The BECA 580 students took a break from their production this past weekend. They traveled to the town of Agra, where they were able to visit the Taj Mahal. What a thrill for all of us! It is true that photos do not do the Taj Mahal justice! You have to see it with your own eyes!

Last week, we had several changes in our project with the Smile Foundation. And now the focus for our video is different. We are now doing a video aimed at the "privileged class" - and, particularly, college students - in India, with the intent to bring to their awareness two concepts: 1) the need to contribute to India's development (Smile calls it "charity;" we would call it community and individual "empowerment"), and 2) the name and concept of the Smile Foundation.

The BECA 580 class is on the move again!

Students who enroll in BECA 580 - Media and Community Service - for the Spring 2009 semester will spend the semester preparing for an international trip - this time, to Delhi, India!

Just after midnight on Monday morning, the BECA 580 - Media and Community Service - students landed at SFO after nearly a month in Guatemala. The students spent two days at the Mayan ruins in Tikal, climbing the structures and viewing the flora and fauna in the lush rainforest that covered Tikal for a thousand years, until the middle of the 19th century, when it was "discovered" again. Then after an overnight stay in gritty Guatemala City, they flew home, nursing their mosquito bites and sunburns. This morning, the group turned in their equipment to the BECA Cage.