Observation 1: American students are taught to insert a double space after a period when writing official documents. I have never heard of this and it irritated me heavily (working on a manuscript where some authors do this, and some don't). Internet agrees with me that this is something that was done in early 1900s when typing on a actual typewriter, and should never be done in modern world.
Observation 2: Apparently two days of regular rain is a "storm". I'm thinking this is a Californian use of the word, as people here are used to the eternal sunshine. Internet again agrees with me: rain on it's own doesn't constitute a storm - typically heavy winds (55+ mph) are needed, or alternatively some additional element such as thunder, hail, or even fire. This obviously came about from the fact that it rained for a week, although it still is not enough to restore water levels. The magnolias and fruit trees have started flowering.
Observation 3: Call for gender equality manifests in weird ways. Most typical is mocking people who ignorantly portray gender distributions based on current reality (e.g. of group leaders and lab workers or Nobel prize winners). I understand that people feel that using imagery like this might perpetuate the atmosphere of male dominance in sciences, but it could be turned around into a (positive?) rallying call for awareness and change (instead of shaming the ignorant).
Observation 4: I still don't understand what is and what isn't racism. There's a grant we're applying for to fund summer students to work with us, and it would be easily ours if we could show that we have identified minority students to work with us (minority = Native American, Black, Hispanic). How do you ask your students their ethnicity?! I'm still extremely baffled by this.
Observation 5: Voting with your feet is difficult if you delve into moral/politic considerations. I today learned that the bike shop I frequent in Davis is owned by a supporter of Proposition 8 (same-sex marriage ban). I agree with my friends - it's difficult to bring your custom to someone when they disagree with you on a human rights issue. But then, where do you draw a line? If you hear that a shop is Christian or Muslim owned, will you not shop there? Big companies and anything produced in China are probably also out of question. Should I avoid my favourite grocery store, Davis Co-Op, because I approve of GMOs and they probably don't? Also, even though the owner of the bike shop might think that not everyone is equal, I do. And I think he deserves to make a living with the well-run shop where I've always had the best service, regardless of what he thinks as a private person.
