October 2011
after 10/14/11, here
10/2/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
Published, possibly in response
to the "outing" of a "residential medical cannabis
retail collective" on San Pablo Ave, the over-the-top "African-American
job growth booming in Berkeley: A model for solving our unemployment
problem?" is at pajamasmedia.com.
"A business in Berkeley,
California is thriving in this weak economy, hiring mostly African-Americans
and helping to lower the unemployment rate in minority communities.
Could this be a model emulated
nationwide? Obama's always talking about 'shovel-ready' jobs -
but has he considered bong-ready jobs?
In the 21 months since it
opened, the 40 Acres Medical Marijuana Growers Collective has
seen its membership jump to more than 7,000 people, making it
one of the fastest growing and largest cannabis businesses in
Berkeley."
Another "residential
medical cannabis retail collective" has been brought to my
attention. Recently opened, it is in the 2800 block of Sacramento
next to Bob's
Liquors & Deli. Asking for donations rather than charging
for product it seems to lack the professionalism of 40 Acres.
It is also in a commercial district, as is 40 Acres.
With the possibility of more
"residential medical cannabis retail collectives" in
the near future perhaps city hall, sooner than later, should clarify
its policy in detail.
These outlets seem to offer
an alternative to corner drug dealing but a what cost? Is this
a "new normal" challenge? Probably.
It appears that property
crime in west-Berkeley is being reduced with auto break-ins leading
the way.
With Phil
Kamlarz retiring as city manger at the end of November it
appears that Christine Daniel will be taking his position--she
will at first be interim city manger for six months. Though professional
and experienced, one hopes she has the patience required of the
job.
The city manger's position
is one of several not having an outside search, as was done for
the police chief.
the mayor emails
(excerpt)
The University and The City
: Ideas for Partnership presents The Fall Panel Series
The Fall Panel Series, launched
in September 2011 and sponsored by City and University
organizations, will explore issues that would benefit from greater
collaboration among the
academic and civic communities. The second and third panels
will convene at Berkeley
City College in the heart of Downtown Berkeley. With a student
on every panel and business
and community leaders joining the discussion, each panel is made
up of representatives of the
diverse communities within our city.
"Berkeley prepares for influx of electric
cars" by Doug Oakley,
Berkeley Voice.
"The electric car is
coming and Berkeley is bracing for an onslaught.
City leaders are moving quickly
on policy options to both encourage their use but also make sure
city sidewalks don't turn into a web of
The problem may be more acute
in urban areas such as Berkeley where not all houses have garages
or even driveways to charge their cars.
And the influx of electric
cars is expected sooner than most people think."
Potter Creek's secret movie
studio is working on a new Snow White movie.
"The Real U.S. Map, a Country of Regions" Woodard at bloomberg.com.
"In 2008, with the U.S.
divided between red states and blue states, then-candidate Barack
Obama called for unity over division, a common shout-out among
politicians and others determined to preserve America's under-
siege, allegedly shared values. Yet such calls ignore the fact
that there are no shared 'American values.' We've always been
divided. And not truly along state lines. "
END
POST FROM THE PAST
8/1/07
"Marijuana smoke obstructs air flow: Damaging
effect equals inhaling up to five tobacco cigarettes, but
long-term use doesn't increase emphysema risk, study says" reports the AP's Ray Lilley in the Times.
END
10/3/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
Natalie, Gordon
and Clarie
a Sunday afternoon
in Potter Creek
our Janine emails
For once, I am
performing "up north" and those of you in that area
have a better chance of being able to attend one of my recitals.
It's taking place Sunday, October 16th, at Resurrection
Parish - 303 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 at 3:30
PM. If you have friends or students who you think might like to
come, please let them know! I'd very much appreciate it, since
most of my fans are down here closer to the Bay. If you
need further information about this event please call or email
Beth Zucchino at BethZucchino@aol.com
or 707-824-5611. But, there is no need to RSVP, as it sounds
like a lovely big space, with a marble floor. Should be
great fun and I hope you can come. Thanks! Janine.
Toccata in c minor.......................................................Johann
Sebastian Bach
Suite in e minor ..........................................................Dietrich
Buxtehude
Sonata in G major.......................................................Johann
Christian Bach
Suite in g minor.........................................................Jean-Henri
d'Anglebert
intermission
Pieces in D/d from
book II......................................Jacques Duphly
French Suite in
G major............................................J. S. Bach
our JIm Samuels emails
"Letters From Texas" is a humorous
look at politics and current events, as seen through the eyes
of a progressive Texan in a bad mood.
Aw jeez, "UC
Berkeley students seek their own council district in Berkeley"
by Doug Oakley, Berkeley Voice.
"A group of UC Berkeley
students, backed by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, submitted a proposal
Friday to redraw City Council districts to create a student majority
area."
END
"Chu
takes responsibility for a loan deal that put more taxpayer money
at risk in Solyndra" at
washingtonpost.com.
10/4/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
for the full-size "handbill"
of this Jewish Museum Show
go here
[In addition to the Houdini Exhibit, paintings of
Potter Creek's Deborah Oropallo are on display.]
As a kid loving magic and growing up in Milwaukee
I well knew of Houdini,
for in addition to his world-wide fame as an escape artist he
was a local guy--he lived in Appleton Wisconsin for awhile where
his father was rabbi. Remembered now for his illusions, exposing
mediums , and feats
of escape he was early-on known for his sleight of hand with
cards.
[Understand that among magicians, card magic is
"the fine art of magic" requiring great dexterity, long
hours of practice, and . . . soft hands.]
Though Houdini was an accomplished performer of
card sleights, the card magician of his day was Howard Thurston.
And in fact, the most famous magician of the day
was not Harry Houdini but Howard Thurston.
In "The Last greatest Magician in the World,"
author Jim Steinmeyer puts forward that case.
In the Wall
Street Journal review of Steinmeyer's book Kenneth Silverman
writes "One of the great vanishing acts in the history of
magic is Howard Thurston, who in the early decades of the 20th
century performed the world's largest magic show-40 tons of equipment
and costumes, for appearances around the globe-but today is little
known outside the magic community. While Thurston's arch rival,
Harry Houdini, remains an instantly recognizable figure from American
popular culture, the mastermind of 'The Wonder Show of the Universe'
seems to have disappeared with the wave of a wand. Few historians
of magic are as qualified as Jim Steinmeyer to bring Howard Thurston
back onstage and describe his mystifying illusions, . . ."
A video about Thurston by author Jim Steinmeyer
is here
, along with some vintage film of Thurston performing.
Just how good was Howard Thurston? Well, he was
"The magician who fooled Houdini" Here's
a modern performance of that trick.
In card manipulation, Thurston pioneered "back
hand palming" a sleight which allowed cards to be "endlessly
pulled from thin air" and a stage version of "the rising
card trick" where a card choosen at random by an audience
member rose, from the deck held in the performer's hand, into
mid-air and then floated in space.
But who was the greatest cardman of all-time? Not
a magician at all but a card sharp. Here's one possiblity who's
written about in "Phantoms of the Card Table:Confessions
of a Cardsharp" by David Britland and Gazzo--the middle dealer,
Walter Scott.
END
10/5/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
BPD Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss
emails (excerpt)
"Regarding the Ongoing
Investigation of the Celedon
Bravo Case
The City of Berkeley Police Department
(BPD) strongly believes that there are witnesses to this crime or those who
have information about it that have yet to come forward. The
City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) BPD is urging anyone
who may know anything about this crime to call the BPD Investigations
Division - Homicide Detail at (510) 981-5741 or the 24 hour BPD
Non Emergency number of (510) 981-5900. If a community member
wishes to remain anonymous, he/she is encouraged to call the Bay
Area Crimes Stoppers (BACS) at (800)-222-TIPS (8477). All calls
to BACS are completely confidential. Any information may be critical
to solving this crime. Sometimes the smallest or seemingly insignificant
detail can be the key to arresting the suspect or suspects in
any crime."
BPD Chief Meehan had lunch
with members of our chamber of commerce yesterday and delivered
the news that
in Our Town
"Crime is down!"
END
"Swanson may challenge Hancock for state
Senate" by Josh
Richman, Oakland Tribune.
"Assemblyman Sandre
Swanson sounds like he's ready to challenge incumbent state Sen.
Loni Hancock in 2012, a showdown between like-minded, labor-friendly,
liberal Democrats that could reverberate through California government
as supporters take sides.
Senate Democratic leaders
are trying to dissuade Swanson, D-Alameda, from seeking the seat
when he's term-limited out of the Assembly next year: They commissioned
and released a poll showing Hancock, D-Berkeley, trouncing Swanson
in the newly drawn 9th State Senate District.
Swanson doesn't sound dissuaded."
"Protests
against Wall Street and joblessness spread nationwide, fueled
by arrests in New York"
is an AP report at washingtonpost.com.
Also, BBC NEWS reports
that some New York labor unions will join in the demonstrations.
"Young people more likely to retire in
poverty, according to study" by
Christopher Yee at dailycal.org.
"ESPN drops Hank Williams Jr. from Monday
night's football opening after singer compares Obama to Hitler" at washingtonpost.com.
Geez, . . . I mean he doesn't
have a mustache and isn't even German.
Meredith May reports in Honeybee
Chronicles
sfgate photo
"Bountiful first harvest: 72 pounds of
sweetness."
10/6/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
"Mumps Outbreak in California" Vincent Iannelli, M.D. at pediatrics.about.com.
"There is a report of
a mumps outbreak on the campus of Berkeley in California, with
two confirmed cases and another suspected case of the vaccine
preventable disease."
Councilman Darryl Moore emails
(excerpts)
Groundbreaking
for Lifelong's West Berkeley Family Practice
Join the festivities
Eat, Drink, Celebrate
Join LifeLong Medical Care in "breaking ground" for
a New Home for Health! at LifeLong West Berkeley
Thursday, October 20, 2011
5:00-7:00 PM
2031 Sixth Street, Berkeley
Enjoy a lively event to celebrate the clinic expansion!
Be part of the celebration that will launch the transformation
of this site into a bustling hub for continued high-quality, patient-centered
care.
Tour the newly restored landmark portion of the building.
See the expansion up close and personal & discover why
LifeLong West Berkeley is a premier option for family health in
West Berkeley.
Don't miss this Groundbreaking Celebration!
Free Helmet Giveaway
Got a helmet?
Need one? The City of Berkeley's Injury Prevention Program
is offering bicycle/multi-use helmets for Berkeley residents for
FREE.
Pick-up your FREE
helmet at City of Berkeley Public Health Division at 1947 Center
Street, 2nd Floor. Some sizes (large) are limited.
Offer available until supplies run out. Office hours are
from 9 am to 5 pm.
Limit one (1) per
person and all parties receiving a helmet must be present.
No appointment necessary.
For more information,
contact the Injury Prevention Program at 510-981-7676 ornxiong@cityofberkeley.info.
END
"The Criminal Justice Conversations Podcast
with David Onek"at
law.berkeley.edu.
"The Criminal Justice
Conversations Podcast, a co-production of the Berkeley Center
for Criminal Justice and the Berkeley School of Journalism, features
in-depth, thirty-minute interviews with a wide range of criminal
justice leaders: law enforcement officials, policymakers, advocates,
service providers, academics and others.
The Podcast, hosted by criminal
justice expert David Onek, gets behind the sound bites that far
too often dominate the public dialogue about criminal justice,
to have detailed, nuanced conversations about criminal justice
policy.
David Muhammad, Alameda County
Chief Probation Officer on
California's Criminal Justice Realignment
'This is a major shift in criminal justice management. Because
of the Supreme Court ruling that said California must reduce its
massive incarceration in the state, and secondly, because of the
incredible deficit that the state is in, they decided to reduce
their responsibility for the criminal justice system and shift
it to county responsibility. This shift from state to county responsibility,
I completely support. Criminal justice is better administered
on the local level. The state quite honestly has done a pretty
horrendous job. The challenge with this is, this is ultimately
at the end of the day a move to reduce the state budget deficit,
so they are doing it on the cheap.' "
"U Street Ranks Amongst 'Great Places in
America' " at dcist.com.
"What does U Street
have in common with Berkeley, California * and the Milwaukee
Riverwalk**? It has a place on the American Planning Association's
Great Places in America list, which tallies up the 30 best neighborhoods,
streets and public spaces in the U.S."
*Northbrea,
Berkeley, California
"Nestled in the rolling
foothills amidst outcroppings of volcanic rock, Northbrae stands
out for its spectacular vistas of San Francisco Bay, environmentally
sensitive design, connections to a unique network of 136 paths
and steps crisscrossing Berkeley, and two nearby commercial areas
for shopping and entertainment. Built on land used for grazing
cattle, Northbrae was developed by Duncan McDuffie, who envisioned
a park-like neighborhood of single-family houses nestled on lots
facing tree-lined streets."
**Milwaukee
RiverWalk , Milwaukee, Wisconsin
"Milwaukee RiverWalk
was planned as a down-to-earth public space where residents could
take peaceful walks, dine outdoors, and access the river for fishing,
kayaking, and canoeing. It has been more successful than anyone
involved with the unique public-private initiative ever imagined.
Construction of the $35 million pedestrian-only walkway, which
has one of the most innovative bridges found anywhere, increased
the value of adjoining property by more than $500 million. Removal
of a dam at the northern end of the walkway, a cleanup of river
pollution, and wastewater treatment improvements have enhanced
water quality and helped restore fisheries to the river.
10/7/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
Pete's Potter Creek rain
gauge shows 1.9 inches for the storm--from 10/3 to 10/6.
And, Pete stopped by his
old workplace, Weatherford BMW and reports that the old showroom
building will become all offices with the new construction housing
the new show room. Auto repair work will continue to be performed
in the large metal structure. The new construction will connect
the two buildings.
Fonzie's
motorcycle is for sale.
Marshall Ehlers of Oakland
is offering Fonzie's 1949 Triumph TR5 for sale at auction.
[What does this have to do
with Potter Creek?]
Well. Marshall was for years
the owner of Mean Marshall's Motorcycles on the 2700 block of
San Pablo--the building north of what is now Nordic
House.
Some time ago Ehlers bought
the motorcycle from "Motorcyclist to the Stars," Bud Ekins. [Ekins was a friend and riding buddy of Steve
McQueen and did the famous "fence jump" for McQueen
in "The Great Escape." Though McQueen did all the other
riding in the film.]
Ekins who had purchased the
bike in the '60s, modified it for the producers of "Happy
Days" where it became Fonzie's "ride." [ Interesting,
Henry Winkler, who played The Fonz did not like motorcycles and
was said "to be afraid of them." ]
When the series ended, Ekins
got the bike back and in 1990 sold it the Marshall as just an
old Triumph. In fact, Elhers did not find out he had Fonzie's
bike until 2000.
On November 20 Marshall will
auction The Fonz' machine at Bonhams
Classic California Auction, Petersen Automotive Museum.
"Jewish Federation to host children with
special needs at [Potter Creek's] Urban Adamah farm" Rachel Trachten, examiner.com
"The Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay will host
A Day on the Farm with Urban Adamah on Sunday, October 9 from
10 am until noon. The group welcomes all families who have a child
with special needs, and there is no charge for this event."
link courtesy Meridith Lear
"The . . . Aakash Touch
Tablet Computer" was launched Wednesday.
"India is launching
a cheap tablet computer it says will deliver modern technology
to help lift villagers out of poverty.
The computer, called Aakash,
or 'sky' in Hindi, is the latest in a series of cheap Indian innovations
that include a 100,000 rupee ($2,040) Nano car, a 750 rupee ($15)
water purifier and $2,000 open-heart surgery.
Government subsidies promise
a $35 price tag for students and teachers, with a regular retail
price of about $45 from manufacturer Datawind.
Indian Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal invited
competition to help drive down the cost.
About 650 students collected
the first Aakash tablets Wednesday and will begin training others
in their use." The story and more photos are found at denverpost.com.
The Aakash is USD154.00 less
than the new Kindle
Fire.
END
POSTS FROM THE
PAST
3/6/11
Kubik emails
The Urban Adamah will be
located on a parcel of land at 1050 Parker Street in Berkeley,
CA.
the farm
Penndorf photo
across from Fantasy and behind
Black Oak Books--access on 10th
"The Urban Adamah farm will be located on a parcel of land
at 1050 Parker Street in Berkeley, CA. The farm will produce a
wide variety of fruits and vegetables and include two greenhouses,
chickens, bees, and several teaching tents.
Most of the farm's produce
will be delivered to local food banks and soup kitchens. The remaining
produce will be consumed by the fellows and/or sold at farmer's
markets in low-income east bay communities. A small percentage
will be given as special gifts to funders of the program. Construction
of the farm will begin in the spring of 2011 by local community
members and will be completed by the inaugural fellowship class
in the summer.
The Urban Adamah farm will
be an educational center for Bay Area students and community members.
Visitors will be invited to participate in specific educational
programs, volunteer work-days and special holiday programs. We
anticipate over 5,000 visitors annually."
"This is good for the
Soul" emails Gene Agress.
10/9/10
"The Minds that Listen" by Rohin Dharmakumar at forbersindia.com.
"For purists, the latest
audio technology isn't necessarily the best. They often go to
great lengths to experience the perfect sound
How do you describe a hardcore audiophile? A wee bit obsessive?
Barking mad men (they tend to be men) with money and time to burn?
Depends on where you're looking from. They will admit themselves
to being manic in their perpetual quest for ever purer sound.
. . .
Ferzaan is an old friend.
I knew him when he was doing graduate work back east and after,
when he was teaching in the Dakotas. "They are very nice
people" he said "but it's very flat and very cold."
Later, when Ferzaan, then
an executive, visited Bayer on business he would always plan a
day with me for browsing and lunch. In fact, we were one of Sea
Salt's first lunch customers.
Fezaan was a savvy trader
and since he traveled the world over on business, would have the
most gorgeous trade material. "I got these in Paris in a
little jazz shop " he once said of rare jazz records that
he offered for trade.
Before one trip here to speak
at a conference, his colleagues read my Scrambled Eggs and found
in addition to his business and scientific expertise, he loved
old records and fine music. They included that in his introduction.
END
10/8/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
ABC NEWS reports "Feds
order pot shops to close within 45 days.
Federal officials are warning
California medical marijuana dispensaries they must shut down
within 45 days or face criminal prosecution and having their property
confiscated.
The state's four U.S. attorneys
sent letters Wednesday and Thursday notifying at least 16 pot
shops or their landlords that they are violating federal drug
laws, even though medical marijuana is legal in California. The
attorneys are to announce their coordinated crackdown at a Friday
news conference.
The move marks an escalation
of the conflict between the government and the medical marijuana
industry.
The Associated Press obtained
copies of the letters that a prosecutor sent to 12 of San Diego's
dispensaries. They state that federal law 'takes precedence over
state law and applies regardless of the particular uses for which
a dispensary is selling pot.' "
ABC NEWS also reports "'Secret
Sins' of Koch Industries."
"Charles and David Koch,
the secretive billionaire brothers behind the Koch Industries,
are a huge financial force in the conservative political movement.
According to one estimate, they've contributed more than $100
million to conservative political causes, and a foundation that
they back has trained thousands of Tea Party activists.
But now reporters for Bloomberg
Markets magazine have published an article about what the magazine
calls Koch Industries 'secret sins' -- including business deals
with Iran -- that the reporters claim reflect the same hostility
to regulation that powers the Koch brothers' politics."
The Bloomberg story is
here.
END
10/9/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
Look for "an encampment"
to be set up this week at Shattuck and Center Streets in support
of New York's Occupy Wall Street demonstrators.
In a Sacramento press conference
that was held late Friday morning, Federal officials made it clear
that they are going to be targeting large commercial marijuana
sales and growing operations and those close to schools and playgrounds
but will not be targeting small operations.
They are concerned about
the large amounts of money being made in violation of Federal
law.
Probably more than
just "a shot across the bow."
"U.S. targets pot suppliers who profit
in state" Bob Egelko,
Chronicle Staff Writer
"California's federal prosecutors announced a
campaign Friday to shut down scores of marijuana dispensaries,
which they described as profit-making criminal enterprises masquerading
as suppliers of medicine."
END
"
Overseas Jobs Come Home Up to 3 million jobs once outsourced to
China forecast to return to the U.S." is a video report at ABC World News.
"Record thin on Steve Jobs's philanthropy"
opines Peter Whoriskey
at ashingtonpost.com
"For one of the nation's
most famous billionaires, Steve Jobs kept a low profile as a charitable
donor."
Keeping a low profile is
not necessarily the same as not donating.
10/10/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
Are some in west-Berkeley
already celebrating?
San
Pablo Strut, October
15th, 2011, 11am - 5pm
Neighborhood Open House
Local shops, Music, Food and FUN
San Pablo Ave and Dwight Way
"Rita Moreno Acts Out Own Career in 'Life
Without Makeup' "
is a Spencer Michaels story with video at pbsnewshour.org.
"Actress Rita Moreno,
80, now has a solo show about her life as a star of stage and
screen called 'Life Without Makeup.' In a joint production with
KQED San Francisco, correspondent Spencer Michels reports on the
performer's transformation from a 'utilitarian ethnic' actress
to becoming a 'show business animal'."
"Tuned to the legends" by David Morrill, Contra Costa Times.
"There are no gold-plated
records framed on his walls, no shelves filled with awards, no
media clippings -- not even a page on Wikipedia.
An inventor who has devoted
his life to connecting musicians to technology, Keith McMillen
doesn't need to tell others what he's done with his life. He knows.
His peers know. And for him, that's all that really matters.
Even putting his moniker
on his current venture, Keith McMillen Instruments, wasn't his
idea.
'I did it for my daughter,'
said McMillen, 54. 'She told me, "Dad, everyone knows about
your products, but no one knows that you invented them."
'
But while the general public
may not be familiar with him, those in the music world who have
worked with him say he is the best in the industry at what he
does."
Pierre Monteux's rules for conductiong
Monteux's
"Rules for Young Conductors", printed in Doris Monteux's
memoir, It's All in the Music, show the directness and
high standards of his conducting. These maxims apply quite well
to Monteux's own work. Here are just a few.
from
the "EIGHT 'MUSTS'"
2. Never bend down, even for a pianissimo. The effect is
too obvious from behind.
4. Always conduct with a baton, so that players far from you can
see the beat.
5. Know your score perfectly.
6. Never conduct for the audience.
from
the "TWELVE 'DON'TS'"
2. Don't fail to make music; don't allow music to stagnate. Don't
neglect any phrase or overlook its integral part in the complete
score.
3. Don't adhere pedantically to metronomic time-vary the tempo
according to the subject or phrase and give each its own character.
6. Don't conduct solo instruments in solo passages; don't worry
or annoy sections or players by looking intently at them in "ticklish
passages".
8. Don't come before an orchestra if you have not mastered the
score; don't practice or learn the score "on the orchestra".
10. Don't stop for obvious accidental wrong notes.
12. Don't be disrespectful to your players (no swearing); don't
forget individuals' rights as persons; don't undervalue the members
of the orchestra simply because the are "cogs" in the
"wheels".
This
combination of knowledge of the score, ensemble conception, and
the respect for the players can be heard in virtually every important
recorded Monteux performance.
Paul Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Understand
that in the "Record Era" The
Sorcerer's Apprentice
was thought of as a "pop" throw-away-piece used to fill
out an LP or as one of the works on a "miscellaneous classical"
record--a disc often made up of "cream puffs." And remember,
Mickey Mouse performed in it in Disney's Fantasia.
But here
in this 1961 filmed performance with the London Symphony, Monteux
takes it seriously, revealing it uncannily. Under Monteux The
Sorcerer's Apprentice becomes an inventive, original work with
all the excitement of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring"--a
work that "caused a riot" on its premier. The sound
on the film is good if not great, and surely benefits from some
volume.
On my first
hearing I thought it was a piece by an inventive, unknown-to-me
20th Century composer. And do not be fooled by Monteux's rotund,
unassuming self, . . . just listen to the sounds!
Pierre
Monteux
conductor
Pierre Monteux Conducts
The
Sorcerer's Apprentice
END
10/11/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
Councilman Kriss Worthington
emails (excerpt)
Telegraph Livability Coalition
An invitation from Anthony
Galace and Andy Albright
We are inviting representatives of neighbors, students, and businesses
to come together to form a consensus on how we can work together
to improve Telegraph Avenue and the campus area. Thanks to the
graciousness of Doris from Moe's Books, we can invite you to join
us at Moe's to engage in a positive dialogue seeking to develop
an action plan for City and University improvements to the Telegraph
area.
Thursday October 13 at 7 pm
Moe's Books, 2555 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley
our Janine emails
Some of you probably looked
at my "Santa Rosa Concert" flier, for October 16th.
Well, I am doing the same program here at my house the following
weekend. I think everyone will enjoy this program, as it is quite
varied, with some of the most fun music from the period as well
as some of the deepest. (program below) For Berkeley, I will
give two performances, Saturday, October 22nd at 10:30 AM,
and Sunday, October 23rd at 1:30 PM. Both will be at my home.
There will be treats at both, also CDs for sale. Suggested
donation, $15.00. Please RSVP by
email.
The Santa Rosa concert is
also still on, of course, the weekend before. Thanks and
hope to see you at one or both.
"AUTOPSY
will enter Fantasy studios in Berkeley, California in late October
to record a few new tracks for an upcoming collection entitled
'All Tomorrow's Funerals' " is
a release at roadrunnerrecords.com.
END
"First-time graduate enrollment drops at
UC Berkeley" by
Jaehak Yu at dailycal.org.
"In light of recent
economic hardships throughout the country, universities nationwide
experienced an overall drop in first-time graduate student enrollment
rates in fall 2010 for the first time since fall 2003, and UC
Berkeley was no exception."
"UC Berkeley ranked as one of world's best
research institutions" by
Theresa Adams at dailycal.org.
"UC Berkeley ranked
10th as one of the best research institutions in the world, according
to theTimes Higher Education World University Rankings 2011-2012
annual report published Thursday."
"Jerry Brown signs Dream Act for illegal
immigrants" at sfgate.com.
"Thousands of California
students in the country illegally will be eligible to receive
state financial aid to attend public colleges, as Gov. Jerry Brown
signed legislation Saturday known as the California Dream Act."
"Kicking hybrids out of carpool lanes backfires,
slowing traffic for all" is
a story release by Sarah Yang, at berkeleyedu.
"The end of a California
program granting free access to carpool lanes by solo drivers
of hybrid cars has unintentionally slowed traffic in all lanes,
according to transportation engineers at the University of California,
Berkeley."
"Food is good medicine for fighting breast
cance" Eloise Nelson,
vaildaily.com.
"Science is proving
mom right over and over again eating vegetables is good for you.
Researchers at the University
of California Berkeley discovered that broccoli and other cruciferous
vegetables contain an anti-cancer chemical compound that helps
slow down the progress of an enzyme associated with rapidly developing
breast cancer."
"Calif. to move all initiatives to November
ballots" is an AP
report.
"Calif.-Gov. Jerry Brown
said Friday he had signed a bill moving all statewide initiatives
and referendums to November general election ballots, a change
that also postpones a June vote on California's rainy day fund."
"Lawrence Berkeley lab lands nearly $14M
in ARPA-E grants"
Meghan Sapp at biofuelsdigest.com.
"In California, the
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has been awarded almost
$14 million in grant money from the Advanced Research Projects
Agency-Energy division of the U.S. Department of Energy.'
10/12/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
On 10/6 I posted"Mumps
Outbreak in California" and so broke the Cal outbreak
story locally.
The Daily Californian
brings it up to date with "Mumps
outbreak at UC Berkeley grows to over suspected and confirmed
40 cases."
None of our three cannabis
dispensaries have received letters from the U.S. attorneys, reports
the Daily Californian in "Federal
crackdown on marijuana operations has yet to target Berkeley dispensaries."
"We're not worried.
We've been through all this before" said workers at one of
our dispensaries.
"Anti-Wall Street protests held in No.
California" at
sacbee.com.
"The Oakland Tribune
says about 500 demonstrators rallied Monday in Oakland and about
35 in Berkeley."
Radical sociologist
David Harvey asks" if it is time to look beyond capitalism,
towards a new social order that would allow us to live within
a system that could be responsible", in an illustrated video
lecture "Crisis
of Capitalism."
Though Karl would approve
would Groucho simply be amused?
Oh, jeez?
Harvey has an internet lecture
course, "Reading Marx's
Capital with David Harvey :A close reading of the text of Karl
Marx's Capital."
END
10/13/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
On 10/8/11 I broke "Look
for 'an encampment' to be set up this week at Shattuck and Center
Streets."
The Oakland Tribune follows
up with "Occupy
San Francisco protesters try to occupy Wells Fargo Bank.
Eleven protesters associated
with the Occupy Wall Street movement were arrested Wednesday morning
when they blocked the entrance to Wells Fargo Bank headquarters
in the city's Financial District. . . .
Another group in Berkeley
is camping out in front of the Bank of America at Shattuck Avenue
and Center Street, and protesters are planning to march to Wells
Fargo Bank in Walnut Creek this afternoon. The procession is expected
to begin at Main Street and Mt. Diablo Boulevard. According to
the Occupy Monterey Facebook page, another protest is scheduled
to launch in Monterey this weekend."
"Berkeley Nuclear-Free Zone Ordinance Reconsidered" at huffingtonpost.com.
"Since 1986, not a single
nuclear weapon has passed within the city limits of Berkeley,
California.
Or, for that matter, has
any energy from nuclear sources. In addition, the city is prohibited
from doing business with any corporation involved in the nuclear
industry-unless a special exemption is first procured.
Voters in the famously liberal
bastion passed a measure proclaiming it a 'nuclear free zone'
in the mid-1980s; however, there's now a push by some to rescind
that provision, thereby eliminating some of its side-effects that
have come to irk many in city government."
underlining mine."
Actually, for decades after
the "soap company" abandoned their facility at the end
of Pardee Street and after the Rad Lab [now LBNL] leased the property,
it was posted as a nuclear facility.
At that time, a community
activist responded to the posting with something like "They
don't use it any more." Though the sign didn't come down
and entrance was restricted by a guard.
We used to joke "It's
Ok! It's the good kind of nuclear."
Ironically, this Rad Lab
property was six or so blocks north of the "Nuclear Free
Zone" sign on Hollis.
Interesting if true.
Some straight talk from the
Oakland Trib's Tammerlin Drummond in "Police
Chief Batts quits, . .
On Monday afternoon, I got
a call from Oakland police Chief Anthony Batts.
Batts said that he was 'getting
it from all sides.'
From Mayor Jean Quan and
anti-police members of the City Council.
From Judge Thelton Henderson,
the federal monitor overseeing the 2003 Riders' agreement, who
was putting the pressure on OPD to make faster progress on reforms.
Henderson had also raised concerns about a recent report that
found that Oakland police officers drew their guns more than necessary
and were strip-searching suspects in public for no reason.
The police union was resisting
Batts' efforts to transform a culture that has helped fuel mistrust
of law enforcement in poor African-American and Latino neighborhoods.
Batts complained that he
was too short-staffed enough to effectively police the city."
END
"Why
the future of air power belongs to unmanned systems" economist.com.
"Anwar al-Awlaki and
several of his al-Qaeda colleagues stopped their pickup truck
on a remote, dusty road deep inside Yemen's interior. He can have
had only a split second to realise what was about to happen. But
the missile strike that killed al-Qaeda's most effective propagandist
was no real surprise. It was just the latest example of the way
America's armed Predator and Reaper drones are changing the terms
of combat with the country's enemies, leaving them able to run
but with nowhere to hide."
10/14/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
New OPD Chief Jordan is commited
to a holistic* approach to law enforcement.
*characterized
by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected
and explicable only by reference to the whole
A notable quote from William
Gross of PIMCO the "largest" bond firm in the world
" . . . almost all remedies
proposed by global authorities to date have approached the problem
from the standpoint of favoring capital as
opposed to labor. If the banks could just be stabilized, if the
'markets' could just be elevated back in the direction of peak
401(k)
levels, if interest rates could just be lower so that borrowers
would inevitably take the bait, then labor job creation
would inevitably
follow. It has not."
Before Huffington Post and
Berkeley mini-sites took up the issue, there was the Chronicle
Carolyn Jones' well crafted, hardhitting "Berkeley's
Nuclear Free Zone law questioned.
The Cold War might be over,
but a Berkeley city councilman is about to drop a political A-bomb
on City Hall.
City Councilman Gordon Wozniak wants to repeal key portions, if
not all, of that most hallowed of Berkeley legislation: the Nuclear
Free Berkeley Act."
Definitely worth the read.
END
POSTS FROM THE
PAST
10/14/10
My review of dinner at the
Westside Café--the short version "The best dinner
and most fun, I've had dinning out in recent memeory."
David Snipper ate at the
sausage tent of the corner of 7th and Potter this week. "If
you like sausage, it's a place to go" he said, adding "Good
buns, Aidell suasage and fair prices."
"Reid's Records: 65 Years Of Family-Owned
Gospel" is a story
at npr.org.
" 'I learned to read
record labels before I learned to read books,' says David Reid,
on the phone from Reid's Records in South Berkeley, California.
Reid's has been around longer
than its 57-year-owner has. It was founded in 1945 by Mel and
Betty Reid in the basement of a duplex on Sacramento Street.
'The African American population
in the Bay area quadrupled because of the war effort. And what
they call race music became popular. Jazz and blues became popular,'
says David Reid. 'My parents started the first African American
music store west of the Mississippi carrying all kinds of music.
My parents listened to Duke Ellington, jazz, religious music,
R&B, everything.'
Today, Reid's occupies a
larger building next door to the basement shop where it began,
but it has narrowed its focus to a single genre: Gospel. And you'll
find fewer records and CDs on the shelves. Instead, the shop has
become what Reid calls 'A one-stop store for the African American
church experience: everything from music, print music, books,
bibles, offering envelopes, choir robes, pulpit robes.' "
"Across the U.S., Long Recovery Looks Like
Recession" is a
report by Michael Powell and Motoko Rich at nytimes.com.
"In Atlanta, the Bank
of America tower, the tallest in the Southeast, is nearly a fifth
vacant, and bank officials just wrestled a rent cut from the developer.
In Cherry Hill, N.J., 10 percent of the houses on the market are
so-called short sales, in which sellers ask for less than they
owe lenders. And in Arizona, in sun-blasted desert subdivisions,
owners speak of hours cut, jobs lost and meals at soup kitchens.
Less than a month before
November elections, the United States is mired in a grim New Normal
that could last for years."
Oh Dear!
END
from my log
10/4/11--8:43AM--irritant
in front room, dirty dry air, mucus membrane irritation. 8:54
AM-SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front
of warehouse, dirty dry air, leave. 9:57AM--Similar, leave. 4:22
PM--SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front
of warehouse, burning dirty dry air. 4:41 PM--VERY SERIOUS irritant
in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, burning
dirty dry air, overrides four HEPA filters, wear respirator.
10/6/11--8:50 PM--VERY SERIOUS
irritant burning dry dirty air in front room, over rides HEPA
filters, wear respirator.
10/7/11--8:55 AM--VERY SERIOUS
irritant burning dry dirty air in front room, over rides HEPA
filters, wear respirator, LEAVE.
10/8/11--Off and on all day-irritant
in front room.
10/9/11--5:17 AM--SERIOUS
irritant in front room, mucus membrane irritation, cough attack.
9:25 AM---burning dirty dry air, mucus membrane irritation.
10/10/11-10:17 AM-VERY, VERY,
SERIOUS irritant in front room, burning dry dirty air, mucus membrane
irritation, burning watery eyes, coughing attack. Marsha has coughing
attack. Worst irritant in recent memory. 11:26 AM--SERIOUS irritant
in front room, mucus membrane irritation, watery eyes, blurry
vision. 1: 22 PM--"glass manufacturing odor" in front
room, also off-and-on AM and PM during past weekend.
10/11/11--8:21 AM--VERY SERIOUS
irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse,
SERIOUS mucus membrane irritation, Marsha, synus irritation, difficulty
breathing.
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, Berkeley PD - 981-5774.
AND check out BPD feature
"Who
are these Suspects."
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.