Daily Archives: February 17, 2012
The Berkeley Wire: 02.17.12
Peruvian rotisserie Brasa to open February 21st [Eater SF]
Traffic stop becomes arrest for weapons violations [Daily Cal]
Schools Fund head steps down amid questions [Berkeley Voice]
Police clear out small Occupy Cal encampment [Oakland Tribune]
Photo: Fine Fabrics, by 2812 photography/Berkeleyside Flickr pool.
Berkeleyside says thank you to its advertisers
Berkeleyside would like to express its gratitude to our current advertisers:
Amoeba Music, “Arcadia” at Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, “Body Awareness” at Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley Lab, Berkwood Hedge School, Bernardo Lopez Garden Design & Installation, BHS Live, Cal Youth Camps, Carolyn Jones at The Grubb Company, Five Restaurant, Focal Point, Greener Printer, The Grubb Company, Marsh Interiors, McKevitt Fiat, Photo Laboratory, Psychotherapy Institute, Sutter East Bay Medical Foundation, Tom Miller & Friends Lawyers, Travlyn … Continue reading »
Animated vegetables recount Michael Pollan’s food rules
Benoit Detalle and Marija Jacimovic, a freelance editor and animator, created this adorable film of animated vegetables explaining how Berkeley author Michael Pollan’s “Food Rules” work.
Pollan’s message here is that organic works, especially in the developing world, and we can grow enough good food to feed people if we stop using it for industrial meat operations and biofuel projects.
According to Jacimovic, writing about the film on Viemo, the pair used a mixture of stop-motion and compositing. “Our aim and challenge was … Continue reading »
Peaceful Pacific Steel protest ends at west Berkeley plant
Hundreds rally in Berkeley to protest Pacific Steel layoffs
On a bright, sunny day, hundreds of protesters gathered in front of Berkeley’s Old City Hall to rally against the immigration laws that prompted the firing of 200 Pacific Steel Casting workers in December last year. Many of the fired workers and their families were joined by members of the teachers’ union, the nurses’ union, clergymen and women and other sympathizers. Following the rally, protesters were to march to the Pacific Steel site in west Berkeley.
Last February, the Department of Homeland Security demanded I-9 forms for all 600 employees of the family-owned steel casting business in West Berkeley. The company and the GMP union worked together to keep workers employed while the DHS examined their residency status. In October, Pacific Steel began to lay off the 200 workers.
“I worked for Pacific Steel for seven years and I was one of the 200 fired,” said Jesus Prado at the rally this morning. “This March for Dignity is because we want to stop the way they’re stepping on us, and treating us like criminals. We came here to work.” … Continue reading »
Poulet: Serving the Gourmet Ghetto for 33 years
Marilyn Rinzler is that rare bird in the Gourmet Ghetto: a food purveyor who shuns the label foodie and shies away from fancy food. She doesn’t even like to cook much.
Back in 1979, Rinzler got the idea to start a food business when she was a busy graduate student in social work and single mother of two then teenage boys. She was frustrated she couldn’t find a takeaway place in town to pick up a simple, healthy dinner — say, roast chicken and salad — on her way home.
So the unlikely edible entrepreneur set up her own shop, Poulet, on Shattuck Avenue in North Berkeley to provide just such a service. This was well before the term Gourmet Ghetto came into vogue. The deli, now in its 33rd year, is an anchor institution of that iconic food corridor, turning out made-from-scratch meals for those with who crave unfussy comfort food.
Rinzler, who lives near the Rose Garden, was so busy with her budding business that she never did practice as a social worker. But that training, as you might expect, has come in handy in dealing with both staff and customers. … Continue reading »
Head of UC Berkeley’s Lester Center joins Startup Forum
Andre Marquis, Executive Director of the Lester Center for Entrepreneurship at UC Berkeley, will be joining the panel at Berkeleyside’s Local Business Forum 2012: Startup Berkeley on March 5th.
“Andre brings the perspective of having been involved in a lot of startups over the years, and the perspective from the university,” said Berkeleyside’s Lance Knobel. “Part of the challenge for Berkeley in terms of fostering more startup activity is building the right links between the university and the local business environment.”
Marquis will join the following panelists:
- David Hyman, founder and CEO of streaming music service MOG
- Will Wright, creator of The Sims and founder of Stupid Fun Club
- June Taylor, founder of jam and marmalade company The Still Room
- Judith Iglehart, chief of staff for Mayor of Berkeley
- Rauly Butler, senior VP Retail Banking for Mechanics Bank
- Kalimah Priforce founder of Qeyno Labs … Continue reading »
Police blotter: Recent crime in Berkeley
See also BPD’s weekly calls for service and the San Francisco Chronicle’s regularly published list of arrests in Berkeley. For other sources of information on crime in Berkeley see Community CrimeView and Crimemapping.com.
February 14th:
Residential Burglary via likely unlocked front door – 1600 block of Ward Street – #2012-8290
On Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at approximately 10:32 a.m., a BPD Patrol Sergeant assigned himself to a call for service in the queue. He went to the 1600 block of Ward Street and learned that sometime between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. the day before (February 13th) an unknown suspect or suspect accessed the victim’s bedroom and stole a MacBook. The young woman said that the door to the home is often left often for a number of reasons. The Sergeant located the serial number of the computer the next day and was able to enter into APS – Automated Property System – a searchable database of stolen property. … Continue reading »
Memorial for teacher Terry Doran to be held Feb. 25th
A community gathering to celebrate the life of the late BUSD teacher and School Board president Terry Doran will take place at Longfellow Middle School on February 25th at 2 p.m.
The family invites all of the community to attend the memorial and reception to follow.
Doran, who died on New Year’s Day 2012, began teaching in the Berkeley Unified School District in 1966, serving Berkeley students as a classroom teacher until he retired. In his eight years on the School Board he served as board president twice.
In his retirement years Doran continued to serve the district and the community sitting on various BUSD committees and as a commissioner on the City of Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board. … Continue reading »
