InBerkeley

Michael Judge, a contributing editor of The Far Eastern Economic Review, sits down at Yoshi’s for dinner with Robert Hass, and learns that semantics may, indeed, be everything. He recounts this adventure with the Berkeley professor and former poet laureate, in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece:

I mention how his first book and his most recent were both written when America was at war and, in a way, deal with similar subjects. “The Vietnam War and the Iraq war, in different ways, both made me feel like I could not not address them. I’m very doubtful about the usefulness of poetry to do that,” he says. And yet, “In this really violent, imperfect world where you’re not just a writer but you’re a writer writing in one of the languages of the rich and developed world . . . [you have] some responsibility for the world . . . [because] the way the world is seen gets framed in those languages.”

He pauses, takes a drink of wine, then continues: “I have a Libyan poet friend who thinks that part of the big problem with the Arabic world is Arabic poetry, that . . . there’s a certain level of elevation of the language that doesn’t make a description of reality possible. Not to make too much of a claim for poetry, but this is a question that goes to the moral heart of the business of any art: How do you see the world and what right do you have to see the world in the way that you do?

Arts, Education

…you might want to read this press release from the Berkeley Police Department:

The City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) will be conducting a Driving Under the Influence/Drivers License checkpoint on Friday, June 26, 2009.  The checkpoint will occur during the evening hours on Telegraph Avenue at Stuart Street in Southeast Berkeley.  This effort will be part of the Alameda countywide program: Avoid the 21.

I’ve seen one of these checkpoints in Berkeley before, and I was stopped by one last year in Truckee. I know some people think it raises civil rights issues, but I think it’s a fantastic way to crack down on drinking and driving.

I wonder, however, why the department announces where the checkpoint will be. That must reduce the effectiveness. When I first encountered checkpoints for drink driving, I was in Australia many years ago. All the side roads were blocked off so that by the time you saw there was a checkpoint, you had to go through it. Very tough and effective, particularly in Australia where going out for an evening and getting hammered is still a big part of the culture.

Update Mark Haas points out in the comments that the announcement and allowing ways to bypass the checkpoint were required in the legislation that made the checkpoints legal.

General, Issues

That’s my cup of plum sorbet with candied almonds pictured above, perched on Sketch’s retro ice-cream cart on Fourth Street. After its moment of fame, I savored its creamy deliciousness. Sketch only serves soft serve  now — it’s all the rage, you know.

While there, we ran into friends who had crossed the bridge from San Francisco to witness the annual blooming of the rare Corpse Flower at UC Berkeley’s Botanical Gardens. They were pondering trying the apricot and thyme combo.

A rare natural phenomenon and scrumptious ice cream? Just two Berkeley delights.

Food

While folks in Hawaii watch for North Korea to send a missile their way, in Berkeley we can relax and enjoy the annual 4th of July fireworks event at the Berkeley Marina. And it’s not just fireworks, it’s a whole day of family activities. As the event producer describes it:

The 4th of July is a great day to have a lot of fun. The biggest party is on the South Shore of the Berkeley Marina from noon-10PM. There’s music, dancers, jugglers all for free! Adventure Playground, always a favorite, is open 11am-8pm. Sign up for an old-fashioned sack race, create a nature sculpture with environmental artist Zach Pine, or get your face painted. Try the giant slide or splash in the water at the beach!

There’s live entertainment from noon until 9PM on the main stage including MotorDude Zydeco, Suhaila Bellydance Company, Mo’Fone, and guitarist Steven Gary. Other entertainers around the marina include Tropical Sounds Steel Drums, UCA Capoeira, Failure to Disperse, Afro Cuban Rumba Drumming, Fred Anderson Comedy Explosion, and Coventry & Kaluza Clowns. There’s art & craft booths, massages, free sailboat rides from 1-4pm, dragon boat rides from 2-6pm, and muchmore including the grand fireworks off the end of the Berkeley Pier at 9:30pm.

General

Spotted along the Amtrak tracks in Berkeley.

General