Category: Bronx

We Survived Hurricane Irene

… and Probably Should Get the t-shirt to express the survival.

Thankfully not so bad; we fared okay.

New Yorkers insist on grumbling, of course.

Look, I’m not going to second-guess the order to evacuate the coastal areas of the city or whether MTA didn’t need to shut down service. Hurricane Irene could have been a disaster and we got lucky. And, I’m glad to not have to hear about people trapped in Battery Park City or Coney Island or the Rockaways, or stuck in flooded subways or blown away on the elevated lines. Better to be safe than sorry – I’ll agree with the mayor on that.

Check MTA for subway service updates for Monday. Looks like service is expected to be up by 6am.

Pretty amazed – fascinating footage from AP, via NPR’s news blog. So the island of Manhattan was pretty unscathed; downtown was gushing with water during the height of Irene, but Times Square still glittered w/ lights, even if a people-less. Ah well.

Come On Irene

At least the hype (hopefully hype) is exciting. I even got kicked out of the office early, but I work in Zone A, which got ordered a mandatory evacuation and the building’s landlord was turning off the electricity at 5pm.

The following embedded video was from a friend of mine, MW. I share it as a mild form of hokey entertainment for us Triscribers. Better that than to freak out.

Hope for the best, after all!

In case you (still) need to check what zone you’re in: check the interactive map.

As I note over at my other blog, all the libraries in the city are closed this weekend.

Also, no subways after 12pm on Saturday (check the MTA on that). Of course, this means that, on the bright side, the mayor’s not going to tell us to take on a Broadway show. Stay safe! (and dry?)

Oh, and don’t forget – have a manual can opener, if you’re going to have all that canned food this weekend. Just sayin’.

The Ides of March

I’ve really had to take a break from the news this weekend. Just not good stuff. The news from Japan worsens arising from the earthquake and the resulting tsunami, aftershocks, and nuclear reactor crises. Then, locally, the tragic results of the horrifying casino bus crash at the Bronx/Westchester border.

Granted, I have nothing personal at stake (thank God), but my thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected. And, honestly, where are the good news?

So, I had to turn my attentions elsewhere. Currently reading: the satirical textbook, “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents America (The Book) Teacher’s Edition: A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction.” Sick and funny. Humor makes things a little better. Sort of.

Via Angry Asian Man, I found out about “fuck yeah asian/pacific islander history,” a photo blog of APA (API) history. Really fascinating stuff. A review of the APA photo album, so to speak.

Relating to us as APA lawyers/people into APA legal history: a photo of Chinatown leaders taking a break while at court under subpoena, from the San Francisco Library. According to the blog post, in 1956, after a 1955 report from the US Consul in Hong Kong making an unsubstantiated claim that Chinese immigrants were all illegal sleeper agents/criminals:

the US Attorney Lloyd Burke subpoenas 40 major Chinese American associations demanding a full accounting of income, membership and photographs within 24 hours. Chinatowns on both coasts are raided frequently and business are disrupted at a loss of $100,000 a week. A federal judge eventually rules in favor of the Chinese, calling the subpoena attack a “mass inquisition.”

Poignant stuff: at least there was some justice. At least history says there has been some hope.