One of the special, intangible assets of Berkeley is that it is widely recognized as a political landmark and a state of mind. I love stumbling across references to “Berkeley” in that sense. The latest comes from an excellent essay by Tim Garton Ash in The New York Review of Books on the epochal changes […]

Lance Knobel
Lance Knobel (Berkeleyside co-founder) has been a journalist for nearly 40 years. Much of his career was in business journalism. He was editor-in-chief of both Management Today, the leading business magazine in Britain, and World Link, the magazine of the World Economic Forum. In 1999-2000 he was director of the Programme of the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. He is also the founder and curator of Berkeleyside's Uncharted Festival of Ideas.
Summer Kitchen Bake Shop opens tomorrow
Way back in June when I tried to assess the temperature of the recession in the Elmwood, one of the signs of spring was work on a long-empty storefront to create Summer Kitchen Bake Shop. The wait is nearly over. Summer Kitchen has had two days of shakedown and staff training and is set to […]
Wozniak: the key issues for Berkeley
Gordon Wozniak has been a Berkeley council member for District 8, where I live, since 2002. In the recent flap over the city council voting to adhere to UN resolutions that have nothing to do with municipalities, I thought Wozniak ‘s remarks were among the more sensible at the time (although he joined the unanimous […]
Yudof on furloughs
University of California president Mark Yudof met on Wednesday with the faculty of UCLA to explain his furlough policy, among other things. As part of the university system’s budget cuts, faculty and staff are required to take between 10 and 26 days off without pay over the next year. The original plan was to allow […]
C’est si bon!
As if local recognition were not enough, the Elmwood’s Mrs Dalloway’s has also won a national contest for the best Julia Child window display. The prize is round trip tickets to New York, a two-night stay in a hotel, and dinner with Julie & Julia director Nora Ephron. According to co-owner Ann Leyhe a date […]
Haas School of Business tops rankings
UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business has soared to third place — and the top US rank — in The Economist’s latest rating of full-time MBA programs. The Economist rankings are based on the factors its research reveals students believe are most important: the program’s potential to open new career opportunities; personal development and educational […]
Schwartz’s optimism
Sylvia Paull, Berkeley’s networker extraordinaire, reports: Berkeley-based futurist, author, and film consultant (Minority Report, Sneakers) Peter Schwartz spoke informally at INFUSION, a monthly tech lunch at the Berkeley Rep in downtown Berkeley today. He said he feels optimistic about the future given the powerful tools we have to shape it and the awareness most corporate […]
DeLong view of the future
Ask Berkeley economist and blogger Brad DeLong about the future of higher education as digital technology develops and you’ll get a disquisition about Erasmus of Rotterdam and the puzzle about how the idea of the university survived Gutenberg and 1435. DeLong enjoys pointing out that UC Berkeley is the only university to have named four […]
Who turned out the lights?
As the weather seems to get worse by the minute, some people in Berkeley are having power problems. PG&E has a well-designed map interface to find out about power outages all over the state. Of course, if you’re without power you might have difficulty getting access to the site.
What did Dylan play?
I didn’t get a chance to hear Bob Dylan play at the Greek Theater on Saturday night, but you can have some vicarious pleasure by parsing through the live set list. Did any InBerkeley readers hear the concert and wish to comment? Update One attendee posted a recording of Gonna Change My Way of Thinking:
Berkeley economist wins Nobel
Photo: UC Berkeley UC Berkeley’s Oliver Williamson has shared this year’s Nobel prize for economics* with Elinor Ostrom of Indiana University. Williamson was awarded the prize “for his analysis of economic governance, especially the boundaries of the firm”. Williamson is the fifth Berkeley economist to win the prize, and the university’s 21st Nobelist. The eight Nobelists currently […]
Not Thanksgiving yet
I’m worried about my kids crossing Ashby at Pine Avenue in the Elmwood. But a wild turkey just ambled placidly down my street and crossed without so much as a by your leave.