…the almost right word

Berkeley in the Sixties — Mark Kitchell — An award-winning documentary on the most politically active college campus in history. The film’s main focus is the Free Speech Movement (there is now a small cafe on the Berkeley campus called the ‘Free Speech Movement Cafe‘) and the Anti-War Protests. Amazing footage — Joan Baez, Allen Ginsberg, M.L.K., The Grateful Dead. There is also a brief section on the origin of People’s Park, which was extremely controversial. The stories are told by the activists themselves, activists whose ghosts continue to haunt the streets and corners of this city and school. I have been enamored with the sixties since I first discovered the Beats as a kid. In fact, this is probably the reason I wanted to attend Berkeley for undergraduate (I wound up at UC Santa Cruz instead). Upon graduation, I moved to berkeley to be with some friends. Living in that city was a trip. My apartment was blocks from People’s Park. I walked by it on a regular basis, on my way to bookstores or a coffeeshop. It felt like I was living in a part of the past that I had always worshiped.

Commune — Jonathan Berman – In 1968, a group of people founded the Black Bear Ranch Commune, located on a large piece of property in Siskiyou County, Northern California. The purchase of the land was funded by popular rock musicians of the time, and the ranch slogan was “free land for free people.” It was a random group of people, all looking for an alternative living situation; looking to get as far away from the U.S. government as possible. Eventually, the original group (including actor Peter Coyote) left the commune, but new generations have continued to carry on the spirit of living on the land. In 1987, the ranch was adopted as a trust, protecting it from any form of development. If you happen to give this movie a go, you must watch the special feature interview with Coyote. He is well-spoken and passionate, a perfect example of the general mindset that existed on this particular piece of land at this particular time. Watching this documentary makes you want to throw your laptop into the ocean and run for South America.