Pigeons

Christiane Amanpour has long been my favorite CNN correspondent. She is absolutely fearless, often placing herself in the line of fire while remaining cool as a cucumber. She has reported on Iraq, Israel, Iran, Afghanistan and Rwanda, to name just a few countries.

 

Yesterday, on a bagel-purchasing mission (at the House of Bagels) on Geary Street, I  emulated Christiane. You see, I'm something of an amateur scientist, forever searching for answers to the great questions that puzzle our civilization. One of these is "how do birds succeed in sitting equidistant from each other on a wire?" When I saw a loft (yes, loft) of pigeons on a wire, I stationed myself directly below the birds, for the best shot to illustrate my research. I was in  their precise line of fire. The ground beneath me was covered with spent missiles. But thinking of Christiane filled me with courage. Luckily I took my picture and escaped unscathed.