scrmbld1109.html

NOVEMBER 2009

after 11/7 here, after 11/17 here

11/1/09

So, . . . in keeping with the culture of change in west-Berkeley and understanding that harmony would be refreshing, I offer the Lipofsky/Penndorf Plan--the laser development.

Projected on a cleared acre, every few days the laser image changes, so pleasing all. A few days of high-end mixed-use followed by an acre of park with childrens' play ground, trees, paths and then a low income artisan and manufactures' time followed by some days of just residence, and, of course, a bio-tech park with 90 foot buildings. But it's not real? Is the west-Berkeley Plan?

And, in keeping with Berkeley's innovative thought and action we introduce, shortly, the Lipofsky/Penndorf Laser-Mayor--a mayor neutral product.

After we complete the Lipofsky/Penndorf Laser-Mayor project, we will launch our much anticipate Virtual-Activist. We hope at the same time to release the less anticipated Laser-Realtor, and issue both in a two-for-one package.

A couple of Sundays ago, during Lipofsky and my outlining the development plan which bears our names, I noticed Marvin had on one of those nifty baseball caps with the beak in the front. I've been looking for one of the old-fashion caps but all I see are those with beaks in the back. Can anyone let me know where to get the older caps?

While searching for origin of the quote "I could never be a socialist, they have too many night meetings" I coincidentally found this pdf/html "'The Ten Commandments If Moses Had Been An Infill Developer', Patrick Kennedy, Berkeley, Cal"

Don't always agree with the SOB but I love his style.

Go the html page and click on the pdf link. His pdf's worth a look.

Of coincidences on 10/25 I posted

Of course, I learned early on from Mary Baker Eddy and later from Berkeley '60s psychedelics that there are no coincidences.

According to Kennedy it was Oscar Wilde.

Whatever you think of Patrick Kennedy, giv 'um that he has had perfect timing. Kennedy got out of real estate at "the absolute right moment." But did he make any money? I'm told he paid our city millions in taxes.

In his pdf, Patrick quotes a report from Patrick Killelea--for Kennedy's pdf go his html page and click on the pdf link.

Here is a link to essential the same Killelea report.

"US Housing Crash Continues:It's Still A Terrible Time To Buy" writes Patrick Killelea. "Falling House Prices Are The Solution, Not The Problem ,

1. House prices will keep falling in most places because those prices are still dangerously high compared to incomes and rents. Banks say a safe mortgage is a maximum of 3 times the buyer's yearly income with 20% downpayment. Landlords say a safe price is a maximum of 15 times the house's yearly rent. Yet on the coasts, both those safety rules are still being violated. Buyers are still borrowing 6 times their income and putting only 3% down, and sellers are still asking 30 times annual rent, even after recent price declines. Renting is a cash business that reflects what people can really pay based on their salary, not how much they can borrow. Salaries and rents prove that prices will keep falling for a long time. Anyone who bought a 'bargain' this time last year is already sitting on a very painful loss."

Here is a link to Killelea's Google.

On about the same subject, when talking to Don Yost a few weeks ago I said that the old normal is "they built too much housing" and the new normal is "housing is too expensive."

From Patrick Kenndey's The Ten Commandments if Moses Had Been An Infill Developer.

5. Encourage mixed-use projects, and allow them in areas zoned for commercial-use only.

"Why undertake such [mixed-use] projects?
Because they intensify the richness of living, enhance people's range of
experience, and create easy access to a nearly inexhaustible variety of activities.
Mixed use developments are designed at a human scale, and represent a
positive attempt by the development community to achieve the public object of
keeping central cities alive and making cities a living organism"
Edmund Bacon, Philadelphia Planning Dept. Dir. (ret.)

8. Identify the existing successes in the designated area a landmark, institution, or local hot spot and build around that.

In "It Came From Berkeley" an informal history of Our Town we find

"In 1971, following 'the first radical take over of city government' the new city council refused to pledge allegiance to the flag. The council was soon spending more time on Vietnam and Racism in Rhodesia . . .

How did Berkeley switch from a culturally liberal city with a Republican dominated government to a city run by liberals and radicals? . . .

Race had a lot to do with it . . . [and] lowering the voting age . . . also had a lot to do with it. . . .

Radicals . . . made the war a make-or-break issue. The shift from liberal pro-war Democrats to antiwar radicals proved as profound as the early shift from Republicans to liberal Democrats. . . .

The second major victory came quickly. In 1971, the radicals won four major seats on the council . . . with the election of Loni Hancock, D'Armey Bailey, and Ira Simmons . . . to the council, and Warren Widner as mayor. . . . eighty-nine officers quit the police force in disgust in 1971 and 1972 as radicals demanded 'community control' of the police. . . .

'The years between 1971 and 1973 were the most difficult years on the city council' [Hancock] wrote 'maybe the most difficult years of my life.'

But the progressives became the establishment. Since the '70s they have either dominated the council or traded off with slates of moderate Democrats. . . "

Whoa, 38 years in power. After all those decades do you get too comfortable?

Time for change? RP

The mob behavior of the Insurrection and its radical remnants remain active in Berkeley today. In disruptive behavior at meetings, confrontational politics, street hooliganism.

This behavior, I would submit, is tolerated or even unconsciously approved of by our Establishment, whose cultural roots are themselves in the Insurrection.

We lost, time to get over it, not to obsessively relive and relive and relive it. Trying, as if it were a failed marriage, to make it ok, to make it right. RP

And also in "It Came From Berkeley" Dave Weinstein writes "[In] 1905 . . . August Vollmer--a Marine veteran of the Spanish American War's bloody Philippines campaign, and a town firefighter--was elected marshal. . . .

Although he claimed to have no education, education is what he based his policing on. That, plus technology, and science--and sometimes pseudo-science. By 1906, Berkeley had its first bicycle patrol, a centralized record system that tracked criminals' modi operandi, and a system of electric lights spaced throughout town to communicate with officers. It was said to be the first electric communications system in the country.

By 1913, Berkeley had the earliest all-motorized police department in the nation, and by 1919, the city equipped some of its cars with radios, In 1915, Berkeley had its own crime detection lab. . . .

'Crimonologists know that a policeman's energies should be devoted to removing causes of crime, not to pursuing crimials,' Vollmer said. . . .' We must deal with the child in the early and plastic period of his life when his attitudes, his religion, social and personal ideals are being developed.' Vollmer sent police women into Berkeley schools to inculcate the young. . . .

One of the first lie detectors was developed in Berkeley by John A Larsen, a PhD in physiology whom Vollmer brought into the department. The machine was improved in 1920 by Leonarde Keeler, . . .

'The Keeler Polygraph' became one of the most used in the country, and Keeler became a leading criminologist. . . .

Vollmer opposed capital punishment and treated panhandlers leniently. . . . He also believed in free speech, backing the YMCA's decision to open its meeting rooms to every one, even Communists, a philosophy he had no truck with. . . .

By 1924, according to Colliers magazine, Vollmer was 'the most famous policeman in the world.' "

The more I read about the history of Berkeley, the more I'm coming to the conclusion that we are just now coming out of a forty-year dark age and that we are being led out by. . . arrgh, Da Boz.RP

The last issue of our Planet has the story "Schwartz's 'Berkeley 1900' Celebrates 10th Birthday"
by Ken Bullock.

What a coincidence, on 10/11 I posted

Some "picture books" about Our Town worth checking out are; "Berkeley Postcard History" by Wendy Markel, "Berkeley 1900" by Richard Schwartz and Sandra Bruch, "Jews of Oakland and Berkeley" by Frederick Isaac, and"It Came From Berkeley" by David Weinstein.

Of course, I learned early on from Mary Baker Eddy and later from Berkeley '60s psychedelics that there are no coincidences.

And on 10/22 I posted

Last issue of the East Bay Express has a story about Our Town by David Weinstein, author of "It Came From Berkeley."

I guess the staff reads Scrambled Eggs--or not. Hell, and I thought the Express was just an alternate-lifestyle consumer-guide.

A Berkeley Barb columnist wrote in the '60s "One only gets a sense of Berkeley by leaving it. . . . Here, because our world is narrow and because we find people who understand us, we get into the habit of thinking there are more of us than there really are . . . The fact is that Berkeley people are not even the majority in Berkeley." From the Introduction of "It Came From Berkeley."

"Medical marijuana is an insult to our intelligence" opines the washington post.

"The Justice Department says it's backing off the prosecution of people who smoke pot or sell it in compliance with state laws that permit 'medical marijuana.' Attorney General Eric Holder says 'it will not be a priority to use federal resources to prosecute patients with serious illnesses or their caregivers.' Party hardy! I mean -- let the healing begin!

I don't think the federal government should be spending a whole lot of time on small-time druggies, and I'm undecided about legalizing pot, which enjoys 44 percent support among the general public, according to a recent poll. Recreational use is not the wisest thing -- and if my 12-year-old son is reading this, that means you! -- but it's no more harmful than other drugs (e.g., alcohol) and impossible to eradicate. On the other hand, I worry it's a gateway to harder stuff. So I think we probably should have an open debate about decriminalization.

But it should be a real debate, about real decriminalization, and not clouded -- pardon the expression -- by hokum about 'medical marijuana.' To the extent it puts the attorney general's imprimatur on the notion that people are getting pot from 'caregivers' to deal 'with serious illnesses' -- as opposed to growing their own or flocking to "dispensaries" just to get high -- the Justice Department's move is not so constructive."

École Bilingue

had its Halloween Parade last week

more photos here

And here are Aengus McGiffin's photo pages of the parade. Angus' daughter goes to the French School and as a child Angus went to the French School in the city. Angus works for Potter Creek's Professional Tree Care.

and from last week, a Halloween guest

at Marsha's law office

"Black Oak Books Buys West Berkeley Home" is a story by Riya Bhattacharjee of our Planet.

"The bookstore, which closed in May after more than two decades on Shattuck Avenue in North Berkeley, has announced plans to reopen at the former Rountree's nightclub at 2618 San Pablo Ave., converting the space into a combined bookstore and performance venue."

"John Walsh, host of 'America's Most Wanted,' films in Berkeley" by Kristin Bender, Oakland Tribune.

"It takes dozens of television crew members, even more cameras, a catered lunch spread and a few touch-ups of John Walsh's hair and makeup to nail a 30-second introduction for an "America's Most Wanted" story on a Berkeley homicide and ensuing police chase and crash that killed two uninvolved men in Oakland in May. . . .

After Davis' evening slaying, a seven-minute high-speed police chase into Oakland ended when the driver of the getaway car, a tan Cadillac, ran a stop sign, hitting a Mazda driven by Todd Perea, 27, of Brentwood, and pedestrian Floyd Ross, 41, of Berkeley. Perea and Ross were killed.

Stephon Anthony, 22, of San Leandro, who is accused of driving the getaway car, and Anthony Price, 26, of Oakland, were arrested at the crash scene. Samuel Flowers, 21, of Oakland, was arrested in Florida on unrelated charges a few weeks
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later and brought back to the Bay Area. The three men have been charged with three counts each of capital murder and remain jailed without bail.

A fourth suspect, Rafael Campbell, 27, of Oakland, remains at large, but 'America's Most Wanted' aims to change that, Walsh said. . . .

'I'm sorry to meet you under these circumstances,' Walsh said to Davis' mother, Corinne Davis, of Berkeley. 'You are now part of the same club that I belong to.'

Walsh's son Adam was abducted from a department store in Florida and murdered in 1981. Last year authorities named late serial killer Ottis Toole as Adam's killer. Walsh, 63, said he will continue to host the show as long as his health holds up and people keep watching.

Walsh stood on the sidewalk and talked with Corinne Davis and a handful of other family members before starting the arduous process of recording the story's introduction. Walsh greeted Davis with a hug and comforted her by saying, 'You will survive. '... You think it's going to kill you. It destroys that life that you know, but you get through it.'

Charles Davis' relatives said they are pleased that the show is assisting police in tracking down the fourth suspect.

'We never thought that someone like (Walsh) would care,' said Davis' cousin Diane Carroll of Berkeley. 'They are making sure he isn't just another victim of violent crime.' "

Bender makes it real! This is the best report I've read.

This episode will be air next Sunday on KTVU Channel 2.RP

and this Wednesday night there is

the mother of all Planning Commission meetings

A Celebration of the End Game--maybe better than '60s Street Theater

see Ricky hold forth, hear a Commissioner say something like"That's the way it's always been and that's the way it will always be", watch a guest appearance by Don Yost, listen to a Goldin presentation, experience the democratic ceding of time, and much, much more.

11/2/09

Carol and Bob's grandkid

the Chef

Steve Schmidt emails

that is one cute well dressed kiddo.

Merryll emailed Sunday morning

Last night I went into the city on Bart since our bridge is still down. I've never seen it so crowded but coming home was even more so. Opera people poured down the stairs, the symphony crowd, bicycles. One friend said it reminded her of the crowded subways in Tokyo.
But what was amazing, everyone was in good cheer. One person announced as more and more people were trying to get on, that this was a love fest crowd on. He also made sure when people wanted to get off that he announced it loudly. And surprisingly, we ran in
to other friends who were in the city at different events than we were. My friend Marty thought everyone was sharing this inconvenience, and that's what made it special. Kay was worried no one would come to her opening but people did. Despite the problems, it made me happy to be part of it.

ps, What I left out were the costumes there was a fairy who handed out wishes, a shark, a mummy and a transvestite nurse; plus the musician we weren't sure was boy or girl singing western tunes in a cowboy hat. And when we got back around 11, there were some young men in painted faces and skateboards heading into the city since Bart is running 24 hour trains during this mess. It was a San Francisco scene crazy & fun.

"Working Towards a Sustainable Chamber of Commerce" by Bill Roth at triplepundit.com.

"The U.S. Chamber's lobbying efforts against climate change legislation has sparked highly public defections by Nike and Apple. What is bubbling below the surface could be more telling as local businesses and associations explore sustainability's potential as a catalyst for economic growth.

One such example is the 100-member Sustainable Business Alliance (SBA) of Berkeley, California and its Executive Director Mark McLeod. From my chamber and association experiences, including serving as the founding president of the Decatur (Georgia) Business Association that now has 400 members with a strong track record of economic and community accomplishments, I would describe McLeod as the prototype of the association/chamber leader who leads through outreach, engagement, consensus and innovation. This is his perspective on sustainability:

'Sustainability is not a threat but rather an economic and community opportunity. A role of civic organizations like the SBA is to help our local businesses find their path for making money and a positive difference. When we are successful the results are job growth, community enrichment and a cleaner environment. For example, one SBA supported project is the David Brower Center, a LEED platinum building home to dozens of non-profits organizations and for-profit companies pioneering sustainability's adoption. Another example is our support of the East Bay Green Corridor Partnership, an alliance of fourteen mayors, the Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, and the Director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.'"

"Get Ivy League smarts - free:Top universities are now posting lectures online" is a story at moneycnn.com.

"Last autumn I took time off to go back to school. The timing turned out to be just right: My American economic history course at the University of California at Berkeley got to the Great Depression in early October, around the time everyone became convinced we were about to have another one."

"Business Schools Try New Asia Strategies" is a report at bbusinessweek.com by Bruce Einhorn.

"Like many professors at the University of California at Berkeley's Haas School of Business, Dean Rich Lyons takes pride in the university's close ties with Asia. More than 40% of Berkeley's undergraduate students are Asian or Asian American, and the university's schools have strong research ties across the Pacific. Berkeley, says Lyons, 'is the most Asia-leaning of all Western universities. You can't but walk around the campus and see how extraordinarily Asian the place is.' "

11/3/09

I'm told by a reliable source that yesterday someone tried to ride a blue and black 1986 Honda 700 Nighthawk into the Norheim & Yost office but the handlebars wouldn't fit through the door. Damn, wish I' d been there.

Maybe he'll try again with a smaller bike, like a vintage Hodaka Super Rat

And don't forget the mother of all Planning Commission meetings

tomorrow, Wednesday night

"Cheap Eats: Cafe Aquarius, JD's Restaurant & Pies, Haveli Indian Cuisine and Saul's are delicious finds" reports BANG at contracostatimes.com.

Peet's Coffee & Tea is buying Diedrich Coffee for 213 mil allowing Peet's to expand into the growing single cup coffee market.

"Feds seize and sell Pacific National Bank" is a report by George Avalos, bayareanewsgroup.com.

"Following the seizure of Pacific National Bank by federal regulators, it was business as usual Monday at the failed bank's 17 Bay Area branches, including nine in the East Bay.

11/4/09

remember, tonight there is

the Planning Commission meeting

Quote of the week

There is, we might say, a tunnel at the end of this light.

Bob Kubik

"Body Burden Study for Northwest Berkeley" by L A Wood in our Planet.

"The ongoing debate about toxic emissions in northwest Berkeley and their health impacts may be closer to resolve with the advent of a project that will collect blood samples during the next several months. This community effort is funded by the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation to provide a better understanding of the toxic impacts from the area's poor air quality. The principal focus of this study centers on those who live, work, and attend schools and childcare facilities downwind from Pacific Steel Casting, a local foundry and Berkeley's biggest air polluter.

This area, often referred to as the Oceanview district, has more than a twenty-five year history of noxious odors and unanswered questions about its air quality. For years, the City of Berkeley, its zoning board, and even our regional air regulator, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, have dismissed the idea that there could be any health impacts associated with the foundry's emissions. This posture has been bolstered by their lack of effective offsite monitoring.

Two years ago, the emissions dilemma took a turn for the better when Global Community Monitor, an internationally renowned environmental justice group, began working within the affected Berkeley community. The body burden project, designed by GCM to test for evidence of accumulated metals in blood, is the newest in a series of community-directed monitoring efforts. The results should very interesting indeed.

Why Body Burden Testing?"

Global Community Monitor is sponsoring an informational meeting on Berkeley's study along with an introduction of the East Bay Body Burden Project. It will be held Wed., Nov. 4 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the David Brower Center, located at 2150 Allston Way, in the Tamalpais Room on the 2nd Floor.

"Kindle, Price War Changing the Way We Read" is a report at lehrernewshour.org.

"Jeffrey Brown explores the shifting world of book publishing, and examines how technology and readers are changing the industry."

11/5/09

Rick Ballard emails

Susan Brooks emails

Susan Brooks first Saturday open studio

Saturday November 7th,12-5 p.m.

One of a kind Jewelry & Works on Paper

2547 Eighth Street # 24a (between Dwight and Parker) Berkeley

The studio is open every Thursday 12-5, by appointment,
and the First Saturday of the month

I will be joining other artists and craftspeople in the
Sawtooth Building for Open Studios the First Saturday of each month

Hope you can drop by.

Susan

11/6/09

"Berkeley 1900" is a mention at sfgate.com.

"Initially published a decade ago, Richard Schwartz's 'Berkeley 1900: Daily Life at the Turn of the Century' includes eyewitness accounts and historical information about the Berkeley of a century ago. Schwartz will be speaking at Books Inc. in Berkeley at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 9th, 2009 to commemorate the 10th Anniversary Edition of his book."

Jeeez, how did people become aware of this book ten years after it was published. Probably just a coincidence.

"Warrior Film-making: The Story of Free Range Studios" is by Ryan Mickle at triplepundit.com.

"I recently visited Free Range Studios to meet with its talented co-founder Jonah Sachs in Berkeley, California, to talk about his startup story. Free Range began 10 years ago as two guys, one laptop, one apartment, and enough creativity and change-the-world-or-bust aspirations to eventually challenge agribusiness, and our consumer lifestyle, with The Story of Stuff, The Meatrix, and countless other films and stories. If you haven't see these incredible web videos, which have won countless awards, I genuinely suggest taking the time to so."

"'Visual Acoustics' a tribute to Shulman" is a movie review by Walter Addiego, Chronicle Staff Writer at sfgate.com.

"If you admire the modernist architecture of Southern California, you've almost certainly seen pictures taken by Julius Shulman. 'Visual Acoustics,' a documentary tribute, makes a good case that Shulman, who died in July at 98, was the style's definitive photographer."

"DeYoe Wealth Management 36th Fastest Growing San Francisco East Bay Private Company on SF Business Times List" is a reuters report.

"DeYoe Wealth Management, a Berkeley, California based independent wealth management firm, announced it has ranked 36 on the San Francisco Business Times' list of the Top 50 Fastest Growing Private Companies in the San Francisco East Bay."

"State, defense lawyers try to save pot IDs" by Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer.

"In a rare display of harmony, prosecution and defense lawyers urged the state Supreme Court on Tuesday to save California's medical marijuana identification card program from a flaw in the legislation that created it.

Both Deputy Attorney General Michael Johnsen and Gerald Uelmen, the lawyer for a man challenging his marijuana conviction, agreed that a state appeals court went too far last year when it ruled that the 2003 law protecting card-holding pot patients from arrest clashed with California law allowing medical use of marijuana."

"Seattle Captain Chosen as New Berkeley Police Chief" by Riya Bhattacharjee, our Planet.

"Berkeley City Manager Phil Kamlarz introduced Captain Michael Meehan of the Seattle Police Department as Berkeley's new police chief in a closed session of the Berkeley City Council Tuesday, Nov. 3."

posts from the past

11/08

Marvin emails

The film, Marvin Lipofsky: A Journey in Glass, has been selected by the organizers of SOFA Chicago 2008 for screening during the exhibition.
The film was originally created by Paul McKenna for the Retrospective, Marvin Lipofsky: A Glass Odyssey, held at the Oakland Museum of California, July - August 2003. It was most recently shown by Ateliers d'Art du France, at the 6th International Film Festival on Clay and Glass April 6th, 2008, Montpellier, France.

Thank you,

Marvin

and

Exhibitions
Bay Area Glass Sculpture, An Invitational Survey Juried by George and Dorothy Saxe
November 13 - January 10, 2009

The San Francisco Bay Area has emerged as a hotbed of serious glass sculpture in recent years, with work created using a large variety of techniques. The resulting pieces showcase the vast vocabulary available to artists working in glass. This important invitational features 23 artists from internationally celebrated masters, such as studio glass pioneer Marvin Lipofsky, to mid-career and emerging sculptors working in the Bay Area who use glass as their primary medium. George and Dorothy Saxe, who have assembled one of the country's foremost glass collections (bequeathed to the De Young Museum in San Francisco) will select from one to three works by each artist.
On view will be wall hung, suspended, free standing and pedestal sized sculptures made from various types of glass, including pâte de verre, borosilicate, sheet, recycled glass and exemplifying many different techniques including casting, blowing (free and mold), fusing, slumping, cold-working, hot-working, etc... Some works will use glass combined with different materials.
We are honored to feature Marvin Lipofsky, who is widely recognized as a pioneer in the contemporary glass movement and as the father of Bay Area glass sculpture. After introducing glass as a sculpture medium at UC Berkeley in 1964, he created the glass department for then California College of Arts and Crafts (now CCA) in Oakland, and headed it for twenty years until 1987. In his 45 year career as a glass artist, Lipofsky has been featured in numerous significant exhibitions, including a major retrospective at the Oakland Museum in 2003. He co-founded The Glass Society and has taught and lectured at over 300 workshops and conferences internationally. Collected by ninety museums on four continents, his organic, luminous works with either delicate or dramatic rhythms of colors can also be found in some of the most prestigious private and corporate collections.

Tel: (510) 843-7593
http://www.marvinlipofsky.com

Pete Hurney emails

It's time once again for another hour of unique ukulele music that you never knew existed. You won't hear Tiny Tim or much in the way of Hawaiian tunes during this show, what you'll hear is the little ukulele popping up in unexpected places and in rocking good songs!
That's this Thursday night November 6th at 11:59 on KALX 90.7FM in Berkeley. My guest co-hosts for this show will be Holly and Chris of the local San Francisco Uke-centric band Just Henry. Feel the pain!
For those of you not fortunate enough to be in our listening area KALX streams live on the internet at: http://kalx.berkeley.edu
Peterhurney
www.pohakuukulele.com
remember; chocolate's not just for breakfast anymore

Pete's Potter Creek rain gauge

Last Thursday, .1 inch: Last Friday, .25 inch: Last Saturday, 1.75 inches

Riva Cucina emails

Eight Arms Cellars Release Party at Riva Cucina

Sunday, November 16th from 1-4 pm
Riva Cucina, 800 Heinz Avenue in Berkeley
Free
RSVP:By Monday, November 10th to Iain Boltin
510 932 3019 // iain@eightarmscellars.com

Eight Arms Cellars is celebrating the release of their first vintage, 2006 Eight Arms Syrah, Stagecoach Vineyard, Napa Valley. Winemaker Iain Boltin will be on hand to pour his fruit-forward and food-friendly wine produced in small lots and barrel-aged for 19 months.

Chef Massimiliano Boldrini, will create an assortment of foods that pair well with Eight Arms Syrah and that mirror the sustainable practices of the winery and their Go Green Drink Red campaign. Just as Riva Cucina offers seasonal foods that are cultivated on local farms and nearby waters, Eight Arms Cellars offers delicious wine that is handcrafted using sustainable practices. As an added bonus, $1 from every bottle sold, will be donated to help combat global warming.

Taste wine and enjoy some great food
Limited quantity of Magnums will be available for purchase
Come early and taste 2007 barrel samples
Kid's corner

To learn more, please visit www.eightarmscellars.com.

Eight Arms Cellars

510 932 3019

"David Trachtenberg: Refining that Berkeley look" is a story by Eve Kushner, Special to The Chronicle.

"What do Berkeley Bowl, the Rose Grocery project and the new Read Building on Fourth Street have in common?

Their architect is David Trachtenberg, known for responding to the historical feel of Berkeley architecture while creating structures with a distinctive look.

His architectural forebears include Bernard Maybeck and Julia Morgan, founders of the Bay Region style of architecture, which emphasized building with natural materials and featured rooms that interacted with the outdoors. But he also brings a contemporary sensibility to his work and bridges the gap between past and present - sometimes in a single building."

Look for a 900 GRAYSON review in the BANG papers soon-Trib, WCT, etc.

Kermit Lynch was Don Yost's guest for lunch at 900 this week.

Swerve has received a Berkeley Design Advocate Award--it will be presented at a ceremony on Friday, November 21st.

And Swerve just finished an order for their designed tables from Café Rouge--check them out at Rouge.Still my guy.

11/7/09

"Seattle Police Capt. Mike Meehan has been hired as the Berkeley, Calif., police chief" is a report at seattlepi.com.

"Meehan was one of eight candidates interviewed for the position that was vacated by Douglas Hambleton, who retired in late September, according to the Daily Californian. Capt. Eric Gustafson was the city's interim chief.

Berkeley City Councilmember Kriss Worthington told that newspaper that Meehan's past experience in the narcotics and violent crime sections may be particularly relevant to Berkeley.

'One of the things that impressed people was his working closely with the ACLU to try to address drug policy issues and also the fact that he was specifically in charge of violent crimes in Seattle,' Worthington said.

The Berkeley City Council is expected to vote on Meehan Tuesday. Seattle Police Sgt. Sean Whitcomb did not comment on Meehan's new position.

Meehan was chosen from 44 applicants, and if approved, he will be in charge of 185 sworn and 116 non-sworn personnel, and oversee an annual operating budget of about $56.5 million, according to the Oakland Tribune.

The newspaper reported that Meehan was in Berkeley this week for meetings with command staff and union leaders, and is expected to meet with community groups, city staff and others soon.

Meehan's proposed annual salary is $205,400 with a request from Berkeley City Manager Phil Kamlarz for a $500,000 loan with a 3 percent interest rate to buy a home, according to the Tribune."

Ryan Lau emails

Brainstorming Workshop for a Participatory Mural on the Santa Fe Right of Way!
November 17, 7:00 to 8:30 pm
At the Frances Albrier Community Center in San Pablo Park (2800 Park St, Berkeley, CA?, 04702)

Berkeley Community Gardening Collaborative (BCGC), Berkeley Partners for Parks (BPFP), and the Office of Councilmember Darryl Moore
Funded by: UC Chancellors Partnership Grant
Hosted by: John Steere (BPFP), Beebo Turman (BCGC), Alan Leon (Community based muralist)
We're looking for neighbors and residents who are interested in positive, open space possibilities for the city-owned Santa Fe Right of Way (ROW) in South Berkeley (Oregon to Bancroft Avenues) to share their vision with us and one another at the Community Center in San Pablo Park. We will learn about the history of the ROW and will brainstorm on what a future greenway and community around the ROW might be like. This will be a first step in generating the ideas for a participatory mural that we'll paint this coming spring. Come, take part help create and grow the potential for this hidden treasure in our community!
Refreshments will be served!
For further information and to RSVP your involvement; please email beebot@pacbell.net or call Beebo Turman at 510-527-3773
Agenda a) History of SF ROW and City land significance; b) See and share palate of possibilities (examples of features that could be in SF ROW slideshow); 3) Brainstorming of potential features and scheme for mural.

Green Job Orientations
As a follow-up to my last announcement about Green Jobs, here is some more information and fliers for two orientations for the program. It is a one-stop shop for getting people who are interested in green jobs.
Sincerely,
Ryan Lau
Council Aide
Councilmember Darryl Moore

our Angela emails

Berkeley city-wide collaborative for youth

The next City-Wide Collaborative for Youth meeting will take place Nov.16th and its' focus will be the recently produced 2020 Vision draft recommendation document.
Missed the Joint Work Session with City Council and School Board last Tuesday on this same subject? Come on the 16th. As community members working with children and youth, there is something in here for everyone to respond to. Nicole Sanchez, ED of Berkeley Alliance will be presenting and we will break out in sessions for group work.
The 2020 Vision draft recommendation document can be accessed and printed from the following website: www.berkeleyalliance.org. The important and critical introductory section explains and describes the vision and the work produced thus far.

Thank you in advanced and see you on the 16th of November

November 16, 2009
North Berkeley Senior Center
1901 Hearst Avenue
Multi-Purpose Room

I. Introductions and Announcements (15)
·Welcome

II. 2020 Vision Draft Report Recommendations (1.25)
Presentation of Report
Group Discussions
Report Back

III. Next Steps

Next Proposed Meeting Date: Monday,
December 7,2009

Angela Gallegos-Castillo, PhD
Asst. to the City Manager, Youth Services Coordinator

Joe Lee emails

Happy November! The City thanks you for your partnership and education efforts done so far to help get an accurate count of our community. The next Berkeley Complete Count Committee meeting is on Thursday, November 19th 4:00-5:00 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center (1901 Hearst at MLK Jr. Way). Your attendance is critically important.

Follow-ups
I will be following up with each organization on partnerships and education efforts about the coming census. Please expect a call or an e-mail soon. You are more than welcome to schedule an in-person meeting with me in the next two weeks.

More Updates
Please visit www.CityofBerkeley.info/Census. Also, the new 2010 Census website has been launched www.2010Census.gov. If you have any questions about the census, please contact me at JHLee@CityofBerkeley.info or 510-981-7028.

Thank you again and we look forward to seeing you there!

Joe Lee
Census Coordinator
City of Berkeley, City Manager's Office

JHLee@CityofBerkeley.info
Phone: 510-981-7028

"Gloomy times for commercial real estate" Carolyn Said, Chronicle Staff Writer.

"Shopping centers, office buildings, industrial spaces, hotels and apartments can expect a period of "enveloping gloom" from the recession and credit crunch, according to a report released on Thursday.

Values will plunge, vacancies will rise and rents will decrease across all types of commercial property before the market hits bottom in 2010, according to the "Emerging Trends in Real Estate" forecast from the Urban Land Institute and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP."

posts from the past

11/6/04

Moroccan Beef Stew

Ingredients

3T olive oil
2 1/2 lb boneless chuck roast, cut in 3/4"
2c chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1T garam masala
1t paprika
1t ground cumin
1/2t turmeric
1/2 cayenne pepper
1c dry red wine
1/2 c sherry
2c beef broth
1 14oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 c golden raisins

Method

Heat 2 T olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Add meat to pot and sauté until no longer pink, About 5 minutes. Transfer meat to bowl.

Heat 1 T olive oil into same pot. Add onions and sauté until brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and next 5 ingredients, stir 1 minute. Add both wines and let boil until reduced to glaze, stirring occasionally. Add broth, tomatoes with juice and raisins, stir to blend.

Return meat and any accumulated juices to the pot, bring to a simmer, cover and simmer about 2 hours. Meat should be fork tender, if not cook a little longer and check again. Check seasonings if needed. Serve over couscous with yogurt and mango chutney. Kimar.

Liberal or Conservative? Who said "We should trade one street-person for two village-idiots from the mid-West. We'd be better off." It was Berkeley's unofficial Mayor-for-decades-of-Telegraph-Avenue while drinking sake at his favorite restaurant in Japan town. My memory is that was offered the week a junky locked herself in, threw up, and then passed out in his always-open-to-the-public restroom.

The garages at Emeryville's Bay Street are charging for parking again! Right now it's US$1.00 for four hours--tsk, tsk. Another reason to shop on the Internet or to buy books at Border's rather than Barnes & Noble--or Cody's for that matter. (Hell, Andy doesn't really carry airplane or car books.)

1970's, KSAN Noon-News-Chip "If you don't like the news, go out and make some yourself" was at Caffé Trieste on Monday. "I used to live at the one in North Beach" he said.

When you pay 500k for a Potter Creek fixer-upper or three quarters of a mil for your condo, you expect the City of Berkeley to provide adequate street lighting and not the long-ago-useless, half-light designed for a manufacturing area with little or no night street-activity.

Oh ya, about that survey paid for by the City to find how many artists and crafts people there are in Potter Creek and west-Berkeley--I could'a saved you the money, there are a lot!

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.