oakland

the city of Oakland has had a few things go down in the last couple of days:

*A widely known and respected journalist was murdered in broad daylight for the story he was working on related to a bakery and a kidnapping/torture/murder in East Oakland

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/04/journalist.slain/

*5 people were killed in apparently isolated instances in Oakland, all of them taken to Highland hospital (my workplace) where they were pronounced dead

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/04/BAGV0RD3AE4.DTL

God, have mercy on this city which at times seems inundated by darkness and violence.

Shinto Peace Prayer

Although the people living across the ocean surrounding us are all our brothers and sisters why, Oh Lord, is there trouble in this world? Why do winds and waves rise in the ocean surrounding us? I earnestly wish the wind will soon blow away all the clouds hanging over the tops of the mountains.