January 2005

OK Milo, . . . wake up, it's 2005.

 

1/3/05

A Memorial Service for Ed Saylan will be held Saturday, January 8 at 2:00PM in Saint Luke's Church, 10 Bay View--just off Point San Pedro Road--in San Rafael.

 

1/4/05

Who read Scrambled Eggs and Lox last year? According to my server, citizens of about one-hundred countries.

(Japan) (Netherlands) (Canada) (Italy) (France) (Germany) (United Kingdom) (United States) (Singapore) (Australia) (China) (Switzerland) (Belgium) (USA Military) (Mexico) (Sweden) (Denmark) (Taiwan) (Finland) (Hong Kong) (Israel) (Spain) (Brazil) (Argentina) (Hungary) (Austria) (Poland) (Greece) (Czech Republic) (New Zealand) (Portugal) (Norway) (Seychelles) (Russian Federation) (Peru) (South Korea) (Estonia) (United Arab Emirates) (Turkey) (Saudi Arabia) (Croatia) (Malaysia) (South Africa) (Chile) (Thailand) (Colombia) (Slovak Republic) (Philippines) (India) (Ireland) (Latvia) (Yugoslavia) (Iceland) (Indonesia) (Romania) (Lebanon) (Vietnam) (Slovenia) (Ukraine) (Dominican Republic) (Costa Rica) (Luxembourg) (Iran) (Venezuela) (Trinidad and Tobago) (Ecuador) (Lithuania) (Uruguay) (Syria) (Qatar) (Bolivia) (Jordan) (Tonga) (Bermuda) (Niue) (Cyprus) (Malta) (Benin) (Egypt) (Nicaragua) (Honduras) (Kenya) (Mauritius) (Macedonia) (Belarus) (Tanzania) (Monaco) (Uganda) (Georgia) (Faroe Islands) (Tunisia) (Cocos [Keeling] Islands) (Bulgaria) (Bosnia-Herzegovina) (Ivory Coast [Cote D'Ivoire]) (Morocco) (Nigeria)

In keeping with Kimar's months-ago-conclusion about our university "The friendly giant doesn't play nice," Carrie Sturrock reports in the San Francisco Chronicle"City ready to fight big UC expansion. University's long-range development blueprint 'is really damaging,' mayor says."

 

Kava Massih Architects email "West Berkeley Bowl, the 920 Heinz Avenue project, will not be not be heard at the January 12th Planning Commission Meeting because the owners of Berkeley Bowl have long-standing arrangements to be out of town. The project team realizes it is important that the owners be available for questions at the meeting, thus the project will be heard at the January 26th meeting."

Zelda Bronstein emails concerning the Berkeley Bowl Planning Commision meeting in January "community members [should] send all their questions and concerns [about Potter Creek's Berkeley Bowl] to John Curl at redcoral@jps.net John will forward [them] to the Planning Commission."

What does Potter Creek think of its proposed Berkeley Bowl? Frankly, right now no one really knows. Rather than listening to reporters, activists, meeting attendees or ole farts, have a professional survey taken. After all, reporters have deadlines, activists, agendas, meeting attendance is self-selecting and old farts, . . . well. If a survey is not taken, all is conjecture--some informed, some not. Want to know what Potter Creekers really feel? Ask them. Until then, as my Working-Class, Ole man, Max would say, we are all just "pissing into the wind."

An important part of the Mayor's December report

"A Chance to Talk - Neighbor Meetings Planned
Over the next six months, I will be working with Council Members and Berkeley residents to hold dozens of 'living room meetings' throughout the City. It will be an opportunity to talk with small groups of neighbors in detail about the challenges facing the City, including setting budget priorities. If you are interested in hosting a living room meeting, or just want to be on the invite list if one is set in your neighborhood, please . . . let us know."

OK boss, but remember biker Cliff Miller's "You generally don't learn much while your lips are moving."

How is west-Berkeley changing? Look around! Avenue Used Cars' lot at 2205 San Pablo is now filled with BMWs, Mercedes and Jaguars. It used to be filled with Olds, Cheys and Dodges.

 

 

1/6/05

Charles Mingus by Jim Marshall, 1976

Certainly the leading photographer of our music in The Day, a limited selection of Marshall's photos is now available from wolfgangsvault.com

 

 

 

1/7/05

Nexus Gallery has served artists and the communtiy for decades.

At the Gallery right now, Rosanne Reynolds is mounting her show, Tangible Results: A Retrospective, January 9-January 29. There is a reception Sunday, January 9th, 3-6PM. The Nexus Gallery is located at 2707 8th Street, Berkeley.

 

 

Ms. Reynolds art

For details, check out Rosanne's website.

&

In the near future, a Nexus feature.

 

 

1/8/05

"Pollution Study to Identify Communities' Cancer Risks" reports Denis Cuff of the West County Times. Cuff writes "A 2003 study conducted in Southern California found people living next to busy freeways faced a greater cancer risk from breathing vehicle exhaust than residents of highly industrial areas. Bay Area officials expect to find similar results."

Any survey that begins with expectations is flawed from the start, the result not science but propaganda. Dennis Bolt, a representative for--of all people--the Western States Petroleum Association pleads "This is groundbreaking work. Let's . . . get it right."

 

 

1/9/05

During the two hours in which we remembered the good things about Ed Saylan, it didn't rain over St. Luke's and was almost always sunny. That in a day of otherwise grey skies and heavy rain. "Fooled um all" quipped Lipofsky as we left. "Huh" I thought "Ed regularly did do good deeds." But he was just a man, and we did have some knock-down, drag-out arguments. As his health declined, and after one particularly heated confrontation, he said "You know sometimes I say things I don't mean." Unusual from a man who almost all his life said to me what he meant.

 

 

1/10/05

Marvin "recreated" this half-size violin for Art of Note, a money raising project to benefit Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra, Madison, Wisconsin. He donated it for auction.

 

 

 

A Potter Creek worker and a superb harpsichordist is giving two benefit concerts for Tsunami victims. Our Janine Johnson, harpsichordist emails " I have decided to give a couple of house concerts, with all the proceeds going to the American Red Cross International Relief Fund. The concerts will be Saturday morning-coffee concert January 15th, at 10:30 AM, and a second one on Sunday January 23rd at 4:00 PM." Email Janine for details, please.

PROGRAM

Airy Airs

La Vanlo..................................................Jacques Duphly 1715-1789
Le Moulin a Vent.........................................François d'Agincour 1684-1758
Les Chérubins ou L,aimablé Lazure....................François Couperin 1668-1733
Les Soupirs...............................................Jean-Philippe Rameau 1683-1764
Air pour Zéphire........................................ J.P. Rameau
Air Vif pour Zéphire et la Rose.........................J.P. Rameau
Les Tourbillons..........................................J.P. Rameau

Sky Gazer's Dream......................................................Janine Johnson

Cirrus (Mare's Tails)
Parhelia (Sun Dogs)
Altocumulus (Mackerel Sky)
Breezes
Blue!
Cumulus Humilis (Sheep)
Cumulus Congestus (Towering Cauliflower)
Cumulonimbus (Thunderhead)
Crepuscular Rays (Inspirational Greeting Card)
Alpenglow

INTERMISSION

Suite IV in e minor.....................................................Louis-Antoine Dornel ca. 1685-1765
Allemande, La St. Pierre
La Convalescente, Movement de Sarabande
La Jeune Muse
La Tendre Brune
Tambourins 1 & 2
Les Tourbillons

French Suite VI in E major......................................Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
Allemande
Courante
Sarabande
Gavotte
Polonaise
Menuet
Bourree
Gigue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The best part of dinner at Kimar's?

Hardly, . . . it's the food!

In this case, a Sunday Dinner of pomegranate pork with Pinot Noir, a white-pear salad with Oregon blue cheese and candied pecans and a rum-raisin rice pudding.

 

 

Our boss is speaking today.
"The Mayor will discuss his priorities on issues ranging from the budget to UC Berkeley during his 20-minute address to the City and the City Council today at 5 p.m. Mayor Tom Bates will lay out his agenda and priorities for the coming year during a speech at Council Chambers on Tuesday, January 11th. His agenda includes reforms to the city's operations and budget process, expanded volunteer services for children and youth, stronger environmental leadership, developing a community vision for downtown development, and the creation of a fair partnership with UC Berkeley."

 

 

 

1/13/05

Milo's up, . . . and out an about

 

 

 

1/14/05

Heath Maddox emails "As the Bicycle and Pedestrian Planner for the City of Berkeley's Office of Transportation, I am working on a bike path project that would connect the end of 9th Street with Emeryville. This project, . . . will construct a multiuse path connecting Berkeley's Ninth Street Bicycle Boulevard to the Doyle Street Greenway in Emeryville. The path will close the existing gap in bicycle facilities between the intersection of Heinz and 9th Streets in West Berkeley and the Emeryville City limit. It will be built on currently unused Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way and existing roadways. Upon completion, the path will provide a safe, direct bicycle crossing of Ashby Avenue offering cyclists an unbroken, regional route through Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville and into Oakland."

Letters, fax or email in support of this project should be sent to Heath Maddox Associate Transportation Planner, Bicycle and Pedestrian Programs, City of Berkeley Office of Transportation, 1947 Center Street, 3rd Floor, Berkeley, CA 94704 Tel: 510-981-7062, Fax: 510-981-7060, hmaddox@ci.berkeley.ca.us

 

 

1/15/05

Matt Krupick reports about our latest city-university conflict in "Town-Gown Frown" on the front page of the West County Times. Former Cal worker and still-connected, Kimar saw this episode coming months ago.

Hey, Dan "Just say no."

 

 

 

1/16/05

Winter's here. Can Spring be far behind?

 

A stolen van was dumped next to the French School on Grayson Saturday-night/Sunday-morning. Our beat officer and the Berkeley PD Crime Scene Unit were there early Sunday morning. "Happens a lot down here" said our officer.

Rick Auerbach reports that "there have been a rash of car break-ins in our neighborhood in the last week."

 

 

 

 

1/17/05

HAPPY MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY!

 

 

1/18/05

KDFC-FM News reports that our Mayor and Council members are going to "protest" at today's UC Regents meeting. Hey, get out them signs and tamboreens!

 

Berkeley's Penelope Huston and a reader emails

"The Avengers will play a benefit this Thursday, Jan 20th at the Eagle Tavern, 12th and Harrison, San Francisco CA. We are playing to raise money for the medical bills of Mr. Nancy Kravitz, fab girl drummer and all around SF scene supporter. With Whoa Nellie, McCools, Ms.Led. from Seattle
be 21+
$7 - $10. 9:pm

Please come down because it's going to be a wild night and a good cause!

 

PS. We had much fun in London and all our British shows last month. Thanks to The Damned, Captain Sensible and Hoover and all our UK fans. Looks like we're going back in May.
Please visit the website for info and swag!"
http://www.penelope.net

 

 

1/19/05

"A University panel on Tuesday approved UC Berkeley's 15 year development plan, opening the door to a lawsuit by the city of Berkeley' reports Matt Kruprick of the West County Times in "UC Panel OKs Development."

 

 

1/20/05

We have a new neighbor, Gardensia Archipelago Designs at 2820 8th Street. Made by Indonesian artisans, they have beautiful volcanic stone, clay and old-teak things for your garden and home. They're having a Grand Opening Sale all January with 20% off their stock AND 10% of all these sales will go to Indonesian disaster relief. Check them out and check out their beautiful website www@gardensia.com

John Curl reminds us that there will be a Public Hearing about the west Berkeley Bowl at the Planning Commission on Wednesday January 26th, 7pm, at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst at Martin Luther King Way.

"3rd-graders raise money to keep deaf 3-year-old in private school. Boy's family can't afford the $25,000 annual tuition" reports Meredith May in a story about Samuel and our CEID School in this morning's San Francisco Chronicle.

Janine has changed the starting time of this Sunday's concert to 3:00 PM. Email Janine for details, please.

 

1/21/05

Zelda Bronstein emails "Planning Commission Chair Harry Pollack . . . told me that theCommission's January 26 hearing on the West Berkeley Bowl will begin at 8:30 p.m. and go to 10 (assuming it lasts at least an hour and a half, which I think we can say with assurance it will). The meeting itself begins at 7, but people can save themselves an hour and a half of time (for once, you can have a decent supper before going to a meeting) by showing up at 8:30."

 

 

1/25/05

Until recently, any west-Berkeley Bowl post on Scrambled Eggs drew many readers--sometimes twice the normal. But in the last few weeks a Bowl post draws no more than average. Could Scrambled Eggs readers be tired of reading about our Bowl?

Albany's Target has restricted access. This new facility can be reached only by the Freeway or the Frontage Road--but not through town. This hasn't caused Freeway or Fronatage Road backups and Targets business is popin' and bopin." Is there a lesson here for Potter Creek's Berkeley Bowl?

Another reminder from John Curl that there will be a Public Hearing about the west Berkeley Bowl at the Planning Commission tomorrow, Wednesday January 26th, 7pm, at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst at Martin Luther King Way.

And remember Zelda Bronstein's "Planning Commission Chair Harry Pollack . . . told me that the [Berkeley
Bowl's part of the] Commission's January 26 hearing . . . will begin at 8:30p.m. and go to 10 (assuming it lasts at least an hour and a half, which I think we can say with assurance it will). The meeting itself begins at 7, but people can save themselves an hour and a half of time (for once, you can have a decent supper before going to a meeting) by showing up at 8:30."

Sadly, "The Rickster" will not be able to make tomorrow's Planning Commision hearing.

In a recent conversation with board members of what is a "preservation cause" of our activists, I found that some of these members were skeptical of this involvement, their reaction ranging from amusement to discomfort. Who then do the community organizers represent?

 

1/28/05

The City of Berkeley Planing Commission's Berkeley Bowl meeting.

Half-dozen Berkeley citizens contributed to this report. By most accounts over one-hundred people packed into the Planning Commission's "West Berkeley Bowl Workshop." And most agreed that, rather than a workshop, it was a meeting-as-usual. (Representatives from the San Fransico Chronicle, the Oakland Tribune, the Daily Californian, the Berkeley Daily Planet and other media were also present.) Most of the meeting was taken up by the owner's, the architect's and the city's presentations. These presentations included the proposed Bowl will take up 91,000 square feet of which 54,000 is retail, will increase traffic--the predicted 9th Street increase in traffic volume on Saturdays is 78%, will provide 211 parking spaces, will cost 20 million to construct, will generate $100,000 a year in sales tax and $118,000 in property taxes, and would pay a business license tax based on $20,000,000 in sales. But, according to one attendee, only about a half hour was devoted to hearing from the our community--our own John Phillips was first to speak. (These hearings, however, will be extended to the Commissions next meeting.) Reflecting the sense of the meeting, all half-dozen agreed on the need for some traffic mitigation--restricted access, ranging from barriers at 9th street to barring traffic on Heinz.

Yesterday in the morning paper, the Chronicle's Patrick Hoge reported "The Bowl's plan to roll hits a bump. Mega-popular grocery store is getting flak over proposal to open clone a mile away. " It's now at sfgate.com The story contains two great quotes, neither from residents of Potter Creek "My own position is the neighbors want and deserve a neighborhood store" from Zelda Bronstein and from Kava "Leave it to Berkeley to attack its own good fortune for having this place." (North-Berkeley resident, Kimar brought Kava's quote to my attention.) Email Harry Pollack Planning Commision head with your thoughts.

And Marsha Wacko, longtime friend says "It would be a great place to buy fresh fruits and vegetables."

 

Today Chip Johnson's Chron column is about Potter Creek's Berkeley Bowl. Check it out!

Chip,
Congratulations on your beautifully written story on the proposed west-Berkeley, Berkeley Bowl. But, it is my sense that Potter Creeks' genuine concern for the changes that the Bowl might bring to our neighborhood has been co-opted by those who, full of fear themselves, successfully, even brilliantly, trade on others natural fear of change. Full of criticism, they are adept at tearing down, not building up. After a two hour conversation with one, I ended my half with "You're on a bummer" to which was replied "Yah, but I really like it!" Perhaps old-Berkeley still hasn't gracefully accepted losing The Insurrection.
respectfully, Ron Penndorf

 

 

1/29/05

Our Mayor's January report includes

" City Prepares Lawsuit After UC Berkeley Adopts 'Blank Check' Long Range Development Plan
On Jan. 3, UC Berkeley released the final version of its sweeping Long Range Development Plan to guide the construction of more than 2.2 million square feet of new space in the heart of Berkeley -- more than all the office space in the Empire State Building and three times the expansion envisioned in their 1990 growth plan.
Unlike the University's previous long-range plan, it contains almost no detail as to where construction will take place, what functions new structures will serve, how the people who use the structures will get there or where they will park. In many cases, the reliance on generalizations is so stark that is it impossible for us -- or anyone-- to anticipate the traffic, city service, environmental or financial costs of the new development. Since the New Year, I have been working with the staff and the Council to prevent the passage of this LRDP until we can work out an agreement that protects the City's and the community's interests. Unfortunately, the Regents voted on January 20th to adopt the plan. At this point it appears the City will file a lawsuit to address our concerns.

A summary of my 2005 priorities:

Building Confidence in Berkeley Government by creating the most open budget process in Berkeley's history, improving accountability, and strengthening customer service.

Supporting Berkeley's Youth by improving academic and health outcomes for kids by doubling the number of children reached with literacy support, providing health and social services through the schools, and increasing employment and training opportunities for 16-24 year olds.

Elevate Berkeley as a National Environmental Leader by incubating and supporting sustainable businesses, creating a world class platinum green center for environmental organizations and advocacy, and using innovative strategies to help Berkeley exceed the Kyoto Protocols standards.

Build on a Great Downtown by developing a community-driven plan to redesign public spaces and transit patterns, recruiting new businesses, expanding the arts district, identifying opportunities for new development, and developing plans for a new hotel and conference center.

Create a fair 'town-gown' partnership with UC Berkeley to protect Berkeley's quality of life by securing agreements on development mitigations resulting from the 2020 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP), negotiating adequate fiscal compensation and quality of life mitigations on current UC facilities, and expanding the opportunities for faculty, staff and students to be engaged in the Berkeley community."

Ok Boss, I like your environment paragraph but something tells me that even if you achieve some of you goals, I'll still go out my door and breath air layered with crap.

 

My old workplace, The Buttercup Bakery has been transformed into a wonderful Japanese restaurant, the Mitama. San Francisco Chronicle reporter Karola Saekel reviews it in"Berkeley: Tradition, innovation are rolled into a winning combination . . ." Saekel claims The Buttercup was a Berkeley institution. Damn, I thought it was just a place to park my Norton Commando while I got free beer. Read about some of my Buttercup memories here.

 

Dave "the Plummer" Kruse reports "a young man was mugged and robbed across the street from our entrance on Pardee St last night around 5:00 pm. A couple of guys on bicycles apparently surprised him and stole his
backpack. . . . BPD responded quickly."

In several bike rides around Potter Creek today, I noticed, and appreciated, the greater-than-normal Berkeley PD presence--sometimes as many as two black-and-whites patrolled the streets of our neighborhood.

 

1/30/05

Adams and Chittenden Scientific Glass had their annual shindig last evening, filling the air and every square inch of my adjacent warehouse with the delicious smell of roasted meat. I wonder if this year that meat was roasted--as in the past--in the very same oven they use for baking the scientific glass covered with those gas-producing coatings?

And with our driveways still littered with dozens of cigarette butts this morning, one wonders just what kind of crowd this was. Hell, at least this year there aren't any empty beer bottles and half-filled wine-cups strewn about.

It was after attending the party that, "Harvey the K," our very hip US postal worker, probably dropped off the new cactus plant to replace my pine tree that just died--one of seven driveway plants that have expired in the last years and that's not counting the decades-old tree that died in front of Adams and Chittenden. "Roots didn't get enough water" said Tom. A curious explanation for a neighborhood where, in the rainy season, the water-table can be at the surface.

 

One of our leading citizens recommended Scrambled Eggs to his perspective renter/buyer with "It's got it all--the good, the bad, and the ugly."

 

 

1/31/05

New "bug factory" in our Potter Creek? Exactly up wind of Milo? Check out Dan Levy's report "Developer Plans Biotech Projects in East Bay" at sfgate.com



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