#East Bay California

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

ON THIS DAY IN JUVENILE DELINQUENCY -- STRAIGHT OUTTA OAKLAND.

PIC INFO: Spotlight on a mugshot of a young car thief, apprehended, arrested, and booked in Oakland, California, on Saint Valentine's Day, 1957.

"Your whole life, is comin' apart at the seams, You ain't nothin' but a car thief bitin' routines."

-- "Car Thief" (1989) by the BEASTIE BOYS

Source: www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/qikh2.

[macrolit]

So sad for the owners and book lovers in the East Bay.

[strangebiology]

Hike in Morgan Territory.

[odinsblog]

“How do you enjoy life as the world burns? When the planet is on fire, and the country is falling apart, and the cops shoot another teenager, and half your neighbors are getting evicted or deported, and Bill Maher is still speaking out loud on television, what do you do? I go to the water park with my nephew Miles.

Miles is 12 years old. He is a brilliant, bow-legged troublemaker. I love him despite the fact that he's 12 and still has a rat tail. It's really not that cute anymore, dude. We're not related by blood, but Miles' dad, Kevin, is like a brother to me. So Miles calls me Uncle Josh.

Uncle Josh, when are we going to the Warriors game? Uncle Josh, will you show me how to open that car with a hanger again? Uncle Josh, Uncle Josh, since I'm half Black and half Asian, does that make me Blazian? No, Miles, that makes you Oakland.

It's August, and it's hot, which for the Bay Area, means anything above 67. Today, it's 91. I'm over at Kevin and Miles' place, sitting in no AC, in our tank tops and boxers, watching Key and Peele.

I say, guys, we gotta go somewhere to cool off. Cooler than the movie theater, cooler than the mall, I'm gonna take us to East Bay's water world. Miles' face lights up. But then Kevin says, I don't know you guys. I mean, those water parks, you know, they're so wasteful.

My man Kevin is the worst kind of Bay Area environmentalist. He's that type of dude who will come over your house and use the bathroom, not flush, but instead write a note on your toilet paper telling you how much water he just saved you. That's a true story.

I say, Kevin, it's so hot out here, I could fry an egg on your face, which I will if we don't go to East Bay Water World. Miles says, please dad. I say, please dad.

Kevin says, fine. Go have fun at the park, but take my car. It's a hybrid.

I grab the keys and soon me and Miles are driving through Oakland. We pass by the Trilingual Liquor Store, the farmer's market that accepts food stamps and we make our way through the tunnel and the hills. We emerge on the other side in the valley.

The further we get from the coast, the ground is drier and drier, browner and browner. The only green is the manicured lawns of the suburbs, the golf courses, the empty field of the sprawling county jail. And then we see it and we arrive at our Mecca, our oasis in the California desert, East Bay Water World. And it's even more beautiful than I imagined. There's four wave pools, there's a 50-foot water park, the air smells like chlorine and sunscreen and funnel cake. Delicious.

Miles' mouth is wide, staring at all these things he's never seen before. Carnival games, Dippin Dots, girls in bikinis, Uncle Josh, this place is awesome. I know, Miles. I know.

We go and we jump in the wave pool, we float down the lazy river, we spin through the whitewater rapids until we're totally drenched, grinning ear to ear and surprisingly thirsty. So I go to the funnel cake vendor for something to drink.

Can I get a bottle of water, please? He says, no problem. That'll be $7. $7 for a bottle of water? He looks at the bottle. It says, and he literally read off the bottle, it says this here is bottled and purified up near Lake Tahoe.

This is California water. California water. I buy two bottles and walk back to where Miles is pointing up towards the sky. I follow his gaze and then I see it. There, staring down at us from the tallest point in the park is the biggest water slide I've ever seen. The tallest slide in Northern California, the Annihilator.

The Annihilator is a seven-story, 80-foot freefall drop down all in just under five seconds. It's one of those slides that's so vertical, your back comes off the ride when you go down, so you feel like if you lean over just a little bit, you're done. It's the type of slide that's illegal in 27 states and most of the European Union, but hey, this is California.

I look and see Miles. His mouth is watering in anticipation. We go and get in line.

Now, the worst part of the Annihilator isn't the ride down. That's only five seconds. The worst part is the 30-minute wait in line, standing in the stairs watching and hearing every kid go down the slide, hearing every scream, every shriek, every, oh, sweet baby, Purple Jesus. The That's a direct quote from a nine-year-old. Shout out to Purple Jesus.

Miles is nervous. His hand is clenching the railing. Uncle Josh, is this thing safe?

Before I can answer, I hear a voice shouting from the top of the stairs, Hands up! Put your hands up!

Hands up!

It's the lifeguard, a tall white teenager in red shorts. He's yelling at the girl about to go down the slide. I'm telling you, it's way more fun if you put your hands up.

And the words hit me like a tsunami. It's August, two weeks after Ferguson, after Mike Brown. After those words, hands up became the calling cry for a movement.

In Missouri, people are putting their hands up to protest the police murdering another black boy in America. In California, I'm watching kids put their hands up as they go down a water slide called the Annihilator, and my nephew asks me if it's safe here. It's August in America.

In Detroit, they're shutting off poor people's water. California is suffocating of thirst. Half of my friends are putting buckets of ice over their faces on Facebook. Israel is bombing water treatment plants in Gaza, and in America, we have water parks in the desert. Industrial Almond Farms in the desert, prisons in the desert, my family, me and my nephew right here in the desert looking for anything that could be called an oasis. And Miles asked me if it's safe here.

What am I supposed to tell him?

I don't want to lie to my nephew. I want him to know that yes, some people will always see him as a threat, but I also want him to laugh and play and go get on this crazy ass waterslide.

How do you enjoy life as the world is burning? How do you teach your nephew to hate the park but love the ride? The thing is called the Annihilator. I think it might be trying to tell us something.

And now we're next in line. A girl with blonde pigtails is shaking her head. The lifeguard says, it's okay, you don't have to do it.

She backs away and now Miles is up.

He steps to the edge of the slide, puts his feet in the rushing water.

I can see the brown hills in the distance, Oakland and all its beautiful contradictions waiting on the other side. I wave at Miles, say, you got this. You got this, dude.

And he waves back at me, and when he does, he lets go of the railing. His hand shoots up in the air and the rushing water carries him away. He lets go. He shoots out and disappears over the edge. My nephew!

I rush to the side and look over, and there's Miles at the bottom of the slide, safe and alive and pulling up his bathing suit. He jumps up and runs to get back in line, and the cycle continues. Water, blood, life, death, and maybe rebirth.

I'm still on the top platform of the slide.

I walk to the edge, look down at California, lift my hands, and let go.”

—Mr. Josh Healey

[cpleblow]

Lake Anza

Tilden Park in East Bay Hills

©cpleblow (2016)

[atlasandacamera]

Christie Road near Oakland, CA

[hrsrabbitcenter]

(Concord/Pleasant Hill, San Francisco Bay Area, CA) Meet 2Tone and Mocha! These two cuties are brothers from the same litter and have been inseparable since birth. They're on the lookout for a new loving home, and it's essential that they stay together. 2Tone and Mocha are playful, sweet, and a bit shy, but once they get to know you and receive plenty of treats and snacks, they warm up in no time.

Their absolute favorite foods include bananas, radishes, and bok choy, but honestly, they love all types of veggies! These adorable brothers have always been indoor rabbits, enjoying the freedom to roam around their current family’s living room and having daily playtime in a large folding playpen. They are litterbox trained and love playing with each other and their mom’s package boxes.

The rabbits are located near the Concord/Pleasant Hill area right now but could be driven to their new home, depending on the location. They have been so well-loved for over a year and a half that they come with blankets, a bag of hay, litter, and dry pellets. If you think you will be able to take care of a bonded pair, we’re sure they would love to meet you! Their home rehoming fee is $40. Email Ashley at freestying26@gmail.com to get in touch.

Let's find them a wonderful new home together!

[adriannalogue]

south berkeley — july 2024

[c4fin4t3d-f1sh]

Hey!! Trying to start an alterhuman pack! I want to host meetups and howls 'n shit like that. This would mostly be for tweens and teens, youngest age being 12 please. I can make a Google Classroom, but unfortunately I do not have discord.

Would mostly just be hanging out and adventuring. We could host Google meets and voice calls spread through the week. Quads aren't required AT ALL! I personally barely do quads.

So, would any alterhuman from west Cali want to start a pack?

[wingedjewels]

White-tailed Kite by bubble_boy Via Flickr: California East Bay Bay Area San Francisco USA Nature Birds Wildlife Photography Travel Wild Trails ebparksok

[catdotjpeg]

A15 Economic Blockade: Fremont, CA TESLA SHUT DOWN 🔻 Pro Palestine Bay area residents shut down one of the largest TESLA manufacturing sites in California and the most productive automobile manufacturer in the country, making it a major point of production in the economy which is why we SHUT IT DOWN and demand the end to TESLA'S continual funding of genocide. Elon pledges and donates to Israel and Tesla funds the IOF, a terrorist organization that is responsible for the murder of over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza and continue profiting off of genocide. Tesla also relies on minerals extracted in the DRC for its EV rechargeable batteries, it is also significantly involved in the ongoing genocide in the Congo, where the relentless pursuit of the region's resources has led to forced child labor, environmental devastation, and militia violence.

-- Photos by Jack Molmud, caption by the.people.for.palestine, 16 Apr 2024

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

The East Bay Dragons, the first black bikers’ club, Oakland, California, 1960s

[bay-views]

[grusik]

FACT by STILSAYN

[andfinallywecansee]

[simonh]

Aristotle's Cage by Thomas Hawk