Search

a politically progressive california city of 110,000 across the bay from san francisco.

home of the free speech movement, creedence clearwater revival, green day, counting crows, and the university of california (go bears!) a.k.a. “cal”.

the elements berkelium (bk), californium (cf), and americium (am), among others, were discovered at u.c. berkeley.

the cradle of the anti-vietnam war movement (which led to goveror ronald regan tear-g-ssing his own citizens). early opponents to the “patriot act” and the iraq war.

first city to:
— divest (remove investments) from south africa, accelerating the end of apartheid.
— covert its entire diesel fleet to biodiesel fuel.
— enact a comprehensive smoking ban.
— voluntarily implement city-wide school busing.
— implement curb-side recycling.
— install curb cuts in sidewalks for wheelchairs and bicycles.
— prohibit the sale of ozone-destroying styrofoan fast-food cups and clam-sh-ll containers.

barbara lee, the only u.s. congressman to vote against giving pretzeldent bush the authority to attach afghanistan and iraq, represents berkeley.

home to the “how berkeley can you be” parade each september.

“when something happens in berkeley, it spreads.”

— tom bates
a city that puts giant concrete planters in the middle of every intersection, just to p-ss off drivers.
-what the h-ll is this garbage? it takes 20 minutes to go two blocks with these things in the road!
-that’s berkeley, man.
a h-lla liberal city in the bay area, filled with awesome people and hippies. best city in california.
person from berkeley: yeah i got h-lla crunk at the show last night!! they didn’t even card!
a city in the san francisco bay area. populated mostly by hippies and yuppies. berkeley rocks. minus the yuppies.
berkeley is wicked spiffy!
ire, iconoclasticism, the urge to question authority. when something gets my berkeley up, i’m feeling feisty and considering activism — usually, but not necessarily political.
this white house brings out the berkeley in me.
the birthplace of the free speech movement at the university of california at berkeley in 1965. the epicenter of left wing politics in the 1960’s and 1970’s. a funky college town filled with aging hippies, university students and upwardly mobile young families. the location of the confrontation between police and protestors in people’s park in may 1969, where student protestor james rector was shot and killed by police. the birthplace of new french and california cuisine through alice waters’ chez panisse restaurant. the city where german film director werner herzog ate his shoe. the birthplace of the acme bread company and peets’ coffee & tea, the coffeehouse chain that pioneered direct purchase of coffee beans from growers and would influence starbucks and numerous other chains. location of moe’s books and krishna copy center, the first photocopy center in the u.s.a.
man, berkeley was the center of the universe in the sixties and seventies.
to show someone up in an argument using superior intellect.

ex: booya, you’ve been berkeleyed.

alternate usage (tonality is exasperated): to enter into a completely pointless argument that only uber-nerds would enjoy, but feeling obligated to compete to prove the other person wrong. usually a result of someone trying to employ the primary definition.

ex: “wait, why is this guy trying to tell me about relativity theory?”
“sigh, dude you’ve been berkeleyed.”

←