Daily Archives: November 19, 2012
The Berkeley Wire: 11.19.12
Photo: neocles
Slideshow: A year since Telegraph Avenue fire (Chronicle)
Cal student from Grass Valley named as Rhodes Scholar (Sac Bee)
One year later magnitude of Haste St. fire dwarfs other fires (Daily Cal)
UC Berkeley awarded $20m from USAID (Daily Cal)
Iraq veteran feels at home in anti-war group (Coco Times)
Arrested Oakland bank robber had Berkeley address (Tribune)
Nurses to strike at ten Bay Area hospitals Tuesday (BANG)
Food donation needs are not just for humans anymore (Tri-Valley Times)
Divided electorate struck down Berkeley’s controversial measures (Tribune)
Stagnant progress for tenants, businesses affected by Telegraph fire (Daily Cal)
Fight re-launched to save school nutrition programs
Families from a range of Berkeley school communities packed the Berkeley School Board meeting last week to speak out about the importance of the district’s gardening and cooking programs in the face of financial changes that could threaten the efforts in the future.
Parents used school PTA email lists before the Nov. 14 meeting to ask supporters to attend the session to show their commitment to the programming.
According to an email sent to LeConte Elementary School parents, “Currently, 14 of the 18 school sites in Berkeley receive a total of $1.9 million each year in federal funding for nutritional education through the Network for a Healthy California. These funds are expected to starkly diminish if not totally disappear as soon as next year or in the very near future.” … Continue reading »
Mummenschanz reminds us of the miracle of the physical
One day after feasting, football and family time on Thanksgiving Day, Cal Performances presents Switzerland’s Mummenschanz, a most bendable contemporary physical theater company celebrating 40 years in operation with their first North American tour since 2010.
Hailed for their ability to fold, twist, arc and teeter the human body into amorphous, immensely adorable creatures, the performance promises to delight anyone over the age of six. Even the younger set, who pose the particular challenge of wowing kids accustomed to Hollywood animation and 3-D special effects, can be reminded of one, astounding truth: these are real people performing mysterious, physical miracles — there’s nothing virtual about them.
Making their debut in 1972, Mummenschanz’s three founders brought a honed, sculptural sensibility to non-verbal theater. Dressed mostly in black, barefooted and with no sets or elaborate backdrops, storytelling burst from their dancer-bodies and the clever use of masks and props. … Continue reading »
Op-Ed: Berkeley — take steps to re-open Willard pool
Sadly, Measures O & N failed to obtain the required 2/3 vote.
I urge the Berkeley Unified School District Board, and the Berkeley City Council, to take the steps necessary to re-open Willard pool as soon as possible.
Re-opening Willard pool would cost just a fraction of the costs that would have been incurred under Measures O & N. Prop 30 passed, and we ought to be able to afford to re-open Willard pool.
Berkeley has access to measure … Continue reading »
Berkeley school dominates regional math competition
Fifth grade students from Rosa Parks Elementary School in West Berkeley took home four of the top ten spots in a regional math competition Saturday, besting a field of more than 90 students from public and private elementary schools throughout the Bay Area. Rosa Parks student Ben Roberts took home the top prize, a Kindle Fire HD.
The Ninth Annual MathMatters contest was held in Oakland at Bay Tech High School on Nov. 17. The contest is held annually in five different states and, according to its website, aims to “stimulate interest and achievement in mathematics among elementary school students and to provide recognition of outstanding young mathematicians, their dedicated teachers, and schools.”
Five girls and five boys from Rosa Parks participated in the competition, answering 15 challenging math problems in only 30 minutes. To prepare, the Rosa Parks students had voluntarily given up recess three days a week for a month to practice with Mary Martin, a Rosa Parks fifth grade teacher who served as their coach. … Continue reading »
Andronico’s unveils new-look Gourmet Ghetto store
On Saturday, Andronico’s Community Markets held a day of celebration to reveal to the public the results of seven months of work that have gone into making over its Shattuck Avenue store.
The BHS jazz band and the Cal “Straw Hat” Marching Band were both whipping up lively tunes near the store’s entrance, there were numerous tasting opportunities, and a raffle to benefit Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency (BOSS) was giving out prizes on the hour. Otherwise it was business as usual, as customers arrived in droves to shop for groceries and take in the new-look grocery store. … Continue reading »
