Motorcycling

In her comment to my last post, reader/blogger/motorcyclist Sparky asked about my listed interest in motorcycling. I replied at some length in the comments section, if anyone wants to go back to that page.

Sparky, I see your beautiful V-Strom in your blog, "My Thoughts Exactly,"

So, because you asked, here is a picture of my longest- owned motorcycle. It is a 1969 BMW R60US, bought new for $1215 in February of that year from my late-lamented friend and Finnish-American dealer-mechanic Eino Hokkanen of Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. Built in 1968, this Beemer has recently turned 40. I have owned some 20 other machines in the ensuing years along with this wonderful, 7:1 compression ratio, 30-horsepower, 590 cc workhorse. As a result, it only has a bit over 80,000 miles on it.

These pictures were taken by my son Jesse when he and his brother Jamie and I rode to Nashville and back in 2001. The picture above was taken on the 20-odd miles of gravel and dust known as Smoke Hole Road in W. Virginia, but known to us ever since as "The Deer Gauntlet."

Here are the boys' 1978 and 1985 Suzuki 550s at Smoke Hole Campground, site #13.

Preparing to Return

Christmas has passed, and my return to Cluj approaches. Happily, I can report that Shirley McDougall and I have found a round trip for her from Manchester, New Hampshire to Cluj for under $1000, and we have booked her a trip over for the whole month of March.

I cannot wait to introduce Shirley to my Clujian friends, including, among others, our landlords Victoria and Florin Moldovan, my colleagues Mihaela Luţaş, Mircea Maniu, Alexandra Mutiu, Roxana Stegerean, Şerban Agachi, Rector Marga and Prof. Delia Marga, PhD students and teaching assistants Melinda Pleşcan and Monica Zaharie, the long-suffering and ever-helpful Carmen Tagsorean, my excellent Englishline students, and so many more who have made me welcome in their very special Transylvanian town.

In addition, I look forward to introducing Shirl to Klaus, and with the two of them to revisit Maramureş and its monasteries, mountains, farms and pensiones.

Of course, I also hope to make in March a trip to Bucharest, so Shirl can meet the wonderful staff at Fulbright-Romania, including Mihai, Corina, Mihaela, Anca and Loredana, not to mention Victor, and Dan the Taximan.

Finally, I hope that a goodly number of my fellow Fulbrighters will get to meet Shirl, and learn why I hope with all my heart that God grants us every day of that second 35-years of marriage that we promised each other online, last October 6th.

Merry Christmas!

Health and happiness in the New Year to all in Romania!














And to my dear friends in Fellbach!

Ferdi at the wheel




With his parents, Dietmar and Sabine








And Max

Home for Christmas

I have made it to New Hampshire in time for the first snow that looks likely to stay around awhile. More is forecast for tomorrow.

So recently arrived am I that I am mentally still half-in-Cluj. I used half an onion tonight in making turkey salad. The unused half sat on the counter stinking up the kitchen for the next hour, because I knew I had no Ziplock bags in which to store it (in the kitchen in Cluj). When I realized where I was, I opened the kitchen drawer, pulled out a baggie, put the onion into it, zipped it shut, and placed it in the produce drawer in the fridge. And, I am still on Eastern European time, not Eastern Standard time. I have been up in the morning by 3:30 A.M., because that is 10:30 A.M. in Cluj, where I never sleep past 8:00.

My family has been great to see, and Preston gave me a warm and furry welcome, too.


Preston











Work Persists!

Before leaving Cluj I was asked by the folks at the Center for International Cooperation at Babeş-Bolyai University to explore the possibility of a joint master's degree program with the Business Department at Plymouth State University. I have today met with Dr. Trent Boggess, our chair in that department, and we have begun work on the joint degree idea. There is a definite interest here.

I still have to work on my lectures for Finland.

So, though still recovering from a 28-hour trip, I am far from idle.

Tomorrow Shirl and I are going to look at bedroom sets.

Please understand my intermittent posting.

As this blog is about my Romanian Fulbright adventures, I cannot promise a daily update from Stateside. But if anything important, or especially interesting, develops while I am here, I'll let you readers know. Meanwhile, I wish you all a warm and happy Holiday Season, a Merry Christmas, a Happy Chanukah, and to all a loving time, be it in your homes in Romania, or here in the U.S.A.

"The World is So Full of a Number of Things..."*

Today I "taught" Mihaela Luţaş's third-year Englishline class in Regional Development. Only China and Oana from my classes were there. The others are finance majors or economics majors, so I was meeting them for the first time. This time I had a chance to prepare a bit, and though my primary role was to be a "native English speaker" and to answer questions about America, I did have a short lecture prepared on the "Subprime Loan Crisis" in America. I guessed that there might be a question about that, as its name is a confusing misnomer, and as it has been widely seen as the trigger that set off the current recession.

The class was wide-ranging. As is my tendency, I went off on tangents that included my family, Fulbright programs, motorcyles, manufacturing management, conglomerates, the Iliad, and God knows what-all else. At the end, we spent ten minutes on the current financial crisis. I expressed my belief that this crisis was exacerbated by the left-leaning press' desire to make things appear as bad as possible in order to ensure a Democrat's victory in the U.S. elections, and that the American consumers would regain confidence once Obama takes office, and the press starts cheering again. One of the students told me of a DeNiro movie ("Wag the Dog") on a similar theme. I plan to find it and view it during Christmas break.

I hope that Mihaela's students enjoyed their class today as much as I did.
____________________________
*From "Happy Thought," in R.L. Stevenson: A Child's Garden of Verses.

Romanians are Great People Department Re: Computer Mishap #2 - An E-Mail from Pat Hayes (Evan's Dad and Nancy Sherman's Husband)

Hi Duncan, from Pat in Oradea --

Well, we certainly didn't plan to try to top your adventure in retrieving a laptop, but try this on for size:

We made the Tuesday mid-afternoon train to Brasov; more snow in the mountains along the way, but the 3-5 centimeters Brasov experienced early in the day was mostly melted by early evening. We hopped in the first cab we spotted outside the station; the fellow was kind enough to notice Nancy had closed her coat in the door, so he graciously opened it so she could tuck the rest into the back seat with her. He spoke English rather well, so we chatted each other up on the 10-12 minute ride to the pensione that Jeremy had set us up in for the night. He even slowed down a bit to show us a couple of the better sights that he recommended we come back to see in the daylight. Got to our destination, unloaded our stuff, and headed in to claim our upstairs apartment.

Rendezvous'd (sp?) with Jeremy about an hour later and had a very nice dinner with him in a place that served rather respectable Mexican fare, along with lots of other Romanian/Hungarian goodies.

I think we made it back to the pensione a little after 10 and decided to check email before we settled down for the night. A complete and thorough search of the 2 rooms resulted in the inescapable conclusion that the computer (and it's backpack) never came up the stairs with us. 99% sure it wasn't left on the train, nor at the station... had to be in the cab. This was 3+ hours after we'd exited the cab ... didn't know the number or the cab company. Put a real good damper on what had been a busy, enjoyable day. Evan felt guilty because he'd been in charge of the bag, and Nancy felt responsible because she was in the back seat with him and the bag. I felt bad for both of them, and for all of us, because all of Nancy's RO research stuff was on the machine, several of Evan's games + 800-1000 of our best/worst photos from this Fulbright journey.

Nancy got a couple cab co. numbers from the front desk people and called. One of the dispatchers actually put out a call to all the drivers while she was on hold, but no response back. Nancy was quickly becoming a basket case, so she asked me to go back downstairs to the desk & see if we had all the likely/possible phone numbers. The staff (two waitresses and a bartender) was very sympathetic and actually helped me make a few more calls. No luck, tho' a couple did say call back in the morning to see what their co. grapevine may have come up with.

It was a gloomy set of omelets we consumed at breakfast. The morning manager suggested a long shot ... go down to the station and see if you can find the driver. Mmmmm, in a town of a quarter million people, with hundreds of cabs, that seemed ludicrous. But we had nothing else going, so we checked out, trudged over to Jeremy's apartment so Nancy could work on her talk that she was to give that evening at the local American Club at his university.
We followed his directions and took the #4 bus down to the station; decided to check Lost & Found to see if it might have turned up there. I think it was our psychological delaying tactic, as we weren't optimistic about going cabtocabtocab in the parking lot, looking at faces and telling our sad story to any driver that hadn't heard about it the evening before.

The info booths inside & outside the station yielded no help; we couldn't find the entrance to the police station inside the building, and the chap at the baggage holding room couldn't make out what we were after, so he walked us up to the money changer, who I think he was sure knew more English than he did. She did, a little, but she suggested nothing more than to check the info desk(s). Back to square one.

I thought we could both use a coke (or something stiffer??) at this point, so we walked over to the snack bar to survey the drink offerings. 5 seconds later our cab driver was standing there next to us -- he had come back down to the station to look for us!!! He said he had not initially opened the pack, once he'd found it late in the evening (it was still sitting on the hump on the floor in the back seat), but a couple of buddies said go ahead, it's probably not a bomb! Once he saw Evan's algebra book, he pieced the mystery together. He said if he hadn't seen us at the station, he'd have gone back to the pensione, so we probably would have gotten it back one way or the other, but really, we were just thunderstruck that we bumped into him. Right then & there I grabbed him behind the ears and gave him a big kiss right on the forehead... for Nancy of course.

Luciano said he'd been raised right in a good family, and made every effort to do the right thing. He has two sons himself, and knows that youngsters can lose things. What a guy!! He agreed to a photo side by side w/ Evan, so when I get the latest set of them uploaded, I'll forward it along.

Don't know if that tops yours, but we can add it to the Romanian Fulbright folklore, perhaps as another cautionary tale about alertness when traveling, no matter how comfortable you may have gotten with your surroundings.

Nancy did a nice job onstage that evening, got lots of response and questions from the assemblage of 15-20, mostly students. Had another great meal with Jeremy, made it to the train station with, wow, at least 12 minutes to spare, and had the usual rumbley overnight trip back to Oradea... slept off & on, adequately.

Best of holiday wishes to you!!

Pat in Oradea

Busy is Better!

UPDATES: An important footnote has been added to yesterday's posting. Please read it. Also, a three-view diagram of an Antonov AN-2 has been added to "Bucharest," below.

It is fun being busy. I have long said, "Busy is Better." But boy, am I busy! Of course, I am gradually becoming one of that breed that I have labeled "World Guys." I wonder, are all world guys this busy?

As my readers know, I will be coming home for the holidays. It won't be all relaxation. Today I picked up three lectures to prepare during my time in the States. The Finnish Savonia University in Varkaus has confirmed my invitation to visit in January, and wants me to lecture on Global Business. That is among the subjects I have taught in the Plymouth State MBA Program, but I have been away from that topic for several years. So, while home over Christmas, I must plan a few days at Lamson Library.

Then there are my spring courses. I am not worried about Management Accounting at the Faculty of Economics, for I have been teaching that course at Plymouth ever since 1976, have kept up with the field, and have as a teaching team member Prof. Alexandra Mutiu, who is going to be great to work with. But, in the Faculty of European Studies, I will be taking on a course in The American Economy. That is a new subject for me, and I have to learn a lot in its preparation. I am counting on my colleague Trent Boggess to help, for Trent, an economist, teaches a related course at Plymouth State.

Oh, yes, then there is Christmas. My wife Shirley wants a new bedroom set. Shirl is right about our needing a new bedroom set. The one we have was bought (cheaply) at Sears in 1975, and it is ready to retire to a guest room. If we are going to spend our agreed-upon 35 more years together, we ought to invest in a solid set of bedroom furniture. Our present set can go upstairs to one of the four kids' rooms (that are gradually becoming guest rooms as our kids move out).

Phil Desmond, Plymouth MBA and owner of Brown Furniture, are you reading this? If so, the McDougalls are going to need a good solid bedroom set. We are not into high style, but we are ready for high quality. We'll be over before long to see what you recommend.

So, what do my readers have to do for the next few weeks? Let me guess: you are all busy as all get out. Be thankful. Busy is better.

Tons to tell and too tired to tell it. (But I'll try.)

The Holiday Party in Bucharest was good fun. We met a number of former Romanian Fulbrighters, and the wine lubricated tongues, so the gab went on for several hours. Another good part of the trip for me was to visit the Museum of the Romanian Peasants. There on the pedestal holding a musical exhibit was written in red marker,

"Intre ei, ingerii cîntâ Mozart.
In faţa lui Dumnezeu, cîntâ Bach."

"Among themselves, the angels sing Mozart. In front of God, they sing Bach." I like that one.

The ride home launched early Sunday morning, following a 6:30 breakfast with St. Daniel the Cabbie. Dan has been the recommended taxi driver for Fulbrighters for ten years because he goes by an honest meter. As a cabbie in Bucharest, that alone has led to his canonization. But he is far more than just an honest cabbie. He came out at 6:15 on a Sunday morning to take me on a 7 Lei ($2.50, before his tip) ride to the Gara, after we'd agreed to that two mornings before, when he drove me from the gara to the hotel. So, as we didn't need to leave until 6:50, I invited him to join me for breakfast at the Casa Victor.

Once on the train I enjoyed my first daylight ride northward through the Carpathian Mountains to Braşov, then westward across Transylvania to Cluj. Climbing through the mountains there were rugged snow-capped peaks on our left, and the alpinesque villages that I described from my September drive along a parallel road, that being the first Romanian excursion in Klaus with the Sherman-Hayes family. This time I was curious whether one of these Carpathian ski towns was where my PSU colleague Professor Roxana (Dima) Wright, who grew up in Braşov, was a ski instructor when she met Rob Wright, now her husband (and a soccer coach at Plymouth State). Please, Roxana, tell us in the comments, was that fateful meeting in Timişol de Sus? Predeal? Azuga? Buşteni? Poiana Tapului? Sinaia? Or perhaps, all the way down in Crăsina, at the southern slope of the mountains? Or, was it in yet another part of Romania?

Monday

I picked up today my Permis de Şedere (license to stay). I am now legal in Romania for a full year. As faithful readers know, I owe this bureaucratic achievement to the help and patience of Carmen Tagsorean of the Babeş-Bolyai University Center for International Cooperation. Thank you, Carmen. We did it.

Also today I taught Mihaela Luţaş' first-year class, for this week she is teaching in Italy. There were about 35 students present, and after introducing myself, I asked for any questions they had about America, American business, or American education. The first girl to raise her hand asked, "What is a party school?" I defined that term as follows. "A party school is any institution with one of these two words in its name: 'c-o-l-l-e-g-e,' or 'u-n-i-v-e-r-s-i-t-y.'" I went on to explain that the most notorious party school in New Hampshire is the Ivy League school Dartmouth College, and that the difference between such a school and a state universiity is that the students at the state school drink beer, while the students at Dartmouth will drink Scotch. I hope I didn't mislead them too much.

I also took advantage of the opportunity to advance the cause of academic integrity by pointing out that we in the universities are all standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, and that those former students and scholars very likely did not get rich being academicians. So, all they have to be remembered for is their ideas. It is therefore right and proper always to give credit to the creators of any ideas or words of others that we find in our research and use in our writings. Moreover, it is dishonest and unethical not to do so. Finally, I told them that the standard penalty for a first violation of academic integrity in my home university is to fail the course, and that the second offense results in a suspension from the school. I was a bit preachy, but unfortunately, some of my students last week gave me reason to believe that the sermon was called for, and I felt that giving it to first year students might help them make good decisions in the future.

Finally, I told a couple of stories about the great Physics professor at Amherst College, Arnold Boris Arons, one of the best lecturers I ever have known. Arons' lecture on the 19th Century experiments done with horizontal charged plates and a suspended drop of electrically charged oil, I shall always remember. I do not recall if it was Maxwell, or Planck,* or another whose experiment Arons was describing. But I recall that the droplet of oil would move up and down in the electric field with acceleration that was measureable. This acceleration could be varied by adding or reducing the charge on the droplet. But, when Arons told us that the rates of acceleration in the constant electrical field could be made to vary only in steps, not changed smoothly, and thus, electric charge appeared to have a particulate nature, my classmate Ben Bump raised his hand. "Professor," he asked, "aren't you just talking about electrons?"

Professor Arons looked over his pince-nez glasses at the ceiling, stroking his chin, as if considering carefully Ben's question. "Electrons?" he muttered. "Electrons?" Then he turned toward Ben and roared, "Mr. Bump, What the HELL is an ELECTRON?" "Ideas first! Names after!"
_________________________
*UBB Physicist Titus BEU has solved this issue for me: the Oil-Drop Experiment was Robert Millikan and Harvey Fletcher's, and was performed in 1909. Hence, we have understood the electron's fundamental role for only 99 years. I'd say we've done pretty well with it.

Bucharest

A first class sleeper is worth the $20 premium ticket. I slept well for at least seven hours on the train. Come 6:45 in the morning my one compartment mate and I awoke, about an hour before arrival, and had a chat. Turns out he flew cropdusters back under Ceaucescu, both Antonov AN-2s (see another picture in a September posting of such a plane in a Budapest McDonald's Playyard!) and helicopters. So, we did some hanger flying, and warmed to each other. We exchanged phone numbers, and I hope that we will meet again over a beer. (Image from Wikipedia.com)

Casa Victor could check me in upon arrival today, so I had breakfast, then soaked in a tub for awhile, and went to bed until 1:00 PM, then had lunch, and strolled with Charles over to pay a social call on the Fulbright Commission. The day has ended with a good dinner at an Italian restaurant with five fellow Fulbrighters: Charles, David Banville, and the Sherman-Hayes clan. Tomorrow we will visit the Romanian Peasants' Museum and fair, where I hope to find some small cultural gifts to take home to family at Christmas. Then comes the party at the Commission.

Back to Bucureşti

If the Romanian Fulbright Commission has one key strength, it is their ability to weld the American Fulbrighters into a caring community of new friends. Mihai and Corina and Mihaela and Anca and Loredana and all the rest of the staff have kept us in the loop all fall, and have made sure we have been invited to events in our cities, and events in others' cities, as well.

Saturday night, at the Commission's expense, we all are gathering in Bucharest for a Holiday party, where we will join to celebrate Romania's unification, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chaunnakah, Eid al-Adha, New Years Day, and probably more. This weekend was chosen because it is likely the last one for which we will all still be "in country," for soon some of us will be going home to the States for our holiday vacations.

So, at 10:03 tonight I will again board the CFR's overnight train to Bucharest, and spend my weekly (for so it seems, lately) night being clicked and clacked to sleep. You know, it really isn't a bad way to travel.

Wally's Birthday is a Classy One

My younger brother Walter Allan McDougall was born on 3 December, 1946. If you happen to encounter him today, wish him a happy birthday for me, and ask him why he looks so much older than his senior brother, Duncan.

Today I got to the office in time to have a quiet 3/4-hour to collect my thoughts before teaching a new (for me) case study on Lincoln Electric. I learned from Wickham Skinner some 38 years ago that the hour before class is best spent thinking through what questions to ask of the class. So, this morning I did exactly that, and came into class with an ordered list.

I quickly perceived that about half of the students who had come to class had not read the case. As this case will be one on which the class will later have a chance to write an essay, I marked all students present who were there, then asked those who were unprepared to leave the room. I explained that it was not fair for them to sit there and hear what the prepared students had to say about a case for which there would be a graded assignment passed out next week. They left, clearly surprised to be excused, and not happy about it.

My remaining students then tore into the case with a vengeance. It was one of the best class discussions that I have experienced since coming to Romania.

Happily, I have many bright students. It is a joy working with the Englishline students at Babeş-Bolyai University.

National Day

Buna Ziua Naţional! 1 Decembrie 2008! 90 de Ani!
It is a glorious day in Cluj-Napoca, with a bright blue sky and mild autumn air for the celebrations. I attended the laying of wreaths at the foot of the statue of Avram Iancu, then went into the Ortodox Cathedral in the Piaţa Avram Iancu and lit candles in memory of my parents. As I came out of the cathedral, I heard English spoken, and asked a man of about my age where he was from. "London," he said, "and you're from America." Gary Stallworthy is living in Cluj with his Romanian wife. He asked for my phone number. I hope he calls.

Of course, while returning home, I thought of my British-Romanian friends, Rob and Roxana Wright of Plymouth State University and Campton, New Hampshire.

I had on the Romanian-American friendship pin given me by Mihai Moroiu on my last visit to Bucharest, but was hoping to find a vendor of the colorful ribbons I saw on many coats in the Piaţa. I asked a man in a coat lettered on the back with words that had to mean "SWAT Team Captain," if he could tell me where to buy such a ribbon. At once, in crisp English, he said, "You want one? Take this one. Is not a problem!" He immediately unpinned his ribbon, and I accepted gratefully, and thanked him for his kindness. It reads, "1 Decembrie 2008, 90 de Ani," for it was 1 December 1918 when the Unification Agreements, as mentioned a few days back, were signed in Alba Iulia.

Watching the crowd at the ceremony was most interesting and moving. Veterans were honored, and I could only wonder what the older men, obviously veterans of World War II, were thinking about their country's history. Romania, like Italy, actually fought battles on the side of, and then against Nazi Germany. In Romania's case they fought first against, then later with the forces of the Soviet Union. Romania's history has been fascinating. Being a country of considerable natural wealth in agriculture, oil, and human talent in Central Europe has led to a great many political and military challenges and changes. Romanians have suffered much, and many of them have grown to be stoic and brave. They are a talented people, and are not afraid of a day's work. If Western Civilization has a bright future, Romania will have a bright future.

Small World

I am sitting in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, on this Sunday evening (which happens to be St Andrew's Day, who is Patron Saint of Romania, and of Scotland), watching live a World Cup slalom event from Aspen, Colorado. I am watching Czech, German and Italian girls racing down the mountain, and thinking of my daughter Piper, who tomorrow will be working in Human Resources for that very same mountain! It is a small world.

Turkey with all the Trimmings

Rachel Renz is a junior Fulbrighter here in Cluj. I had met her only at Orientation in Bucharest, back in September, and did not realize that she is a great hostess and fine cook.

For the American holiday known as Thanksgiving, celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday in November, Rachel invited not only Fulbrighters, but also the UBB class in Romanian for Foreign Students (in which she is a student, not an instructor) to come to her apartment to celebrate with us Americans. The result was a special event, if ever there were one.

Those of us who live locally brought side dishes or desserts, while Rachel and fellow Clujian- Fulbrighter Laura Nugent each cooked a turkey. Others contributed many bottles of Champagne, wine and beer.

The party began with Rachel's telling the group of the origins of the American Thanksgiving Day, replete with tales of Chief Massasoit, Pilgims' blunderbusses, and popcorn (perhaps I exaggerate a trifle), followed by a long and traditional dinner of roast turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese, pea soup, and more. After dinner, but before cutting the pies, Rachel asked all present to honor her family's tradition of going around the room to give personal thanks, one by one. So we did. There were present Americans, Romanians, Germans, Chinese, Poles, Hungarians, Bulgarians, and probably others. Some twenty of us all perceived how blessed we were for having such an opportunity to get to know one another, and to express our personal feelings to newly-met colleagues about the Romanian adventure that we all are sharing. Some thanked parents, others their families at home. One man thanked God for the gift of Music. The party was still going strong when Charles and I left, some time after 1:00 AM.

Charles put it well as he was leaving this morning to return by train to Sibiu: "Last night was something special." Thank you, Rachel. You are someone special.

National Day Commemoration in Cluj

The Romanian Coat of Arms, 1918
December First is Romania's National Day, celebrating the date in 1918 of the signing at Alba Iulia, Transylvania, of the documents that made that city Alba Iulia, Transylvania, Romania, thus completing the most recent unification of the country.

National Day was celebrated tonight for all foreign students and for visiting faculty from abroad in a ceremony at the UBB-owned Hotel Universitas in the west end of Cluj. There was a presentation on the history of the events being celebrated, given by History Professor Ph.D. Ana Maria Stan, director of the Babeş-Bolyai Museum. Then there was a wonderful concert of Romanian folk music and dance by Cluj musicians and University dancers. Then there was a light supper of traditional Romanian dishes. It was truly a great evening for my friend from Sibiu, Charles Harris, and for me, and I thank Carmen Tagsorean for inviting us to join in.

Home in Cluj, and Giving Thanks

When you live far away from your roots for an extended period, you grow new roots. Returning to the Cluj apartment at 5:00 AM Tuesday after traveling from Kansas City since Sunday morning was a homecoming. I am glad and relieved to be back, even though my four nights at the Marriott-KCI with Shirl were a warm and wonderful interlude in my autumn term.

Tomorrow Charles will be arriving from Sibiu to visit my Labor Management class, then to stay with me in Cluj for Thanksgiving dinner at Fulbrighter Rachel Renz's apartment. (I am cooking pea soup for the event.)

From Romania, I wish all Americans a Happy Thanksgiving, wherever they may roam, or remain.

Standard Fare

The Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) is a twenty year-old global accrediting body for teaching-focused institutions of higher learning in the field of business. My trip to Kansas City was to attend a meeting of the ACBSP's Baccalaureate/ Graduate Board of Commissioners, of which I am a member. We commisioners read the self-studies of member institutions applying for accreditation of their business programs, read the feedback reports from visitation teams (peer reviewers), read the institutional responses to those feedback reports, then recommend accreditation, conditional accreditation, or deferral of accreditation. The schools that receive accreditation usually are initially given conditional accreditation, meaning that the Board requires that to maintain their accreditation beyond three years, they must fix a few remaining shortfalls with respect to the ACBSP Standards and Criteria for Accreditation. An approved application leads to a ten-year professional accreditation of the institution's business programs, on the progress of which each accredited school must report every two years. These biennial Quality Assurance Reports are also read and judged by the Commissioners, in order to ensure that the accredited schools are making progress.

The ACBSP Standards and Criteria are based upon the Baldrige concepts of fact-based management and continuous improvement. The ACBSP was a pioneer in applying these demanding process-oriented criteria to business program accreditation. For its first ten years, the ACBSP allowed accreditation on input measures alone (for example, the percent of courses taught by faculty members with doctoral degrees). In 1998 the Association introduced an alternative path to accreditation based upon outcomes assessments of student learning and stakeholder satisfaction, which required that the institution have a well-defined mission, an identified set of stakeholders, measurable goals with respect to both its mission and those objectives, and a comprehensive plan for assessing outcomes with respect to its mission and objectives. Finally, it had to demonstrate that the results of its assessments were being used constructively to bring about positive changes in the ways in which the institution taught, and in its internal business processes. In 2004, the ACBSP did away entirely with input-based accreditation, and adopted a revised set of Baldrige-based Standards and Criteria. Since 2007, all members applying for accreditation or for reaffirmation of their previous accreditation have been required to do so with respect to these new ACBSP Standards and Criteria.

At its meeting this week in Kansas City, the Baccalaureate/Graduate Board of Commissioners reviewed applications for accreditation or reaffirmation from approximately 15 applicants. Six schools had their applications deferred. These deferred schools will not be pleased, for the self-study process is an arduous one. But these schools had simply come too late to an understanding of the requirements and processes of fact-based management. They had started doing outcomes assessment only in their self-study year, and had no ability to show the Board that their Business Department or School had truly adopted continuous improvement as an operating ethic. One data point does not make for a trend, and the lack of a trend makes the measurement of progress a matter of opinion, rather than a demonstrable fact. The deferred schools will have up to three years to comply, before a whole new self-study will be demanded. They will receive detailed feedback on why the Board deferred their applications. They will be encouraged to work with their assigned Commissioners during that time. All is not lost for them, but they will soon see that the ACBSP means what it says about meeting the standards, and the standards call for three-to-five data points in the measurement of, for example, student learning outcomes.

I am proud to sit on an accreditation board of an Association that takes its quality standards seriously, and that has a backbone. To my colleagues on that Board, I say, "Well done."

(To my friends in Romania I say, "Look out Romania, Flunkin' Duncan is on his way back!")

Finland In February?

The Fulbright experience is full of surprises, many of which involve unexpected opportunities. Yesterday I received an e-mail with the subject: "Visit to Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Finland?" A professor there would like me to spend a week in January or February lecturing on Global Business at that University in Varkaus. I am investigating. In memory of my late friend Eino Hokkanen, I would like to find time to go.

Getting to Kansas City

Board the Monday midnight train to Bucharest, spend the night tossing and turning in the first sleeping car you've ridden in since a 1954 trip from Chicago to Los Angeles on the Union Pacific, when you were 10 years old. Get ripped off for 50 Lei ($18) by a taxi driver who uses the "awful traffic" to talk you into paying about triple what you should have to get from the Gara Bucuresti Nord to the Casa Victor hotel, where you arrive about 9:15 AM, learn that you cannot check in until 12:00, have breakfast with fellow Fulbrighter Jeremy, then walk with him and Fulbrighter Kim to the Fulbright Commission, still in your slept-in clothes. Spend Tuesday morning discussing general philosophies and other weighty matters with Mihai Moroiu, eat lunch with the group having an advisor training session with the ebullient Mihaela who runs the Education USA program also housed at the Commission, get invited back for a 5:00 PM video presentation on going to an American University, and to join the group for dinner. Go back to the Casa Victor, check in, take a two-hour nap, bathe, put on clean clothes, give the desk clerk the package of stuff-left-in-Cluj by Charles Harris, another one of the Fulbrighters attending the advisor training session, then walk back to the Commission. Watch the excellent (if low-budget) DVD in which Romanian students presently studying at U.S. colleges such as Harvard, Duke, Princeton, Amherst and Hamilton describe various aspects of American university life, including curricular requirements, lingo (e.g., "majors" and "minors"), extracurricular opportunities, dorm living, internships, the relationship with faculty, the methods of testing and grading, etc. Then have a coffee, and come back in for DVD Part Two, which describes the application process. In all become sorry that you cannot yourself compete for a place at Hamilton in the Class of 2013, for the overall effect of the videos is to generate huge enthusiasm for the opportunity. Then, walk the half-mile back to Casa Victor, and board a cab with three others for the Caru cu Bere (Beer Cart) Restaurant (where you also ate a huge lunch during your September orientation). Sit down to dinner and a big mug of beer, only to discover that there is to be a floor show. Two couples begin dancing in the center of the floor, and it is quickly apparent that they are professional ballroom dancers. After the first three numbers, they split off among the tables, and a beautiful dancer invites you to be her partner for the next dance. But you refuse. One day, long ago, you wouldn't have, but tonight your thoughts are only on Shirley, who will meet you in Kansas City. Say your good-byes to the group and multimescs to Mihai and Mihaela, and go find a taxi to the hotel. Check that you are fully repacked for the 3:15 AM departure to the Bucharesti Airport, lay out exactly what you will put on in the morning, take a quick shower, and get 3.5 hours' sleep. Arise, dress, check again that you have your e-ticket and passport, insulin cooler and luggage, and go down to the lobby. Wait while the attendant unlocks the front door to let you in, and chat with her for a minute or three, until the cab that Mihai called for you pulls up outside. Mount the cab, introduce yourself to Daniel, the honest cabbie, and get to the Airport at 3:45, for your 6:00 departure. Including a generous tip of 13 Lei, pay less than you did for a trip one-third as far the previous day. Note that the coffee shop will open at 4:00. Find a chair. Meet another Daniel, Romanian-American proprietor of Tailor Studio in Rancho Cucumonga, California, who happens to be sitting next to you. Buy Daniel and yourself two ridiculously expensive (Starbucks-level price) but very welcome cups of coffee in the airport cafe, and learn that he is an inventor, but his wife a tailor. Have a long and friendly chat, during which he introduces his cousin, who has driven him to Bucuresti from his house three hours to the Northeast. Board with him a totally full flight to Amsterdam. Catch a few z's on the flight, though also meeting at your left elbow Detroit-bound Maria, a sweetheart of close to your own age with family in Motown, who doesn't speak English. Land on time in Amsterdam. Walk a mile or more to the transfer gate. Get put in another security queue, and go through the second round of screening. Stand with Deb, a dignified lady, and chat awhile. Note that the group waiting to board appears to be a random sample of Humanity, as diverse a group as you can imagine. Comment on that to Deb, and learn that she is your country's Deputy Ambassador to Ethiopia, traveling home to her child's "Seventh Grade Dinner," and flying coach. God bless her. Thank Deb for her service to the U.S.A., which is in its 27th year. Listen as the airline announces a technical difficulty. Board late, by about 30 minutes. Learn to your relief that you have a three-seat row to yourself. Listen as they announce that there will be no water for washing hands nor for coffee, but that otherwise, the flight should be normal. It is, though over nine hours long. Arrive at Dulles Airport in Greater Washington, D.C. on time. Get through customs smoothly, and go to the USAirways ticket counter to check in for the connecting flight to KC, only to learn that Flight US7903 is a United flight. Walk to the far end of the terminal. Get a boarding pass, and check your one duffel, because you know that the plane to KC is a small Canadair jet, and fear that the stuffed duffel won't fit in the overhead compartment. Go through security for the third time, grateful not to be carrying the duffel this time. Walk to the "mobile lounge" stop, and ride out to Domestic Terminal. Find Concourse A. Discover that gate A2 is at the far end. Walk another half-mile. Ask at A2, and learn that the flight has already boarded. Go out on the ramp and walk up the stairs into the cabin. Find seat 10-C. Sit. Ask the knock-out gorgeous black girl next to you where she is coming from today. Learn that Fatmah is from Tanzania, is 28, is in America for the first time, is single, will be visiting her cousin in Springfield, Missouri, and runs a boutique in her home town. Also learn that she is intelligent and good-hearted, and not at all interested in becoming the second wife of some rich man back home, where men are allowed four wives, and most marriages are "arranged." Land a few minutes late in KC. Find your duffel to be missing. Learn from the luggage office that it will arrive later, and be delivered to the Marriott. Go call the Marriott to request their shuttle. Check in. Discover that the refrigerator you requested in your room is not there. Call the desk and request one. Strip. Shower. Lie down on the bed. Get up to receive the 'fridge, pulling on only your pants. Lie back down until you hear a key in the door, and the door open. Wait a few minutes as the newcomer adjusts to her own arrival, then hug and kiss your wife, rest a few minutes, and go find a rare filet mignon.

Voila! Just that easy, and you are in Kansas City.

Color me "Gone"

If my blog goes stagnant for a few days, it is because I cannot report on Romania when I am not in Romania, and because I am not schlepping my laptop across the pond and back just to post. If anything of note happens (other than I experience a plane crash), I'll find a computer and keep you posted. I promise.

Meanwhile, here is a recent parting shot across Someşul Mic (The Little Someş River), looking northwest, taken from our apartment window. That traffic-filled bridge causes the floor to vibrate whenever a trolley or big truck crosses it. The big white building on the hill is the four-star Hotel Belvedere.

Şaisprezece Novembrie, Doua Mii Opt

I shan't burden my noble readers with tortured Romanian. But, I did spend several hours today focused on a great little language book that my landlady Professor Victoria Moldovan gave me on my second day in Cluj. It is Româna cu sau fără Profesor, by Liana Pop. I got through the first 33 pages today. I learned the numbers pretty well, and even wrote Victoria an e-mail in Romanian, asking her to clarify a detail in the writing of numbers. I have packed it accessibly, and hope to spend many hours with it in the next week, as I cross the Atlantic twice.

Tomorrow I straighten out the office, then am off for Bucharest on the midnight train. I expect to meet up with Charles Harris at the Casa Victor, and return all the stuff he forgot at my apartment when he visited. He has business in Bucharest this week, too. Then it is "Kansas City, Kansas City, here I come... "

Saturday at Piaţa M. Viteazul Nr. 1

Not much happenin', though I did scope out how to get my computer to type the Romanian alphabet today. That is a big step, because the "Piata" is a statue of the Virgin Mother holding her Child, and the "Piaţa" is the square on which I live. And now I can spell the name of my friend and dean correctly in my blog: "Mihaela Luţaş."

Also done today:

• Completed my ACBSP prep work and e-mailed it off to the sainted Diana Hallerud at the headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas. Diana is one of the most dedicated people I have ever worked with.
  
• Did a laundry.
  
• Watched "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" on The Hallmark Channel. (Poor old Ichabod Crane.)
• Finished my pea soup and rice for dinner. Last night I made my first Romanian stir fry, and I have enough left for Sunday's lunch. Stir fry was my staple diet in Greece, but here it has been ciorba de fasole (bean soup), which everyone at home knows I do in many forms, legume soups being among my favorite foods. (No more major cooking until I return from Kansas City.)

Armistice Day Post Modified

Just so loyal readers know, I have today added to my 11 November posting a photo of my brother's ship and two references.

ACBSP-day

Friday, 14 November

Today I got down to the reading and thinking that precedes each meeting of the ACBSP Baccalaureate/Graduate Board of Commissioners. The full name of the ACBSP is the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs. It exists to help business schools learn and practice fact-based management and the processes of continuous improvement. My home school has been a member for 12 years, and I have been active in the association since 1998. All but a few of us who serve the Association are volunteers who do this work because we believe in the mission of the organization. As a commissioner, part of my duty is to attend meetings in Kansas City in November and April of each year, at which the Board of Commissioners judges the applications for accreditation of member schools, and reviews their periodic Quality Assurance Reports. Reading and judging those submissions is real work, but it is rewarding because one learns a lot in this job, and because the people in the ACBSP are good folk, serving other good folk. Still, this academic year, getting to Kansas City will require special effort.

Monday, at 11:27 PM, I will take the overnight train to Bucharest, where I will have lunch with Mihai Moroiu of the Romanian Fulbright Commission, then sleep for a few hours at the Casa Victor Hotel before catching a 6:00 AM Wednesday flight to Amsterdam, from which I will fly to Dulles Airport in Virginia, then on to Kansas City for the board meeting. I will arrive in KC at 5:43 PM, if all goes well. While it doesn't look like a very long day if you compare departure and arrival times, there is an eight-hour time change between Bucharest and Kansas City, so I will actually be travelling from Bucharest for twenty hours. Make that 22 hours, if you count from 4:00 AM, the time at which I must leave the hotel.

Rendezvous!

Shirl and Duncan in their kitchen, about 1993

But, this trip is not all about work. Shirl will arrive in KC from NH (via Southwest) about an hour later. My wife Shirley and I have been apart now longer than at any time since our wedding 35 years ago. Just this week my absence topped our seven-week previous record, which occurred when I was teaching in Greece in 2001. It will be great to see you, my love. Travel safe!

A Word to the Wise

Remember the attendance problem that all of us new Fulbright Professors have observed in our Romanian Universities. Well, at the beginning of the term I asked my dean about it, and she simply said to make your grading policy explicit in your written syllabus, publish the syllabus in October, and she'd back up whatever grades I posted consistent with that syllabus. It is now about the middle of the semester, so today I decided to reinforce my students' understanding of how I evaluate their performance in my class. Here is the e-mail on the subject "Labor Management and Operations Management: Grading Parameters" that all Third-Year Englishline students received from me, to which I attached, once again, the course syllabi:

Date: 13 November 2008

To: All Students enrolled in the subject Englishline courses:

From: Professor McDougall

Subject: Reminder of Grading Parameters

Please review the attached syllabi, which were first sent to you in October. Note that in both courses, class participation will be counted as 50% of your grade, and your two written submissions will earn the other 50%. As both courses are case-based discussion courses, this grading model parallels the courses' workloads, and recognizes students who take part in the learning opportunities provided.

Some 10-12 of the 28 students who are enrolled in this course have not been attending either the lecture/discussion sessions or the seminars. If you are among those habitually absent students, I urge you to find a way to start coming, prepared, to the remaining classes.

Beginning at next Thursday's Operations Management Seminar at 9:10, in Room 127, when you will discuss the Sport Obermeyer case on which you will be doing your written analysis, attend faithfully for the latter half of the semester, take part actively in class discussions, and you will still have a good chance to receive a passing grade. However, should you continue to miss classes and seminars, your maximum possible grade will be 5 out of 10, and to earn that 5 your written analyses and final examinations in both classes will have to earn 100% of their possible points.

The Final Examination in these courses is worth only 25% of your grade. You cannot make up on the final for missing all the classes, and for failing to submit a written assignment, or even for passing the written analysis with less than a perfect score.

I shall report on my grading form exactly the grades that my students earn. That is the only fair way to grade such a course, and the only way to differentiate between those who meet the requirements of the course, and those who do not.

If you feel that there are extenuating circumstances in your case, please communicate those to me as soon as possible, initially by e-mail, as I will be out-of-town next week.

As we say in America, "A word, to the wise, is sufficient."

Sincerely,

Duncan McDougall

Dr. MCDOUGALL Duncan,

Fulbright Professor,

Room 409, Ext. 5742

Home for Christmas

Shirl and I spent some Skype time this morning (middle of the night in NH) discussing Christmas travel plans. We finally concluded that getting a cadre of McDougalls to Romania for Christmas was impractical and prohibitively expensive. So, I am heading home. I want to see Shirley and my kids, and Preston, my St. Bernard. (Those are Piper and her Westie Cobi with him on the floor.)













Class today was one for the poets. Hardly a number left my lips. It was all about the sourcing of manufactured goods in countries where workers line up at the door to apply for 60-hour per week jobs that pay $1.00 per day. (Indonesia in the 1990s was one such country.) Is the customer (a multinational marketing company) responsible for, or should it be concerned with, the working conditions at an independent contractor's factory? Or is the customer management's duty to maximize shareholder wealth, thus it would be unethical not to take advantage of these opportunities to reduce product costs? A heated debate ensued. At the end of class, a student asked me what I thought. So, I ask my readers, what do you think?

On Armistice Day

World War I ended 90 years ago, today. Romania, in essentially its present form, resulted from the arrogance of the victors, who carved up Eastern Europe rather arbitrarily thereafter, more with the intention of preventing a rebirth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire than in order to make sense of the resulting nations. Hence was born present-day Romania, a fascinating, ever-transitional, multicultural country, only now beginning to have a proud sense of national unity, as an up-and-coming member of the European Union.

On Veteran's Day

Out of respect for the veterans in my family, I want to remember here the service of my father and my father-in-law, both now departed, as well as that of two of my brothers, happily both still kicking.

Dugald (Mac) McDougall served in the U.S. Navy from 1942 until 1946. He was a communications officer, then a radar officer on a sub-chaser, escorting convoys on the coastal run from Boston to Halifax, Nova Scotia. where they would join up with larger escorts (DDs and DEs) for the harrowing trip across to England. Then Mac was radar repair officer at the Charlestown Naval Station. Mac's life-long love was amateur radio, and if anyone could fix a radio (or radar) set, it was Mac. Then, he became an instructor at the Harvard-MIT Radar School, a top-secret Navy school run at those great Cambridge, Massachusetts, universities. Along this path, in 1943, I was born at Chelsea Naval Hospital. Mac's final posting during the war was to the Navy's Patent Office in Washington, D.C., a move which launched his postwar career in patent and trademark law.

My father-in-law was Basil Kimball of Westborough, Massachusetts. Raised on a farm, he went to Worcester Polytechnic Institute, graduating an electrical engineer before joining the Army as an officer candidate, shortly before Pearl Harbor. The Army asked him his background, and learning of his familiarity with farm animals and hobby of hiking in the White Mountains, they assigned him to the 10th Mountain Division. Basil went to train in North Carolina, where he was put in charge of a string of mules. Eventually, he got himself transferred into the Army Engineers, and later landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy on June 6th, 1944, at about 2:00 PM. He only told me once about his war experiences, as I sat in rapt attention. His unit was using listening devices to locate German artillery.# There was a very big gun firing each night in France, but always from a different location. They surmised that it was a railroad gun, but had not been able to locate its daylight hiding place. Basil found a tunnel on his map that seemed central to the firing locations, and notified the Air Corps. The next day, they bombed both ends of the tunnel. The gun was never again heard. That, he told me modestly, was his contribution to the war effort. Basil stayed in Europe until VE Day, as he put it, "All the way across Europe with Ike, but Ike was 20 miles behind us."

Dugald George "Skipper" McDougall is my older brother, born in 1942. Skip led the way for two more of us to Amherst College, graduating with honors in Dramatic Arts in 1964. He then volunteered for Officer's Candidate School in the Navy. He followed our father's path into Communications School, and was assigned to CAG-1, the U.S.S. Boston, a heavy cruiser built during WWII, and later converted to carry Nike guided missles in place of the three-gun turret formerly at the stern. She was a magnificent ship. During his time aboard her, the Boston served as flagship of the "Broken Arrow" operation off Palomares, Spain. A B-52 had gone down, and had lost a nuclear bomb on the seabed. The mission was to find it and recover it. The success of that mission led to the movie "Men of Honor," starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., about the Navy Divers who achieved the recovery. U.S.S. Boston's next posting was to the South China Sea, where her six 8-inch guns were put use in the Vietnam conflict. Hence, George wears the Vietnam campaign ribbon.


USS Boston Enroute to Vietnam in 1969*

Walter Allan "Wally" McDougall, three years younger than I, also was an Amherst man, also an honors grad, but in the field of History in the class of 1968. Upon graduation, Wally enlisted in the field artillery, and served throughout 1969 in Vietnam in the thick of the battles of that year following the Tet Offensive. Wally recorded his experiences, historian that he is, in long letters home to Mac, that Mac faithfully copied and distributed to all of Wally's brothers. All I can say about Wally's story is that we owe his life to six Special Forces men and the 200 Montagnard soldiers whom they led. Their fire-support base in the Central Highlands was attacked one night in an all-out effort by the NVA, and defended successfully by that small force of Cambodian freedom fighters.

As one who never served in the United States' military, I offer all readers who did my humble gratitude. Our freedom is your precious gift to us all.
______
# See Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_ranging
*Photo from http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/069/04069.htm

Confessions of an Infrequent Author

Back in October I attended the INFER (International Network for Economic Research) workshop that was held here at our Economics Faculty in Cluj. At that event I gave a short presentation of my working paper, "Operating at the Rate of Consumption," which presents the hypothesis that changes in the inventory policies of American manufacturers during the 1980s and 1990s may have explained in part the lack of a recession in the U.S. during the Clinton Era of the Nineties. My presentation was well received at the workshop, and since then two journals have solicited my working paper for publication. That would be great, save that I thought both solicitations were from INFER, and I sent the finished paper first to the professor/editor that wasn't representing INFER. He immediately accepted the piece for early publication, at which point I realized that I had sent it to someone other than INFER, the organization that had asked for it first, and that had kindly allowed me to present it without going through the usual submission process. (Someone had not shown up for the workshop, and I had taken his place.) So, I immediately attempted to correct the situation by withdrawing the submission from Journal Y, and submitting it to INFER. But INFER is not yet sure it will have sufficient materials for a publication. So, it may all come to naught. My deadline in this matter is only a week away, for on the 18th I leave for Bucharest to fly to Kansas City for an ACBSP meeting of the Board of Commissioners, and if INFER will not be using the article, I must resubmit it to Journal Y prior to 21 November, their deadline. So, now I am pressuring my friends at INFER to make a quick decision.

What a mess. I am embarrassed about all of this. For the past six or seven years, I have been so wrapped up in the ACBSP, in university service and in developing both online and other new courses that I haven't published anything. It appears I have forgotten the publishing protocols. I will be more careful in the future.

Pianu de Jos: Championship Course in Romania

The Four-star Golf Hotel Pianu and the Paul Tomita Golf Course, home of Round I of the Romanian National Individual Golf Champ- ionship held on 27-28 September, 2008 are located at the tiny village of Pianu de Jos, some 12 Km southwest of Alba Iulia, itself about 100 Km south of Cluj. The web site to which I have linked you above describes the course as private. It is privately owned, but is very much open to the public, at least in early November. Since the September championships, extensive upgrades to the course have been initiated, including all new Tee-Boxes, many new bunkers, and new fringe drainage around the greens. As all this work is still in progress, being done partially by the owner, himself. The course is rough at present, though it must have been a very nice one, indeed, when primed for the tournaments it hosts, which are several each year. (As Romania has but four golf courses, the tournaments come often to this, its longest course at 5800 Meters).

Pro Shop
The young golf teacher present today was Gabriel, whose mother called while we were there to send her love on "his" Saint's Day, 8 November. He could not have been nicer to Vasile and me, two of only a dozen or so players on this beautiful fall Saturday of sunshine and about 60 degree (Fahrenheit) weather. The greens fee, walking (no carts were available), was a whopping 50 Lei, under $20, for as much golf as we cared to play. We were warned that the greens were slow, the conditions rough, and the course under construction in places. Gabriel rented me his own "old" clubs for 25 Lei, a complete set including a Taylormade 320 Driver, and he provided the used balls in his golf bag free of charge.


10th Hole from Tees
Vasile parred the Par-3 1oth as we launched on the back nine. He chipped in from about 15 meters. I told him that was terrible luck, to make such a great shot on the first hole. I took my bogey cu placere. From there on my driver performed beautifully, hitting uncharacteristic, for me, high fades that were consistently in the faiways and over 200 meters. A couple were much longer. When we returned to the clubhouse, I wanted to offer Gabriel 100 Lei for his old driver, but he was not in sight. Anyhow, drives aside, I hit my share of duffs, but finished our nine-hole day with the same Pinnacle 3 that I started with, and a score of 50. I was quite happy. Vasile, showing excellent golfing potential, shot a 53, in spite of losing three balls (for a couple of which we didn't assess penalty strokes, as they were lost in autumn leaves on the fairways).

Vasile had not had anything to eat all day, so we went into the hotel restaurant for lunch about 2:30. We were the sole customers. All they offered was soup and a sandwich at 22 Lei each, but it was excellent soup, and Vasile was starving, so we ate there, and I snapped this picture of Vasile standing in the Nineteeth Hole, next to the fish pond. It is a beautiful hotel, and I expect that next spring this will be a very good golf course. It is on a hill overlooking the Mures River Valley, with the white buildings of Alba Iulia off to the northeast, and Cartpathian mountains bordering the valley to the west and south. The views are gorgeous, the course has many interesting holes, and the people were great. Imagine Vasile's chatting with the owner as he leaned on his shovel while I hit an impressive high fade to right-center fairway, 100 meters from a Par four green. Yes, imagine that.

Colonel, Craig and Brad, you are all invited over about 22 May, 2009. Let's spend a three-day weekend at a four-star golf hotel in Romania. Shirl, you and I can play here, too. Bring your clubs when you come in the spring!

Phishing for Golf

Last week, as too many of my readers know already, someone stole my Yahoo Mail address list and e-mailed a phishing message to many of my contacts. To the extent that any problem could be identified as a probable cause, it was that I had used the old version of Microsoft Internet Explorer when using Yahoo from my office. Mozilla Firefox, which I use here at the apartment on my laptop, is far more secure. But, only the pros are allowed to load programs on school-owned computers. Early this week I had asked Vasile and George, our diligent systems engineers at the Econ Faculty, to set Mozilla up for me, but as of this morning, they had not yet gotten a chance.

I was at the Faculty of Economics this morning, searching through the Harvard Business School Publishing web site for an appropriate case to assign to my Operations Management students as their written analysis topic. After finding and printing out "Do Not Post or Copy" samples of four or five candidate cases, I realized that I had that unfinished business with the Systems Engineers down the hall. So, I paused in my case-hunting and went to their office. Vasile was able to come right away, and while in my office he told me that he had spent last summer in the U.S., and had traveled up the East Coast from Miami to Maine. He mentioned that he had learned golf this summer, loved the game, and had bought a set of clubs and a pair of golf shoes, and brought them home to Cluj. So...

Tomorrow we leave at 9:30 to drive to Alba Iulia, about 100 Km to the south. The course there is open, and they say they are far from crowded at this time of year. We are expected at noon. I'll report tomorrow night on the state of the course, on Vasile's and my play, and will report by how much I clean his clock. After all, Vasile is only about 22 years old. He should give me at least 18 strokes. Right, Colonel?

Academic Priority Pays Off

It was an academic week of note. Both classes went quite well. The Englishline students now know a bit more than before about the learning curve, and about statistical process control. Also, we had an in-class discussion of yesterday's posting. Given their reactions to my thoughts, I believe that my students are going to graduate with a can-do attitude. I hope they will maintain that positive mind-set throughout their careers.
Attendance continues to increase, and the students' level of preparation and interest also is increasing. Today I announced that I hoped to have a field research project this term here in Cluj, and asked for four volunteers to help in the data-gathering. By twenty minutes after class, the research team was formed.

Given those two classes, I am glad I passed on the U. S. Embassy's Election Party, though I suspect it was a good time.

Today I began my preparations for my November 19-24 trip to the ACBSP Board of Commissioners' Meeting in Kansas City. I ordered a three-month supply of my diabetic medicines shipped to the ACBSP headquarters, where my friend Doug Viehland has agreed to store them in the 'fridge for me until I get there. Then, I chatted by IM with Shirley McD., and we coordinated our arrival times at MCI, and at the Airport Marriott on the 19th.

It will be a short business trip only, but a most welcome chance to see my wife, and to share with her some good Kansas City steaks.

Letter to the English Program Students at UBB

Dear Englishline Students,

As your resident American professor, I want to share with you my thoughts about what I have witnessed this morning on CNN.

• Barack Obama is President-Elect of the United States of America.
• Barack Obama, and America, have thus overcome centuries of cultural biases and deep prejudices.
• Barack Obama based his campaign on the need for change in America.
• Barack Obama's campaign slogan was, "Yes, we can!"

Last Monday I had a long and serious conversation, over an excellent lunch at The Pyramids, with one of UBB's top administrators. I asked him, "What do you believe is Romania's greatest barrier to further progress and development?" He thought for at least one minute before responding, "The attitude of the people. Romanians do not believe that they can bring about real change."

In my first few weeks in your country, I have seen the attitude to which my luncheon companion referred. I have heard that I should not bring a car to Romania, for the driving is too difficult, the roads too rough, the traffic too thick. I have heard that I must accept long, rude waiting lines to buy health insurance, for the performance of the public servants will never change. I have even heard such things said by some of you.

Every frustration, every irritation in their lives, Romanians accept, and deem inevitable. But those feelings of frustration or irritation are your signals of the need for change. Heed them. Believe in yourselves. Your duty as citizens in a free society is to bring about positive change, to eliminate such irritations for future Romanians.

Does any of you doubt that you, the internationally and multilingually educated young Romanians, can do so? If so, please take the example of Barack Obama to heart. Read his victory speech. It is clearly written. It is gracious. It is humble. It celebrates the ability of America to change. It credits the people of America for that ability. And, it calls for future commitment and sacrifices in order to change America, yet again.

Romania and America are far more alike than different. We are both multicultural countries, peopled by a mixture from many parts of the world. Our histories and geography are different, but we are both literate countries with our basic political roots drawn from Ancient Greece and Rome, and our sense of right and wrong drawn from Judeo-Christian values. America threw off its most recent imperial bonds almost exactly two hundred years before Romania did, and has thus had a two-century head start in democractic governance. But things move much faster today than they did in 1789.

Romania is a great country. Romanians are a great people. Your generation has a great opportunity. I see it. I believe it.

Obama has proven that in a democracy, all things are possible. Please, take his example to heart. You can change anything that needs changing, if you will commit to doing so. Stop accepting frustration and irritation as inevitable. Make your society better. Yes, you can.

Respectfully,

Duncan C. McDougall

Election Day, U.S.A.

Academics won out today. I am staying in Cluj. I wish my colleagues in Bucharest tonight a wonderful time at the U.S. Embassy Election Party at the grand ballroom of the Howard Johnson's Hotel.

The U.S. election has generated a lot of interest in Romania, though I cannot say it is in the top spot in most people's minds. When asked, people seem to favor Senator Obama, though I have also heard Romanians say they think McCain would be the more prudent choice. I have sat the fence for most of the campaign season, stating my belief that we have, for once, a chance to choose between two good men, and that I wanted to wait as long as I could and to learn as much as I could before voting. I did finally send in my absentee ballot two weeks ago, and have received confirmation that it arrived on time at the Town Clerk's office in Campton, New Hampshire. Take good care of it, Hannah! (Hannah Joyce is our town clerk.)

Today was spent at the Faculty preparing for tomorrow's class. Monica Zaharie, TA in Labor Management, and I did some heavy lifting with Excel and the learning curve, a highly quantitative tool of Labor Management. I then enjoyed lunch at the cafeteria with my friend and dean Mihaela, who was most encouraging about helping me to gain the needed access to do a research project in the field of public services. She especially would like it if I were to involve a group of students in the effort, a preference which I share. We may actually get it done!

So, Students, if you read this blog tonight, please come to class tomorrow, even if you decide to get up at 2:00 AM to watch the U.S. election results come in, as I intend to do. We will have a most interesting class and seminar tomorrow, and I may be looking for research partners!

A Trebechet for all Seasons

The picture is of a Trebechet built in New Hampshire for the express purpose of throwing pumpkins to record distances in an American Punkin' Chunkin' competition, held each autumn in Delaware. Its relevance to Romania stems from an e-mail received two weeks back from a fellow Fulbrighter who, having endured the queues to obtain his health insurance in preparation for applying for a Permis de Sedere, threatened therein to build such a device in order to throw cabbages at the guilty office. [Thanks to brother Walter of UPenn, who sent me the picture.]

Today I faced the Immigration Office line, and had another experience of Romanian government "services." On the wall were two large and new-looking Yellow Signs, and while I could not translate them precisely, I was able to glean that one stated a "Commitment" to offer excellent service, and the other promised fairness and transparency in dealings with the public. Under those auspicious signs, we stood on a narrow ramp leading to a tiny office foyer, having inside only one door. The line was about twenty or so as I arrived, with the long-suffering Carmen along to interpret for me. Most in the line were foreign students, who, as do I, need this permit to stay for as long as nine months in Romania. But students are not necessarily polite. Quickly it became evident that anyone seeing an acquaintence ahead in the line would push past all others to join the friend, as if the friend had been holding their place in line. After eight or ten had shoved past us, I started to question the new rude passers as to what they thought they were doing. I could not understand why the Romanians in the line let this happen so passively. All manner of excuses were given. "I was here this morning," "I just need to get a form," and most wonderfully, "We are a special case." "Who is not, in this line, a special case?" I asked. The line began to express assent with my assertiveness. Even Carmen did not seem particularly upset with me, though I did apologize, in case I had embarrassed her.

Adding to the comedy, while here in Cluj this weekend Charles Harris reported that he obtained his Permis de Sedere in Sibiu with one leu to the post office and a stop at the police station, where an immigration officer told him that he doesn't need the redundant health insurance for which we in Cluj paid 146 Lei, and for which we waited half-a-day. Further, Charles was told the official permit will be coming in the mail from Bucharest to his mailbox in Sibiu. Here in Cluj, I am told, I must return and wait again in line at Immigration to pick up my permit, once it comes back from Bucharest.

So much for the Yellow Signs.

Such clumsy, inconsistent and irritating management of public waiting lines and services is certainly not a Romanian monopoly. I remember being infuriated when the Marlboro Massachusetts DMV office cost me a whole morning back in 1980 when I was applying to convert a New Hampshire to a Massachusetts driver's license, a process that takes about ten minutes when performed in the opposite direction in New Hampshire. The fact is that good government service is not only possible, it is efficient. Romania could gain enormously as a nation if it paid some serious attention to solving this problem. As an operations management professor, I have offered to research how to solve the queuing problem at one Cluj office, which could then serve as a model for others. I hope that I get a chance to do this research.

One Laid-back Dude

I overslept. Charles was sleeping in the living/guest room, and awoke when my alarm sounded at 7:00 in the adjacent "master bedroom."

We had intended to drive today toward Maramures to give Charles his initiation into Transylvanian rurality. Our plan was to start at 7:30, but I hit the off button, and then fell back to sleep. When I awoke it was after 8:00, and Charles was nowhere to be found. I thought he might be on the balcony havng a cigarette. Nope. In the bathroom? Nope. Then, on the kitchen table I saw the napkin with "Gone to McDonald's" scribbled on it.

I dressed and went to get Klaus, who was parked between the apartment and McDonald's. I started him up, and arrived at Mickey D's lot just as Charles came out. Off we went on our tour.

We agreed that we had only sightseeing in mind today, no target sites to visit, no schedule, and no hurry. We drove toward Satu Mare as far as Almasului, then turned on a shunpike across a rolling farmscape past Letca, and turned toward Baia Mare on Highway 1C/E58. On this road we crossed the mountains into Maramures, stopping in Somcuta Mare for lunch at a fine restaurant called Fantasia (spelled in Romanian slightly differently).

Over lunch, we debated seeking a monastery to visit, maybe driving another 100 Km up to Barsana, the magnificent wooden monastery that was depicted here a few weeks back. Charles volunteered that he had seen what he came to see, and neither of us wanted to exhaust ourselves this weekend. So, after lunch we headed home, took a nap, and had a pizza for dinner at the Roland Garros, just across the Somes River from the apartment.

My conclusion as the weekend closes: Charles Harris is an easy-going fellow, a smart, fun and friendly Midwesterner, a laid-back dude.