Friday, June 25, 2010

The power of local activism (Boston, Ma)

In the late 1960s, the Federal Government, State of Massachusetts and City of Boston were planning to build a highway through Boston's South End, destroying historic homes and the community on either side. Local activists organized to fight the highway, and instead the 1970s and early '80s were spent building a 4.7 mile underground transit corridor with a continuous park corridor above. This image is of the sensory garden, an outdoor space at a school for disabled children. The corridor also includes bike paths, community gardens, playing courts, dog parks, and other community amenities.

Leaving (temporarily at first)

A few thoughts on first leaving San Francisco

Greatness is not in where we stand, but in what direction we are moving. We must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it—but sail we must, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.

-Sir Oliver Wendell Holmes

One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am, a reluctant enthusiast, a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your life for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it is still here. So get out there and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the grizz, climb the mountains. Run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, that lovely, mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to your body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those deskbound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: you will outlive the bastards.

-Edward Abbey

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Stay Tuned!

Hello friends and acquaintances!

Thanks for checking in. Until my travels begin, this space will largely remain empty, but stay tuned! While there will be some posts from Switzerland, starting in August I'll have regular updates with images and brief text vignettes from around the world.

In the meantime, here is my travel schedule:
June 12-16: Los Angeles
June 18-24: Boston for fellowship meetings
June 25-27: NYC for Manna Project Board Retreat
June 30-August 20: Switzerland
August 21-September 5: Detroit
September 5-October 10: Brazil
October 10-November 15: South Africa
November 16-December 18: Vietnam

I will also be posting my international phone numbers in each country once I have them.

Keep your eyes out for photos as they start to come in!
Greg

PS - Bonus points to those of you who caught the Steinbeck reference in the title.