Our neighborhood pool...

This week I was walking to work and saw that city work crews were filling our neighborhood pool with dirt. I have been participating in an effort to get Willard Pool reopened and this depressed me more than I can say. I live in Berkeley's South Side and while the rich neighborhood gets to keep their pool open, our lower income neighborhood loses its pool. I feel this is a class issue and here is the reply I made to the board member who tried to explain herself and their decision:


Thank you for your reply. This seems deliberately aimed at South Side. Why our pool? Willard Pool was very busy in warm weather and provided swim lessons, relief from the heat and programming. It is more than just a "pool" really. It represents the decline of the neighborhood. I see it as a larger issue and a lack of investment in the neighborhood in general. North side keeps their pool while South Side of campus goes into decline. Trash on the streets, no community pool and urban blight. When you frame the issue in that context it is clear that the richer, more affluent neighborhood gets to keep their resources while we - don't.

I do appreciate all that you are saying here but I cannot help but see it as a class and neighborhood issue. North side is pretty much left alone. Drive through south side sometime and see what is going on there - homeless people, trash and abandoned store fronts and a pool that has been filled in. It is completely sad. When is Berkeley going to invest in this community? We are also Berkeley residents and deserving of resources. I have lived here for 16 years and watched it decline month by month and year by year. This issue is worth fighting for as it represents more than just a pool and money - it is our community and we do mean to fight for it. It is time to stop the discrimination here.

I feel very strongly about this. I work hard and would like to walk across the street and take a swim but I cannot anymore. I cannot hear the sounds of free swim and children splashing in Willard Pool. That depresses me more than I can express.

I respect what you are saying but you have to respect our right to fight for these resources and for our community.

Best to you,

signed, me


by tsukisagi

91/100 Total Recall (movie review)

Total Recall (2012)


Summary: IMDB
A factory worker, Douglas Quaid, begins to suspect that he is a spy after visiting Rekall - a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led - goes wrong and he finds himself on the run.

This will be a very short review. Sci fi thriller and a remake of a previous movie by the same title. I cannot remember the plot of the other one but this one had a whole political thing going on that worked for me. Colin Farrell gives a good performance as the central character whose memory is altered. Kate Beckinsale rocks it here as the baddy. Love her kicking ass and we know she can from the Underworld series. I like the geo-political intro at the beginning which sets the stage.

( Cut for spoiler on the film...and problem with the film. )

In general I liked this movie and found it very entertaining and twisty. Good twists and turns and left me guessing. I like not knowing what is going to happen.



IMDB for cast and credits:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386703/

Overall rating:
Solid entertainment and eye candy alert.

Recommend:
Yes, fun movie and good sci fi thriller.

Warnings:
Violence

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post 91/100 in the 100 things challenge