8/13/08
Mid-morning yesterday, Berkeley
PD and Berkeley FD responded to a call of a suspicious package
at the east gate of Bayer. Well over half-dozen radio cars, and
other BPD units, and almost as many Berkeley Fire Department
units responded. The area for blocks surrounding 7th and
Parker was cordoned-off and those in surrounding buildings told
to remain inside.
Early afternoon, the package
was successfully destroyed--a response in force by Berkeley disaster
units
8/15/08
Feuilleton:from Wikipedia,
Feuilleton (a diminutive
of French feuillet, the leaf of a book) was originally a kind
of supplement attached to the political portion of French newspapers.
Its inventors were Julien Louis Geoffroy and Bertin the Elder,
editors of the Journal des Débats. It was not usually printed
on a separate sheet, but merely separated from the political part
of the newspaper by a line, and printed in smaller type. In French
newspapers it consisted chiefly of non-political news and gossip,
literature and art criticism, a chronicle of the latest fashions,
and epigrams, charades and other literary trifles. German newspapers
still use the term for their literary and arts sections.
Besides France, Russia in
particular cultivated the feuilleton genre since the 19th century,
and the word acquired the general meaning of satirical piece in
the Russian language.
The feuilleton in its French
sense was never adopted by English newspapers, though the sort
of matter represented by it eventually came to be included. But
the term itself entered English use to indicate the installment
of a serial story printed in one part of a newspaper. However
the French form is quite popular in Continental Europe, as seen
in the works of many popular Czech authors, such as Jan Neruda,
Karel Capek and Ludvík Vaculík.
In the novel The Glass Bead Game, by Nobel Prize winning novelist
Hermann Hesse, the current era is characterised and described
as The Age of the Feuilleton.
"Cal's Longshore excited about new season" writes Jonathan Okanes in the Mercury
News.
"Quarterback Nate Longshore
has had his share of good moments and bad moments during his four
years at Cal, but what he chooses as the highlight of his career
might come as a surprise.
'Right now is the best time
of my career,' Longshore said. 'I'm so excited. I think we're
going to surprise some people. There's focus and an intensity
when you're out there that is unparalleled since I've been here.'
It's possible that what excites
Longshore so much about this year is, simply, that it's not last
year."
Kimar emails
Recently Ron and I lunched
at Riva Cucina--we hadn't been there in some time. One of
the changes we noticed right away was the room-addition on the
left as you come in. It is great looking with its dark floor to
the ceiling drapes. And allowing more seating, it looks like it
can be curtained off for private parties.
The restaurant was about
half full (about 25), and there were about 8 outdoor diners. (Most
of them opted for the tables in the shade on the upper level.
Maybe some italian umbrellas would be nice for the tables in the
sun.)
The menu looks very italian. We tried the classic tagliatelle
bolognese, and one of the many panini that were listed.
The pasta was served in an
oversized, rimmed pasta bowl, homemade and tender with the right
amount of sauce to noodle. The panini was the roast pork,
fig, gorgonzola, marcarpone, aioli sandwich. It was served
on a fabulous acme sweet roll. The roast pork was perfectly
done, the taste of fig was very slight, and at first bite
the overriding flavor was of the cheese. It was served warm
and was very good.
Service was friendly and
efficient, and the owner was present, delivering food and
greeting customers.
"Walker's Restaurant and Pie Shop to Close
Sept. 30" reports
our Planet.
"Solano Avenue, one
of the last remnants of Main Street U.S.A., will soon lose a piece
of its fabric as American as apple pie.
Walker's Restaurant and Pie
Shop will close Sept. 30.
Jorge Sandoval, the owner,
sold the family business after 'people just stopped coming in.'
"
"The Inside Scoop: Economy claims Rubicon,
West County Grill"
reports the Chronicle.
"Is the faltering economy
finally catching up with the Bay Area restaurant scene? Last week
saw the closure of two prominent places - Rubicon in San Francisco
and the rather short-lived West County Grill in Sebastopol."
la bola en la calle
The used-machinery, covering
virtually the entire two driveways' of a property on 9th, next
to the French School between Grayson and Heinz, has been removed.
The kitchen crew at 900
are planning to dress-up as me for Halloween.
Ryan Lau emails about last
Thursday's "crime meeting"
Sorry I didn't get around
to this until now. . . . We had a little over 40 people there.
(I think many people were out of town.) We had the Chief
of Police, Sgt. Kusmiss, Officer Buckheit, Kim Hunter from the
DA's office, Zach Cowan, Angela Gallegos-Castillo from Neighborhood
Services, Scott Ferris from Parks and Recreations, and Tia Ingram
from the Berkeley Housing Authority. The topics of discussion
ranged from enforcement to long range prevention policy.
I have attached a copy of the agenda for the list of topics.Thanks
Ron
Ryan
[Other attendees put the
number at about 25-30 citizens.]
"Catalytic Converter Thieves Strike Berkeley" reports Kristin McFarland in our Planet.
"Three catalytic converter
thefts last week represent an ongoing trend in Berkeley and a
nationwide epidemic.
'We have kind of a constant
ebb and flow of catalytic converter thefts,' said Sergeant Mary
Kusmiss, BPD community services bureau supervisor. 'We attribute
that to a suspect or a particular suspect working in Berkeley
over a weekend or a brief period of a time.'
Police report that there
were 74 catalytic converter thefts from Jan. 1 to July 31. Last
week's thefts were reported on Monday, Aug. 4 in the 2900 block
of Pine Avenue; on Tuesday, Aug. 5 in the 2100 block of Prince
Street; and on Wednesday, Aug. 6 in the 2400 block of Prince Street.
Because the theft of a catalytic
converter is not immediately obvious, many thefts are not reported
for several days.
The first two thefts reported
are estimated to have occurred between Aug. 1 and Aug. 3."
"Berkeley Police Report High Recovery Rate
of Stolen Cars" writes
our Planet's Kristin McFarland.
"Berkeley police report
a 96 percent recovery rate for cars stolen in Berkeley.
In 2006, 1,266 cars were
reported stolen, while in 2007 1,154 were reported stolen. In
August 2008, 29 cars have been reported stolen and 11 have been
recovered.
'We have a very high recovery
rate,' Sgt. Mary Kusmiss, BPD community services bureau supervisor
said. 'Southern California has more vehicles stolen and chopped
up or taken over the border. Here, cars are stolen for gas, joyrides,
drug deals or to pick up a prostitute. It's just a different culture
of theft.' "
"Missing Rice University student Matthew
Wilson was found in Dwinell Hall on the UC Berkeley campus Wednesday
night and it looks like he is headed to jail, UC police said" reports Kristin Bender of the Tribune.
"Wilson, 21, disappeared
from Houston in December and his abandoned car was found in June
on Allston Way in Berkeley. Since then, the search for Wilson
has focused on Berkeley, especially around Telegraph Avenue and
the UC Berkeley campus.
UC police picked up Wilson
in Dwinell Hall and were questioning him late Wednesday. Shortly
before 7 p.m., a UC officer was in Dwinell Hall looking for a
theft suspect when he came across Wilson in a classroom.
There have been thefts of
backpacks, computers and other items on campus recently.
Wilson, who was alone, had
a laptop computer hooked up to an audio visual utility box. When
police questioned him about it, he gave a false name. He later
gave the officer his real name. There's a chance he will be arrested
for possession of stolen property and he could face other charges
as well, Assistant Chief Mitch Celaya said.
He was at the Berkeley Police
Department speaking to detectives late Wednesday, Sgt. Mary Kusmiss
said."
"Former Berkeley High football star faces
burglary charge in El Cerrito"
write the Times' Karl Fischer and Doug Oakley.
"An 18-year-old man
who starred at running back last season for Berkeley High School's
football team now faces felony charges of burglarizing an apartment
in El Cerrito, a few weeks shy of embarking for college."
"Berkeley mayor race features familiar
foes" reports Kristin
Bender of the Tribune.
"A woman who left the
mayor's office six years ago but has never stopped being active
in city politics - or criticizing the way the mayor does his job
- is going to try to unseat Mayor Tom Bates in November.
Shirley Dean, who was mayor
from 1994 to 2002 and a council member from 1975 to 1982 and from
1986 to 1994, said she believes Bates has been a disengaged, inaccessible
mayor who has not been proactive in standing up for the people
of Berkeley.
'I'm running because instead
of just sitting around complaining I am getting up and doing something,'
said Dean, 73.
Bates, 70, has served one
four-year term and is finishing a special two-year term created
to bring the mayoral election cycle in line with the presidential
election.
The two last went to battle
in an election in 2002, when Bates unseated Dean. Bates received
55.4 percent of the vote compared with Dean's 42.9 percent. The
race wasn't close, but Dean said times have changed and people
are ready for different leadership."
Oh, dear me.
"State top court to review medical pot
limit" writes the
Chronicle's Bob Egelko.
"The state Supreme Court
returned to the medical marijuana wars Wednesday, agreeing to
decide the validity of a law that shields doctor-approved pot
users from arrest for possessing up to eight ounces of dried marijuana
or growing six plants."
"Zebra Tattoo & Body Piercing Opening
New Location in Walnut Creek, CA" reports MarketWatch.
"Legendary tattoo and
piercing establishment, Zebra on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley,
CA is expanding its operations with a second location on 1419
Broadway in Walnut Creek, California set to open in late August
08.
Zebra opened twenty years ago in the Bay Area and quickly became
known for its highly skilled artists, its strict adherence to
sterilization guidelines and use of non-allergenic dyes."
"Berkeley, California-based
biopharmaceutical company recorded a net loss of $3.78 million"
reports RTTNEWS.
Nile Therapeutics, Inc (NLTX: News, Chart, Quote ) reported a
wider net loss of $3.8 million, or $0.16 per share for the second
quarter compared to $2.2 million, or $0.16 per share in the prior-year
quarter."
"US home foreclosures increase 55%" reports BBC NEWS.
"More than 272,000 people
in the US received a foreclosure notice in July, a rise of 55%
on a year earlier, according to analysts Realtytrac.
Florida and California had
the highest rate of foreclosures, figures showed."
"Mervyns disclosed Wednesday it plans to
close 26 stores - including two in the East Bay and four in the
Bay Area - amid the bankrupt retailer's quest to emerge from a
financial morass" reports
our Times.
"Christian
Dior Store Set To Join Local Retailers" write Gleb
Krampets and Anatoly Tyomkin in Russia's St Petersburg Times.
"Bolshaya Konushennaya
Ulitsa is gradually becoming St. Petersburg's main street for
top fashion, with a Christian Dior boutique set to join the Louis
Vuitton and Maison Martin Margiela stores already located there.
Christian Dior already has
two boutiques in Moscow, and has now decided to open in the northern
capital, said Christian Dior's Russia director, Pierre de Magre.
He did not say where or when the store would open, but Vedomosti
has discovered that the store will open at 13, Bolshaya Konushennaya
Ulitsa. At present the site is occupied by the Solo furniture
store, but it is due to move out of the premises this week, and
will later house the Christian Dior store, said Yekaterina Faukatdinova,
the shop's manager."
"Frogs and other amphibians dying at alarming
rates, say scientists"
reports the UK's Guardian.
"New research led by
two University of California at Berkeley biologists finds frogs
and other amphibians worldwide need help, because they are dying
at alarming rates.
The researchers find that
some frog populations are at 2 to 5% of their former size - that's
a decline of 95 to 98% - which they argue is a warning sign of
a larger global issue.
An article published this
week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
reports that scientists are not yet sure what the long-term implications
might be.
They are sure, however, of
the varied causes of the die-off, and say mankind is to blame
for most of them."
"Ocean
dead zones become a worldwide problem" reports AP's
Randolph E. Schmid.
"Like a chronic disease
spreading through the body, 'dead zones' with too little oxygen
for life are expanding in the world's oceans.
'We have to realize that
hypoxia is not a local problem,' said Robert J. Diaz of the Virginia
Institute of Marine Science. 'It is a global problem and it has
severe consequences for ecosystems.'
'It's getting to be a problem
of such a magnitude that it is starting to affect the resources
that we pull out of the sea to feed ourselves,' he added.
Diaz and co-author Rutger
Rosenberg report in Friday's edition of the journal Science that
there are now more than 400 dead zones around the world, double
what the United Nations reported just two years ago.
'If we screw up the energy
flow within our systems we could end up with no crabs, no shrimp,
no fish. That is where these dead zones are heading unless we
stop their growth,' Diaz said in a telephone interview."
John Norheim hipped me to
this last year sometime. My memory is that he's sailed through
one . . . or flew over one.
"Hollywood Helps Revive Berlin's Former
Movie Glory" reports
DW WORLD.
"Star-studded movie
productions with Hollywood A-list actors and a bit of financial
support from the German government are returning a film studio
near Berlin to its long-lost glitz."
8/16/08
"Power Outage Shuts Down West Berkeley" reports Kristin McFarland in our Planet.
"Approximately 1,000
West Berkeley PG&E customers were without power for more than
four hours on Thursday.
According to a PG&E spokeswoman, the power outages were caused
by a burnt power line cross-arm. PG&E will investigate the
cause of the burnout after power is restored to customers."
"The price of oil has dropped $10 in the
past two days, but we aren't seeing it at the pumps, at least
not yet. That has many consumers thinking about green" reports CHANNEL 7 ABC NEWS.
"It is a sign of the
times, but a bit ironic, too. The old Cadillac/VW dealership building
in Berkeley has been taken over by a company selling nothing but
electric cars.
The first thing you see just
screams things are different at Green Motors. Inside, it doesn't
look like your average dealership either."
Don Yost found this facility for Green Motors.
"CA Laws Clears Way
For Berkeley's Innovative Solar Financing" reports SustainableBusiness.com
News.
"California enacted
a law that makes possible an innovative form of financing for
solar energy and energy efficiency projects, according to a report
in the Los Angeles Times.
The law allows cities and
counties to provide low-interest loans to homeowners and businesses
to install solar power systems and energy-efficiency improvements.
The loans can be paid back as part of the borrower's property
taxes and passed along to the next owner, if the property is sold.
The law began as an initiative
brainstormed in th office of Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, and drew
national attention after being presented a meeting of mayos in
Seattle in November 2007. It could become a model for solar financing
across the country.
Berkeley's initiative, called
Berkeley FIRST, is still in the pilot stage, according to the
Times report. But the city of Palm Desert, California reportedly
has a list of interested customers and expects to be the first
to put the financing into practice."
la bola en la calle
There are lofts for rent
at 2720 8th Street. Call 644-3002 for info.
Fantasy's child-care playground
"Famed Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA,
Unveils Major Renovations"
reports their informative press release.
"Top Bay Area recording
facility, Fantasy Studios at Zaentz Media Center has just completed
major renovations, transforming one of the most requested studios
in Northern California into an even more sought after space. During
the renovations, architects and technicians were careful to preserve
the rich history and heritage of Fantasy Studios, where platinum
records by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Santana, Journey, Green
Day, En Vogue, Aerosmith and countless others have been made during
its 40-year history. The tradition of providing an inimitably
creative environment continues, as Fantasy Studios has also been
the recording studio of choice for some of today's hottest artists
including Counting Crows, The Donnas, AFI, Ozomatli, and the Kronos
Quartet."
And ABC CHANNEL 7 NEWS
reports "Cynthia Kroll is a professor of economics at the
Fisher Real Estate Center at UC Berkeley. She believes the foreclosure
crisis is a three-stage process that initially affected those
with subprime loans and interest rates that escalated dramatically.
. . .
'Next we'll see the impact
of falling home prices and this can affect even people who are
not in subprime loans, who are perhaps stretching to meet the
value of their home and if anything happens, they may no longer
have any equity to protect in their loan and they may have more
incentive to walk away,' says Kroll.
Professor Kroll believes
we are currently in stage two. Stage three would happen if the
recession deepens and people start walking from their homes because
they are losing their jobs or because of other financial difficulties."
"US celebrities spied during WWII" reports BBC NEWS.
"Several well-known
American public figures were spies during World War II, declassified
documents have confirmed.
The celebrities include the
chef Julia Child, the historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr, the film
actor Sterling Hayden, and the baseball player Moe Berg."
"The Brightest, Sharpest, Fastest X-Ray
Holograms Yet" reports
Photonics on Line.
"The pinhole camera, a technique known since ancient times,
has inspired a futuristic technology for lensless, three-dimensional
imaging. Working at both the Advanced Light Source (ALS) at the
U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
and at FLASH, the free-electron laser in Hamburg, Germany, an
international group of scientists has produced two of the brightest,
sharpest x-ray holograms of microscopic objects ever made, thousands
of times more efficiently than previous x-ray-holographic methods."
8/17/08
"Seize
the Airwaves Build an FM Broadcast Transmitter at Free Radio
Berkeley's Summer Radio Camp, Aug. 29-Sept. 30" reports
Media Activism.
"In the fifth year of
being offered, the Summer Radio Camp program offer a unique hands-on
learning opportunity.
With less and less emphasis
being placed on acquiring actual real world skills at all levels
of education, the Summer Radio Camp program provides individuals
with the opportunity to learn by doing. During the 4 day Radio
Camp participants build a 40 watt FM broadcast transmitter (and
other related items such as antennas) and learn how to set up
a low power community radio station capable of covering a broadcast
radius up to 8 miles depending on terrain and antenna height."
"East Bay leads Bay Area in job losses" reports George Avalos of the Times.
"The East Bay lost 2,700
jobs during July, a fresh setback for a struggling economy that
has suffered a string of employment losses that now stretches
to seven-straight months, according to a state labor report released
Friday.
Adjusted for seasonal changes, the East Bay has lost nearly 19,000
jobs so far in 2008, the Employment Development Department reported."
"Guns for Texas school's teachers" reports BBC NEWS.
"Teachers in one part
of the US state of Texas are to be allowed to carry concealed
firearms when the new school term opens this month.
The school superintendent
in Harrold district said the move was intended to protect staff
and pupils should there be any gun attacks on its sole campus."
"Biodiversity disaster: Mass decline of
frog population" reports
the Times of India.
"Researchers from the
University of California, Berkley, US, have suggested that the
devastating declines of amphibian species around the world are
a sign of a large-scale biodiversity disaster.
In an article published online
in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
the researchers argue that'substantial die-offs of amphibians
and other plant and animal species add up to a new mass extinction
facing the planet.
"There's no question
that we are in a mass extinction spasm right now,' said David
Wake, professor of integrative biology at UC Berkeley."
"Guardian Angels take up posts in Oakland" reports Christopher Heredia of the Chronicle.
"The Guardian Angels,
the safety patrols with red berets, fanned out Friday evening
in Oakland's Lake Merritt neighborhoods to deter hooded bandits
from extending their streak of takeover robberies.
About a dozen members of
the volunteer group began roving Grand and Lakeshore avenues at
6 p.m., at the invitation of Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and the
police."
"Confidence of Bay Area business leaders
slips" reports Sam
Zuckerman in the Chronicle.
"Bay Area employers
are battening down the hatches, preparing for a long period of
tough conditions, according to a survey of regional business sentiment."
"Invisibility' technology
may help view tiny objects" reports Amanda Taccone of CTV.ca
News.
"New technology that
could someday make Harry Potter's invisibility cloak a reality,
may have more immediate, and important applications: the ability
to see and communicate better.
While any type of cloaking
device is likely at least 10 years away, being able to control
how light bends is a major step in other emerging technologies.
The military application
of such a device might seem obvious, but the immediate medical
and communication applications could be just as exciting.
Researcher and co-author
of a new study on metamaterial, Guy Bartal, of the University
of California Berkeley, believes the application in imaging and
telecommunications could be significant.
'Shorter-term applications
of the things we have demonstrated, I would say...we can use it
for very high resolution, to image tiny objects,' Bartal said.
'For example, living cells in their natural environment.' "
"Calorie counts on fast food menus? California
law would require it. Advocates say SB 1420 would help fast-food
eaters make slimmer choices. Others doubt the information will
have an effect"
reports Karen Ravn of the LA Times.
"No one's looking to
make you go on a diet. But there's a law in the works in Sacramento
that might -- just might -- help you lose weight -- or so says
a study released Thursday.
The proposed law, SB 1420,
which the state Senate has passed and the Assembly will consider
soon, would require chain restaurants with 15 or more outlets
in California to list the calorie content for each item on their
menus and menu boards. (The menus would also include other nutritional
information, such as grams of fat and carbohydrates.)
Advocates believe such a
'menu-labeling law' could help to halt, or at least slow, the
trend that has led to 3 out of 5 Californians being overweight
or obese. The new study -- by the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins
Center for Weight and Health at UC Berkeley -- is the latest evidence
suggesting they may be right."
8/16/08--6:29 AM, irritant
IMMEDIATELY in front of warehouse and warehouse front, lights
flicker, dim.
Talked with David Hicks during
breakfast at 900 yesterday. During our conversation he reommended
the tango site, tangomango.org. Check
it out for tango stuff in the Bay Area and elsewhere.
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.
Our Berkeley
PD Site with crime statistics and more is here.
Crime Log for 94710
is here
This site is NOT affiliated
with Berkeley PD.
Take time to report
crime!
All reports
of crime-in-progress should first go to Berkeley PD dispatch--911
or non-emergency, 981-5900. THEN make sure you notify EACH of
these City people.
The contacts
are below:
Our new Area
Coordinator is Officer Karen Buckheit, Berkeley PD - 981-5774
kbuckheit@ci.berkeley.ca.us
Angela Gallegos-Castillo,
City Mgr Off - 981-2491 agallegos-castillo@ci.berkeley.ca.us
Ryan Lau,
aid to Darryl Moore - 981-7120 rlau@ci.berkeley.ca.us
Darryl Moore,
City Councilman dmoore@ci.berkeley.ca.us
More
Scrambled Eggs & Lox, here
and
Stories about Berkeley and stories about recorded-music
are at
Journal of Recorded Music 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
ronpenndorf@earthlink.net
The original owner
of all scanned material retains copyright. The material is used
only to illustrate