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Ocean Hoptimism

@oceanhoptimism.org
845 followers 2K following 3.5K posts

Uniting ocean enthusiasts over a pint! Ocean Hoptimism is a monthly gathering of ocean conservation, science, exploration, art, recreation, policy, & beer enthusiasts in SF Bay Area. Pint-sized hope for a brighter ocean future! www.oceanhoptimism.org

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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 25m
For 14 months, you’ve kept showing up for Ocean Hoptimism—and then taken the next step: volunteering, diving in, lending your expertise, finding your own way to help. Tomorrow, Oct. 1, we’re going to ask for your help opening the door a little wider. 🌊🚪
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 1h
Yeah! That’s right… BONUS Ocean Hoptimism TOMORROW! 🦈 Kick off sharky season w/ Dr. Meghan Holst. Meet SF Bay’s sharks & flat sharks, learn how YOU can help protect them, & enjoy our shark swag giveaway! 7–8 PM • Faction Brewing, Alameda Free. Come get sharkier. www.oceanhoptimism.org/save-the-date
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 3h
Ocean Hoptimism stands with Canadian neighbors on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We honor Indigenous children, survivors, families, and communities—and commit to listening, learning, and supporting Indigenous-led healing and justice here in the U.S. too.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 29/09/2026
Join us this Thursday and kick off sharky season with… your finned neighbors! 🦈 Dr. Meghan Holst dives into SF Bay’s sharks & rays—and how YOU can help protect them. Plus shark swag! Ocean Hoptimism • Oct 1 • 7–8 PM Faction Brewing, Alameda • Free! www.oceanhoptimism.org/save-the-date
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 28/09/2026
Ocean protection cannot reset with every president. Trump’s rollbacks expose a deeper failure: fragile laws, chronic underfunding and too little accountability. Durable conservation needs staffed, connected protected areas, shared power with Tribes and communities, and proof that protection works.
escholarship.org
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 28/09/2026
Your neighbors have fins. How well do you know them? 🦈 Meet SF Bay’s sharks & flat sharks with Dr. Meghan Holst—and discover your part in protecting them. Ocean Hoptimism, Oct 1, 7–8 PM at Faction Brewing, Alameda. Free. Come curious. Leave a little sharkier. www.oceanhoptimism.org/save-the-date
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 27/09/2026
We were today years old when we discovered Rose Schmits’ wonderfully weird ceramics. Tentacles! Spidery legs! Exquisite, functional art that looks ready to crawl off the table. Apparently what’s been missing from our lives is pottery with just the right number of appendages. roseschmits.com
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 27/09/2026
Niʻihau doesn’t owe us access, spectacle or storm footage. Respecting Hawaiian culture includes respecting boundaries. If “forbidden” places trouble us, let’s direct some of that scrutiny toward billionaires fencing off Hawaiʻi. Curiosity isn’t a claim of ownership.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 27/09/2026
In case you missed this milestone: 50 years ago, six women fought to enter SF’s men-only Dolphin and South End clubs. Hundreds formed a “50” in the Bay swim event to honor them. Here’s to women who swam against the tide—and held the door open for all who followed.
sfchronicle.com
Women mark 50 years of swimming against the tide at S.F. clubs that once banned them
The first women to join San Francisco’s swimming clubs in 1976 said they struggled against discrimination but found empowerment and community in the water.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 27/09/2026
When we asked UC Berkeley paleontologist and ocean-extinction expert Dr. @sethf.bsky.social to read his “crystal ball” for the ocean’s future, he offered some cautious optimism—in that careful way scientists do when asked to speculate. 🧵
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 27/09/2026
Around 10% of the ocean is designated for conservation, yet only 3.5% is assessed as effectively protected. Even if current pledges are fulfilled, coverage would reach just 12% by 2030—not the promised 30%. Lines on a map matter, but real protection requires funding, management and enforcement.
for-the-ocean.org
New analysis finds protecting 30% of the planet by 2030 remains within reach – but ocean protection is lagging – Together for the Ocean
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 27/09/2026
California declared an El Niño emergency, mobilizing flood and coastal-response resources before winter. It’s preparedness, not prophecy: El Niño raises risk, but can’t tell us exactly where or when. Later this year, Ocean Hoptimism will welcome an expert to help us understand and prepare.
theguardian.com
California braces for record El Niño storms as governor declares emergency
Super El-Niño has already broken temperature records and is predicted to bring an extremely wet winter to the state
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 27/09/2026
100 countries have now ratified the High Seas Biodiversity Treaty, with Australia joining Sept. 24 and pledging work on early high-seas MPAs. A powerful milestone—but ratification protects no habitat by itself. The test now: fair funding, science, and enforceable protection.
oceanographicmagazine.com
100 countries in: High Seas Treaty nears universal ratification - Oceanographic
The High Seas Treaty has hit 100 ratifications following Germany, Canada, Australia and others depositing instruments at the UN.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 27/09/2026
Sharks arrive at Ocean Hoptimism in 4 days! 🦈 Ready to kick off the Bay Area’s sharkiest season w/ a bang? We’ve got Dr. Meghan Holst, a shark swag giveaway, & a role for YOU in shark science. Just when you thought it was safe to make other plans. Oct. 1 • 7–8 PM • Faction Brewing, Alameda • FREE!
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 26/09/2026
Perhaps the biggest gasps from Dr. Seth Finnegan’s Ocean Hoptimism talk last Thursday? The volcanic nightmare behind the Permian mass extinction: flood basalts in Siberia, with enough lava to cover an area the size of the continental U.S. over a kilometer deep. Deep time. Deeply unsettling.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 26/09/2026
We’re seeing stars on October 22. And for once, it’s not the beer. Something worth making a little room on your calendar for is coming to Ocean Hoptimism. We’ll let you connect the dots a little longer. 🌟 Big reveal on October 5.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 26/09/2026
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! 🦈 A special BONUS edition of Ocean Hoptimism kicks off SF Bay Area shark season Oct. 1! Meet Dr. Meghan Holst, find your role in shark science, and score shark swag. 7–8pm • Faction Brewing, Alameda • FREE!
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 25/09/2026
FREE shark swag giveaway at Ocean Hoptimism! Come for the science. Leave suspiciously well accessorized. 🦈 📅 Thursday, October 1 | 7–8 PM 📍 Faction Brewing, Alameda Bring a friend. Bring your questions. Your emotional support shark enthusiasm is welcome here. www.oceanhoptimism.org/save-the-date
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 25/09/2026
We barely caught our breath, but sharks wait for no one! It’s sharky season in the Bay: bonus Ocean Hoptimism! Oct. 1, Dr. Meghan Holst shares how YOU can join shark research & conservation. Plus a shark swag giveaway! Faction Brewing, 7–8pm. Free. We’re gonna need a bigger calendar.
oceanhoptimism.org
Ocean Hoptimism | Save the Date
Mark your calendar for Ocean Hoptimism—monthly free talks at Faction Brewing blending ocean science, stories of hope, and meaningful conversations over a pint.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 25/09/2026
Last night, Dr. @sethf.bsky.social took Ocean Hoptimism through half a billion years of ocean history, first broadening our picture of paleontology beyond dinosaurs. To understand how life responds to a changing planet, a hillside full of fossil shells can tell us far more than a single T. rex.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 24/09/2026
A sarlacc-pit mouth. Red eyes. Hairy legs. No galaxy far, far away required. @ubcoceans.bsky.social researchers described 2 new sea spider species in the Salish Sea—the first in nearly a century. The ocean is still introducing us to our neighbors. (Apparently, we live in a very weird neighborhood.)
news.ubc.ca
Hairy-legged red-eyed sea spiders discovered in the Salish Sea - UBC News
UBC-led research uncovered tiny marine spiders that suck the juice out of jellyfish and other hydroids, helping fill gaps in our understanding of coastal biodiversity.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 24/09/2026
TONIGHT!
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 24/09/2026
TONIGHT: We’re bringing deep time energy. Half a billion years of plot twists. One ocean future we’re part of shaping. Dig into the deep past with UC Berkeley’s Dr. Seth Finnegan—and raise a glass to what comes next. Ocean Hoptimism • 7–8pm Faction Brewing, Alameda • FREE!
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 23/09/2026
Half a billion years show the ocean endures a lot. Our survival depends on its health—and our choices today: what we protect, how we vote, where we show up. Dig into the past to shape our future with UC Berkeley’s Dr. Seth Finnegan. Ocean Hoptimism | 9/24 | 7–8pm Faction Brewing, Alameda. Free!
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 23/09/2026
Starving common murres are washing ashore in Northern California, many dying despite rescue efforts. Scientists suspect a marine heat wave is disrupting their food supply. El Niño could deepen the crisis, leaving seabirds little time to recover. The cause remains under investigation.
sfgate.com
Biologists fear the worst as Bay Area seabirds starve
Conditions are "are only going to get worse as El Niño progresses," one expert said.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 23/09/2026
Tomorrow: half a billion years of ocean history. One future still ours to shape. Join UC Berkeley paleobiologist Dr. Seth Finnegan to uncover lessons from the deep past for the choices we make next. Ocean Hoptimism • Sept 24, 7–8pm Faction Brewing, Alameda • FREE
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 23/09/2026
Best snacks ever created. Ever. Fight us.
Packaging for Australian Vegemite + cheese “Shapes” cracker snacks.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 22/09/2026
Yeah, yeah, yeah… you want SHARKS. 🦈 We found local sharks. Flat sharks. And Dr. Meghan Holst, who has a role for YOU in studying & protecting them. Ocean Hoptimism sharkapalooza! Oct. 1 | 7–8 PM Faction Brewing, Alameda Free. Come for the fins. Leave with a porpoise… er, purpose. We meant purpose.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 21/09/2026
Admiring Jungkook’s abs? Thank a fish. Nothing ruins a thirst trap like “ventral longitudinal bundles.” Come for the abs. Stay for the ancestral lore. Ocean Hoptimism with UC Berkeley’s Dr. Seth Finnegan Thurs, Sept. 24 • 7–8 PM Faction Brewing, Alameda • Free! www.oceanhoptimism.org/save-the-date
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 21/09/2026
If the Jurassic Park franchise supplies most of your ancient ocean IQ, we should talk. This Thursday, join UC Berkeley paleobiologist Dr. Seth Finnegan for the real story: mass extinctions, survival, & what the ocean’s deep past can teach us about its future. 🔗 www.oceanhoptimism.org/save-the-date
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Reposted by Ocean Hoptimism
Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Hey Philly! We need your help saving the Academy of Natural Sciences! The Save the Academy Coalition needs volunteers to help hand out organizing flyers in front of the museum Sept 25-27. It’s the museum’s last weekend (for now!) Sign up here to help docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
A flyer with dinosaur bones and beetles and butterflies that says help save the academy volunteer this weekend. Help us hand out flyers the Museum to get more people involved in the fight and save the Academy of natural sciences volunteer at.  Save-the-academy.org
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 21/09/2026
“Hope bashing” appears to be having its moment (again) in ocean conservation. “Screw Hope” makes a punchy slogan, but it confuses hope with complacency. Hope doesn’t require believing things will work out. It can mean believing our actions still matter when nothing is guaranteed.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 20/09/2026
Quiet week for new ocean protected areas and treaty implementation—but not for deregulation. The U.S. further narrowed endangered-species enforcement and promised deep-sea mining permits within months, while Asia began preparing for a powerful El Niño. A quick thread. 🧵
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 20/09/2026
Megalodon is extinct. Hollywood is coping poorly. What’s better than a CGI comeback? Real fossils w/ lessons for the ocean’s future. Join fellow ocean lovers & dig in with UC Berkeley’s Dr. Seth Finnegan at Ocean Hoptimism. No jump scares. No screams. No Statham. Sept. 24, 7–8pm | Faction Brewing
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 20/09/2026
Humphrey: The Sequel. Apparently, nobody told Rio the humpback that we’re all exhausted by reboots. Spotted near Rio Vista, some 60 miles inland, this whale needs a safe route home. Give Rio space. We’re rooting for the ocean-bound ending.
sfgate.com
Humpback whale swims 60 miles inland after losing way from SF Bay
Rio’s wrong turn could be the result of illness, injury or simply bad navigational skills.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 19/09/2026
Miss Abyss landed in Oakland, CA, and immediately got hella hyphy. Eight arms. Zero patience for deep-sea mining. She’s claiming Lake Merritt as her weekend residence. The geese have requested a meeting. #MissAbyss
Miss Abyss, the mascot for the No Deep Sea Mining in US Pacific Territories campaign, in front of the Oakland Tribune Tower, downtown Oakland, CA.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 19/09/2026
5 days out! Don’t miss this Ocean Hoptimism that’s been half a billion years in the making!
eventbrite.com
GLOBAL CHANGE AND EXTINCTION IN THE OCEAN: A Paleontological Perspective
500 million years of ocean survival—what comes next?
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Reposted by Ocean Hoptimism
Miriam Goldstein @miriamgoldstein.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Me & @valeriecle.bsky.social in front of the Capitol this week! #MissAbyss
Miriam Goldstein (left) and Valerie Cleland (right) - two white ladies of exactly the right age - wearing business clothing and holding a paper printout of Miss Abyss the dumbo octopus, and smiling in front of the U.S. Capitol Building.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 19/09/2026
Your weekend assignment: a little arts and crafts, a photo, and a very big NO to deep-sea mining. Minimal effort. Potentially massive return. Help #MissAbyss put opposition on the map—and stand with communities in U.S. Pacific territories. It’s as easy as 1-2-3.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 19/09/2026
Your weekend assignment: put your face to a good cause! Say NO to deep-sea mining with #MissAbyss. The lift is minimal. The impact could be enormous. Download > Print > Selfie > Share Easy, fun, & louder together. Join the campaign! Get your #MissAbyss here: linktr.ee/missabyssoct...
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 18/09/2026
In 6 days, we welcome UC Berkeley paleontologist Dr. Seth Finnegan to Ocean Hoptimism! On tap: ancient seas, astonishing survivors, and clues to our ocean’s future. And fresh Faction beer, of course! Bring your curiosity. This round spans 500 million years. Sept. 24 • 7–8pm • Faction Brewing FREE.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 18/09/2026
El Niño is loading the dice for a wetter California winter. If storms coincide with November and December king tides, rain, runoff and storm surge could amplify coastal and Bay shoreline flooding. A wet forecast isn’t a flood guarantee—but timing could make all the difference.
sfgate.com
New maps reveal odds of winter rain and snow across California
“It’s like we have a six-sided die.”
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 17/09/2026
@therevelator.org called it: Trump’s destruction of USAID would deepen the climate & extinction crises. Now come the receipts: rising deforestation, weakened protections, & conservation programs gutted. The damage was foreseeable. They did it anyway. Read More: insideclimatenews.org/news/1509202...
therevelator.org
By Shutting Down USAID, Trump and Musk Will Worsen the Climate and Extinction Crises • The Revelator
The agency supports critical efforts to reduce wildlife trafficking, deforestation, land violence, and other threats around the world.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 16/09/2026
Half a billion years of ocean life. A future we can help shape. 🌊 Join UC Berkeley paleontologist Dr. Seth Finnegan at Ocean Hoptimism next week to explore how ancient seas can inspire today’s choices for a healthier ocean tomorrow. Sept. 24 • 7–8pm • Alameda www.oceanhoptimism.org/save-the-date
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 15/09/2026
Feel that ripple? Something BIG is coming in the next chapter of the #MissAbyss drama. We're keeping the details submerged-for now. Stay tuned. In the meantime, Stop Deep Sea Mining in US Territories: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 15/09/2026
Ocean life needed half a billion years, mass extinctions, and an almost offensive amount of trial and error to get here. UC Berkeley’s Dr. @sethf.bsky.social gets 40 minutes (plus Q&A) to cover the juicy details—and what past seas might tell us about our future. Sept. 24. 7-8 PM. Faction Brewing.
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 15/09/2026
Half a billion years. Siberian mega-eruptions. An Ordovician ice age. The Chicxulub asteroid. Ocean life took ages to recover. UC Berkeley’s Dr. @sethf.bsky.social gets 40 minutes plus q&a to explain it so there’s time for one last round of suds. You’ll probably need it. 🍺 Sept. 24, 7-8 PM FREE!
oceanhoptimism.org
Ocean Hoptimism | Dr. Seth Finnegan
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 15/09/2026
This is NOT SF Bay shark scientist Dr. Meghan Holst. But we promise similar “LOOK AT THIS ONE” energy. 🦈 Meet SF Bay’s sharks & flat sharks—and learn how YOU can help study them! Ocean Hoptimism | Oct. 1, 7–8pm Faction Brewing, Alameda. Free! www.oceanhoptimism.org/speakers/dr....
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 14/09/2026
Australia plans to evacuate Macquarie Island staff ahead of a feared mass seal die-off from bird flu. Amid cries of “running away” and “lost research opportunities,” who’s asking what living beside thousands of dying animals might do to the people expected to document it?
science.org
Fearing traumatic seal die-off, Australia moves to evacuate polar research station
Witnessing thousands of seal pups die from bird flu could harm staff mental health, officials say
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Ocean Hoptimism @oceanhoptimism.org · 14/09/2026
The ocean has seen some shit. Mass extinctions. Climate chaos. It kept the receipts. Now, what can ancient seas teach us about what’s next? Dig in with UC Berkeley’s Dr. @sethf.bsky.social at Ocean Hoptimism, Sept. 24, 7–8pm. Faction Brewing, Alameda. Free! www.oceanhoptimism.org/save-the-date
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