Last month, the Texas House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved, 110-24, a budget bill with an amendment that would require public colleges with a center for students with “alternative” sexualities to provide equal funding to create new centers to promote “traditional values.” The amendment was proposed by Wayne Christian, a Republican. Although lawmakers who support the amendment claim they only desire equal time for all kinds of sexuality, the real goal is to pressure colleges into eliminating the existing centers.
The Young Conservatives of Texas, a group that worked with Christian, did so with the hope that public colleges would respond to a law, if the bill passes, by ending support for existing centers. Tony McDonald, senior vice chairman of the group and a law student at UT Austin, said in an interview that “we could try to get these groups defunded” in a law, but that the equal funding approach was viewed as more likely to pass (perhaps with the same impact).
McDonald doesn’t want universities to provide centers on any sexuality or values. He said that students “who want to promote a homosexual lifestyle” can do so “on their own time and with their own money.” He claims that these centers “are encouraging folks who consider themselves homosexuals to go on considering themselves as such. That’s the point of the centers, and that’s not something Texas taxpayers should spend their money on.”
The irony is that it is attitudes like McDonald’s create the need for resources to support students that are not heterosexual. We are continually taught from the moment we are born, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, to be heterosexual. It is all we see and hear. Most of us are also taught that homosexuality is a sin. A perversion. That it is somehow a learned behavior or “lifestyle.”
Yet despite the overwhelming social pressure to be straight, the biological imperative remains – we simply are not attracted to the opposite sex. Thus, when we come to realize that we are different somehow, it usually creates a massive amount of stress and conflict. And any person, especially a young person, needs resources to deal with that stress. These centers help people accept who they are so that they can be successful students and productive citizens.
Supporters of the centers say that they are needed to provide support for student minorities, however McDonald claims that it is actually traditional students who lack power – that it is heterosexuals who are oppressed. He states:
“If I were to walk through UT law school with a shirt on that said, ‘Homosexuality is immoral,’ if I were to do that, there would be an uproar. People would be upset, and it would be considered out of place and not acceptable to do that. I’d probably get a talking to. But if you go through campus to promote homosexuality, that is the norm.”
McDonald is complaining that people would be upset that someone publicly announced that homosexuality is immoral. And I believe that is one of the drivers of legislation like this. Social and religious conservatives believe that they not only have the right to make hateful, hurtful statements, but control the lives of others based on their prejudices. Well, if they have the right to hate, I have the right to complain about them.
What the Texas House refuses to understand is that the centers function as sanctuaries. They are refuges from a cultural environment of “traditional values” that is hostile to students who are different. Texas schools don’t need centers for traditional values, they are centers for traditional values. And some of those values apparently include ignorance, hate and intolerance for anyone who dares to think, feel, or act differently than heterosexuals. The Texas Observer responded in a column that begins:
“Imagine the plight of the heterosexual student stepping on to a college campus for the first time. How will he fit in? Should he tell his new roommate about his alternative hetero lifestyle? Will he be bullied, just like he was in high school, where he was mercilessly teased for being a sexual deviant? Where does a straight person turn?”
And ends:
Isn’t requiring a Traditional and Family Values Center for every Pride Center kind of like requiring a White Student Union for every Black Student Union? After all, Gay-Straight Alliances are built on inclusiveness and tolerance. I seriously doubt the same could be said about so-called “family values” centers.
This is part of a growing trend among, well, straight white Christians. You know, those unfortunate people who protest that they have lost their civil rights [1]. The massive Christian majority in America that is somehow being oppressed despite this.[2] The reality is that they are being forced to recognize that others exist and – darn it – have the *right* to exist. And heaven forbid they actually put themselves in someone else’s shoes. McDonald would be singing a very different tune if he had been born gay.
I used to have my Facebook privacy setting set such that “friends of friends” could view my religious and political beliefs as well as my favorite quotes and “about me” section. This was so that “friends of friends” who wished to send me a friend request could see what they were asking for – and see my little note that I rarely added people I didn’t know.
Then someone who apparently didn’t have enough to occupy her time decided to send me a message and share her opinion of me. I made the mistake of responding, thus violating one of my quotes that advise against arguing with idiots. It won’t happen again. Anyway, before I share the exchange, which I cut off after my second response, here is what she could read:
Religious:
Live and Let Live
Political:
The Republican Party is destructive on a global scale.
Quotes:
“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, the whole world would be vegetarian” – Linda McCartney
“The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance — it is the illusion of knowledge. – Daniel J. Boorstin”
“America believes in education: the average professor earns more money in a year than many professional athletes earn in a whole week.” – Evan Esar
“Reasoning with a fanatic is like reasoning with someone delusional–it can’t be done. Don’t try.” – Chuck
“Academia is [said by right wing commentators to be] “skewed to the left” because right wing ideology is not supported by rational inquiry.” – Dean
“Blaming an entire group (Muslims, Christians, Jews, etc.) for the actions of a subset is not a best practice.” – me
“Never argue with an idiot. They’ll drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.” – Jon
“Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.” – Albert Einstein
“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“The hostility towards science in favor of ignorance is the mark of a civilization in decline.” – Terry
About Me:
I am Scot-Irish/English/Mexican/Apache, usually soft-spoken, strong, 6’2″, part-time gym rat, a survivor, a system administrator, a southpaw, an eternal student and MARRIED :-)
I am crazy in love with my Arab.
I am Californian. I was born here, and though I grew up in Texas, I came back as soon as I could. I am just more comfortable on the west coast.
I have no tolerance for bigotry, particularly the wave of racism, homophobia, and Islamophobia that has swept the country since we elected our black president.
Tea-partiers and modern Republicans: go get an education* then come back. A conscience wouldn’t hurt either.
* A real education teaches cool things like how to research, cite sources and use multiple sources to find the most credible ones – you know, basic truth-testing methods and how to think critically.
And now, the unsolicited opinion:
The pot calling the kettle black.
She launches into an immediate personal attack by calling me judgmental and a bigot because I am “attacking” Tea Party members and Republicans. Apparently, recommending that people who have logically and factually unsupported ideologies before they friend me is bigotry. This is not to say that all Republicans are logically bankrupt, certainly many simply have philosophical positions very different than my own, but the arguments I’ve heard and read relating to today’s hot topics don’t hold water.
“What race is Islam?” I have no idea what this is supposed to mean since Islam is a religion, not a race.
“Did you elect a president because you thought he could do the job … or do you only see color?” I’m not clear on how this is relevant to my quotes, but to answer the question, I voted for Obama because he and Biden had more rational goals and were far more highly educated than the alternative, and because they weren’t bigots, unlike their opponents. I’m not going to support a political party that is hostile to everyone who isn’t heterosexual and Christian, not to mention bent on destroying the environment, our education system and the middle class.
After a bit of rambling, she then attacks Islam, about which she has “learned quite a bit,” and proceeds to demonstrate her profound ignorance of it, as well as of her own religion. She finds Islam “offensive” because she is a woman and because she likes dogs. Apparently, she believes that Islam is uniquely hostile to women and dogs.[1]
She offers a few examples of this. She claims the Qur’an advocates the stoning of women. It does, yet so does the Bible, which she has apparently never read. The Bible contains many, many verses requiring the death of women for various offenses. Here are a few that specifically prescribe death by stoning: Leviticus 20:27, Deuteronomy 22:20-21, Deuteronomy 22:23-24.
“So judge me what you will.” – OK, I judge you an ignorant bigot.
She then concludes with a quote from Surah 8, beginning with Ayah 12, which states that those who disbelieve should be decapitated, etc., for opposing God and his Messenger. You know, as if no other religion could possibly be so intolerant of other faiths.
Which of course brings me to Deuteronomy chapter 17, verse 2 – 7: “If there be found among you … man or woman, that … hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them … Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman … and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.” In other words, kill everyone who has religious beliefs that are different from your own.
Or Deuteronomy 6:14-15. “Ye shall not go after other gods … lest … the LORD … destroy thee from off the face of the earth.” Because, you know, God is a jealous God. He’ll kill you if you worship another god.
The bottom line is that the Bible and Qur’an agree on many, many “values” and punishments. I mean, really. Before you point out the speck in your neighbor’s eye, take a gander at the log in yours.
Anyway, this was my response:
Louise, I have to run, but quickly:
I am admittedly judgmental, but so is most everyone else, especially people that think their religion is correct while attacking that of others (I’m agnostic). I’m not a bigot as political affiliation is a choice. People that dislike or attack other political parties aren’t bigots. As for the Qur’an, of course it has horrible passages. It’s an Abrahamic religion. They all do, including the Bible. My opinion of the Tea Party? I think that’s a good topic for my blog, thank you.
Louise replied by restating her attack on Islam:
The hypocrasy continues.
She begins by repeating that “no other religion has a command to kill those who are not of their religion.” I had no idea that she was an expert on every religion on Earth. I mean, to be able to make such a blanket statement must require amazing expertise. Except of course, that we know that this is wrong; Christianity has the same command as we have seen above.
She then draws two grossly inaccurate observations. One is that I imply that Tea Party members do not love their country. Of course they do. The problem is that they have been misled by very greedy, evil people because they are too lazy or too uneducated to validate the propaganda that they have been presented with. Please see my bit about “real education” in my About Me section above. The reality is not that they don’t like the direction the Obama “regime” (note the right-wing speak) is taking the country – it is that they don’t like the direction they have been told the Obama administration is taking the country. They have been manipulated into believing complete lies.
The second is this: “to say to anyone who disagrees with Obama is a racist … is using the race card.” Where did I say that? Show me. What I said is that racism has swept the country since his election, and that is absolutely true.[2] It sounds to me, Louise, like you are parroting some right-wing commentator and have been manipulated into believing complete fabrications. But I’m speculating here.
She then writes “now I am a Canadian … [but] I know this health care that he wants is not free, you will pay for it in higher taxes, and you will die waiting in line.” She knows this? How? I’d like to see her try to prove it. First of all, America pays over twice as much per person as the rest of the developed world for health care [3] because our health care system is controlled by publicly traded for-profit corporations that exist primarily to make money, not provide health care. If we had an effective health care system it would cost us less, and everyone would be covered, but that won’t happen because we allow corporations to control our government. Second, Louise, have you died waiting in line in your national health care system? How nice that you have it regardless of whether your job provides health care benefits or not, or even if you don’t have a job. Thirdly, I don’t mind paying higher taxes if it means everyone will have adequate health care. Lastly, the right-wing lies about Obama’s health care proposal are just that – lies. [4]
Then comes the crowning jewel – she tells me that I “need to listen more.” Really. Go say that in the mirror, honey, and please, before you decide to impose your two cents uninvited, please know what you are talking about.
*SNAP*
[1] Here are a few Bible verses that blatantly require the subjugation of women: 1 Corinthians 11:3, Ephesians 5:22, Ephesians 23-24, Colossians 3:18. There are others that value them at 1/2 as much as a man: Leviticus 27:3-7.
There is a tradition that the Prophet Muhammad did not like dogs. This is not included in the Qur’an, but has been passed down as one of his sayings.
Beliefs that are common in the culturally isolated parts of America
This came from my family in rural Oklahoma and it made me physically ill. It is yet another ignorant message distributed via email – knee-jerk “Tea Party” crap created by culturally isolated activists who have been thoroughly brainwashed by very selfish, manipulative people (billionaire Koch brothers anyone?) .
It appears that whoever created this email feels threatened by non-Christian religions, foreigners and languages he or she doesn’t understand. This is common outside of places where people, religions and cultures mix – places where people learn that “different” simply means different, not “bad.”
First, America is a multicultural nation. If you want just one culture, well, you’re out of luck. One in four children in America today are Hispanic. Like it or not, it is what it is. Also, many languages are spoken here. There is no national language. If you think we need one, try and amend the Constitution. I’m not sure a federal law would withstand a Constitutional challenge, but you can try that too. If Spanish threatens you, learn it.
Then there is the Christian Bible, which has no place in our government for two main reasons:
1. The First Amendment of our Constitution guarantees Americans the freedom to practice the religion of their choice as well as the freedom to not be religious. America to Christians – not everyone here is Christian. If you seek to impose Christian “values” through law, you are no better than the Islamic Taliban who you so thoroughly despise. It is two sides of the same coin.
2. Religion is called “faith” for a reason – it can’t be proven. And if something can’t be proven, it should not be imposed.
Next, the hate that is directed against Obama by white people (and it is fascinating that they are almost always white) is very mysterious to me. I don’t understand it unless it is racism. But whatever the cause, right-wing ideologues have used this hate to spread lies about him and his policies – lies and hate that will only tear America apart.
The far right would have us believe that the problems faced by this country are gays, immigrants and Muslims. This is a deception to take advantage of the ignorant and distract them from the real issues: jobs, education and the federal deficit: jobs that have been shipped to Asia by greedy corporations looking for cheap labor, education that is under relentless attack by Republicans who can only win by making enough people incapable of critical thought, a federal budget deficit that was created by the last Bush administration, which started wars that have cost us well over a trillion dollars while at the same time giving huge tax cuts to the wealthy and is perpetuated by politicians who are too chicken or greedy to do what must be done for fear of not getting re-elected. Obama inherited the train wreck. He did not cause it.
I challenge anyone to provide a reason why they hate Obama that is based on documented fact, is testable and will stand up to rational inquiry.
As for Sarah Palin, I have no idea why any educated person with a conscience would like her. She is a vacuous opportunist whose ignorance is easily demonstrated. The statements she makes are usually inaccurate. Again, I would challenge anyone to give a substantive ideological reason to admire her.
I am a gay man who is married to a Muslim Arab man and all I’ve seen from Republicans is an avalanche of ignorance-based hate and fear that is used to push an economically and environmentally destructive agenda to consolidating their own power and make themselves insanely wealthy at the expense of the vast majority of Americans. I don’t know why Republicans have become so insecure, selfish and fearful but they have.
I know it’s not going to happen, but if people would simply think critically and perform basic truth-testing before voting, we would have a stronger and much more cohesive nation.
“The [American] political system, plagued by lobbyism and stark hatred, is incapable of reaching consistent or even quick decisions. The country is reacting strangely irrationally to the loss of its importance — it is a reaction characterized primarily by rage. Significant portions of America simply want to return to a supposedly idyllic past. They devote almost no effort to reflection, and they condemn cleverness and intellect as elitist and un-American, as if people who hunt bears could seriously be expected to lead a world power. Demagogues stir up hatred and rage on television stations like Fox News. These parts of America, majorities in many states, ignorant of globalization and the international labor market, can do nothing but shout. They hate everything that is new and foreign to them.” – Is the American Dream Over?
“The deficit has been driven largely by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, massive outlays for Medicare, the financial crisis and two large tax cuts pushed through by President George W Bush and the Republicans in 2001 and 2003.” BBC World News – U.S. and Canada
“It’s a pity that the modern Republican Party offers the American people an irrelevant platform of recycled Keynesianism when the old approach — balanced budgets, sound money and financial discipline — is needed more than ever.” New York Times
This axiom is key to the sanity of anyone who does something for a large group of people, like, say, perform at or produce a world class circuit party. People have different tastes, different expectations, different responses to K, X or G. No matter how hard you try or plan, someone, somewhere, isn’t going to be happy.
During the final hours of Real Bad, when I could worry less about technical issues and more about our guests, I spent some time wandering amongst the crowd – answering questions, showing people where the exit was, and my favorite, being thanked.
I’d guess around a dozen guys I knew and just as many I didn’t know stopped me or pulled me aside to thank me for putting on such a great party and/or for working so that they could enjoy the party. Many of them also offered feedback about our DJ, Sean Mac of Atlanta. This is where it got interesting.
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. So much so that when I received the first criticism, I was momentarily speechless. Here are the three less-than-stellar reviews that I heard that night/morning:
“The music is good, but very American. This would never work in Europe, but of course, this isn’t Europe.”
“I love his choice of songs but the bridging [between songs] is terrible.”
“The music is really bad. This is the worst DJ I’ve heard here [at Real Bad].”
You can’t please everybody.
The first and third comments were from Europeans, leaving me to wonder in my musical ignorance, “what do they dance to over there? Techno? Skinhead skullcrusher grindmusic?” I really have no clue. And even if Sean wasn’t spinning someone’s favorite flavor of House, it was completely inoffensive and fun to dance to. How is that terrible? I’ve been (briefly) to dances where the “music” was actually painful, and I don’t mean the volume.
It’s been a month since Real Bad, and the comments continue to be overwhelmingly positive, if polarized. Most people really enjoyed the music, but the ones that didn’t, really disliked it. I didn’t hear any in-between. Then a few days ago, I had this exchange with a fellow visiting from Germany:
Germans aren't known for mincing words.
“Crappy girlyhouse music?” What, exactly, does that mean? He doesn’t like songs with female vocals?
The Real Bad Working Group makes the party happen. A sub-group of working group members, the DJ Selection Committee, invites submissions from various DJ’s that meet a set of criteria (basically, that they haven’t spun for a large event in San Francisco before). After reviewing the submissions, the committee requests a longer set from each DJ in the group of finalists. These sets are reviewed blind – the committee members do not know which DJ recorded which set – and after the votes are tallied, the DJ that can best “steer the party through a well-composed landscape of rhythms and emotions” is selected. [1]
Spinning for Real Bad is kind of a big deal, and the party has launched the careers of several now-internationally known DJ’s. [1] This year, Sean Mac won the competition and as far as I know, all of us in the working group feel he knocked the ball out of the park. I personally think, at the ripe old age of 23, he knocked the ball so far out of the park that it is still in orbit.
Being a great DJ requires more than selecting the right songs. It is more than than demonstrating prowess at bridging between songs. It is about reading the crowd, connecting the crowd to the music, becoming part of the music. One glance in the DJ booth the night of Real Bad XXII and anyone could see that Sean was having the time of his life. The connection between he and the music and the crowd was palpable. I would even say magical.
As a member of the production committee, I had the privilege of getting a copy of Sean’s full nine hour set, recorded live. [2] I’ve listened to it all the way through twice. Now, I’m not a DJ or music critic. I’m just a guy that likes to dance to fun, inspiring music. But I think his set is great, the selection of songs (82 of them!) is great, in some cases inspired, and his segues … Ok, a few of the bridges were just painful, but nine hours and 82 songs? Let’s cut him some slack.
Crappy girlyhouse music?
The below video put together by one of our guests features the “peak song” selected by Craig (below with DJ Sean Mac), who was our Production Committee chairman [3]. He picked “All the Lovers” by Kylie Minogue (Ennry & Edu Quintas Remix). The video is a collection of stills and videos by others and includes the “peak moment” at 10pm when the confetti cannons fired and, well, the magic happened (starts at around 5:04 in the video).
The song builds and peaks, the confetti cannons fire, the lights and lasers blaze, the cryo machines blast a cloud of cold air onto the sweaty dancers, who look up with delighted faces at the rain falling from a white cloud that explodes with light and sound. It’s not technology, it’s magic. [4]
It’s the magic created by a group of volunteers, enabled by our sponsors, funded by the hosts that make up the Circle of Friends, and enjoyed by our guests who whether they know it or not are financially supporting their community. Our community. Real Bad XXII raised a record amount of money this year for our beneficiaries, an amount that will be announced on November 11th.
If this song is “crappy girlyhouse music,” then Real Bad probably isn’t for you. Everyone has their own taste, and there isn’t a right or wrong, but Real Bad is not the Black Party in New York. Our goal is to select a DJ who can create a nine-hour set that brings our hosts and guests on a journey of friendship and love, playfulness and sexuality. Each Real Bad will be different because we bring a new DJ to San Francisco every year, but in general the music should follow an arc that begins with tea-dance music in the early evening, progresses to darker late night dance music, then back to lighter morning music toward the end.
Real Bad is and attracts a tightly-knit community of people who often know each other, so we want an element of joy among friends to start and close the party, with the meat in the middle to make you dance your ass off. For whatever reason, Sean seemed to keep it lighter late at night, but the peak trance track, “Flower Duet” by Luminiere, was such a huge hit with the crowd that he reprised it to close the party.
To have observed the crowd – or listened to the feedback from our hosts and guests – is to know that we succeeded.
Crappy girlyhouse music? I think not.
Note: thanks for Craig for his suggestions for this entry!
[3] I was Craig’s assistant this year, my first year back on the working group. I served as the Sponsorship chair for Real Bad XIV and XV.
[4] Serving on the working group this year, particularly on the production committee, has been the single most rewarding thing I’ve done in a long time. The weekend of the party was brutal. That Friday, Craig and I picked up the rental truck and spent all day driving around picking up equipment for the event. We took Saturday off, but setup for the party began early Sunday morning and we didn’t rest again until we finished dropping off the equipment and the truck and returned home at 5pm on MONDAY. It was both a marathon and bonding experience for us, and the welts and bruises I gathered carrying the dungeon bed (if you don’t know what that is you don’t need to) up the stairs at Mr. S have just now faded away.
When I saw the peak moment captured in the video (I missed it as I was in a different room of the club) a day or two later, I was moved to tears. The effort was suddenly more than worth it, so much so that I intend to do it all over again next year. Only next year I plan to be in the DJ booth for the peak song, and there will be a team to deal with the dungeon bed :-)
NOTE: this is less a review and more a description of my experience after dropping AT&T (and thus, my iPhone 3GS) for Sprint. Also, the Samsung Epic 4G (Sprint’s version of the Galaxy S line) is my first Android device. It comes with Samsung’s TouchWiz 3.0 interface, which creates a different user experience than stock Android. I can’t say that it is better or worse, nor am I even sure what the difference is.
Please comment on anything I may have gotten wrong. For example, it is possible that I listed something as an Android feature that is actually part of the TouchWiz interface.
With that understood, read on!
It was late September when I’d had enough. I was sitting in my corner cubicle at work overlooking the teardown of the Transbay Terminal, reading a message on the screen of my iPhone that I had seen way too many times. “Cannot Get Mail: The connection to the server failed.” The problem, of course, was not that the email servers for all five of my email accounts had gone belly up at the same time. I simply had no AT&T data service.
Again.
Anyone that has paid attention to a tenth of my Facebook status updates will know that I’ve had nothing but miserable service with AT&T since getting my iPhone in June 2009. Yes, the service has gotten marginally better since then, but shouldn’t one expect more than a marginal improvement after a year? After hearing AT&T brag about the billions of dollars in voice and data upgrades they had made since June 2009, I would expect better than frequently failed and/or dropped calls in the Financial District of San Francisco. I would expect better than a few hundred kbps download speeds on my iPhone – when it worked at all. And in the Castro? Forget it.
I’d been paying $100 a month for this? I am many things, but not masochistic.
There was a while when I thought perhaps it was actually my phone that was glitchy. After all, it would sometimes work fine after rebooting it. But then I traveled out of town. Miami? Houston? LA? Rural Oklahoma? Everything worked great. Download speeds were often around 1 Mbps. Calls went through on the first or second try. I discovered that I had to leave San Francisco to enjoy my phone.
When the iPhone 4 was released, I laughed to myself and thought, right, I’m not going to subject myself to another two years of AT&T’s idea of “service” (let alone a phone with a glass back. WTF?). At that time, I decided to wait another year until my contract was up and make a decision then. But as the lousy service continued, I changed my mind. I wasn’t going to deal with AT&T a day longer than necessary. It was time to try another carrier.
After reading PC World’s review of Sprint’s Samsung Epic 4G (it is currently their #1 rated smartphone), and discovering that Sprint would let me test drive the phone and service for 30 days, I decided to check it out. I had nothing to lose but the early termination fee from AT&T, which I was happy to pay if only to escape their massive dead zone. I walked into the Sprint store in the Embarcadero and picked up the floor sample.
First Impressions
With the keyboard open, the phone automatically switches to landscape mode.
* the screen is large (4″ vs. the iPhone’s 3.5″ screen), bright, gorgeous, and has a much higher resolution (800 x 480 vs. 480 x 320) than my old iPhone.[1] It is just made for watching movies on airplanes (I tried this with my iPhone and the screen was way too tiny for my middle-aged eyes).
* it has a gen-u-wine physical keyboard, with an entire row of dedicated number keys. The keys are nicely spaced and have a good feel when pressed. SCORE!
* the back is a grippy soft-touch plastic and the front is simple, glossy black and attractive.
* the build quality is very good. Not awesomely great like Fuad’s iPhone 4, which despite the impractical glass back and bizarre antenna/case engineering (form over function anyone?), is a model of cutting-edge industrial design. But very good is very good. The Epic feels solid and easy to hold.
I’d never even held an Android phone before, but navigating seemed easy enough when I tried to access basic settings. The Epic 4G, a Samsung Galaxy S series phone, currently runs Android 2.1 rather than the more highly optimized 2.2, but it seemed lightning fast to me. I was sold and ordered it. The cost? $249 after $100 rebate.[2]
THE NEW TOY, ER, PRODUCTIVITY DEVICE
My Epic 4G arrived the afternoon of Thursday, September 30th. By that evening my number had been ported from AT&T. Voice? Check. Data? Check. Wi-fi? Check. I was in business. Sort of. My new smartphone had none of my contacts in it.
To use an Android phone, you need a Google mail account, if for no other reason as to access the Android Market. I’ve had one (a few actually) for years, and kept my Google contacts synched with mobile me and Outlook. I figured (correctly) that if I added my main Google mail account to the phone, it would import my contacts. Unfortunately, photos had apparently not saved under my Google contacts.
Facebook to the rescue!
The phone came with several apps preinstalled, including Facebook.[3] Facebook will happily share the profile pictures of your Facebook friends with your contacts. In fact, Facebook will happily share pretty much anything with anyone if you aren’t careful. To enable contact sync:
From the Facebook app: Menu -> Settings -> Sync Contacts
- and -
From your home page: Menu -> Settings -> Accounts & sync. Add your Facebook account and set it to Sync Contacts
Now that I had my contacts under control, it was time to text one of them. This was the first time it really hit me that I didn’t have an iPhone any more. Instead of discrete white and green bubbles, I was looking at white text on a dark gray or black background. I missed the pretty bubbles.
Missing iOS4
Apple’s latest version of the iOS is slick. It is highly polished, powerful, and easy to use. It is a mature OS. After one day, I missed it enough that I ordered the new iPod Touch on amazon.com. Yes, I could use the Epic 4G as my primary mp3 player, but I didn’t even use my iPhone for that. Instead, I used my 2nd generation iPod nano. It was small and convenient to use at the gym, while commuting or pretending to ignore someone, and had a ridiculously long battery life. The iPod Touch 4 seemed like the logical replacement. Not only that, but I could use all of the apps I had downloaded or bought in the app store. The iPod Touch might be wi-fi only, but my Epic 4G also functions as a wi-fi hotspot.[4] SCORE!
A few days later, I got used to Android and found that I actually no longer missed iOS4, but I decided to keep the iPod when it arrived. I’m glad I did. It’s dynamite.
Phone Reliability and Data Speed
Thus far, the phone and cell service works great. Outbound calls connect every time and one hasn’t dropped yet. The voice quality is good, but the speakerphone clarity is merely adequate. In my opinion, the iPhone 3GS had better speakerphone voice clarity. As for data speed, there is no comparison. The Epic 4G blows the 3GS so far out of the water I may have well been using dial-up for the past 15 months. I know, the 3GS is last year’s technology and yes, AT&T data service in much of San Francisco sucks beyond belief, but after a few hours of using the Epic I was nothing short of amazed. I mean, like, wow! It really is possible to get what you pay for sometimes!
Wi-fi at my house using the Epic (and iPod Touch 4 for that matter) is noticeably faster than with the iPhone 3GS. 3G service on Sprint, at least in my office at work, is 2 – 3 times as fast as AT&T. And 4G service, which is back on near the Transbay Terminal after disappearing for a week? It is 10 – 15 times as fast as AT&T. I saw 8 Mbps downloads after 5pm Tuesday. ZOOM! (just now as I write this at 1pm on Wednesday, I am seeing 4.5 Mbps.)
What, no Arabic?
Android 2.1 does not support right-to-left languages. I first noticed this when I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and saw that the comments of my friends that post in Arabic and Hebrew were nothing but a series of empty boxes that said to me, “Semitic languages are irrelevant.” I find this pretty irritating. I checked, and sure enough there was no way that I could find (without rooting my phone) to make comments or status updates in Arabic. iOS is light years ahead of Android in language support. This is just LAME!
Maybe Android 2.2 will offer native support? It’s only the sixth most commonly spoken language in the world.
Notifications
Android handles notifications differently than iOS. On my iPhone (and iPod Touch), if someone sends me a message or text, a notification appears in a big blue bubble at the center of the screen, whether the device is on standby (on but with the screen off) or if I’m in the middle of using it. If I am using it, I can dismiss the notification to get it out of the way, but then it is gone. It is not stored anywhere for me to visit it at a better time. This can be convenient or disruptive depending on what I am doing.
Android (as far as I can tell) does not display a notification if the phone is on standby. But when I am using it, the notification appears discretely at in the notification bar at the top of the screen. It just sits there until I am able to check it, which is done by opening up the notification panel by pulling it down as one would a roll-up blind.
In general, I prefer Android’s method of handling notifications. It is unobtrusive and does not demand my immediate attention before I can return to the interrupted task, however I would like the option of viewing them without unlocking the screen, iOS-style.
Power Button Location
On my iPhone 3GS, the power button was located to the right of the top of the device. It was raised enough to make it easy to locate by touch, and had enough of a distinct “click” that I could be reasonably confident that I had turned off the screen without actually looking. Not so on the Epic.
On the Epic 4G, the power button is on the upper part of the right side, where I would normally rest my thumb while holding the device in my right hand (I’m a lefty). This is actually a great location for me. The problem is that the button is pretty much flush with the body of the phone. Worse, it has a rather spongy feel, leaving me to wonder, did I actually press it or not?
The case I picked up for it actually helps. Although it adds some bulk to the phone, the cutout in the case makes it very easy to locate the button. As far as the bulk of the phone & case goes, I weigh around 225 pounds. What’s a few ounces?
Home Screen Flexibility
The home screen of the Epic 4G is much more flexible than that of the iPhone. This is true of Android phones in general. Apple doesn’t allow widgets on the iPhone. Apple’s restrictions provide for an arguably cleaner appearance, but just because I have a few feeds and widgets on my Epic doesn’t mean it is cluttered or ugly.
The Epic provides for seven home screens that one can slide from side to side just like the iPhone. Also like the iPhone, the Epic has a dock with predefined apps at the bottom of the homepage that does not change. As long as one of the homepages is displayed, there is a link to Phone, Contacts, Messaging and Applications.
My main home screen has a small weather widget and shortcuts to my most frequently used apps, so that I don’t have to touch Applications and scroll through all of my apps to find the one I want (apps are arranged alphabetically, BTW). One screen to the left, I have Google search, YouTube, Pandora, and Engadget widgets. Another screen to the left, I have Samsung’s Feeds and Updates widget, which I only use for Facebook feeds. I could also add Twitter and other services if I wished, but I don’t use Twitter.
My leftmost home screen is Samsung's Feeds and Updates widget.
This has widgets for Google search, YouTube, Pandora and Engadget.
The main home screen has a small weather widget and shortcuts frequently used apps.
I put links to various utilities on my right most home screen.
To the right of my main home screen, I’ve added a widget that allows me to view and stop running apps, including closing all of them at once if I wish (something iOS4 doesn’t have). I have an app that allows me to toggle various phone features on and off as needed to save battery life: wi-fi, Bluetooth, GPS, push notifications/sync, and the display brightness. I find this these widgets very convenient and use them all the time. I also have shortcuts to various utility apps on this screen.
And that’s it. I’m using four out of seven home screens. Speaking of the screen…
The Super AMOLED Screen: Large is Huge
The Samsung Galaxy S phones use a screen technology known as Super AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode). The technology puts the touch sensors on the screen itself, making it (according to PCWorld) the thinnest display technology on the market. It is 4″ of intense, high-contrast luscious color – so much so that some people say it is oversaturated. I think it looks great. Its viewing angle is about the same as the iPhone 4′s, though again, the screen resolution of the Epic is a bit lower.[1]
Another benefit of the larger screen is that the on-screen landscape keyboard is much easier to use than that of the iPhone – at least for us big guys with less than perfect dexterity. All in all, I have to say that I prefer the Epic 4G’s screen. The larger screen makes a huge difference for me.
A comment about my wallpaper – it isn’t static, the waves move and the seafloor distorts accordingly. And when you touch the “water,” it ripples. The simulation is quite amazing.
When I first got the phone, it usually had trouble locking onto GPS satellites. For example, ten satellites might be in view, but the phone would only use some of them. This created two problems: the phone could take a ridiculous amount of time to determine its location, and/or it couldn’t pinpoint its location very accurately. Sometimes it worked quickly and accurately, sometimes not. Apparently, this issue is at least partially caused by expired data remaining in cache. Also, it seems the antenna is not very sensitive.
I was able to resolve the inordinate position lock time using a workaround I found online here: Android Forums
While Samsung claims to have released a patch that corrects the issue, I still have yet to get a location fix with a margin of error less than 30 meters. It often nails my position, but with the 30 meter uncertainty. Meanwhile, Fuad’s iPhone 4 consistently locates itself to within five meters. I can’t say whether this is a hardware or software issue on Samsung’s part, but I can say this: if accurate GPS is an important feature in a smartphone for you, the Samsung Galaxy S line should not be on your short list.
Android Market
The dock in daytime mode. Can you tell what one of my current projects is? :-)
After two days with the phone, I decided it was a winner and decided to keep it. I stopped by the Sprint store to buy the desk dock, which turns the phone into a bedside alarm clock and charges it at the same time. The dock also has an audio out port, which Sprint says will be functional with Android 2.2. Whatever. Of course, to use the dock in a meaningful way requires an app, so I followed the dock’s set up instructions to download the app and …. nothing. The desk app was not available in the Android Market. W.T.F?
The dock in night mode.
A Google search revealed that I was not alone in my dilemma and digging a little deeper revealed why. Certain apps can have security implemented that only allows devices with the proper “fingerprint” to see them. The OS on my phone had just been patched, thus it no longer had the correct fingerprint. I read in a forum that the app appeared for one user four days after their phone was updated with the second patch. This made me feel better. I probably just needed to cool my heels for a few days (mine had just updated with Samsung’s third patch). Full explanation here.
Sure enough, a couple days later the app appeared for me, which meant that the app’s security had finally been updated. I don’t know if Samsung or Google or both were to blame for the delay, but at least I got it.
I think this is a rather glitchy security model. Apple’s app store certainly doesn’t have this problem, but then it wouldn’t. Apple controls everything from the beginning and doesn’t have to manage apps for dozens of devices.
Unfortunately, the app dock isn't customizable, but maybe in a later version...
Here’s a close up shot of the phone in night time dock mode.
Minor Annoyances
When listening to the mp3 player, I occasionally notice an electronic “pop” sound when turning the screen on or off and switching between certain apps. It’s much less noticeable than the pop one might hear on a vinyl album, but it’s there.
The battery life seems a bit short. I solved that by having a charger at work and home, and a spare battery charged and ready in case I travel. It’s not an Apple product so yes, you can swap out the battery.
Conclusion
It’s only been two weeks since I dumped AT&T, but I can’t say enough about how pleased I am with both Sprint and the Epic 4G. Sprint’s service has been consistently good to blow-my-socks-off great, and the Epic 4G is simply an amazing device. I love the flexibility that comes with Android, the size of the screen, the keyboard, the grippy back, and the 4G. The GPS function is the only real disappointment, but it’s one I can live with.
So, is the Epic 4G epic? You know, it kinda is.
App Recommendations for Epic 4G Newbies
The Epic 4G comes with a few popular apps preinstalled. I found the functionality of these to be someone less than the versions available in the app market, so I recommend the following:
1. Replace the stock Facebook app with the latest from the app market.
2. Replace the stock Google Maps with the latest from the app market.
3. Download the Opera Mini or Dolphin HD browser and set as the default browser. I find myself turning to Opera most often because of the start page feature (rather like Safari), but the Dolphin browser is highly extensible.
4. Download AnySoftKeyboard and set as the default.
5. Check out “3″ – it’s a beautiful mp3 player.
NOTES
1. I’m coming from the iPhone 3GS’s screen so that is my basis for comparison. The iPhone 4 screen is a very high quality IPS panel. The resolution is extremely high (960 x 640), but it is still only 3.5″.
2. I later found out Amazon was selling it for $149 and newegg for $199. It never occurred to me that different vendors could sell it at different price points. Lesson learned.
3. The included version of Facebook for Android kinda blows. Download the version that is in the Android Market.
4. With Sprint, I get unlimited texts, data and 450 minutes of prime-time voice for $30 a month less than AT&T ($69 vs. $99). The 4G service (available if I’m in an area with 4G) is an extra $10 per month. Optional hotspot capability for up to 5 items adds $30 to that number. So I’m getting dependable service, 4G potential, and a mobile hotspot for $10 more than I paid AT&T. That’s a win as far as I’m concerned.
A FULL LIST OF MY DOWNLOADED APPS (all free):
Engadget
CNET News
NPR News
BBC News
New Scientist (beta)
Google Earth
Google Maps
Google Translate
Dictionary.com
The Weather Channel
Dolphin Browser HD
Near Me (Dolphin browser add-on)
Dolphin Tab Reload (Dolphin browser add-on)
Pandora Radio
Bump
Adobe Photoshop Express
Retro Camera
Adobe Reader
WordPress
AroundMe
SFWay
MuniAlerts
Movies
Mobile Banking
Amazon.com
eBay
PayPal
Craigslist
Speedtest.net Speed Test
AnySoftKeyboard
ConvertDroid (unit conversions)
Epocrates
GPS Test
Kayak
TripAdvisor
Lookout Mobile Security
Opera Mini browser
3 (AWESOME mp3 player)
Android System Info
BestTube – YouTube
Androzip File Manager
Desk Home Samsung (dock app)
Facebook for Android
DroidIn for LinkedIn
Compass
SoundHound
Weather Widget – Free
Tiny Flashlight + LED
ScanLife Barcode Reader
So much can be learned just by looking at this image...
Just so there isn’t any confusion – I had a great visit to Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas. It was wonderful to see my family and comforting to see familiar sites. For example, the rust-colored dirt and earthy smell of Oklahoma always makes me feel at home (pics of the OKC National Memorial here).
My mom lives in Montgomery County, Texas. For those of you unfamiliar with southeast Texas geography, it is the county north of Houston, where I spent 24 years of my life. Being a rural county, the population is not, on average, particularly educated, sophisticated or skilled at fact checking and critical thinking. In other words, it is a right wing county.
I’ll just come out and say it. I was not comfortable when I was there. I felt like a cat surrounded by rabid dogs. Except, I didn’t look like a cat. I was fine as long as I pretended to be a dog, like I did for the ten or so years I lived there after admitting to myself I was gay.
For one thing, there are churches everywhere, and unlike the churches I see here in San Francisco, these have signs with supernatural mumbo-jumbo about turning your life and worries over to God or Jesus, which just sounds to me like abandoning your self-responsibility and getting drunk. Prayer can help! Jesus can save you! God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve! (yes, there was really a church sign that said that). It made me uncomfortable. I expressed that to my mom and she didn’t understand it. “It doesn’t bother me,” she said.
“Of course it doesn’t bother you,” I replied. “You haven’t been targeted by them.”
Anyway, at a traffic light on FM1488, I saw the following bumper sticker on a monster truck (I also saw it on a t-shirt a guy wore): “I’ll keep my money, guns and freedom. You keep the change.”
Ready? Let’s do a quick tear-down.
“I’ll keep my money”
This of course implies that Obama is someone who is going to raise taxes. The fact is, he hasn’t [1], though next year he is likely to allow the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy, who received the largest tax cuts from Bush, to expire [2] while actually decreasing taxes for those making less than $200,000 a year. I’m going to bet that Mr. Redneck Monster Truck Driver makes less than $200,000 per year.
The above is consistent with his campaign promise to drop taxes for everyone but the highest income earners, which he planned to return to pre-Bush levels [3].
Verdict: You will keep your money, change or no change. What point are you trying to make again?
“I’ll keep my guns”
The gun worshipers, including the NRA and the Gun Owners of America, warned voters that Obama would take their guns away. This was despite campaign promises that he wouldn’t. Not only has he stuck to that promise, but he has relaxed gun control laws. Even semi-automatic weapons, which Clinton banned and the Republicans allowed again in 2004, are not in danger of being banned again by Obama. [4]
Verdict: You will keep your guns, change or no change. What point are you trying to make again?
“I’ll keep my freedom”
HUH? Exactly what freedom was he afraid of losing?
“Freedom” is a word that the right wing throws around a lot as if they have a monopoly on offering it. The ironic thing is that right wing ideologies generally limit personal freedoms, especially those of social and ethnic minorities. So maybe he wants to be free to be a bigot? I have no idea what this was about, and I’ll bet he doesn’t either [5].
Verdict: You will keep you freedom, change or no change. What point are you trying to make again?
The things that this mentally-challenged individual was concerned about losing were never in danger. At no time did Obama make any comment threatening them. But right-wing groups and commentators said Obama did, and that was what mattered. Because this is post-fact America, where facts are irrelevant. Evidence be damned, Obama is an autocratic, gun-hating socialist because the right wing wants him to be.
[5] Politicians and talking heads constantly use terms that sound good but have no real substance in the context in which they are used. Some of my favorites: “freedom” “bureaucrat” “special interest group”
I’ve had the iPhone 3GS since it was released a year ago. I held off that long because until then, the iPhone OS didn’t support cut and paste or have a landscape keyboard. When Apple finally added these features (that my Palm Treo had years before), I decided to make the jump. I still don’t care for soft keyboards, but I deal.
Anyway, the first thing I noticed about the iPhone is that I was frequently unable to get a signal in the Financial District, the Castro, Muni Metro platforms, or upper 17th Street. In fact, it was worse than my Treo. This went on for months, and many, many other people had similar complaints. Calls would drop or not complete. 3G data service was spotty if available at all. Even the EDGE network was spotty. But this is all old news.
Now, many people are reporting improvements in San Francisco. Yet they must not spend much time in the Financial District, which unfortunately for me as an AT&T customer, is where I spend many of my waking hours. Recently I downloaded the free SpeedTest app from speedtest.net to check the data rates I was getting. It illustrated quantitatively just how bad my service is when I’m at or near my office.
The data speed numbers at and near my office (1st and Mission, 1st and Market, 2nd and Mission, 2nd and Folsom) are the low ones. At best, connection speed is a fraction of what I get near the gym, Chuck’s or in my neighborhood. At worst, it is useless. Note that these numbers are not in the core of my building (I can’t get a signal in *any* of the Financial District buildings I’ve been in if I’m too far from a window). All of the results are on a sidewalk or at my desk, which is right at the corner window of my floor.
It’s still bad on upper 17th and certain parts of the Castro / Eureka Valley, but I’m only in those neighborhoods occasionally. The deal killer is the poor service around my office. I can’t imagine any business in the Financial District supporting iPhones. AT&T just doesn’t work there.
I have one year left on my contract. AT&T has that long to get it together.
Date
Time
Location
Network
Download*
Upload*
Ping**
6/30/2010
7:08pm
9th and Brannan
3G
2097
210
359
6/30/2010
12:51pm
1st and Mission
3G
478
40
515
6/30/2010
11:27am
2nd and Folsom
3G
384
59
14289
6/30/2010
11:19am
1st and Mission
3G
5
0
3429
6/30/2010
11:06am
1st and Mission
3G
13
56
977
6/30/2010
10:27am
1st and Market
3G
235
0
361
6/29/2010
5:36pm
18th and Sanchez
3G
1615
245
361
6/29/2010
2:30pm
2nd and Mission
3G
121
0
382
6/29/2010
8:55am
1st and Market
3G
210
60
551
6/28/2010
8:44pm
Forest Knolls
3G
2258
276
339
6/28/2010
8:43pm
Home
Wifi
8282
3629
81
6/28/2010
7:08pm
Home
Wifi
11686
3607
84
6/28/2010
6:21pm
18th and Sanchez
3G
1684
277
2542
6/28/2010
5:35pm
1st and Market
3G
578
72
4018
6/28/2010
3:17pm
1st and Mission
3G
744
47
530
6/28/2010
12:12pm
1st and Mission
3G
32
6
3043
6/28/2010
11:58am
1st and Mission
3G
486
43
1977
6/28/2010
10:08am
1st and Mission
3G
455
79
526
6/27/2010
10:48pm
Home
Wifi
5702
3578
93
* Transfer speeds are in kb per second.
** Response speed is in milliseconds.
When I was a kid, my grandparents had a pair of round black chairs, shaped rather like barrels, in the front room of their house in SoCal. My grandfather always sat in the one facing the front door. I remember sitting in his lap when I was very, very young and playing with the skin on his elbow. It had lost its elasticity and would retain its shape for a few seconds after I’d mold it (btw, he is still kickin’ at 96).
The inherited chair in our apartment.
Anyway. As I grew up, the distinctive chairs were always there and because they were at my grandparents, I had very strong positive associations with them. When I was in high school, I told my grandmother that I would like to have one of them someday. In the eighties, she redecorated the front room and one of the chairs disappeared. They had the remaining one reupholstered in a peach colored vinyl and it remained my favorite chair as a young adult.
In 2003, my grandmother passed away and my grandfather went to live with my aunt and uncle, who had a house only a few blocks away. The furniture was distributed to the family or sold, and the chair came to me. When Fuad and I moved in together, we used the chair for a few months until we got furniture. Because there was no room for it in our apartment, it went into storage.
In late 2008, we bought our house on Mt. Sutro and we had room for the chair again, which brings us to this year.
For years we had talked about reupholstering it, so when Fuad was looking for a project, he decided to do it himself. A friend of ours had a lot of experience reupholstering furniture and offered to help. The chair disappeared. Then a week or so later, Fuad asked me if my family had the chair’s mate. I checked and they didn’t. He was disappointed, because he had looked into having a duplicate of the frame made and it was too difficult. The chair would remain one of a kind.
Weeks passed. He spent many dozens of hours working on the chair. He removed thousands of staples until his hands were raw. The three layers of upholstery (beneath the peach was the black I remembered and below THAT was the original off-white from the forties) were peeled away. With his friend’s help he beefed up the ancient wooden frame and replaced the supports. He then selected the new fabrics and went to work on the actual reupholstering.
Months passed. Then yesterday, I walked in our front door and to my complete surprise was not one, but TWO identical chairs. I’m still blown away.
The frame after removing the layers of upholstery.
The rebuilt and reupholstered chair and its built-from-scratch mate.
I spent the last two weeks of May in Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas. I went to Atlanta to visit my cousin and her husband, Oklahoma to see my dad and Texas to visit my mom. Before I left San Francisco, someone referred to it as my Red State Tour. Well, it was just that.
Georgia was beautiful. It was my first time in the state (other than the airport) and it reminded me of a slightly hillier version of east Texas. Very green, very forested and very humid. Atlanta reminded me of a mix of the Texas cities I knew well: some Houston and Austin with a dash of Dallas. The city is diverse and cosmopolitan with just the right amount of granola crunchiness. There I discovered the joy of fried pickles, fried jalapeños and the childhood home of Martin Luther King, Jr. (photos.)
God is not a Socialist
It was also near Atlanta that I learned that “God is not a socialist,” something I saw written on a billboard along I-75 in Henry County. Underneath that fascinating bit of information were the words: STOP OBAMA. Ah, yes, I was in the countryside of a Red State.
There are so many things wrong with this billboard that one could write a book examining and refuting them. I’ll start with the first word: God. “God” is a proposed entity that no one can prove the existence of, let alone communicate with or make claims as to its political or economic associations. The very claim made by the billboard is presumptuous and absurd.
How did Obama come to be associated with socialism? Do the people that paid to have that billboard ad created even know how to define socialism? Are they aware that elements of our economy are already socialistic? Socialism, like capitalism, is not an all-or-nothing ideology. Both exist in probably all economies to one degree or another. The United States is one of the least socialistic countries in the world, as is evidenced by our generally lower tax burden (especially for married people with kids) and reduced set of public services.[1] Yet our highways, social security system, public education system and other public programs are socialist in nature. Most other western countries are a more socialistic by varying degrees with different forms of universal health, and secure pensions and other services.
The association of Obama with socialism was made by opponents of health care reform. A government-sponsored universal heath care system would be by definition a socialist program, but as mentioned above, it would just be one of several. To brand Obama “socialist” because of if it simply inaccurate.
A socialist program does not have to be undesirable or inefficient. Our current fee-per-procedure system [2] makes a few people wealthy at the expense of everyone else. A large and growing number of Americans lack access to health care [3] yet we spend FAR more per capita on health care than ANY other country in the world [4]. Whether a hybrid system like Germany or France enjoy, or a government monopoly as in Canada [5], our predominantly capitalist system is the least efficient. More data available here: OECD.
California is the Greece of America
It was also in Georgia that I learned California is the Greece of America. This was told to me by my uncle’s landlord, who heard it from some right wing commentator on Fox “News.” The reference is to the EU’s need to bail Greece out of its financial crisis. The comparison is invalid, of course, but in the right wingoverse, facts are meaningless. It’s what you believe that is important.
California’s contribution to the American economy is massive – at 13% it is far larger than that of any other state.[6] In fact, the state’s economy ranks around eighth in the world, between Spain and Italy.[6][7][8][9] So why the comparison? California has been facing a huge budget deficit for the past few years.[10] However, California does not need a bailout from the federal government, and if it did, it would simply be recovering money it had already contributed via federal taxes.
Why the deficit? Major reasons include:
the recent economy downturn and credit crisis [11]
a substantial portion of the state income comes from income taxes on a small proportion of wealthy citizens. For example, in 2004, the richest 3% of state taxpayers paid approximately 60% of all state taxes. The taxable income of this population is highly dependent upon capital gains, which has been severely impacted by the stock market declines of this period.[12]
Proposition 13, which essentially froze property values for tax purposes at until the property is resold.[13]
government spending / programs that expanded during boom years
the referendum system, which allows the public to get projects/policies into the state budget, overriding any central state control. (The public kept asking for things but would not raise taxes to pay for it.)[14]
since 1978 California requires a super-majority (2/3) of the legislative body pass a budget, including increasing taxes. This has been a major obstacle for lawmakers who favor tax increases to close the budget deficit.[14]
the artificial 2000 – 2001 electricity crisis, made possible by deregulation legislation instituted in 1996 by Governor Pete Wilson. The crisis cost $40bn to $45bn.[15]
Due to the size of our economy, we could resolve the budget deficit easily on our own – if we had the political will. California’s situation is not even remotely similar to that of Greece. We could bail ourselves out – Greece can’t.
Dear Iran, you wouldn’t have “enemies” if you didn’t have a militaristic, right wing, religious extremist dominated government like, oh, the United States, Israel, and North Korea, which much like you, behave as if they have the right to do anything they want to anybody with impunity.
TEHRAN, Iran – The hardline spiritual mentor of Iran’s president has made a rare public call for producing the “special weapons” that are a monopoly of a few nations — a veiled reference to nuclear arms.
The Associated Press on Monday obtained a copy of a book written by Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi in which he wrote Iran should not deprive itself of the right to produce these “special weapons.”
Iran’s government, as well as its clerical hierarchy, have repeatedly denied the country is seeking nuclear weapons, as alleged by the U.S. and its allies.
The Security Council last week imposed a fourth round of sanctions in response to Tehran’s refusal to halt uranium enrichment, which Iran maintains is only for its nuclear energy program, but could conceivably be used to produce material for weapons.
The new U.N. sanctions call for an asset freeze of another 40 additional companies and organizations, including 22 involved in nuclear or ballistic missile activities.
Yazdi’s hardline views, including devotion to the Mahdi, a messiah-like figure to reappear ahead of judgement day, have had a strong impact on Ahmadinejad, who shows him more respect than any other senior cleric.
Yazdi’s book, “The Islamic Revolution, a Surge in Political Changes in History,” was written in 2005 and then reprinted last year, but would have only had a very limited circulation among senior clerics and would not have been widely known.
“The most advanced weapons must be produced inside our country even if our enemies don’t like it. There is no reason that they have the right to produce a special type of weapons, while other countries are deprived of it,” Yazdi said.
Yazdi is a member of the Assembly of Experts, a conservative body of 86 senior clerics that monitors Iran’s supreme leader and chooses his successor. He also heads the Imam Khomeini Educational and Research Institute, an Islamic think tank, in the holy city of Qom, 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of the capital.
In his book, Yazdi said Iran must acquire the necessary deterrent weapons in order to be able to stand up to its enemies.
“Under Islamic teachings, all common tools and materialistic instruments must be employed against the enemy and prevent enemy’s military superiority,” he said.
He also said Muslims must not allow a few powers to monopolize certain weapons in their arsenal.
“From Islam’s point of view, Muslims must make efforts to benefit from the most sophisticated military equipment and get specific weapons out of the monopoly of powerful countries,” he said.
The last time a high ranking official made such remarks was in 2005 when Mohammad Javad Larijani, now a senior judiciary official, said Islam has not tied Iran’s hands in producing nuclear weapons.
But Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, has repeatedly denied that Tehran was seeking nuclear weapons because Islam forbids weapons of mass destruction.
Khamenei has reportedly issued a fatwa, or religious decree, saying the production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons was forbidden under Islam.
In May, a senior reformist cleric warned about the increasing power of Yazdi and his loyalists within the ruling system, calling them “a very dangerous and harsh current who won’t show mercy to anybody.”
Earlier this month, a hardline website called Yazdi an “Imam”, a title given only to Shiite Islam’s saints and the founder of the Islamic Republic, the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Such a title has not been awarded to Khamenei, Iran’s current leader.
I’ve had the iPhone 3GS since it was released a year ago. I held off that long because until then, the iPhone OS didn’t support cut and paste or have a landscape keyboard. When Apple finally added these features (that my Palm Treo had years before), I decided to make the jump. I still don’t care for soft keyboards, but I deal.
