Author Archives: Frances Dinkelspiel
The It List: Five things to do in Berkeley this weekend
LET WORDS INSPIRE For more than 10 years the WriterCoach Connection has brought one-on-one writing support to thousands of middle school and high school students in Berkeley and beyond. The organization is hosting its annual Read-and-Write-a-thon at King Middle School on Saturday to raise funds for operations and to expand to Richmond next year. For 10 hours, an ever-changing cast of teachers and students will read poetry, prose, drama and fiction. Go listen to their amazing work. If you can’t go, you can donate here.
HEAR THE DRUMS Taiko master Kenny Endo and jazz drummer Akira Tana are among the musicians performing this weekend at the 63rd annual Satsuki Bazaar and Arts Festival at the the Berkeley Buddhist Temple, 2121 Channing Way. The bazaar will feature a variety of Japanese, Hawaiian and Asian foods, including sushi, udon noodles, loco moco, kalua pork, curry rice, shave ice and American fare such as hot dogs, hamburgers and Portobello mushroom burgers. The festival runs from 3:00 to 9:00 pm on Saturday, May 19 and from noon to 7:00 pm on Sunday May 20. … Continue reading »
Berkeley will spend up to $50K after police chief blunder
The city of Berkeley has hired a public relations firm at a cost of $24,000 to review the police department’s media policies, bringing the price tag to $49,000 for Police Chief Michael Meehan’s decision to send a sergeant to a reporter’s home in the middle of the night to ask for a change to a story.
Cornerstone Communications, located in Irvine, will audit the police department’s policies on the release of information, make recommendations to ensure the department is following “best practices,” media guidelines, and train police personnel on changing media dynamics, on understanding social media, and media culture.
The firm will talk to police management and reporters who cover the police department, and assess the police department’s reputation in recent news coverage and social media space. The contract was signed on May 1. … Continue reading »
McDonald’s tries to rebrand itself in Berkeley of all places
In an attempt to rebrand its current image as a place that only serves fatty fast food and super-size sodas, McDonald’s Corporation has launched a makeover campaign.
Titled “Rediscover What’s Under the Arches,” the marketing effort includes reaching out to stealth taste-makers like mommy and food bloggers to show them that the menu at the world’s largest fast food franchise (28 million people a day and counting) isn’t just French fries, Chicken McNuggets, Happy Meals, and hamburgers. It now includes more healthy items like oatmeal and fruit and yogurt parfaits.
On May 4, in what may seem like a visit to the lion’s den, the PR campaign came to Berkeley.
Call it a case of reverse marketing. What better way to challenge perceptions than by coming to a city with three farmers’ markets and a population that embraces all things organic, fresh, and local? … Continue reading »
Berkeley teachers honored for dedication and innovation
Hundreds of people gathered at HS Lordship’s restaurant Friday to honor the teachers who shine in the Berkeley Unified School District.
The Berkeley Public Education Foundation recognized three middle school teachers for their dedication to their students, inventiveness, and collegiality. The crowd at the annual fundraiser was also wowed by a performance by Berkeley High sophomore Noah Silverman St. John, a spoken word poet who was featured on Berkeleyside in January, and whose work has been heard on NPR.
The luncheon was a “Who’s Who?” of Berkeley with numerous city councilmembers in attendance (Laurie Capitelli was the emcee), as well as state legislators including Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner and State Senator Loni Hancock. Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan was there, as was Interim City Manager Christine Daniel, Auditor Anne-Marie Hogan, Economic Development Program Coordinator Michael Caplan, and other officials. … Continue reading »
The Berkeley Wire: 05.11.12
Divino is kid-friendliest restaurant in town – and more [East Bay Express]
VOICE initiative may save Daily Californian from extinction [Huff Po]
Pairing wine and music: Berkeley’s Peter Eastlake [Wine Spectator]
Texas Instruments gives Cal engineering $2.2m for courses [Nano Werk]
Berkeley’s Zaytuna College hopes to buy Holy Hill property [Chron.com]
Cal community calls for more accessibility in next chancellor [Daily Cal]
Op/Ed: More false attacks on what and how we teach at Cal [Berkeley Blog]
UC Berkeley celebrates alumni with Wall of Fame website [UCB]
Photo: Berkeley between 1898 and 1905, photochrom print by the Detroit Photographic Co/Creative Commons.
The It List: Five things to do in Berkeley this weekend
URBAN JUNGLE Going to The Edible School Yard’s annual plant sale is like making a visit to an outdoor Chez Panisse. Not only is Alice Waters occasionally in attendance, but the day is filled with a cornucopia of delights, from mouthwatering food, to exuberant kids, to gorgeous plants and locally made goods. There will be vegetables, berries, fruit trees, herbs, perennials, and annuals for sale. The celebration is from 9 am to 3 pm at King Middle School … Continue reading »
Can car-free “Sunday Streets” come to Berkeley?
Thirty-six years ago, the mayor of Bogatá, Colombia had a novel idea. He wanted to close some of the city streets on Sundays to give bicycle riders, roller skaters and pedestrians a chance to enjoy the city in a different way.
The street closure was a huge hit, and over the years the concept has expanded to include 70 miles of closed streets every Sunday. About 1.5 million people take advantage of the car-free environment each week, about 20% of the population. They not only walk and bike, they dance, do yoga, and have aerobics classes
The idea, termed “Sunday Streets” or “Open Streets,” has been so popular that it has spread around the world, to cities like Kiev, Tokyo, and San Francisco. Now a group of Berkeley officials and activists want to bring the concept to Berkeley. They hope to close off a 10-to-16-block stretch of Shattuck Avenue to cars on a Sunday in October. … Continue reading »
A record number of cyclists ride on Bike To Work Day
Dozens of people joined Mayor Tom Bates and City Councilmembers Laurie Capitelli and Kriss Worthington on a leisurely ride through Berkeley Thursday morning as part of Bike To Work Day.
About 40 people gathered at the North Berkeley BART station around 8:00 am to link up and ride to the Downtown Berkeley Bike Station on Shattuck Avenue. Riders even got a chance to get a peek at the contested West Street Pathway.
“I’m really a walker,” said Bates after the ride, as he consumed a plate of pancakes covered with bananas. “I ride my bike occasionally but I walk to work everyday. But it was really a wonderful experience. It made me think I should ride more often.” … Continue reading »
UC files lawsuit against Occupy the Farm
After sending in police early Wednesday to erect barricades around the Gill Tract, the University of California filed a lawsuit against 14 members of Occupy the Farm.
The university said the legal action was “an additional step that the University is taking to regain control of its property so that it can be used for agricultural research and education.” But the university pointed out that the occupiers could still accept the university’s proposal “that would allow for a peaceful end to the illegal encampment, resumption of research activities and the continuation of urban farming on portions of the land that will not be utilized by faculty and students.”
The lawsuit and non-confrontational barricading of Occupy the Farm appears to reflect the university’s new, gentler approach to dealing with protestors. Last week, Berkeley Law Dean Chris Edley and UC Vice President and General Counsel for Legal Affairs Charles Robinson delivered a report conducted after the violent confrontations with Occupy activists last fall. It concluded that the university should back off from the use of force, including batons and pepper spray, in confronting protesters and instead rely on mediators or de-escalation techniques. … Continue reading »
Debate continues about changes to West Berkeley
The Berkeley City Council heard close to four hours of testimony Tuesday night about proposed changes to the West Berkeley plan.
Around 90 people lined up in council chambers to talk about the impact of zoning changes in the industrial neighborhood. Those opposed to the plan said increased density and tall buildings would destroy the unique neighborhood, now a mix of old Victorians, small businesses and artisans, machine shops, laboratories, and heavy industry. The large development proposed by a few would drive up property values, cast shadows and ruin views, and bring terrible traffic to West Berkeley, they said.
Those in favor of the changes had a radically different view on what the plan might bring. They see the large-scale development at the Peerless Greens site on Fifth Street and Saul Zaentz site on Tenth as creating a critical mass of people, studios, and offices that will transform the area into a more vibrant, walking neighborhood.
New construction will provide space for growing technology and green companies, which often have to leave Berkeley now because there is no room for them to grow. And, if Berkeley is serious about complying with state and regional laws to create more housing and reduce greenhouse gases, it must change, and West Berkeley is the place to do it, they said. … Continue reading »
