So maybe nobody is going to quit a day job and become a sushi chef, but the dozen or so people who spent three hours yesterday taking a sushi-making class at Sur La Table did get the hang of the process by the end. 

I certainly won’t quit my job, given the difficulty I had at first while attempting to make a California roll. 

California Sushi Academy director Phillip Yi visited the store on Fourth Street to teach two lessons Thursday. People signed up for the class for various reasons; some for fun, one woman because she wants to expand the food at her catering business, one wants to teach her high school students the technique, and me, because my editor sent me. 

Yi, who has been working at the Sushi Academy in Venice, Calif. since it opened two years ago, made the preparation look simple.  

He began by discussing the recent popularity of sushi, especially in California where dancing chefs and rock and roll sushi bars lure people to restaurants. Believe it or not, traditional sushi bars in Japan don’t have either of these attractions. 

“In Japan, when you go to a sushi bar, (the menu) changes regularly, depending on the season,” Yi said to the class. “Here when you go to a sushi bar, you expect to see certain things on the menu every time, but they have exotic things in Japan.” 

Luckily for the class, we got to stick to making popular American-style rolls, things we had at least seen and tasted before. 

Yi told us that Japanese food is all about color and presentation. With that, we got out our sticky rice and seaweed and struggled as we made our first California rolls. I have seen dozens of chefs make sushi, and while I admit it doesn’t look very simple, it looks easy enough to pick up and have some success without too much practice. 

I was wrong. 

The rice stuck to my hands better than it did to the imitation crab meat, and when I cut into my first roll to make smaller pieces, avocado and cucumber shot out each end. But I stuck with it, as did the rest of the class, and eventually we had results we weren’t too shy to show off. 

Yi also showed us how to make cucumber rolls, Nigiri sushi and handrolls. And as the course moved on, the results got better. 

“I am really proud of this one,” Rose Wallace said as she placed her second cucumber roll on a plate. “That’s the best one so far.” 

During the class, Yi made sushi, walked the beginners through each step, showed how to make rice that is sticky enough for sushi, gave preparation tips, and recommended some of the better sushi bars in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. 

“This is just a fun thing, nothing serious, everybody having a good time,” Yi said of the three-hour-long class, which he also teaches from time to time in Southern California.  

The California Sushi Academy is the only registered school of Japanese culinary arts in the United States. Over 55 full-time students attend the academy, where they can complete the Basic Course in three months and the Professional Course in another three months. 

“People that take our six-month course are very serious,” he said. “They are spending a lot of money and time to learn to become a sushi chef or to incorporate it into their restaurant.” 

Wallace said that her catering business in Sacramento will begin to serve sushi, but most of Thursday’s students will only use what they learned to make sushi at home on occasion. Some had plans to hold a sushi party as soon as this weekend. 

Richard Dawson of Fremont said he will probably not make sushi right away, “but eventually I will make some.” 

As for me, perhaps I will make sushi at home some day. But like I said, I’m not quitting my day job.

Friday, August 4

“Schubert Songs” with Baker  

Lake 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

644-6107 

“Human Nature” 

8:30 p.m. 

New College Cultural Center 

766 Valencia, SF 

Watch or participate in an idyllic nude ritual of groupbody which reconnects us to a merged mindset. Put on by X-plicit Players. 

Ticket: $12 

848-1985. 

www.xplicitplayers.com 

“Antarctica and the Breath of  

Seals” 

8 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

The Fireside Room 

2727 College Ave. 

Come for this one hour slide show and talk that describes Berkeley writer Lucy Jane Bledsoe’s adventure on “The Ice.” The program is a benefit for The Marine Mammal Center. 

Admission: $5-$25 donations on a sliding scale. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. 

526-6291 

Project Underground 

6-9 p.m. 

1916A MLK Jr. Way 

Come join Project Under for its Fourth Happy Birthday Party. Project Underground is working to support human rights of communities resisting mining and oil exploitation. RSVP to 705-8981 ext. 8 

Saturday, August 5

“Wild about Books” 

10:30 a.m. 

Berkeley Public Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

Live storytelling and music. Storyteller Muriel Johnson of Abatomi Storytelling will tell magical stories from around the world. 

“Kezurou-Kai” 

1 p.m.-6 p.m. 

Finnish Britherhood Hall 

1970 Chestnut St. 

Japanese wood working. Carpenters, woodworkers and toolmakers come to Berkeley to show saw, plane and chisel sharpening. Fee: $20 

Due to limited space, only 100 people per day will be admitted. Early registration is advised. 

524-3700 

Weed Warriors Wanted 

9 a.m. 

Marina Blvd. and Spinnaker Way 

Stop yellow-star thistle from taking over Cesar Chavez and the Eastshore State Parks on Berkeley's waterfront. Join Weed Warriors and the California Native Plant Society East Bay Restoration Team in pulling out the spiny invaders. Wear long pants and sleeves; bring heavy gloves if you have them. Sponsored by the California Native Plant Society. For information call 848 9358 or email noahbooker@yahoo.com 

“Human Nature” 

8:30 p.m. 

New College Cultural Center 

766 Valencia, SF 

Watch or participate in an idyllic nude ritual which reconnects us to a merged mindset. Put on by X-plicit Players. 

Ticket: $12 

848-1985. 

www.xplicitplayers.com 

Concert at the Ali Akbar  

College of Music 

7:30 p.m. 

Ali Akbar College of Music 

215 West End Ave., San Rafael 

Shweta Jhaveri, vocal, Ravi Gutala, tabla, Arun Ranade, harmonium will perform in concert. 

Tickets: $20 General / $15 AACM Members and non-AACM Students $8 AACM Students 

415-454-6264 

Sunday, August 6

First Church Worship 

11:00 a.m. 

The Chapel at Pacific School of 

Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave in Berkeley. 

Come for the first worship service for the newly-formed East Bay Community Church. 

An innovative spiritual community is forming to explore a new way of “doing church” in the East Bay. This new community is seeking affiliation with three denominations which have not formally collaborated before: the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, the United Church of Christ, and the Disciples of Christ. This bridge-building church has roots in the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgendered communities. 

“Kezurou-Kai” 

12:30 p.m.-5 p.m. 

Finnish Brotherhood Hall 

1970 Chestnut St. 

Japanese wood working. Carpenters, woodworkers and toolmakers come to Berkeley to show saw, plane and chisel sharpening. Fee: $20 

Due to limited space, 100 people per day will be admitted. Early registration is advised. 

524-3700 

“Dr. Seuss on the Loose!” 

3 p.m. 

Pacific Film Archive 

2575 Bancroft Way @ Bowditch 

Recommenced for ages 4 and above.  

Dr. Seuss from A to Z. Lots of characters will appear anew including the Cat in the Hat and Horton too. 

Tickets: $4 

642-5249 

Family Workshop: “A Sense of Place” 

2-4 p.m.  

Oakland Museum of California 

10th and Oak Streets, Oakland 

A museum artist leads a workshop in creating landscape drawings inspired by your personal view of nature. Space is limited. Call for reservations. 

238-3818 

Green Party Consensus  

Building Meeting 

6 p.m. 

2022 Blake St. 

This is part of an ongoing series of discussions for the Green Party of Alameda County, leading up to endorsements on measures and candidates on the November ballot. The meeting is open to all, regardless of party affiliation. 

415-789-8418 

Monday, August 7

Sewing with Grace Narimatsu 

9 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

644-6107 

Tuesday, August 8

Introduction to Reiki with Teji 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

644-6107

“Terminator” plants cannot spread and sterilize 

Editor: 

I appreciated the sober reporting in the Aug. 3 story, “Group questions genetically altered food.” I was at the Organic Consumers Association meeting described, and part of the lively debate that ensued. Innman’s report gave good, balanced coverage, but I have one correction and one essential point that need to be made. 

Correction: Petra Frey is accidentally purported to have worked for a company, “Englepotrykus.” There is no such company, rather she worked in the laboratory of Dr. Ingo Potrykus, in a public sector research institution where ‘Golden Rice’ was developed. 

Point: Much (but not all) of the concern over agricultural biotechnology is rooted in misunderstanding and illogic. A quote from the story exemplifies this, “They are concerned that pollen from the (terminator) crop could drift... until all plants become sterile.” 

So-called ‘terminator’ technology makes the engineered plant sterile. This means that it is incapable of pollenating anything successfully. The ‘terminator’ technology has a scary name given to it by a RAFI (Rural Advancement Foundation International) activist. 

However, by definition it prevents the spread of genes to other plants. This makes it not only impossible for other plant populations to become sterilized, but would prevent the so-called ‘genetic pollution’ that concerns are voiced about. 

Matt Metz 

UC Berkeley 

Writer needs to know history 

Editor: 

Reviewing John Fisher’s new comedy “Cleopatra: the Musical,” John Angell Grant writes that Caesar and Cleopatra “have a son named Caesarion. That is the level of the play’s humor.” 

Excuse me, but Caesar and Cleopatra did have a son named Caesarion. 

You may not like Fisher’s sense of humor, but you can’t fault his knowledge of history. 

Steven Saylor 

Berkeley

English playwright Tom Stoppard is best known as co-author of the fascinating and hilarious film “Shakespeare in Love,” which transfixed much of the theater world a couple of years ago and for which he won an Academy Award. 

On Saturday, California Shakespeare Festival opened an imaginative and largely successful production of Stoppard’s most famous stageplay, the 1966 existential comedy “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” an ingenious reworking of selected material from Shakespeare’s tragedy “Hamlet.” 

In turning pieces of the world’s most famous tragedy into a bawdy, slapstick comedy, Stoppard’s flashy intellectual drama takes two minor characters from “Hamlet” – Rosencrantz and Guildenstern – and fleshes out their story. 

In Shakespeare’s play, the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are old childhood friends of Hamlet whom his murderous uncle Claudius summons to court when Hamlet starts behaving suspiciously. Claudius bribes the two ineffectual former school chums to spy on Hamlet, and report back to him. 

But Hamlet turns the tables on his old pals at the end of the play, and they are executed in a case of mistaken identity. 

In Stoppard’s play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two quintessential anti-heroes, like characters out of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot.” In the banter back and forth between the two, they also bear some resemblance to Laurel and Hardy. 

In the play’s opening scene, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are gambling by flipping a coin. The coin comes up heads more than 90 times in a row, and two ponder the meaning of the laws of probability, and consider whether or not it is possible to violate those laws. 

That sets the tone for the play, which Cal Shakes artistic director Jonathan Moscone, who directed this production, describes as “two characters wandering into an imaginary landscape, and then getting run over by it.” 

The Cal Shakes production has its ups and downs. Strong scenes alternate with less strong scenes. At times on opening night, the show seemed like it hadn’t quite pulled itself together, and might still be a performance or two away from hitting full stride. 

For example, the opening coin-flipping scene between the two leads was slow and seemed to lack a focus. It never really caught fire. 

The production really heated up, however, in the following scene when the Players from Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” arrive. 

The Players are an important part of “Hamlet.” Their re-enactment, at Hamlet’s instruction, of his father’s murder, unmasks a killer. 

In Stoppard’s play, when the Players meet Rosencrantz and Guildenstern on the road, a witty discussion ensues about the reality and unreality of theater, and the relationship between pornography and classic art. As the lead player, Patrick Kerr steals this scene. 

Although the Cal Shakes production tic-tocs back and forth between strong and less strong scenes, many aspects of Moscone’s staging are thoughtful and complex. 

There are lots of physical bits between Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that punctuate and clarify their on-going existential intellectual debate. 

This is an energetic physical production that, although it is not a musical, makes use of a choreographer (K.T. Nelson) to help the actors with skips, jumps, hops, leaps and silly walks built into a staging that at times has the feel of a clown show. 

The lead performances are good, except both Sam Catlin (Rosencrantz) and Liam Craig (Guildenstern) feel the need to take on somewhat artificial-sounding English accents in the characters. This isn’t necessary, any more than it is necessary in American productions of Shakespeare.  

Craig’s Guildenstern had, for example, a lower class accent that would not fit with his being the boyhood friend of a prince. 

On one occasion he pronounced the word “glad” to rhyme with “rod.” That’s not a correct British pronunciation. 

The not-quite-authentic accents are just a distraction. 

Scenic designer Christopher Akerlind employs the same set that the company used for its last show “Hamlet,” but instead of painting it morbid black, he has painted it bright red and dayglo green. When the Players make their first appearance on stage, it is in an old red VW bug convertible. 

Meg Neville’s costumes are also red and green (red for Rosencrantz and green for Guildenstern), except that the colors are reversed, with Rosencrantz wearing green, and Guildenstern wearing red – a commentary on how other characters in the play repeatedly get the two mixed up. 

Sound designer Garth Hemphill’s Fellini-esque carnival music sets an appropriate tone at the start of the play. 

Says Guildenstern just before their deaths, “There must have been a moment, at the beginning, where we could have said no. But somehow we missed it.” 

“Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” plays Tuesday through Sunday, through Aug. 19, at Bruns Amphitheater in Orinda. There is plenty of free parking, and a free shuttle from the Orinda BART station. For tickets call 548-9666, or visit the website (www.calshakes.org). Dress warmly.

EVENTS 

The Fourth Annual Dragon Boat Festival 

Estuary, Jack London Square, Oakland 

Aug. 12 and Aug. 13, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.  

“Dragon 21” is the ceremonial dragon boat races featuring world-class recreational, coed and youth teams. Free. 

452-4272 or www.edragons.org 

MUSIC 

Ashkanaz 

Cajun Coyotes, Aug. 8, 9 p.m. $8. 

Thomas Mapfumo and The Blacks Unlimited, Aug. 9, 9 p.m. $15. 

Grateful Dead DJ Nite with Digital Dave, Aug. 10, 10 p.m. $5. 

Trance Mission, Aug. 11, 9:30 p.m. $11. 

California Cajun Orchestra, Aug. 12, 9:30 p.m. $11. 

Flamenco Open Stage, Aug. 13, 7:30 p.m. $8. 

For all ages. 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley.  

Call 525-5099 or  

www.ashkenaz.com 

Boarders Books and Music 

5820 Shellmound, Everyville 

Aug. 12, 2-4 p.m. 

Jazz Singers’ Collective featuring Marya Ashworth, Vicki Burns, Kathy Freeburg, Jocelyn Pou-Rivera, Felice York, and Mark Little on Piano.  

Call: 654-1633 

Jazz Singer’s Collective 

Anna’s 

1801 Univeristy Ave. 

Aug. 17, 8 p.m. 

Mark Little on piano.  

Call: 849-2662. 

Freight and Salvage 

1111 Addison St. 

Keith Terry and Crosspulse, Aug. 9. $14.50 to $15.50. 

Henry Kaiser and Mike Keneally, Aug. 10. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Kelly Joe Phelps, Aug. 11. $15.50 to $16.50.  

Margie Adams, Aug. 12. $15.50 to $16.50.  

Eric and Suzy Thompson, Aug. 13. $14.50 to $15.50.  

Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. , Berkeley.  

Call: 548-1761 or 762-BASS. 

EXHIBITS 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive, University of California 

“Kites and Culture: The Spirit of Indonesia,” through Aug. 20.  

A rare exhibit of art kites and cultural artifacts from Indonesia. 

“Experiment Gallery” through Sept. 10. Come an step inside a giant laboratory and experiment with scientific concepts surrounding things like sound, light, mechanics, electricity, and weather. 

Summer Science Funday: 

Kites Kaleidoscope, Aug. 9, noon - 2 p.m.  

Learn how to make your own kites as you get the lowdown on aerodynamics. 

“Son de la Tierra Mexican Music and Dancing,” Aug. 6, 12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.  

642-5134 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

Helen Nestor: Personal and Political Exhibition Opening 

August 17 

Opening reception honoring Berkeley photographer Helen Nestor. Series of images documenting the Free Speech Movement, the ‘60s civil rights marches, and women’s issues—all seen with a direct, probing eye. Reception for the artist 4-6 p.m. Exhibition on view through Oct. 15, 2000. Included with museum admission. 

READINGS 

Poetry at Cody’s, Telegraph Avenue 

Aug. 2: 7:30 p.m. Contributors Reading for The Haiku Anthology with Garry Gay, Jerry Kilbridge, Vincent Trippi, and Michael Dylan Welch.  

Aug. 9: 7:30 PM Joseph Di Prisco & Dean Young 

Aug.13: 7:30 PM Janice M. Gale & Noel Peattie  

THEATER 

San Francisco Mime Troupe.  

Aug. 5 and 6, Live Oak Park 

Aug 26 Mosswood Park, Oakland 

Aug. 27 Francis Willard/Ho Chi Minh Park.  

“Eating It,” looks at the specter of market-driven genetic engineering. All shows start at 2 p.m. with live music starting at 1:30 p.m. Call: 415-285-1717 or visit www.sfmt.org

Threatened by a fire in a nearby building, fifteen people were forced from their apartments in an early morning blaze on Telegraph Avenue Thursday.  

A neighbor reported the fire at 3:42 a.m. The fire was under control in just under an hour, at 4:30 a.m., said Deputy Fire Chief Debra Pryor. 

The blaze started at the south end of the Karim Cycle building on the 2800 block of Telegraph Avenue, spread to the attic of the business and moved toward the neighboring building.  

Firefighters say they think they know the origin of the blaze. 

“At this time we believe that fire was caused by a discarded object, such as a cigarette,” Pryor said. 

Five fire engines, two fire trucks, two ambulances, and one piece of support equipment were dispatched to the scene of the two- alarm fire that caused about $80,000 in damage to Kiram Cycle and the adjacent buildings, Pryor said.  

The 15 people who had to be evacuated live in a nearby four-plex which is south of Karim Cycle. “The fire was threatening their building,” Pryor said. 

The bike shop owner, Adlai Karim, at first did not believe that a cigarette started the fire. 

“At first I assumed it was arson, but it could have just been a cigarette thrown in the corner,” said Karim, while cleaning up the pile of burned and blackened wood and insulation on the street outside his shop. 

“I’m contemplating having a fire sale,” he said. 

The business was open on Thursday even through the store had suffered fire damage.

Frank Caramagno says he’s willing to take a loss in business for the greater good. 

Standing in front of the barber shop at 2018 University Avenue he’s owned for 38 years smoking a cigar and, instead of cutting hair, watching workers pour cement, he said: “Not having as much work is fine, as long as it’s not like this all the time. It’s the lack of parking that’s disruptive to business.” 

The University Avenue makeover, underway since the beginning of June, has caused Caramagno’s Barber Shop business to drop by what he estimated to be about 35 percent, mostly because the construction is taking place in front of his shop where patrons would be parking.  

Workers are building a new crosswalk, ripping up the sidewalk to plant Red Sunset maple trees and to install new lighting, and making improvements to the existing sidewalks as part of a $4 million downtown improvement project paid for by the passage of Measure S in November of 1996.  

Scheduled to be completed in September, the University Avenue beautification will likely help business along University from Milvia Street to Oxford Street. 

“It’ll be fine when it’s done, it’ll be an improvement,” he says.  

Last year, the City Council adopted the plan to install new pedestrian lighting, plant 39 new trees and improve the crosswalks along the three block stretch. 

Art is planned for the median strip along University Avenue from Martin Luther King Jr. Way to Oxford Street that could range from planting arrangements to sculptures. A panel of judges will hire an artist chosen from a list of artists to create the $50,000 rendering. 

“It’s so open to creativity, we don’t know what to expect,” Civic Arts Coordinator Mary Ann Merker-Benton said. 

New pedestrian-oriented lights are also being installed at the University Avenue and Shattuck Avenue crosswalk similar to those at Shattuck Avenue and Addison Street. The lights are based on ones that were set up around town at the turn of the century, said the city’s Downtown Coordinator Michael Caplan. 

Caplan also said the city plans to install several new 24-foot light standards that will replace the overhanging cobra-head lights currently used. 

New wheelchair ramps and lights set up at the mid-block crosswalk on University Avenue between Shattuck Avenue and Milvia Street should help drivers see pedestrians. 

Caramagno said the last time such a makeover took place along the block was back in 1967 when they changed the parking from diagonal parking to curbside parking. 

He said he mostly looks forward to the planting of the trees – all deciduous, canopy trees. 

“It’ll be better than the one tree we have,” Caramagno said.

Hayden Perry, 85, died early Wednesday as a result of a fall in the courtyard of his home at Redwood Gardens, a senior citizens’ residence on Derby Street. 

Born in England, Mr. Perry was a lifelong political activist, a union organizer for the Typographical Union and writer. He penned a recent “perspective” piece in the Daily Planet in opposition to the death penalty. 

He came to the U.S. in 1929 and during the hard times of the ‘thirties, worked as a printer and typographer when he could, riding the rails and traveling in search of work when he couldn’t. 

He was a familiar figure in Berkeley, riding his bicycle to meetings and taking it on trains to attend demonstrations all over the Bay Area or going to Sacramento to testify on behalf of a wide range of left causes. Last year, he went to Seattle to join protests against the World Trade Organization. 

On the day before he died, Mr. Perry had been working at the Berkeley headquarters of the Gray Panthers and planning his next project. 

Mr. Perry’s friends at Redwood Gardens are planning a memorial for him, but have not yet set a date.

Mayor Shirley Dean met with area merchants Thursday to talk shop at what the Downtown Berkeley Association likes to call the bi-weekly “DBA Merchant Chat.” 

Fresh from trip to the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Chicago, Dean shared some knowledge she picked up in the windy city at the gathering at Campus Cafe, at 2074 University Ave.  

“I was amazed to see the diversity of business in downtown Chicago,” she said. 

She said that in an effort to make chain stores mix with independent stores, Chicago doesn’t allow chains to build new stores downtown, but rather occupy existing storefronts, right next to independents. 

“I don’t know if this would work for Berkeley, but its worth looking at,” she said. 

The mayor also expressed her concern that the city gives very little assistance to small businesses.  

She is encouraging a hands-on program called “Project America,” that assists small businesses with management and other concerns, to come to Berkeley and conduct a forum. 

She also said that she was considering asking local newspapers to, perhaps, run features on area business owners to help “put a (human) face on businesses.” 

Several business people brought up the parking issue, to which Dean replied that she agrees that there needs to be more parking. 

A traffic demand study will be coming out this fall. 

In an effort to keep the 3,500 Berkeley High School students from disrupting area business at lunchtime, while allowing businesses to continue reaping the revenue the students provide, Dean announced that the school district accepted a city proposition for area restaurants to provide food service on campus. 

“And only Berkeley merchants will take part,” she said. 

In the fall, the mayor plans to hold a small business symposium to address several key things to improve businesses in Berkeley. 

“We need to let business people and customers know that the downtown isn’t crime-ridden and we need to bring back a sense of excitement to downtown, Telegraph, Solano and College.”

Noah Rollins hasn’t taken a sick day from work in ten years, but on Wednesday, he left his post as a cook in the dietary department at Alta Bates Hospital to stand with dozens of chanting protesters outside. Carrying a sign reading, “No subcontracting!” he simply said, “I want job security and a better pension plan.” 

“People who did the same work as me lost their jobs when their work was sub-contracted out. Six months later, they were re-hired but lost 20 years of seniority,” said Rollins. 

Sheryn Wiseman, a mental health worker for adolescents at Alta Bates, said that she is often afraid of untrained or inadequate staff trying to handle patients overcome by “commanding hallucinations.” 

“We’re so highly acute on our floors, we need adequate, experienced staffing for combative patients. We’ve often had to do without staff rather than call in more. I always check to see who else is on the floor when management asks me to take an overtime shift. It would be nice to have this addressed in our contracts.” 

Job security and participation in staff hiring are only two demands on a long list for which an estimated 3,500 health workers are striking.  

But Alta Bates management tells a different story. Spokesperson Carolyn Kemp argues that union leadership is pushing its own agenda “that has little to do with patient care.”  

“(Workers) want lifetime jobs, and no one gets that,” she said. 

Patients are paying for the strike, Kemp said. The strikers have disturbed patients trying to rest, but they have not disrupted any hospital’s operations. 

The two-day strikes at eight Bay Area hospitals came after negotiations between Service Employees International Union Local 250 and Alta Bates-Summit management broke down. According to Alan Dunbar, field representative for Local 250, negotiations on July 31 and Aug.1 lasted into the early morning hours, with no progress made. 

“Yesterday, I sat alone in a meeting room for eight and a half hours, waiting for a proposal from the management team,” he said. Since then, negotiations have been placed in the hands of federal mediators. 

It is the second strike in the last month by the licensed vocational nurses, psychiatric technicians, nursing assistants, and dietary and mental health workers represented by SEIU Local 250. Picketers have staked out both Alta Bates’ main campus on Ashby Avenue and its psychiatric ward on Haste Street.  

Kemp places blame for the stalemate squarely on Local 250. “We have met with them over 20 times. We’ve settled with three other major unions in our hospitals.” 

While the first strike forced the cancellation of elective surgeries, largely due to a number of registered nurses joining the picketers, provisions were made to insure that no such disruptions would take place this time, Kemp said. 

“Our first concern is for our patients, so we made sure that 93 to 95 percent of our nurses are in the hospitals now. They no longer support the strike. We also brought in replacement staff where they are needed.” she said. 

Dunbar detailed the union’s demands.  

“We’re not trying to get lifetime jobs. We’re striking for safe staffing, retirement with dignity, and employment and income security. We’re willing to go back to the table in two years,” he said. “Alta Bates has made profits of over eight million a year for the last three years now, so why are they planning to cut jobs and save money now? If they were really about patient care, they’d add staff now to increase the number of people who can serve patients. As it is, every hospital is understaffed.” 

Since Alta Bates and Summit merged in 1999, services have shifted, Dunbar said. Workers complain that when they are re-hired at the new facility, their seniority does not transfer. They lose their pension plans and have to start over as if newly hired.  

But Jill Gruen, hospital spokesperson for Alta Bates- Summit said the argument is specious. There are no plans to cut jobs or employees. 

“We are here to preserve jobs, and the best way to do that is by creating strong institutions through consolidation. Because of a commitment to retraining and a policy of preferential hiring, very few, if any, jobs will be lost.” 

When asked if employees transferring from one hospital to the next would lose seniority however, Gruen said, “I don’t know the answer to that.” 

Ironically, while Alta Bates-Summit management and Local 250 officials carp for media coverage, those who have the most to lose are the strikers themselves.  

Noah Rollins strikes for job security, but he remains fearful that striking today could affect his job security down the road. 

“To be honest, this strike kind of puts us workers in the middle, between the union and management. I hope supporting our cause won’t affect my ability to continue working here,” said Rollins, looking over his shoulder at the hospital he has worked in for more than 20 years. 

“I just wish there was a way to keep working while negotiations continued. But,” he said, pausing, “I’ll be here as long as it takes.” Then he rejoins the protesters chanting before the concrete façade of Alta Bates.

Thursday, August 3

Community Dance Party 

7:45 p.m.-9:45 p.m. 

A Community Dance Party sponsored by Berkeley Folk Dancers. Dance instruction included with admission. 

Ticket are $2 for teens, and $4 for adult non-members. 

“Great Sierra Backpacking  

Destinations” 

7 p.m.  

REI 

1338 San Pablo Ave 

In tonight’s slide presentation Karen Najarian will take you on some extraordinary four- to seven-day backpacking trips. Come find out how to make the most of your summer adventures with Karen’s expert tips on back-country travel.  

527-7377 

Movie: “The Women He  

Loves” 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

This movies tells the story of the Duke and Duchess Winsor. 

644-6107 

Tai Chi with Brian Umeki 

2 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

644-6107 

Community Environmental  

Advisory Commission 

2118 Milvia Street 

6 p.m. 

Lawrence Berkeley National Labs presentation on environmental restoration quarterly meeting by Iraj Javendal. 

7 p.m., regular meeting 

At the Planning and Development Department, second-floor conference room. 

Among the items to be discussed are a groundwater management plan, wood-burning restrictions, air monitoring, well survey, 2700 San Pablo Ave. Development and community concerns and more. 

Free computer class for  

seniors 

9:30-11:30 a.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

644-6109 

Friday, August 4

“Schubert Songs” with Baker  

Lake 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

644-6107 

“Human Nature” 

8:30 p.m. 

New College Cultural Center 

766 Valencia, SF 

Watch or participate in an idyllic nude ritual of groupbody which reconnects us to a merged mindset. Put on by X-plicit Players. 

Ticket: $12 

848-1985. 

www.xplicitplayers.com 

“Antarctica and the Breath of  

Seals” 

8 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

The Fireside Room 

2727 College Ave. 

Come for this one hour slide show and talk that describes Berkeley writer Lucy Jane Bledsoe’s adventure on “The Ice.” The program is a benefit for The Marine Mammal Center. 

Admission: $5-$25 donations on a sliding scale. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. 

526-6291 

Project Underground 

6-9 p.m. 

1916A MLK Jr. Way 

Come join Project Under for its 4th Happy Birthday Party. Project Underground is working to support human rights of communities resisting mining and oil exploitation. RSVP to 705-8981 ext. 8 

Saturday, August 5

“Wild about Books” 

10:30 a.m. 

Berkeley Public Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

Come for this live storytelling and music. Welcome storyteller Muriel Johnson of Abatomi Storytelling and hear magical stories from around the world. 

“Kezurou-Kai” 

1 p.m.-6 p.m. 

Finnish Britherhood Hall 

1970 Chestnut St. 

Japanese wood working. Carpenters, woodworkers and toolmakers come to Berkeley to show saw, plane and chisel sharpening. Fee: $20 

Due to limited space, only 100 people per day will be admitted. Early registration is advised. 

524-3700 

Weed Warriors Wanted 

9 a.m. 

Marina Blvd. and Spinnaker Way 

Stop yellow-star thistle from taking over Cesar Chavez and the Eastshore State Parks on Berkeley's waterfront. Join Weed Warriors and the California Native Plant Society East Bay Restoration Team in pulling out the spiny invaders. Wear long pants and sleeves; bring heavy gloves if you have them. Sponsored by the California Native Plant Society. For information call 848 9358 or email noahbooker@yahoo.com 

“Human Nature” 

8:30 p.m. 

New College Cultural Center 

766 Valencia, SF 

Watch or participate in an idyllic nude ritual which reconnects us to a merged mindset. Put on by X-plicit Players. 

Ticket: $12 

848-1985. 

www.xplicitplayers.com 

Concert at the Ali Akbar  

College of Music 

7:30 p.m. 

Ali Akbar College of Music 

215 West End Ave., San Rafael 

Come and see Shweta Jhaveri, vocal, Ravi Gutala, tabla, Arun Ranade, harmonium in concert. 

Tickets: $20 General / $15 AACM Members and non-AACM Students $8 AACM Students 

(415) 454 - 6264 

Sunday, August 6

First Church Worship 

11:00 a.m. 

The Chapel at Pacific School of 

Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave in Berkeley. 

Come for the first worship service for the newly-formed East Bay Community Church. 

“Kezurou-Kai” 

12:30 p.m.-5 p.m. 

Finnish Brotherhood Hall 

1970 Chestnut St. 

Japanese wood working. Carpenters, woodworkers and toolmakers come to Berkeley to show saw, plane and chisel sharpening. Fee: $20 

Due to limited space, 100 people per day will be admitted. Early registration is advised. 

524-3700 

“Dr. Seuss on the Loose!” 

3 p.m. 

Pacific Film Archive 

2575 Bancroft Way @ Bowditch 

Recommenced for ages 4 and above.  

Dr. Seuss from A to Z. Lots of characters will appear anew including the Cat in the Hat and Horton too. 

Tickets: $4 

642-5249 

Family Workshop: “A Sense  

of Place” 

2-4 p.m.  

Oakland Museum of California 

10th and Oak Streets, Oakland 

A museum artist leads a workshop in creating landscape drawings inspired by your personal view of nature. Space is limited. Call for reservations. 

238-3818 

Green Party Consensus  

Building Meeting 

6 p.m. 

2022 Blake St. 

This is part of an ongoing series of discussions for the Green Party of Alameda County, leading up to endorsements on measures and candidates on the November ballot. The meeting is open to all, regardless of party affiliation. 

415-789-8418 

Monday, August 7

Sewing with Grace Narimatsu 

9 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

644-6107 

Tuesday, August 8

Introduction to Reiki with Teji 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

644-6107 

Wednesday, August 9

“The Packing Book: Secrets 

of the Carry-On Traveler” 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop and Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Ave 

Judith Gilfors, author of “The Packing Book: Secrets of the Carry-On Traveler,” presents her popular demonstration on how to pack for three weeks, two climates in one manageable carry-on bag. 

843-3533 

Chinese Calligraphy with Mrs. Jou 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

644-6107

Bushed in California 

Editor: 

Yes, G.W. Bush has probably written off California. Republicans don't do well here, these days, probably because of our state Republicans. 

To me, the core group of today's Republican Party appears to consist of country club closet bigots, intolerant Christian evangelicals and executives of large corporations. I think of Republicans as anti-choice, pro-theocracy (evangelical Christian), anti-gay pro-monopoly, anti-environment and down on public transit (except for building more BART). 

Surprise: I don't plan to vote for any Republicans this November. My problem with G.W. Bush is not that he's a core-group Republican; I think he's just not a leader. Bush has no goals, no ideals – only constituents to please; he's a lot like his dad that way. 

This time, the Republicans rejected every real leader they had. I might even have voted for McCain. I think McCain lost the primary because the core group didn't think they could control him, like they can control Bush. 

Steve Geller 

Berkeley (registered Independent) 

Something rotten out west 

Editor: 

Northwest Berkeley has been invaded by the vomitous smell of beer making for the past three or so years. Bay Area Air Quality Management District, 1-800-334-6367, has constantly been informed and has got Pyramid Brewery to mitigate partially, its offense, and Golden State Brewery to SAY that it would. Whether it has or will I do not know. However, there is still regular production of the overpowering, sickening smell along Gilman and Camelia streets, even as far up as Sacramento, even as far over as Cedar, at varying strengths. 

The smell occludes the gorgeous garden smells that Berkeley is privileged to have. It is a disclosable factor for house sales in the area. While most people say it doesn't bother them, people will buy into the area and become disturbed at the unceasing event of sporadic, frequent interruption of pleasant smells by the wildly intrusive beer-making smell. With publication of the concern, further action might arise. 

I won't go into the speculation over how this was permitted. Berkeley City regards itself powerless to do anything about it and remains completely unresponsive to complaints about it. Too few people are complaining. However, since it does invade MY experience constantly - I live with open windows, unlike many who close themselves in - my complaint will have to go forward. 

And I submit this to let us know how the administration deals with us; that is, any way it feels like it under the rubric of bringing jobs to Berkeley. I'd like to research the sociological effects of that effort - but I have to work, in the stink. 

Norma J.F. Harrison 

Berkeley 

Little trust for Peralta board 

The Berkeley Daily Planet received this letter addressed to the Peralta Community College Board of Trustees: 

We are writing to express our appreciation for your recent vote regarding the new Vista facility. The vote is an important step, but it is still not sufficient to overcome the doubts of many college faculty, staff and community members about the board’s commitment to this project. We understand, of course, that board resolutions can be reversed by subsequent board resolutions. 

Old-time Berkeley residents still recall that similar pledges about a campus in the city were made and not fulfilled during the original Peralta bond campaign in the 1960s. More relevant for most current faculty members is the Measure B campaign in the early 1990s. After Chancellor Robert Scannel assured us that the college would get a fair share of Measure B funds, the bond was specifically written to exclude Vista. This breach of trust began a process that led to the deannexation drive. It also resulted in a situation in which the Peralta District must now spend far more for a new Vista than would have been the case had Measure B funds been used during the last decade, when construction and land cost were substantially lower. The lot on Center Street, for example, could have been obtained for about one-third the amount Peralta eventually had to pay. 

Given this track record, the Peralta Board has a serious credibility gap with the Vista faculty, staff and community. Much of the distrust could be alleviated if the board provides a legally binding commitment to use new bond funds to construct the Center Street facility in a prompt manner, consistent with the district’s signed agreement with the Vista petitioners and the state chancellor. This could take the form of specific language in the bond or a contractual agreement with the city of Berkeley. 

Without such a binding commitment, we fear that you will find little enthusiasm for the bond election among Vista faculty and staff and substantial opposition in the community at large. 

Thank you for your consideration. 

Neil Dunlop, Evelyn Glaubman, Chuck Wollenberg 

Vista College Faculty Senate Executive Committee 

Orbiting Berkeley brings out the best 

Editor: 

Ambassador Bill’s Occasional Orbital Observations gathered 7-11 a.m., Monday through Friday, distributing the Berkeley Daily Planet. 

I really love to distribute the Planet and I love to hear 90-plus percent of those who take individual copies from me tell me how much they love the paper. 

I like to experience Berkeley awakening downtown. The street folks. The street cleaners, including BOSS (Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency) folks. The bankers and brokers. The City government, scattered around during retrofitting etc. The Berkeley High School kids on and off campus. My fellow newspaper distributors. The large food and drink trucks servicing the ever multiplying eating places. The endless holes being drilled and dug and the countless steel, iron and concrete fingers reaching for the sky. The food of UC students and workers pouring out of the BART station and East up Center Street. The mixed bag of workers and students walking, bicycling, running, skate boarding and now scootering to public transit connections and elsewhere.  

And the odds and ends of things that catch my eye. The very short and old-fashioned Haws drinking fountain inside the Wells Fargo Center Street entrance. I’m sure my Mom or Dad lifted me up more than once to drink out of it back in its American Trust days. Now Haws, one of Berkeley’s old family businesses, has moved to Nevada.  

The rainbow flag flying briefly a few weeks ago in Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Park, sharing the space with U.S., California and United Nations flags. Great! My pleasure at discovering the UN flag which has been flying with U.S., Canadian and California flags above the Allston Way entrance to the Shattuck Hotel Plaza is now flying under a larger U.S. flag on the very top of the Hotel. U.S. and UN Flag Codes notwithstanding, I love to see it flying, anywhere, any time. 

The large “KRESS” high on the Shattuck side of the future home of the Aurora Theatre. Kress and Woolworth’s were two places my two brothers and I loved to have our Mom take us on shopping excursions, with the possibility of some kind of pause that refreshed. And the discovery that Newberry’s, across from its old Kress location, has a basement with oodles of 99-cent items and other stuff. 

And each morning as I push my would-be transcontinental cart up Allston Way and get to Martin Luther King Jr. Way, I read once more the words on the BHS Science Building: “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” What a promise and project all rolled into one! 

A final observation: First editor Rob Cunningham and second editor Judith Scherr both deserve hats-off and kisses-on-cheeks for their parts in launching the Guardian’s “Best Daily Newspaper that Could.” Wave if you see my globe. And pick up a Planet if you haven’t already done so. 

Bill Trampleasure

A new principal and tough safety measures, including security cameras, could be in place at Berkeley High School as early as Aug. 30 the Daily Planet has learned. 

The high school principal post has been vacant since the reassignment of BHS Principal Theresa Saunders at the end of a rocky year that included a student walkout, a grade-tampering scandal, and an arson fire that caused $2 million in damage. 

The high school has gone through three principals in nine years. 

At a Tuesday evening meeting at the school attended by some 70 parents and staff, members of an advisory principal selection panel, talked about their process. 

The panel of parents, teachers, staff, and students, interviewed five applicants for the principal's post last week, committee member Bob Laird, parent of a 10th-grader, told the gathering. Superintendent Jack McLaughlin and school board president Joaquin Rivera observed the interviews without participating.  

Following what Laird called an “intense but very collegial discussion,” the panel agreed to recommend two of the applicants. They will be interviewed by the school board. A third candidate may also be interviewed. 

Laird’s announcement drew applause from the parents, teachers, and staff present at the meeting. The search process has moved swiftly. The call for applicants went out in mid-June and the advisory committee was chosen July 18. 

“We’ve been under extreme time pressure,” Laird said.  

McLaughlin added that he didn’t think it was the length of time for the search “but the quality of the candidates, that’s important.” 

Moreover, he added, “I have to say that in the short time I’ve been here, this is one of the strongest list of candidates I’ve seen.” McLaughlin said he had participated personally in the recruiting efforts. 

The candidates will be interviewed by the school board at a meeting Monday. It was not known when any candidate might receive a job offer, but McLaughlin said in an interview Wednesday, that “it's very possible” a new principal will be named by Aug. 30, the first day of school. 

A “transition team” appointed to manage the high school during the search for a new principal also addressed a host of other concerns at Tuesday’s meeting. They handed out a 25-page report detailing plans for facilities improvement, campus security, discipline, and the class schedule for the coming school year. 

Saying that a culture of “soft anarchy” reigns among staff and students alike at Berkeley High School, transition team leader Darrel Taylor suggested that faculty and students need to be held accountable for their actions. Creativity can still flourish within a more organized infrastructure, he said.  

The process of change will be gradual: “You can’t swallow the whole elephant at once.” He asked that parents, teachers, and staff commit themselves to cooperate with one another. 

The goals discussed ranged from philosophical to practical. Taylor promised the audience that a new temporary administrative offices will be in place before the start of classes, replacing the two trailers which have been in use since the fire. 

The audience also received assurances that the campus will be thoroughly clean “inside and outside” before school resumes. Plant operations manager Dorothy Dorsey drew applause when she told the gathering that the Conservation Corps and city are working together to remove graffiti and trash and eliminate rodents from the campus.  

Improved communications are also promised by the time school starts. Taylor said that working telephones, clocks, and a bell system will be in every classroom, including the portable units. 

Executive vice-principal Larry Lee announced that school safety officers will be on duty at all school entrances, with the entrances at Allston, Kittredge, and Channing closing at 9 a.m. on school days. Also, security cameras will be installed in school buildings as a deterrent to vandalism and other crimes, Lee said. 

In an interview Wednesday, however, School Board Member Terry Doran said that the board would have to first address the issue of cameras. 

Parents at the meeting had many questions about how to get their children scheduled for the classes they wanted. One woman, who said she had given up four days of work to try to navigate the process last year, described herself as “shell-shocked” by the experience.  

In response, McLaughlin pointed out that the school had moved the registration period up by a week this year to try to accommodate students and parents. Many in the audience still seemed dissatisfied, pointing out that they didn’t have enough notice of registration week and that there was no clear policy on how to make schedule changes, if they were away on vacation during that week.  

Darrel Taylor emphasized, “One of the things we’re saying in this report, and I say it from my heart, is Berkeley High School is a heck of a good high school ... we’re got a lot here to build on and be proud of.” But, he added, “four administrators (alone) cannot make this high school work. Every parent has to get involved.”

Most of the two dozen or so people gathered at the Ecology Center Tuesday evening for the teach-in/stratedy session on genetically-engineered foods agreed: genetically altered foods may be unsafe. 

A few at the event sponsored by the San Francisco chapter of Organic Consumers Association disagreed, however. 

Organizers from the OCA, which is dedicated to the promotion of organic and sustainable agriculture, said they were a little surprised to find people in the audience who argued in favor of genetically altered foods. 

“We’ve had these things in Santa Cruz and San Francisco and never had any opposition,” said Simon Harris, west coast field organizer for the organization. 

Proponents of genetically engineered crops argued that this new food supply may be the saving grace for the planet’s growing population. 

Petra Frey, a postdoctoral fellow in Plant and Microbial Biology at UC Berkeley, was among those who argued for the altered food. 

“The main issue is to produce more food on less land,” she said.  

Frey said she once worked for the biotech company Englepotrykus in Zurich, Switzerland, which developed “Golden Rice,” a genetically engineered grain high in Vitamin A. 

“They have developed a rice with a 35-percent higher yield,” she said. “And they are also trying to develop plants that replete soils that have been polluted by aluminum, or mercury.” 

Though these arguments are compelling, opponents call the products “Frankenfoods” and say science has no gauge as to the ripple effect that the genetic finagling may cause. 

They point, for example, to the bio-tech company Monsanto which has developed a “terminator” seed that produces bountiful harvests, but the seeds produced by the fruit are sterile. It’s a legal way of making sure farmers buy their super-seeds for the next planting, opponents argue. 

They are concerned that pollen from the altered crop could drift with the wind to cross with ordinary crops and wild plants, and spread from species to species until all plants become sterile.  

Because spliced genes – like any other genes – can be picked up by a wild species, that could tip the balance of nature, Harris said. 

“We need specific tests as to how these genes interact,” he said. 

Some people noted that the Food and Drug Administration has performed tests on genetically engineered foods and given their OK. They argued that the FDA had caved in to corporate pressure. 

“Take a look at asbestos and tobacco,” one man said.  

Nonetheless, speakers said it appears that biotechnology may have a firm foothold in the U.S. They pointed to a Department of Agriculture report which says that one-third of the corn and more than half of the cotton and soybeans grown in the U.S. are the product of biotechnology. 

More than 65 million acres of genetically modified crops will be planted in the U.S. this year, the report says. 

Though there is already a large percentage of genetically engineered foods being grown worldwide, several countries have begun to move away from them, Harris said. 

An article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says that Japanese importers are almost certain to distance themselves from genetically engineered crops when Japan instituetes labelling of genetically engineered products. 

OCA members also said the government of Sri Lanka formally banned the import of genetically engineered foods and crops on April 23. 

In the U.S., groups like OCA have gone on-line to fight Monsanto and the Terminator seed by urging their visitors to write letters to the Department of Agriculture. 

Over 4,000 people from 62 countries have responded according to a OCA newsletter, which also notes that since July, 1999 several food giants such as Gerber, Heinz and Frito-Lay have announced that they will no longer use genetically-engineered foods. 

Frey and several others say that it ultimately must come down to consumer choice, and producers must label foods that are genetically engineered. 

She further noted that genetically engineered foods continue to sell in her native Switzerland where labelling is mandatory. 

She added that while there is popular resistance to genetic engineering, companies are working to prevent the problems it may create.  

“People should ask ‘Do we have other solutions?’” Frey said. “Well we’re trying to solve them.”

No more lugging those bikes down and up narrow stairs on University Avenue to get to the Marina – soon. 

No more risking a traffic ticket by riding over the auto-only overpass to the waterfront. 

No more depending on a vehicle to get one’s wheelchair to the Bay. 

To the delight of residents and city officials, ground was broken Wednesday on the much-anticipated bicycle/wheelchair/pedestrian overcrossing of Interstate-80 . 

Since the 1950s, when the freeway was built, most of the city has been cut off from the water. The new overpass, for which construction gets underway this month, will provide an easily accessible crossing, beginning at the north end of Aquatic Park, near Bancroft Way, and connecting with the Bay Trail and the future Eastshore State Park, a trail that will run along the waterfront throughout much of the East Bay. 

“It will add to my district beautifully because we will be able to get people on the other side (of the freeway) when the park comes in, particularly those on bicycles (and) wheelchairs,” said Councilmember Margaret Breland, whose district includes Aquatic Park. 

Public Works Director Rene Cardinaux said the Eastshore Park construction should be underway by next year. 

“This (overpass) is going to come right down and be part of that process, so people using the trails that go along the Bay can come over the bridge and go over into Berkeley or vice versa,” Cardinaux said. 

Hank Resnik, former president of the Bicycle Friendly Berkeley Coalition, called the crossing “a wonderful gateway to the city.” 

The overpass is designed by OPAC Consulting Engineers and T.Y. Lin. Its steel arch structure will be assembled west of the freeway and then hoisted into place. It meets or exceeds all standards for disabled access. 

It will have an eight-foot-wide two-directional bike lane and a five-foot-wide sidewalk for pedestrians and wheelchairs. 

“Not only do we want this overpass, but we want this to be the most beautiful overpass in the world,” Mayor Shirley Dean said. 

To beautify the overpass, Dean said the city needs to raise another $1.5 million. That money will fund benches, landscaping and other elements of the overpass. 

The project cost about $6.4 million overall. Over $3 million came from federal funding and additional amounts came from Transportation Fund for Clean Air funding as well as other agencies. 

Jacqui Paul, an El Cerrito resident who frequently rides her bicycle with her husband, said she is eagerly awaiting the overpass because it will be safer and easier to use than the current options. 

“We love to ride our bicycles on the west side of I-80, and we have been crossing at Gilman (Street) and Central (Avenue) in El Cerrito,” Paul said. “It’s a little scary with all the traffic.” 

Currently, the only I-80 crossing in Berkeley is the University Avenue Overpass, where cyclists are ticketed. People on bicycles are expected to go under the overpass by descending a narrow set of stairs, then mounting them at the other side. There is no wheelchair accessibility. 

When one does go under the overpass, “It’s really junky and messy,” Breland said. “Who would want to walk across there? But this, with the lights and the beautiful design, it’s easy.”

Alameda County Board of Supervisors President Wilma Chan announced a proposed resolution supporting the Service Employee International Union Local 250 strike against Sutter Health. Presiding over a packed meeting hall, Chan and Supervisor Keith Carson, members of the board’s Health Committee, thanked the gathered health workers for their hard work, calling them “the front line of health care.” The nine point resolution will now be referred to the full board of supervisors for approval. 

Acknowledging that 300,000 people in Alameda and Contra Costa County lack health insurance, and that Sutter Health will become the dominant provider of hospital services in Alameda County, the resolution supported contract incentives that would support quality patient care. This included all of the union’s chief demands – giving them a voice in setting staffing levels; fair wages and good benefits in order to recruit and retain quality staff, and training to help the health-care workforce meet the changing demands of the industry. 

After listening to testimony from dozens of health care workers and community leaders, Chan said, "We share the community’s concern about mergers in the health-care industry now taking place. There is a need for an integrated system of health care.”

College Avenue merchants, neighbors and the city are in a dogfight with threats of litigation over a diverter blocking Northbound traffic along Benvenue Avenue from Ashby Avenue set up to slow traffic down while College Avenue is being repaved. 

While the scheduled three-month construction along College Avenue from Dwight Way to Alcatraz Avenue has stopped all northbound traffic along College, a detour through Claremont Avenue, Ashby Avenue and Telegraph Avenue has been set up to ease the flow of traffic. 

And the city has had to employ diverters and “pinchers” – the little orange poles that squeeze traffic into one lane – to further relieve the traffic along these roadways.  

John Huffman, President of the Elmwood Merchants Association says the city promised him that Benvenue Ave. off of Ashby would stay open during the construction, so supply trucks and customers could use the street to access a parking lot on Russell Street that he says is very vital to area businesses. 

“All of our businesses are looking at a 15 to 20 percent drop,” he said. “We’ll spend the rest of the year trying to make it up.” 

Benvenue Avenue residents have another point of view. They are pleased that the diverter keeps heavy traffic from speeding down their residential road. And they say that the human traffic from the public library on the corner is all the more reason to keep it there. 

Stuck in the middle, the city just wants to compromise. 

At a meeting Monday night, Public Works Director Rene Cardinaux told Huffman that the city would move the diverter back one block on Benvenue, just North of Russell Street. As of Tuesday night it hadn’t been moved, Huffman said. 

Cardinaux also told the merchants and neighbors that the city would work on a permanent plan for the intersection after the construction is through. 

Both sides came away from the Monday night meeting sour. 

“What puzzles the residents is why our City Council-approved traffic issues got somehow overturned last night,” said College Avenue area resident Sedge Thomson. “Why does just one diverter affect business? The whole process affects business.” 

Huffmann said the merchants weren’t properly represented at the meeting, saying that about 20 neighbors and only two merchants were there. 

Both Cardinaux and Councilmember Kriss Worthington called the meeting a success. 

Tuesday morning, board members of the Elmwood Merchants Association met to deliberate whether or not to take legal action against the city and Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who they say has misled them throughout the process. 

Huffman says that Worthington did not inform the area merchants of a consent calendar item he placed on the May 23 City Council Agenda that asked the city to come up with a paving plan, including mitigations to address the residents’ and merchants’ concerns about parking, traffic and temporary diverter removal and installation. 

“They made changes and didn’t tell us,” Huffman said. “Worthington just slipped it through the consent calendar so (the council) wouldn’t object.” 

Huffman went on to say that the merchants spoke to an attorney who told them that, while they have no case against the city, Worthington may have been in violation of a meeting act that requires elected officials to inform area residents of meetings. 

“At first he said he said he supported us on this,” Huffman said. “No one was informed.” 

City Council agendas are publicly announced, however. 

“There is no earthly reason why anyone could sue me, or the city about how we relocate traffic,” Worthington said. “I’m 100 percent convinced that no judge in his right mind will find what we’re doing illegal.” 

“I’m not worried about it. It’s an absurd, outrageous statement,” he said. 

In the meantime, Thomson said the neighbors are enjoying a relatively auto-free College Ave. 

“It’s like a European street feeling,” he said. “It’s promoted walking.”

The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive will present Mandala: The Architecture of Enlightenment, an exhibition of rare and exquisite works that opens on July 19 and runs through September 17, 2000. A mandala is an ancient Hindu and Buddhist graphic symbol of the universe - a cosmic diagram that functions as a powerful aid to meditation and concentration. This exhibition features more than forty mandalas and related objects, including sculptures and models of sacred spaces, from Tibet, Nepal, China, Japan, Bhutan, India, and Indonesia. It highlights the stunning artistry and diversity of this ancient art form, and explores the artistic genesis and religious role of the mandala in Buddhist belief.  

Mandala: The Architecture of Enlightenment, co-organized by the Asia Society and Tibet House, is the first exhibition ever devoted to the multiple manifestations of the mandala throughout Asia. The mandala is likened by some to a “floor plan of the universe.” The type most familiar in the West is an intricately patterned painting on cloth or paper that often takes the general form of a circle within a square. The word “mandala” comes from the Sanskrit verbal root “mand” (meaning to mark off, decorate, set off) and the suffix “la” (meaning circle, essence, sacred center). Many of the works in this exhibition are very rare examples of Tibetan art, much of which has been destroyed following the Chinese invasion of Tibet in the 1950s. Dr. Robert A.F. Thurman, co-curator of the exhibition, estimates that up to 90 percent of Tibetan art has been lost. Of the remainder, Thurman estimates that 2 to 3 percent is in Western collections, another 2 to 3 percent is still in Tibet, and 5 percent is circulating in the world's art markets. Exhibitions such as this help raise awareness of Tibetan culture and the richness and enormous significance of the artifacts that still survive.  

According to Vishakha N. Desai, Vice President for Cultural Programs and Director of the Asia Society Galleries, the symbolic power of the mandala can be traced back to millennia-old roots in Indian temple architecture: “In the context of Buddhism, a mandala functions as an aid to meditation and concentration, helping believers visualize the universe and their place in it, often in relation to a specific deity found in the center of the image.”  

The mandalas on display at the UC Berkeley Art Museum track the evolution of the symbol throughout Asia under the influence of various religious and artistic traditions. Some of these works are exceptionally rare. Some are exquisitely complex, others quite simple. A portable soapstone model of a stone temple found in tenth-century India is one kind of mandala; another is the Tibetan assemblage of miniature bronze deities that resembles a sacred chess set. An Edo period Japanese star mandala shows Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light, seated on a lotus with flaming jewels, painted in gold and colors on wood. The round shape may derive from circular metal plaques that decorated Shinto shrines. More contemporary mandalas made from thread offer proof of the continuing vitality of the mandala and its role in Buddhist devotions.  

Public Programs  

The Museum will present a series of programs in conjunction with the exhibition Mandala: The Architecture of Enlightenment. On Sunday, July 23, at 3 pm, the acclaimed Tibetan ensemble Chaksampa will give a musical performance in Gallery B. In addition to vocal music, the musicians - all graduates of the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in Dharamsala, India - will play traditional Tibetan instruments: the dranyen (Tibetan lute), lingbu (bamboo flute), and piwang (violin).  

On Sunday, September 10, at 3 pm, Robert A.F. Thurman, co-curator of Mandala: The Architecture of Enlightenment, will give a lecture illustrating aspects of the exhibition and issues arising from it, in 155 Dwinelle Hall, UC Berkeley campus. Admission: $7 general admission, $5 UCB faculty/staff and non-UCB students, $3 BAM/PFA members and UCB students. Advance tickets strongly recommended; call (510) 643-2219.  

Guided tours of the exhibition will be offered by UC Berkeley Art History graduate student Boreth Ly on Thursday, July 20, September 7 and September 14 at 12:15 pm, and all Sundays for the exhibition's duration at 2 pm. There will be a sign-language interpreted tour of the exhibition on Saturday, August 19, at 1:30 pm.  

Catalog  

An exhibition catalog is available at the Museum Store: Mandala The Architecture of Enlightenment, by Denise Patry Leidy and Robert A.F. Thurman; $25 paperback. To order, call (510) 642-1475, or email dug@uclink4.berkeley.edu.  

Also on view  

Opening August 9, Paper Road Tibet: The Art of the Book, an exhibition devoted to printing and papermaking in Tibet, will be on view in the museum's Asian Galleries. Paper Road Tibet examines book-makers' art, and features printing blocks, printed prayer flags, door-protection images, sutra pages, wooden book covers, and metal buckles for book straps, as well as pens, cases, and ink pots from Tibet. These are supplemented by rare printed Tibetan images and books lent by UC Berkeley's East Asian Library. On Sunday, 15 October, at 3 pm, Sheila Keppel and Carol Brighton will offer a walkthrough of this exhibition, followed by a papermaking demonstration.

Editor: 

I am writing to urge implementation of the planned new Hills fire station No. 7 at the intersection of Shasta and Park Gate roads. This location will provide improved response time and additional space for staff and emergency vehicles, a vast improvement over the small, poorly-located and seismically-unsafe station at the intersection of Shasta and Queens Roads. Several residents of the Park Hills area have expressed fears about the impact of the new station on their neighborhood. However, these fears appear to be greatly exaggerated. The old Fire Station has had little or no effect on its surrounding neighborhood in terms of disruptions of its quiet atmosphere or increases in traffic. The use of sirens has been kept to a minimum and the station occupants are regarded as very good neighbors. Indeed, the new location would affect even fewer neighbors, being further away from surrounding houses than at the old site. Exit of emergency equipment from the station would be improved by eliminating the blind curve hazard that characterizes the old site, actually improving the traffic situation.  

Fire Department studies show convincingly (as presented at several public meetings) that the Shasta-Park Gate location is the most suitable site of many that had been considered for the new station, particularly with regard to response time for the entire territory served. The City of Berkeley should move ahead swiftly with these plans, not only to protect the hills area but that of the entire city should a wildfire begin in the East Bay Regional Parks District.  

Moreover, this vital station would be the only Berkeley station east of the Hayward fault, and any further delay could be disastrous.  

These points were made cogently at the July 25 City Council meeting, with presentations by Fire Department officials and a representative of the Berkeley Fire Commission. It was emphasized that input from the community will be solicited on a continuous basis, and that the size, design, and landscaping of the new station will be based on agreements with the neighbors. Contrary to the concerns expressed by some, the new station will have only two bays, and one of these will be used only during the high fire season.  

I appeal to my neighbors: It is time to stop arguing among ourselves and to begin to work together for our mutual protection.  

Collin G. Murphy 

Berkeley 

Editor: 

At the marathon City Council session July 25th, new information about the proposed hill fire station was presented by the Berkeley Fire Department and Director of Public Works Rene Cardineaux.  

Supporting selection of the planned location was an analysis of response times to the hill area served that showed the proposed site permitted a short response time for the entire area that the station would serve. A rapid response-amounting to a few minutes-is vital both on medical calls for someone whose heart has stopped beating and on a run to squelch a wildfire in its earliest stages.  

The new station’s area is to be between 5.000 and 6,000 square feet, instead of the larger figures mentioned earlier. The number of equipment bays has been reduced from three to two, and the facilities needed for firefighters from Berkeley and its mutual aid partners which would live in the station during time of high fire danger were justified.  

The inadequacies of existing old Station No. 7 were reviewed and it was clear that its cramped single bay, the time consuming need for an engine to back out when starting a run from the station, and its dilapidated condition make a new station necessary. (It is planned to use a seismically safer Station 7 to some extent even after the proposed hills station is in service). 

Finally, suggestions and comments from the community will be sought at informational meetings to be held in the coming months as detailed station design is begun. 

You can obtain a copy of the council presentation by phoning Ruth Grimes, Berkeley Fire Department, at 644-6665. 

Let’s work together to get this hills fire station operational before we have another in the 1923, 1970, 1984, and 1991 series of disastrous wild-land Berkeley fires. 

Richard White 

Berkeley

Wednesday, August 2

“Bicycle Maintenance 101” 

7 p.m. 

REI 

1338 San Pablo Ave 

REI bike technician Paul Ecord will show you how to perform basic adjustments on your bike to keep it in good working condition. He’ll demonstrate how to clean/replace a chain, adjust derailleurs and replace brake and derailleur cables. Learn how to fix a flat and what to include in your tool kit for the road.  

527-7377 

Tinnitus Support Group 

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

The group meets with Pam Johnson 

644-6107 

Birthday Party 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

A birthday party for August birthday people. Belly dancing is the entertainment and refreshment will be served. 

644-6107 

Thursday, August 3

Community Dance Party 

7:45 p.m.-9:45 p.m. 

A Community Dance Party sponsored by Berkeley Folk Dancers. Dance instruction included with admission. 

Ticket are $2 for teens, and $4 for adult non-members. 

“Great Sierra Backpacking  

Destinations” 

7 p.m.  

REI 

1338 San Pablo Ave 

In tonight’s slide presentation Karen Najarian will take you on some extraordinary four- to seven-day backpacking trips. Come find out how to make the most of your summer adventures with Karen’s expert tips on back-country travel.  

527-7377 

Movie: “The Women He Loves” 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

This movies tells the story of the Duke and Duchess Winsor. 

644-6107 

Tai Chi with Brian Umeki 

2 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

644-6107 

Community Environmental Advisory Commission 

2118 Milvia Street 

6 p.m. 

Lawrence Berkeley National Labs presentation on environmental restoration quarterly meeting by Iraj Javendal. 

7 p.m., regular meeting 

At the Planning and Development Department, second-floor conference room. 

Among the items to be discussed are a groundwater management plan, wood-burning restrictions, air monitoring, well survey, 2700 San Pablo Ave. Development and community concerns and more. 

Free computer class for seniors 

9:30-11:30 a.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

644-6109 

Friday, August 4

“Schubert Songs” with Baker Lake 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

644-6107 

“Human Nature” 

8:30 p.m. 

New College Cultural Center 

766 Valencia, SF 

Watch or participate in an idyllic nude ritual of groupbody which reconnects us to a merged mindset. Put on by X-plicit Players. 

Ticket: $12 

848-1985. 

www.xplicitplayers.com 

“Antarctica and the Breath of Seals” 

8 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

The Fireside Room 

2727 College Ave. 

Come for this one hour slide show and talk that describes Berkeley writer Lucy Jane Bledsoe’s adventure on “The Ice.” The program is a benefit for The Marine Mammal Center. 

Admission: $5-$25 donations on a sliding scale. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. 

526-6291 

Project Underground 

6-9 p.m. 

1916A MLK Jr. Way 

Come join Project Under for its 4th Happy Birthday Party. Project Underground is working to support human rights of communities resisting mining and oil exploitation. RSVP to 705-8981 ext. 8 

Saturday, August 5

“Wild about Books” 

10:30 a.m. 

Berkeley Public Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

Come for this live storytelling and music. Welcome storyteller Muriel Johnson of Abatomi Storytelling and hear magical stories from around the world. 

“Kezurou-Kai” 

1 p.m.-6 p.m. 

Finnish Britherhood Hall 

1970 Chestnut St. 

Japanese wood working. Carpenters, woodworkers and toolmakers come to Berkeley to show saw, plane and chisel sharpening. Fee: $20 

Due to limited space, only 100 people per day will be admitted. Early registration is advised. 

524-3700 

Weed Warriors Wanted 

9 a.m. 

Marina Blvd. and Spinnaker Way 

Stop yellow-star thistle from taking over Cesar Chavez and the Eastshore State Parks on Berkeley's waterfront. Join Weed Warriors and the California Native Plant Society East Bay Restoration Team in pulling out the spiny invaders. Wear long pants and sleeves; bring heavy gloves if you have them. Sponsored by the California Native Plant Society.  

For information call 848 9358 or email noahbooker@yahoo.com 

“Human Nature” 

8:30 p.m. 

New College Cultural Center 

766 Valencia, SF 

Watch or participate in an idyllic nude ritual which reconnects us to a merged mindset. Put on by X-plicit Players. 

Ticket: $12 

848-1985. 

www.xplicitplayers.com 

Concert at the Ali Akbar College of Music 

7:30 p.m. 

Ali Akbar College of Music 

215 West End Ave., San Rafael 

Come and see Shweta Jhaveri, vocal, Ravi Gutala, tabla, Arun Ranade, harmonium in concert. 

Tickets: $20 General / $15 AACM Members and non-AACM Students $8 AACM Students 

(415) 454-6264 

Sunday, August 6

First Church Worship 

11:00 a.m. 

The Chapel at Pacific School of 

Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave in Berkeley. 

Come for the first worship service for the newly-formed East Bay Community Church. 

“Kezurou-Kai” 

12:30 p.m.-5 p.m. 

Finnish Brotherhood Hall 

1970 Chestnut St. 

Japanese wood working. Carpenters, woodworkers and toolmakers come to Berkeley to show saw, plane and chisel sharpening. Fee: $20 

Due to limited space, 100 people per day will be admitted. Early registration is advised. 

524-3700 

“Dr. Seuss on the Loose!” 

3 p.m. 

Pacific Film Archive 

2575 Bancroft Way @ Bowditch 

Recommenced for ages 4 and above.  

Dr. Seuss from A to Z. Lots of characters will appear anew including the Cat in the Hat and Horton too. 

Tickets: $4 

642-5249 

Family Workshop: “A Sense  

of Place” 

2-4 p.m.  

Oakland Museum of California 

10th and Oak Streets, Oakland 

A museum artist leads a workshop in creating landscape drawings inspired by your personal view of nature. Space is limited. Call for reservations. 

238-3818 

Green Party Consensus  

Building Meeting 

6 p.m. 

2022 Blake St. 

This is part of an ongoing series of discussions for the Green Party of Alameda County, leading up to endorsements on measures and candidates on the November ballot. The meeting is open to all, regardless of party affiliation. 

415-789-8418 

Monday, August 7

Sewing with Grace Narimatsu 

9 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

644-6107 

Tuesday, August 8

Introduction to Reiki with Teji 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

644-6107 

Wednesday, August 9

“The Packing Book: Secrets of the Carry-On Traveler” 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop and Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Ave 

Judith Gilfors, author of “The Packing Book: Secrets of the Carry-On Traveler,” presents her popular demonstration on how to pack for three weeks, two climates in one manageable carry-on bag. 

843-3533 

Chinese Calligraphy with Mrs.  

Jou 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

644-6107

There’s an idyllic piece of unoccupied land with a creek running through it, just across the way from Live Oak Park. 

The building on the property at 1301 Oxford St. was once occupied by a small church, which shared the land with a group of community gardeners who grew native plants and vegetables. 

Just blocks away is another house of worship. The Beth El congregation was splitting the seams of its synagogue, built years ago for 250 members. Membership is now at about 600 and some 750 people come to the temple during the highest holy days celebrated in September. 

When the temple board learned that the property with a creek running through it was for sale, it believed the perfect solution had been found. They purchased the land.  

But neighbors were used to the little church and its small congregation and the friendly community gardeners who made the property beautiful. And they hoped one day the creek, buried in a culvert on part of the property, would be opened up. 

So when they found that the temple had bought the property and was planning to build a large house of worship, classrooms and a nursery-school – and pave over the culvert to create 35 on-site parking spaces – they were very unhappy. 

They said they feared the noise the crowds would bring. They were afraid that the congregation’s cars would overrun the neighborhood and add to parking and congestion problems in the area. 

They asked the temple to perform an Environmental Impact Report. After many meetings, some of them rather contentious, the Beth El leadership agreed to have the EIR done.  

Beth El is paying for the study which is done by Pacific Municipal Consultants. It is done through the city’s Planning Department, so that a distance is maintained between the developer and the professional who writes the EIR. 

The EIR is out and available in libraries. It can be purchased for $56. It will eventually be available on line on the city’s website at http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us. 

Some of the EIR’s conclusions match the neighbors’ concerns: citing Beth El on the property would cause significant impacts to the area, the EIR says. 

However, the EIR concludes that by following through with a number of measures it prescribes, the impacts would be minimized and considered “less than significant.” 

The project that Beth El hopes to build would consist of a two-story almost 35,000-square foot building containing a sanctuary, social hall, 14 classrooms – three nursery school classrooms and 11 religious school classrooms – administrative offices and a library. 

There would be 35 parking spaces on a one-way road that would allow traffic to move from Oxford Street to Spruce Street. 

Outdoor space would be used for services, children’s play and social gatherings. 

While neighbors have argued that the increased traffic on Oxford and Spruce would impact the area, the EIR says it “will increase the amount of vehicles on local roadways, but is not anticipated to cause significant congestion at local intersections, or along the fronting roadways.” 

Neighbors had argued that the synagogue would create a parking problem in the area, but the EIR says its impact on parking is “less than significant.” 

The project will include stabilization of the open portion of the creek and the EIR says that will have a “positive impact” by having a “net benefit to fish habitat on the portion of Codornices Creek within the site.” 

The following are among the impacts noted by the EIR: 

• There could be congestion at the entrance and exit of the project, but by implementing staggered pick-up times and places, this could become insignificant. 

• The noise level in the children’s play area will exceed the allowable level under the city’s laws; however, building an eight-foot sound barrier will block the noise. 

• The noise level along the site’s parking and circulation route will exceed that permitted by the city, but a sound barrier will satisfactorily mitigate the problem. 

• The construction of the site, including demolition of the existing buildings will create noise and a potential hazard due to asbestos removal. To blunt the impact, work hours will be restricted from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and hazardous materials need to be removed in a legally-required manner. 

• Construction may impact the Coast Live Oaks, a protected tree species. Specific landscaping measures can be used to make the impact insignificant.

Harry Pollack, former president of the board of Congregation Beth El says he is happy with the recently-published Environmental Impact Report, which addresses the move of the congregation to 1301 Oxford St.  

“It concluded that the project can be built with no significant impact on the environment,” Pollack said. “I’m comfortable that we can remedy all the (impacts).” 

Neighbors of the project, however, point out that the release of the Draft EIR last week is just the beginning of the process. They have until Sept. 8 to “comment,” formally on the project. That means that they can register concerns not addressed or inadequately addressed in the EIR and the EIR consultant must address each of the concerns. 

The draft EIR ignores the fact that the project precludes restoration of the creek, said Jon Nackerud, who lives near the project. It also does not take into account that many people in the neighborhood do not have driveways that go up to their homes. They will have to park long distances from their homes and carry things like groceries to them, he said. 

“This is a draft EIR,” Nackerud said, underscoring the word “draft.” There is an opportunity for the neighbors to contest its findings. 

However, there is an imbalance, he added. The temple can hire public relations people and lawyers at will, while the neighbors battle the project in between dealing with jobs, kids and other obligations. 

There will be two formal hearings on the draft EIR, the first will be before the Landmarks Preservation Commission on Monday, August 7 at 7 p.m., while the second will be before the Zoning Adjustments Board on August 10 at 7 p.m. 

Comments can be sent by Sept. 8 to: Steve Solomon, Senior Planner at 2120 Milvia St., Berkeley, CA 94704. Comments can be mailed to ssolomon@ci.berkeley.ca.us. 

Copies of the EIR can be viewed at libraries, purchased for $56 for a hard copy or $10 for a CD rom or, eventually, viewed on the city’s web site: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us

Summer campers from the YMCA showed their stuff Tuesday at the Y’s all-camp day at Lake Anza in Tilden Regional Park. Calling it their “Camp Olympics,” the Y events including Tugs of War, above, the change of clothes relay, a watermelon relay and more.

While police and public officials got ready to cut the ribbon of the new $20 million Public Safety Building Monday, some 20 citizens rallied against both the building and the police. 

It was a study in contrasts with outgoing City Manager Jim Keene dedicating the building to the memory of peace officers fallen in the line of duty and protesters, under the aegis of Berkeley Copwatch, a citizens’ police watch organization, making a visual statement about the number of citizens killed by police. 

“This building is here so that when disaster strikes, we’ll be better able to save lives in the community,” Keene said, as he dedicated the building to Police Officer Ronald Tsukamoto and Sergeant Jimmie Rutledge. 

The new facility, paid for with Measure G disaster-prevention bond funds, replaces the old Hall of Justice which is not earthquake safe.  

The protesters say the funds are not well spent. In order to build a new Public Safety Building, rather than replacing the old unsafe Hall of Justice, the city had to go before a judge to get the expenditure approved under Measure G. 

Holding signs beside a black and white “stolen lives” diorama covered with the names of people, whom Copwatch says, were killed by the police, protesters characterized the new building as a testament to the mismanagement of funds by the city and a slap in the face to the democratic process. “My school leaks,” said Berkeley Adult School teacher Jennifer Knight. “They could have spent this money on housing subsidies, or to fix our schools and to pay our teachers.” 

“They’re not telling anyone that this is a big jail,” said Copwatch co-founder Andrea Pritchett.  

Keene responded to the protesters’ complaints. “This will replace the old, unsafe Hall of Justice,” he said. “If you were in jail, it would be much better to be in here. This is a much better environment for the public.” 

Police Chief Dash Butler said that the building will also be used to hold community meetings. 

“This building is not only user friendly, but neighborhood friendly,” he said. 

During the dedication, Butler spoke through a megaphone because the public address system wasn’t working. There was joking in the audience of mostly protesters and city employees, about Copwatch lending the city their public address system.  

Before the dedication, Pritchett pointed to the 170-foot police and fire communications tower that adjoins the new building and asked if it was for “protecting the people.” 

“With whom are they communicating,” she asked. “This thing is not about policing at all. It’s about surveillance and intelligence gathering.” 

Protester Marsha Fiendling said that the space where the building stands used to be the home of the Berkeley and Oakland support services for the homeless. “(Homeless people) have been basically disenfranchised by this building,” she said. 

One woman, who claimed that minorities and women are profiled by the police, exposed her breasts and challenged the police to arrest her for “having breasts.” 

Pritchett and Copwatch demanded independent civilian monitoring of the jail, proportionate funding and independent counsel for the Police Review Commission, an end to racial profiling by the police and better public access to police records. 

“The city has become very protective of its information,” Pritchett said. “They’re not required to give us (certain) police reports, but its not prohibited.” 

She said her organization has been experiencing problems getting information from the police since they began tracking the use of pepper spray by the police. 

“Being the home of free speech and all, they should let us view them,” she said. 

Police Captain Doug Hambleton said that the police don’t allow the public to view certain records that would compromise an ongoing investigation. “Basically, we’re stuck in the middle,” he said. “We just try to follow the law.”  

Tuesday, August 1

Genetic Engineering Teach-In  

and Strategy Session 

6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. 

Ecology Center 

2530 San Pablo Ave 

From 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. there will be videos on genetically modified food issues followed by a feneral strategy session on local actions. There will be a detailed discussion of upcoming events by the Organic Consumers Association. 

548-2220 ext. 233 

erc@ecologycenter.org 

www.ecologycenter.org 

“Polyamory, monogamy, and other flavors” 

7 p.m.-9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. 

Come for a free discussion and social group, open to everyone regardless of age, religion or view point. 

527-5332  

“Exercise to Music” with Doris Echols 

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

644-6107 

All Camp Day 

Noon - 1 p.m. 

Lake Anza, Tilden Park 

There will be games such as tug of war, sack races and relay races. The event combines fun competition, while providing elected officials with the opportunity to see YMCA kids in action. 

The event is sponsored by the Berkeley-Albany YMCA. Call 549-4524. 

Wednesday, August 2

“Bicycle Maintenance 101” 

7 p.m. 

REI 

1338 San Pablo Ave 

REI bike technician Paul Ecord will show you how to perform basic adjustments on your bike to keep it in good working condition. He’ll demonstrate how to clean/replace a chain, adjust derailleurs and replace brake and derailleur cables. Learn how to fix a flat and what to include in your tool kit for the road.  

527-7377 

Tinnitus Support Group 

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

The group meets with Pam Johnson 

644-1704 

Birthday Party 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

A birthday party for August birthday people. Belly dance is the entertainment and refreshment will be served. 

644-1704 

Thursday, August 3

Community Dance Party 

7:45 p.m.-9:45 p.m. 

A Community Dance Party sponsored by Berkeley Folk Dancers. Dance instruction included wil admission. 

Ticket are $2 for teens, and $4 for adult non-members. 

“Great Sierra Backpacking  

Destinations” 

7 p.m.  

REI 

1338 San Pablo Ave 

In tonight’s slide presentation Karen Najarian will take you on some extraordinary four- to seven-day backpacking trips. Come find out how to make the most of your summer adventures with Karen’s expert tips on backcountry travel.  

527-7377 

Movie: “The Women He Loves” 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

This movie tells the story of the Duke and Duchess Winsor. 

644-1704 

Tai Chi with Brian Umeki 

2 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

644-1704 

Friday, August 4

“Human Nature” 

8:30 p.m. 

New College Cultural Center 

766 Valencia 

San Francisco 

Watch or participate in an idyllic nude ritual of groupbody which reconnects us to a merged mindset. Put on by X-plicit Players. 

Ticket: $12 

484-1985 

www.xpliciteplayers.com 

“Antarctica and the Breath of Seals” 

8 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

The Fireside Room 

2727 College Ave. 

Come for this one hour slide show and talk that describes Berkeley writer Lucy Jane Bledsoe’s adventure on “The Ice.” The program is a benefit for The Marine Mammal Cneter. 

Admission: $5-$25 donations on a sliding scale. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. 

526-6291 

Community Environmental  

Advisory Commission 

2118 Milvia Street 

6 p.m. 

Lawrence Berkeley National Labs presentation on environmental restoration quarterly meeting by Iraj Javendal. 

7 p.m., regular meeting 

At the Planning and Development Department, second-floor conference room. 

“Schubert Songs” with Baker  

Lake 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1701 Hearst St. 

644-1704 

Saturday, August 5

“Kezurou-Kai” 

1 p.m.-6 p.m. 

Finnish Britherhood Hall 

1970 Chestnut St. 

Come to see two days of Japanese wood working on Saturday and Sunday August 5 and 6. Carpenter, woodworkers and toolmakers come to Berkeley to show saw, plane and chisel sharpening. On Aug. 6 the show is from 12:30 p.m.-5 p.m. 

Cost is $20.00 for both days. 

Due to limited space, only 100 people per day will be admitted. Early registration is advised. 

524-3700 

Weed Warriors Wanted 

9 a.m. 

Marina Blvd. and Spinnaker Way 

Stop yellow-star thistle from taking over Cesar Chavez and the Eastshore State Parks on Berkeley's waterfront. Join Weed Warriors and the California Native Plant Society East Bay Restoration Team in pulling out the spiny invaders. Wear long pants and sleeves; bring heavy gloves if you have them. Sponsored by the California Native Plant Society. For information call 510 848 9358 or email noahbooker@yahoo.com 

Patients first 

Editor: 

Regarding labor dispute between SEIU Local 250 and hospital systems, Sutter and Catholic Health: 

Our patient's welfare is the ultimate professional goal of every physician. I want to alert my colleagues to be aware of how subtly our intentions may be misused. 

I would suggest that we encourage management and union to negotiate and to settle their differences in a civil and legal manner at the bargaining table. The onus belongs to both sides, not to one. 

We as physicians must advocate for our patients not for either management or for labor. We encourage, as an interested body, that these parties work for comprise. Management and Union may win, lose or draw, but our patients must win only. 

Tom K. Lee, M. D.  

President, Physicians Guild of Alameda County 

Street danger 

Editor: 

Thank you for reporting on yet another unfortunate and unnecessary vehicle-pedestrian collision at Berkeley's statistically “most dangerous intersection,” Shattuck and University (July 28). I'm glad to hear that, at least this time, the pedestrian escaped with “only scrapes and bruises.” 

However, the city could make this intersection permanently safer by changing the signals to provide a leading “green/no-turns” phase. Other cities, like Montreal, use this kind of signal phasing to entirely separate pedestrians and cyclists from turning vehicles. In the initial phase, everyone going straight (pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles) gets to proceed in parallel, with no conflicts. Then, vehicles (and the remaining cyclists) get to turn all they want, while pedestrians get a “Don't Walk” signal. 

Two blocks west, a similar signal would also improve safety at the extremely confusing, offset intersection of Milvia and University. According to police statistics, that alarming intersection is tied (with several others) for the city's fifth-most-dangerous for nonmotorists. 

Michael Katz 

Berkeley 

Council OK 

Editor: 

Here is a Perspective to answer Steven Donaldson’s Perspective. My retort is based upon 30 years of residence in Berkeley. I am an “Old Blue” who annually sits on Tightwad Hill for football games, and during the 1960s I attended most all of the notable riots.  

Steven Donaldson wants a city council that runs orderly meetings and follows the stated agenda. To get his wish he could move to any of innumerable Southern California/Arizona/ Indianapolis/Houston suburbs. There, issues of pedestrians and bicyclists are not raised because these cities were created with the expectation that everyone will drive. There are no debates over putting up stop signs for pedestrians, and speed bumps in Donaldson’s city are a non-issue because nobody except residents ever goes into the cul-de-sac ticky-tacky tracts where the people live. Sidewalks don’t need special corners for wheelchairs, because people in wheelchairs know they are not expected to live there. 

Regarding traffic: Donaldson’s city of orderly council meetings probably has an eight lane main drag, and virtually nobody uses it because the city is dull and the WalMart is on the outskirts. In contrast, our four lane University Avenue has backups from I-80 to Shattuck much of the day, and not just because we have this fascinating University, and all its related laboratories, think tanks, and sporting events. 

Berkeley draws people like flies, thanks in large part, because of decades of raucous loud and long city council meetings. Over the years the council has debated and supported art centers and poverty, labor, ethnic and women’s centers. People flock to our city public library made user-friendly thanks to successful fights for bond measures. People come because we are a city with BART, and yet our neighborhoods are not debauched by ugly overground BART lines. Our underground lines required many hot city council meetings back in the 1960s when BART first proposed to go through Berkeley. 

Whereas Donaldson seems to envision a singularly residential town, Berkeley has a resident and business mix that has its council debating innumerable issues of contrast between people in houses and people who run our hundreds upon hundreds of small businesses. Berkeley has so many small businesses that it has whole ghetto just for fancy restaurants, and the area comprising the zip code area below San Pablo has more businesses of 25 to 100 employees than all but one other zip code in the East Bay (the other being in Emeryville). 

Donaldson’s quiet city is, no doubt, less ethnically diverse than is Berkeley. Diversity means many different groups taking up City Council time with arrangements for a fair in the park, or for a city subsidy for an arts center. Diversity draws people. 

Everyday of the year there are tourists who drive past People’s Park to see “the hippies.” The University and San Pablo section of Berkeley has what may be the largest concentration of shops with goods from India in the United States. Berkeley has Shiites, Trotskyites, meditative Buddhists, and Latinos blaring Norteno radio while they repair our mansions in the hills.  

When our council gets involved in a foreign nation’s politics, there is usually some Berkeley resident from that country to explain the issues, which takes council time. So be it. Long live the Free Republic of Berkeley! 

Ted Vincent 

30 year resident of Berkeley

THEATER 

LOTTOMANIA: PLAY HERE 

“All you need is a dollar and a dream,” or so it goes when playing the lottery. But just who plays the lottery? What’s it like to be one of the few winners of the lottery? Where do all the billions spent on lottery tickets go? The voters instituted the California lottery to benitift our school – why then, do they remain among the worst in the nation? Is there anything suspect about the use of legalized government gambling in order to fund its programs? Is the lottery a metaphor for anything like life? Come see Lottomania: Play Here to find out. Written and directed by Gary Graves.  

For reservations call 558-1381. 

MURDER AT THE  

VICARAGE 

Agatha Christie’s “Murder At The Vicarage”, starring Miss Marple at Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck Av. Adapted for stage by Mole Charles and Barbara Toy, and presented by Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, the city’s oldest theater company, the mystery will be on stage Friday and Saturday evening through August 12, plus a special Thursday evening performance on August 10. Admission is $10, with discounts for groups of 15 or more. 

For reservations call 528-5620. 

MUSIC VENUES 

924 GILMAN ST. 

924 Gilman Street is an all-ages, member-run no alcohol, drugs, and violence club located at the corner of Eighth and Gilman streets in Berkeley. Most shows are $5. Memberships for the year are $2. Shows start at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted.  

For information call 525-9926.  

August 4: Hellchild, Benumb, Yellow Machine Gun, Spaceboy, Vulgar Pigeons.  

August 5: Causey Way, Black Man - White Man - Dead Man, Boy Pussy USA, Monday Mornings.  

August 11: Hellbillys, Riffs, Menstrual Tramps, Fleshies, Shut Up Donny.  

August 12: Excruciating Terror, Plutocracy, Chupalabre, Creation Is Crucifiction, State Of The Union.. 

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH 

“Rarities and Suprises” 

George Cleve is music director and conductor, for a night at the “Midsummer Mozart Festival,” Friday, Aug. 4. The concert will include “Three Adagios and Fugurd after J.S. Bach,” K. 404, “Six Variations on G minor on ‘Helas, j’ai perdu mon amant,’” K. 360, highlights from the “Abduction from the Seragio,” and “Divertimento” in D Major for 2 Horns and Strings K. 334. 

First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way, at Dana.  

For tickets call City Box Office at 392-4400. 

CLUB MUSE 

Marie Schumacher and the Invisible Band 

Aug. 3, 8 p.m. 

856 San Pablo Ave., Albany. 

528-2872.  

THE JAZZSCHOOL/LA NOTE 

2377 Shattuck Avenue 

Free admission, reservation recommended 

Aug.10 at 7 p.m.: Vocalists Anna Albanese, Debbie Moore and Cindy Jones 

Aug. 13 at 4:30 p.m.: Barbara Colson Trio and Nannick Bonnel Trio 

845-5373 

swing@jazzschool.com 

WALNUT SQUARE 

Chamber Music for the Inner Courtyard, a classical ensemble, will perform the music of Haydn, Bach, Mozart and other for the entertainment of shoppers, diners, and passersby of Inner Courtyard of Walnut Square. 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 6, 12, 19 and 26. 

150 Walnut Street near Vine Street.  

For more information call 843-4002. 

BERKELEY ART CENTER 

The vocal and instrumental ensemble perform Mozart’s Symphony No. 25, in G Minor. Glenn Gould’s “So You Want To Write A Fugue,” and Telemann’s Concerto in D Major for Flute and strings.  

Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut Street. Admission is $10 general, $8 for BACA Members, $9 for students and seniors. Children under 12 will be admitted free of charge. 

MUSEUMS 

BERKELEY HISTORICAL  

SOCIETY 

"Berkeley's Ethnic Heritage." Through March 2001. 

The exhibit examines the rich cultural diversity of our city and the contributions of individuals and minority groups to our history and development. The exhibit look at the original native tribelets in the area and the immigrants who settled in Ocean View and displaced the Spanish/Mexican landowners. It also examines the influence of the University of California, the San Francisco earthquake, and World War II on the population and culture of Berkeley, and subsequent efforts to overcome discrimination. Curated by Linda Rosen and the Berkeley Historical Society Exhibit Committee. Thursday through Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m. Wheelchair accessible. Admission free. 

Berkeley Historical Society is located in the Veterans Memorial Building, 1931 Center Street, Berkeley.  

848-0181 

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc 

UC BERKELEY ART MUSEUM 

“Doug Aitken/MATRIX 185: Into the Sun,” through Sept. 3. An exhibit of works primarily in video and film, using the interplay of art and media to evoke deserted landscapes.  

“Autour de Rodin: Auguste Rodin and His Contemporaries,” through August. An exhibit of 11 bronze maquettes on loan from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation in Los Angeles. The bronzes range in style from the artist's classically inspired “Torso of a Woman” to the anguish of “The Martyr.” Some of the maquettes were cast during Rodin’s lifetime, others have been cast fairly recently under the aegis of the Musee Rodin which alone is authorized to cast his sculptures posthumously. 

“Images and Ideas: The Collection in Focus,” open-ended. The museum periodically displays some of its permanent collection in a context meant to highlight some aspect of the objects. The three areas of focus for this exhibit are Renaissance art, 19th and 20th-century American art and paintings from 1940 to the present. 

The Asian Galleries  

“Art of the Sung: Court and Monastery,” open-ended. A display of early Chinese works from the permanent collection.  

“Chinese Ceramics and Bronzes: The First 3,000 Years,” open-ended. 

“Works on Extended Loan from Warren King,” open-ended. 

“Three Towers of Han,” open-ended. 

$6 general; $4 seniors and students ages 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 11 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.  

2626 Bancroft Way.  

642-0808. 

HALL OF HEALTH  

A hands-on community health education museum and science center sponsored by Children's Hospital Oakland and Alta Bates Medical Center. 

“This is Your Heart!” ongoing. An in teractive exhibit on heart health. 

“Good Nutrition,” ongoing. This exhibit includes models for making balanced meals and an exercycle for calculating how calories are burned. 

“Draw Your Own Insides,” ongoing. Human-shaped chalkboards and models with removable organs allow visitors to explore the inside of their bodies. 

“Your Cellular Self and Cancer Prevention,” ongoing. An exhibit on understanding how cells become cancerous and how to detect and prevent cancer. 

Free. For children ages 3 to 12 and their parents. 

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level) 

549-1564. 

HOLT PLANETARIUM 

Programs are recommended for age 8 and up; children under age 6 will not be admitted. 

“Target Earth,” July 29 through Aug. 25. Make your own estimate of how often Earth has been hit by comets or asteroids. Find out how sciences such as astronomy, chemistry, paleontology and geology are all needed to shed light on the mystery of the dinosaur extinction. Daily, 2:15 p.m. 

$2 plus museum admission of $6 general; $4 students, seniors, disabled and youths aged 7 to 18; children under the age of 6 are not admitted. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  

Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Centennial Drive. 

642-5132 

www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

PHOEBE HEARST MUSEUM 

“Modern Treasures from Ancient Iran,” through Oct. 29. This exhibit explores nomadic and town life in ancient and modern Iran as illustrated in bronze and pottery vessels, and textiles. 

“Approaching a Century of Anthropology,” a sampling of the vast collections of the museum, its mission, history, and current research, with selections from ancient Egypt, ancient Peru, California Indians, Asia (India), and Africa. 

“Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” Ishi, the last Yahi Indian of California, spent the final years of his life, 1911 to 1916, living at the museum, working with anthropologists to record his culture, demonstrating technological skills, and retelling Yahi myths, tales, and songs. 

Wednesday through Sunday, 10 am-4:30 p.m.; Thursday until 9 p.m. 

Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley 

643-7648 

UC BERKELEY MUSEUM OF PALEONTOLOGY 

“Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20-foot tall, 40-foot long replica of the fearsome dinosaur. The replica is made from casts of bones of the most complete T. Rex skeleton yet excavated. When unearthed in Montana, the bones were all lying in place with only a small piece of the tailbone missing. 

“Pteranodon,” ongoing. A suspended skeleton of a flying reptile with a wingspan of 22 to 23 feet. The Pteranodon lived at the same time as the dinosaurs. 

“California Fossils Exhibit,” ongoing. An exhibit of some of the fossils which have been excavated in California. 

Free. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  

Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley. 

642-1821. 

HABITOT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 

A museum especially for children age 7 and younger. Highlights include “WaterWorks,” an area with some unusual water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a child-scale grocery store and cafe, and a costume shop and stage for junior thespians. The museum also features a toy lending library. 

Exhibit: “Back to the Farm,” open-ended. This interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels like an earthworm, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and much more.  

Admission is $4 for adults; $6 child age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child.  

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue. 

647-1111 

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM 

“Telling Time: To Everything There Is A Season,” through May 2002.  

An exhibit structured around the seasons of the year and the seasons of life with objects ranging from the sacred and the secular, to the provocative and the whimsical. Highlights include treasures from Jewish ceremonial and folk art, rare books and manuscripts, contemporary and traditional fine art, video, photography and cultural kitsch. Through Nov. 4: “Spring and Summer.” 

Free. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

2911 Russell St., Berkeley 

549-6950. 

LAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCE 

From a region where kite making is an important part of village life, sports, arts, worship, and work, these Indonesian kites are exciting examples of inspiration, ingenuity, and technology. 

Special Events: Kites Kaleidoscope on Aug. 9, Noon-2 p.m.; and a weekend celebration of Indonesian dancing, music, food, and kite making, on Aug. 19-20, 12:30-3:30 p.m. 

The final weekend of the Kites and Culture: The Spirit of Indonesia exhibit will feature performances by Balinese dancers on Saturday, August 19 (1:30 p.m.) and a Javanese gamelan orchestra on Sunday, August 20 (1:30 p.m.); and fascinating demonstrations by Indonesian kite makers, delicious delicacies of the region, and-of course-opportunities for everyone to make and fly kites. The exhibit runs from July 29 - August 20, 2000. 

Solids, Liquids, and Gases 

August 2, Noon and 1:00 p.m.  

Learn all about solids, liquids, and gases! Discover how solids can change into colorful gases and what happens when liquid nitrogen cools a gas to hundreds of degrees below zero. Learn how spooky-looking fog is made! This popular and fun event, developed as an LHS school program is great for children in grades K-1. 

Son de la Tierra Mexican Music and Dancing Sunday 

August 6, 2000, Performance at 1:30 p.m. Science activities, 12:30-3:30 p.m.  

Top of the Bay Family Days Sunday Afternoon Outdoor Family Concert: 

A performance of Mexican music and dance from Son de la Tierra, literally "Song of the Earth," talented students from Richmond's East Bay Center for the Performing Arts in Richmond. 

Kites Kaleidoscope  

August 9, 2000, Noon-2 p.m. 

See rainbows of color flying high! Learn how to make your own kite as you get the lowdown on aerodynamics! An exhibit of hand-crafted kites from Indonesia will be on hand to offer inspiration as you design your own kite. 

Science Stew 

August 16, 2000, Noon-2 p.m.  

Ever wanted to whip up your own play dough or create the world's best bubble solution? Young scientists, just like the best chefs, combine their ingredients with big heaps of fun, nspiration and creativity! Come create your own scientific stew of cool toys with materials, ideas, and the help of science education specialists from the Hall's renowned SEPUP curriculum. 

Indonesian Kites and Culture Celebration  

Saturday and Sunday August 19 and 20, 2000, 12:30- 3:30 p.m. 

The final weekend of the spectacular Kites and Culture: The Spirit of Indonesia exhibit will feature performances by Balinese dancers on Saturday (1:30 p.m.) and a Javanese gamelan orchestra on Sunday (1:30 p.m.); and fascinating demonstrations by Indonesian kite makers, delicious delicacies of the region, and-of course-opportunities for everyone to make and fly kites. Included with museum admission. 

Into the A, B, Sea 

August 23, 2000, Noon-2 p.m. 

Dive into the wonderful world of the ocean with local author Deborah Lee Rose who will read from her new book "Into the A, B, Sea", published by Scholastic Press. Find out more about the sea with fun hands-on activities from the LHS Marine Activites, Resources and Education (MARE) program. 

LHS Summer Games 2000  

August 30, 2000, Noon-2 p.m.  

Australia may have the Summer Olympics, but LHS has Summer Games 2000! Yo-yos, spinning tops, and juggling lead the list of games you'll get to watch and try yourself. Bring your own yo-yo to learn newmoves and tricks demonstrated byyo-yo experts from Yo-topia. 

The Lawrence Hall of Science is located at 1 Centennial Drive.  

Call 642-5132 for more information.  

GALLERIES  

KALA INSTITUTE 

“Markings/Imprints,” through July 28. The 2000 Kala Art Institute Fellowship Awards Exhibitions, Part I, featuring works by Susan Belau, Liliana Lobo Ferreira, and Jamie Morgan. 

Free. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m.  

Workshop Media Center Gallery, 1060 Heinz Ave., Berkeley.  

549-2977. 

ADDISON STREET WINDOWS GALLERY 

“Yangtze River: in the Dragon’s Teeth” 

Carol Brighton's poured paper paintings of the Yangtze River gorges, through July 31. Six-foot paper pieces in the long format of a Chinese scroll. This artwork is done in support of the International Rivers Network campaign to save the Yangtze River. The full impact of these beautiful compositions can even be viewed from across the street. 

Addison Street Windows Gallery, 2018 Addison St., Berkeley 

BERKELEY ART CENTER 

Ethnic Notion: Black Images in the White Mind 

The Berkeley Art Center brings back Janette Faulkner’s collection “Ethnic Notion: Black Images in the White Mind” an exhibit that explores racial stereotypes in commercial imagery. The collection will be on display at the Berkeley Art Center from September 10 through November 12. The Berkeley Art Center is located at 1275 Walnut Street. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.  

For more information call 644-6893. 

POETRY 

CODY’S BOOKS POETRY FLASH 

The Haiku Anthology Contributors Reading 

Garry Gay, Jerry Kilbride, Vincent Tripi, Micheal DylanWelch 

Edited and with a foreword by the former Haiku Society of America president Cor van den Heuvel, The Haiku Anthology collects 850 of the best English language Haiku and related works. A selection of Bay Area contributors will read at this event. "Haiku is basically about living with intense awareness, about having an openness to the existence around us-kind of openness that involves seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching."--Cor van den Heuvel August 2, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. 

Donation is $2. 

Joseph Di Prisco And Dean Young 

Joseph Di Prisco's newest book, Poems in Which, won the 2000 Dorothy Brunsman Poetry Prize. An essayist and reviewer, he is also the co-author of a recent book about adolescence and growing up, Field Guide to the American Teenager. His novel, Confessions of Brother Eli, is forthcoming in the fall. Dean Young has published three books of poems, most recently First Course in Turbulence. "Dean Young's exhilarating, complex, and wide-ranging poems give one the impression of conversations with an angel in which the poet has to be super-alert at every second, for every second counts and the angel knows everything. To listen to these conversations is to experience a colloquial, witty, emotional, and urgent discourse not to be found anywhere else."--Kenneth Koch. August 9, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Donation is $2. 

Janice M. Gale and Noel Peattie 

Berkeley poet Janice M. Gale's new book is House of Leaves. A former dancer, cook, editor, community organizer and teacher, she has been an activist for social justice for more than fifty years. Noel Peattie published Sipapu, a review journal for librarians and others interested in dissent literature, including poetry, and the small press, between 1970-1996. His poetry books include In the Dome of Saint Laurence Meteor and Western Skyline. August 13, Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Donation is $2. 

Leonard J. Cirino and Marc Elihu Hofstadter 

Leonard J. Cirino, editor and publisher of Pygmy Forest Press, is the author of twenty-one poetry collections, including The Terrible Wilderness of Self, 96 Sonnets Facing Conviction, and American Minotaur & Other Work, Poems 1998. His newest collection is The Sane Man Speaks & Other Poems. Marc Elihu Hofstadter is the author of House of Peace. He has published his poems and critical articles in many literary journals, including Exquisite Corpse and Talisman, and works as the Librarian of the San Francisco Municipal Railway. August 16, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Donation is $2. 

Jamal Ali and Russell Gonzaga 

Jamal Ali writes in a broad spectrum of genres from journalism and history to poetry and plays. He's been performing and reading across the U.S. since 1985. His published works include Jazz is a Sacrament of Substance. Russell Gonzaga is a celebrated performance and slam poet based in the Bay Area. August 23, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Donation is $2. 

Joe Todaro 

Joe Todaro is the author of Notes From a Burning Theater, a poetry chapbook. He co-produced, withCelia White, the 1998 Urban Epiphany poetry reading in Buffalo, New York, the largest such event in that city's history. Celia White is a poet, fiction writer, and librarian. Her poetry chapbooks are Cusp, Mouth, Stick, and Lit; her poems have appeared in Exquisite Corpse and upstream. The event room at Cody's is wheelchair accessible. Please ask for help or directions at the Information Desk. ASL interpreters for the deaf and hearing impaired can be provided with reasonable advance notice. August 30, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Donation is $2. 

Parking is available at the Durant/Channing Garage; Cody's will validate one hour of parking with purchase. 

Cody's Books: 845-7852 • Poetry Flash: 525-5476 

To publicize an upcoming event, please submit information to the Daily Planet via fax (841-5695), e-mail (calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.com) or traditional mail (2076 University Avenue, 94704). Calendar items should be submitted at least one week before the opening of a new exhibit or performance. Please include a daytime telephone number in case we need to clarify any information.

UC BERKELEY ART  

MUSEUM 

“Doug Aitken/MATRIX 185: Into the Sun,” through Sept. 3. An exhibit of works primarily in video and film, using the interplay of art and media to evoke deserted landscapes.  

“Autour de Rodin: Auguste Rodin and His Contemporaries,” through August. An exhibit of 11 bronze maquettes on loan from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation in Los Angeles. The bronzes range in style from the artist's classically inspired “Torso of a Woman” to the anguish of “The Martyr.” Some of the maquettes were cast during Rodin’s lifetime, others have been cast fairly recently under the aegis of the Musee Rodin which alone is authorized to cast his sculptures posthumously. 

“Images and Ideas: The Collection in Focus,” open-ended. The museum periodically displays some of its permanent collection in a context meant to highlight some aspect of the objects. The three areas of focus for this exhibit are Renaissance art, 19th and 20th-century American art and paintings from 1940 to the present. 

$6 general; $4 seniors and students ages 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 11 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.  

2626 Bancroft Way.  

642-0808. 

HALL OF HEALTH  

A hands-on community health education museum and science center sponsored by Children's Hospital Oakland and Alta Bates Medical Center. 

“This is Your Heart!” ongoing. An in teractive exhibit on heart health. 

“Good Nutrition,” ongoing. This exhibit includes models for making balanced meals and an exercycle for calculating how calories are burned. 

“Draw Your Own Insides,” ongoing. Human-shaped chalkboards and models with removable organs allow visitors to explore the inside of their bodies. 

“Your Cellular Self and Cancer Prevention,” ongoing. An exhibit on understanding how cells become cancerous and how to detect and prevent cancer. 

Free. For children ages 3 to 12 and their parents. 

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level) 

549-1564. 

HOLT PLANETARIUM 

Programs are recommended for age 8 and up; children under age 6 will not be admitted. 

“Target Earth,” July 29 through Aug. 25. Make your own estimate of how often Earth has been hit by comets or asteroids. Find out how sciences such as astronomy, chemistry, paleontology and geology are all needed to shed light on the mystery of the dinosaur extinction. Daily, 2:15 p.m. 

$2 plus museum admission of $6 general; $4 students, seniors, disabled and youths aged 7 to 18; children under the age of 6 are not admitted. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  

Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Centennial Drive. 

642-5132 

www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

PHOEBE HEARST MUSEUM 

“Modern Treasures from Ancient Iran,” through Oct. 29. This exhibit explores nomadic and town life in ancient and modern Iran as illustrated in bronze and pottery vessels, and textiles. 

“Approaching a Century of Anthropology,” a sampling of the vast collections of the museum, its mission, history, and current research, with selections from ancient Egypt, Peru, California Indians, Asia (India), and Africa. 

“Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” Ishi, the last Yahi Indian of California, spent the final years of his life, 1911 to 1916, living at the museum, working with anthropologists to record his culture, demonstrating technological skills, and retelling Yahi myths, tales, and songs. 

Wednesday through Sunday, 10 am-4:30 p.m.; Thursday until 9 p.m. 

Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley 

643-7648 

UC BERKELEY MUSEUM OF  

PALEONTOLOGY 

“Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20-foot tall, 40-foot long replica of the fearsome dinosaur. The replica is made from casts of bones of the most complete T. Rex skeleton yet excavated. When unearthed in Montana, the bones were all lying in place with only a small piece of the tailbone missing. 

“Pteranodon,” ongoing. A suspended skeleton of a flying reptile with a wingspan of 22 to 23 feet. The Pteranodon lived at the same time as the dinosaurs. 

“California Fossils Exhibit,” ongoing. An exhibit of some of the fossils which have been excavated in California. 

Free. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  

Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley. 

642-1821. 

HABITOT CHILDREN’S  

MUSEUM 

A museum especially for children age 7 and younger. Highlights include “WaterWorks,” an area with some unusual water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a child-scale grocery store and cafe, and a costume shop and stage for junior thespians. The museum also features a toy lending library. 

Exhibit: “Back to the Farm,” open-ended. This interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels like an earthworm, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and much more.  

Admission is $4 for adults; $6 child age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child.  

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue. 

647-1111 

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM 

“Telling Time: To Everything There Is A Season,” through May 2002.  

An exhibit structured around the seasons of the year and the seasons of life with objects ranging from the sacred and the secular, to the provocative and the whimsical. Highlights include treasures from Jewish ceremonial and folk art, rare books and manuscripts, contemporary and traditional fine art, video, photography and cultural kitsch. Through Nov. 4: “Spring and Summer.” 

Free. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

2911 Russell St., Berkeley 

549-6950. 

LAWRENCE HALL OF  

SCIENCE 

From a region where kite making is an important part of village life, sports, arts, worship, and work, these Indonesian kites are exciting examples of inspiration, ingenuity, and technology. 

Special Events: Kites Kaleidoscope on Aug. 9, Noon-2 p.m.; and a weekend celebration of Indonesian dancing, music, food, and kite making, on Aug. 19-20, 12:30-3:30 p.m. 

The final weekend of the Kites and Culture: The Spirit of Indonesia exhibit will feature performances by Balinese dancers on Saturday, August 19 (1:30 p.m.) and a Javanese gamelan orchestra on Sunday, August 20 (1:30 p.m.); and demonstrations by Indonesian kite makers, delicious delicacies of the region, and-of course-opportunities for everyone to make and fly kites. The exhibit runs from July 29 - August 20, 2000. 

Solids, Liquids, and Gases 

August 2, Noon and 1:00 p.m.  

Learn all about solids, liquids, and gases! Discover how solids can change into colorful gases and what happens when liquid nitrogen cools a gas to hundreds of degrees below zero. Learn how spooky-looking fog is made! This popular and fun event, developed as an LHS school program is great for children in grades K-1. 

The Lawrence Hall of Science is located at 1 Centennial Drive.  

Call 642-5132 for more information.

Marcella Williams wants her neighborhood to be “more like a family.” Ron Casimere wants to scare off criminals and beautify his stretch of Alcatraz Avenue. Tracy Washburn hopes her neighbors in the Berkeley hills will be prepared to help each other if a natural disaster strikes. 

Each lives in a neighborhood that will participate tonight in Berkeley’s 17th Annual National Night Out. From 7-10 p.m., residents are encouraged to lock their doors, turn on their porch lights, and come out into the streets to spend time with neighbors and law enforcement officials. 

Founded in 1984 by the National Association of Town Watch, National Night Out is observed on the first Tuesday of August all over the United States and in Canada and on U.S. military bases around the world. According to the Berkeley Police Department, more than 34 neighborhood groups are planning outings including parties, games, musical entertainment, and more in Berkeley this year. 

Police and fire department staff show up wherever they’re invited, contributing suchcrowd-pleasers as McGruff the Crime-fighting Dog or a display of emergency vehicles, motorcycles, or a fire truck. 

“We make as big a show of it as the neighborhoods do,” says Officer Ross Kassebaum, who is this year’s NNO coordinator with the Berkeley Police. 

This year, residents of Alcatraz Avenue will celebrate the recent installation of new streetlights between the 1300 and 1600 blocks with a “Stroll Down the Avenue,” repeated several, times over the course of the evening.  

One of the event’s organizers is Ron Casimere, a member of the Alcatraz Neighborhood Association, which organized in 1995 to combat a serious drug problem. “Every day from noon to five a.m. you had drug dealers conducting their activity right out in front of the houses. It got so you almost hated to leave to go to work in the morning,” he says.  

Casimere and his neighbors tirelessly petitioned the City Council and the police for better law enforcement, and today the drug dealing has been sharply curtailed. In recent years, as new neighbors have moved in – “younger people, with a desire to better the place” – the situation has further improved, he said. 

“Now you can stroll the avenue; there are some nice little stores where you feel safe letting the grand kids walk to ... and people feel safer parking on the street.” 

A recent triumph is the installation of streetlights to discourage crime after dark. “Now at night, it’s bright as day,” says Casimere. 

Just one block over, Neighborhood Watch block captain Marcella Williams is planning an all-out party at the 63rd Street Mini-Park between California and Martin Luther King streets. There will be music, a potluck, a live snake demonstration by snake handler Vincent Seymour, kids’ games, and more. 

Williams, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1974, but only recently got involved with Neighborhood Watch, has seen crime problems wax and wane over the years. In the old days, she says, “Everybody knew everybody. It was like a big family here.” 

Even when local teens were dealing marijuana themselves, they looked after their neighbors, chasing off Oakland dealers who tried to come into the area with hard stuff like heroin and crack. “They’d tell them, ‘There are a lot of little kids in this neighborhood, and they could get hurt,’” Williams remembers. 

Today, while the drug problems have abated, Williams says the residents in her block don’t know each other very well. Like much of the East Bay, the neighborhood is in transition, and Williams sees a cultural divide between older, African-American residents and newer Hispanic arrivals. She hopes tomorrow’s party will help break the ice. “I’d like to see people relax and get to know each other.” 

Tracy Washburn of the Northeast Berkeley Association has similar reasons for promoting National Night Out. She’ll be celebrating tonight in the cul-de-sac on Ajax Place with a kids’ parade, barbecue, and other festivities.  

While her neighborhood bordering Tilden Park does not have the crime rate of the city’s south and west areas, Washburn sees a real need for neighbors to turn out and interact with one another.  

“We really need more neighborhood watch groups in the hills,” she says. “The police call this area ‘Alaska,’ it’s so big.” Washburn says it’s especially important for her neighbors to be aware of one another so they can come to each other’s aid in case of an earthquake or wildfire. 

For more information on National Night Out, call the Berkeley Police Department’s Community Service Bureau at 644-6696.

A revival of John Fisher’s campy and sexual 1992 vaudeville drag revue “Cleopatra: the Musical” opened Friday at Zellerbach Playhouse on the Cal campus, presented by Cal’s Department of Dramatic Art/Center for Theater Arts. 

Fisher is the Cal playwriting wonder who authored “Medea: The Musical” and “Combat!,” both of which had successful runs in San Francisco. Other plays by this prolific writer include last season’s Zellerbach World War II play “Partisans,” and the outrageous and hilarious gay bath house tale “Barebacking,” which played last season at Theater Rhinoceros in San Francisco. 

“Cleopatra” is a campy musical comedy vaudeville cabaret show with a bawdy drag spin that tells the story of 18 years of Roman history from 48 to 30 B.C. 

Beginning with Julius Caesar’s military victory over Pompey the Great, the musical follows Caesar’s love affair with Egyptian queen Cleopatra (Jeffrey Meanza in drag), Caesar’s accession to power, and his ultimate assassination. 

The story then follows the ensuing civil war in Rome and Cleopatra’s love affair with Marc Antony. This comedy ends with the mass death of almost everyone in this 26-actor cast. 

There is a lot of music in “Cleopatra,” but none of it is original. The tunes are all pinched from Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, and others. In many cases, Fisher and his co-lyricist James Dudek have written bawdy new lyrics for the songs. 

The tunes include “Anything Goes,” “Blue Moon,” “I’ve Got Rhythm,” “Let’s Fall in Love,” “Someone to Watch over Me,” “The Lady is a Tramp,” “My Funny Valentine,” and many more. 

In some ways, “Cleopatra: the Musical” is like “The Boys from Syracuse,” the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical rewrite of Shakespeare’s “Comedy of Errors,” or “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” the Stephen Sondheim/Larry Gelbart reworking of Roman playwright Plautus. 

In other ways, with its over-the-top antics, “Cleopatra” is like a Monty Python story such as “The Life of Brian.” . 

In this big-cast epic story, most of the 26 performers double in multiple roles. There is a lot of cross-gender casting, where men play women, and women play men. That makes the romance, well... different. 

Playwright Fisher’s direction employs many silly sight gags, like a soldier getting his finger stuck in the mouth of Pompeii’s severed head. Or a baby in swaddling clothes having a large bowel movement. 

Caesar’s home has a marquee outside saying “Caesar’s Palace.” He and Cleopatra have a son names Caesarion. That is the level of the play’s humor. 

But in an evening that runs nearly two and a half hours, “Cleopatra” is long, and though the performers are enthusiastic, the story never really takes off. The script is not quite funny enough to carry all the obvious effort that went in to it. 

“Cleopatra” ends up coming off as a college class play, where the big joke is seeing your friend up on stage in a silly costume playing a silly part. The production struggles to reach beyond that to a general audience. 

There is some good acting. The performers in this production specialize in silly walks, silly voices, and silly singing. Jeffrey Meanza’s drag Cleopatra pulls a strong focus. 

The actors basically try to go over the top in their performances. Christopher Herold is zany and energetic as Caesar. He doubles as Caesar’s eight-year-old son Caesarion, playing him like the schizophrenic Jonathan Winters little-boy-in-shorts character. 

Amir Talai creates a distinctive deadpan character as put-upon soldier Rufio, an assistant to Caesar. 

The singing from this cast of mostly current and recent Cal drama grads is not the strongest you will hear, but they get through it adequately. Laura LeBleu, as alcoholic Marc Antony, has one of the better voices. 

Pianist Andrew Bundy and percussionist Colleen F. Clay do a good job with the classic show tunes. Designer Wendy Sparks’ flashy Roman costumes appropriately fit “Cleopatra’s” Las Vegas revue feel. 

“Cleopatra: the Musical” plays Friday through Sunday, through Aug. 13, at Zellerbach Playhouse on the Cal campus. For tickets and information, call (510) 601-8932.

Voter approval of Proposition 10 means smokers have to cough up quarters to pay society for their unhealthy habit. 

The 1998 initiative hit smokers with a 50 cent surcharge per pack of cigarettes in order to fund health-related programs for children under five. 

On Monday, 38 organizations in Alameda County reaped the first of the rewards of the proposition. The Alameda County Children and Families CommisBerkeley 

• St. Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco 

• St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco 

• Seton Medical Center in Daly City 

• Summit Medical Center in Oakland 

• Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley 

• Sutter Solano Medical Center in Vallejo 

Following the previous strike, negotiators gave the hospitals an Aug. 2 deadline to begin bargaining in good faith.  

President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Tom Ammiano said that if the health care workers feel that striking is what they have to do, he supports their decision. 

Walter Johnson of the city Labor Council villainized hospital administrators as “victims of the disease” that is “profits before people.” 

The Service Employees International Union, which is the largest health care union in the nation, has raised a million dollars to support the strikers in case of financial hardships they face due to the strike. 

When health care workers struck in July, many faced difficulty returning due to rescheduling and temporary hiring contracts that the hospitals made to prepare for the one-day staffing loss. 

Catholic Healthcare West spokesman Robert Polzoni says that the union and its supporters distort the hospital’s position. “Hospitals are in dire financial straits,” he said. “We’re not the enemy. The enemy is the federal government; HMOs. 

“The union should be working with us, not against us.” He added that striking is irresponsible in that it unfairly hurts patients. 

Among the strikers’ requests is a proposal to give workers 15 months job security in the form of preferential treatment in hiring. 

Polzoni says that the workers’ demands are “entirely unrealistic.” He says that employees experience daily cancellations because the hospital staffs from day-to-day dependent upon patient demand, which fluctuates.  

He says that the hospital has made several offers to meet the workers part-way at the negotiating table, but that the union won’t be satisfied. 

The hospital offered to expand the workers’ pension at $4.1 million cost to the hospital, as well as a 12 percent pay increase over the next four years, with more significant increases for positions such as radiology technicians and unit clerks, but those offers have been denied.

With blue skies and a gentle breeze blowing over the Marina Saturday and Sunday, conditions were ideal for the 15th annual Berkeley Kite Festival and West Coast Flying Championships. 

The event brought kite fanatics and casual observers alike to the waterfront, some coming from as far away as Canada and one group even traveling all the way from China to participate. Many among them travel around the country attending kite competitions. 

“I’ve been coming (to the Berkeley Kite Festival) for quite a while,” said Tim Helwig, an event crew member from Alameda. “I travel the west coast going to these festivals. I love it, it’s one of my major pastimes.” 

Competitors in the West Coast Flying Championships vie for honors in one of three categories: ballet, in which people choreograph kite routines to music, precision and freestyle. A panel of judges score the events. The scores count toward each of the competitors’ national flying ratings. 

The winners of the weekend’s competitions will compete in the national finals, which take place in Tampa Bay, Fla. in October. 

All eyes were on Ray Bethall, a more-than-70-year old competitor from Vancouver, British Columbia for 10 minutes Saturday. Bethall managed to fly three kites in perfect synchronicity – one controlled by each hand and one fastened to his waist. 

Organizers of the festival expected that by the end of the two-day event, between 10,000 and 20,000 people would have attended.  

A team of 60 volunteers worked at the festival, which was organized by Tom McAlister, who started the festival in 1986. 

One kite team from Yang Jiang City, China exhibited a 400-foot-long Chinese Dragon kite. 

“The kite from Yang Jiang is very much a handicraft,” said Lavinia Yu, a spokesperson for the team. “Also, the unique style and the artform are very emphasized (in China). 

The main purpose why we come here is for the cultural exchange and to improve the understanding between the two different cultures.” 

While it was the team’s first time at the Berkeley Kite Festival, it has traveled to France and other parts of the United States for similar events. 

“Every festival has its own edge,” Zheng You Jian, Yang Jiang City’s vice mayor, said through a translator. 

At this festival, kites ranged in color, style and size. While many people flew small kites, the sky was also filled with huge squids, octopuses, centipedes and several windsocks that were larger than a house. 

Not content to simply watch the competition, many locals brought their own kites to fly. There was plenty food at the booths for those who worked up an appetite and special activities for children, including a candy drop and kite-making lessons. 

The variety of activities appeared to fulfill the organizers’ promise that there would be “something for everyone.”

Monday, July 31

Copwatch Demonstration 

10 a.m. 

2120 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

Berkeley Copwatch is demonstrating against the opening of the the Public Safety Building, particularly the opening of the new jail and its Measure G funding. Call 548-0425. 

State Office of Historic  

Preservation Training on the  

Certified Local Government  

Program 

1- 9 p.m. 

1-5 p.m. Driving and walking tour of Berkeley's historic sites – starting from and ending up in the Civic Center District. 

1 p.m. Meet at the fountain in Civic Center Park, Center Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 

7-9 p.m. Workshop at the Permit Service Center at 2120 Milvia Street, 2nd Floor Conference room: topics to include: What is a Certified Local Government? What are the responsibilities of the City of Berkeley and the Berkeley Landmarks Preservation Commission as a Local Government? 

Newly Diagnosed Breast  

Cancer Support Group 

Professionally facilitated support group allows members to share their feelings and to support each other in the healing process. Support group held every first, third and fifth Monday of each month.  

Call 204-4330 or 204-1769 for time and location. 

“Italy: The Land of the  

Renaissance” with the Julians 

1:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst at MLK Jr. Way 

644-6107 

Tuesday, August 1 

Genetic Engineering Teach-In  

and Strategy Session 

6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. 

Ecology Center 

2530 San Pablo Ave 

From 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. there will be videos on genetically modified food issues followed by a feneral strategy session on local actions. There will be a detailed discussion of upcoming events by the Organic Consumers Association. 

548-2220 ext. 233 

erc@ecologycenter.org 

www.ecologycenter.org 

“Polyamory, monogamy, and other flavors” 

7 p.m.-9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. 

Come for a free discussion and social group, open to everyone regardless of age, religion or view point. 

527-5332  

All Camp Day 

Noon - 1 p.m. 

Lake Anza, Tilden Park 

There will be games such as tug of war, sack races and relay races. The event combines fun competition, while providing elected officials with the opportunity to see YMCA kids in action. 

The event is sponsored by the Berkeley-Albany YMCA. Call 549-4524. 

Wednesday, August 2

“Bicycle Maintenance 101” 

7 p.m. 

REI 

1338 San Pablo Ave 

REI bike technician Paul Ecord will show you how to perform basic adjustments on your bike to keep it in good working condition. He’ll demonstrate how to clean/replace a chain, adjust derailleurs and replace brake and derailleur cables. Learn how to fix a flat and what to include in your tool kit for the road.  

527-7377 

Thursday, August 3

Community Dance Party 

7:45 p.m.-9:45 p.m. 

A Community Dance Party sponsored by Berkeley Folk Dancers. Dance instruction included wil admission. 

Ticket are $2 for teens, and $4 for adult non-members. 

“Great Sierra Backpacking  

Destinations” 

7 p.m.  

REI 

1338 San Pablo Ave 

In tonight’s slide presentation Karen Najarian will take you on some extraordinary four- to seven-day backpacking trips. Come find out how to make the most of your summer adventures with Karen’s expert tips on backcountry travel.  

527-7377 

Friday, August 4

“Human Nature” 

8:30 p.m. 

New College Cultural Center 

766 Valencia 

San Francisco 

Watch or participate in an idyllic nude ritual of groupbody which reconnects us to a merged mindset. Put on by X-plicit Players. 

Ticket: $12 

484-1985 

www.xpliciteplayers.com 

“Antarctica and the Breath of Seals” 

8 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

The Fireside Room 

2727 College Ave. 

Come for this one hour slide show and talk that describes Berkeley writer Lucy Jane Bledsoe’s adventure on “The Ice.” The program is a benefit for The Marine Mammal Cneter. 

Admission: $5-$25 donations on a sliding scale. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. 

526-6291 

Community Environmental  

Advisory Commission 

6 p.m. 

Lawrence Berkeley National Labs presentation on environmental restoration quarterly meeting by Iraj Javendal 

7 p.m., regular meeting 

At the Planning and Development Department, second-floorconference room 

2118 Milvia Street 

Among the items to be discussed are a groundwater management plan, wood-burning restrictions, air monitoring, well survey, 2700 San Pablo Ave. development and community concerns and more. 

Saturday, August 5

“Kezurou-Kai” 

1:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. 

Finnish Britherhood Hall 

1970 Chestnut St. 

Come to see two days of Japanese wood working on Saturday and Sunday August 5 and 6. Carpenter, woodworkers and toolmakers come to Berkeley to show saw, plane and chisel sharpening. On Aug. 6 the show is from 12:30 p.m.-5 p.m. 

Cost is $20.00 for both days. 

Due to limited space, only 100 people per day will be admitted. Early registration is advised. 

524-3700

Consultant’s report: tritium levels OK 

Editor: 

Daily Planet readers of a commentary by Mark McDonald in the July 18 issue should be aware of accurate information regarding a city of Berkeley consultant’s report on tritium emissions at the Laboratory. 

First, the main point of the consultant’s report is that there is no evidence of offsite exposures above the Environmental Protection Agency’s public health standard of 10 mrem per year. The exposures are far below regulatory limits. 

Readers may view the entire IFEU Preliminary Technical Report on the Review of Radiological Monitoring at LBNL, and a Laboratory consultant’s comments on this report, on the Internet at http://www.lbl.gov/ehs/tritium/. 

The following corrections to the McDonald commentary should be noted: 

• Data from the Laboratory’s seven ambient air monitors were reviewed and verified for accuracy and reliability by the city’s consultant. 

• IFEU reviewed inventory data for tritium at Berkeley Lab, and the IFEU report agrees with the Laboratory and the U.S. EPA conclusions that airborne emissions are most reliably measured by air sampling. 

• The NTLF is not operating less; it is releasing less, due to the fact that it is operating more efficiently. Process improvements now allow tritiation reactions to be carried out with reduced amounts of tritium, and with more complete capture and recycling of the tritium used. 

Consequently less tritium is now being released from the stack. 

• The city of Berkeley and its consultant, IFEU, have chosen to participate in the 21-member Environmental Sampling Project Task Force. 

This group was established to provide a broad array of community stakeholders, including the city of Berkeley, and the public, with an organized way to comment on the draft sampling plan, the sampling itself and the results. 

Overall, the IFEU report draws the same conclusion that the Lab and its regulators have: there is no evidence of offsite exposures above the EPA public health standard of 10 mrem per year. The exposures are far below regulatory limits. 

The Lab anticipates a continuing cooperative working relationship with the city of Berkeley’s consultant, IFEU, on this issue. I encourage your readers to attend the August 10, 2000, meeting of the Task Force, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way in Berkeley to learn more about the draft sampling plan and the consultant and community comments. 

Terry Powell  

Community Relations, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 

Berkeley needs affordable housing 

Editor: 

The “crowd of two different minds” at the Zoning Adjustment Board meeting, as described in “No ruling yet on 2700 San Pablo Ave. project,” in the Weekend July 29-30) edition suggests that Berkeley has a split personality about housing.  

High density housing is fine, and promotes needed affordable housing, but don’t build it in my back yard. 

With all the demand from the well-to-do, public policy should ensure that people of modest means can still live in our city. People running our service economy need to live near their work; they shouldn’t have to commute in from some far-off Soweto. Besides, economic opportunity tends to be more equal among people who live together. 

I agree with Michael Yarne that San Pablo Avenue is the right place to build high density housing. The San Pablo corridor has good bus service, and AC Transit has plans for making it better. Public policy should encourage transit-oriented development. 

Berkeley should encourage housing without required parking. High density housing does not have to lead to more cars on the roads. It’s possible to live without a car, if one lives near a bus line with frequent service. 

Affordable housing should not be subsidized. The developers have the knowledge and resources to design housing that can be offered at an affordable price. All they need is the right kind of incentives. 

The Zoning Adjustment Board is the public body to set up incentives. In places like San Pablo Avenue, they should zone for four or more stories, and not issue a building permit unless 20% of the units are going to be affordable. 

Steve Geller 

Berkeley 

Congress could halt oil companies’ price-gouging 

Editor: 

This Spring, when gas prices shot up to over $2 a gallon, the oil companies said that the spike was caused by OPEC, or by taxes, or by “market conditions.” Now, Chevron’s earnings report is out and we see that its profits rose by $ 650 million to $ 1.14 billion, up 135% from last year. The Exxon-Mobil Corp’s earnings more than doubled. The facts are clear that those price hikes were not caused by passing higher operating costs through to the consumer; they were excess charges to make more profit. 

How can consumers protect themselves from price-gouging by these oil monopolies? The government is the only force powerful enough to control their greed. A Democratic Congress could levy a windfall profits tax on their predatory profits. Trust-busters in the Justice Department should reverse the deregulation of the Reagan-Bush era and break apart those mega-merged oil monoliths. 

Could voters be made to believe that two oilmen from Texas will protect consumer interests? The Republicans are spending millions on TV advertisements to try to make us think so. Bush and Cheney to reduce gas prices? Yeah, right! “Compassionate conservatism” means leaving your wallet at the gas pump. 

Bruce Joffe 

Oakland 

New ordinance could hurt students 

Editor: 

Please convey my compliments to William Inman on his excellent coverage of the City Council’s tortured discussion of eviction control tightening. His concluding paragraph, a quote from Ms. Bernay of the rent board, is, however, most puzzling and begs for further elucidation. Just how will the proposed changes in the ordinance “help every single student”? 

Common sense dictates that placing further constraints on eviction will result in further limitation on turnover of Berkeley apartments, thus fewer vacancies available for students seeking accommodations. The only students helped by the proposed Good Cause for Eviction amendment are those over 62 years old or disabled who already are sitting tenants, or students who’ve occupied their units for five years or more. These special categories (of students) will be safe from owner move-in eviction. Big deal! But hardly one that justifies Bernay’s claim that the proposed amendment will “help every single student.”  

Quite to the contrary. Tightening eviction controls limits turnover and shrinks the supply of available rentals, thus compounding the negative effects of twenty years of rent restrictions. New renters, students in particular, should be aware that the past twenty years of an unreasonably stringent rent law has shrunk our pre-1980, price controlled rental stock by twenty to twenty-five percent. The scarce vacancies for which new tenants compete are already priced at market level, and will be forced even higher by any measure that further limits supply. Students as well as other new tenants need less, not more, restriction of Berkeley’s residential rental market. 

Peggy Schioler 

Berkeley 

(Editor’s note: the ballot measure addresses seniors 60 years and older and tenants – including students – who have occupied their apartments for five years or longer.)

Sitting back in a well-used recliner with root beer in one hand, chips in the other and Roger Rabbit bounding across the TV screen in front of him, Walker Scripps smiled and posed a question. 

“This is protest?” asked Scripps, who happened across the 10th-consecutive Saturday night movie at the Underhill parking lot. “You should have been with us in Chicago in ’68.” 

While swarms of “Blue Meanies” are unlikely to overrun the Underhill and beat the stuffing out of every man, woman and child in sight a la Chicago 1968, setting up a slew of couches around a home entertainment center and throwing a party in a parking lot is, legally, somewhat questionable. 

“Originally they gave us a really heavy trip; a whole bunch of cops came in, surrounded us and told us to leave or we’d be arrested,” said longtime bicycle activist Jason Meggs. “But this is the 10th one and it seems they’ve finally decided to let us be there. Now (the police) come by and say ‘hey, how’s it going?’ and ask what movies are showing tonight.” 

Transforming the contested Underhill parking lot into an open-air cinema occurred to Meggs – one of Berkeley’s most active activists – after Boalt Hall student Rick Young was forcibly ejected from the lot for the last time, ending a nearly month-long sit-in. Young – who is now legally barred from setting foot on the Underhill parking lot – was protesting the University’s plan to erect a multi-story parking structure on the site instead of student housing. 

Toward the end of his stay, Young and friends even did their best imitations of furious Detroit autoworkers, smashing a car to bits in an anti-auto demonstration. By holding the weekly movie night, Meggs was aiming for a lower-key approach. .  

“What if we had the opposite of a drive-in movie – a Bike-In, Skate-In, Walk-In movie?” said Meggs, who conjured up the idea after coming across the famed photograph of hundreds of drive-in movie-goers watching Charlton Heston’s Moses part the Red Sea. “I wanted to lighten it up so it wouldn’t be a really dry protest, make it fun. It certainly has been.” 

Sometimes dawdling past dawn watching flicks and chatting, Meggs estimates as many as 70 people have showed up in one night. At least 30 stopped by on Saturday.  

“It’s sort of a mix: There’s a good political message but it’s fun and entertaining for people,” said Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who dropped in Saturday night for his “seventh or eighth” movie night. “Usually politics is super-serious. But it’s sort of fun to have a political protest, camp-out, watch movies, eat junk food and meet a lot of interesting people.” 

While, democratically enough, movie-goers vote on what films to watch, Meggs tries to balance pro-bicycle documentaries with popular films, usually “cheesy Americana” touching on car culture. Past films have included “Stripes,” “Neighbors,” “The Terminator,” “Grease,” and “Dr. Strangelove,” which, Meggs hastens to add, “is not exactly cheesy Americana.” 

Yet while it is fun and games, it isn’t all fun and games. No one is losing sight of why the movies are being shown in a controversial parking lot.  

“I lived in the dorms for two years, paying $850-900 a month for a room about the size of three parking spots,” says UC Berkeley junior electrical engineering and computer sciences major Ryan Salsbury, who, along with Young, was ejected from the lot (but was not charged). 

“That’s unreasonably expensive, and the UC housing plan is only going to make it worse. I’m definitely in favor of putting housing on this lot instead of parking.” 

Meggs predicts thornier demonstrations in the Underhill once students get back into town.  

“When the students come back, this campaign is going to take on a different, probably much more intense, form,” said Meggs. “We’re going to have a lot of students very upset that the University is not taking their housing crisis seriously. People may live (in the Underhill) to draw attention to the housing crunch.”

RICHMOND – This is earthquake country and there are few who do not worry about the lives that will be lost and the homes destroyed when the big one hits.  

Much attention, for example, has been paid to the danger that unreinforced brick buildings could fall down and “soft-story” apartment buildings might collapse. 

But Friday at Richmond’s Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, run by UC Berkeley, the focus was on a even more sobering catastrophe – the destruction of California’s wine supply.  

Wine makers from across the state gathered to view a simulation of an earthquake and to see its possible effects on wine storage.  

The demonstration was part of a research project called the Wine Industry Seismic Hazard Reduction Project. The project is headed by Joshua Marrow, a graduate student at UC Berkeley and engineer with Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Consulting Engineers in San Francisco.  

Sponsored by various wineries, manufacturers and industry associations, Morrow is researching the seismic performance of the steel barrel rack system. This system is one of the most popular and is used to store wine barrels throughout California, Oregon and Washington. 

Problems arise with the rack system when the barrels fall off and either crack open or lose their silicon bung, or cork, spilling their contents. This sort of scenario is likely in the event of an earthquake. 

Large wineries like Kendall-Jackson, Mondavi and Gallo can have 50,000 to 60,000 barrels stored,” Marrow said. “At $3,000 to $5,000 a barrel, this can really add up.” 

To test the rack system, Morrow has been using UC Berkeley’s Earthquake Simulator, also known as a “shake table.” Berkeley’s table was the first of its kind ever built and is currently the largest in the United States. Morrow has been using the table for a week and is nearing the end of his tests. 

For Friday’s test, Morrow invited more than forty wine industry insiders, from vintners and journalists to insurance agents, to see first-hand the effects an earthquake might have on the steel barrel rack system. 

Yesterday’s test saw twelve barrels, stacked six high, subjected to the maximum horizontal acceleration the shake table could supply. The results were spectacular, with the entire stack falling off to one side and all the barrels coming loose from the rack. Fortunately, Morrow had the foresight to attach all the barrels to an overhead crane so that they were constrained to the perimeter of the shake table and no one was in danger. 

Though the scene was certainly extraordinary, no one was surprised by the results. Morrow has been keeping his sponsors informed of the results by phone and e-mail. 

“It was pretty much the way it was anticipated if you look at it from the perspective of dollar value impact,” said Al Paniagua of Great American Insurance. He stressed the importance of the tests because in the wine industry what matters, logically enough, is the wine. 

“That’s the thing about the wine industry,” Paniagua said. “Once you lose your barrels, they’re gone for the year.” 

Paniagua pointed out, however, that Friday’s test was not representative of most wineries. “There are very few wineries that go six high,” he stated, referring to the number of barrels in a stack. Most wineries in fact only stack barrels up to four high.  

Morrow has been doing tests with a four high configuration as well, and though none have been as potentially destructive as Friday’s six-high stack, the results are still not encouraging. 

Vintners are certainly taking notice of Morrow’s research. Jeff Ritchey, of Clos LaChance winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains is worried about what will happen to his investment during a large quake. “We’re building a new facility and we want to look into making this the safest for everybody,” he said. 

Though Morrow’s research is primarily into exploring what happens in the event of an earthquake, he has also been looking into ways of minimizing the damage. He already has a patent on a method that works by securing the top barrels to each other, though he is quick to point out that it has not yet been fully tested. 

“I patented it primarily to make sure no one starts using it until we know more about it,” he said. 

Evelyn Heraty of Clos du Bois winery agreed. “I think further testing needs to happen,” she said. “We need to look at more secure racking systems.” 

And more testing there shall be. Next week Morrow will continue his research by shaking two stacks of barrels placed side by side, to more accurately simulate a real life wine cellar. 

To find out more about the Wine Industry Seismic Hazard Reduction Project and Josh Morrow’s research, head to the project’s website at http://www.eResonant.com.

Saturday, July 29

63rd Annual Bay Regional Golf Tournament 

Tilden Park Golf Course 

The Tournament consists of 72 Holes with a cut made after 2 Rounds. NCGA player points awarded, over $5000 in prizes  

$115 Entry Fee, entries close July 19. 

925-253-0950 

Berkeley State Health  

Toastmasters Club 

12:10-1:10 p.m. 

State Health Building, Eighth Floor, 2151 Berkeley Way 

Toastmasters International, a nonprofit educational organization, has been working for over 70 years to help people conquer their pre-speech jitters and improve communication skills. The local club meetings the second, third and fourth Thursdays of each month. 

649-7750 or higgins_edie@hotmail.com 

15th Annual Berkeley Kite  

Festival and West Coast Kite  

Championships 

11 a.m.–5 p.m. 

Cesar Chavez Park at the Berkeley Marina 

COmes see hundreds of kites take to the sky in the Berkeley Kite Festival, Saturday and Sunday July 29-30. 

235-5483 

www.highlineskites.com 

Underhill Movie Night 

9 p.m. 

Underhill lot: Channing Way and College Avenue 

Features will include "Who Killed Roger Rabbit?" and "Taken for a Ride", both about the theft of the trolley cars by motor vehicle special interests.  

The movie night is a weekly bike-in/walk-in/skate-in event sponsored by a group supporting housing on the Underhill Lot and protesting the university’s proposal to build a parking structure, offices and a dining commons there. 

Socialist Dialog 

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  

Room 2060 in the Valley Life Sciences Building on the UC Berkeley campus  

The Committees of Correspondence, the Democratic Socialists of America, 

& Solidarity will discuss questions such as “What should the 

Socialist Left be working on?” and “What are some of the obstacles that 

keep the Socialist Left from working together?” Call: 415-922-5297 

Cuban Dance Music 

9:30 p.m. 

La Pena 

3105 Shattuck 

Original contemporary Cuban dance music. At 8:15 p.m. there will be a salsa lesson with Jose ‘Cheo’ Rojas. $15 for lesson and show. $12 show only.  

Call 849-2568 

Sunday, July 30

63rd Annual Bay Regional Golf Tournament 

Tilden Park Golf Course 

The Tournament consists of 72 Holes with a cut made after 2 Rounds. NCGA player points awarded, over $5000 in prizes  

$115 Entry Fee, entries close July 19. 

925-253-0950 

“Hammering it out” 

7:30 p.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave 

“Hammering It Out” is the story of a community initiated laws that resulted in hundreds of women getting trained and working on a billion-dollar freeway in Los Angeles in the 1980s and 90s. 

$7 donation 

“The Secret Garden” 

3:00 p.m. 

Pacific Film Archive 

2575 Bancroft Way @ Bowditch 

Recommended for ages 8+. Based on the classic children’s book by Francis Hodgson Burnett, this 1949 film version remains a classic in its won right. Margaret O’Brien turns in a marvelous performance as a young girl sent to live with her cranky uncle on a Victorian estate where she finds a glorious Technicolor garden in an otherwise gloomy black and white world.  

Tickets $4 

642-5249 

A Classic Taste of Italy 

5 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

St. Mary Magdalen Church, 2005 Berryman at Henry 

The Kiwanis Club of Berkeley invites you to an evening of fine dining and auction. Pasta, salads and dessert prepared by Mystery Chef Antonio. No Host Wine Bar. Auction includes two signed jerseys from Ronnie Lott. Music by Tina Marzell Quintet. Proceeds will support our local programs: Reading is Fundamental at Head Start, Young People's Symphony Orchestra, 

Funds go to scholarships for high school seniors going on to higher education, and much more. 

Free parking in the church parking lot. Cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children under 12. Call 527-3249 

Monday, July 31

Newly Diagnosed Breast  

Cancer Support Group 

Professionally facilitated support group allows members to share their feelings and to support each other in the healing process. Support group held every first, third and fifth Monday of each month.  

Call 204-4330 or 204-1769 for time and location. 

“Italy: The Land of the Renaissance” with the Julians 

1:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst at MLK Jr. Way 

644-6107 

Tuesday, August 1

Genetic Engineering Teach-In  

and Strategy Session 

6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. 

Ecology Center 

2530 San Pablo Ave 

From 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. there will be videos on genetically modified food issues followed by a feneral strategy session on local actions. There will be a detailed discussion of upcoming events by the Organic Consumers Association. 

548-2220 ext. 233 

erc@ecologycenter.org 

www.ecologycenter.org 

“Polyamory, monogamy, and other flavors” 

7 p.m.-9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. 

Come for a free discussion and social group, open to everyone regardless of age, religion or view point. 

527-5332  

All Camp Day 

Noon - 1 p.m. 

Lake Anza, Tilden Park 

There will be games such as tug of war, sack races and relay races. The event combines fun competition, while providing elected officials with the opportunity to see YMCA kids in action. 

The event is sponsored by the Berkeley-Albany YMCA. Call 549-4524.

If music were the food of love, John Phillips would provide a banquet. 

“Harpsichords are a little like cuisine,” the Berkeley resident explains from his workshop on Ninth Street, where he builds reproductions of the keyboard instrument that dominated Western music from the early 16th to the mid 18th centuries. 

There’s the Italian style, with a sound that is in some ways the simplest and purest and the German style, made to imitate the organ. Then there are French harpsichords, “Wonderful instruments, but very indulgent instruments, with a sound so big they can’t get out of their own way,” he says. 

The average listener may give little thought to the harpsichord, beyond thinking of it as a sort of forerunner to the piano, the harpsichord being the one with plucked, rather than hammered, strings. 

But if you’re a connoisseur of Baroque music, chances are good you’ve heard a John Phillips instrument. For nearly 30 years Phillips has built glorious reproductions of antique harpsichords for top performers around the world. His instruments can be heard on scores of recordings, played by such artists as the world-renowned Igor Kipnis. One of his harpsichords was heard last month at the Berkeley Music Festival in a concert with San Francisco’s Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. Philharmonia director Nicholas McGegan owns two Phillips harpsichords himself. 

At 52, Phillips enjoys a reputation as one of the best in his field. “He’s excellent. He’s internationally sought after,” says local artist and keyboardist Janine Johnson, who paints and carves the sometimes opulently decorated harpsichords at Phillips’ studio. “I wouldn’t be interested in working for him if he wasn’t.” 

A round-faced, slightly stocky man, Phillips has the muscular arms of a woodworker, which he is, and the erudite diction of a scholar, which he is as well. A genial, talkative man given to quips and witticisms, he says his ascent to the top of his craft is a result of “sheer dumb luck.” 

He enjoyed building model trains as a boy, and when he fell in love with the music of Bach while an undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz in the 1960s, he decided to try to build a harpsichord. 

He built his first instrument from a kit in 1969. “It was godawful,” he said. “I hope (that kit) doesn’t exist anymore.” 

He continued to pursue the hobby, building several more harpsichords while earning a masters in musicology at Berkeley in the early 1970s. Then a prominent harpsichordist, William Read, offered Phillips his first commission, giving him the confidence to open a workshop on his own in 1975. He was completely self-taught. 

“I was just young enough and arrogant enough to think I could do it,” he says. Within five years, his career took off when one of his instruments gained international attention at the Festival of Flanders in Bruges, Belgium. Since that time, he’s never lacked for orders. The current waiting list for clients is about three years. 

Phillips also benefited from getting his start during a remarkable moment in history: the period in the 1960s and 70s which saw a revival of interest both in early music and in handicraft. “It was one of those rare periods when educated people deigned to work with their hands,” he says. “ Lots of people dropped out of school to become potters or glass blowers – and it was seen as cool. And there was a ready market for it, people who were willing to pay for handmade things.”  

Times have changed. Today Phillips says he sees a widening gulf between educated people and craftspersons. More than once, he’s had prospective clients talk down to him. “Usually they get their English corrected,” he says acidly. 

In a world of mass-produced objects, Phillips is one of a handful of craftsmen who works slowly and painstakingly, using methods that date back as far as 400 years. “None of this is very instant,” he says, showing a visitor around his workshop, where wooden planks can be found soaking in water or wrapped around a form to dry over a period of weeks. 

The work is painstaking – he turns out only four to six instruments a year. A self-described “character,” he has worked alone for most of his career, and knows that may continue to be the case. He would like to find an apprentice and pass on his craft, but finding the right person isn’t easy. “I guess I’m pretty demanding,” he says. 

Phillips has visited museums around the world to study the construction and mechanism of the finest instruments from the Baroque period. He’s gained access to many rare and unusual examples, and has taken apart and reassembled perhaps 20 instruments in his quest to discover the secret of their special sound. “It’s detective work,” he says. “After a while, you can almost see the hand or hands that made the instrument, and how they did it.” 

His most recent detective work has taken him to the former East Germany, where over the past two years he has studied the work of the Grabners, a family of harpsichord makers who built instruments for five generations in the 17th and 18th centuries. He tries to use the same materials that were used historically – poplar or basswood for cases, spruce or cypress for the soundboards. “It’s a bit of a time machine,” Phillips says of his work. “What we do is very weird; it’s anachronistic. We’re trying to recreate the sound of another century.” 

Of three other centuries, to be more exact. And since the harpsichord evolved continually during that time, there’s a wide range to choose from. The antique prototypes Phillips uses are those he admires most for their musical sound. If a clients requests a copy of an instrument by a maker he doesn’t care for, he usually persuades the person to choose a better-sounding model from to the same time period. Of course when it comes to appearance, all bets are off. “Part of the aesthetic is that the harpsichord doesn’t just look like the piano, all black,” Phillips says. 

The historical precedent is clear. Particularly in the 18th Century, harpsichord makers delighted in lavish ornamentation, often painting scenes inside the lid and soundboard, even over the body of the instrument itself. So if a client today wants a particular decoration on a harpsichord, Phillips will oblige. 

One of Phillips’ most opulent creations is an Italian-style harpsichord built for Philharmonia Director Nicholas McGegan.  

Fondly nicknamed “Goldilocks,” the instrument is covered with gold painted swirls on the outside. The owner has a fondness for pigs, so the interior lid displays a colorful pastoral scene of a boar hunt. 

McGegan specified no blood, and that the boar should be winning, Phillips said. A couple of pigs are also displayed on the outside of the lid. 

While his greatest delight is in providing harpsichords to professional musicians, who can truly appreciate the fine points of the instrument, Phillips also finds gratification in making harpsichords for dedicated amateurs.  

Given the time and money involved, each of his clients ends up becoming quite a good friend, he says. “We’re in the business of selling dreams.”  

He remembers a client who, upon first seeing her finished harpsichord, dissolved into happy tears. 

Maybe it’s love after all.

Editor: 

Councilmember Betty Olds did our community a great service by requesting that the Fire Department do a presentation on the proposed hills Fire Station before the City Council. The Fire Department clearly demonstrated that their reasons for preferring the site at Shasta and Park Hills roads are well researched and in the best interest of our entire community. 

Hopefully this information will dispel all the misinformation and rumors that have been generated about the new fire station and we can move forward in the best interests of our city.  

Thanks again to Betty Olds for demonstrating her leadership and insisting that all the information be presented publicly and to Fire Chief Reginald Garcia for an excellent presentation of the facts. 

Kathleen De Vries 

Berkeley 

Editor: 

I have received many phone calls and e-mail due to an article of July 25th inthe Daily Cal concerning my candidacy for the Berkeley City Council in District 6, concerning the statement to “give bicycles a little slack.” 

I'd like to clarify my position. First, I am not a cyclist; I drive 60-80 percent of the time and walk the remainder of my trips. However, I would do everything I could to encourage bicycle usage, providing every amenity possible. 

Each bicycle on the road reduces the air pollution by hundreds of pounds. Not forgetting the elimination of all the engine noise each auto generates.  

Most of us cannot, or will not use bicycles as our major mode of transportation. For those who do, pitting their fragile one hundred to two hundred pounds of flesh against 2,000 to 8,000 pounds of solid metal, let's yield to them. When drivers encounter bicycles bravely negotiating our roads I'd like the auto to yield. 

It would improve relations between autos and cycles, if signs similar to the Park Service triangular signs (like on the Nimitz trail) were installed throughout our fair city. The Park Service bright yellow triangular signs depict “pedestrians yield to horses and bicyclists yield to pedestrians and horses.” 

Our replication of these signs would illustrate “bicyclists yield to pedestrians and wheelchairs, and autos yield to bicycles.” Autos and bicyclists must yield to walkers in the crosswalks. This law should be enforced vigorously. Too many pedestrians are maimed each year by collisions in the crosswalks and intersections.  

Norine Smith 

Berkeley

Pastor Gordon Choyce says that his non-profit Jubilee Restoration and his partners at Panoramic Interests have done everything the city has asked to get the Jubilee Courtyard Apartments built at 2700 San Pablo Avenue – but two issues, he says, keep coming back. 

“I wish you could see the original laundry list given to us as issues against this project, and then see where we are right now,” Choyce said at Thursday night’s Zoning Adjustment Board meeting. “The only two items remaining are the height and density.” 

Neighbors of the proposed development say that the five-story, 48-unit apartment building, encompassing 43,267 square feet is too big for the neighborhood, will bring too much traffic to the area and will set a precedent for too-high buildings. 

Before a full and very divided house, the ZAB put off making a decision on the project Thursday night. They heard testimony from both sides, closed the public hearing and will wait until the Sept. 14 meeting to make a judgment. 

Choyce and proponents argue, however, that what is at stake is an honest effort at addressing Berkeley’s housing crisis. 

Now on its third proposed design, the mixed-use building promises 48 studio, one, two and three bedroom apartments and 61 parking spaces. Five of the apartments – or 10 percent of the apartments – would be affordable to low-income households as spelled out by the Alameda County area median income. 

Chris Hudson, project manager for Panoramic Interests, who spoke in the place of Panoramic Interests’ President Patrick Kennedy, absent from the meeting, said that the number of low-income apartments could increase by another 10 percent if they receive a subsidy through the West Berkeley Development Fund. Hudson said they haven’t applied for the subsidy yet. 

The market-rate apartments would have a monthly rate of around $750 to $1,000 for a studio and $900 to $1,200 for a one bedroom. Two bedrooms, depending where they are in the building, would start at around $1,400 and three bedrooms would be around $1,800.  

The original 63-unit proposal, unveiled in March of last year, was scrapped after Patrick Kennedy met with angry neighbors who complained about the size. 

Kennedy and newly hired JSW Architects scaled the building down to four stories with 47 units back in November, but after more concerns from staff and the neighbors, they changed it again to shift the bulk of the building to the San Pablo Avenue facade and reduced the building to three stories where it abuts residential neighbors. 

Zoning Adjustment Board Chairperson Carolyn Weinberger argued that the zoning code in that part of the city allows a maximum of only four floors as specified by the West Berkeley Plan. 

And in order to have a five-story building, the partnership had to request a variance.  

Weinberger said that the ZAB did not have enough information to rule Thursday evening on the variance. 

Because there were so many people who wanted to speak at the meeting, Weinberger asked the two sides to rally their best speakers for an hour-long duel, with each side getting 30 minutes. 

Michael Yarne, a graduate student in City Planning at UC Berkeley and co-founder of Students for a Livable Southwest, spoke for the project and said that he’s all about promoting housing in the right places in Berkeley.  

“This is the right place,” he said. “You can’t deny there is an extreme housing shortage in Berkeley. I hear many well-intentioned Berkeleyites rant and rave about gentrification and about the loss of the unique character of Berkeley. What’s shocking is that these same people, many of them homeowners in their nice bungalows that are accruing enormous amounts of equity, will turn around and tell me, an apartment renter, that its wrong for me to advocate dense housing where it makes sense on a transit corridor that is well served and in the future will be better served.” 

Yarne was referring to steps that are being taken to improve the AC transit along the San Pablo corridor. Miriam Hawley, AC Transit Director, said that a major project is underway to upgrade the bus system along San Pablo from Richmond to Oakland.  

She said that one project underway is a system to let busses extend the life of a green light, to speed up service. There is already express bus service along the route. 

“I sent a letter to the (Zoning) Board saying higher density would make transit work better,” she said. “And people can leave their cars wherever they leave them.” 

A number of opponents, however, argued that people wouldn’t leave their cars, and air pollution and traffic congestion from the new population would choke the neighborhood. 

Michael Goldberg of the Neighborhoods for Responsible Development, a group formed in opposition to Jubilee Courtyards, said that his group is not opposed to development. Neighbors just want their neighborhood to be in harmony with its surroundings, he said. 

“We in the neighborhood do share a desire to develop affordable housing along San Pablo. The problem we’ve had is the height the density and size,” Goldberg said. 

“This will also set a precedent to encourage similar four-story development. There are nine or 10 sites along San Pablo from Dwight Way to Ashby that are available for large-scale development,” he said. “And we need to study the impact of air and traffic congestion, population density and parking problems, all of which will change the face of this area.”

They passed the tests and beat the odds, and now Keith May and Samantha Eggers are enjoying their first weeks as two of the newest members of the Berkeley Fire Department. 

In the spring, the city accepted 600 applicants for eight positions in the department. May, 36, and Eggers, 27, were two of the eight finalists who graduated July 21 from the 2000 Spring Recruit Academy. 

The applicants, all already licensed paramedics, had to pass a written test that consisted primarily of math and reading-comprehension questions, followed by a physical abilities test. The pool was narrowed down and the eight recruits were finally selected after interviews with a three-member board. 

“We look at it as if we’ve won the lottery,” Eggers said. “That’s about the odds of getting a job at the fire department.” 

May has worked in emergency medical services for the last 15 years, most recently as a paramedic, and decided to make the transition to fire fighting. 

“All along the way, people have been telling me how great the fire service is,” he said. “(Paramedics) work hand in hand with (firefighters) throughout the Bay Area, so I figured it’s a great way of life, being able to continue what I’m doing as a paramedic yet expanding on the side of fire suppression.” 

Eggers’ uncle, a recently-retired firefighter, got her interested in the field. 

“I started off going into law enforcement and I liked how fire fighting was looked upon better,” she said. 

After the eight finalists were named, they immediately enrolled in Berkeley’s 12-week Spring Recruit Academy, where they trained five days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There they received specialized training in different areas including putting out fires in confined spaces and open, “wild” lands and dealing with hazardous materials. They worked with hoses and ladders and aquatinted themselves with Berkeley geography. 

May and Eggers explained the 12 weeks of training as simply exhausting. Each day consisted of waking up early in the morning to commute to the training areas – May lives in Napa and Eggers is from Pleasanton – working all day, and then driving home to study the things they were expected to know. 

Before the new firefighters become permanent members of the Berkeley Fire Department, they are put on probation for 24 months. During that time they get tested every six months. They train daily for the exams. 

“Every six months you are given a certain amount of (things to learn) and you are tested on them,” May explained. 

May and Eggers just finished their first week on the staff and have thus far avoided any emergencies. They are located at Station 5 on Shattuck Avenue. 

Firefighters work 10 days a month in 24-hour shifts. In a typical week, they work three out of five days and then take the next four days off before beginning the routine again.

No hordes of citizens – in fact none at all – have jumped into the District 5 council race in response to Councilmember Diane Woolley’s surprise announcement that she’s not going to run again. 

AC Transit Director Miriam Hawley, who took out papers to run last week, continues to be the lone candidate running in the district. 

No new city council candidates have emerged at all this week, the second week people are able to take out papers to run for office. 

Donald Read, a north hills resident, has taken out papers to run for school board. He’ll join incumbent Joaquin Rivera, John Selawsky, Irma Parker and Sherri Morton who are vying for the two open seats. 

Four rent board hopefuls, running on a “progressive” slate for the four open seats, took out papers this week. They are: incumbent Max Anderson, Matthew Siegel, Judy Ann Alberti and Paul Hogarth. 

Those who took out papers last week to run for city council are: District 2 – incumbent Margaret Breland and challengers Carol Hughes-Willoughby, Betty Hicks and Jon Crowder; District 3 – incumbent Vice Mayor Maudelle Shirek; District 5 - Hawley; District 6 – incumbent Councilmember Betty Olds, challenged by Norine Smith. 

The filing period ends August 11.

Four men were robbed and one of them pistol-whipped Wednesday night around 1 a.m. at the Leconte Elementary School playground at Oregon and Fulton streets, said Lt. Russell Lopes of the Berkeley Police Dept. 

Lopes said three men were walking home and cut through the playground then stopped to talk to a fourth man. 

The suspect came up behind the group and pistol-whipped one and told the others to lay on the ground and empty their pockets. 

He then told them to get up and run away, which they did, leaving their belongings behind. 

A juvenile was arrested for attempted assault after he threw a metal napkin dispenser at street vendors and missed Saturday afternoon around 4 p.m. in front of Smart Alec’s restaurant at 2355 Telegraph Ave. 

Lopes said four or five juveniles were harassing the vendor when another vendor stepped in to help him.  

The juvenile then picked up the dispenser from a nearby dining table and threw it at the vendors, Lopes said. 

Police arrived and arrested the youth, then arrested another for interfering with police.