You can’t tell the players without a scorecard—and you can’t understand what the Berkeley City Council is doing without an agenda. Even with one it might be hard, but in any case, you can find it here -more-

A Berkeley police officer was injured early Saturday morning when his patrol car was struck by a car driven by a man evading police officers. -more-

Guantánamo detainees would be able to resettle in Berkeley, according to a resolution to be considered today by the Berkeley City Council. -more-

Tonight, at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards, American Idiot – the raucous show that was born at Berkeley Repertory Theatre before bursting onto Broadway – won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. Produced by Billie Joe Armstrong, the recording features Green Day and the original Broadway cast, who performed together on national television during last year’s Grammy ceremony. Reprise Records released the album on April 20, 2010, the same day the show began its Broadway run. The musical features music from Green Day’s most recent albums, American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, both of which won Grammy Awards as well. -more-

Reporters and cameramen outnumbered dancing (historic) hippy celebrants as Larry Blakes on Telegraph Avenue was laid to rest Saturday. Cause of death may have been suicide. -more-

The resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak today was considered a favorable action by several Bay Area professors and residents who have been affected by recent events in the Middle East. -more-

The Berkeley City Council continued its public hearing on proposed amendments to the West Berkeley Plan this Tuesday, carried over from the January 25^th meeting. Sixty speakers came to the podium to comment on the proposal, which is aimed at increasing the amount of economic activity in West Berkeley, especially research and development. It is focused on the reuse of existing buildings, the development of large multi-parcel sites, and start-up of new types of industrial activities. There is concern about the proposed 75-foot height limit for buildings and the preservation of the arts in the area. Council moved to carry over the public hearing once again to the regular meeting on February 22. -more-

In a dueling megaphones cacophony last Saturday in Berkeley between Jesus freaks on Haste Street and Michael Delacour demonstrating outside Moe's Books, a new chapter in Berkeley street politics emerged. -more-

A series of disturbing reports from Iraq and Vietnam (backed up by a horrific collection of videos) have exposed a hidden legacy of war — weapons that continue to create victims years after the conflict has ended. -more-

Berkeley’s Landmarks Commission held a lengthy—more than four hour long—meeting Thursday February 3 with an ultimately productive set of results. -more-

On Sunday, February 6, 2011 at approximately 3:10 a.m. the two victims, a -more-

On Sunday, January 30, around 9:00pm, three 13 year old boys were playing on McKinley Avenue near Bancroft in the Washington school portable building area when some teens, described as African-American males between 15-18 years old, accosted them with a gun. One of the older boys held the gun to the head of one of the 13 year olds and demanded his things. He searched through the younger boy’s pockets and stole everything, including keys, wallet and other items. The thieves then ran off southbound on McKinley. -more-

More milestones this week in the big ongoing quest for The Future of Journalism. Arianna Huffington leapt gleefully into bed with AOL.com, prompting a friend, a journalist with long experience who has been covering environmental issues from the Midwest for HuffPo’s Green Page, to write “Bummer, really, and somewhat disgusting that Huffington et al have made millions on the unpaid work of HuffPo bloggers....”

She has a point, and yet the discussion could be turned on its head:

Only some of these writers, the ones who are paid for work published elsewhere, are providing something of value for free. But the Huffington Post has been providing hundreds of otherwise unpublished writers with a platform at absolutely no charge to them. Just sayin’.

And there’s a third, often ignored, perspective, that of the readers, also known as the seekers after information. They don’t need to care who’s making and who’s losing money as long as the information (or entertainment) continues to flow in their direction. -more-

Reader Victor Herbert suggests three new links, and we found more:

The Daily Cal looks into Berkeley's very slow start getting pot measures S & T into action.

Have we succeeded in keeping those Rapid Transit buses out of Berkeley? In the East Bay Express, J.Douglas Allen-Tayor thinks so.

Anna McCarthy tells where all those Berkeley bingo "non-profit" millions ended up. A sordid story, indeed, from the Express.

And here's a scary story from the El Cerrito Patch: Albany high school kids have ended up in the hospital after eating cannabis brownies—and the proposed new Albany pot super-store hasn't even opened yet.

From Nate Pitts::The man who brought down the tree sit is in Santa Rita awaiting trial for battery. Austin White, the accuser of the People's Park tree sitter Matt Dodt, was arrested in People's Park on Monday Jan 8th. He had threatened violence towards three people, and punched and punched a fourth man in the head, mere feet away from UC police. The entire case against Matt is based on the testimony of this violent individual, who claimed he was a peacekeeper. Austin White claimed he was almost murdered by Matt, a story which the judge did not believe. Dodt faces an assault charge, not attempted murder as White and the UC police had requested. Indymedia has an account. -more-

Library Branch Van; Football Injuries; Wood Burning; Modern Art; Affordable Care; Control the Insurance Companies -more-

The explosion at the end of January 2011 in Egypt is raising huge identity crises for Jews. And it should be. -more-

I lived for 10 years at 6th and Gilman, and have spent 21 years volunteering at 924 Gilman Street, the all ages volunteer run art space/music venue at 8th and Gilman.

My wife has worked at Berkeley East Bay Humane Society for years, and I have recorded at many West Berkeley recording studios, including Fantasy Studios. I was an enthusiastic patron of the original Berkeley home of The Crucible art & educational space, as well as many other current & former art spaces, screen-printing shops, and artisan workshops across West Berkeley. Uniquely Berkeley landmarks like Urban Ore, the skate park, Ashby Lumber, and the Sculpture Garden have added to the neighborhood's singular mix of industry, creativity and green businesses.

Two words- economic diversity- have been key to West Berkeley's successes. Unlike the rest of Berkeley, there is more than just residential and retail zoning available. -more-

Let's be kind and say the unwanted tree sit was an unwitting Trojan horse that brought bad juju to People's Park temporarily. It started by muddled minds seeking publicity ostensibly to avoid harm to the park, but the violence and weapon and damage involved clearly brought much more harm to the Park's reputation than would have happened if they just let it be. -more-

“You’re going to have it so easy. Don’t you just sit around counting pills?” I cannot even come close to counting the number of times I have heard this comment. It’s a remark I hear often during a nice brunch out with friends or a casual dinner with the boyfriend’s family. I was so irritated at first. How could people not understand what I do for a living? I am simply offended to hear how little my loved ones think I am capable of. Was it not obvious? I then realized the answers to my own questions. The public really has a hard time seeing beyond the image of the pharmacist in the white coat, behind the counter at their local Walgreens or CVS. -more-

To hear descriptions of yet another demonstration, especially in foreign Arab countries, why, who cares? Tunisia's 500,000 or Egypt’s million, all over the country if not in the main square, so what? What has that to do with anything in the U.S.? The U.S. had a million-man march organized by the Black Muslims and others. The U.S. had a million people on the streets protesting the Republican and Democratic Party's invasion Iraq. (Everyone voted for it except one other person. Or was that the Patriot act?) A million person protest on the street in the U.S.: so what? -more-

Last week I foolishly offered to try to identify a moth. There are only 4500 named moth species in California. Piece of cake, right? -more-

Despite the fact that 2010 tied for the warmest year on record, President Obama made no mention of Global Climate Change in his January 25th State-of-the-Union remarks. That wasn’t a surprise; last summer an attempt to fashion a bi partisan Climate Change bill floundered in the Senate and since then prospects for Congressional action have dwindled. Global Climate Change hasn’t gone away, but the political will to take action has disappeared. Why? What can you and I do about this tragic situation? -more-

Since 1976, Black History Month is celebrated annually in the United States in February. While it is a celebration, it should also be a remembrance of slavery, the dark side of Black history in this country. -more-

A few years ago, I was offended when I was referred to as "a psychotic" on someone's website. The perpetrator was attempting to discredit me and my defense of the Berkeley Daily Planet. In the process of this attempt at mudslinging, the authors of this website showed their true bigotry and hypocrisy. -more-

PC also stands for personal and pleasant communication! Cognitively stimulating activity is among the lifestyle factors that may help lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. And yet only 3% of persons age 74 and older use the Internet. Technology use among elderly Americans is low, relative to the rest of the population. -more-

BEACH BLANKET BABYLON This long-running musical follows Snow White as she sings and dances her way around the world in search of her prince. Along the way she encounters many of the personalities in today's headlines, including Nancy Pelosi, Condoleezza Rice, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harry Potter, Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey, Britney Spears, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, Hillary Clinton, George and Laura Bush, Michael Jackson, Martha Stewart, Tom Cruise, Angelina, characters from Brokeback Mountain and Paris Hilton. Persons under 21 are not admitted to evening performances, but are welcome to Sunday matinees. -more-

A GREAT GOOD PLACE FOR BOOKS -more-

COUNTERPULSE -more-

AUDIUM -more-

BANKHEAD THEATER -more-

924 GILMAN ST. All ages welcome. -more-

Seeing a copy of Smoking Typewriters (by John McMillan Oxford University Press Copyright 2011) for sale over the weekend, inspired us to see if the Berkeley Public Library had that book available in its new releases section because we were curious about how far one would have to delve into it before encountering any reference to the Berkeley Barb. When we learned that the Library would be glad to take a suggestion that they acquire that particular work, we sped back to Moe’s Book Store on Telegraph Ave. and overcame the cheapskate aspect of our personality and bought a copy of the new book with the subtitle: “The Sixties Underground Press and the Rise of Alternative Media in America.” -more-

Even today, more than three decades after his death and nearly 100 years since he first stepped before a motion picture camera, Charlie Chaplin is still one of the most recognizable people in the world. The dandified Tramp, with his brush mustache, ill-fitting clothes, wicker cane and derby hat, is an iconic figure, but one whose familiarity has to some extent undermined his art. -more-

ARDENWOOD HISTORIC FARM ongoing. Ardenwood farm is a working farm that dates back to the time of the Patterson Ranch, a 19th-century estate with a mansion and Victorian Gardens. Today, the farm still practices farming techniques from the 1870s. Unless otherwise noted, programs are free with regular admission. -more-

ARDENWOOD HISTORIC FARM Ardenwood farm is a working farm that dates back to the time of the Patterson Ranch, a 19th-century estate with a mansion and Victorian Gardens. Today, the farm still practices farming techniques from the 1870s. Unless otherwise noted, programs are free with regular admission. -more-

AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM AND LIBRARY AT OAKLAND ongoing. The Oakland Public Library's museum is designed to discover, preserve, interpret and share the cultural and historical experiences of African Americans in California and the West. In addition, a three-panel mural is on permanent display. -more-

ASIAN ART MUSEUM OF SAN FRANCISCO The Asian Art Museum-Chon-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture recently unveiled its new building in San Francisco's Civic Center. The building, the former San Francisco Public Library, has been completely retrofitted and rebuilt to house San Francisco's significant collection of Asian treasures. The museum offers complimentary audio tours of the museum's collection galleries. "In a New Light," ongoing. There are some 2,500 works displayed in the museum's new galleries. They cover all the major cultures of Asia and include Indian stone sculptures, intricately carved Chinese jades, Korean paintings, Tibetan thanksgas, Cambodian Buddhas, Islamic manuscripts and Japanese basketry and kimonos. -more-

ASHKENAZ -more-

ARDENWOOD HISTORIC FARM Ardenwood farm is a working farm that dates back to the time of the Patterson Ranch, a 19th-century estate with a mansion and Victorian Gardens. Today, the farm still practices farming techniques from the 1870s. Unless otherwise noted, programs are free with regular admission. -more-

"SUN SPHERES," -- ongoing. "Sun Spheres'' is a trio of mosaic sculptures by artist Laurel True at the intersection of Ocean and Granada Avenues in the OMI District of San Francisco. -more-

CARMEN FLORES RECREATION CENTER -more-

ELKS LODGE, ALAMEDA -more-