The Patdown

I took public transit all the way back to Germany - it actually worked! Metro-North train down to Grand Central Station, out on 42nd Street and up across from Starbucks was the NY airport shuttle service. The busses looked very old, but $16 was better than $45 + tolls for a taxi. I only waited 10 minutes before a rickety bus drew up with a very cheerful driver. He loaded our suitcases in the back, and we got on. Despite the looks of the bus, every seat had an electrical outlet (!) and there was free Wi-Fi on the bus.

Okay, they saved on shock absorbers, and our driver drove at breakneck speed, but we were at JFK in just over 30 minutes. It was early and there was no line, so I got my suitcase checked in in no time and headed off to security.

I removed all my stuff - coat, vest, things in pocket, money belt, laptop, etc. and headed for the metal detector. Except they had just determined that I was one of the lucky ones to go into the full body scanner (called "naked scanner" in German). I didn't realize this until they asked me to clasp my hands above my head. I asked if this was a full body scanner. The lady said "yes". I stated that I did not want to be irradiated. "It won't do you nothing," she said, "it's harmless."

Well, the problem is, there is NO research about whether or not this actually is harmless or not. Prominent scientists in the US have warned against using this technology, stating that the calculations of the irradiation are not calculated correctly. Whatever, I don't want pictures of the outline of my body floating around, as has happened in the US. So I insisted on an alternative.

With a mildly threatening "Well, Ma'am, you're going to have to have a pat-down" I was told to step aside. My things were now through the scanning system, and I did not feel very comfortable with my money belt on top of the pile of stuff, out of my reach.

I asked if I could go through the normal metal detector. No, I had to have a full putdown. "Of EVERYTHING," they noted. They really didn't want to have to do this. I preferred this to irradiation, however, although they kept telling me that the machine is "harmless". Finally one of the women who had been standing around pulled out some gloves and had me come with her.

I had to point out my stuff and someone else carted that off to the side. Did I want a private putdown? No, let's have the indignity in public. She launched into a long tirade, learned by heart and spoken in rapid-fire NYC accent. In particular, she wanted to know if I had "sensitive parts" that would react strongly to pressure. I said "We'll see, won't we?"

She put some stuff on her gloves (and it's all over my shirt, left a stain) and started in. She started on my head, looking under the hair. Then she traced down my back - not a very good massage, really - and grabbed into the waistband of my pants. She bitched at me for having a piece of paper (!) in my pocket, that had to be take out and she felt the pants again.

She then went down the front, and around my breasts - that was really quite violating, I felt. She then felt down my inner thighs and inside the front of my pants. She checked my socks (I hope they smelled) and told me to take my "items" and get going. So I slowly got dressed again and as I was doing so, I realized one bizarre thing: She didn't find the USB-stick necklace I was wearing. It was *between* my breasts, not underneath. I wonder if that would have made me a terrorist, if she had found it?

I think the US is freaking bizarre out of their minds with all of this security theater. It just costs money - isn't a simple metal detector good enough?

Travel to the US

Geez. What a lot of work! I booked my flight last night to the US, and spent hours doing so. I first looked around for cheap flights -- despite the rules on them presenting the final costs I was constantly getting great deals that then quickly rose in price. I also wanted to have a fork, as I am giving a talk in a city near a hub the day before I leave, so I thought I could save some travel time.

Air Berlin won't let you book a fork on their home page, and booking each part individually makes it much more expensive. opodo had a good deal on a fork, so I emailed the data to the States to see if I could be met at the airport. A few hours later that was okay, except that now the price had increased by 100 €.

I flushed the cookies. Tried another browser. I probably should have used the VPN to get a new IP address, but I was tired and wanted to get done. So I just booked the flight to and from the hub with Air Berlin (for the same price) and will have to take a train back home. Will only be a little longer, as I would have had to cool my heels for 3 hours in the hub, anyway. And the train is cheaper than 100 €.

At the end of all this (and having to pay a stiff fee for paying by credit card) I was then reminded to deal with the Visa Waiver program. And it turns out, my last application has now expired. Great.

They want all sorts of information I don't normally give out online. And then I have to pay $14 entrance fee, just like I was going to the zoo. Or to enter the DDR ("Zwangsumtausch"). Oh, they inform me that many other countries charge entrance fees as well. I don't care. It doesn't make me want to visit a country that makes it clear that it doesn't really want me and will only let me in if I pay with data and cash.

A Colorful Hotel

I decided to stay in a hotel at Newark instead of driving 2 hours on with my family and then after breakfast driving back to Newark (add an hour for rush hour). I chose a hotel a bit further away from the airport (Fairfield Inn) than the expensive in-airport hotels. But they have a bus shuttle to the airport, breakfast is included, and they have free Internet.

Sure, I wasn't served at breakfast - had to get my own coffee in a styrofoam cup (and it wasn't bad, for American coffee), had my oatmeal in a plastic bowl with a plastic spoon, and the place was crowded, but breakfast was actually better than that fancy place in Mars. And they even have a swimming pool, although I decided I was too lazy to use it.

The most noticeable thing about the hotel is that there are people of color here - many people of many different colors and nationalities. Not just the people working here, the people staying here.  It is a truly diverse crowd, and not just all foreigners. Most speak American, they just didn't want to spend twice the money on a room in New York or at the airport.

As a middle-class girl I am used to the segregated society that still exists in the USA. The church we attended on Christmas Eve was 99% white. The neighbors are 99% white. The shoppers at Trader Joe's were 99% white. The clerks and the cashiers tend to be a bit more diverse, and of course, and the cook at the Japanese place (more about that in the next blog entry) was Japanese.

I really like not being in the majority - it is the way I think Things Ought To Be.

You have mail!

We were to be heading back home after breakfast this morning, when the telephone rang. It was the Butler post office calling - Daddy had arrived and was on the delivery truck! But we couldn't get it, as it was addressed to the funeral home. Should be delivered by noon.

A short discussion later we delayed the return trip in order to complete the burial. We headed for Starbucks, one brother taking back breakfast for the princesses and my sister-in-law, the other riding out with me to dig a hole. We had breakfast in the car, while driving. I had a cinnamon bun about the size of 8 Swedish kanelbuller, that should be enough calories for a day or two.

There was a light snow, and these Pennsylvania curves are treacherous. My cousin remarked yesterday that they just let loose a snake in Pennsylvania and the paving machine follows right behind. And the hills - oh my, my stomach recalls exactly the rhythm of the hills leading down to the farm. We passed the old Brownsdale store, long out of business, and drove past the old farm house. We pulled into the driveway of the neighbors - they seem to be thankfully not at home.

We chose a spot up at the top of the lot with a good view both of the house he built himself and the house his mother and sister had built when they sold off the rest of the farm. Looking back one can see the woods behind the cornfields. The top of the ground was frozen, but the shovel quickly bit through that, the rest was not frozen. We took turns digging. There was just a bit of topsoil, then lots of clay and stones that were not easy to get out. While I dug, my brother looked for stones; while he dug, I made a cross out of sticks and some ribbon that was among the flotsam on the floor of the car.

We got a nice deep hole dug and headed back to the hotel. The princesses were enjoying the swimming pool, we had them get out and get packed. We packed up the car and headed back to Butler. We know the way by now without the GPS system. At the funeral home they had us sit down and wait, while they looked. Yes, the mail had come. Yes, there was a box for us there. The postal worker had forgotten to ring the bell, the registered mail thingy was still attached to the box, unsigned. The box was postmarked December 21, the cremation was December 13. Where did he spend that week? How on earth an registered mail that was supposed to be sent overnight took more than a week to get from Florida to Pennsylvania remains a mystery.

We signed the forms, declined to buy an urn, and headed back to the lot. I rode with the box on my lap, a very strange feeling. This, then, is all that remains of a person: about 2 kilograms of ashes, in a box. As we came down towards the village I had my brother take a short drive up and down Main Street, a sort of farewell to the church, the school, and the train tracks. Then we made it up the hill and parked.

I had prepared a short ceremony that we followed, lowering the box into the hole, pouring a bottle of good red wine in on top, and then everyone taking a turn at putting the dirt back into the hole. We tamped it down, lay the cross and the stone down so we can find it to plant a dogwood tree there in the spring, and we found that it was now good. The spot was just perfect for him, and we all felt a sense of relief, a feeling of closure, that we had completed the mission.

Rest in peace, Daddy!

A Proxy Funeral

"I've been in the business 29 years," the funeral director said, "and I have never had this happen before."

Daddy didn't make it to his own funeral. He died over 3 weeks ago in Florida and was cremated 2 weeks ago there. He was to be sent certified mail with the grand and glorious United States Postal Service to the funeral home in Butler, PA, where the funeral was held today. Apparently, the funeral home in Florida didn't put him in the mail right away, but there is proof that he was handed over. But the USPS has no idea where the ashes currently are. They are not in Butler. They are not in Pittsburgh. They are not in Jacksonville. They just don't know. Call again tomorrow. As they have been saying for days.

This would have irritated Daddy no end, as he liked to be on time. Luckily, we had a poster board with a lot of pictures so that we at least had something. And the obituary had been printed in the local newspaper as planned, although we did rather think it would be a waste of money. Imagine our surprise, when in addition to the children, grandchildren and cousins two neighbors of my grandmother came, a good friend of my aunt with her husband, and two guys who knew Daddy in grade school and high school.

So we held a memorial service, with music, even though no one sang much except "Amazing Grace" at the end. I gave the eulogy, one brother read the poem "Flare" by Mary Oliver, the other told some good stories, and two of the granddaughters also stood up to say something, which pretty much had everyone in tears.

And then we were at a loss. We had planned on taking the ashes in the car to the little village where he was born and scattering the ashes on the acre he still owned there. But there were no ashes. We decided to drive out anyway. We parked at a neighbors and walked around the wet and snowy field. We reminisced about the place, and then drove on in search of lunch.

The first place was closed, but the municipal airport hat a little eatery. We all had typical local food (I had a Rueben sandwich with some really good coleslaw) and a good visit with the cousins. After lunch they headed home, and we drove around a bit more. We drove slowly past the farm, and the house I grew up in. We toured the village down by the creek, me hopping out to make pictures. Then we climbed the hill on Meridian road and headed out to look for our grandparents' graves. We found the cemetery, and there was even someone there to give us the exact coordinates. The graves were covered with snow, but we found them.

I was struck at how much this part of the world resonated with something deep inside me. This is the place I come from, my home country. There is something here that is me, even though much has changed since I lived here. I even find myself slipping into the local dialect: "yinz", "root-8" (for Route 8, although I of course say "rout 66"), "spigot", "sahrkraht". Oh my, there's even a Wikipedia entry on the dialect! And a page dedicated to Myron Cope, the sportscaster I loved to listen to, on Pittsburghese.

So if Daddy ever gets found by the post office, I'll be back home for burying the ashes.

The Boxing Day Reception

The day after Christmas is generally a normal working day in the US, but in England it is called Boxing Day. My brother and his family attend an Episcopalian church, which is rooted in England, so their rector has a Boxing Day reception. I tagged along as sister-of.

The parsonage was packed with people when we arrived. The rooms were filled with Christmas decorations and knickknacks galore. The dining room table groaned under plates and plates of food, and there were stashes of bubbly and beer in each of the rooms. I collected some pink bubbly and a plate of food and first stood around being the sister-from-Germany.

While foraging for a drink refill the rector introduced me to a guy standing next to him, and we started to chat. He's one of those hedge-fond guys who are selling European debts short and are, in my opinion, responsible for much of the current mess. Instead of asking me about the European situation, as a guy at dinner last night did, he told me about all that Europe is doing wrong.

Another guy joined us and they carried on a bit about the European Problem. Then they started talking about the Stratfor hack by the Anonymous group (NYT report). I found it mildly amusing, because they tried to explain to me what the group was and what they were doing. They had not yet asked me what I do, so they didn't know that I know a tiny bit about the Internet. I wondered what I would do if I were a member of Anonymous, how I would keep a straight face when people discuss this and have so much information wrong. One Anonymous annoncement denies that they are responsible for this hack on the open source intelligence agency, although there is a link to the announcement from an Anonymous Twitter account, and there they deny that they are not responsible. Whatever, there are lots of links posted.  

Anyway, the guy was saying that credit card numbers were posted on the Internet. Well, kind of. They are posted, but are encrypted, as they should have been at Stratfor. Apparently, a few pictures were posted with credit card transactions, and there were social security numbers posted. As I was defending the action, he went ballistic. These guys are criminals who need to be arrested and punished. He was frothing at the mouth, so I kept feeding the fire, saying that a company that keeps credit card numbers online is inviting trouble. "Well, what if I say that you are really bad at self-defense and so I smack you in the mouth to prove it? Huh? Huh? Is that okay?" He was really agitated, I guess he was afraid his credit card number might show up.

His wife came to collect him, but on the way home he apparently ran into my brother and chewed his ear off. I got asked what on earth I had said to him ;)

So what do I think of the action? It's a bad idea for the organizations getting the money if the credit card companies fight back and charge the recipients 35$ a pop for "fraudulent transactions". But judging from this guy's agitation, that hit him where he will pay attention. Don't know if it will change his attitude, though.

New York, New York

It is a tradition in my brother's family to spend Christmas Eve in the best city in the world - New York. So we did an early run to get fish for dinner, I stood in a long line at the French Bakery to get croissants and baguettes, and my brother got coffee at Starbucks. We gulped down breakfast and got into the car with the princesses and drove down to New York.

At that hour of the morning you can make good time, we pulled into the parking garage of the Museum of Natural History just after it opened. And the first order of business was to open the trunk for inspection. I asked why, apparently they are looking for "bombs". I said, that's crazy, if I'm bringing a bomb in, it's under the seat, not in the trunk. Why do they put up with that? Oh, it's only 30 seconds, and it makes them feel good. Before you approach the cash register you have to go through "security". There was a long list of things not allowed, like my Swiss Army Knife. Luckily, the guard was pretty much asleep, and we distracted her with questions about the lost and found (we found a sweater on the parking lot), so I got to take my knife in with me.

We spent about 2 hours in the museum, seeing the Origami Christmas tree with dinosaurs folded out of paper.  Then we went to see the real dinosaurs. Of course, the dinos in Berlin are much better and bigger than the ones in New York, but they kind of like them. And there is a little rotunda in the dinosaur department that has a nice view of New York, looking out over Central Park. Yes, that's me and my camera reflecting in the window. My picture taking skills need polish.

We went to Virgil's Real Barbecue for lunch - a heavy lunch, although we only had sandwiches. It was full southern BBQ furnishing, and the menu was calorie-laden. Salads? You have to be joking. I had a mixed BBQ sandwich and burped it all afternoon. Not my favorite kind of food. Then we walked to the Rockefeller Center in the bright sunlight.  The streets are full of yellow cabs ferrying people to and fro, but the walk was very nice, even if we did have to keep the princesses locked into an adult hand apiece so as not to lose them in the crowds. There was a tree at the Rockefeller Center - I've seen worse in Berlin. All tinseled up and with a big crowd pushing through to see it.

There was a tiny ice skating rink in the middle of the plaza that was crowded with people, and a Santa Clause lazily skating around. All around the plaza there were flags hanging from the buildings. This is something that still unsettles me, the sheer amount of patriotic flag-waving that goes on in the US.





On the way back to the car we passed the New York headquarters of the IRS, the tax collectors of the US. They have a sign out front with the current national debt on it:

Bill Clinton balanced, the budget, remember? And Mr. Bush, Jr. pushed that up to 15 trillion (!) with his war in Iraq. We got into the car (parking in New York is exorbitant, I think my brother paid over 70$ in parking fees alone!) and headed back to Connecticut. There we got ourselves prettied up and made it to the family church service at 5 pm. It was a 2-hour service, there's a lot to get in and the place was packed.

Then home for a Seven Fish Dinner (we gave up after six, there was just no way that anyone was going to be able to eat another bite): Braised tuna with sesame and poppy seeds, clams, mussels, grilled salmon, scallops in butter and parsley sauce, shrimp in garlic sauce. Add champagne and French bread, and it was just marvelous!

We managed to get the princesses to bed after reading the "Night before Christmas" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". I have tried to talk the princesses until waiting until 7.30 am to wake us. Fat chance that will work, but I tried.

Merry Christmas!

The Elf Party

For the last appearance of Elf on the Shelf we decided he needed a pool party:

Yes, that's the Mermaid Barbie I gave to one of the princesses for her birthday. That elf looks pretty wasted. I wonder where Ken has been all month?

Merry Christmas!

Deck the Cars

No, it is not enough that people decorate their trees, here. Nor their houses. They also decorate their cars. Antlers and a red nose.

My sister-in-law says that there is an Easter version as well. Glad I'm not here for that.

Most of the houses are relatively decent in their decorations. A wreath on every window, a Santa on the roof. The public decorations are prolific, but non-religious: wreaths, snowmen, red bows, glitter, tinsel, flashing lights, trees.

There is a big fight about a nativity scene being held on public property. Since there is separation of church and state, there can be no religious matter on public grounds. But the Knights of Columbus have a special dispensation, that if they pay rent for the property, pay for the scene themselves, and have guards on duty 24/7, then they can have a nativity scene set up.

The prize in the department I-Don't-Want-Your-Electricity-Bill is:

The whole entire house is draped in lights. Blinking lights. Colored lights. There are creatures on the lawn. They blink. I would not want to have to live next to this.

Elf on the Shelf

I've been hearing about the trials of having an "Elf on the Shelf" from my sister-in-law's Facebook page, but I really didn't understand what this was about. It seems, however, that this is all the rage here this year. The princesses were telling me excitedly about all the other kids they know with their own elves.

It is a doll, dressed up like an elf. Apparently, he listens to the kids in the house, trying to find out what they want. The kids can talk to him, but not touch him. He flies to Santa's place every night, to tell him what the kids want, and he's in another place the next morning when the kids get up.

A spa day for Rudolph and Barbie

That's the challenge, finding good places to put him. My sister-in-law has been setting up "dates" between their elf, named Rudolph, and some of the assorted Barbie dolls found around the house. The princesses find this scandalous, although as I pointed out, Rudolph didn't actually marry any of them, so he is free to go on a date with a different Barbie every night, if he is so inclined.

Last night Rudolph apparently returned from Santa pretty wasted, so he treated himself to a spa treatment with the Barbie of the night, including real cucumber pieces on their eyes. Everyone had a good laugh about them.

While we were shopping in the morning, the dogs managed to jump up and eat the cucumbers, luckily Rudolph survived. We look forward to seeing what he will be up to tomorrow, when he gets back from Santa again.

Super 8

Since so many people are talking about it, we decided to have a look at "Super 8" this evening. I don't want to give away cool things about the film, but it is sort of a mixture of "Die Drei Fragezeichen", "E.T.", and "Romeo and Juliet". Well, okay, E.T. if the kids hadn't found him and sent him home, but the military had gotten their fingers on him.

There was always a kind of rumor going around that the military had caught some guys from outer space and their flying saucers.....

Anyway, the film opens to a suburban area that gives me quite a shock, as it looks just like where I grew up. We had houses like that, that exact same door with the three windows in it, and the hills looked very much like that. Officially, the film plays in Ohio, but it was filmed in West Virginia, on that little panhandle that sticks up between Ohio and the part of Pennsylvania I am from. The downtown shots were just so authentic, the cars, the middle school. Gave me a bit of the shivers.

Anyway, these kids love to make Super 8 films, and the actors are quite something. Alice is only 13 in real life (looks older than Joel) and has a filmography other actresses would give their souls for. And she really does a good job, as does Joel, although it gets corny in the end.

The fx, however, got on my nerves. It was like they wanted to get just one more stupid flying burning thumping groaning thing in there, and then another and another. It didn't fit the plot, many were quite senseless. And silver is not magnetic, but I can't really say more on that.

I really felt the fx to be quite overdone, that detracted from the story that was meager to start with. And the translation was painful, if you go see it, try and get it in English. There were strained translations all the time, but when Joel asks the driver for a crowbar, the German translation is rendered "wagenkreuz" instead of "brechstange", which does not even fit to the pictures, much less what they are doing there.

It's not the film of the year, IMHO, but if you do go see it, keep you seat when the credits start to roll, or you will miss the absolute highlight of the film!

Blood Libel

I've always thought that Sarah Palin represented the right-wing loony fraction (that is getting frightfully large in the US). And I was so irritated about her poster with the gun sights next to 20 representatives including Gabrielle Giffords, I felt that she could not get any lower.

She did.

Mark Chu-Carroll from the blog Good Math, Bad Math alerted me to the exact words of her statement:

Especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence that they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.

Excuse me?? Blood libel? The crazy story that Jews eat Christian children? In what parallel world do these people reside?

The comments are many and spurned me to read up a bit more on this. Matthew 27:25 - one verse in the Bible - has through the ages be construed that the Jews are somehow responsible for the death of their fellow Jew, Jesus. And this somehow gives people the right to kill Jews down through the ages.

I can't believe that democratic, educated people can believe that, much less use these words in any statement, much less for one in which she is trying to wiggle out from any responsibility for stirring up the climate of hatred that currently exists in the USofA.

It is sickening, seeing a once great country sliding into such a mess, I don't know how the country is going to get itself out of its current state and back into "one nation, undivided, with liberty and justice [and health care] for all."

A long ride

So, back in Germany after a whirlwind trip back to the States. I don't know how many blog entries I wrote in my head, but somehow didn't get published. But the episode on March 14 at Newark Airport needs writing down.

Yes, there was a storm the night before. A few hundred trees were blown over, and that kind of put a crimp in people's style, as overland electricity lines and falling trees don't go together well.

But the Internet said that everything was hunky-dory down at Newark, so off we drove. There were some delays for trees being cut down and lanes closed for flooding, but we got to Newark just as the 1 1/2 hour suggested time to be at the airport arrived. I jumped out of the car, waved, and went to get in line.

I entered the building to a mass of humanity. The line stretched way past the winding waiting area in front of the check-in desks. I went to get in link, but was informed that I was cutting in - this gentleman had just gone to get a drink of water and no one touched his suitcase. So there was a gap. The line started *way back there*. I got into line, hoping for a fast moving line. They use online check-in and seat assign. I just hadn't gotten mine on account of you only being able to do this 24 hours in advance and I didn't pack a printer.

We crept. I was uneasy. At this speed I didn't see me making my flight. There were a few self-check-in machines, but they were very seldom used, and then by people coming from the line. I didn't know how to use them, and being alone I didn't want to leave my bag to check them out. So I waited.

About 45 minutes before flight time, I still had not reached the windy queue even. A gentleman about 10 people in front of me took his bag, looked around, got out of line and into the FastExpress lane (which was empty). From there he went to a self-service, and was off. He must have made it, because he was on my flight back.

I began to be close enough to observe what was going on. The four clerks were embroiled in all sorts of discussions with angry people. They were rebooking passengers as they came up, each needing 5-10 minutes. Many flights where apparently overbooked because it was the end of Spring Break.

But instead of sorting out 2 lines, one for people they could hopefully still get on their flights, and one for the rebookings, they just handled one at a time. Of course, some very pushy people just shoved through, using the self-service terminals, or even just shouting at the agents - and getting answers. As we got closer, the guy behind me got nervous - he had come 2 1/2 hours early, and was in danger of missing his flight. The woman in front had been there early in the morning, only to have her flight canceled and be rebooked on a flight in the late afternoon - 3 hours after my flight. She was even getting nervous, as she was a teacher and had to be in school Monday.

We let the guy behind jump in front of us, he made his flight (and his check-in only took a minute). My flight was long-gone (or so I thought), turned out that it had been delayed. If I had gotten pushy half an hour ago, I might have made it..... So they rebooked me on the night flight.

As I walked to security, I saw that the line was still as long as it had been. More rebookings in store! I turned the corner and found the next mass of humanity, wanting through security. Well, I had plenty of time now, so I got a candy and a tea. But there is no place to sit this side of security, except on the floor. Luckily, I have my towel in my backpack....

"Security" was a joke compared to Berlin. First my passport checked by a frowning guard and given a scribble. No computer check involved. Then I do the security undress show and dance, and go through the machine. The guy is making jokes for everyone, but somehow I can't laugh. No pat-down. They didn't care about all my electrical equipment. I even had my keys in my pocket and my lipstick (gel!) in my backpack by mistake. Ho-hum, they liked their uniforms, but weren't really doing much.

I had some overpriced food and then staked out a chair at the gate. The flight was already showing a delay of 45 minutes. Darn. Then an hour's delay, and I got nervous. The rental car place was only open until 12.30 am. I called, they assured me they would be there. The delay got to be an hour and 15 minutes, and I called my brother. He had some ideas for hotels not too far from JAX, should the rental cars not be available.

We finally boarded at the posted take off time, then spent half an hour waiting for take-off.

So we didn't get to JAX until 1 am. I raced for the rental counter, fearing the worst - and there they were. All waiting for us. Thank you, Alamo, that was the best news of the day! I got my bag and my car and headed out.

The car was a crazy-looking Nissan Cube. But it drove, and I found my way where I was going. Except when I got there, there was no room reserved for me. So in desperation and utterly tired, I parked, slid the back seats way back, lowered the passenger seat, put on my coat, got out that towel and folded it for a pillow, put on my sleep blindfold, locked the car, and actually slept about 5 hours.

Getting up I headed out for the nearest Starbucks for a freshen-up, a soy latte, some breakfast and a real newspaper (the New York Times, what else). I do believe this is one of the longest trips I've taken to get somewhere that is only 2 flying hours away...

USA: The Good and the Bad

Just bullet points of things I am reminded are good and bad in the US:

Things that irritate me

• The so-called "news" on all channels and not just Fox
• The flags everywhere
• The rhetorical statements and untrue stuff (like giving fingerprints is for my own safety)
• Having to give all 10 fingerprints in order to enter the country.
• Needing to cart bunches of dollar bills around that make my wallet look big even though they aren't worth that much
• Not being able to play Scrabble in Facebook with my friends (Update: fixed that with a proxy)
• The SUVs that are littering the highways and the parking spaces
• The "nice to meet you"s
• The bookstore playing religious songs as Muzak
• The cult of veteran idolation
• The amount of garbage produced per person per day
• The drab, depressing stretches of highway/strip malls/mega stores/chain restaurants
• Drive-ins
  

Things I like

• My family
• The deli around the corner
• The refrigerator that dispenses ice without having to open the door
• Toasted sourdough bread with sliced provolone
• The New York Times for breakfast
• The water fountains everywhere
  

There will certainly be more to come!

"Socialist" Health Care

I am truly puzzled by the pseudo-discussions raging in the US about "sozialized" health care and "death panels". I was born American, but have lived in Germany for over 30 years.

Sure, our health care system could be better. But compared with the US, it is indeed one of the great things our civilization has brought fourth! An American in France has blogged about this as well, and she explains what the medical panels are for. Not for determining who dies, but for seeing how severe your sickness is, and whether you get to go on sick leave!

As it stands in the US, so many are without insurance! They doctor themselves, only going to seek medical care when a condition has turned severe. My aunt in the US - with no health insurance - called a friend to take her to the hospital when she felt heart pains instead of an ambulance. The friend called the ambulance, but it was too late, she was dead on arrival.

Here in Germany we have multiple schemes, and we bitch and moan about the costs and the waiting times and the co-payments on medicine and whatnot. And sure - the more advanced (= more costly) procedures are perhaps only done on people with private insurance.

But if you are sick, even deathly sick, you don't have to worry about your family having to sell all your assets just to pay the nurse. And that is a big, big advantage.

There was a post in the US in Twitter, supposedly by Sarah Palin but arguably done by someone else, concerning these so-called "death panels". What it appears to be, is that there are provisions for people to be informed about end-of-life choices. Do they want palliative medicine, do they want to be at home, CHOICES. Palin (or her ghostwriter) was concerned that people would be coerced into choosing a convienent death. What is this woman's take on the world?

Of course we have things like Living Wills - when you are still able to decide what you want, you write it down and then caretakers have to abide by that!

Why doesn't the American public and media *inform* themselves before they write such nonsense?

A New Beginning for America

When someone asked me yesterday if I was going to watch "it" on TV I was puzzled - oh, the inauguration? Nah, they'll have pictures on the evening news.

But all day it kept bugging me, so I checked the TV guide and got myself home in time. I turned on CNN (what else do you watch on a day like today) and thought I would work while it ran in the background. I ended up watching up most of it, closely. Just time for a quick blog entry before I get my lecture finished for tomorrow.

Some random thoughts:

• So many people crying, so many people moved by this moment. Just the fact of an African American being sworn in as POTUS is giving people hope for the future. Of course, after 8 years of George W., it can't get much worse.
• I was so happy how people cheered when Hillary was introduced. I do which, though, that she was the one taking the oath.
• Imagine the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court flubbing the oath!
• Cool that they let out the Lincoln bible for the swearing in.
• Aren't those girls just adorable? I hope they are able to enjoy live in the White House. People are almost as excited as they were about Caroline and John John. I do hope they appoint Caroline to replace Hillary.
• CNN ran ads for hair and skin products for people of color. How fitting!
• The Obama family coming out of the White House to get to the stand was just so neat - Daddy, Mommy and the girls heading for some fun and just enjoying themselves.
  
• The marching band from Obama's high school in Hawaii was neat - they were all so *scared* and so *awed* at the honor of playing for the president. And he so enjoyed the show. But what was the thing with his thumb and little finger? He and his girls both did it.
• The drummers and acrobats from Chicago were great!
• There was so much military marching music - and the formations of soldiers rather reminded me of East German parades. But the folks in the box are laughing and joking. And it is an inclusive joking, not jokes made at the cost of someone.
• Neat, all the places Pres or Veep or family went to school gets to send a marching band. What if they don't have one? Okay, right, it's the States.
  
• What shall I do with the talking Bush doll in my office? Retire it? When can I get an Obama doll?
• I got tons of email congratulating me on Obama. Actually, I didn't have anything to do with it. I'm German, and I was for Hillary. Some people write: they wish they were American so they could be proud of having elected this guy. Americans are proud of this moment and of being an American. I think it is great, but I am (still) relieved not to be official American any more. Although, when Aretha Franklin sang "My Country 'Tis of Thee" or the national anthem was played, I did feel moved. Must be all that indoctrination I had in school. I can enjoy this even without being an American, thanks to CNN.
  
• Dr. Jill Biden is a college teacher with a doctorate in Education and now Second Lady. I hope she continues to teach! And the President, the Vice President, and the First Lady have doctorates in law - finally, people who understand something about education in power!
  
• My spelling checker doesn't know Obama yet. Gotta fix that.
• I hope he enjoys today - there's a lot of work his predecessor left on the desk for him. Good luck in getting America restarted. But after looking and listening today, I think he's going to have a lot of people willing to help him.
• Oooh, I got an edit in on one of the Obama pages (the one on the parade) on the Wikipedia. Does that make me famous?
  

Did you vote yet?

I met an old friend on the street this morning and stopped for a chat. Jovially, he asked me if I had voted yet. I raised an eyebrow - Voted? How? I'm German, I can't vote for the American president anymore. That was rather the point of obtaining German citizenship, so I am not responsible for whoever gets elected to the throne.

The Tagesspiegel was just full of comments and quotes from people. One point I found really good - why on EARTH is the German press reporting on every fart from the US election campagin? Imagine a discussion about something a German politician said on the front page of the New York Times - every day!

Actually, I think they are just trying to get us to forget all the financial shenanigans.

America's Prison System

Picked up a copy of "Mother Jones" at the newsstand in Lund yesterday. There is a shocking special section about America's prisons that is also available online: Slammed: Inside America's broken - and broke - prison system (scroll down a bit).

• 1 % of Americans are in jail
• 25% of the prisoners world-wide are in American jails
• 11% of black men between 20 and 34 are in jail
• Because ex-cons are often not allowed to vote, 13% of black men are not eligible to vote, and many others believe they cannot vote
• In many states, women convicts who are giving birth must do so while shackled to their beds.
• There are over a hundred youth serving life sentences in American prisons.
• 70% of parolees who are returned to prison are returned for administrative infractions such as not showing up for a meeting or not giving their change of address in time.

How can they afford this and Iraq too? And is there any hope of ever changing the system? You don't have to be a bleeding-heart liberal, you just have to do the math to figure out that it would be cheaper to pay the citizens a wage just for living, which might cut down crime quite a bit. They spend almost 50.000 $ a year per convict.

US Presidential Candidates

There's a cute poll on over at 2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

My results were:

85% Dennis Kucinich
84% Mike Gravel
77% Barack Obama
75% Chris Dodd
74% Joe Biden
73% John Edwards
73% Hillary Clinton
67% Bill Richardson
45% Rudy Giuliani
39% Ron Paul
39% John McCain
34% Mitt Romney
32% Mike Huckabee
20% Fred Thompson
12% Tom Tancredo

I have never heard of 5 or 6 of these people. At least the colors are sorted right. I am shocked that I agree with Huckabee on about a third of the issues. I wish the results would show me which issues it is that I agree with them.

Lucky me, I'm not voting over there anymore. Although they keep sending me voter registration cards, they don't seem to have a procedure for informing officials when people rescind their citizenship.

The Tragedy at Virginia Tech

I was shocked and saddened last night to hear of yet another shooting spree in the gun-crazy USA. This time, again, it hit a school, killing over 30 people who were in the process of getting themselves an indication.

As we speculate about the motives of the killer, the blogs and discussion boards are alive with discussion about gun control - senseless, idiotic discussions. For example, a group at another Virginia school are trying to get the gun ban at their school lifted - because they want to be armed to "protect" themselves against the crazies.

There is arguing for the second amendment to the US constitution that gives US citizens the right to bear arms from all points on the political continuum - different arguments, same story: Get a gun so you can protect yourself and your loved ones.

Occasionally a voice of reason: sure, if one of the students yesterday had had a gun, then maybe only 15 instead of over 30 would have died. But how many would then die in drunken fraternity club incidents? Michael Moore has shown that in Canada, just across from Detroit, banning guns has dramatically dropped the death rate and the crime rate.

So why isn't this a no-brainer and guns get banned? I suppose having a Texan in the White House is no help, Texans seem to believe that even children should be armed. Get a life, America, ban guns. Now. Collect 'em all up, crush them, and make cars out of them or whatever.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the murdered students and teachers.