All in all, a great day.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Road Tripping.2
All in all, a great day.
Road-Tripping
Saturday, July 27
We're celebrating my new job, which starts August 5th.
I'll have to keep this post short for now, because my Internet connection is weak. More later...
Thursday, July 25, 2013
The Onion On Print Media's Death
Thursday, July 25:
In case you didn't hear the news, print is officially dead.
(:
We will of course all miss it.
In case you didn't hear the news, print is officially dead.
(:
We will of course all miss it.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Jury Duty
Monday, July 22: Today I reported for one of those obligations we citizens owe back to our government: jury duty.
I have done so many times over the past 40 years here in San Francisco. The closest I ever got to be chosen to actually sit on a jury, I was rejected by the prosecution once they found out I had worked as an investigative reporter.
I guess it is never a good thing to be the kind of person who finds out too much, especially when what we find out doesn't help your client, or your political philosophy, or your deep-seated biases.
Anyway, the jury panel I was selected for today was for a civil case that actually interests me. It was brought on behalf of family members of four deceased workers who died from mesothelioma, which is a lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos.
I was dismissed due to the obvious financial hardship it would cause for me to sit on a jury for the next two-and-a-half months, as I'm about to assume my first full-time job in years.
But even if I had not filed a financial hardship form, I would have been rejected later on in the process. Why? Because many years ago I worked as an investigative reporter to document how here in California, third-party exposure to asbestos had long ago been recognized by our labor courts as cause for compensation based on developing mesothelioma.
So I would be a biased jury member, under the law, because I made my own judgements based on the evidence. I have always had a personal bias in favor of working class people in any matter -- something I freely admit. A child of the working class, I know how hard life can be, how unfairly the decks are stacked, and how deadly the risks of doing the kinds of jobs mesothelioma victims really are.
But, as an honest journalist, I would never allow myself to be placed in a situation where my past work, or opinions, could affect the outcome of a legal case. See, that's the deal. I do not get the luxury of being biased, opinionated, or favoring one party over another. I don't get any of that stuff. I just have to stay above the fray, as neutral as I can be, and try to tell the truth as I see it.
-30-
I have done so many times over the past 40 years here in San Francisco. The closest I ever got to be chosen to actually sit on a jury, I was rejected by the prosecution once they found out I had worked as an investigative reporter.
I guess it is never a good thing to be the kind of person who finds out too much, especially when what we find out doesn't help your client, or your political philosophy, or your deep-seated biases.
Anyway, the jury panel I was selected for today was for a civil case that actually interests me. It was brought on behalf of family members of four deceased workers who died from mesothelioma, which is a lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos.
I was dismissed due to the obvious financial hardship it would cause for me to sit on a jury for the next two-and-a-half months, as I'm about to assume my first full-time job in years.
But even if I had not filed a financial hardship form, I would have been rejected later on in the process. Why? Because many years ago I worked as an investigative reporter to document how here in California, third-party exposure to asbestos had long ago been recognized by our labor courts as cause for compensation based on developing mesothelioma.
So I would be a biased jury member, under the law, because I made my own judgements based on the evidence. I have always had a personal bias in favor of working class people in any matter -- something I freely admit. A child of the working class, I know how hard life can be, how unfairly the decks are stacked, and how deadly the risks of doing the kinds of jobs mesothelioma victims really are.
But, as an honest journalist, I would never allow myself to be placed in a situation where my past work, or opinions, could affect the outcome of a legal case. See, that's the deal. I do not get the luxury of being biased, opinionated, or favoring one party over another. I don't get any of that stuff. I just have to stay above the fray, as neutral as I can be, and try to tell the truth as I see it.
-30-
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Party Weekend
Yesterday was one of those rare days for me where a family party during the day was followed by a professional party at night. Luca's 5th birthday party was joyful, as we gathered in an El Cerrito park on a sunny, breezy afternoon. The little blond birthday boy never seemed to stop smiling during the hours we were there, running around, playing with his cousins and friends, hugging everybody and making announcements from time to time, such as "Cake time, everybody!"
He was very gracious when he opened his presents, thanking the person who gave each one to him, and often hugging them as well. What a loving little boy he is!
***
At night I went down to Pier 17 and the TCHO chocolate factory for the 20th reunion party for Wired and HotWired. My move to that company in 1995 was fateful. It was the beginning of the web, the beginning of the dot.com revolution, and we were at the bleeding edge of it all.
I left an executive position at KQED, the local public broadcasting company, in September 1995, helped launch Salon.com in November 1995, and became an online producer at HotWired in December 1995.
In January 1996 we launched the first daily political news site on the web. By mid-year 1996, I was the VP of content for the company that would eventually be renamed Wired Digital.
Last night, I was able to catch up with a dozen old friends from that era, people I only rarely get to see any longer. It was nice, very nice. Since we worked together, the entire world has embraced the technologies we were experimenting with in the mid-90s.
***
Today, I am relaxing, watching the Giants game on TV, and getting ready for the kids to come over tonight. It's kind of nice to have a non-news day for a change.
-30-
He was very gracious when he opened his presents, thanking the person who gave each one to him, and often hugging them as well. What a loving little boy he is!
***
At night I went down to Pier 17 and the TCHO chocolate factory for the 20th reunion party for Wired and HotWired. My move to that company in 1995 was fateful. It was the beginning of the web, the beginning of the dot.com revolution, and we were at the bleeding edge of it all.
I left an executive position at KQED, the local public broadcasting company, in September 1995, helped launch Salon.com in November 1995, and became an online producer at HotWired in December 1995.
In January 1996 we launched the first daily political news site on the web. By mid-year 1996, I was the VP of content for the company that would eventually be renamed Wired Digital.
Last night, I was able to catch up with a dozen old friends from that era, people I only rarely get to see any longer. It was nice, very nice. Since we worked together, the entire world has embraced the technologies we were experimenting with in the mid-90s.
***
Today, I am relaxing, watching the Giants game on TV, and getting ready for the kids to come over tonight. It's kind of nice to have a non-news day for a change.
-30-
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