As many of you know there is a close recount for the US Senate Seat in Minnesota. Less than 300 votes separate the incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and challenger Democrat Al Franken. The state is currently in the midst of a hand recount of all ballots. About 6,000 ballots have been challenged by the two camps. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has taken 10% of the controversial ballots and scanned them in as PDF's and are having the general public vote on what the "intent" of the voter was. I'm done with just over 100 and it still continues to fascinate me how many different ways the voter blew it or conversely, how the machine completely didn't register the voters clear intent.
Here's the link to the sample controversial ballots.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Milk March
Thirty years ago this week, Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to a major political office in the United States, was killed by a fellow supervisor, Dan White. San Francisco Mayor George Moscone was also killed in the same event.
Alyn, the guy I'm dating who lives in Atlanta, is here visiting this Thanksgiving weekend. We attended the memorial service at City Hall and then particpated in the march from Civic Center to the location of Milk's Camera Store on Castro Street.
The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus with Tom Ammiano (my district supervisor for a decade now headed to the California Assembly as my Assemblyman)
Candlelight March up Market Street
Myself and Alyn in front of the Castro Theater
Alyn, the guy I'm dating who lives in Atlanta, is here visiting this Thanksgiving weekend. We attended the memorial service at City Hall and then particpated in the march from Civic Center to the location of Milk's Camera Store on Castro Street.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Is this called "metacognition?"
Go to the site Typealyzer, type in the name of a blog (in this case echensf.blogspot.com) and here's what pops up!
ESTP - The Doers [ESTP]
The active and play-ful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.
The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.
They determined this all from my blog!!
ESTP - The Doers [ESTP]
The active and play-ful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.
The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.
They determined this all from my blog!!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Comments on California's Proposition 8 passing
In my gut, I knew that it was going to be bad news. We here in the SF Bay area live in a bubble and every person I work/associate/teach/deal with was clearly anti-8. But in my mind, I remember the interaction I had with my Dad's golfing buddy, as well as my Philippina barber and how intinctively conservative they were. At least I know that my Dad's golfing friend came out and said he would never vote for a black man. My barber was a huge Clinton supporter. How does this correlate to the Prop. 8 vote here in California? More than anything else, it's a generational thing. Yes, the Mormon church brought in a ton of money to get it passed, but they didn't do the actual voting. It comes down to people like my Dad's friend who hasn't had any exposure to the gay community. My guess is that for him, never having really thought through the implications of what the vote was about, would simply read the premise of the initiative and, like most people who aren't exposed to a new idea, would simply vote to keep the status quo. I imagine that the simplified thinking process would go something like this.
1st Reads proposition as "Define marriage as Man and Woman"
2nd Thinks to self "Isn't that just what we have now?"
3rd Thinks "Of course marriage is for a man or woman, it's what we have now"
4th Concludes "Let's just save what's what we have"
It just doesn't occur to them that they are narrowing the defintion, they're just voting their own self interest, which doesn't affect them so there is no reason to think about it. If there was education of these people, such as my Dad's friend, some of them would STILL vote Yes on 8, but I bet many of them would change their mind. Jesus, does this mean I have to come out to my parent's friends? If I were to walk the talk, I should be wearing my rainbow flag shirt at the Chinese community holiday parties in Seattle this Christmas season.
Now, to conclude, I've posted a copy of the map of how the precincts here in the city of SF voted The typical breakdown in SF is an East/West one, with the Eastern, more "urbane" part of the city votes much more liberally than the "conservative" western half of the city. That theory holds somewhat here, as you'll see that area on the Western side just south of Golden Gate Park, is much more pro-8 than the rest of the city. That area is predominantly Chinese/Asian.
However, those are Chinese who more likely than not have been in the US for a decade or more. Notice the Chinatown area. Traditionally, that's the first landing spot for Chinese immigrants when they first land here. The study of voting found that those Chinese immigrants who have been here less than 10 years overwhelming voted for Prop 8. The most general conclusion about the voting trends on Prop 8 here in San Francisco is that precincts with the greater percentage of voters who were white, voted against 8.
So, I am sure eventually, gay marriage will become the law of the state of California as well as the United States. But I too, like everyone else out there, thinks that it comes down to education (in essence becoming more familiar to all) and the older generation slowly becoming a smaller and less influential sector of the electorate.
1st Reads proposition as "Define marriage as Man and Woman"
2nd Thinks to self "Isn't that just what we have now?"
3rd Thinks "Of course marriage is for a man or woman, it's what we have now"
4th Concludes "Let's just save what's what we have"
It just doesn't occur to them that they are narrowing the defintion, they're just voting their own self interest, which doesn't affect them so there is no reason to think about it. If there was education of these people, such as my Dad's friend, some of them would STILL vote Yes on 8, but I bet many of them would change their mind. Jesus, does this mean I have to come out to my parent's friends? If I were to walk the talk, I should be wearing my rainbow flag shirt at the Chinese community holiday parties in Seattle this Christmas season.
Now, to conclude, I've posted a copy of the map of how the precincts here in the city of SF voted The typical breakdown in SF is an East/West one, with the Eastern, more "urbane" part of the city votes much more liberally than the "conservative" western half of the city. That theory holds somewhat here, as you'll see that area on the Western side just south of Golden Gate Park, is much more pro-8 than the rest of the city. That area is predominantly Chinese/Asian.
However, those are Chinese who more likely than not have been in the US for a decade or more. Notice the Chinatown area. Traditionally, that's the first landing spot for Chinese immigrants when they first land here. The study of voting found that those Chinese immigrants who have been here less than 10 years overwhelming voted for Prop 8. The most general conclusion about the voting trends on Prop 8 here in San Francisco is that precincts with the greater percentage of voters who were white, voted against 8.
So, I am sure eventually, gay marriage will become the law of the state of California as well as the United States. But I too, like everyone else out there, thinks that it comes down to education (in essence becoming more familiar to all) and the older generation slowly becoming a smaller and less influential sector of the electorate.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The Omnibus Blog Posting
I know that it has been nearly two months since I've posted something of substance here, but I attribute it mostly to the fact that I'm in the daily grind of school mode. One treat this year, is that I give a lift to another faculty member who lives in San Francisco. She is the new Mandarin Chinese teacher, hired to teach the heritage speaking classes. If I were at student at school taking Chinese, I would be her student. I am getting the opportunity to practice speaking my Chinese three or four times a week. Granted, my reading and writing skills are not improving at all, and it is those with which I need the most help.
This past Friday, the 2008 HRS Annual Fair went off without a hitch. For the fourth year in a row, I was the lead in organizing the fair. Somehow, I have appeased the weather gods for it was another night of early fall twilight weather. Unfortunately, my planning of the fair was met by my own "October Surprise." In a moment for which I'm not proud, I lost my temper while at school. Here's what happened. I had received an email from BP reminding me that I needed to have a parking plan as well as a security plan in place. In reviewing my records from the past three years, I had done the parking plan once but two of those years, I didn’t create one. In none of the past three years, had I proposed a security plan. My guess is that in the past, upon submitting the calendar request, which I had forgotten to do this year, BP or CT, took it upon himself or herself to take care of this important task for me. However, with BP no longer in the position that she was until this past year, none of these details were addressed.
I promptly tried to get these taken care of but was stymied over and over. I was sent from one person to the other, who wasn’t able to break down who was in charge or what or whom I needed to contact. I was overwhelmed, frustrated and just plain angry (mostly at myself for having not even thought to address this major hurdle in the planning process.) I will not assign blame, but I think it would be quite useful for the players I was dealing with to sit down and figure out who is supposed to do what. In the end, I learned that the business office dealt with security, although I ended up hiring CC of the ASP to watch the Whittle Gate at $25 an hour. I learned that the administrator in charge is to help work with me on the parking plan.
This headache has led me to realize that I am ready to let another person have a crack at this leadership position. Therefore I have proposed to the administration to have them designate a person who will take over the running of the fair in 2010. I will organize the fair for a fifth and last time, with the this designated person working along side me next year to learn the ropes.
The fair wrapped up Friday evening, October 24th, around 930PM and I was home by 1015PM. At 4AM, I was in the car driving to the San Jose Airport to board a 615AM flight to Baltimore with a connection in Houston. I landed at BWI and promptly boarded Amtrak bound for NYC. Why you ask? Well, I'm officially going to go on record here and state that I am dating a guy named AW, who lives in Atlanta. Turns out AW was up in NYC for the wedding of a co-worker so I threw caution to the wind (and was in denial about how grueling all this travel would be) and took the train up to spend 15 hours with AW.
Sunday morning at 11AM, I was back on Amtrak to Washington, DC to make the 430PM wedding of my college friend Nora B. At the wedding, I was reacquainted with friends from college that I hadn't seen in over a decade. And for those who know David A., he still wears blue-button down dress shirts ONLY. Only in the past few years, have I really understood why the bride and groom always gush that my presence at their special day is all that they want. I've come to realize that it is one time in their lives that they have the opportunity to have all the important people from all the important parts of their lives in one place at one time, and perhaps for the last time ever in their lives. Because of this, I always make an effort to attend the weddings to which I am invited. Plus, I love watching inter-generational dancing!
My friends and I left the wedding around 930PM and headed to the DC Metro. From Foggy Bottom, I had to switch to the Red Line at Metro Center to get to Union Station. I can picture the next event in slow motion as it happened. I came up the escalator and turned to see the Red Line train with the doors open. I ran (well wobbled) as fast as I could to get the train. Three steps from the door, my phone falls out of my pocket, on to the ground and slides right off the edge of the platform into the gap between the platform and the train door. My phone is now on the subway tracks.
I am stunned in disbelief. I am in the Metro riding to the next stop, Gallery Place. A woman tells me that this happens all the time and that the station agents have long pinchers to pick up things that have fallen on the tracks. I get off, go back and I have the station agent use the long pinchers to retrieve my phone. And it still worked.
I made it to Union Station thinking I would catch a train up to the BWI area and then take a cab to the hotel where I had made a reservation. Arriving at Union Station at 11PM, I found out that the next train leaving DC wasn't until 315AM. Resigned, I trekked out to the cab line and it was 50 people long. At this point, a man driving a wheelchair equipped van asks where I'm going. I tell him the Red Roof Inn near BWI, he says $60. We're on. With his GPS unit, I'm there in 25 minutes and in bed by midnight. Five hours later, it's up and off to BWI to fly back home.
This past Friday, the 2008 HRS Annual Fair went off without a hitch. For the fourth year in a row, I was the lead in organizing the fair. Somehow, I have appeased the weather gods for it was another night of early fall twilight weather. Unfortunately, my planning of the fair was met by my own "October Surprise." In a moment for which I'm not proud, I lost my temper while at school. Here's what happened. I had received an email from BP reminding me that I needed to have a parking plan as well as a security plan in place. In reviewing my records from the past three years, I had done the parking plan once but two of those years, I didn’t create one. In none of the past three years, had I proposed a security plan. My guess is that in the past, upon submitting the calendar request, which I had forgotten to do this year, BP or CT, took it upon himself or herself to take care of this important task for me. However, with BP no longer in the position that she was until this past year, none of these details were addressed.
I promptly tried to get these taken care of but was stymied over and over. I was sent from one person to the other, who wasn’t able to break down who was in charge or what or whom I needed to contact. I was overwhelmed, frustrated and just plain angry (mostly at myself for having not even thought to address this major hurdle in the planning process.) I will not assign blame, but I think it would be quite useful for the players I was dealing with to sit down and figure out who is supposed to do what. In the end, I learned that the business office dealt with security, although I ended up hiring CC of the ASP to watch the Whittle Gate at $25 an hour. I learned that the administrator in charge is to help work with me on the parking plan.
This headache has led me to realize that I am ready to let another person have a crack at this leadership position. Therefore I have proposed to the administration to have them designate a person who will take over the running of the fair in 2010. I will organize the fair for a fifth and last time, with the this designated person working along side me next year to learn the ropes.
The fair wrapped up Friday evening, October 24th, around 930PM and I was home by 1015PM. At 4AM, I was in the car driving to the San Jose Airport to board a 615AM flight to Baltimore with a connection in Houston. I landed at BWI and promptly boarded Amtrak bound for NYC. Why you ask? Well, I'm officially going to go on record here and state that I am dating a guy named AW, who lives in Atlanta. Turns out AW was up in NYC for the wedding of a co-worker so I threw caution to the wind (and was in denial about how grueling all this travel would be) and took the train up to spend 15 hours with AW.
Sunday morning at 11AM, I was back on Amtrak to Washington, DC to make the 430PM wedding of my college friend Nora B. At the wedding, I was reacquainted with friends from college that I hadn't seen in over a decade. And for those who know David A., he still wears blue-button down dress shirts ONLY. Only in the past few years, have I really understood why the bride and groom always gush that my presence at their special day is all that they want. I've come to realize that it is one time in their lives that they have the opportunity to have all the important people from all the important parts of their lives in one place at one time, and perhaps for the last time ever in their lives. Because of this, I always make an effort to attend the weddings to which I am invited. Plus, I love watching inter-generational dancing!
My friends and I left the wedding around 930PM and headed to the DC Metro. From Foggy Bottom, I had to switch to the Red Line at Metro Center to get to Union Station. I can picture the next event in slow motion as it happened. I came up the escalator and turned to see the Red Line train with the doors open. I ran (well wobbled) as fast as I could to get the train. Three steps from the door, my phone falls out of my pocket, on to the ground and slides right off the edge of the platform into the gap between the platform and the train door. My phone is now on the subway tracks.
I am stunned in disbelief. I am in the Metro riding to the next stop, Gallery Place. A woman tells me that this happens all the time and that the station agents have long pinchers to pick up things that have fallen on the tracks. I get off, go back and I have the station agent use the long pinchers to retrieve my phone. And it still worked.
I made it to Union Station thinking I would catch a train up to the BWI area and then take a cab to the hotel where I had made a reservation. Arriving at Union Station at 11PM, I found out that the next train leaving DC wasn't until 315AM. Resigned, I trekked out to the cab line and it was 50 people long. At this point, a man driving a wheelchair equipped van asks where I'm going. I tell him the Red Roof Inn near BWI, he says $60. We're on. With his GPS unit, I'm there in 25 minutes and in bed by midnight. Five hours later, it's up and off to BWI to fly back home.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Election 2008
President, Congressperson, BART District Supervisor, School Board, Community College Board, 12 State Propositions ( NO ON 8!!!! ), 23 SF City Propositions and Instant Runoff Voting for my San Francisco District 9 Supervisor. Lots to consider and after my friend John L's Gladys House proposition party (I took on State Proposition 11 on the establishment of a Redistricting Commission) and some research, I submit my absentee ballot tomorrow morning. Phew!
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Only in San Francisco
On the ballot for this November's election is, well, here's the commentary from the BeyondChron Alternative Weekly webstie:
"Activist Brian McConnell wrote the ballot argument for Proposition R. George Bush has left us with a “gigantic mess,” he writes, and renaming our local Sewage Treatment Plant after him “symbolizes the City’s deft ability to clean up its share.” Colin Gallagher replied: “if we name a local sewage plant after Bush, what’s left to name after Jesse Helms?” Personally, the best argument I’ve heard on this measure is: “it gives shit a bad name.”"
Yes, San Francisco City and County Proposition R would name our main wastewater treatment plant after our current and soon to be ex-president George W. Bush. I have nothing further to say.
Yes, San Francisco City and County Proposition R would name our main wastewater treatment plant after our current and soon to be ex-president George W. Bush. I have nothing further to say.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
When you gain, you also must give back
The 2008-09 school year has commenced. As I wrap up my first week, I must note and comment the Upper School's move to our new building on campus. I, after a decade of sharing rooms with my colleagues and being in a small office with three other colleagues, now have a brand new, spiffy, gigantic room all to myself. I teach all of my classes in the same room and no other teacher teaches in my room. I have a desk in my room and am completely self-contained. This is true for each and every teacher.
Therein lies the rub. It's lonely. In the old building, everyone was on top of everyone else ALL THE TIME. Our Math Department office was situated right at the junction of two hallways so just being at my desk meant that I heard everything that was going on and more importantly, students would just drop in and visit.
Our new building, and might I put out there officially that it is grand, beautiful, well-designed and spacious, has changed the feel of the Upper School community. The hallways are empty and it feels sterile. Two of my colleagues are in a completely different building. Until this afternoon at lunch, I hadn't seen Steve G. for two full days. He and I used to sit right next to each other in our old office.
What we all have gained in creature comforts and privacy, we've lost the organic interactions that used to occur a couple times an hour because everyone's paths inevitably crossed each other. I liken our move being the equivalent of going from an inner city high density neighborhood to now being in a gated community in the suburbs.
I just need to accept that I need to make the effort to go and find my colleagues and get up off my behind and make those old connections happen. But I put out the charge too all member of the HRS Upper School to make the effort to remake and perhaps create a new community and school culture.
Therein lies the rub. It's lonely. In the old building, everyone was on top of everyone else ALL THE TIME. Our Math Department office was situated right at the junction of two hallways so just being at my desk meant that I heard everything that was going on and more importantly, students would just drop in and visit.
Our new building, and might I put out there officially that it is grand, beautiful, well-designed and spacious, has changed the feel of the Upper School community. The hallways are empty and it feels sterile. Two of my colleagues are in a completely different building. Until this afternoon at lunch, I hadn't seen Steve G. for two full days. He and I used to sit right next to each other in our old office.
What we all have gained in creature comforts and privacy, we've lost the organic interactions that used to occur a couple times an hour because everyone's paths inevitably crossed each other. I liken our move being the equivalent of going from an inner city high density neighborhood to now being in a gated community in the suburbs.
I just need to accept that I need to make the effort to go and find my colleagues and get up off my behind and make those old connections happen. But I put out the charge too all member of the HRS Upper School to make the effort to remake and perhaps create a new community and school culture.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Sometimes, I'm just not smart
For some odd reason, the light bulb in my bathroom gets a bit loose and doesn't illuminate the room when I flip the switch. Every once in a while, I end up peeing in the dark. All that needs to happen is for me to twist the bulb and, voila, "LUX SIT."
However, to reach the bulb, I need to step up on the edge of the tub and then stand on the sink to reach the bulb. Here's the result from yesterday's attempt at getting light into my bathroom.
This is as good a time as any to upgrade my bathroom, eh?
However, to reach the bulb, I need to step up on the edge of the tub and then stand on the sink to reach the bulb. Here's the result from yesterday's attempt at getting light into my bathroom.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Historical Bathroom
Flying back from the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport, I had to check out the infamous bathroom in which Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) was caught soliciting sex from an undercover police officer. Ironically, the airport was plastered with signs welcoming delegates to the Republican National Convention to be held in a matter of days in St. Paul. What can we say Republicans and gay sex scandals.......
The busy restroom is located along the main concourse behind the ticketing gates just past security.
One of the seven stalls (5 to the left of the 2 pictured), but I'm unsure which one was the scene of "the crime."
Chequemegon Bay, WI
Where? How do you pronounce it? Answers respectively are that part of Northern Wisconsin that lies along Lake Superior and Che-Wa-Me-Gon.
A couple days before my trip ended, Keith and I parted ways in Minneapolis. I rented a car and drove north with no real idea as to where I would end up. I wanted to drive to the NE corner or Minnesota and take a boat to Isle Royale, but since I've always wanted to go there, I decided to save that for another time when I get to the island, hike and camp. So, I drove to Duluth, MN and headed east about an hour and ended up in the area around Bayfield, WI located on the said bay and peninsula.
The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, beautiful but the San Juans of Washington State are more dramatic.
The charming town of Bayfield, WI
The Lighthouse at Devils Island
The tip of Devils Island is the northern most point in the state of Wisconsin.
The Bayfield, WI area, like many places in the North, takes full advantage of the warm summer months and packs in as much celebration and culture as possible. There is a big top set up all summer at the base of a local ski area and they have performances all summer.
I missed the Capitol Steps political satire group by one night but I did get to hear a tribute to Nat King Cole.
Next up was sea kayaking along the shore of Lake Superior. The weather perfect and the Northeasterly wind was a perfect tail wind to make the paddle home quick and easy.
A couple days before my trip ended, Keith and I parted ways in Minneapolis. I rented a car and drove north with no real idea as to where I would end up. I wanted to drive to the NE corner or Minnesota and take a boat to Isle Royale, but since I've always wanted to go there, I decided to save that for another time when I get to the island, hike and camp. So, I drove to Duluth, MN and headed east about an hour and ended up in the area around Bayfield, WI located on the said bay and peninsula.
The Bayfield, WI area, like many places in the North, takes full advantage of the warm summer months and packs in as much celebration and culture as possible. There is a big top set up all summer at the base of a local ski area and they have performances all summer.
Next up was sea kayaking along the shore of Lake Superior. The weather perfect and the Northeasterly wind was a perfect tail wind to make the paddle home quick and easy.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Headwaters of the Mississippi River
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Observation about cities in Northern Tier States
I have been in three cities so far (Great Falls, MT, Rapid City, SD and Dickinson, ND) which have grid pattern streets that have numbers for both their North-South and East-West streets. In all cases, one set are Avenues and Streets. For example, 6th St West intersects with 4th Avenue North. What is the deal with that?
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The Enchanted Highway & Center of the USA
Back in South Dakota. Thirteen miles north of Belle Fourche is the geographic center of the United States of America. Here's what it looks like and the surrounding environs.
Monday, August 18, 2008
How well do you know your US Presidents?
Rapid City, SD is nicknamed "The City of Presidents." Why? On Main and St. Josephs streets downtown are the busts of 31 former American presidents. Below are pictures of each of the busts. They are divided into six sets with answers provided at the end. Good luck!
LEVEL: EASY#1
A & B
C & D
E & F
LEVEL: EASY#2
A & B
C & D
E & F
LEVEL: MEDIUM#1
A & B
C & D
E & F
LEVEL: HARD#1
A & B
C & D
E & F
LEVEL: HARD#2
A & B
C & D
E & F &G
ANSWERS
EASY #1
GW Bush, Nixon, FDR, LBJ, JFK, Teddy Roosevelt
EASY #2
Truman, Ford, Carter, Washington, Reagan, Eisenhower
MEDIUM #1
John Adams, Taft, Van Buren, Wilson, Madison, Jefferson
HARD #1
Hoover, John Quincy Adams, Monroe, Jackson, Pierce, Buchanan
HARD #2
Harding, Fillmore, Taylor, Tyler, Coolidge, Polk, William Harrison
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