I was travelling a lot at that time. Eight weeks out of ten on the road travelling all over the world. So it was somewhat strange for me to be home that day.
I got up about 5.45 am, got ready for work, went down to make coffee, ironed a shirt, chatted with our dog Gus gave him his grub, read the paper, answered a few texts from colleagues in Europe. The phone rang when I was just about to leave for work. Janice answered. It was her mom calling from Canada.
Her first question was, “Where is Dan”? Janice answered, “He’s here and just about to leave for work.” She said, “You should turn on the TV, there is something terrible happening.”
We turned on the TV to CNN. Given we were in California therefore three hours behind New York time, we looked on in disbelief as the reports, chaos, and speculation of what was happening flashed across the screen. When the plane crash reports came in from Washington things escalated fast.
It was surreal. Could the United States really be being attacked? By whom? Why? What would happen next?
I felt the need to get to work. We had staff in New York and 100’s of others travelling.
As I jumped in my car and proceeded to the highway, traffic was moving slower than normal. You could literally see other drivers listening to their radios and shaking their heads. In spots where the traffic slowed to a near stop, people had their windows down and were comparing notes.
When I got to work, the management team met and spoke about what we should do. We decided to gather the staff for an all hands meeting, speak to the fact that we were busy contacting all staff who were travelling (most all were already accounted for), and that anyone who wanted to could go home.
Staff were visibly shaken. There were all kinds of rumours of other potential targets. Our building was near an US Air Force base and some folks wondered if we were safer as a result or not. We had a moment of silence. It was the most silent minute I have ever experienced.
I can remember a guy at work that day speak about Afghanistan and the Taliban. I had never heard the term Taliban before. I can remember wondering how he could know this. Others began to get more and more angry, looking for revenge, but toward who?
Most folks, including me, headed home around noon.
Like most, Janice and I were glued to the TV for the entire day, seeing those twin towers fall and the reruns of the planes hitting the towers over and over.
Stories of colleagues stranded here and there, and the stories of strangers pooling together to rent cars to drive in some cases 1000’s of miles to get home were common.
A few days later, I can remember talking to our folks in New York City from our office on Broad Street. They told us about how when after the first tower fell, their windows were covered in grey soot in seconds. Many of these folks walked for hours to get to their homes in New Jersey etc.
Up and down our street in San Jose, US flags flew on every home.
I can remember being very proud of Canada for being so hospitable to stranded passengers.
I can remember business travel basically coming to a halt.
I can remember watching planes approach their landings into the San Jose airport and being hyper sensitive to what looked like any strange moves.
I can remember commercial flights starting back up, and how people stared at each other especially people who looked different.
In November 2001, I travelled to New York City on Business. I can remember being totally shocked by the buildings whose windows were blown out and boarded up. I can remember walking down the street and feeling some kind of airborne dust in my mouth.
As I look back at all this, like 100’s of millions of people around the world, I was only an observer from a far. A person not personally affected in terms of lost love ones or friends. Yet so many others were directly impacted that day or the days, months, and years later.
The world changed forever that day.
Thoughts are with all those who were affected that day and since.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Democracy Works!
Well, here we go again.
Another election, more shenanigans, more promises, more spin, more attack, fewer real issues tackled, more sarcasm, more voter apathy.
The average voter turnout for federal elections since 1867 has been 71.2%. Since the year 2000, the average has dropped to 61.4%. [Reference: Elections Canada http://bit.ly/eMsAC4 ]
Some among us feel that their vote doesn't matter, that nothing will change, that all politicians are the same, that it is all a bunch of BS, that there are better causes to feel passionate about where they can make a real difference. I feel the same way some days, when I see/hear blatant lies and dirty tricks.
We need to try to understand and appreciate this perspective. We must not preach or force our own views.
What keeps me grounded and truly appreciating our democracy, even with all of its faults is a look around the world.
Hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of people in dozens of Middle Eastern and African countries are pouring into the streets, and in some cases giving their lives, to establish democracies. Many of these societies have been ruled by brutal dictators for decades. They are fighting for the very basics in human rights and security.
Meanwhile we find ourselves debating who is or isn’t likeable, who promised to deliver and did or didn’t, who is more trustworthy, etc. Not suggesting for a moment that these are not good things to discuss, any discussion about the alternative is good.
I am suggesting that we have the luxury of debating and openly sharing our views about the details, while millions of people around the world wouldn’t dare.
Democracy is not perfect, but it is better than any other system.
Democracy is ours to work on and improve overtime.
We must use it, or risk losing it.
Democracy works!
Check out which party your opinions seem to line up with:
http://federal.votecompass.ca/page/1/#top
Please exercise your right to vote and bring a friend on May 2, 2011.
**** Update ****
Thinks are looking very different all of a sudden:
- Advance poll turnout largest ever.
- Student Vote Mobs in virtually every university in the country.
- NDP heading for 2nd place ??? Including in Quebec. Wow !
- Who ever wins this is very good for Canadian democracy
**** Update ****
Well, you know the story by now.
Not sure if anyone would have predicted this.
But ! The people have spoken.
Another election, more shenanigans, more promises, more spin, more attack, fewer real issues tackled, more sarcasm, more voter apathy.
The average voter turnout for federal elections since 1867 has been 71.2%. Since the year 2000, the average has dropped to 61.4%. [Reference: Elections Canada http://bit.ly/eMsAC4 ]
Some among us feel that their vote doesn't matter, that nothing will change, that all politicians are the same, that it is all a bunch of BS, that there are better causes to feel passionate about where they can make a real difference. I feel the same way some days, when I see/hear blatant lies and dirty tricks.
We need to try to understand and appreciate this perspective. We must not preach or force our own views.
What keeps me grounded and truly appreciating our democracy, even with all of its faults is a look around the world.
Hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of people in dozens of Middle Eastern and African countries are pouring into the streets, and in some cases giving their lives, to establish democracies. Many of these societies have been ruled by brutal dictators for decades. They are fighting for the very basics in human rights and security.
Meanwhile we find ourselves debating who is or isn’t likeable, who promised to deliver and did or didn’t, who is more trustworthy, etc. Not suggesting for a moment that these are not good things to discuss, any discussion about the alternative is good.
I am suggesting that we have the luxury of debating and openly sharing our views about the details, while millions of people around the world wouldn’t dare.
Democracy is not perfect, but it is better than any other system.
Democracy is ours to work on and improve overtime.
We must use it, or risk losing it.
Democracy works!
Check out which party your opinions seem to line up with:
http://federal.votecompass.ca/page/1/#top
Please exercise your right to vote and bring a friend on May 2, 2011.
**** Update ****
Thinks are looking very different all of a sudden:
- Advance poll turnout largest ever.
- Student Vote Mobs in virtually every university in the country.
- NDP heading for 2nd place ??? Including in Quebec. Wow !
- Who ever wins this is very good for Canadian democracy
**** Update ****
Well, you know the story by now.
Not sure if anyone would have predicted this.
But ! The people have spoken.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Mother-in-law
Mother-in-law
Thanks to Hollywood, the term mother-in-law brings up some stereo typical images of meddling interfering opinionated middle aged woman.
My experience has been very different.
I first met Margaret McGonnell, who would become my future mother-in-law when I was 17 years old. Yes, that’s right 17.
My early memories of Mrs. McGonnell (AKA Mernie, later AKA Nanny) included her amazing cooking, sense of humour, intelligence. and strong opinions on things that really mattered to her.
I spent a lot of time at the McGonnell’s and enjoyed Mernie's great meals.
As a shy, slim, relatively fit 17 year old [Yes, that’s right shy, slim and fit'ish] Mernie seem to always insist I was well fed. I could sense her keeping an eye on me as I ate. When I finished what was on my plate, she was right there with more insisting I needed to “finish it off, it would only go to waste, etc, etc”.
I will always remember,
- the words she said to me the day Janice and I got married
- how quickly she came to help out for a few weeks when our three children were born
- how she made a cake at the kitchen table with a couple of kids standing with make shift aprons helping out
- how she and my 2 year old son marched around the house banging pots with wooden spoons in some kind of parade
- how genuinely interested and proud she was of everything that was happening with our family, and how I would hear the tiniest details replayed back from other family members months later
- how she had so many great friends and how much fun they always seem to have. It was cool to hear much later how she was often the life of the party
- while she never once said anything to me, how sad she must have been when we move too far away for her to see her grandchildren on a regular basis
- when she and Roy drove all the way from PEI to Ontario in the middle of the winter to visit us, and brought us a 50lb bag of PEI potatoes :)
- how our birthdays were only a few days apart and she always reached out to remind me that all the special people were born in November
- how later in life, even when she was not well, she never lost her spunk and drive to make things better for people
Mernie passed away just about two weeks ago now. It was amazing for me and our children to hear stories of how she touched peoples’ lives in all different ways.
While it was not that obvious to me then, I now realize how privileged I was to have a mother-in-law like Mernie.
Rest in peace.
Your son-in-law
Thanks to Hollywood, the term mother-in-law brings up some stereo typical images of meddling interfering opinionated middle aged woman.
My experience has been very different.
I first met Margaret McGonnell, who would become my future mother-in-law when I was 17 years old. Yes, that’s right 17.
My early memories of Mrs. McGonnell (AKA Mernie, later AKA Nanny) included her amazing cooking, sense of humour, intelligence. and strong opinions on things that really mattered to her.
I spent a lot of time at the McGonnell’s and enjoyed Mernie's great meals.
As a shy, slim, relatively fit 17 year old [Yes, that’s right shy, slim and fit'ish] Mernie seem to always insist I was well fed. I could sense her keeping an eye on me as I ate. When I finished what was on my plate, she was right there with more insisting I needed to “finish it off, it would only go to waste, etc, etc”.
I will always remember,
- the words she said to me the day Janice and I got married
- how quickly she came to help out for a few weeks when our three children were born
- how she made a cake at the kitchen table with a couple of kids standing with make shift aprons helping out
- how she and my 2 year old son marched around the house banging pots with wooden spoons in some kind of parade
- how genuinely interested and proud she was of everything that was happening with our family, and how I would hear the tiniest details replayed back from other family members months later
- how she had so many great friends and how much fun they always seem to have. It was cool to hear much later how she was often the life of the party
- while she never once said anything to me, how sad she must have been when we move too far away for her to see her grandchildren on a regular basis
- when she and Roy drove all the way from PEI to Ontario in the middle of the winter to visit us, and brought us a 50lb bag of PEI potatoes :)
- how our birthdays were only a few days apart and she always reached out to remind me that all the special people were born in November
- how later in life, even when she was not well, she never lost her spunk and drive to make things better for people
Mernie passed away just about two weeks ago now. It was amazing for me and our children to hear stories of how she touched peoples’ lives in all different ways.
While it was not that obvious to me then, I now realize how privileged I was to have a mother-in-law like Mernie.
Rest in peace.
Your son-in-law
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