My two cities...
Aug. 15th, 2002 01:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
katsterFirst of all, Berkeley, my adopted hometown, keeps up its wacky reputation:
Political activists were also present, affirming the theme of this year’s festival, "art and politics." Covering the red-brick sidewalk near the BART station entrance were the Green Party, the Socialist Party, the National Women’s Political Caucus, the Berkeley Organization for Animal Advocacy and Jonathon Keats, who petitioned to turn a law of philosophy into a city ordinance.
The conceptual artist and absurdist, dressed in a three-piece suit on a 90 degree day, is proposing the principle of non-contradiction, which says that every entity must be equal to itself. Or, put simply, A=A. Although a fundamental law of philosophical logic, it has never been introduced into a civic legal code. Most passers-by ignored the petition, some were confused by its premise, and a few were indignant to its uselessness.
But some were game for the idea. Keats managed to collect 65 signatures by the end of the day. However, 24 were not county residents and one was a Mayor Shirley Dean forgery, which left only 42 legitimate signatures. Keats is planning to bring his petition to the next Berkeley City Council meeting in September.
That might be one City Council meeting I'll have to go see.
As for Redding, well...it might not be remembered as "That bloody hot place we broke down while going up I-5..."
Instead it will be remembered for that bigass American flag:
If the Lions get their pole, their U.S. flag will tower about 12 stories high. It will stand just 20 feet from I-5's west fence line — and will dwarf signs for La Quinta Inn and Cattlemens Restaurant on the opposite side of the freeway. Those signs stand roughly 40 feet tall, Ogrey said.
Ogrey has envisioned a huge flag above Redding for more than a year, he said.
The Lions originally wanted to put the lighted flag at the intersection of I-5 and Highway 44. The Redding City Council in March voted to apply for a state Department of Transportation permit for the flag and to supply electricity to light the flag at night. But Caltrans in June denied the club's request, citing motorist safety.
And that's the tale of my two towns. :)
Political activists were also present, affirming the theme of this year’s festival, "art and politics." Covering the red-brick sidewalk near the BART station entrance were the Green Party, the Socialist Party, the National Women’s Political Caucus, the Berkeley Organization for Animal Advocacy and Jonathon Keats, who petitioned to turn a law of philosophy into a city ordinance.
The conceptual artist and absurdist, dressed in a three-piece suit on a 90 degree day, is proposing the principle of non-contradiction, which says that every entity must be equal to itself. Or, put simply, A=A. Although a fundamental law of philosophical logic, it has never been introduced into a civic legal code. Most passers-by ignored the petition, some were confused by its premise, and a few were indignant to its uselessness.
But some were game for the idea. Keats managed to collect 65 signatures by the end of the day. However, 24 were not county residents and one was a Mayor Shirley Dean forgery, which left only 42 legitimate signatures. Keats is planning to bring his petition to the next Berkeley City Council meeting in September.
That might be one City Council meeting I'll have to go see.
As for Redding, well...it might not be remembered as "That bloody hot place we broke down while going up I-5..."
Instead it will be remembered for that bigass American flag:
If the Lions get their pole, their U.S. flag will tower about 12 stories high. It will stand just 20 feet from I-5's west fence line — and will dwarf signs for La Quinta Inn and Cattlemens Restaurant on the opposite side of the freeway. Those signs stand roughly 40 feet tall, Ogrey said.
Ogrey has envisioned a huge flag above Redding for more than a year, he said.
The Lions originally wanted to put the lighted flag at the intersection of I-5 and Highway 44. The Redding City Council in March voted to apply for a state Department of Transportation permit for the flag and to supply electricity to light the flag at night. But Caltrans in June denied the club's request, citing motorist safety.
And that's the tale of my two towns. :)
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Err... the Lions know the flag rules, right?
Date: 2002-08-15 08:01 am (UTC)Yeah, right. Like anyone cares. -_-
But this is OK--what bothers me is companies like Burger King who fly the flag as an advertisement and then don't treat it right. I used to think I didn't care about the flag--and then I took my dear little four-year-old to a parade and bought him a flag, and found I was jumping all over him when he dragged it on the ground.
Atavisim, that's what it is. ::turns into Chimpazel::
Re: Err... the Lions know the flag rules, right?
Date: 2002-08-15 01:25 pm (UTC)Yep. From 36 USC 174ac
§174. Time and occasions for display
* (a) Display on buildings and stationary flagstaffs in open; night display
It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed twenty-four hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.
* (c) Inclement weather
The flag should not be displayed on days when the weather is inclement, except when an all weather flag is displayed.
so, yeah, no big worries.
Speaking of which, it was funny going to Canada, where they're not quite as uptight about how the Maple Leaf is used. So there were folks running around on Canada Day with a cape made of a flag, and hats and stuff...it was fun. :)
And I was amused at pointing out that half the stuff they had on would be illegal in the States, and watched their mouths drop in horror. %)
-kat
no subject
Date: 2002-08-15 03:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-08-15 09:45 pm (UTC)Just think: I'm a short distance south of you! Nice to get the fun stuff real-time.