UC Berkeley is moving its BP-funded agrofuel research from a site in the hills above Strawberry Canyon to the heart of downtown Berkeley. -more-

The Council of East Bay Rabbis has condemned a publicity campaign by Jim Sinkinson to intimidate Daily Planet advertisers. -more-

Cheryl Ferguson, 49, a homeless woman, died on Berkeley’s streets July 24. Ferguson was found unconscious in front of the downtown public library around 1 a.m. When Berkeley police failed to revive her with CPR, deputies from the Alameda County coroner’s office took custody of her. -more-

The sometimes contentious relationship between Berkeley’s KPFA radio and its owner, the national Pacifica Foundation, took another twist this week when KPFA supporters posted an online petition alleging that Pacifica recently withdrew $100,000 from the KPFA Wells Fargo bank account without notification of or consultation with station representatives. -more-

The three American hikers who recently disappeared in Iran have been identified as UC Berkeley graduates. At least two are journalists based in Africa and the Middle East. -more-

While crops still grow on the Gill Tract, the buildings and greenhouses that once housed a thriving research center stand vacant, defaced by broken glass and graffiti scrawls. -more-

The United States Postal Service is considering closing at least three Berkeley post offices as part of a plan to consolidate services in light of a huge budget deficit. -more-

There’s finally some good news for book lovers in Berkeley. -more-

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory received an additional $40 million in stimulus funds from the Department of Energy Aug. 4. -more-

The Berkeley Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Mobilized Women of Berkeley building at 1007 University Avenue as a city landmark last month. -more-

BART this week began allowing payments through TransLink, becoming the latest Bay Area transit agency to use the “smart card” fare collection system. -more-

    Neil Goteiner, a San Francisco attorney for UC Berkeley economist David Teece, has asked the Daily Planet to correct two stories about his client published in the Planet on July 16 and 23 stating that the IRS had taken Teece to tax court over its claims that he had underpaid his taxes by some $12 million. -more-

Two U.S. journalists who had been jailed in North Korea but were pardoned Tuesday arrived back in California this morning and will be invited to visit the Bay Area in the next month, a family friend said. -more-

REINING IN UC -more-

I am tired of the malicious lies and deception being hurled by those who are out to destroy the Berkeley Daily Planet. -more-

I am supporting the Downtown Plan referendum because the mayor and the current Berkeley City Council majority are giving away development rights and failing to protect neighborhoods from adverse impacts and detriment. -more-

Early environmentalists believed that limiting population growth was the foundation for all efforts to preserve our natural world. Today’s urban environmentalists have a different view. Green is not literally green anymore. It does not mean grass, trees, open space or anything resembling nature but is a code word for increased population density; an accommodation of limitless population growth. -more-

Most of us don’t get to visit the headlines. I had such an opportunity recently week when I joined a convoy bringing humanitarian aid to the besieged people in Gaza. I was joined on this trip by my son, Powell, a graduate of Berkeley High School and UC Davis. Powell works as a labor union organizer and activist with Unite Here in San Diego and has taken a special interest in Middle East affairs since majoring in political science at Davis.  -more-

The lives of many dogs throughout the country were changed due to the activism and hard work of Doris Richards, who died July 27. Richards helped to start the Ohlone Dog Park, the first in the nation, and succeeded in keeping the park open despite several attempts to close it down. She served as president of the Ohlone Dog Park Association (ODPA) from 1985 to 2002. -more-

The Grand Avenue-Lakeshore Boulevard commercial district has long been one of my favorite hangouts. For years, I would park at the old Lucky/Albertsons parking lot and then walk up Lakeshore and then down around to Grand, window shopping, maybe making a purchase or two at the Gap—when its styles were more to my taste—renting a movie from Blockbuster, sitting down for coffee or sometimes a meal from one of the many Asian cuisine restaurants, almost always ending up for a half-hour or more of browsing at Walden Pond Books. I’m a sucker for a good used book store. -more-

The wildlife scene at the beaver pond in downtown Martinez continues to surprise observers. Last year, in addition to the beavers, muskrats, river otters, turtles, and herons, someone spotted a single mink. Now there’s an entire mink family. -more-

On the corner of Bonita Avenue and Berkeley Way stands an elegant Colonial Revival brick building that might have been transplanted whole from a New England town, where it might have served as a Masonic lodge. -more-

Forced-air heating is stupid. I’m sorry if that’s what you’ve got; it’s also what I have, so you can feel bad for me, too. It’s not that we’re stupid. It’s just that heating air is a dumb way to heat space. It noisy, it’s dirty, it’s not especially efficient and it takes up a huge amount of space in a home. In case you’re not sure what I’m talking about, let me apologize, go back, slow down and explain what forced-air heating is. -more-

Japanese director Hiroshi Shimizu, nearly unknown in the West, was a friend and sometime collaborator of his better-known contemporary Yasujiro Ozu. -more-

The Last Metro -more-