Cell Phones in the Loo

This is the last line in a Nov. 15 article in Advertising Age: "Studies show that the highest percentage of consumers (upward of 40%, depending on the study) use their mobile phone in the bathroom."

Now where did your mind go when you read that? Did you unwillingly visualize someone sitting on the throne with their cell phone plastered on their ear? Did your face redden as you felt outed? Did you feel vindicated because you're not the only one? Did you cringe as you pictured your friends talking to you while taking care of business?

My friends who have gone to the loo while talking to me fall into two categories: those who try to act like they're not and those who just openly do it. I'm not sure which I prefer. Generally, I find that I know what they're doing even if they don't acknowledge it. I'm a reporter, after all, trained to listen for the slighted aberration from normalcy in a phone conversation. So a sudden echo signals a move to a small, enclosed space. A steady stream of faucet water makes me suspicious of what it might be covering up. A small trickle, even when covered up with conversation, is pretty clearly what it sounds like. And let's not even get into the other sounds that could, ah, erupt. Another giveaway is the mute button. When all background ambient noise ceases momentarily, and the person pretends to carry on an intermittent, normal conversation, I play along and ignore it. I think I almost prefer when my friends just say, "It's either this or I'll have to call you back."

Have I done the talk-in-the-loo routine? I plead the fifth. I'll just say that sometimes an hour-long conversation, or an ill-timed 10-minute chat, is tough to break away from, because, I don't know about you, but some of my friends are talk-to-em-now-or-it'll-be-another-month type of people. Or, the conversation is, for whatever reason, enthralling, or they're pouring their heart out to you and it is unthinkable to interrupt them and say, "Gotta go, sorry."

But...I take my phone into the bathroom with me when I'm drying my hair, taking a shower, cleaning the sink, creaming my face, putting on my mascara and a myriad of other things. I'm sure that's the kind of thing they meant when they said people use their mobile phone in the bathroom. Aren't you?

Semper Fi

This is Veterans Day weekend. I don't normally pay much attention to it, I admit. It's inconvenient because the banks and post office and government offices are closed an extra day. It's good because most of the retail stores have sales. Otherwise life goes on.

But maybe I'm getting more patriotic or sentimental or both in my old age. This year I'm actually thinking about the men and women in the military who are sacrificing their time with families, their arms or legs, or their lives for their country. Our country. My country.

I hate the wars that President Bush has gotten us into. Yes, more than one. Philosophical wars as well as physical wars. But, like most Americans, I "support our troops," whatever that means. Since I don't personally know anyone who's in Iraq or Afghanistan, supporting our troops isn't all that real to me on a daily basis.

But a few months ago I met several amputees at Walter Reed Army Medical Center when I was writing a story about their new Amputee Training Center. They stuck with me. Their sacrifices. Their moment-by-moment challenges as they struggle to do what most of us take for granted every day. And most of all their attitudes, filled with optimism and humor.

Even with that wake-up call, I still didn't think much about this Veterans Day...until this morning when I got an e-mail from GoDaddy.com. You know, the folks with the racy, sexist tv commercials that ran in the last couple of Super Bowls. Well, I have a couple of domain names registered through them and they send me e-mails about their programs and discounts fairly frequently. I don't open most of them. But I opened this one. Subject was "USMC 232nd Birthday Salute." Hmmmm, I got curious. What I saw was what you see here. I clicked on the Marine Corps logo and it took me to this page.

You've got to watch it. It's a tribute to the Marine Corps (GoDaddy.com CEO Bob Parsons is an ex-Marine and Viet Nam War veteran) and it's so well done. We -- okay, I -- forget that so many troops from so many wars for so many years have fought for our freedom. And even though I think we're not nearly as free now as we were on Sept. 10, 2001, we do have so much to fight for. Just watching the pictures flash by from the wars beginning with WWI on to now and then the movie (wait for it -- it's worth it)...well, how can you not be moved? And grateful.

"The Bancrofts" Would Give "Brothers and Sisters" a Run for their Money

ABC's Sunday night prime time hit "Brothers and Sisters" is filled with intrigue, betrayal, loyalty, jealousy and,of course, love. Ah, family! Well, a prime time soap about the real-life Bancroft family would be far more juicy, I think, if the e-mails among them are any clue.

Who the hell is the Bancroft family? They held the single largest block of stock in Dow Jones & Co., whose most prestigious asset is the Wall Street Journal, until they decided to sell it to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Under the terms of the "merger" -- aka acquisition -- the Bancrofts had the privilege of naming one of their family or someone designated by their family to represent them on the News Corp. Board.

Somehow the Wall Street Journal got a hold of the e-mails the members of the Bancroft family sent to each other and posted them on the wsj.com Web site. You can see them all for free here if you register for the free Congoo NetPass. The e-mails made me laugh out loud several times.

The bottom line is that the family had many weeks to decide who to put on the board but could never make a decision. (Can you relate?) They didn't even have a family vote until after the deadline. So Rupert's organization decided for them.

In the e-mails the family debated who should be named. They suggested a couple of outsiders -- to their credit, exemplary journalists. Three family members nominated themselves and tried to make a case for their selection. They were eloquent, except for the one who was ultimately chosen, who was refreshingly blunt and direct. Some emphasized the importance of selecting someone who would maintain the high quality of journalism for which the Journal is famous. Ironic, since the family voted to sell it to Rupert Murdoch's organization, which struck fear, terror and dread into the hearts of true journalists around the world, certainly including those at the Journal. Do I know that for sure? Of course not. But how could it be any other way?

Some of my favorite highlights from the e-mails:

July 27, Natalie Bancroft: "I adore many of you...."
(but not all, clearly)

July 27, Natalie Bancroft: "I am not for the selling because I believe the buyer is definately not the right person to own this paper, but on the other hand, as protective as we are, and with much of the false pride many of us have, do we deserve to own this paper any longer? We are the stewards, but our stewardship has been laclustre in many aspects to say the least."
(Misspellings are hers.)
(This is great, because she's the one who ultimately ended up being chosen, by Murdoch, not by her family.)

Sept. 20, Christopher Bancroft: "Our family's concerns about journalistic integrity are clearly indicated by our willingness to sell Dow Jones to News Corp."
(Touche!)

Sept. 20, Tom Hill: "At this rate I'm confident we'll have a nominee by the end of the year. I'm just not sure which year."
(I like this guy!)

Sept. 20, Crawford Hill: "This entire, sad and pathetic, final episode is a fiasco. No wonder we lost Dow Jones!!"
(He probably subscribes to this: "Friends are God's apology for family.")

Sept. 21, Natalie Bancroft: "This may sound far fetched to you, but...I would like to say that I am interested in the board seat. I know that I may be one of the least appealing choices due to my age...."
(She's 27, studies opera, is fluent in French, lives in London. For more on her, read this.)

Sept. 25, Elizabeth Steele and Michael Elefante: "We have heard from a substantial number of you.... Mike Hill received a large majority of the votes.... We will communicate the results to News Corp. and will let you know what we hear back."

Nov. 5, Elizabeth Steele and Michael Elefante: "We learned today that News Corp. intends to nominate Natalie Bancroft to its Board and to propose her name to the Special Committee for its approval. While News Corp. is aware that other members of the family received more support from within the family, News Corp. has interviewed Natalie and elected to nominate her. We trust that Natalie will endeavor to represent effectively the family's interests on the News Corp. Board."
(At least they were gracious about it, sort of.)

Remember, those were the words that made it to semi-public e-mails. Imagine what the behind-closed-doors conversations were like. If this family gets together for Thanksgiving, that would be an interesting family dinner.