![\"berkeley](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/manhole-e1563888307419.jpg\")
\nA new law passed in Berkeley, California would rename words like ‘manhole’ to ‘maintenance hole’; Christina Coleman has the details<\/p>\n
\nA new law passed in Berkeley, California would rename words like ‘manhole’ to ‘maintenance hole’; Christina Coleman has the details<\/p>\n
One of our ninjas sends us this article from the Land of Fruits, Nuts, and Flakes, aka California, and at the State’s cultural epicenter, the city of Berkeley. With all of the other problems facing the city obviously having been resolved, the City Council is now ready to face the important matters. Like the burning issue of removing gender specific names in the city code, and replacing them with…what?
\nRead on.<\/p>\n
By Christina Coleman<\/strong><\/p>\n Gender-inclusive restrooms and have become more and more common across the country.<\/p>\n Now, the city of Berkeley is taking it a step further.<\/p>\n The city is removing gender-specific words in its municipal code. It will cost the city about $600 to make the changes. The Berkeley City Council unanimously passed the measure to replace more than two dozen commonly used terms on Tuesday.<\/p>\n It will switch words like \u201che\u201d and \u201cshe\u201d to \u201cthey\u201d and \u201cthem\u201d in the city code. \u201cManholes\u201d will be changed to \u201cmaintenance holes\u201d and references to manmade will be changed to \u201cartificial.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n No, really. There’s more.<\/p>\n Councilman Rigel Robinson, a 23-year-old recent graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, sponsored the ordinance. He tweeted, in part: \u201cThere is power in language. It\u2019s a small move, but it matters.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Berkeley City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley wrote in a memorandum to council, \u201cIn recent years, broadening societal awareness of transgender and gender-nonconforming identities has brought to light the importance of non-binary gender inclusivity.\u201d<\/p>\n Terms like fraternity or sorority will be changed to \u201ccollegiate Greek system residence.\u201d Other terms that will be changed include pregnant woman or women. It will be switched to pregnant employees. Brothers and sisters will be switched to sibling.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n “…the importance of non-binary gender inclusivity.” Wow. If this bovine scatology wasn’t enough, the City Council also voted to ban the use of natural gas as a fuel source.<\/p>\n BERKELEY (KPIX 5) \u2014 By a unanimous city council vote, Berkeley has become the first city in the nation to ban the use of natural gas in new low-rise residential buildings<\/p>\n What it means is that the gas-flame stove top and gas-powered heat many Californian\u2019s currently use won\u2019t be available in brand new residential spaces.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst, it will be single family homes and buildings under three stories that are just residential. That will happen on January 1st,\u201d said City Council member Kate Harrison, who was one of the sponsors of the ordinance.<\/p>\n Harrison points out that the new ordinance runs parallel to the state\u2019s plan to reduce carbon use in buildings.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n What it means is now people will be forced to use more expensive electricity from coal-fired, out of state, power generation plants. So no reduction in the aggregate of carbon use, more monetary burden on people already over-taxed, and more of those who can will simply leave the state.<\/p>\n And unfortunately wind up in Austin, Tx.<\/p>\n If you wish to read more, here are the links:<\/p>\n Berkeley Gender Politics<\/a><\/p>\n