Great Meeting The Oakland Blogging Community

It was really a lot of fun to meet Zennie, Hedera, Vsmoothe, Becks, the City Homesteader, Chris Kidd, and a host of other people - and thanks to the folks that took the time to organize it. The only downside is that now when I disagree with one of your posts I'll feel bad since I've met you in person. The venue (2022 Telegraph/The Ave) was great too. I hope we can do this again soon.

How Many Oakland Murders in April?

Nine, counting on Oakland Crimespotting, and including the not-on-the-map murder of a social worker walking his dog in the Dimond District two nights ago.

We need more police. More police do make a district safer. Here's some evidence.

A Policy That's Helped the Homeless

From Atlanta, via Marginal Revolution:



Added later: this article in the Chronicle states that Mayor Newsom suggested the idea in SF, but it was ridiculed. Why? The article cites a survey stating SF as the seventh-meanest city to the homeless for (among other things) citing people for sleeping on sidewalks. Gasp! What's meaner to the homeless, enabling the many mentally ill people on the streets to persist in their unhealthy and often fatal lifestyle, or encouraging them to escape it, with the same carrots and sticks the rest of us deal with every day of our lives?

East Bay Metal: Check Out Crysknife and Industrial Undergrowth

Today (4/20 dudez!!!11!!1) is the official release of Mythos, the most recent effort from the Oakland+Philly masters of metal mayhem Crysknife. I give it four horns up.

Also, Industrial Undergrowth has a demo out. I've been listening to it all weekend and can't get it out of my head. I highly encourage you to infect yourself as well.