scrmbld1010c.html

our Margret E

and her G

Westside Café

Wednesday night's Dinner and Drinks Opening

drinks before dinner

our dinner was the most fun and best dinner we've had in recent memory

full photo essay

here

10/20/10

Which Potter Creeker can be, arguably, counted among the Berkeley Royals. (Berkeley royalty is a Chip Johnson concept put forth in an early column about Da Boz.)

Last week I had dinner with some old Berkeley radicals. One was with the movement from the beginning and played an active roll in the Scheer Campaign--that is until he dropped acid in 1969 at which time he concluded that he was "on a bummer" and left the movement to make a life for himself and his loved ones.

"Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu's '25 Years of Hula' " is a review by Allan Ulrich, Chronicle Dance Correspondent.

"Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu dance troupe members celebrate the company's 25th anniversary at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

Who, a quarter century ago, could have dreamed that a company devoted to hula dance would become one of Northern California's most appealing dance entertainments?

I doubt that even Patrick Makuakane, the founder of the company Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu harbored such fantasies. Yet, the huge and remarkably diverse crowd that packed the Palace of Fine Arts Theater on Saturday evening for the kickoff to the troupe's 25th anniversary celebration was a testament to Makuakane's melding of community interest, serious ethnography, exuberant showmanship and something approximating kitsch."

"NRF to set up 2 more research centres" by Sara Grosse channelnewsasia.com.

"Singapore: The National Research Foundation will have two more research centres soon, bringing to seven the number of such centres here.

The new centres will be associated with the University of California, Berkeley and the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel in collaboration with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Nanyang Technological University."

"A Fascinating Window into the World of Catholicism in 21st Century Urban America" at businesswire.com.

"Father Andrew Greeley's final book, completed just weeks before his near-fatal accident in November 2008, [was] unveiled by a group of eminent academicians from the University of Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley on Wednesday, Oct. 20 . . . at the Gleacher Center ."

"Causes, the popular Facebook charity application, has raised another $9 million in funding and introduced gift cards to let people donate online without using a credit card. The story in the San Francisco Chronicle says the new gift cards are available in Safeway and Vons supermarkets in California in denominations of $25 and $30.

Berkeley-based Causes was co-founded three years ago by Sean Parker and Joe Green. Parker is Causes chairman and also managing partner at venture capital fund Founders Fund but probably best known for being the former Facebook president and the co-founder of Napster (along with Shawn Fanning). His ties with Facebook were immortalized in the film The Social Network. Green, a Harvard University graduate, is Causes president and also has links with Facebook he shared a dorm room with Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg from 2003 to 2004.

The latest capital raising round, which included venture capital firms New Enterprise Associates and Founders Fund Management LLC, Silicon Valley startup backer Ron Conway and Salesforce.com Inc chief executive Marc Benioff, brings the total financing to $16 million. It's understood the new funding will help Causes expand its team, which is currently only 16 strong.

Causes' Facebook application connects 119 million people to a range of charities, making it easy to donate small amounts."

full story here

"Dow Chemical recognizes students for research" is an AP story.

Dow Chemical Co. is recognizing students for their work on sustainability-related issues.

The nation's largest chemical maker recently announced winners of its second annual Dow Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge Awards. It's part of an effort to promote research and innovation.

The Midland-based company partnered with seven universities for the program, which started last year.

10/21/10

"Four men allegedly responsible for a rash of holdups in Berkeley and Oakland have been arrested and charged, police said" Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer.

"Keiarris Hall, 18, of Antioch, Brynell Polk, 19, of Berkeley and twin brothers Michael Anthony Glover and Markell Antwan Glover, both 18 and from Richmond, used a shotgun to rob victims in different parts of the city, police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss said.

The four robbed a victim on the 1300 block of Cedar Street in North Berkeley about 7:50 p.m. Oct. 13 and robbed another person at Russell and Wheeler streets about two hours later, Kusmiss said.

Also that night, a person was robbed by shotgun-toting suspects at Hudson Street and Boyd Avenue in North Oakland. A witness in that holdup gave police a description of the robbers' car as well as a partial license plate number, Kusmiss said.

On Oct. 14, Berkeley police Sgt. Brian Wilson and Officer Peter Lee spotted a car at Prince and King streets that matched the description of the car from the North Oakland holdup. They arrested the suspects and found property belonging to the robbery victims inside, Kusmiss said."

"Safer to be deployed to a military base in war torn region than survive on Oakland streets" by Scott C. Johnson, Oakland Tribune.

"Seventeen-year old Raymen Justice was shot in the neck in broad daylight half a block from his East Oakland apartment late last month while walking home from school. His father, Rayven, performed CPR for 40 minutes. Then, as a crowd of onlookers stood by, Justice held his son close and watched him die.

'It was the hardest damn bullet I've ever taken,' said the 58-year-old veteran who was wounded in the Vietnam War.

More than 1,000 people have been killed in Oakland in the past nine years. That bleak statistic is important because it closely parallels the toll of American dead from hostile encounters -- 996 -- during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, which began nine years ago this month, costing American taxpayers, by some estimates, roughly $1 billion per month.

In some cases, the killers here used AK-47s, the weapon of choice among guerrilla

movements and insurgencies around the world. Dozens of the dead were children.

As award-winning author Sebastian Junger points out in his recent book, 'War,' for which he spent 15 months embedded with soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade in an isolated and exceedingly violent valley in northeast Afghanistan, 'You'd have to go to a remote firebase '... to find a level of risk that surpasses that of simply being a male adolescent back home."

A women friend of Don Yost's retired to west Oakland some years back and said that if it weren't for politics the National Guard would be patrolling the streets there.RP

our dog lover

Merryll emails

Former Potter Creeker Gail Fredell is here for a few days staying with old firend, Merryll. Gail, the designer of the Oakland Firestorm Memorial, was interview yesterday by KQED-FM according to our David W. RP

"2004 Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, an AW Drivers Dog" is a story with video by Mark Vaughn at autoweek.com.

"A word of warning up front: The Wiener theme will now be stuck in your head for the next two weeks. It's been one week since I saw the big beige and orangish-colored wiener wagon and the theme has haunted me since, wafting in and out of my medulla oblongata like a nitrate-laden poltergeist. You know the jingle.

'Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Weeeee-ner . . .'

There, now it's planted in your brain like the earwig babies in that Twilight Zone episode.

'That is what I'd truly like to beee-ee-eeee . . .'

Don't try to fight it, just give in and sing.

'Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer weee-ner . . .'

Keep telling yourself that, soon, 'Everyone will be in love with meeeeeeeee . . .

And stop worrying about whether broccoli might have been a better choice for you than ground-up beef nostrils and chicken lips. Hot dogs are an American icon, dammit, right up there with baseball and the Chevrolet W4 medium-duty truck chassis on which this most recognizable of motorized main dishes rides, with a 5.7-liter Vortech V8 wedged between the buns."

The original Wienermobile was designed by Brooks Stevens, a Milwaukee industrial designer and a visionary car collector. Stevens collected Duesnbergs and Rolls when they were just used cars.

He also designed the Milwaukee Road Hiawatha passenger cars--his Sky Top Observation Car remains a classic today.

"Our picks for the Bay Area's great small venues" by Richard Scheinin and Jim Harrington at mercurynews.com.

"The Bay Area is blessed with many great music venues -- including some you've probably never heard of.

That's understandable, with internationally renowned spots -- Yoshi's in Oakland, the Fillmore in San Francisco, the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley -- and A-list houses like Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, HP Pavilion in San Jose and Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord grabbing most of the attention.

Yet, those marquee venues are only part of the Bay Area's live music story. We're here to share the other side of the tale."

"$10 million grant to complete East Bay bike trails" Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer.

"The East Bay will soon have the largest bike path network in the country, thanks to a $10.2 million federal grant announced Wednesday.

The Department of Transportation funds will allow the East Bay Regional Park District to connect dozens of gaps in the Bay Trail and Iron Horse Trail, so bicyclists will be able to ride from Brentwood to Union City, from Berkeley to Livermore, a web of more than 200 miles.

'This is probably one of the most incredible things we've done here,' said Pat O'Brien, manager of the park district. 'It's really a hallmark for East Bay residents.'

The grant is the largest the district has received in its 76-year history. The district was selected from 700 applications, ranging from freeway widening projects to rail yards.

Bicyclists were ecstatic at the news."

10/22/10

A KTVU-TV video about a story Kubik broke early this month is here.

10/1/10 Kubik's scoop

David Orth, retired BFD Vice Chief was behind the purchase of 3 pumpers and miles of hose in containers plus the engines to load and transport them.

These allow the department to pump from the bay, lakes or even swimming pools in case of emergency. He is pictured in front of one of the trucks. These have been stationed at 10th and Pardee, but are moving to a new facility in the area of our West-Berkeley BPD sub-station.

the kids

came today and so did the rain

So no École Bilingue Halloween Parade.

CEID director, Jill Ellis emails

Ron,

You missed our 30th GALA and we missed you. It was the place to be last Saturday night!

Jill

I heard some great things about your fund-raiser.There were about 300 in attendence, you raised serious money, there was a great and funny comedian, you had a successful auction, and among the Berkeley Royals in attendence were Tom and Loni. RP

An irregular reader emails

Really enjoyed the most recent two days of lox.

Pete Hurney's last KALX Scratchy Vinyl playist is here.

Kid's too hip. RP

And music was an important part of our block party

here are Rick Auerbach and friends

a Tracy photo

Rick's day job is WEIBAC lobbyist.

"A Short History of Mug Shots" is at slate.com.

"From Leon Trotsky to Johnny Cash to Jane Fonda."

"My Mom Is So Berkeley:One-Liner Childhoods" by Richard C Paddock, nytimes.com.

"A new Facebook group was formed last summer, well before 'Parenthood,' a television series set in Berkeley, made its debut on NBC this month. The group, called "Your Mom Is So Berkeley," began as an inside joke among friends who grew up there and came up with one-liners about Berkeley mothers, said Roberto Santiago, 33, the page's creator.

'Your mom is so Berkeley she'll sign anything given to her outside a grocery store,' Mr. Santiago wrote in an early post.

Hundreds of people joined in as the group evolved into a place where Berkeley's sons and daughters reminisce about growing up in the ultimate counterculture community. "

"Berkeley's NIMBY Robot" is an animation at uptownalmanac.com. "Nimby robot prepares to save Berkeley."

"UC Berkeley Police Arrest Women's Locker Room Peeping Tom" is a report at ktvu.com.

"A man suspected of taking pictures of women in a University of California at Berkeley locker room was arrested Thursday afternoon.

Police arrested Berkeley resident Gregorio Hernandez, 29, for disorderly conduct after he allegedly snuck into a women's locker room at UC Berkeley on two separate occasions, campus police Lt. Alex Yao said."

"Immigrants Don't Bring Crime, Berkeley Study Finds" by Jacob Simas, baycitizen.org.

"Berkeley Center for Criminal Justice:Immigration increased while crime decreased. A report published this month by the University of California, Berkeley, shows that crime statistics in California have decreased, even while immigration to the state has continued to increase, according to an article in the Spanish-language newspaper La Opinión."

"October is Solar Energy Month and National Fair Trade Awareness Month" by Christine G.K. LaPado at newsreview.com.

"On Oct. 1, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared the month of October 'Solar Energy Month.' He stated in his proclamation that 'under the California Solar Initiative we are moving toward our goal of installing 1 million more roof systems by 2018.' "

post from the past 1/07

900 GRAYSON'S Margot

[Chris' daugther is now almost three. ]RP

10/23/10 return

Ron,

Just wanted to thank you for a thoroughly interesting and enjoyable website. I no longer recall how I initially found it, but I am a regular visitor nowadays.

John Fleck

Emeryville Earthland Farmers Market is now open every Thursday 12:00 noon til 6:00 PM on Haven Street between Park and 40th Streets next to Emeryville City Hall and across from Pixar Studios. RP

"Head Spinning About the November Ballot Measures? Get the Facts!" at prnewswire.com.

"Interactive Website Features Nonpartisan Ballot Measure Information, Endorser lists, Polling, Facts & More."

"Prop. 19 could flicker out" by Josh Richman, Oakland Tribune.

"Come Nov. 3, California will either have become the first state to allow legal, regulated, taxed marijuana, or -- more likely, some political experts say -- it will have created a lot of heat and light without any smoke.

10/24/10

"Berkeley's NIMBY Robot" is an animation at uptownalmanac.com. "Nimby robot prepares to save Berkeley."

If you loved this or not, check out more from its home, uptownalmanac.com. "Where 20-somethings go to retire."

"From Chipmunks to Gorillaz: Here are the top cartoon bands of all time" by Jim Harrington, Oakland Tribune.

"The cartoon band isn't a new concept. It dates back to at least the late 1950s, when Fresno's Ross Bagdasarian Sr. -- better known by the stage name David Seville -- created the furry troubadours Alvin and the Chipmunks. Since then, there has been a steady trickle of animated groups unleashed on Planet Earth.

What is new, however, is how popular a few of these cartoon acts are in 2010. They call them 'virtual bands' these days, and the two biggest are Dethklok (from the Adult Swim animated program 'Metalocalypse') and the Gorillaz."

"Clif Bar Opens Sustainable Headquaters" at business.transworld.net.

"Clif Bar & Company has just opened up their new energy-efficient headquarters in Emeryville, California. After almost 15 years in Berkeley, the company has moved to the new energy-efficient space. The 115,000 square foot building was a former valve manufacturing plant."

"Old photos reveal tale of Japan and Jews of WWII" Jay Alabaster, Associated Press Writer.

"The young man's monochrome portrait is at least 70 years old, the whites all faded to yellow, but it is still clear he had style. His hair is slicked down, eye arched, suit perfect with matching tie and handkerchief.

He also had the good fortune to escape Europe in the early days of World War II. The photo, a gift to the man who helped him escape, is one of seven recently discovered snapshots that cast light on a little known subplot of the war - even as Germany sought to seal Jewish Europeans in, a small army of tourism officials from its main ally, Japan, helped shepherd thousands away to safety."

"Website helps voters make informed choices" by F. Noel Perry, David M. Kennedy and Jack Citrin at sacbee.com.

"California government is unusual because the initiative process allows ordinary voters to make law. But ironically, big donors often dominate the initiative process because interest groups, corporations and wealthy individuals can donate unlimited funds to support or oppose state ballot measures.

If anyone doubts the vast influence that big money has on elections in California, look no further than the latest report from the California Fair Political Practices Commission. The report finds that committees established to support or oppose the nine propositions on the California ballot in November have received more than $84.25 million in contributions of $100,000 or more. The FPPC says that 2010 will be a record year for big money influence in California's elections.

Small wonder that, when confronted with so many conflicting, and at times misleading, commercials, Op-Ed articles, mailers, fliers, e-mails and other communications from different organized interests, voters throw up their hands and decide not to vote. The consequences are devastating. When less than a third (33.31 percent) of registered voters in California choose to go to the polls, as was the case in June's primary election, the power of our government is being ceded to the most organized, well-financed interests.

Today, more than ever, we need voters to become informed, go to the polls and take back the power our democratic system invests in each one of us.

We are at a critical crossroads. That's why Next 10, Stanford University's Bill Lane Center for the American West in conjunction with the Institute of Governmental Studies at University of California, Berkeley, and the Center for California Studies at Sacramento State, have launched a website to help voters get the information they need to vote wisely."

10/25/10

Pete's Potter Creek rain gauge showed 1 inch for the storm.

And Check out Pete's Scratchy Vinyl show today at KALX from 3 'til 6. This is Pledge Week so pledge, please. Seems a fairly worthy cause.

Questions of the Day

Where was The Best Little Whore House in Potter Creek? What is there now and what is its use?

Which Potter Creek garage appeared in House Beautiful.

How many drug houses were there in Potter Creek?

"Piedmont woman pens book on circumcision" is a review of Lisa's book by Marta Yamamoto at contracostatimes.com.

"Authors use novels to tell stories of fact, fiction and combinations of the two. In the case of Lisa Braver Moss, her novel 'The Measure of His Grief' (Notim Press, $14.95) serves as a conduit for the author to deal with her deep feelings about the practice of circumcision as part of her Jewish faith.

The contemporary, thought-provoking novel is the Piedmont author's first work of fiction, but the subject of circumcision has been one that has troubled Moss since her two sons were born more than 20 years ago, when as standard practice within the Jewish religion, they were circumcised.

'That decision haunted me because it reflected my tradition but not my spirituality or my personal ethics,' she said. 'Making that decision required that I separate myself from my own maternal instincts and that didn't feel right to me.'

During the late 1980s, Moss began to write articles on circumcision and though she went on to other issues, she never lost interest in the circumcision controversy, and returned to it when she decided to write a novel.

There's little question that circumcision is a very complex topic with religious, medical, psychological and sexual significance. At first the author foundered as to how to express her opposition while demonstrating her respect for Judaism. Having grown up assimilated in Berkeley and with no synagogue affiliation, Moss realized she would need to immerse herself in Jewish study."

"Marketing marijuana: How capturing the 'Humboldt Brand' may take more than legalization" Ashley Bailey, contracostatimes.com.

"When it comes to marketing marijuana, there are already foreseeable roadblocks -- not the least of which is whether it becomes legal in California after November's election.

Funding, community acceptance and regulation are all unknown factors at this point.

But, that hasn't stopped people like Liz Davidson from leading marketing efforts to create a 'Humboldt Brand' for marijuana.

Organic, sustainable, grown-in-the-sun are the ideals she is marketing through the not-for-profit Tea House Collective. It's a cooperative based out of Berkeley that educates medical marijuana patients -- currently 500 of them -- about where their marijuana comes from."

"NTUC LearningHub spends over S$1m on training for PMETs" by Sharon See, channelnewsasia.com.

"The NTUC Learning Hub has spent at least S$1 million on new training programmes with overseas tie-ups to help professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs).

The economic downturn last year hit PMETs the hardest - they faced the largest increase in job losses.

So the NTUC LearningHub is engaging renowned trainers from China and the US - such as Disney Institute, University of California at Berkeley and the Fashion Institute of Technology - to help PMETs acquire new skills."

"Health report on breast cancer" by Catherine Zandonella at miamiherald.com.

"A new report calls for a broad new strategy for testing industrial chemicals suspected of increasing breast cancer risk. Compiled by a panel of experts including NRDC scientists (SimpleSteps.org is an NRDC website), the independent report lays out a framework for prioritizing and systematically testing chemicals.

At the top of the priority list are chemicals that are linked to breast cancer risk because they cause endocrine disruption, alter mammary gland development or contribute to known cancer-causing processes such as gene mutations."

10/26/10

"Alexander Anderson Jr., creator of Rocky and Bullwinkle,' dies at 90" Daniel Lopez, The Monterey County Herald.

"Alexander Anderson Jr., recognized as the creator of the 'Rocky and Bullwinkle' cartoon, died Friday at a home in Carmel, Calif. He was 90.

Anderson, who attended the University of California, Berkeley, and the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco, was a native of Berkeley. He moved to Pebble Beach in 1968. The last four years, his health had declined, his wife Patricia said Friday. They were married for 36 years.

Anderson came from a family of creative artists and in 1938 started working in animation with his uncle Paul Terry in New York at Terrytoons, the studio that created 'Mighty Mouse.' "

The name Bullwinkle--as in The Bullwinkle Show-- was inspired by an old Berkeley auto dealership, Bukwinkel's. (The show's founder, lived in Berkeley and went to Cal.) And Jay Ward, a Berkeley years-ago-realtor, became a show illustrator.

And, Lisa Bullwinkel, a distant relative, is now the owner of Another Bullwinkel Show. She stages events and founded in Salano Stroll.

Merryll's friend, Marty had an Oakland studio next one of the Bullwinkle People--they displayed Bullwinkle sculpture. RP

"Giant solar project approved in California" in the San Francisco Business Times, by Lindsay Riddell.

"Department of Energy Secretary Ken Salazar said Monday that the federal government has approved a 1 gigawatt solar project on California desert land managed by the federal government.

The project, proposed by Solar Millennium, whose U.S. headquarters is in Berkeley, would be large enough to power 300,000 average American homes."

"Students take 'Mad Men' class at UC Berkeley" by Kristin Bender, Oakland Tribune.

"Gimlets and cheese squares anyone?

Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, the fictional 1960s New York advertising agency and the men and women who work there have charmed viewers like few shows in recent memory.

Now "Mad Men" is captivating a small UC Berkeley class, whose students this semester are deconstructing the thematic, symbolic and historically rich television series as part of a two-unit, pass-fail English class.

Yes, they are getting credit for watching clips of Don Draper seduce women in the bedroom and boardroom, discussing the social-climbing Campbells and marveling at just how much scotch is consumed in an afternoon pitch meeting."

10/27/10

"Drug rehab expert's son slain in Berkeley shooting" Kevin Fagan, Chronicle Staff Writer.

"The son of a drug rehabilitation expert was killed and another man was wounded on a busy Berkeley street Tuesday by a pair of gunmen who raked them with shots and then ran away as horrified shopkeepers were opening their businesses for the day.

Residents of the economically depressed neighborhood said they believed the attack was over gang or drug-dealer turf, but most were afraid to talk openly. Police said the victims appeared to have been targeted.

When the shooting near the corner of Sacramento and Russell streets erupted at 8:45 a.m., attorney Paul Clifford thought it was firecrackers going off.

'I heard the shots, looked out the window and saw the bodies,' said Clifford, whose office is across the street. 'One of the men was cradling the other, just sitting there and comforting him ' ".

Perhaps strong anti-loitering laws would help, though there seems to be some resistance to them here and at city hall. RP

"Ranked-choice voting complicates elections" californiawatch.org.

"To proponents, ranked-choice voting is the wave of the future in local elections in California.

Next week it's going to come crashing down on voters in Oakland, Berkeley and San Leandro, adding new elements of complexity to a ballot that's already long and involved.

Ranked-choice, or instant-runoff, voting is supposed to save taxpayers millions by eliminating the need for local primaries and runoff elections. Advocates say it also boosts electoral competition, because candidates have to raise money for only one election per cycle, not two or three.

Here's how it works: In choosing, say, a mayor for Oakland, voters vote for three candidates, ranking them in the order of preference. A candidate who gets more than 50 percent of the first-choice votes wins outright. If that doesn't happen, the election department's computers then count up the second-place and third-place votes until a winner emerges."

"Music journalist looks back on a career chronicling California's contribution to rock history" by Wallace Baine, Santa Cruz Sentinel.

"When Joel Selvin first began writing about rock music in the San Francisco Chronicle in the early 1970s, there were precious few journalists doing rock criticism in the mainstream press. When he retired from the Chronicle in 2009, there were also precious few rock writers in the mainstream press, for entirely different reasons. But, in between, what a party.

In essence, Selvin was among those pioneers who started the party, and he was among the survivors who closed it out."

"Doonesbury Decades: A Timeline Of Turning Points" at npr.org.

"While working on the congressional campaign of her University of California, Berkeley law school roommate Virginia Slade, Joanie Caucus was interviewed by East Coast reporter Rick Redfern. A memorable weeklong wordless slow-mo pan of dailies ended with the couple in bed together - a strip that more than 30 newspapers chose not to print. MIT students picketed The Boston Globe with signs reading, "Joanie, we forgive you." Marriage, a son, and long careers in the nation's capital followed."

" 'Great Game: Afghanistan' review" Robert Hurwitt, Chronicle Theater Critic.

"The fate of the nine-year Soviet intervention in Afghanistan is as energizing as it is ominous in David Edgar's 'Black Tulips.' Taliban viciousness and the wrenching dilemmas of aid workers make deep impressions in other plays. A trip to the zoo will never be the same after Colin Teevan's 'The Lion of Kabul.'

Some scenes drag a bit, but there's no doubt that the Tricycle Theatre's 'The Great Game: Afghanistan' is one of the theatrical events of the season. Sheer size almost guarantees it."

"In Berkeley, three Orthodox Jews run a medical-marijuana collective selling a religiously inspired cannabis cream" by Rebecca Spence at tablemag.com.

"On a late summer afternoon in Berkeley, California, Eliezer 'Sticky' Green, a bearded hipster in hemp shorts and a Green Festival T-shirt, is sitting across the street from his medical-marijuana collective, smoking a joint. It's not an uncommon sight in the East Bay-home of the country's first cannabis trade school, Oaksterdam University-but an hour later Green is doing something a bit more out of character for the Bay Area: He's wrapping tefillin and davening mincha, the afternoon prayers.

In Northern California, even the religious Jews light up."

"Digital Solution for Sacramento" is a report at insidehighered.com.

"In the face of growing demand, limited infrastructure, and diminishing funds for state-supported higher education, some experts believe the only way California's higher ed system can continue fulfilling its mission is by expanding its online offerings.

A new report, released Monday by the California Legislative Analyst's Office, calls for the state legislature to explore a number of moves toward this end - including facilitating the sharing of online courses across public university and community college campuses; evaluating potential online 're-entry' programs for former dropouts looking to finish their degrees; and allowing adult learners who are approved for in-state grants to attend Western Governor's University, an online institution based in Utah.

The authors of the report acknowledge that the instructional costs of online courses are not much different than face-to-face ones, but they note that having campuses 'collaborate on design and delivery of instruction' could yield 'significant cost savings.' The idea, says Paul Steenhausen, a principal fiscal and policy analyst for the state, is that campuses that want to add a new department would, instead of hiring 10 new faculty members and additional administrative staff, hire three or four new faculty members and share the design and teaching load with other campuses in the network that already have similar departments."

"U.C. Berkeley to hold conference on meditation and law practice" Karen Sloan, law.com.

"Get ready to say 'Om.'

The University of California, Berkeley School of Law this weekend is hosting the first national conference on meditation and the legal profession. "The Mindful Lawyer: Practices & Prospects for Law School, Bench, and Bar" will bring together 185 lawyers, judges, law faculty, students and neuroscientists for three days to discuss the science of meditation and how it can be harnessed to improve legal education and the practice of law."

"Fred C. Hernandez and Pedro F. Suarez of Mintz Levin to be Featured Speakers at UC Berkeley's Entrepreneurial Best Practices Series:Series to Focus on Intellectual Property, Licensing and Legal Issues" at businesswire.com.

"Mintz Levin intellectual property attorneys Fred C. Hernandez and Pedro F. Suarez will be featured speakers at the Entrepreneurial Best Practices Series at University of California-Berkeley's Haas School of Business on Tuesday, October 26, 2010 from 6:30-8:30 pm. The series will focus on the practical aspects of entrepreneurial activity.

Mr. Hernandez and Mr. Suarez will discuss the benefits of various intellectual property strategies commonly employed by start-up companies and will provide an overview of several intellectual property legal terms and how they relate to entrepreneurs and their businesses."

10/28/10

from our Cameron

Photobooth Dogs is a one-of-a-kind collection celebrating the age-old bond between
dogs and their people. Featuring happy and beloved pets in more than 100 portraits
taken in photobooths over the last 80 years, these images are a testament to the
devotion people have felt and will always feel for their dogs. Photobooth Dogs is
published by Chronicle Books with an October 1, 2010 release date.
These vintage rarities are collected by Cameron Woo,
co-founder and creative director of The Bark, the magazine
of dog culture and purveyor of exquisite canine art. The
majority of the photographs that appear in Photobooth Dogs
are part of Woos personal collection. This sub-genre of
vernacular photography was amassed from hours of culling
through thousands of photobooth pictures, at flea markets,
antique stores and online vendors. An invitation to Bark
readers and collectors drew a handful of gems, including
a three-frame strip showing photobooth inventor Anatol
Josepho cradling his terrier (c. 1928) from the International
Centre of Photography.
The photographs offer deeply personal self-portraits, a collaboration between machine
and the sitter (human or canine)and the unseen element of chance. The first
Photomaton machines appeared in 1925, and for the first time in history, mechanical
photobooths offered the masses an inexpensive and high-quality method for portraiture.
Crowds lined up to pay their 25 cents and have their picture taken. As photobooth
pictures soon became the favored tribute to love and friendship, it's no wonder that
beloved dogs began to show up in the earliest strips.
Cameron Woo
(510) 704-0827
cameron@thebark.com

These rarities, collected
by The Bark art director
Cameron Woo, appear in the new
book Photobooth Dogs published
by Chronicle Books.
thebark.com/photobooth

"The Creations of Alex Anderson" is a story with vintage video at legacy.com.

"Alex Anderson was born in Berkeley, California on Sept. 5, 1920. He attended both UC Berkeley and the California School of Fine Arts. During WWII, he served in the Navy as an intelligence officer. His start in animation came largely through his uncle, Paul Terry, the creator of Terrytoons, and producer of short animation for 20th Century Fox. His best known characters include 'Mighty Mouse' and 'Heckle and Jeckle.' Anderson served as his apprentice for a time before the war.

After his stint in the Navy, Anderson approached his uncle with the idea of doing short animation films specifically intended for television. But Terry declined for fear that his current employers would drop him if they found out he was developing for TV, as the studio saw the new medium as a big threat.

Anderson then took the idea to his boyhood friend and former fraternity brother, Jay Ward, who was working in real-estate. The two founded the company Television Arts Productions and Anderson converted a garage at his parents' house into an animation studio.

They pitched NBC on the idea of having a full half-hour of animated shorts featuring the characters Crusader Rabbit, Rags the Tiger, Dudley Do-Right, Bullwinkle the Moose and Rocky the Flying Squirrel, but the network passed, believing there wouldn't be an audience for long format animation. NBC did, however, buy some Crusader Rabbit cartoons to insert into children's shows.

In 1950, Crusader Rabbit thus became the first animated show made specifically for TV. Ward and Anderson made 152 episodes of the cartoon during its run."

Penndorf's Miscellaneous Ramblings

"You can't teach old dogs new tricks" said Ruth Okimoto as we ended our conversation at the edge of the Bowl's produce section. During our ten minute's talk we agreed that Potter Creek now offers an embarassment of riches with abundant restaurants, our fine grocery store and good neighbors. We said other things I can't write about.

And Kubik, Al and I had a light breakfast at the Bowl yesterday morning. During our hour or so conversation we solved all the world's problems.

Last evening when the Giants tied 2-2 you could hear the Missouri Lounges' cheering half a block away. Their crowd was over-flowing out-the-door.

Jim Novosel is the only local candidate I 've personally encountered. He was the architect for a builder here in Potter Creek some years ago. During a meeting with neighbors he made the point that the project was well within code, but that he welcomed suggestions and then surprisingly said if we didn't want any change at all the thing to do was have the neighborhood become a historic district. "A mensch," I thought. He could have just said we're in code but he not only welcomed input but offered the "ultimate no change possibility." Didn't have to do either. He's running for the District Four council seat.

There's a NIMBY Robot sticker across one of the "Viva Jesse" posters along Sacramento. Jesse is the District Four incumbent.

Tak Nakamoto stopped by last week. A scholarship student at Harvard and with a background in city planning he always has valuable insight--last week about law enforcement in Berkeley.

Berkeley PD has a bicycle saftey program in place south of campus and, though really not related, Berkeley parking tickets are going up $3.00 in December.

The Bread Workshop is now also a cafe and restaurant. Check them out at University and Acton. Still my favorite olive loaf.

Ouestions of the Day

Which city council member is a regular poker player? How many women are "at the table" and who "makes the sandwiches'?

In which Potter Creek backyard did the then new craftsman-owner find a hidden packing container and a buried car?

How long ago were there really only a few places to eat in Potter Creek? What were they?

"Emeryville's Trader Vic's is full of flavor" by Jessica Yadegaran, Contra Costa Times.

I have a bad tiki bar memory. It was a month after my 10-year high school reunion in Laguna Beach, and I was feeling so good about myself that I ordered my very own bowl of rum and tropical juices. You know the type. Bright in color, high on sugar, and deceptively intoxicating.

Since I don't remember anything else from that night except pain and anguish, you can understand why I've stayed away. For a long time, I just wasn't interested in hula skirts, head statues and, um, cocktail bowls.

Then I heard that Trader Vic's, the Polynesian bar and restaurant in Emeryville, was experiencing a renaissance. If anything was to cure me of my tiki trepidation, it would be this remodeled lounge with a fresh take on cocktails and bar bites.

Just stepping into the bar, which sits near the water off Powell Street, did it for me. Instead of the cheap, gaudy decor that plagues many tiki bars, Trader Vic's was classy -- and packed with history. Today, it is an international chain, but Trader Vic's -- and, eventually, the famous mai tai cocktail -- started here in 1934, when Victor Bergeron opened a Polynesian-themed saloon called Hinky Dink's on San Pablo Avenue in Oakland. He renamed it Trader Vic's in 1936 and moved to Emeryville in 1972.

There are still reminders of that era. Vintage lanterns salvaged from Hinky Dink's dangle from the ceiling, which also features canoes, wicker baskets and fish nets. Long, wooden rain sticks cover the walls, and the 15 tables in the bar are made of a lacquered monkeypod. Add the ocean-blue upholstered chairs, and the vibe was set for me: chic, laid-back island style."

"Lenore S. Kakita, M.D., learned about perseverance, acceptance, determination and strength during an unlikely time" is a story at modernmedicine.com.

"Lenore S. Kakita, M.D., with her late husband, Judge Edward Kakita, at a Women's Dermatologic Society event in 2003.
She was a United States-born Japanese toddler when the fear of 'Yellow Peril' gripped the country during World War II. She spent five of the first six years of her life in U.S. relocation camps. Her father, Hajime Uyeyama, M.D., a family practitioner born in Berkeley, Calif., was forced to close his Oakland practice, and he and his family were interned at camps in California, then in Colorado.

Dr. Uyeyama became a leader of the people imprisoned in the camps, advocating for them medically and for food and supplies. When the family was released in 1946, they tried to build their lives despite continuing discrimination. Dr. Uyeyama was born near the University of California, Berkeley, but after the war he could not buy property above the line of the train tracks because of his Japanese heritage."

"US politicians court Latino voters" is a channelnewsasia report by Rachel Silverman.

"Politicians across the United States are courting the votes of one segment of the population that made a big difference in several states in the presidential elections of 2008 -- the Latinos.

The Latino voters are believed to have the power to change the outcome of a number of crucial races.

In California, Latinos are influencing the race to replace Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with either former Ebay CEO Meg Whitman, or Attorney General Jerry Brown, who's a former governor.

The two candidates battling to become California's next governor are fighting a close race.

Analysts say the winner may be the one who inspires the most Latinos to vote."

"Earth's loss is moon's gain" by Robert Sanders, Media Relations at berkeley.edu.

"Two micro-satellites originally launched into Earth's orbit in 2007 by NASA have been redirected by University of California, Berkeley, scientists toward new orbits around the moon, extending study of the earth and moon's interactions with the solar wind."

"Corporate rumble" by Don Jeffrey at Bloomberg News.

"The Hells Angels motorcycle group, with a long and storied history in Oakland, has sued fashion design house Alexander McQueen and retail chain Saks for trademark infringement for selling handbags, jewelry and clothing using the club's death-head design.

Hells Angels Motorcycle Corp. said McQueen's company, New York-based Saks and retailer Zappos.com have been selling infringing products in stores in California and online, according to a complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

The motorcycle club said it has been using the death-head mark, a skull with wings, since at least 1948.

The Hells Angels have authorized the use of the marks on jewelry, apparel and 'promotional and entertainment services,' according to the complaint."

would you

buy a used car from this man?

a Jeff Grey photo

John Norheim emails

nope . . . BUT

10/29/10

Marsha's

law office, Epstein, Becker and Green

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Penndorf's Miscellaneous Ramblings

Two workers from Potter Creek's Professional Tree Care stopped by yesterday on their way to 900 GRAYSON for lunch. We talked a bit about the French School, the foreman's kid is enrolled there. Then they admired our Blackeyed Susans.

For the first game of the World Series Morgan, Tracy and their kids took the bus over to the ball park and just hung out before the game and mixed--they had no tickets. Then returned having had a great time.

Those "low flying jet fighters" around four yesterday and Wednseday were practicing for the ball park flyover before the games.

I see by the sign on Hollis at our city limits that we are now a Solar Friendly City. The sign's about the same place as the old Nuclear Free Zone one. Always wondered about that. How can you be a nuclear free zone and be a home to the "Rad Lab" ?

And today is the City of Berkeley Halloween Costumes Day, Berkeley High kids are on parade and Trader Vic's is having a Halloween Happy Hour tonight and tomorrow night.

Quite unexpectedly, the head of GE announced in London today that his company is going to buy tens of thousands of electric vehicles. Maybe as soon as a week.

My following and continuous coverage of Prop 19 comes from my belief that pass-or-not, it is a significant tipping point. As is "Quite unexpectedly, he head of GE announced in London today that his company is going to buy . . . "

"Bay Point man arrested in Berkeley street killing" reports Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer.

"A 21-year-old Bay Point man has been arrested and charged in the shooting death of the son of a drug rehabilitation counselor in Berkeley, police said Thursday.

Brandon Wallace was arrested Tuesday, just hours after Gary Ferguson Jr., 35, of Oakland was shot dead and a second man was wounded on Sacramento Street near Russell Street."

"Pot Taxes on Ballots in California Cities as Legalization Looms" by Alison Vekshin with video at bloomberg.com.

Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Sheelah Kolhatkar discusses the outlook for the legalization of marijuana in California. On Nov. 2, California will vote on Proposition 19, the 'Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010,' a ballot initiative that would legalize marijuana for personal use. . . .

Oakland and San Jose lead California cities preparing to tax marijuana crops and sales if state voters decide on Nov. 2 to legalize the drug for personal use.

From Long Beach to Berkeley, ballot measures aim to spin tax revenue from passage of Proposition 19, which would let adults 21 and older grow and possess marijuana."

"Prop. 19 supporters apparently coy with pollsters" Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer.

"For generations, pro-marijuana Californians have hid their dope preference from their parents, their teachers and their co-workers.

And now, perhaps, from their pollsters.

The campaign team behind Proposition 19, which is working to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana for Californians over 21, has noticed an odd trend among public and internal polls on the measure: People are less likely to tell a live person that they support legalizing pot than an automated pollster."

"Home Smart Energy News Alliance formed to create a smart grid standard" is a report at smartmeters.com.

"A group of smart grid industry players which include big names such as Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Southern California Edison, Honeywell, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) recently announced the formation of the OpenADR Alliance, a non-profit organization created to advocate the development, adoption and compliance of a smart grid standard called Open Automated Demand Response (OpenADR). The alliance's main goal is to reduce costs, improve reliability and accelerate the speed of Automated Demand Response (Auto-DR) and smart grid implementations in the US."

10/31/10

"Man shot inside Berkeley apartment building" by Kristin Bender, Oakland Tribune.

"A man was shot inside an apartment in South Berkeley . . . . police said.

The name and age of the victim was not released. Berkeley police spokeswoman Sgt. Mary Kusmiss said the man was shot inside a unit of an apartment building in the 1500 block of Alcatraz Avenue in South Berkeley . . . .

The building is just west of California Street on the Oakland/Berkeley border.

Police do not have anyone in custody or a motive in the shooting, Kusmiss said."

Berkeley PD emails

"October 29 - Arrest made in Berkeley homicide and shooting - Two days after a shooting left one man dead and another seriously wounded, City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) Homicide Detectives are announcing an arrest in the case.

October 20 - Quick arrests in rash of robberies - Members of the City of Berkeley Police Department have arrested, and the Alameda County District Attorney has charged, six (6) armed robbery suspects in connection with two separate robbery investigations involving five different victims.

October 14 - City of Berkeley Police to begin special traffic enforcement / education program - In a new effort to save lives and prevent injuries on City of Berkeley streets, the City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) is expanding their regular traffic enforcement with special projects."

Details here

"Feds cloud pot shops' revenue role:Measure would bring two-tiered tax structure" by Daniel Thigpen Stockton Record Staff Writer

"If California voters next week legalize marijuana for recreational use, several cities, including Stockton, are poised to impose new taxes on pot businesses through their own ballot measures."

"NASA-funded survey suggests earth-sized planets are common" is a story at xinhuanet.com.

"Nearly one in four stars similar to the sun may host planets as small as Earth, according to a new study funded by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the University of California. The study was published Friday in the journal Science."

"Neural circuit ensures zebrafish will not bite off more than it can chew:Inhibiting certain brain cells sharpens animal's response to small, quick visual stimuli" by Zina Deretsky at berkeley.edu.

"Whether it is alerting us to danger or allowing us to spot prey, vision helps keep humans and other animals alive. But how exactly does this special sense work, and why is it easier for us to spot movement of small objects in our field of vision than to notice other things?

The complexity of the neural network that makes vision tick has long baffled scientists. With a new technology and support from the National Science Foundation, post-doctoral fellow Claire Wyart in the lab of Ehud Isacoff at the University of California, Berkeley, and Filo Del Bene in the lab of Herwig Baier at UC San Francisco have been able to follow entire populations of retinal and brain cells in their test subject, the zebrafish larva, and delve into the secrets of a neural circuit underlying vision.

Using a newly developed genetically encoded fluorescent reporter of neural activity developed by Loren Looger at Janelia Farms, the Auburn, Va., research campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Wyart and Del Bene have been able to follow how large and small visual cues translate into electrical activity in a region of the zebrafish brain."

"Women architects have rich Bay Area past" by Annalee Allen, Oakland Tribune columnist.

"Inge Schaefer Horton is a retired city planner with a strong background in architecture who now devotes her time to the research of early California women architects. She has written a book on the subject and will be speaking from 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Oakland Main Library's West Auditorium.

Her book presents the lives and careers of 50 largely unknown female pioneers, chronicling the triumphs and challenges these path-breaking women faced in their pursuit of entering a traditionally male-dominated field.

Horton describes in the preface of her book that she became intrigued with tracing the lives and work of women architects, who, like the famously well-known Julia Morgan, came of age at the turn of the 20th century and began pursuing architecture as a career.

Horton surmised that Morgan must have been part of a larger wave of women entering the profession during this period, and she found that the Bay Area was a fruitful place on which to focus her research.

San Francisco, she states in her book, was the economic, social and cultural center of California after it had been organized as a state in 1850. The liberal social and political climate of the Bay Area, and the need to provide housing as well as public and institutional facilities to accommodate its rapid growth, meant that there was a strong demand for trained architectural professionals. This demand only intensified after the 1906 earthquake and fire, Horton says, followed by a second fire that destroyed many homes in North Berkeley in 1923."

See Hong Kong from morning to night here courtesy Merryll.

Penndorf's Miscellaneous Ramblings

Last week one of our Potter Creekers took his visiting-mom to dinner at Café Rouge. There they bumped into Bill Niman, founder in the '70s of Niman Ranch. All talked for a bit about Niman's work, the focus of which was "I'm into turkeys now." A detailed explanation of this is here.

Jerry Victor, owner of V&W, has just spent a considerable sum on training and buying equipment to comply with the 2010 EPA lead-safety practices.*

He says the required hazmat "bunny suits" aren't fun.

I talked with some old Berkeley radicals who were guest at my birthday dinner some weeks ago. Of the success of the radical take over in the '70s one said "It's the University! Without that big tit none of those social experiments would have been possible."

*"EPA Requirements

Common renovation activities like sanding, cutting, and demolition can create hazardous lead dust and chips by disturbing lead-based paint, which can be harmful to adults and children.

To protect against this risk, on April 22, 2008, EPA issued a rule requiring the use of lead-safe practices and other actions aimed at preventing lead poisoning. Under the rule, beginning April 22, 2010, contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.
EPA requires that firms performing renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in pre-1978 homes, child care facilities and schools be certified by EPA and that they use certified renovators who are trained by EPA-approved training providers to follow lead-safe work practices. Individuals can become certified renovators by taking an eight-hour training course from an EPA-approved training provider. . . .

Contractors must use lead-safe work practices and follow these three simple procedures:
Contain the work area.
Minimize dust.
Clean up thoroughly."

More here

Let me be perfectly clear.

Our environment issues--irritants and toxins-- are NOT TYPICAL of Potter Creek or west-Berkeley as a whole. Ours is a "special "case.

Our environment problems IN NO WAY should be interpreted as an indictment of "radical mixed use," including dense housing.

Rather, it should put us ON GUARD for "cowboy" behavior of all sorts.

As to the cause, . . . it is probably the result of close-by facilities' inefficiency, incompetence or ignorance and arrogance.

10/1/10--4:09 PM SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front, light head, nausea, "melting plastic" odor. 5:15 PM--SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and front of warehouse, heavy dry air, head ache, light head, ringing ears, leave. 5:44 PM--similar. 6:57PM--SERIOUS irritant in wareous front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, similar symptoms and "clhorine bleach" odor.

10/2/10--7:01 PM--SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, dry heavy air, mucus membrane irritant, burning eyes, mouth, over rides, three HEAPA filters and air conditioner.

10/3/10--8:11 AM--SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, light head, nasal congestion, wear respirator. Off-and-on all afternoon, similar, wear respirators. 1:11 PM--irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, dry dirty air, watery eyes, nasal irritation, Marsha similar, wear respirators. 7:00 PM--similar.

10/4/10--off-and-on all day, irritant in warehouse front, dry dirty air, watery eyes, nasal irritation. 8:00PM-same.

10/7/10--off-and-on all day irritatioin in front room, dry dirty air. 11:30 PM--SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse plus slight ganja smell, headache, light head, nausea. Marsha similar, leave.

10/8/10--6:30 AM, similar to above. -off-and-on all day irritatioin in front room, dry dirty air. 6:32: PM--SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, light head, nasal congestion. Marsha,nasal congestion. 6:46 PM--VERY SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, light head, nasal congestion. Marsha, SERIOUS nasal congestion, coughing attack.

10/8/10--7:!2 PM--irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, dry dirty air watery eyes, itchy skin, dry mouth.

10/9/10 5:35 AM--VERY SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, dry dirty air , burning watery eyes, burning mouth, hacking cough.

10/10/10--12:36 PM--SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, dry dirty air, light head, watery eyes, ringing ears. 6:12 PM--SERIOUS irritant warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, dry heavy air, light head, nausea, watery eyes. 7:31 PM--SERIOUS irritant warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, dry heavy air, light head, nausea, watery eyes.

10/11/10--~5:31 PM--lights flicker. 5:42 PM--dry dirty air in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, watery eyes, ears blocked, nasal congestion, leave.

10/13/10--11:55 AM---dry dirty air in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, watery eyes, leave.

10/15/10--off-and-on all afternoon, dirty heavy air, cough, nasal congestion, Marsha similar, neighbor has headache. Several people passing cough. 8:41 PM--dry heavy air, watery eyes, dry itchy skin, burnning throat.

10/16/10--3:00 PM--dirty heavy air, cough, nasal congestion plus "warm food" odor.

10/17/10 8:55 AM--SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and front of warehouse, dry heay air, watery eyes, nasal congestion, wear respirator.

10/17/10--7:00PM--VERY SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and front of warehouse, dry heavy air, watery eyes, nausea, leave.

10/18/10--6:16 AM--irritant in warehouse front and front of warehouse, dry heavy air, watery eyes, nausea, headache, leave. Similar off-and-on all AM, wear respirator. 1:27 PM--SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front with "chlorine bleach" odor. Earlier irritant in warehouse back with whining sound.
1:56 PM--irritant in front room, dry dirty air, watery eyes, itchy skin.

10/19/10--5:37 PM--SERIOUS irritant in front room, dry heavy air, watery eyes, itchy skin.

10/19/10--5:37 PM--SERIOUS irritant in front room, dry heavy air, watery eyes, itchy skin.8:00 PM VERY SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and front of warehouse, VERY heavy dry air, short breath, cough attack, Marsha similar.

10/20/10--6:00 AM--SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and front of warehouse, heavy dry air, short breath, cough, Marsha similar.

10/23/10 6:37 AM--SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, watery eyes, itchy skin. 1:15 PM--SERIOUS irritant in front room, watery eyes, dry itchy skin.

With these past few Spare the Air Days I've become specially curious about ozone and its toxic effects and so googled "ozone poisoning" and got (excerpted)

PAN Database - Chemicals

Ozone - Identification, toxicity, use, ecological toxicity and regulatory information

Exposure

Symptoms/First Aid
Inhalation: Cough. Headache. Shortness of breath. Sore throat/Fresh air rest. Half-upright position. Artificial respiration if indicated. Refer for medical attention.

Also mentioned is eye irritation, redness. RP

and from a New York State site

"9.9 Subpart 220-2: Glass Manufacturing

The Department is proposing to implement a new regulation to limit the emissions of NOx formed by the high temperatures required in glass melting furnaces. The current 6 NYCRR Part 220, 'Portland Cement Plants,' will be altered to include a Subpart 220-2, under which the glass manufacturing plants within the state will be subject to certain restrictions. New York State currently does not contain specific emission limitation requirements, but will implement those NOx limits proposed by the OTC in their 2006 model rule.

There are several alternate control technology options to reduce NOx from glass furnaces. These include combustion modifications (low NOx burners, oxy-fuel firing, oxygen-enriched air staging), process modifications (fuel switching, batch preheat, electric boost), and post-combustion modifications (fuel reburn, selective catalytic reduction, selective non-catalytic reduction). Oxy-firing has proved to be the most effective control measure by reducing NOx emissions up to 85 percent, as well as reducing energy consumption, increasing production rates and improving glass quality.

The Department will implement the following NOx emission rate limits, as proposed by the OTC: For the production of container glass, pressed/blown glass, and fiberglass, 4.0 lbs NOx per ton of glass pulled, on a block 24-hr average; for the production of flat glass, 9.2 lbs NOx per ton of glass pulled on a block 24-hr average, or 7.0 lbs NOx per ton of glass pulled on a rolling 30-day average. The Department will work with glass plants to come up with an efficient use of technology to meet these standards.

An 85 percent reduction can be expected for glass furnaces within New York State. When applied to the projected 2009 base inventory, this percentage translates to a NOx reduction of 5.8 tons per summer day or 887 tons per ozone season."

and wikipedia

"NOx (often written NOx) refers to NO and NO2. They are produced during combustion, especially at high temperature. These two chemicals are important trace species in Earth's atmosphere. In the troposphere, during daylight, NO reacts with partly oxidized organic species (or the peroxy radical) to form NO2, which is then photolyzed by sunlight to reform NO:

NO + CH3O2 ? NO2 + CH3O
NO2 + sunlight ? NO + O

The oxygen atom formed in the second reaction then goes on to form ozone; this series of reactions is the main source of tropospheric ozone. CH3O2 is just one example of many partly oxidized organic molecules that can react with NO to form NO2."

Eternally useful links

Bay Area home prices from sfgate.com

Bay Area foreclosures from sfgate.com

Our City Council update is here.

Our Planning Commision update is here

You can find more information about our current weather conditions than is good for you at www.wunderground.com

Want to see weather coming in, going out, beautiful sunsets, and much, much more? Check out http://sv.berkeley.edu/view/ This very hip site was in an email from reader and contributor, Tony Almeida. Read Tony's Jimi Hendrix story on the only page that routinely gets more hits than Scrambled Eggs.

Best gas prices in 94710, as well as all of US and Canada, are here at gasbuddy.com

Kimar finds Costco routinely has the lowest price.

Richmond Ramblers' motorcycle club member, Cliff Miller emails a very

useful link

If you ever need to get a human being on the phone at a credit card company or bank, etc., this site tells you how to defeat their automated system and get you to a human being within a few seconds.

http://gethuman.com/

Markets is not just a reference for Berkeley-Hills radicals with 1.5 mil homes and considerable portfolios.

Our City of Berkeley Boards and Commissions page is here--redone and friendly.

Berkeley Police reports at insidebay area.com are here.

Our Berkeley PD Site with crime statistics and more is here.

Crime Log for 94710 is here

This site is NOT affiliated with Berkeley PD.
Take time to report crime!

All reports of crime-in-progress should first go to Berkeley PD dispatch--911 or non-emergency, 981-5900. THEN make sure you notify EACH of these City people.

The contacts are below:

Our Area Coordinator is Officer Karen Buckheit, Berkeley PD - 981-5774 kbuckheit@ci.berkeley.ca.us

AND check out BPD feature "Who are these Crooks."

Angela Gallegos-Castillo, City Mgr Off - 981-2491 agallegos-castillo@ci.berkeley.ca.us

Ryan Lau, aid to Darryl Moore - 981-7120 rlau@ci.berkeley.ca.us

Darryl Moore, City Councilman dmoore@ci.berkeley.ca.us

More Scrambled Eggs & Lox, here

and

Stories about Berkeley and stories about recorded-music

are at

Journal of Recorded Music 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

ronpenndorf@earthlink.net

The original owner of all posted material retains copyright. The material is used only to illustrate.