11/1/08, after 11/5 here,
after 11/12 here after 11/19 here
Understand that I've been
spending much time and thought preparing for the Great Pumpkin
rise from the Pumpkin Patch. Still, I've spent some little time
thinking about our mayoral race. In this time of contention, economic
turmoil, and fear, I'm reminded that in the past, Tom Bates brought
our council together and reduced our deficit.
Works for me today as well.
(Yesterday afternoon, our
Mayor and our State Senator came to Potter Creek for a tour of
Kruse' green-remodel. I, almost literally, ran into them as I
was leaving Kruse--a well dressed, attractive couple I must say.)
During our Councilman Darryl
Moore's term, city services have improved in Potter Creek. There
is now a responsive police presence, street dumping has virtually
been eliminated, and there is street cleaning. Also, our infrastructure
has been improved with the resurfacing of our streets. And most
important, the removal of deteriorated culverts and the deepening
of gutters has improved storm run-off.
Still my guy.
Darryl emails
Dear West Berkeley Neighbors,
I really appreciate all the neighbors coming to the Council meeting
on Tuesday to discuss the situation in your neighborhood and the
various hurdles that your group have run into. This will
really help to inform the Council on what type of resource allocations
and policy changes need to be made in order to accommodate these
needs. I will continue to work with the Police Department, the
City Manager and my Council colleagues to try and provide tools
that will allow us, as a City, to more effectively deal with the
type of localized crime situations that you are currently dealing
with, as well as long term crime reduction/prevention. Thank
you all again.
Sincerely,
Councilmember Darryl Moore
City of Berkeley
Laura Menard emails
Thank you to all the W. Berkeley
and S. Berkeley participants at the council meeting last [Tuesday]
night. For those interested, you can find a video playback of
the meeting last night on the City Council web site:
http://berkeley.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=509
Public commentary on our crime issues got underway at 15:30 in
the video and lasted until 25:00. From 25:00 to 1:17:00 Police
Chief Hambleton spoke to the council with Angela Gallegos-Castillo
from the City Manager's Office, and with additional representation
from the Department of Public Works (graffiti & dumping),
and the Parks Dept (tree trimming away from street lights, graffiti
on trees).
Public commentary resumed on the issue of crime at 1:17:00 and
lasted until 1:43:30 on the video because so many people had something
to say about our crime problem.
Key takeaways from the meeting
Chief Hambleton provided crime statistics for the entire city
of Berkeley that did not single out the two key problem areas
of the city which are West Berkeley (District 2 Darryl Moore)
and South Berkeley (District 3 Max Anderson).
The Chief's crime stats (posted in the Yahoo Group files section
under "Crime statistics") started with a table labeled
"Crime in Berkeley 1970 - 2007," but only included data
until 2004. His other data on Violent Crime, Property Crime, and
Total Part One Crimes included data until 2007. The council did
question the Chief on why there wasn't any 2008 data available
since we were 3/4 of the way through 2008.
Chief Hambleton then described crime stats for 2008 saying that
city wide we are averaging 50 robberies per month, which were
classified as a violent crime because they involve force. He acknowledged
that violent crime in the city of Berkeley continues to rise,
but pointed out that since 1992 we've had an overall decrease
in violent crime.
The Chief was questioned by Darryl Moore to find out when the
BPD last conducted an assessment of how to deploy officers based
on calls for service, what is happening in different beats, etc.
Chief Hambleton admitted that this assessment had not been conducted
since the early 1990's (well over 10 years!), which helped to
illuminate why South Berkeley and West Berkeley are back sliding
into criminality with streets controlled by drug dealing gangs
(H20 Waterfront Family) and violent Latin gangs (WSB - Nortenos).
Darryl Moore also questioned the Chief on the existence of gangs
in Berkeley and for the first time our Chief of Police admitted
in a public forum that yes, Berkeley does have gangs, which is
a major admission since just 9 months ago BPD denied we had
gangs operating in the city.
Chief Hambleton was unable to provide statistics on the efficacy
of the bike patrol officers in South and West Berkeley. This is
because the BPD doesn't have a computerized statistics program
in place. If they were using the Compstat model of metrics based
policing (Considered best practices for law enforcement by the
FBI and credited with lowering crime in NYC by 65%), he would
have been able to provide the council with that information because
the department would have been tracking the crime pattern changes
in the areas with bicycle patrols on a daily basis.
Many people contended that the statistics that Chief Hambleton
presented were not accurate representations of what happens in
West Berkeley and South Berkeley, and at least 2 speakers said
so to the council.
The speakers also brought up their displeasure with lackluster
code enforcement (citing the broken windows theory) and that the
city needed to start enforcing municipal code for illegal dumping
and graffiti abatement.
After the meeting both Darryl Moore and Gordon Wozniak spoke with
me and indicated interest in the deployment of mobile high definition
surveillance cameras that I've advocated for 9 months. They are
easily mounted on telephone poles, etc., have pan/zoom/tilt capabilities,
and can provide details as small as license plate numbers day
and night up to 200 yards away. They liked the idea that they
can be moved throughout the city when crime hot spots move and
they agreed that they are no different than installing red light
traffic cameras like we have at 6th Street and University.
It was made clear that while these cameras will not necessarily
prevent crime from happening, but that they will provide the city
with unrepudiable evidence for criminal prosecution, which BPD
consistently says they have difficulty obtaining (evidence) because
they can't catch the criminals in the act. HD surveillance cameras
will provide that evidence and assist in successful prosecutions,
which will have a positive impact on crime reduction
in West & South Berkeley.
Gordon Wozniak also pointed out that it is ridiculous that Berkeley
doesn't have a Commission on Crime Reduction, but they have a
variety of other committees looking at issues including global
warming and solid waste reduction. Further, he stated that in
his 6 years on the council that he has asked for a serious monthly
examination of crime and for much more than just the quarterly
information update that is given by Chief Hambleton, but that
the council has never made crime a priority.
As of today, it is clear that little to no guidance is given
from the council to the City Manager's Office, City Attorney's
Office, and BPD on the topic of crime and as a result, citizens
in West Berkeley and South Berkeley are suffering the consequences
of that lack of attention.
The council will meet again on January 27th, 2009 to discuss crime
issues and at that time they are expected to have the beginning
of a review on programs others cities in the bay area have implemented
to determine what is effective and what isn't so that Berkeley
can start to make some changes to how it fights crime.
The fact that so many people attended, loudly applauded each speaker,
and that so many different faces stood up in front of the council
did have a positive impact. Unfortunately the process has just
begun and the calls for for real reform at the highest levels
of the City Administration to proactively address the crime problem
and establish quantitative measureable milestones is still unresolved.
Jarad emails these links
Residents unsatisfied with south-west-berkeley
crime report. is on eastbaywestonline.org.
"South Berkeley Residents Air Concerns
Over Recent Increase in Crime"
is a story at dailycal.org by Amy Brooks
"Last month, Berkeley City Council
members visited South Berkeley in response to a crime spike in
the area. On Tuesday night, the community spoke to the council
about city actions thus far, . . . "
And a story about some of
the technology of crime-fighting is in the Times.
from my log
10/29/08--7:35 PM--irritant
in front room, dry eyes, mouth.
10/30/08--11:43 AM--irritant in front room burning, eyes, mouth,
leave. 2:30 PM same. 4:17 PM--same with "chlorine/bleach"
odor,
voltage about 60% of normal, filters slow, lights are dim.
Bob's CEID kids in Bob and
Carol's Pumpkin Patch-Cindy Dickeson photos
and
clownin' at the École
Bilingue Parade
"Beaten down, American consumers burrow
deeper" reports
the AP's Jeannine Aversa.
"Beaten down and watching
their wealth shrink, Americans are burrowing ever deeper - cutting
back on spending and spelling more trouble for the sinking economy.
One of the biggest problems
saddling the country is damage from the housing market's collapse.
Mounting foreclosures, falling home prices and soured mortgage
investments are taking their toll on both
individuals and businesses alike.
Federal Reserve Chairman
Ben Bernanke, who is scheduled to speak via satellite Friday at
a Berkeley, Calif., conference on the mortgage meltdown, is likely
to call on government officials and lawmakers to keep working
on ways to provide more relief."
"Experts to gather this week for UC Berkeley-UCLA
symposium on mortgage meltdown"
is a UC Berleley press release.
"With the mortgage market and subprime loans taking much
of the blame for today's global financial crisis, a timely symposium
- 'Mortgage Meltdown, the Economy and Public Policy' - will be
held Thursday and Friday, Oct. 30-31, at the University of California,
Berkeley.
Among the featured speakers
will be Federal Reserve Bank Chair Ben Bernanke (speaking via
satellite); San Francisco Federal Reserve President Janet Yellen,
professor emeritus at the Haas School of Business; California
State Senate President Pro Tem-elect Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento);
and Yale University economist Robert Shiller, author of 'The Subprime
Solution: How Today's Global Financial Crisis Happened, and What
to Do about It.'"
"Yellen Says Fed May Cut Benchmark Rate
Close to Zero" is
a report by Vivien Lou Chen of Bloomberg News.
Federal Reserve Bank of San
Francisco President Janet Yellen said the central bank may cut
the benchmark
interest rate clo' to zero percent from the current 1 percent
level should the economy remain weak.
``We would do it because
we are concerned about weakness in the economy,' Yellen said today
after a speech, responding to an audience question about the impact
on the economy should the Fed reduce the main rate to as low as
zero. 'I think we could, potentially, go a little bit lower than
1 percent,' she said in Berkeley, California.
"Mortgage relief to
be on Fed Chairman's mind in conference" reports the AP.
"With Americans watching
their wealth shrink, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is expected to
ask the government to keep working on relief.
Bernanke speaks Friday afternoon
via satellite to a Berkeley, California, conference on the mortgage
meltdown.
The Bush administration is
already considering a plan to help around 3 million struggling
homeowners avoid foreclosure by having the government guarantee
billions of dollars worth of distressed mortgages.
A new batch of economic reports
out Friday is likely to offer fresh confirmation of the problems
that are keeping American consumers from spending. Economists
expect income growth to barely budge in September and predict
that consumers trimmed their spending during the month by 0.3
percent."
"Wines from around the world to help you
stretch your dollar" is
a review by Jon Bonné,
Lynne Char Bennett, Chronicle Staff Writers.
"With the election soon
upon us, there is a lot of focus on domestic policy. But we can't
stop thinking about foreign affairs. Such crucial questions as:
What did Obama mean by Iran talks with no preconditions? Will
McCain commit to a specific Iraq timetable? How can we possibly
afford imported wine when the economy, and the dollar, are so
weak?
On that last, we have answers.
For one, at about $1.30 to the euro, the battle-weary buck has
had the sort of rally that suddenly puts the words 'European vacation'
back on the brain. But a combination of cost-efficient production,
cheap shipping (usually by carbon- minimizing container ship)
and a bit of currency leverage by savvy importers kept decent
wine from around the world on shelves even in the dollar's worst
doldrums. No question that prices have been going up, in particular
on the 2006 vintage from Europe and some newly arrived 2007s,
but even so, it's still easy to find lots to drink under $20 that
keeps you on your geopolitical toes. Given the prices
of many domestic wines these days, it's still a good time to think
- and drink - globally."
"Today's 'HD Hottie' is Rebecca Romijn,
who stars tonight in high-def in Ugly Betty at 8 p.m. on ABC" is a press release at tvpredictions.com.
"The 36-year-old actress,
who was born in Berkeley, California, started as a fashion model,
capturing featured spots in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue
and the Victoria's Secret catalog."
Claudia emails a response
to yesterday's post
Ron
I'm sure you know this but Rebecca Romijn is a "local"
gal, her mom
lives in Albany and way back when was a regular at the Cesar Chavez
off leash area-her sister manufactures and designs car seat covers
for dogs (and is equally, if not more so, as lovely as Rebecca).
Claudia
Patrick Kennedy just returned
from some weeks vacationing in England and France. In France,
he toured the Normandy Invasion Beaches. "I'm preparing for
my Downtown Berkeley Campaign" he remarked.
11/2/08
from David Snipper
Nebula NGC 2392, called 'Eskimo'
because it looks like a face surrounded by a furry hood. The
hood is, in fact, a ring of comet-shaped objects flying away from
a dying star. Eskimo is 5,000 light years from Earth.
"Pulitzer Prize-winning author Terkel dies
at 96" reports Caryn
Rousseau of the AP.
"Studs Terkel, the ageless
master of listening and speaking, a broadcaster, activist and
Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose best-selling oral histories
celebrated the common people he liked to call the 'non-celebrated,'
died Friday. He was 96.
Dan Terkell said his father
died at home, and described his death as "peaceful, no agony.
This is what he wanted."
'My dad led a long, full, eventful, sometimes tempestuous, but
very satisfying life,' Terkell said in a statement issued through
his father's colleague and close friend Thom Clark.
He was a native New Yorker
who moved to Chicago as a child and came to embrace and embody
his adopted town, with all its 'carbuncles and warts,' as he recalled
in his 2007 memoir, 'Touch and Go.' He was a cigar and martini
man, white-haired and elegantly rumpled in his trademark red-checkered
shirts, an old rebel who never mellowed, never retired, never
forgot, and 'never met a picket line or petition I didn't like.'
"
Berkely mayor and council
recommendations by our West County Times.
"The race for mayor
of Berkeley pits two veteran politicians, incumbent Tom Bates
and former Berkeley mayor Shirley Dean, against two fringe write-in
candidates with no chance of winning. Our pick is Tom Bates.
Since he won the seat from
Dean in 2002, Bates has managed to make a council known for bickering
and infighting under Dean's administration become cohesive and
better able to do the city's business. It could be Bates' experience
in the California Legislature, where he served from 1976 to 1996,
that has provided him with the diplomatic chops to lead a council
that had become far too contentious. Bates certainly has some
challenges ahead of him, namely dealing with an increasing crime
problem and improving relations with UC Berkeley. But we believe
he is the best candidate for the job and Berkeley would be better
served under his leadership.
Our recommendations for Berkeley
City Council:
District 2 Incumbent Darryl Moore"
"Three men robbed at gunpoint while fishing
on Berkeley Pier"
is a story in the Times.
"Police continue to investigate a violent robbery of three
men who were fishing on the Berkeley Pier late Sunday night.
Two of the fishers were beaten
in the head with guns and police believe the suspects, who have
not been arrested, are gang members.
The fishers, a 24-year-old
from Hercules, a 23-year-old from San Pablo and a 23-year-old
from Pittsburg, were fishing about a quarter of the way down the
pier at the Berkeley Marina about 10:30 p.m. Sunday when they
were approached by three men they did not know.
The three men walked by the
fishers, turned around and walked back toward them, police said.
When the fishers asked to be left alone, the men yelled expletives
at them, said police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss. The suspects also asked
one of the men wh' he was wearing red and what gang 'they claimed.'
One of the suspects said, "This is southside Richmond over
here' . . .
Gang-related robberies in
the parking lots of restaurants on the Berkeley Marina happen
periodically, police said.
During the robbery, a group
of girls walked by the incident and were told by the suspects
to keep walking. Police would like to speak with anyone with information
about the crime. Tipsters can remain anonymous. Call Berkeley
police at 510-981-5700."
"Council Discusses Crime with South and
West Berkeley Residents"
writes Riya Bhattacharjee in the Planet.
"If crime figures presented
to the Berkeley City Council Tuesday by Berkeley Police Department
Chief Doug Hambleton are anything to go by, property crime-which
includes burglaries, car thefts and arson-in the city has declined
since the 1970s.
However, the public's fear
about it, statistics notwithstanding, continues to rise.
Hambleton blamed the information
age-particularly the evening news channels-for installing paranoia
in people about incidents taking place thousands of miles away
but was quick to acknowledge that violent crime-which includes
homicides, rapes, robbery and aggravated assault-was up.
"Berkeley Police reach out to community
to help close unsolved murder cases" reports Kristin Bender of the Oakland Tribune.
"The city has had nine
murders so far this year, nearly twice as many as it did all of
last year. But despite their angst about violent crimes and unsolved
homicide cases, residents are not coming forward to help investigators
close the cases, a police spokeswoman said Friday.
'It's a high number,' said
Sgt. Mary Kusmiss. 'The last time we had more than 10 (homicides
in a year) was in 1992.'
'Community policing means
community participating in the process,' Kusmiss said. 'There
are issues, such as violent crimes and drugs, that are the greatest
concerns to residents, so we are just putting out a plea to participate
in the process with us.'
Police say in the five months
since they launched the Bay Area Crime Stoppers hot line, only
one tip - about an alleged drug house - has come in. By comparison,
Oakland, a city four times the size with much more violent crime,
has had about 100 tips, police there said."
Graffiti is returning to
Potter Creek
Recently, ballon-graffiti
has appeared on the building on the northwest corner of 8th and
Parker--leased by Bayer, and the building on the northwest corner
8th and Carleton--the Consolidated building, with gang-tagging
on the warehouse on the southeast corner of 8th and Carleton.
Windows have been broken in this warehouse as well. The graffiti
on the Bayer building has been up for weeks so encouraging the
more recent vandalism. I guess they don't accept the "Broke
Window" theory of crime in Deutschland.
"Tough stance on fireplace violations" reports Denis Cuff of the Times.
"Bay Area residents who violate a new ban on burning wood
fires on chilly Spare the Air nights could face some of the toughest
fines in California - hundreds or even thousands of dollars per
violation.
Effective today with the
start of the burn season, the new Bay Area rule bars people from
burning wood fires in fireplaces and wood stoves on bad air nights.
The rule also bars excessive smoke from indoors fires any time
of year.
Offenders - to be identified
largely by neighbors phoning in complaints - will get written
warnings for the first offense. But subsequent violations can
be punished with fines of hundreds or even thousands of dollars,
said managers at the nine-county Bay Area Air Quality Management
District."
"Berkeley photographer Ilona Sturm captures
the pulse of India"
is a review in our Times' by Jennifer Modenessi.
"For Ilona Sturm, the
street is every bit as fascinating as theater.
That's why the Berkeley photographer
has spent decades working in a discipline that takes the pulse
of public places, capturing the everyday interactions between
people and their cities with her Nikon FE2 camera.
Her most recent project is
a series of images taken during a recent trip to India. Twenty-two
of her black-and-white photographs will be on display in 'Dear
Delhi and Rajasthan: Street Photography of India,' beginning Nov.
3 at the Berkeley Public Library."
"Limon Rotisserie: Good Peruvian food for
less" is a review
by the Chronicle's Michael Bauer.
"Limon Rotisserie is
a restaurant for the times."
"Cal gets TOs in rain for win over No.
23 Oregon" is a
report at iht.com.
"Memorial Stadium was
a quagmire even before kickoff, and the synthetic turf looked
more like a duck-friendly marsh by halftime. Coaches Jeff Tedford
and Mike Bellotti both thought it was the worst rain they'd seen
in many years at California.
"Matt Fritzinger, NorCal High School Racing" is an interview by Gary Boulanger at bikeradar.com.
"Children are facing mounting pressures from society. For
many in the United States, their main outlet is organized sports.
But what if a child doesn't fancy basketball, football, baseball
or soccer?
Illinois native Matt Fritzinger
decided to change things 10 years ago, and the fruits of his labour
are evident in the NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League,
based in Berkeley, California."
"EMANIO Insight!, new Predictive Business
Intelligence from EMANIO now shipping" is a press release from prlog.org.
"EMANIO, Inc. [832 Bancroft
Way] announces immediate availability of its new predictive business
intelligence and analytics tool for small and mid-sized businesses.
EMANIO, Inc. - a leading provider of Predictive Business Intelligence
and Data Integration applications announced today the immediate
availability of its new predictive analytics tool. Designed to
provide mid-sized businesses with an affordable, easy to use,
powerful predictive business intelligence tool, EMANIO Insight!
is available for immediate delivery and provides powerful data
mining, analysis and intelligence features that will provide significant
cost savings to users looking to get the most out of their business."
10/4/08
"Last weekend, on Nov. 1 and 2, the First
San Francisco Ski & Snowboard Festival was held at the Fort
Mason Center" is
a story in the Sierra Sun.
"It may seem like a
new idea, but during the 1930s proponents of winter sports were
promoting ski jumping events in the urban markets of California,
at places like Berkeley, San Francisco and Los Angeles. In January
1934, the Auburn Ski Club first introduced ski jumping to the
San Francisco Bay area by co-hosting an event on the campus of
the University of California at Berkeley. The influential Auburn
Ski Club formed during the 1929-1930 ski season and quickly became
the largest ski club west of the Mississippi River.
California already enjoyed
a reputation for sunny beaches and palm trees, but in 1933, Governor
James Rolph had proclaimed the first week of January 1934 as 'Winter
Sports Week for California.' He stated, 'In recent years the people
of California have come to realize the value of this winter recreation
to the point that winter sports are being developed in this state
to a higher degree than in any other part of the world. In the
promotion of this new industry for California, it is my sincere
wish that all the people of the state participate in this healthful
recreation during this week and throughout the winter.'
To prepare for the 1934 Berkeley
tournament, 43,000 cubic feet of snow were packed into six Southern
Pacific boxcars and then hauled down from the mountains. The extraordinary
event, held at the head of Hearst Avenue, just north of the Berkeley
campus, attracted more than 50,000 spectators.
Ski jumpers Orlan Sanders,
Jesse Maxsom, Jr., and Earl Edmunds represented the Truckee Ski
Club, while Squaw Valley founder Wayne Paulsen competed for the
Auburn Ski Club. The novelty of ski jumping in the verdant Berkeley
hills captured everyone's imagination, but the tournament ended
in disarray when a riot broke out as the first of a series of
exhibition jumpers poised at the top of the 450-foot slide."
On Halloween afternoon, Shaw's Texas Style BBQ
catered lunch at our secret movie studio.
"Berkeley cracks down on street shrines" is a report by Carolyn Jones, Chronicle
Staff Writer.
"Berkeley is cracking
down on street memorials after a 42-year-old woman taking out
her trash was struck by stray gunfire from an impromptu memorial
gathering across the street.
The unnamed woman, who survived
the gunshot wound to her abdomen, had no connection to the double
homicide that happened earlier in the day across Derby Street.
But the shootings - part
of a spike in violent crime in the area - were enough to prompt
City Hall into action. Last week, the city manager's office presented
the City Council with a wide-ranging package of crime-prevention
measures for South and West Berkeley, including a plan to give
police authority to immediately remove the makeshift shrines for
homicide victims that family and friends leave on public property.
Police say the memorials,
which sometimes include gang paraphernalia, can be a magnet for
retaliation and further violence."
"Street-shrine crackdown needed" writes Chip Johnson, Chronicle Columnist.
"Street shrines are
a sometimes impromptu way for grieving family and friends to remember
a loved one. But increasingly the memorials have become a way
for gang members to mark their turf.
Berkeley city officials came to a that conclusion last week after
a resident was shot a month earlier in the abdomen by a stray
bullet while hauling her trash to the curb. The bullet that hit
the 42-year-old woman was fired from a group of "mourners"
at a memorial to mark a double homicide that took place there
Sept. 18.
The unidentified victim is expected to survive the assault, but
the practice of street shrines in Berkeley could be curtailed
in some situations.
City officials have come to the right-headed decision that they
will review street shrines case by case and remove them whenever
it's determined there is a potential threat to public safety. "
Laura Menard emails
Hi Jarad [all],
While I am kinda afraid again about potential retaliation, I am
proud of having persisted long enough to finally see the City
of Berkeley take legal action against 1610 Oregon St. Hopefully,
this represents more than a single response to the Grand Jury
complaint and the city attorney sustains drug house abatement
practices for the benefit of all impacted neighborhoods. The city
hired a Sacramento based firm familiar with injunction relief.
This has been a tough, painful and long road. And yes there was
drug dealing on the property yesterday, same as every day.
Rosa Parks Neighbors meeting
Thursday Nov 6th at 7pm at the Rosa Parks School
emails Michael
Hello everyone,
The meeting will be held as usual in the Multi Use room at the
Rosa Parks School. The doors will be open at 6:30 for folks
who want to network a little first and/or maybe help me set up.
I will open the meeting promptly at 7.
There will be a presentation by the students involved in the mural
project with an opportunity to ask questions.
Council member Darryl Moore will be on hand to field general questions.
There will be a representative from the BPD to answer questions
and address concerns.
There will be a presentation on the Berkeley Climate Action Plan
and the Berkeley First Program
I am hoping to have a report on the BOSS house and the West Berkeley
Rezoning.
There are a number of folks who want to organize some block clean
ups and traffic circle maintenance.
I hope to see you all there.
Michael
"Recycling in the dumps" is a report by Matthias Gafni in the Times.
"As a forklift stacked two more bales of recycled newspaper
on a growing paper mountain, Steve Moore frantically searched
for warehouse space to store the suddenly worthless commodity.
The pile of paper - mostly
from central Contra Costa residents' recycling bins - represents
an international problem that could raise homeowners' garbage
rates and dent the drive to cut waste sent to landfills.
Moore's stack has reached
its height limit at 16 feet and 1,000 tons. He has squeezed a
week's worth of paper into the shrinking open space behind his
Benicia recycling facility.
'Our forklifts can only go
so high,' he said, only halfjoking.
Moore, Pacific Rim Recycling's
owner, has taken the unprecedented step of leasing two acres in
Oakland to store some of Contra Costa's recycled waste, and he
is searching for more warehouse space.
He is not alone.
The dominos-like collapse
of the housing, credit, stock market and commodity collapses click-clacked
into the recycling industry, and it fell fast. In six weeks, the
price for recycled cardboard has gone from just under $200 a ton
to $30 to $40 a ton - if you can find a buyer, dealers say."
"Peruvian-born
singer Yma Sumac dies in Los Angeles" writes the AP's
Andrew Dalton.
"Yma Sumac, the Peruvian-born soprano who wowed international
audiences in the 1950s with her stunning vocal range and modern
take on South American folk music, has died."
"Classical Ghosts, Audible Once Again" reports the New York Times.
"For decades, hints tantalized record buffs and anyone interested
in how classical music was performed through the centuries.
Somewhere out there, just
possibly, was the largest cache of classical music from the dawn
of the recorded age known to exist: hundreds of cylinders incised
on an Edison phonograph from the 1890s by a music-loving businessman,
Julius H. Block.
References popped up in his
privately published memoirs in the 1960s. There were letters between
him and Thomas Edison and a chance conversation in 1971 between
researchers and a schoolmate of the great violinist Jascha Heifetz.
A few cylinders came to light at auction in the 1990s.
If found, the recordings
would furnish a deep and fascinating glimpse into the way music
was played in the time of Tchaikovsky and Brahms, a sonic toe-touch
into a distant epoch. But there was little hope. The collection,
most believed, was destroyed in World War II.
Instead, it survived.
Thanks to other chance encounters,
a shared passion for violin history by a father and son, and a
bit of detective work, some 200 cylinders were rediscovered several
years ago in an archive in Russia, where only a handful of musicologists
appear to have known about them.
Three CDs of excerpts are
to be released late next month by the Marston label (marstonrecords.com),
which is based here and specializes in the early recorded age."
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