Month: March 2003

Alaska vote approaching

Also while we're worried about Iraq, the Senate is set to vote next week and it looks like Arctic Drilling Hinges On One Vote. The battle over drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is very close and, "'Dick Cheney has been working madly to secure the 50th (vote),' said the e-mail sent to GOP offices." I am opposed to the drilling for several reasons, primarily because the refuge won't yield significant amounts of oil (surveys estimate it's worth pumping out 6 billion barrels, or enough to supply all US oil needs for about 11 months), it won't yield any oil for three to four years (doing nothing to address the current oil crises and gas prices), and it sets a dangerous precedent of exploring land that we've put aside to protect. Why not put the funds towards alternative energy research?

When I was in Anchorage last year, we discussed ANWR over lunch. The locals were in support of it, perhaps because oil revenues give Alaskans an annual refund (~$2,000 each in 2000) and allow the state to forgo a sales tax to generate revenue. The locals assured me that the area around ANWR isn't anything like it's been presented. It's a cold, barren tundra that no camper or tourist will ever visit. Of course, one also told me that the animals actually like the Alaska Pipeline because it radiates heat, so they all snuggle up against it for warmth. I remain unconvinced.

I New York

A few New York City related links. First, the Empire State Building Tower Lighting Schedule. Each night as I cross 6th Avenue on my way home from work, one of my favorite views is to look down the street at the Empire State Building. I always pause for a minute just to take it in. Now I'll have some idea what the lights are all about. And because one of my other favorite things to do in the city is to take the subway, here are two links to NYC Subway history: NYC Subway.org and Chen's New York City Subway Page.

Weblog as journalism

Last night around 10:30 PM a fire broke out on the top floor of a six-story apartment building on the corner of W. 4th Street and Bank Street in New York's West Village neighborhood. Witnesses reported seeing flames shooting from the windows and reaching thirty feet in the air. Said one woman at the scene, "I think there was an explosion." Many many fire trucks arrived (causing lots of crazy dog barking and one orange cat "freak-out") and extinguished the blaze rapidly. Smoke was seen rising from the top floor on the eastern side of the building for nearly an hour. No injuries were reported, though the awning of (the very tasty and reasonably-priced) La Focaccia was damaged by falling debris, including an air conditioner that smashed spectacularly onto the street below.

The old neighbors

There's a wonderful article in the New York Times about The Old Neighbors, or the people who lived in our buildings and homes before we did.

We live here in the traces of others' lives," said Richard Rabinowitz, president of the American History Workshop, based in Brooklyn. "It can be a great kick to imagine the people who preceded us. It's the way great literature works, in that it lets you project yourself into multiple possibilities.

Nearly every home or apartment I've lived in has been built before WWII, most before WWI, and I've always found myself imagining the lives of the occupants before me. For some reason I was especially prone to this in my San Francisco apartment, wondering, as I used the same stove countless other women had used over the years, if a young woman stood in my exact spot, listening to FDR on the radio while she roasted a chicken for dinner, perhaps worried about a friend or lover overseas, fighting a war.

The article mentions the term 'genealogy of place,' which I wasn't familiar with but is perfect. I find my mind wonders most often in that direction. Looking down at the slate sidewalks in the West Village, I often wonder about the petticoats and silk skirts that brushed its surface, of the women that walked the very sidewalks so long before me. Sadly I think I've missed a great opportunity to find out about the history of our building. The woman across the hall, who'd lived in her apartment since 1967, moved out last month. I'll have to begin my investigations with someone else.

Don’t get distracted

While most of the media, and the world, is talking about Iraq, and Saddam Hussein, don't get distracted from some very real and pressing issues at home (and no I'm not talking about the preposterous re-naming of french fries to freedom fries). The US Senate is voting this week on a bill to ban "partial-birth" abortions. The House has already approved the measure and President Bush is also expected to sign it.

Two very scary problems exist with the legislation as it now stands: first, it offers no exceptions if the mother's life is in danger ("ignoring the Supreme Court's insistence that such an exception is a constitutional requirement for any abortion regulation,") and its muddled wording, "would criminalize the use of the safest and most common pre-viability abortion method used after the first trimester." The Senate rejected an amendment that would have required prescription drug coverage of contraceptives and provisions to increase awareness of emergency contraceptive measures (like the "morning-after" pill). Sadly, it looks like the bill's got the votes to pass.

Clarification: it wasn't clear in some earlier articles I read about the proposed amendments regarding the "life of the mother" exception. The bill does contain language allowing the procedure if the life of the mother is at risk. The Sentate continues to reject amendments to allow an exception if the health of the mother is in danger. From today's New York Times article, Senate G.O.P. Holds Firm As Vote on Abortion Nears:

In the final vote before the overall measure was to be considered, the Senate defeated an amendment by Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, to allow an exception to the ban when the attending physician determines that the procedure is necessary to preserve the life or health of the woman. The proposed law already includes an exception to save the life of a pregnant woman. Advocates of the ban say that allowing for the health of the woman would badly weaken the measure since the health rationale could be broadly interpreted.

Related: The Village Voice on Bush's War on Women: Part I, Stealth Misogyny and Part II, The Myth of Progress.

Old School, you rule!

Though I said I couldn't wait to see Old School, for a variety of reasons I did wait, until last night. And oh, it was so good! Vince Vaughn was excellent, just great, as were Will Ferrell and Luke Wilson. If you're looking for a fun, laughy film (complete with Whitesnake songs! Whitesnake!), scoot yourself to the nearest theatre and check out Old School. Even the New Yorker liked it.

The mystery is solved

Regarding the earlier anonymous email and "page not found" message: some URL hacking has led to this article, Foetuses 'may be conscious long before abortion limit'. Ah, it makes sense now, especially the anonymous email. Most correspondence I get from people who oppose legal abortion is anonymous. I don't expect us all to agree, but it would be nice if people had the courage to stand by their beliefs, and put a name alongside their convictions.

HBO idea

HBO has done a fantastic job of distinguishing itself from other cable movie stations like Showtime by developing high-quality original programming like Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, and Sex in the City. They've got their brand associated with quality, here's a plan to strengthen it. Push the low-end, re-run movies out to HBO2 and other HBO channels. Then fill the remaining slots (those that don't have original programming or sports) with superb films and documentaries. Show things like No Man's Land, and Sundance/Cannes picks. Make it so that every time I turn on HBO, there's something worth watching.