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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

  • Reject Measure N: Saying NO to Mediocrity in Davis Schools

    53f4c4e4-420f-4c08-be22-76663ad72ee0I asked ChatGPT to write a letter against Measure N, based on the Yes on N letter in the Enterprise by Liz Stelow.  I then asked it to generate a headline for a newspaper submission.  Then I asked an AI image generator to make a piece of accompanying art, using their "zombie apocalypse" filter.  The result follows, a first generation with no revisions or edits.

    Reject Measure N: Saying NO to Mediocrity in Davis Schools

    Measure N claims to be beneficial for Davis schools, Davis kids, and Davis property values. But let’s face it, it’s not great for anyone.

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  • Dark, Anti-Democratic Forces Sue the Davis Vanguard

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    These dark forces are believed to be funded by the Dark Underbelly of Davis. 

    In true Davis Vanguard journalistic style, no information on who the dark forces may be or why they are suing, but the Vanguard did ask for money to the tune of $100k.  Statement:

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  • Please don’t eliminate my favorite commissions!

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    Please don’t eliminate my favorite commissions!

    Sung to the tune of "These are a Few of My Favorite Things"

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  • City Comissions Merger Proposals are Ill Conceived – Testify Tuesday!

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    The City Council is hearing proposals to consolidate commissions on Tuesday night. These changes have serious implications. Here are the proposals:

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  • Open Letter to Davis City Council: Regional Rail Corridor is the Only Way to Reduce VMTs

    Davis City Council Members,

    The travel corridor connecting the Bay Area and the greater Sacramento Area could continue to expand as an automobile corridor, or alternately as a greatly-improved rail corridor. Caltrans is steering Davis towards accepting a new lane to further expand the highway, but as developers continue to build out and densify the region, the increasing population will strain our ever-busier freeways.

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  • Today’s Explosive News: The Term “NIMBY” Dies at the Davis Vanguard – Sir Al Corner Vindicated

    SUBJECT:  "2024 Figures to Be a Challenging Year to Make Progress on Housing"
    Walter Shwe

    Due to the tyranny of Measure J and its [edited] supporters, the ship for commercial development in Davis has long since passed. The owners of existing Davis commercial developments know they can continue to command high rents because they don’t have to concern themselves with very much competition. A while ago I found a quote in the Davis Enterprise about why the current owner of the Oakshade Town Center decided to buy that development. They don’t have to worry much about competition because as long as Davis thumbs its noses at brand new development, they have it made in the shade.

    Moderator

    Hi Walter,
    We’ve edited your comment. We won’t allow ‘NIMBY’ any more.

    Well blow me over with a feather.  The Davis Vanguard recognized NIMBY as a pejorative and followed their own rules.  Yours truly mentioned this hypocrisy to them several dozen times starting in . . . I'm not going to scour every comment going back a decade, but I'm guessing — 2017 ???  So, better half-a-decade late than never.

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  • Al’s Corner – January –> 2024 is Going to Suck – Probably a Nuke Will be Detonated – “Though we do go after the Vanguard on here”

    image from www.sparkysonestop.com

    I'm tired of being optimistic about the new year.  Since Covid-19, we've all hoped the next new year would bring better times, but each subsequent year since 2020 has sucked, culminating with the October 7th Invasion & War and Increased Hatred of Groups of People.  And our City Council ?  NOT HELPING.

    People suck.

    But, as R.O. says:  "we do go after the Vanguard on here".  And that is the most important thing — even more important than world peace.

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  • Davis City Council are FOOLS to Declare a Davis Position on Israel-Palestine (this Tuesday Evening)

    The Davis City Council is poised to pass a resolution this Tuesday night (12/12) on Israel-Palestine.

    Last Tuesday a couple of dozen people spoke during general public comment regarding this upcoming resolution. About 95% spoke in favor of a ‘cease fire’ by Israel. The speakers appeared to be organized by Jewish Voices for Peace who had “Not in Our Name” t-shirts, along with several persons of Palestinian lineage. One Jewish man, not from Jewish Voices for Peace, spoke of Hamas as a dangerous organization.

    Most who spoke asked for the resolution by the City of Davis to include a demand a ‘cease fire’. There were several who spoke of the genocide against the Palestinians. This word is a matter of intense debate and emotional weight. Others argue instead that Hamas had ‘genocidal intentions’ on October 7th but lacked the means to carry it out. While word definitions hold no inherent truth, groups of people define words to hold an agreed-upon meaning, and certain words and phrases invoke intense emotional reactions in regard to this conflict.

    I had a clear message for the City Council last week: “Don’t Do It”. As some may know, I stand firm in the belief that cities should only conduct city business and not get involved in national or global issues, no matter how seemingly righteous or important. But the potential repercussions from this resolution goes so far beyond that. This resolution has the potential to damage Davis both within and from without . . . and needlessly. We all remember the long and tortured tale of the Davis Ghandi statue, another dip of the Davis toe into international waters. What could go wrong displaying a depiction of  ‘a man of peace’? What could go wrong with supporting a declaration ‘for peace’?

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  • Mom’s for Liberty Sues Yolo County Library – Let’s Talk About It, Davis! (An Al’s Corner Exclusive) Boogity Boogity

    Yup.  It's happening!   Mom's for Liberty is suing the Davis Library for violating their first amendment rights.

    And what better place to discuss it than on the free Davis bloglet that hasn't banned a bunch of people from its comment section:  Al's Corner!!!

    Welp — Unlike David Greenwald I'm not going to copy most of the article source material and nest that within a few badly-written sentences of my own.  Nope, I'm just gonna give you the link, and you can read it yourself 😐

    Moms for Liberty-Yolo County v. Lopez

    https://adfmedia.org/case/moms-liberty-yolo-county-v-lopez

    Mostly I wanted to scoop the Davis Greenwald on a major breaking local story.   And I don't even get the paltry drippings of a salary to do so.

    But even More Mostly:  let's talk about it, Davis!   This is major shit.

  • Al’s Corner – December 2023 (was some blah blah blah about “Taking Tuesday”)

    SUBJECT:  "Support the Vanguard on #GivingTuesday"  [Monday's Van Guard]

    I have a rule for Taking Tuesday — if someone asks me for money, or even uses the cringe phrase "Giving Tuesday", I never give them any money ever, and furthermore attempt to take money from them.  On Monday, the Van's Guard mentioned giving Tuesday, with open comments.  Did someone not consider that closing comments would be a good idea, given past experience?  Oh, yeah, you got rid of that pesky Alan Miller guy.  Still . . .

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