The Red Line of the DC metro system bends in a U shape, connecting two wealthy Maryland suburban cities with DC in the middle.  On the western side of the U, the stops in DC are pretty ritzy too.  But on the eastern side of the U, the Red Line runs through slightly shoddier neighborhoods.

I saw the second home game of the season for the Giants tonight - was finally in town at the right time to see the much touted AT&T Park, built downtown near the Embarcadero.  I dragged my brother along for his birthday present, even tho he has no interest in baseball whatsoever.  (But he did have a modicum of interest in seeing the inside of the stadium.)  When Bengie Molina hit a nice and clean little home run in the bottom of the second to score first and put the Giants in the lead over the Padres, and I was jumping up and down and everyone around me was cheering, and

When I got back from church, famished, my brother handed me something.  He had bought me an It's It!  A San Francisco tradition and my favorite ice cream sandwich in the world.  I scarfed it down, savoring the cinnamony cookie goodness.  We then went to lunch.  (Yes, I had desert first.)

Today was Ching Ming, or Grave-Sweeping Day - the day one pays homage to one's ancestors by tending to their graves (hence the sweeping) and making offerings.   I am back in California this week for Ching Ming, to attend to the graves of my paternal grandparents.  Or rather, to watch my father attend so that I will know what to do when it someday falls to me.

Methinks the term lion-heart normally refers to someone who is brave in battle. In rememberance of the 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, I offer an alternative meaning.

A friend, Michael, forwarded this to me:

The two guys reared lion from a baby in England but the authorities would not allow them to keep it once it reached maturity.

They were forced to give it up - took it back to Africa, and placed it in a wildlife sanctuary.

A year later they went to see the lion, but were told it would not remember them.

One of my favorite things about the winter holidays is the decorations. In the darkness of winter, the glitter and lights are all the more appreciated. And one of my least favorite things about the winter holidays is the fighting over the decorations. Non-Christians complaining about Christmas trees, as if Christmas trees were actually Christian.

The solution has been to give equal time to symbols of other faith traditions. In addition to the Christmas creche, there now stands the Hanukkah menorah, and maybe even a Yule log. Fine with me. The more festivity the better.

Gillian Gibbons, the British teacher in Sudan who was sentenced to 15 days in jail for allowing children to name a teddy bear “Mohammed”, was freed on Dec 3rd, after being held for 8 days. Under Sudanese law, the court could have sentenced her to as much as 40 lashes and 6 months in prison. While there were scary, hateful people in the streets calling for her blood, it was obvious that the court itself did not relish the situation and was trying to find a middle way to appease the angry mobs while still upholding what is just.

The InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington is trying to transform the world towards greater mutual understanding and compassion by spreading interfaith dialogue. To increase their reach, the plan is to train people who will facilitate such dialogues all over the greater Washington area. In other words, they are training the trainers and I have volunteered to be one of them.

This story made my day, probably my month. What a woonderfully positive way to respond.

Central Kings students wear pink to send bullies a message
By IAN FAIRCLOUGH Valley Bureau

CAMBRIDGE — Two students at Central Kings Rural High School fought back against bullying recently, unleashing a sea of pink after a new student was harassed and threatened when he showed up wearing a pink shirt.

Silliness. Kindness. It's definitely a moment!

Clowns KKKick KKK ass!

Monday May 28, 2007 16:25
by Chris Irwin - Three Rivers Earth First!

FROM THE NEWSWIRE: Knoxville rejects Nazis and Klan.

Saturday May 26th the VNN Vanguard Nazi/KKK group attempted to host a hate rally to try to take advantage of the brutal murder of a white couple for media and recruitment purposes.