SF Treasure Hunt!

A bunch of friends from school went on a treasure hunt in SF Chinatown the other day. All of us were equiped with cameras so it was just about the most well documented excursion I've ever been on.

I offer 2 photos from it, the Blue....

....and the Red...

Back from Belize

Got back from Belize a few days ago, and after being badgered by a friend, I've decided to post something on the blog!

This is my friend and travelling partner, Sarita, in front of the main structure at Xunantunich - a Mayan site near San Jose Succotz, where we stayed in the Cayo.

Here is a macro shot - some kind of flower loving bug coming in for a landing...

This was on the way to the Actun Tunichil M[mumble] tour (commonly referred to as the ATM tour). A spelunking "adventure tour" into a Mayan sacred cave.





At the end of the ATM tour is the skeleton of a young woman who was a human sacrifice. There were a total of 15 sets of human remains in the cave, of which this was the best preserved.

If I remember correctly, the Mayan civilization was experiencing a crisis, possibly due to climate and ecological changes - the evil part of me suggests that sacrificing Texas Energy Barons may help our current climate change problems...but that's not really the right thing to do...












This was the view from my balcony while staying at Ruby's in San Pedro (Ambergris Caye). San Pedro is kind of busy, with lots of golf carts buzzing around. Less busy than many other resort-like areas, but I personally preferred the quiet of Caye Caulker.






Sunsets in Belize were quite pretty - this was at the San Pedro airport.












Sarita took this photo, of a little boy and his mother in Caye Caulker - nicely done!



















The final image is a sunset at Caye Caulker, captured from the dock outside my room at the Leeside Apartments (Caye Caulker Rentals).

Spiritual Activism and Senseless Violence: 6 blocks of separation

During lunchtime today, the Spiritual Activism Conference held a rally in Sproull Plaza. Jim Wallis spoke, as well as Rabbi Michael Lerner (pictured here on the steps of Sproull Hall).

The demographics of the conference attendees was very interesting - a friend of mine asked if there was some kind of aging hippy conference today, and I guess that is as accurate a characterization as any other. There seemed to be relatively few college age attendees, and the workshop that I visited had many people of middle age and beyond.

They had a good lineup of speakers and performers. I thought that the folk singer, David Rovics had a very pointed and entertaining song "Who Would Jesus Bomb"
For the afternoon speakers, I was particular impressed with Rick Ufford-Chase's concrete approach to activism.

A few blocks away from the conference was this temporary shrine to Meleia Willis-Starbuck. On a scholarship at Dartmouth, she had come back to Berkeley for the summer to work at a shelter for homeless women and children. In what looks like a case of "friendly fire", one of her best friends accidentally shot and killed her, perhaps thinking he was protecting her from a group of men that had argued with her earlier.
At the conference, speakers spoke to us about nations making war on each other for no good reason, while in our own neighborhoods, friends kill their best friends for no good reason.

Babies! Babies! Babies! Everyone around me is coming down with parenthood!!!

I saw this today on a car in Oakland and had to laugh!!!

Buddha spent 50 years telling everyone that he was just a man, and a teacher of Dharma, not a God and that once he was gone, he was outta here!

Dead. Finito. Don't pray to me, Argentina! I'm not supposed to be immortal!!

His dying words were to the effect that each person had to work out their salvation on their own.

So of course, you get a bumper sticker conflating Buddha with God and asking for his blessings.

Strange indeed. Strange indeed.

I got there a little late to explore the tidepools, but I still managed to find this starfish in shallow water!

Lots-o-crabs at Salt Point, pretty shy though.

Sunset at Salt Point State Park

Inside St. Paul's Cathedral - a pretty cathedral that balances old school, busy catholic decor against modernistic styles. Somewhere in their Book of the Elect is yours truly.

Inside Heinz Chapel. Flare, specular highlights, so many technical flaws - but I like the shot!

The mighty Cathdral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh - a 42 story academic phallic symbol!

Somewhere in the skies between Oakland and Pittsburgh

A friend trying to put out the candles on his Birthday cake using the mighty Buddha's Palm(tm) technique

Some friends jumping for joy in Mt. Diablo Park

Old photo - on the way to Joshua Tree in December 2004

Blurry - but it is Gilberto Gil playing guitar and Joan Baez dancing on stage.

This is a cute little church on Nicasio Valley Rd., next to Rancho Nicasio. It was really quaint, and I wanted to wander inside, but it was locked - oh well. I liked the statue of Mary.

The ever-delicious Bovine Bakery. Minutes before this bicyclist sat down to chow down on Marin County's finest pastries, Franklyn, Jason and myself were on that same section of pavement, doing the same...

This is a dragonfly that I found on the ground next to Big Rock. He (she/it?) was on it's back when I found it. I turned it over and it seemed to be better off, but not in a mood to fly off. I took the opportunity to take it's picture!

This is Big Rock, along Lucas Valley Rd in Marin County. There is a longish uphill that leads to it - this boulder is not only the major landmark, its also the crest of the hill.