The attorney for the Oakland man briefly arrested for the 1970 slaying of a Berkeley police officer says a composite drawing made of the suspected killer at the time of the murder “has no resemblance to the way Styles Price appeared during that time. These are not minor differences. They are major.” -more-
For several Berkeley political watchdogs this has been their summer of discontent. -more-
The most improbable thing in a most unlikely place Sunday was a giant wooden clock, an intricate creation resembling nothing so much as a Walt Disney design on LSD. -more-
Trees are dying around two controversial sites in Richmond, and highly regarded UC Berkeley plant pathologist Dr. Robert Raabe thinks toxins are to blame. -more-
Berkeley officials granted Iceland a one month extension Friday to install a temporary cooling system and pump out 4,200 pounds of potentially toxic ammonia. -more-
The Flying Cottage has landed again, this time on the agenda for Thursday night’s meeting of the Zoning Adjustments Board. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers at Old City Hall, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. -more-
After a year that saw a months-long teacher contract protest, budget uncertainty, and construction disputes, the Berkeley Unified School District Board of Education returns this week from an August recess. -more-
Registered nurses voted Thursday to settle their strike with the Alta Bates hospital in Berkeley and Summit Alta Bates in Oakland. -more-
The Nabolom bakery will cease operations as a cooperative Sept. 1, but one cooperative member has made an offer to keep the ovens running as a private business. -more-
http://www.jfdefreitas.com/index.php?path=/00_Latest%20Work0 -more-
A few years ago, the 7-Up soft drink company ran a successful ad campaign branding itself the “un” cola. This defied the conventional advertising wisdom that argued one could not successfully define a product in the negative—by focusing on what it is not. The paradoxical success of the 7-Up campaign offers a ray of hope for the Democrats, who either by skillful design, or bumbling accident, have defined themselves as America’s “un” political party. The only thing that voters understand about Democrats is that they are not Republicans. -more-
Our summer houseguest has departed and I can’t say that I’m terribly sad about it. Fifteen-year-old Jernae spent the past nine weeks vacationing on our third floor and volunteering at the Emeryville Recreation Center. It was a learning occasion for everyone, including me. -more-
This November, UC Berkeley students will be voting to extend the successful Class Pass program for another seven years. -more-
Admired and emulated across the U.S. and in Canada, Romania and Japan, Berkeley’s Peace and Justice Commission was established almost 20 years ago. It has furthered Berkeley’s proud tradition of activist democracy, standing up to human rights violations in Afghanistan, Burma, China, Iran, Mexico and apartheid South Africa. We have championed citizen authority over transnational corporate power and vindicated the rights of women, workers and voters in the U.S. Residents bring concerns to volunteer commissioners who organize background information and formulate recommendations for the City Council, according to our mandate. We save city employees valuable time. Those of us who craft the approximately 10 recommendations per year put in countless research hours. Our preparation is arduous, so the City Council usually adopts our recommendation with little discussion. We help people reach for their highest ideals. Using the democratic process to address concerns “constructively, creatively” is healthy for the community and for individuals. -more-
The Friday, Aug. 5 article in the Daily Planet, “Library Workers, Patrons Denounce RFID System,” has several omissions and distortions. -more-
Michael Stephens of Chicago in his Aug. 16 letter to the editor says Rabbi Sara Schendelman “tells it exactly like it is” when she states that we in Berkeley “are the most intolerant place in the U.S. when faced with a differing view.” -more-
The feral or rock pigeon doesn’t have a lot of fans. True, these birds add a touch of nature to the urban jungle; when I worked in San Francisco, I looked forward to the occasional pigeon visit to the window ledge outside my cubicle. But I still harbored a grudge against the one that guano-bombed me in the Piazza di San Marco in Venice years ago, and tended to think of them as feathered vermin. -more-
Diversity is not just a lofty abstraction: It tastes great, and you can dance to it. -more-
Like many Berkeley dog owners, Tracy Koretsky and Ken McMillan would rather have their shepherd-airedale mix Jezebel by their side than stuck indoors at home or tethered to a pole when they’re about town. -more-
Hello, my name is Cassie Norton, and I’m a college student. -more-
One pleasant surprise when I moved here from Pennsylvania was being able to garden year-round. You’re arriving just in time for planting season. -more-
The Bay Area, with its wealth of regional, state, and national parks and wildlife refuges, is a great place to discover the natural world. This is true even in late fall and winter, when the hills begin to green up, mushrooms emerge, newts migrate to their mating ponds, and manzanitas start to bloom. But hiking in the rain can be a drag, and even on dry days it can get seriously mucky out there. Fortunately, there are options for getting in touch with nature during the wet season. -more-
Access to art shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg, or even an ear. Many Bay Area museums follow the enlightened practice of waiving admission for one day every month—sometimes more often. And a handful are always free. -more-
On Friday, Aug. 5, Cal head coach Jeff Tedford and his coaching staff hosted the second annual Cal Women’s Football Huddle from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in Memorial Stadium. As advertised on the official Golden Bear Athletics website, the event—“for women only”—would “interactively teach participants about the ins and outs of football, from officials’ signals to individual position responsibilities.” More than 300 women had signed up in 2004; many more were expected this year. -more-
Hundreds of East Bay folk gathered Wednesday in candlelight vigils, organized by Berkeley’s MoveOn.org, to oppose the Iraq war and offer support to the Vacaville woman who has managed to give a sympathetic face to the war’s opposition . -more-
Devin Pope, an economics graduate student at UC Berkeley, says he’s going to have a problem the next time his parents visit to help care for his toddler. -more-
Results of the newly released public school test reports show that Berkeley Unified School District students continue to rank far above state testing scores in the California Standardized Test (STAR) in elementary school, but that advantage tends to evaporate as students enter the higher grades. -more-
After four hours of sometimes emotional public testimony from a packed City Council chambers, a divided Alameda City Council voted in the early hours Wednesday morning to move forward with the Historic Alameda Theater Rehabilitation Project. -more-
Bayer Corp.’s 54 janitors no longer have to fear for their jobs. -more-
A bullet fired by a cyclist near the corner of Julia and California streets blasted through the windows of a city Seniors Van, missing the driver and two passengers Tuesday morning. -more-
Facing federal funding cuts, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is bracing for layoffs and asking administrative workers to consider early retirement. -more-
On Aug. 9, a suicide bomber killed two people and critically injured 30 in a gruesome bus explosion in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province in southern China. According to the police, the suicide bomber, who died on the scene, was a 42-year-old peasant with end-stage lung cancer. In a society that emphasizes stability and harmony, the suicide bombing has shocked many and moved China’s health care—or lack thereof—to the center of public debate. -more-
If American liberals had four legs and fur, they would have been put on the Endangered Species List following last year’s presidential election. Defining who is liberal has become a national sport among politicians, as Democrats frantically run from the moniker, while Republicans hurl the invective blindly at everyone on the other side of the aisle. -more-
http://www.jfdefreitas.com/index.php?path=/00_Latest%20Work0 -more-
In Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialist play No Exit, three damned souls find themselves locked in a room in hell, where they are psychologically tortured forever. The Iraqis’ failure to meet the Aug. 15 deadline for a draft constitution, is more evidence that America is trapped in its’ own no exit hell. -more-
What should progressives do when confronted with the fact that they live in a city that honors a figure who has advocated beliefs or committed acts that progressives would normally condemn? -more-
As a Beth El representative on the parking committee for our new building, I have spent many hours working with LOCCNA about parking concerns and worked hard to come up with a plan that addressed those concerns. Over the years I have grown fond of many LOCCNA members. Many of us on each side of the table have listened respectfully to each other’s perspective. -more-
A powerful minority of the KPFA staff is intent upon ousting General Manager Roy Campanella II, on the job less than a year. The last manager, Gus Newport, resigned after nine months in the position due to difficulties in working with the factionalized staff. -more-
I was touched by Mr. Kennedy’s concern for affordable housing when, in addressing the Zoning Adjustments Board’s density bonus implementation subcommittee, he stated: “If the committee is interested in providing affordable housing,” he said, the committe e’s work “shouldn’t be done in the way of what is clearly the agenda of some people here who are interested in decreasing density” in the city (Berkeley Daily Planet, Aug. 5). -more-
Thank you for having the courage to publish the “Chemical Therapy Endangers Psychiatric Patients,” commentary in your Aug. 5 edition. It is a sad commentary on the state of so-called investigative journalism that articles affecting so many individuals are not reported, let alone investigated, by mainstream media. -more-
In her column of Aug. 2, Zelda Bronstein aptly referred to violations of the municipal code in the agreement between the city and UC but failed to suggest that there might be any other legal problems involved. Although I make no claim of expertise in this area, here are some thoughts on the matter. -more-
I am a living, breathing interfaith experiment. I had a briss and a baptism; a confirmation and a bar-mitzvah. My family attended synagogue on Friday nights and went to church on Sunday. Raised by parents of separate faiths, my mother is a minister for the United Church of Christ and my father is a lay Jew. Starting with me, they decided to raise their children both religions, not just half and half. I don’t call myself a “halfie” or “half and half.” I would never want to get only half of two religions. My parents have insisted that I get the whole of both religions. -more-
The first Downtown Berkeley Jazz Festival, “A Celebration of Latin Jazz,” presented by The Jazz School (on Allston Way) is in full swing and gearing up for the weekend. With 15 stages throughout downtown for 40 events (the festival ends Sunday), including music, dance, poetry and culinary arts, festivity’s abounding. -more-
“A Celebration of Latin Jazz” begins runs through the weekend. This year’s festival features jazz and film, poetry, dance and food celebrating Afro-Caribbean and Brazilian music and culture. -more-
On a recent Wednesday morning at 11:45, two pickup trucks and a station wagon had already pulled into the drive in front of the Berkeley Tool Lending Library at the corner of Russell and Martin Luther King Way. -more-
Today’s paper contains the first of two “Back-to-Berkeley” pullout magazine sections. Students are arriving this week at the University of California, some coming back and some for the first time. Many new non-students also arrive at the beginning of each semester: faculty, staff, significant others, kids. Whoever you are, and wherever you came from, welcome. You’ll find a lot to read in the Planet. -more-
As I blew out my candle and walked away from the vigil in front of the French Hotel last night, I told the friends who were with me that this is as close as many of us in Berkeley ever get to church. Demonstrations like this are the most inclusive of our indigenous religious institutions, with all the elements which contribute to a soul-satisfying religious experience. Congregants from my generation spontaneously sang our oldest hymns--“We shall overcome…we shall not be moved….ain’t gonna study war no more”—memorabilia of our successful struggles to end segregation and stop the war in Vietnam. -more-
After the ritual stop at the Lawrence Hall of Science parking lot for the view of the bay, you might want to show your parents around your new home. -more-
Approaching the Berkeley Marina along University Avenue one is greeted by multicolored flags moving enthusiastically in the wind. They’re waving you forward, eager for you to join in. Each color—teal, goldenrod, lime and forest green, tangerine, violet—represents different choices awaiting you. -more-
