We had a good time at Baghdad Cafe on Market near Castro on Monday.
It wasn't crowded or expensive (Dennys/IHOP/Max's type American food
menu), and the location is very close to all of the Muni lines on
Market Street. We're still looking at different locations and
different nights, though, to find out what gets us the best turnout.
For our next chat, Michael Edelstein has scouted a great little Thai
restaurant on Cyril Magnin Street, just off Market near Powell. Now,
the question is... when? Wednesdays are best for Michael, and since
he found this place, I think we should go there on a night he can
attend. We've not heard anything about an upcoming Direct Action
Forum, so is this coming Wednesday night open for a chat? Or do we
need to postpone it to the next week? Comments, anyone?
Rob
Hi Everyone,
I want to thank those of you who are keeping the
political chat going. I think it is still a very
useful forum, and important to sustain. I wish I could
be there. My Monday and Wednesday evening classes at
CSU Hayward will be over in November (I think). Maybe
I should look at the syllabus at some point!
Dave Barker.
At the monthly LPSF meeting on Saturday, we found out that there will
be a Direct Action Forum this month, after all, so this week's chat
(Oct 15) is cancelled. Those who would have attended the chat are
encouraged to attend the Direct Action Forum at Sheesh Mahal
restaurant at 7 p.m., where the speaker will be telling us about an
important eminent domain case happening in the City in the near
future. The next political chat will now be the following Wednesday
(Oct 22) at the Siam Thai restaurant (55 Cyril Magnum Ct, nr. 5th &
Market) at 7 p.m.
Please note that this will be the last time an announced chat is
cancelled at the last minute in favor of an unannounced Direct Action
Forum. We agreed at Saturday's meeting (and this is in the official
minutes this time) that future meetings of Direct Action Forum for
which a speaker is not announced at least two weeks in advance will
not be given scheduling priority or LPSF publicity at the expense of
the weekly political chat.
Again, apologies for the last-minute notice.
Rob
- -----Original Message-----
Rob,
As I noted at the meeting, the Chat for this week was NOT announced. There were a couple messages relating to it, but no announcement. (There have similarly been messages relating to the Direct Action Forum stating that it happens on the third Wednesday each month which I do not think you would consider announcements.) Also since Dave is no longer running the Chat, has someone else stepped forward to take responsibility for it, or if it just sort of devolves to whoever shows up or feels like calling for a topic. In short, it's not clear (to me at least) that it is a formal event at this point, or just the default thing that happens on Wednesdays if people express an interest and there's nothing else going on.
I do not believe any formal decision was made at the meeting as to how the whole DAF matter would be handled. I think the minutes are incorrect on this point (Marcy, please note!). Presumably there are enough votes to force a "solution" on me that I do not want, but no vote was taken, at least not while I was in the room. If we're going to have process, let's at least make sure it's DUE process.
I think our chair has been trying to see both sides of this and find a solution that makes everyone happy, for which I commend him. So I don't like to shine a spotlight in that direction, but I feel obliged in my own defense (since that has fallen to me) to point out that the agendas for our regular monthly business meetings are rarely posted in a timely fashion either.
If it is this difficult for Chris -- who doesn't have to research, contact, and schedule an outside speaker, often gets reminders of the meeting in the form of agenda items, and is (presumably) less prone to procrastination than I am -- to send an agenda ONE week out, I'd think a bit more understanding of my failure to inform people of the speaker more than a few days in advance is in order.
Thank you to Marcy for volunteering to help with Direct Action Forum by sending out E-vites. Steve, you also volunteered to help; I apologize, but I'm a little fuzzy on what you offered to do.
Yours in liberty,
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