Editor, Reporter, Writer
Outside of the LA Times‘ downtown office, there is a line around the block of people waiting to buy yesterday’s paper–in bulk. Stack and stacks of yesterday’s paper are piled against the wall in the lobby, as people buy ten at a time. The Times is also selling commemorative plates of the front page.
It’s pretty amazing.
Because of yesterday’s historic results, print newspapers are having a SOLD-OUT day. Literally.
When I was walking down the street in downtown LA on my way to the Times building, I saw people walking with stacks of newspapers. That’s something you don’t see everyday around here. Or anywhere.
A friend of mine said he’s having trouble finding a San Francisco Chronicle, and in LA there are signs on every empty box saying where you can find a paper. Luckily, being in the LA Times building, I was able to grab one or two.
Everyone wants to remember this day. And they don’t want to just print out the article from their computer. They want to hold that newspaper in their hands. They want to hold history in their hands.
I guess that’s how you know this is really a moment that will last forever.
While watching my fifth hour of CNN election coverage last night, I was BLOWN AWAY by the advanced technology the station was using. They had a giant interactive wall that seemed to work like a mega-Iphone.
But more importantly, they HOLOGRAMED people in. I doubt that’s a verb, but it should be. For example, Will.I.Am was in Chicago at the Obama rally, but was beamed in for an interview with Anderson Cooper (see video below). Just like Star Trek/ Wars. Who knew we had come so far.
When I saw him speak in person, I was shocked by his genuine optimism and love for this country and its people. He spoke with a power and a purpose I have never seen in a human being. But what I noticed more than anything was the way people reacted to him. I knew then that there was a light for our country. And our future.
This was more than a battle of two men.
This was a race about more than
race
or upbringing
or status.
It was about more than
politics
or power.
This was about America
and Americans
and the fact that
underneath it all
we’re all optimists
who believe we can be better than we are.
This was about believing
in our future
and ourselves.
This was about HOPE.
And hope never dies.
No matter how poor,
how alone,
or how desolate things become.
Hope triumphs.
To the future….
Rebecca M Ford 