Searching for Signs

Here’s wishing a Happy 2010 to everyone!

With some chilly weather headed to south Florida, one of my pet peeves will be in full force display.

Our local media has a silly tendency of exaggerating the temperatures, and our reaction to them. We’ll likely see reporters (most of who are not originally from south Florida) live in front of the big neon time/temperature board on top of the building on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, way overdressed for the temperature and telling everyone how “frigid” it’s going to get, along with reaction from locals and tourists telling us one of two things: 1) it’s really cold, and 2) it’s much colder in Michigan.

The reality (or at least my view of it) is that most locals don’t mind the colder weather one bit. I sure don’t. We enjoy the few days when it gets down into the lower 40s and highs barely reach 60 under crystal-clear blue skies. Up north, that’s fall weather.

So, south Floridians, get out there this weekend and enjoy. Looks like it’s going to last into much of next week, too.

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Bernie Goldberg has put up a good and thought-provoking piece on the need for profiling for security purposes at airports.

Several years ago I flew from Miami to Tel Aviv on El Al Airlines.  Right after I got my ticket at the El Al counter, and long before I got anywhere near the airplane, a young woman from the airline gave me the third degree.  Where did I live?  What synagogue did I go to?  What were the names of other members of my family?  Why was I going to Israel?  What was my name translated into Hebrew?  And those were just a few of her annoying questions.

When I got to the gate, after going through security like everybody else, I was pulled aside for a second security check, this time by El Al.  And this time they went through my luggage before they let me on the plane.

Did I like it at the time?  Not especially.  Did I feel safer flying on El Al to a part of the world where bad things happen way too often rather than on some other airline?  Definitely.

Read the rest of Bernie’s piece here.

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