Hunter's Canvas

I love the Celtics!

This season has made me an official fan.  I've never seen such a classy, talented, good-natured group of players.

The inevitable...

C, originally uploaded by DavidGardinerGarcia.


It feels inevitable.  It seems all of New York that was once old, sturdy, beautiful, full of history and a different better way of life will yield to looming towers, greed, and disconnection from the neighborhood.  What seems so obviously destructive to our culture and how we live amongst each other has become the norm.

It's especially interesting when this push for new buildings becomes very literally destructive - in this case the crane that ripped through the apartments and lives of a few East Side tenants.  The New York Times published a follow-up story today illustrating what's wrong with the New York real estate situation:

'Given the perverse logic of Manhattan real estate, the crane accident, a symbol of runaway development in New York, may end up paving the way for even more of it. “The landlord has no motivation to do repairs when he could tear a building down and build a highly profitable office tower instead,” says Adam Leitman Bailey, the lawyer for Crave Ceviche Bar.'

And so it goes.  Property owners are extremely influential and hold much power over the future and culture of a city.  And with money it seems as their sole motivator, our neighborhoods and our values do not stand a chance. 

 

Vick's dogs try to recover

While Michael Vick is serving a 23-month sentence in federal prison for his abuse and torture of the dogs of Bad Newz Kennels, 47 of the surviving pit bulls now have a chance to perhaps become dogs again.  Most have a long road to recovery.  Georgia, for example, had all 42 of her teeth pulled so she didn't fight back when she was forced to breed.

It's hard to know how to wade through all the discussions regarding race and Vick's conviction.  Was he made an example of?  Definitely.  Was it because he was a football star?  Probably.  Would the reaction have been the same if he was a white football star?  I don't know. 

One of the major points raised by Boyce Watkins, in his comments on the Vick conviction, is that the public was outraged over the abuse of these dogs while other (white?) folks serve lesser sentences for worse crimes.  And that the horrors in Darfur continue while most Americans haven't a clue what's happening there.  I wholeheartedly agree with him on both of these points.  This conviction is just only if we convict people appropriately for their crimes, regardless of race or fame. 

What I very much disagree with Boyce on here is that what Michael did is akin to hunting.  When you hunt a deer, you shoot them, and they die pretty soon after that.  The deer is not tortured mentally and physically again and again for years on end or brutally killed by slamming his head against concrete when no longer needed.  Boyce also thinks we should give Vick a break because everyone does "stupid things" when they are "young" at 28.  This is absurd.  It doesn't matter how young you are; if you dig out your dog's 42 teeth, you are a disgusting pig.  And I think Boyce does a disservice to the youth of today by excusing this behavior. 

It's official!

I have a blog.  I am excited to have a forum for sharing things I find interesting.  More to come!