November
2006
11/1/06
"Berkeley residents finally fed up with
Pacific Steel.After conducting own 'swipe tests,' community members
plan to protest foundry" reports Kristin Bender, of the Oakland Tribune.
"Residents say tests of dust on outdoor surfaces near Pacific
Steel Casting show toxic metal fallout, and community members
are planning a march and rally to call attention to a decadeslong
struggle for cleaner air. Frustrated by Pacific Steel's failure
to release a legally mandated Health Risk Assessment, which tests
air emissions at the foundry, west Berkeley residents did their
own "swipe tests" at six businesses and homes near the
plant."
Bob Kubik
reports
Hoss Azimi
the owner and architect of 1037 Pardee,
(between Fifi's and Yas), was by showing plans of
his proposed development to the neighbors.
It is to be four 3 bedroom units and an office
space in back - eight parking spaces -one for each
unit and four for the office. It will be three
stories tall with some accommodation for the neighbors
west and north.
All in all not a bad design and, perhaps, less
dense than the other planned developments.
Parking is really going to get tight around here
when all these two car families have one parking space.
Mal Sharpe
is appearing at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore tomorrow night at 7:30
PM playing some of his
Coyle and Sharp CDs, and
talking. Dalloway's is on College between Russell and Ashby--check
it out. Schtik from the '60s, Coyle and Sharpe
are still VERY funny.
An exhibit
of photos from our 1960s, "The Whole World's Watching,"
is now at the Berkeley Art Center. "The exhibition is organized
in sections, addressing Civil Rights, Black Power and the Black
Panthers, Berkeley and the Free Speech movement, the Peace Movement,
the Feminist Revolution, the Rise of Latino Power, Cesar Chavez
and La Huelga, Queer Defiance, Native American Activism and the
beginning of the Environmental Movement" observes our Planet.
In our Planet,
Justin DeFreitas recommends
"PFA Celebrates the Genius of Janus." Some of the
films to be shown are Truffaut's "Jules and Jim" and
his "400 Blows," and Bergman's "The Seventh Seal."
And check out Internet
Movie Database.
Among those seen in and around
900 recently were Mal and Sandra Sharpe--now back
from a month in Greece, Sedge Thompson
and crew, some of the secret movie-studio people, Barry Gifford,
and John, and Pete, and Morgan, and Milo, and Sally, . . . and,
. . . and, . .
Beats getting gunned-down
at a Halloween celebration?
"Puzzling peril for
poor people living among well-to-do" reports Sabin Russell
of the Chronicle. "Poor
people who live among well-to-do neighbors might be getting a
taste of the good life, but there's a catch: The good life might
be short. In a provocative new study by Stanford University
School of Medicine researchers, low-income people who were living
in higher-income neighborhoods died at substantially higher rates
than the poor who were living among the poor. Mining data from
a heart disease study that began in 1979, the researchers discovered
that low-income women living in higher-income neighborhoods had
a 70 percent higher risk of death during the study period than
their wealthier neighbors. The risk profile was similar among
men."
11/2/06
Pete's Potter Creek rain-gauge
showed .35 inches so far this month--last night through this morning.
Last month totaled .65 inches.
Last night Berkeley PD had
dinner at Café Trieste. They came in black and whites and
two of those nifty all-black Ford Interceptors.
Last week four chainsaws
were stolen from a storage facility at the end of Grayson.
8:50 AM--SERIOUS irritant
in entire warehouse, light-headed, leave.
Mary Baker Eddy would be
proud.
"Berkeley church tops list of favorite
landmarks" reports
AP's Lisa Leff in the West County Times. "Berkeley's
First Church of Christ, Scientist -- an Arts and Crafts-style
structure designed by Bernard Maybeck -- emerged on top, with
18 percent of the vote."
Another reason to buy more
Two-Buck-Chuck-red--Mary Baker Eddy would NOT approve.
"Red wine keeps getting better for health" writes Washington Post's Rob Stein in
the Times. "A substance found in red wine protected
mice from the ill effects of obesity, raising the tantalizing
prospect that the compound could do the same for humans and may
also help people live longer, healthier lives, researchers reported
Wednesday."
"Wanted: Bikers' positive influence. Perata reaches out to Bay Area motorcycle groups
to promote safer streets, youth activities" writes Cecily
Burt, of the Oakland Tribune. "Violent times call
for unorthodox solutions. So with Oakland's grim homicide toll
at 126 and growing, state Sen. Don Perata surrounded himself Wednesday
with the roar of Oakland's black motorcycle clubs."
Works for me.
11:22 AM--SERIOUS irritant
in warehouse, use mask.
today's photo
from
Cliff Miller of the Richmond Ramblers Motorcycle Club
11/3/06
Pete's Potter Creek rain-gauge
shows .3 inches from yesterday afternoon to this morning.
5:12 AM--ground emission
in direction of Bayer--NW-- forms a cloud that blankets ALL of
Potter Creek at low altitude--I mean ALL and I mean LOW. Could
this be evaporating waste-water from one of west-Berkeley's manufacturers?
7:31 AM--irritant in front
room, leave.
8:56 AM--irritant in warehouse,
leave.
11/4/06
DON'T park in front of Potter
Creek driveways.
The car blocking the driveway
immediately to the east of David and Margret's was ticketed and
towed about 12:30 PM today.
ALL AM--off-and-on, irritant
in warehouse, headache, light-head, dry mouth. 1:57 PM--irritant
immediately in front of 2743/41 8th Street. 2:49 PM--irritant
immediately in front of 2743 8th accompanied by odor of "melting
plastic and chlorine." 4:42 PM--irritant immediately in front
of 2743/2741 8th Street, dry, mouth, sinus.
"Smell that" I
asked Marsha "I don't know, my nose is stuffed up" Marsha
replied.
"Artisan brewers thrive in the Wine Country" writes Thom Elkjer in the San Francisco
Chronicle. "The large cool room is full of stainless
steel tanks and the smell of fermentation. The proud artisan pops
a cork and pours a sample from a 750-ml bottle, watching keenly
for my reaction as I sniff, sip and spit. So far, it's like being
in any other Wine Country cellar. Then the fermented beverage
hits my tongue and lights it up with the savory flavors and yeasty
natural carbonation of handmade, artisanal beer. The delicious
mouthful I reluctantly consign to the floor drain is not a French-style
red wine called Pinot Noir, but a Belgian-style golden ale called
Damnation."
"Champion beers often unbottled, unnoticed. Consider our Beer of the Week: Pyramid's outstanding
Crystal Weizen, which has won a string of prizes in blind tastings
and professional judging across the country -- the latest a first-place
gold medal in the competitive American Wheat category at the Great
American Beer Festival in Denver" reports the West County
Times.
11/5/06
9:49 AM--irritant in warehouse,
headache, light head, dry mouth, dry throat, cough--air out. 9:55
AM--irritant also immediately in front of 2743/2741 8th Street.
1:36 PM--irritant in warehouse, dry mouth, headache, leave.
11/6/06
Be sure to vote
tomorrow
I'm going to vote for Tom
Bates for mayor.
For better and for worse
Tom has taken us, some kicking and screaming, from the 1960s right
into the 21st Century, where as Mort Saul has said, "the
future lies ahead." And Tom also has lots of experience,
has connections, brought the city council together, balanced the
city budget, and helped get us the East Shore State Park. Besides,
I like his nifty blue blazers.
The Chronicle Recommends:
Bates for Berkeley
Jerry Landis email on Proposition
J.
While many landmark preservationists
have a genuine
concern for the historical, cultural, architectural,
or educational significance of Berkeley's buildings
and neighborhoods, there are also those who see the
Landmark Preservation Ordinance as a means of
restricting further development. That's the job of the
Planning Department and ZAB. It's not a legitimate
function of the LPO, and its past abuse for that
purpose - the attempt to landmark undeserving
structures only to prevent new construction in their
place - has damaged the public regard for the LPO.
Measure J unfortunately reflects the goals of the
obstructionists over those of legitimate
preservationists. If you read part of J (page BEM -
25 of your Voter Information Pamphlet) you will see
that a structure may be designated a Berkeley landmark
even if it fails to meet the criteria for listing in
the California Register of Historic Resources, or even
if it has "lost its historic character or appearance".
In other words, almost any old structure in Berkeley,
however altered it may be, can be used to prevent or
delay a land use project. The revision of the LPO
embodied in Measure J is an excessive attempt to
control what Berkeley property owners may or may not
do with their land. A more reasonable revision can be
found.
"ELECTION 2006: Berkeley Home prices among
factors shifting city's usual politics" writes Carolyn Jones of the San Francisco
Chronicle.
TIred of politics? Check
this out!
11/7/06
"East Bay suffers additional job losses.
Latest round of 125 cuts puts the number of lost jobs in manufacturing
sector at 24,000 in the past six years" reports George Avalos of the West County
Times.
In the Chronicle Gina
Smith writes about "Favorite
old flicks online."
11/8/06
Months ago, west-Berkeley's
Karnack predicted a winner of our mayor's race, incuding the vote
percentage, then sealed it in an envelope. I opened that envelope
moments ago--our Karnack predicted that Tom Bates would win by
sixty-some percent.
CONGRATS to Mayor
Bates!
a Cuban reader
sends her portrait
Today, AP announced shortly
before 10:00 AM our time that Don Rumsfeld has resigned as Secretary
of Defense.
Well Ok then!
11/9/06
"Major
homebuilders report slump" reports Deborah Yao of the
AP in the West County Times. "In a sign of a deepening
housing slump, two major homebuilders on Tuesday reported steep
declines in new orders and weaker fourth-quarter results."
11/10/06
Ed Bradley, reporter and
jazz-fan has died. He was 65.
I'm told architects are working
on the Potter Creek Berkeley Bowl interior.
Nick, a 900 GRAYSON chef,
is also the drummer in the punk band, Sahn
Maru. Sahn Maru is going on a European tour--check out their
new 7-inch
record.
"Buster Keaton's 'General' Pulls In To
PFA" reports our
Planet.
And, actor Will Farrell says
that "Borat" is the funniest movie he's ever seen and
that it's "It's fearless and fierce."
"One of Berkeley's neighborhood services
liaisons, Michael Caplan, got a new job Thursday when he was named
acting manager of the city's Office of Economic Development" reports Richard Brenneman of our Planet.
Today, PBS news-anchor and
ex-Marine, Jim Lehrer, delivered an address at opening of the
Marine Corps Museum in Quantico. Today is the 231st Anniversary
of the Corps.
11/13/06
Pete and Julie's program,
"Alternate Tunings: the Harpsichord" will, for sure,
be broadcast on KALX at 9:00 AM this Wednesday morning, November,15.
Definitely check it out--I heard the final mix last week on CD
and it's informative AND entertaining. John Phillips' interview--the
basisof the program--is worthy.
Pete's Potter Creek rain
gauge showed .26 inches from Friday PM to Saturday AM, and for
Sunday PM to this morning, .20 inches.
As the rainy season begins
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 the Scrambled Eggs.
I'm left with some memories
of Republican dominance.
The first, the admission
by Conservative reporters, the likes of David Brooks, that Karl
Rove's strategy was to make the Republicans so dominant as to
become our only political party. I find this chilling as it verges
on a coup. Second, the critical comments by SERVING general officers
of their civilian leadership. In the short run I found them relevant,
in the long run they can only weaken the civilian control of our
military, so important to our Democracy.
Finally, I supported the
war and President Bush as C-in-C. Beyond that, when asked by often
angry friends why I supported the President, I replied his arrogance
can only increase the contradictions in the ruling class between
what IS and what we ARE TOLD. His arrogance has, in fact, done
just that.
2:40 PM--SERIOUS irritant
in entire warehouse, use mask.
11/14/06
What's miltary service in
Iraq like? Read between the lines in this letter to motorcycle
journalist, Peter Egan. It's from Squad Leader, David Vickers,
A Company, 1/506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. (Egan's
writing
often touches the heart of motorcycling.)
"Mr, Egan, my name is
David Vickers . . . . I am writing you from Ar-Ramadi-Iraq. Your
books . . . and articles have helped keep my mind off the hardships
that we face here. Your words express many of the same feelings
that I feel for motorcycles and the freedom they give. I used
some of my combat pay to buy a new Ducati GT 1000 in silver and
have spent many hours poring over maps planning trips. I have
one laid out with a fellow squad leader to go from Fort Campbell
to Lynchburg, Tennessee, to pick up some single-barrel. From Lynchburg,
its backroads into Birmingham, Alabama, with a stop at Barber
Motosports Park. After a night of BBQ and whiskey, we head to
Memphis along the curviest roads we can find. In Memphis, we will
immerse ourselves in blues, booze and more BBQ. The last day will
have us finding the long way back to Fort Campbell. There are
many more trips planned. Again, thank you for the distraction.
You will never know how much it helps."
reprinted from Cycle World,
December 2006
Pete's Potter Creek rain
gauge showed .55 inches from PM yesterday to this morning.
"Environmentalists Protest Pacific Steel
Emissions"
reports Riya Bhattacharjee of our Planet. "Gas masks,
air filters and angry posters marked the Pacific Steel Casting
protest rally on Saturday, which drew more than 250 protesters."
I posted Jerry Landis' Prop
J email--see 11/6/06 post-- for several reasons, one being that
Jerry felt our Planet was not giving Prop J a fair airing.
"City Council votes to sue to stop UC's
stadium plan. Upgrade called unsafe because site straddles Hayward
Fault" reports Carolyn
Jones of the San Francisco Chronicle. "With the Cal
football team poised for its first Rose Bowl berth since the Eisenhower
administration, the city of Berkeley is planning a lawsuit to
derail an extensive stadium complex promised to coach Jeff Tedford."
11/15/06
The French School's 7th Grade
is off in the mountains.
Sarah entertained a dozen
or so fellow children's book illustrators yesterday.
If our activits need more
to do, how about getting trash-cans on our busy street-corners
and fixing our Potter Creek streets--some are damn bicycle-dangerous.
"Berkeley passes creek compromise" writes Martin Snapp of the West County Times.
"The Berkeley City Council loosened the restrictions on Tuesday
for people who want to build near a creek, but not as much as
property owners had hoped for. The Council shortened the setback
requirements for structures near a culverted creek, from 30 feet
to 15, and voted to require only a use permit. But by a 6-3 vote,
it upheld the recommendation of the Creeks Task Force to require
a variance for construction on a vacant lot within 30 feet, or
expansion of an existing structure within 25 feet, of an open
creek."
"And Fiscal shortfall ahead, Berkeley manager
warns" writes Snapp.
"Last June the Berkeley City Council celebrated the end of
four years of cost cutting that slashed $20 million from the budget
and trimmed the city's workforce by 10 percent. But on Tuesday
City Manager Phil Kamlarz told the lawmakers the party's over.
He blamed the new austerity on the end of the real estate boom,
which had been pumping unanticipated revenues into the city's
General Fund via the property transfer tax."
And Kristin Bender and Michelle
Maitre report "University
postpones vote on complex. City officials say they will wait to
sue over the Cal plans until the regents OK the environmental
report. A legal showdown between the city of Berkeley and
its flagship university has been postponed -- at least for now
-- after university leaders delayed action Tuesday on an environmental
report for campus plans to build a high-end sport complex and
renovate Memorial Stadium. But even before the regents met, the
Berkeley City Council met in closed session late Monday, authorizing
a lawsuit over UC Berkeley's plans to build the complex and massive
parking lot near the seismically unsafe stadium."
11/16/06
A break-in at 900 GRAYSON
last night was foiled, apparently by their state-of-the art alarm
system. Thieves attempted to get into 900 GRAYSON but
after breaking the back-door window did not enter.
Kruse and company had lunch
at 900 GRAYSON yesterday--filled the ten-top, they did.
Not only does 900
now have a house copy of our Planet but recently I've seen
the Wall Street Journal there as well.
East Bay Nursery's Christmas
trees are now decorated and sometimes lighted.
"Berkeley solar cell company to be sold.
SunPower officials say acquisition of PowerLight may help cut
selling prices"
reports Rick Jurgens of the West County Times. "PowerLight
Corp., a fast-growing Berkeley company that designs and operates
large commercial solar power systems, has agreed to be purchased
by a San Jose-based maker of silicon-based solar cells and panels
in a stock and cash deal valued at $332.5 million."
"Home sales plunge in October" reports Barbara E. Hernandez of the Times.
"Treasures tell story of resilience: Art
gives face to those interned"
writes Robert Taylor. "They gathered shells from dry lake
beds and pieced them together into tiny floral corsages. They
gathered abandoned animal traps, softened the metal in coal-burning
stoves, and made carving tools. They unraveled the waxy string
of an onion sack and wove it into baskets. Then, when the Japanese-Americans
were released from the bleak internment camps where they spent
much of World War II, they found their way home, packed the art
and crafts away, and got on with their lives."
6:57 AM--irritant in front
room.
11/17/06
The quote of the week, Bob
Kubik's "Now the Democrats get to have the sex and corruption
scandals."
"This West Berkeley Landmark Is a Proud
Survivor"
writes Daniella Thompson in our Planet. "The Church
of the Good Shepherd, situated on the corner of Ninth Street and
Hearst Avenue, was one of the first nine structures designated
City of Berkeley Landmarks on Dec. 15, 1975. It is the oldest
church building standing in Berkeley, as well as the oldest in
continuous use by its founding congregation in the entire East
Bay."
"Toxic Trucks: Smog Means Asthma For Low-Income
Californians"
reports Viji Sundaram in our Planet. "When Jannat
Muhammad's 7-year-old grandniece developed asthma back in 2000,
Muhammad was pained but not surprised. After all, many of the
child's schoolmates at Verde Elementary in North Richmond were
succumbing to the disease with numbing regulatory."
14 percent of children in
the U.S have asthma, reports NBC Network News.
5:31 PM--irritant IMMEDIATELY
in front of 2741/43 8th Street.
11/18/06
More jobs for Berkeley! REDICO, a development company
from Detroit, is in contract for the purchase of the large property
on San Pablo Avenue a block or so south of Ashby--the big building
and surrounding property on the west side of the street are now
owned by the University. The site is jointly in Oakland, Emeryville
and Berkeley and will be developed as a bio-tech facility.
Bob Kubik sends this link
to "Arts & Letters Daily." Check
it out!
11/19/06
"Campus dwelling puts on green face: Students
help plan, furnish eco-friendly apartment, and occupants say lifestyle
isn't that hard"
reports Michelle Maitre in the West County Times. "Already
home to the nation's first eco-friendly dorm room -- has expanded
its 'green' footprint this year with a two-bedroom apartment that
showcases sustainable living."
"Housing construction falls sharply. Building
activity hits lowest level in six years as boom becomes recession" reports the AP's Martin Crutsingerin the West
County Times.
"Home foreclosures are on the rise.
Experts blame a lagging market, rising mortgage payments, often
because ARMs are resetting to higher interest rates" reports
Eve Mitchell in the Times.
And,
"Officials try to snuff out wood fires" writes Denis
Cuff in the Times. "Bay Area residents, who drove
less in the summer to 'Spare the Air,' will be asked for the first
time this winter to give up wood fires in stoves and fireplaces
to limit smoke on dirty air nights. Stricter new health standards
to protect the public from soot have changed the threshold for
when pollution regulators will ask for voluntary cooperation in
not burning wood fires on dirty nights. The winter pollution season
begins Monday and extends through Feb. 16."
1:00 PM--SERIOUS irritant
in front room, use mask. No surrounding manufacturers appear to
be operating. Tulip Graphics, Inlite, Consolidated Printing, etc
are not up and running this Sunday afternoon.
11/21/06
An office window was broken
at École Bilingue last night. Berkeley PD Crime Scene Unit
took prints.
Yup, it's that time of year
again.
"UC oaks may face the ax" writes Carolyn Jones of the San Francisco
Chronicle. "Few things in Berkeley are as sacred as a
coast live oak. The gnarled Berkeley natives are protected by
city law, supported by a council resolution and are a favorite
of environmentalists. But that might not be enough to save 38
coast live oaks from UC's plan to clear part of a grove next to
Memorial Stadium to make way for an athletic training center promised
to football coach Jeff Tedford." Well, after the last two
games one could hard disagree with the need for training. Still
. . .
"Berkeley's first and most nationally honored
landmark, the First Church of Christ Scientist, is $118,000 richer
this week, thanks to Internet voters" writes Richard Brenneman of the Daily Planet.
And, "Vacant
office space in Berkeley is growing scarce, says commercial real
estate broker John Gordon" writes Brenneman
"Housing prices expected to drop more:
Berkeley economist says recovery will take 3 or 4 years" reports Marni Leff Kottle of the Chronicle.
Another Contrarian victory?
Seems to me one of the unintended consequences of opposing new
housing is the still high Berkeley real-estate prices.
For a study in Contrarianism
see "Little
Big Man."
1:41PM--irritant in front
room 2:13 PM warehouse filled with irritant and "melting
plastic-chlorine" odor.
11/23/06
There is
a God and She loves old Jews
Lipofsky at a Chicago
deli with a bagel, cream cheese, tomato, onion, and lox
HAPPY
THANKSGIVING!
11/24/06
1:46 PM--irritant in entire
warehouse. Marsha has headache, is light-headed, has dry-lips,
coughs, has runny nose. Adams and Chittenden Scientific Glass'
"gold processing" exhaust-unit is on. No other surrounding
manufactures appear to be operating--it is Thankgiving Friday.
Also, area between back of 2743/2741 8th building and back of
2748 9th building filled with same irritant plus slight odor.
And slight, and similar irritant also present off-and-on on north-side
of 900 Grayson block and corner of Grayson and 9th, leave.
3:05 PM--return, irritant
present. Adams and Chittenden Scientific Glass' "gold processing"
exhaust-unit is on. Air-out warehouse.
11/25/06
Open studios at the Saw-tooth
today. Go buy some stuff!
Want honest-to-goodness"home
made donuts?" Check out Rainbow Donuts, 2025 San Pablo. Try
an old fashion with chocolate frosting and jimmies, or a jelly
filled--they filled mine while I waited. The donuts are big, heavy,
fried, and only a little sugary. And real honest. Their phone
is (510) 644-2028.
Then stop in True Value Hardware,
down the block at 2043 San Pablo--an old-time hardware store with
a wood-board floor and filled with basic goods. Phone (510) 8434881.
"Cameras could keep eye on Berkeley marina" reports Doug Oakley in the West County Times.
"Berkeley is considering using surveillance cameras to reduce
car thefts, break-ins and assaults at its marina."
"East Bay housing inventory stacks up" writes Barbara E. Hernandez of the Times.
"Future is bright for military institute.
After a rocky few years, the school's first cadets are applying
for college, with extraordinary success" reports Chris Metinko of the Times. "Cody
Kopowski is straightforward and blunt when talking about the Oakland
Military Institute -- the school he has called his own since it
opened its doors in fall 2001. 'I attribute all my accomplishments
and successes I've had so far to the institute,' said Kopowski,
sitting upright and sure. Kopowski, an East Oakland resident,
is one of two seniors at the school applying to West Point. 'The
institute has meant everything.' "
And "Students
rebuild holiday tradition" writes Katy Murphy.
11/26/06
For the first three weeks
of November, site visits are up 100% from the same period last
year and browsing time is up 400%.
"Concept of 'hybrid democracy' avoids two-party
gridlock: Californians are fed up with bipartisan bickering and
are pushing for new system, top pollsters say" writes Steve Geissinger in the West County
Times. "Expect surprises. It's no longer politics as
usual. Want to overhaul the Legislature into a single nonpartisan
house? How about creating universal health care or a bullet train?
Voters may soon get the chance."
11/28/06
Pete's Potter Creek rain
gauge shows .55 inches from Sunday PM to this morning AM--David's,
a little more for a little longer time.
And Pete and Julie's second
"Alternate Tunings," "The Carillon" will air
on KALX at 9:00 AM this Wednesday, November 29. I heard a CD of
an early mix and it's informative, flows smoothly, and is VERY
FUNNY.
Our David Bowman emails about
his open studio
We're having an open studio
of our metal works down near Magic Gardens and the Berkeley Art
Foundry and the Mahea Uchiyama International Dance Center at the
end of Heinz next weekend and would be pleased to have our Potter
Creek neighbors come by. It's David M Bowman Studio at 729 Heinz
#3 - 11-5 Friday, Saturday and Sunday December 1-3.
And our Annie K has a story
in the
Planet.
And talk about hiding your
light under a basket, I just found out that over two weeks ago
one of west-Berkeley's leading
citizen's good friend was featured in the Chronicle.
"Grant program seeks a solution to pollution" reports Denis Cuff of the West County Times.
"In an unusual local attack on a worldwide problem, the Bay
Area's air pollution control district is devoting $3 million in
grants to inspire new ways of reducing global warming gases. .
. . To expand the pot of grant money, the Bay Area Air Quality
Management District also is considering teaming with businesses
to create a nonprofit foundation to solicit private donations."
"Road ecology paves way to understanding
of how highways can co-exist with wildlife" writes the Times' Kiley Russell.
"Car creations push it to 'Max'" writes James Temple of the Times. "Marisa
Lenhardt doesn't decelerate, doesn't check her mirrors, doesn't
react at all as the police cruiser pulls in behind her 1979 Cadillac
De Ville. Despite what one might assume, twin flame throwers welded
to the rear of a car don't necessarily make it illegal. Ditto
for a roof-mounted gun turret."
11/30/06
900 GRAYSON'S Chris and Heather Saulnier had a baby girl
at 1:20 PM today. Named Margot, she and Mom are doing well--don't
know about Chris. Heather was two weeks overdue and had been in
some sort of labor for the last four days. Margot's a Sagittarius
with moon in Aries.
Sally emails YEAH!
900 GRAYSON
catered Thanksgiving dinner for
20 at the Haas' in Pacific Heights.
While walking down 8th to
lunch at 900 yesterday I met the Frazier brothers, Freddie
and Antoine. 48 and 49, they grew up in Potter Creek, lived in
the house next to the now secret-movie-studio-building, climbed
the now OSH water-tower to catch pidgeons, played baseball in
what was the soap-factory parking lot, and bought their bubble
gum at the old, old 900 GRAYSON.
"That used to be the
pound" they said, pointing to the low building on the south-west
corner of 8th and Grayson.
900 has some new selections on their lunch menu.
Check out Persephone, Chinatown Confit, Rapini, and Succú.
Some weeks past I mentioned
that DW-TV did a feature on gourmet historic food like Medieval
cabbage and, . . . weeds. "I don't know about weeds"
mused Kimar. Well, check out Leslie Harlib's
"Bull thistle pesto? Sauteed stinging nettles? Just when
foodies thought America's growing trend toward organic sustainable
foods was at the forefront of healthy eating, there's an even
more dramatic idea gaining attention: Weeds" in the West
County Times.
Kimar's youngest son Jeff
wrote the script for the new-to-me Texas Instrument HD-TV radio
ad "It's the mirrors." Jeff gives a sense of HD-TV's
detailed picture through words alone. Check it out! Jeff and his
partner did the TI's HD-TV television ads--the little girl and
George-the-elephant, also "It's the mirrors."
The whole roof has been removed
from Acme's new building.
"Workers' comp costs likely to fall" reports the Times' Marton Dunai. "Hundreds
of thousands of California employers can expect their workers'
compensation costs to decrease Jan. 1, when the state agency that
dictates the market reduces its premiums."
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