Canada and New York: Camera buying and MOMA

OK. So I think I might have made a mistake today. I was looking for a compact superzoom and headed out to get the Panasonic TZ25. I came home several hours later with a Canon SX260 HS. How did this happen. Well, a combination of factors- the store didn't have the model I wanted, despite being advertised as "in stock". I had spent several hours of research and had asked my camera choice guru Peter who does his research well. I had already traversed New York and the day was slipping away. I had the choice of several more hours of travelling, or buying my second choice. I did the latter. Only time will tell how this choice will pan out.

Fortunately, this did give me time to do what I wanted to do today, which was to see the Museum of Modern Art or MOMA. This was superb, and I could have spent hours there. Amusingly, an exhibition I saw in London was debuting in New York, so I saw it again.

This is the exhibition I saw in London

On the second last day of a holiday such as this, the mind gets inexorably drawn back to home. I have had more and more thoughts about work and home and friends. They are mostly good thoughts, but some have anxieties attached. It's an interesting challenge to practise mindfulness and stay available to the experiences here.

We are watching CBS network New York at the moment while I write this blog. If I can stand the advertisements without changing channels I will get to see some amazing stuff on the News- some video of a police chase where a car mounts an embankment, becomes airborne and crashes into a house. According to the newsreader it's "worth watching". There's also an item about a dog which is stealing American flags from cemeteries, and some mobile phone footage of parents brawling at a Little League Baseball match.

This is the 9/11 memorial "you can run but you cannot hide" coin set!

I am astounded at the virtual complete blackout of international news items. In contrast, the MOMA had some interesting video including actors re-enacting the Guantanamo Bay trials using actual transcripts. They portray the immense disrespect for human rights, all justified by "national security concerns". Detainees had no access to the charges, and could therefore not defend themselves meaningfully. The unclassified evidence was given to them, but was so inadequate most didn't know what they were on trial for.

I have a theory about America's disrespect for international rules. I have never seen such wanton rule breaking as I have in New York. I have mentioned the use of Emergency Exits in the Subway, which are so commonplace that the alarm is ignored. Jaywalking is another local pursuit. A red pedestrian light means nothing here. In Australia, if you walked against a red light in front of a police officer you would certainly be given a talking to by the officer, if not charged. In New York, you can do it right in front of a policeman without him turning a hair. What sort of message does this give young children about authority, or entitlement? It now makes sense that America makes and breaks whatever rules they want. Cyclists also seem to break rules wantonly. They go down one way streets the wrong way, and sometimes at speed. This means you really have to look both ways when crossing the street. New York has a lot of one way streets, but you don't get the security of knowing that if the main traffic isn't coming, you are safe to step out.

I really enjoyed the Museum of Modern Art, but we had other things to do! I wanted to check out my camera, and we had a wicked schedule for the evening.

I took a few quick shots in the local neighbourhood.. yes the camera is good! What a relief. And very portable too.