Daily Archives: January 26, 2011
The Berkeley Wire: 01.26.11
Berkeley Rep’s Mike Daisey show: what Steve Jobs might say in response [East Bay Express]
Jesse Jackson coming to UC Berkeley for Fred Korematsu day [SF Citizen]
Blight: keeping a tally of grafitti in north Oakland and south Berkeley [We fight blight]
UC Berkeley experts dissect State of the Union address [The Berkeley Blog]
Claremont Hotel’s wine weekend, Taste, this weekend [Claremont]
Try 30 Breweries’ Suds in Berkeley’s Civic Park on Saturday [7x7 SF]
Photo: A glass not full by rchrd/Berkeleyside Flickr pool.
Berkeley food hot-spots in spotlight for fish sustainability
Monterey Fish Market, Chez Panisse and Sea Salt are some of the Bay Area food destinations that come under scrutiny for the sustainability of the seafood by sell in an investigative story in San Francisco Magazine‘s February issue, published tomorrow.
The piece, by Erik Vance, finds that only half of the seafood on the menus at many supposedly eco-conscious Bay Area restaurants are sustainably harvested. Vance reports that many famous chefs and top restaurants continue to include unsustainable choices such as ahi tuna, monkfish and farmed salmon on their menus, while their suppliers “keep selling red-listed fish to whoever wants it”.
The article points out that although many chefs have good relationships with farmers and ranchers — often giving them a shout-out on their menus — they don’t always have direct connections with fishermen. “Even the many chefs who go out of their way to ask the right questions of the people they get their fish from can be misled by the half-truths told all along the supply chain,” writes Vance. … Continue reading »
On the table: the future of West Berkeley
The Berkeley City Council held the first of two public hearings Tuesday about proposed changes for West Berkeley that could drastically alter the landscape of the city’s economy in years to come.
The changes would relax protections that have been in place for years over what types of business the city are allowed within the West Berkeley industrial area, particularly those focused on research and development. But there are concerns that the proposed changes could lead to an expansion of residential development and could dramatically increase property values to the point of pushing out small businesses.
Citing remarks made at Berkeleyside’s Local Business Forum this week by Wired editor-in-chief Chris Anderson, Berkeley’s Mayor Tom Bates commented on the rapidly changing economic framework of the 21st century, where entire business operations can be organized online among a number of participants worldwide. He specifically talked about the need to tap the city’s greatest resources: UC Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Both institutions are churning out talented and hungry entrepreneurs who are flocking elsewhere to start up businesses. LBNL is also scouting for a second campus site with West Berkeley as an outside contender for its choice. … Continue reading »
Where in Berkeley?
Know where this is? Take a guess and let us know in the comments.
Update, 12.44: It didn’t take long for Berkeleysider Ira Serkes to identify this as a light in the Berkeley Public Library reading room. Congratulations, Ira, on being this week’s Where in Berkeley winner.
Photo: Keoki Seu.
Secret acres: Berkeley’s hidden hillside park
High on a hillside, tucked behind houses lining Alvarado and Vicente Roads sits one of Berkeley’s most hidden parks.
The two and a half acre open space is studded with oaks, toyons, bay and pine trees, as well as native plants like purple needle grass, soap plants, coyote bush, and California sage brush. Pathways meander up and down the hills, and wooden benches are placed throughout to capture the view of the bay and San Francisco.
This is a public park, but the public does not own it. Instead, the hilly property belongs to the Vicente Canyon Hillside Foundation, a non-profit organization with about 60 members. But it is a dedicated open space, which means anyone can go there – if they can find it.
Getting to the park can be tricky. Its entrance is up a set of wooden stairs near 146 Vicente. The park boundary is at the top of the steps, but the trails begin even higher up. The land there is so steep that the foundation’s members recently installed a rope handrail.
Since it is so tucked away, it is not well known. … Continue reading »
