the Potter Creek

Berkeley Bowl

1/17/09

 

 

 

 

1/18/09

Recently, Gloria Steinem said that when Dr. King and the Kennedy's were assassinated she felt she'd been robbed of her future and that with Obama's election it had been returned.

 

our Darryl Moore emails

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade, March or Celebration

. . . and we have waited for the opportunity to do this. Here is a BUSD parent driven activity for families on Monday January 19th, Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.  I hope you can make it.
 
9 a.m. congregate at Jefferson Elementary School Auditorium with coffee, juice and food
10 a.m. Walk to King Middle School
11:00 a.m. King Middle School Auditorium
 
For information or to volunteer please contact: Ann Williams: williamsa7@comcast.net or Marissa Saunders: niacommunity@yahoo.com

 

 

 

I'm told that Potter Creek's Xoma has laid off a substantial portion of their staff and that our Greener Printer has gone to a 32 hour week.

 

"Unplug appliances and electronics for even more energy savings" is a recommendation at latimes.com.

"Even when they're switched to 'off,' most of the appliances and electronics in your home will continue drawing a little bit of power as long as they remain plugged into the wall."

 

 

"Good Neighbors: Berkeley politics no Bates Motel" by Dave Newhouse, Oakland Tribune, is a story about Da Boz who, in fact, is just about to turn 71.

"The sign of a successful mayor is someone who impacts a city with his personality. But in zany, unconventional Berkeley, the city impacts the mayor successfully with its personality.

Tom Bates has been elected Berkeley mayor three times. Both mayor and city still are standing.

Berkeley often is referred to as having its own planet - the Ork of California politics. Bates, 70, doesn't govern as an alien. In fact, he finds Berkeley fascinating.

'It's a town that people actually have heard of, for better or for worse,' he said Tuesday. 'There are so many things that have happened here - so many firsts. For activists, it's a politically alive place. We have a wonderful population that's very well-educated. They're very determined and have difficulty accepting compromise, which is the art of governing.'

Now Bates should be toughened for the outside complaints and infighting. After all, he played football at Cal as a starting end who knocked heads and still caught two passes in the school's last Rose Bowl, 50 years ago.

'There were a lot of carry-over lessons,' he said of those days, 'the idea of being determined, trying to stick with something, to make things happen, and hopefully be successful. And the whole teamwork thing is really key with me.' "

 

"Victim of shooting near UC Berkeley testifies at hearing" is a Bay City News report.

"A Berkeley man quietly sobbed on the witness stand today as he testified about an incident in which he was shot and his former brother-in-law was killed one block south of the University of California, Berkeley campus on senior graduation day last spring.

Marcus Mosley said he argued with murder suspect Nathaniel Freeman on Durant Avenue about 3:50 p.m. on May 13 and then Freeman opened fire, injuring Mosley and killing Oakland Parks and Recreation employee Maceo Smith, a 33-year-old Berkeley man who was the father of three children."

 

"Bike- and boat-building workshops teach life skills" is a story by Doug Oakley, Berkeley Voice.

"Ten-year-old Michael Morgan likes using a saw and hammer, but he prefers the hammer for building boats.

Shortly after making this pronouncement, Morgan clinched his teeth and wielded all his 10-year-old strength on a hammer and copper rivet holding a sleek wooden canoe together at the Berkeley Boat House.

Morgan was one of a handful of children on a recent weekday evening who were learning how to build a real 10-foot-long boat in the nonprofit classroom and public space at Aquatic Park called the Waterside Workshops.

At the same time, other children, many of whom are described as 'wards of the state' were working on bicycles in a bike shop next door called Street Level Cycles. For those who don't like boat building or bike mechanics, there's sewing. And sometimes there's guitar making."

 

And Oakley writes "Bike parking at downtown Berkeley BART moves ahead.

A plan to move and expand a wildly popular free bicycle parking garage at the downtown Berkeley BART station is moving forward after three years of bureaucratic delay."

 

 

 

"For California, new clout in Obama's tech-friendly administration" report Frank Davies and Mary Anne Ostrom,
Mercury News Washington Bureau.

Barbara Boxer remembers the 'dark days' when California and its issues were dismissed by official Washington with disdain and hostility.

'Dianne Feinstein and I joked that it was ABC - anything but California, anyone but California,' Boxer said, recalling when the two Democrats joined the Senate in 1993.

Now, as California Democrats pour into Washington to celebrate Barack Obama's inauguration, the state can claim a surge of influence in the new, tech-friendly administration. Congress, too, is looking westward, with Californians taking key positions of power."

 

 

 

 

"Pilot of plane skilled in emergencies: Aviation experts say Sullenberger's water landing was extraordinary, smart " is a report in the Toledo Blade.

"Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger has made a career of making people safer.

A pilot, accident investigator, and scholar who founded a company focused on helping businesses improve safety, Mr. Sullenberger navigated his own emergency yesterday by bringing down his twin-engine US Airways plane on the Hudson River.

As his passengers climbed onto ferry boats, he walked the entire plane, twice, making sure no one was left behind, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

Mr. Sullenberger, 57, is a visiting scholar at the University of California at Berkeley's Center for Catastrophic Risk Management, according to his resume. The center studies safety, infrastructure, and preparedness in emergency situations such as industrial accidents and natural disasters."

 

 

 

"Restaurants' pairings ease novices into sherry" reports Jon Bonné, Chronicle Wine Editor.

"Settling in for the meal, my co-workers ordered sangria. I asked the waiter for a glass of fino. Heads turned like a record had scratched.

One of my soon-to-be-former co-workers finally piped up. 'Isn't that,' he sniped, 'for grandmothers?'

We merry band of sherry fans have learned to suffer in silence. I have loved sherry for as long as I've loved wine - its tang and drama invigorate my palate as few drinks can. But if Dionisio is the patron saint of Jerez de la Frontera, perhaps it should be Jude, because sherry has long been the wine lover's lost cause. Riesling? Now trendy, inconceivably. But sherry? All attempts to make it an honest drink have been - to cast onto Andalusia's pride a well-abused metaphor from La Mancha - just more tilting at windmills.

Or so I thought until sherry started making cameos everywhere this past year - on wine lists, in my cocktail glass, in reputable publications. A faithful band of followers and new converts have begun to lift sherry toward respect."

 

"Berkeley Symphony Orchestra taps Joana Carneiro to replace Kent Nagano" is a story by Sue Gilmore in the West County Times.

"The Bay Area is a bastion of vibrant and flourishing symphony and chamber orchestra ensembles, most of them driven by male maestros. The situation shifted a bit last year when Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg joined the New Century Chamber Orchestra as music director, and it will undergo more transformation next fall as young

Portuguese conductor-on-the rise Joana Carneiro takes the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra baton out of the hands of the redoubtable Kent Nagano, departing after 30 years at the podium.

On Thursday, the BSO announced the appointment of Carneiro, 32, who has just left the Los Angeles Philharmonic after four years as Esa-Pekka Salonen's assistant conductor and who will retain her current position as guest conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra in her native Lisbon."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/19/09

HAPPY MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY!

ball players Nathan Haynes and CC Sabathia

our Byron Delcomb, kids, and staff

at Byron's Lafayette Elementary School, Oakland

the ball players came to Lafayette last Friday to celebrate Dr King's birthday with a talk, question-answering, and autograph-signing. Bryon says " . . . really great guys. It was great!"

 

"Cal pulls off thrilling 57-54 win over Stanford" reports Janie McCauley, AP.

"Alexis Gray-Lawson scored a career-high 37 points, converting two free throws with 1:09 to play that put her
team ahead for good and scoring again with 21 seconds left to lift No. 11 California to a thrilling 57-54 victory over archrival and ninth-ranked Stanford on Sunday."

 

 

 

our Councilmember, Darryl Moore emails

Berkeley's Budget
At our last Council meeting, we had a workshop about the City's budget.  As you can imagine, Berkeley, like every other city in the Country, has to make some difficult choices in order to balance our budget.  I wanted to share with you the steps that we are taking to ensure that we are in a good position to weather these difficult economic conditions.
Here is the "Budget Basics" pamphlet that our Budget Office produced to help you understand the City's budget and also lists a number of different important budget meetings/workshops of which you should be aware:
http://www.cityofberkeley.info/uploadedFiles/Manager/Budget/Budget%20101%20Handout.pdf
Here is the budget update that our Budget Office presented to us at our last meeting:  http://www.cityofberkeley.info/uploadedFiles/Clerk/Level_3_-_City_Council/2009/Jan/Jan%2013%20Budget%20Presentation(1).pdf
 
 

Public Safety Worksession
Before our next City Council meeting, we are having a worksession on public safety.  The intent of this worksession is for Council to talk to staff and the community to help inform the Council about how to most effectively allocate funding for Public Safety/Crime Prevention.  If you can make it, please come and give us some feedback as to how you feel the funding would be best spent. 
Time:  5:00 pm
Date:  January 27th, 2009
Location:  Council Chambers, Old City Hall/Maudelle Shirek Bldg., 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
 

 
Townhall Meeting
Please join Council Members Anderson and Moore, the City Manager, the Chief of Police, a representative from Mayor Tom Bates office and other department directors for a community discussion.  Topics will include:

Public Safety
Youth Services/Employment
Health Disparities
2020 Vision (Education)
Economic Development
Solar Energy Program
Disaster Preparedness Training
Heart to Heart Project
Climate Action Plan
Time:  10:00 am - 12:00 Noon
Date: Saturday, January 24, 2009
Location: South Berkeley YMCA, 2901 California Street @ Russell
 

 
Help Berkeley Become More Green!
First, a reminder that comments on the draft Berkeley Climate Action Plan are due this Friday, January 16.
You can review the plan and comment online at www.BerkeleyClimateAction.org.
You are also welcome to attend tomorrow's (Jan. 13) City Council Meeting at which Councilmembers will be taking another opportunity to discuss the current draft plan.  Staff will return to Council later in the spring with a revised plan for Council consideration. 
Second, if one of your New Year's resolutions is to reduce your carbon footprint you'll want to check out the events below...
 
Learn How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Wednesday, January 28, 7-8:30pm
Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. (at Arch), Berkeley
Cost: Free
The City of Berkeley, the Berkeley Energy Commission, the Ecology Center, and concerned citizens have partnered to conduct a workshop to help Berkeley residents reduce global warming emissions at home and in their communities. You're invited to come learn about a simple, fun, and effective approach to implementing a personal climate action plan. At this workshop you will:
Find out how your lifestyle practices and household systems impact greenhouse gas emissions;
Discover how you can significantly reduce your personal and community emissions though an exciting an no-cost 4-session program;
Be given the opportunity to join a Climate Change Action Group or get support to form your own group with friends, family, coworkers or neighbors.
Receive information for implementing energy efficient and renewable energy options in your home or apartment.
The first 50 people to arrive will be given a free copy of "The Low Carbon Diet" workbook. Come join us!
The event is wheelchair accessible.  For questions and information on accommodations: 510-548-2220 x233, carbonfootprintworkshop@yahoo.com

 

Get Off Your Gas!
Berkeley Announces Natural Gas Energy Saving Contest for Berkeley Residents
 
The Berkeley "Get Off Your Gas!" contest is aimed at educating and rewarding Berkeley residents who reduce their natural gas energy consumption this winter.  Natural gas customers who reduce their gas usage during January and February 2009 relative to their 2008 usage of the same timeframe are eligible to participate and win. 
 
Start reducing your natural gas consumption now to save money, save energy, and win!  Here are some tips:
·     Lower water heater temperature to 120 degrees F
·     Wash laundry in cold water
·     Use a clothesline or rack when possible to dry clothes
·     Program thermostat to 68 degrees F or lower when your home is occupied, and 60 degrees F or off when no one is home
·     Add attic, wall or floor insulation
·     Weatherstrip to reduce air infiltration
 
The contest is co-sponsored by PG&E.  For more information and other energy efficiency resources, visit the Berkeley Office of Energy & Sustainable Development website at www.CityofBerkeley.info/Sustainable or contact Alice La Pierre, Energy Efficiency Program Manager, 981-7435 or email energy@ci.berkeley.ca.us.
 

 
Berkeley Youth Alternatives Crabfeed
Once again it is time for Berkeley Youth Alternatives' Crab Feed.  Great food, great company, and a great way to support our community's youth.  If you are interested, please call B.Y.A.  at 510-845-9010 or visit www.byaonline.org.
 
Sincerely,
Councilmember Darryl Moore

 

 

 

"San Francisco film noir festival" by Walter Addiego is a story in the Chronicle.

"Trying to define film noir is a sucker's game. Actually, one of the best definitions I've read isn't even a definition, but a description of a shot from 'Detour,' starring Tom Neal as the luckless hero. The writers focus on a single image, 'where Tom Neal stands by the roadside, soaking in the midnight rain, feeling for the first time
the noose drawing tighter and tighter around his neck.'

(The words are from the introduction to Barry Gifford's Out of the Past.)"

That's, of course, Potter Creek's Barry Gifford.

 

 

 

"Dacher Keltner sports a big grin in the photograph that accompanies 'Born to Be Good ' " is the first line of the New York Times review of his book.

"It's not just any big grin. All authors are liable to be self-conscious in posing for book-jacket portraits, but this
writer has more reason than most to perfect the fine points. He knows the difference between Duchenne and non-Duchenne smiles: one crinkles the orbicularis oculi muscles and the other does not. One is genuine
and shows in the eyes; the other mostly involves the mouth and looks merely polite. Mr. Keltner has made sure that his smile falls on the right side of that distinction, and that it's Duchenne all the way.

In an even sunnier spirit, his book's yellow cover is bright enough to suggest the have-a-nice-day emoticon. But there's nothing saccharine about the author or his thesis. Mr. Keltner, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, has devoted himself to studying the social functions of emotion. And his emphasis is on those positive emotions that, even now, remain relatively unexplored and trivialized. He is a former student of Paul Ekman, the behavioral scientist who in the 1970s developed a system of coding facial muscles and determining what their movements really mean. (One measure of the popular appeal of Dr. Ekman's research is that it is
the basis for a new Fox dramatic series, 'Lie to Me.')"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/20/09

At 12:00 PM EST today, Barack Hussein Obama became the 44th President of the United States of America.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/22/09

our Bicycle Bridge

a Bob Kubik photo

 

"Top chefs bring global perspectives to college cafeteria dining" is a story by the Chronicle's Janet Fletcher at kansascity.com.

"Ask most college graduates what they enjoyed about their time on campus, and the answer is probably not the food. But at the University of California-Berkeley - a campus in the middle of one of the nation's most acclaimed food towns - the food service team is shaking up student dining."

 

"Blocking Enzyme Prevents Obesity;Chowhound mice stay lean but show elevated risk of diabetes" reports Emily Singer at technologyreview.com.
 
"Mice engineered to lack an enzyme found mainly in fat cells can gorge without gaining weight, according to new research. Blocking the enzyme appears to block fat cells' ability to store fat. That sounds like a dream come true for those struggling with excess pounds, but lacking fat has a downside: some mice also developed insulin resistance, a risk factor for diabetes. The researchers who conducted the study hope to find drugs that can turn down the enzyme's activity just slightly, reducing this risk.

'If we can limit activity rather than completely abolish it, we should see positive effects on fat mobilization and fat burning, without seeing the unfavorable effects,' says Robin Duncan, a postdoctoral fellow in Hei Sook Sul's lab at the University of California, Berkeley, and a lead author on the paper, published this month in Nature Medicine."

 

 

 

"Grad Students Think Twice About Jobs in Academe:California study says would-be professors want family-friendlier careers" is a story at chronicle.com.

"When Joanna Doran thinks of what her life would be like as a tenure-track professor at a top research university, the images that come to mind give her pause.

Ms. Doran, who is married and the mother of a 2-year-old girl, already struggles to balance the demands of her family life while pursuing a Ph.D. in social welfare at the University of California at Berkeley. Networking with peers in the evenings typically means barely seeing her daughter and her husband, also a graduate student. The possibility that her daughter won't land a summer slot this year at her Berkeley-run day care is enough to send the couple into a tailspin."

 

"Nation keeping eye on California illegal-student case" reports Matt Krupnick at contracostatimes.com.

"Several states are keeping an eye on a California court case that could be a bellwether for colleges that discount tuition for undocumented immigrants.

The California Supreme Court has agreed to consider a lawsuit over a state law that allows universities and colleges to charge the same tuition to undocumented students that state residents pay. If the high court overturns the law, it could lead to similar challenges in nine other states that discount prices for noncitizens; several of the states have submitted briefs.

The court is expected to hear the case late this year or in early 2010."

 

"Fall Semester '08: Campus Economy in Review" writes Ashley Trott of our Daily Cal.

"In the least perky of times, members of the campus community received the least perky of e-mails.

During finals season, when sleep can seem as foreign as the material students are responsible for knowing, UC'Berkeley students opened their e-mail inboxes to find a note from Chancellor Robert Birgeneau.

"The economic environment has worsened significantly in the past few months and, while we do not know the future severity or length of this recession, we must plan for the possibility that this will be the longest and most severe recession in the post-World War II era,' he wrote.

These words came as no surprise to many students, who had bore witness to some consequences of the economic downturn on campus."

 

 

"Berkeley pianist's 'A Sweeter Music' project sets the weapons of war aside" is a story by Sue Gilmore of the Times.

"Avant-garde pianist Sarah Cahill, right, and he' husband, Emmy-winning videographer John Sanborn, rehearse their upcoming collaboration, "A Sweeter Music," her solo performance, on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009, at their home in Berkeley, Calif. Its 11 piano works on themes of peace by contemporary composers that will be accompanied by his video images will premiere Jan. 25 at Hertz Hall.

Beating swords into plowshares is about as noble an antiwar notion as they come, but Sarah Cahill of Berkeley is taking the Old Testament injunction out of the fields and into the higher realm of music.

The noted pianist, recording artist and 'Then & Now' radio talk-show host on KALW-FM is perhaps best known for her championship of the music of her contemporaries. She is the creative genius and organizing force behind the annual 'Summer Solstice' event at the Chapel of the Chimes columbarium in Oakland, a sort of "walk-around concert" that presents 30 or more Bay Area musicians and groups in simultaneous performance of their own works.
Now Cahill, 47, has tapped into her even wider circle of composer friends, some of them quite famous, and charmed 18 of them into participating in an ambitious project she is calling 'A Sweeter Music.'"

 

 

"Berkeley, a Place of Protests, Cheers for the Government" is a story at blogswsj.com.

"The steps of Sproul Hall plaza at UC Berkeley, usually the site of protests, instead hosted a gathering of Obama supporters on Tuesday.

Thousands of people gathered at Sproul Plaza at the University of California at Berkeley, the site of many anti-government protests since the 1960s. But Tuesday, for the first time in the lives of many of the students and community residents gathered here, the mood was decidedly pro-government - at least, the hope for a new government under Barack Obama.

The Cal band, a nerdy bunch in straw hats, played the Star Spangled Banner to rousing applause, followed by some brief speeches before the proceedings broadcast on a big TV screen.

'In November, as an entire country, we decided that we would no longer settle for mediocrity,' said Roxanne Winston, the university's student body president, recalling how hard many students worked for the incoming president. 'We are as powerful as we say we are.' "

 

 

 

"Berkeley nudging residents to cut the carbon" reports Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer.

"Some cities urge residents to go on citywide exercise kicks. Others promote municipal book clubs. Berkeley wants its citizens to go on a collective low-carbon diet.

To meet its ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Berkeley is encouraging all 100,000 residents to join support groups to help individuals fight global warming.

Like Alcoholics Anonymous and Weight Watchers, the groups are part social, part confessional and partly about'accountability.

"It does sound like AA,' said Timothy Burroughs, Berkeley's climate action coordinator, who is helping to start the program. 'But it's in the context of a policy goal of the city's. In order for us to achieve our goal, individuals have to change their behavior. This is a way for them to do that.'

The city kicks off the program with a workshop Jan. 28. Residents will learn simple things they can do at home, work and school to reduce emissions, and be encouraged to start groups with neighbors, friends and co-workers.

The idea originated with a 2006 book by Portland, Ore., writer David Gershon, 'Low Carbon Diet: a 30 Day Program to Lose 5,000 Pounds.' Berkeley bought 50 of the books, at $10 each, for the first residents who enroll."

 

 

 

"Man dies after being shot in Berkeley" reports Henry K. Lee in the Chronicle

"A Berkeley man died at a hospital Tuesday, more than a week after he was shot in West Berkeley, authorities said . . . .
William Payton, 37, was pronounced dead at Highland Hospital in Oakland, according to the Alameda County coroner's office.
Payton was shot at about 8:15 p.m. on Jan. 11 on the west side of the Bank of America parking lot at 2546 San Pablo Ave., police said."

 

 

 

"Bay Area rental market gives tenants an edge" by Carolyn Said of the Chronicle.

"Bay Area apartment rents will soften and vacancies will edge up in 2009, giving tenants more leverage, according to a forecast from an influential real estate firm."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/23/09

reader and activist, Tamsen Fynn emails

Hi Ron,
Thank you for your daily updates. I really appreciate them.
best,
Tamsen Fynn.

 

a Potter Creek resident said yesterday that he's seen more police here recently. Merryll reports that there was police activity in front of the warehouse Wednesday night.

 

Sally's sewer has just been rebuilt reports Richard, and I've noticed that the city vacuum-trucks now promptly appear in Potter Creek to clean lines after, sometimes during, a rain.

Well, Ok then.

 

 

Viva forwards an email from activist, Nora Barrows

(Nora appears regularly on KPFA's Flashpoint, heard weekdays at 5PM.)

here are excerpts

i've been roaming around the west bank and inside 48 (historic palestine) covering several of the many, many demonstrations taking place against state terror in Gaza. Here's an article published . . . in Inter Press Service that describes the silent war being waged against dissent from within. . . .

 

 

"Maio, Broadbent Deny City AirPollution" opines Maggie Liftik in our Planet.

"Berkeley Councilmember Linda Maio and Bay Area Air Quality Management District Executive Director Jack Broadbent's Jan. 7 letters to the editor demonstrate their willingness to deny the seriousness of the air pollution in Berkeley schools and neighborhoods. Immediately taking a defensive stance instead of resolving to research and resolve the problem (unlike public officials in other states cited in the articles), both Maio and Broadbent argue that the recent USA Today report is based on flawed data. This is not true.

In my correspondence with USA Today reporter Blake Morrison about Mr. Broadbent's letter, Mr. Morrison states that 'Mr. Broadbent appears to misunderstand how we used TRI.' Mr. Morrison notes that the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data was not used by USA Today for risk assessment, but rather risk screening. Furthermore, USA Today consulted with the EPA to make sure they used the TRI data correctly, specifically working with EPA official Nick Bouwes, who actually developed the model.

Mr. Broadbent tries to bolster his criticism of the USA Today study by suggesting that the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) believes the TRI data to be invalid and inaccurate. Mr. Broadbent is wrong. In my correspondence with Professor Michael Ash, a representative of PERI, about Mr. Broadbent's letter, Dr. Ash notes that 'Mr. Broadbent has inaccurately characterized our discussion of the accuracy of the RSEI data.' (The RSEI data is based the underlying TRI data.) On the contrary, Dr. Ash believes that the data used in the USA Today study is 'unbiased' and a 'best-practice screening system for community exposure to airborne industrial toxics.' He further notes that the data has been extensively peer reviewed by the EPA's Science Advisory Board, and that PERI specifically endorses how USA Today has used the data in their study.

It is alarming that the first, apparently knee-jerk response of Maio and Broadbent to the USA Today study is to criticize the findings. Sadly, however, this appears consistent with their policies over the years that have lent support to largest polluter in Berkeley, as cited in the USA Today report, Pacific Steel Casting (PSC). PSC has a long, well-documented history of emitting large amounts of toxins into the air, including manganese, a metal known to cause major health problems in children, including cancer, birth defects, asthma, and IQ deficiencies. Mayor Tom Bates, Maio, and Broadbent have failed to protect Berkeley children and citizens on their watch. Now, as they are exposed, they are pretending that no problem exists and hoping that we buy it. Berkeley deserves better." Read the story in our Planet here.

Covering their tushies, are they?

 

"Tube Mogul Buys Video Analytics Firm" by Bob Heymanis is at searchengineland.com.

"In this period of doom and gloom, its rare to see a small company being bold enough to make an acquisition. But that's just what TubeMogul, which operates the web's most popular online video syndication and tracking service, has done. The Berkeley, California based company has just acquired flash player analytics firm Illumenex. The combination allows TubeMogul to offer a broad range of data tracking to the online video industry."

 

 

"U-Haul Launches U Car Share - the Alternative to Car Ownership" is a report at msnbc.com.
  
"U Car Share is expanding its growth as it partners with the University of Berkeley by launching the alternative to vehicle ownership. U Car Share allows multiple users to share one vehicle, thus reducing an individual's environmental impact and allowing members to save thousands of dollars a year. Members pay only for what they use, in one low hourly rate. U Car Share takes care of fuel, insurance and maintenance costs." 

 

"UC proposes extending financial aid to more low-income students" reports the LA Times. "In a move to simplify aid policies and attract needy students, all academic fees would be covered for those from families with annual incomes of less than $60,000, President Mark G. Yudof says.

University of California President Mark G. Yudof on Thursday proposed boosting the university's financial aid program to cover all academic fees for students from families with incomes of less than $60,000 a year."

 

 

"Retrofitted and revamped, Bancroft reopens to regular hours" reports Kathleen Maclay at berkeley edu.

"The Bancroft Library is back - and it's better than ever.

One of the University of California, Berkeley's premier special collections libraries, it reopened this week with regular hours following a three-year, $64 million seismic retrofit and upgrade financed in equal amounts by the state and more than 700 private donors."

 

"84 Charing Cross Road" is a movie about the love of books, reading, the love of the English, and England.

 

"Prize-winning Berkeley composer John Adams joins L.A. Philharmonic" reports Sue Gilmore at mercurynews.com.

"Berkeley composer John Adams, 61, has been appointed the creative chair of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, joining the orchestra as an artistic adviser in its inaugural season with incoming conductor Gustavo Dudamel.
The new position was noted in Thursday's announcement of the orchestra's 2009-10 season, which will feature an internationally televised inaugural gala in Walt Disney Concert Hall on Oct. 8 that has the world premiere of Adams' 'City Noir' as its centerpiece."

 

 

"Cal scientists: Summer coming 2 days early" is found at bizjournals.com.

"Though they didn't comment on the possible effects on clothing retailers, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, said Tuesday that global warming has caused the seasons to arrive two days sooner than in the past.

Not only have temperatures gone up around the world over the last half-century, but the cycle of seasons has also shifted. The researchers - led by graduate student Alexander Stine in the earth and planetary science department - didn't decisively blame human pollution for the change, but said human activity may be its cause."

 

 

"Oregon State stuns California at home:Beavers bounce Bears, 69-65, in Berkeley" reports the AP.

"Roeland Schaftenaar scored a career-high 22 points and Calvin Haynes came off the bench to make a pair of three-point baskets as part of a big second-half run as Oregon State beat California, 69-65, on Thursday at Berkeley.

It was Coach Craig Robinson's first game since attending the presidential inauguration for his brother-in-law, Barack Obama.

Robinson, the Beavers' first-year coach and the brother of First Lady Michelle Obama, flew to Washington earlier this week before rejoining the Beavers in time for their first win since beating USC in their second Pacific 10 Conference game."
 

 

 

 

"Stock-market buzz: Bees and fingers point out trends:Scientists examine bee dances and the hands of traders to determine where the market is headed" is a story by Robert C. Cowen of the Christian Science Monitor.

"Scholars trying to penetrate the complexity of the stock market get inspiration from wherever they can find it. Lately, that includes honeybees and index fingers.

Honeybees, which do different dances to communicate the location of food sources and nest sites, offer a case study in the dynamics of complexity that's simpler than the market. Index-finger length reflects a physiology that favors a sure-footed ability to respond quickly to fast-changing circumstances."

 

"Bay Area apartment rents fall 1st time in years" reports James Temple, Chronicle Staff Writer.

"The charging bull that long characterized the rental market is finally out of breath.

Bay Area rents succumbed to growing economic pressures during the fourth quarter, dipping for the first time in years and upending the balance of power between tenants and landlords, according to a report by Novato research firm RealFacts Inc." 

"Home sales soar as foreclosures drive down prices" reports Carolyn Said, Chronicle Staff Writer.

"Fully half of all existing homes sold in the Bay Area in December were foreclosures unloaded by banks at fire-sale prices. Those sales sent median prices tumbling to new lows and attracted droves of buyers, according to a real estate report released Wednesday.

'If you are OK with a little bit of work or a Class-B neighborhood rather than Class-A, you can get a smoking deal,' said Stephen Bloom, a Realtor with Lawton Associates in Berkeley. 'The banks understand if they want to move these things, they have to be quite aggressive on pricing. They're not fooling around anymore. They want to get them off their books.'

Both investors and first-time home buyers are avidly pursuing foreclosure bargains.

Chai Chanthapak, 37, of San Ramon is one such investor.

'It is incredible what value you are getting now,' Chanthapak said Wednesday as he walked through a foreclosed Oakland triplex he is in escrow to purchase for $106,000. It sold in May 2007 for $557,600."

 

"Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of the original Macintosh, the first personal computer to draw masses, introduce the mouse and incorporate a graphical user interface, relying on images instead of text" is a story at cnn.com.

"The Apple Inc. watershed product entered American consciousness amid fanfare, with a $1.5 million commercial, made by Ridley Scott, wowing audiences during Super Bowl XVIII. The piece's title, '1984,' invoked author George Orwell's message and stood as a warning against conformity.

Two days after the ad ran, the Macintosh became available and life, as people knew it, changed. No longer were computers viewed as toys with which to play primitive games or as untouchable tools reserved for degreed engineers. We began to think different."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/25/09

our Tak Nakamoto emails

Our Councilman, Darryl Moore, has requested our attendance at this
meeting to take place Tuesday next week.

Despite my general reluctance to go to City Council meetings because
they so often devolve into a circus, I am planning to attend. I think
that more than anything that we have to say, that our physical
attendance will speak very loudly about our concerns about the
deteriorating situation here in West Berkeley. I know that we already
have Darryl Moore's attention. But we need to get the other Council
members to start paying more attention. The problems of South and
West Berkeley aren't the sole responsibility of the council members
representing these areas. 5 votes are needed to pass any proposal on
the council.
this means council members representing other parts of Berkeley need
to be involved.

I invite others in our neighborhood to join me to attend this meeting
on public safety.

With the national and world economic recession/debacle hitting us, we
can't expect that any new programs that require new monies will
happen. The best we can reasonably hope for is that existing
resources are allocated with a sharper focus. For instance this might
mean that the BPD beat structure is tweaked so that the beats that
cover West Berkeley are made smaller (and others in quieter areas
made bigger) so that our beat officers have slightly more time to
provide in depth services. It might also be that BPD even further
emphasize the seizure of illegally owned weapons. And that BPD
improves its website so that we can get current, accurate and easily
understandable reports on crime in our area. We need to be as
informed as possible about what's going on.

I have been very concerned for the past year about the situation in
our neighborhood. We all know about the range of crimes that have
happened here lately. What concerns me the most is that the number of
crimes involving either physical violence and or guns appears to be
increasing. And amongst those incidents involving guns, the weapons
that are being used are bigger than those used in the past. About 12
years ago when we first moved to 10th Street, there was a series of
shooting incidents around the corner of 10th Street and Channing. One
incident took place in each of the years '97,'98 and '99. The first
incident was like the recent murder due to a domestic disturbance.
The others were due to some sort of street activity. All the victims
survived. What's notable about those shootings is that all of them
involved simple handguns.

What's notable about the recent incidents involving guns is that now
the weapons are bigger like a Tec-9 assault weapon, a shotgun loaded
with "mankiller" load or the weapon used in the recent murder where
the shot could be heard at a very great distance. The shots were very
loud when I heard them while walking two blocks away. This was not a
small caliber handgun. These weapons have a much greater chance of
injuring completely uninvolved people because of their greater fire
power. It is not a coincidence that the victim of this latest
shooting died.

We need to get the City of Berkeley to become focused on the violent
trends in our neighborhood.

Please join me in attending this meeting.

Tak Nakamoto

 

 

"Woman Initially Charged in Shooting Has Been Released" reports the cracker-jack, Richard Brenneman of our Planet.

"While a Berkeley man has been charged with murder following Tuesday's death of the victim of a Jan. 11 West Berkeley shooting, a 47-year- old woman originally charged with the shooting has been released.

Berkeley Police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss said Thursday that the district attorney's office decided there wasn't enough evidence to charge Rhonda Reid in the death of Lee William Payton.

Lee Freddie Green, 50, was already in custody at Santa Rita County Jail on a charge of attempted murder for the shooting, and the charges were raised to murder after 27-year-old William Payton died of his injuries in Highland Hospital."

 

Certainly there is a perception that crime is increasingly, increasing in west-Berkeley. I've oberseved that though, previously content with dogs for "protection", more middle-class liberals are buying guns. A phenom of which I am skeptical--buying a Glock isn't the same as getting a Cuisinart. I mean "You could shoot your eye out."

 

 

 

 

"The 2009 Lunar New Year Bazaar kicked off Saturday in downtown Chinatown celebrating the Year of the Ox:Oakland Chinatown celebrates Lunar New Year" is a story by Kamika Dunlap, Oakland Tribune.

"The astrological sign symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work. It also represents the sign President Barack Obama was born under.

'Ox people are considered frugal, responsible and not afraid of hardship,' said Jennie Ong, festival director of the Oakland Chinatown New Year Bazaar. 'The Ox year is an appropriate sign for
2009 due to our economic challenges and having Barack Obama as president.'

Coincidentally, the Ox was the ruling sign in 1949 and early 1950, following a recession in the late 1940s, Ong added."

Huh, . . . ? I'm an Ox!

I wonder, . . . could that be why Uncle Norm called me Lummox?

Does Dunlap's story mention stuubber ron?!

 

 

"Planning Commission among potential budget cuts in Oakley" reports Jonathan Lockett at contracostatimes.com.

"Oakley's Planning Commission is among the items on the chopping block as the city looks to cut an estimated $700,000 from the 2008-09 and 2009-10 budgets.

To help soften the blow from the economic downturn, the city is also likely to reduce spending on community grants and its decennial celebration.

The City Council is expected to vote to take on the duties of the Planning Commission for 18 months at its Feb. 10 meeting, when Oakley's mid-budget review is due.

City Manager Bryan Montgomery said that with four vacant positions on the Planning Commission and few projects on the horizon, the city can save more than $40,000 in training and staff time at meetings by having the council assume the commission's duties."

Well, . . . in Berkeley, with all our commissions we could save a bundle. Then there's duplication. Check out all our city departments in the phone book that deal with hazardous materials. Then , . . .

 

 

"Property tax revenue plummets with home values" is a report by Carolyn Said, Chronicle Staff Writer.

California could pay the price for the foreclosure crisis for years to come, thanks to Proposition 13, the 1978 voter initiative that caps property taxes.

As banks feverishly dump foreclosed homes at cut-rate prices, and as neighboring homes change hands at similar bargain-basement rates, those amounts are enshrined as the new basis for determining property tax until the homes are sold again. Under Prop. 13, that basis can rise a maximum of just 2 percent a year, even if the home is worth
significantly more. The consequence is likely to be a revenue crunch for the public services funded by property tax revenues."

 

 

"Cloudly outlook for solar industry" reports our Times.

"Solar-industry executives paint a bright future for their industry, one where photovoltaic panels adorn roofs of homes and businesses and huge power plants capture the sun's rays to generate electricity. But
the industry currently finds itself under cloudy skies and buffeted by threatening winds.

The solar tax credits approved late last year gave the industry a boost, and its leaders are hopeful for an even bigger boost by President Barack Obama, who has promised to promote clean technologies and energy alternatives to oil. But it's far from clear just how much help will come, and when.

Meanwhile, many once-promising solar companies struggle to maintain momentum against the strong headwinds of the financial crisis. Feel- good headlines about well-funded startups and new jobs are giving way to grim announcements of factory delays and layoffs."

 

"Japan launches orbiter to probe greenhouse gases" is a story by Eric Talmadge at google.com.

"Japan on Friday launched the first satellite to monitor greenhouse gases worldwide, a tool to help scientists better judge where global warming emissions are coming from, and how much is being absorbed by the oceans and forests.

The orbiter, together with a similar U.S. satellite to be launched next month, will represent an enormous leap in available data on carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere, now drawn from scattered ground stations."

 

 

"'Whispering galleries' based technology may lead to nanolasers in future" is a report in the Times of India.

"Scientists have created a plasmonic microcavity based on the phenomenon of whispering galleries, which could pave the way for nanolasers in the future.

The principle behind whispering galleries is that words spoken softly beneath a domed ceiling or in a vault can be clearly heard on the opposite side of the chamber.

Now, this knowledge has been used by the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology to achieve what could prove to be a significant breakthrough in the miniaturization of lasers.

They have developed a 'whispering gallery microa report atcavity' based on plasmons - electromagnetic waves that race across the surfaces of metals."

 

 

And the Times of India reports "Kids with inflammatory bowel disease have high folate levels.

Researchers from University of California, San Francisco and UC Berkeley have found that children with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) have higher concentrations of folate in their blood.

Previous studies have shown that adults with IBD tend to have lower folate levels than those without the disease.
However, the new findings challenge the previously held theory."

 

 

 

"Indian paintbrush a hardy plant yet hard to grow" writes Demi Bowles Lathrop at sfgate.com.

"Species/genus: Castilleja wightii, Castilleja affinis ssp. affinis

Family: Scrophulariaceae

Common name: Indian paintbrush, Wight Indian paintbrush, Painted-Cup

Description: Indian paintbrush belongs to a group of perennial herbs
native to North and South America. More than 30 species come from the
United States and Mexico, and one species originates in northern
Asia. These plants are seldom grown in gardens because they are
partly parasitic and often need the roots of a host plant.

This native herb bears showy bracts or flowers in a terminal head or
spike. Colors range from bright red to rose to yellow. Small flowers
bear tube-shaped corolla, or petals, with two lips, the lower smaller
than the upper. Leaves, sometimes woolly, alternate on stems.

While C. wightii and C. affinis ssp. affinis are sometimes used
synonymously, they are distinct species."

 

 

 

"UC applicants increase despite plans to cut enrollment" is a report at latimes.com.

"Numbers for freshman and transfer admission at the system's nine campuses have hit record highs. Regents recently decided to reduce freshman enrollment by 2,300.

The number of applicants for both freshman and transfer admission to the University of California for fall 2009 has hit record highs, even as UC prepares to reduce freshman enrollment, officials announced Friday.

Applications for freshman admission to at least one UC campus for the fall totaled 98,002, up 2.9% from last year. The number of California residents seeking entrance as freshmen rose 1.6% to 80,730, while out- of-state and international applicants increased 10% to 17,272.

Meanwhile, undergraduate transfer applications grew by 11.2% from last year, to 28,699."

 

"UC Enrollment Cuts Could Affect Community Colleges" is a report by Jacob Schneider at beyondchron.com.

A new semester kicked off this week at the University of California's flagship campus in Berkeley, but it's hardly business as usual for California's premier university system. Facing a looming budget deficit and slim prospects for help from the impoverished state government, UC announced a package of cuts ranging from an executive pay freeze to a 2,300 student system-wide cut in enrollment.

The fact that the university is making cuts to balance the budget is hardly surprising given the down economy. However, the cut in enrollment is striking at one of the nation's premier public university system ­ which has in recent years experienced a boom in applications as California's population has grown."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/28/09

"Scharffen Berger to close" is part of a story at sfgate.com.

"The Hershey Co. said Tuesday it plans to close Scharffen Berger's West Berkeley manufacturing plant as well as the San Francisco factory that makes Joseph Schmidt chocolates and consolidate production at other facilities.

Hershey, which in 2005 bought both Scharffen Berger, which specializes in premium dark chocolates, and trufflemaker Joseph Schmidt, will continue to produce those brands, but the chocolates will no longer be locally made."

 

"Planning Commission Tackles West Berkeley" reports Richard Brenneman of our Planet.

"Planning commissioners have a single topic on Wednesday night's agenda: their ongoing effort to implement a City Council directive to create more flexibility in West Berkeley's zoning rules.

Developers and property owners have been seeking changes in the zoning rules to eliminate what they say are obstacles to effective use of property in the only area of the city where manufacturing and light industry are permitted."

Isn't tonight's meeting a little like "Fiddling while Rome burns."

 

 

"Bank failures to flare up in '09:This year compares only to the Great Depression and the savings and loan crisis" is a Fortune report at cnn.com.

"How many banks will fail this year? No one knows of course, but the answer is many. So far in 2009, we've already had three, putting us on a one-per-week pace. That could mean a doubling of last year's tally of 25, and only slightly less than the total number of failures heretofore over the entire decade (57).

On Friday, regulators shut down First Centennial Bank in California of Redlands. (Redlands, the 'Jewel of the Inland Empire' is located in San Bernardino County off I-10 on the way to Joshua Tree and Palm Springs.)"

 

 

"Expo Design Centers, Yardbirds stores to close" reports Victoria Colliver, Chronicle Staff Writer.
   
"Liquidation sales began Tuesday at Expo Design Center and Yardbirds stores that are slated to close as part of parent Home Depot Inc.'s plan to stanch financial losses.

The Atlanta retailer is closing all 34 of its high-end Expo stores nationwide - three in the Bay Area - as well the Home Depot Design Center in Concord and five Yardbirds, a hardware-store chain founded in Santa Rosa that Home Depot purchased in December 2005. The company also is shedding 7,000 jobs, including 600 in the Bay Area."

 

 

"UC Berkeley students earn credits for playing" is found on Fudzilla - Tuzla,Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"Something we never imagined would happen to cream of the crop University of California students has just occurred - students at UC Berkeley interested in real-time strategy games and competitive gaming can take up a Starcraft studies class and earn college credits.

According to the course description, students will go in-depth in the theory of how war is conducted within the confines of the game Starcraft. There will be lectures on various aspects of the game, from the viewpoint of pure theory to the more computational aspects of how exactly battles are conducted.  Yet interesting enough, Calculus and Differential Equations are highly recommended for full understanding of the course."

 

 

"Seeing through glass" is a report at Delhi's livemint.com.

"It's slick and shiny and wraps your office in crystal clear 'modernity'. But could it also be making a hothouse of your workplace and inflating electricity bills?

We can't seem to have enough of glass. It has become the symbol of modernity. And with good reason too. It is a versatile industrial material, lets in light through windows, lets us see through (or not, depending on whether it is translucent) and makes for shiny, clean surfaces and building forms.

For many people, especially in the corporate world, it is also a symbol of functionalism. The most common argument offered in its favour in this regard is that it allows natural light into interior spaces during the day. This saves energy and money by reducing electricity consumption.

But does it actually work that way? Is the glass curtain-wall (a continuous curtain of framed or connected glass sheets fixed to the structural frame) more about style than about saving money or the environment?

Most importantly, what portion of buildings-even in 'developed' countries with cold climates, such as the US-actually use glass in a way that maximizes benefits and minimizes costs? 'A very, very small portion,' says Prasad Vaidya, an architect and energy analyst with The Weidt Group in Berkeley, California, who advises building professionals on energy matters."

 

 

"MAP Light is highering" is at opednews.com.

"MAPLight.org gets a lot done with just a handful of staff members. This is because we hire only the best people-people who are smart, talented, results-oriented, and dedicated to shining a light on big money's influence on politics. We just began hiring for two staff positions, both full-time and both based in beautiful Berkeley, California.

You can help by forwarding the job announcement . . . to anyone you know who may be interested, or posting it online."

 

"Opportunities abroad beckon Indonesia's Berkeley students" is a story at thejakartapost.com.

"Young Indonesian students at the University of California Berkeley understand that having those letters after your name as an alumnus creates a buzz back home, but still they'd rather work abroad after graduating.

They are studying in one of the world's best universities, they argue, and their parents have invested a lot of money in their education. They face the greatest work opportunities in developed countries.

'My best option is to work in the information technology industries in Silicon Valley, California, just as other UC Berkeley computer science graduates usually do,' said Shendy Kurnia, a final-year computer science student from Surabaya. 'I have got used to the international challenges in here.' "

 

"Who's Calling? It's Your Traffic Report" is a story at npr.org.
 
"In the ongoing struggle to figure out where traffic is clogged before driving right into it, San Francisco Bay commuters have a new high-tech weapon on their side.

The newest and coolest traffic prediction system is based on a simple assumption: that every car has a driver, and every driver has a cell phone."

 

 

"A Sweeter Music, Hertz Hall, Berkeley, California" is a review in the Financial Times by our Allan Ulrich.

"Sarah Cahill, a questing Bay Area-based pianist who rarely performs any score older than her 47 years, has devised a unique commissioning programme that unites artistic aspirations with moral philosophy.

Borrowing her title from Martin Luther King Jr's Nobel Prize speech, she has asked all 18 contributors to deal, in their iconoclastic manners, with the theme of peace. Accompanied by John Sanborn's video projections, nine of those works were introduced last weekend. Cahill, as ever a fearless advocate of contemporary fare, will unveil the remaining commissions during an international tour."

 

 

 

 

Riva Cucina emails

Riva Cucina has been nominated for Best Italian restaurant in the San Francisco Chronicle's Best of the BayList!
Please show your support and vote for us.
 
 
Celebrate San Valentino at Riva Cucina
We've created an enticing menu for you and your Valentine to enjoy...
Antipasti
TORTINO DI GRANCHIO AURORA $16
Florida stone crab claw atop avocado, organic broccoli and blood orange tower, crab demiglace aurora
INSALATA DI FARRO $12
Organic Italian barley, wild arugula, shaved fennel, blood orange segments, shaved Parmigiano, lemon condimento, Parma prosciutto
INSALATA CON BRUCIATINI $9.50
Organic baby mixed greens, crispy pancetta, gorgonzola dolce crostini, organic balsamico vinaigrette
FORMAGI MISTI $10
Cypress Grove truffled goat cheese and Testun with Nebbiolo and Dolcetto, Napa grown apple preserves and fruit mustard
CARPACCIO DI SALMONE $14
Washington smoked salmon, watercress, red onion, citrus vinaigrette, organic butter crostini
VELLUTATA ALL'ARAGOSTA $6/$9
Maine lobster bisque with rock shrimp and croutons
Pasta
TAGLIATELLE BOLOGNESE $14
Fresh pasta with traditional pork, beef, and tomato ragú, Parmigiano
TORTELLONI AGLI ASPARAGI $16
Asparagus filled ravioli with crispy Parma prosciutto, asparagus-cream sauce
PAPPARDELLE AL CACAO $16
Cocoa pasta with Bellwether Farms crescenza, toasted walnut, butter and sage
PASTICCIO TRADIZIONALE $16
Pasta sautéed with veal ragu, béchamel, porcini and white truffle oil, wrapped and baked in pastry dough
TAGLIOLINI ALLO SCOGLIO $25
Squid ink pasta with littleneck clams, squid, Maine lobster tail, white wine and tomato
Piatti di Mare
GRIGLIATA DI PESCE $27
Grilled herb and breadcrumb-crusted Alaskan Black Cod, jumbo prawns and sea scallops, fennel gratin, mashed potato
MEDAGLIONI DI PESCATRICE $27
Sautéed Monkfish medallion wrapped in pancetta with radicchio, white wine and saffron broth, soft polenta
Piatti di Terra
ANATRA ALL'ARANCIA $25
Roasted maple leaf half duck with herbs and blood orange demiglace, sautéed broccoli rabe, mashed potato
FILETTO AL PROSCIUTTO $29
Sautéed fillet mignon wrapped in Parma prosciutto, sautéed mixed mushrooms, soft polenta
Contorni
CAVOLETTI IN PADELLA $6
Sautéed organic brussels sprouts, garlic-infused olive oil, Parmigiano
SPINACI AL BURRO $6
Sautéed organic spinach with butter

Please Call 510.841.7482 to make reservations.

info@rivacucina.com, 800 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley, CA, 94710

 

 

 

 

"A Donkey and Goat Winery" is mentioned on baylist.com.

"A Donkey and Goat is a wife & husband owned and operated winery located in Berkeley California. Tracey and Jared Brandt are the 'donkey and goat' behind these sustainable farmed and artfully produced wines that are distinctive, soulful and truly represent the earth from which they come.

 A Donkey and Goat Winery, 2323B 4th St Berkeley CA 94710, Tel: (510) 868-9174."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/30/09

When will our Potter Creek Berkeley Bowl open?

The owners are planning to open on May 15, 2009 but expect delays. An informed source said that an opening-estimate of early-to-late Summer 2009 is realistic.

 

 

 

"UC Berkeley Campus on High Alert for Sex Crimes" reports Riya Bhattacharjee of our Planet.

"Berkeley police are asking the community to help them track down a serial sexual predator accused of assaulting at least three college women around UC Berkeley's South Campus area early Saturday morning.

 

"Chemicals 'may reduce fertility' " is a story at BBC NEWS.

"Chemicals commonly found in food packaging, upholstery and carpets may be damaging women's fertility, say US scientists.

A study published in the journal Human Reproduction measured levels of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in the blood of 1,240 women.

Those with higher levels were more likely to take longer to become
pregnant.

UK experts said more research was needed to confirm a link."

 

 

 

"Last chance: 'Photographs of a Floating World' "is a mention at sfgate.com.

"Inspired and influenced by black-and-white photos of her Southern California childhood, Berkeley photographer Linda Elvira Piedra grew to regard the camera as a window to a world that's more real, true and sometimes mysterious than everyday experience."

 

"UC, workers reach agreement on labor contract" reports the AP.

"The University of California has reached a tentative agreement on a labor contract with a union representing more than 8,000 service workers."

 

"Unbelievers' ashes may be unwelcome in Berkeley"is a story at usatoday.com.

"Never underestimate the reach of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. It's is now going beyond the grave to addressing what it calls a church/state injustice."

 

 

"Pentagon's Cyborg Beetle Spies Take Off" writes Noah Shachtman at blog.wired.

"Perhaps you are not particularly worried about the idea of remote-controlled insects spying on you, on behalf of the Pentagon. Darpa-funded researchers at the University of California, Berkeley would like to disabuse you of that notion. They've succeeded in 'controlling a live rhinoceros beetle by radio,' Tech-On reports."

 

 

"Teleportation Is Real ­ But Don't Try It at Home" is a story by Danielle Dowling, Time.

"Physics and magic aren't often mistaken, but increasingly, physicists themselves seem to be trying to change that. Last year, a team at the University of California, Berkeley, announced that it had developed materials that could lead to an invisibility cloak. Last month, a group of researchers at Harvard University and the National Institutes of Health reported that it had accomplished something not unlike levitation, causing a microscopic sphere of gold to rise above a glass surface. Now, according to a paper published in the Jan. 23 issue of Science, a team of scientists from the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) at the University of Maryland and the University of
Michigan has joined the fun. The current bit of legerdemain?

Depending on your favorite sci-fi yarns, teleportation is either a very, very bad idea (see: The Fly) or a very, very cool one (see: Star Trek). For scientists, it's just very, very complex, so much so that at this point, teleportation is not a matter of moving matter but one of transporting information. Already, physicists have been
able to exchange information between light particles - or photons - or between atoms, so long as they were right next to each other. The current experiment marks the first in which information has traveled
a significant distance - 1 m, or a little more than 3 ft. - between two isolated atoms. It's also the first time the powers of a photon, which is good at traveling over long distances, and an atom, which is prized for its ability to retain information, have been jointly exploited.

Using a pair of ions, or charged particles, group leader Christopher Monroe and his team place each in a vacuum and keep them in position with electric fields. An ultra-fast laser pulse triggers the atoms to emit photons simultaneously. If the photons interact in just the right way, their parent atoms enter a quantum state known as
entanglement, in which atom B adopts the properties of atom A even though they're in separate chambers a meter apart. When A is measured, the information that had been previously encoded on it disappears in accordance with the quirky rules of the quantum world. But all is not lost: because B is entangled with A, B now contains the information that was once carried on A. That information, in a very real sense, has been teleported."

 

 

 

 

 

 

On 1/25/09 I posted

"Well, . . . in Berkeley, with all our commissions we could save a bundle. Then there's duplication. Check out all our city departments in the phone book that deal with hazardous materials. Then , . . ."

It should read

Well, . . . in Berkeley, with all our commissions we could save a bundle. Then there's duplication. Check out all our city departments in the phone book that deal with the environment. Then , . . ."

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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