East Bay ExpressNews, arts, and dining coverage for Oakland, Berkeley, and the greater East Bay..Slap Hitter: A&39;s win! Let&39;s get donuts!- June 23, 2008 My A's buddy points out that the Florida Marlins must have felt right at home this weekend in Oakland playing before a half-full house in a decaying stadium better designed for watching subpar professional football games. But the charm of Beer night on Saturday and the bigger lure of twilight baseball brought Slap Hitter down from the cheap seats and sneaking into the first deck to watch Huston Street impersonate a big league closer. At game's end we wanted to grab some local grub and...http://www.eastbayexpress.com/blogs/slap_hitter___a_s_win___let_s_get_donuts_/Content?oid=... BART Ridership At Record Levels- June 23, 2008 And the high cost of gas continues to drive commuters into the hands of mass transit. Last Thursday, more than 394,000 people took BART to and from work, beating the previous record of 392,000, which was set back in April. Now, we know you're thinking, "Nice try, but BART was free on Thursday, so how can you connect it to gas prices" Try this: average daily BART ridership is now hovering around 365,000, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. In fact, BART directors are getting a little...http://www.eastbayexpress.com/blogs/bart_ridership_at_record_levels/Content?oid=776083 The East Bay Today: June 23, 2008- June 23, 2008 Today's Top Event: Ursula K. LeGuin and Karen Joy Fowler read at Rakestraw Books. Brainiac: Learn something new every day. Today's event: Healthy Gardening Workshop at the San Ramon Library. Is It Dinner Yet Express food critics recommend: Messob in Oakland. On the Town: Going out tonight Local artists the Moral Tourists and Pinched Nerve play the Mama Buzz Café and Gallery at 7 p.m. Hardly Working: You've got time. Read this. Feed Us: Got an East Bay news tip, photo, video, or..http://www.eastbayexpress.com/blogs/the_east_bay_today__june_23__2008/Content?oid=776166 D-Day for Deborah Edgerly- June 23, 2008 If it's Monday, this must be Decision Time for embattled City Administrator Deborah Edgerly. Last week, after Edgerly allegedly used her authority to interfere with a police investigation into West Oakland street gangs, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums reportedly gave her until today to decide whether to quit, retire, or be fired. Will she go quietly Not if her most recent remarks are any indication. After the news broke Friday morning, Edgerly issued a public statement, which we'll print after the...http://www.eastbayexpress.com/blogs/d_day_for_deborah_edgerly/Content?oid=776086 Cody&39;s Books Closes Permanently- June 20, 2008 A memo that just arrived from Cody's Books bears sad news: "After 52 years, Cody's Books will shut its doors effective June 20, 2008....http://www.eastbayexpress.com/blogs/cody_s_books_closes_permanently/Content?oid=775168 Your Daily Lick: Humanzee- June 20, 2008 Progressive rock lives on in the hearts of these three guys from Berkeley. Wisely forgoing the heavy, technical spectacle of Dream Theater and the uncompromising sprawl of King Crimson, they favor a more intense and yearning approach. Fans of Live, Tool, and Muse will recognize the cues and perhaps even latch on to some of it. — Nate Seltenrich...http://www.eastbayexpress.com/blogs/your_daily_lick__humanzee/Content?oid=774479 Don&39;t Call It a Recession: Fremont Tech Firm Bleeds Cash- June 20, 2008 Fremont semiconductor firm Smart Modular Technologies posted quarterly losses of $11 million, the East Bay Business Times reports. That's a sharp contrast from the same period last year, when the company was $14.5 million in the black. Meanwhile, a Duke University survey of chief financial officers around the country indicated that most of them think we're about to enter the worst recession since 1979. Employment will drop, and prices will jump 4.1 percent. But that can't be: we had 0.7 percent.http://www.eastbayexpress.com/blogs/don_t_call_it_a_recession__fremont_tech_firm_bleeds_ca... Oakland City Administrator to Resign in Disgrace- June 20, 2008 Oh, please say it's true. Both the Trib and the Chron report rumors that Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums will force City Administrator Deborah Edgerly to resign or retire by Monday, following an incident in which she allegedly tried to intimidate police into freeing an alleged West Oakland gang member. On June 7, city repairman William Lovan had locked himself out of his car with the engine running. Police who arrived on the scene noticed Lovan had a gun in the car and prepared to tow it. Somehow,...http://www.eastbayexpress.com/blogs/oakland_city_administrator_to_resign_in_disgrace_/Cont... Keep BART Nice and Dry, Lynette Sweet!- June 20, 2008 Now, this is how you write a lede. Check out the Chron's piece on new BART efforts to let people drink coffee on the trains. Board member Lynette Sweet was demonstrating a new mug with a "dead man's trigger," a device to seal fluid inside if the holder drops the mug. Sweet dropped the mug, et voila; fluid gushed out and pooled near a BART escalator. "The first word out of her mouth can't be printed in a family newspaper," wrote Rachel Gordon. "'I'm going to assume the top wasn't properly...http://www.eastbayexpress.com/blogs/keep_bart_nice_and_dry__lynette_sweet_/Content?oid=775... Cal Tree-Sitters Lose Another Soldier- June 20, 2008 Yesterday was a bad day for hard-core environmental activists in the East Bay. Following a court ruling that mostly paved the way for construction on UC Berkeley's sports training center to proceed, Cal officials hauled another tree-sitter out of the oak grove that is slated for demolition. In addition, with no food being allowed to the tree-sitter, the Trib reports that some people are talking about a hunger strike. How exactly will their weakened hands hold onto the branches, we wonder They'd.http://www.eastbayexpress.com/blogs/cal_tree_sitters_lose_another_soldier/Content?oid=7750... |