Contact
Add ShazzerSpeak
The Place
The Call
Two Big O's invade Denmark
Michelle Obama arrived in Denmark today to help sell Chicago to the International Olympic Committee as the site of the 2016 Games. And while "official" Copenhagen is delighted to be hosting the First Lady, along with Oprah Winfrey and eventually the President himself on Friday, Jens Q. Publik is not as enthusiastic.
Not surprisingly, the arrival of Air Force One is going to wreak havoc on commuters (including Dr. Darling and my Favorite Alpha Geek) Friday morning, because not only will Kastrup be shutdown to air traffic, but the trains (both commuter from Sweden and local Metro) that stop at the airport will be prevented from passing under it during the morning rush hour, producing a domino-effect of delays for the entire system. Then there are the large sections of central Copenhagen's business district that will be impassable to vehicular traffic due to security for the Presidential motorcade.
In other words, Barack's appearance at the IOC meeting this week is creating an awful lot of hassle for what the Danish press is reporting as all but a "done deal." At least that's what I've been able to gleen from the TV reports we've been watching...most of which have been live with no Swedish subtitles. (Even Dr. Darling needs subtitles when watching Danish TV.) In the meantime, Michelle's 3-day itinerary is packed but includes no appearances for which the public can come and see her...which is really disappointing.
Oprah has been spotted out and about in Copenhagen, however. Evidently she is using the trip to prepare a taped video package for her show that explains why Danes are consistently ranked at the top of "life satisfaction" surveys and studies. I'm thinking about sending her producers my blog entry about our experience during a family vacation AKA "Snooze-Fest" to Denmark's Lalandia Resort, home of the country's largest waterpark, you know, as background information.
