Daily Archives: November 29, 2010
The Berkeley Wire: 11.29.10
Phantom Limb makes Lemony Snicket’s play come alive (above) [Chron]
UC Berkeley graduates detained in Iran allowed to call home [Mercury News]
With Blaft, Berkeley native publishes pulp fiction in India [East Bay Express]
Berkeley fisherman fights declining Pacific salmon population [Peninsula Press]
Berkeley Police Department fails to report timely crime data [Daily Californian]
Richard Goldman, one of Cal’s biggest donors, dies [SF Chronicle]
Wells Fargo windows smashed to protest death of Oscar Grant [Angry News]
UC webmaster creates “Bucketlist” wish site [The Next Web]
Three guys rent Berkeley house, work 24/7, create new company [Portfolio.com]
Laptops stolen from LeConte [KGO News]
Parents lodge complaint against tot lot neighbor [Oakland Tribune]
North Berkeley sees rash of armed robberies
Matt Raimi was sitting in Ohlone Park at 11.30 in the morning on the Thursday before Thanksgiving chatting on his cell phone with a cabinet maker about a possible kitchen remodel when he felt something nudge him in the side. He looked up and saw a young man who demanded that Raimi hang up and give him the iPhone. The man — black, aged between 16 and 20 and about 5’7″, according to Raimi — had a semi-concealed gun in his pocket and was pointing it straight at him.
Raimi gave up his phone and wallet — the laptop bag at his feet was rejected after he explained it was empty. In fact, Raimi had just dropped off his computer at the shop to be repaired. Nobody witnessed the incident and the perpetrator has not yet been found.
Raimi, who runs an urban planning business close to Ohlone Park, is only one of several Berkeley residents to have been a victim of armed robbery in the north Berkeley area in the past few weeks. According to Berkeley Police Officer Casimiro Pierantoni, six armed robberies have taken place in North Berkeley since November 11. Writing in his community newsletter Officer Pierantoni said the robberies were concentrated in the residential area around the North Berkeley BART station.
District 1 Councilmember Linda Maio, who distributed safety alert flyers to residents in her area after the crime wave, was reported as saying she believed the North Berkeley BART station might be entry point for criminals trying to take advantage of the affluent North Berkeley community. … Continue reading »
Who are you? Unveiling Berkeleyside readers
On November 17, Berkeleyside launched a Readership Survey. We put it up on the site, naturally, and sent it to our wonderful email subscribers. We didn’t know what to expect in terms of a response, so we were thrilled when near-on 900 of you took the time to tell us a little bit about yourselves and share your views of Berkeleyside.
We feel obliged to report, immodestly, that the vast majority of you love Berkeleyside. The plaudits were numerous, vocal and very encouraging.
But enough about us. What about you? When the survey went up, Berkeleyside reader Mike Farrell posted a comment asking that we “Please post the survey results”. Farrell said he was particularly interested in how wide a readership we have in Berkeley.
Well, on that score the results are conclusive: a whopping 84% of respondents live in Berkeley while just over half (53%) work in the city too. … Continue reading »
Tibetan Buddhism flourishes in downtown Berkeley
Harold Way, a small street in the heart of downtown Berkeley, has become a new center for Tibetan Buddhism.
In the last two years, followers of Tarthang Tulku, a Tibetan lama who came to Berkeley in 1969, have purchased three buildings next door to one another — a whole city block.
Visitors walking along the west side of Harold Way can now immerse themselves in Buddhist teachings. They can browse in a bookstore filled with books written in English and Tibetan, learn Sanskrit, or volunteer to help send books to Tibetan refugees. They soon will be able to hear lectures on Buddhism and other topics. … Continue reading »
