Opinion

A while back we dropped in on a softball panel discussion about what the economic future might hold. The panelists were UC Berkeley academic economists. They glanced at a variety of topics, among them how their institution could weather the current storm, with the larger economy tanking and state support for education effectively collapsing.

Wall Street Crooks;Nuclear Weapons Are History;New Ghandi?; Loss of City Revenue; Deflation;;Down with Voting Machines ;Tea Party is even Worse Than You Think;End Corporate Influence;Reduce Oil Addiction through Livable Communities Act;Cell Phones;

I am the neighbor to the east of Ryan Lau's property, and have been expressing my husband's and my objection to his project since, after reading Fred Dodsworth's article in the Planet, we finally became aware of what he was actually up to. I requested that this case be heard directly by the ZAB, and it shall be, this Thursday evening. I find it quite disconcerting that in the findings sent out by the planning department, which unfortunately recommend full approval of his project, that there were omissions in the package sent out to the board for review, as well as in what is posted on the ZAB website.

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For the past several Thursdays from noon to 1:00 pm a group of older women activists have gathered at the south-west corner of Union Square in San Francisco to protest the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are Grandmothers Against the War (Bay Area). We are sometimes twelve and sometimes only four or five but we plan to continue bringing our leaflets and signs every Thursday. We invite you to join us. -more-

Introduction On July 13, 2010, the Obama administration unveiled a new national HIV and AIDS strategy, which sets a goal of reducing new infections by 25 percent over the next five years. The strategy also calls for a renewed focus on increasing access to care, with the goal of getting treatment for 85 percent of patients within three months of their diagnosis; concentrating HIV prevention efforts at the highest-risk populations, which include gay and bisexual men as well as African-Americans; and increasing education about the virus, even in communities with low rates of infection. The administration is allocating $30 million from the health care overhaul Congress passed earlier this year toward implementation of the strategy. -more-

The scheme to privatize and sell Berkeley's 75 public housing units has stalled, and currently the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has not completed its review of the disposition plan filed with HUD to dispose of Berkeley's public housing. -more-

It appears that due to serious budget shortfalls in Oakland 80 police officers will be laid off. One newscast showed a long list of police services that are expected to be severely reduced. On this list is responding to burglary calls. -more-