The Forum’s focus will be the strengths, and weaknesses, of the city of Berkeley for startups. What does it take to turn an idea into a successful business, how can one nurture innovation, and what can be done to improve the startup climate here?

Featured panelists joining the conversation at the Forum include: Will Wright, creator of The Sims and … Continue reading »]]>

Creator of The Sims Will Wright founded his latest company, Stupid Fun Club, in Berkeley

Berkeleyside is thrilled to announce that on Monday March 5th we will be hosting the Berkeleyside Local Business Forum 2012: Startup Berkeley.

The Forum’s focus will be the strengths, and weaknesses, of the city of Berkeley for startups. What does it take to turn an idea into a successful business, how can one nurture innovation, and what can be done to improve the startup climate here?

Featured panelists joining the conversation at the Forum include: Will Wright, creator of The Sims and founder of Stupid Fun Club; David Hyman, founder and CEO of streaming music service MOG, June Taylor, founder of jam and marmalade company The Still Room; and Rauly Butler, Senior Vice President Retail at Mechanics Bank.

“An extraordinary amount of innovation comes out of Berkeley in a variety of realms,” said Lance Knobel, one of the founders of Berkeleyside. “But Berkeley is still seen as rough ground for business startups. We want to examine the realities of Berkeley for new business ventures.”(...)

Read the rest of Announcing: Berkeleyside Local Business Forum 2012 “Startup Berkeley”, Monday March 5th, 7-9 pm (237 words)

By Berkeleyside Editors. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Berkeleyside, Berkeleyside Local Business Forum 2012: Startup Berkeley, David Hyman, GreenerPrinter, June Taylor, Mechanics Bank, MOG, Stupid Fun Club, The Sims, The Still-Room, Will Wright

“Inspiring innovation,” is the theme for the daylong conference, which is organized independently from the main TED conference (Technology, Entertainment, Design) held every year around the world.

Speakers include Carl Bass, the CEO of Autodesk, Charles Holt, an actor and singer who has appeared in numerous Broadway musicals, Connie K. Duckworth, the founder of ARZU, a nonprofit … Continue reading »]]>

Zellerbach Auditorium: venue for Tedx/Berkeley

More than 1,500 people are expected to go to Zellerbach Auditorium on the UC campus on Saturday for the third annual Tedx/Berkeley.

“Inspiring innovation,” is the theme for the daylong conference, which is organized independently from the main TED conference (Technology, Entertainment, Design) held every year around the world.

Speakers include Carl Bass, the CEO of Autodesk, Charles Holt, an actor and singer who has appeared in numerous Broadway musicals, Connie K. Duckworth, the founder of ARZU, a nonprofit that helps Afghani women weavers, the journalist David Ewing Duncan, and more. UC Berkeley’s vocal group, DeCadence, will perform.

Carl Bass, CEO of Autodesk

“The whole day is supposed to be about innovation,” said Bass, a Berkeley resident. “I’m going to be talking about the speed of innovation and the trends driving it. It’s a wide-ranging talk going from 3D printing to synthetic biology to how Twitter is replacing the New York Times (for me).”

Tickets, which cost $100, are almost sold out. Those not at Zellerbach will be able to watch a live stream of the event.

For more information about the event, visit the Tedx website.

To find out about more events in Berkeley and nearby, check out Berkeleyside’s Events Calendar. We also encourage you to submit your own events.

By Frances Dinkelspiel. | Permalink | 2 comments |
Post tags: Carl Bass, Charles Holt, Connie K Duckworth, TEDx

The building, which was … Continue reading »]]>

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art & Life is housed in a 1920s former printing plant on Allston Way. Photos: Tracey Taylor

On Sunday, the doors will open to a new cultural institution in Berkeley. The many thousands of books, paintings, prints, textiles, and photographs that make up The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art & Life – which was formerly located in an early 20th-century family home on Russell Street in the Elmwood neighborhood — will now be readily accessible to the public in a beautifully renovated, centrally located 25,000 sq ft space at 2121 Allston Way.

The building, which was designed in the 1920s as a printing plant for UC Berkeley, was most recently used by UC’s Bancroft Library, with whom the Magnes now partners. Before that, the Berkeley Public Library occupied the space. Marks left by book stacks on the stained, maple-colored concrete floors bear the stamp of the building’s history.

The heart of the new museum is an open exhibition space featuring elm wood and glass, transparency and warmth being key to the space's design

The building has been transformed by San Francisco architects Pfau Long in collaboration with local design and fabrication company Picassa Studios. The goal, said the museum’s Director Alla Efimova, was to create a warm, inviting place with an emphasis on transparency.

“We wanted an open space with a good flow where the community could spend time discovering the collection,” she said.(...)

Read the rest of Berkeley’s new Magnes building to be unveiled on Sunday (718 words)

By Tracey Taylor. | Permalink | 8 comments |
Post tags: Alla Efimova, Magnes Museum, Pfau Long, Picassa Studios, The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art & Life

The concept behind this socially and ethically responsible food contest is to highlight “best in show” from five regions of … Continue reading »]]>

Good Food Awards Berkeley-based judges: Dafna Kory (photo: Jeffery Kong); Michael Pollan (James Collier) and June Taylor (Leigh Connors)

Berkeley’s food mavens will likely be out in force tonight at the Good Food Awards at San Francisco’s Ferry Building and many of the judges for this annual event — sponsored by Seedling Projects and now in its second year — hail from this city’s gourmand ranks. But only one Berkeley name may find a place on the winners’ podium.

The concept behind this socially and ethically responsible food contest is to highlight “best in show” from five regions of the country in various edible categories. This year, prizes will go to makers of beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, coffee, pickles, preserves, and — a new area — spirits.

At last year’s soirée — with a keynote address by restaurateur and sustainable food champion Alice Waters — three Berkeley winners emerged in the beer, charcuterie, and pickles categories.(...)

Read the rest of Awards tap Berkeley taste makers for national contest (741 words)

By Sarah Henry. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Aaron French, Alex Hozven, Alice Waters, cafe rouge, dafna kory, Good Food Awards, Michael Pollan, Rick Debeaord

Berkeley High hosted its annual holiday meal on Saturday and hundreds of people came to enjoy the ham, turkey, salad, fruit, rolls, and pumpkin pie.

Each year, hundreds of high school students and their families collect canned goods, coats, toiletries and other items for the homeless or low income families and distribute them at the meal. Community members donate cooked hams and turkeys, and student bake pies, make the salad and cranberry sauce, and decorate the lunchroom at the … Continue reading »]]>

Berkeley High hosted its annual holiday meal on Saturday and hundreds of people came to enjoy the ham, turkey, salad, fruit, rolls, and pumpkin pie.

Each year, hundreds of high school students and their families collect canned goods, coats, toiletries and other items for the homeless or low income families and distribute them at the meal. Community members donate cooked hams and turkeys, and student bake pies, make the salad and cranberry sauce, and decorate the lunchroom at the high school. Musicians donate their time and even Santa plays a visit.

Mark Coplan of the Berkeley Unified School District took the photos shown here.(...)

Read the rest of Hundreds enjoy holiday meal at Berkeley High (2 words)

By Frances Dinkelspiel. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Berkeley High Holiday Meal, Mark Coplan

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 … Continue reading »]]>

Tom Mueller: many extra virgin olive oils are "a big hoax'

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.”(...)

Read the rest of Author: You may not like what’s lurking in your olive oil (610 words)

By Frances Dinkelspiel. | Permalink | 22 comments |
Post tags: Amphora Nueva Berkeley Olive Oil Works, Extra Virginity, Mike Bradley, Tom Mueller, Veronica Bradley, Veronica Foods

When there is a major disaster in the Bay Area, help may take a long time to arrive, as the recent hurricane in New Orleans and earthquakes in Japan, Haiti, and Turkey have shown.

The Berkeley Disaster Preparedness Neighborhood Network (BDPNN), a nongovernmental organization, wants to help residents survive a disaster by being organized and prepared.

The BDPNN will hold a hands-on medical practice session Thursday November 17 with Barbara Morita, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for … Continue reading »]]>

Two Berkeley residents practice using a two-way radio at August drill run by BDPNN. Photo: Dave Peattie

By Dave Peattie

When there is a major disaster in the Bay Area, help may take a long time to arrive, as the recent hurricane in New Orleans and earthquakes in Japan, Haiti, and Turkey have shown.

The Berkeley Disaster Preparedness Neighborhood Network (BDPNN), a nongovernmental organization, wants to help residents survive a disaster by being organized and prepared.

The BDPNN will hold a hands-on medical practice session Thursday November 17 with Barbara Morita, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for the Alameda Health Consortium, and a member of the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT). It will take place at 6:30 pm, at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Hall (corner of Cedar and Bonita).

(...)

Read the rest of For when that disaster comes, Berkeleyans, be prepared (447 words)

By guest. | Permalink | 4 comments |
Post tags: BDPNN, Berkeley Disaster Preparedness Neighborhood Network, Charlotte Nolan, Lynn Zummo, Norine Smith

To help the people of Thailand, Wat Mongkolratanaram, more commonly known as the Berkeley Thai Temple, will hold a fundraiser Sunday during its popular brunch. Since anywhere from 200 to 600 people come each week to dine on beef curry, mango rice, and other Thai delicacies, organizers hope to raise … Continue reading »]]>

A Buddha sits at the back of a gathering place at the Thai Temple in Berkeley. At its base is a collection jar for Thai flood relief. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel

Four months of flooding have left Thailand devastated, with large portions of the country still under water, making fresh food and water hard to come by for many.

To help the people of Thailand, Wat Mongkolratanaram, more commonly known as the Berkeley Thai Temple, will hold a fundraiser Sunday during its popular brunch. Since anywhere from 200 to 600 people come each week to dine on beef curry, mango rice, and other Thai delicacies, organizers hope to raise hundreds of dollars.

Thai musicians and dancers will perform under a tent during the brunch, which runs from 10 am to 1 pm at the temple at 1911 Russell Street near MLK.(...)

Read the rest of Berkeley Thai Temple to hold flood relief fundraiser (222 words)

By Frances Dinkelspiel. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Berkeley Thai Buddhist Temple, Chat Mingkwan, Wat Mongkolratanaram

(...)Read the rest of Photo essay: Dìa de los Muertos in the Gourmet Ghetto (85 words)

By Tracey … Continue reading »]]>

Artist Linda Vogel paints a participant's face for Dìa de los Muertos. Photos: Tracey Taylor

Berkeley’s Dìa de los Muertos celebration in the Gourmet Ghetto Wednesday night offered music, dance, an altar to remember absent friends, weird and wonderful costumes, and food — lots of food, in fact, as the event was planned to coincide with street food fest Off The Grid. The photos here provide just a glimpse of how the evening unfolded by candlelight.

Participants were given candles and encouraged to join in a procession

(...)

Read the rest of Photo essay: Dìa de los Muertos in the Gourmet Ghetto (85 words)

By Tracey Taylor. | Permalink | 2 comments |
Post tags: dia de los muertos, Dia de Los Muertos Berkeley, Gourmet Ghetto, North Berkeley