Daily Archives: October 24, 2011
The Berkeley Wire: 10.24.11
A mystifying countdown crosswalk signal in Berkeley [BuboBlog]
Berkeley unemployment rate down to 9.7%, lowest since May [Daily Cal]
Berkeley Buddhist Temple celebrates centennial [Patch]
Berkeley man killed in Washington DC hit-and-run [ABC7]
Keter hair salon gets a green makeover [Treehugger]
Berkeley Rep announces new show from Eve Ensler [Rep]
Berkeley film commemorates 1991 Firestorm [Margaretta Mitchell]
Meet Cal Basketball freshman Rob Filley [Cal Bears]
Berkeleyside’s Sarah Henry at Last Friday’s Ladies Lunch [Hillside Club]
View from San Antonio Avenue, 10.23.11, by seaangel12/Berkeleyside Flickr pool.
Quakes: All you wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Last week’s series of earthquakes in Berkeley had Berkeleyans, including Berkeleyside readers, all a-twitter about the possible significance of the rash of tremors, their concentration and location. We spoke to geophysicist Paul Caruso at the National Earthquake Information Center to sort out fact from fiction.
What can you tell us about the recent quakes centered in Berkeley?
The magnitude 4:0 quake [which was felt at 2:41 pm on Thursday October 20] was followed by several aftershocks in the area of rupture over the next few days as the earth tried to come back into equilibrium. Aftershocks are defined as being smaller than the original quake.
Some Berkeleyside readers said they thought a series of small quakes was a good thing because it indicated a “release of pressure” on the Hayward fault line; others said it indicated a “build-up to a big one”. Are either of these ideas valid?
Both are legitimate theories. The truth is we don’t know whether earthquakes like these are relieving pressure or whether pressure is building. … Continue reading »
Berkeley brothers buzz New York City with their burritos
When Leo and Oliver Kremer were growing up on Alvarado Road, their go-to place for teenage nourishment was Gordo’s, the burrito shop on College Avenue.
Both boys loved the down home nature of the store, with its wooden tables, leather stools, and simple, yet satisfying food. Leo was particularly fond of the chile verde burrito.
While they were in high school at Head-Royce, the Kremer brothers explored the Bay Area for other good burrito places and soon were making regular visits to Picante, Cactus Taqueria, and Cancun in Berkeley, and La Taqueria and La Cumbre in San Francisco’s Mission District.
“I remember the first burrito I ever ate,” said Leo. “My parents weren’t really burrito eaters, but my music friends were really into burritos. I had one, and thought it was good. But then I found I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It is such a subtle cuisine. As you eat it more you learn to appreciate its simplicity.” … Continue reading »
Snapshot: Dan Knapp, co-founder, Urban Ore
By Pete Rosos
The son of a Wisconsin sharecropper/trucker/foreman, Dan Knapp is a co-founder of Berkeley’s Urban Ore, whose self-described mission is “to end the age of waste”. With a PhD in sociology, he’s been a teacher, academic writer, and community organizer. Long before recycling became fashionable he was a pro recycler.
When did you arrive in Berkeley?
In September 1979. I hitchhiked from Eugene Oregon. It took me two days.
What’s your ‘hood?
Urban Ore is in West Berkeley. I live in Richmond.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I was more interested in learning than in sports. In college, a happy intellectual.
Where and when are you happiest?
I love dealing with complicated issues, making order out of chaos.
Which living person do you most admire?
Paul Hawken who wrote The Ecology of Commerce.
What drives you mad?
Traffic.
If you could change something about yourself, what would it be?
A little more charming maybe, if I could figure out how to still be myself. … Continue reading »
BUSD addresses concerns over BHS campus construction
Earlier this month, the Berkeley Unified School District abruptly closed Berkeley High School’s Old Gym citing the unsafe condition of the building. The lack of warning meant that several of the school’s sports teams, including its football squad, had no place to store equipment. The rowing team abruptly lost access to its ergometers, the football team lost its weights room, and the wrestling team lost its practice facilities.
Superintendent Bill Huyett apologized for the disruption, but staff, students, and parents have expressed concern over both the handling of that case and a variety of issues related to construction at Berkeley High. BUSD last week responded to these issues in an email to the school community:
A plan for communication regarding construction projects at Berkeley High
• Weekly Wednesday communications sent via e-tree with updates directly from both the Berkeley High site and the District Facilities Department. … Continue reading »
