Opinion

Now that the election is behind us, it’s time once again to speculate on that eternal existential question: Why bother?

The motto behind this journalistic endeavor, which has taken a variety of forms in the past ten years, is that if people knew what was going on they’d do something about it. This has turned out to be only partially true, because some of the people some of the time want to know something about what’s up, but lots of people lots of the time would rather not know, thank you. -more-

Okay, folks, you’re up! The new-old Berkeley City Council starts its next term tonight, and watchdogs are desperately needed. While you’re not paying attention, your tax dollars are being allocated, and not always in ways you might want. You need to keep your eye on the ball. Herein, a quick primer on how you can do this. -more-

Today, in keeping with our desire to relax a bit more, there's no "new issue" and no editorial. But Rob Wrenn continues to produce excellent analysis of the recent election, so there's something good to read. Regular columnists also continue to submit columns, which will be posted soon in the current issue. -more-

Anyone who knows anything at all about history can't help but compare the current blitzkrieg Hell currently descending on Gaza with the living Hell that the British endured during the blitzkrieg of London during World War II. -more-

On November 13th, Diana Alvarado of the USPS wrote that -more-

Stand Up for the Right to Sit Down, the campaign organized against Berkeley's proposed sitting prohibition, Measure S, has finally declared victory in the November election. As of the close of the day on Thursday, Measure S was behind by close to 2,500 votes—4.6% of the vote. Members of the campaign do not expect any more ballots to be counted, and believe that the Alameda County Registrar of Voters is now engage solely in verifying its count. -more-

It's a sad sad day

at the DBA

Measure S is in defeat

the anti-sitting

law is getting

pretty badly beat

they had the dough

the Mayor in tow

they thought they had it all

but at the polls

as it unfolds

the public dropped the ball

-more-

When shopping at the large Safeway Store at College and Claremont, the first person I usually encounter is Charlie, the self-appointed welcome committee at that store. Due to his distinct facial features, Charlie clearly has Down Syndrome. This syndrome is a genetic abnormality, the most common single cause of birth defects in the United States. The syndrome occurs because of an extra copy of chromosome 21. It causes life long developmental delays that can range from moderate to severe but can be managed so that people with this syndrome live a long life -- many past the age of 50. -more-