Steve Smith's

Veg-G-Wagen is a Mercedes G-Wagen diesel that can also run on waste vegetable oil

an Overland Journal photo

 

Steve's vehicle is featured in the Spring 2010 Overland Journal. More on this later!

 

 

7/20/10

John Norheim is crewing a sail boat in a here to Hawaii and back race. He called after finishing the here to Hawaii leg saying that right now they are in first place.

 

Last Wednesday, the Planning Commission accepted their staffs' West Berkeley Project report .

 

 

Local 123 is now and then showing movies, featuring music, and serving informal evening meals.

From their webpage"Our name reflects the building's history as the Painters' Local union hall from 1943-1971 but also speaks to our commitment to sourcing goods locally, supporting green businesses in the area, and fostering a greater sense of awareness and appreciation for specialty coffee and foods on West Berkeley's State Highway 123."

 

 

 

"City closes Berkeley bingo operation" is a report by Doug Oakley, Berkeley Voice.

"Disgruntled bingo players helped shut down a Berkeley parlor that raked in millions of dollars and was supposed to support a nonprofit that city officials say exists only on paper.

Two men running the Youth Actors Company bingo operation on San Pablo Avenue at Gilman Street surrendered their permit last week, said Gregory Daniel, Berkeley code enforcement supervisor.

'We shut them down,' Daniel said. 'They're gone. We were getting complaints from bingo patrons about being cheated out of winnings and the operator's family winning games.'

Daniel said a financial statement showed the operation, which also was making pay outs far in excess of the $250 city limit, brought in $5.6 million from July to December of last year.

'This is supposed to be a non profit bingo operation to support non profits,' Daniel said. 'Where did the money go? What nonprofit did you support? We found no records of any nonprofit activity.' "

 

 

 

"Zen and the art of dry cleaning" by David Morrill, Oakland Tribune.

"The moment Steven Soares, of Oakland, brought his clothes to Arlene's Cleaners here, he could sense there was something different about the place."

 

"Construction on the Plunge nearly finished" is a report at richmondconfidential.org.

"Almost two years after workers broke ground on an ambitious renovation effort at the 84-year-old Richmond Municipal Natatorium, better known as The Plunge, the giant Point Richmond swimming pool is nearly finished.'

 

 

 

"A call home to mom, then Berkeley man is fatally shot:A Berkeley High graduate is found slumped in a car near the 'Arnieville' tent city" by Angela Woodall
Oakland Tribune.

"Detectives are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred Friday afternoon near Berkeley Bowl and the "Arnieville" tent city.

A 29-year-old man was killed in the 2800 block of Milvia Street. His mother, Juanita Ruiz, identified him as Marcus Mosley Jr.

Ruiz said her son had just called her on the phone minutes before she heard that he had been shot to tell her that he was on his way to their home, which was a couple of blocks away. Ruiz said she worried about him a lot because his brother-in-law had been killed two years earlier. Ruiz said Mosley would have turned 30 on July 25.

Sgt. Mary Kusmiss said Berkeley patrol officers received a call about the shooting at 5:10 p.m. and found Mosley slumped over the wheel of a car. Medics arrived and removed him from the car."

 

 

 

"Statistician Overcame Racial Barriers" at onlinewsj.com.

"David Blackwell was a leading statistician who made contributions to game theory and once helped the U.S. Air Force calculate the probability of war.

Mr. Blackwell, who died July 8 at age 91, was doubly a pioneer because he was an African-American statistician, a rarity in academia in the 1940s and 1950s.

After earning his Ph.D. in mathematics at age 22, Mr. Blackwell was shut out of positions at the University of California, Berkeley. He landed at Howard University, where he became the tenured chairman of the Mathematics department at age 28."

 

 

 

"Oakland pot-growing plan worries small bud tenders" at google.com.

" After weathering the fear of federal prosecution and competition from drug cartels, California's medical marijuana growers see a new threat to their tenuous existence: the "Wal-Marting" of weed. . . .

Officials in Berkeley and Long Beach also are moving take the mystery out of medical marijuana production.

The Berkeley City Council last week approved a measure for the November ballot that would authorize the city to license and tax six pot cultivation sites. Companies running the facilities must agree to give away some pot to low-income users, employ organic gardening methods to the extent possible and offset in some way the large amount of electricity needed to grow weed."

 

"Blacks May Tilt Balance in Vote to Legalize Marijuana" at nytimes.com.

"'I was a pastor on crack cocaine, sir,' said Mr. Allen, who says he has been sober for 11 years and now identifies himself as the bishop of the International Faith Based Coalition, in Sacramento. 'Drugs have no religious preference.'

And while crack cocaine laid him low, Mr. Allen says his first drug of choice was marijuana. So it is that Mr. Allen and a cadre of other African-American pastors, priests and other religious leaders have bonded together in recent weeks to fight what they see as a potentially devastating blow to their communities: Proposition 19, the California ballot measure that would tax and regulate marijuana.

In doing so, Mr. Allen and his followers have opened a new, potentially crucial front in the battle over Proposition 19, pitting those afraid of more widespread use of the drug versus those who see legalization as 'an exit strategy in the war on marijuana.'

 

 

 

 

"Berkeley Declaration on IP Enforcement & Access to Medicines" is a press release at berkeley.edu.

" A coalition of public-interest groups and academic experts, meeting last week at the University of California Berkeley Law School, have issued the 'Berkeley Declaration on Intellectual Property Enforcement and Access to Medicines'. The statement calls attention to the dangers that a new international intellectual property (IP) enforcement agenda poses to access to medicines for the poor. The text of the statement is available below and through the Berkeley School of Law.

 

 

 

"Internal Affairs: Measure to outlaw divorce in California clears hurdle" by the Mercury News Staff.

"What can we say, some people are just slackers

Here are just a few of the items on U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu's to-do list: Curb climate change. Make sure billions in public funds are well spent. And, lately, supervise BP's efforts to stanch the oil spill in the Gulf.

All in a day's work, as they say.

So what does the Nobel Prize-winning physicist and former head of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab do to unwind? Kick back and watch SportsCenter, like President Barack Obama likes to do before bed? Hit the links? Take a beach vacation, perhaps?

Not quite."

 

 

"Wi-Fi Puts Windblown California Islands on the Web" Stephen Lawson, IDG News.

"The hardy team of biologists stationed on the Farallon Islands, a minuscule set of outcroppings in the Pacific just west of San Francisco, suffers a lot of inconveniences.

After all, they're living on islands made up mostly of rocks, drinking filtered rainwater and using solar power that wanes during the short days of winter. Just to get out to the island and back, they rely on a band of private boat skippers who are willing to sail the 47-kilometer (28-mile) stretch of ocean between the city and the islands and then have their boats lifted to shore on a crane. The Farallones have no dock, because none would survive the wind and rough seas, according to Russ Bradley, who works on the islands for about 18 weeks of the year as Farallones program manager for the Point Reyes Bird Observatory.

In some ways, the Farallones feel more than 28 miles away from civilization, according to Bradley. 'Just the transportation and the logistics of working and living out here is a whole challenge in itself,"'he said."

 

 

 

" 'Climategate' fallout may impact legislation" David R. Baker, Chronicle Staff Writer.

"Five investigations into the "Climategate" scandal have now cleared a group of scientists accused of twisting data in an effort to prove the world is getting warmer.

But many environmentalists and climate researchers fear the damage has already been done."

 

 

 

"UC Berkeley must cut sports program costs" MediaNews editorial.

"We all like to see our team win. Backers of the Cal Golden Bears are no exception. But that doesn't mean that UC Berkeley should give its Intercollegiate Athletics Department an open checkbook.

As a special committee of faculty and alumni members appointed by Chancellor Robert Birgeneau made clear in its report this month, the university needs to rein in the spending of its sports programs."

 

 

"Some experts say California's payroll system 'puzzle' doesn't compute" is a story by Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times.

"For the last seven years, demands that state worker pay be reduced when California has no budget have been met with a consistent response from union-friendly state controllers: Their computer can't do the math.

It's an argument that has outraged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, bemused computer experts and elicited the skepticism of various court judges - especially as the payroll system has adapted to other complex programming tasks, such as calculating dozens of raises for unionized employees and slashing the pay of elected officials and their appointees to zero during Sacramento's budget crises.

Although many computer experts agree that the state's payroll system is antiquated and would be difficult to update, they also said reprogramming it to calculate the minimum wage for more than 200,000 workers probably could have been accomplished long ago and in a matter of months."

 

"Community Bank of the Bay Raises $7.7 Million in New Capital and Appoints Five New Directors" marketwatch.com.

"Community Bank of the Bay /quotes/comstock/11k!cbya.a (CBYAA 2.70, 0.00, 0.00%) announced today that it has closed its public stock offering, after successfully raising over $7.7 Million in new capital and added five new directors to its Board of Directors.

'It was a herculean effort to raise capital in this environment. Most of the capital came from the new markets we have entered, a confirmation of the reputation of the bankers who have joined us from those markets,' said Brian K. Garrett, the Bank's Chief Executive Officer. He added, 'The five new board members with their varied backgrounds will be great additions to the Board of Directors.'

 

 

 

"Mystery Plumber Revealed!" at tonic.com.

"Joe Caldart from Kansas might gain more than 1,000 Facebook friends after Americans learn he capped the BP oil spill.

No, he's not that Joe, the Plumber. He's Joe Caldart from St. Francis, Kan., father of five and loving husband. He's currently got 928 Facebook friends, but after The Christian Science Monitor reported that he is the anonymous caller that capped the BP oil spill, he may wind up with a few more."

 

 

 

 

7/21/10

Steve Smith

pouring reprocessed vegetable oil into his G-Wagen

an Overland Journal photo

 

One of the Goldin's tenants is MOG. Check them out.

 

I'm told Wareham are planning to remodel some facilities in Potter Creek for lab use.

Heard also some of those LBL people that have been been moverd here to The Creek love it, our restaurants, the Bowl, the Potter Creek scene.

 

In the last week there have been over ten suspicious fires around the UC Campus. Mostly started in trash cans they have damaged several motor vehicles, a bench and an outdoor toilet.

 

our Jarad emails

I'm back from vacation and finished the book the BPD Chief has said he likes. I can see why he thinks this is a good book. I've called for zero tolerance and have chimed in with neighbors in the past citing the broken windows theory. I have a better appreciation now for why zero tolerance and broken windows is misguided.

Truthfully reported statistics (that's critical) followed with educated PD deployments while monitoring the (truthfully reported) statistics is one of the missing pieces in the crime puzzle of Berkeley. I'm particularly interested in Jack Maple's discussion of casting nets that catch the sharks and let the dolphins go (major vs. minor infractions) and of a program that he called "Quality of Life Plus" that I'm utterly convinced could change the face of crime in West & South Berkeley in a matter of weeks if it were implemented without regard to the political shenanigans commonly seen in City Council chambers.

If Chief Meehan has the "juice" to implement the concepts of Jack Maple that changed the face of crime in New York City, I'll be behind that effort all of the way & he'll have a fan club on my block that will go beyond my household.

Jarad

 

 

"Alice Waters' Culinary Tour" written by Nate Cavalieri & Alison Bing, huffingtonpost.com.

"Some revolutions start with a manifesto. But Alice Waters -- chef, author and proprietor of Berkeley restaurant Chez Panisse -- began changing how Americans eat by using a menu.

Back in 1971, diners at Chez Panisse lacked the terminology to describe the food they were tasting. It would be years until terms like 'California cuisine,' 'certified organic,' and 'locavore' were coined. But who needs words when you have such a meal? Alice Waters made U.S. food a pure pleasure. Here's her itinerary for savoring some of the best the Bay Area has to offer.

Your culinary journey begins down on the farm -- the inspiration for Chez Panisse's menu, and most California gastronomic triumphs since. At Petaluma's Green String Farm, owner Bob Cannard has pioneered sustainable farming in the North Bay for 30 years. You can taste the chemical-free fruits of his labors at Green String's farm store."

 

"Oakland could go to pot in a big way with four proposed factory farms:The state's pot-friendliest city could approve a plan to set up four marijuana factory farms. But it has ignited intense opposition from medical marijuana activists, dispensary operators and growers" at latimes.com.

"Oakland could approve a plan Tuesday to set up four marijuana factory farms, a step that could usher in the era of Big Pot.
And Berkeley, like neighboring Oakland, decided earlier this month to ask voters in November to approve six marijuana production operations of up to 30,000 square feet each."

 

 

"Light-colored roofs, pavements can offset carbon emissions" at xinhuanet.com.

"Light-colored roofs and pavements, if used in cities around the world, can help offset carbon dioxide emissions and thereby put off global warming, a study has found.

Thanks to their higher reflectivity, Light-colored roofs and pavements can not only help cities stay cooler, but also cool the world, with the potential of canceling the heating effect of up to two years of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions, according to the study by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California."

 

 

 

"Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to Develop Nanocrystals for 3DIcon Under Department of Energy Contract" is a story at marketwatch.com.

"3DIcon Corporation, a developer of volumetric, three-dimension projection and display technologies, today announced that it has signed a Materials Transfer Agreement ("MTA") with the regents of the University of California through the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ("Berkeley Lab") under which Berkeley Lab will provide specialized nanocrystals to 3DIcon."

 

 

"Cash Rewards With Counseling Could Help Prevent STIs" at sciencedaily.com.

"Giving out cash can be an effective tool in combating sexually transmitted infections in rural Africa, according to a new study conducted jointly by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, the Development Research Group at the World Bank and the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania.

The study, presented at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, found that people who were offered up to $60 each over 12 months to stay free of STIs had a 25 percent lower prevalence of those infections after a year compared to those who were not eligible for the money."

 

 

"Biomass power plants wary of EPA carbon accounting" by Jeff Barnard at businessweek.com at

"Oregon and other states with lots of trees have been counting on generating more electricity by burning forest thinnings and logging leftovers as a promising future source of green jobs and renewable energy as well as a way to pay for projects to prevent forest fires.

But a rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency in May has the biomass industry, and Oregon's congressional delegation, worried that biomass may lose its long-standing green status, and be lumped in with coal as a greenhouse gas polluter.

The rule focuses on big coal-fired plants and oil refineries in counting up just how much greenhouse gas the country releases into the atmosphere."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7/24/10

the new chief and his command staff meet regularly

with those at City Hall including the mayor-- far left in this photo

 

 

 

our Lt Andy Greenwood BPD emails

 I hope this note finds you well and enjoying the summer months.

It'd be great to return this stolen property to the rightful owner, and to hold the suspect in the case accountable for victimizing a West Berkeley household.
 
thanks,
 
Lt. Andy Greenwood
 

Greetings,
 
In a recent case, BPD Officer Susan Lee arrested a suspect who stole a garden statue from the front yard of a West Berkeley residence, and then tried to sell it at a local salvage store. During that investigation, a garden bench possessed by the suspect was seized for safekeeping. We suspect it was stolen from someone's porch or front yard. We have been unable to determine the rightful owner, and therefore cannot establish an additional crime. The suspect made statements apparently intended to distance himself from the bench--not atypical in a stolen property case.
 
If your garden bench was recently stolen, please drop me a line including the date and time of the theft, and a description of the bench. My email is agreenwood@ci.berkeley.ca.us. I will then forward the information to Ofc. Lee, for follow-up investigation.
 
Please share this information with neighbors who may not be on this list, but who may have had the bench stolen...
 
Thanks, and Best regards,
 
Lt. Andrew Greenwood
Berkeley Police Department
Community Services Bureau
510/981-5809
 

 

 

 

his Honor Da Boz emails (excerpts)

Berkeley Wins NorCal Solar Award

For the 2nd year in a row Berkeley was named the number one city in Northern California for the number of new solar systems installed per capita. The Northern California Solar Energy Association (NorCal Solar), a non-profit solar education organization, made the announcement at its City/County Solar Awards Celebration last week.

The data highlight the significant growth of solar energy installations for 122 cities in 10 Bay Area Counties for 2009.  The data also reflect the increase in solar installations in the Bay Area since the California Solar Initiative (CSI) launched in 2007. The data reveal that since the implementation of the California Solar Initiative, the Bay Area has accounted for 46% of the State's new installed systems and 40% of added total megawatts.

 

The Berkeley FILM Foundation recently awarded $120,000 for its 2010 grant funding cycle.

Twelve Berkeley-based filmmakers received awards, including the first annual $20,000 Saul Zaentz Award given to Judith Montell and Emmy Scharlatt for their documentary titled Separate and Unequal.  For a full list of winners click here: http://visitberkeley.com/film-office/berkeley-film-foundation
 
The City of Berkeley, Wareham Development and The Saul Zaentz Company co-founded the Berkeley FILM Foundation, a grant program for independent filmmakers with a mission to nurture, sustain and preserve the thriving Berkeley Film community. The Berkeley FILM Fund focuses on supporting the ideals reflected in Berkeley culture: social, historical and innovative documentary and dramatic works.
 

 

Berkeley City Council approved two ballot measures for the November 2010 election.
 
City Council recently voted to put the new Downtown Area Plan on the 2010 ballot.  The plan would create a Downtown that meets the City's climate action goals by concentrating housing, jobs and cultural destinations near transit, shops and amenities; preserving historic resources, enhancing open space, promoting green buildings.  The proposed plan would allow for 2 residential buildings and 1 hotel no higher than our existing 180 foot buildings and 2 smaller office buildings up to 120 feet.  The goal of the plan is to make Berkeley one of the greenest cities in the United States. See the ballot measure language here:http://www.cityofberkeley.info/uploadedFiles/Clerk/Level_3_-_City_Council/2010/07Jul/2010-07-13_Item_50b_New_2010_Downtown_Area_Plan.pdf
 
Another ballot measure would amend the city's ordinance regulating medical marijuana. The amendments would increase the number of licensed dispensaries in Berkeley from three to four, allow six non-dispensing locations for cultivation in the manufacturing district and establish a 2.5% tax on the sale of medical marijuana.  See the ballot measure language here:http://www.cityofberkeley.info/uploadedFiles/Clerk/Level_3_-_City_Council/2010/07Jul/2010-07-13_Item_51a_Place_Medical_Marijuan_Ordinance.pdf  
 

 

Artists who live and work within the 510 Area Code are invited to submit examples of their work by September 3, 2010, for a unique, juried online exhibition and competition called Intersection: World Culture in the East Bay.  Visual Art, Performance, Spoken Word, Film/Video, Multi-Media, etc. are invited to enter. For the complete Call for Artists see www.510Arts.com .
 
Cash prizes ranging from $100 to $2,000 will be awarded. There is a special Best of Berkeley award of $500 sponsored by theBerkeley's Mayor's Office and the Office of Economic Development/Civic Arts.  510Arts.com is a one of a kind coalition of the cities of Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville and Richmond to promote the arts in the East Bay.
 

 

 

 

"Legality of Medical Pot Plan Unclear:With cannabis factories, Oakland enters uncharted legal territory" by Kate McLean, baycitizen.org.

"The Oakland City Council Tuesday voted in favor of a controversial proposal to permit giant medical marijuana-growing factories, but new questions are emerging about how these entities will fit into the state's medical marijuana laws. The warehouses will be the first of their kind in California, and some say they could usher in an era of mechanized cannabis production and make Oakland ground zero for large-scale pot cultivation. 

But the facilities, which could generate much more medical marijuana than Bay Area residents consume, have drawn criticism for their size and potential to supply cannabis to dispensaries throughout the state.

'It's arguably legal under state law,' said Dale Gieringer, director of California NORML. 'Depending on how they structure it, it's also arguably illegal under state law.'

Marijuana cultivation has until recently been largely unregulated, a legal gray area. But several municipalities have stepped in to set some rules: Mendocino started a permitting program run by the county sheriff, Long Beach has passed a requirement that dispensaries grow all of the marijuana they sell, and Berkeley is asking voters to grant permission for six marijuana production outfits of up to 30,000 square feet."

Seems many landlords in Berkeley are reluctant to lease or rent to ganja growers and sellers. Can you spell "This Property Sized by the DEA." RP

 

 

 

"Cash-hungry states eye online retail for tax revenue" is a story at latimes.com.

   "Web-savvy shoppers can often save big buying online instead of at the local mall. But a chunk of the savings comes at the expense of state and local governments, in the form of sales taxes that are never paid on many Web purchases.

The losses add up for cash-starved state and local governments across the country: California alone loses out on more than $1 billion a year.

Now states are starting to get serious about collecting that money. Options under consideration include rewriting the rules on which dot-coms have to charge sales tax - or even requiring online retailers to send their customer lists to the government.

And in an ironic twist, states are getting support from tax-wary business groups, which complain that online retailers such as Amazon and Overstock are exploiting a legal loophole to undercut the competition on pricing. . . .

'It's no longer a thing of us wanting to do it for budgetary purposes,' Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) said at a recent budget hearing, referring to her proposal to step up the state's collection efforts. 'It's our own businesses and largest employers asking for it, because they're being put at a competitive disadvantage.' "

"Competitive disadvantage"? Last I checked we were monopolist, military industrial capitalists. RP

 

 

 

"Suspected Berkeley Serial Arsonists Caught On Tape"  is a KTVU report with video.
Police and fire officials may have a lead in their investigation of a string of 13 arson fires on and near the University of California at Berkeley campus after two men were caught on surveillance video at the scene of the latest fire early Tuesday."

"Arrest in latest Berkeley arson fire" Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer.

"Travis Eugene Churchill, charged in an arson fire in Berkeley.

A habitue of People's Park has been arrested and charged with setting a fire outside a market near the UC Berkeley campus, one of more than a dozen small blazes that have been set recently near the university, police said today.

Travis Eugene Churchill, 26, was filmed by a surveillance camera as he was walking near Sam's Market at 2312 Telegraph Ave. moments before a fire broke out in a recycling bin outside the business shortly before 4 a.m. Tuesday, police said.

Police found Churchill in People's Park at about 5 p.m. that day. He was wearing the same clothes as the person caught on tape, police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss said."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7/25/10

David "the Lance" Snipper

on his way to Coleen's Saturday afternoon party where some folks gathered down the street for fun

Coleen put on the whole thing herself, next year let's give her some help.

And, if you can't wait, the neighborhood small-home-owners-et-al group are planning a late September event, and of course, I have something up my sleeve.

 

 

"Getting angry can harm business negotiations in Asia" is a story at latimes.com.

"Getting angry might help business negotiations with European Americans but losing your temper with Asians is likely to also lose you the deal, according to a study on how different cultures react to anger.

Researchers from INSEAD in France and from the University of California, Berkeley, set out to see if anger was a good strategy in negotiations after several studies showed it could be an effective strategy as it was seen as a sign of toughness.

For the study volunteers at the University of California were split into two groups -- with 63 Americans of European background and 67 American Asians or Asians -- and put into a hypothetical negotiation situation as a salesman."

 

 

 

"US police fatalities increase 43 percent" by Nafeesa Syeed, Associated Press Writer.

"A nonprofit group in Washington says the number of police officers who have died in the line of duty is up 43 percent so far this year."

 

 

 

"Oakland Schools Struggle, but Emeryville May Point a Way Up" nytimes.com.

"In his five-year plan to turn around the lowest-performing schools in the Oakland Unified School District, Superintendent Tony Smith does not mention teachers, textbooks or test scores.
The Bay Citizen

A nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization providing local coverage of the San Francisco Bay Area for The New York Times. To join the conversation about this article, go to baycitizen.org.

Instead, Mr. Smith said his students most urgently needed social and health services, engaged parents and activities outside the classroom.

Whether Mr. Smith can overhaul the schools in Oakland is a subject of intense interest among Bay Area educators. Oakland Unified has lost $122 million in financing in the latest cuts to California's embattled public schools. The city's endemic problems, particularly poverty and crime, have had a dramatic effect in the classroom.

But Mr. Smith has a record of reform: As a young superintendent in Emeryville in the early 2000s, he enlisted social workers from California State University and nurses from the Wright Institute in Berkeley. Students interned at Pixar and made street projects with Seyed Alavi, the conceptual artist.

Soon, test scores districtwide began to improve. "

 

 

"A study by the University of California, Berkeley School of Law found law schools hire more 'openly liberal professors' than conservative ones" the National Law Journal reported.

 

 

 

"Blocking California's Clean Energy Law Will Be Costly" nawindpower.com.

"More than 100 economists with expertise in California energy and climate issues have released an open letter, warning against any delay in the implementation of California clean energy policies. The letter was organized by the Union of Concerned Scientists."

 

 

"Fuels from the sun? LBL, Caltech, Stanford get $122 million for research" at sfgate.com.

    "As part of a broad effort to achieve breakthrough innovations in energy production, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman today announced an award of up to $122 million over five years to a multidisciplinary team of top scientists to establish an Energy Innovation Hub aimed at developing revolutionary methods to generate fuels directly from sunlight."

 

"California Team to Receive up to $122 Million for Energy Innovation Hub to Develop Method to Produce Fuels from Sunlight" is the DOE press release.

 

 

 

"Is Another Economics Possible?" by Nancy Folbre at nytimes.com.

 Nancy Folbre is an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

" 'Another World Is Possible' is the slogan of the World Social Forum, an event first convened in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2001 as a challenge to the World Economic Forum, the annual gathering of the world's political and corporate leaders in Davos, Switzerland.

The possible world imagined in Brazil (and at subsequent gatherings of the World Social Forum) is based on more cooperative, sustainable, egalitarian and democratic institutions than those favored at Davos. It is designed and implemented from the bottom up rather than the top down, in opposition to both authoritarian state planning and capitalist profit maximization."

 

 

 

Aw cheez, "Navy shoots down drones with frickin' laser beams" by David Gewirt at zdnet.com.

"When it comes to wonderful toys, the United States Navy has some of the best evar. For example, the Navy now has lasers that can shoot down drones."

 

 

 

Nick Despotopoulos emails a link to his new Groovy Collectibles site. And Steve Smith emails a link to Overland Journal's site. His bio-fuel Mercedes G-Wagon is featured in their current issue.

And Kubik emails a link to Pulse of the Nation:U.S. Mood Throughout the Day inferred from Twitter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7/27/10

First Berkeley PD Chief

August Vollmer

Vollmer on drugs from wikipedia.org "Vollmer was against police involvement with the problem of drug addiction.Vollmer wrote that enforcement of moralistic vice laws leads to police corruption and 'engenders disrespect both for law and for the agents of law enforcement.' Vollmer supported the establishment of federal distribution, at cost, of habit forming drugs."

more at wikipedia.org

"[August }Vollmer was born in New Orleans to German immigrant parents, John and Philopine (Klundt) Vollmer. His father saw to it that he learned to box and swim, both of which he excelled at. Upon his father's death, his mother returned to Germany with her children for two years, after which she returned to New Orleans in 1886, but soon thereafter decided to move her family to San Francisco. In July 1890, the Vollmer family moved across the bay to Berkeley. . . .

Drawing on his military experience, and his own research, Vollmer reorganized the Berkeley police force. Vollmer had discovered that very little literature existed in the United States on the subject of police work, so he located and read a number of European works on the subject, in particular, Criminal Psychology, by Hans Gross, an Austrian criminologist, and Memoirs of Vidocq, by Eugène François Vidocq, head of the detective division of the French police in Paris. He then set out on a program of modernization. He established a bicycle patrol and created the first centralized police records system, designed to streamline and organize criminal investigations. He established a call box network. And he trained his deputies in marksmanship. . . .

Vollmer was also the first police chief to create a motorized force, placing officers on motorcycles, and in cars so that they could patrol a broader area with greater efficiency. Radios were included in patrol cars. He was also the first to use the lie detector, developed at the University of California, in police work. Vollmer supported programs to assist disadvantaged children, and was often criticized for his leniency towards petty offenders such as drunks and loiterers. He also encouraged the training and employment of female and African American police officers. . . .

In the ensuing years, Vollmer's reputation as the 'father of modern law enforcement' grew. He was the first chief to require that police officers attain college degrees, and persuaded the University of California to teach criminal justice. In 1916, UC Berkeley established a criminal justice program, headed by Vollmer. At Berkeley, he taught O.W. Wilson, who went on to become a professor and continued efforts to professionalize policing.[2] This is often seen as the start of criminal justice as an academic field. . . .

In 1921, Vollmer was elected president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Vollmer left the Berkeley Police Department for a brief stint as police chief of the Los Angeles Police Department from 1923-24, but returned upon being disillusioned by the extent of corruption and hostility towards leadership coming from outside the department. . . . "

The Vollmer Papers are at the Bancroft Library.

And Officer 444 is a 1920s movie with Vollmer playing himself.

 

 

 

"From the Fryer to Your Fuel Tank:If This Is Possible, Anything Is Possible" by Jennifer Radtke at healthyliving.msn.com.

"I fell in love with biodiesel because it's possible to make it in your backyard. It's an amazing thing to learn that you can fuel your car with vegetable oil and that you can make the fuel yourself. I felt empowered and it opened up my mind, because if this is possible, then anything is possible. My dream was to start my own business, and biodiesel gave me the confidence and inspiration to do it.

I co-founded the BioFuel Oasis in Berkeley, California, in 2003 to give people who didn't have time to make their own fuel a retail place to buy it. Switching to biodiesel proved to be an empowering, life-altering experience for many of our customers. I remember one customer crying when filling up with biodiesel for the first time, because it was the first time the person felt like purchasing fuel wasn't supporting the war over petroleum. We know many of our customers by name and have nurtured community among them as they wait in line."

 

 

"Building boats and building lives" by Doug Oakley, Berkeley Voice.

"Like many young, idealistic people who move to the Bay Area from small town America, Amber Rich's story is not uncommon.

But unlike a lot of those who come here to be free from the confines of their hometowns, Rich, 28, of Berkeley, is making a difference-one troubled inner-city kid at a time.

Rich is the executive director of Waterside Workshops in Berkeley, a nonprofit that teaches children how to build boats and bikes. And with the addition of a coffee shop, youngsters are now learning how to work in the service industry."

 

 

"Dance camp teaches steps and life lessons" by Martin Snapp, Berkeley Voice.

" 'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven eight!' shouted Derrick Minter last week. 'Up! Down! Up! Down! Break! Break! Break! Break! Good job! Good job!'

Minter, a modern dance professor at the University of Oklahoma, was working with a younger group this time - middle-schoolers, ages 11-14, from Berkeley, Oakland, Albany and Richmond.

The sweat was pouring off the dancers as Minter put them through their paces. He was demanding nothing less than their best, and they loved it.

'He doesn't treat us like kids; he treats us like professional dancers,' said Azisa Todd, 12, from Oakland. 'He gives you a challenge, but he breaks it down so you can understand it. It's really challenging, but it's really fun.'

The kids are campers at the Berkeley/Oakland AileyCamp, a free program sponsored by UC Berkeley's Cal Performances."

 

 

 

"Beloved Berkeley video store closes" by Damin Esper, insidebayarea.com.

"Berkeley's beloved Reel Video video store has closed, a victim of the hard economic times.

 

 

 

 

"India unveils prototype of $35 tablet computer" by Erika Kinetz at statesman.com.

"It looks like an iPad, but it's only 1/14th the cost.

India has unveiled the prototype of a $35 basic touch-screen tablet computer aimed at students, which it hopes to bring into production by 2011."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7/29/10

More about Officer 444 a 1920s movie serial with our first Berkeley police chief, AugustVollmer, playing himself-- with much more.

This is a ten part cliff hanger with episodes lasting about twenty minutes. The first episode, The Flying Squadron can be viewed here,free. (Check out the nifty Flying Squadron shoulder patches.) The full ten episodes are available on DVD from Amazon for $19.95 plus shipping. Used copies are available on eBay Buy Now for $7.95 or best offer.

(Filmed in Berkeley, see if you can recognize the locations. I think some of the first episode scenes are in here west-Berkeley.)

Of the movie, critic Hans J. Wollstein writes at answers.com.

"The popular silent screen action team of Ben Wilson and Neva Gerber star in this rare surviving serial, released in 10 chapters by Goodwill Pictures in 1926. Officer '444' (Wilson) and his comrade-in-arms, Officer Casey (Jack Mower), go up against The Frog, an apparently disfigured master criminal out to steal the formula for Haverlyite, a secret and deadly gas invented by James J. Haverly (Arthur Bickel). The latter is killed along the way and his young heir (Phil Ford) disappears with the formula. Aided by The Vulture (Ruth Royce), The Frog will leave no stone unturned to get his hands on the secret ingredients but he is at all times opposed by Officer '444' and his legendary boss, Berkeley Police Chief August Vollmer, who use the latest in police detection to track him down. There are sundry other interested parties lurking about, including the obviously disguised figure of "Professor Kalium," who heads The Amalgamated Society of Scientists; the mysterious and sinister Dr. Blakley (Al Ferguson; Dago Frank (Frank Baker), another associate of The Frog; and Snoopy (Harry McDonald), a newspaperman who, a title proclaims, "didn't know what the word 'news' meant as he left school before they came to the 'Ns'." Officer 444 was the last of nine serials to star Ben Wilson and Neva Gerber, the latter a Chicago socialite. A tenth chapterplay, the talkie The Voice From the Sky (1930), has been rumored to exist but may actually never have been made.

Review
Directed by Francis Ford, the older brother of John Ford, and produced by its star, Ben Wilson, Officer 444 is a great deal better than its tattered reputation. Although seemingly made up as the filmmakers went along, this action serial has everything a silent melodrama should have: a dashing hero, a beautiful and intrepid heroine, a bumbling sidekick, a femme fatale and a mystery master villain. The latter, complete with hideous glass eye and hunchback, is in the fine tradition of Lon Chaney and the actor behind the disguise -- whose identity shall remain a secret -- actually manages to give this legendary star a run for his money. And if all that weren't enough -- and it certainly ought to be! -- Officer 444 also features a Keystone Kop-like police force and a guest appearance by a true legend of American crime detecting, August Vollmer, the real-life Berkeley, California, Chief of Police from 1909-1932. Granted, Mr. Vollmer's scenes appear to have been filmed in one brief session but his presence added to the serial's topicality in 1926. The action is plentiful -- and as absurd as one has come to expect from such fare -- and if the fisticuffs aren't quite up to par with more polished later donnybrooks, well, they certainly are plentiful." (underlining mine)

 

Understand that as a kid I looked forward to the Saturday afternoon movie matinee at the Fren, a local theater that charged 10 to 25 cents for an afternoon of westerns, cartoons and cliffhangers.

 

Now I'm looking forward to reading The Berkeley Police Story, an early 70's book about the history of our department. The late Sixties early Seventies was a time in which the force was politicized by our then new radical administration including our current State Senator and current mayor Tom Bates' wife, Loni Hancock. The attempted radicalization, by the way, was accompanied by the mass exodus of many trained professionals.

 

 

our Jarad emails

Between 4-5pm today [7/26/10] at 10th & Bancroft a couple of guys on foot were running and shooting at each other. BPD was on the scene quickly, blocked off the intersection, have some information from witnesses & might have some leads.

I'm trying to be patient, but am getting anxious for Chief Meehan to start putting Jack Maple's field tested crime fighting techniques into action. That shootout happened a mere 60 seconds after I drove through that intersection. Innocent people are going to get killed if we can't get things to change down here.

Already this year my wife and I have seen a murdered guy on the sidewalk in February before BPD arrived as we were on the way to a play downtown. Today by sheer luck I went through an intersection a minute before a shootout. This is starting to get uncomfortable...again.

 

 

 

 

"NBC's 'Parenthood' has little love for the 'real' Berkeley" Chuck Barney, mercurynews.com.

"The TV critics' summer press tour was only a few hours old when it suddenly hit me: I had traveled more than 300 miles only to wind up in ... Berkeley?

Yes, there I was - roaming about the Craftsman-style bungalow of Berkeley residents Adam and Kristina Braverman. Lovely artwork lined the walls. A sense of eclectic quirkiness permeated the place. And check out that really cool sunken bathtub ...

'What would you like to see?' Adam asked. 'We don't give tours of our home very often.'

'Adam,' of course, was really actor Peter Krause, and the 'house' was just a set on the Universal Studios backlot for NBC's sprawling multigenerational family drama, 'Parenthood.' But if you suspended belief for a bit, you could imagine being in what one set decorator called a 'mythological area of Berkeley.'

How Berkeley are they?

Some annoyed East Bay viewers regard the setting for 'Parenthood' as just that - a myth. Since the series debuted earlier this year, nit-pickers have repeatedly knocked the show for getting Berkeley wrong."

 

 

"Ed Roberts, disability-rights leader and Cal alum, gets his own state day" by Wendy Edelstein, berkeley.edu.

"January 23 has been named Ed Roberts Day in California, in honor of the Cal alum who pioneered the disability-rights movement on campus and nationwide."

Well, Ok then!

 

 

"AVAVA Systems Proves Speed of New Framing Technology" at earthtimes.org.

"A newly patented construction technology was demonstrated last Friday in Berkeley, California in the form of a third-story addition to an existing single family house. What would have taken 2-3 days was completed in less than two hours."

 

 

"Pesticides, hormones, and health" Linda Riebel, examiner.com.

"Tonight at the San Francisco headquarters of the Center for Biological Diversity http://www.BiologicalDiversity.org, Tyrone Hayes, a biology professor at University of California, Berkeley, who studies developmental endocrinology , explained some classic and recent research on how pesticides harm animals and humans. Even at supposedly 'safe' levels, Hayes and his colleagues have repeatedly shown that exposure to this chemical feminizes a percentage of male frogs, so they develop with sex organs of both sexes and don't behave like male frogs. Others that develop into males don't behave like normal males."

Aw jeez!

 

 

"Richmond limits number of pot clubs to three, puts tax measure on November ballot" by Katherine Tam, Contra Costa Times.

"Richmond reversed course Tuesday night, capping the number of medical marijuana dispensaries it will allow at three and reviving tougher regulations it nixed a week ago.

Pot clubs will be restricted to regional commercial districts, which are major shopping hubs such as Hilltop Mall. The police chief will review applications and grant the permits after holding public hearings."

 

 

 

"Immigration: the 250-year perspective" opines Peter Schrag at washingtonpost.com.

"A federal judge on Wednesday opened the latest chapter in the tale of Arizona's controversial immigration law, ruling on several provisions in favor of opponents of the legislation. As the battle ensues, it seems a good time to look back at U.S. immigration and ask, What's different now? Peter Schrag, a visiting scholar at the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California at Berkeley, explores the immigration debate throughout American history in his book "Not Fit for Our Society: Immigration and Nativism in America," recently released by University of California Press. Schrag finds that the fear and loathing Americans now have of newcomers isn't terribly different from the sentiments long abroad in the land.

The echoes are eerily familiar. Immigrants, legal and illegal, take American jobs, undercut wages, bring crime and disease, and burden medical and other social services. They don't learn our language and customs; their kids drag down the schools. The arguments come from radio and TV talkers, from FAIR, the Federation for American Immigration Reform, from scholars like the late Samuel Huntington of Harvard, and, of course, from politicians of almost every stripe.

But what they're saying today -- mostly about Latinos -- was said a century ago about Italians, Slavs, Greeks, Jews, Armenians and Turks, and, before them, about the Irish and the Germans, many of them the same people from whom today's immigration restrictionists are descended. The Chinese and Japanese, ironically, were to be excluded because they worked too hard."

 

 

 

"Meet the world's next growth engine" at financialpost.com.

While the developed world grapples with the mass retirement of its baby boom generation, India is just welcoming its boomers into the workforce.

There, a demographic bulge will lead to an enormous labour force spike in the coming years, presenting India with a profound opportunity for economic growth.

 

 

 

"Poll Finds Dwindling Support for Govt" by Omid Memarian, ipsnews.net.

"A recent poll conducted by a credible Iranian university centre concerning the post-election events of 2009 has found that 56 percent of participants believe President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's popularity has declined over the past year, while just 22 percent believe it has increased.

Opinions of Ahmadinejad in the capital Tehran declined, despite the fact that the president's cabinet enjoys a monopoly over state television and radio stations.

Over the past two years, dozens of reformist publications have been shuttered, and journalists and political activists critical of the government's policies have been arrested and imprisoned.

According to the poll, conducted in Tehran in June by the Iranian Student Polling Agency (ISPA), two-thirds of the 1,172 people surveyed believe that dissatisfaction with the government remains widespread, if largely covert.

"Ahmadinejad's popularity has been in question since before the election last year, and the main reason for that is the perception that his administration has mismanaged the Iranian economy," Jason Rezaian, a Tehran-based journalist, told IPS. 'Given the deteriorating financial situation of most Iranians, it's increasingly hard to argue otherwise.' "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7/30/10

our Councilman, Darryl Moore emails

13th Annual Bay to Barkers
Dog Walk & Festival

North Parking Lot of Golden Gate Fields, Albany 
 
The Berkeley East Bay Humane Society will be putting on their single biggest fundraiser for the year, the "Bay to Barkers" on August 1.

Come and help the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society recover from the devastating fire of May 2010, by walking to raise funds at the annual dog walk & festival fundraiser. This fun event features a 1-Mile Dog Walk (with views of the Bay), the Lead Dog Contest, Doggy Olympiad games, "Do You Look Like Your Dog?" and other contests, spa time for canines and people, craft activities for kids and dogs, and the Pet Festival with booths hosted by community groups and pet supply companies.
Just added: Musical performance by Tippy Canoe!

(If it's THAT Tippy, she plays one of Pete Hurney's ukes.) RP
 
Check out the event website for more information:
http://baytobarkers.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=421251&lis=0&kntae421251=50EA353E08B249628046C084CADB3BBC
 
Also, event organizers are looking for volunteers to help set up the event between 6:30 am and 8:30 am at the North parking lost at Golden Gate Fields in Albany. This entails unloading the truck with the booth supplies, helping set up the a few booths and stage.
 
If you want to help out, please call (510) 845-7735 ext. 216 or email Cindy atcshelby@berkeleyhumane.org.
 
There are also a few furry friends that need a temporary foster home while the Humane Society gets back on their feet.  If you're interested, emailfoster@berkeleyhumane.org.

 

 

25th Annual Berkeley Kite Festival & West Coast Kite Championships

 
July 31st & Aug. 1st 2010, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Cesar E. Chavez Park at the Berkeley Marina
 
510-235-5483
 
Fest@HighlineKites.com 
 
www.highlinekites.com/
 
 
Parking in the Marina all day for the low flat rate of only $10 per day.
Includes shuttle service from the parking area to the Festival!
 
Kites aren't just for kids any more. Experience the excitement and artistry of modern kite flying. You'll find something for everyone at the Berkeley Kite Festival. From the Giant Creature Kites as big as houses, to the free Kite Making and Candy Drop for kids, you don't want to miss this year's Annual Berkeley Kite Festival.
 

Free Kite Making, 11:00-1:00
Free Candy Drops, 2:30
Free Kite Flying Lessons, 11:00-4:00
Free Rokkaku Battle

The Berkeley Kite Wranglers & Friends
Gomberg Kite Productions International
Sode Cho Kite Team of Hamamatsu Japan
Brian Champie's King of the Hill Gang
 

Worlds Largest Octopus Kite
Humongous Kites: Bigger than a house and longer than a train!
Team Kite Ballet
The Berkeley Kite Wranglers & Friends
West Coast Kite Championship competition presented by BASKL
20,000 sq. ft. of Giant Creature Kites from New Zealand!
Taiko Drummers
Japanese-Style Rokkaku Kite Battle for the Skies
Giant Kite Sales Tent
Manufacturers' Demonstrations
Free Kite Making, Kite Flying Lessons and Candy Drop!
Great Food & Music!
Arts & Crafts Booths
Sunday Evening Dinner Cruise on the Empress Hornblower Dining Yacht
 

 

 

 

 "2010 College Football Predictions: The California Golden Bears" is at bleacherreport.com.

"The Cal Golden Bears will try and build on their 8-5 season in 2009 with plenty of experience returning along with a nice mix of new players. Many projections have the Bears finishing in the middle of the Pac-10 this season, but with a few breaks they could be challenging rival USC for the conference crown."

 

"The 2010 Berkeley Open on the 2010 JOOLA North American Tour" at natabletennis.com.
 
"Berkeley, CA is famous for it's diversity, tolerance, and creativity and thus is an ideal location for our second California tour stop of the season!"

 

 

 

 

"Eight UC Berkeley students receive Fulbright scholarship" Andrea Hicklin, berkeley.edu.

"Eight students from the University of California, Berkeley, have received Fulbright scholarships to travel and study abroad for the 2010-11 academic school year. "

 

"Three UC Berkeley students awarded Switzer environmental fellowships" a press release by Andrea Hicklin, berkeley.edu.

"Three University of California, Berkeley, students have been awarded the 2010 Switzer Fellowship. The Switzer Fellowship is given to outstanding environmental scholars who are pursuing graduate degrees in a variety of ecological disciplines."

 

 

"ArnieVille tent city protest closes down in Berkeley" by Sean Maher, Oakland Tribune.

"The tent city known as ArnieVille has packed it in for now.

The encampment formed in late June to protest Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed cuts to Medi-Cal and In-Home Supportive Services. Organizers had put up tents and a papier-mâché statue of Schwarzenegger on the central divider island of Adeline Street near Russell Street, but they took everything down Friday.

Many inhabitants of the camp's 17 tents and other volunteers were disabled and in need of regular in-home assistance, including nursing care and basic home upkeep. They said they felt the cuts attack their well-being and home security.

Schwarzenegger's proposal, released in May, included a General Fund reduction of $637 million in spending on IHSS and $4.2 billion in spending changes on Medi-Cal.

'It's been a month. We slept under the streetlights, marched, and protested the California budget cuts to disability programs in every way we could think of,' organizer Adrienne Lauby said in a statement.

'So we've decided to change tactics.The people who brought you ArnieVille '.. won't be washing tin plates and sweeping the cement anymore.'

Lauby didn't respond Tuesday to requests for details, but said the next effort 'will draw on the energies of people around the state to turn up the heat on Arnold.'

Berkeley police spokeswoman Sgt. Mary Kusmiss said the encampment was a peaceful presence in the city, prompting far more calls of curiosity than complaints.

 

"A New Risk Factor: Your Social Life" by Tara Parker-Pope at nytimes.com.

"Social relationships are just as important to health as other common risk factors like smoking, lack of exercise or obesity, new research shows.
·
·Numerous studies have suggested that strong social ties are associated with better health and longevity, but now a sweeping review of the research shows just how important social relationships really are. Researchers from Brigham Young University reviewed 148 studies that tracked the social habits of more than 300,000 people. They found that people who have strong ties to family, friends or co-workers have a 50 percent lower risk of dying over a given period than those with fewer social connections, according to the journal Plos Medicine."

 

"Governor calls for public salaries to be better publicized" a report at mercurynews.com.

"The information has been public record in California since a 2007 state Supreme Court decision in a case brought by Bay Area News Group, but many cities and counties don't make the information easily accessible for the public - and some governments are still balking at providing it in transparent formats. . . . 

That could change if the state Legislature moves ahead with proposals being drafted by the League of California Cities to publicize the salaries of the highest-paid public officials in the state.

About 40 city managers discussed the issue Thursday at the league's annual meeting in Sacramento, where the situation in Bell topped the agenda.

The city's chief administrative officer, assistant city manager and police chief resigned last week after The Los Angeles Times reported each was being paid excessive salaries.

The chief administrative officer was the highest paid, at $787,637 a year, for overseeing a city in which 17 percent of the 40,000 residents live in poverty. The salary is twice what President Barack Obama is paid.

Four of the five members of the Bell City Council were paid about $100,000 annually before they cut their salaries earlier this week. In Los Angeles County, the district attorney and the state attorney general have opened investigations into the pay of the Bell officials.

The highest 2009 government salary in the news group's database was the $847,811 paid to Nancy Farber, chief executive officer of the Washington Hospital Healthcare System in Fremont. The highest-paid city manager in the database was Herb Moniz, of San Ramon, at $356,541; the highest-paid police chief was Berkeley's Douglas Hambleton, at $386,440. The highest-paid mayor was Gavin Newsom, of San Francisco, at $250,903; in the East Bay, Oakland's mayor, Ron Dellums, of Oakland, was paid $192,397."

Understand, our current Chief, Michael Meehan, is not paid that amount--my memory is he gets somewhere over 200K. And hell, he's a police chief in a town that in it's recent past hasn't been all that fond of law and order.RP

 

 

 

 

"Akamai Looks at the State of the Internet:Asian countries are the speed leaders, while Alaska offers America's slowest connections" by Troy Dreier streamingmedia.com.

"Content delivery network Akamai is in a unique position to survey the health of the Internet in various locations given its global network of servers, and the company's quarterly State of the Internet report is a trove of useful information for registered users. The first quarter 2010 report is now available for download, and it provides interesting information about the fastest cities and average speed connections."

 

 

 

"Wind farm 'mega-project' underway in Mojave Desert" at latimes.com.

"The Alta Wind Energy Center - with plans for thousands of acres of turbines to generate electricity for 600,000 Southern California homes - officially breaks ground Tuesday."

 

 

"Porsche 918 Spyder approved for production" at autoweek.com

"It's going to happen. Porsche's instant icon, the 918 Spyder concept revealed at the Geneva motor show, has been green-lighted for production, the company said on Wednesday.

Porsche's supervisory board approved the mid-engine, plug-in supercar as a result of 'overwhelming response' from the public.

The two-seat 918 Spyder is a successor to the Carrera GT. It pairs a 3.6-liter V8 that works with air-cooled lithium-ion batteries that power brushless electric motors. Total power is estimated to be about 680 hp."

 

from my log

6/23/10--6:12 AM--irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse. 7:20 AM--SERIOUS irritant in front room, heavy burning air, eyes, ear, nose, mouth irritation like swimming in pool with too much chlorine, headache.

6/26/10--6:45 AM--irritant in front of warehouse, heavy dry burning air. itchy skin, watery eyes, leave. 11:24 AM---irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY front of warehouse, heavy dry burning air, itchy skin, watery eyes.

 

7/2/10--7:12 AM--very serious irritant in warehouse front and front of warehouse, light head, nausea, dry heavy burning air. 5:20 PM--On returning from the Canned Food Store Marsha exclaims"You can smell it! It's like, like burnt, burnt . . . I don't know. I only smell it here."

7/3/10--6:37 PM--irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, dry heavy brunring air, no wind.

7/5/10--2:14 PM--irritant in front of warehouse with heavy dry air, leave.

7/6/10--8:34 AM---irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY front of warehouse, heavy dry burning air, itchy skin, watery eyes.

7/8/10--off-and-on all day, irritant in warehouse front and front of warehouse, dry heavy burning air, wear respirator, leave. 9:56 PM--SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and front of warehouse heavy dry burning air with "chlorine" odor, sysmptoms like swimming in pool with too much chlorine, leave.

7/9/10--6:20 AM--irritant in warehouse front and front of warehouse heavy dry burning air with "chlorine" odor, similar symptoms as above. 5:08 PM---irritant in front room, heavy dry burning air with "chlorine" odor, similar symptoms as above.

7/10/10--off-and-on late afternoon and early evening, irritant in warehouse front and front of warehouse, heavy dry air, watery eyes, itchy skin. 7:02 PM--irritant and"burning rubber" odor in front room, only apparent activity Adams and Chittenden Scientific Glass.

7/12/10--6:38 MM--irritant in front room with "chlorine" odor.

7/13/10--2)05 PM--SERIOUS irritant in front room, heavy dry burning air, watery eyes, dry itchy skin, wear respirator.

7/15/10 5:48 AM--VERY SERIOUS irritant in ware house front and in front of ware house, dry heavy burning air, itchy skin, mucus membrane irritation ,wear respirator, over rides four HEAP filters.

7/16/10--1:45 PM, lights flicker. 2:51 PM lights continue to flicker, hot plastic odor in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse. 8:12 PM--irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse.

 

7/17/10--6:04 AM--VERY, VERY SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, heavy dry burning air ,EXTREME mucus membrane irritant, watery burning eyes, burning mouth, extreme nasal congestion, hacking cough, ringing ears, sinus headache. 8:24 AM--worse, over rides four HEPA filters and air conditioner, burning sensation increases,"chlorine" odor present. Marsha similar, nasal congestion, headache, light head, leave.2:54 PM--SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, heavy dry burning air, watery eyes, itchy skin. chills, light head, nausea, wear respirator. Marsha similar. 5:51 PM--"It's bad" said Marsha. "I have a head ache, I 'm coughing alot, my lips are dry and burning. It's really bad. I'm sick. I don't feel good." 6:34 PM--heavy dry burning air IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, leave.

This isworse than it's ever been in the last eleven years. RP

7/18/10--6:43 PM--SERIOUS irritant in warehouse front and IMMDEIATELY in front of warehouse, dry heavy burning air, usual sysmptom, over rides our HEAPA filter and air cinditioner, wear respirators. 10:19 PM--heavy dry air in warehouse front, Marsha, chills, dizzy, nauseous.

7/19/10--12:02 PM--SERIOUS irritant IMMDEIATELY in front of warehouse, nasal congestion, lighrt head.

7/20/10--6:21 AM--lights dim. 6:41 AM--dry heavy burning air in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, burning eyes, light head. 3:34 PM--irritant in front room, cough, dry eyes, nausea. 6:48 pm--irritant in warehouse front, dry heavy air, Marsha has coughing spell.

7/21/10 --7:30 AM --irritant in front room, dry heavy air.

7/23/10--12:16 PM--irritant in front room, burning eyes, melting plastic odor. 

7/24/10--7:25 AM--lights dim. 7:32 AM--irritant in warehouse front and IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse, dry heavy air, light head.

 

 

 

The irritants sometimes experienced cause coughing; dry/burning eyes, nose, mouth; light head; occasional short breath; occasional nausea.

Though the irritants we experience sometimes over ride as many as four HEPA filters, our SO Safety respirators with 8053-P100 Cartridges seem to filter "all" the irritant. These are filters for organic vapors, chlorine, chlorine dioxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride.

I am left to conclude that possibly (probably?) some of the irritants we regularly experience, those that our SO Safety 8053-P 100 cartridges successfully filter, are identifiable, ironically, by their absence when using the respirator. The HEPA filters don't remove them, the SO Safety filters do. So what they remove--chlorine, chlorine dioxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride--must be some of the irritant.

Though the respirator-filters largely prevent inhalation of the irritant, it is clear from "health effects" that irritants can enter the body's system through the skin.

"I feel like ants are crawling on me" said Marsha.

 

I've noticed recently some neighbors have similar symptoms, some more severe--redness of the eyes, nasal congestion. And neighhors stopping-by in front to talk have experienced watery eyes and coughing.

 

 

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."

 

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

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