Daily Archives: November 15, 2011
Cal students vote to set up Occupy camp on campus
At the Occupy Cal general assembly held Tuesday night on the UC Berkeley campus, protesters voted to set up an encampment in the style of the Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Oakland tent-cities both of which have been forcibly dismantled by authorities this week.
The vote to establish a camp was passed by 1,267 people according to the Daily Californian reporting on Twitter.
UC Berkeley administration issued a statement last week saying it would not tolerate an encampment. When tents … Continue reading »
Shaken Cal Chancellor recalls Kent State, Virginia Tech
[See update at foot of story.]
“Now we’re there along with Kent State and Virginia Tech,” said a visibly upset Chancellor Robert Birgeneau at the end of a press conference today about the shooting at the Haas School of Business. No students, faculty or staff were injured in the incident — the only injury was to the unidentified suspect.
The chancellor received news of the incident at his home, following a lunchtime meeting there. He had thought the main focus of the day would be the Occupy Cal protests. “We’re very pleased with the way the students have conducted themselves today,” Birgeneau told the press conference. “I have confidence in our students that they’ll stay focused on the important issues, which are disinvestment in higher education by our state and higher tuitions.”
But the first shooting on the Cal campus for over 20 years changed the tenor of the day.
According to UC Police Chief Mitch Celaya, there is no evidence that the suspect had any connection to the protests. Throughout his description of the events leading to the shooting, he cautioned that his department was at a “very preliminary stage” of the investigation. The press conference was held at 4:00pm, less than two hours after the incident. … Continue reading »
The Berkeley Wire: 11.15.11
Lost and found: Mario Savio’s reflections [Daily Californian]
Thousands march from campus to downtown Berkeley [Daily Kos]
Cal engineering launches collaboration with Shanghai hub [UCB]
Berkeley may condemn naming of Osama Bin Laden raid [ABC]
Photo by D.H. Parks/Berkeleyside Flickr pool.
Occupy Oakland and Cal march in Berkeley, to campus
Hundreds of Occupy demonstrators marched through Berkeley this afternoon, as Occupy Oakland protestors joined with Occupy Cal demonstrators to walk down Bancroft Way, then on a path that took them past Berkeley City College and Berkeley High School. The marchers arrived on the Cal campus at around 4:40 pm ahead of a general assembly scheduled to start at 5:00 pm.
Breaking: Shooting at Cal’s Haas School of Business
Update 5:13 pm: Our full report from the chancellor’s press conference.
Update, 4:26 pm: From the press conference: The suspect is at Highland Hospital. The police said they were in fear of their safety. There were four students between the suspect and the officers. One officer fired the gun. The suspect was a white male, apparently in his 20s, around 5’8″, wearing a blue jacket and jeans. His firearm was in a backpack. The last shooting on the Cal … Continue reading »
Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses
LOCASODA In our recent story about north Berkeley’s new Local Butcher Shop, we made mention of a particular soda the store is selling alongside its cuts of meat and fresh-made sandwiches. Vignette Wine Country Sodas are non-alcoholic, sweetened only with the juice of California varietal wine grapes, and made right here on Alcatraz Avenue in Berkeley. The sodas come in three varieties: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Rosé, and they are all lightly sparkling. They can be bought online, or at the Local Butcher Shop at 1600 Shattuck Avenue Ste. 120 in the Gourmet Ghetto. … Continue reading »
Rally begins after teach-ins at Occupy Cal Day of Action
The Occupy Cal Day of Action is under way on the UC Berkeley campus with a noon rally in progress at the time of writing, and news helicopters aloft to cover the action. According to the BPD, an estimated 1,500 people were gathered at Sproul Plaza at midday.
This morning, hundreds of students were sprawled around the Plaza, carrying signs, hanging out and listening to teach-ins by various faculty members. The mood was festive as they waited for the noon rally to begin.
Many had brought furniture and rugs, as well as a couple of pianos and bookcases to make the protest space like “an outdoor room”. There was no evidence of tents, despite rumors that some demonstrators might try to set up an encampment on campus.
UC Berkeley linguistics professor George Lakoff was talking about the impact of Prop 13 at one of the teach-ins, while other subjects under discussion included the Chilean political system and corporate control of the food system. … Continue reading »
Big Screen Berkeley: The Other F Word
What do you think of when you read the words ‘punk rock’? When you close your eyes, do visions of spiky-haired goons pogo in your head? Perhaps your imaginary miscreants are slam-dancing in the pit or doing fakie ollies down at the local skate park. They may even be partaking of some good old-fashioned sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, but what you probably won’t imagine them doing is raising a family.
It’s true that two members of the punk Holy Trinity — Johnny Ramone and Johnny Rotten — begat no offspring, but the third and arguably most irresponsible, Johnny (Thunders), blessed the world with four. It’s unclear whether members of Johnny Moped have since settled into lives of parental domesticity, but it’s also undeniable that a child sprang forth from the loins of cult punk icon Johnny Straightjacket. Despite Mr. Rotten’s assertion that sex is “two minutes of squelching noises”, it seems that some male punk rockers have engaged in the activity without taking precautions. … Continue reading »
Berkeley High sets new world record for Soul Train dance
More than 300 Berkeley High students stayed after school on Monday to try and set a new world record for the longest Soul Train dance line.
The students, along with some faculty, staff, and alumni attempted to enter into the Guinness Book of World Records by having 211 people dance their way through a central courtyard at Berkeley High. And according to a certificate presented to the group, they did it.
“Berkeley High School set a Soul Train Guinness World Record today (November 14, 2011) by having 211 dancers dance down the “Soul Train,” school spokesman Mark Coplan wrote in an email. “I was number 296, and there were three people after me, so the numbers were strong. It was the time it took to herd all of us together (4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.) that made it difficult for everyone to stay for the final count, so a lot more participated. Great job Berkeley High!” … Continue reading »
Before Occupy Oakland came the protesters of Solano Ave
For the past 10 weeks, a group of demonstrators has gathered every Monday at 4:30 pm on Solano Avenue — in front of the shuttered Oaks Theater and outside the Chase Bank – holding aloft banners that read “Tax the Rich”, “Make the Rich Pay More Taxes”, and “Please Join Us”.
The first group who ventured out was just 10-strong but, according to spokesperson Harry Brill, the numbers have now swollen to around 40. The protesters do not affiliate themselves formally with the Occupy movement, although they share some of the same campaign sentiments. “What we have in common is our indignation that the big corporations and super-rich individuals are not paying their fair share of taxes,” says Brill. … Continue reading »
