Sara's Urban Garden: 2011

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Psst... Does the BBC Know that Pandas Aren't Human?

Is it just me or are panda bears still, technically, considered... well, panda bears? The BBC seems to think they fit into a retrospective of memorable women from 2011. Animals of any sort were notably absent from the men's section.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16203296

Really, BBC? You couldn't find any human women to profile for the month of December? What about the woman who was dragged, beaten and stripped during a protest in Cairo on December 18? Taylor Swift was just named Woman of the Year by Billboard, for goodness sake.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16200438

Next time, BBC, maybe you should try a little harder. Or at least be fair and dedicate equal space to animals in the men's section. Might I suggest the story about the croccodile that attacked a lawnmower in Australia (you reported it)? Granted, it came out after your article was published but you get the idea.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16343288

Monday, November 21, 2011

The threat of a police raid no longer phases OccupySF

Christopher Ray, Media Liason for OccupySF

With a camera slung across my shoulders and an emergency contact scribbled on my arm in permanent black ink, I rushed off to Occupy SF this Sunday night after catching wind that a raid was expected around 1a.m.

There was no raid and although some folks were worried that something might happen, most people I talked to weren't. They talked about resilience and struggle. Some of the occupiers are homeless, except for the camp at Justin Herman Plaza. Some are students. All in all, dozens of tents are pitched.

Tents spread out at Justin Herman Plaza, aka OccupySF

I had two questions for people: how long have you been here? And are you worried about a raid?

One gentleman, who identified himself as Jai Veda, kindly reminded me that fear and regret get in the way of what's really important.