Golden Gate Bridge

• SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Commercial leasing operations in the Presidio of San Francisco closed the 2023 calendar year with an occupancy rate of 97%, surpassing the San Francisco downtown occupancy rate of 65%.
• The Presidio Trust welcomed a diverse slate of tenants in 2023, primarily in the office and educational sectors.
• The Presidio Trust continues to increase its development pipeline, rehabilitating more commercial office space for new tenants and businesses in the coming year.
• To view all leasing opportunities in the Presidio, click here .

• The consecration rituals of the icon of Lord Rama were performed in a newly built mega-temple in the town of Ayodhya, India, on Jan. 22, 2024.
• The prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, performed the rituals during a 48-minute period considered auspicious by Hindu astrologers.
• Lord Rama, an avatara or incarnation of Vishnu, is one of the most important deities in the Hindu tradition.

From matter to deity

• There are fire sacrifices in a pavilion outside, the deity is taken formally into the temple and also in a procession through the town, and there is recitation of mantras.
• Precious stones and metals, as well as a yantra, a metal plate with geometrical drawings, are buried in the ground in the inner shrine where the deity is to be installed.
• In Ayodhya, a scarf was removed from the eyes of the deity.
• With the opening of the eyes and the invoking and transfer of breath, the material icon is said to be transformed into an incarnation of the deity.

Controversies over the temple land

• The new temple has been built on the land where a 16th century mosque – the Babri Masjid – was destroyed by Hindu activists in December 1992.
• Some Hindus claim that the mosque had been built by razing a 15th century Rama temple, said to be the site of his birth.

• Building the temple was started soon after this judgment.
• Devotees’ sentiments as well as speeches at the inauguration of the temple spoke of Rama’s return to Ayodhya after 500 years of being banished from his birthplace.

‘Not in our names’

• Indian Air Force choppers rained flowers on the temple after the consecration.
• Some observers, including outsiders sympathetic to Hinduism, saw these rituals as a glorification of Modi, not Rama.
• For during the prana pratishtha, the divine is said to become present in the icon, if the rituals are properly performed.

Vasudha Narayanan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• Walking Tour Showcases 180-Degree Views of Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay
  SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- San Francisco City Guides today announced the launch of its new, free Climate Change Walking Tour at San Francisco's Crissy Field on San Francisco Bay.
• Guided by knowledgeable San Francisco City Guides volunteers, this thought-provoking tour invites participants to engage in a meaningful dialogue about the imminent threats posed by climate change and rising sea levels of San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
• As a non-profit organization committed to preserving and perpetuating the rich history and folklore of San Francisco, San Francisco City Guides, in collaboration with its primary sponsor, the San Francisco Public Library, offers all tours free of charge.
• For detailed information about the free tour, the tour schedule and to secure a reservation, please visit the official tour page: Climate Change at Crissy Field Tour.

• This summer, the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) and its partners launched two programs with support from Conduent that are now available for drivers with overdue payments from toll violations in the San Francisco area.
• With these programs, BATA hopes to encourage individuals to avoid default and regain compliance.
• Using advanced technology for processing tolling transactions, Conduent designed and implemented the system capabilities to make these programs available to BATA customers.
• The company has been helping transportation clients for more than 50 years and operates in more than 20 countries.