to conduct the interview in a professional and polite manner, not as a prelude to Glengarry Glen Ross.
Disrespect for Vietnam vets is fact, not fiction
Bob Feist, Star Tribune
Holy Cross: Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers
Brother Rat
It is also no myth that I had to endure an abusive graduate school interview at Stony Brook University where the program director concluded that I should go elsewhere because my veteran's benefit made it possible for me to afford a more expensive graduate school. Since then I've interviewed many and went out of my way to conduct the interview in a professional and polite manner, not as a prelude to Glengarry Glen Ross.
Disrespect for Vietnam vets is fact, not fiction
Bob Feist, Star Tribune
Thursday, September 18, 2014
The Dragon Meets Felix Frankfurter
I met Felix Frankfurter many years ago when I was in kindergarten. It was during the big airline fight when my father got himself admitted to the Supreme Court bar.
Anyway I got sick in the court's waiting room. All over a beautiful rug. The guards took over and said don't worry Mr. Mac, we'll take care of the boy. They whisked me to the court's infirmary and started pumping me full of milk of magnesia or something else awful. Then Justice Frankfurter walks in and asks for some aspirin cause he has a terrible headache. The guard thinking he's doing a wonderful thing presents me to the great justice. The great justice extends his hand and says nice to meet you young man. I duck and cover. No way I was shaking hands with a big scary guy in a black dress.
Anyway I got sick in the court's waiting room. All over a beautiful rug. The guards took over and said don't worry Mr. Mac, we'll take care of the boy. They whisked me to the court's infirmary and started pumping me full of milk of magnesia or something else awful. Then Justice Frankfurter walks in and asks for some aspirin cause he has a terrible headache. The guard thinking he's doing a wonderful thing presents me to the great justice. The great justice extends his hand and says nice to meet you young man. I duck and cover. No way I was shaking hands with a big scary guy in a black dress.
* * * * *
Years before, when my grandfather led the Boston Carmen's Union during the big strike, the union was on the ropes and management wasn't much better off. The exhausted parties agreed to arbitration. Management picked their arbitrator. Grandpa Tim paused and slyly said... I pick Professor Frankfurter from Harvard.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
The Exorcist
Fred Phelps was a local character who terrorized Topeka, Kansas, for years. He'd been an Eagle Scout when he was a boy, and began preaching against sin in college. Conservative Bob Jones University allegedly gave him an ultimatum to seek psychiatric care or leave. He left and earned a two year degree from John Muir College. He was hired to preach at Topeka's East Side Baptist, but left in a year to found his own Westboro Baptist Church. The church was his house in Topeka's Westboro neighborhood, and his large family was the congregation. They did baptisms in the swimming pool and claimed status as a non-profit religious organization.
Fred earned a law degree from nearby Washburn University and got off on a good foot taking up civil rights cases for African Americans. He got disbarred when he sued a court clerk for not getting him a transcript on time, put her on the witness stand for two weeks, and allegedly during the examination accused her of perverted sexual acts. Why the judge let this go on is a mystery to this day, but Fred had a way of intimidating people.
When the AIDS epidemic hit, Fred and his "congregation" started picketing the funerals. His message was loud and clear, and the chanting and shouts were accompanied by graphic placards just to be sure you got the message: "God Hates Fags" and stick figures posed suggestively to depict homosexual sex acts. When there wasn't a funeral to picket, Fred and company picketed churches where the funerals had been held.
Fred inevitably got around to picketing my brother's church and, never mind the children, the adjoining Catholic school my nephew attended. This infuriated the parish priest. But what to do. Fred wanted confrontation. He hoped he'd be physically attacked, then he'd sue the attacker and use the money to keep Westboro Baptist going. The priest donned his full regalia of vestments, grabbed his aspergillum, a ewer of holy water and headed for Fred. Fred was furious when he got hit by the holy water, but what can you do? Sue someone for sprinkling you with holy water. Fred complained to the bishop. The bishop sent him more holy water as a token of peace, secretly hoping that if enough touched him, Fred might burn up in smoke and blow away.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Poverty in America: The Dragon Meets the Hawk
Some people like NY Times columnist Nick Kristof think America can't be saved unless all the teachers have a degree from Harvard. He's never met the Hawk. Of course not, the elites who think it's their privilege to tell us how to live our lives don't send their children to inner-city Title 1 public schools. Most wouldn't know what a Title 1 school is even if they'd been near one... other than thinking as they drove by when the students were arriving that it would be best to check if the car doors are locked.
The Hawk comes to mind this morning because he was directing traffic when I dropped my daughter off for school. His traffic theatrics make you wonder if he's related to the famous Pittsburgh cop, Vic Cianca.
The Hawk went to work as a janitor at the Rose Lane School because he needed job. When you spend high school perfecting your skateboard maneuvers, your career options are limited.
The school principal took a shine to the Hawk and encouraged him go to college and get a job teaching. "You do very well with the children. They love you."
And so it came to pass, that my little Jimmy, the bane of elementary school teachers, walked into the Hawk's fourth grade class and went from being an average student to having one of the very highest math test scores in the school district. Maybe the key to success was that little Jimmy loves fishing and the kid who did the best that day got to feed live minnows to the bass the Hawk kept in a big tank in the room.
Sit in on his class and you'd discover that the Hawk was the frickin' original Pied Piper. He'd say the magic word and 30 kids would clap three times in unison and then there'd be complete silence and rapt attention.
The Hawk comes to mind this morning because he was directing traffic when I dropped my daughter off for school. His traffic theatrics make you wonder if he's related to the famous Pittsburgh cop, Vic Cianca.
The Hawk went to work as a janitor at the Rose Lane School because he needed job. When you spend high school perfecting your skateboard maneuvers, your career options are limited.
The school principal took a shine to the Hawk and encouraged him go to college and get a job teaching. "You do very well with the children. They love you."
And so it came to pass, that my little Jimmy, the bane of elementary school teachers, walked into the Hawk's fourth grade class and went from being an average student to having one of the very highest math test scores in the school district. Maybe the key to success was that little Jimmy loves fishing and the kid who did the best that day got to feed live minnows to the bass the Hawk kept in a big tank in the room. Sit in on his class and you'd discover that the Hawk was the frickin' original Pied Piper. He'd say the magic word and 30 kids would clap three times in unison and then there'd be complete silence and rapt attention.
* * * * *
The basic principles of Title 1 [federal assistance] state that schools with large concentrations of low-income students will receive supplemental funds to assist in meeting students' educational goals. Low-income students are determined by the number of students enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program. For an entire school to qualify for Title 1 funds, at least 40% of students must enroll in the free and reduced lunch program.
Friday, September 12, 2014
The Dragon meets Dirty Marie
I'd been the light-heavy weight fisticuffs champ of New York's Metropolitan Junior Hockey League, which sent Joe Mullen to Boston College and the NHL, but hitting a woman never occurred to me. On the other hand, I was on the receiving end once.
I'd been dating a young woman while doing graduate school at NYU. Things seemed to be going very well. Before Christmas break we travelled to Washington, DC, and spent a weekend with her sister's family. Afterwards, I went home to New York and spent Christmas with my family.
When she returned from break, I went to see her at her apartment. Shortly after I entered she said she had some bad news (for me). She was moving to California to get married. After I'd left her sister's house, she'd hopped on a jet plane and spent Christmas with another boy friend. Little did I know. I spent a whole weekend with at least two, probably three people, who treated me like the latest family addition without coming close to letting on that I was the latest family sucker. Which hurt more the loss of the woman or the humiliation discovering I'd spent a weekend as the family fool.
Since staying any longer seemed to be pointless, I politely excused myself without saying much at all and headed home. The apartments at NYU had no elevators. I wasn't far down the first flight of stairs when someone runs up behind me and kicks me real hard in the butt. I turned to defend myself, which I'd done ferociously on more than one occasion, and there was my "friend" Dirty Marie. "IF YOU LEAVE NOW, I WILL NEVER SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN" she screamed. I turned around and just kept going.
* * * * *
I should have immediately bailed out on this when she waited until breakfast to announce that... technically ... she was still married.
I'd been dating a young woman while doing graduate school at NYU. Things seemed to be going very well. Before Christmas break we travelled to Washington, DC, and spent a weekend with her sister's family. Afterwards, I went home to New York and spent Christmas with my family.
When she returned from break, I went to see her at her apartment. Shortly after I entered she said she had some bad news (for me). She was moving to California to get married. After I'd left her sister's house, she'd hopped on a jet plane and spent Christmas with another boy friend. Little did I know. I spent a whole weekend with at least two, probably three people, who treated me like the latest family addition without coming close to letting on that I was the latest family sucker. Which hurt more the loss of the woman or the humiliation discovering I'd spent a weekend as the family fool.
Since staying any longer seemed to be pointless, I politely excused myself without saying much at all and headed home. The apartments at NYU had no elevators. I wasn't far down the first flight of stairs when someone runs up behind me and kicks me real hard in the butt. I turned to defend myself, which I'd done ferociously on more than one occasion, and there was my "friend" Dirty Marie. "IF YOU LEAVE NOW, I WILL NEVER SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN" she screamed. I turned around and just kept going.
* * * * *
I should have immediately bailed out on this when she waited until breakfast to announce that... technically ... she was still married.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
The New Holy Cross
The epistles I receive from my alma mater are intriguing to say the least.
First and foremost they celebrate the new, diverse and co-ed Holy Cross where students are decidedly brighter than those who attended in the past.
Then there are the inveterate pleas for donations to support the alma mater. These are not simply intriguing. They are downright puzzling. If the graduates of the New Holy Cross are so darn smart why do they need my money. After all, if all the graduates of the New Holy are smarter than me, then they're all multi-millionaires many times over and a school that's left its past behind can certainly do without the past's money.
I'm not exactly sure what smart means -- sometimes it's better to be lucky than smart. But I definitely know what dumb is.
First and foremost they celebrate the new, diverse and co-ed Holy Cross where students are decidedly brighter than those who attended in the past.
Then there are the inveterate pleas for donations to support the alma mater. These are not simply intriguing. They are downright puzzling. If the graduates of the New Holy Cross are so darn smart why do they need my money. After all, if all the graduates of the New Holy are smarter than me, then they're all multi-millionaires many times over and a school that's left its past behind can certainly do without the past's money.
I'm not exactly sure what smart means -- sometimes it's better to be lucky than smart. But I definitely know what dumb is.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Butch Meets the Dragon
I grew up in a union family so it was very interesting, to say the least, when I got assigned to a team negotiating a labor contract with the City of Independence, Missouri, firemen. I was about the same age as the firemen on the union team so we had a lot in common. As the negotiations dragged on and on (the firemen were waiting to see if their candidates won the city council election), the union team started laying it on pretty thick with outrageous demands. One day the union president, Butch, demanded that the city put into the firemen's contract a guarantee that the city would only buy products made in the United States. I immediately shot back, sure Butch, we'll put that in the contract... when you sell your Volkswagen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)