Local News and Opinion from The Berkeley Daily Planet

News

Welcome to the Readers’ Issue

Tuesday December 27, 2005

Welome to the Daily Planet’s annual Reader Contibution Issue. We received many wonderful stories, too many to fit in this issue, so we will publish a second installment of contributions on Friday. -more-

The Life and Times of a Berkeley Kid By MINA EDELSTON

Tuesday December 27, 2005

Even after 50 years of practice he still enjoys cutting away excess material to reveal the finished part inside a rough chunk of metal. “Each part is inside the piece of metal,” he tells me, “Just cut away everything that is not the part.” -more-

Baked Goods Make For Good Neighbors in Westbrae District By HEJI KIM

Tuesday December 27, 2005

The first Christmas in my Westbrae neighborhood, I was completely taken aback when a neighbor shyly handed me a package of her home baked anise biscotti. -more-

A Thank-You Note For December By ANN SIECK

Tuesday December 27, 2005

December in Berkeley. Rusty notes from flocks of geese heading south at last. A trickle of warblers and flycatchers continue to visit streets where fall colors are still on display only a few days before the solstice. -more-

I Have Become A Local By Patrick Fenix

Tuesday December 27, 2005

I have become a local ... a West Berkeley resident of long standing ... all of a sudden that is given to me ... it has been happening delicately, almost imperceptibly, to be sure, but the realization is sudden, breathtaking ... -more-

Once Upon A Christmas By Maya Elmer

Tuesday December 27, 2005

Cat Notes By ELLEN SCHEINER

Tuesday December 27, 2005

Berkeley Recycles By C.C. Saw

Tuesday December 27, 2005

The Worm Of Thought By Nancy Schimmel

Tuesday December 27, 2005

Cat Nap By GREGORY PEDEMEINTE

Tuesday December 27, 2005

December Morning By Sandra J. Whittaker

Tuesday December 27, 2005

Holiday Cheer, Grandpa Style By Rachel Trachten

Tuesday December 27, 2005

Berkeley: Then and Now By CAROLYN SELL (Berkeley High School class of ‘67 and proud of it)

Tuesday December 27, 2005

a dance of Berkeley seasons By C.C. SAW

Tuesday December 27, 2005

Alright By Donna Cummings

Tuesday December 27, 2005

My Grandmother’s Holiday Cookies By Charron-Tae Barnes

Tuesday December 27, 2005

The Fugleman By Phyllis Henry-Jordan

Tuesday December 27, 2005

Merry Christmas (I Think) By madeline smith moore

Tuesday December 27, 2005

CLAUS-trophobic By Sonja Fitz

Tuesday December 27, 2005

Coffee Coffers By Estelle Jelinek

Tuesday December 27, 2005

Sending In The Troops By Margot Pepper

Tuesday December 27, 2005

Elevator Paranoia By PAUL DALMAS

Tuesday December 27, 2005

Street Corner Society By TED VINCENT

Tuesday December 27, 2005

Ambling Toward Christmas By Dorothy V. Benson

Tuesday December 27, 2005

LISTEN TO ME, Jack By RHODA LEVINSON

Tuesday December 27, 2005

Merry Christmas From UC By James K. Sayre

Tuesday December 27, 2005

At The Table By CRAIG FAIRBURN

Tuesday December 27, 2005

The Legend By CRAIG FAIRBURN

Tuesday December 27, 2005

Visiting Jane Austen Chawton, Hants By Phyllis Henry-Jordan

Tuesday December 27, 2005

M. Richard: The model maker sitting on his railroad car at the Golden Gate Live Steam Club. He grew up in Berkeley and developed a passion for model trains. He first visited the Live Steam Club as a teenager and fell in love with the model steam-engine locomotives big enough to ride behind..

Editorials

Beyond Curry Powder and Soy Sauce By DEBBIE CHANG

Tuesday December 27, 2005

As a student in a professional cooking school in the Napa Valley, I knew I was lucky. Within walking distance, there were great restaurants to train at, artisan olive oil makers, and organic produce at the Farmers market. Napa Valley, however, lacked one thing. Ethnic cuisine. By ethnic, I don’t mean Asian-fusion, Rachel Ray’s “thirty-minute” version, or the high-priced “____-influenced California cuisine” (fill in the blank with your choice--Mediterranean, French, Japanese, Indian, etc.) -more-