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Building a mansion in the Berkeley Hills is easier said than done. Just ask Mitchell Kapor, founder of Lotus Software and local philanthropist, who has faced ongoing litigation regarding his proposed design for a 10,000-square-foot home on Rose Street, just north of UC Berkeley’s campus. The legal action reached a Read More…
Sports
Pac-12 Power Rankings: Week 8 (Movie edition)
Photo Gallery: This Week in Cal Sports
This week, the Cal Men’s Basketball seniors leaft Haas with one last win, Cal Baseball exploded late to finish sweep of Pacific, the Bear’s Rugby team overcame a late deficit to take first leg of World Cup, and the Cal Women’s Water Polo emerged victorious over Spartans.
Pac-12 Power Rankings: Week 8 (Song Edition)
For our antepenultimate Pac-12 Power Rankings of the men’s basketball season, we have decided to go a different route — a different octave, if you will. We have chosen a song to correspond with each team on our list. Enjoy. No. 1: California (22-6, 12-3) — Aretha Franklin, “Respect” The Bears Read More…
A&E
Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s interpretation of Moliere play inspires laughter
This week in arts
Film Readers know I have talked about “Melancholia” ad nauseum, but this Thursday, Feb. 23 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco could be your last chance to see Lars von Trier’s spectacular film on the big screen. It’s kind of a trek, but witnessing “Melancholia” — which stars Kirsten Read More…
Art exhibit explores nature themes for Jewish holiday
The launching point for the “Do Not Destroy: Trees, Art and Jewish Thought” exhibit at the Contemporary Jewish Museum is a commandment from the Old Testament: “When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof Read More…
Opinion
California must go full steam ahead
No thanks, I’m coughing
Yuck, I’m sick. Actually, I’ve now been sick for almost two weeks, and it’s only slowly going away — despite all the DayQuil and codeine syrup. This episode is so gross. There’s the congestion; the sniffly, runny nose; the incessant coughing fits; the headache from the coughing fits; the phlegm in Read More…
Giving up the ghost
Political arguments often blur perceptions between right and wrong. In allowing religiously-affiliated institutions to shift the cost of birth control to the health insurance companies they contract, President Barack Obama fulfilled a moral obligation to provide uniform healthcare to all Americans and a political obligation to compromise with respectful dissenters. Read More…
From The Blogs
In defense of the Oxford comma
Style rules dictate that an Oxford comma be omitted in a serial list. Off the job, my personal preferences dictate otherwise. This is a hilarious example of why:
BART sees near record ridership numbers over weekend
With the westbound Bay Bridge closed this weekend, Bay Area travelers packed on to BART, resulting in near-record ridership numbers. Unofficial numbers — from a BART press release sent out Monday morning — put Sunday’s ridership at approximately 178,000 people. This is tens of thousands higher than the previous Sunday Read More…
Hardly Strictly Stars Come Out for Festival Founder
Warren Hellman’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass concerts have been a staple of the Bay Area music scene for a decade, so it was only fitting that when Hellman passed away late last year, his team of organizers set about signing artists for a commemorative concert that eventually took place this past Read More…
Who was that singing the national anthem before the Cal-Oregon State basketball game?
For those who attended Haas Pavilion on Saturday night, some of you may have wondered this: Who was that songbird that sang the “Star-Spangled Banner” before the Cal-Oregon State basketball game? The vast majority of the fans probably did not know the singer, but they should have. It was none Read More…
