The New York Times’ Economix blog has an interesting analysis of economic diversity at the nation’s top universities. Here’s the key table:
UCLA and UC Berkeley come out first and second, with a vastly higher proportion of Pell Grant recipients than any other leading university. Read the Times’ analysis for some thoughts as to why the two UC campuses are way ahead of others.
We try not to stray into neighboring cities, but the video of the protest at Whole Foods Oakland is just too wonderful to miss (hat tip Lisa). It’s a strong, performance-art-like response to Whole Foods CEO John Mackey’s opposition to healthcare reform.
It doesn’t reach the extraordinary brilliance of the Sound of Music performance in Antwerp (below), but I would have liked to have been in Whole Foods when it happened.
Berkeley, as we know, has more than its share of well-regarded authors. A cluster of them have had the call from Hollywood recently and the resulting movies will hopefully be appearing at a theater near you soon.
This month’s Diablo Magazine rounds up the movies that have emanated from four noted Berkeley writers.
The screenplay for “Where the Wild Things Are”, directed by Spike Jones and adapted from the much-loved children’s book by Maurice Sendak, was written by Berkeleyite Dave Eggers.
Berkeley resident Ayelet Waldman recently attended the premiere of “Love and Other Impossible Pursuits” based on her novel of the same name.
Her husband Michael Chabon is seeing two of his books translated to the silver screen: “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay”, directed by Stephen Daldry, and “The Yiddish Policeman’s Union”, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen.
And Michael Lewis, who also lives in Berkeley, is hoping to see Brad Pitt play the role of Oakland A’s manager Billy Beane in an adaptation of his bestselling book “Moneyball”.
[Photos, left to right: Waldman, Chabon, Eggers and Lewis.]
Design by FMG Architects
The Transbay Blog covers transit issues far better than anyone else. If you’re wondering what happened to the Bus Rapid Transit plan, which would connect downtown Berkeley to San Leandro, read Transbay Blog’s definitive update. The BRT plan looks like it is being diminished by AC Transit’s budget problems. Transbay Blog’s conclusion:
It is incredibly sad that the State of California’s theft of transit funds has put AC Transit into such a difficult position, pitting the hardship of a disenfranchised ridership against a good project that will attract more people to transit. If we lived in a state and nation that truly recognized the value of good transit — and that put its money where its mouth is on the same — we would not be allocating untold billions of dollars to new freeways, while artificially forcing transit agencies to make the difficult and unfair choice between running current service and setting aside a modest sum of money for future investment.
That should unfortunately cheer the vocal Berkeley groups that have opposed BRT. Transbay Blog did a detailed rebuttal of the BRT naysayers last year.
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