We The People

It is one thing to read about the history of our country in text books. It is quite another thing to go where our country was founded. Suddenly it all becomes real. The founding fathers become more than text on a page, more than aged, two-dimensional images.

Along with a group of more than 20 other seminar participants, I ventured into Philadelphia to take in the sites in the sweltering heat. There were rotations of who was the leader. I enjoyed a brief stint as guide and failed to lead the posse to the Old Tavern. Nevertheless, we went to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

The gravitas of our founding sunk in during the lecture at Independence Hall. The bravery that was required to separate from the oppression of British rule is remarkable.

Apparently in Philly, if there is a thunder storm the Septa train line we took shuts down. Subsequently, the final group of eight who stopped for a nightcap had to take the underground, then a trolley, then walk a good 2 miles back to campus. We made it, somehow.

I was glad I was able to share the experience with so many of my peers from the seminar. While we did wander around in search of places to eat and see I think we succeeded in getting a taste of the history of our fair nation.

Philadelphia is my mistress.

Got to Circulate to Percolate

Is it brotherly to charge $10 for a $7 train ride? Aside from the suspicion of being duped on the public transit fare, yesterday began my voyage to Philadelphia and journalistic enlightenment.

The flight went smoothly and was a series of firsts. It was the first flight with on-board entertainment. A group that will be appearing on Conan's show Wednesday night was also flying from Chicago to Philadelphia. The front-woman for the group sang "At Last" acapella, including a shout-out to the captain toward the end of the song ("For you, Captain, are mine at last."). The other first also featured the pilot of our air bus, which coincidentally was an AirBus. June 6 happened to be his son Drew's birthday. So, before we took off he called his son and everyone on the plane sang "Happy Birthday."

I ended up making it to Bryn Mawr without much difficulty aside from the sweltering heat. Temperatures were in the 90's with high dew points; a bad combination. I did keep track of weight loss due to sweat. Current total: 6.7 lbs.

The seminar thus far has been a great experience. The open discussion format makes me wish that my college experience had been different. The lecturers/professors are open to discussion and sharing their expertise. The lecture last night by Chris Harper pertained to being an international correspondent. Harper has worked for the AP, Newsweek, ABC News and traveled the world, sometimes taking his family along, covering news.
He provided tips on getting started in international reporting along with stories from his career.

Below are some of the quotes:

"Look where the crowd isn't."
"Got to circulate to percolate."
"The first casualty of war is truth."
"Give war a chance."

Harper shared a story about time spent in Russia and the mandatory drinking the established rapport with his future sources. It seems an unwritten skill set that journalists should have is a high tolerance and functioning liver.

Initial Hotel/Dorm Report: The bed is reminiscent of concrete. The air conditioning is more like a fan. The toilet paper is single-ply. Room size is generous and has a scenic view. No mint on my pillow.

Also, Uzbekistan is the new Siberia when someone references being dumped in the middle of nowhere. More lectures today. Off to breakfast.