Wednesday, September 13, 2006

NEW PANNIST LOOKING FOR A BAND

My name is Lisa Edwards and I am currently a first year student at Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley.

I played steelpan for eight years as a teenager and most recently I practiced over the summer while in Trinidad.

I would like to join a steelband in the Bay Area because I love playing. Is there an opportunity to join your band and if not, can you give me contact names for individual/steelband members who play?

Thank you

Lisa Edwards
lisa_edwards@haas.berkeley.edu

SILICON VALLEY BUZZIN' AGAIN

USA Today 9/12/06

Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area, the world's technology hub, is starting to buzz again for the first time since the dot-com bust. The Valley's infamous start-up community is coming back, thanks to Dabble and its contemporaries.

New powerhouses such as Google, eBay and Yahoo are driving growth and hiring workers. Stalwarts such as Hewlett-Packard and Oracle are reporting stronger sales and posting higher stock prices.

Evidence of an uptick is everywhere. The amount of venture capital invested in Internet companies has jumped almost 75% since hitting bottom in 2003. The Valley unemployment rate has dropped to 5%, down from 9.3% during the darkest days. The median home price is $700,000 and rising. Party invitations are going out — and the buffets once again include shrimp.

It's a welcome change after five tough years of layoffs, bankruptcies and empty office parks.