The Long Road Out

When your business policies are unethical, there's normally an additional cost of business; public relations, false advertising (often with a green tint), and philanthropy in the sorts of activities that give the appearance that you care about humans. That's what happens with bad companies.   For instance, the major airlines.   I like picking on United because their employees seem the most miserable and the experience of dealing with them is the most institutionalized.   With the other airlines, every once in a while some rogue employee acts up and does the right thing. Today's wonderful policy:  trying to change the return flight on a ticket I paid for 45 days ago--for a flight in three weeks. The original ticket on business was $1103 and returned to Newark.   I needed to switch to Logan in Boston.   The new ticket, including the $200 change fee, was $2471.   Yup, that's right...the increase was more than the original ticket.   And they've ...

Most U.S. citizens don't know that France occupied Mexico in the 1860's.   In fact, they probably assumed that Spain was somehow in control, if they've thought about it at all.   True, Spain was the main colonial bully, from the 1500's until, a fter eleven years of war (1810–21), New Spain became the sovereign nation of Mexico, with the signing of the  Treaty of Córdoba . A brief period of monarchy (1821–23)  was followed by the founding of the Republic of Mexico, established under a federal constitution in 1824. That left free reign to the US to attack Mexico in 1846.   We didn't really want to occupy the country like the Spanish--we just wanted to take half of the land, which we did in 1848 via the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.  So much for the Mexican-American War, and the glory of San Antonio and Davey Crocker and Sam Houston.  Now we have Beverly Hills and Phoenix! So, 1848 passes.   A half-sized Mexico continues, initiating a series of li...

We always hear about Napoleon Bonaparte--otherwise know as Napoleon I or Napoleon the Great… And then, in the 1850's, Napoleon III appears as the last French monarch. It made me wonder, who on earth was Napoleon II?   Hardly any one talks about him! So, here is the timetable: Napoleon Bonaparte (“I”) declared himself emperor in 1804 and lasted until 1814 when the Bourbons reinstalled a King (Louis XVII). Louis didn’t last long—half a year, before Bonaparte reinstalled himself—for an even shorter period before he was exiled to Elba.   In an attempt to hang on before exile, he annointed his son—Napoleon II (!) Emperor.   Napoleon Junior was only 4 years old the day he became Emperor--but he only lasted about two weeks before the Bourbons managed to kick him out, putting Louis XVIII back as king.   This 100 day period of I and II in charge is known as “The First Empire.”   Ha…for a few months.  By the way, Napoleon II was also sent into exile...