Ozumo Restaurant in Oakland will be hosting their 2nd annual “East Meets West” Mardi Gras celebration on Tuesday, Feb. 16 beginning at 5:00 p.m. Highlights will include live entertainment in the spirit of the occasion, the diverse sounds of New Orleans as presented by DJ Gray, and “Fat Tuesday” food and Brazilian drink specials served in the bar and lounge. More>

Picán Restaurant -- Oakland’s hip spot for dining -- celebrates “Fat Tuesday” Bourbon Street-style on February 16th, 2010 @ 5:30 pm. According to assistant manager, Cynthia Fung, the festivities will include beads, boas, traditional NOLA “bites,” as passed hors d'oeuvres, and “bottomless” Southern Comfort Hurricanes and Bulleit Sazerac, a specialty cocktail made with premium small-batch Bulleit bourbon. Masks are optional but encouraged. Space and ticket availability are limited. More>

Miss Pearl's Jam House - They will be celebrating Mardi Gras with live entertainment by the Craig Caffall Band.  They will also have a raffle in the evening.  Be sure to try their new menu and specialty drinks (Jello shots and Hurricanes). More> and here>

Also, head over to Arizmendi Bakery on Lakeshore or in San Francisco for Fat Tuesday. No cocktails, but they do have something called "King Cake", a "colorful Danish pastry with pecans"! Now, as a word of warning, it seems only the San Francisco Arizmendi has a Fat Tuesday-related happening, but check the Oakland Arizmendi Bakery anyway. They're always full of unannounced surprises!

[1.25.10] ERA ART BAR AND LOUNGE | Cubism, Cocktails and Clubbing | San Francisco | SFO | Lake Merritt District | Bar | [Urban Daddy] http://bit.ly/aKvaex
This massive space combines a turn-of-the-century cocktail den with a modern art gallery and nightclub—which at first blush sounds a little schizophrenic. And it is, but it's a high-functioning and nattily outfitted schizophrenic, one from the 1890s who draws a mean cocktail.

[2.5.10] Speaking of bars, tonight marks the debuts for two newcomers on the Oakland nightlife scene: ERA and BEER REVOLUTION. The latter is a fairly standard beer spot, but the former, Era, is an ambitious, two-story 5000-square-foot bar/artsy lounge with a 35-foot steel and concrete bar. 19 Grand Avenue, Oakland; 510-832-4400; website [OT via Eater SF]

[2.09.10] The Beginning of a New ERA | The Chatterbox | Tablehopper http://bit.ly/9Nl0VL
The 5,000-square-foot space will bring together art (expect bi-monthly collections of modern and contemporary art), handcrafted artisan cocktails with house-made syrups and bitters, local small production wines, and a wide range of music (with occasional live performances).

[2.12.10] Night Owl: BEER REVOLUTION and ERA add to Oakland's night life scene - [Inside Bay Area] http://bit.ly/bTsn8X
If you happened to pass by the intersection of Grand Avenue and Broadway last Friday, your curiosity about the throng of would-be barflies wrapped around the block would have been justified. Era Art Bar and Lounge attracted 700 people that night in what may be a recent record-setting opening night ... The opening Beer Revolution created a beer loop between Linden Street several blocks west and The Trappist and Pacific Coast Brewing Co. to the north. The city had to make an exception for Beer Revolution's location because the building is so close to other off-site liquor selling establishments. If they hadn't, the City Council might have had a revolt on their hands.

[11.10.09] Word is that eVE (not to be confused with Eve Lounge in SF) will be a 28-seat Berkeley eatery from husband and wife team Christopher Laramie (executive chef) and Veronica Laramie (pastry chef) who plan to open before the month is up.  The Le Cordon Bleu Paris graduates have created a New American menu that will be "micro-seasonal and locally sourced."  Main courses will include:  quail with pancetta, chestnuts and star anise; seared black cod with miso, carrots and almonds; and corned Wagyu beef with rye bread, sauerkraut and mustard.  The menu is available in a prix fixed format only wherin three courses are  $33, five for $55, and seven for $77. 1960 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA. [Sf Examiner]

[12.4.09] Pican Restaurant, Oakland | Foodnut.com http://bit.ly/902btb
Pican is a restaurant in revitalized Uptown Oakland next door to Ozumo. New Orleans native Michael LeBlanc started this restaurant in 2009. This area is undergoing a transformation from long closed auto dealerships and the like to a modern inner city. It serves California infused Southern Cuisine with lots of fresh seasonal ingredients in a vibrant cosmopolitan atmosphere. They were on the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand list for 2010.

[12.10.09] SPICE MONKEY is big on portions, community http://bit.ly/aN5bes
That's just the kind of place Spice Monkey is. You couldn't find a sweeter, more sincere, more gratitude-filled cafe on the planet. And that's precisely Kanitha Matoury's intent for the place, which she opened 19 months ago in the space long occupied by Sabina's, an Indian restaurant. "It's kind of like a community restaurant," says Matoury, a native of Cambodia who lives in Oakland herself.

[12.12.09] MERITAGE in Berkeley matches farm-to-table food with wines - Inside Bay Area http://bit.ly/aWGD6u
...His wine-driven food is certainly exceptional — fresh, local, seasonal, inventive and pretty. The menu is an education in food and wine pairing, as dishes are categorized by the weight and style of wine that best matches them. Thomsen has no formal education in wine; just a sharp palate and the kinds of friends who own Napa wineries and invite him up for golf and breakfast burritos, he tells me...

[12.14.09] Eater SF: Boot and Shoe, Gather and Eve All Debut in the East Bay http://bit.ly/aKWlHV
Boot and Shoe - Over the weekend, Charlie Hallowell's neighborhood game-changer officially shed its "soft opening" status ... Gather - For now, the restaurant, cafe and an all-organic bar is open only for dinner, but lunch/breakfast will roll out in early 2010 ... Eve - Opened last week. There are only 28 seats, tasting menus are available (Three courses = $33, five = $55, seven = $77).

[12.16.09] Night Writer: Oakland's MIMOSA bubbles with style - Inside Bay Area http://bit.ly/cJRtFa
I think the good folks behind Mimosa, Oakland's newish Champagne lounge, figured as  much. The bar and lounge, which shares its corner of Broadway with buzz-worthy restaurants Pecan and Ozumo, opened in August and seems to be quite the hangout for the post-dinner crowd. Inside, exposed gray vaulted ceilings set an urban vibe. Soft, leather sofas line the perimeter of the space. Mimosa's a classy joint but doesn't try too hard, which I like. Pearly tiles dangle from two chandeliers and rod-iron wall art borders an enormous TV screen.

[12.17.09] Boot and Shoe Service Restaurant, Oakland | Foodnut.com http://bit.ly/9OAdkN
Boot and Shoe Service is a new casual neighborhood pizza restaurant from Charlie Hallowell, the Pizzaiolo folks. This restaurant is located in Oakland’s Grand Lake district, blocks from the Grand Lake Theater, and is named after the original tenant of this old building. They focus on local and sustainable products. 18% gratuity on parties of 5+.

[12.30.09] The Road to Gourmet Gulch - Berkeley | Restaurant Review | East Bay Express http://bit.ly/daDitg
Gourmet Ghetto is last century's news. These days, the pulse has shifted a mile southwest to a single block of University Avenue.

[January-February 2010] BOCANOVA - Taste of the Town, Square One - Oakland Magazine http://bit.ly/d9qJyd
But if Bocanova’s arrival in Oakland’s ostensible waterfront Mecca hasn’t marked the tipping point in the district’s fortunes, its lively warehouse-elegant ambience, killer cocktails and appetizing pan-American menu provide a few more reasons to think of Jack London Square as a culinary destination. With combined pedigrees that include Market Bar, Chez Panisse, Oliveto, Bay Wolf and Enrico’s, executive chef Rick Hackett and his wife, Meredith Melville, have transformed a former icehouse into a stylish post-industrial milieu perfectly in tune with Oakland’s citywide restaurant renaissance, and the best of the square’s recent additions.

[January-February 2010] SOULEY VEGAN - Second Helpings - Oakland Magazine http://bit.ly/abJGcV
Tamearra Dyson makes a “give-me-more” statement with her okra and her tofu, prepared in her unique vegan style at her Jack London Square soul food eatery, Souley Vegan. The 30-something owner-chef has been vegan since age 16, initially “because the thought of eating flesh off a bone grossed me out.” She didn’t want to eat dairy either, so began, while still in her teens, experimenting with her Southern grandma’s recipes.

[1.6.10] I-Squared - Please Pass the Persian | Restaurant Review | East Bay Express http://bit.ly/ajWiqe
Considering the dearth of Persian restaurants in the Bay Area, it's something of a disappointment that I Squared, a year-old Iranian-Italian fusion restaurant in Rockridge, doesn't embrace its Middle Eastern side more strongly. Yes, the setting is attractive in a sleek and cool sort of way, the vibe is welcoming, and the food is uniformly delectable.

[1.12.10] POP-UP GENERAL STORE – full coverage on Eater SF http://bit.ly/a81NdD
It's the not proper butcher shop Lee was looking for back in the fall, but rather, a pop-up spot in the Temescal streetcar depot where Grace Street Catering is also located. Lee and Nosrat will be offering "many of Eccolo's classic dishes, as well as other foods [they] love to make, for you to pick up and cook at home." Think: Lee's sausages (crepinettes, boudin blanc), Eccolo's cassoulets, butternut squash ravioli, handmade pastas and farmers' market produce. The food items will change on a weekly basis and the plan is to make it a regular occurrence. [Eater SF]

[1.13.10] Eater SF: Chez TJ Names a New Chef, JLS MARKET Gets LEED Approval http://bit.ly/cjynFd
The centerpiece of the would-be JLS $375 million renaissance, the JACK LONDON SQUARE MARKETPLACE, has had its share of delays, but this week it earned LEED Silver certification. The developers say that the building’s green practices "directly align with its new use as a regional destination for quality, sustainable food." [BT, previously via Eater SF]

[1.13.10] Eater SF: SR24, Georges, Thermidor and So Much More! http://bit.ly/awYOll
Currently slated to debut on February 1 is the newest addition to Oakland's Temescal neighborhood, not far from Pizzaiolo, SR24. With chef Josh Woodall (last seen at South) at the helm, it's billed as a "classic American eatery with a consciousness for sustainability and the community." The named stands for State Route 24 and a sample menu can be viewed here. [PLYWOOD via Eater SF]

[1.25.10] 60-year-old MERRITT Restaurant and Bakery received a $162,000 bailout from the city last year to help pay off creditors, but now the institution has asked for another one, lest it close: "[Owner Charles Griffis] says the real issue is a shortage of parking since the Lucky's grocery store next door expanded. And Griffis thinks the city, which signed off on the expansion, has the responsibility to help him fix the problem." [Chron via Eater SF]

[1.25.10] Bites - Hotel Review - LAKE CHALET Seafood Bar and Grill - NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/bVWfcW
The New York Times bestows some national attention on Oakland's massive Lake Chalet, noting that it feels more like a neighborhood place than its San Francisco kin, but for better or worse, the main show is really the setting: "With all the visual distractions, the food is a bit of an afterthought. The contemporary Californian menu is resolutely unpretentious ('Start with some fresh seafood!' it exclaims) and less singular than the views." [NYT via Eater SF]

[1.28.10] This week's Scoop noted that COMMIS is now offering a special three-hour menu at the chef's counter, but for those wondering about the actual price, it ranges from $100 to $125, depending on the night. The three-course prix fixe is still at $59. [EaterWire]

[1.29.10] COMMIS in Oakland Deserves Its Michelin Star | Eating Out by Raymond Sokolov - WSJ.com http://bit.ly/9nLde7
Michelin guide in hand, The Wall Street Journal visits the Bay to give national buzz to three newly-starred spots in Commis, Luce and Quince. Naturally, Quince earns itself another rave, as does James Syhabout's Oakland standout: "At COMMIS, we are in the hands of a self-contained imagination .. Michelin's rush to judgment with Commis paid off." [Eater SF]

• California Academy of Sciences

2nd Sunday of the Month

• Oakland Museum

Always Free

• Triton Museum

1st Tuesday of the Month

• Asian Art Museum
• California Historical Society
• Cartoon Art Museum
• de Young Museum
• Legion of Honor
• SFMOMA
• Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

1st Wednesday of the Month

• Museum of Craft & Folk Art
• Exploratorium
• Mexican Museum
• Museo Italoamericano
• SF African American Museum
• SF Zoo

Courtesy of SFStation.com

This 5 year old boy beats the odds, generating both feelings of hope and despair.

Country & Population

• Population a little over 9 million.
• Nearly 40 percent of the country's population is under the age of 14.
• Haiti ranks as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80 percent of its people living below the poverty line and 54 percent existing in abject poverty.
• Most Haitians live on less than $2 a day.
• Haiti has one of the world's lowest life expectancy rates (181st out of 190 countries ranked by the CIA World Factsheet). The average Haitian lives only 60 years.
• Eighty percent of the country is Roman Catholic and 16 percent is Protestant; nearly half the population also practices voodoo.
• Approximately half of Haiti's population cannot read or write.
• The Haiti telecommunications infrastructure is among the least developed in Latin America and the Caribbean.
  

Earthquake Impact

• 3.5 million people affected by earthquake.
• Affected approximately one-third of the population of the entire country.
• The facilities that could have assisted victims, such as hospitals, clinics and the UN headquarters for the nation, were destroyed or are not operational.
• Per Haiti officials, 100,000 – 200,000 feared dead. The Red Cross says 45,000 to 50,000 people have died. The Pan American Health Organization puts the number between 50,000 and 100,000.
• Only 1/2 of police force on the street.
• Aftershocks still occurring.
• Dead and decomposing on streets and in tumbled buildings.
• Among the largest catastrophes ever experienced in the Western Hemisphere.
• USGS called it the strongest earthquake since 1770 in what is now Haiti.
  

Earthquake Support (selected examples)

• U.S. troops handed out about 2,500 meals Saturday in Port-au-Prince suburb.
• 4,200 U.S. military personnel currently supporting operations, 6,300 scheduled by Monday.
• The U.N. World Food Programme said it plans to reach 2 million people "with one-week rations of ready-to-eat food."
• President Obama pledged $100 million, and the Red Cross $10 million.
• The U.K. offered $10 million from its Department of International Development.
• The World Bank extended $100 million in emergency aid.
• Americans have given more than $11 million via a text message donation service.
• More>
  

Need I say it? Please help. You should have done so by now, but if for some reason you haven't, donate...

Sources

Photos - Time | Red Cross | CNN | Huffington Post 

Haiti is not Katrina [CNN] - To get an idea of the distinction between the two events, imagine that all of the U.S. west of the Mississippi were to be destroyed or extensively damaged by some immense catastrophe in one minute, with absolutely no warning. That is the situation Haiti faces.

Dirt Poor [National Geographic] - Haiti has lost its soil and the means to feed itself.

World Factbook [CIA] - Geography, People, Government, Economy, Communications...

Hunger Facts [World Food Programme] - Poverty, malnutrition, high food prices, hurricanes and now an earthquake. Here are ten facts that give the measure of the hunger crisis facing Haiti, an nation which was already struggling to feed itself even before the earthquake.

Haitian Facts & Figures [CBC] - Haiti occupies the western one-third of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, with the Dominican Republican occupying the east. Though rich in history, French-speaking Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, hampering its ability to recover from natural disasters. The numbers tell a story.

Haiti Earthquake Death Toll: The Devastation in Numbers [Huffington Post] - The numbers behind the outpouring of earthquake assistance are giant. But they are dwarfed by the statistics indicating the scope of the disaster in Haiti, the number of victims and their deep poverty.