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My new blog will eventually replace this one (www.joex.net/blog)...Click in the link below

WWW.SANFRANCISCODHARMA.COM

The drizzle today did not discourage this artist at Civic Center and Market Street...

"Work becomes our spiritual journey when our destination is no longer just becoming more successful or more wealthy, or getting a paycheck, promotion, or job security, but when we also work to resolve a most fundamental question:


Can we be at home in our lives - can we be open, honest, and at ease under all circumstances, moment by moment?"

 - Michael Carroll

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is situated behind a majestic waterfall fifty (50) feet long and twenty (20) feet tall which cascades over Sierra granite.

A member of the military accompanies Rachel Guy-Latham at a viewing of the body of her husband, Sergeant Thomas Lee Latham, 23, who was killed by an IED in Baghdad, Iraq in March.


Army Sgt. Thomas L. Latham

Thomas L. Latham played video games with his 5-year-old stepson Caleb and sat on the floor with 1-year-old daughter Ariel playing with blocks. No matter how often his children wanted to hear the same book read aloud, Latham would read it. "Without any complaints," said his mother-in-law, Florence Guy. "He was a good guy. He was a really good person." Latham, 23, of Delmar, Md., was killed March 11 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was a 2002 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Drum. Latham loved sports, especially football and hunting, which allowed him to relax in the quiet woods. Over Christmas break, he and his dad searched for Indian arrowheads in the woods. "He was always a very nice young man, friendly," said Melissa English Schock, chairwoman of the social studies division at his high school. "He was one of the students with the smile and stand-out personality." Schock remembers Latham toting canned goods to charity. "He was always willing to help out," she said. He also had served one tour of duty in Afghanistan. He also is survived by his wife, Rachel Guy-Latham.

Click play button below to listen...

Image Anthony Suau for TIME

Got a ride on the double decker 38 Geary Muni bus today. The views from the upper level were great. The ride was free and fun. I even forgot I was late for an appointment. Very little knee room and had to duck down when entering and leaving. Lots of attentive MUNI support staff (at least 5 or 6) on board concerned for our well being. Sure wish they would ride along on the N Judah or the 22 Fillmore.

Reflecting on Joe, Tony, and Eddie...and everyone else today while holding them in my heart...

The "crouching spider" on the waterfront sans hasmat gear watches and waits....

As of today the Cosco Busan sits anchored and arrested off shore with officials worried it may be structurally unsafe for it to leave San Francisco waters and the City by the Bay.

The arrow marks the tower where the 900-foot container ship "Cosco Busan"  side swiped the Bay bridge on November 7th and spilled 58,000 gallons of fuel oil into the bay. The base of the tower was only slightly damaged. That could have been much worse. The ship itself sustained a 200 foot long tear of its port side. Reports on the actual amount of the spill vary and many groups feel the real amount is being understated by officials. They now insist about 1/3 of the gooey, glopped, and clumped tar like balls of oil have been reclaimed yet many feel this is not true.The adverse effects to the eco-system of the bay and ocean will be felt for years to come. Some of the remaining fuel oil will float around in the various ocean currents, some will evaporate, and most will eventually settle on the bottom of the bay or ocean. 28 beaches up and down the coast were closed, wildlife were killed or injured. Rocks and shoreline areas remain coated. Clean up, reporting, and response time controversies of varying degrees continue. Beaches are now open. Cleaned, stressed, and freaked out wildlife are being released back to their natural homes. Photo ops with all local, state, and federal politicians, with their oil pooper-scoopers and hasmat gear have ended. Hundreds of volunteers, some arrested for not being authorized to help, came forward and made the difference in the otherwise slow official response to the cleanup. Kitty litter rakes sold out and all pet store and supermarket shelves were emptied of this prized implement. Who knew? Gavin Newsom, our famous and very attractive mayor, watched the entire event on CNN while vacationing in Hawaii and resting from a virtually uncontested reelection campaign. The fact that he did not return to aid in the cleanup or participate in the drama of it all are making some very unhappy.



Yes...the "crouching spider" on the waterfront sans hasmat gear watches and waits....