Onions & Orchids

by Peter Bond

Dear readers: This writer does search for individuals and businesses worthy of inclusion in this column, but he relies mostly on input from others. So please e-mail your ideas for Onions & Orchids to bpbond\@aol.com. Orchids to the Mills College Administration for hosting the Black Photography exhibit at no charge to the public. Onions to the operators of motorized scooters, who drive these on the streets and sidewalks without regard for their safety or the safety of others. Onions also to the City of Oakland for their failure to enact and enforce laws concerning operation of these scooters. Onions to Zi Hui, listed as the owner and potential operator of a restaurant at 4110-4112 MacArthur Blvd. This property has consisted of a boarded-up storefront for more than seven months, with no indication of any future improvement. Orchids to the students participating in the Oakland Public Works clean-streets project, for their enthusiasm and good work in the MacArthur Blvd. area. Orchids to Jody Berke, who went to the Dragon Boat races to take photos for the Metro and was commandeered at the last moment as a paddler to fill out the team complement, thus saving the Taz Angels for their stellar run. Row girl, row! Orchids to the new owners of the apartment building at 3796 Angelo St., corner of 38th Ave. They took a run-down, blighted building, broken windows and all, and fixed it up into a neighborhood show place. We need more property owners like this in the Allendale.