Comment Archives: stories: Blogs: Last 30 Days
Re: “Streetcars Might Make a Comeback in Oakland”
Yet another nail in the coffin of Robert Moses, whose vision for the urban future was to kill public transportation in favor of cars and build massive expressways to bring white suburbanites into cities to work 9-5 before fleeing home to Long Island or Bergen County, New Jersey. San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos killed his political career in the 1990's by demolishing the Embarcadero Freeway, but 20+ years later he looks like a visionary for being one of the first elected officials in the US to undo the damage caused by Robert Moses (Jane Jacobs did the same thing in Toronto by blocking the Spadina Expressway...)
Re: “Weekender: This Weekend's Top Five Events”
The East Bay Bicycle Coalition is leading a slow-paced, flat, 13-mile bike ride from their offices at Jack London Square down to the Session Fest at Drake's Brewery in San Leandro, starting at 10:30am on Saturday. Riders of all ages and abilities are welcome! If you don't want to go to the brewery still join us and then just take the San Leandro BART back home. If you do want to go to the brewery, though, this is a great way to work up a thirst! Full details online at: https://www.facebook.com/events/3490592152…
Re: “Streetcars Might Make a Comeback in Oakland”
Hope this works out! How about another line out International Blvd.? Would be great! Good luck on this, Zack!
Re: “Friday Must Reads: State Orders Oakland to Pay $32.5 Million; Bay Area Activist Medea Benjamin Heckles Obama Over Guantanamo and Drones”
Does that mean that Kaiser Oakland will no longer build the ugliest buildings that anyone could design like theones now blighting north Oakland?
Re: “Medical Marijuana Bill Passes California Senate”
Change of anything is slow but legal weed is on the fast track to 100% legality.
The opposition is evaporating and the hold outs are going down kicking and screaming but going down they ARE.
Re: “Weekender: This Weekend's Top Five Events”
@Jeffrey: Ooops, our bad. Fixed!
Ellen, web editor
Re: “Streetcars Might Make a Comeback in Oakland”
Why stop at MacArthur? What about MLK as an alternate route all the way to 51st?
Re: “Streetcars Might Make a Comeback in Oakland”
I would love this if it happened. Everytime I drive down one of these main streets in Oakland that now have trees in the medians I think of the tracks that used to be there. There are so many Bancroft, E.14th(I hate the name International0 40th st. Telegraph , San Pablo, The Key System was more user friendly then BART, and should have been retained.
Re: “Weekender: This Weekend's Top Five Events”
Hey there… At Session Fest, we'll actually have far more than 16 beers flowing. We have 25 breweries coming, all bringing at least one session beer, so there'll be well over two dozen beers available, all included in the ticket prce (and yes, it's unlimited tastings).
-Jeff McClure, Community Manager for Drake's Brewing
Re: “Thursday Must Reads: Oakland Council Adopts Transparency Rules for Budget; Berkeley Picks Hayward Supe to be Its New Schools Chief”
"Under the new regulations, proposals must be made at least three days before the meeting in which the budget must be adopted."
Maybe that sounds like "transparency" to some people in City Hall in Oakland. Not to me. A couple of weeks would allow a reasonable time for review and reflection by the public; that might in fact be improved transparency.
Nope, it's the same old slimy game, played in the dark.
Re: “Mid-Week Menu: American Oak Reopens, Chez Panisse Soon to Follow; Guest Chef and Sumo Grub Close”
We went to the soft re-opening of American Oak and are so thrilled to have them (and their whiskey) back!
That said, they should get their money back from their "consultant." We certainly enjoyed the food we had, but the menu was not that appealing on first read. Small, few real vegetarian options, nothing particularly jumping out as a "must-try." We were pleased to find that the food we got was actually much more enjoyable than the menu hinted at, but we hope that as they get their rhythm back, we'll see an improvement. Even the cocktail list seemed "dumbed down" with only one or two particularly eye-catching drinks.
American Oak deserves to have a chef with a point of view, not a "consultant."
Re: “Medical Marijuana Bill Passes California Senate”
California should watch for doctor shopping and the doctors that push pills, but should realize that pain patients have few choices. The Feds keep pushing opiate pills, but stop people from using safe medical marijuana for pain. Marijuana works very well for pain management. Unless someone has tried cannabis for pain, they should not venture the opinion that it doesn't work for medical purposes. Pain management with cannabis requires the right dosage. Using marijuana edibles is the right way to maintain pain reduction. This book has great recipes for edible marijuana that are easy, small and cheap to make: MARIJUANA - Guide to Buying, Growing, Harvesting, and Making Medical Marijuana Oil and Delicious Candies to Treat Pain and Ailments by Mary Bendis, Second Edition. Only 2.99. Learn to make marijuana oil, delicious Cannabis Chocolates, and tasty Dragon Teeth Mints. goo.gl/iYjPn goo.gl/Jfs61
Re: “Medical Marijuana Bill Passes California Senate”
Give a copy to the pig feds>so they can have a good laugh.
Re: “Tuesday Must Reads: Bridge Expert Says Bad Bolts Should Be Replaced; State Control of Oakland Schools Failed to Fix Financial Problems”
Can you please do some research on what worldwide what bridges cost in other country's and post a list. Already this seems incredibly long in terms of time, high in expense, poor in quality but I really would like to know where we fall in the continuum. Then maybe we should decide other massive projects like high speed rail.
Re: “How the IRS’s Nonprofit Division Got So Dysfunctional”
Thanks for publishing this! I had been confused about this issue. But I still wonder how any non-profit that engages in political action, right or left, including churches that push for a particular party or candidate can have a tax exempt status. My father was a minister and when I was growing up, it was a no-no for him to opine on any party or candidate.
Re: “Outside Lands 2013 Lineup Announced”
Check these out if you want to save money at Outside Lands http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/211369…
Re: “Friday Must Reads: FEMA Moves to Chop Down 82,000 Trees in Berkeley and Oakland Hills; Lead Ammunition Ban Clears Assembly”
Plenty of blame to go around, apparently. This shameless pandering to the native plant religionists who don't care how much mayhem, toxicity, or destruction of thriving ecosystems they cause in their crusade to stamp out everything that wasn't here before the first Caucasian set foot here has got to stop. It's bogus nativist bigotry, and it's no more acceptably directed at plants than people.
Re: “Friday Must Reads: FEMA Moves to Chop Down 82,000 Trees in Berkeley and Oakland Hills; Lead Ammunition Ban Clears Assembly”
Tim,
More than 80,000 trees will be chopped down if this proposal goes through as is. Currently, FEMA is leading this process, and is on its way to funding the clear-cutting. Without FEMA's cash, the trees will not be cut down. So, yes, FEMA is moving forward on a plan for chopping -- a lot of chopping.
Re: “Friday Must Reads: FEMA Moves to Chop Down 82,000 Trees in Berkeley and Oakland Hills; Lead Ammunition Ban Clears Assembly”
Mary,
I agree that FEMA has done a miserable job at publicizing these plans -- but some of the blame also falls on UC Berkeley, East Bay Regional Park District, and the City of Oakland, who are partners in the project and have failed to properly inform folks as well.
Re: “Protesting City Workers Turn to YouTube”
This is the impact of the bipartisan consensus on neo-liberal economics. The management class has mistaken the map - the economy - for the land - the people we are, the work that we do, the wealth we create. The economy is a useful fiction built on top of the reality that is our community. Certain sectors of our nation have gamed the system such that the vast majority of wealth flows to them and only to them while the rest of us are stuck with less income and credit in its place. Something's gotta give, and if it doesn't it's not going to be pretty.