May 2005

 

Zen and the art of food preparation at Caffé Trieste

 

"Calling the Berkeley Bowl a produce market is like saying Chez Panisse is a place where you can grab something to eat" writes Harriet Chiang of the San Francisco Chronicle in her appreciation"The Bowl is a universe all its own." Check it out at sfgate.com

Then read "Berkeley: Pastry chefs whip up new bakery that blends well in neighborhood" by Carol Ness also at sfgate.com

One of Potter Creek's elder statesmen changed his email address recently and emails "I very much miss the local goings on and have always enjoyed the commentaries and your humor. Please put me back on your list."

A reader from New Mexico emails "What a great website! I've stayed up much too late going thru it. Please put me on the mailing list. . . . Please explain what's going on re the frequent references to the noxious odors at your place."

 

Over-the-weekend

Nexus has well-attended one day event at their Gallery and there's a Turkish rug preview at the place on Parker just off 7th--a good Country-Bluegrass band played in the parking-lot to lots of people. Caffé Trieste was packed to overflowing for Papa Gianni's Birthday.

 

From my log

Tom Adams of the adjacent Adams and Chittenden Scientific Glass, 2741 8th working in afternoon--gas-supercharger on and compressed-air used. Leaves about 5:45 PM, shortly after warehouse-front fills with medium irritant.

5/11/01 Adams and Chittenden exhausts on 4:00 PM, warehouse-back fills with irritant--dry lips, headache, eyes burn, light-headed. By 5:40 PM only front-room free of strong irritant--disoriented, leave.

 

 

5/3/05

"The (lost) property tax on commercial property has been estimated at several billion dollars a year," reports C.W. Nevius in "It's time to redo the 'revolution'" --a story about undoing Prop 13.

My reading time for the Daily P is now under three minutes--quite a lot of time compared to the 30 seconds necessary for the Voice.

The Boss and the Ms are in New York City for "a mayor's-for-something-gathering." OK Boss, but that green ooze still comes up out of Ashby Av east of the underpass.

The son of an old friend is touring South America on a BMER. Check it out!

 

From my log

7:00 AM front room begins filling with irritant, by 7:30 AM severe irritation, burning lips, eyes, dry skin, light-headed, slight headache and nausea. Overrides turned-on HEPA filters--leave for coffee. Same irritant plus noxious odor present immediately in front Adams and Chittenden Scientific Glass 2741 8th.

6/19/97 Talk to Aaron, worker at Adams and Chittenden Scientific Glass, says he was out for a week with sinus infection. Describes symptoms similar to those I experience.

7/9/97 Have smelled raw natural gas odor in my warehouse as well as odor of burning gas. Ask George Chittenden and Tom Adams if it could come from them. They reply in essence no, and George Chittenden gives me tour of shop. Glass cutting-lathes running with foot high flames with no hoods and no visible exhaust system.

7/13/97 Talk to city worker "off the record" about Adams and Chittenden manufacturing--worker says they need professionally designed "ventilation system."

 

 

 

5/4/05

From my log

Last night around 6:30 PM Adams and Chittenden rear exhaust on--warehouse fills with irritant. Turn on HEPA filters. Around 7:00 PM warehouse-front fills with odor and irritant. By 7:30 PM entire warehouse filled with irritant--headache, light-headed, disoriented. Leave.

7/18/02 George Chittenden spray-painting in driveway, about twenty feet upwind of my front room. Breeze fills front-room with paint fumes.

 

 

Want to read a people-history about those whose music swings and where "black or white" doesn't make a whole lot of difference? Read Ann Savoy's Cajun Music a Reflection of a People.

 

 

 

 

May 5

 

Photos by Pete Guenther

 

 

Pete's Potter Creek rain-gauge shows half inch yesterday through this morning.

My server reports that last month well over 10,000 visitors spent an average of over 20 minutes per visit browsing this site. Well ok then!

 

 

5/6/05

Haven't heard anything from John Curl's WEBAIC-West Berkeley Association of Industrial Companies-lately. As an organization of manufactures perhaps they could fund apprenticeship programs for our young people, set up scholarships with our many local schools, work with the City to plant trees in and around their facilities, work with Berkeley PD on crime prevention in west-Berkeley, make their industrial sites more environmentally friendly, and more. There's much to be done in our Potter Creek.

 

From my log

7:00AM slight irritant and odor in front room, throat irritation, use filter-mask.

5/5/05 7:00AM severe irritation, HEPA fliters on, filter-mask used. 7:30AM hard to concentrate. 8:40AM irritant increases. 9:40AM irritant persisits now with odor, light-headed, chills. Leave.

8/21/02 5:00PM "chemical odor" in and immediately around warehouse. 5:20 PM eyes start to burn. Leave.

 

 

 

5/7/05

The Écloe Bilingue emails about their "Place du Marche" Sunday May 22 11am to 4 pm
Grand prize raffle, trip for 2 to paris.
features: Fine french and local products, bistro dining, live music, childrens games and activities
in the items for sale it lists Housewares, Jewelry, books, gourmet food, art, and clothing.
Admission is $7 and kids under 12 are free.
for more info
www.eb.org http://www.eb.org
510-549-3895 ex319

 

Nexus held a well attended event last night with all sorts of folks dressed to the tens.

Our Potter Creek Berkeley East Bay Humane Society is having a Benefit with George Cleve and members of his Mozart group called "Mozart for Mutts and Meows." It's at the Berkeley City Club on May 19th. There are more details here. Of course, if the theater down at the end of Heinz in the Aquatic Center were available, we could have it in Potter Creek. Last I heard, the theater was being used for storage. (It certainly would be good if someone could lease that place and hold events there--films, music, theater, poetry, etc.)

Our Artyanniek (Annie Kassof) emails "I'm getting a piece published in the LA Times; another about learning to do my daughter's hair. I'll let you know when it runs."

Da Boss and his Ms are returning from a "working-vacation" in New York--networking with the New Age, I think. So to paraphrase Anthy Victor "Hey Boss, now get to work!"

Ben is celebrating his First Communion.

Milo is being Baptized.

 

 

From my log

1:00 PM irritant IMMEDIATELY in front 2743 and 2741 8th. Really strong in front of 2741 sliding-metal-door. Initially lightheaded--prolonged exposure like REALLY BAD DOPE. A '60s memory, of course.

 

 

5/8/05

Pete's Potter Creek rain gauge shows .10 inch from Saturday night to early Sunday morning.

Pete's also writing and reading public service announcements for KALX. You can hear him and Lyn in them as well as other Potter Creekers.

 

From my log

12/1-7/96 Consolidated Printing exhaust smell heavy off-and-on throughout the week--their "burner" on.

5/22/97 12:30-1:00 PM Eyes stinging, odor in warehouse front.

6/19/97 Cool, sunny, washed down building in morning. During day, slight burning of eyes, nose, lips. Dehydration. 4:00 PM raw natural gas smell in "office" area.

8/8/97 Northwest wind, cool, cloudy. Smell of "burning wire insulation" in air.

8/10/97 Walk around Potter Creek and draw map of type and areas of irritants.

Today typing-area fills with severe irritant as I write this--chills, lightheaded, disoriented. Leave. (The nature and seriousness of the symptoms not always immediately apparent as they occur gradually.)

 

 

 

 

5/10/05

Asked what Papa Gianni's secret was for a long and a good life, Papa replied "Don't give up!"

Parked blocking a driveway, a Jeep Cherokee wagon was ticketed and towed yesterday in the 2800 block of 8th Street. (Seems to me more strict enforcement of parking regulations is more and more necessary as more and more cars come to Potter Creek, resulting in less and less parking spaces--now just like the rest of Berkeley.)

And yesterday, my reading time for the Daily P was over three minutes in large part the result of Zelda B's story, the theme of which is the sky is falling. But, check it out!

Talk is now beginning about the future division of some of the large west-Berkeley industrial sites into smaller units for more environmentally friendly uses.

Club 58 closed when it was sold some years ago after owner Sam "Spoons" Paddoni died. (It's zoned for residential development and the buyer obtained a permit for a multi-unit use.) Potter Creek lore has it that many years ago Sam was held up in his parking lot, shot in the leg and his bag of daily-receipts taken. The police were unable to find the robber but some time later a body was found in Tilden with two spoons in its pocket.

 

As American citizens, we should know as much as possible about our Iraq War. Rolling Stone contributor, Evan Wright was embedded with the elite Marine First Reconnaissance Battalion in our war. He writes in Chapter Two of his book, Generation Kill. "War fever, at least among reporters, was running pretty high. . . . A Canadian wire-service reporter, bitterly opposed to the war, knocked down a loudly patriotic American photographer in favor of it. While stunned Arab security guards looked on, the Canadian peacenik clenched the American patriot in to sort of LAPD chokehold and repeatedly slammed his head into the back of a chair. The American was saved from further humiliation only after several tough women from Reuters and AFP waded in and broke apart the one-sided combat."

Wright describes Dartmouth graduate, Lt. Fick, the commander of the platoon in which he's embedded "Despite his cavalier humor Fick finished in the top of his class in Officer Candidates School and near the top of the Marine Corps tough Basic Reconnaissance Course. He's also something of a closet idealist. 'At Dartmouth, there was a sense that an ROTC program, which the school did not have, would militarize the campus' he explains. 'They have it backwards. ROTC programs at Ivy League campuses would liberalize the military. That can only be good for the country.'" To be continued

(Read these posts only if you want to FULLY know about our war as reported by Evan Wright. Many posts are graphic.)

 

 
Daily paper is launched in East Bay reports James Temple of the West County Times "Knight Ridder, parent company of the Times, on Tuesday launched the East Bay Daily News, a free tabloid that will circulate in Berkeley, Emeryville, Piedmont, Kensington, Albany and parts of Oakland. The newspaper will publish Monday through Friday, focusing on local news, with short regional and national stories. It will be available at stores, offices, restaurants, coffee shops and street-corner newspaper boxes."

"BERKELEY: Violent crime spree ends in crash, arrests; Pistol-whipping, shooting, carjacking rock neighborhood" reports Henry K. Lee of the San Francisco Chronicle.

 

 

 

5/12/05

Pete's Potter Creek rain gauge for April 2004 showed .25 inch. Pete's Potter Creek rain gauge for April 2005 showed 1.6 inches--six times more rain this year than last. Pete's Potter Creek rain gauge for all of May 2004 showed .15 inch--this year so far 1.1 inches. In the first week or so of this month we've had over seven times as much rain as the whole of last May.

Either several Potter Creek females are dressing real flashy and sitting on the bus benches around dinner time OR the prostitutes are back on San Pablo Avenue.

"So, it's not terribly surprising that they now poised to branch out into barbecue. This summer, the Krikorians will open T-Rex Bar B Q at 1000 10th Street (at Gilman). The design is by Kava Massih Architects and will encompass 150 seats on two floors. On a tip from chef Paul Bertolli, the Krikorians purchased two Enviro-Pak brand smokers, each of which can handle 650 pounds of meat. One can be cooled down to also cold-smoke salmon. Both use natural hardwood in a configuration that is done through a log burner and a wood chip dispenser" reports the Chronicle's GraceAnn Walden at sfgate.com

 

 

From Generation Kill. "One of the first men to greet me is Navy Hospitalman Second Class Robert Timothy 'Doc' Bryan. . . . Doc Bryan . . . is always pissed off at something, if not the presence of the reporter, then the incompetent military leaders or the barbarity of war. He's a self-made man, son of a steamfitter from a small town outside of Philadelphia, the first of his family to attend college. . . . In his younger days, Doc Bryan had a lot of ambient rage he used to burn off in weekend bar fights. 'I'm always angry,' he later tells me.'I was born that way, I'm an asshole.'"

"Top dogs in the platoon are the team leaders. . . . Sergeants Eric Kocher and Larry Shawn Patrick are the more obvious alphas of the pack. . . . Kocher . . . tells dirty stories that make everyone howl, but he has the kind of eyes that never seem to smile, even when the rest of his face is laughing. . . . Patrick, his fellow Marines call him .'Pappy,' and behind his back they speak of him in the most reverential terms. 'You'd never think to look at him' a Marine tells me 'but Pappy is straight up the coldest killer in the platoon.' Colbert, the platoon's top team leader, is in charge of Team One. The year before, he was awarded a Navy Commendation for helping to take out an enemy missile battery in Afghanistan. . . . There is about him an air of Victorian rectitude. [And] he can tell you the exact details of just about any weapon in the U. S. or Iraqi arsenal. He once nearly purchased a surplus British tank. . . but backed out only when he realized that just parking it might run afoul of zoning laws in his home state, the'Communist Republic of California.'"To be continued

(Read these posts only if you want to FULLY know about our war as reported by Evan Wright. Many posts are graphic.)

 

 

5/13/05

 

(Read these posts only if you want to FULLY know about our war as reported by Evan Wright. Many posts are graphic.)

From Generation Kill. Evan Wright reports of the build up in Kuwait "you begin to get a sense of the undertaking. . . . It has the feel of a monumental industrial enterprise. Somehow all these pieces are being put together--the people and the equipment--to function as one large machine. Though at the small unit level all I see is the friction among the moving parts--Marines shouting at other vehicles to get out of the way, guys jumping out to hurriedly piss by the road, people taking wrong turns--the machine works. It will roll across 580 kilometers to Baghdad. It will knock down buildings, smash cars and tanks, put holes in people, shred limbs, cut children apart. There's no denying it. For certain tasks, the machine put together in this desert is a very good one."

"Fick repeats a mantra, echoed by every commander throughout the Corps. 'You will be held accountable for the facts not as they are in hind-sight but as they appeared to you at the time. If, in your mind you fire to protect yourself, you are doing the right thing. It doesn't matter if later on we find out you wiped out a family of unarmed civilians. All we are accountable for are the facts as they appear to us at the time.'" To be continued

 

From my log

8:00 PM Thursday typing room fills with irritant, headache. Irritant specially strong IMMEDIATELY in front of 2743-2741 8th.

 

 

5/14/05

From Generation Kill. "Following Fick's talk, Gunny Wynn addresses the men. Gunny Wynn serves as Fick's loyal executive. In Somalia he headed a sniper team and scored numerous confirmed kills . . . . Gunny Wynn describes himself as a as a 'staunch conservative' who never smoked marijuana. He almost never barks at his men the way platoon sergeants do in the movies. His conservatism boils down to a rigid adherence to his own personal code. 'The most important part of my job,' he tells me, 'is to care about my men.' His leadership philosophy is based upon 'building confidence in my men by respecting them.'" To be continued

 

 

5/15/05

More old friends found through Scrambled Eggs

"I was looking for Nick through Google, and a blog of yours came up which mentioned Nick's name. Nick [Despotopolous] and I were friends in Chicago in 1975. He used to try to convince me that tube amplifiers had a much 'warmer' sound than the new fangled ones of that time. If you know where he can be reached, would you please give him my info and ask him to call me. Sorry to bother you. You seem to be a good writer. OK, that was just a cheap compliment to get you to call Nick for me, but it's true. Thanks!"

 

Zelda B forwards an email from one of our Landmarks Commissioners

"As most of the people in the LeConte Neighborhood Association know only too well, Berkeley neighborhoods are under real estate speculation pressures unknown since the 1960s. . . . Now, the Planning Commission is finishing up a very ill-conceived Landmarks Preservation Ordinance that basically strips huge amounts of protection from the flatland neighborhoods. . . . What is important here is that these changes are essentially an attack on the flatland neighborhoods. . . . Our vibrant, diverse, and unique flatland neighborhoods are being set up as economic opportunity zones. . . . The proposed amendments also contradict the letter and the spirit of the General Plan, without any analysis why that document should be trashed. . . .
I hope that we can start an immediate conversation with the other neighborhood associations and groups to explain in plain language how real estate speculators are being played to over the interests of homeowners and flatland neighbors. Patti Dacey, Landmark and Preservation Commissioner"

 

Whoever is breaking beer and wine bottles on my and my neighbor's driveways, stop it.

It's been well over two years now that I launched Scrambled Eggs and Lox. In that time, I've met many good people. I've also had my plants and flowers vandalized, my Amercian flag stolen, been harassed, harangued and yelled at, had racing-dressed bicyclists circle my drive after writing about Berkeley biker's eradict behavior, and even now receive phone-calls with "no one there." This, in our town whose defining moment was The Free Speech Movement, and at a time when over 1600 fellow citizens have died defending among other things, Our Constitution and its First Amendment--"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Anyone with something to say, write me an email.

I'm told there's a great selection of stuff at the Goodwill on San Pablo and that the new curbs make it much easier for the disabled.

Meredith May's bitter-sweet "A death in Berkeley: Maria King homeless, vulnerable, when brutally slain" is at sfgate.com

"Compound interest: Property filled with rich family memories, a garden open to all" about one of our estates by Mal Karman, is also at sfgate.com


"Former foes embracing taboo power: Several of the nation's most prominent environmentalists have gone public with the message that nuclear power, long taboo among environmental advocates, should be reconsidered as a remedy for global warming" report the New York Times' Felicity Barringer in the West County Times.

 Also in the West County Times is George Avalos' "Fed's Yellen sounds off on state of economy: Janet Yellen, president of the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco, has a passion for knowing the ways people and businesses use money. And those who know her acclaim her as a highly respected economist."

 

 

 

5/17/05

From Da Boss's May report

"Berkeley Moves to Create a $100 Million Clean Energy Fund--On Tuesday, the Berkeley City Council moved forward with an innovative $50 - $100 million Clean Energy Fund as part of a joint partnership with the City of Oakland and the Berkeley-based firm Power Factors. This unique program, which is an outgrowth of the my Sustainable Business Working Group, would be a major investment in clean energy and energy reduction, create energy savings to local businesses and property owners, boost to the local economy, reduce emissions. Overall, it is anticipated that the Fund would create between 10-20 megawatts of annual clean energy production and 5-10 megawatts of annual energy savings enough power for 3,000 homes. [Read more at sfgate.com]

Finding a Home for Green Businesses--Berkeley is already home to over 200 green businesses. We are looking at a number of ways to help those businesses succeed and to draw more into town. One of the major recommendations from my Sustainable Business Working Group was for the City to assist in finding places for new and expanding green businesses. I've put together a small team of green business owners, real estate and development professionals, UC staff, and others to investigate how we might help the private sector fill this need. We are taking inventories of available locations for manufacturing, office space, and commercial space as well as surveying green businesses to gauge their space needs."

 

From Generation Kill. "Both Person and Colbert have radio transceivers clipped to their helmets to communicate with vehicles in the platoon, as well as with the battalion and with pilots when there is air cover. It is arguable that comms--radio communications--are as important to a team's survival its weapons. But comms seldom work as they should. Dust, magnetism and sun spots all interfere with radios constantly. In addition, the radios in the various battalion networks rely on encryption codes that constantly need to be loaded and synchronized. The system is prone to bad connections, dead batteries, software crashes and as Person explains, "retards in the battalion who keep changing the frequencies without telling us." To be continued

 

BBC News reports that the all-male Kuwait Parliament passed a law giving women the right to vote and to run for office.

And San Francisco Chronicle writer, Keay Davidson reports that in the USA". . . , the barriers to women haven't completely crumbled, especially in fields that are historically male-dominated -- notably physics, which remains an entirely male-dominated field' for reasons that remain murky, said Frances Hellman, a physicist who recently moved from UC San Diego to UC Berkeley."

 

More than three minutes worth of reading in today's Berkeley Daily Planet, for sure.

Whanna see our Artyannie, she's here and so is a story by Matthew Artz.

There's also a photo of our Councilman Darryl Moore in a story by Richard Brenneman about Berkeley at its best "Neighbors Propose Own Design for West Campus."

And, a bitter-sweet memory of our Fay Stender by Brian Gluss is here.

 

Anybody who knows what the uniformed men and women with a sniffer-dog were doing this morning around 8:00 AM on 8th, let me know--looking for drugs, taking a Humane Society dog for a walk?

 

It seems sensitivity--a quality I've always admired--is now a "condition." Check out this book review by Joan Morris in theWest County Times.

And, music is an important part of dinning, it seems--so Cathy Frisinger reports in "Hassle-free entertaining only a few steps away" in the West County Times.

 

 

5/18/05

On Monday an old friend and client took me to eat at Caffé Trieste where we had a wonderful lunch. Tony had a Greek salad--large and fresh, and I, a slice of vegetarian pizza--though made earlier it was heated perfectly, the cheese creamy, the tomatoes fresh and moist, the crust warm. And we both had tall glasses of Sierra Nevada, and left full and content. So good was the pizza even though reheated, I went yesterday an ordered the same. Sadly, it was dry, the tomatoes shriveled, the cheese stringy. My after-lunch espresso was perfect.

 

From Generation Kill. At the beginning of the campaign "the US commanders are concerned only with fighting regular Iraqi forces. . . . It will take a few days before American Commanders realize there most dangerous opponents are the Fedayeen, who are gearing up to fight a guerrilla war."

The First Recon Battalion have already encountered freign fighters, and the Iraqi regulars whose surrender to the Marines has not accepted are afraid they will now be killed by Fedayeen.

In some cases Wright does not use proper names in his narrative. Not a popular officer "Captain America revealed another side of himself which further eroded his standing among his men. He's prone to hysterics. . . . While it's perfectly fine for officers to shout dramatically in the movies, in the Marines its frowned upon. [Eventually] Captain America will lose control of his platoon when he is temporarily relieved of his command." To be continued.

 

Attacks on Guardians are worrisome

"A convicted felon shot and wounded a Berkeley police officer early Tuesday during a foot chase in West Berkeley, authorities said. The gunman shot Officer Darren Kacalek, 29, once in the chest. The bullet pierced Kacalek's badge, but his bullet-resistant vest protected him from major injuries, authorities said. Kacalek, a three-year veteran of the department, remained in fair condition Tuesday at Highland Hospital in Oakland " reports Henry K Lee in "Felon shoots, wounds officer during chase." More at sfgate.com

We wish Officer Kacalek a speedy and full recovery.

Uncle John -- An Appreciation

In a time when tall men were 5'10" my Uncle John was over six-feet. My Mom's oldest brother, Uncle John was a Milwaukee policeman. But not just any policeman, he was a member of the Mounted Patrol--horse mounted police used downtown for traffic control. (Uncle John had learned how to handle horses working for my Grandpa delivering ice and coal in horse-drawn wagons.) But that evening during the Christmas rush, when my Mom took me shopping with her at Gimbel's, I didn't know that he was in the Mounted Patrol. Gimbel's was on the busiest corner Downtown, and that night, a corner so filled with people that as a small boy all I could see were shoes, legs, pants, and skirts. My Mom pulled me through the crowd as we crossed the street, and as we reached the opposite curb, a dark figure appeared towering above not only those shoes, legs, pants, and skirts, but above all the people they belonged to. In a huge Great Coat, there was a man who seemed to be a policeman sitting atop a big brown horse. I stood there in awe. We stopped at the side of the horse and its rider, and my Mom asked "Do you know who this is"? Looking up not at all sure, I struggled for an answer. Uncle John was big and was a policeman. Yet at first, no matter how hard I looked, all I saw was the big coat and the dark horse. But slowly the face above the coat became familiar. "It's Uncle John" I said with some relief. I don't remember if he said hello, but I know he said that it was all right to touch his horse. After he and my Mom talked a little, we left --a lot of other kids, moms and dads wanted to pet his horse, too. Uncle John moved to California some years later and I didn't see him for a long time. Then, one Summer afternoon as my cousin MaryAnn and I were sitting on our front steps, a tall man in a raincoat came up to the front of our house and asked. "Do you know who I am?" "You're my Uncle John" I said.

 

 

 

 

5/20/05

If you are an on-line banking customer with Wells Fargo and receive an offical looking email from Wells Fargo Customer Care asking for personal information to verify your account, don't respond. They want your Username / SSN: Password: ATM Card Number: ATM PIN: Expiration date: Email Address. This ain't from the Bank.

Pete's Potter Creek rain-gauge showed half an inch from Wednesday and yesterday's rain.

Pete's working on more public service announcements for KALX. If all goes well, you'll hear me as the friendly old German professor on one of them.

MAGNET, a store of women's clothes and accessories is opening next week on San Pablo just a few doors south of Caffé Trieste.

Air Delights up in Oregon has Honeywell HEPA 17250 Air Cleaners on sale for about $230.00 with a flat $7.00 shipping charge for UPS Ground. It has a carbon prefilter, HEPA filter, and a CPZ gas filter. Check them out! (They're about $300.00 at OSH and have to be special-ordered.)

The West County Times has a great front-page photo of "a replica 1919 biplane." It is in fact a replica of Alcock and Brown's record breaking Vickers Vimy. Check out the story on their Website. Find out more about the Vimy and Alcock and Brown's flight here.

Leaving for some fresh air to clear my head--will finish this in about an hour.

 

This week from my log

5/15/05 About 12:30 PM irritant immediately in front of 2743 8th-2741 8th, dry lips, eyes. Still present at 1:15 PM, friend experiences same symptoms. Moderate west wind does not clear it.

5/19/05 About 9:40 AM irritant in front room, light-headed, leave. About 1:30 PM printers-ink smell on Grayson and 8th, moderate.

My log from the past

6/17/97 mid-morning "plastic" smell fills warehouse, lips smart, light-head, slight nausea, after some hours, lips numb.

 

 

 

5/22/05

I've just received some site-stats from my server. From May 1 to May 20 this year, visits have increased 55%, hits increased 50% and browsing time 35% over May 1 to May 20 last year. In this same period, this site has received visits from over 50 countries, including (Japan) (Canada) (United Kingdom) (United States) (Netherlands) (Germany) (Australia) (Italy) (China) (France) (Belgium) (Singapore) (Denmark) (Sweden) (Poland) (New Zealand) (Austria) (Mexico) (Switzerland) (Brazil) (Taiwan) (Argentina) (Russian Federation) (Czech Republic) (Finland) (Greece) (Spain) (Portugal) (Croatia) (Hungary) (Hong Kong) (Malaysia) (Israel) (Slovak Republic) (Ireland) (Norway) (Seychelles) (Turkey) (Iran) (Malta) (Cyprus) (Luxembourg) (Indonesia) (Bulgaria) (Latvia) (Vietnam) (Tonga) (Colombia) (Honduras) (Moldavia) (Ukraine) (Costa Rica) (South Korea) and many visits from (USA Military).

Matthew Artz of the Berkeley Daily Planet filed a detailed report on the shooting of our Officer Darren Kacalek that you can read here.

"Greenspan expresses concern over 'froth' in housing market" reports Edmund L. Andrews of the New York Times "Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve, suggested on Friday that the red-hot housing market is becoming a little too exuberant for its own good" the report continues in the West County Times. Read more here

And Paula King of the West County Times reports "Hundreds of acres along the Delta once slated for thousands of homes are now destined to become learning grounds for ecological restoration. The 1,166-acre Dutch Slough wetland restoration project promises to contribute to the scientific understanding of marsh restoration on a grand scale. ... adult fitness amenities, vistas in the tidal wetlands area and a launch facility for ... "here.

Hey Boss, are my tax dollars paying for the HERE THERE art joke? Frankly, I'd of preferred a little more inclusive HERE HERE.

 

And remember, today the Écloe Bilingue are holding their "Place du Marche" from 11am to 4 pm
Grand prize raffle, trip for 2 to paris.
features: Fine french and local products, bistro dining, live music, childrens games and activities
in the items for sale it lists Housewares, Jewelry, books, gourmet food, art, and clothing.
Admission is $7 and kids under 12 are free.
for more info
www.eb.org http://www.eb.org
510-549-3895 ex319

 

It took half hour to repair the work of last-night's vandals. Whoever took Bruce Hermann's team jacket should know that there's a curse on it. If you don't need it and you are a man, your schwanz will fall off, if you're a women you'll become frigid, if you aren't already.

 

 

5/24/05

"BERKELEY: Girl jogger reports being raped in park" writes Henry K.Lee at sfgate.com

Morgan's family played ball in Ecolé Bilingue's playground Sunday.

Caffé Trieste's Sunday Concert, "Songs from Les Miserable" was attended to overflowing.

Milo's Mom and Dad are getting their home ready for this week's celebration.

Kimar reports that IKEA's frozen meatlballs--the kind they serve in their restaurant--are on sale in their food department.

Don't be blind-sided, be informed! Check out our Planning Department Website.

Hey Landis, there's even a Creeks Task Force page.

And, on their Land Use Planning page there's a map of proposed projects. In Potter Creek you'll find stuff on 2831 7th, 920 Heinz, 2900 San Pablo and 795 Potter.

Ms B on Mr B is in today's Daily P. Check it out. Give 'um Hell Z!

 

From Evan Wright's book. "Colbert brings up a mutual friend in the battalion who listens to death metal and hangs out in vampire clubs in Hollywood. 'Remember that time when he went out dressed in diapers and a gas mask?' Person says, laughing appreciatively. Tombley, who seldom jumps into conversations between Colbert and Person, can't hide his disgust. 'That's sick. Can you believe we're defending people's freedom to do that.?' Colbert corrects him, delivering a sharp civics lesson. ' No,Trombley, That's good that people have the freedom to do that. We're even defending people like Corporal Person, too.'" To be Continued.

Last week at the Ecology Center Bookstore I bought Cool Companies by Joseph J. Romm. Romm writes "Another very cool company is A. Finkl & Sons Company. One of the country's largest and most innovative custom steel forgers. . . . The company has pursued continuous improvements in energy efficiency. . . . Finkl has reduced energy consumption per ton shipped by more than 36 percent in the last decade. To become carbon neutral, Finkl calculated it would need to plant some 2 million trees to absorb the carbon dioxide generated by the remaining energy used to produce its products." To be Continued.

 

 

 

5/25/05

Professor P on Mayor B

The only thing that bothers me about the guy is why-the-hell he--or anyone--would want the damn job. I don't personally know enough about his style to like it or dislike it--though someone Downtown strikes in the dark with the swiftness of lightning. He's got a right to meet in private and to work for commercial development. Me, I was first called Professor by the regulars when I was the grunt on a landscaping crew during college. Tom Adams briefly revived it some years ago.

 

 

5/27/05

Da Mayor makes a deal reports the Chron"City settles suit against university over growth
Payments for fire protection, sewer to rise -- joint planning on development OKd"

And, a Chronicle editorial sees peace in Berkeley

Well, savor the moment because the Chron also offers"Claremont resort workers vote to authorize strike."

&

Pete's Potter Creek rain gauge showed no rain yesterday.

So

Da Boss justifiably brags "I wanted to send a personal message to everyone on my . . . list about yesterdays announcement of a historic agreement that settled our lawsuit over the Universitys long-range development plan. Without question, the settlement creates the single best agreement between any city and public university in this state. Most importantly, it guarantees that the city and this community will have a real voice in the universitys future development."

 

Finally, Channel 2 News reports that Berkeley PD is going to aggressively enforce stop light changes--don't run the red!

 

 

5/28/05

Kimar reports that theThursday evening local news showed your ordinary-looking Berkeley citizens organizing to protest the Mayor's deal with our Big Giant--perhaps, Kimar suggested, from a fear that whatever Our Giant says, he really doesn't play well with others.

Annaher Groceries and Liquors has upgraded their building on Dwight and San Pablo. It certainly brightens up the corner.

Down the street in the 2500 block of San Pablo, Jubilee's seniors housing project is moving apace.

"Planning Commission Revises Landmark Ordinance" reports Richard Brenneman in the Daily Planet.

And Matthew Artz reports "Drayage Owner Seeks Means to Force Out Tenants."

The West County Times' Dorothy Vriend writes of Potter Creek's own"Inside the offices of Timeworks, scores of clocks tick off the minutes, hours and days the company has been in business. During its 10 years of operation, company president Steve Kowalski, with brothers John and Dan, has turned his hobby into a national business: The company expects to sell a quarter of a million clocks this year. "

 

 

5/29/05

It's Milo's day.

"Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to unveil an ambitious plan this week to combat global warming that would make California the largest state in the nation to set concrete goals for cutting greenhouse gases" reports Dion Nissenbaum of the West County Times.

"Spreading the flames, Burning Man at 20: Acolytes take a creative approach to building a sense of community" by the Chronicle's Leslie Fulbright and Meredith May can be read at sfgate.com. This appreciation of the movement is the first of a series that will continue till Labor Day. One of Potter Creek's elders is a Burning Man.

"A second suspect is in jail in the beating death of a homeless woman in Berkeley, authorities said Saturday" Henry K. Lee reports at sfgate.com

"From a stool at Yali's cafe, near the UC campus, Michael Eisen is loudly trashing the big players in academic publishing. Hefty subscription fees for journals are blocking scientific progress, he says, and academics who think they have full access to timely literature are kidding themselves. He suggests scholarly journals be free and accessible to all on the Web" writes Bernard Wysocki Jr. of The Wall Street Journal. Read more in the West County Times.

George Avalos of the Times reports"More than a few Bay Area executives who fell from grace during 2004 cushioned their descent with a generous pile of greenbacks. Lousy company performance or disagreements with their boards of directors were no obstacle to being able to haul away plenty of dough, in some cases millions of dollars."

American pianist Ruth Laredo, who was known for groundbreaking recordings of the complete works of Scriabin and Rachmaninoff, died in her sleep Wednesday night at her New York City apartment. She was 67. Read more in the West County Times.

 

 

 

5/30/05

Today is Memorial Day.

From Evan Wright's book. "There's a tremendous blast as Dill steps on a mine at the edge of the road. . . . Redman jumps onto the highway. . . . He sees Valdez wandering beside the road holding his hands over his eyes, moaning. . . . Redman gently pulls Valdez's hands away from his face 'Are my eyelids there?' asks Valdez. 'Yeah' Redman says, not really certain if they are. 'Are my eyes there?' Vladez asks. 'I can't see nothing,' Redman suppresses the urge to vomit. Both of Valdez's eyes are filled with pebbles and debris. His left eye is packed, bloody tissue puffs out around it like a blossom. 'Dude, your eye is gone,' Redman says."

 

 

Our Al Young is California's Poet Laureate. Read Martin Snapp's report about it in the West County Times.Well ok then!

 

Memorial Day in Potter Creek began with the torching of a car in the 2800 block of 8th Street. Around 5:00 AM Berkeley PD and Berkeley FD responded to a call of a car on fire. Berkeley FD arrived well within five minutes of the call. A small sedan was ablaze across from Jones the engravers. Though the air bags exploded and the flames endangered the power lines, Berkeley FD had the fire under control within minutes. Byron, Milo and the Klise Klan contributed to this report. Well ok then!

 

Claudia and Cameron are moving their The Bark office to the Parker building.

Rumor has it that Kava's Mom and Dad are moving to Potter Creek.

Olivia is a new dinner-restaurant on Dwight just west of Sacramento. Nathan, the owner, was formerly a chef at Bay Wolf. Check it out!

LP Handbags? Read more in "Sling that Tune" in the West County Times.

 

From my almost weekly log

5/21/05 9:30 AM warehouse front fills with subtle odor and irritant--seems a partial of something stronger.

5/22/05 8:00 AM slight odor of burning natural gas in front room.

5/26/05 10:00 AM same as 5/21/05.

5/30/05 3:35 PM front room fills with irritant, burning lips, membrane--use mask.

 

 

5/31/05

"Berkeley's bohemia" by Lis Taggert of Sunset Magazine offers "Change your home (and yourself) along the city's now-thriving San Pablo Avenue." Check it out, by all means.

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