Valerie Coleman Morris, a former broadcaster who will be leading seminar on planning for retirement. Photo: The last few years have been tough on retirement savings. Finding and keeping a job has been a challenge for many. Those who were laid off had to dip into their 401K plans just to survive. Home values — […]
Advice
Berkeley city: No truth to viral email predicting quake
The Hayward Fault runs along the East Bay hills and through the cities of Richmond, El Cerrito, Berkeley, Oakland, Fremont, San Jose and others. UPDATE 4:07 pm: Genie Stowers, the professor who sent out the original email issued an apology this afternoon by email. Here it is: Last week, I sent out an email to […]
The unscientific Berkeley iPhone faceoff: AT&T vs Verizon
Yesterday, Steve Jobs launched the iPad 2 with attendant hoopla in San Francisco. At Berkeleyside, we like our gadgets, but we’re not obsessed with being up-to-the-second. So our Apple question yesterday was: how does the newish Verizon iPhone compare to the sturdy AT&T iPhone in Berkeley? Two-thirds of the Berkeleyside founders set out on a […]
No playdates, ‘A’s-only mom Amy Chua comes to Berkeley
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Amy Chua has a book to sell, but even so you have to admire the courage of her convictions in taking on pretty much the entire Western parenting body with her contention that Chinese-style parenting produces high-achieving, confident children bound for successful careers […]
Tips to get fit in 2011
Hiker in Claremont Canyon. By Susan Helmrich It’s four days into the New Year. How are you doing with your fitness goals? As a health and wellness coach in Berkeley, I have seen every type of resolution, from people vowing to eat fewer fatty foods and to increase their intake of fruits and vegetables to […]
Berkeley has its own ‘Most Wanted’ list
In the course of just a few months, Berkeley police’s “Who Are These Suspects?” website has become immensely popular. Launched in March 2010 by BPD’s Community Services Bureau, the site now has more than 1,600 subscribers, people who want to be in the know about Berkeley’s crooks and thugs. Each month the department posts its […]
Can you answer Berkeley’s cellphone dilemma?
Diva device? Most of us have experienced Berkeley’s cellphone problems. For a reasonably dense city in a hotbed of technology use, there are just too many zones with poor coverage. It may be understandable in the hills, but it happens in non-hilly areas as well. What’s a user to do? Rabea Chaudhary contacted Berkeleyside with […]
Grow your own food, in pots, on porches, wherever
Planting Justice is holding a hands-on workshop for local residents to learn how to grow food and other plants at home or work — no matter how tight your space may be. The workshop takes place on Thursday July 1 from 6pm-7.30pm on the back patio of cafe Local 123 at 2049 San Pablo Avenue (pictured […]
Berkeleyans can claim up to $8,500 in energy rebates
Starting on July 6, Berkeley residential and commercial properties will qualify for Federal stimulus funding for energy efficiency. Single-family and duplex homes may qualify for as much as $8,500, including rebates through PG&E. Commercial and multifamily properties may qualify for as much as $30,000. Rebates can be used to improve comfort, durability and air quality and […]
Home hunting in Berkeley: Lessons learned
Craftsman cottage for two? A girl can dream… Berkeleyside contributing writer Kim Weisberg is looking for a new home to rent. Today she kicks off an occasional column in which she reveals the dark underbelly of house hunting in our city. My boyfriend and I have been looking for a new home for a few months, mostly […]
Open letter to burnt out owners
Anne Whyte is a Berkeleyan who lost her home to fire. She offers some advice to the people who suffered in Thursday’s San Luis Road fire: To the owners of homes that recently burned on San Luis Road (right): Like your family, our family has the unfortunate history of having our home burn. In the […]