Author Archives: Becca Freed
Gear up for the Big One with help from friends
The basement below Barrows Hall was buzzing with activity this morning, since it served as the command center for UC Berkeley’s annual campuswide disaster drill. At University Health Services Tang Center, volunteers simulated having injuries ranging from abrasions to a severed arm, allowing the clinic staff to practice triage and treatment.
The university police and fire departments and hazardous waste teams also established command centers on campus. … Continue reading »
Low-cost pet vaccines Sunday
The city’s animal shelter and the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society are teaming up to hold their second vaccine and microchip clinic this weekend. Vaccines for rabies, dog distemper and parvo (DHPP), dog kennel cough, and common cat infections (FVRCP), will be offered for $5 each.
Microchips, which provide permanent pet ID and help reunite lost pets and owners, will be available for $15. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
The clinic will be … Continue reading »
Berkeley gets smart power meters
In the past couple of weeks, PG&E has begun installing so-called SmartMeters on Berkeley residences. One showed up at my house even before PG&E’s letter arrived announcing the retrofit.
SmartMeters are supposed to let consumers monitor their household energy consumption, with reports on hourly electricity use and daily gas use. Presumably this will encourage people to conserve and shift their usage to off-peak times. PG&E presents this as a way for ratepayers to become … Continue reading »
Lighting the season
This evening if you visit the neighborhood just east of the North Berkeley BART station, you’ll see a labor of love by the residents. Between Berkeley Way, Rose Street, Grant, and California Streets, hundreds of luminaria, lanterns made from candles, paper bags, and sand, lining the sidewalks, extending for blocks.
Neighbors have collaborated to carry out this tradition for several years, every Christmas Eve that the … Continue reading »
Counting crows … and robins and warblers and …
Today was the annual East Bay Christmas Bird Count, sponsored in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco by the Golden Gate Audubon Society. Continue reading »
Evening of bellydance benefiting a good cause
Want to find out what the bellydance craze is all about, and support a local charity at the same time? Continue reading »
Baby, it’s cold outside: Share some warmth
Right now, when we’re having the lowest temperatures of the year and wet weather to boot, the clients of the Women’s Daytime Drop-in Center could really use your help. The Drop-in Center needs warm clothes for women and kids, including rain ponchos and coats, umbrellas, socks, hats, and gloves.
The center, which has served Berkeley’s homeless and low-income women and children for over 20 years, provides breakfast and lunch on weekdays, along with support groups, referrals … Continue reading »
Handcrafted, local holiday gifts
If the prospect of braving the megastores or picking up a handful of plastic gift cards at the grocery store isn’t putting you in the holiday spirit, consider doing some gift shopping with local artists at the Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios. Continue reading »
