Jawzilla, the monster jaws-on-a-crane was quiescent Thursday, as city hall convened an impromptu permits meeting to clear the way for returning Telegraph Avenue to "normal," after demolition of the fire-gutted Sequoia Apartments rained bricks that closed North-South foot traffic.


Had the removal of the Sequoia been shut down more than briefly, killer disruptions to the Ave, could have de-toured the 28th Telegraph Ave Holiday Street Dec. 16-18, and 22-24. The fair is a chance this year for Berzerkers to support Telegraph in its moment of travail.

Jaws, and scoops of re-construction, began their end-stage savagery Friday morning, much to the relief of everyone who wants to see the avenue cleared. "Freddy" Pena, demolition crew-chief, said Friday that resumption of demolition puts clearing plans back on schedule. -more-

When I wrote that the Sequoia Apartments fire was a death-blow to Telegraph businesses (Planet: Nov. 20), I never considered that all of us had received the death blow. -more-

Recent seismic activity in the East Bay has been the latest series of events to highlight the importance of retrofitting Berkeley's apartment buildings. Unfortunately, 86 of the 269 apartment buildings surveyed in March 2011 are not even in compliance with the first, basic step (Phase I) of Berkeley’s Soft-Story Ordinance (passed in 2005), which requires landlords of soft-story buildings to notify their tenants of the buildings’ inherent seismic instability and to commission an engineering study. Soft-story buildings refer to construction that has a garage, commercial space, or other space in an area where a solid supporting wall would otherwise be built. -more-

Berkeley's low-income public housing residents are waiting to learn if their long-time public housing units will be sold to some out of state billionaires, and their billion dollar for-profit housing development corporation. -more-

A couple of years ago, the City of Vallejo went bankrupt, blaming unsustainable costs of wage and benefit packages negotiated with employee unions. Two months ago, Pleasant Hill, despairing of a negotiated settlement with the unions, imposed a salary freeze on its workers, and dramatically reduced pension benefits for future hires.[1] -more-

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is published by the American Psychiatric Association. The DSM provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders, which is used in the United States and to some extent internationally, by clinicians, researchers, psychiatric drug regulation agencies, health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and policy makers. The DSM is produced by a panel of psychiatrists, many of whom have financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry. It is considered the "bible" of American psychiatry. The latest edition— DSM-IV— was published in 1994. -more-

In the aftermath of the Nov. 26 NATO attack on two border posts that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, the question being asked is whether the assault was a “fog of war” incident or a calculated hit aimed at torpedoing peace talks in Afghanistan? Given that the incident has plunged relations between Washington and Islamabad to a new low at a critical juncture in the 10-year war, the answer is vitally important -more-

My curiosity was piqued by people and media references to “TCM.” Aha. Traditional Chinese Medicine. -more-

The latest polls indicate that roughly 75 percent of Americans agree with the goals of Occupy Wall Street. Nonetheless, only 29 percent consider themselves supporters of OWS. What accounts for this enthusiasm gap? -more-

Back to the odd assortment of animal species in which some males gain a reproductive advantage from their resemblance, temporary or permanent, to the females of their species. Giant cuttlefish alter their color patterns and shapes to mimic females; red-sided garden snakes do it with pheromones. In a number of fish, including our own plainfin midshipman, smaller males exploit their deceptive appearance to gain acesss to spawning sites guarded by larger territorial males. (Some commentators on this phenomenon have evoked the movie Some Like it Hot. Bear in mind, however, that Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon were on the run from the mob when they joined the all-girl orchestra. Proximity to Marilyn Monroe was an unexpected benefit. Call it an exaptation.) -more-