A string on Reddit is interesting in terms of how people view Oakland as a place to live. The original poster, a young woman, asked which city she should live in if the choice was between Oakland and New York City. Most readers responded with New York City because, well, it’s New York City! As one put it, “I’ve lived in or near Oakland for over 10 years and I love it, but not for a hot minute would I take it over NYC. You’re in your 20’s. Now is the best time to live in New York. There is no place on earth like it.”

I watched a recent ceremony on T.V. for the Oakland Public Library’s completion of a big renovation project, its first upgrade since 1951. The main speakers were the Squad: Sheng Thao, Nikki Bas and Carroll Fife. They were in a good mood: Fife without her usual angry scowl, Bas trying (but not succeeding) to appear warm in front of the T.V. camera, and a forced-smiling Thao pretending she wasn’t just handed the humiliation of her life by being recalled.

Flojaune Cofer, who ran for mayor of Sacramento, has finally conceded defeat, a month after election day, leading many to wonder why the candidate who’d been favored to win, didn’t.

You know that newspaper, “Street Spirit,” that homeless people sell on the street? It’s actually a pretty decent read, although it does get tiresome from repeating the same old tired arguments we always hear from homeless advocates.

I agree with those Americans who regard Daniel Penny as a hero. The man he accidentally asphyxiated, Jordan Neely, was a multiple repeat criminal, a psychopath who terrorized innocent people on that New York subway car. Penny, an ex-Marine, was the only one courageous enough to stop Neely. The jury that found Penny innocent is to be commended.