Just another manic Sunday in Balboa Park

Strollers in Balboa Park on Sunday, April 19, were treated to a colorful and exotic treat as Sabrina Fox and her belly-dance students put on a show near the large fountain in front of the Natural History Museum.

A large crowd quickly gathered as soon as the drummer and violin began the familiar Middle Eastern rhythms and the dancers began to snap the brass finger cymbals, or zills, as they are called in some locales. The dancers moved in a precise but fluid manner, while the crowd studied every bump and turn. Someone commented, "This is so much better than balloon animals."

Friends of the Earth also showed up in Balboa Park on April 19, dressed in hazmat suits and gas masks, checking the local waters for radioactivity. The point was to remind residents of the potential danger associated with restarting the reactors at San Onofre. (Based on current readings, the water in Balboa Park is still safe.)