Total Class,please read it all !

THIS IS A KEEPER!!!!

It happened at a New York Airport. This is hilarious. I
wish I had the guts of this girl. An award should go to the United
Airlines gate agent in New York for being smart and funny, while
making her point, when confro...nted with a passenger who probably
deserved to fly as cargo. For all of you out there who have had to
deal with an irate customer, this one is for you.

A crowded United Airlines flight was canceled. A
single agent was re-booking a long line of inconvenienced travelers.

Suddenly, an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket on the counter and said, "I HAVE to be on this flight and it has to be FIRST CLASS."

The agent replied, "I'm sorry, sir. I'll be happy to try
to help you, but I've got to help these folks first; and then I'm
sure we'll be able to work something out."

The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that
the passengers behind him could hear, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?"

Without hesitating, the agent smiled and grabbed her
public address microphone. "May I have your attention, please?", she began, her voice heard clearly throughout the terminal. "We have a passenger here at Gate 14 WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him with his identity, please come to Gate 14".

With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically,
the man glared at the United Airlines agent, gritted his teeth, and said, "F*** You!"

Without flinching, she smiled and said, "I'm sorry sir,
you'll have to get in line for that, too."

Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to
dance in the rain.

 

~author unknown, shared on Facebook ~

Radio Luxembourg and me

Facebook opens up to new horizons in unpredicted ways. One of the groups I really enjoy is, the Radio Luxembourg 208 fans Group. Getting to know the facts and history behind this radio station is to me a real treat.

I am by no means scientific about it or a person with profound knowledge about Radio Luxembourg… actually I know nothing about the facts and figures related to it, neither do I know a lot about the people behind the transmission, but I really enjoy picking up bits of history from the archive gathered, and the memories, posted on the facebook group page. It is as if I now get to learn about what I actually took an interest in as a very young teenager.

Still, in spite of my ignorance, Radio Luxembourg has had a great impact on my life. When I was a young teenager, even as young as 11, I used to tune in on the channel at night and have a field day (or night, rather) with music; both chart-toppers and music outside the mainstream musical liking. (Apparently, the reason why I couldn't pick up on the signals too well during daytime has to do with sunray and activity...?)

I used to record the transmission, edit the talking out and by that got tape cassettes with collections of great music. I still got them; drawers full of tape cassettes I have just started transferring to Mp3 files. Without my idiot proof 5 in 1 stereo I would never have taken on the projec (I think) no matter how nostalgic. Good thing I am a living evidence that lazy people find good solutions to demanding tasks.

Listening to my recordings now, it is easy to imagine I must have had an ear for music… or perhaps it was just the influence my much older siblings had on me, which kicked in. They played in various bands, playing just about any instrument they fancied.

In retrospect I think I to some extent took part in the infancy of rock and pop by listening to the transmissions from Radio Luxembourg. I was introduced to new genres at an early stage and learned how to appreciate them. Some of my peers were really dubious to my liking for music they had not heard before and my style in clothes reflected my willingness to embrace and accept different musical genres.

As a teenager I spent most of my spare time writing and performing music. Then I got less time on my hands and had to prioritize, and music was one of the things that gave way first. Passion for music never decreased, but I left it up to others to create and perform. 

Living in Norway, at that time, meant we only had one TV channel and one radio channel. What was broadcasted was main stream and to a large extent in Norwegian, apart from detective series like Derrick, Columbo and McCloud… and The Eurovision Song Contest (Still remember how to give points in four different languages). English was our foreign language in school, but often the teachers had less knowledge of the language than the students. I derived huge advantage pronunciation wise from listening to Radio Luxembourg. I guess the hosts and dj’s “rambling on” back then are to blame for the quasi British accent I have today.

Pop music is a genre that will always be around. And it will continue to upset, thrill and comfort people. The beat and the lyrics not only support people’s mood and life situation; it also reflects the lifestyle, values, fashion and trends. People will always listen to music and music labels and radio stations will continue to track what songs people are listening to. Radio stations will still be important for introducing artists and musical styles new to the market. For as long as radio stations are transmitting (whatever form they may take in the future) and people are playing and listening to music, there will always be a chart-topper, musical icons and evolvement in use of instruments and various effects. Music will surround us where ever we are, but Radio Luxembourg is history. Part of my history.