Thursday, 20 May 2010

My country 'tis of thee... god save the queen


“I can never suppose this country so far lost to all ideas of self-importance as to be willing to grant America independence” King George III

Last summer I joined a rather unique, dare I say, elite club. I am one of the handful of Scrantonians with dual citizenship. Yes, I can now claim to be American and British. Sadly, the benefits of giving my oath to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II have been elusive. There are no tax implications - the UK and US are equally stuffed, so taxes are high and rising in both countries (especially for us dastardly bankers). I do get two votes rather than one, which means I could have participated in May's UK parliamentary election and the mid-term US vote this November. Still, watching the political dynamics in my native and adopted countries, I have a hard time getting excited about voting in either. I can't even use my new Britishness to whiz through Heathrow airport, the world's 3rd busiest, because I haven't had the time to get a British passport. The main reason of course is that I spend too much time going in and out of Heathrow airport with my American passport. Worst of all, most times I mention my British status to someone from Scranton, they look at me like I am some kind of a Euro-trash, socialist spy.

While the benefits of my Brit-American status have been elusive, I am experiencing my first true dual-citizen dilemma. What team do I support on June 12th when the US football (soccer) team meets England in the first round of the World Cup? As a true football convert, this is no small issue for me. So I begin with my brain - and review the hard facts. OddsChecker.com shows England at 4/7 odds - the clear favorite. It is easy to understand. The combined annual payroll of the likely starting 11 in England's squad is an astounding £65 million per year ($90 million with today's weak pound). For the US team, it is closer to £7 million. Ironically, England's David Beckham is the highest paid player in the US professional soccer league by a factor of 7 and will be sitting on the bench at the World Cup as he is "old", "slow" and now injured. As for current form, England breezed through its qualification round and is currently ranked 8th in the world. The US ranks 18th.

Despite the overwhelming odds (a US win pays 5/1) my gut tells me the match will be close. England's football history is probably most well known for its disappointments rather than its successes. England won the World Cup once, in 1966, and only then with the unprecedented advantage of playing every match at its home stadium of Wembley (in London). Since then, England has only managed one semi-final - a loss against Germany in 1990. To be fair, the US history in the World Cup is even more dismal - a semi-final in the first World Cup in 1930 was America's high-water mark. But in 1950, the only time the US and England met in the World Cup, the US managed a 1-0 victory, despite hard facts that look similar to those today. And even with its 18th ranking in the world, the US team had a remarkable run in last summer's Confederates Cup. The Americans defeated world # 1 Spain in the semi finals and nearly beat world #2 Brazil in the final. Sadly, Ranen couldn't bring himself to cheer on the US against Spain since his hero, Fernando Torres, is Spain's striker. I did manage to get him to cheer for the US in the final, but just barely.

Even my heart is conflicted. Deep down, I know my heart lies in America. I was born and raised there, went to school there, met and married Dina there and spent much of my early career there. When the Winter Olympics did find their way onto the BBC this year, which was occasional at best, I cheered for Americans - although the lack of any British athletes made it all the easier. Still, seven years in London and this place has grown on me. Sure, transport doesn't work, service is non-existent and the weather is complete crap. But one of the quintessential British traits is quiet resolution towards life's little challenges. And these days when the tube (subway) is closed yet again I find my old New York anger giving way to my new English shrug. Of course, both my sons were born in England and speak with proper English accents. And to be fair no matter what I say about this country, it is here that I discovered my love for football (soccer).

Socrates once said he was neither Greek nor Athenian, but a citizen of the world. Fair enough, but Socrates didn't have to deal with choosing between your native and adopted countries going head-to-head in the world's biggest sporting event. So what will it be? In the end, my wish is for a 4-4 tie. Wimp you say? Maybe not. Remember, modern football tournaments include a group stage followed by the knock-out stage. During the group stage, where England and the US will meet, the two teams with the most points make it through to the knock-out stage. With Slovenia (ranked 23rd) and Algeria (31st) the other teams in the group what could be better than a 4-4 offensive flurry in the opening match, followed by England and the US each thumping Algeria and Slovenia in their follow up games. After that, the US and England should enter the knock-out stage with little chance of meeting again. After all, if history is anything to go by, there is a high likelihood that both my teams will be eliminated well before the final match. By then, Ranen will likely get a chance to watch his beloved Spain go for football glory!

A Scranton Boy in Chelsea

P.S. I did get opinions from a few other Brit-Americans. Check out the video below!

Sunday, 18 April 2010

Bullet trains, planes and automobiles


“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Like no other trip I can remember one this past month best represents the love-hate relationship I've developed with my life of non-stop business travel. It was the first time I attended my firm's annual central banks conference in Japan. At it, I met nine standing or former policymakers. I listened to Karl Rove, the evil genius, bash President Obama and his faltering Democratic party. I rode my first Japanese bullet train, a modern technological marvel. The average delay for this train is 35 seconds. When a conductor exceeds it he must submit a report. When I heard this, I thought of the length of the strike UK train workers would stage if asked to meet similar standards. I visited the ancient city of Kyoto in style, culminating my visit at the firm founders' villa, with gardens so beautiful no less than Japan's emperor had stopped by for a private stroll a few weeks ago. At the gardens, I had my picture taken with two (of only 50) Geisha girls in training, called "maiku" (dance child). As I rode the bullet train back to Tokyo, I couldn't help but reminisce at how much this Scranton boy had experienced in the 25 years since leaving home.

Then the bad news began to trickle in. A volcanic eruption in Iceland, this time real rather than financial, had caused an ash cloud to form that was beginning to affect air space in the UK and much of northern Europe. Having experienced what a well-predicted snow cloud can do to UK transport services, I reckoned a once-in-200-year volcanic ash cloud had the makings of a proper mess. Ever the pragmatist, I called my secretary and began booking myself on flights in places as close to London as France and as far off as Hong Kong and New York. I was going to beat this damn cloud and get home to my family. In the end, I won the war but lost a few battles. I did get home to my family, but five days late. To get there, I travelled literally around the world: London to Tokyo, Tokyo to New York, New York to Rome and finally Rome to London. Along the way, the ash clould had its allies, one typical the other unexpected. The typical one was the incompetence of UK authorities. The decision to close UK airspace for the longest period since WWII was made using an error-prone computer model - it turns out the plane that would have been used to test the atmosphere was "in the shop." A less typical one was an all-too-uncommon high pressure system in England. It brought the first warm, immaculately sunny period London for as long as I can remember, but also helped to keep the ash clould sitting above country!

As I reflected on the trip, I realized more than ever how one's perception of things can change with time. After nearly twelve y
ears of constant business travel, my desire to experience new people and places remains nearly undiminished. Few have been able to see the world in the way I have. I've been to 45 countries using no less than 49 air carriers. I have been to nearly every major city around the globe and quite a few minor ones. And many of my experiences have been memorable. I was once propositioned by a horse-riding Ukrainian prostitute in the streets of Moscow. I sped through Gleneagles' world-reknowned golf course in a cart trying to interrupt any serious golfers I could find (including unfortunately, the head of my business). I even interviewed would-be economists at Rio's famous Copa Cabana beach bar - I choose the table that faced the beach! All these experiences while technically "working."

But I also know the bar has been raised for what I view as a new experience. Left with the thought of sitting out my exile in Tokyo, I found myself seeing the city's flaws rather than its virtues. When I first visited Tokyo more than 10 years ago the city seemed so futuristic, so exotic - like a modern-day version of Blade Runner without the persistent rain. And having grown quite fond of a good culinary experience, I think Tokyo offers amongst the best food on the planet. Where else can you enjoy a 3-hour chicken yakatori experience - course upon course of ever-more exotic parts of the bird, with a dose of sake in between each one (persumably to help lubricate the mind for the more adventurous parts.) But after more than a dozen visits to Tokyo, it is easier to spot some flaws. For instance, t
hanks to the phenomenal success of allied bombing raids and a post-war bout of urban "renewal", Tokyo has lost much of the history and culture that Kyoto still boasts. In its place, Tokyo has transformed itself into a city of neon flash. And while the gaijin (non Japanese) district called Roppongi is one of the more reknowned party districts in the world, there is a limit to its appeal once you reach my age. While colleagues seeing Tokyo for the first time marveled at the city, I knew it held nothing much new for me anymore.

I've also learned the while I love new things, I increasingly crave the familiar. While my initial instinct was to fly somewhere new and hopefully sunny to wait out the naughty (and apparently not very dangerous) ash cloud, I settled on a 13-hour flight to New York City. The main reason was New York offered the best chance I had to get home quickly - no other city outside of Europe has so many flights to London. But I also knew that if I was going to be holed up for days to come, the familiarity of New York - friends, some family and the city itself - felt far superior to experiencing something new by myself.

From time to time I run into people who think my life is glamorous, especially the crazy travel. I suppose there are elements of it, every now and then. But as I wondered through New York City in a pair of overused underwear (my hotel did not do laundry on sundays), my memories of sipping sake and eating sushi in Kyoto's most beautiful gardens were already fading quickly - overwhelmed by my burning desire to get home to my family. And a phone call with my two little boys some ten days into the ordeal, I knew they at least would welcome a tad less glamour and a little more daddy in their lives (although Gideon already sees Tokyo as the place you can get the cool kitty cars.)


A Scranton Boy In Chelsea

P.S. I wasn't being totally honest about my decision to go to NYC. If you want full disclosure, it is still the best place on earth to get some cheap shopping done - my trip home to London included an extra bag or two!