Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, made it a priority to tour Berkeley’s student-run Edible Garden at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School Monday as part of a week-long tour of the United States, in part devoted to exploring environmental issues, such as organic farming. -more-
The enormous photo of the distinguished young African-American man—dressed for success, as the saying goes—has disappeared from the front of the hangar at the entrance to the Oakland International Airport, along with the inferences that his success was linked to the type of gin he drank. -more-
Rising construction prices and economic realities have forced a redesign of the planned upgrade to Berkeley’s landmark Shattuck Hotel, developer Roy Nee said Monday. -more-
From the far end of the pier, the newest addition to Richmond’s Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park seemed, as it hung suspended from the crane of a tug barge, like an odd-shaped child’s toy dredged out of the bay waters being held up and examined by a curious beachcomber. -more-
Berkeley’s on-again off-again Veterans’ Day observance is back on, thanks to the withdrawal of a controversial participant. -more-
Berkeley’s Planning Commission and the Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) will each hold hearings this week on the draft environmental impact report (EIR) on the proposed new Berkeley Bowl. -more-
Rejected in San Francisco, then spurned in Berkeley, Spaceship Earth is headed south. -more-
To view Justin DeFreitas’ latest editorial cartoon, please visit -more-
“The EIR [environmental impact report] is to demonstrate to an apprehensive citizenry that the agency has, in fact, analyzed and considered the ecological implications of its action.” -more-
“I brought my rap sheet,” he says. -more-
Editors, Daily Planet: -more-
My first admonition is given as a citizen looking for better governance—everyone should vote yes on 77, the redistricting initiative. Really, this is not a conservative/liberal issue. The Legislature is, as currently constituted, a total failure. It is unable to grapple with the problems of California. The main reason this is so is that competition for seats has been rendered moot by gerrymandering. This causes candidates of both parties to migrate to the extremes because the extreme groups of both parties’ bases choose the candidates. There is no penalty for stupid voting behavior by legislators. We need to change that. Both parties are guilty of this, and there is a lot of moaning and groaning from politicians about how this is bad for California. Bullshit. California desperately needs a better-functioning Legislature. Vote yes on this one even if you hate Arnold. -more-
Ideology does count. What is the common thread running through our nation’s current war on terror (see Iraq) and the efforts of a neighborhood (see Oregon Street) to rid itself of undesirables? An ideology drummed into us from those that write the script and produce the show says that our problems stem from evil people (see others) that look and act different, that don’t follow the rules, and that act contrary to our standards. These evil doers should be controlled or eliminated by force or violence. This ideology is the basic tool, used by the directors of this show to contain and control popular discontent during periods of severe public service cutbacks while increasing spending for the military, the police, and the prison system. The current administration used the 9/11 tragedy to round up a posse and go take out a dictator they did not like and who stood on some prime real estate. We need to do something to protect our homeland we were told. Get the evil doers. It’s simple and direct, black and white, American as apple pie. Don’t be detracted by complexity and nuance. It just enables the evil doers. We went along because we were hysterical. Now we are more than a little embarrassed and confused by a very complex Iraqi intervention. It doesn’t work in Iraq and it won’t work in Berkeley. -more-
America’s favorite comic pairing, Dick ‘n Dubya, is returning to Berkeley, with the promise that they’ll take all questions from all comers. -more-
After following a trail of footnotes, I can tell you this much about the last victim of a grizzly bear attack in Berkeley: he was killed sometime in the 1860s in Strawberry Canyon, and a woman named Mrs. Parsons, the aunt of a Frank Armstrong who worked for the Schmidt family, made his shroud. -more-
The Alameda City Council continued this week to move forward with a $23.7 million multi-faceted project that would restore the long-abandoned 77-year-old Art Deco Alameda Theater in the heart of the city’s downtown, as well as building an adjoining seven-screen cineplex and an adjacent six-story parking garage. -more-
Berkeley Court Commissioner John Rantzman heard several hours of testimony from neighbors of a South Berkeley homeowner on Thursday describing the personal and economic damages they claim they have suffered living near what they say police call “the most notorious house in Berkeley.” -more-
Seacology, a Berkeley nonprofit dedicated to saving the imperiled ecologies of islands and coral reefs around the world, racked up another honor this week. -more-
A demonstration outside the gates of Richmond’s ChevronTexaco refinery Tuesday morning ended in a massive police turnout, two arrests and conflicting reports about what happened. -more-
A juvenile court judge today referred a 17-year-old Oakland girl who admitted stabbing a 75-year-old woman at the Berkeley Rose Garden in March to a California Youth Authority facility for evaluation. -more-
The board of directors of the East Bay Regional Park District has postponed an eminent domain action on 238 acres along the Richmond shoreline in order to allow all the parties the chance to attempt to work out an agreement. -more-
“I’ll tell you why I am a fundamentalist Muslim,” said a Sri Lankan city council member named—I kid you not—A. Marika. “When you are grading a grammar test, if the student writes, ‘I will get a apple from the store,’ will you grade it correct or incorrect? The meaning is clear; is it correct or not?” -more-
If you see nothing on the screen but snow when you turn on a Berkeley Community Media (BCM) TV channel Monday, it’s not the fault of your television: It’s a protest. -more-
Bangkok, Thailand—Traveling through South East Asia, the rapid pace of development confronted us everywhere: once remote Laotian villages now have electricity, clean water, and public schools; small Cambodian towns, where Mercedes sedans share the road with Vespas and water buffalo, support Internet cafes; and tourists and goods cross borders with unparalleled ease. Yet, lurking behind this progress are disturbing problems: many of our trading partners are democracies in name only, horrendous damage is being done to the environment, and women are treated as chattel—denied basic human rights. -more-
Suppose you heard the news that there were, say, 30 arrests at last weekend’s Dias De Los Muertos celebration in Oakland’s Fruitvale District. There weren’t actually 30 arrests at last weekend’s Dias De Los Muertos celebration, not even any reports of the kinds of problems that might lead to such arrests, but for the sake of this discussion, let’s pretend that there were. -more-
In the mid 1970s, the Supreme Court extended First Amendment Constitutional protection to the corporate financing of elections. Since that historic decision, corporations have virtually taken over the electoral process. Unlike individuals and other groups, corporations are able to amass huge concentrations of shareholder wealth and have demonstrated a willingness to spend it within the political system to ensure that they are able to pursue their self-interests (i.e.: profits and returns for investors) without interference. -more-
Four years ago many Berkeleyans were involved in a passionate debate over a proposal to divide Berkeley High entirely into small schools. The School Board eventually resolved that controversy by adopting a compromise plan which called for a Berkeley High School with half its students in small schools and half its students in a large, comprehensive school. -more-
This Tuesday, Californians will vote on a ballot measure that, if approved, will place some teenagers in “serious jeopardy.” -more-
When Beverly Hill chanced to open mail from the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce 10 days ago, she saw red—as in red state. The owner of Rainbo Graphix, just over the city line in Emeryville, she had been a proud member of the Berkeley Chamber for years. Knowing Berkeley, she took it for granted that the chamber, if it took political positions, would be as liberal as the whole city is. That’s not what she found. -more-
Where has the time gone? Late summer wildflowers have morphed into sere grasses and again into autumn foliage greedily drinking in the first rains as we head for the final Challenge hike. It’s worthy of a graduation jaunt and a good test of skills acquired since June. Trails will lead through two parks, so be prepared to look for signposts and carefully follow directions. On this trek the Challenge booklet is a must. -more-
The second-highest ranking University of California official resigned suddenly Friday amid allegations of favoritism in hiring and possible conflicts of interest. -more-
Thanks to the dogged work of the fearless Martin Snapp, the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain’s embedded reporter who is a member of Berkeley’s Veterans’ Day Committee, you can now read about the latest permutation of the city’s Nov. 11 observance in the San Jose Mercury News, the Contra Costa Times, the West County Times, the Berkeley Voice and the East Bay Daily Snooze, and perhaps in many more of the chain’s saturation coverage outlets in the Bay Area. Tuesday’s bottom line, if we think the Merc’s story was the end of the tale: Bill Mitchell, co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace, has decided to skip the Berkeley event in favor of a Santa Monica one, and that means the local Disabled American Veterans are back in the line-up. -more-
