Micheal Moore’s latest film, Fahrenheit 9/11, has been banned by Disney, it’s distributor. Unbelievable. Well, you know what? It just makes really, really want to go see it. It must be bloody fantastic if it has been banned by Disney.
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I went on a hike yesterday at one of my favorite places. Rancho Del Oso. It’s about a four mile hike. but two of those miles are uphill. One of those miles goes up a steep grade until you reach the top of a peak that overlooks the ocean and the valley.
This mile getting to the top was sooooo painful for me. I thought I was in better shape but apparently not. It was hot, in the eighties. I should have been wearing shorts and I got overheated. When I reached the top I felta little nauseated.
But really, the walk is worth it. The top of this summit is so zen-like.
it is so quiet and peaceful. There is a mailbox on a tree branch that says “thought mail” and inside there are pads of paper and a pen. The last note that was written was from April 27th, 2004 and it was from some people from Boston who had taken thier infant on her first hike.
The hike, further down below, is equally awesome. The views are outstanding. At one point you look down and can see a farm. It is so idylic.
Walking into the park there is a plaque that reads:
Near this spot, October 20-23, 1769, Don Gaspar De Portola and his land expedition seeing Monterey Bay, camped for three days to rest those sick. Because if thier rapid recovery, Father Cressi (sp) named this valley Canada De La Salud. On December 10. 1774, Father Palou, Returning from the exploration of San Francisco Bay, paused here to offer prayers of thanksgiving for this miracle of restored health. Erected by the California State Society .
And I have to say, when I am there I do feel this sense of renewal. Even before I discovered that this plaque was there I felt it. It is something that I can’t explain.
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Image via Wikipedia frontline: the jesus factor | PBS
Hmm…..This looks interesting. I’ve been listening to the Majority Report and they mentioned this program that is airing tonight.
I’m at work so I am not watching it. But I think I will catch the web stream on Saturday. I think the issue of Bush’s evangelical faith is an important one. I think that he needs to be careful to not mix his faith with the job that he has been given by (less than half) of the American public. Separation of church and state is an important doctrine and one that our Founding Fathers took care to write into our Constitution. Bush, I feel, sometimes allows his faith to overshadow his judgement.For example, I think that it is frightening that during his press conference a couple of weeks ago he said something like, “freedom is given to us by the Almighty” etc. I just think that, while it is okay to have that belief, he needs to be careful about alienating Americans who don’t believe that Jesus is God. Or who don’t believe in the Almighty, for that matter. And, frankly, Freedom is something we have fought for and have worked for. But that is just my opinion.
Looking forward to watching this.
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Yesterday Raffa and I drove up the coast to one of our favorite beaches. I don’t know the exact name of it, but I’ve always called it Whale Rock (that may be it’s offical name). It has this giganitic rock right off the beach that looks like a whale. Well, I was lucky enough to see several whales, surfacing and then spouting! I didn’t get a picture of it because all I had with me was my palm and the camera on it isn’t all that great. I did take the photo below with it, though. Not the greatest, but it is record of the gorgeous day we had yesterday!
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I haven’t posted on my current read in a long, long time. Now’s as good a time as any. My problem with books is that I get too many going at one time. I have been reading this particular book since, I think, February. I get sidetracked too easily. I am also currently reading “Why people believe weird things” by Shermeer (which is also really good) and listening to (via audible and ipod) The Devil in the White City. More to come on those later.
On to Kevin Starr (California’s recently retired State Librarian). I had the honor to hear him speak a couple of months ago here at Santa Clara Universiy’s Orradre library. The thing about his talk that really struck me, having a background in literature, was that he felt that the lines between history and literature were very thin. I kind of have always felt the same way. It’s why I am really interested in history, and I love the individual stories that come out when you study history.
Which is why I love this book. Kevin Starr covers the forties in California by focusing in on individuals, or particular stories. The chapter I am reading now is about detectives and crime in L.A. during this time period. Reading it I get images of Sam Spade. I feel like I’m there. Another interesting chapter dealt with how Hollywood handled the World War Two, and how there were many movie stars that joined the military during the War because they felt the need to serve thier country. All in all, Starr really knows how to make history interesting. He is an excellent writer and I believe his background in literature really makes this book, and I’m sure the series, very enjoyable and very readable
