Remember the Metaverse? T'was More Like a Meh-taverse
Back in 2021, Mark Zuckerberg heralded the Metaverse—his online, always on, avatar-inhabited, virtual reality, artificial hangout—as a techno-creation that would revolutionize work and play for millions of users who were eager to escape to a fake reality that was more entertaining than the real, work-a-day world. -more-

EDITOR"S NOTE: Here’s a dirty little secret: A plethora of recent state legislation is touted as the remedy for homelessness, scarecity of affordable housing and the trailing edge of racist redlining. These bills are backed by San Franciso's state senator Scott Wiener, the East Bay’s own state representative, Buffy Wicks, and Berkeley’s state senator, Nancy Skinner. These bills deprive local governments of most of their authority to regulate land use. Skinner is termed out, but Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin is eagerly campaigning to follow in her footsteps. What most local voters don’t realize is that these new bills, along with determined attempts to weaken the California Environmental Quality Act and the Coastal Commission, do little to increase the availability of affordable housing for those who need it. Instead, they’re cleverly engineered to end financial risk for the development industry.

Here are the gory details, in Zelda Bronstein’s analysis, which first appeared on 48hils.org. -more-

Marching for a cause was hardly an innovation in this country by the time the now historic August 1963 March on Washington took place.

There had been hundreds of previous processions, some dating to the Revolutionary era.

And there have been countless marches in this country since 1963. Including last Saturday in San Francisco.

I’d been in so many since 1963.
Would I have participated in this one, were I not disabled beyond mobility? Would I have been there as one of those who want Israel destroyed for its cruelly disproportionate response to Hamas? Would I have been there to shout slogans advocating that tens of thousands of Arabs/Muslims/Jews to be killed after October 7th?

I now think back on 1963. I don’t remember that any slogans were shouted, though the violence that inspired the marchers to be there was as pervasive in 1963 as the violence in the Mideast is today. -more-

Mindfulness can have many meanings and many methods. It varies uniquely for each person. And it can be impeded by many things; issues with the brain can impede or otherwise affect attempts at mindfulness. Yet, some kinds of mindfulness can supersede an impediment in the brain. It seems to me as though a genuinely attained person is not limited by brain issues, by brain capacity, or by what the brain can or can't do. -more-

Summary. In the Middle East, two groups of people – Palestinians and Israelis – struggle for self-determination and have been doing so since the early decades of the 20^th century. Failure to recognize the legitimacy of both of these movements will only prolong the suffering and death caused by the conflict. The resolution that was passed by the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club (WDRC) in late October of this year and the one passed in early November by the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee (ACDCC), wrongly withhold that recognition. -more-

Dear Berkeley City Council,

Nothing keeps me in better shape as a disabled senior than attempting to safely evade the parade of whizzing skateboards, bicycles, scooters, roller skaters, and unicycles which have taken over the sidewalks in my neighborhood at San Pablo and University Avenues. And I know that the vehicle drivers are much more awake once they've realized whatever the rules were about respecting the traffic lights are long gone.

Of course Rigel Robinson wants to use the sidewalks as bike lanes. What a great savings this will be once we've so thoroughly gentrified the city that the old, disabled, and otherwise in the way are packed off to places they can afford and keep up with. Ours is becoming a fast-paced, tech-driven community with no time for toddlers and dawdlers.

Thank you, Mr. Robinson, and let me know when your anti-ADA rally is going to be. I would love to be there. -more-

I am writing to express my deep concern and sorrow over the harrowing situation unfolding in Gaza, which demands immediate global attention and condemnation. As someone who experienced the hardships of World War II as a child in an industrially targeted area in England, I find it disheartening to witness the extent of suffering endured by the Palestinians in Gaza due to Israel's relentless 24-hour bombing campaign. -more-

While I acknowledge that Wager’s Lohengrin has quite a lot of beautiful music, though also quite a lot of what may be called filler, in which the composer stretches out indefinitely and inordinately the basic drama he is depicting. And this drama, in case you hadn’t noticed, is Wagner’s contention that a woman in love must never question her lover about his name, where he is from, or anything of his past. Oh, at the opera’s end, Wagner offers the lame excuse for Lohengrin’s insistence on anonymity by having him reveal that he is a knight of the Holy Grail. As such, says Lohengrin, he must always remain anonymous, even when, as in this case, he falls in love with Elsa. By virtue of his ‘higher’ calling, says Lohengrin, he must insist on anonymity. As usual, Wagner over-reaches. Lohengrim stretches out this meagre plot for four hours and 24 minutes. -more-

b On Saturday, October14, Museo Italo Americano at Fort Mason presented a one-day symposium on the many ways the history of opera in San Francisco is intertwined with the city’s Italian community, which was largely responsible for making San Francisco a major opera center in the USA and worldwide. Also featured at the Museo Italo Americano was, and still is, a wonderful exhibition entitled BRAVO illustrating the participation of so many illustrious Italian singers, conductors and composers who have thrilled San Francisco audiences with their performances here. Both the one-day symposium and the BRAVO exhibition were the work of a team that included Bianca Friumdi, Curator of Museo Italo Americano; Kip Cranna, Dramaturg Emeritus at San Francisco Opera; and a whole host of others, all of whom were graciously thanked by Bianca Friundi in her welcoming remarks at the start of the symposium. -more-

Judging by the wildly enthusiastic applause I heard at the War Memorial Opera House on Sunday, November 5, at the close of the new opera Omar by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, it would seem that political correctness is all you need these days to win the approbation of opera audiences. I wish to express my extreme disapproval of this tendency. While I gladly acknowledge that the opera Omar, which relates the story of a West African Muslim brought to America as a slave at age 37, mounts an effective plea for respect and tolerance to be granted to this slave’s Muslim faith, I seriously question both Omar’s quality as an opera, which I find rather dubious, and its inability to think in more profound terms than mere political correctness. -more-

Worth Noting:

There are only four (November 14, 28, December 5, 12) more scheduled City Council meetings before Winter Recess - December 13, 2023 – January 15, 2024

Recommended Go To meetings are bolded:

• Monday:
  • At 10 am United Against Hate Week launches at Civic Center Park.
  • At 10 am the Health, Life, Enrichment, Equity & Community meets in hybrid format on animal welfare at the racetrack.
  • At 12 pm CCCC meets online. At 2:30 pm the Agenda Committee meets in the hybrid format.
  • From 4:30 – 6:30 pm in-person film on Not in Our Town.
  • At 4:30 pm City Council meets in closed session.
  • At 6:30 pm the Youth Commission meets in person.
• Tuesday:
  • At 4 pm City Council meets in the hybrid format on San Pablo safety enhancement plan.
  • At 6 pm the City Council meets in the hybrid format with the Southside Plan as 13 under Action.
• Wednesday:
  • At 1 pm there is a webinar online on preparing RFPs.
  • At 1:30 pm the Commission on Aging meets in person on bicycles on sidewalks.
  • At 2 pm the FITES Committee meets in the hybrid format on bicycles on sidewalks.
  • At 7 pm the Commission on the Status of Women meets in person.
  • From 7 – 8:30 pm Councilmember Hahn sponsors an in person meeting on public safety.
  • No agenda is posted for the 7 pm Commission on Labor meeting.
• Thursday:
  • At 10 am the Budget Committee meets in the hybrid format on financial forecast and mid-year budget adjustment (AAO#1).
  • At 7 pm the Transportation and Infrastructure Commission meets in person.
  • The Design Review Committee is cancelled.
• Friday: From 9 am – 12 pm CEMTF meets online on Climate and Accessibility
• Saturday:
  • From 9 – 11 am is the Shoreline Cleanup.
  • From 11 am – 2pm is the Pandemonium Color Run for grades K-5

Check the City website for late announcements and meetings posted on short notice at: https://berkeleyca.gov/

Directions with links to ZOOM support for activating Closed Captioning and Save Transcript are at the bottom of this calendar.



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BERKELEY PUBLIC MEETINGS AND CIVIC EVENTS -more-