Well, I loved to bash the guy here on this blog. He got two scathing posts out of me but I'm sorry to report that Don Imus was fired from CBS radio.
Not that I liked the guy, not that he's any less of a maroon. He's still not a New Mexican in my book. It's just that even though I don't like the guy or support his opinions or even listen to his show I believe there is room for all sorts of dissenting opinions. There isn't room for blatant racism, no, but he offered a crusty outdated old guy view of things. Not that he'll be missed. He's of a dying breed of radio guy. I didn't wish him fired and don't feel any gladness at the news. The two week suspension seemed to be enough in my book, but not in the minds of many others and I respect that. I think this is another example of the media grabbing ahold of something like a rabid dog and shaking for all its might. In the middle of all that something is lost, in my opinion. But I can't change the media, I can only change what I choose to read/watch/listen to.
Thus ends quite a long, complicated and controversial career.
April 13, 2007
When your livelihood depends upon the whims of Mother Nature
It can be a rough go.
Coming up in New Mexico and especially during my college years I had a lot of friends who made a living working the same land that their own parents had worked. They went to college to learn the ag business with the intent of returning home and taking over the operation. From them I learned to watch the sky because it could make the difference between a good day and a very, very bad day.
I dated a boy in college who had to exit early on one of our early dates because it was a nice dew laden evening and he had to go home and bale hay. (No he wasn't lying and yes he called me again.) Another boy I saw for a bit stopped coming to town to go dancing for a while because his family had just planted cotton. Then a huge New Mexico frog stranglin' rain came along and washed all the topsoil (and the seeds) away down the arroyos and out to the Rio Grande.
At a considerable loss to the operation, they had to replant. They never did quite recover from that. To this day he still lives on the land with his wife, raising their kids and I almost hate to ask after him these days because the news is rarely good. I think they declared bankruptcy once and are still struggling to make ends meet.
I remember back then he told me he'd never leave the farming life. It was in his blood. He made good on that promise.
The ABQJournal article "Cold Snap Doesn't Worry Southern N.M. Farmers" got me thinking about him again.
A recent cold spell with temps down into freezing got folks worried, but it looks like it wasn't severe enough to damage most Spring plantings. The Doña Ana extension agent they interviewed says some cabbage and pecans were damaged, but nothing too severe.
An old relief washed over me when I heard that. Being a farmer and/or rancher hasn't gotten any easier over the years and those that can still make it work (and aren't part of some monolith of an overburdened and questionable morality ag company) get my respect every day of the year and twice on Sundays.
There's an interesting bit at the end of the article talking about the fact that demand for corn has gone up due to the ever-growing industry producing ethanol. Corn is getting $4 a bushel meaning a lot of farmers are taking land that once grew chile and cotton and converting it to corn. It might just be a boon for these folks. I sure hope so.
The gentleman quoted at the end of the article also just happens to be a friend of mine. Tip of the cap to that family and may their planting decisions be fruitful....
Coming up in New Mexico and especially during my college years I had a lot of friends who made a living working the same land that their own parents had worked. They went to college to learn the ag business with the intent of returning home and taking over the operation. From them I learned to watch the sky because it could make the difference between a good day and a very, very bad day.
I dated a boy in college who had to exit early on one of our early dates because it was a nice dew laden evening and he had to go home and bale hay. (No he wasn't lying and yes he called me again.) Another boy I saw for a bit stopped coming to town to go dancing for a while because his family had just planted cotton. Then a huge New Mexico frog stranglin' rain came along and washed all the topsoil (and the seeds) away down the arroyos and out to the Rio Grande.
At a considerable loss to the operation, they had to replant. They never did quite recover from that. To this day he still lives on the land with his wife, raising their kids and I almost hate to ask after him these days because the news is rarely good. I think they declared bankruptcy once and are still struggling to make ends meet.
I remember back then he told me he'd never leave the farming life. It was in his blood. He made good on that promise.
The ABQJournal article "Cold Snap Doesn't Worry Southern N.M. Farmers" got me thinking about him again.
A recent cold spell with temps down into freezing got folks worried, but it looks like it wasn't severe enough to damage most Spring plantings. The Doña Ana extension agent they interviewed says some cabbage and pecans were damaged, but nothing too severe.
An old relief washed over me when I heard that. Being a farmer and/or rancher hasn't gotten any easier over the years and those that can still make it work (and aren't part of some monolith of an overburdened and questionable morality ag company) get my respect every day of the year and twice on Sundays.
There's an interesting bit at the end of the article talking about the fact that demand for corn has gone up due to the ever-growing industry producing ethanol. Corn is getting $4 a bushel meaning a lot of farmers are taking land that once grew chile and cotton and converting it to corn. It might just be a boon for these folks. I sure hope so.
The gentleman quoted at the end of the article also just happens to be a friend of mine. Tip of the cap to that family and may their planting decisions be fruitful....
April 12, 2007
And THAT is how you work your opinions
Props to Jeffery Gardner and his opinion section "Wrong Forums" in the April 6, 2007 Albuquerque Tribune. The piece was titled "Neither a restaurant nor a funeral is proper place to vent".
Reading any opinion piece makes me skeptical, and the ABQjournal's own Polly Summar has really soured me on opinion writers of late.
Imagine my surprise when I got to the bottom of Mr. Gardner's piece and thought, "hey, I can agree with that".
Mr. Gardner takes on the gloating folks in Taos who cheerily report how they publicly insulted former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on a recent visit. Now, I'm not a supporter of the man but I cringed when I read this article where Taos residents boasted of their rudeness.
I will brook no rudeness in this world, especially the self-satisfied kind.
Mr. Gardner seems to agree. Regarding Rumsfeld, Mr. Gardner says, quite rightly, "... any figure who has stepped out of the public square and isn't acting in a public fashion that opens the door for criticism, has as much a right to live his life in peace quiet as you or I do."
Well said, Mr. Gardner. This is something that the vast majority of the world does not get. They think it's their right to harass any public figure whenever and wherever they please.
It's why paparazzi still have jobs.
Mr. Gardner also takes on a group of folks from a Kansas church who use the funerals of fallen soldiers who served in Iraq to launch antigay protests.
Things are well beyond rude in that instance.....
Best to let Mr. Gardner's words speak: "Though cloaked as righteous acts of protests, these displays are actually petty, disgusting acts of egoists who think they're privy to some special insight you and I just don't have. They are simply despicable."
While I agree with Mr. Gardner's views so far, that is not what has endeared him to me enough to cause me to write an entire blog post singing his praises.
THIS is what inspired me enough to take to my Mac and get to typing....
"... it's really none of my business what anyone thinks of me or anyone else."
I almost let out an evangelical "halleluhjah!" when I read that quote. It's a position I wish more people would take. It. Is. None. Of. My. Business. Let people live their lives. Stop getting up into their business and telling them how to run their lives. Stop being so self-centered you expect the world to bend to YOUR will. Maybe a little self-awareness and a lot of tolerance goes a long way.
I'm just sayin'.....
Reading any opinion piece makes me skeptical, and the ABQjournal's own Polly Summar has really soured me on opinion writers of late.
Imagine my surprise when I got to the bottom of Mr. Gardner's piece and thought, "hey, I can agree with that".
Mr. Gardner takes on the gloating folks in Taos who cheerily report how they publicly insulted former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on a recent visit. Now, I'm not a supporter of the man but I cringed when I read this article where Taos residents boasted of their rudeness.
I will brook no rudeness in this world, especially the self-satisfied kind.
Mr. Gardner seems to agree. Regarding Rumsfeld, Mr. Gardner says, quite rightly, "... any figure who has stepped out of the public square and isn't acting in a public fashion that opens the door for criticism, has as much a right to live his life in peace quiet as you or I do."
Well said, Mr. Gardner. This is something that the vast majority of the world does not get. They think it's their right to harass any public figure whenever and wherever they please.
It's why paparazzi still have jobs.
Mr. Gardner also takes on a group of folks from a Kansas church who use the funerals of fallen soldiers who served in Iraq to launch antigay protests.
Things are well beyond rude in that instance.....
Best to let Mr. Gardner's words speak: "Though cloaked as righteous acts of protests, these displays are actually petty, disgusting acts of egoists who think they're privy to some special insight you and I just don't have. They are simply despicable."
While I agree with Mr. Gardner's views so far, that is not what has endeared him to me enough to cause me to write an entire blog post singing his praises.
THIS is what inspired me enough to take to my Mac and get to typing....
"... it's really none of my business what anyone thinks of me or anyone else."
I almost let out an evangelical "halleluhjah!" when I read that quote. It's a position I wish more people would take. It. Is. None. Of. My. Business. Let people live their lives. Stop getting up into their business and telling them how to run their lives. Stop being so self-centered you expect the world to bend to YOUR will. Maybe a little self-awareness and a lot of tolerance goes a long way.
I'm just sayin'.....
April 11, 2007
Cell Tower Obfuscation
Look at me using a quarter word outta my nickel brain!
Just read an article in the Albuquerque Tribune about Albuquerque adopting those "hidden" cell phone towers.
City Councilor Councilor Don Harris plans to introduce a bill this month requiring the city's cell towers to be of this new variety.
While I like the idea, and I do think it looks better on the landscape, I can't quite get to the mental place of local recording studio owner John Wagner who said, "You just forget about it after a while," in reference to a nearby tree cell tower.
We've been using these towers here in the Bay Area for quite some time and I have to say, they are not that natural. In fact, they tend to draw my eye MORE than the regular tower because my brain says, "something's outta whack over there" and you look...and look longer.
One of the "pine" versions is installed way up on a hill as you go through the Grapevine on I5 approaching LA. I tried to see if there was a photo of that one online somewhere because, you know, you can find everything online. I struck out. This thing is perched way up on a hill, all alone, no other trees in sight. Every time I drive through there (which has been far too frequently lately), my eyes are magnetically drawn to that damn odd looking tree slash cell tower standing alone on top of a hill. I actually look at it MORE than I would if it was just a stupid silver metal tower.
I find them odd and no less an eyesore and I always think to myself "they aren't fooling ANYONE with these things".
That being said, I guess as one gazes out on the horizon, even though EVERYONE knows it is a fake tree it still looks a lot better than metal towers poking up everywhere. I don't know.
A couple samples photos I found online are here. See what you think.....
Just read an article in the Albuquerque Tribune about Albuquerque adopting those "hidden" cell phone towers.
City Councilor Councilor Don Harris plans to introduce a bill this month requiring the city's cell towers to be of this new variety.
While I like the idea, and I do think it looks better on the landscape, I can't quite get to the mental place of local recording studio owner John Wagner who said, "You just forget about it after a while," in reference to a nearby tree cell tower.
We've been using these towers here in the Bay Area for quite some time and I have to say, they are not that natural. In fact, they tend to draw my eye MORE than the regular tower because my brain says, "something's outta whack over there" and you look...and look longer.
One of the "pine" versions is installed way up on a hill as you go through the Grapevine on I5 approaching LA. I tried to see if there was a photo of that one online somewhere because, you know, you can find everything online. I struck out. This thing is perched way up on a hill, all alone, no other trees in sight. Every time I drive through there (which has been far too frequently lately), my eyes are magnetically drawn to that damn odd looking tree slash cell tower standing alone on top of a hill. I actually look at it MORE than I would if it was just a stupid silver metal tower.
I find them odd and no less an eyesore and I always think to myself "they aren't fooling ANYONE with these things".
That being said, I guess as one gazes out on the horizon, even though EVERYONE knows it is a fake tree it still looks a lot better than metal towers poking up everywhere. I don't know.
A couple samples photos I found online are here. See what you think.....
April 10, 2007
Mixed Emotions
It's probably time I chime in on the whole spaceport tax issue currently stirring up trouble in Doña Ana county. I've been reading all the news for the past weeks and thinking about it a lot. It's hard to say where I come down on this one....
Much like the outcome of the voting....
Seems this is an "on the fence" issue when looking at voters as a whole. A lot of folks are vehemently against this new tax, and why not? Why should they, residents of a poverty state, pay more money in taxes so that one of the richest men in the world can live out some misplaced boyhood dream?
I'd like to think that this is a *good* idea for the State of New Mexico, bringing commercial space travel to the world, media attention to our fair state and dollars rolling in to our coffers. New Mexico has certainly always been on the forefront of space and research and I'd like to think that Sir Richard Branson has only the best ideas at heart for this project.
However, I just can't buy into that.
Richard Branson is a controversial person, ranking on both the 100 Greatest Britons and the 100 Worst Britons lists. He is by all accounts an egomaniac and a cad but he is also a businessman, which by its very virtue means he is not looking out for the best interests of New Mexico on this venture, he's looking out for the best interests of the bottom line. Which, as a businessperson myself, I'm not actually opposed to. But I am very clear in my own mind what this deal is all about.
In the end, if it's not this venture it's something else. New Mexico traditionalists (like me) are often very reluctant to see new growth in our state, especially growth that brings more people, more taxes and more headaches. This would fit the bill on all three counts.
I hate that the residents of the county have to pay for this in taxes, but as a now ten year resident of California, I've learned that usually that's how things, big things like this, get done.
I honestly think that the group behind the spaceport has done a poor job of marketing this to the people who will actually foot the bill. I think with a little marketing spin, a little "what's in it for me", the tides could turn and voters might warm up to the cause.
In the end, the bill passed by a narrow margin. Progress marches on. I hope this whole venture will be worth it.
For the record...if I still lived in Las Cruces...I probably would have voted yes on the tax...
Despite my ongoing sadness at the loss of farm and ranchland in New Mexico and I know that development in Upham (which today is not much) and the area right at the spaceport means ranching families will sell out thus filling the pockets of the real estate elite (again)...but that's another post for another day.
To think of the media attention this will bring to Hatch, that small town near Upham and situated right there on the road to the spaceport...
Wait! Does this mean the world will know our little secret about the most delectable foodstuff in the world?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Much like the outcome of the voting....
Seems this is an "on the fence" issue when looking at voters as a whole. A lot of folks are vehemently against this new tax, and why not? Why should they, residents of a poverty state, pay more money in taxes so that one of the richest men in the world can live out some misplaced boyhood dream?
I'd like to think that this is a *good* idea for the State of New Mexico, bringing commercial space travel to the world, media attention to our fair state and dollars rolling in to our coffers. New Mexico has certainly always been on the forefront of space and research and I'd like to think that Sir Richard Branson has only the best ideas at heart for this project.
However, I just can't buy into that.
Richard Branson is a controversial person, ranking on both the 100 Greatest Britons and the 100 Worst Britons lists. He is by all accounts an egomaniac and a cad but he is also a businessman, which by its very virtue means he is not looking out for the best interests of New Mexico on this venture, he's looking out for the best interests of the bottom line. Which, as a businessperson myself, I'm not actually opposed to. But I am very clear in my own mind what this deal is all about.
In the end, if it's not this venture it's something else. New Mexico traditionalists (like me) are often very reluctant to see new growth in our state, especially growth that brings more people, more taxes and more headaches. This would fit the bill on all three counts.
I hate that the residents of the county have to pay for this in taxes, but as a now ten year resident of California, I've learned that usually that's how things, big things like this, get done.
I honestly think that the group behind the spaceport has done a poor job of marketing this to the people who will actually foot the bill. I think with a little marketing spin, a little "what's in it for me", the tides could turn and voters might warm up to the cause.
In the end, the bill passed by a narrow margin. Progress marches on. I hope this whole venture will be worth it.
For the record...if I still lived in Las Cruces...I probably would have voted yes on the tax...
Despite my ongoing sadness at the loss of farm and ranchland in New Mexico and I know that development in Upham (which today is not much) and the area right at the spaceport means ranching families will sell out thus filling the pockets of the real estate elite (again)...but that's another post for another day.
To think of the media attention this will bring to Hatch, that small town near Upham and situated right there on the road to the spaceport...
Wait! Does this mean the world will know our little secret about the most delectable foodstuff in the world?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
April 9, 2007
Whatta maroon....
Actually, even that is too nice an insult for this cat....
I wrote about radio personality Don Imus a few weeks back regarding his idiotic comments about Governor Richardson. Seemed Imus had his knickers in a bunch because he wanted some funding for the small town where Imus owns a whole sh*tload of land.
Last week this yo-yo found his way back into the news by making racist remarks on the morning radio show that no one listens to.
He has since apologized for his remarks. I heard the tape of his apology on another morning radio show and it was hardly an apology.
I could get into the whole "I made a racist remark but then I apologized so it's okay" phenomenon our society seems to be getting into (and oddly ok with). This along with an appearance on a show with a person of the racial group group the remark was made about in order to "show that I'm ok with them" (Imus is due to appear on Al Sharpton's show). Suddenly every celeb can pop off but then feel ok about it. This whole trend makes me flat worn down crazy.
But that's not the point of today's post. I could rant from a lot of angles on this one, but today's rant is that this man dares call himself a New Mexican.
You, sir, are no New Mexican. Never were, and this just completely tears it. None chance.
I don't think most real New Mexicans claimed him anyway, but I'm hostile that this guy goes on his show in his ridiculous cowboy hat mumbling epithets and in the next breath talking about his ranch for kids with cancer and claiming to be a "part time New Mexican".
Bah! I say again, BAH!
I was heartened to see that only the ABQ Tribune picked up the story. The ABQjournal did not. The less press the better in my most humblest of opinions.
I can console myself with the fact that this once relevant man is now a dinosaur that folks in the business whisper and laugh about behind their hands. The other morning show I listen to had some interesting history on Imus this morning. They used to work for the same station some twenty years back and evidently this is not the man's first racial comment, by far.
All this popping off with comments that make the national news seems so...desperate. A bid for ratings? Maybe.
Until then, he is and always will be an outsider, and if you are a true New Mexican, you know how we feel about outsiders. If you don't then please do read "The Milagro Beanfield War" or better yet, "Red Sky at Morning".
Hell, read those books anyway, they both rock.
Thus ends my Monday grumpiness.....
UPDATE: Imus has been suspended but not fired from his job..... The ABQjournal, slow to the party, has now picked up the story as well.
I wrote about radio personality Don Imus a few weeks back regarding his idiotic comments about Governor Richardson. Seemed Imus had his knickers in a bunch because he wanted some funding for the small town where Imus owns a whole sh*tload of land.
Last week this yo-yo found his way back into the news by making racist remarks on the morning radio show that no one listens to.
He has since apologized for his remarks. I heard the tape of his apology on another morning radio show and it was hardly an apology.
I could get into the whole "I made a racist remark but then I apologized so it's okay" phenomenon our society seems to be getting into (and oddly ok with). This along with an appearance on a show with a person of the racial group group the remark was made about in order to "show that I'm ok with them" (Imus is due to appear on Al Sharpton's show). Suddenly every celeb can pop off but then feel ok about it. This whole trend makes me flat worn down crazy.
But that's not the point of today's post. I could rant from a lot of angles on this one, but today's rant is that this man dares call himself a New Mexican.
You, sir, are no New Mexican. Never were, and this just completely tears it. None chance.
I don't think most real New Mexicans claimed him anyway, but I'm hostile that this guy goes on his show in his ridiculous cowboy hat mumbling epithets and in the next breath talking about his ranch for kids with cancer and claiming to be a "part time New Mexican".
Bah! I say again, BAH!
I was heartened to see that only the ABQ Tribune picked up the story. The ABQjournal did not. The less press the better in my most humblest of opinions.
I can console myself with the fact that this once relevant man is now a dinosaur that folks in the business whisper and laugh about behind their hands. The other morning show I listen to had some interesting history on Imus this morning. They used to work for the same station some twenty years back and evidently this is not the man's first racial comment, by far.
All this popping off with comments that make the national news seems so...desperate. A bid for ratings? Maybe.
Until then, he is and always will be an outsider, and if you are a true New Mexican, you know how we feel about outsiders. If you don't then please do read "The Milagro Beanfield War" or better yet, "Red Sky at Morning".
Hell, read those books anyway, they both rock.
Thus ends my Monday grumpiness.....
UPDATE: Imus has been suspended but not fired from his job..... The ABQjournal, slow to the party, has now picked up the story as well.
April 8, 2007
Top Ten
With a wink and a nod to the Late Show, I present my own version of the Top Ten.
This came to me on the ride home from work on Friday. I got to thinking about all things New Mexico and how crazy our state must look to an outsider.
Without further ado...
Top Ten Things Said By a First Time Visitor to New Mexico:
(in no particular order)
10) What's with all the orange barrels?
9) Clean water and fast ducks?
8) Ok, so to get from Las Cruces to Albuquerque I get on I-25. Then what?
7) *This* is Roswell? I thought it would be bigger.
6) *This* is the Governor? I thought he would be smaller.
5) Red or Green what?
4) Why is that car on a stick?
3) I wonder how much it would cost to buy land?
2) Why is that car so wide/low/loaded down?
and finally....
1) Wow. You don't *look* Mexican.
Happy Easter and Happy Sunday. I'm out to enjoy the sun.....
This came to me on the ride home from work on Friday. I got to thinking about all things New Mexico and how crazy our state must look to an outsider.
Without further ado...
Top Ten Things Said By a First Time Visitor to New Mexico:
(in no particular order)
10) What's with all the orange barrels?
9) Clean water and fast ducks?
8) Ok, so to get from Las Cruces to Albuquerque I get on I-25. Then what?
7) *This* is Roswell? I thought it would be bigger.
6) *This* is the Governor? I thought he would be smaller.
5) Red or Green what?
4) Why is that car on a stick?
3) I wonder how much it would cost to buy land?
2) Why is that car so wide/low/loaded down?
and finally....
1) Wow. You don't *look* Mexican.
Happy Easter and Happy Sunday. I'm out to enjoy the sun.....
April 7, 2007
The high price of popular art
As an artist in my own way, it always hurts me to see squabbles over how to price the stuff of well-known artists. Recent mind-boggling accounts of auction prices for Van Gogh paintings come to mind....
You know, I've never been much of a fan of Georgia O'Keeffe, a shocking admission, I know, for a New Mexican. Actually, that's not true. I think many true-bred New Mexicans aren’t real partial to her work and less partial to all the hubbub made about her stuff. It's an out of towner, Santa Fe/Taos trying-too-hard art society thing and I'm just not in that groove.
But I'm saddened to see the recent squabbles between the State of Tennessee and the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe over a particular painting called "Radiator Building— Night, New York" (1927). A picture of this particular painting can be found at the end of this post.
Near as I can put the story together based on an ABQjournal story is that a deal was struck with the cash strapped Fisk University for the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum to buy the paining for $7M. That's a nice tidy sum of money, actually. I don't know what kind of funding the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum gets but I'm certain that's a substantial chunk of change to try to bring Ms. O'Keeffe's work back to the State of New Mexico. It was originally a donation to the university so now they stand to make some money, which works out great.
Since the deal was struck and approved by the Tennessee Attorney General (who looks over charitable donations and such), and I guess since news got out about the deal, there have been a variety of offers from art dealers and the like for substantially more money. Like around $25M. Wow.
This makes me sad on both sides of the table. Fisk University needs the money. The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum wants the painting for obvious reasons. Meanwhile I think the damn Attorney General is being greedy, and that makes me grumpy.
While this argument languishes in the courts, the school is still floundering for money, the museum is anxiously twiddling it's thumbs, and the attorneys are getting their rocks off jumping up and down and getting paid by the bounce.
Boy does this make me steamed.
I, of course, didn't know Ms. O'Keeffe but I'd bet she would be a bit steamed by all this too. She was, by all accounts, a humble woman. I'd like to think she'd like to do what's best for both sides. In cases like this it's hard to know what is best.
As a negotiator for a living, I'd love to see this one get settled without the courts. Could the university and the museum get together and agree on a new price? And could the frapping Attorney General just agree to abide by the deal they strike?
I say get them all in a room with coffee and bagels, cater in lunch, and let them hash it out. Good people tend to make reasonable decisions. Just keep that frapping Attorney General out of the room. You know how them law dogs tend to complicate matters.....
Anyhow, here's to the memory of the artist, Georgia O'Keeffe. I'll bet when she painted the canvas, the thought of a squabble over money never crossed her mind. Here's to all the struggling artists of the world who'd give their eyeteeth for twenty-five bucks for one of their pieces.
*sigh*
You know, I've never been much of a fan of Georgia O'Keeffe, a shocking admission, I know, for a New Mexican. Actually, that's not true. I think many true-bred New Mexicans aren’t real partial to her work and less partial to all the hubbub made about her stuff. It's an out of towner, Santa Fe/Taos trying-too-hard art society thing and I'm just not in that groove.
But I'm saddened to see the recent squabbles between the State of Tennessee and the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe over a particular painting called "Radiator Building— Night, New York" (1927). A picture of this particular painting can be found at the end of this post.
Near as I can put the story together based on an ABQjournal story is that a deal was struck with the cash strapped Fisk University for the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum to buy the paining for $7M. That's a nice tidy sum of money, actually. I don't know what kind of funding the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum gets but I'm certain that's a substantial chunk of change to try to bring Ms. O'Keeffe's work back to the State of New Mexico. It was originally a donation to the university so now they stand to make some money, which works out great.
Since the deal was struck and approved by the Tennessee Attorney General (who looks over charitable donations and such), and I guess since news got out about the deal, there have been a variety of offers from art dealers and the like for substantially more money. Like around $25M. Wow.
This makes me sad on both sides of the table. Fisk University needs the money. The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum wants the painting for obvious reasons. Meanwhile I think the damn Attorney General is being greedy, and that makes me grumpy.
While this argument languishes in the courts, the school is still floundering for money, the museum is anxiously twiddling it's thumbs, and the attorneys are getting their rocks off jumping up and down and getting paid by the bounce.
Boy does this make me steamed.
I, of course, didn't know Ms. O'Keeffe but I'd bet she would be a bit steamed by all this too. She was, by all accounts, a humble woman. I'd like to think she'd like to do what's best for both sides. In cases like this it's hard to know what is best.
As a negotiator for a living, I'd love to see this one get settled without the courts. Could the university and the museum get together and agree on a new price? And could the frapping Attorney General just agree to abide by the deal they strike?
I say get them all in a room with coffee and bagels, cater in lunch, and let them hash it out. Good people tend to make reasonable decisions. Just keep that frapping Attorney General out of the room. You know how them law dogs tend to complicate matters.....
Anyhow, here's to the memory of the artist, Georgia O'Keeffe. I'll bet when she painted the canvas, the thought of a squabble over money never crossed her mind. Here's to all the struggling artists of the world who'd give their eyeteeth for twenty-five bucks for one of their pieces.
*sigh*
April 6, 2007
Dining al fresco
The Albuquerque Tribune has a feature called "Viewfinder" which has a picture and a bit of an essay or editorial around it.
I read this one today, just before lunch, so of course it resonated.
I also love dining outdoors. I mean LOVE it in a weird obsessive kind of way. Much like the article's author, Steven St. John, I think eating a meal outdoors has a special feel to it, and one that we who live in nice climates tend to take for granted.
I had occasion to ponder this just last month while in Scottsdale, Arizona for baseball Spring Training. It was a particularly cold winter here in the Bay Area and I was very happy to embrace the mid 80 temperatures in balmy Arizona.
After the game one day, we sat out on the patio of Julio G's visiting with a friends (one of whom is also a minor league player in the Giant's organization). The sun was getting more towards low on the horizon at 5:30ish, the patio was warm but not hot, the guacamole was fresh made on site and the margs were on special. Oh yes, and there was much baseball talk.....
I had a moment, calmly sipping my on the rocks house marg and nibbling at crisp chips and avocado where it felt like everything in the universe was just....I don't know...right. I tend to remember very well those few times in life where there is a convergence of all things good, and you just let your shoulders down, you deeply exhale and you, you know, relax.
Relax. That's a nice thing. It's a nice thing to ponder here on the eve of the weekend.
Maybe if I'm lucky I can convince that wonderful man I carpool with to find a place to eat outside. That sounds like a nice way to start the weekend....
Until then, I remain...nose to the grindstone. Bah!
I read this one today, just before lunch, so of course it resonated.
I also love dining outdoors. I mean LOVE it in a weird obsessive kind of way. Much like the article's author, Steven St. John, I think eating a meal outdoors has a special feel to it, and one that we who live in nice climates tend to take for granted.
I had occasion to ponder this just last month while in Scottsdale, Arizona for baseball Spring Training. It was a particularly cold winter here in the Bay Area and I was very happy to embrace the mid 80 temperatures in balmy Arizona.
After the game one day, we sat out on the patio of Julio G's visiting with a friends (one of whom is also a minor league player in the Giant's organization). The sun was getting more towards low on the horizon at 5:30ish, the patio was warm but not hot, the guacamole was fresh made on site and the margs were on special. Oh yes, and there was much baseball talk.....
I had a moment, calmly sipping my on the rocks house marg and nibbling at crisp chips and avocado where it felt like everything in the universe was just....I don't know...right. I tend to remember very well those few times in life where there is a convergence of all things good, and you just let your shoulders down, you deeply exhale and you, you know, relax.
Relax. That's a nice thing. It's a nice thing to ponder here on the eve of the weekend.
Maybe if I'm lucky I can convince that wonderful man I carpool with to find a place to eat outside. That sounds like a nice way to start the weekend....
Until then, I remain...nose to the grindstone. Bah!
April 5, 2007
Well whaddya know?!?
My favorite source of material to lambaste has managed to write herself a decent article in today's ABQjournal. Ms. Polly Summar wrote a nice (and for her, shockingly respectful) article regarding the Penitentes who worship in their particular ways during this Holy Week leading up to Easter. Some folks make treks to places like Santuario de Chimayo. Others worship in their moradas as they remember the origin of the Easter holiday.
It is an annual tradition dating back centuries. I remember as a kid listening to the newscasts each year telling about the people making the long trek to Chimayo, sometimes flagellating themselves or inflicting other self-pain. It is a long Catholic tradition with some renewed interest since the popular success of both the book and the movie "The DaVinci Code".
I refuse to get into any religious discussions here because I feel every person needs to figure out for themselves what they believe and how to be ok with that. What I'm here to talk about is a New Mexico tradition that has memory and meaning for me.
I was pleased to see yesterday that the state has taken steps to make those that travel on the highways and roads a bit more safe (for both pilgrim and general traveler). I know in past years there's been tribulations around this on both sides. Here's to a workable solution.
Hearing of the New Mexico Penitentes puts me into the Easter spirit. It's how I know the holiday is nigh. It's been years since I attended Mass, but Easter to my memory was always a nice day. Not only did they throw the dark purple cloaks off the statues at church but we all got to get back whatever we gave up for Lent...which usually makes folks glad.
Then there was the singing of joyous songs. My mom particularly loved "Jesus Christ is Risen Today"(mind your volume if you click that link) and sang it in full voice all day long.
The aaaaaaahhhhhleeeeeeeluuuuuuujahs really got to her...and to me after several hours.....she loved them almost as much as the In Excelcius Deo's from Christmas.
The weather in New Mexico was usually wonderful so it was great to be out in the sun. My mom always got both my sister and I a new dress to wear to Mass. Usually new white shoes too. My mom was, of course, a traditionalist, and so no white shoes and no sandals before Easter, so breaking out the white sandals was a new sense of freedom. Toes got to come OUT in the flip flops! Summer was near! My birthday was less than a month away! And I got to wear a new dress!
AND THERE WAS CANDY! And eggs hidden in the backyard. Easter is usually pretty good memories for me, and that's saying a lot. I think as the years go by, I'll hang on to the good memories like Easter. Seems healthier that way.
So this year, however you choose to enjoy your holiday, either by meditating, worshipping in your own way or eating ham with potato salad that looks like you dropped confetti in it from the colored eggs, do please have a safe and wondrous day (especially YOU, Polly).
Aaaaaaaaahhhhhllleeeeeeeluuuuuuujah!
It is an annual tradition dating back centuries. I remember as a kid listening to the newscasts each year telling about the people making the long trek to Chimayo, sometimes flagellating themselves or inflicting other self-pain. It is a long Catholic tradition with some renewed interest since the popular success of both the book and the movie "The DaVinci Code".
I refuse to get into any religious discussions here because I feel every person needs to figure out for themselves what they believe and how to be ok with that. What I'm here to talk about is a New Mexico tradition that has memory and meaning for me.
I was pleased to see yesterday that the state has taken steps to make those that travel on the highways and roads a bit more safe (for both pilgrim and general traveler). I know in past years there's been tribulations around this on both sides. Here's to a workable solution.
Hearing of the New Mexico Penitentes puts me into the Easter spirit. It's how I know the holiday is nigh. It's been years since I attended Mass, but Easter to my memory was always a nice day. Not only did they throw the dark purple cloaks off the statues at church but we all got to get back whatever we gave up for Lent...which usually makes folks glad.
Then there was the singing of joyous songs. My mom particularly loved "Jesus Christ is Risen Today"(mind your volume if you click that link) and sang it in full voice all day long.
The aaaaaaahhhhhleeeeeeeluuuuuuujahs really got to her...and to me after several hours.....she loved them almost as much as the In Excelcius Deo's from Christmas.
The weather in New Mexico was usually wonderful so it was great to be out in the sun. My mom always got both my sister and I a new dress to wear to Mass. Usually new white shoes too. My mom was, of course, a traditionalist, and so no white shoes and no sandals before Easter, so breaking out the white sandals was a new sense of freedom. Toes got to come OUT in the flip flops! Summer was near! My birthday was less than a month away! And I got to wear a new dress!
AND THERE WAS CANDY! And eggs hidden in the backyard. Easter is usually pretty good memories for me, and that's saying a lot. I think as the years go by, I'll hang on to the good memories like Easter. Seems healthier that way.
So this year, however you choose to enjoy your holiday, either by meditating, worshipping in your own way or eating ham with potato salad that looks like you dropped confetti in it from the colored eggs, do please have a safe and wondrous day (especially YOU, Polly).
Aaaaaaaaahhhhhllleeeeeeeluuuuuuujah!
April 4, 2007
Lime+Tequila+Triple Sec+salt+ice = love
What's a girl gotta do to get a good margarita in this town?
I moved from the great State of New Mexico about ten years ago. This Memorial Day, in fact, marks ten years ago. Oh how far I've come in lo these ten years. The span between 28 and 38 sometimes feels like a lifetime.
I was a wide-eyed innocent back in the day. I've become more cynical, less career driven and much, much calmer in these ten years. Not to say that wouldn't have happened had I stayed in Albuquerque, but I think living in "the big city" has grown me up...a lot.
At first I wanted to throw off my New Mexico roots. I didn't tell many people I was from there thinking it foreign and backward. The people I did mention it to said "oh, like Taos?" Good lord, if they only knew there was SO much more to the state than Taos. Or Santa Fe.
A lot of people in San Francisco have asked me about Santa Fe. I think the Madison Avenue advertisers have done a good job of hyping "the mystique". I guess if you aren't from there it's all mysterious and stuff. For a local, it's a tourist place. Locals avoid tourist places.
In order to help my fellow San Franciscans understand, I began to liken Santa Fe to Pier 39. I'd get a startled "oh!", but they got it. I'd tell them there was much to see in a state that big that didn't include Santa Fe or Taos. Then I'd drop this tidbit on them: you can't fly into Santa Fe on any of the major airlines. That was usually enough to get them talking about something else.
But time has passed and I've gotten perspective on my state. Now I find I'm proud as hell of being from New Mexico, and I'll shout it from the rooftops. My boss at work wears a USC shirt on most Fridays because it's his alma mater and he's very proud. So I got online and ordered up a nice crimson NMSU shirt and began wearing it on every Friday, grinning at him in staff meetings. Sadly he didn't notice until I pointed it out.....
NMSU made it to the NCAA this year. Oh man, after years of looking at the Duke posters and brackets outside of my VP's office (and my executive VP and the VP of the group I worked in a few years back) I was so damn proud to post up the wall outside my office with NMSU schwag this year.
I had a laugh when a group stood outside my office looking at the stuff and laughing about how they hadn't heard of New Mexico State. I said, "hey, by the damn way, our Governor is running for President!" They looked at me with blank stares. I said "Bill Richardson" helpfully. The response was an appalling, "who?"
Bah!
But ok, I've gotten used to people thinking I'm from Arizona. I've gotten used to "oh Taos" being the answer to the statement "I'm originally from New Mexico" or jokes about a left turn at Albquerque. I've learned to deal.
What I'm still struggling with is the lack of good Mexican food around here. You'd think a state with a population of Latinos at or better than half would have some kicking Mexican food. You would be wrong. At least for the Northern part of the state. I lay no claims to the food down south not having spent enough time in research down there.
My loving partner thought he knew from good Mexican food until this past October when, on a road trip, I turned him on to the delights and joys of the fruits of Hatch, New Mexico.
But more than that...more than using tomatillos for the green in your salsa, more than finding *gasp* CARROTS in my fajitas, more than seeing low fat refrieds on my plate, the one thing I miss is a real good margarita.
It can't be that hard, right? And yet it is. It's all about the mix. Gardunos does it well, really well. My mouth is watering as I type.... Sadies also does a fine job. I think one of the best margs I ever had was in Juarez at Señor Frogs (I don't think it's still open at that location). It was great because it was fresh squeezed lime juice, a bit of sugar, and tequila. All nice and unmessed with. Fresh and oh so delicious.
You should taste the crap I have to put up with around here. It's unnatural! It makes a homesick girl want to cry.
Now there is a LOT of food that the Bay Area does REALLY well, (I'm talking to you Peter and Mark Sodini), but so far...Mexican food isn't one of them.
Don't EVEN get me started on guacamole. Avocado, lime juice, tiny bit of cilantro, tomatoes. THAT'S IT!
Why's it gotta be so hard?
Sigh, sometimes it doesn't pay to be an expatriate New Mexican.....
I moved from the great State of New Mexico about ten years ago. This Memorial Day, in fact, marks ten years ago. Oh how far I've come in lo these ten years. The span between 28 and 38 sometimes feels like a lifetime.
I was a wide-eyed innocent back in the day. I've become more cynical, less career driven and much, much calmer in these ten years. Not to say that wouldn't have happened had I stayed in Albuquerque, but I think living in "the big city" has grown me up...a lot.
At first I wanted to throw off my New Mexico roots. I didn't tell many people I was from there thinking it foreign and backward. The people I did mention it to said "oh, like Taos?" Good lord, if they only knew there was SO much more to the state than Taos. Or Santa Fe.
A lot of people in San Francisco have asked me about Santa Fe. I think the Madison Avenue advertisers have done a good job of hyping "the mystique". I guess if you aren't from there it's all mysterious and stuff. For a local, it's a tourist place. Locals avoid tourist places.
In order to help my fellow San Franciscans understand, I began to liken Santa Fe to Pier 39. I'd get a startled "oh!", but they got it. I'd tell them there was much to see in a state that big that didn't include Santa Fe or Taos. Then I'd drop this tidbit on them: you can't fly into Santa Fe on any of the major airlines. That was usually enough to get them talking about something else.
But time has passed and I've gotten perspective on my state. Now I find I'm proud as hell of being from New Mexico, and I'll shout it from the rooftops. My boss at work wears a USC shirt on most Fridays because it's his alma mater and he's very proud. So I got online and ordered up a nice crimson NMSU shirt and began wearing it on every Friday, grinning at him in staff meetings. Sadly he didn't notice until I pointed it out.....
NMSU made it to the NCAA this year. Oh man, after years of looking at the Duke posters and brackets outside of my VP's office (and my executive VP and the VP of the group I worked in a few years back) I was so damn proud to post up the wall outside my office with NMSU schwag this year.
I had a laugh when a group stood outside my office looking at the stuff and laughing about how they hadn't heard of New Mexico State. I said, "hey, by the damn way, our Governor is running for President!" They looked at me with blank stares. I said "Bill Richardson" helpfully. The response was an appalling, "who?"
Bah!
But ok, I've gotten used to people thinking I'm from Arizona. I've gotten used to "oh Taos" being the answer to the statement "I'm originally from New Mexico" or jokes about a left turn at Albquerque. I've learned to deal.
What I'm still struggling with is the lack of good Mexican food around here. You'd think a state with a population of Latinos at or better than half would have some kicking Mexican food. You would be wrong. At least for the Northern part of the state. I lay no claims to the food down south not having spent enough time in research down there.
My loving partner thought he knew from good Mexican food until this past October when, on a road trip, I turned him on to the delights and joys of the fruits of Hatch, New Mexico.
But more than that...more than using tomatillos for the green in your salsa, more than finding *gasp* CARROTS in my fajitas, more than seeing low fat refrieds on my plate, the one thing I miss is a real good margarita.
It can't be that hard, right? And yet it is. It's all about the mix. Gardunos does it well, really well. My mouth is watering as I type.... Sadies also does a fine job. I think one of the best margs I ever had was in Juarez at Señor Frogs (I don't think it's still open at that location). It was great because it was fresh squeezed lime juice, a bit of sugar, and tequila. All nice and unmessed with. Fresh and oh so delicious.
You should taste the crap I have to put up with around here. It's unnatural! It makes a homesick girl want to cry.
Now there is a LOT of food that the Bay Area does REALLY well, (I'm talking to you Peter and Mark Sodini), but so far...Mexican food isn't one of them.
Don't EVEN get me started on guacamole. Avocado, lime juice, tiny bit of cilantro, tomatoes. THAT'S IT!
Why's it gotta be so hard?
Sigh, sometimes it doesn't pay to be an expatriate New Mexican.....
April 3, 2007
People we need a whole lot more of....
Leslie Strommen, a 25-year teaching veteran, currently working at Rio Rancho Elementary.
Leslie is the subject of a nice article in the ABQjournal entitled "Award-Winning Teacher Promotes Reading."
She's been at this game for a quarter of a century, folks, and she says, "...I have taken numerous classes to increase my knowledge of literacy processing. I am currently enrolled in a class that focuses on instructional coaching and literacy instruction."
Did you get that? She's "currently enrolled in a class". Seems Leslie is an educator who knows that her own continuing education matters...a lot. What a terrific concept.
Any educator who takes the time after teaching, planning and grading all day to find educational opportunities...after some twenty-five years of service...gets a great big salute in my book.
My best friend in the world teaches High School English (among other things) in Las Cruces. She blew me away this year by obtaining her Master's Degree, graduating with Honors from NMSU. She had to take classes at night while still managing to kick some serious booty for her students...oh yes, and a mother of two kids and a loving wife to her husband of nearing fifteen years.
She and Ms. Strommen are a rare breed of cat. They are people who genuinely love to educate, and find it meaningful to do this work.
And I take a bow before them today because they are, by far, better people than me.
My grandmother ranks to this day as my favorite teacher. She *loved* teaching and spoke about it often. My biggest debt to her is that she taught me how to read. It's a skill I used everyday in her honor. She gave me my love of words.
So today, in honor of Ms. Strommen, I thank all teachers everywhere for doing what they do.
(by the by, this is my "make up assignment" for missing my post yesterday. Here's hoping the teach will let me slide. Oh, I'm also going to flout all things Sarbanes-Oxley and backdate this post to yesterday...just cuz I can...Blogger lets me bend time which is pretty cool......now if I could only bend time back to 1987 and my godawful yearbook photo...what WAS I thinking?!?!?)
_____________________
Leslie is the subject of a nice article in the ABQjournal entitled "Award-Winning Teacher Promotes Reading."
She's been at this game for a quarter of a century, folks, and she says, "...I have taken numerous classes to increase my knowledge of literacy processing. I am currently enrolled in a class that focuses on instructional coaching and literacy instruction."
Did you get that? She's "currently enrolled in a class". Seems Leslie is an educator who knows that her own continuing education matters...a lot. What a terrific concept.
Any educator who takes the time after teaching, planning and grading all day to find educational opportunities...after some twenty-five years of service...gets a great big salute in my book.
My best friend in the world teaches High School English (among other things) in Las Cruces. She blew me away this year by obtaining her Master's Degree, graduating with Honors from NMSU. She had to take classes at night while still managing to kick some serious booty for her students...oh yes, and a mother of two kids and a loving wife to her husband of nearing fifteen years.
She and Ms. Strommen are a rare breed of cat. They are people who genuinely love to educate, and find it meaningful to do this work.
And I take a bow before them today because they are, by far, better people than me.
My grandmother ranks to this day as my favorite teacher. She *loved* teaching and spoke about it often. My biggest debt to her is that she taught me how to read. It's a skill I used everyday in her honor. She gave me my love of words.
So today, in honor of Ms. Strommen, I thank all teachers everywhere for doing what they do.
(by the by, this is my "make up assignment" for missing my post yesterday. Here's hoping the teach will let me slide. Oh, I'm also going to flout all things Sarbanes-Oxley and backdate this post to yesterday...just cuz I can...Blogger lets me bend time which is pretty cool......now if I could only bend time back to 1987 and my godawful yearbook photo...what WAS I thinking?!?!?)
_____________________
April 2, 2007
Update
Well, in checking the results from the Ty Murray Invitational, it appears our local boy Travis Briscoe did not finish in the money this weekend.
I utter a strong curse word and a hearty, "damn it!" for our boy.
I look forward to following his career a little bit. Love it when a New Mexico boy makes, good...Bill Richardson not withstanding.
Oh c'mon, I was only kidding!
I utter a strong curse word and a hearty, "damn it!" for our boy.
I look forward to following his career a little bit. Love it when a New Mexico boy makes, good...Bill Richardson not withstanding.
Oh c'mon, I was only kidding!
April 1, 2007
You go Thelma!
In the March 27th edition of the Albuquerque Tribune, entertainment columnist and etiquette expert Thelma Domenici addressed a problem near and dear to my heart with her column entitled: "Mind your space during plane trips".
In it, Thelma discusses some simple rules to consider while traveling on a plane.
They include (using my words, her direct words are in quotes):
• Consider the space allocated to you and be aware of it. Keep bags, limbs, elbows, stinky feet, snacks, fat rolls and other items out of the space belonging to another
• Walk onto the plane with your bag in front of you to avoid wacking the noggins of your fellow passengers already seated
• Be aware of how you dress. What seemed appropriate in the mirror this morning may not "respect the sensitivities of others". Also go lightly on that Britney Spears perfume.....
• Recognize that not everybody wants to be chatted up by the stranger sitting next to them on the plane...unless both you and they are drunk and then everyone wants to chat.
• Try to keep your little tykes occupied and help them refrain from kicking the seat in front of them...over...and over....and over...and over......
• Also help children refrain from shrieking in a decibel just below what only dogs can hear (ok this bullet is my add on....Thelma didn't address it. She said we can expect "a child's excited squeals of delight or the cries that come from pressure changes"...I only ask that my eardrums remain intact).
• "Avoid behavior that is likely to disturb" other passengers. Too numerous to mention, you know who you are.
She's spot on with her guidelines, but much like our dear Polly Summar's article in the ABQjournal regarding Tourist Etiquette, I fear Ms. Domenici is also shouting in a hurricane.
She has some wonderful suggestions. In fact, her article should be printed out with boarding passes and made required reading for each person boarding a plane. But that won't happen. Even if everyone read it, I'll bet you a day's pay that the people it's most aimed at would nod along with it, saying "yeah, that's true, people should do that"...meanwhile boarding the plane with their too big bag whamming the backs of all heads as they meander down the aisle in their inappropriate outfit, too much perfume and screaming child.
We can ask people to step up to the plate regarding their own behavior. We can ask people be both self aware and conscientious of others. We can ask 'til our faces turn blue, but much like the man Polly talked about who flossed in public, folks are going to continue on blissfully unaware.
I guess at the end of the day, I can only be responsible for myself. My folks raised me to be considerate of others. Always. When I fly, I try...and I grit my teeth at man's inhumanity to man (and, er...woman). Especially when riding that airline which shall go unnamed, but uses all the grace of a cattle drive to load on their valued passengers. Moo!
As Thelma says on her website (her signature phrase), "Good manners never go out of style."
Damn, never knew I was so stylish! (insert a wry smile here)
In it, Thelma discusses some simple rules to consider while traveling on a plane.
They include (using my words, her direct words are in quotes):
• Consider the space allocated to you and be aware of it. Keep bags, limbs, elbows, stinky feet, snacks, fat rolls and other items out of the space belonging to another
• Walk onto the plane with your bag in front of you to avoid wacking the noggins of your fellow passengers already seated
• Be aware of how you dress. What seemed appropriate in the mirror this morning may not "respect the sensitivities of others". Also go lightly on that Britney Spears perfume.....
• Recognize that not everybody wants to be chatted up by the stranger sitting next to them on the plane...unless both you and they are drunk and then everyone wants to chat.
• Try to keep your little tykes occupied and help them refrain from kicking the seat in front of them...over...and over....and over...and over......
• Also help children refrain from shrieking in a decibel just below what only dogs can hear (ok this bullet is my add on....Thelma didn't address it. She said we can expect "a child's excited squeals of delight or the cries that come from pressure changes"...I only ask that my eardrums remain intact).
• "Avoid behavior that is likely to disturb" other passengers. Too numerous to mention, you know who you are.
She's spot on with her guidelines, but much like our dear Polly Summar's article in the ABQjournal regarding Tourist Etiquette, I fear Ms. Domenici is also shouting in a hurricane.
She has some wonderful suggestions. In fact, her article should be printed out with boarding passes and made required reading for each person boarding a plane. But that won't happen. Even if everyone read it, I'll bet you a day's pay that the people it's most aimed at would nod along with it, saying "yeah, that's true, people should do that"...meanwhile boarding the plane with their too big bag whamming the backs of all heads as they meander down the aisle in their inappropriate outfit, too much perfume and screaming child.
We can ask people to step up to the plate regarding their own behavior. We can ask people be both self aware and conscientious of others. We can ask 'til our faces turn blue, but much like the man Polly talked about who flossed in public, folks are going to continue on blissfully unaware.
I guess at the end of the day, I can only be responsible for myself. My folks raised me to be considerate of others. Always. When I fly, I try...and I grit my teeth at man's inhumanity to man (and, er...woman). Especially when riding that airline which shall go unnamed, but uses all the grace of a cattle drive to load on their valued passengers. Moo!
As Thelma says on her website (her signature phrase), "Good manners never go out of style."
Damn, never knew I was so stylish! (insert a wry smile here)
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