Daily Archives: May 24, 2012
City seizing chairs in Ohlone Park is nanny state run amok
Ohlone Dog Park is the only fenced facility where dogs can run free in Berkeley. Park users spontaneously provided chairs at their own expense for years until the City got rid of them, allegedly for safety reasons. This is the nanny state run amok. We want out chairs back. Continue reading »
The Berkeley Wire: 05.24.12
Busload of Berkeley cannabis patients lobby Sacramento lawmakers [Express]
Redistricting measure could appear on November ballot [Daily Cal]
CA high court to rule on Mitch Kapor’s proposed Berkeley home [Chronicle]
Berkeley now home to largest investigative journalism unit in US [Express]
Sustainable mushroom farm has UC Berkeley roots [Daily Cal]
Berkeley’s do-it-yourself spirit soars at Maker Faire [Tribune]
Cal kicks linebacker off football team for rules violation [AP]
History Greek Theatre safe, sound, superb after upgrades [UCB]
Photo: Mass of spiderlings, by mental.masala/Berkeleyside Flickr pool.
Berkeley economist offers perspective on financial crisis
“It’s important not to forget what happened in 2008 and remain angry,” says Barry Eichengreen, professor of economics and political science at UC Berkeley.
One of ten East Bay authors who will be honored at the Northern California Book Awards ceremony in San Francisco next month, Eichengreen has written and edited many scholarly books geared to specialists in his field. But the recent economic crisis left him feeling obliged to offer an explanation to people at large, rather than just his colleagues in academia. The result was Exorbitant Privilege: The Rise and Fall of the Dollar and the Future of the International Monetary System, which the Financial Times calls, “A rare combination of macroeconomic mastery, historical erudition, good political instincts and the sort of stubborn common sense that is constantly placing familiar problems in a new light.”
Could the book have been written somewhere else besides Berkeley? … Continue reading »
Berkeley as edible city: A new guide to urban foraging
Berkeley resident Cristian Ionescu-Zanetti has created an online resource for urban foragers, and believes our city is the perfect place to take advantage of it. Here he explains how he came up with the idea for the mapping tool, and why you should never, ever need to buy lemons or rosemary in a store again.
Berkeley is a great walking city. That was at the top of our list when we decided to settle our small, but growing, family on the sunny side of the bay. Walking to the store, library, or school became paramount once kids were added to the mix. With infants, sometimes just walking around the block is what the doctor ordered. And, as my wife Mia often points out, the walking happens at a slower pace, allowing one to notice more and absorb the details of the neighborhood in a different way altogether.
Around 2006, I started noticing the public edibles throughout Berkeley, and began to wonder if my kids would ever enjoy foraging, the way I did as a kid in growing up in Bucharest. … Continue reading »
West Berkeley Project a step closer to being adopted
The Berkeley City Council Tuesday night moved the controversial West Berkeley Project one step further towards adoption when it approved a series of amendments and modifications designed to mollify critics. The entire plan will come before the council again for a final vote on June 12.
As at previous meetings, the Council heard many passionate arguments against the third phase of the West Berkeley Project, as well as many in support. The focus during this third phase of the project was on Master Use Permits (MUP), which provide for greater flexibility in developing large sites.
The West Berkeley plan aims to expand the area’s manufacturing base to include more green businesses, R&D, and housing uses. … Continue reading »
