Text 263, 146 rader
Skriven 2006-04-12 15:56:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av GLEN JAMIESON
Ärende: Status cymbals 511
==========================
[elite cards]
 GJ> But does it work on Security guards?
 ML> Often it does, especially in status-conscious Asian countries.
 GJ> I can readily believe that.  It would be more effective than just
 GJ> having white hair.

On a recent trip to America West land - America West being the
airline that recently bought US Airways and is in process of
merging the two operations - I needed to check in at the desk,
for some reason or another, and the agent, on looking at my
double Star Gold record, just about genuflected. I was soon
ensconced in seat 2A with a glass of brandy in hand. This
doesn't work so well on Asian agents, who are accustomed to
giving the best service to older white males, but on policemen
and such it seems to work fine, if I can get them to focus on
my most-favored-passenger status rather than my general level
of scruffiness and slight disreputability.

 ML> It helps a lot, too, at the elite security lines at US airports.
 GJ> Another status-conscious country...

Very much so. Every man a king, said one of the Populists, Huey
Long I believe. It doesn't work so well, especially as when
everyone is royalty, someone wants to become Shahanshah, and in
fact someone eventually found it necessary to assassinate old
Huey in the elevator lobby of the Louisiana State Capitol (the
bullet holes are still visible and are pointed out reverently
by the tour guides). Better the attitude that seems to be taken
by the Constitutional Monarchies in the mature democracies,
every king a man. (Or person.)

[Platinum cards]
 ML> There was an early report that the chief 9-11 highjacker
 ML> carried an American Airlines Platinum card, but as not much
 ML> has been made of that since in the media
 GJ> Hmmph!  The original information may well have been correct, but then
 GJ> the Visa people leant on the media to shut up about it, lest it
 GJ> interfere with the status attached to the Platinum card!  (See above)

Doubt it. If it was a verifiable fact, it could not have been so
quickly and effectively quashed, as there are always malcontents
and troublemakers in the Nth Estate who would be more than happy
to stick it to the Man, whether credit card company or airline.

Anyhow, this is the kind of platinum card that is issued by
American Airlines for limited purposes, not including charging
of merchandise a la Visa. The utility mostly relates to flashing
it in front of policemen and functionaries for ill-defined but
sometimes considerable benefits. Which might be a handy thing for
a would-be troublemaker, I admit.

[false cards]
 GJ> The billions have been spent, not just to increase security (which
 GJ> your newsroom weapon-smugglers have shown is less than perfect), but
 GJ> mainly to give the impression to terrorists and other hi-jackers (and
 GJ> voters) that their efforts would fail.  It is all in the mind!

So it is. But the cost is quite large for something that is all in
the mind. In my old age I am beginning to prefer the Singaporean
way, which is actually far more intrusive but seems to the average
passenger to be completely benign.

[safety cards]
 GJ> In the TV reconstruction of that incident passengers were instructed
 GJ> not to inflate vests within the aircraft, but some did, and many
 GJ> others followed, lemming-like.

So some fat guy with an inflated vest gets stuck in the door;
why not just stab his jacket with a Bic pen and kick him out?
I believe that the doors are wide enough on mainline aircraft
so that a normal-size person with an inflated vest could get
through with a minimum of prodding and poking.

[playing cards]
 ML> Carlos Guia, Commander's Palace Las Vegas
 GJ> That would be the alternative to Hollywood as a gathering place for
 ML> We have several such places, as we have several kinds of
 ML> royalty: Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Palm Beach, Washington.
 GJ> And each Royalty with their own group of subjects/followers.

There have been a number of attempts at aristocracization
of various societies based on various criteria, from birth
status to muscle size to money. All have caused distress for
more people than have benefited; I guess that's the point.

The advantage of the "anyone can be a star" or "anyone can
become president" aspect of our particular mythology is that
it injects a (however illusory) tone of empathy into the
relationship of subject to nobility.

[cue cards]
 ML> Rip Taylor's Roll-ups
 GJ> Whoever he is/was!

I've no clue either. Some thespian, I figure, along the
lines of a Burton Ford or something.

[I've no clue either]
 ML> From: The Hour Magazine Cookbook: The Most Popular Recipes from
 ML> America's Most Informative Television Show, by Gary Collins
 GJ> That says it all.

I've no clue either. Never heard of The Hour Magazine. I believe
Gary Collins must have been the compere of The Hour Magazine.

 -=> Glen Jamieson said to Dave Sacerdote <=-
 DS> Something in the human condition seems to be wired for it, Glen; as
 DS> I said, I don't understand why.
 GJ> There seems to be need for man to have a non-democratic, appointed by
 GJ> birth, semi-human, demi-god who can be seen, heard and followed, and
 GJ> who is a connection with the all-mighty.
 GJ> Pharoah, King, Emperor, President, Super-star, Messiah, Prophet....

At least some of these entitled persons claim authorization from
that almighty. When (I speak for myself) someone is quite devoid
of such, it is a great temptation to look admiringly and behave
obediently toward anyone who makes such a claim. I tend to resist
this urge, not knowing when the "by their fruits shall you know
them" stuff went by the wayside.

New England Clam Chowder
cat: soup
servings: 8 to 12

1 qt clams, chopped, and juice
1/4 lb salt pork, diced
2 md onions, diced
3 c diced raw potatoes
1/2 ts salt
1/4 ts pepper
2 c boiling water
1 qt milk
2 Tb butter
1 pt light cream

Cook pork until crisp; add onions, and cook 5 min.

Mix in potatoes, seasonings, and water; cover pan and simmer
10 - 15 min.

Add clams and their juice; then milk, butter, and cream.
Heat and serve.

Wayside Inn, Sudbury, MA
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