The Display that Caught My Eye

The display that caught my eye

This display actually made me stop in my tracks as I walked through Sears to find a camera float (which they didn't have). I couldn't help but wonder what age group this display is targeted at. The underwear is what originally caught my attention - bright pink with "BOYS" ("O" in the shape of a heart, of course) written all over them. That was already eye catching because of its overtly sexual connotations. Then put that in the context of its surroundings - bras and undies with Hello Kitty, Sesame Street, and Paul Frank cartoons. Kids cartoons. Maybe I am just getting older and more prudish, but honestly, I don't think I am the only one who sometimes has to stop and wonder… "What the **** is going on around here?"

Writing and Photography

I said in my last post that I would try and write every day... and I actually have been writing nearly every day, just not on my blog. But regardless of where I write, at least I am doing some writing. So good job me.

I have also been doing some photography around town so I can enter the photos in a these weekly contests over on Trazzler's Open Places. So far I have won two honorable mentions - one for the Santa Barbara Courthouse and another for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy - both of which you can see below:

View from the bell tower of the Santa Barbara Courthouse

Dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy 

It's Been A While

It's been a while since I have been dedicated to writing nearly every day. But I think the time has returned. I am not an incredibly superstitious person, but I do think that there are little markers in life that if you actively look for, you can more clearly see you path. Those markers have been appearing more and more frequently and my path is becoming more defined. I think writing will be a big part of my path, regardless of the destination, so I had better keep it up. Practice makes perfect. And I have some ideas churning in my head, so we'll see where they take me.

The Acropolis of Athens

My first full day in Athens was spent wandering around the ancient city. I began at the southern slope of the Acropolis. The usual entry fee is 12 Euros, but, happily enough, it happened to be a free day - I think because of the Easter holiday. I began my tour at the Theater of Dionysos, a grand theater first constructed during the 6th century BC and reconstructed several times by both the Greeks and the Romans.

Relaxing at the Theater of Dionysos

After sitting and taking in the surroundings, I climbed of the theater and headed to the Asclepion, built around a sacred spring to worship Asclepius, the physician son of Apollo. The worship of Asclepius coincided a sweeping plague in 429 BC.

The Asclepius

I then scrambled my way up to the top of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, built in AD 161 by the Romans, for an overhead view of the southern slope of the Acropolis.

View from the top of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus

After a brief stop to take in the view, I climbed up the steps and headed through the Propylaia, the grand entrance to the top of the Acropolis, and headed to the magnificent Parthenon.

The Parthenon, more than any other ancient monument, epitomizes the glory of ancient Greece. Parthenon means "virgin's apartment" and it is dedicated to Athena Parthenos, the goddess that embodied the power and prestige of the city, and is built on at least four previous monuments to Athena. The temple took 15 years to complete and was finished in 438 BC.

The Parthenon

Greek flag and the Parthenon

After rounding the Parthenon I headed to the Erechtheion, where Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and where Athena produced olive trees. The Erechtheion was completed in 406 BC and is easily recognizable by its six larger than life maiden columns.

The maidens of the Erechtheion watching over Athens

The Erechtheion

After this final stop I headed town the side of the Acropolis towards the Ancient Agora for a stroll through this once thriving market.

Arriving in Athens

I have arrived in Athens, Greece! From the airport I got straight onto the underground metro, and the first thing I saw upon arrival was this beautiful Orthodox Cathloic Church. It is Easter here for Orthodox Cathloics and from the church came these very loud and very deep voices singing, what seemed like, very old songs. They were the kind that are a bit sad sounding and eerie, but beautiful nonetheless.

First thing I saw when I arrived.

After a nap my host, Panos, took me out walking around the historic ancient Athens, an area called Plaka, which encircles the Acropolis.

Exploring Plaka in Athens, Greece

Exploring Plaka in Athens, Greece - The Acropolis

We then met up with two of Panos' friends, Theo and Gina, for dinner. They took me to a cafe and we sat outside and sampled a bit of everything, all of us sharing food, Greek family style. The food was excellent! While we were eating a small parade of people walked through the street chanting songs to celebrate Easter.

Exploring the streets of Athens at night.

After dinner we walked around Plaka some more before going to an outdoors bar for a drinki - in my case soda. Then we headed home. Quite a nice first day. See more photos

My new Greek friends.

Sunset from Goleta Beach

Sunset from Goleta Beach

After I took this photo today at Goleta Beach, I got in my car and drove to the store. While I was paying I noticed that my camera wasn't in my purse and figured that it must be in my car. I walked out to the parking lot and there was my camera - sitting on the roof. And to think.. I could have easily lost this nice photo!

Corporations have constitutional rights. Why shouldn't orcas?

PETA has asked a federal court to grant constitutional rights to five killer whales who perform at SeaWorld marine parks, which would give the whales the same constitutional rights as humans. This will enable PETA to argue that SeaWorld is violating the 13th amendment, which banned slavery and involuntary servitude.

Now this move will sound incredibly silly to a lot of people, but should it? More and more research is indicating that animals this high up on the intelligence chain (and lets not forget that killer whales - aka orcas - are not whales at all, but are part of the Dolphin family) have complex cultures and social structures, and even have emotions and feelings, mourning the loss of a calf or pod member. Additionally, wild orcas travel 75-100 miles (120-160 kilometers) every day. Yet in the US, as required by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a branch of the USDA, an orca tank must have a minimum diameter of 48 feet, exactly twice the length of an orca (which averages 24 feet long). The tank must also have a minimum depth of only 12 feet, giving a tank a minimum volume of 615 m³. And this is for two orcas. Yes, thats right - that small little take is allowed to hold not one but two orcas. Try swimming 100 miles a day there. I wonder how many laps that would be (Hey! I can actually do this calculation - hum, maybe later).

Orcas live together in pods ranging from 5-50 members, which can be a part of a larger community numbering in the hundreds. Pod members are seldom out of hearing range from one another. Their vocalizations can be as loud as a jet engine and can be heard from miles away. Communication lies at the core of orca social awareness. Life for a "highly acoustic cetacean...[such as an orca] ..living in a tank with acoustically reflective walls, [is like] that of a visually oriented animal, like a human, living captive in a room covered with mirrors on all walls and the floor. The experience is likely to be profoundly disturbing, especially over the long term."

And when captive orcas attack humans we say that it is rare and very abnormal. But do you know what I find abnormal? An orca, meant for greatness, swimming in circles driving itself crazy in a house of mirrors.

The appeal will likely get the boot before ever seeing the light of day, but it makes me think about our priorities. Corporations, which I view as something akin to a robot, are viewed as people under the law. This was further validated by the more recent Citizens United vs the Federal Election Commission Supreme Court decision. A corporation - I suppose one could metaphorically argue - functions like an organism, with each individual and machine acting as a atom, cell, membrane, organ, making up the building-blocks of the larger "body" (I would argue that money is the blood and profit is the heart, beating to stay alive). However, corporations are intangible. You can't go and see a corporation and you certainly can't touch one, which is especially true with our increasingly globalized chain of production. Corporations (including SeaWorld) don't have feelings or emotions, they don't mourn for the loss of loved ones, they are not alive. Corporations are given the same rights as people, yet PETA will be mocked for suggesting that actual life - and highly intelligent life at that - be granted those same rights. Interesting priorities, indeed.

Sunset from Lizard's Mouth

Sunset from Lizard's Mouth.

A new friend of mine took me up to a place in the Santa Ynez Mountains called the Lizard's Mouth this past Wednesday to watch the sunset. Lizard's Mouth is in an area of sandston outcroppings that overlooks Goleta and beyond.

When I went up there the evening was a little bit hazy, making the ocean and sky melt together, undifferentiated. The Channel Islands looked like they were floating in the sky. The view of the mountains sloping down into Goleta was spectacular - certainly one of the best views in Santa Barbara I have seen so far. Lizard's Mouth is also easy to get to. Whereas most vistas require a decent hike to get to, the trail to Lizard's Mouth can be measured in yards rather than miles.

To get to the trailhead drive up the 154 and take West Camino Cielo for a few miles. Just before you arrive at a shooting range, there will be a brown sign on the left that says, "Lizard's Mouth," indicating the trail head. Follow the short path and there you'll be.

Although Lizard's mouth is a great spot to hang out and relax, it also has some darker secrets. I knew that the 2008 Gap Fire started here (accidentally by a 16 year old boy), but there is an even stranger piece of history tied to this place. In August 2000 Jesse James Hollywood ordered the kidnapping and murder of 15 year old Nicholas Markowitz as revenge for a $1,200 debt his older brother, Benjamin, owed him. Hollywood's henchmen went up to the Lizard's Mouth beforehand to dig a shallow grave. Later that night, after telling Nicholas that he was going home, the men took Nicholas up into the mountains where they bound him, hit him over the head with a shovel, and shot him nine times, after which they buried him in the shallow grave. The body was found several days later and police began making arrests. Hollywood, however, fled the country through Canada and then flew to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with a fake passport. He managed to hide out in Rio de Janeiro and Saquarema until 2005 when he was captured and later extradited to the US. While Hollywood was in Brazil, all participants in the murder were convicted or made pleas. In 2006 the movie Alpha Dog, based on Jesse Hollywood and the kidnap and murder of Nicholas Markowitz, was released. Finally, in July 2009, Hollywood was found guilty of kidnapping and first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

I didn't know about the Hollywood case before I went up there. It is interesting how once you find out something new about a place it can totally change your perspective of it. I went up there for pure enjoyment, yet I wonder, had know about this story beforehand would I have been enjoying myself to the fullest or would I have been looking for the "X" on a rock that supposedly marks the grave site, thinking that this was the last view that boy saw - at least it was a nice view (<-- is that morbid?). I will certainly go up there again and I will be sure to monitor my own reaction.

All in all, the Lizard's Mouth was an excellent place to watch the sunset and spend time with a wonderful person, having great conversation.

Judge Assassinated by Militia in Rio de Janeiro

Well this happened a month ago, but I am happy to see US news picking up on it... better late than never. 


Judge Patricia Acioli, known as an advocate against police corruption, was assassinated by militiamen (basically off-duty police officers) in Rio de Janeiro. According to the story, militiamen "usurp the authority of the state. In this way, they are a danger that goes deeper than drug traffickers." I have to disagree. The militia does not usurp the authority of the state, but rather, they fill in a vacuum left by years of state neglect. I do agree that the militia is worse than the traffickers. The traffickers at least live by a code of conduct and they live in the communities where they work, whereas the militias enter a community, act with impunity, then go back to their homes and jobs (as police, firefighters, private security, even members of congress).


For example, when I visited a favela in Niterói I was told before hand not to use my camera because it would make me a target for robbery or worse. When I arrived at the school I was visiting the director told me that it was now safe to use my camera anywhere in the favela because the traffickers had arrived from Complexo Alemão after fleeing the police/military invasion and occupation. The traffickers instill a strict law to keep their territory safe for potential customers. Outbursts of violence usually only occur when rival gangs or police try to invade the territory.


Does this mean that the traffickers are good? Of course not. But I do agree that when comparing traffickers and militia, traffickers are the better of the two evils. Also, the UPP has been able to enter and occupy favelas controlled by drug gangs, but have been unable to occupy favelas controlled by the militia. Fortunately the government seems to finally be fighting corruption at the federal, state, and local levels. It will be interesting to see how all of this progresses.

REEF: UCSB's Aquarium and Touch Tanks

Kathy checking out the touch tanks.

After two years at UCSB I finally made it to the Research Experience & Education Facility - better known as The REEF - UCSB's interactive aquarium facility at Campus Point (map). There are a few small aquariums and seven large aquariums, four of which are touch tanks full of a variety of star fish, urchins, sea cucumbers, and baby swell sharks. There is also one tank with a grown female swell shark, who was about to lay eggs (mermaid's purse) when I visited. 


The REEF is staffed by informative UCSB marine science students. I easily spent 45 minutes getting my hands wet, asking questions, and learning some new fun facts.