“Darkness on the Edge of Town,” Feature, 12/10
Dead-less Arena
I wanted to thank you for doing your story on Oracle Arena. Any
excuse to have “the Boss” on the cover of the East Bay
Express!
As someone who has recently moved to Oakland I’d love to see some
more shows there. I was able to catch both recent Springsteen
shows and the first night of AC/DC and it’s a great place to see a
show. The public transit factor with the BART and Amtrak stations
right there is a no-brainer. But one fact was sadly omitted from
the article is that the Grateful Dead who have appeared in the Arena
almost ninety times since their first gig there on 2/17/1979 no longer
perform. As much as the Grateful Dead is associated with San
Francisco in the ’60s and ’70s — the East Bay hosted a majority
of the shows in the ’80s and ’90s. A fact that is NEVER lost on
me.
Benny O’Connor, Oakland
Remodel Killed Oracle
My vote for why Oracle Arena is a loser of a venue is unquestionably
the 1996 renovation. For the sake of luxury boxes (to hell with the
ordinary guy!) and more concession space, the renovation completely
destroyed the beauty and spaciousness of the promenade space. No more
stepping out of the arena for a walk through the crowd and wondering,
is that wall curved, or is it just my mind?
Norman Engvall, Oakland
High-Priced Crime
Regarding the article about the Oracle Arena in Oakland and the
financial problems, the issues go much deeper than what you mentioned
in your story. The whole Arena has been mismanaged since the changes to
bring back the Raiders. What makes the city think it can do such a
GREAT job, when they can’t even run the City of Oakland properly!
Crime, illegal activities (drug sales, prostitution, scams, thefts,
and scalping of tickets) are also contributing factors in the downward
slide of the Arena. I stopped going to the Arena back in ’96, and will
never return there for any reason.
First, the powers that be, view the fans and event-goers as the
“Cash Rich Cows.” That they will pay any amount of money to attend
events.
Just to park is $20! As proof that this is outrageous, many people
will park outside of event parking to avoid that expense. Of course
many do pay the parking fee, but the people resent it! Management
determines parking restrictions and how to park. However, the
management seems to put little to no effort in curbing the criminal
element wandering the parking lots. Sure there’s security driving
around the lot, but they do very little at actually doing anything
about it.
Having been approached by drug dealers with my kids in tow to sell
me drugs is appalling! Seeing prostitutes doing business at events
makes parents with children not want to go there. Plus, adding in the
drunkenness, foul language, and rude behavior, why would anyone want to
go to the Oakland Arena.
HP Pavilion is clean, safe, and devoid of all of these problems. I
[would] rather drive 1.5 hours to see an event in San Jose, than drive
20 minutes to the Oracle Arena. Plus the costs are less and people are
better there. Why should I have to put up with non-civilized animals
and pay for it too?
Derrick Soo, Oakland
Editor’s Note
Concert parking now costs $25.
“Biofuels Lab Threatens Strawberry Canyon,” Eco Watch, 12/3
UC in Bed with Big Oil
Of course UC Berkeley is willing to rip out numerous trees and
dramatically change the character of the landscape in Strawberry Canyon
with its new biofuels lab. After all, they climbed into bed with
British Petroleum after a story ran in the Chronicle about BP’s
mismanagement of the Alaskan pipeline. The story reported how BP had
unconscionably deferred so much maintenance on the pipeline that it
leaked in various places into the permafrost, and was threatening to
leak in many more places. Making a deal for environmental research with
such an irresponsible oil company (if that’s not a redundancy),
combined with its continuing to carry the “Torture Professor,”
celebrated war criminal John Yoo, on its faculty payroll, shows beyond
any doubt that if UC Berkeley was once a bastion of liberalism, it
certainly no longer is today.
Joseph Scanlon, Oakland
Berkeley in Bed with Regents
I’m glad that the East Bay Express is finally getting the
information out about another contentious green-washing project
sponsored by UC Regents and their BP partners.
In your lead paragraph, you mention that there have been “no
protests.” In fact, at the public comment meeting last year, NOT ONE
PERSON (in a room of about forty) was in favor of new construction,
other than the architects. The EIR has also been protested at Berkeley
City Council meetings. Tom Bates and his buddies have been acting as if
they are in the pockets of the non-democratically elected UC Regents,
holding firmly to the thighs. This is a sad situation that requires
serious action.
Mike Hoey, Berkeley
“Waiting to Catch a Wave,” Food & Drink, 12/3
They’ll Get Tikier
As a regular customer of Tiki Tom’s, I was glad to see a review of
one of my favorite restaurants. While my experiences there have been
much more positive than your reviewer’s, I agree with most of his
judgments about the place’s strengths and weaknesses.
One thing I would like to correct: Despite the name, TT is not a
pure retro-tiki bar in the mold of Forbidden Island or the Conga
Lounge.
It is a beach bar and nightclub, with a flavor closer to
Margaritaville than Tonga Room, as well as a nice seafood restaurant in
the mold of the old Pier 29 formerly at the same location. The
panoramic windows and the decor (heavier on surfboards than on tiki
carvings) work perfectly to provide this atmosphere.
The food is good, though not always consistent. Pork dishes
generally get the most praise from my foodie friends, but the mahi mahi
and the ahi poke are well prepared and presented. The teriyaki beef
appetizer is great.
The bartenders are all experienced and mix a classy island drink. I
don’t know what happened to your reviewer’s Mai Tai, but all the “boat
drinks” I’ve seen had umbrellas and tropical garnish in a nice
selection of tiki bar glassware. Full props for presentation. Some of
the juice drinks could and should be a tad stronger, but at Tom’s low
prices, doubles are always an option.
Back to the decor: Tiki bars grow tikier over time. The other Tiki
Tom’s, in Walnut Creek, took a year or more to achieve its vibe, as Tom
and various customers brought in stuff for the walls. By the next time
you review this TT, it will look more an old-style tiki place (but
still with the big windows) and they’ll probably have plenty of swizzle
sticks.
Brian R. McDonald, Alameda
“Dueling Mythologies,” Movies, 12/3
Dissing Diddley
I have seen Zaks’ Chess Records, later renamed Who Do You
Love, out of respect and in tribute to Bo Diddley who died in June,
2008 when the film was in its final editing stages. While it is true
that there is a Bo Diddley character in the film, played by the great
guitarist Robert Randolph, Bo is hardly the focus of the movie. But, at
least he is in two scenes … as opposed to ZERO scenes in Cadillac
Records.
To have excluded Bo Diddley from Cadillac Records is not only
taking liberty with the truth, it is also ripping Bo off again …
taking his “just due” just like the Chess brothers took his
royalties.
I feel bad for Bo Diddley’s family and for his grandchildren, who I
would imagine are Beyoncé fans. What will they be left with
after seeing this film? The producer, but particularly Beyoncé
Knowles, executive producer, and Steve Jordan, musical director, should
be ashamed of themselves.
Faith Fusillo, Bo Diddley manager, Talent Consultants
International
“Aquarium Age,” 12/3
Astrology with Substance
I’ve been reading your astrological column for several years now and
want to commend you on your work. Your astrology is intelligent,
spiritual, current, and compassionate. Your words are succinct and have
substance, unlike so many other astrological articles that I’ve read
which can be egotistical, overbearing, and biased. I appreciate the
information you give to your reader which is scientifically based,
albeit your opinion also is revealed in your work; but, I happen to
like that.
You are direct and I don’t have to spend time wondering what you
mean or feeling tired in trying to derive meaning from mumbo jumbo. So,
I simply want to thank you for your work and insights and encourage you
to continue. As a reader, I so appreciate you. Thank you.
Renee, Oakland
“The Retro Burrito,” Food & Drink, 12/10
Meatless, Not Meat-Free
My wife called Celia’s when it opened to ask whether it had
anything vegetarians could eat. Celia’s said its rice used
chicken stock. At this point, she didn’t need to ask whether the
beans used lard. Unless the Celia’s chain has revised its
“authentic” recipes for its new location, nothing is suitable for
ovo-lacto vegetarians.
It would be useful for your restaurant reviewer to verify whether
food is suitable for vegetarians before assuming and writing that it
is, just because she doesn’t see chunks of meat. Some people have
strong allergic reactions, or other reasons, to avoid certain
foods.
Mitch Cohen, Berkeley
Anneli Rufus Responds
As a vegetarian, I too am concerned about the presence of animal products in food. Before ordering, I ascertained from the manager at Celia’s that the rice contained chicken broth. Then, as usual, I asked whether the beans contained lard. The manager assured me that they did not, and that even the refried beans are prepared with vegetable oil.
Miscellaneous Letters
Oopsie = Murder
BART PD continues to call the early New Year’s morning shooting at
Fruitvale BART station a “discharge” of the cop’s weapon. I think this
is because they’re trying to figure out if the cop flinched or just got
startled then pulled the trigger.
An “oopsie” by a cop is not permissible. Whatever would happen to
any one of us for doing the same thing is beside the point. If BART
cops carry deadly weapons with the right to use them in dangerous
situations, they cannot commit manslaughter because someone rattled
them.
That’s all policy, but without knowing anything about the
cop/shooter, it’s uncertain if this was intentional, i.e., murder.
Sean Carney, Oakland
Save the Soccer Fields
My kids play JLYS League soccer games almost every weekend at
Alameda Point. These fields are precious natural
resources. There is an acute shortage of soccer fields in the Bay
Area. Losing these fields would seriously degrade the quality of life
for my kids and thousands of others in Alameda and throughout the
entire Bay Area. Please do whatever you can to ensure these fields
are not eliminated!
Jeff Stein, P.E., Alameda
Thrive or Die
I am writing this letter out of a sense of desperation. I have been
a health insurance customer of Kaiser Permanente for most of the time
since the early 1990s. For most of that time I was fortunate to be a
member of an employer’s group plan, so had adequate coverage at a
reasonable price.
During this time I have been quite satisfied with my Kaiser coverage
and in fact, feel it is important to point out that the complaints
raised in this letter are not against the dedicated medical staff at
Kaiser, but at the business that runs the Kaiser system.
In 2005 I started my own business. Because I am 51 years old and
have a pre-existing condition, health insurance in the private
marketplace is virtually unavailable to me.
For three years I relied on the COBRA and Cal-COBRA programs to
continue with my Kaiser coverage. When my Cal-COBRA was exhausted I was
forced to switch to receiving insurance under the HIPAA program, which
states that I can still receive insurance without regard to
pre-existing conditions.
I recently received my “2009 Member Rate and Benefit Update” packet
from Kaiser. It is a slick package with a warm and fuzzy picture of a
healthy-looking family on the cover and the bold statement, “The right
fit for you.” After reading the contents of the package, it became
clear this is little more than a cruel euphemism.
In reality, the package informs me that my plan, which already did
not include prescription drug coverage and which had a high $50 co-pay
for all services, is being gutted even further to where it will now be
a $1,500 annual deductible plan with the extra bonus of a 9 percent
increase in my monthly premium. This means that I will now be required
to pay $568 per month for even less coverage than the barely adequate
plan I had.
After many years of being a loyal customer of Kaiser Permanente, I
am reduced to being a liability to be marginalized to the point of
paying a very high premium for very little coverage. I can only hope
and pray that president-elect Obama can follow through on his campaign
promises and do something to bring relief to those like me at the mercy
of the giant, soulless insurance machines that are currently running
the show.
I find myself wondering how much Kaiser Permanente spends on their
slick “Thrive”-themed advertising campaign. And how much did they spend
on the painfully euphemistic package they sent me? Do these things
represent prudent spending when people like me are being steadily
frozen out of having health insurance at all?
In truth, it should be people like me who help bring hope for our
country to recover from our economic woes. I am working to bring a new
software product to market and, if successful, will provide good
paying, local jobs to our economy. Unfortunately, I find myself in
danger of being forced to abandon my business simply because I cannot
afford to risk being without health insurance. What’s wrong with this
picture?
I guess the real message of Kaiser’s “Thrive” campaign is that you’d
better thrive because if you don’t, no one’s going to be there to help
you. It seems like a cruel joke to me.
I find I am at the mercy of this monster of a corporation with
virtually no recourse. This is what motivates me to write this letter
and to send it to as many recipients as I can think of who might be in
a position to at least make some noise about it since making noise
seems to be the only action left for me.
Ronald Lee Phillips, Richmond
Correction
The Dec. 24, 2008 column of Eco Watch, “Don’t Recycle That Plastic,”
mistakenly stated that narrow-neck bottles are the only plastic that
the City of Oakland accepts in its curbside recycling program. On July
1, 2008, the city also began other taking plastic food containers, such
as margarine tubs, yogurt tubs, and deli containers.
