Daily Archives: October 27, 2011
The Berkeley Wire: 10.27.11
Inside Origen: a new Berkeley restaurant that opened yesterday [Eater SF]
City Council postpones decision on buying new garbage trucks [Daily Cal]
Revival’s mixologist Nat Harry on vegan cocktails [EBX]
Berkeley won’t evict protestors in Civic Center Park [Berkeley Voice]
No sugar coating for this realistic “Annie” at Berkeley Playhouse [Examiner]
UC Berkeley would depend on city in the event of a “big one” [Daily Cal]
The bento boxes of Chez Panisse’s creative director Sylvan Brackett [NYT]
Cal hosts forum on future of public universities [UCB News]
Ladies’ Night: Jennifer Seidman runs Berkeley’s Acme Bar, solo [EBX]
Quake watch: map of potentially hazardous Berkeley buildings [Daily Cal]
Photo by ereneta/Berkeleyside Flickr pool.
A tribute: Edward Gong, the man who moved 7,000 pianos
By Miko Lee
This past week my beloved Uncle Ed passed away at the ripe age of 85. He died peacefully at the Veteran’s Home of Yountville where he spent the last year.
Edward Gong was known by various names throughout his life: Eddie, T-Shirt Ed, Private, Head Usher, Artist, Old Workout Guy, The One Man Piano Mover and Unc.
As a child, growing up in Madera and working in the laundry with his nine brothers and sisters he was known as “Eddie.” He gained the moniker “T-Shirt Ed” at Cal, (where he attained a degree in physics and a teaching credential) because he never wore a jacket no matter what the weather was. He was called “Private” when he worked in the Army at the Presidio Hospital during World War II. They called him “Head Usher” because of his many years as an usher at San Francisco Ballet, Davis Symphony Hall, and Cal Performances. He was called “Artist” because he was constantly taking classes in ballet, life drawing, opera, French horn, saxophone, clarinet, piano, and cello. At 24-Hour Fitness and the Y they called him the “Old Workout Guy” because he could bench press for hours on end. … Continue reading »
Concerns raised about new medical cannabis collective
A new medical cannabis collective has opened up on Sacramento Street near Oregon, bringing to two the number of groups that are operating in a commercial district in apparent violation of Berkeley’s zoning ordinances.
Perfect Plant Patient’s Group, or 3pgs, opened its doors in early September at 2840B Sacramento Street, according to Eric Thomas, 35, a former highway construction worker turned cannabis entrepreneur. The non-profit cannabis collective operates in three counties, runs a delivery service, and is planning to open another bricks and mortar operation in Vallejo, he said. The group had to shut down its El Sobrante location in late July because it was located in unincorporated Contra Costa County, which has a ban on cannabis operations.
After getting kicked out of El Sobrante, Thomas called around to various East Bay cities to find out about their medical cannabis laws and selected Berkeley because it “seemed the most organized,” he said. Thomas and his partners also had conversations with City Councilmember Kriss Worthington’s office about relocating here and felt encouraged to do so. (Worthington’s office did not tell the group to locate in a commercial area, said Thomas.) … Continue reading »
Desdemona: The stories you didn’t read in Shakespeare
Desdemona, one of the highlights of the Cal Performances season had its opening last night in Zellerbach Hall. The work is a collaboration between Nobel-prize winning novelist Toni Morrison, singer/songwriter Rokia Traoré, and director Peter Sellars. Sellars talks about the genesis of the work in the video above.
As The New York Times detailed yesterday, the collaboration grew out of a furious argument Sellars had with Morrison a decade ago about Othello. Sellars thought it was a terrible, senseless play; Morrison disagreed. Sellars agreed to stage a production of Othello, while Morrison agreed to “talk back to Shakespeare”. Desdemona was originally staged at the Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers near Paris. It has three further performances in Berkeley (tonight, Friday and Saturday), before moving to New York next week for two performances. It then transfers to Berlin and will be staged in London to coincide with the 2012 Olympics next summer. … Continue reading »
In Berkeley: Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette
Listen to Keith Jarrett playing Paris Concert while you read our review
Every performance by pianist Keith Jarrett comes freighted with outsized expectations. One of jazz’s most popular and influential pianists and composers since the early 1970s, Jarrett performs at Zellerbach Hall on Saturday with his “Standards Trio” featuring sublime bassist Gary Peacock and ingenious drummer Jack DeJohnette, a prolific ensemble that’s recorded a series of often ravishing live albums for ECM.
As the group’s nickname implies, the trio is a vehicle for exploring American Songbook standards and modern jazz staples, rather than for Jarrett’s original compositions or the extended extemporaneous improvisation captured on his 1975 monster hit album “The Köln Concert.”
At his best, Jarrett can reach astonishing heights of lyricism propelled by DeJohnette’s feathery caress of his cymbals, though recent Bay Area performances have been hit or miss affairs. At some concerts, half a set passed before the trio hit its stride and found its way into a startlingly beautiful place. But much of the drama surrounding a Jarrett performance is temperamental rather than musical. Famously irascible on stage, the pianist has been known to stop playing mid-tune if distracted by an offending cough during a pianissimo passage. He’s also not shy about critiquing his instrument if he finds it unsatisfactory (take note Cal Performances). … Continue reading »
Chance to turn in unwanted medications for public safety
Update, 11.09.11: The office of Berkeley councilmember Max Anderson has issued a useful list of places where one can safely deposit unwanted medications in Alameda County. There follows a list of those closest to Berkeley:
• United Pharmacy –2929 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, 510-843-3201
• City of Berkeley Transfer Station – 1201 Second Street at Gilman, Berkeley, 510-981-7270
• Alta Bates Milvia Outpatient Pharmacy – 2500 Milvia Street, Suite 130, Berkeley, 510-204-6550
• Eden Medical Center – 20103 Lake Chabot Road, Castro Valley, 510-537-1234
• Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Site – 2100 East 7th Street, Oakland, 800-606-6606
• Medicine Drop-off @ Elihu M. Harris State Building – 1515 Clay St, Oakland, 510-287-1651
• Alta Bates Peralta Outpatient Pharmacy – 3300 Webster Street, Ground Floor, Oakland, 510-869-8835
If you have controlled substances such as Vicodin, valium, codeine, etc. to dispose of, bring medication to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
How to Return Unwanted Medicines:
1. Collect leftover or expired medicines in your home.*
2. Dump pills into a sealable plastic zipper bag. Keep liquids in their original leakproof containers and remove labels.
3. Bring medications to a take-back site during business hours and drop medications in the secure disposal bin.
For additional locations visit: www.Earth911.org. For more information contact: 1-888-BayWise
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Berkeley residents are being encouraged to turn in their unused or expired prescription and non-prescription medications on Saturday October 29th, as a way of preventing accidental poisoning, overdose, and abuse in the community.
The collection will be held at the South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis Street, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The majority of teenagers abusing prescription drugs get them from family and friends, with the home medicine cabinet as a primary source, according to a release issued by the BPD. The non-medical use of prescription drugs is among the most common forms of drug abuse in the United States.
The Berkeley event is part of the National Take Back Initiative, a Drug Enforcement Administration program, and is being organized here by the City of Berkeley Health Department and the Berkeley Police Department. … Continue reading »
A 3.6 quake shakes Berkeley at 5:36 am Thursday
Update, 9:45am: If there’s one thing this series of Berkeley earthquakes is good for, it is reminding us to get prepared for the eventuality of a big one. The 72 hours website does a good job of presenting the essential information about planning for a disaster. FAQs about earthquake preparedness can be found on the USGS website. And here’s the essential list of what you should have in store.
Update, 9:17am: Wondering why quake magnitudes are often up- or down-graded … Continue reading »
