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Feb 23, 2022
Rosie’s Redux: Union trades revive as suitable jobs for women
In the iconic image, Rosie the Riveter—a woman in a polka-dot bandana—crooks a muscular arm as her speech balloon says, “We can do it!”
What happened to her and her sisters post-World War II is also familiar. As...
Feb 2, 2022
Toxic Tides: Groups demand action now as seas rise
The sea is already rising, nibbling at vulnerable East Bay communities. Climate scientists warn the so-called “doomsday” glacier may fracture within five years, possibly leading to the collapse of the entire Antarctic ice sheet, potentially resulting in...
Jan 26, 2022
Black Teacher Shortage: Experts blame underrepresentation in colleges and discrimination on the job
A growing body of research shows that Black students who have at least one Black teacher growing up are more likely to graduate high school and enroll in college than those who don’t.
Yet California still woefully lacks...
Jan 26, 2022
Integrating the Metaverse: The next phase of virtual and augmented reality in Bay Area...
A few weeks ago I spoke with Kate Randle, public policy manager with Meta—formerly Facebook—on what she refers to as “the next phase of the internet.” Social media and communication platforms, while still a priority, she said,...
Jan 12, 2022
Occupy’s Influence Grows: An interview with the author of ‘Generation Occupy: Reawakening American Democracy’
On Jan. 6, the anniversary of a mob overrunning the U.S. Capital and rioting within its walls while our elected representatives huddled in fear for their lives, I spoke with Michael Levitin, author of Generation Occupy: Reawakening...
Dec 29, 2021
Demythifying the Garret: Berkeley explores safe, affordable live/work spaces
The romantic notion of artists living in garrets to support their creative efforts and defy capitalist norms is still very much with us. From Puccini’s starving Bohemians freezing in their Latin Quarter attics, to Jonathan Larson’s poor-but-defiant...
Dec 29, 2021
Three Tomatoes in Alameda: The talk of climate change deniers points to a way...
That composting food waste, when done right, actually moves CO2 far beneath the atmosphere suggests that, like tree-growing, there’s a warming-reversal tactic to counter the complicated news of what climate change is doing to tomatoes. Composting-driven carbon...