Daily Archives: December 8, 2011
The Berkeley Wire: 12.08.11
Elmwood Café resurrects community institution [Inside Bay Area]
Berkeley reconsiders J-Street rejection following public uproar [Haaretz]
Concerns raised over drugs, alcohol, truancy near Occupy Berkeley [Daily Cal]
Feed your inner Scandinavian at Nordic House [Bay Area Bites]
Cal Chancellor speech to ASUC cut short by protesters [Daily Cal]
Friday declared a Spare the Air day, third in a row [Spare the Air]
$5.6m put up to recruit stem cell researcher to UC Berkeley [BizJournals]
Photo by Brenda Quan.
Berkeley High sexual harassment case close to settling
Update, 4:40 pm: In a release issued at 4:16 pm, BUSD Superintendent Bill Huyett states: “As a school district, we take this kind of allegation very seriously. We do a thorough investigation in all cases, and we take the appropriate action when it is warranted, and furthermore, the school district does not admit to any wrongdoing in this case.” The statement also confirms Berkeleyside’s reporting that the case has not yet been settled.
Original story: The sexual harassment lawsuit against Berkeley High School counselor Anthony Smith is close to reaching a settlement, subject to the approval of the Berkeley school district board.
According to a story today in the Chronicle, the district has been ordered to pay $57,500 to the family of a former BHS student, known as Lilah R. (a pseudonym) who filed suit against Smith for inappropriate touching and suggestive remarks in the 2010-11 academic year. Smith, who continues to work as as counselor at BHS, must also keep the door to his office and blinds open when counseling female students in future. … Continue reading »
Get off: Old Friends at the Berkeley Arts Festival
In these belt-tightening times, it’s edifying to recall just how little gold it takes to create a golden age. On Friday and Saturday the Old Friends Festival brings together more than two-dozen musicians active on the Bay Area creative music scene in the 1990s. While high tech was booming, the scene thrived on a shoestring, with a handful of venues serving as sonic petrie dishes for some truly inspired musical experiments.
Presented by the Berkeley Arts Festival, an ongoing concert series produced by Bonnie Hughes at a downtown Berkeley storefront at 2133 University Avenue, OFF is curated by bassist/composer Steve Horowitz, who recently returned to the Bay Area after years in the Netherlands and New York City. Recalling the roiling creative energy of the Bay Area scene at the time of his departure, Horowitz decided to round up as many of his former comrads as possible.
Friday’s show features three sets. The Ralph Carney/Randy Odell Duo brings together the irrepressibly brilliant multi-instrumentalist Carney, a regular contributor to Tom Waits projects, and drummer Odell, whose resume includes the bands The Impalers, The GG Amos Band, and the recently convened Ralph Carney Serious Jass Project. … Continue reading »
Author: You may not like what’s lurking in your olive oil
That bottle of extra virgin olive oil you take off the grocery store shelf may not be what you think it is.
Instead of being a greenish-gold, fruity, fresh oil made from olives, rich in antioxidants and delicious to drizzle over a beautiful caprese salad, more likely than not it is a blend of oils, some made from olives, and some not.
In fact, a recent study by UC Davis that tested a number of the best-selling olive oils in California, including Bertolli, Star, and Colavita, found that 69% of the extra virgin olive oil imported into the U.S. did not meet the standards for extra virgin.
“It’s a big hoax,” said Tom Mueller, who will be talking about the issue, and his new book, Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, on Saturday from 2 to 6 pm at Amphora Nueva Berkeley Olive Oil Works on Domingo Avenue. “What’s written on the bottle does not guarantee what is inside.” … Continue reading »
Snapshot: Doris Moskowitz, owner, Moe’s Books
By Pete Rosos
Doris Moskowitz was born in 1966, the youngest daughter of Moe and Barb Moskowitz. After graduating from Mills College 1990 with degrees in English and Music, she began working with her dad, Moe, at the legendary Berkeley store he founded in 1959 on Telegraph Avenue. Now it is Doris who owns and operates Moe’s Books, keeping her father’s legacy alive. In 2003, she and her husband, Johnny Williams, opened Boss Robot Hobby on College. Their son, Eli Williams, is a freshman at Berkeley HIgh. She is a proud resident of Berkeley, graduate of Griffin Preschool, Walden School and Berkeley High, and a member of an elite class of those who attended the Berkeley Co-op’s popular “Kiddie Corral.”
When did you arrive in Berkeley?
I was conceived in Berkeley on McGee street. I was born at the French Hospital in San Francisco because my dad, Moe, wanted to be a part of my birth on his birthday in 1966. I grew up on the most beautiful street, Lewiston, near College and Woolsey.
What’s your ‘hood?
I am most often found on The Ave or in the Elmwood… where I grew up.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
For a while a wanted to be a vet, but I don’t handle blood very well. Then a forest ranger. Then a great writer. Then a torch singer. I still wish this were true! … Continue reading »
