Berkeley PD Ofc Andrew Frankel
is also a Major in the USAF Reserve
now stationed in Afghanistan,
he is Provost Marshall * of Bagram
Air Base.
Here, after a recent dinner
at Bagram with House Speaker, John Boehner.
*Chief of Police
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
4/24/11
In a story that features
our Steven Goldin, among others, Bianca Torres of the San Francisco
Business Times writes
"Berkeley hopes to retain
homegrown startups by remaking policies that have forced companies
to leave.
Berkeley has an advantage
no other East Bay city has in churning out companies in emerging
industries: the combination of the University of California, Berkeley,
and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
As Michael Caplan, the city's
economic developer director explains it, Berkeley already has
the makings of a startup hub that other cities could only dream
of replicating. Berkeley has the research institutions, educated
workforce, progressive community and attractive location.
In fact, numerous companies
and technologies are continuously sprouting. The one caveat: Once
startups are born, they tend to leave quickly after, and the main
culprit is a lack of suitable real estate.
'We have a cluster here,
so the question is how do we build on that cluster?' Caplan said.
In the past few years, local
leaders have embarked on various efforts to retain startups and
the jobs and tax revenue that go with them. The efforts include
overhauling zoning rules in West Berkeley that are keeping young
companies out of the market and forming support networks such
as the Berkeley Startup Cluster, which helps startups find space,
and the QB3 Innovation Center, a West Berkeley facility that offers
individual offices for startups with communal lab space.
The zoning update for West
Berkeley aims to change policies that protect certain uses in
commercial space such as manufacturing. The problem is that those
rules were set in place in the 1980s when local residents wanted
to encourage blue-collar jobs to stay in Berkeley, but the definition
of manufacturing has changed and many startups want to house more
than one use - office, research and development and manufacturing
- under one roof, which is not allowed.
The rules have stymied West Berkeley's evolution for far too long,
said Steve Goldin, co-founder of furniture company Swerve and
property owner in West Berkeley.
Goldin and his brother, Michael
Goldin, design and produce high-end commercial furniture in West
Berkeley and have done well, but as landlords, they have a hard
time navigating the archaic zoning rules and have had several
promising tenants leave to Silicon Valley or other parts of the
East Bay. Issues typically arise when a startup applies for a
permit to use an industrial space only to be turned down because
they want to do R&D or a record from many years ago shows
up that says the site was once used for manufacturing and therefore
can only be occupied by a manufacturer.
And the zoning rules haven't
done much to keep the inevitable from happening, Caplan said.
West Berkeley has lost about 40 percent of its manufacturing jobs
during the last 30 years.
'The zoning is so rigid,
it's not allowing for newer sectors to take over for aging companies,'
Caplan said.
Still, Berkeley and Emeryville
have a thriving community of biotechnology, clean technology and
bioscience companies. According to a recent report from Cornish
& Carey Newmark Knight Frank Commercial, the 1.45 million
square feet of bioscience and lab space in the Berkeley-Emeryville
market had a vacancy rate of 0.6 percent at the end of 2010. Surrounding
markets have more space available including all the cities in
Contra Costa County with a total of 2.58 million square feet and
a 20.3 percent vacancy and the rest of Alameda County with 4.02
million square feet and 37 percent vacancy.
'It's a location issue,'
said Bill Nork, a broker with Cornish & Carey. 'The demand
is very concentrated close to the university and the Lawrence
Berkeley lab.' Wareham Development, the top life science landlord
and a developer in the East Bay, currently has a few projects
moving through its pipeline, including a 94,000-square-foot building
at 5800 Hollis St. in Emeryville, the 205,000-square-foot EmeryStation
West Transit Center in Emeryville, and a 92,000-square-foot building
at 740 Heinz Ave. in Berkeley.
Cheryl Fragiadakis, head
of the Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Management
department for Lawrence Berkeley, said the high demand for Emeryville
and Berkeley often results from the researchers who have day jobs
at the university or lab and have startups on the side and therefore
need to be within close distance. Another factor is workforce,
since many startups target students and postdoctoral researchers.
Even going an extra 20 minutes
to Alameda to the south or Richmond to the north, where there
are hundreds of thousands of square feet available, becomes a
challenge and less attractive, Nork said.
West Berkeley is on the verge
of becoming a major employment and technology center as long as
the rest of the city recognizes the potential, Goldin said. As
is common for Berkeley, there is strong support for as well as
opposition to changing the rules in West Berkeley. Opponents are
concerned that tech companies will force rents to go up for industrial
tenants such as artists and light manufacturers.
'We have to tackle things
like how do we protect the workforce? How do we do job training?
How do we align the community benefit aspect with zoning?' Goldin
said. 'We can retain the jobs of the future just by having a little
more flexibility.' "
California Closets'
penndorf photo
29,500 square foot facility,
1716 4th Street
construction
photos
END
POST FROM THE PAST
3/3/09
Swerve's Ziggy has movie
star cousins
penndorf photo
Ziggy's creator Fanuc, also made the robots in Iron
Man
END
"Builders of New Homes Seeing No Sign of
Recovery" by David
Streitfeld at nytimes.com.
"Kim Meier's spring promotion, which includes a $17,000 credit
at a nearby General Motors dealer, has produced seven sales since
the beginning of March, a veritable windfall of business for a
builder who sold only 20 houses last year. 'We needed to do something
dramatic,' said Mr. Meier. 'The market's been soft.'
That is one way of putting
it. The recession hurt a lot of industries, but it knocked the
residential construction market to the mat and has kept it there,
even as the broader economy has started to fitfully recover.
Sales of new single-family
homes in February were down more than 80 percent from the 2005
peak, far exceeding the 28 percent drop in existing home sales.
New single-family sales are now lower than at any point since
the data was first collected in 1963, when the nation had 120
million fewer residents.
Builders and analysts say
a long-term shift in behavior seems to be under way."
"ASU's Kramer Champlin pitches shutout,
beats California"
is a story at azcentral.com.
"Kramer Champlin gave
Arizona State's bullpen needed relief after a 17-inning game Thursday,
pitching a shutout Friday as ASU beat California 5-0 at Berkeley,
Calif."
"Apartment Bldg. Residents Evacuated After
Dumpster Fire" a
report at ktvu.com.
"About 60 residents
in a Berkeley apartment building were evacuated Saturday morning
after a Dumpster caught fire underneath the four-story structure,
a Berkeley fire assistant chief said."
4/25/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
Jazz singer, Ella
Fitzgerald
was born April 25, 1917
beta records community TV gives some little insight into today's acoustic
Indie recording scene, if at times a little amateurish one--curiously
refreshing in this day of super-slick productions.
"BETA TV is a nationally
syndicated (146 U.S. cities) weekly music centric TV series filmed
and produced in the heart of Hollywood, showcasing at least 3
acoustic artist videos from newly signed and Indie bands in episode
format."
Sadly Peter
Hurney's KALX Scratchy Vinyl Show notable for Pete's quirky
programing of "good ole records" is off-the-air right
now.
Our Councilman Darryl Moore
emails
Discuss Zoning Changes to
Improve Berkeley's Economy and Attract New Businesses
The public is invited to the next Planning Commission meeting
to discuss changing zoning regulations to help local businesses
open and thrive in Berkeley.
With the rest of the region, Berkeley has experienced declining
economic activity since 2008. Some of that downturn can be ascribed
to the overall economic climate that is affecting most U.S. cities.
However, existing city regulations also make it difficult for
local businesses to open and evolve to meet the changing needs
of their customers and their neighborhood.
In response, the City Council has recommended that changes be
made to the city's zoning regulations. The public is invited to
learn more about the proposed changes and to discuss them with
city staff and the Planning Commission, who will use that feedback
to make recommendations to the City Council.
WHAT: City of Berkeley Planning Commission meeting to discuss
proposed streamlining of zoning regulations for the purpose of
improving the availability of local goods and services
Wednesday, April 27, 2011, 7 p.m, North Berkeley Senior Center,
1901 Hearst Ave.
Of our Wareham, SF Business
Times writes "QB3 houses mavericks both old and new.
East Bay incubator's first
phase opens May 15
An incubator aimed at capturing a new wave of East Bay 'mavericks'
is coming to life with the help of some old hands.
The QB3 East Bay Innovation
Center - the product of an alliance linking the University of
California's QB3 institute and veteran developer Wareham Development
- already has two signed tenants and three leases in negotiation
for the 9,300-square-foot wet lab space at Seventh and Potter
streets in West Berkeley, said Wareham President Rich Robbins.
The first phase of the center
is set to open May 15 while construction continues on a second
phase that will be unveiled by June 15, Robbins said.
In all, the center could
house 10-15 life sciences, physical sciences and cleantech companies.
It's all about creating a jumping off point for innovative startups
to grow and collaborate with new 'nd established players, Robbins
said.
'We're looking for the mavericks,'
Robbins said.
'We're not worried about filling this space,' he said. 'We don't
want people staying who should be moving on. It's not meant (for
companies) to just show up here with a rent check and do your
research in a vacuum.'
The East Bay center isn't
the largest space under QB3's growing incubator umbrella - now
four sites housing 37 active ventures - but backers hope it highlights
and congeals a cluster of international and startup life sciences
companies, for example, in West Berkeley and Emeryville.
'It will be a collaboration
of micro-companies working together,' said Chris Barlow, a partner
at Wareham.
Among the center's neighbors
are Bayer HealthCare, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Siemens
Medical Solutions Diagnostics, Amyris Inc. and the Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory as well as long-term but smaller biotech industry
players like Xoma Ltd. and Dynavax Inc.
The center will feature three
large laboratory spaces, including large equipment like fume hoods
and minus-80-degree freezers that startups often can't afford,
as well as conference rooms and a Wareham management office.
Without low-cost sites where
innovations can be translated into companies - or fail trying
- academic research institutions like the UC system lose out on
royalty and other income, Robbins said.
Leases and services at the
new Berkeley center - renovated at a seven-figure price tag to
Wareham, according to Robbins - will start at a flat rate of about
$750 per month for 150 square feet, but companies can take up
to 500 square feet. That compares favorably to QB3's 2,500-square-foot
Garage incubator on the campus of UC San Francisco and its nearly
1,000-square-foot Garage at UC Berkeley, which charge $5.50 per
month per square foot for up to 120 square feet.
Wareham traditionally has
offered small chunks of incubator-like space in most of its buildings,
Robbins said, but those can start at 2,500 square feet and cost
roughly $7,500 per month.
'These private-public micro-partnerships
can get more results than government in focused sectors,' Robbins
said.
QB3 - a research-centric
arm of UC campuses at San Francisco, Berkeley and Santa Cruz,
formally known as the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences
- also helped start what has been rechristened as the QB3 Mission
Bay Innovation Center. The average space for that site, in the
FibroGen Inc. building near UCSF's Mission Bay campus, is about
800 square feet, said QB3 associate director Douglas Crawford.
The Garages are designed to spin out research from the three UC
campuses served by QB3, but the two innovation centers are a mix
of UC-related tenants and others.
The FibroGen site of close
to 20,000 square feet is home to 26 companies, but is near capacity,
Crawford said.
'I get one to four inquiries per week from companies,' Crawford
said. 'Our problem has been an absence of space.' "
Several "peeping incidents"
have been reported at Cal dorms. A man has been looking over partitions
in dorm showers. Police believe they have a suspect in custody.
Charlie Rose conversation
with James B. Stewart is
here.
"James B. Stewart on
his book 'Tangled Webs: How American Society Is Drowning In Lies.'
"
Stewart is an American author.
"A former Page-One editor at 'The Wall Street Journal', Stewart
won a Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for his reporting on the stock market
crash and insider trading. He wrote 'Heart of a Soldier', the
best-selling 'Blind Eye' and 'Blood Sport', and the blockbuster
'Den of Thieves'. He is a regular contributor to 'SmartMoney'
and 'The New Yorker' ".
END
POSTS FROM THE
PAST
4/29/08
A favorite Ellington record
Piano in the Background.
Duke Ellington, piano and leader. Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves,
Jimmy Hamilton, Johnny Hodges, and Russell Procope, saxophones.
Willie Cook, Andres Meringuito, Eddie Mullins, Ray Nance, and
Gerald Wilson, trumpets. Lawrence Brown, Juan Tizol, "Booty"
Wood, and Britt Woodman, trombones. Aaron Bell, bass. Sam Woodyard,
drums. Columbia CS 8364 (c1961). Codes: XSM50957-1B 111
H / XSM50958-1B 11 H. 1st Label. Disq Playing Grade 96/96.
Disq Visual Grade 95/95. Inner Sleeve 95. Cover 95/94. In this,
one of the Ellington band's most growling stereo romps, the piano
is really in the foreground. (This one of my favorite Ellington
records.)
Want to feel good? Check
out Ellington
at Newport 1958.
Our Rick Ballard has a copy
at The Groove Yard. Email him, groove2@earthlink.net,
and order a copy.
END
"California may add gay history to textbooks" at oncampus.macleans.ca. "Bill
passed to require social studies lessons to cover LGBT community."
"Secretary of Homeland Security to host forum
on cyberspace at UC Berkeley"
is a report at mercurynews.com.
"Secretary of Homeland
Security Janet Napolitano is scheduled to be at the University
of California at Berkeley on Monday to host a roundtable discussion
with students. "
4/26/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
our Councilman, Darryl Moore
emails
New Libraries for
South and West Berkeley
NOW!
RALLY AT OLD CITY HALL
2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Tuesday, April 26TH AT 6PM
The City of Berkeley ha plans
to improve the South and West Branches of the Berkeley Public
Library. These plans are the result of a long and a public process.
Dozens of meetings hundreds of citizens.
A lawsuit has been filed
that threatens these improvements and undermines our public process.
We urge the plaintiff to
withdraw the suit!
We urge the city council
to move the plans forward!
New Libraries Now
2020 Kittredge St
Berkeley, CA 94704
Frequently Asked Questions about the West Branch Library and the South
Branch/Tool Lending Library are helpful in understanding our librarys'
"remodel" issues.
And our Ryan Lau, Darryl's
aid, comments "The issue at hand for the lawsuit over the
libraries is that it is maintained that the bond language for
Measure FF did not explicitly say 'demolition,' so that the Berkeley
Public Library's current plans do not comply with the what the
bond language says that the money will be used for.
The bond language says 'Shall
the City of Berkeley issue general obligation bonds not exceeding
$26,000,000 to renovate, expand, and make seismic and access improvements
at four neighborhood branch libraries, but not the Central Library,
with annual reporting by the Library Board to the City Council?'
Whether this prohibits
a technical demolition is what is being debated. The library
administration had always made it quite clear that they were leaving
the option of completely rebuilding the structures on the table.
They explored the options and it turned out that preserving the
existing buildings while trying to accommodate ADA access and
seismic upgrades would not only shrink the usable programming
space, but would also cost significantly more than rebuilding
the structure, which would be less expensive and provide much
more operational space. "
"Woman celebrates 60 years without a sick
day" is a Don Sanchez
story with video at abclocal.com.
"Elena Griffing, 85,
is a remarkable woman and is celebrating 65 years on the job.
She hasn't had a sick day since Dwight Eisenhower was inaugurated
president.
The energetic woman has been
working for Alta Bates Summit for 65 years."
END
"Butcher Dave Budworth of Fatted Calf in
S.F." is a story
by Meredith May at sfgate.com.
"I've always wondered
about bacon. The most delicious part of the pig is which part,
exactly?
The mystery drew me to Pork Happy Hour at Fatted Calf Charcuterie
in San Francisco's Hayes Valley, a new offshoot of the Napa Valley
purveyor of local, organic meats and handcrafted sausages."
"Pot wars: Private land new frontier in
California" Robert
Townsend at sfgate.com.
"A little-spoken-of
war is taking place behind California's fences and property lines:
Trespassing marijuana growers are setting booby traps, resorting
to violence and vandalism, and spoiling the land by stealing water
and spraying dangerous chemicals that leach into streams."
4/27/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
Yesterday morning at San
Francisco's Epstein, Becker and Green law firm's party, Potter
Creek's Travlin'
Joe and our Bill catered espresso, yogurt, smoothies, and
other drinks. (Bill has had some sort of catering business here
for about twenty years.) A great success at the company celebration,
Bill, and Marsha--part of the EBG support staff--also spent a
good deal of time talking about our Potter Creek.
And yesterday, a Pixar crew
filled 900's ten-top for breakfast and Noon saw David and
Margret, Marvin and guest, Suzanne, and some Leap Frog people
there for lunch. Our Joe Slusky and friend were also there.
The repaint of Margret's
house is almost finished. More than happy with her painter's work,
she recommends them highly. In fact, this is the third time she's
used them. They are Roemer Painting, Tim Roemer, owner, 510-710-1145
or troemerpainting@yahoo.com. License No. 566892.
As Provost Marshall of Bagram
Air Base, our Major Andrew Frankel has about eighty air police
under his command--a force just under one half the size of Berkeley
PD.
In the last few years Berkeley
PD, through the acquisition and judicious use of grant money,
has secured close to half million dollars of state-of-the-art
equipment including a sophisticated robot--the robot also for
possible for remote hazardous material investigation and for fire
fighting.
"Three cheers for robots at high school
competition" writes
Lance Knobel at berkeleyside.com.
"SETI suspends search for aliens" is at New Delhi India's zeenews.com.
"In a big blow to man's
quest to search for life outside earth, the Search for Extraterrestrial
Intelligence Institute (SETI) has suspended the hunt for extraterrestrial
signals owing to lack of funds.
SETI operates the Allen Telescope
Array, the field of telescopes 300 miles north of San Francisco.
It was jointly set up by SETI and University of California-Berkeley's
Radio Astronomy Lab."
It's clear from Men
in Black as well as some of Our Town's citizenry that this
program has long been obsolete. Not?
END
POST FROM THE PAST
4/26/08
"Off the cutting room
floor" writes Mike Collett-White in Russia's St. Petersburg
Times.
"A Danish choreographer has dug up a forgotten
film score by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev and turned it
into a ballet danced by Cuban star Carlos Acosta.
Kim Brandstrup, whose 'Rushes
- Fragments of a Lost Story' premiered at Covent Garden in London
on Wednesday, stumbled across an incomplete score Prokofiev wrote
for a film version of Pushkin's classic short story 'The Queen
of Spades.'
But the movie never made
it to the screen, and the music, by one of the 20th century's
greatest composers who worked both in ballet and film, had been
left to languish in a Russian archive."
END
"Napolitano Outlines DHS Response to RSA
Breach" at govinfosecurity.com.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, in a speech Monday
to engineering students at the University of California at Berkeley,
outlined efforts DHS has taken in cooperation with the private
sector after last month's breach of security maker RSA to safeguard
the nation's critical infrastructure."
"State's water resource data find home
at Cal State San Bernardino"
is a report at the San Bernardino County Press Enterprise.
"Cal State San Bernardino
will be the new home to a portion of the nationally acclaimed
Water Resources Center archives, which were previously housed
at UC Berkeley.
Founded in 1958 by the California
Legislature, the Water Resources Center archives contain historical
and contemporary materials of great value to water agencies, governmental
bodies, environmental groups, engineering firms, attorneys, historians
and researchers, including faculty and students. It consists of
about 200 archival collections, 200,000 technical reports, 1,500
specialized newsletters, 5,000 maps and videos, 2,200 serials,
25,000 land photographs, 45,000 aerial photographs of coastlines,
and digital resources in the form of CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, and
websites.
The WRCA closed last year
at Berkeley because of state budget cuts and new guardians were
sought. Cal State San Bernardino and UC Riverside developed an
innovative and collaborative plan for joint management of the
collection.
The archives will be at Cal
State San Bernardino beginning June 1."
4/29/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
Duke Ellington
born April 29,
1899
biography
here
Get your tickets for the
Kala Auction Gala on Saturday, April 30, 6:30 -9:30 pm.
Great party with music, special food & drinks by César,
and LIVE AUCTION!
Kala Gallery will be open this week from Tuesday through
Friday: 12-5:30 pm for a preview of the exhibition and bidding
on silent auction items. Don't miss this opportunity to get great
artwork and support Kala!
Annie Frantzesos
photo
An Exhibition and Auction
to benefit Kala Art Institute
Kala Art Institute Board
of Directors and Honorary Co-Chairs Senator Loni Hancock
& Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates invite you to
an exhibition of works by
a select group of contemporary artists currently working in California
culminating in a dynamic Gala Auction on April 30, 2011.
Along with original artworks
there will be unique art-related items and experiences offered
through both live and silent auctions. Fine wine and exquisite
food will be served at the Gala. Proceeds from the auction provide
direct support for Kala Art Institute's programs for artists and
the public.
Auction Gala: Saturday, April 30, 2011, 6:30 9:30 pm
Tickets:
$40/person or $75 for two in advance
$50/person or $90 for two at the door
To purchase tickets:
Online: http://kala.org/auction
By Phone: 510-841-7000
By Mail: Send a check to Kala Art Institute, 2990 San Pablo Ave.,
Berkeley, CA 94702
In Person: Kala Gallery
Kubik has some etchings up
at 900 GRAYSON.
Definitely
check them out!
Mary Kay Clunies-Ross, Public
Information Officer
City of Berkeley, City Manager's Office
emails (excerpts)
I wanted to invite you to
visit and subscribe to the City of Berkeley news page at www.CityofBerkeley.info/news.
This page has information about City events, public meetings,
web content and City services.
Subscribers to the page get notified when new information is posted,
so you can visit the page at your convenience. To protect your
privacy, web page subscriptions are handled by an independent
third party.
best,
Mary Kay
"Jess Jackson, billionaire founder of Kendall-Jackson
winery, dies at 81"
by T. Rees Shapiro, washingtonpost.com.
Jess Jackson, 81, a self-made
billionaire who built his fortune promoting California chardonnays
from his Kendall-Jackson winery, died April 21 at his home in
Geyserville, Calif. He had complications from cancer.
Mr. Jackson transformed what
began in 1974 as an 80-acre pear and walnut farm in Lake County,
Calif., into a vine-covered empire with properties in Chile, Australia,
Italy and France.
In California alone, he owned
14,000 grape-growing acres, including vineyards in Napa, Mendocino
and Sonoma counties. His company produces more than 5 million
cases of wine a year, and the Kendall-Jackson label is one of
the most popular brands in the United States.
For Mr. Jackson, who spent
35 years as a real estate lawyer in San Francisco - and before
that was a lumberjack, candymaker, grocery-bagger and police officer
- grapes served as the bedrock of his success.
According to Forbes magazine,
Mr. Jackson's wine business made him one of the 400 richest Americans,
with a net worth exceeding $1.8 billion last year.
Armed with his fortune, Mr.
Jackson became a prominent thoroughbred owner and breeder. He
was the majority owner of Horse of the Year winners Curlin and
Rachel Alexandra, both of which won the Triple Crown series Preakness
Stakes."
our Sgt Mary Kusmiss, BPD
Information Officer emails
Retired BPD Sgt. Mike Holland
who is the curator of the City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD)
Historical Unit did some research in response to a . . . rumor
regarding Jess Jackson and confirmed that Jess Stonestreet Jackson
was indeed a Berkeley Police Officer, hired on May 25, 1952 and
issued Badge #35. He resigned a few months later on September
29, 1952, citing his desire to return to UC Berkeley Law School
to finish his degree. Officer Jackson's separation letter
from BPD was filled with positive comments with respect to his
experience at the Department especially the people he worked with
and for. A notation on his letter by staff indicated that
"should he desire to return to the BPD within the afforded
time of 2 years, . . . he should be rehired."
Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss
END
"Campus diversity efforts explore stigma,
prejudice and 'white guilt' "
is a story-release by Yasmin Anwar, UC Media Relations.
"Diversity initiatives
in the workplace and on college campuses are frequently perceived
to benefit minorities over whites, according to a new study. But
at the University of California, Berkeley, some faculty members
are creating forums that encourage students to share their most
uncomfortable experiences of stigma and prejudice, including how
it feels to be privileged and/or white.
More than 200 UC Berkeley
undergraduate students as well as two dozen campus staff
members are enrolled in 'Psychology 167: Stigma and Prejudice,'
which is among 30 new or revised American Cultures courses with
an emphasis on community engagement. The classes are part of UC
Berkeley's Initiative for Equity, Inclusion and Diversity, launched
last year thanks in part to a five-year, $16 million grant from
the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund."
"A Criminal Past Makes a Job Search Even
Harder" Erica Goode
at nytimes.com.
"The eight months she spent in prison, she said, were 'the
best thing that ever happened to me,' persuading her to pursue
training in medical administration and complete coursework for
a degree in psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
At 38, she is a far different person from the confused young woman
who strayed into crime, she says."
"UC Students Tap Food Pantry" Joe Millman, wsj.com.
"University of California
senior Aura Zamora expounds eloquently on what she has learned
from James Joyce and Plato as a comparative literature major.
The 25-year-old is equally fluent when listing the challenges
she faces as one of hundreds of student-parents at Berkeley.
Ms. Zamora is raising a 4-year-old
daughter, with another child on the way, while attending classes
and applying to graduate schools to further her goal of becoming
a university instructor. All the while she is contending with
the hurdles of living on a shoestring budget."
"Campus Police Arrest Teen Suspected Of
Spying On Showering Female Students" reports foxreno.com.
"Campus police arrested
a 17-year-old suspect who allegedly spied on at least two women
in showers at University of California at Berkeley residence halls
last week, a police spokesman said.
The male teenager was arrested
after a woman reported the fifth Peeping Tom case since February
to campus police on April 18, Lt. Alex Yao said."
"Hunger strikers continue protest for a
second day" by Victoria
Pardin and Aaida Samad, Daily Cal Staff Writers.
"A group of about 12
hunger strikers with their supporters gathered for a second day
outside of California Hall to protest the consolidation of three
UC Berkeley social science departments. "
"UC Berkeley to test outreach science center
in South Vallejo"
by Jessica A. York, Times-Herald.
"A new center focused
on science education, outreach and resources will take up residence
in South Vallejo, with an opening scheduled for next week.
University of California,
Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science has chosen Vallejo as the
beneficiary of a two-year study on expanding the museum's youth
and family science programming to small satellite sites."
"Berkeley Rep's 'Onstage' gala raises record
$587,000" at starkinsider.com.
"Former San Francisco
Mayor Willie Brown was on hand and egged the crowd on when the
auctioneer announced bidders could win an exclusive dinner with
him and eight guests. . . . more than 360 people gathered to celebrate
the neighborhood playhouse with the national reputation: theatre
lovers, gourmands, and philanthropists stepped into the spotlight
at Onstage, a theatrically delicious feast held on the 43rd birthday
of the Tony Award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theatre."
"UC Berkeley team wins Deloitte case study
competition" by
Danielle Lee at accountingtoday.com.
"A team of accounting
students from the University of California, Berkeley captured
first prize last week at the Deloitte Foundation-sponsored 16th
annual National Student Case Study Seminar in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The team of undergraduates
bested five other national finalist schools in tackling a real-world
business case study to take home $2,000 scholarships for every
team member and $10,000 for the school's accounting program.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison
team placed second and received a $1,000 scholarship for each
student and $5,000 toward the school's accounting department.
Students from the University of Houston, Michigan State University,
Morehouse College and the University of Southern California also
competed in the finals, garnering $500 scholarships for team members
and $2,500 for each school."
"Napolitano on Stuxnet: Private Sector
Needs Rapid Response"
written by Jack Moore Defense & National Security, executivegov.com.
"Department of Homeland
Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told a group of University
of California, Berkeley engineering students the Stuxnet computer
worm that targeted Iranian nuclear facilities highlighted the
importance of a quick response from the private sector.
'The key thing we learned
from Stuxnet was the need for rapid response across the private
sector,' Napolitano said, according to Computerworld. 'There,
we need to increase the rapidity of response, because in that
area - as in several other recent attacks - we've seen very, very
sophisticated, very, very novel ways of attacking. When you're
getting at control systems, now you're really talking [about]
taking things over, so this is an area of deep concern for us.'
"
"India, China experience entrepreneurship
boom" Press Trust
of India at business-standard.com.
"More and more skilled
people from countries like India and China are increasingly returning
home from the US, which has led to an 'entrepreneurship boom'
in the two Asian countries, a new report said today.
The report 'The Grass is
Indeed Greener in India and China for Returnee Entrepreneurs'
of the Kauffman Foundation in association with the Duke University,
University of California-Berkeley and the Harvard University said
the current trend has come as a 'major loss' to the US.
What was once a 'brain drain' that advantaged the US economy now
is reversed, to the long-term benefit of India and China, the
report, which is based on a survey of skilled 153 Indian and 111
Chinese workers in the US who returned home, said."
"Indonesian tycoon donates $1m to U.C.
Berkeley" The
Jakarta Post, Jakarta.
"The owner of Mayapada
group and one of Indonesia's most renowned tycoons, Tahir, has
recently donated US$ 1 million to the University of California,
Berkeley.
Receiving the donation was
the university chancellor, Robert J Birgeneau.
Tahir said the donation was
expected to be used to assist Indonesian students currently studying
at Berkeley who were facing financial problems."
"Oakland Marriott City Center Offers UC Berkeley
Graduation Package"
is a press release at onlineprnews.com.
"The Oakland Marriott
City Center is offering a UC Berkeley-BART Weekend Package for
those attending the UC Berkeley Graduation on May14, 2011.
The University of California, Berkeley has become one of the most
renowned universities in the world with fourteen different colleges
and schools on the campus. This university has also been recognized
for being a catalyst of economic growth and social innovation.
By staying at the Marriott
City Center hotel, guests will be able to avoid the forewarned
parking challenges of graduation day by receiving two round-trip
BART (subway) tickets to the UC Berkeley Graduation ceremony."
"Xinet
Releases WebNative Suite XTensions to Support QuarkXPress 9"
is a press release at newswire.com.
"Xinet is a leading
developer of high-performance server software applications for
graphics and media professionals. With North American headquarters
in Berkeley, California and a European office in Munich, Xinet
has built a loyal customer base of the top advertising agencies,
retailers, printers, publishers, and corporations worldwide. "
4/30/11
MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
New in Potter Creek is the
Hydroponic
Connection. Selling hydroponics and garden supplies, they
are at 2816 San Pablo Ave.
A video of our city council's
Tuesday night meeting is here.
Our Berkeley News Page is
here with "current events" and stuff .
from Berkeley PD
"Help Needed To Find
Bike Owners
The City of Berkeley Police
Department (BPD) Property Crimes Detectives need the community's
help in returning some bicycles to their owners.
On Friday, March 18, 2011,
Detectives conducted a parole search of a suspect in the City
of Richmond. During the search, they seized stolen and suspected
stolen property including eight (8) bicycles."
more information and bike
photos here
END
"New Berkeley library fought by shadowy
group" writes
Chip Johnson at sfgate.com.
"The Concerned Library
Users is using the language in a 2008 voter-approved bond measure
as the basis for a lawsuit filed last fall to halt the city from
tearing down the south branch library on Martin Luther King Jr.
Way.
Because Measure FF, a $26
million library bond measure, makes no mention of demolition,
the group contends that none of those funds can be used to tear
down the library. Specifically, the bond was approved to renovate,
expand and make city library branches seismically safe and accessible
to people with disabilities. . . .
City officials argue that
the intent of the bond measure included replacing structures,
if necessary."
5/1/2011, here
FROM MY LOG
4/26/11--3:01 PM--SERIOUS
irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse,
dirty dry air, watery eyes, dry throat.
4/27/11--4:29 PM--VERY SERIOUS
irritant in warehouse front, burning eyes, throat.
4/28/11--7:51 AM--SERIOUS
irritant in warehouse front, dirty dry air, watery eyes, dry throat.
11:38 AM--similar.
4/29/113:28 PM--SERIOUS irritant
in warehouse front, dirty dry air, watery eyes.
eternally useful
links
Bay Area home prices from sfgate.com
Bay Area foreclosures from sfgate.com
Our City Council update is
here.
Our Planning Commision update
is here
You can find more information
about our current weather conditions than is good for you at www.wunderground.com
Want to see weather coming
in, going out, beautiful sunsets, and much, much more? Check out
http://sv.berkeley.edu/view/
This very hip site was in an email from reader and contributor,
Tony Almeida. Read Tony's Jimi Hendrix story on the only page that routinely gets
more hits than Scrambled Eggs.
Best gas prices in 94710,
as well as all of US and Canada, are here
at gasbuddy.com
Kimar finds Costco routinely
has the lowest price.
Richmond
Ramblers' motorcycle club member, Cliff Miller emails a very
useful link
If you ever need to get a
human being on the phone at a credit card company or bank, etc.,
this site tells you how to defeat their automated system and get
you to a human being within a few seconds.
http://gethuman.com/
Markets
is not just a reference for Berkeley-Hills radicals with 1.5 mil
homes and considerable portfolios.
Our City of Berkeley Boards
and Commissions page is here--redone
and friendly.
Berkeley
Police reports at insidebay area.com are here.
Our Berkeley
PD Site with crime statistics and more is here.
Crime Log for 94710 is
here
This site is NOT affiliated
with Berkeley PD.
Take time to report
crime!
All reports
of crime-in-progress should first go to Berkeley PD dispatch--911
or non-emergency, 981-5900. THEN make sure you notify EACH of
these City people.
The contacts
are below:
Our Area
Coordinator is Officer Karen Buckheit, Berkeley PD - 981-5774
kbuckheit@ci.berkeley.ca.us
AND check out BPD feature
"Who
are these Crooks."
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.