Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
A taxing problem
The deadline for filing UK income tax is 31 January. You can only file online now - the paper deadline passed some time ago. I need to file, as I have employed and self-employed income to declare for the last tax year, when I was fully resident in the UK.
Accordingly I went online between Christmas and New Year intending to file. Lo and behold, you have to register, following which they send you an activation PIN in the post, and only after you receive this PIN can you actually complete the process. Well, I'm still waiting for my PIN to arrive. Apparently it was sent on 5 January. It's supposed to take 7 days to receive - but that's in the UK of course, not in Oklahoma City.
I've also received an email to say that if I don't activate my online registration by 4 February, the PIN will expire and I'll need to start the whole process all over again. This produces the possibility of a never-ending cycle of applying for PINs which then expire before they arrive, stretching away into infinity.
Yesterday I phoned both the Inland Revenue and the online filing company (which, of course, is a separate, private company, contracted by the IR to perform this service) to complain. I spoke to two ladies in call centres, by the sound of it in Glasgow and Newcastle respectively, each of whom told me there was nothing they could do to help, and advised me to phone the other one for advice. It would be quite funny if I wasn't facing the very real possibility of having to pay a penalty for late filing.
Accordingly I went online between Christmas and New Year intending to file. Lo and behold, you have to register, following which they send you an activation PIN in the post, and only after you receive this PIN can you actually complete the process. Well, I'm still waiting for my PIN to arrive. Apparently it was sent on 5 January. It's supposed to take 7 days to receive - but that's in the UK of course, not in Oklahoma City.
I've also received an email to say that if I don't activate my online registration by 4 February, the PIN will expire and I'll need to start the whole process all over again. This produces the possibility of a never-ending cycle of applying for PINs which then expire before they arrive, stretching away into infinity.
Yesterday I phoned both the Inland Revenue and the online filing company (which, of course, is a separate, private company, contracted by the IR to perform this service) to complain. I spoke to two ladies in call centres, by the sound of it in Glasgow and Newcastle respectively, each of whom told me there was nothing they could do to help, and advised me to phone the other one for advice. It would be quite funny if I wasn't facing the very real possibility of having to pay a penalty for late filing.
Snow and ice
I remember around this time last year, we were aware that there were 'ice storms' in Oklahoma City. These sounded pretty scary - I had visions of sheets of ice cascading from the sky. Well, we had an ice storm yesterday, and it's nothing like that. It's not really a storm at all, in the sense that I understand that word. All that happens is that it rains a bit, then because the temperature is just below freezing, the rain freezes as soon as it hits the ground, leaving a thin film of ice over everything. (Why it would rain when it's below freezing is the bit I don't understand - I'd always understood that rain turns into snow when the temperature's below freezing).
Anyway, this film of ice makes it so slippery that it's almost impossible to drive or walk anywhere, and if the ice accumulates enough it can bring down power lines. Apparently last year some homes were without electricity for over a week - not something you want to happen in temperatures like this. At the moment, because of the weather conditions, most public buildings have closed, and the Governor of Oklahoma has declared a state of emergency in some parts of the state - although I understand that's mainly because it entitles us to financial aid from the federal government.
I took these photographs this morning. It snowed during the night, so you can't really see the effect of the 'ice storm' any more.
Anyway, this film of ice makes it so slippery that it's almost impossible to drive or walk anywhere, and if the ice accumulates enough it can bring down power lines. Apparently last year some homes were without electricity for over a week - not something you want to happen in temperatures like this. At the moment, because of the weather conditions, most public buildings have closed, and the Governor of Oklahoma has declared a state of emergency in some parts of the state - although I understand that's mainly because it entitles us to financial aid from the federal government.
I took these photographs this morning. It snowed during the night, so you can't really see the effect of the 'ice storm' any more.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Green card (2)
In order that I could get a visa allowing me to live and work in the United States (the famous 'green card'), my wife had to sponsor me. We had always assumed that, being married to a US citizen, my right to such a visa would be automatic should I ever wish to apply for it. But in fact, it wasn't so simple. The application process, which we did through the US Embassy in London, was torturous and took several months to complete. There was a lot of beaurocracy and form-filling; a lot of gathering of documentation and information; a lot of waiting for them to get back to us; some hefty fees; and repeated phone calls to the £1.20 a minute helpline only to get answers which, if they weren't vague to the point of uselessness, contradicted information we'd had earlier. I had to have a medical and a police check. And, as I didn't have a job to go to in the States, my wife had to show that she had the means, and agree to commit, to support me financially - including for a further ten years should we get divorced.
It soon became clear that, although on paper there was no reason why I shouldn't be granted the visa, it was in fact completely discretionary, and depended entirely on a decision made by one immigration official at the Embassy. Well before we got the result, I had resigned from my job, we had sold our house, and my wife had left the country to make preparations for starting her new job - so it would have been a bit of a problem if the answer had turned out to be 'no'. In the event, it was all fine, and indeed the Embassy official told me that the portfolio of documentation we submitted was the most thorough he'd ever seen. That's what you get for being married to a librarian.
On the way to the airport yesterday, the taxi driver asked me about the visa application process. He explained that he was interested because his wife has also applied for the right to join him in the States. She applied seven years ago, and she's still waiting. She happens to be Mexican.
It soon became clear that, although on paper there was no reason why I shouldn't be granted the visa, it was in fact completely discretionary, and depended entirely on a decision made by one immigration official at the Embassy. Well before we got the result, I had resigned from my job, we had sold our house, and my wife had left the country to make preparations for starting her new job - so it would have been a bit of a problem if the answer had turned out to be 'no'. In the event, it was all fine, and indeed the Embassy official told me that the portfolio of documentation we submitted was the most thorough he'd ever seen. That's what you get for being married to a librarian.
On the way to the airport yesterday, the taxi driver asked me about the visa application process. He explained that he was interested because his wife has also applied for the right to join him in the States. She applied seven years ago, and she's still waiting. She happens to be Mexican.
New Jersey
I'm currently in New Jersey - Bergen County to be precise, which is just across the Hudson River from Manhattan and effectively a suburb of New York. It's as different from Oklahoma as the UK is. A sprawling urban jungle; dirty, busy, noisy and smelly; full of rude, offhand people, rushing about and driving terribly. A cultural melting pot: black, Jewish, Asian, Hispanic, Indian, East European. It's invigorating, uplifting, and exciting: I love it.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Decorative Words
This is (to me) a strange idea - decorative words. I noticed them in Hobby Lobby the other day - you can buy them to put on your wall or mantelpiece. They're very popular here. Words like 'love', 'dreams', 'family', 'faith', 'sickly' (OK, I made the last one up). When I first saw them, I had an enormous and sudden desire to commission some which would suit my British sense of irony - 'doubt', 'annoyance', 'depression', 'cynicism'.
But perhaps after the momentous events of yesterday, such sentiments are misplaced.
Monday, January 19, 2009
The grid system (1)
At last, I've worked it out. The enormous numbers which are used to identify houses in the US (and Canada come to that), frequently running into the thousands, have always mystified me. I could never work out why they were necessary. For example, we live at number 2809, but there are nowhere near 2809 houses in our road - in fact there are barely 28. So why such numeric amplification?
I finally realised why the other day. We had a parcel delivered, addressed to the previous occupants of our house. I tried phoning UPS to explain, but after several minutes wrestling with the automated voice recognition system ('Say 'pick up' to arrange a pick up, say 'track' to track a parcel, or say 'lose the will to live' if your enquiry doesn't fit neatly into one of these five very limited options we have decided in our wisdom to offer you') I gave up and decided to deliver it myself. Their new address was not far away, quite close to the 'downtown' (city centre) area.
The road I needed was 15th Street NW. I already knew this meant it would be north-west of the city centre, 15 streets up from the nominal 0th Street, in fact called (slightly confusingly) Reno Avenue here (in the American grid-system, Streets usually go west-east while Avenues go north-south - anyone who's visited Manhattan will know this). So I drove down Pennsylvania Avenue until I hit 15th Street, and turned right (west) onto it. The numbers were far too high and going higher (I needed 1005), so I turned round and started going back (east, towards downtown). I noticed that the numbers on the houses were round about the 2800 mark. What a co-incidence, I thought - similar to my own house. And then I realised that it wasn't a co-incidence. I was directly south from where I lived, albeit several miles south. And the numbers here were the same.
As I drove east, I realised that the first two digits of the house numbers were getting progressively smaller - 27, 26, 25, 24 - more quickly than the quantity of houses would seem to warrant. They do the same thing on our road, going east. The reason why they were getting smaller so quickly was that there were only ever a few houses - say 4 or 5 - for each of these initial numbers. Typically, they might go 2612, 2608, 2604, 2600 ... then you'd get 2512, 2508... etc. I realised that each of these intial numbers (26, 25 etc.) covered a distinct distance. It obviously wasn't a full 'block', as these are a mile square - they were obviously sections of blocks, or mini-blocks.
I also noticed that all the even numbers were on the south side of the street, and all the odd numbers on the north side - just like our street. The only thing I couldn't work out, and still can't, is why the numbers go in fours, not in twos like the British system. In other words, what happened to 2602, 2606 and 2610? They don't seem to exist. But again, it's consistent - our neighbours are 2805 and 2813, while over the road are 2808, 2812 and 2816.
After I crossed the next major avenue, I noticed that the numbers had gone down to 19, 18... And then it hit me - the distance covered by each is precisely one-tenth of a block, because the initial digit corresponds to the block itself. Numbers beginning with a 2 are obviously 2 blocks away from the city centre - although to be precise, they will be at least two whole blocks away and therefore in the third complete block, because houses in the first block have a nominal zero in the front, so you get numbers like 908, 912 etc. - it's like when you are 37 years old (as I am now), you are actually in your 38th year of life. And presumably really near the centre, there are even coveted two- and even one-digit addresses - wow, imagine the cachet they must bring! - although thinking about it, I suppose they should also exist further away from the city centre, branching off either side of 0th Avenue.
It struck me that the beauty of this system is that if you know that the address of the building you want is, say, 1712 NW 49th Street, you should be able to pinpoint pretty much exactly where it is, on an actual or mental map of the city - 49th street north of the centre, one and three-quarter blocks west, south side of the street. And this will be the case even if - as is the case with our road - the street in question doesn't extend across the full extent of the city, but starts and stops somewhere in the middle. The numbering will start and finish according to its geographical position relative to the city as a whole. In the UK, if you're told that an address is 28 Watson Road, you have absolutely no idea - unless you consult a map or just happen to know - where Watson Road is, or which direction it goes in, or how far along the road the building is (the numbering could start from either end). Having said that, you don't, of course, know where Reno Avenue is unless you happen to know it's also 0th Street, so the system only works in full for numbered streets and avenues, as opposed to named ones. I suppose even Americans find a complete absence of street names a bit clinical.
And by the same token, you often get the same street or avenue name being used in completely different parts of the city, because of course sometimes roads don't extend all the way from one side to another without a break (there are things in the way, such as shopping malls, freeways, railroads, schools, factories, etc.) For example, there are bits of Shartel Avenue running right the way from the extreme north to the extreme south of Oklahoma City, even though they are effectively completely separate from each other, and in some cases a very long way apart. That's quite confusing to a British person, but again, very logical when you think about it.
I remember reading somewhere that the American grid system of city planning was first established in Philadelphia (was it Jefferson who invented it, or someone like that?) and proved so popular that it was swiftly adopted by all subsequent cities. I already knew that the grid system was logical and made it very easy to get about, but I hadn't appreciated before the full extent of the practical ramifications.
One thing still bothers me. Where we live, eleven blocks north of the centre, you get addresses on the avenues like 10100. Logical, certainly - but how do you say this number? I fervently hope it's 'one hundred and one hundred' (like 'twenty seven hundred') and not the persuasively shorter but clearly logically incorrect 'ten one hundred'.
And what about the house I was looking for, 1005 15th Street? It didn't exist! There was a park in the way. I found out later I had the wrong address. But it wasn't a wasted trip!
I finally realised why the other day. We had a parcel delivered, addressed to the previous occupants of our house. I tried phoning UPS to explain, but after several minutes wrestling with the automated voice recognition system ('Say 'pick up' to arrange a pick up, say 'track' to track a parcel, or say 'lose the will to live' if your enquiry doesn't fit neatly into one of these five very limited options we have decided in our wisdom to offer you') I gave up and decided to deliver it myself. Their new address was not far away, quite close to the 'downtown' (city centre) area.
The road I needed was 15th Street NW. I already knew this meant it would be north-west of the city centre, 15 streets up from the nominal 0th Street, in fact called (slightly confusingly) Reno Avenue here (in the American grid-system, Streets usually go west-east while Avenues go north-south - anyone who's visited Manhattan will know this). So I drove down Pennsylvania Avenue until I hit 15th Street, and turned right (west) onto it. The numbers were far too high and going higher (I needed 1005), so I turned round and started going back (east, towards downtown). I noticed that the numbers on the houses were round about the 2800 mark. What a co-incidence, I thought - similar to my own house. And then I realised that it wasn't a co-incidence. I was directly south from where I lived, albeit several miles south. And the numbers here were the same.
As I drove east, I realised that the first two digits of the house numbers were getting progressively smaller - 27, 26, 25, 24 - more quickly than the quantity of houses would seem to warrant. They do the same thing on our road, going east. The reason why they were getting smaller so quickly was that there were only ever a few houses - say 4 or 5 - for each of these initial numbers. Typically, they might go 2612, 2608, 2604, 2600 ... then you'd get 2512, 2508... etc. I realised that each of these intial numbers (26, 25 etc.) covered a distinct distance. It obviously wasn't a full 'block', as these are a mile square - they were obviously sections of blocks, or mini-blocks.
I also noticed that all the even numbers were on the south side of the street, and all the odd numbers on the north side - just like our street. The only thing I couldn't work out, and still can't, is why the numbers go in fours, not in twos like the British system. In other words, what happened to 2602, 2606 and 2610? They don't seem to exist. But again, it's consistent - our neighbours are 2805 and 2813, while over the road are 2808, 2812 and 2816.
After I crossed the next major avenue, I noticed that the numbers had gone down to 19, 18... And then it hit me - the distance covered by each is precisely one-tenth of a block, because the initial digit corresponds to the block itself. Numbers beginning with a 2 are obviously 2 blocks away from the city centre - although to be precise, they will be at least two whole blocks away and therefore in the third complete block, because houses in the first block have a nominal zero in the front, so you get numbers like 908, 912 etc. - it's like when you are 37 years old (as I am now), you are actually in your 38th year of life. And presumably really near the centre, there are even coveted two- and even one-digit addresses - wow, imagine the cachet they must bring! - although thinking about it, I suppose they should also exist further away from the city centre, branching off either side of 0th Avenue.
It struck me that the beauty of this system is that if you know that the address of the building you want is, say, 1712 NW 49th Street, you should be able to pinpoint pretty much exactly where it is, on an actual or mental map of the city - 49th street north of the centre, one and three-quarter blocks west, south side of the street. And this will be the case even if - as is the case with our road - the street in question doesn't extend across the full extent of the city, but starts and stops somewhere in the middle. The numbering will start and finish according to its geographical position relative to the city as a whole. In the UK, if you're told that an address is 28 Watson Road, you have absolutely no idea - unless you consult a map or just happen to know - where Watson Road is, or which direction it goes in, or how far along the road the building is (the numbering could start from either end). Having said that, you don't, of course, know where Reno Avenue is unless you happen to know it's also 0th Street, so the system only works in full for numbered streets and avenues, as opposed to named ones. I suppose even Americans find a complete absence of street names a bit clinical.
And by the same token, you often get the same street or avenue name being used in completely different parts of the city, because of course sometimes roads don't extend all the way from one side to another without a break (there are things in the way, such as shopping malls, freeways, railroads, schools, factories, etc.) For example, there are bits of Shartel Avenue running right the way from the extreme north to the extreme south of Oklahoma City, even though they are effectively completely separate from each other, and in some cases a very long way apart. That's quite confusing to a British person, but again, very logical when you think about it.
I remember reading somewhere that the American grid system of city planning was first established in Philadelphia (was it Jefferson who invented it, or someone like that?) and proved so popular that it was swiftly adopted by all subsequent cities. I already knew that the grid system was logical and made it very easy to get about, but I hadn't appreciated before the full extent of the practical ramifications.
One thing still bothers me. Where we live, eleven blocks north of the centre, you get addresses on the avenues like 10100. Logical, certainly - but how do you say this number? I fervently hope it's 'one hundred and one hundred' (like 'twenty seven hundred') and not the persuasively shorter but clearly logically incorrect 'ten one hundred'.
And what about the house I was looking for, 1005 15th Street? It didn't exist! There was a park in the way. I found out later I had the wrong address. But it wasn't a wasted trip!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Misunderstanding
A few weeks ago, I went for a haircut. (Yes, I lead an exciting life). The hairdresser was an Asian lady; in fact I discovered in conversation that she was from Cambodia. We started chatting about life in Oklahoma City as an immigrant, and about how it compared to things back home. I said that in general, the cost of living in the UK was higher than here, but the one really good thing was that everyone got free healthcare.
'Really?' she replied, seeming almost shocked. 'Yes', I replied. "Well, there are charges for certain things, but in general it's free.' She seemed absolutely amazed.
The other week my wife went for a haircut. (She leads an exciting life too). When she got home she said that the hairdresser had been an Asian lady, and they had got chatting. 'Apparently', she said, 'this English guy came in a few weeks ago, and told her that in the UK everyone gets a free house!'
'Really?' she replied, seeming almost shocked. 'Yes', I replied. "Well, there are charges for certain things, but in general it's free.' She seemed absolutely amazed.
The other week my wife went for a haircut. (She leads an exciting life too). When she got home she said that the hairdresser had been an Asian lady, and they had got chatting. 'Apparently', she said, 'this English guy came in a few weeks ago, and told her that in the UK everyone gets a free house!'
Friday, January 16, 2009
Will Rogers World Airport
This is a picure of Will Rogers World Airport, the main airport in Oklahoma City. Its strapline is 'the gateway to your community'. I'm pleased to say that it also serves as the gateway out of my community.
I like the designation 'world airport'. Presumably it's called this because from here you can catch a flight to any one of, oh, a dozen US destinations, and from some of these you can catch a further flight to somewhere else in the world. More likely, you will have a further change of plane before you can do this. On the same principle, you could call the railway station from which I used to commute every morning 'Goring and Streatley World Railway Station'. You can get to most places in the world from there, but it might not be that straightforward.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Snobbery
It's a common misconception that the British class system is not replicated in the egalitarian US of A - in fact, all my experience suggests otherwise. How anyone can argue that the poor unfortunates living in the ghettos of New Orleans are no different to the middle-class families of suburban America with their perfectly manicured lawns and two kids attending soccer coaching on Saturday mornings is a mystery to me. And the idea that, despite differences in the starting-point, it's more possible here to achieve the 'American dream', through hard work and subsequent social mobility, is laughable when you consider that pretty much the only way to get a college education here is to pay for it - in full. And pretty much the only way to get to a good college is to get good grades by attending a good high school, which means your parents have to live in the right part of town. (Or, indeed, the right town).
And just like in the UK, class snobbery, or something very like it, is endemic. When I was over here in February, while my wife was attending the interview for the job which she was subsequently offered and accepted, I briefly visited Indianapolis on business. Specifically, I stayed in Carmel, which is a small town to the north, a suburb really, very 'arty' and well-to-do. While there, I was invited to a party at a huge private house which stood in a tree-lined drive with a security gate at one end. During the evening I told more than one person that, although I was from the UK, I was soon likely to move to Oklahoma City. The responses I got generally consisted of strangulated smiles and phrases like 'Oh, how interesting! Oklahoma City? I don't think I've ever been there... well, I'm sure you'll find it very... interesting.' It was just as if, as in fact I was once in the position of doing, you told someone who lives in Henley-on-Thames that you were about to move to Slough. 'Slough? Well, it's certainly very... er... multi-cultural.'
I've just got back from a trip to Minneapolis, where I once again had the same kind of response, this time from an academic at the University of Minnesota, during a meal at a Chinese restaurant. On mentioning (inevitably) that I was missing many things about the UK, she replied: 'well, in Oklahoma you'll be missing a lot of things about the USA, too.' It was my turn to give the strangulated smile.
It's clear that many wealthy, educated people in the East Coast and affluent Mid-west view Oklahoma as a kind of redneck backwater, containing nothing but farms, pick-up trucks and Republicans. Well, about 80% of it does consist of farms, pick-up trucks and Republicans, but having lived here for five months now, I am beginning to feel the impetus to defend it - after all, it's my home, at least for the moment. For a start, Oklahoma City itself, in fact, is not at all unsophisticated - there has been a lot of development here in the last few years, and a wander through Bricktown on a Saturday night will offer a goodly supply of lively cafes, bars, restaurants and jazz clubs. Before the election, there were at least as many signs out for Obama as for McCain, certainly downtown. There are several universities, museums, a symphony orchestra, ballet and theatre companies. OK, it's not New York, but in fact when you are less spoilt for choice you tend to make the most of what you have, rather than ending up not bothering because there'll always be something some other night.
What are the other good things about Oklahoma? Everyone is very friendly, likes to chat and pass the time of day. People do seem to really care about their family, friends and neighbours. Never once have I felt rejected or awkward as an outsider; instead, people are generally fascinated that I have come to live here from the UK, and are very welcoming. There is lots of space and it's easy to get about. The economy, despite the current global downturn, is good - in fact I heard on the radio recently that the US states which are doing well at the moment are the energy-producing ones, and Texas, Alaska and Oklahoma were specifically mentioned. Shopping is excellent - a great variety of stores, lots of choice, lots of parking, very good service, and good prices.
OK, I'm not saying that I'd rather be here than anywhere else. Frankly, I'd rather be in Minneapolis (it's a lovely city). And there are many things here that I don't like. But it's strange how you develop an affection for any place that you end up living in.
And just like in the UK, class snobbery, or something very like it, is endemic. When I was over here in February, while my wife was attending the interview for the job which she was subsequently offered and accepted, I briefly visited Indianapolis on business. Specifically, I stayed in Carmel, which is a small town to the north, a suburb really, very 'arty' and well-to-do. While there, I was invited to a party at a huge private house which stood in a tree-lined drive with a security gate at one end. During the evening I told more than one person that, although I was from the UK, I was soon likely to move to Oklahoma City. The responses I got generally consisted of strangulated smiles and phrases like 'Oh, how interesting! Oklahoma City? I don't think I've ever been there... well, I'm sure you'll find it very... interesting.' It was just as if, as in fact I was once in the position of doing, you told someone who lives in Henley-on-Thames that you were about to move to Slough. 'Slough? Well, it's certainly very... er... multi-cultural.'
I've just got back from a trip to Minneapolis, where I once again had the same kind of response, this time from an academic at the University of Minnesota, during a meal at a Chinese restaurant. On mentioning (inevitably) that I was missing many things about the UK, she replied: 'well, in Oklahoma you'll be missing a lot of things about the USA, too.' It was my turn to give the strangulated smile.
It's clear that many wealthy, educated people in the East Coast and affluent Mid-west view Oklahoma as a kind of redneck backwater, containing nothing but farms, pick-up trucks and Republicans. Well, about 80% of it does consist of farms, pick-up trucks and Republicans, but having lived here for five months now, I am beginning to feel the impetus to defend it - after all, it's my home, at least for the moment. For a start, Oklahoma City itself, in fact, is not at all unsophisticated - there has been a lot of development here in the last few years, and a wander through Bricktown on a Saturday night will offer a goodly supply of lively cafes, bars, restaurants and jazz clubs. Before the election, there were at least as many signs out for Obama as for McCain, certainly downtown. There are several universities, museums, a symphony orchestra, ballet and theatre companies. OK, it's not New York, but in fact when you are less spoilt for choice you tend to make the most of what you have, rather than ending up not bothering because there'll always be something some other night.
What are the other good things about Oklahoma? Everyone is very friendly, likes to chat and pass the time of day. People do seem to really care about their family, friends and neighbours. Never once have I felt rejected or awkward as an outsider; instead, people are generally fascinated that I have come to live here from the UK, and are very welcoming. There is lots of space and it's easy to get about. The economy, despite the current global downturn, is good - in fact I heard on the radio recently that the US states which are doing well at the moment are the energy-producing ones, and Texas, Alaska and Oklahoma were specifically mentioned. Shopping is excellent - a great variety of stores, lots of choice, lots of parking, very good service, and good prices.
OK, I'm not saying that I'd rather be here than anywhere else. Frankly, I'd rather be in Minneapolis (it's a lovely city). And there are many things here that I don't like. But it's strange how you develop an affection for any place that you end up living in.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
US Navy Vets
A phone call - almost certainly one of the many automated marketing calls we receive - has just come in: the caller display said 'US Navy Vets'. It took me a few seconds to realise that this was more likely to refer to the veterans (ie. former serving members) of the US Navy, and not the animal welfare department.
Dora the Explorer meets Thelonious Monk
As I mentioned in a previous post, I've enjoyed discovering the delights of NPR (National Public Radio), which has the immeasurable benefit of reminding me that there are a lot of intelligent, enlightened, informed and thoughtful people in America - which usefully counteracts things like the subject of yesterday's post.
I consume most of my NPR intake via podcast - while walking the dog, doing the washing up, etc. One of the podcasts I subscribe to is called 'Pop Culture', and the most recent edition featured an extraordinary interview with a 12-year old girl called Caitlin Sanchez, who is the new voice of Dora the Explorer, the wildly popular kids' TV show (certainly wildly popular with both my 5-year old niece in Calgary, Canada, and my 6-year old niece in Yorkshire, UK). I didn't realise before that this programme is essentially bilingual, with many of the 'catchphrases' delivered in Spanish, which has resulted in a noticeable craze for learning Spanish among many English-speaking children in the US, Canada, the UK and beyond.
Caitlin is, as the interviewer rightly tells her at the end, a very impressive young woman. I urge you to listen to her yourself. She is bright, articulate, intelligent, confident and engaging - but at the same time, she's not precocious, precious or pretentious - she's just a 12-year old kid. As well as being a fine actress, she also plays the piano and particularly likes jazz. In the interview, she discusses her love for the music of Thelonious Monk (not the most obvious or straightforward of musicians to appreciate) with hardly less perception and subtlety than I've usually heard from most music academics. Anyone who feels depressed about current standards of education among children should listen to Caitlin express herself.
The really interesting thing for me is that Caitlin lives in Bergen, New Jersey, where I'm going to be examining a number of piano students in about two weeks' time. I looked on my list of candidates, but unfortunately she's not there. I was disappointed - I was looking forward to a brush with stardom!
I consume most of my NPR intake via podcast - while walking the dog, doing the washing up, etc. One of the podcasts I subscribe to is called 'Pop Culture', and the most recent edition featured an extraordinary interview with a 12-year old girl called Caitlin Sanchez, who is the new voice of Dora the Explorer, the wildly popular kids' TV show (certainly wildly popular with both my 5-year old niece in Calgary, Canada, and my 6-year old niece in Yorkshire, UK). I didn't realise before that this programme is essentially bilingual, with many of the 'catchphrases' delivered in Spanish, which has resulted in a noticeable craze for learning Spanish among many English-speaking children in the US, Canada, the UK and beyond.
Caitlin is, as the interviewer rightly tells her at the end, a very impressive young woman. I urge you to listen to her yourself. She is bright, articulate, intelligent, confident and engaging - but at the same time, she's not precocious, precious or pretentious - she's just a 12-year old kid. As well as being a fine actress, she also plays the piano and particularly likes jazz. In the interview, she discusses her love for the music of Thelonious Monk (not the most obvious or straightforward of musicians to appreciate) with hardly less perception and subtlety than I've usually heard from most music academics. Anyone who feels depressed about current standards of education among children should listen to Caitlin express herself.
The really interesting thing for me is that Caitlin lives in Bergen, New Jersey, where I'm going to be examining a number of piano students in about two weeks' time. I looked on my list of candidates, but unfortunately she's not there. I was disappointed - I was looking forward to a brush with stardom!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The devolution of evolution
This is the kind of thing that makes me embarrassed, rather than proud, to be an Okie.
Personally, I feel one of the strongest arguments against the theory of evolution is that billions of years of natural selection, based on the survival of the fittest, should really by now have prevented people this stupid from existing.
Personally, I feel one of the strongest arguments against the theory of evolution is that billions of years of natural selection, based on the survival of the fittest, should really by now have prevented people this stupid from existing.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Syntactical pedantry
Yesterday I heard part of a radio programme in which an author was interviewed about her new book, which was called 'Things I've been silent about'. This irritated me enormously, because technically it should be 'Things about which I've been silent'. Nothing to do with Oklahoma, but I thought I'd mention it.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Christmas
The holiday season has been a bit busy, so apologies for not having wished all my loyal blog readers a very merry Christmas and happy New Year before now. If you want to get a feeling for Christmas in Oklahoma, imagine a giant inflatable Santa accompanied by the world's most cheesy light jazz arrangement of 'Winter Wonderland', and you'll get the idea.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
