Joel D. Eis is rarity among writers. Like San Francisco poet Laurence Ferlinghetti, he is both an author and the owner of a bookstore. Eis has published three books on the intersection of theatre and politics and is also the proprietor of the Rebound Bookstore in San Rafael.

Eis has now published an autobiography called "Standin' in a Hard Rain" (the title pays homage to Bob Dylan's ferocious ballad, "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall). This exceptional book documents Eis' hard-rockin' life as a Sixties Radical (who is still a radical in his '70s).

Like the widely traveled Eis, this book covers a lot of ground—beginning with his childhood in a New York family rooted in local labor struggles and left-wing politics and recording the cross-country adventures that lead to coming-of-age struggles on the campuses of the Bay Area and in the fields of the state's oppressed farmworker communities.

"Hard Rain" is a compelling read—a 421-page rap sheet that is recounts bruising adventures in street-level politics while rhapsodizing about the curative powers of resistance—from campus protests, to anti-draft activity, to political theatre. -more-

On April 28, in Cleveland, Texas, a man with a AR-15 style gun killed five people, including an 8-year old boy and a teenage girl. Welcome to "Guns ‘R’ Us”. -more-

In Berkeley, they say that it is better to refer to the homeless as "houseless" because it describes living on the street without derogatory connotations. It implies one has residency in the town, a home in oneself, and if lucky, a tent in one of the encampments.. One has belongings, and neighbors in an encampment community, providing a sense of self-respect and friendship in a hostile society.

But in Berkeley, they act to reduce the houseless to being homeless. How do they do that? By attempting to destroy a person’s identity by dispossession, and by leaving them without past connections – that is, without connections to who they had been. And that is easy to do. The town hires a bunch of bureaucrats who then tell Public Works to bring some bulldozers down to an encampment, and they trash its inhabitant’s belongings. Never mind that the encampment provided solidarity, safety, and security -- all those things that a person depends on socially, and for which they should have been able to depend on the city. Never mind that it offers company and comfort as a community, while providing assistance with physical and mental troubles – such as from harassment by the city. When the bureaucrats decide to take all that away, the encampment members will have no say, and no due process in the matter. At the city’s hands, they are rendered homeless. -more-

If you have schizophrenia or schizoaffective, it affects everything in your life. Everything. From sitting on the toilet, to applying for a job or a car loan, to trying to obtain a higher education and a decent job. It affects your prospects of marrying someone you like, it affects how people perceive you, it affects how you are treated by cops and the "criminal justice system," it affects your health, your weight, your attractiveness or lack of it, your grooming, your teeth, and whether or not you feel comfortable--and can engage in conversation at any gathering, formal or casual. And it affects your lifespan. In short, if you have a severe mental illness, it has the likelihood to ruin your life.

The above paragraph might explain the high suicidality of mentally ill people. I caution you against such action. It would affect everyone in your life who cares about you, including family, friends, and anyone else with whom you have interaction. Another angle on this: you're going to die soon enough anyway, even if from old age, so why shouldn't you wait it out in the hope that a few good things can eventually come your way?

I'd had suicidal thoughts when I was young, and I couldn't follow up on them because of how it would affect the person who brought me into this world. Later in life, I have additional reasons to stay with it. I have hope of something better, and, even if it takes massive effort and persistence to bring this to fruition, and why not? -more-

I am writing to summarize and address the concerning revelations in recent news articles. First, it has been reported that despite receiving $1.3 billion in aid annually since 1987, Egypt has allegedly planned to send rockets to Russia. This is a troubling development, especially given the ongoing human rights abuses targeting activists and dissidents in Egypt. -more-

Editor's Note: The latest issue of the Pepper Spray Times is now available.

You can view it absolutely free of charge by clicking here . You can print it out to give to your friends.

Grace Underpressure has been producing it for many years now, even before the Berkeley Daily Planet started distributing it, most of the time without being paid, and now we'd like you to show your appreciation by using the button below to send her money.

This is a Very Good Deal. Go for it! -more-

A “trash cabinet” pilot program funded by the city and local businesses aims to "neaten" downtown by locking up trash bins.

Buried in the "innovative or eyesore" take on this proposal is the real target: recyclers making a hard but honest living off our waste. -more-

Tough-Guy Biden Dials It Back

On Tuesday, April 25, I found a text message from the White House on my aphone. It read:

"Gar, It's Joe Biden.
I want you to hear it from me:
NOW."

I know that Joe can be gruff and likes to play the tough-guy, but the tone of this note left me feeling miffed. I live in America, where we are told that our country enshrines "freedom and democracy." So I don't like being ordered around — even if the autocrat of the moment happens to be our 80-year-old POTUS.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one to bristle at Biden's brusque demand. A second notification arrived within minutes. It was the same message but with one exception. The command, "NOW," had been replaced by the time-stamp: "12:27 PM."

Biden's Social Security Take-away

According to Retirely, Joe and Jill Biden listed a whopping $54,665 in Social Security income on their joint 2021 income tax statements—that's about $4,555 per month. As Retirely noted, the Biden's monthly SSI check was "well above what the average retired worker brings home each month." (The Bidens, of course, are not retired nor are they in need of extra grocery-shopping cash.) -more-

I am writing to honor the amazing life of Harry Belafonte, who died on April 25, 2023 at 96. Belafonte was a singer, actor and activist who popularized calypso music with his album Calypso (1956), which featured his signature song \"Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)\". Belafonte also starred in movies and TV shows, winning an Emmy Award for his TV special Tonight With Belafonte (1959), which had a diverse cast of performers. He was one of the few performers to have received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony (EGOT). But Belafonte was more than an entertainer. He was a leader and a visionary who supported various causes and movements. He was a close friend and ally of Martin Luther King Jr., whom he helped organize the March on Washington in 1963. He also raised funds and awareness for the civil rights movement, the anti-apartheid movement, the famine relief in Africa, the fight against HIV/AIDS and many other humanitarian issues. Belafonte received numerous honors and awards for his contributions to music, culture and society, including the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Harry Belafonte was a legend who sang with his heart, acted with his conscience and lived with his purpose. He will be remembered as a man who made the world a better place. He will be sorely missed. -more-

In a career spanning almost four decades, Joshua Bell has established himself as one of the premier violinists of his era. He returned to Davies Hall for four performances, April 22-30, with the San Francisco Symphony under the direction of Dalia Stasevska, who was making her local debut. The main attraction for this series of concerts was the Violin Concerto in D minor of Jean Sibelius, with Joshua Bell as soloist. -more-

Worth Noting:

The April 25 City Council Regular Meeting Agenda is available for public comment and follows below this calendar of meetings.

The bolded meetings are selected as “go to meetings” to encourage your attendance at those meetings and give public comment.

Picking a city commission or a council committee that covers your issues and then attending those meetings regularly is the best way to influence and have a say in the outcomes for our community.

• Monday:
  • 10 am the Council Land Use Committee meets in the hybrid format on the Relocation Ordinance.
  • 3 pm the City Council is in closed session, but public comments can be made in the hybrid format before the closed session begins.
  • 6:30 pm is the Waterfront Specific Plan meeting online on design standards for recreation and nature areas.
  • 7 pm the Peace and Justice Commission meets in person on sister cities and on the Shellmound status.
  • 7 pm the Personnel Board meets in person.
• Tuesday:
  • 3 pm the 4 x 4 Committee meets in the hybrid format the on eviction moratorium.
  • 6 pm City Council meets in hybrid format on the Hard Hat Ordinance and includes “consider upzoning” for more taller buildings in the downtown.
  • 6:30 pm the goBerkeley SmartSpace paid parking program in the Southside and Elmwood neighborhoods meets in the hybrid format.
• Wednesday:
  • 5:30 pm the Planning Commission meets in person.
  • 6:30 pm the Waterfront Specific Plan webinar on parking and commercial development meets online.
  • 6:30 pm the Board of Library Trustees meets in person.
  • 7 pm the Homeless Services Panel of Experts meets in person on Measure P funding priorities.
• Thursday:
  • 9 am the Council Budget Committee meets in the hybrid format on T1 funding shortfall, action on the T1 shortfall is expected) and FY 2024 budget.
  • 1 pm Council FITES Committee meets in the hybrid format.
  • 1 pm WETA meets in the hybrid format.
  • 7 pm the Housing Advisory Commission meets in person on projects for Housing Trust Fund funding.
  • 7 pm the Landmarks Preservation Commission meets in person.
• Saturday and Sunday: is the Book Fair, but the Outdoor Book Fair is only on Sunday not both days as in prior years. Programs with speakers are on both days.