The Week

The End of Nexus
          A planing machine stands unused Wednesday afternoon at the Nexus Institute, one of Berkeley’s last remaining arts and crafts collectives. Members will have to move out of their Eighth Street quarters by the end of the month. Photograph by Richard Brenneman
The End of Nexus A planing machine stands unused Wednesday afternoon at the Nexus Institute, one of Berkeley’s last remaining arts and crafts collectives. Members will have to move out of their Eighth Street quarters by the end of the month. Photograph by Richard Brenneman
 

News

City’s Political Candidates Rake in the Campaign Cash

By Judith Scherr
Friday August 04, 2006

If money talked, it could turn into a noisy campaign season this year. Preliminary campaign finance statements for the 2006 races that were released Monday show most candidates in the City Council and mayoral races, despite lofty Berkeley idealism, are in hot pursuit of the gritty greenback dollar. -more-


Shirley Dean Veers Off Mayoral Campaign Trail

By Judith Scherr
Friday August 04, 2006

Former Mayor Shirley Dean says she’ll be on the campaign trail. -more-


Council Sends Landmark Initiative to Ballot

By Richard Brenneman
Friday August 04, 2006

On two 6–3 votes, the city council Tuesday endorsed ballot language and a legal analysis that backers of a landmarks ordinance initiative said misrepresents their proposal. -more-


Berkeley Hosts a Successful National Night Out

By Rio Bauce, SPecial to the Planet
Friday August 04, 2006

On Tuesday, many Berkeley residents came together to bring public safety awareness into their communities by celebrating National Night Out Day 2006. There were block parties throughout the city, which promised food, fun, and socializing. -more-


Salem Sets the Standard for Nursing Home Care

By Carol Polsgrove, Special to the Planet
Friday August 04, 2006

I dreaded the day when my mother would need to move into a nursing home. That day came, and a year and a half later, I enjoy her nursing home life on my visits—joining in Tai Chi or a round of mindgames, right alongside her. Her nursing home is so homey and hospitable that I wonder why more nursing homes aren’t like it. -more-


Watchdogs Demand Release of Pacific Steel Report

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday August 04, 2006

Supporters of neighborhood watchdog group Cleanaircoalition.net will be coming together with environmental and community groups this month to demand that Pacific Steel Casting make the results of their already delayed emission inventory report and health risk assessment available to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the City of Berkeley immediately. -more-


Half of City’s Economic Team Soon to Depart

By Judith Scherr
Friday August 04, 2006

Economic Development Manager Thomas Myers went from helping site 7-Elevens in South Central Los Angeles to working four-and-one-half years to get Berkeley Bowl situated on Oregon Street. -more-


Collective’s Departure Marks Another Berkeley Arts Loss

By Richard Brenneman
Friday August 04, 2006

With the deadline for their eviction from their home of the last 31 years fast approaching, the artists of the Nexus Institute are looking for a new home. -more-


Court Orders State Universities to Pay for Impacts

By Richard Brenneman
Friday August 04, 2006

The Berkeley city attorney’s office has good reason to gloat over this week’s California Supreme Court ruling that the state’s universities aren’t exempt from paying for impacts of developments on surrounding communities. -more-


Judge Kills Initiative by Albany Mall Foes

By Richard Brenneman
Friday August 04, 2006

An Oakland judge Tuesday barred a November vote on an initiative that would have stopped waterfront development pending the creation of a new plan. -more-


Richmond Residents to Share Memories of Macdonald

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday August 04, 2006

“Since its heyday during World War II, when workers from Richmond’s Kaiser shipyards filled the streets and sidewalks,” we learn from Richmond Councilmember Tom Butt’s e-mail forum, “Macdonald Avenue has reflected the common patterns of American downtowns. Many businesses have struggled to maintain economic viability in a climate of shifting commercial development and shopping patterns.” -more-


Lebanese Woman Reflects on Her Homeland

By Judith Scherr
Friday August 04, 2006

These days Nadine Ghammache thinks of little else than Lebanon, the tiny country by the sea where she was born. -more-


Two Cities, Two Approaches to Waterfront History

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday August 04, 2006

While the controversy continues over the all-but-total destruction of the massive, historic Ninth Avenue Terminal as part of Oakland’s Oak To Ninth Development Project, the City of Richmond is quietly moving forward with the development of one of its waterfront areas that preserves the similarly historic Ford Assembly Building. -more-


City Planning Director Issues Scathing Critique of UC Stadium Expansion Report

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday August 01, 2006

City Planning Director Dan Marks has issued a stinging rebuke of UC Berkeley’s key environmental document covering its massive expansion plans for Memorial Stadium and its surroundings. -more-


War of Words Over LPO Ballot Measure

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday August 01, 2006

The City Council will hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. today (Tuesday) to hash out the wording describing the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance that voters will see when they vote in November. -more-


Lawrence Marks Five Years at Helm of Berkeley Schools

By Suzanne La Barre
Tuesday August 01, 2006

A poster to promote Berkeley’s libraries shows Michele Lawrence smiling in a white turtleneck and red blazer, pearls in her ears and an open novel in her hands. She looks kind and composed, every bit the spokesperson for a wholesome public service announcement—but for the novel. -more-


BUSD Interdistrict Transfer Policy Draws Criticism

By Suzanne La Barre
Tuesday August 01, 2006

As Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) officials gear up for the second parcel tax campaign in two years, some citizens question whether district administrators have done enough to ensure that school resources stay with Berkeley students. -more-


Construction to Begin on Alameda Cineplex Project

By Suzanne La Barre
Tuesday August 01, 2006

The Alameda City Council approved construction bids for the development of a controversial theater project in downtown Alameda Wednesday, dealing a blow to opponents who insist the project is out of scale with the area. -more-


Effort to Expand Public Comment Gains Steam

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday August 01, 2006

Faced with threats of a lawsuit, the City Council has begun to explore ways to increase both the number of people allowed to speak directly to the council at its meetings and the variety of topics the public can address. -more-


Feds Focus Anti-Terror Effort On Local Anti-War Events

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday August 01, 2006

Federal government “anti-terror” activities have penetrated a number of Northern and Central California cities including Berkeley, according to an ACLU report released last week: “The State of Surveillance: Government Monitoring of Political Activity in Northern and Central California.” -more-


High Court Says CSU Must Prepare New Report on Expansion

Bay City News
Tuesday August 01, 2006

The California Supreme Court ruled today that the trustees of California State University must prepare a new environmental impact report on a planned expansion of a campus in Monterey County. -more-


Bevatron, Berkeley Iceland Landmarking, Drayage Demolition on LPC Agenda

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday August 01, 2006

Will the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Bevatron building and Iceland become the city’s newest landmarks? And will the Drayage fall to the wrecking ball? -more-


Californians Seek Action on Air Quality, Global Warming

By Brian Shott, New America Media
Tuesday August 01, 2006

Californians knew global warming was real even before temperatures soared past 110 degrees in many regions for days and killed at least 75 people statewide, according to a survey released by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). -more-


Ten Questions for Councilmember Gordon Wozniak

By Jonathan Wafer, Special to the Planet
Tuesday August 01, 2006

1. Where were you born and where did you grow up, and how does that affect how you regard the issues in Berkeley and in your district? -more-


Police Blotter

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday August 01, 2006

Paintballs redux -more-


Lebanon Is the New Damascus

By Franz Schurmann, New America Media
Tuesday August 01, 2006

Arab Culture’s Genius To Communicate Beyond Itself -more-


Opinion

Editorials

No Pay Cuts Yet for Absentee Teachers

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday August 04, 2006

Berkeley Unified School District teachers who received letters informing them that their salaries would be cut for skipping classes May 1, the day of immigrant rights rallies nationwide, received their paychecks for the month of July on Monday. -more-


Editorial: Is Inevitable Killing Intentional Slaughter?

By Becky O'Malley
Tuesday August 01, 2006

One of the most heart-rending dialogues in English literature is a short scene in Macbeth. -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Friday August 04, 2006

A LITTLE HELP, PLEASE -more-


Commentary: Where Have All the Environmentalists Gone?

By Merrilie Mitchell
Friday August 04, 2006

Recently I returned to an area near my former home on Canyon Road near UC Stadium. I spent the afternoon walking around the stadium, and on up to the beautiful UC Botanical Gardens. And there I picnicked, surrounded by beautiful flowers and birds singing. -more-


Commentary: Throwing Stones

By Bill Hamilton
Friday August 04, 2006

The front page article by Suzanne La Barre in the Aug. 1 edition celebrating Michele Lawrence’s five years as BUSD superintendent gave me pause to consider my own views about the current state of BUSD and the City of Berkeley. Let me share them with you. -more-


Commentary: Bates and the Bowl: Some Inconvenient Truths

By Zelda Bronstein
Friday August 04, 2006

Tom Bates is telling people that I tried to stop the West Berkeley Bowl. Once again, he’s spinning the truth like a top. -more-


Letters to the Editor

Tuesday August 01, 2006

LEAGUE OF -more-


Commentary: Yale Goes to War: How Disasters Happen

By Michael Katz
Tuesday August 01, 2006

The Bush administration’s foreign policy—whatever it is—is in ruins. Iraq and neglected Afghanistan are sinking into macabre violence. Israel has launched a bloody regional war, with conspicuous support from a diplomatically isolated United States. India is recovering from a major terrorist atrocity. Terror plots against North America are an apparent growth industry. -more-


Commentary: Saving the Berkeley Housing Authority

By Eleanor Walden
Tuesday August 01, 2006

Suzanne La Barre wrote an interesting report on the July 25 City Council meeting pertaining to the crisis of the Berkeley Housing Authority (BHA). While the governing body of BHA (the nine City Council members and only two appointed members at large), assumes the posture that it just now recognizes that new governance is essential to the stability of the agency, the cry of “Shocked! Shocked!” sounds a bit hollow given the history. Let’s see if we can round up the usual suspects! -more-


Columns

The Public Eye: Why I’m Not Running for Mayor of Berkeley This Time

By Shirley Dean
Friday August 04, 2006

First, I want to thank the many Berkeley residents who have indicated their support for me to enter the race for mayor this November, particularly Merilee Mitchell who took out papers to gather signatures in-lieu of filing fees (even though I didn't know about it at the time); and to all of you who collected signatures, signed your names, sent me e-mails, called me, wrote me letters and stopped to talk to me in the grocery store, on the street or at various meetings. -more-


Column: Dispatches From The Edge: Of Treadle Pumps and Grandmothers

By Conn Hallinan
Friday August 04, 2006

Erica Schoenberger is scrolling through her photos of Maphaphateni, a small village in the “Valley of 1,000 Hills” northwest of Durban in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal Province. She is looking for a particular image that crystallizes the difference between a project funded by the World Bank and one sponsored by the Colorado-based organization, Engineers Without Borders (EWB). -more-


Column: Undercurrents: Oakland Night Out Welcomes (Some) Citizens

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday August 04, 2006

Driving home on Tuesday evening, Aug. 1, I passed one of the officially sanctioned National Night Out Events, this one sponsored by the East Bay Dragons (African-American) Motorcycle Club, who had already begun to cordon off the block at 88th and International on the side of their clubhouse. National Night Out, from its website, is a campaign involving “citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials… Along with the traditional display of outdoor lights and front porch vigils, cities, towns and neighborhoods ‘celebrate’ NNO with a variety of events and activities such as block parties, cookouts, [and] visits from local police and sheriff departments.” -more-


About the House: Granite, and Some Other Boring Things

By Matt Cantor
Friday August 04, 2006

I can feel another rant coming on and this one has been coming for some time. I’m definitely involved in the world of real estate, for better AND for worse. Rather than simply sharing construction knowledge with people at their homes, a lot of what I end up doing involves checking over houses that are in the sale process, and this means examining the product of sales preparation, of last-minute, minimally budgeted spin and fluff. Even the term “flipping” a house sounds more like making a crepe than building a home. There’s a vernacular to these things that’s not unlike reality TV or aerobics classes and it’s become so predictable that there are genuinely days in which I can’t remember which flip I’ve been inside of for three or four hours. Yes, one had two baths and three bedrooms and the other was four baths with an in-law downstairs but the “look” of these places is often so similar, due to the vernacular of choices that there isn’t much difference beyond square footage. -more-


Garden Variety: Antiques, Nurseries and a Coffee Break in Alameda

By Ron Sullivan
Friday August 04, 2006

The Alameda Antiques Flea Market happens on the first Sunday of the month. It’s a good show for five bucks, a stroll through the surreal, and, if you’re my age, just a bit unsettling to see so many of your own childhood artifacts labeled “vintage.” -more-


Quake Tip of the Week

By Larry Guillot
Friday August 04, 2006

What About Quake Insurance? -more-


Column: The Devil in Me Carries Fake Prada

By Susan Parker
Tuesday August 01, 2006

The recent heat wave has been difficult for my husband, Ralph. He is often bedridden, and because he can’t move or perspire properly, he is prone to overheating. Ralph doesn’t know he’s too hot until it’s too late. -more-


Trees, Plants are Great, But the Real Action is Underground

By Ron Sullivan, Special to the Planet
Tuesday August 01, 2006

In some ways, we humans are educating ourselves about the planet that sustains us the way the owner of a cranky old car educates herself about how cars work: We learn about systems and parts when they break down and we’re forced to figure out why. Partly that’s a matter of perceived urgency that gets grants written and funding done—“pure” research is a delicious notion, but it’s rare that anyone can get the time, facilities, and support to study a matter just because we all get intrigued by it. -more-


Arts & Events

Arts Calendar

Friday August 04, 2006

FRIDAY, AUGUST 4 -more-


Moving Pictures: Revisiting Orson Welles’ ‘Mr. Arkadin’

By Justin DeFreitas
Friday August 04, 2006

The Criterion Collection continues to set the standard for classic film on DVD. The company recently released a three-disc set of Orson Welles’ long-neglected 1955 film Mr. Arkadin (also known as Confidential Report) that contains a wealth of material documenting the film’s murky history. Just as Criterion gave the deluxe treatment last year to Welles’ 1972 F For Fake, so this year the company has produced a respectful and informative package for Arkadin that does well to salvage the mystery and reputation of this confounding movie. -more-


Moving Pictures: Impressionistic ‘Brothers of the Head’ Compelling, Flawed

By Justin DeFreitas
Friday August 04, 2006

While it makes sense that Orson Welles’ Mr. Arkadin would bear certain resemblances to Citizen Kane, it seems unlikely that a movie like Brothers of the Head, an independent faux documentary about conjoined twins turned rock stars, would draw on the same film for inspiration. But early on in the movie there is an homage of sorts to Kane, an allusion that sets up an interesting parallel. -more-


Theater: The End of the World Comes to John Hinkle Park

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Friday August 04, 2006

“You gouge out an eye for keener sight. Is blindness vision?” -more-


About the House: Granite, and Some Other Boring Things

By Matt Cantor
Friday August 04, 2006

I can feel another rant coming on and this one has been coming for some time. I’m definitely involved in the world of real estate, for better AND for worse. Rather than simply sharing construction knowledge with people at their homes, a lot of what I end up doing involves checking over houses that are in the sale process, and this means examining the product of sales preparation, of last-minute, minimally budgeted spin and fluff. Even the term “flipping” a house sounds more like making a crepe than building a home. There’s a vernacular to these things that’s not unlike reality TV or aerobics classes and it’s become so predictable that there are genuinely days in which I can’t remember which flip I’ve been inside of for three or four hours. Yes, one had two baths and three bedrooms and the other was four baths with an in-law downstairs but the “look” of these places is often so similar, due to the vernacular of choices that there isn’t much difference beyond square footage. -more-


Garden Variety: Antiques, Nurseries and a Coffee Break in Alameda

By Ron Sullivan
Friday August 04, 2006

The Alameda Antiques Flea Market happens on the first Sunday of the month. It’s a good show for five bucks, a stroll through the surreal, and, if you’re my age, just a bit unsettling to see so many of your own childhood artifacts labeled “vintage.” -more-


Quake Tip of the Week

By Larry Guillot
Friday August 04, 2006

What About Quake Insurance? -more-


Berkeley This Week

Friday August 04, 2006

FRIDAY, AUGUST 4 -more-


Arts Calendar

Tuesday August 01, 2006

TUESDAY, AUGUST 1 -more-


Actors Ensemble Brings ‘Night of the Iguana’ to Live Oak Theatre

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Tuesday August 01, 2006

An orchestra of marimbas playing “Down in Mexico, Joyous Mexico” ... Drinking Rum Cocos on the verandah of the Hotel Costa Verde, while below, the patrona’s nightswimming with the local boys, and that big lizard’s chafing at the end of his rope, and a hurricane’s brewing up ... -more-


Trees, Plants are Great, But the Real Action is Underground

By Ron Sullivan, Special to the Planet
Tuesday August 01, 2006

In some ways, we humans are educating ourselves about the planet that sustains us the way the owner of a cranky old car educates herself about how cars work: We learn about systems and parts when they break down and we’re forced to figure out why. Partly that’s a matter of perceived urgency that gets grants written and funding done—“pure” research is a delicious notion, but it’s rare that anyone can get the time, facilities, and support to study a matter just because we all get intrigued by it. -more-


Berkeley This Week

Tuesday August 01, 2006

TUESDAY, AUGUST 1 -more-