Course Correction Mid-Air

The blog on Customer Service, was precipitated by recent events while flying. Since i fly a lot, its not uncommon for me to encounter situations which are blog worthy. But this was really a first for me and most people i flew with that day.

After a last minute gate change, my United flight from IAD (Washington Dulles) to DTW (Detroit) took off with a minimal delay. The gate change and delay was treated as customary, and no one batted an eyelid as a result.
All settled in, this small Bombardier CRJ took off without any hitches and we were in the air shortly. We finished the initial ascent to a cruising altitude, and we were treated to the inflight service. The stewardess soon served us drinks, the only freebie provided on this flight.

We were interrupted shortly thereafter, by the crackling of the PA system, with an announcement from the pilot. He reported that he just received a message from the gate agent and that we were flying back to Washington Dulles. The reason being that this aircraft was required for a flight from IAD to Indianapolis later, and cannot handle late night flying. So going to Detroit and then flying back would cause problems. So we were going back to IAD, to switch aircraft and then fly back to Detroit.

Astounded. Shocked. Bewildered. Are there other words in the dictionary, that are more appropriate to describe this moment? We had finished almost 50% of our flight journey, to learn this!! We, passengers looked at each other aghast and shook heads. But, what can you do ? The stewardess, immediately turned clueless. Well there is no reason to blame them. 'Cause they too just learnt about it now. But, i was amazed at how easily they made us submit to this inconvenience - with a simple shrug of their shoulders. And like i wrote earlier, why would they take a share of the blame or apologize for the misfortune events that United created.

And so, we flew back, to the same gate where we started. Only to be shunted to a nearby gate, where there was an exact same CRJ waiting for us. Small mercies. I was mentally preparing myself for a long wait; for an alternate aircraft, crew change and all the related predicaments that were possible. We took off in about an hour, and soon were on the way to Detroit. But the nightmare of a possible u-turn midair still haunts me. I am not sure when i would get over that.

Redemption: United did send me a voucher for $250 as an apology for this fiasco. Thanks. Again small mercies, even tho' the delays cost me much more.

Shameless

So apparently this not at all unusual. It has been going on for years. All big fellas' spied on the small.

The question is tho' with all this effort, time and money, has it yielded anything other than jealous boy/girl talk.

Things better than Free Speech

There are quite few things that are more important than free speech. Here is a list of things i think are more important to average citizens, than the free speech. And i also think there needs to be big difference between"Freedom to Speak" and "Free Speech"

Free & Fair Elections	Free or Reasonably priced food
Free Responsible Press	Free Primary Health
Free impartial Judiciary	Freedom to move

What are the limits of free speech ? If my freedom ends where your nose begins, then where does free speech, begin and end ? My tongue ?

Things better than Free Speech

There are quite few things that are more important than free speech. Here is a list of things i think are more important to average citizens, than the free speech. And i also think there needs to be big difference between"Freedom to Speak" and "Free Speech"

Free & Fair Elections	Free or Reasonably priced food
Free Responsible Press	Free Primary Health
Free impartial Judiciary	Freedom to move

What are the limits of free speech ? If my freedom ends where your nose begins, then where does free speech, begin and end ? My tongue ?

Power outage @ VA

An hour or two of thunderstorm late night on friday, knocked the living daylights out of the DC metro area. The northern VA area where i live, we lost power at around 10:30pm on Friday. Its past 10:30 am on Sunday morning, 36hrs later, we are still out of power.
The pic below is from Panera Bread store in Tysons Corner, my temporary home. Also home to a long line of people, who are trying to get some food, an electric outlet to charge the phones and other essential devices and also surf the internet, the only social life many of us seem to have these days.

I observed a peculiar facet of us, human beings. At first, all i wanted was power (electricity) so i could get some food to eat and hot water to bathe and clean. When i had access to this, from a friends house, i was peeved that there was no internet and or cable. Am sure if cable or internet was available, i might complain that it was slow or there was nothing good on it. Somewhere in the middle of all this, i also lost all my battery charge on my cell phone. Guess how depressed and depraved i should have been.

Men (human beings), you cant have it and you cant have it.

Democrazy

Its not real. Its just a crazy demonstration. There are no rights, limited duties and most importantly, the answer must always to be the question "Ask not what your large corporations can do for you? Ask what you can get the country to do for the large corporations?".

Facing the Voters in 2012
Patrick Chappatte - International Herald Tribune

A whole bunch of fools, the crazy part of the democrazy, are going to vote, thinking they can make a difference. All the best.

My First 10K @ 1:15:04

So i finally ran a race, after a long time. This time it was a 10K, kind of an upgrade from the 5K i've run before. It was a good time in summer to run, the sky was overcast at the start, a bit of rain during the race. Everything was perfect. Well there has to be a but - right?

There is a but. More like a butt !! Some muscle (i am not an expert on these names), that runs from my butt down my thighs to the knee area (hamstrings ?), kept complaining. I have had these kind of irritants before. They usually go away when i ignore them. This time, i wasnt ignoring them. I was looking out for these and paying them more attention than necessary. So that meant, easing up on my run.

The running was going perfect till about 3+ miles. My usual run is 3 miles. And then from their on, it was slower pace, and a lot of stop and walk syndrome. Well, i must have run my first 3 miles pretty fast, because my overall pace was still about 12 minutes. I am used to 10 minute miles, but that works only for the 3mile runs.

Place Num   Name             Age Hometown       Gun Tim Net Tim Pace 

===== ===== ================ === ============== ======= ======= =====

  317  185  Nathan Douglas   31 Herndon VA      1:11:46 1:11:23 11:30 
  318  734  Mark Lafleur     40 Leesburg VA     1:13:10 1:12:14 11:38 
  319  430  Steve Hart       64 Leesburg VA     1:13:40 1:12:47 11:43 
  320  799  Chris Vallean    39 Leesburg VA     1:14:44 1:14:10 11:57 
  321  819  C.K. Kumar       46 McLean VA       1:15:04 1:14:58 12:04 
  322  2182 Thomas Bradtke   21 College Park MD 1:16:21 1:16:18 12:17 
  323  332  Glenn Smith      56 Ashburn VA      1:17:39 1:16:30 12:19 
  324  570  John O'Shea      48 Sterling VA     1:18:17 1:17:28 12:28 
  325  788  Ron Ecton        41 Leesburg VA     1:18:23 1:17:40 12:30 
  326  272  Dick Coogan      79 McLean VA       1:20:56 1:20:18 12:56 

Leesburg 10K 2011 - Official Men's 10K Results

I am happy i finished. I started the whole thing, with the worst kind of fear. I usually do that, conjure up the worst in my mind. But like i said, i am happy. This means, that i've broken the fear barrier. Like they say in the Mt Dew commercial - Dar ke aage, Jeet hai !!

Texas has its idiot back

Ya. But i guess america is going to miss his bloopers on TV. He kept the people entertained while his government kept running the country into the ground.

Dont even ask me, why i thought of adding this now.

It will take america and the world a long while to fix things. But i guess when people look back in history, they will only probably remember for these funnies.

Whitey on the Moon

I was first introduced to these words, way back in '98. An Irish friend of mine, had shared the first couple of lines with me. I guess it took me a while to hit upon the full song and its lyrics. The context of this song by Gil Scott-Heron, was based on the moon race, and the white America's preoccupation with everything other than the uplifting the black (read poor). But it doesnt take a lot of IQ, to figure out that the rage behind the song, and the intent (struggle) continues, even today.

Whitey on the Moon
A rat done bit my sister Nell. (with Whitey on the moon)
Her face and arms began to swell. (and Whitey's on the moon)
I can't pay no doctor bill. (but Whitey's on the moon)
Ten years from now I'll be payin' still. (while Whitey's on the moon)
The man jus' upped my rent las' night. ('cause Whitey's on the moon
No hot water, no toilets, no lights. (but Whitey's on the moon)
I wonder why he's uppi' me? ('cause Whitey's on the moon?)
I wuz already payin' 'im fifty a week. (with Whitey on the moon)

Taxes takin' my whole damn check,  Junkies makin' me a nervous wreck,
The price of food is goin' up, An' as if all that shit wuzn't enough:

A rat done bit my sister Nell. (with Whitey on the moon)
Her face an' arm began to swell. (but Whitey's on the moon)
Was all that money I made las' year (for Whitey on the moon?)
How come there ain't no money here? (Hmm! Whitey's on the moon)
Y'know I jus' 'bout had my fill (of Whitey on the moon)
I think I'll sen' these doctor bills, Airmail special (to Whitey on the moon)

No, i am not talking just about America, this is now true of the whole world. Just replace the word whitey and moon, with your choice of epitaph.

Thank you Globalization !

Newt Speak !

Esquire recently published an article on Newt Gingrich. What struck me the most was the line, "It doesn't matter what I do, people need to hear what I have to say." Well spoken Mr. Gingrich. The excerpt below sets the context for this momentous quote.

But Marianne was having problems of her own. After going to the doctor for a mysterious tingling in her hand, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Early in May, she went out to Ohio for her mother's birthday. A day and a half went by and Newt didn't return her calls, which was strange.

They always talked every day, often ten times a day, so she was frantic by the time he called to say he needed to talk to her. "About what?"

He wanted to talk in person, he said. "I said, 'No, we need to talk now.' "

He went quiet. "There's somebody else, isn't there?"


She kind of guessed it, of course. Women usually do. But did she know the woman was in her apartment, eating off her plates, sleeping in her bed?


She called a minister they both trusted. He came over to the house the next day and worked with them the whole weekend, but Gingrich just kept saying she was a Jaguar and all he wanted was a Chevrolet. " 'I can't handle a Jaguar right now.' He said that many times. 'All I want is a Chevrolet.' "
 
He asked her to just tolerate the affair, an offer she refused.


He'd just returned from Erie, Pennsylvania, where he'd given a speech full of high sentiments about compassion and family values.


The next night, they sat talking out on their back patio in Georgia. She said, "How do you give that speech and do what you're doing?"


"It doesn't matter what I do," he answered. "People need to hear what I have to say. There's no one else who can say what I can say. It doesn't matter what I live."

Well said Mr. Gingrich ! Well said !!
In spite of this hypocrisy, his followers will listen to him and look up to him, just like they do of the many like him. All i can think of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. If that equates to these leaders/speakers, then you can just imagine what the mice equates to.

Bhopal - 28 years later - a big joke

20 thousand people dead, the court decides to give a guilty verdict, with just 2 years imprisonment, and fine of a few lakhs of rupees. All this quickly followed by a bail, with a bond of Rs. 25000 !

'Save the Women and Children ... and My Bonus Too'

This cartoon was chosen by Time Magazine as the Top 10 Political Cartoon. I really like the 'rat' part of the cartoon, a very apt representation.

Not what i was hoping for !!

I got this, thanks to my friend Ravi from facebook. I thought this was important. Even if i part of the group that believe, Obama delivered us from evil. I am still not sure if he is going to lead us in the right direction.




















I guess, when it comes to politics, they are all just about the same, with only a little differences here and there.

Change in White House

Within minutes or exactly at 12:01 pm on Jan 20th, the Obama team changed the web site at whitehouse.gov !! Take a look, from Change to WhiteHouse.

The earlier background read 'Change has come to White House'. They are promising a lot of stuff here.

Just hope that they keep their word and it looks and feels the same at the end of 2012. Till then, hope is what we got.

Gold Haul at the Olympics

China scored a perfect 100. They showcased the best Olympics so far, and also scored in the sporting field. They had shown signs of taking over the sporting arena, since the split up of the erstwhile USSR into many smaller nations. In the period of cold war, the US and USSR had a competition about outscoring each other in the medal tally. The USSR lead the way many times, much to the accusation of the US, that it was not all through fair means. Today, China has taken the mantel from the old USSR.


It is important to realize that this sporting establishment that started by only supporting amateurs, today has become the most professionally managed sporting establishment. It requires consistent and long term planning of the state, corporate and willing individuals to put themselves through torture for many years to achieve the success they seek. No wonder, smaller nations, with priority in terms of daily bread etc, are not so appropriately represented in the medal table. Hmmmm!! That sounds like a nice refuge for countries like India to hide under.

2008 Olympic Games

My prediction for the medal tally

1. China
2. US
   
3. Russia

And, Germany, South Korea, Australia, Japan sharing the next few positions.
All the best. Rake in the gold.

More on Yahoo 360

To eat or not to eat

Recently Ms. Condoleezza Rice, the Secretary of State of the US, said that people from India and China are responsible for the food crisis.

Well, i, for one, had fully expected this. There are several truths here:
- there is a crisis - food price is up and there is shortage all around
- people in the new developed countries are consuming more, because they can afford it now
- people from the existing western world are feeling the pinch, slowly but steadily
- altho these people are not ready to share or consume any less

For all this, someone is to blame, question tho is who ?

The food consumption is only expected to increase, with the increasing population and one that can afford to buy and eat better and more food. The already developed, who have been leading a good life, is not about to give up their over luxurious life and reduce their consumption any bit. In all these years, when the oil prices have been going up, they havent moved a bit to reduce their oil consumption, so how can one expect something more personal like food habits.

The world is ever shrinking. All of us are being held up to the same standards now. Everyone will have to give up something, or else, we all can get ready for a big food fight. I somehow feel, knowing us humans, the latter is a distinct possibility.

Land called Paradise

I picked this up from someone at 360 @ Yahoo. An amazing video. The song is by a Muslim country music singer, Kareem Salama, from Texas.



I watched the video, a couple of times. Truthfully, i havent listened to the lyrics as much as watch the ones that come in the video. I was trying to figure which message i liked best. After a couple of runs, i settled for the last..."i'm human. i'm sorry".