A Game Changer From T-Mobile

Starting October 20st for new accounts (and October 31st for existing accounts), T-Mobile is offering nearly unlimited international data roaming for its US customers. I remember the days of roaming within the US where you would pay roaming charges for phone calls outside your home network area (which, back then, were narrowly drawn).  Those were the days when banking and many other services were not truly nationalized within the US. Interstate commerce had its internal borders.

That eventually gave way to unlimited nationwide roaming and the now commoditized domestic mobile phone and data service. Most other inter-state barriers have now fallen.  T-Mobile's move to remove international data roaming across its broad network is groundbreaking and will, in due course, serve as an international leveler. It's high time. Kudos, T-Mobile!

A Call for a More Perfect Political Union

Today's Senate passing of a bill to end the fiscal impasse delivers a stinging defeat for hard liners in Congress. While the opportunity to come together and work as a proper legislative body was lost long ago, I continue to fear that the idiocy of the far right will continue in to the next budget discussion only months away.  How members of a legislative body can be elected and serve with such destructive political philosophies continues to bewilder me. Creation of consensus from wide ranging viewpoints, not the perpetuation of poles, is the true sign of leadership. I call upon my friends from all political leanings to pledge to form a new political class which does just that. I suspect that history will not judge kindly this epoch and the errant cowboys who held our Federal government hostage for two weeks; let history also note that this low point served as a foundation for a better and more sound political union. For now, I am thankful that this ugly episode has passed. God bless America and guide her to that more stable place. 

My Time with "Hizzoner" - Mayor Edward I. Koch

New York, 1996

It was 1996 and I was a Legal Assistant at the law firm of Robinson, Silverman, Pearce, Aronsohn & Berman in New York.  I already knew that being being paralegal had no glory.  My time at Teitelbaum, Hiller, Rodman, Paden & Hibsher had already disavowed me of that notion.  But I wasn't yet looking for glory. I had graduated from Middlebury two summers ago and was still finding my way in the world. Having worked for my father's company as an executive at an early age, I thought I had a good internal gauge of my own capabilities, but had yet to prove them to many in the outside world. At my dad's company only recently, I had navigated ourselves to a large contract from the United States Navy for advanced strategic computer based linguistic systems at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. I personally bid for the project, procured and negotiated the contract, and built and delivered the computer hardware -- and all as a teenager.

Far from my life at my father's company, in New York I was a relatively new paralegal just out of college.  With as much innovation and intelligence as I was allowed to exercise, I would produce litigation files, research which polluters had polluted which amounts and when for one of many massive EPA Superfund litigations, or help prepare court filings. The work was unsophisticated, but required diligence and some level of care.  I arrived every morning at 1290 Avenue of the Americas ready to do whatever the lawyers I worked for would tell me.  I grew to dislike my job for many reasons: (a) I worked in New York yet made a salary that made living with any degree of style very challenging, (b) I worked for lawyers who I looked up to (merely because they were lawyers, and heck, what did I know in those days?) but who didn't share the same respect or fascination for me, and (c) I was, in effect, the lowest member of the "legal professional" totem pole; a role I didn't like one bit.

I met former Mayor Ed Koch, or "hizzoner" as he was affectionately called, while working at Robinson Silverman.  I had joined the firm along with several attorneys from Teitelbaum Hiller, which was collapsing in an old fashioned law firm split dust-up. Except for the fact that I knew Robinson Silverman was larger and had fancier offices, I knew nothing else about the firm.  When I first learned that Ed Koch worked there, I was clearly awestruck. While I had met prominent figures before, I had never had an opportunity to work in the same space as them and had never met them the way I met Mayor Koch.  Koch and I first met in the most unorthodox way: as we were both entering the men's room at our firm. I had gone to the men's room on a thankless errand for myself, to do what people do when they have to use the restroom. Mr. Koch had surely done the same. Yet the interaction that ensued would help alter my remaining time at the firm and ultimately shape my career.

My dissatisfaction with being a Legal Assistant had grown over time, and was now nearing its peak. I was looking to move on but wondered whether leaving the firm so soon after arriving would adversely affect my resume and job prospects.  Arriving at the rest room, however, none of those thoughts were primary. Rather, in addition to the need that had brought me to the restroom, I had a litigation project that Peter Paden, another partner at the firm, had given me, deeply on my mind. I entered the rest room and pulled up to a urinal.  As I approached, I saw that another person, mostly bald with tufts of grey hair, had also approached a urinal nearby. I glanced over, exercising the locational awareness that most humans like having when peeing next to others.  About the same time, my new bathroom companion glanced over at me. I instantly recognized this fellow restroom patron as the former Mayor of New York and quickly returned my gaze to my appointed task. Processing the fact that I was about to pee next to Mr. Koch distracted me from actually doing so, because what followed next was the most awkward 40 seconds of silence of my young career. As both Ed Koch and I stood there attempting to urinate, staring at our respective urinal walls, neither of us actually could. Finally breaking the silence after about forty five seconds, Mayor Koch zipped up, looked over at me, and with a wry smile said, "well, I guess I must have gotten stage fright."

Over the next few months, Mayor Koch made an effort to say hello to me, call me into his office on occasion, and share thoughts on politics, the profession, and on people. He and I shared a culinary love: Peking Duck House in Chinatown, and we referred to that love often. Beyond food, we talked about politics in New York. I recall asking him why he had switched parties to endorse Rudy Guiliani over David Dinkins, who had defeated Mayor Koch only one term prior. After all, Mayor Koch had supported Dinkins in the general election after his defeat in the primaries. Why the switch? Mayor Koch explained that Dinkins bore significant responsibility for the lawlessness of the anti-Semitic riots that raged in Crown Heights and that the riots had convinced him that Dinkins was no longer deserving of his support. The person is more important than the party, he quickly added. Having supported Guiliani in the previous election, Mayor Koch explained to me that he was pulling his support, suggesting that Guiliani's candor and tone bothered him.  The people of New York, Mr. Koch beamed, "deserved better."

When I told him about my dream of being a lawyer despite my disdain for being a paralegal, he spoke candidly about the challenges of the profession but also bullishly about its potential to protect and foster civil rights and aid in the governance of free people. "Bhijit," the Mayor told me in his New York accent, "if being a lawyer is what you want, go get it. Don't worry about your resume, just go do the best you can - nobody will fault you."  Soon after, I followed his advice and left the firm on my own journey to go to law school.

While I didn't keep in touch with Mayor Koch except to thank him after starting law school, his love for his city and the passion with which he lived his life remind me today, as they informed me in 1996, that a life worth living is born of conviction and the courage to pursue it. “How’m I doin?” he famously used to ask his constituents.  You did great, Mayor.

Rest in Peace.

NYT: Law Schools’ Applications Fall as Costs Rise and Jobs Are Cut

Paul Sakuma/Associated Press

This year's law school applicant pool is 30% smaller than last year's and nearly 40% smaller than in 2010, according to an article in today's The New York Times.  While I can understand the elasticity of demand based on macro-economic considerations, I firmly believe that applicants to all graduate programs, including law schools, must separate their beliefs about employment prospects from their  intellectual and professional passions.

My career has seen much evolution since I graduated from law school, but despite the changing focus and job environment, the intellectual process of law school and the training and refinement it provided remain invaluable to me. While I experienced a very comfortable job environment upon graduation, the economy cratered only a few years after, only to rebound and fall several times thereafter. Applicants to law schools must know that the job market may contain volatility, but also, and perhaps more importantly, that there will always be a need and role for qualified, passionate and intelligent lawyers. That is just as true today as it has always been.  A focus on just the availability of a big corporate law firm job after graduation robs the decision of whether to go to law school of much of its other essential considerations.

That said, we must address the broader issues of the financing and cost of modern American education so that bright students of all economic backgrounds are able to pursue and obtain the highest level and quality of education available anywhere in the world. That availability will define and reinforce America's greatness in the next century. 

Senate Approves Sen. Kerry for Secretary of State

Congratulations to Sen. Kerry on his confirmation as our next Secretary of State. He enters service in his new role as the geopolitical situation remains complicated, especially in the Middle East and North Africa. I am hopeful that he will put his significant experience to good use in furtherance of President Obama's foreign policy. Best of luck, Sen. Kerry.

Newtown's Massacre, America's Tragedy

It is hard to come up with words to encapsulate the sense of loss we all feel today in light of the tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.  

President Obama's tearful statement summed up the mood of much of the nation when he said, "as a country, we have been through this too many times. Whether it’s an elementary school in Newtown, or a shopping mall in Oregon, or a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Aurora, or a street corner in Chicago — these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and these children are our children. And we’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics...  May God bless the memory of the victims and, in the words of Scripture, heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds."

While today is perhaps not the day to discuss the policies we can adopt to reduce the number of these tragedies, the time is here for us to address the systemic problems that turn the world's most prosperous and amazing country into a suburban battlefield fueled by handguns and semi-automatic weapons. Surely, as today's tragedy in China, in which a knife wielding assailant attacked and injured 22 children, shows us, guns are not the world's only source or vehicle of violence. That said, guns surely augment the fury and impact of the violence wrought upon us. According to the United States Census, two thirds of all homicides in the United States from 2000 - 2008 -- 86,112 deaths -- were caused by guns. The next largest cause, knives, accounted for a mere 13% of homicides over the same period. If you are a victim of homicide, it surely won't matter whether a gun or knife took your life; as a society, however, it surely matters that over the period covered by the Census, you were five times as likely to be shot to death than killed by a knife.

Today's tragedy provides a complicated problem. On the one hand, the complete absence of guns in our society would likely have prevented today's tragedy. On the other hand, we live in a society that has nearly as many guns as residents. If one of the adult victims who fell today had a weapon, perhaps one fewer death might have occurred because the assailant might have been met with a force sufficient to stop him. Yet, that is also not a certainty. One gun owned by one owner might counter one attack. Yet, will one million guns counter a million attacks, or will some of those guns start creating their own chain violence? As I mentioned in a response to a facebook post from a friend earlier today, the issue isn't just what makes each of us safer individually. The issue is what makes us safer collectively. While I have little doubt that ownership of a gun by a friend I trust won't cause me harm, I also have little confidence that collective gun ownership makes me safer. Long story short, a world with almost no guns is safer than a world armed to its teeth. While we seek a world without nuclear proliferation, we endure a society in which it is easier to buy a gun than it is to vote. I can't see the logic in that.

Amidst all this uncertainty, what is certain is gun violence has become America's internal source of terror. It must be stopped. We must engage in an intelligent discussion to tackle the scourge of gun violence once and for all. The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution must be understood as the part of the broader Bill of Rights. Let us not allow the protection of one part of the Constitution to consume the protections afforded by the entire body of its work. It is time, America, to act to stop this escalating cycle of gun violence.

Google Maps is back to rescue Apple's iOS6

Google Maps for iPhone is back!

For those of you who are joined at the hip to your iPhone, there is good news to report. Google Maps is back on Apple's iOS. The Google designed Google Maps for iPhone, now available on Apple App Store, rescues the iPhone's from its self imposed irrelevance in mapping after the debacle that was Apple Maps. I encourage you to download Google Maps if you have not already done so. The New York Times review of the new app can be viewed by clicking here.

Sorry, Apple Maps.

What can brown do for you?

Bobby Jindal in 2011.  Photo by Gage Skidmore

Mitt Romney's latest remarks about why President Obama was re-elected have sparked some discussion among his public supporters, including this recent comment from Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.

While I'm not a fan of Bobby Jindal's politics, he does have a huge opportunity for power in a Republican party starved for minority outreach. Michael Steele wasn't the right approach and neither was Herman Cain. Jindal's politics preach to the base while his ethnicity allows him leeway that Romney just didn't have.

Heck, if my political principles and ethics were as fluid as Mitt Romney's, I could run for office as a Republican and make out like a bandit. Thank god they're not.

Hotels On Point But Off The Beaten Path

Looking for hotels in Aix-en-Provence, France; Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany; Malmagen, Sweden; Oletta, Corsica; Puglia, Italy; Zafferana Etnea, Sicily; Istanbul; or London but tired of the big brands and being treated like a number by their loyalty point programs? Check out this article by Odine Cohane and Gisela Williams in The New York Times for some cool hotels off the beaten path.

Challenges Remain for FDI in Indian's Retail Sector

My friend Vikas Bajaj's article, India’s Embrace of Foreign Retailers, The New York Times, Oct. 9, 2012, touches on an important policy debate raging in India's political circles. The outcome affects much more than retail. Retailers like Walmart bring logistics and infrastructure on the back end that have far greater benefits to the country than policy makers who oppose foreign single brand retailers understand. Unlike developed countries, India desperately needs the logistics and infrastructure improvements if the country's economy is to be competitive globally.

Florist Express Just Isn't...

Those of you who read my blog posts know that my tolerance for bad customer service is relatively low especially when I work with a particular company frequently. I had an experience today that I think it is important to share with an e-commerce company called Florist Express. I usually order gifts and flowers from a company called ProFlowers, which I've had generally good experience with. Today, I needed a birthday floral arrangement delivered the same day, which ProFlowers sends to their "preferred partner" Florist Express. I'm assuming given the co-branding on certain pages, ProFlowers has a revenue sharing arrangement with Florist Express whereby Florist Express takes and fulfills same-day delivery orders.

Florist Express is a "preferred" and co-branded partner of Proflowers.

I placed my order for flowers and birthday balloons this morning. The web site indicated that I had to place my order for the zip code I was delivering to by 2:00pm. With hours left to go before the cut-off, I  placed my order and went on with my day. The number of places on the site that list reassuring messages about the company's abilities suggests that it takes its responsibility for same day delivery seriously. The main page banner has the company's phone number and tagline "florist arranged bouquets delivered today." The very next banner reads "all products on ProFlowers Florist Express can be delivered by our local florists TODAY!" The very next logo has large text that proclaims "Flowers Delivered TODAY!" along with a "100% On-Time Florist Express Guarantee." Several additional locations on the page suggest or guarantee that this company can get your flowers to their intended recipient not just today, but TODAY!

The number of places on the site that list reassuring messages about the company's
abilities suggests that it takes its responsibility for same day delivery seriously.

Imagine my disappointment and chagrin at receiving a phone call at 5:15pm EST on Saturday evening advising me that despite all the assurances on the site, the order could not in-fact be delivered today. Hours after I might be able to place a replacement order with someone else, Florist Express left me high and dry, up the proverbial creek without much of a paddle. There goes the company's "100% On-Time Guarantee."

The customer service agent quite formulaically offered to deliver the same order two days late, with a (presumably) form letter apology from the company suggesting that it had been the company's fault that the order was not delivered. I would still pay full price for the non-delivered flowers but apparently rest my consolation on the heartfelt computer generated apology produced by the same company that had made and broken its promises. I suggested to the customer service agent that the company should, at minimum, refund the order amount and still deliver the flowers as a gesture of true apology. "I wouldn't be able to do that sir," came the response from my helpful Florist Express agent. Having made a mockery of Florist Express' on-time guarantee, the agent's offer to me destroyed the company boldly stated "satisfaction guaranteed" promise. I wasn't satisfied and the company didn't care.

So, a word of caution to you those of you who view flowers as mission critical. Birthday, anniversary, or funeral? Order from Florist Express (www.floristexpress.net) and you may just miss it by a few days. But don't worry, I'm sure the form letter apology will suffice.

There goes the satisfaction guarantee too: I wasn't satisfied
and the company didn't care.

Democratic National Convention - First Night Recap

I spent part of my evening watching the DNC's convention being held in Charlotte. The speech of the evening belonged to Governor Deval Patrick, from my home state of Massachusetts, who gave the audience the gem that Mitt Romney, as governor, was "more interested in having the job than doing the job."

I thought Governor Martin O'Malley, who was Mayor of Baltimore when I was a law clerk at the Federal Court there, was good, on point, and got his message across that America should move "forward, not back," a message that was reinforced by convention goers wielding placards.

The keynote was delivered by San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, who was the first Latino keynote speaker at a Democratic National Convention and was introduced to the convention by his twin brother who is running for US Congress.  His performance, with a touching tribute to his immigrant grandmother and mother wasn't as strong as I had expected. While his focus on investments in education as a necessary condition for future economic growth in America is on point, he didn't have the depth to really move the convention. That said, he was better than many of the speakers at least week's RNC convention in terms of audience response.

The last big speech of the evening belonged to First Lady Michelle Obama, who spoke passionately about the President and her role as a mother and First Lady. I thought she humanized both the President and the basis of his decision making, suggesting that his was a personal cause not a political one. Her tribute to her father and her emphasis on her roll as "mother in chief" as she called it, was moving.

I agree with CNN analyst and former advisor to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton, David Gergen, that the Democrats showed up ready for prime time and are on track to handily beat the impact of last week's RNC convention if their performances continue at the current pace.  Not hard to agree with Gergen given how bad some of the RNC speeches were, including the bizarre one from Academy Award winner Clint Eastwood.

Stay tuned.

Elizabeth Warren for US Senate

I like Scott Brown.

He seems like a nice guy. But, in this age of national and global turbulence, I believe Massachusetts deserves better than nice.

Economic reform. Healthcare. Abortion. The Supreme Court. Welfare. Our basic liberties.

Nice is good. We deserve the best.

I'm with Elizabeth Warren.

Star Micronics vs. Epson: Sometimes better to stick with the market leader

I have always been one to support companies that herald innovation even if they are not market sales leaders. That would explain my avid support for Audi in the 80s, despite lackluster sales in the US, support for Saab in the 90s, and innovative software and computer hardware solutions from smaller vendors. Often, my decisions lead me to interesting and positive.

Sadly, sometimes they don't. Today, I was reminded why sticking with the market leader has value.  As Boston East India Hotels re-engineers The Sol hotel, which is part of our portfolio, I decided to leave the point-of-sale solution we had been using for years and adopt another solution made by a small company in Belgium. We have an event at The Sol that requires faster food and bar ordering, and we decided that the POSiOS system would be right fit. The only drawback was that the software that comes with the POSiOS solution requires printers made by a small Japanese company called Star Micronics, which has very little presence in India. The clear market leader is Epson, another Japanese company, which is supported by several other software packages I was evaluating.

The Sol currently uses Epson.  Against the advice of my food and beverage director and senior advisor, I placed my faith on the sales and support team of Star Micronics to deliver what they promised. I ordered a Star Micronics TSP-743LAN (which I was told is compatible with a Star Micronics TSP-143LAN), paid by immediate wire transfer as was urged by the Star sales team, and was promised delivery the next morning. Alas, the morning came and went, and the printer hadn't arrived. When it did finally arrive, it came without the LAN port, which enables the printer to connect to a network to receive print signals. In short, the printer can't print. The distributor for Star Micronics in India, POS Solutions Pvt. Ltd. lied to me and advised me that the LAN port had been shipped and would arrive later in the day. Alas, it hadn't. Upon further review and only after several hours of trying to locate support, I learned that the LAN port might arrive an entire day after the event for which we had adopted the new POS solution.

So, I'd like to publicly thank Star Micronics and POS Solutions for reminding me why some companies become market leaders and why some don't. If you are considering Star Micronics or POS Solutions in India, I'd highly recommend reconsidering. Stick with Epson and thank me later. 

M’tafiti Imara and The Jazz Junction

Straight from San Diego, California, M’tafiti Imara and The Jazz Junction! Only this Thursday, July 26, 2012 at The Sol in Nerul, Goa!

The Sol presents The Suburban Jazz Ensemble

I'm looking forward to the first public event under our management at The Sol in Goa. Kudos to James Foster and the BEIH team for putting together what promises to be an amazing evening of Jazz in the monsoons. Come one, come all!

Mumbai Unite!

While I left Mumbai before the unbelievable crackdown on people's liberties and right to congregate, I believe passionately about this issue. I urge you to sign the petition and read more about this worthy initiative.

Change.org|Start an Online Petition

Romney's Abortion Free America?

Mississippi would likely have company in being virtually abortion free if Mitt Romney were to become our next President. Political chameleons like him have no qualms about appointing more Justices like Scalia and Thomas to the Court. Is that what you really want, my fellow citizens?

The 2012 Supreme Court

See The New York Times article, US Judge Temporarily Blocks Miss. Abortion Law, for more information on how Supreme Court decisions since Roe v. Wade allowing state regulation of abortions in the first and second trimester have eroded the exercise of a woman's right to choose to safely end a pregnancy through the imposition of regulation which effectively force abortion clinics to close. The next President will likely be nominating at least one Justice to the Supreme Court, if not more. 

Obama's Bad Weed Trip

I have recently taken to the web to decry President Obama and Attorney General Holder for their misguided and overzealous enforcement of federal law in an area where both their political philosophies and latent campaign assurances did not require it. The current stance could very well lead the Roberts court to another restriction on Federal power and has already led many reasonable Californians away from Obama.

See The New York Times article, Cities Balk as Federal Law on Marijuana Is Enforced, for more information on the somewhat arbitrary enforcement of Federal law in California and the disarray it is creating in the reasonable regulation of California's medical marijuana statute.

This November's election, in which voters in several states including Colorado and Washington approved the legalization of marijuana has further heightened the conflict between federal and state laws governing pot use and possession. This interesting Seattle Police Department post entitled Marijwhatnow? A Guide to Legal Marijuana Use In Seattle further demonstrates the dilemma now faced by state officials, including police officers. Kudos to the Seattle Police for their brave position in the face of the currently enunciated federal law. To their further credit, the Seattle Police Department wrote the guide in a lighthearted manner, as noted by NPR in What Are They Smoking In Seattle? Check Out Police Dept.'s Guide To Pot Use, including a link to this Lord of the Rings clip:

A tribute to Professor E. Graham Ward

It is with great sadness that I pass along news of the passing of a dear friend, professor and mentor at Brooks School. Prof. E. Graham Ward is one of the people most responsible for my ability to write and appreciate the power of the written word. It was he who awarded me the Brooks School Journalism Award, a prize I still cherish today. Professor Ward's decades of service at Brooks School brought him in contact with approximately one-third of the entire alumni population of the school.

The following tribute, written by Professor Mark Shovan, one of Professor Ward's contemporaries at Brooks, himself a legend at the school, is fitting and worthy of a few minutes of your time. Farewell my dear and beloved Professor Ward, you are and will forever be missed.

E. GRAHAM WARD 



An hour after reminiscing with Doug Burbank about Graham Ward's masterful approach to teaching, I received the call: Graham had died that morning of cardiac arrest.



E. Graham Ward (Graham, never Edgar) was so patient with those less intelligent than he; simply said, everyone. I am still dumbfounded how a man who said so little could convey so much. A man of few words both in the classroom and on the wrestling bench, Graham believed in stepping away from center stage and letting the learning process unfold through discovery aided by his moderate guidance. Forty some odd years ago, Jim Moffett and Graham Ward, both of whom once taught at Exeter began collaborating on a curriculum entitled Interaction, a student centered approach to learning. The Interaction series employed a sound theory of discourse and the use of varying levels of narrative voice. It became a widely circulated program of several varying texts published by Houghton Mifflin in 1973. Graham also wrote a biography of Frank Ashburn; Graham was a newspaper reporter; he wrote for Offshore Magazine; he most recently published a series of World War II letters from his uncle a combatant in Europe to the (McCallum) family back in Falmouth.

Graham was the Chairman of the English Department well before he hired me in 1968 until his retirement in 1997. Under Graham's leadership, the department moved from a program my grandmother might well have recognized in her secondary school education to a more forward-looking, cutting edge, much imitated but never duplicated department: The Brothers Dunnell, Todd Spader and others were all giants of this boarding school/ English Department life; it was indeed a life in this place called Brooks.

Let it be said that Graham was a gentleman too- a gentleman to all but fish: blues, stripers, bonefish and king mackerel all of which he pursued relentlessly in the waters off the Cape and off the Florida Keys. Graham died shortly after having put in his boat in Quissett Harbor. Maria, his wife said, "he was so pleased." He probably would have been out this evening to wet a line.



Graham was my mentor, my hero, my old friend without whose gentle guidance and succor, I would never have begun to have learned the little I know about teaching. Everything I ever, ever learned about teaching English, King Lear, negotiating the waters of secondary school, about honing intellect, about crafting independence and wearing an ascot, I learned from a fellow who looked more like Ernest Hemingway than Ernest Hemingway. I simply and greatly miss him so.



- Mark J. Shovan