U.S. District Judge Denny Chin set a Nov. 9 deadline Wednesday for a revised agreement between authors’ lawyers and Google Inc. concerning the company’s effort to gain rights to digital books.

After the U.S. government said the existing agreement likely violated antitrust law, the $125 million settlement of a lawsuit was set for renegotiation with all sides agreeing a new deal was necessary.

The original plan was announced Oct. 2008 in response to two copyright lawsuits challenging Google’s book scanning.

Michael Boni, a lawyer for authors, told Chin the new deal would consist of amendments to the original agreement that would ensure its legality, which was a concern of the U.S. Justice Department.

Deadlines for submitted objections were not set and Chin said he expects only objections to new provisions to the agreement, since the core elements of the deal are to remain unaltered.

The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce is once again searching for another CEO after their recent selection, Gian Paulo Mammone, stepped down, according to a letter sent to chamber members today.

According to the letter, written by Ron Howard, vice-chairman of the organization, Mammone resigned because of personal reasons. He also said the Chamber will hold a special meeting on Tuesday to choose another CEO.

“(The Executive Board of the Chamber) will plan out a new search process, to find the right CEO for this special role in this special city,” Howard said.

Mammone was supposed to replace interim CEO Kevin Allen on Tuesday. Chosen by the chamber in early August, Mammone was hired to replace former CEO Ted Garrett, who was dismissed in March for unspecified reasons.

According to Howard, Mammone was selected in hopes that he would strengthen the relationship between local businesses and UC Berkeley.

“Although we were disappointed in his decision, we wish Mr. Mammone all the best in his future endeavors,” Howard said in his letter.

Staying true to their word on Facebook, Caffe Strada ended their 20th anniversary promotional week with a cup of joe free-for-all today.

“We ordered tons of stuff,” said Daryl Ross, owner of Caffe Strada. “We have about 75 cases of milk, 500 pounds of coffee and chocolate, and are going to put the employees on shorter shifts so they won’t burn out. We were originally thinking 2500 people, but based on feedback, we’re thinking there’ll be 5000 people. Scary.”

The event, following week-long giveaways of T-shirts, dinner at Adagia restaurant, and free nights at the Ross-owned Bancroft Hotel, commemorates the cafe’s opening in 1989. Ross, who frequented Cafe Mediterraneum when he was a Philosophy undergrad here at Berkeley, says he enjoys the feeling of having a place that can be a part of people’s lives. (Click here to read more…)

A local job assistance program that has served the low-income and unemployed in the Bay Area since 1974 will be shutting its doors by the end of the week, according to the Oakland Tribune.

Asians for Job Opportunities in the Bay Area recently announced that since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger cut nearly $90 million from CalWORKS, a welfare program that helped fund Asians for Job Opportunities, the program has had to cut its bilingual social services and job placement services.

Yahoo Plans to Cut Jobs

The New York Times reports that Yahoo is proposing to cut approximately 10 percent, or about 1,400, of jobs this quarter.

Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang, an alumnus of Stanford University, said in a statement that the layoffs would be made in order to reduce costs and enhance productivity, the Times reports.

The Sunnyvale-based company saw a a 64 percent fall this quarter in the its net income since last year, according to the Times.

As I strolled down Telegraph Avenue last Sunday on my way to Moffitt Library with my backpack weighing down on me, I was almost jealous of the sidewalk vendors I passed by. They chatted idly with one another in the sun, as my shoulders sagged under the 20-pound economics textbook in my bag.

After I talked to long-time vendor Diana Yoshida though, I realized I was not the only one with this misconception.

(Click here to read more…)