Blogs from Berkeley, California, United States, North America - page 6

I saw the clear skies so headed East up into the hills of Berkeley in hopes of getting some crystal clear photos of San Francisco, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, etc. I took Grizzly Peak road, then stood on the West side of the three or four story Cal Berkeley building that sits above and East of the Lawrence Hall of Science building to get these photos.... read more

It was a great weather day, seemed like it was around 80 degrees in Berkeley, so I made my way East into campus to see if I could check out the game. Cal would win the game by adding a good number of points in the fourth quarter, but it was good to see another Pac 10 stadium live. Oh, and I should mention that I had a brand new Cal t-shirt on so I wouldn't be worried about fitting into the crowd. Oddly enough, the UCLA fans that I saw paid no attention to me, even though I sat in that part of the stadium for some of the game. In the third quarter a UCLA pass was intercepted, and the Cal player ran right to the part of the stadium where I was sitting ... read more

"The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality." John F. Kennedy, June 24, 1963 Showdown in Berkeley To summarize, in January of 2007 the United States Marine Corps Recruiting Division opened an Officer Selection office at 64 Shattuck Square in Berkeley, California. In September (eight months later) a group calling itself code pink finally noticed the Marines and began protesting in front of the Recruiting Center using homemade signs and banners. Their numbers were few, usually only a handful of protesters here and there and things might have died down naturally had it not been for the Berkeley City Council who fanned the flames by writing a letter to the United States Marine Corps Recruiting Center in late January of 2008 telling them they were ... read more

Woo, it's been a slow train I am riding these last two weeks, so how to sum it all up? I've been welcomed very kindly into the home of the Katz's, relatives of friends from Iowa, and have had it easy in such an expensive town as Berkeley. The family, a bit quirky, yet with utmost care have introduced me to the area, and have given me time to mull over my extended trip. I spent the first week studying for my supposed important ACT test, which all in all went fine though I didn't feel focused after 2 hours of sitting in a school desk (oh, nostalgia isn't the right word for that at all). Following the test, I walked back to City Hall where my bicycle was last locked, and to my surprise, was ... read more

i cross the bay bridge the water a startling hue a wind blows hard, fierce *** the BART train is swift I watch lights pass by; railway screeches fill my ears *** I have reached Berkeley a friend of a friend offers a couch; I lie down *** compost in blue bins lining sidewalks casually it is custom here *** people's park is free folks come there to eat, play, nap it is aptly named *** In berkeley, some folk know history; they have learned to cherish freedom *** Mickey raises worms; they make soil; he says it is the best stuff on earth *** the farmers' market-- people come to enjoy food, sun, and each other *** in Oakland some folks started the People's Grocery healthy food for all *** walking through the yard I ... read more