The unexpected sensation of living in the midst of the world's current affairs has been a reoccurring theme since relocating to London. Last week I was in New York for business. Three separate experiences brought many of the current news stories to life in a personal manner.
The first such moment occurred as my mini-cab swept past Heathrow's perimeter fence enroute to Terminal 4. The final resting place of BA038 was clearly visible. I was astonished to see how close the giant jet was to the roadway. It was immediately clear how narrowly disaster had been adverted only days earlier.
The second moment occurred on Tuesday when Australian actor, Heath Ledger, died at his Manhattan apartment. Text messages began appearing on the cell phones of colleagues as the news broke. Less than a mile from from our office a headline news event was unfolding. It was odd to imagine that I could witness this story for myself with a five-minute cab ride.
The final immersive news event took place on Thursday at Gabriel's restaurant. This venue is located across the road from the Time Warner building, home of CNN. In the midst of lunch I suddenly recognised the diner sitting across from me. It was Anderson Cooper, host of CNN's prime-time evening news magazine. I'd been watching him report on Heath Ledger's death and other prominent events all week. Here he was sitting in front of me.
THE WEATHER
It was freezing in New York. When I flew in on Sunday evening, the temperature was reported to be minus four. It rarely rose above zero for the rest of the week. London by comparison, was simply balmy with temperatures reaching double figures more than once.
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