Difference between revisions of "User:RahalMccall69"

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(Historic photos of bridges of the Bay Area)
(The tyranny of reclining your airplane seat)
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The Bay Region is defined by two things: the San Francisco Bay estuary and the bridges that cross it.
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On a United flight on Sunday from Newark to Denver, a passenger fed up with people reclining their seat in front of him, used a $22 device called a knee . It attaches to the tray table of the seat in front of you and prevents the person sitting there from pushing their seat back. He shouldn鈥檛 have even had it on the plane because <a href=http://www.avanttravel.com/michaelkorssonline.php> michael kors outlet</a>  United and other airlines have banned the device.
The most famous is the Golden Gate,聽a structure so beautiful that it has become the <a href=http://www.symbiose.ca/images/christianlouboutin.gwij.php>Christian Louboutin Sale</a>  symbol of聽San Francisco. The newest聽bridge 鈥?the eastern half of the Bay Bridge,聽a handsome suspension bridge with a single tower 鈥?is the most聽controversial because of cost overruns and construction problems.
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But there are many more bridges than the big and <a href=http://capstone.edu.sg/images/guccioutlet.onlinesalecc.php>Gucci Outlet Store</a>  famous ones.聽 They聽range from the Islais Creek drawbridge,聽which carries聽traffic from Third Street in San Francisco聽over an arm of the bay, to the Antioch Bridge, which crosses the San Joaquin River just as it flows into the upper arm of聽the great聽bay.
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Maybe it鈥檚 best if your seat doesn鈥檛 recline at all. (Kent D. Johnson/MCT)
Here is a gallery of pictures of the Bay Area鈥檚 bridges from the Chronicle archives. Some of them show construction of the bridges years ago.聽Some were taken in times of celebration with lights and fireworks.
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You can probably fill in the rest. The woman in front was furious that she couldn鈥檛 exercise her God-given right to push her seat back. An airline attendant was called, voices were raised, matters got completely out of hand, and eventually the woman threw a glass of water in the guy鈥檚 face.
Some pictures show the beginnings of new bridges, and one shows the end of the old Dumbarton Bridge, when explosives were used to bring down part of the <a href=http://www.museosangennaro.com/Public/wdluk.php>Cheap Christian Louboutin</a>  span.
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At that point the flight was diverted to Chicago, the two passengers were told to get off the plane and everyone else plane continued on to Denver. Nicely played everyone.
Some of the bridges are soaring and beautiful. Others are as plain as an old car.聽But one thing is sure: the millions of people in the Bay Area couldn鈥檛 live without them.
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Frankly, it is tough to pick someone to root for in this spitting match. Who buys a device to lock a seat back? And how entitled do you have to be to get so upset about not being able to recline the seat that you end up getting thrown off the plane?
 +
We can however, with certainty, identify the villain. It is United? Or, if you鈥檇 rather, every single one of those airlines that continues to cram passengers into ever-smaller spaces.
 +
But that鈥檚 not the real problem. I think we鈥檝e all accepted the fact that airline travel has become a cattle call. That getting in and out of your narrow seat is going to require contortionist skills. Most people smile politely and make the best of the incredibly cramped conditions. That鈥檚 just the way it is.
 +
But the reclined seat is the final indignity. Just when you鈥檝e resigned yourself to the tiny bit of air space you鈥檝e been allotted for a trip that will take hours, the person in front of you blithely flips back the seat and takes away another six to eight inches. Just try to get out of your seat <a href=http://www.museosangennaro.com/Public/anel.php> Christian Louboutin Shoes Outlet</a>  and go to the restroom now.
 +
This raises two questions, only one of which is fixable.
 +
First, why do people push their seat back when they know it鈥檚 going to inconvenience the person behind them? Can鈥檛 we appeal to everyone鈥檚 better nature and say, for the good of all, that it would be better if we didn鈥檛 do that.
 +
Sorry, the answer is no. We鈥檝e tried that. I wrote a column about this years ago, and the responses were breathtaking in their sense of entitlement. 鈥淚 NEED to recline my seat,鈥?one man wrote. 鈥淚鈥檓 TIRED.鈥?There were tons of e-mails like that. Every person who ever sat in front of me must have written in. It was a landslide of 鈥渢ough break pal, as long as the seat reclines, I鈥檓 doing it.鈥?
 +
Which brings us to the second question: Why do the seats recline anyway? It鈥檚 not as if the short little push-back makes anyone more comfortable. It鈥檚 six inches at most. You鈥檙e still sitting upright, in a cramped position.
 +
So why do the airlines continue to pretend this is some luxury-liner perk. It鈥檚 not only pointless, it鈥檚 profoundly annoying.
 +
In 2003 the <a href=http://www.alportico.net/prodotti/christianlouboutin-sale.jkmsw.php>Christian Louboutin</a>  Washington Post wrote a  on the inventor of the knee protector, who happened to be a Capitol Hill staffer. Although he said it was a simple matter of 鈥減rotection,鈥?the article made the better call. It is, the story said, 鈥渁 recipe for air rage.鈥?
 +
Actually, that鈥檚 not the real recipe. If the seats were in a fixed, slightly reclined position, none of this would happen. The airlines are 鈥?whether they intend to or not 鈥?promoting this controversy. They can fix it in a week. Just lock up the seats so they don鈥檛 recline. Simple.
 +
Because it鈥檚 clear the current system isn鈥檛 working. For proof let鈥檚 go back to our two passengers. They were sitting in the 鈥渆conomy plus鈥?section, where passengers pay extra for a little more for a little more leg room.
 +
How鈥檇 that work out, United? And how鈥檇 you like the national publicity that there was a near fist fight on one of your flights? Do you think that鈥檚 going to help ticket sales?
 +
You know that would be a smart move? Fix the seats so they don鈥檛 recline. Problem solved. You鈥檙e welcome.

Revision as of 02:03, 2 October 2014

@@@ On a United flight on Sunday from Newark to Denver, a passenger fed up with people reclining their seat in front of him, used a $22 device called a knee . It attaches to the tray table of the seat in front of you and prevents the person sitting there from pushing their seat back. He shouldn鈥檛 have even had it on the plane because <a href=http://www.avanttravel.com/michaelkorssonline.php> michael kors outlet</a> United and other airlines have banned the device. 聽 Maybe it鈥檚 best if your seat doesn鈥檛 recline at all. (Kent D. Johnson/MCT) You can probably fill in the rest. The woman in front was furious that she couldn鈥檛 exercise her God-given right to push her seat back. An airline attendant was called, voices were raised, matters got completely out of hand, and eventually the woman threw a glass of water in the guy鈥檚 face. At that point the flight was diverted to Chicago, the two passengers were told to get off the plane and everyone else plane continued on to Denver. Nicely played everyone. Frankly, it is tough to pick someone to root for in this spitting match. Who buys a device to lock a seat back? And how entitled do you have to be to get so upset about not being able to recline the seat that you end up getting thrown off the plane? We can however, with certainty, identify the villain. It is United? Or, if you鈥檇 rather, every single one of those airlines that continues to cram passengers into ever-smaller spaces. But that鈥檚 not the real problem. I think we鈥檝e all accepted the fact that airline travel has become a cattle call. That getting in and out of your narrow seat is going to require contortionist skills. Most people smile politely and make the best of the incredibly cramped conditions. That鈥檚 just the way it is. But the reclined seat is the final indignity. Just when you鈥檝e resigned yourself to the tiny bit of air space you鈥檝e been allotted for a trip that will take hours, the person in front of you blithely flips back the seat and takes away another six to eight inches. Just try to get out of your seat <a href=http://www.museosangennaro.com/Public/anel.php> Christian Louboutin Shoes Outlet</a> and go to the restroom now. This raises two questions, only one of which is fixable. First, why do people push their seat back when they know it鈥檚 going to inconvenience the person behind them? Can鈥檛 we appeal to everyone鈥檚 better nature and say, for the good of all, that it would be better if we didn鈥檛 do that. Sorry, the answer is no. We鈥檝e tried that. I wrote a column about this years ago, and the responses were breathtaking in their sense of entitlement. 鈥淚 NEED to recline my seat,鈥?one man wrote. 鈥淚鈥檓 TIRED.鈥?There were tons of e-mails like that. Every person who ever sat in front of me must have written in. It was a landslide of 鈥渢ough break pal, as long as the seat reclines, I鈥檓 doing it.鈥? Which brings us to the second question: Why do the seats recline anyway? It鈥檚 not as if the short little push-back makes anyone more comfortable. It鈥檚 six inches at most. You鈥檙e still sitting upright, in a cramped position. So why do the airlines continue to pretend this is some luxury-liner perk. It鈥檚 not only pointless, it鈥檚 profoundly annoying. In 2003 the <a href=http://www.alportico.net/prodotti/christianlouboutin-sale.jkmsw.php>Christian Louboutin</a> Washington Post wrote a on the inventor of the knee protector, who happened to be a Capitol Hill staffer. Although he said it was a simple matter of 鈥減rotection,鈥?the article made the better call. It is, the story said, 鈥渁 recipe for air rage.鈥? Actually, that鈥檚 not the real recipe. If the seats were in a fixed, slightly reclined position, none of this would happen. The airlines are 鈥?whether they intend to or not 鈥?promoting this controversy. They can fix it in a week. Just lock up the seats so they don鈥檛 recline. Simple. Because it鈥檚 clear the current system isn鈥檛 working. For proof let鈥檚 go back to our two passengers. They were sitting in the 鈥渆conomy plus鈥?section, where passengers pay extra for a little more for a little more leg room. How鈥檇 that work out, United? And how鈥檇 you like the national publicity that there was a near fist fight on one of your flights? Do you think that鈥檚 going to help ticket sales? You know that would be a smart move? Fix the seats so they don鈥檛 recline. Problem solved. You鈥檙e welcome.

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