I’m a New Yorker and proud to be one. I’m proud to call people like Mayor Michael Bloomberg fellow New Yorkers; even moreso when, faced with divisive subjects like the Park51 mosque, they give speeches like this:
This is a test of our commitment to American values. We have to have the courage of our convictions. We must do what is right, not what is easy. And we must put our faith in the freedoms that have sustained our great country for more than 200 years.
What I’m not so proud of, on the other hand, are idiots like this:
Michael Enright … was charged with felony attempted murder as a hate crime – among other crimes – after [he] slashed [NYC cabbie Ahmed] Sharif across the face, arm and hand after asking the Bangladesh-born cabbie if he was Muslim and then saying ‘As-salaam alaikum’ – which means ‘peace be unto you’ in Arabic
Aside from shooting a bunch of photo in Napa (still processing them, some are here) we also visited a few wineries I hadn’t previously tried. Our last few visits to wine country have either focused on Sonoma or have been somewhat disappointing, but this weekend we hit a few winners.
Most notable:
Castello di Amorosa – more of an experience than a winery but despite the touristy castle attraction, it ended up being a blast. And the wines were not bad either. V Sattui – Fantastic deli & picnic area AND some tasty wines, particularly if you’re a fan of Riesling. Mumm Napa – I was somehow under the impression they made plonk but was pleasantly surprised to find I was wrong.
So a Federal court has struck down CA Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage, on the grounds that it’s unconstitutional.
At this point it’s obviously just a matter of time before Prop 8 winds it way to the US Supreme Court. So today’s ruling is just one more waypoint on that long journey and, thanks to the stay Judge Walker granted almost immediately after issuing his ruling, nothing has really changed.
What’s bugging me tonight are not so much the outright anti-gay bigots, but the ones who choose to wrap their bias in the cloak of their “activist judges are stepping on the voice of the PEOPLE!” outrage.
It’s really simple. The US Constitution sets the rules by which this country is run. If “the people” vote on something that’s against the tenets of the Constitution, it is completely appropriate to use the courts to deny “the people” their wish.
Don’t like it? You have options. Amend the Constitution. Or go live somewhere else. But this is America and these are the rules by which we operate. Getting upset when those rules go against you is, well, un-American.
I don’t know how this will all end. For all I know the Supreme Court will eventually decide that banning gay marriage does not violate the 14th Amendment and Prop 8 will stand. And I’ll be pretty unhappy if that does come to pass (G-d forbid!). But that’s how America works.
It would be nice if more Americans understood that.
The release of Android 2.2 (Froyo) and going on vacation inspired me to try dumping my Crackberry altogether and just using the Nexus One fulltime. All in all it’s been working out quite well.
I’ve also been adding apps like a demon. Here’s the current list:
Adobe Flash
Adobe Reader
Advanced Task Killer
AIM
ASTRO File Manager
AT&T myWireless
Barcode Scanner
CaltrainDroid
CardioTrainer
Compass
DoubleTwist
Dropbox
Foursquare
Gowalla
Last.fm
NewsRob
OpenTable
Photoshop.com Mobile
Ringdroid
Shazam
Shopper
The Weather Channel
Tripit
Urbanspoon
WordPress
And for fun:
Android LightSaber
Bubble
Bump
iVuvuzela
Jewels
Magic 8-Ball
Even better? Every single one of those apps are free (note that DoubleTwist is currently “free for a limited time”, YMMV).
Plus there’s the built-in apps, some of which are new or significantly improved in 2.2, including the email and gmail clients, calendar, Navigation, Voice Search, and the Google Sky Map.
The only things I miss from my Blackberry are the battery life and the real keyboard, and with any luck there’ll be more Androids with keyboards out this fall.
I’m just back from a 10-day trip back East and don’t go back to work until next Monday. What a luxury, having so much time off!
While back East, I was privileged to spend time with ~70 members of my mother’s family in our first-ever clan reunion. Approximately 100 years ago my great-grandfather came to the USA; a typical story of immigration – bit by bit he brought his 10 children over, and established a new life for the family here. A few generations later, the cousins have scattered across the USA. My uncle took it into his head to reunite us all for a weekend and the result was a fantastic event.
Here’s a sample of the photos taken:
Quite a few of the cousins have ended up out here in the Bay Area – it’s a nice feeling to know I actually do have family nearby.
I also spent three days up at a spa in the Catskills with my sister and a long weekend with Scott in Connecticut, celebrating the Independence Day weekend with sailing, food, friends, family, and fireworks.
As much as I love my job, it’s been really nice to slow it down for a bit, stop obsessively reading my work email, and relax.
It’s (finally) that time of year when we start getting a lot of afternoon light on the terrace. I’m fascinated by the shadows the sun casts on the terrace, & now with the prime lens I’ve been having some fun with depth of focus shots against the patterns the shadows cast.
It’s easy to be outraged when you read about recent racist going-on in states like Arizona and South Carolina. The offenses are so egregious that they’d be laughable if thy weren’t real — Lightening the faces of schoolchildren in a mural? One serious candidate for governor calling another candidate (and President Obama) a “raghead“?
Really? This is what America has come to?
Looking around the Internet you’ll find a lot of pixels spent decrying how terrible it is, wondering why people feel it’s OK to do this sort of thing today, and generally exuding an air of smug superiority that they are so much more enlightened than those awful racists.
Ohreallynow?
I wrote this a few years ago. Exactly how much has changed?
Racism exists even in the deep-blue zones of San Francisco. We do better than most, but even here we still struggle. Look around your friends, neighbors, and co-workers. You probably can point to a bunch of people whose families come from India, China, Japan, Europe, and similar parts of the planet. Blacks and Latinos though? Not so much.
And no, I am not naive enough to think that there’s a simple solution to the problem. Just saying that before you point a finger, think a bit abut how it could be pointed back at you.
