Reclaiming Earth

It’s been 45 years since the first Earth Day. Look outside at the blue sky and clear water, and imagine life half a century ago. Look on YouTube, and you can find old films of rivers catching on fire from the sheer concentration of chemicals at the surface of the water. Find videos of Pittsburgh in heavy smog. Love Canal was associated with cancer. How did people allow this to happen? Wartime necessity demanded guns and materials. High marginal costs came at the expense of not just dollars, but public health. In the UK, London’s killer smogs of the 1950’s were a result of burning low-quality coal at home, a holdover from the war days. Suburban living offered an escape from city pollution. For the most part, environmental issues were handled at a local level, and by the initiative of local citizens wanting to protect quality of life. For one, President Eisenhower believed that river pollution was a state issue. Without environmental regulations, business and citizens entered a guns-versus-butter debate that sometimes required local sacrifice for economic good of full employment. | Even to social justice advocates of the early 1960’s, environmentalism was not an important onjective. In fact, focus on environmental issues was seen as a middle and upper class “distraction” from the civil rights issues of education, housing, employment, public accommodation, and voting. Along the decade, though, it became clear that environmentalism could cure aspects of injustice, including health disparities. In 1962, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring brought attention to the unabated problem of pollution. What is the point of amenities if you can’t enjoy nature? Faced with the prospect of new or increased pollution regulations, a number of big-time polluters were willing to take low-cost measures such as smokestack filters, though they most certainly tried to shirk liability for previous damages. Lean manufacturing methods, developed in Japan, meant less waste and more reuse of raw materials, benefiting both the earth and the company’s bottom line. | Fast forward to today. To some greens, the deindustrialization of America is not the problem; it’s a solution. To some, the auto bailouts of GM and Chrysler represented everything wrong with car culture. Kswami Sawant, a Socialist elected to the Seattle City Council, calling for Boeing to retool its factories to make mass transit vehicles. (Boeing actually tried that in the 1970’s, but were unable to make good light rail trains). | Freeways were one visible aspect of the environmental movement. Providing efficiency to many, but unpleasantness to neighbors, they incarnated the guns-versus-butter debate on environmentalism. Just outside of Washington, DC, two miles of the Capital Beltway was built through an aquatic ecosystem without environmental review or engineered protections in the early 1960’s. In New York, Robert Moses came fairly close to putting a freeway through the Cast Iron District of SoHo. | Give the people clean water and good parks, and you’ll win support. Regulate citizens’ lifestyles, from bag taxes to mandatory recycling, and you can lose support fast. Ordinary citizens have certain limits on environmental rules that affect their way of life. In Maryland, chicken farmers were miffed about an impending law that would end the long-standing practice of using chicken manure for fertilizing fields, on account of ammonia run-off concerns. A so-called “Rain tax” on asphalt parking lots and driveways led to the election of a Republican governor there. This past legislative session in Virginia, the use of wood-burning stoves became an inalienable right. | What do we understand now that we didn’t 50 years ago? Resources are finite. Chemical and pH balances of stream are essential to the survival of fish and amphibian animals. Tilt this gentle balance, and you lose your ecosystem. In an era where business interests lead government, we need to hold leaders accountable for protecting swamps and wilderness for peoples’ enjoyment. Today, an educated person can make an argument for abolishing or curtailing the roles of the EPA, and not be chased off stage. This fact speaks for how far we’ve come in the stewardship of our environment. Reference: “Give Earth a Chance”, Adam Rome

The Tattoos They Wear

When my dad was a kid, the only time he’d see tattooed people showing off their ink was at the circus or the waterfront. When tiki restaurants passed for the exotic. Times may have changed, but sailors are still sailors. Richard Henry Dana wrote about the spray-soaked life of sailors on wooden ships in his 1840’s book “Two Years Before the Mast”. The dawn of the steel-built steamship literally took some salt of the occupation, but enabled a sailor to visit more ports of call in a career. Today, containerization cut down on port time, and placed ships miles from the city. Some would say the “professionalization” of the seafaring occupation- recognizing the shipboard workplace for the industrial environment that it is- affected the culture onboard ships. Indeed, increased training requirements meant that your shipmates were more likely family men and women looking to pay bills than young men pursuing exotic adventures. We will call the bygone time the “pre-Valdez era”; or what some older sailors call the “golden days”. I got to know many tattooed sailors. In one case, a full-body tattoo; in other cases, tattoos gotten under impaired judgment, and a lot of Sailor Jerry images. I don’t have any ink, but here are some guidelines for young sailors interested in the art: Faux Pas -Landlubbing plebes should not have anchors or compasses. Prior Navy and avid sailboatmen have earned the privilege. -Do not get a tattoo with your class year, because it could change (You might as well call it a jinx). -Swim class is a two-trimester requirement. Get a good artist. -Hangers and rubber stamps are for hanging and marking clothes, respectively. Do not use them as branding irons. It won’t make a cool story, either. Most common tattoos? Compass Rose Anchor Quotes from famous soldiers Family Crest Meat Tag (random selection of torso tattoos, often started in high school). Least popular tattoos? Tribal tattoos. Take up prime skin on biceps better used for nautical ink. Wisecrack tattoos. Even sailors know that jokes get old. Mom-in-a-heart tattoos. Mothers prefer a phone call. Saltiest element? Forgetting where the shirt sleeves end. Academy and Navy regulations do not allow tattoos to be visible in short sleeves. Solution? Wear a bigger shirt. Ink that is visible through white uniform. With two months to graduation, my classmates and I are grappling with what type of sea career each of us desires: More time to be with family Stateside, or more time in foreign ports? 25-year pensions or sea stories? Smaller crew with more responsibility, or larger crew with a less hectic pace? These decisions can change. Tattoos from Saesabo, Japan? In some way or another, they last forever.

Alternative Spring Break

One day last week, it was 80 degrees warm in Miami, just a two day’s drive south from New York to the end of Interstate 95. Instead of this appealing adventure, I spent time in DC with family. Here is what I did: Take Account It does not get easier than if you’ve done it before. On a previous break, I had put my writings and musical compositions into a filing cabinet. I’m pretty impressed that so much of it made the trip from the Saint Thomas Choir School in New York, and survived up to a decade in shoeboxes. Some works are not yet accounted for: these are digital files currently on my brother’s thumb drive. They have passed through two generations of computers at home, as well. Replicate Fire is man’s best friend and fiercest enemy. Over the ages, too many creative thoughts have been lost to fire, whether by accident or intention. However, it is becoming common practice for artists and writers to preserve minor works, perhaps inspired by the bidding wars on great artists’ scraps of paper. Poet Allen Ginsberg, for example, published a work containing several drafts of his controversial poem “Howl”. More likely than fire, there will be the accidental “oops” moment that a box of sentimental papers get thrown into the dumpster. “Papers” are emphasized, since it’s less likely for grandma’s knick knacks to be tossed. The best remedy is to have a duplicate. Binders are a good investment. It is worth the five dollars to be able to keep papers in order. It took some time to copy the odd-sized sheets of musical composition, but I feel good that I have duplicates. Giuseppe Verdi By my mother’s recommendation, I am watching a seven-part series on the 19th century composer Giuseppe Verdi. He is best known for a series of operas, from La Troubadour to Aida, and even non-opera goers will recognize some of the arias. Living a long life, his Italy went from Napoleonic control, to Austrian control, to independence. A national figure who gave Italy its national anthem, his funeral in 1901 was filmed on early motion picture. After gaining some success in his opera works, Verdi owned managed agricultural lands in his family’s provincial home town. Recreation Spring break gave me the right conditions to stretch the leg muscles. While the beginning of this past winter was alright in New York, February’s 28 days were chilly: 25 degrees Fahrenheit was a warm day. Indeed, Long Island Sound, a brackish body of water, was frozen, asides from a shipping channel. The ice at the edge of the Sound measured 8 inches thick at Kings Point, sturdy enough for the first game of ice hockey on campus. Although I am no fan of treadmills, only using them while on ships, I came to accept them as a necessary fitness measure during this cold February. DC’s more temperate 40’s to 50’s weather allowed me to enjoy the outdoors again. Sleep When finals week comes, I willingly sacrifice sleeping hours on the promise that I’ll make them up on the following week of break. So sleeping I have done: no alarm clocks. Discovery No secret to locals, Virginia has been eating the DC region’s lunch when it comes to economic growth. Seeing is believing. The first sign was the increase of reverse-commuting on my Interstate 66 (no relationship to the legendary Western road). Next came the towers of suburban Tyson’s Corner. They spring up organically, and resemble a modern skyline of an Asian metropolis. Then came sustainable transportation: Last summer, the Metrorail’s Silver Line, an elevated subway line, arrived. I took my first ride this spring break, to the thriving Tyson’s Corner Mall. I enjoyed sampling espresso at Nespresso’s store, and was surprised by the store’s brisk patronage. Being ahead of the times, Tyson’s Corner Mall is now both the anchor of a transit-oriented community, in addition to its role as a megamall.

Senior Year in 7 Easy Steps

If you are a plebe, prospective plebe, or plebe parent, check out this link for “Plebe Year in 8 Easy Steps”: http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/year-one-at-kings-point-in-8-easy-bearable-phases.20218/ Plebes, don’t worry about the little details in here, it will befuddle your mind. Focus on short-term goals, and keep the big picture in mind. For others, read on. Congratulations! You have 36 months under your belt. Sea Year really did help to break up the time. You haven’t been on campus for a full year since plebedom, so the next 350 days might seem a bit long. But at least you know that you’ll have shore leave…(liberty is the landlubbing plebe word for it)…on the weekends. The stages below do not apply to Straight Deck majors. Those lucky 50 are rumored to and even sometimes feel bored. The time that others spend studying can be applied to networking with recent alumni on weekday nights. Yes, the shipping industry still retains some of the Mad-Men era charm of neat-dressed weeknight dinners with contacts. Joy When you get back from summer duties in July (or, if you’re lucky, summer break), pack a nice suit and tie, a Hawaiian shirt, and a favorite mai tai glass. Pick a roommate that you will share this year’s adventures with. You’ll need to start the year off on a good foot. Luau, Ring Dance, and 300 Nights await you in the first 30 days back. You’ll meet old friends from the other ‘split’ that you haven’t seen in 2 years. Soccer players will meet their wrestler friends. Old roommates reunite and forget the trivial trifles of the past. What a joy. “Ring Dance” is a rite of passage. I had a classmate, set-back from the Class of 2014 for a dubious reason. He was privileged to wear his class ring, and we could only wait to cross the bar. Leading up to this weekend, the plebes cheer the senior class on. I won’t go into deep detail, so that future classes can enjoy the mystique surrounding the weekend. As a dinner dance whose origins came from a different era of earlier elopement and marriage, there is a shortage of young women, and ladies from the second class are certain to receive an invitation. Then you have “300 nights”, paid for by class fundraising over the past 2 years, is the afterglow to the aura of “Ring Dance”. You have the freedom of choice. After sea projects are graded, most set-backs to the next graduating class, or dismissals, are the result of personal behavior. This contrasts with the plebe days, when even good students closely monitored their grade point averages to prevent the set-back. That said, a midshipman (other than perhaps the straight deckie) will fail classes if he or she uses all the liberty granted to seniors. Disillusionment Many faculty members are Kings Point graduates themselves, and live vicariously each year at this time. They will also cut the Senior class some slack so as to allow for full enjoyment of these events. But this first month comes to an end, and the faculty members remember their higher calling to uphold the academic reputation of the Academy. Project deadlines in quick succession, and tests, quizzes, and lab reports. For most engineers, first trimester senior year is the most difficult of them. There are times that I looked at the silver ring on my finger and thought about how I received in on credit. I would not earn the metal until graduation day: (for example, the Naval Academy limits midshipmen to wearing the class ring for 15 days after their ring dance). This lustrium ring is the battle ring, and worn day-to-day. The gold ring is for festive or solemn occasions, and retains an air of high dignity. Fall break allows Seniors 5 business days to catch up on unfinished business. While most beaks between trimesters are for pure R&R- no books- the Capstone project for engineers is a rare course that continues through two trimesters. Living in the Moment Under the trimester system, the 2nd trimester is chop-sueyed. It begins right at Veteran’s Day, stops two weeks later for Thanksgiving, resumes for three weeks, then cuts off for the Christmas and Hanukah holidays. Because of my engagement with the Choir and other activities, it was a busy time for me; a few late nights as well. But it was manageable, and temporary. Formal meals in Dress Blues and gold ring, swilled with egg nog. Christmas decorations in the barracks, and the 172 foot flagpole decked out in lights. As plebes, you go out on every liberty in Dress Blues, which I feel diminishes a younger midshipman’s reverence for this uniform. The city is festive this time of year, and most plebes enjoy the season as well. Grin and Bear Most of my high school friends were out-of-town for the Christmas break, so as far as social life, I was ready to go back to the Academy after running down my Christmas to-do list, and spending sufficient time with family. New Year’s was a festive occasion; because 2015 will be the year I graduate and start a career. The universal response to how long the break was: “too short”. Amazingly, you’re halfway through the trimester at this point. If you did well in classes up to this point, you have a solid footing. But the last 9 weeks of the trimester will come at you fast. Perhaps a snow day will give you time to finish up on homework. You have come to terms with the social contract of Senior life: work for the prize. Graduation is ‘just’ six months away. To convenience hard-studying Seniors, some beer-hearty midshipmen enjoy the privilege of pub night- yes, beer and wine on campus, and for seniors only. This is an anachronism and tradition that only small colleges have today. At the Academies which have it, the pub is a force protection measure: Based on research at the larger service academies, it was shown that an on-campus pub reduced DUIs (and subsequent expulsion from the Academy). Again, straight deckies will serenade the night away, and engineers tend to come in for a nightcap after 9:30pm. Deckie midshipmen look forward to the two three-day weekends before spring break. For southerners, and future Texas, the ski slopes of New England are particularly appealing. For the Class of 2015, it will be the first time to enjoy the Super Bowl in its entirety off-campus. For many, it will be the first Super Bowl as trusted adults. Last Hurrah As a plebe, spring break was a liberating experience: a time spent with newfound friends. The privileges of recognition were right around the corner, and regimentally-oriented Senior was foolish to enforce all but the most important plebe rules after Spring Break. As a second classman, spring break was a 3-day weekend between exams and the 3rd trimester on account of government shutdown earlier in the year. For Senior Year, it will be the last break as college students, and the last break that everyone is “available” for. After graduation, many go their own ways. The Deckies had laughed for the past 2 years, but they know that crying is around the corner… license prep. Victory is for the Prepared The midshipman’s 12th trimester is abbreviated, and ends around Memorial Day. This short trimester covers unfinished odds and ends. For me, this includes Naval Science and Firefighting. The short trimester is not so much as a congratulation for making it so far, but as preparation for what is ahead. There are some privileges for attending Kings Point over other Service Academies, but an easy exit is not one for Kings Pointers. Celebrations and TGIFs get quieter as this final trimester moves on. I predict that my 22nd birthday in mid-April will be one of those last Saturday evenings in Manhattan. What is the big deal? Coast Guard licensing: the final judgment week. It is possible to memorize the answer to every question, but the books are just too thick! You will have to rely on fundamentals. For midshipmen who have diligently paid their dues Senior Year, Preparation Week for Coast Guard License tests is just studying for a big test. For the others, it can be sleepless nights. The goal is to pass all tests on the first try, so that you can ring the bell of victory with all your classmates. In a turn of fate, Engineers are more likely than deckies to pass on the first time. In past years, I made pocket cash by driving victorious seniors to and from local watering holes. One teacher remarked that this night was the only time in his life he over-imbibed. Take into heart the term “Be Smart”. Don’t do anything stupid. Midshipmen have had their hearts broken through over-exuberance. You are too close to throw it all away. By the way, Coast Guard Cadets don’t take these licensing exams as a prerequisite to graduation. Satisfaction You finished. Share it with friends and family. Plan your choreography, and take a victory trip to Manhattan. When you get to your first “real” job- the one with a real paycheck- you’ll experience the sunken-stomach feeling of feeling inept: of being at the bottom of the totem pole. But now’s not the time to think about it. Look at the 18-year old incoming plebe candidates of the Class of 2019, and look in the mirror. See how far you’ve come.

Maryland's New Governor

Maryland got a new governor last week. One who promised to control spending, but to not touch social issues that are “decided law”. One who reached out to diverse constituencies, including supporters of the Port of Baltimore. What is interesting about Governor Larry Hogan, Jr. is his father, Larry Hogan, Sr. He represented the Maryland suburbs of Prince George’s (PG) County in a different era. In 1968, Maryland’s 5th Congress District elected Larry Hogan, Sr., and Richard Nixon, to office. His constituents were working-class whites who had participated in ‘white flight’ from Washington, DC. One could assume that his voters possessed an Archie Bunker mentality. Striking a chord with hard-hat residents, Nixon would win in 1972 with 58% of the vote. However, this did not carry into the Congressman’s politics. Just two years later, and with eloquent language, Larry Hogan, Sr. would become the only Republican congressman to vote for all three articles of impeachment against the disgraced President. In 1978, Larry Hogan ran for, and won, the job of PG County Executive. He would be the last Republican to hold the office in the rapidly diversifying county. Following his father’s footsteps in seeking office with a changing electorate, his son Larry Hogan, Jr. would run against Congressman Steny Hoyer (D) for his father’s old congressional seat in 1992. Perhaps some of the optimism came from the fallout of Willy Horton’s crimes against that PG County, Maryland couple. Though he fell short, he captured 45% of the vote, and won in 4 of the 5 counties represented by that seat. The exception was Prince George’s County. Maryland, like neighboring West Virginia, has strong Democratic registration advantage, by a margin of 2:1. These two places have the last vestiges of the conservative Democrat. Because of demographics, Maryland went from a Southern Democratic stronghold to a Northern, Liberal Democratic leadership without pausing for Republicans, who have not held control of either legislative chamber in a century. While Republicans are concentrated in rural and exurban parts of the State, dispersed conservative voters are a minority elsewhere. Because of this dispersion, Democrats hold 7 of 8 congressional seats today. Combined with enough moderate Democrats, dispersed conservatives can beat liberals in the Democratic primaries. When motivated to come out in statewide elections, these conservatives registered as Democrats often vote Republican, thus appearing as “crossover” votes. This was how Maryland remained a swing state in Presidential Elections from 1948 to 1988, and competitive in the next few Governor’s races. Fast forward through my childhood to 2010. After one-term Governor Robert Ehrlich failed to reclaim his seat in a Republican wave year, he pronounced that it was now practically impossible for a Republican to win a statewide race in Maryland. It seemed that the string of competitive gubernatorial races had ended. Enter Larry Hogan. After defeating office-holders in the Republican primary, he ran a campaign that avoided use of the “R” word in a state where Democrats held a 2:1 registration advantage. Looking to the challenges that former Republican governor Robert Ehrlich faced, he promised to “work with” Democrats to pass meaningful reform legislation that mattered to Marylanders. He would not be the veto machine that Ehrlich was. He campaigned on a simple slogan: “Change Maryland”. Each voter, Democrat, Republican, or Independent, knew what he or she wanted to be changed in Annapolis: Economic stagnation in suburban areas, Virginia eating Maryland’s lunch in terms of attracting businesses, slow progress on fracking rules, crony legislators, underrepresentation of minorities in the State Legislature, raiding of the highway trust fund, prohibition-era liquor laws. For enough voters, a vote for Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown was a vote for the same old problems. But was Hogan, Jr. the wrong kind of change? He rolled with the punches on the social issues, and spoke carefully when he had to. On the surface, Maryland is a solidly blue state where it is possible to run with a socially conservative record. For example, in 2012, the gay marriage referendum passed with 52% of the vote. In a Presidential election year. Democratic opponent Anthony Brown brought out Larry Hogan Jr.’s position on abortion from 1981. Hogan, Jr. gave red meat to working-class religious voters in a state that had just recently allowed abortion-on-demand. It should have been the perfect trap. If Hogan came out as pro-choice in 2014, some religious voters would stay home. But Leroy Carhart was practicing his ‘art’ in Gaithersburg, and the protests drew media attention to incumbent Democratic Governor O’Malley’s lack of action in enforcing Maryland’s long-standing 24-week abortion limit. The culprit in the issue was not women looking for reproductive choice, but one white-haired old man in Gaithersburg. Without having to promise new abortion restrictions, Hogan, Jr. attracted the pro-life vote. On gun rights, Hogan, Jr. had submitted a survey to the NRA, where he earned an “A-“ rating. Hogan did not disclose the positions he took on the survey, but when the news broke, Maryland’s rural sportsmen, and self-defense, knew that Hogan was for them. And he did not have to come out publicly, say, in favor of high-capacity magazines. On election night 2014, Larry Hogan, Sr. wept tears of joy for his son. In his old age, with ailing knees, and without the sharp jaw line seen on the video of his Congressional testimony, he saw his son achieve what he himself did not do some 30 years ago: win a statewide race. Prince George’s County has a special place for the Hogan family. They are part of the past, a bygone era in white working-class politics. Hogan, Jr. is part of the future. Prince George’s county faces issues from crime, to transportation, to mediocre public schools. Shortly after his election, Larry Hogan, Jr. met with County Executive Rushern Baker, an African-American Democrat, to form a working partnership that transcended political talking points. Mr. Baker’s PG County is much different today than when Larry Hogan, Sr. won elections here. In 2010, just 19% of residents of PG County were white, and represented a spectrum of viewpoints: the progressive academic living next door to the University of Maryland, the rural families in the outskirts of the County who have little connection to the rest of the County, the working-class whites who never left, and the apolitical newcomers inhabiting affordable waterfront property. President Obama carried PG County with 89.73% of the total vote, and just under half of the County’s white vote. This past November, Larry Hogan, Jr. won 15% of the vote here. After all, he was seen as the candidate of rural and white suburban Maryland. Time will tell if Larry Hogan, Jr. gives PG County the attention of a caring County Executive by tackling Prince George’s issues with new approaches. Link to Larry Hogan Sr’s. Testimony on Richard Nixon’s Impeachment: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=larry+hogan+senior&FORM=HDRSC2#view=detail&id=D1A979D5E6B76C84A59C4A65C8335F37A505FD90&selectedIndex=3

A Slide Rule is Built

If there is no power on the ship, your calculator batteries are dead, and you need to do a thermodynamic calculation to finish repairing the steam turbine, you ought to have a slide rule. Or, a spare calculator. For the last post of the year, I’m diving into the history of how we calculate. At the start of plebe year, midshipmen at KP purchase two calculators for classes- a low-powered, $15, scientific version known as the TI-30, and a TI-84 graphing calculator. Because the TI-84 knows too much, some math tests require that you use the ‘dummy’ scientific calculator. But the $15 handheld device was the thing that put the slide rule out of business. What history the TI-30 has. Launched in 1976 (with LED lamps, less functionalities, and a larger size), it cost $25 in then-dollars, or $103 today. The affordable device opened electronic computing power to a wide audience, and sent slide rules the way of the steam locomotive: at least for the Atari generation. Technology is for the young, and browsing forums, I discovered that, in the 1980’s, experienced slide-rule-toting architects and engineers feared younger professionals who never used the slide rule. (Today, there are still aficionados for hand drawings over digital blueprints, including KP faculty). I got a brief overview on the theory of slide rules from a neighbor in my dormitory. He actually prefers the slide rule, and it got him through high school and into KP. Of course, the slide rule is so quaint that the SAT and ACT don’t mention it on the list of approved calculators. As scientific calculators without power cords, they appear to be permitted. I bet that Mr. Miller brought an electronic calculator just in case the proctor wasn’t in the know. You have to be smart when using the slide rule. You have to count your zeroes, and project a reasonable answer. These are good skills that successful students use. My father has a Pickett Synchroscale model, with leather case, on the shelf at home. With some time on my hands during the winter break, I decided to make one of my own. I printed a template off the internet, and hit the arts-and-crafts store. The store was an intersection of fine arts majors and architects, and I got some interested looks as I built my gizmo. I cut some polystyrene sheets to make a bezel and a slide, and got some clear PVC to make the viewer. I pasted on the template strips, and voila, a slide rule. Perfectly suited for use as a hipster accessory, or as a calculating device. Give some respect to the slide rule: they built America. As for slide rules that still earn their keep, some variants of the slide rule exist for navigational purposes for airline pilots and ship’s mates. These are used to determine distances on scaled drawings. Print a slide rule: http://www.scientificamerican.com/media/pdf/Slide_rule.pdf How to use a slide rule: www.hpmuseum.org/srinst.htm List of slide rule makers: http://www.sliderules.info/trade/makers.htm Images of the original TI-30: http://coolstuff4819.blogspot.com/2014/10/1976-texas-instruments-ti-30-scientific.html

The birth of Federal Express

On the first night of service in 1973, one pilot euphemistically stated to Fedex founder Fred Smith that the plane would not need to make a second trip that night. FedEx handled 186 packages to 25 cities. Their choice of cities reflected travel time, demand for just-in-time deliveries, and ease of implementation: The small propeller aircraft had to travel to Memphis, TN, and back to its origin before the business day. The first cities to receive service were medium-sized blue-collar cities, rather than larger paperwork cities, like New York and Washington. The implementation of FedEx required mailroom staff to sort out packages by destination. At the time, expediting a package required working with an airfreight broker. The ability to send express packages in bulk, rather than as single items changing hands at multiple airfreight terminals, was a great cost savings. While suburbanization was in full swing, businesses were still concentrated in the city. With the rapid increase of rural factories, and exurban office and industrial parks at the end of the 20th century, FedEx would have required many more trucks just to cover the ground territory. Demand for Fedex's services would grow exponentially as more cities were added. For executives of blue-collar firms, reducing the amount of parts in inventory helped the bottom line. Fedex now represents a nimble operation, which synergistically incorporates related services such as ground shipping, Kinko’s copy and print shop services, and a state-of-the art customs brokerage operation. Because of its focus on industrial shipments- things that can’t be sent by wire, the fax machine and email were not able to put FedEx out of business. These diverse factors, present in 1973, helped to contribute to the nascent FedEx’s growth success. Source: http://about.van.fedex.com/fedex-opco-history