Featured events- 03/10/2012 - Ton Koopman & The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir
- 02/27/2012 - Classical at the Freight: Rossini Birthday Celebration
- 02/23/2012 - Michio Kaku: Physics of the Future, How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100
- 02/23/2012 - 2012: a Turning Point? And If So, Which Way?: A Talk by Robert Reich
- 02/19/2012 - Takacs Quartet
Tag Archives: UC Berkeley
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 »
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 »
After Oakland eviction, Occupy focus shifts to UC Berkeley
With the dismantling by police of the Occupy Oakland camp early this morning, the Occupy focus has shifted to UC Berkeley where students are preparing to hold a general strike on Tuesday. Reports suggest that Occupy Oakland protesters may march to Berkeley to join Occupy Cal demonstrations tomorrow too.
But plans by protesters to demonstrate at a Regents’ meeting scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday this week at Mission Bay have been foiled, as the meeting has been rescheduled at the advice of law enforcement officials.
Meanwhile, the violence used by police on November 9th continues to draw comment. Writing in the Huffington Post, cultural commentator Jesse Kornbluth points to reports that say several UC Berkeley faculty were assaulted in the clashes, as well as students. They included 70-year-old former Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Hass, and English Professors Celeste Langan and Geoffrey O’Brien.
Cal professor Robert Reich, who is delivering the Mario Savio Memorial Lecture tomorrow, has agreed to move its venue from the Pauley Ballroom to the Mario Savio Steps in Sproul Plaza at the request of the Occupy Cal General Assembly. … Continue reading »
Tagged Occupy Cal, Occupy Wall Street, UC Berkeley
Police use of force at Occupy Cal gets national attention
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The manner in which the police handled Occupy Cal protesters on Wednesday night has come under scrutiny and attracted attention beyond the boundaries of Berkeley.
Videos taken on the scene (including one published on Berkeleyside on Wednesday) show UCPD and Alameda County sheriff’s deputies in riot gear hitting a line of protesters with batons after they refused to leave an area outside the campus administration building.
In a piece in the Chronicle today, Jim Chanin, a Berkeley attorney who specializes in police misconduct issues, said: ”Using a baton to go through a nonviolent crowd is as inappropriate today as it was in the South when they used it to enforce segregation in the 1960s.”
In the same story, UCPD Captain Margo Bennett defended the action, saying: ”The individuals who linked arms and actively resisted, that in itself is an act of violence.” … Continue reading »
Tagged Occupy Cal, Occupy Wall Street, UC Berkeley
After protests and arrests, calm returns to Cal campus
The UC Berkeley campus was calm this morning after a night of protests and altercations with police that resulted in 39 arrests, including one faculty member, and several injuries, although as yet there have been no reports of protesters being taken to hospital.
A couple of dozen protesters with placards, and one tent, could be seen in front of Sproul Hall at around 9:00 am Thursday.
Captain Margo Bennett, spokesperson for the UCPD, said two of the 39 arrests were made for battery of a police officer. The remainder were for interfering with police officers, failure to disperse/unlawful assembly. Capt Bennett confirmed that UCPD police officers were joined by officers from the Alameda County Sheriff department and, late on Wednesday night, by officers from the Oakland PD.
The Berkeley Police Department managed the protest when it went onto Berkeley streets, including Telegraph Avenue, Wednesday afternoon, but were not involved in any on-campus activities, according to BPD Sgt Mary Kusmiss.
The Occupy Cal Day of Action on Wednesday was held to to demonstrate against public education budget cuts and tuition hikes, and to show solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. … Continue reading »
Tagged Occupy Cal, Occupy Wall Street, Sproul Plaza, UC Berkeley, UCPD
Protesters vote to set up Occupy Cal camp at UC Berkeley
Protestors met for a general assembly at around 1:45 pm today at Sproul Plaza on the UC Berkeley campus. Photos: Tracey Taylor
Update, 7:52pm: Video footage of police beating protesters at today’s Occupy Cal demonstrations has emerged. The following video was uploaded to YouTube by Miles Mathews [Hat-tip: Bruce Love]:
Update, 4:36 pm: Protesters have been attempting to set up tents and clashing with police at the Cal Occupy demonstrations on campus, according to various media reports. UC Berkeley spokesperson Janet Gilmore confirmed to the Daily Californian that there have been six arrests over the course of the day. UCPD have issued dispersal notices and have been taking down tents erected by protesters. Shortly after 4:00 pm, protesters were attempting to convene another general assembly.
This afternoon, Berkeley councilmember Kriss Worthington sent a letter to the UC Chancellor and the UCPD Chief complaining of what he says appears to be the suppression of free speech by the UCPD. … Continue reading »
Cal Campanile reopens after downtime for repairs
UC Berkeley’s Campanile has reopened for visitors after a two-month closure for repairs.
Work was needed at the top of the tower, above the carillon, and was focused on the steel plates that align the steel frame that holds the carillon’s bells, according to Christine Shaff of UC Berkeley’s Facilities Services. Water had weakened bolts holding the five-pound plates. Appropriate repairs were made as a safety precaution, she said.
The Campanile, or Sather Tower to use its official name, was completed in 1914 and is perhaps Cal’s most famous symbol. Visible for miles, it is 307 feet tall and is the third tallest bell and clock-tower in the world. The observation platform, located 200 feet up, provides visitors with a spectacular view of of the campus and the Bay Area. It is reachable via an elevator and then some stairs. … Continue reading »
Tagged Sather Tower, UC Berkeley, UC Berkeley Campanile
Cal brainiacs’ robot roach could save lives in quakes
A team of researchers at U.C. Berkeley’s Biomimetic Millisystems Lab has created a robot that imitates the movement of cockroaches. Its latest version, unveiled on Monday, could potentially help find survivors in the ruins of an earthquake.
Called the dynamic autonomous sprawled hexapod, or DASH, the robots were designed to survive falls and unstable conditions. Kevin Peterson, Paul Birkmeyer, and Professor Ron Fearing submitted the original paper on DASH in 2009. On Monday, the researchers, along with Professor Robert Dudley, released an update which introduced “DASH + Wings”.
The robot can move at 1.3 meters per second and climb 17 degree inclines. Watch the Smart Planet video above to see the roach in action. … Continue reading »
William Wurster designed homes are still in demand
A new book and exhibition on the architecture of William Wurster, the co-founder, in 1959, of the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley, serves as a reminder of the desirability of the homes he designed. And Wurster homes do still come up for sale in Berkeley and the Bay Area with some regularity, so becoming an owner of one is not outside the bounds of possibility.
In fact, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone lived in a William Wurster designed home in Berkeley — until he sold it in September 2009 for $550,000, the same price he paid for it in 2006.
As one would expect, Stone tweeted the news that he was putting his home on the market, writing to his then 980,000 followers (now 1.7 million): ”We loved our Wurster cottage in Berkeley but it’s time to move – if you’re into architecture, check it out.” … Continue reading »
Final section of press box is installed at Memorial Stadium
On Tuesday, a giant mobile crane lifted the final section of the 300-foot long press-box frame into place at the Cal Memorial Stadium — a significant step in the $321 million renovation project that is scheduled to be completed 11 months from now, in time for the first game of the fall 2012 season.
It took 40 minutes to hoist the 355,000 pound section of steel I-beams into place, according to a report in the Chronicle. David Friedman of Forell-Elsesser, the San Francisco-based structural engineers of the project, said: ”Today’s event is a milestone because this press box is really the crown jewel of the project.”
While the new 80 ft, two-story box removed a slice of Bay view from the east rim of the stadium, on game days the box will accommodate sports reporters, coaches, officials, alumni and donors, providing an outstanding view of the field and a spectacular view of the bay. … Continue reading »
Tagged Cal Memorial Stadium, UC Berkeley
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