Private practice attorney Ismail Ramsey has been nominated to be the next U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday. -more-

As 48,000 academic workers across the University of California enter a third week of striking, hundreds of full-time faculty in the system pledged Monday to join the work stoppage and not teach or submit grades until the strike ends.

More than 200 faculty members across UC's campuses had signed the pledge as of Monday afternoon.

"As long as this strike lasts, faculty across the system will be exercising their right to honor the picket line by refusing to conduct university labor up to and including submission of grades -- labor that would not be possible without the labor of all other academic workers as well as university staff," the faculty pledge states.

The striking academic workers -- including teaching assistants, graduate student researchers, academic researchers and postdoctoral scholars -- are asking for better pay, benefits and job security. The strike involves four separate bargaining units, all of which are represented by United Auto Workers.

UC and UAW bargained for ten consecutive days between Nov. 14 and Nov. 23 before taking a break for the Thanksgiving holiday, a UC spokesman told EdSource on Monday. Negotiations resume this week. -more-

Due to some editorial confusion too difficult to explain, the following links will take you to articles posted over last weekend which rightfully belong in this week's issue:

Superb Singing Highlights LA TRAVIATA at San Francisco Opera Reviewed by James Roy MacBean 11-27-2022

ON MENTAL WELLNESS: It's Chaos, Don't Personalize It Jack Bragen 11-27-2022

ECLECTIC RANT: Gun Control, the Third Rail of American Politics Ralph E. Stone 11-27-2022

THE BERKELEY ACTIVIST'S CALENDAR: November 27-December 4, 2022 Kelly Hammargren, Sustainable Berkeley Coalition 11-27-2022 -more-

Save Ukraine's Homeless House Pets

Owing to the onerous wreckage of war, Giving Tuesday has gained a new focus. The following plea was posted by Greater Good Charities:

"Without your help, pets in Ukraine won't survive the winter. Farmland in Ukraine has been seized and grain stores have been destroyed, leading to global food shortages. Pets who have been stranded or abandoned in the war-torn country are starving. This Giving Tuesday, help save the lives of thousands of pets with your donations."

Politics and Pets: Cats Versus Dogs

That item got me thinking. Are most pet-owners conscientious liberals who believe in care-taking and animal companionship or conservative authoritarians who like to bark orders, give commands, and demand obedience as they parade their animals on a leash?

According to a University of California Press study titled Pets and Politics: Do Liberals and Conservatives Differ in Their Preferences for Cats Versus Dogs?, "states with the highest percentage of cat owners in America tend to be liberal-leaning, and states with the highest levels of dog owners tend to be conservative-leaning." Other findings (as of 2010): "Over 48 million [US] homes have at least one dog, over 31 million homes have a cat, and over 1 million homes have at least one fish."

How does this translate into current politics?

"We found that 7 of the 10 states in which former President Donald Trump had the most support were also among the 10 states with the highest percentage of dog owners." -more-

Berkeley Councilmember Bartlett recently used the revelation of racist Berkeley police texts to salute himself and the people of Berkeley in an article in the November Berkeley Daily Planet[1] claiming the people of Berkeley "have committed and recommitted to defend the constitution, and our freedom by ending racist policing." -more-

I don’t know how complete my diary will be next week as I’ve been summoned to report to jury duty on Monday. My first reaction was, did you not look at my age? I’m closer to 80 than 70, but then our President just turned 80 this week. Bernie Sanders is 81 and Noam Chomsky is 94. -more-