3/17/09
our Kruse's solar array
with Acme's, bleacher-like,
in the background
In a story set in Potter
Creek, Sam Whiting, Chronicle Staff Writer reports "A
star climbs the walls in Berkeley.
A pair of roommates walks into the Berkeley Ironworks climbing
gym on a Friday afternoon to shake off a weeks' worth of classes.
They walk down to the end, where people won't be watching, harness
up, rope up, chalk up and look at each other to see who will lead
the first pitch.
The tiny one with the tinier voice decides to take it and peels
off her lavender hoodie. She reaches up to take a handhold and
the muscles ripple from her biceps to her shoulder and down her
back. Anyone looking will immediately know this compact 5-footer
is not here for a birthday party or a corporate bonding event.
If you watch big-wall videos or have seen the book 'Girl on the
Rocks,' you'll recognize that back as belonging to Katie Brown,
who Rock & Ice magazine called 'the Best Female Climber of
the Millenium (sic), according to the book's back cover."
"Chronicle union agrees to contract concessions" is a Chronicle Staff Report.
"Members of the San Francisco Chronicle's largest union overwhelmingly
agreed to contract concessions that clear the way for cutting
at least 150 union jobs and eliminating certain benefits and rights,
measures the company says are essential to save the newspaper."
our Heddy Riss emails about
her this-week-event
"New Berkeley art gallery opens with a
splash" writes Laura
Casey in the Contra Costa Times.
"When Cal students Jessica Cox and Cameron Jackson opened
the doors to the Alphonse Berber Gallery in Berkeley late last
month, neither seemed prepared for the response they got.
More than 1,600 people poured
through the gallery's doors opening night, according to the numbers
by Cox and Jackson's two doormen tasked with counting bodies at
the gallery's unveiling. The 7,200-square-foot space, showing
several artists in an exhibition titled 'New Nature,' was packed
with Cal students, art lovers and curious passers-by, many of
whom talked about how Berkeley needed a space like this for artists
to show their work."
"Golden Gate Fields Auction Set for April
3" writes Richard
Brenneman in our Planet.
"Albany's Golden Gate
Fields goes on the auction block April 3 as part of a court-mandated
sale of properties owned by ailing Magna Entertainment.
"Three people have been arrested and four
others are being sought in connection with a home-invasion robbery
in a quiet North Berkeley neighborhood in which the victims were
tied up, pistol-whipped and cut with a knife, police said [last
week]" reports Henry
K Lee of the Chronicle.
"The robbery happened
about 8:20 p.m. Feb. 24 at a home on the 600 block of Santa Barbara
Road. A group of young men accosted an undisclosed number of victims,
some of whom were tortured by being cut, said Officer Andrew Frankel,
a Berkeley police spokesman.
The assailants tried to sexually
assault at least one victim and cut the home's telephone line
so no one could call for help, authorities said. They fled with
the victims' credit cards."
"Late-Night BART Incident Draws Heavy Police
Response" reports
Riya Bhattacharjee of our Planet.
"Berkeley police officers
responded with guns drawn to an incident at the downtown Berkeley
BART station late [last] Wednesday night, cordoning off sections
of the station for approximately 30 minutes.
Eyewitnesses described an
assault inside a Richmond-bound train which had pulled into the
downtown BART station around 10:30 p.m.
At least 14 Berkeley police
cars pulled up outside the downtown BART station. Officers with
weapons drawn positioned themselves outside the entrances on either
side of Shattuck Avenue around 10:45 p.m. and stayed on the scene
until 11:15 p.m."
"On UC Tuition Increases:They just don't
get it" is an opinion
at sfgate.com.
"These also are tough times for people who teach or provide
support services at the University of California. Just this week,
UC Berkeley announced its intent to lay off an undetermined number
of employees, scale back on faculty hiring and encourage its employees
to reduce their hours.
It seems that the financial
stresses on the university are hitting just about everyone associated
with the university except its top administrators.
UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert
Birgeneau told reporters in a conference call this week that pay
cuts for senior administrators were considered and rejected. 'Further
reductions of senior administrators' salaries would make us less
able to compete with other universities ... seriously damaging
our ability to attract outstanding people,' said Birgeneau, who
makes a base salary of $436,800 a year."
"Bozo the Clown creator Alan Livingston
dies at 91" is an
obituary at sfgate.com.
"Alan W. Livingston, the music executive who created Bozo
the Clown and signed the Beatles during his tenure as president
of Capitol Records, has died. He was 91."
Kubik emails a link to "Obama
vs. Marx.
Hint: One of them's not a
socialist," an essay by Alan Wolfe of the The New Republic
at tnr.com.
"Web founder looks to big changes" is at BBC NEWS.
"The founder of the
World Wide Web says the pace of innovation on the web is increasing
all the time.
Marking the 20th anniversary of his proposal to create the web,
Sir Tim Berners-Lee said 'new changes are going to rock the world
even more'.
The future of the web lies
in mobile phones, he said at the research centre in Switzerland
where he was working when he proposed the web.
He also warned of user profiling
on the internet and the risks of 'snooping'.
Sir Tim was working at the
Cern nuclear research centre, near Geneva, in March 1989 when
he proposed to his colleagues a hypertext database with text links
that would help scientists around the world share information
quickly.
His supervisor described
the proposal as 'vague, but exciting' and the next year Sir Tim
wrote the software that allowed users access to information on
the already-existing internet."
Here's
a link to last week's Charlie Rose interview with Arne
Duncan, our Secretary of Education. This is compelling stuff.
"1. A conversation with
Arne Duncan, United States Secretary of Education
A conversation with Arne Duncan, United States
Secretary...
with Arne Duncan on Mar 11, 2009
Arne Duncan is an American education administrator and currently
United States Secretary of Education since January 20, 2009. Duncan
had previously served as CEO of the Chicago Public Schools."
"Brainwave Market Researcher NeuroFocus
Buying UK Counterpart"
is a press release at paidcontent.com.
"Neuroco, a Surrey-based company developing technology to
interrogate people's subconscious minds for market research, is
being acquired by Neurofocus, a larger, Berkeley, California-based
counterpart."
"Man calls police to report moose on roof"
is a report at sfgate.com.
"It may have looked
like Christmas outside, but Ward Nostdahl says it wasn't reindeer
he heard clomping on his roof. Nostdahl called police to report
a moose on the roof of his hillside home northwest of Minot."
3/21/09
I've just been thinking.
If you lost 50% of your retirement in the market collapse, in
order to get it all back you have to make 100%. Is this just a
mathematical quirk or have you been f#%ked by the Universe?
Thursday and Friday, Warner
Bros people were in Potter Creek visiting some of our movie people.
Sooner-than-later, Regan
Bice's promised photo essay of Regan's Potter Creek.
The Groove Yard's Rick Ballard
emails
John Rogers - A
Bay Area Jazz Tribute
Wednesday, April
8th
8pm $25 (one show)
Yoshi's Oakland
510 Embarcadero West
Oakland, California 94607
Tickets for these shows are on sale now at www.yoshis.com, the
Yoshi's Box Office or by phone at 510-238-9200.
---
On Weds. April 8, join Yoshi's and KCSM FM 91 in a Bay Area jazz
tribute honoring, John Rogers. Renown as a jazz broadcaster at
KJAZ and KCSM, and as a longtime radio promotions executive with
Fantasy Records, John is a Bay Area broadcast legend and one of
the best advocates jazz has ever had.
Recently John Rogers fell and broke his hip. He has undergone
surgery and is currently in rehab and in dire need of funds for
his home care. For years of helping upcoming jazz artists, a group
of friends, family and SF Bay jazz all stars will be performing
in benefit to help John get his hip back.
Performers include: Dick Conte Trio w/ Steve Heckman, KJAZ ALL
STARS featuring Bob Parlocha (sax) & Bud Spangler (drums),
The Larry Vukovich Euro Trash Trio, Jaime Davis, Opie Bellas,
Kitty Margolis, Vince Lateano & Madeline Eastman, Clairdee
& Ken French, Bobbie Norris & Larry Dunlap, Dee Bell,
Gini Wilson and others.
About John Rogers:
Since his arrival in the Bay Area in the late 1950s, the neighborhood
this Mr. Rogers frequents has been one of jazz clubs, record stores
and radio stations.
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, John joined KJAZ radio
in 1962 when the late Pat Henry hired him to replace a departing
disc jockey. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, he first
worked in radio during college. Following three years in the Navy,
he went to work at KJPD in Green Bay, Wisconsin after graduation
'playing Stan Kenton records in the heart of polka country.'
Bitten by the big band bug, he saw Lu Watters & The Yerba
Buena Jazz Band at the Dawn Club Navy while docked in San Francisco
and leaned toward traditional jazz. It wasn't until he opened
his first record store, 'Disc & Needle' (1950-55), that he
heard Charlie Parker. 'It confused me, just like it did everybody
else, but when I heard Woody Herman playing modern bebop stuff,
like 'Apple Honey,' I got into it.'
Retail was trying, but John found he was a good salesman so he
took a job with Eric Distribution in San Francisco. It opened
doors that led to London Records, where he promoted Rolling Stones
albums in the US. He and his wife Florence, a legal secretary
and replanted New Yorker, have been married for more than 40 years.
With KJAZ, he continued to grow and created the popular program
'Great American Songwriters', which aired on Sunday mornings.
John is now at KCSM Jazz 91 where his Saturday night show (airing
9pm to midnight) has allowed his expertise and passion for jazz
to pour out over the last 20 years. As head of jazz radio promotion
for Fantasy Records, John has also been an unsung advocate for
jazz and radio. 'I had a dream as a kid in high school of doing
radio programs. It was a dream that I never thought would happen
but lo and behold, it did.'
Call for Blackhawk Jazz Club Memorabilia:
The Blackhawk Jazz club will be the focus of an upcoming Tenderloin
History Museum in San Francisco scheduled for opening 2011-2012.
The museum will reside in the lobby of the Cadillac Hotel in SF
being renovated gratis by the architecture firm, Perkins + Will.
If anyone has any Blackhawk artifacts/memorabilia/photos/personal
stories, please contact the curator, Sarah Wilson, at sarahw@thclinic.org
or via phone Mon-Wed: 415-637-2645. Sarah will focus on collecting
Blackhawk content through the end of May 2009. Thanks for your
interest and potential contributions.
Sarah Wilson
Curator, Tenderloin History Museum
Uptown Tenderloin Inc.
126 Hyde St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
ph: 415-637-2645 Mon-Wed.
fax: 415-771-1287
John sold for wholesaler
Eric Mainland in the '60s. I remember when I worked at Campus
Records eagerly waiting for him to show us the new DGG releases.
He was generous with the promos too.
Carol Whitman emails a
link to her son Max's Morning Glory Confections website.
"Berkeley Police Chief to Retire in Summer" is a story by Riya Bhattacharjee of our
Planet.
"Berkeley City Manager
Phil Kamlarz announced Tuesday morning that Berkeley Police Department
Chief Douglas Hambleton will retire from his position this summer.
Hambleton, who was appointed
chief of police in March 2005, has worked in the city for over
three decades, starting out in 1975 as a trainee."
"City Says Office Depot Overcharged on
Supply Contract" reports
J. Douglas Allen-Taylor in our Planet.
"The director of finance
of the City of Berkeley says the Office Depot company has overcharged
the city by as much as a quarter of a million dollars during the
course of a three-year, $550,000-a-year contract to provide miscellaneous
office supplies and recycled copy paper to the city.
Finance Director Robert Hicks
made the revelation after being questioned by Councilmember Kriss
Worthington on the matter at the Tuesday City Council budget workshop."
"Attorney general signals shift in marijuana
policy" reports
Devlin Barrett, Associated Press Writer.
"Attorney General Eric Holder signaled a change on medical
marijuana policy Wednesday, saying federal agents will target
marijuana distributors only when they violate both federal and
state law.
That would be a departure from the Bush administration, which
targeted medical marijuana dispensaries in California even if
they complied with that state's law."
"Has it come to jail time to wipe out graffiti?" asks Nevius at sfgate.com.
"Like the city of San Francisco, North Beach resident Micki
Jones is fighting a losing battle against graffiti.
'I paint it over and it is usually tagged again in 48 hours,'
said Jones, who covers up graffiti on her home and other buildings
on her block. 'It used to be weeks, but now those guys are out
there every night.'
When it comes to symbolic
statements about a city, nothing speaks louder than the painted
scrawls on walls. They say a neighborhood is either unwilling,
or unable, to stop vandalism. Graffiti infuriates homeowners,
degrades streets and undercuts civil pride."
"Ruhl's 'In the Next Room' Headed to Broadway"
writes Dave Itzkoff at
artbeatnytimes.com.
"The dearth of blush-inducing
signage around Times Square will soon be rectified when the Sarah
Ruhl play 'In the Next Room (or the vibrator play)' comes to Broadway
in the fall. Lincoln Center Theater announced that it would present
Ms. Ruhl's play, about a group of women in a New York spa town
in the late 1800s, at a Shubert Theater to be announced. Les Waters,
who directed the play at the Berkeley Repertory Theater in California
will also direct the Broadway production."
"Brentano String Quartet/Peter Serkin,
First Congregational Church, Berkeley, California" is a review by our Allan Ulrich in the Financial
Times.
"The steadfast American serialist Charles Wuorinen may never
inspire outpourings of affection from audiences or critics primed
to embrace the latest new thing, but respect has a way of engendering
something close to affection. In their current tour, the sleek
Brentanos and their illustrious keyboard collaborator are proselytising
for Wuorinen's Piano Quintet No. 2, and the work's West Coast
premiere suggested that the composer has found a way to indulge
the ear without abandoning artistic first principles."
"Alice Waters' 'Slow Food' Pitch Goes National" is a story at msnbc.com.
"Alice Waters, founder of Berkeley's famed Chez Panisse
restaurant, appeared last night on 60 Minutes with Leslie Stahl
to discuss her devotion to 'slow food.'
The 'slow food' movement
is presented as an alternative to the fast food culture that dominates
in America."
"A week of dining deals" are recommendations by the Chronicle's
Tara Duggan.
"Even without a recession, this is the time of year when
restaurant business slows, either because of tax time or end-of-winter
blues. Of course, this year things are especially ugly, and restaurants
are pulling out all the stops to bring in more diners.
If you're feeling the need for a little indulgence without paying
full price, almost any restaurant you can think of is offering
a promotion, including half price on wine, fixed-price meals and
happy hours.
While some deals are offered
just one night a week, more and more are becoming available nightly,
even on Saturdays.
We've gathered together ideas
for a week's worth of discounted cocktails, wine and chef-designed
menus, most of which will be in effect through the next month
or two."
"GoodGuide: the online database for product-specific
information" reports
Manjinder Singh at topnews.
Ever since its launch at the TechCrunch50 conference in September,
GoodGuide, the online database for product-specific information,
has become fairly popular. The Berkeley, California-based company,
which raised $3.73 million in its first funding round, gives a
clear picture to the users as to whether a particular product
is healthy, environmentally-friendly and ethical."
"Bay Area students turn Hindu festival
of colors 'green' "
is by Matt O'Brien of Contra Costa Times.
"The Hindu festival of Holi is always a vibrant celebration
of colors, but the college students who celebrated it in Berkeley
last year never intended to paint Strawberry Creek a fruit-punch
hue.
Tim Pine was leading a nature
restoration group last March along the banks of the much-loved
waterway that courses through the UC Berkeley campus when a volunteer
noticed something odd.
'One of the students looked
over and said, "Hey, the creek is turning orange," '
said Pine, whose job is to enforce environmental rules on campus.
That was last year. On Sunday,
hundreds of students once again crowded Lower Sproul Plaza in
a raucous, joyful Holi celebration that left their clothes, hair
and skin drenched in vivid colors."
"Balinese Paintings and Chinese Papercuts
at the Giorgi Gallery"
is a review by Dorothy Bryant Special to the Planet.
"Joe Fischer took his bachelor's in American Colonial History
in the early 1950s, and was leaning toward Middle Eastern Studies
for his master's. Then a combination of circumstances nudged him
toward Indonesian studies. Once he had seen Bali, he was hooked.
From 1956 until 2004, he made frequent visits to Bali, studying
Balinese history and mythology and collecting Balinese textiles,
embroideries, and paintings. He has written six books, including
Folk Art of Java and Folk Art of Bali (both from Oxford University
Press) and, most recently, Story Cloths of Bali (Ten Speed Press,
2006)."
"Gradual rise in California
gasoline prices expected" is a report by Mark Glover at sacbee.com.
"Keeping up with crude oil prices these days is like watching
a Red Bull-addicted jack rabbit.
The daily up-and-down gyrations
have prompted widely varying predictions about future gas prices
from exasperated energy analysts.
However, the middle ground
of expert opinion is comparatively stable: Northern Californians
can expect a gradual rise in gas prices this spring and summer,
but nothing like the quick blast that sent the price of unleaded
regular past $4.50 a gallon last year."
"California utility prepares for surge
in plug-in electric cars"
writes Chris Woodyard, USA Today.
"Automakers envision
electric cars as a solution to gas price jumps. Environmentalists
see bluer skies. And electric utilities? They could be the biggest
winners of all.
Electric cars use lots of
juice and are typically plugged in to recharge at night when utilities
have excess power-generating capacity. That's great for power
companies."
Kubik emails a link to the
best information on our economy he's read--a book review at nybooks.com.
"How We Were Ruined & What We Can Do" is a review by Jeff Madrick of
"The Trillion Dollar
Meltdown: Easy Money, High Rollers, and the Great Credit Crash"
by Charles R. Morris
"Some prominent figures in the financial markets insist that
unchecked opportunism by financiers was not a root cause of the
current credit crisis. Robert Rubin, the former Treasury secretary
who has just resigned as a high-level adviser and director at
Citigroup, told The Wall Street Journal in November that the near
collapse of Citigroup, which was bailed out by the federal government,
was caused by the 'buckling' financial system, and not any mistakes
made at his company. 'No one anticipated this,' said Rubin, who
once ran the investment firm Goldman Sachs. Others such as Harvey
Golub, former chairman of American Express, maintain that the
fault lies principally with the federal government, which since
the 1990s and even earlier has been actively promoting mortgages
for low-income Americans. This, he argues, led to the unsustainable
frenzy of sub-prime mortgages in the 2000s.
Charles Morris's informed
and unusual book, The Trillion Dollar Meltdown, provides a decisive
rebuttal to all such excuse-making and blame of 'government.'
Morris makes it clear that it was an unquenchable thirst for easy
profits that led commercial and investment banks in the US and
around the world-as well as hedge funds, insurance companies,
private equity firms, and other financial institutions-to take
unjustifiable risks for their own gain, and in so doing jeopardize
the future of the nation's credit system and now the economy itself.
In fact, government-sponsored entities, Fannie Mae and Freddie
Mac, did have a part in the crisis, but not because they were
principally trying to help the poor buy homes. Rather, they were
also trying to maximize their profits and justify large salaries
and bonuses for their executives. They had been made into publicly
traded companies in 1989'
It would be wrong to conclude,
however, that the new investment vehicles and intricate strategies
for 'securitization" that developed in the last thirty years
had no value. Beginning in the late 1970s' the practice of packaging
mortgages together and marketing them as so-called 'collateralized
debt obligations" was initially designed with the sensible
aim of spreading the risk of making loans, particularly residential
mortgages, by selling them to many kinds of investors throughout
the US and eventually around the world. If many parties share
the risk, this lowers the cost of borrowing and enables more people
to buy homes and businesses to invest more in research, plants,
and equipment."
3/23/09
"California feast for Persian New Year" is a story by Samin Nosrat, Special to The
Chronicle.
"From saffron-scented rice to rosewater-laden desserts, the
culinary aromas of Nowruz, the 13-day Persian New Year celebration
that began on Friday, evoke distinctive memories for members of
the Bay Area's Iranian
'Back in Iran,' recalls Yalda
Modabber, an East Bay educator, Nowruz was a 'holiday that caused
sensory overload.'
Though the circumstances
of the celebration may have changed, the foods of Nowruz still
recall age-old traditions. Standing at her ceremonial 'seven S'
table, Berkeley resident Arezoo Fakouri says the floral perfume
of samanu, or wheat germ pudding, transports her 30 years and
half a world away, back to her childhood, 'when I would steal
a secret spoonful from the table when nobody was looking.' "
our Tak emails--here are
excerpts
Ron,
You're the closest we have around here to being the historical
memory of this area.
While I was chatting on line on a food group, a question came
up regarding the arson fire that destroyed the Cocolat Chocolate
Company's manufacturing facility at Ninth Street and Parker on
or about November 20, 1991. . . . Cocolat went under soon thereafter.
Was this crime ever solved? Do you happen to know if there were
any arrests or prosecutions? . . .
Tak Nakamoto
Much gossip, speculation,
and conjecture surrounded the fire at the time. Best, . . . just
remembered as an unfortunate fire.
our Angela emails--here are
excerpts
Morning,
Scaffolding is up and the Youth at Hope mural arts project begins
sketching out and painting the beautiful wall next week. Real
exciting!
The mural is going up on Mi Tierra Foods Market Addison St. side.
Collaborative of folks have pulled this together, Berkeley City
College, BAHIA,Inc, Rosa Parks Neighborhood Association, Rosa
PARKS Collaborative, Chamber of Commerce, UC Berkeley with the
support of City. . . .
The project is working w/West Berkeley neighborhood youth and
young adults with city college young adults (some of the same
neighborhood youth) and others as way of beautifying neighborhood,
grafitti prevention, youth development and more.
Project youth have been working hard since Fall honing skills,
researching and developing design with community input. . . .
We invite neighbors and all to stop by, meet project youth and
check out the project. Mural is expected to be completing and
unveiling to occur during International Food Festival event..
Work occurs Tues/Thurs afternoons - 3:30 - 6 pm and Saturdays.
. . . Let me know if you have any questions
A.
"San Pablo program dramatically cuts graffiti"
is a story by Karl Fischer,
West County Times.
"Squirrels chatter from
sun-dappled pines above Wildcat Creek, adding color and motion
to the shady spots below on a quiet weekday morning in Davis Park.
They do so by scampering
down tree trunks festooned with gang symbols and largely illegible
nicknames etched in primary colors, and scurrying across paved
paths even more coated with urban collage into bushes beside playgrounds
where young patrons can't help but know to whom this neighborhood
belongs - it's written on nearly every available surface."
"Berkeley Chamber of Commerce Dismisses
CEO" is a report
by Riya Bhattacharjee of our Planet.
"The Berkeley Chamber
of Commerce has removed CEO Ted Garrett from office and is seeking
a new candidate for the position, chamber officials said Friday.
Jonathan DeYoe, chairman
of the chamber's board of directors and head of DeYoe Wealth Management
in Berkeley, did not provide any specifics about Garrett's dismissal
except to say that 'he was let go.' "
"Berkeley Unified School District Chooses
Certica Solutions to Ease State Reporting" is a story at au.sys-con.com.
"Certica Solutions
today announced that Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) has
chosen Certica's K-12 data certification software to help ease
the costs, complexity and stress associated with validating and
reconciling school, student and teacher data required by the California
Department of Education (CDE) for submission several times each
school year.
Certica's software, called
Certify™, provides daily, personalized, web-based data certification
scorecards to district personnel such as principals, program directors
and school data clerks, so they can easily review, research and
correct data errors on year-round basis. Providing this web-based
data certification capability is enabling BUSD and other California
school districts to significantly shorten the time it takes to
identify and resolve data problems that can cause erroneous reporting
to CDE."
"Berkeley: Hybrid capital of California" is a report at latimes.com.
"A decade after the
first hybrids hit America's streets, a pretty tired stereotype
about typical hybrid drivers has emerged: they are young, educated,
upper-middle class, live in cities on the coast, vote Democrat
and adorn their Toyota Prius with Wiccan and Earth Mother bumper
stickers."
"Judge delays UC's computer research center" reports Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer.
"A federal judge has at least temporarily blocked the University
of California's plans for a $113 million computer research center
in the hills above the Berkeley campus, a victory for a local
group that says the project would damage the environment."
"California tightens
building code to prevent leaking" is a short report at
NRCA SmartBrief from our Planet.
"California's new building
code, adopted in 2008, includes several changes designed to prevent
leaks and accumulated moisture in buildings, writes building inspector
Matt Cantor in the Berkeley Daily Planet. For example, the code
requires that city inspectors check flashings, which prevent water
from passing into a structure's angles or joints. Under the new
code, damp-proofing is a must, and using span tables to help choose
the right size lumber for rafters is easier. Berkeley Daily
Planet. . . "
"2 corporate credit unions taken over by
government" is by
Marcy Gordon, AP Business Writer.
"Federal regulators on Friday seized control of two large
institutions that provide wholesale financing for U.S. credit
unions, a move they say was needed to stabilize the credit union
system.
The National Credit Union Administration said it has taken over
and put into conservatorship the two corporate credit unions,
U.S. Central Federal Credit Union, based in Lenexa, Kan., and
Western Corporate Federal Credit Union, in San Dimas, Calif. U.S.
Central has about $34 billion in assets while Western Corporate,
known as WesCorp, has an estimated $23 billion in assets.
A conservatorship enables
the government to operate a financial institution. Corporate credit
unions provide financing and investment services to the much larger
population of retail credit unions. Some of the 28 corporate credit
unions in the U.S. have sustained steep losses on paper from the
depressed value of the mortgage-linked securities they hold."
And "Calif. man charged
with $40 million Ponzi scheme" is a story by Don Thompson,
Associated Press Writer.
"Federal prosecutors unsealed a complaint Friday charging
the president of a suburban Sacramento company with running a
$40 million investment scam that bilked about 150 investors, many
of whom he met through his Mormon church."
"How to 'reboot' your American dream--Effective
plans for the future require at least two perspectives" a story by Kathleen Connell of the Christian
Science Monitor.
Many American families are
forging a new frugal lifestyle, shopping in second-hand stores,
using coupons, and sharing housing. Concerns regarding job security,
retirement shortfalls, and weak investment
returns have left many feeling threatened that the American dream
is no longer achievable.
As Americans 'reboot' their
dreams and reset financial priorities, it is important to adopt
the attitudes and practices of both accountants and economists.
Accountants base their projections of future revenues on actual
income and earnings, while economists devise forecasts based upon
sophisticated modeling tools and 'what if' scenarios.
Wearing these two hats can
help you to better evaluate your capital foundation: human capital
(ability to earn income), financial capital (return on investments),
and emotional capital (capacity to handle risk)."
"3
Oakland cops killed in 2 related incidents" is a report
by Jaxon Van Derbeken, Demian Bulwa,Carolyn Jones, Chronicle
Staff Writers.
"Three Oakland police
officers were shot and killed Saturday in a pair of related incidents,
a fourth was
critically wounded, and the suspect in the shootings was killed
by a SWAT team officer, who was also wounded in the attack, law
enforcement sources told The Chronicle.
Two of the officers were
gunned down about 1:15 p.m. after they pulled over a car in the
7400 block of MacArthur Boulevard, not far from the Eastmont Town
Center.
About two hours later, two
SWAT officers were shot when their team went after the suspect,
who had hidden in an apartment building on 74th Avenue near Hillside
Street, according to the two sources, who
are close to the investigation but not authorized to speak publicly
about it.
Three officers died in the
attacks, and one was on life support late Saturday."
3/24/09
"Parolee stood over stricken police officers
and fired again"
is a story by Harry Harris at contrcostatimes.com.
"Lovelle Mixon, 27,
a parolee on the run, already had shot Oakland police Sgts. Mark
Dunakin, 40, and John Hege, 41. Then, as the two men lay on the
ground, Mixon stood over them and fired again."
"An Infamous Legend
is Born and a Community is Under Siege:Fallout
from the Oakland police killings will be cosmic"
is a New America Media "commentary"
by Kevin Weston.
"This is how infamous
legends are born, repressive laws are passed and communities are
occupied and terrorized.
Lovelle Mixon the suspected
shooter behind the deaths of four Oakland police officers on Saturday
has joined the pantheon of black men who have conducted
deadly "rebellions," though the parolee was 26 and living
in the 21st century in Oakland, Calif.
Moving forward, you'll have
to mention his name with Denmark Vesey, Nat Turner, Huey Newton,
Jonathan Jackson and Larry Davis. Depending on your politics,
all of these men are cold-blooded murderers or
heroes in the human rights struggle for black people in America.
We don't know yet what Mixon's "politics" were, whether
there was some calculated consciousness that could be articulated
behind his heinous actions. It doesn't matter. One thing is clear,
all of these men's actions led to decisive reactions by government
to "squash the
community" responsible for producing them.
Mixon was killed after he
shot five officers the fifth was grazed in the head by a
bullet from Mixon's assault rifle, according to reports
but it is the African American community of Oakland, particularly
young black males, that will have to live with the inevitable
political and social backlash that accompanies "open armed
rebellion" against the powers that be that result in police
officers getting killed."
quotation marks mine
"West Berkeley Zoning Back Before Planners" reports the Planet's Richard Brenneman.
"The push to change West Berkeley zoning rules is back before
the Planning Commission Wednesday night.
The session, which begins
at 7 p.m., will focus on changes in the city's master use permit
process which developers say are needed to offer the kind of flexibility
needed by growing companies."
My notice of this week's
meeting got hung up on my server--too big to deliver. So I never
really got to read it . . . but it started me thinking, often
dangerous.
It seems under the leadership
of our Planning Department, west-Berkeley's future is being hammered
out by "stakeholder" business people, many of whom,
in this climate, are having a hard time managing their own businesses,
by "stakeholder" builders who, in these times, cannot
even get loans to build, and by city planners whose information-base
is in these drifting times as firm as desert sand.
In fact, things are changing
so fast that yesterdays-news is not only that, but its information
is often today's ancient history.
I was told some time ago
by a well-known builder that property here was so expensive here
that "the math" only worked for high-end lab development.
But just what is property
now worth here in west-Berkeley?
Since property value determines
property use--I paraphrase Don Yost and Karl Marx. And since property
value is determined at-and-by sale and really now there are no
sales, value cannot now be known.
But this bio-tech-development-concept
is based on land values of over a year ago and since then real
estate is thought to have lost 20 to 40 percent of its value--depending
on what and where.
Does all this mean that the
re-Activists are/were visionary and that property value has fallen
back to a level where its best use is counter-culture-arts-and-craft
at cheap rent?
Geez, . . . I think I'll
take another hit.
"Bending the track for good food. The Obama
administration is generating hope - and highly placed allies -
in the movement to reform how and what Americans eat" is a report at taipeitimes.com.
"As tens of thousands
of people recently strolled among booths of the US' largest organic
and natural foods shows in Anaheim, California, munching on fair-trade
chocolate and sipping organic wine, a few dozen pioneers of the
industry sneaked off to an out-of-the-way conference room.
Although unit sales of organic
food have leveled off and even declined against a year earlier,
the mood among those crowded into the conference room was upbeat
as they awaited a private screening of a documentary called Food,
Inc. - a withering critique of agribusiness and industrially produced
food. . . . For instance, celebrity chef Alice Waters recommends
that the federal government triple its budget for school lunches
to provide youngsters with healthier food. And author Michael
Pollan has called on President Obama to pursue a 'reform of the
entire food system' by focusing on a Pollan priority: diversified,
regional food networks."
"Berkeley tops College TV Awards. UC school
wins four prizes" is
a story at variety.com.
"The University of California,
Berkeley, led the pack at this year's College Television Awards,
scoring four honors.
The Academy of TV Arts and
Sciences held the 30th annual kudofest on Saturday at the Culver
Studios. "Dancing with the Stars" emcee Tom Bergeron
hosted the event.
Beyond Berkeley, UCLA landed
three awards, while Northwestern, BYU and the American Film Institute
took two apiece."
"Bee habitats proposed for Berkeley parks" reports Carolyn
Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer.
"If you thought Berkeley
was buzzing with eco-activity before, just wait until Tuesday.
The City Council is poised
to transform all the city's parks and open spaces into habitats
for bees. If the council approves the resolution, all future landscaping
would be "pollinator-friendly" flowering native plants
intended to attract bees, bats, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds,
beetles and flies."
3/27/09
"Outpouring of support for Oakland police" is a bitter-sweet story by Meredith May, Chronicle
Staff Writer.
"When awful, unexplainable
things happen, sometimes the best thing is a warm meal served
by a friend who has been there before.
That's why Oakland firefighters
loaded up on hamburger and tri-tip steak and took over the kitchen
at the Oakland Police Officers Association, to serve comfort food
to a force reeling from the slaying of four of its officers last
weekend.
Firefighters lit the grill
and worked the room, offering round-the-clock meals and conversation
since Monday morning.
"Slain Oakland officer's organs save four
men" reports Henry
K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer.
"Even in death, Oakland
police Officer John Hege has saved four lives.
Hege, who was among four
officers killed Saturday by a gunman in East Oakland, has given
renewed hope to four men. One now has Hege's heart beating inside
him. Two others have his kidneys and a fourth has the 41-year-old
officer's liver."
"A fifth suspect in a Berkeley hills home-invasion
robbery and torture case from February turned himself in to Richmond
police last week, Berkeley police spokesman Andrew Frankel confirmed
today" is from a
story at berkeleydailyplanet.com.
"Berkeley issues ultimatum on eyesore news
racks" is a report
by Charles Burress, Chronicle Staff Writer.
"Threatening heavy fines,
the City of Berkeley convened a meeting with newspaper representatives
Monday to find a solution for hundreds of news racks that have
become eyesores or public dangers.
The sometimes heated discussion
at City Hall was marked by both sides stressing their financial
inability to deal with widespread graffiti, vandalism and use
of racks as trash containers and lockers for homeless people.
It ended somewhat amicably
with Deputy City Manager Christine Daniel thanking the 11 publishing
industry representatives at the meeting for their suggestions
and promising to try to find alternatives to enforcement by fines,
including violation notices by e-mail and enlisting the city's
business associations to help notify the city and newspapers of
problem racks.
'This is a solution-oriented
process,' Daniel said afterward."
Here in Potter Creek, one
of our building mangers just called all the papers and told them
to come get their boxes because they were being vandalized regularly
and were a problem. To a paper, they came and picked them up.
a couples' house-trailer
burnt to the ground early Tuesday morning on Folger just behind
Urban Ore
out of the photo are the
couple sitting on the curb drinking coffee from a paper cup
There were two police actions
in Potter Creek yesterday, a traffic stop and search in late afternoon
on 8th between Pardee and Grayson and the questioning of a person-of-interest
just after 6 PM on the corner of 9th and Pardee.
A vehicle was broken into
on Pardee between 9th and 10th yesterday.
"Biotech not filling property void" is a story by George Avalos in our Times.
"Biotech and medical
companies are supposed to be jewels of the Bay Area economy, but the
economic malaise has tarnished the luster of those cutting edge
industries, according to a new report.
Life science companies have
scaled back their appetite to expand, or have even retrenched.
A sluggish economy has combined with industry mergers
such as Roche's proposed takeover of Genentech to produce a
lot of uncertainties that loom over the industry.
The result:Vacancy rates
have jumped for bioscience buildings, according to the report
from Oakland-based market researcher Foresight Analytics
LLC. These buildings are a commercial real estate subset of
properties that have research, laboratory, clean rooms,
offices or other facilities geared towards the biotech
and medical devices industries."
now how 'bout dat?
"The Great Recession" is a report at money.cnn.com.
"Economists generally
agree this is the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression,
but they say despite pain, another depression isn't likely.
Is this the worst economy
since the Great Depression? And what are the chances of the economy
falling into another depression?
The answer to the first question
is fairly clear. In most ways that matter to economists and average
Americans, this is the worst economic crisis since the Depression.
The answer to the second
question is not as clear. While the National Bureau of Economic
Research officially declares the beginning and end of recessions,
nobody does that for depressions."
Mel Sharpe emails
We have made it back to Berkeley,
our hometown, and look who we have with us---Lady Mem'fis!
The entire and original Big Money in Gumbo Band at Anna's Jazz
Island this Saturday March 28.
It a pre April Fools Day Celebration. Bring Whoopie or a Whoppie
Cushion. We know how to have fun.
http://www.annasjazzisland.com/calendar.html
Don't look at the trombones,
it only encourages them---Richard Strauss
3/28/09
from a Scrambled Eggs &
Lox in 2005
Attacks on Guardians are
worrisome
"A convicted felon shot
and wounded a Berkeley police officer early Tuesday during a foot
chase in West Berkeley, authorities said. The gunman shot Officer
Darren Kacalek, 29, once in the chest. The bullet pierced Kacalek's
badge, but his bullet-resistant vest protected him from major
injuries, authorities said. Kacalek, a three-year veteran of the
department, remained in fair condition Tuesday at Highland Hospital
in Oakland " reports Henry K Lee in "Felon shoots, wounds
officer during chase."
We wish Officer Kacalek a
speedy and full recovery
Uncle Don -- An Appreciation
In a time when tall men were
5'10" my Uncle Don was over six-feet. My Mom's oldest brother,
Uncle Don was a Milwaukee policeman. But not just any policeman,
he was a member of the Mounted Patrol--horse mounted police used
downtown for traffic control. (Uncle Don had learned how to handle
horses working for my Grandpa delivering ice and coal in horse-drawn
wagons.)
But that evening during the
Christmas rush, when my Mom took me shopping with her at Gimbel's,
I didn't know that he was in the Mounted Patrol. Gimbel's was
on the busiest corner Downtown, and that night, a corner so filled
with people that as a small boy all I could see were shoes, legs,
pants, and skirts. My Mom pulled me through the crowd as we crossed
the street, and as we reached the opposite curb, a dark figure
appeared towering above not only those shoes, legs, pants, and
skirts, but above all the people they belonged to. In a huge Great
Coat, there was a man who seemed to be a policeman sitting atop
a big brown horse. I stood there in awe. We stopped at the side
of the horse and its rider, and my Mom asked "Do you know
who this is"? Looking up not at all sure, I struggled for
an answer. Uncle Don was big and was a policeman. Yet at first,
no matter how hard I looked, all I saw was the big coat and the
dark horse. But slowly the face above the coat became familiar.
"It's Uncle Don" I said with some relief. I don't remember
if he said hello, but I know he said that it was all right to
touch his horse. After he and my Mom talked a little, we left
--a lot of other kids, moms and dads wanted to pet his horse,
too.
Uncle Don moved to California
some years later and I didn't see him for a long time. Then, one
Summer afternoon as my cousin MaryAnn and I were sitting on our
front steps, a tall man in a raincoat came up to the front of
our house and asked. "Do you know who I am?" "You're
my Uncle Don" I said.
Some power-blocks were out
Wednesday night here in Potter Creek--for about 20 minutes around
9PM.
Saturday morning in Potter Creek
finds last night's dumping
in front of Kruse
&
this morning in Albany
finds the their Little League
Parade moving down Solano Ave
"UC police chief to step down by July 31" reports Matt Krupnick at mercurynews.com.
"UC Berkeley Police
Chief Victoria Harrison will step down by July 31, two years after
she retired and was immediately rehired."
"Pollan hopes for star
farmers, more local food" is by Katherine Harmon
at sciam.com.
"Bestselling food author
and backyard naturalist Michael Pollan says that for the first
time in decades, farms in the U.S. are on the rise. Since the
1940s, the number of farms across the country has been in steady
decline, as ag giants gobble up acres, and family farms struggle
to compete in a global market. But according to the U.S. Department
of Agriculture's (USDA) most recent census, released last month,
more than 75,000 farms popped up between 2002 and 2007-an increase
of 4 percent.
The growth comes despite
the 39 percent increase in production costs between 2002 and 2007.
The biggest hike was in money spent on gasoline and fuel, which
surged 93 percent to $6.7 billion a year. Funds spent on fertilizer
grew to $9.8 billion, a jump of 86 percent. In his writing and
public appearances, Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and
a journalism professor at University of California, Berkeley,
has extolled the virtues of foods that are raised outside of the
industrial-agricultural system."
"Food Conscious: Locally grown heirloom
brown rice gains respect"
is a story by Tara Duggan, Chronicle Staff Writer.
"Brown rice has long
been a symbol for all that was too earnest and fibrous about 1960s-era
health food, but now that everyone from Frito Lay to restaurant
chefs has embraced whole grains, its image is changing.
By focusing on organic and
specialty brown rice, several family-owned, multigenerational
farms are offering products that have no relation to the clumpy
stuff of the past. And by selling direct to customers at farmers'
markets or milling to order, these growers can also better control
freshness, which makes the rice even more appealing."
"Nanyang Technological
University and University of California, Berkeley pursue research
alliance Collaboration to focus on synthetic biology, stem cells
and energy efficiency" is a report at eurekalert.org.
"UC Berkeley and Nanyang
Technological University (NTU), Singapore, aims to achieve new
peaks in research excellence through collaboration in three research
areas which are of significance globally - synthetic biology,
stem cells and energy efficiency."
"Secret Libraries of San Francisco" are some revelations by Ms Dinkelspeil at sfgate.com.
"Tucked away behind
massive doors, in granite buildings around town, lie some of San
Francisco's most spectacular spots.
They are the libraries of
the city's private clubs, institutions founded in the 19th century
to foster camaraderie and fellowship. Some of these clubs are
well-known, like the Bohemian Club, which was started in 1872
as a retreat for journalists. Today it is best known for its 2,700-acre
retreat studded with redwood trees in Sonoma County where powerful
men, like former president George Bush, Henry Kissinger, and George
Schultz mingle with influential businessmen."
"Geithner's Plan Springs Eternal Hope" is some commentary at thejakartaglobe.com.
'In these uncertain times,
you take your certitude where you find it.
Academic economists and commentators
spent all weekend griping about the emerging details of the Obama
administration's latest attempt to mount a bank bailout.
Then US Treasury Secretary
Timothy Geithner unveiled the plan on Monday, and the stock market
delivered a decisive thumbs-up. Wall Street was signaling that
Geithner's imperfect plan bears a quality that has been lacking
in the government's rescue efforts. Simply put: With every other
option being worse, this is the way to go.
The program aims to set up
an auction process, financed heavily with taxpayer funds, to establish
a market price for the mortgage pools and other troubled assets
clogging the banks' balance sheets.
Taxpayers and professional
money managers will share in any profits from the investments.
The idea is to use public funds to turbocharge the potential gain
for investors to entice them to participate.
The plan looks like the best
hope yet for creating a viable market for the toxic mortgage-based
investments on the balance sheets of banks.
Investors won't bid for the
assets at a price anywhere near what the banks think they're really
worth, and the banks won't offer them for sale at a price that
the investors believe will compensate them for the risk of a loss.
One reason the two sides
are so far apart is the investors can't raise debt financing for
their bids - which by raising their risk in the venture pushes
their bids lower. Under the new proposal, the government provides
the debt financing. That makes it, once again, the lender of first
resort, last resort and every resort in between.
The plan looks like the best
hope yet for creating a viable market for the toxic investments
The plan turns the government
into 'the world's largest hedge fund investor,' said J. Bradford
DeLong, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley.
DeLong, one of the plan's more outspoken supporters in academia,
said this could be a savvy investment for the taxpayer."
"Just How Expensive Is Tesla's Electric
Sedan?" asks Claire
Cain Miller at nytimes.com.
"Tesla Motors unveiled
its second all-electric car Thursday in Los Angeles, the Model
S sedan. It is sleek, sporty and sexy.
It is also affordable, at
least according to Elon Musk, Tesla's chief executive. At $57,400
($49,900 after tax credits), it is half the price of Tesla's $109,000
Roadster - but more expensive than the average sedan.
This is a problem electric
carmakers will continue to face until lithium-ion batteries become
better, smaller and cheaper."
A link from Bob Kubik, "After
capitalism" is a loooooong essay by Geoff Mulgan
in Prospect Magazine.
"The era of transition
that we are entering will be disruptive-but it may bring a world
where markets are servants, not masters
The US banking system faces
losses of over $3,000bn. Japan is in a depression. China is headed
for zero growth. Some still hope that urgent surgery can restore
the status quo. But more feel that we are at one of those rare
points of inflection when nothing is the same again."
3/29/09
"More than 20,000 honor slain Oakland police" report Henry K. Lee, Carolyn
Jones, Steve Rubenstein, Chronicle Staff Writers.
"In an emotional farewell,
more than 20,000 grateful citizens and law-enforcement officials
from across the country gathered Friday to honor the lives of
four Oakland police officers who were shot and killed in the single
deadliest day in department history."
our Angela emails a notice
about the First Aid class
in Spanish
"Program fosters theater by and for teenagers
" is a story by
Doug Oakley at cctimes.com.
"Two teenage actors
practice a scene in which a young woman stomps off after a heated
discussion with a boy. She
flips her hair. She vows to become a model or an actress in Las
Vegas. The other young actors
assembled on the set at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre are impressed.
They applaud.
But the director injects
a dose of reality.
'Good as that was, stick
to the script, my God stick to the script,' says 16-year-old director
Casey Hudak, with a flourish. 'I
know,' says hair-flipper Gareth Tidball, giggling a bit. 'Sometimes
I just can't help myself.' The
play is 'El Centro Basco,' written by 16-year-old Scott White
of Berkeley."
"Looney's Smokehouse" is a review by Lynne Char Bennett
at sfgate.com.
"Eating at Looney's
Smokehouse is kind of like going to your neighbor's house for
a backyard barbecue and potluck. Looney's come-as-you-are atmosphere
and generous, reasonably priced portions and selection of brews
are draws.'
"West
Berkeley Skyline Could Sprout If Planning Staff Proposal is Approved"
is a report by Richard Brenneman of our Planet.
Need help with your Mac computer?
Email my IT Guy .
He's real good and real reasonable. He's worked on my Macs for
years.
Potter Creek
through an Elder's eye
"Let's Give Alice Waters a Break" opines Victoria Namkung at huffingtonpost.com.
Alice Waters has been taking
a lot of heat lately and not just in the kitchen. The pioneering
chef has been criticized for being elitist with her "organic
for all" attitude, but is there really anything wrong with
bringing talk of sustainable, local, safe and healthy food to
the table? Chefs like Anthony Bourdain, who said, "Alice
Waters annoys the living [expletive] out of me. We're all in the
middle of a recession, like we're all going to start buying expensive
organic food and running to the green market," have criticized
her in recent months."
"Green Day's 'American
Idiot' gets theatrical debut at Berkeley Rep" is a report
by Pat Craig at mercurynews.com.
"Tickets are now on
sale for five preview performances of the musical theater version
of Green Day's album 'American Idiot,' which will have its world
premiere at Berkeley Rep beginning Sept. 4.
The new musical will be directed
by Michael Mayer, director of the hit coming-of-age musical 'Spring
Awakening.' In 'American Idiot,' Mayer will collaborate with choreographer
Steven Hoggett and Green Day on the script of the musical, which
will feature tunes from the title album along with Green Day's
upcoming album, '21st Century Breakdown.'
'American Idiot' will tell
the story of working class suburbanites who go to the city and
then the Middle East in search of 'redemption in a world filled
with frustration.' The musical will feature a 19-member ensemble
along with an onstage band that will help spin tales of Jesus
of Suburbia, his pal St. Jimmy and a girl known at Whatshername,
all of whom are 'struggling to express their individuality in
a mass-media culture,' according to a Time magazine story on the
album."
Da Boz emails
The Bates Update
News From Mayor Tom Bates
March 2009
(here are excerpts)
City of Berkeley
Announces Fund for Local Filmmakers The City of Berkeley,
Wareham Development, The Saul Zaentz Company and Berkeley Convention
and Visitors Bureau have established a $100,000 Fund for Local
Independent Filmmakers The application for the first funding cycle
is available at http://www.filmberkeley.com/grants.cfm . The deadline
for grant applications is April 14, 2009. Awards will be announced
in June. In the fall, grant winners will have the opportunity
to screen their films for the community in the Zaentz Media Center
screenings rooms.
Downtown Oxford Garage Open for Business. The 99-space Oxford
Garage at the corner of Oxford and Kittredge in downtown Berkeley
is now open to the public. The parking lot had been closed since
April 2007 for construction of the David Brower Center and Oxford
Plaza.The David Brower Center will include over 24,200 square
feet of new, Class A office space and 3,200 square feet of restaurant
space. There will be a 180-seat theater, and second floor meeting
rooms. The Oxford Plaza includes approximately 8,500 square feet
of retail space. Location: Corner of Oxford and Kittredge,
with the entrance on Kittredge. Hours: Monday-Saturday 8:00
a.m. to 12:00 a.m./ Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
1st Two Homes Funded by our Berkeley FIRST Program Two Berkeley
homeowners received checks to pay for their solar systems, as
part of the City's innovative renewable energy financing mechanism,
Berkeley FIRST. Twelve states, including New York and Colorado,
and 50 California cities, including San Francisco and San Diego,
are following Berkeley's model and are closely watching how the
program unfolds.
EveryOne
Home Works to Manage and End Homelessness Cities in Alameda
County will receive $7.5 million in federal stimulus homeless
prevention dollars. To prepare, Alameda County and city
officials are gearing up to receive the funding that is dedicated
for homeless prevention, housing and services for the county.
The money will support EveryOne Home, a comprehensive plan to
expand efforts to prevent homelessness and other housing crises.
The plan, completed in 2006, aims to tackle a regional problem
with a regional solution. It has been adopted by Alameda County
and 12 other cities to get homeless people off the streets, out
of shelters and eventually into homes. With a coordinated effort,
the goal is to help manage and end homelessness through rapid
rehousing projects, subsidies, wraparound services and case management
programs. Of the $7.5 million, the City of Berkeley's will
receive $1.3 million.
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