Divah World

....but it's getting harder to imagine

Two items from today's news:

"Car bomber kills 28 near US convoy in Baghdad"  - the bomb detonated as a group of children were gathered around the vehicles when the bomb went off.

"Sharon orders reprisals for bombing" - more Israeli/Palestinian violence, more people killed as revenge for people being killed.

Seemingly, the cycle of war and bloodshed in this world just will not stop.......

Still praying for peace....

I just read the news of a suicide bombing in Israel. A 18-year-old member of the Islamic Jihad group has been identified as the bomber. According to the AP article, the group did release a statement saying it was committed to the cease-fire. I'm not sure what this means.

What I hope it means is that the peace process will continue for all sides. The article does say that it is in everyone's best interest that it does.

May the cool heads prevail---may they fiind a way to peace.

Common Ground

In this morning's SF Chronicle, there was a small AP story about a proposed soccer match in Mexico City between the Italian team Inter Milan and the Zapatista rebels, who always appear in ski masks. All proceeds would go to charity.

This brought to mind the legend from World War One of the Christmas Eve soccer match between the Germans and the English on the battlefield of Flanders--a legend that is true, although somewhat idealized at this point.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the hard reality of sports, displaying the dark side and the toll it can take on the players. These two stories, one from the past, one from the present, bring to fore universiality of sports, the ability to find common ground. Even if the sentiments don't last, it's a start.

Lady Godiva

According to the "On This Day" on my Excite Home Page, today, May 31, is the date that Lady Godiva rode naked through the streets of Coventry to protest the heavy taxes levied by her husband Leofric, Earl of Mercia in 1678.

I'm familiar with the legend, but I never knew the real story---strange that this didn't come up this past semester in Western Civ. You can read what happened that fateful day, and the consequences, by clicking here.

Where is Spring?

This year in San Francisco, winter lasted a long time. We were still getting substantial rain in the second week of May. We've had a couple of nice sunny warm days since then, and now we've got the fog. Can it be that we're going straight into summer?

Here's the present city view....

And here's the view from Twin Peaks--usually, you see a panoramic view of the city with both the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges in sight.

The Color of Money Update

Visitors to my previous blog might remember a post I wrote about the color of money. Just click here to refresh your memory.

It seems I'm not the only person concerned with this issue. Low and behold, in today's (Sunday, May 15) NYTimes there's an article about the design of Swiss money (click here for article, although if this is now an old post you may not be able to access the article).

Here's a description of the money:

"The Swiss money, designed by Jörg Zintzmeyer, is stamped with the faces and works of noted 20th-century Swiss arts figures, like Le Corbusier and Giacometti. Though equal in width, the bills are of different lengths, making them easier to sort through, a task once impossible for the visually impaired. Each denomination is a different color, and the bills are vertically oriented, not horizontally as most are, which also makes them easier to distinguish."

Here's a photo of the Swiss money:

Doesn't this look more interesting than our boring, all-the-same size & color bills? (click on image for larger view)