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Reacting to Osama bin Laden’s death
I’m filled with all kinds of mixed emotions about Osama bin Laden’s death and the subsequent reactions in the media and my social network feeds. Anything I might say wouldn’t do justice to the many aspects of what is an extremely complicated situation from all angles; instead of this blog’s usual role as my personal soapbox, I’ll opt to respect the weight of the topic by choosing to spend my time in contemplation instead.
This poem was written on September 11, 2001 and published the next day. It touched me then, and it’s far more worth sharing than anything I’d have to say myself:
“How Long? Not Long:” My Favorite Martin Luther King, Jr. Speech
I know you are asking today, “How long will it take?” (Speak, sir) Somebody’s asking, “How long will prejudice blind the visions of men, darken their understanding, and drive bright-eyed wisdom from her sacred throne?” Somebody’s asking, “When will wounded justice, lying prostrate on the streets of Selma and Birmingham and communities all over the South, be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men?” Somebody’s asking, “When will the radiant star of hope be plunged against the nocturnal bosom of this lonely night, (Speak, speak, speak) plucked from weary souls with chains of fear and the manacles of death? How long will justice be crucified, (Speak) and truth bear it?” (Yes, sir)
I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, (Yes, sir) however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, (No sir) because “truth crushed to earth will rise again.” (Yes, sir)
How long? Not long, (Yes, sir) because “no lie can live forever.” (Yes, sir)
How long? Not long, (All right. How long) because “you shall reap what you sow.” (Yes, sir)
How long? (How long?) Not long: (Not long)
Truth forever on the scaffold, (Speak)
Wrong forever on the throne, (Yes, sir)
Yet that scaffold sways the future, (Yes, sir)
And, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow,
Keeping watch above his own.
How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. (Yes, sir)
How long? Not long, (Not long) because:
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; (Yes, sir)
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; (Yes)
He has loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword; (Yes, sir)
His truth is marching on. (Yes, sir)
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; (Speak, sir)
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat. (That’s right)
O, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant my feet!
Our God is marching on. (Yeah)
Glory, hallelujah! (Yes, sir) Glory, hallelujah! (All right)
Glory, hallelujah! Glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.
New York Times for iPad: Legitimate heir to the Newspaper?
The Internet has shaken up the status quo for many incumbent economic leaders – and newspapers have seen this effect more so than any other industry. Since the Web hit the American household in the 1990s, print media has been experimenting with strategies for digital distribution and revenue streams, with few conclusive results after well over a decade. The Web has moved the audience’s attention from monolithic news outlets controlled by publishers in favor of social links (Facebook and Twitter) and aggregators (The Huffington Post, The Daily Beast and Drudge Report.)
This year’s announcement of the iPad seemed to change the publishing industry’s outlook on doing business over the Web. Instead of the hyperlinked, non-linear, short-attention-span, copy/paste-friendly nature of a desktop Web browser, the iPad offers a publishing platform similar to their paper product – with an iPad app, the publisher has verticalized control of available content, its layout, navigation experience, and – most importantly – revenue generation methods.
On October 15, the Times released “NYTimes for iPad,” (iTunes Link) labeling it “free until early 2011.” In testing it, I’ve decided it’s an excellent application in its own right, and could potentially be a great sign for the future of print journalism, but it could be yet another business fumble if the company doesn’t execute the proper balance between advertising, consumer pricing and usability.
Continue reading New York Times for iPad: Legitimate heir to the Newspaper?
Sevilla & Córdoba (with pics)
Just got back from a weekend in Sevilla with a quick stop in Córdoba. Sevilla was absolutely amazing – a few times larger than Granada. Like Madrid, it’s full of monuments at every turn. We went around all the usual touristy stops – my mind was blown by the Cathedral’s tower. It was constructed by Muslims and then converted into the cathedral’s bell tower. Since the call to prayer used to be given from the top of the tower five times a day, they elected to use ramps instead of stairs and ride up by horse or donkey. The ramps are still there, and you have to go up around 35 of them to reach the top, where an amazing view of Sevilla awaits.
We made an afternoon stop in Córdoba yesterday, as well. I was sick – second time in a week. After spending an hour and a half looking for a pharmacy that’s open on Sundays during siesta. Ran into about 15 closed ones (Spain has pharmacies everywhere) before finally finding a 24/7 one. Then had a tour of the Mosque/Cathedral, which was an amazingly cavernous building.
I’m now glad to be back in Granada- getting sick on the last day while still traveling is a real pain.
Now for pictures!
What To Do About Having Long Hair
I ran into this today… Bassist Matt Williams of He Is Legend wrote this post on WhatToDoAbout.com . Since traffic to my blog seems to spike whenever I talk about my hair, I figured I’d share a couple of good quotes from it here-
PRO: Long hair on dudes attracts attention. Especially from girls/women. (ie. “Oh my god your hair is so long and gorgeous!” “I’m so jealous of your hair!” “It smells so good!”)
CON: Those girls would never be caught dead dating you. You’re looked at more as a novelty than someone they are attracted to. They will never admit that to your face. Its the truth.
…If you’re a dude, just don’t have long hair. Thats what to do about it. Cut it. I look ridiculous, and so do you unless you have boobs and don’t grow hair on your face.
As for my own hair… I’ve yet again done the thing where I say for months that I’m due for a cut, and it’s gotten long enough in the meantime that I’m not sure I want to cut it now. I am such a fickle idiot when it comes to my hair.
The Same Post I Wrote Nine Days Ago (abridged version)
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MUSIC OR COMPUTERS?!?!?!
mrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Peace Corps?
I’m seriously considering going into the Peace Corps after I graduate. The thought has occurred to me off and on for the last year or so, and some of Barack Obama’s comments on service at his Wesleyan commencement address brought it back to my attention today:
I also began to realize that I wasn’t just helping other people. Through service, I found a community that embraced me; citizenship that was meaningful; the direction that I’d been seeking. Through service, I discovered how my own improbable story fit in to the larger story of America.
Now, each of you will have the chance to make your own discovery in the years to come. And I say “chance” because, as President Roth indicated, you won’t have to take it. There’s no community service requirement in the outside world; no one’s forcing you to care. You can take your diploma, walk off this stage, and chase only after the big house and the nice suits and the other things that our money culture says you should buy. You can choose to narrow your concerns and live life in a way that tries to keep your story separate from America’s.
But I hope you don’t. Not because you have an obligation to those who are less fortunate, although I believe you do have that obligation. Not because you have a debt to all those who helped you get to where you are today, although I do believe you have that debt to pay.
It’s because you have an obligation to yourself. Because our individual salvation depends on collective salvation. Because thinking only about yourself, fulfilling your immediate wants and needs, betrays a poverty of ambition. Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential and discover the role that you’ll play in writing the next great chapter in the American story.
The Corps has a program specifically targeted at CS and IS graduates – helping people in developing countries to increase their skills and access to technologies, building labs, helping schoolchildren gain job skills, helping adults with business development.
I have no idea of where I’d go, but my guess is that my Spanish experience might have something to do with it.
The only part that intimidates me, rather than exciting me, is the thought of leaving for over two years. But it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I’m going to look further into this and see if it’s a possibility.
Hillary: Get Out.
“Outraged” doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Delaware Dem at Daily Kos gets it right:
And surely you would have known that it mattered not if you had previously suspended your campaign. Hell, even if you had conceded to Obama, and Obama died, you would have been tapped to be our nominee.
But you decided to stay in the race anyway, and you decided to advance this notion of assassination and other bad calamaties befalling our presumptive nominee not once, not twice, but FOUR times. Going back to March.
So I cannot give you the benefit of the doubt.
It is now obvious you have considered Obama’s murder as a political possibility and a reason to prolong our disunity.
And that makes you immoral. And unfit to lead. It reveals that you have no character.
Simply unacceptable. Her campaign is already running on the fumes of racist undertones. To make such comments, four times, is deliberate and unacceptable. Simply unbelievable.