Yoga and Music in San Jose

Within a short walk of San Jose State University is a special place, Downtown Yoga Shala. Shala, a “sacred space” in Sanskrit, is just that. It is a wonderful yoga studio that has made a big difference in my life. Located at 450 S. 1st Street the Shala is in San Jose's blossoming South First Art (SoFA) District and is surrounded by art galleries.

On June 26, 2009 the Shala had a Candlelight Yoga Class taught by Jeff Lang featuring live music. Girish played wonderful music and the result was unlike anything I have ever seen or photographed. Veronica Cruz, a good friend and the owner of the Shala did a great job setting up this event!

[More Photos on Facebook]

CSU (SJSU) budget related Tweets

These links off Twitter this morning are very interesting:

• Here's the Chancellor's message on CFA/furloughs...
  http://bit.ly/gVWCT
• CSU Urges Faculty Union to Bring Furlough Option to Members for Vote
  http://bit.ly/a53SD
• CSU Trustees to Hold Special Meeting on July 7th
  http://bit.ly/BZk2C
  Budget to be discussed...
• Future worker supply at risk as cuts squeeze higher education - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:
  http://bit.ly/6KeRR

For more updates please check out my union Twitter feed.

Bike rides and Thai Sticks

On June 28, 2009 Sue and I went on John F. Kennedy Drive in San Francisco for a bike ride in Golden Gate Park.

We stopped at Stowe Lake for ice cream and later went out to dinner at the Thai Stick (love the name) restaurant in Millbrae.

[See More Pictures on Facebook]

Technorati Tags: Sue Graziano Sloan, Sloan Family, ssloansjca

Father's Day Weekend Fun

It was a great weekend. On Saturday, June 20, 2009, I went on a "barrel" ride with Veronica, Randi, Bob and Harvey from Gunn High up Canada Road. The fog came in as we went north and it turned cold. Most of us were prepared for that.

[Photos from that ride]

On June 21, 2009 Ken came over and we had a Father's day BBQ. We made yummy shish kabobs. It was a family endeavour and everybody had a hand in making dinner. Both my other sons called. It was a great day!

[Father's Day Photos]

Technorati Tags: Sue Graziano Sloan, Sloan Family, Kenneth Sloan, ssloansjca

Budget crisis to mean CSU layoffs and/or furloughs?

According to an FAQ posted on the California State University Employees Union (CSUEU) Web site:

The State Budget Crisis has finally hit the CSU, and we are being faced with the possibility of massive layoffs as a result. On Tuesday, June 9, CSUEU President Pat Gantt, VP for Representation Dennis Dillon and SLRR Teven Laxer met with representatives of CSU management at the Office of the Chancellor on an information-gathering basis. The CSU informed the union that it was likely that the Budget Conference Committee would be recommending cuts to the CSU budget totaling $583,816,000, the amount proposed by the governor in the May Revise. This represents a staggering 13.5 percent cut to the budget.

[Click on this link for more information]

Bikes out of control at SJSU

Many of the people who ride bicycles on the sidewalks at SJSU do so in ways that risk serious injury to themselves and others. Cyclists riding with no hands are unable to take evasive action if a pedestrian, cart or disabled person steps into their path. Usually cyclists who ride like this way are not wearing helmets.

This bike position is especially prone to falling. These cyclists, as well as endangering others, risk head injuries that could kill them or leave them permanently disabled.

[My blog about human powered vehicles at SJSU]

[More photos of human powered vehicles on and around SJSU]

Trains on the salt marsh

On the evening of June 8, 2009 I took a 35mm SLR camera loaded with black and white film to Alviso, CA where I photographed trains and the salt marsh.

[More Photos Click Here]

Technorati Tags: Alviso, trains, railroads, Railroading, Union Pacific, ssloansjca

Fun bicycle ride

Wednesday's Lollipop ride was a lot of fun. More people showed up than I ever recall for a mellow ride and we had great weather. After the ride we had burritos, drank wine, talked and had a fine time!

June Fourth Twenty Years Ago

Remembering Tiananmen Square

As we live our American lives enjoying so many goods that say "Made in China." Let's not forget how much it has cost. "The time for the Chinese government to provide the fullest possible public accounting of the thousands killed, detained, or missing in the massacre that followed the protests is long overdue," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Sean McCormack said in a statement on the eve of the 19th anniversary of what China has called the "June Fourth incident."

"We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly," Martin Luther King Jr.

Technorati Tags: Emerging Technology, Globalization, China, ssloansjca

Not a walk in the park

Sunday; not just a walk in the park
Sunday was a recovery day for me, I was recovering from the previous day's century. We went for a short hike up to the top of a nearby ridge. Then, that evening, we went with Sue's mom to the Greek Festival where we met daughter-in-law Nicole's family. Unfortunately that evening I got a wicked migraine. That was not a walk in the park!

Looking back on 100 mile bike ride

Saturday Century Ride a Success
The first ever Whine and Dine Century (100 mile bicycle ride) went from San Jose to the outskirts of Hollister. It had a metric (60 mile) option that some riders rode. By the time we got home from the dinner after the ride, it was almost dark.

[More Photos Here]