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Davisite Banner. Left side the bicycle obelisk at 3rd and University. Right side the trellis at the entrance to the Arboretum.

Author: Alan C. Miller

  • Al’s Corner – July 2024 – Open Community Discussion Page

    IMG_5229Your host:  Alan C. "Al" Miller

    Pictured:  an extreme version of himself

  • Davis June City Clowncil Meetings – End the ‘Special Seats’ for Political Exhibitionists!!!

    14a19c60-e2a5-4da1-932b-b6d5db95f9b7June Davis City Council meetings were especially filled with clown-foolery.  Watch them online if you have nothing better to do.  I hope you have something better to do 😐

    This post focuses on the clown-foolery of the 'special seats'.  Those visible to the camera during public comments.  Where political exhibitionists can be seen while others are speaking.  People in the *special seats* get special privileges that others in the audience do not.  Get there early, so you can make obnoxious facial expressions behind public speakers!  😐

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  • Oh Do *@#$%& Off, Greenwald (regarding building on a conservation-forever easment specifically, but also in general)

    City-promised-to-protect-a-strip-of-land-along-a-creeCome on Greenwald.  Seriously?

    When people fought decades ago to save land from development, forever, do you believe what they were really fighting for was to save the land from development 'forever, or until there was pressure to build housing, whichever comes first' ?

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  • Al’s Corner June: Committee Rise, Committee Set

    CRCSIt's June, and the City of Davis is in mourning.  People are visiting the Davis Cemetery to visit our fallen committees.  To celebrate this misery, Alan C. Miller sang "Committee Rise, Committee Set" at the City Council meeting last night, sung to the tune of "Sunrise, Sunset" from Fiddler on the Roof.  Mr. Miller was brought to tears by his own performance.

         This can be viewed at this link:  https://davis.granicus.com/player/clip/1703?view_id=6&redirect=true

         At this time signature:  38:10

    Here's the lyrics from Tuesday night's (June 4th) council meeting:

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  • Open Discussion: Library vs. Mom’s for Liberty: Library Loses — Free Speech Wins (of course)

    LibraryTransferring a few comments from Al's Corner, to open the discussion:

    Beth Bourne and M4L have been vindicated.

    The library has to change its policies and pay $70,000 in damages and fees.

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  • Whole Earth Festival Sunday – Women’s Music Day – “Double Maya Rainbow! Oh, my God—it’s a Double Maya Rainbow all the way! Whoa, that’s so intense!”

    Download (1) DownloadSunday at the Whole Earth Festival has traditionally been held on Mother's Day, and for many years has highlighted women artists on Sunday.  

    This year is no exception, with the Sunday lineup on "Quad" Stage including: 

    11:20-12 SOPHIE SENG

    12:20-1 LILLIAN FRANCES

    1:20-2:20 MAYA MCNEIL AND THE SILVER APPLES

    2:40-3:40 MAYA BURNS

    4-4:50 JESSICA MALONE

    and yes, it's a DOUBLE MAYA RAINBOW from 1:20 pm to 3:40 pm !!!!

    Maya Burns first wowed WEF audiences years ago when at the age of ten she sang a perfect acapella version of "White Rabbit".  Now a Singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer she floats from Monterey to Ensenada to México City and annually visits the Whole Earth Festival in Davis.  She presents her music in English and Spanish, inspired by her cultural surroundings growing up in Mexico.

    Maya McNeil is a native of Davis who's solo music is now blossoming as she premiers her amazing band, the Silver Apples, for the first time Sunday!  Maya has a few singles online now such as "Waiting for the Light to Change" and "Main Stream", in anticipation of her first album, "Waiting for the Light to Change".  Maya was Art Space Director of the Festival years ago and has deep roots with the Festival.

    Images Maya Mc

    Do note that the Whole Earth Festival has temporarily moved to Russell Field this year, the big grassy area along Russell Blvd.  It's going to be hot this weekend and Russel Field is treeless, so bring a hat, sunscreen, water, and take advantage of the Whole Earth Misting Station between Quad Stage and the Staff Dome (teal, lavender and tan dome), as well as the 26 large shade structures towards the eastern side of the field.  Quad stage is the eastern of the two stages.

    Also, be sure to check out Maya Burn's parent's (Jim & India) tie-die booth, the colorful booth nearest Quad stage – they have shirts, hats, dresses and much more!

  • Open Discussion: Bob Dunning Terminated by Davis Enterprise Owners (an Al’s Corner Exclusive)

    Adfc46d7-dadc-4553-a16a-0777ff3b922bIn a bozo move by the owners of the Davis Enterprise, Bob Dunning was terminated without so much as a thank you after 55 years of service to the paper (and Davis).

    Shelley Dunning pays a very sweet tribute in a 7-minute video on her Facebook page:

    facebook.com/shelleydunning

    She also outlines how cold the termination was.  I doubt that will sit well with the Davis community.

    Bob's column will continue at: 

    thewaryone.com

    Please share your thoughts here in comments regarding this poorly-handled move by the owners of the Davis Enterprise.

    Full disclosure:  Bob Dunning once wrote a column about how I should be on the City Council 😐

    Note:  Pardon the pictured haircut, Bob, this is what A.I. gave me when I described the incident!

  • Open Forum on the Pro-Palestine Encampment on the UCD Quad

    598f7067-85aa-4d13-8b6b-0aab5b7ef1c9I went to two Seders this year.  At the first one, no one mentioned the Israel-Gaza war.  It did seem a bit the elephant in the room.  Just before the second Seder, I received an email from the host, referencing an online blog essay by author Ilana DeBare.  It suggested:

    I suggest opening up your seder to discussion, not just readings. Ask guests—in advance so they have time to consider—to bring their own thoughts and feelings about Passover and this war, and suggest that they come with open ears and an open heart. Let down the defensive walls that we’ve been carrying for months. At the Seder table, we can hopefully feel safe and able to listen to others, even if their views are different from our own.

    So in that spirit, I'm inviting the citizens of Davis to express their thoughts about the encampment on the Quad on the UC Davis campus.  While y'all are hashing this out, I'll be in the kitchen eating gefilte fish.

     

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  • Al’s Corner – MAY the Farce be with Ewe

    F0c1e298-a6b9-4787-8d01-7b930495390cWelcome to MAY on Al's Corner.  Where you MAY discuss the clown-show that is Davis politics.  At 5:30pm on Tuesday, the AWARDS will be given out.  Maybe we'll finally learn who the person nominated is who does "good" and "bad" according to at least one commenter, and what "bad" they did. 

    But I doubt it.

    So talk about anything 😐

  • Why Are People Dancing Around Some Unspoken Issue Regarding a Human Relations Commission Award?

    Unspoken-BSomething scandalous appears to be going on with the choice of a Thong Hy Huynh Award by the Human Relations Commission.  If you're looking for the answer, you won't find it here.  But that's not because I'm dancing around the issue, it's because I honestly don't know what the issue is, and for some reason those who do know what it is only want to imply to the public that there's a issue, but they don't want to say what person they have an issue with, why, or give any details.

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