The whoops and hollers you heard this weekend - and especially at the big Gay Pride Parade on Sunday - were natural reactions to New York State legalizing same-sex marriage. And, in the process, granting dignity and human rights to a large group that had been denied them.
Yes indeedy there are many who opposed legalizing same-sex marriage. Polls show it's less than half of Americans - still a sizeable number to be sure, but it means that most Americans are in favor.
This was, in the end, a question of individual freedom. No one should be forced to marry a same-sex partner. But if you find love and want to act on it, then why should any adult be stopped?
What's surprising to me were all the people who didn't care about marriage suddenly excited about the prospect. Maybe it wasn't the actual notion of marriage that got to them - just the fact that they now had the right to do it. But clearly there are many gays and lesbians who will now get married. Estimates of how much money that means for the state's economy range upwards of $200 million a year - I mean, c'mon, we're talking some fab parties here!
Those who opposed this new legislation that takes effect next month are not backing down in their criticism of it. But they will not be forced to condone it either. No one will be required to perform a same-sex marriage.
We'll have the latest on the fallout from the new law, tonight at 11.
Another big development in the last-minute state legislature compromises involved New York City's budget - and the big catastrophe predicted by Mayor Bloomberg over the budget, once again, isn't happening.
No teacher layoffs. No firehouse closings.
Remember the dire predictions about 4,000 teachers gone and 20 firehouses shuttered?
The Mayor has now pulled the doomsday card a couple of times. If he pulls it again, will some then feel justified to look at Mr. Bloomberg has nothing more than the boy who cried wolf?
They may not believe him next time.
We'll have the latest on who won, and who lost, at 11.
Also at 11, tenants in a million rent-regulated apartments in New York City tonight will learn their rent-increase fate for the next year.
The Rent Guidelines Board will hold its final vote tonight. The increases on one-year leases will range from 3 to 5.75%, and from 6 to 9% on two-year leases.
Any increase for people who are out of work or on a fixed income or who haven't gotten a raise in years is tough, of course. But it's also tough-sledding for landlords who are facing increases in the cost of just about everything. Why anyone would consciously want to be a landlord - I've no idea.
On the other hand, if they weren't making money, then few would actually do it.
Lucy Yang is covering the vote for us.
And with summer here and some peeps obsessed with their weight, we take a closer look at two diet fads, and whether they really work.
The first is baby food. Yup - some folks are popping those little jars of pureed fruits and veggies and other goodies that my 23-month-old loves. And, yes, they taste good (I have all sorts of opportunities to sample the fare when I feed her). But at only a few dozen calories per container, they are hardly the stuff adults can really thrive on. And there's no chew factor, let's not forget; which is why even my toddler gets food that involved actually mashing of teeth.
The second is a new kind of cleanse that floods your body for a few days with all sorts of fruits and veggies. Pounds and pounds of it.
Lots of peeps feel better after these kinds of cleanses, but experts warn that these kinds of treatments should be done under the supervision of a health professional. Kemberly Richardson has our story tonight at 11.
We'll also have any breaking news of the night, plus Meteorologist Jeff Smith (in for Lee Goldberg) with his AccuWeather forecast, and Rob Powers with the night's sports, including the travails of the L.A. Dodgers, which today filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The team, with its owners caught in a nasty divorce case, blames Major League Baseball for not approving the multi-billion dollar television deal that would have kept the team solvent. What a terrible state for what was once baseball's premier organization.
I hope you can join Sade Baderinwa and me, tonight at 11.
