move on (up)

My last post stole from a Curtis Mayfield song so this one will too. Given the Sunday coverage of the Henry Louis Gates story, it seems that the media is ready to move on from GatesGate. According to most reports, all it took to soothe racial tensions was a phone call from the president and the promise of beer. While I suspect there are many unresolved issues for both Crowley and Gates, it’s good to hear both men are now willing to speak to one another on more civil terms.

As the media spotlight dies down there are still important discussions about race that need to take place. Yesterday afternoon my wife and I walked by Gate’s Cambridge residence. The news vans were mostly gone but we noticed that the area in front of the house was  peppered with a couple signs that illustrated clearly that this incident has struck a nerve. Here are the two we could read:

“Playing the RACE CARD when there’s no RACISM just breeds contempt and division.”

signs in cambridge 1

“Groundless RACIAL accusations promote RACIAL division!”

signs in cambridge 2

There were a few more signs resting by a tree, but we didn’t bother reading those. We had read enough to get the point. While the anonymous author of these signs was nowhere to be found, the message was loud and clear. There is still much work to be done with regards to race. This piece in the New York Times by Glenn Loury gets to some of the issues underlying this case.

…and finally, a short clip (including a conga solo at 3:27) from the late, great Curtis Mayfield.

darker than blue

The arrest of professor Henry Louis Gates sparked a media frenzy that has revealed the contentious state of race relations in the United States. Since this story broke earlier this week, the rashamon effect has begun and nearly everyone, including the president, has an opinion of what “really” happened. Some side with the officer, Sgt. James Crowly, while others side with professor Gates. I find myself in the latter camp, and I think the affair should have ended the moment Gates showed his identification to Crowly.

I don’t know if this is a clear instance of racial profiling or an example of two strong personalities clashing heads. But, given the history of racism in this country and the disproportionate number minorities in prisons throughout the US, it seems perfectly reasonable for Gates to use this event as a teaching moment. The fact is, people who are (as Curtis Mayfield use to say) darker than blue have to live in constant awareness, and even fear, of the police. For minorities, there is no such thing as having the luxury of “playing the race card”  when stopped by the police. Race cannot be turned on and off like a switch. It is on display whether we like it or not and color is subject to constant scrutiny and abuse regardless of innocence or guilt. Racial profiling and abuse of power by law enforcement officers are issues that must be constantly monitored. Ultimately, those responsible for such craven acts should be removed from their positions.

Of course, there are many good cops, of all ethnicities, who do their best to keep citizens in their communities safe. These good folks risk their lives on a regular basis and they deserve respect and gratitude. Let’s hope this incident will not take away from their actions, but will instead illustrate the pervasive injustices that still exist in this country.

good eats

pear, gorgonzola, walnut pizza

We ate every well tonight. Ingrid and I made this pizza with bosc pears, gorgonzola, candied walnuts and caramelized onions. Ingrid has become a master at making the dough and I can crumble cheese. We make a good team.

We had several notable meals in Seattle too. They weren’t all deep fried, but it sure felt like that.  Here are a few of the highlights.

deep fried goodness at ivar's

dim sum at jade garden in the international district

fried donughts at tom douglas's dahlia bakery

austin to boston layout update

what a cool blog looks like

Hopefully the rss feeds don’t pick up the 889 changes i just made to this blog’s layout. If they did, I’m sorry. I couldn’t find a theme that made me happy so I’ve settled on this for now. Of course, if I really wanted something I liked, I’d dust off my css/html skills and give it a go by hand. I’ve been very inspired by Jason Santa Maria’s blog experiment, and I’d like to do something like he’s done, but I’m no JSM, so I’ll leave that cool stuff to the pros, and stick with this simple layout for now.

Besides, many web designers say content is king, so with that in mind, I’ll be adding more content soon on our recent trip to Vancouver and Seattle.

fourth of july in boston

4th of july fireworks

ingrid and i went to see the 4th of july fireworks this weekend. boston is a city known for this celebration so we had high expectations. the fireworks and the music from the boston pops orchestra lived up to the hype, but i found it odd that the orchestra didn’t play throughout the fireworks show; instead, the producers played recorded tunes of lesser-known country tracks. i couldn’t quite understand why these songs were played, but the explosions in the sky made up for those bizarre choices.

in addition to the fireworks, orchestra, and weird country songs, the event was hosted by “tv’s craig ferguson” and there was a live performance by neil diamond for a CBS live broadcast. unfortunately, neither ferguson nor diamond were given much time to shine. it felt like their performances were carefully measured and reserved for the TV-viewing audience instead of the nearly 500,000 people in the crowd lined up along both sides of the charles river in boston and cambridge.

lockhart and ferguson jig: photo by bill brett, boston globe

still, in spite of the limitations on the performances for tv, ferguson was a good host. he kept the evening rolling. diamond was also in good form for two songs (sweet caroline and america), but i didn’t think we got a full dose of either artist.  to their credit, both performers tried to entertain the huge crowd. ferguson did a short jig with boston pop’s director keith lockhart during a commercial break, and diamond played another verse from sweet caroline but had to cut it short before the tv cameras went back on. speaking of “sweet caroline,” this song plays during every red sox home game and, apparently, was written with carolyn kennedy in mind. this might explain why this is such a hit in boston, but i still don’t understand how this is such a hit at every wedding in the country.

neil diamond and woman with crazy flag hat: photo by bill brett, boston globe

regardless of the limitations on the artists for the television production, the night was a rousing success and a fantastic reminder of what makes this country great. as we walked down the charles river looking for a perfect viewing station, we were surrounded by people of all shapes, sizes and ethnicities. once we settled on a spot, we were behind two elderly, white locals, who seemed to know when the fireworks were coming. they knew exactly when to stand up, and when to ready their lawn chairs so they could leave. in front of them were a younger, rowdier bunch of white, latino and african american kids. this crew, adorned in their red sox gear and tats, would break into chants of “USA, USA, USA”  one minute, and “YANKEES SUCK!” the next. Just to the right of us was a woman with a thick Spanish accent who kept yelling, “VIVA USA, VIVA USA.” just to the right of her was a college student tying (very hard) to pick her up.

probably, our tiny corner on the banks of the charles was a microcosm of what went on throughout the city. we all sang along with neil through both versions of sweet caroline, we all oh-ed and aw-ed at the fireworks, and we all enjoyed celebrating another year of this country. it didn’t feel overly jingoistic or political, just communal and fun.

three years

ingrid and eddie :: july 1, 2006

Just three years ago today Ingrid and I said our “I do”s in front of our friends and family. That day, we promised to have and to hold, to love and cherish, in sickness and health, for better or worse, etc. etc. Now, on the day of our leather anniversary, we are as committed to those vows as we were on that rainy Texas afternoon. It was a beautiful day, and Eric’s picture of us captures our feelings perfectly.