Meet Niles Xi ‘An Liechtenstein, the freshly sworn-in student director for the Berkeley Unified School District.  

Choosing the articulate, earring-wearing 4.0 student-transcendentalist for the high-profile student position was surely a no-brainer for the kids at Berkeley High. The poetry-slammer and former football player – he gave up the game to focus on academics – is the embodiment of the diversity one sees at Berkeley High, with a Malaysian-Chinese mother and German-Jewish father.  

The 17-year-old senior is poised and hyped to be a leader in a school that has suffered through difficult times.  

Like the fire-scorched school, Niles has a few scars himself. 

When asked what shaped his engaging and determined personality, he brings up the two years he spent helping his father when he was sick with brain cancer.  

“I was going into ninth grade, and I had to do things like pump food into his stomach, and put needles into his arm...It was tough, I admired him a lot.” 

But Niles persevered. Not only was he a starting middle linebacker his sophomore year for the football team and straight A student, he also embarked on bringing his fellow students together into organizations like the Hapa Club, a multi-cultural club that puts on fund-raisers for his beloved poetry-slams – something he says “could change the world and bring all kinds of people together.” In fact the poetry slams give other clubs at the school a forum to get together. 

“I definitely want to get all the ethnic clubs together,” he said of his plans as member of the school board for the upcoming year.  

“Separated, they can only do so much. I mean, you have the Asian Student Union, the Black Student Union, the La Rassa, the Jewish Student Union, and so on and so forth. 

“Together there’s a lot they can do for the school, community-wise, and they’re just a lot stronger together and they should be on the same page. We did that a little bit last year. We give them an outlet, a voice.” 

Don’t call him a figure-head. The young man has plans of bringing a sense of community to the 3,200 students.  

“I have a free period, fifth period, so one of the things I’m going to do is to personally visit each class and talk to kids, get to know kids, make sure that they know I’m there for them, and really, be able to get a lot of perspectives. I grew up playing ball in South Berkeley, and I played football, but I’m friends with kids in the hills. So I think I have the ability to, kind of, relate to a lot of different kids at Berkeley High.”  

Bridging the achievement gap is the daunting task he’s focusing on. He’s worked with youths in a couple of different programs. Although they are described as “high risk,” he says he’s seen the potential. It’s a matter of getting them involved and giving them an outlet. 

“There are a lot of people in the cuts and the shadows. They’re the ones that the school is affecting a lot. 

“I hope to outreach to more kids, I want to give them an outlet to the authority and the bureaucracy. I’m a Pacific Islander, and a lot of my friends are Southeast Asians who aren’t doing so well. I want kids to get serious about issues, and maybe come to a school board meeting and talk about it.” 

He says one project he’s mulled over is publishing poetry for everyone, so students who may not be studying Dylan Thomas and poetry theory in their regular English classes can “come and publish something and tell themselves, ‘Yea, I’m good enough to have my voice heard by the whole school,’” he says. 

Poetry, he says, can be a rallying cry for the Berkeley High students.  

“I’ve seen kids who are getting F’s in their English classes turn out incredible poetry,” he said 

And organizing kids to be involved in poetry slams, like the one he and other students from the school were involved in last year that drew 2,000 people to “hear what kids have to say,” is something that can bring the school together, he said.  

He plans on organizing campus slams early on in the year. 

“I think poetry crosses and infuses all lines,” he said. “It’s getting people to express and to listen. It’s a revolution of words and culture.” 

“Poetry slam isn’t something that you have to sit down and analyze, it’s something that you feel,” he said. “ I’ve seen it change people’s lives, because it brings together people and it brings together community.” 

Niles said that he’s learning to juggle his idealistic side and his practical side. Besides bringing together his schoolmates for things such as poetry slams, he’s quick to say that the school simply needs more structure. 

Everyone has their own idea of what Berkeley High should be like,” he said.  

“I’ve had students, even parents, come to me saying that the principal doesn’t know what he’s in for. It really has to be a community thing. There’s too much apathy, an ‘I’ll get mine and you get yours’ attitude.”  

Niles said that the students need to live by what he’s dubbed the three C’s: Communication, community and cohesiveness.  

“Last year, you got a bad feeling just walking down the halls,” he said. “Just being a student there, it seemed that there was no communication between the levels... the administration, teachers, students. There was a lot of miscommunication and no support.” 

“It was the culmination of counseling problems, no communication and a sense of apathy. We need more structure, and to get to know who the principals are. Last year, people didn’t know who they could turn to.” 

He also hopes to break down the walls between school security and the kids.  

“Rules and regulations need to be enforced without bias. I think there needs to be a step-by-step process on how security officers should approach students, and how students should respond so kids can really know how the system works.” 

Forgive him if he’s not terribly familiar with school board issues, he’s only spent one week on the board because he’s been in a mountain village in Nepal building houses and schools on a scholarship with the Berkeley-based Global Roots.  

“It was an incredible experience,” he said.  

“ I was able to learn to meditate, and to deal with my situation better. I was able to take myself out of the context of this life and give myself a new perspective.” 

All of this and he doesn’t even know where he wants to go to college, or what he wants to study. 

“I kind of want to stay here because of my little brother,” he said. “I really don’t know at this point... I’m too busy getting myself ready for this school year.”

Tuesday, Aug. 29

Golden Age Party Celebration 

1:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

Celebration honoring seniors over 90 years of ages. 

644-6107 

“The Akedah: To Be a Servant of God” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond JCC 

1414 Walnut St. 

Rabbi Yosef Leitbowitzr, fron Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English with the cooperation of the JFewish Federation of the Gresater East Bay. 

Wednesday, Aug. 30

“Rav Kuk’s Concepts  

of Repentance” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond JCC 

1414 Walnut St. 

Rabbi Yosef Leitbowitzr, from Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English, with the cooperation with the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay. 

Rhythm Magic 

1:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

With Mikka. 

644-6107 

Bridge 

1 p.m. 

Live Oak Community Center 

1301 Shattuck Ave. 

The games are open to all players 

For partnership and other informa- 

tion, please call Vi Kimoto at (510) 223-6539 

Thursday, August 31

Meeting Life Changes 

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

With John Hammerman. 

644-6107 

“Life and Death Mishnaic  

Themes of Yom Kippur” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond JCC 

1414 Walnut St. 

Leah Rosental, from Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English, with the corporation with the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay.  

The History of California Rock Climbing 

7 p.m. 

REI 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Join Andy Puhvel, director of Yo! Basecamp rock climbing school, for a slide presentation on the history of rock climbing here in California. You’ll find out how creative advancements in technology, combined with boldness and inspiration, made Yosemite Valley climbers the pioneers of this sport.  

527-7377 

“Calming Our Minds” 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Community Theater 

Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Zen Master, will be giving a public lecture titled “Calming Our Minds, Opening Our Hearts” at the Berkeley Community Theater. 

Tickets are $20 

433-9928 

The Revelations: A Concert for the Children of Chiapas 

8 p.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave. 

The Revelations, a Spanish-English reggae band from San Diego, will perform at La Pena Cultural Center to benefit Schools for Chiapas. Schools for Chiapas, a 

nonprofit organization, supports Mayan communities in the Mexican state of Chiapas in their effort to create an autonomous, indigenous education system. $5. 

849-2568 

Friday, Sept. 1

Bridge 

1 p.m. 

Live Oak Community Center 

1301 Shattuck Ave. 

The games are open to all players 

For partnership and other informa- 

tion, please call Vi Kimoto at (510) 

223-6539 

“Daughter of the Regiment” 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

644-6107 

Saturday, Sept. 2

Lakeside Park on Lake Merritt, Oakland 

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Internationally Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh will lead meditation exercises and lectures focusing on ‘mindful living.’ 

(510) 433-9928 

Acupuncture for head  

and neck pain 

1-2 p.m. 

Meiji College of Oriental Medicine 

2550 Shattuck Ave. 

This is an opportunity to find out about what acupuncture and Oriental herbal medicine is and how it works. Free. 

666-8248 

Exercise to Music 

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

644-6107 

Wednesday, Sept. 6

Alzheimer’s and dementia  

support group 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 644-6107 

Thursday, Sept. 7

Growing wise with Betty Goren 

10:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 644-6107 

“Discipline & Citizenship”  

conference 

Graduate Theological Union 

Bade Museum, Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave. 

6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. 

Friday, Sept. 8

“Discipline & Citizenship”  

conference 

Graduate Theological Union 

Bade Museum, Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave. 

9 a.m.-4 p.m. 895-4542 

Conversational Yiddish 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 644-6107 

Saturday, Sept. 9 

Open house 

Julia Morgan center for the Arts 

Meet new leaders and artist and learn about future plans for the facility. RSVPs encouraged 

2640 College Ave. Berkeley 

4- 7 p.m. 845-8542 

Sunday, Sept. 10 

“Doors to Madame Marie” 

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

As part of the Jewish Learning Center’s Authors Series in the Library, Odette Meyers will be available for discussion and booksigning. 848-0237 

“Next Stop, Greenwich Village” 

2-4:30 p.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center Cinema 

1414 Walnut St.  

Based on filmmaker Paul Mazursky’s own passage from Brooklyn to Greenwich Village, the film is about the dynamics of leaving home and trying to leave home behind. There will be a peer led discussion following the movie. $2 suggested donation.  

848-0237 

Monday, Sept. 11

12th annual Berkeley YMCA Golf Tournament 

Tilden Park Golf Course 

Shotgun start at 11:00 a.m. 

$125 Entry fee includes cart, lunch on the course and dinner. Proceeds benefit Albany-Berkeley YMCA. 549-4525 

Voter workshop 

Learn about voting absentee and working a local polling places. 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 644-6107 

Tuesday, Sept. 12 

Tai Chi Chuan 

11 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 644-6107 

Wednesday, Sept. 13

Mid-Autumn Festival 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 644-6107 

Thursday, Sept. 14

Eugene O’Neil House, Mt.  

Diablo State Park Trip  

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

$21 per person, 644-6107 

Pre-business workshop 

Small-business Development Center 

519 17th St. Suite 200, Oakland 

8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 

$35  

273-6611, www.eastbayscore.org, eastbayscore@yahoo.com 

Yoga class 

2 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

644-6107 

Friday, Sept. 15

“The Barber of Seville” 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

644-6107 

Saturday, Sept. 16

Shoreline clean-up walk 

10 a.m. 

Seabreeze Market, on Frontage Road just west of University Avenue 

Friends of Five Creeks leads a walk, talking about  

history, wildlife, and restoration possibilities from Strawberry to Codornices Creeks, as part of Coastal Cleanup 2000.  

Call: 848-9358  

Saturday, Sept. 19

“Fibromyalgia Support  

Group” 

noon -2:00 p.m. 

“RAP Session” 

Alta Bates Medical Center, Maffly Auditorium-Herrick Campus, 2001 Dwight Way 

601-0550 

Thursday, Sept. 21

Hearing to terminate the  

Conditional Order for  

Abatement for Pacific Steel  

Casting Co. 

Bay Area Air Quality management District 

939 Ellis St. 7th Floor Board Room 

San Francisco 

415-749-4965 

APCO vs. Pacific Steel Casting Company 

Docket No. 832 

9:30 a.m. 

Bay Area Air Quality Management District  

939 Ellis St., 7th Floor Board Room 

San Francisco 

A hearing has been scheduled in connection with the Motion to Terminate the Conditional Order for Abatement filed by the Respondent, Pacific Steel Casting Company. 

(415) 749-4965 

Friday, September 22

Point Reyes Nature Center, Earthquake Trail Trip 

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

$18 per person 

644-6107 

Sunday, Sept. 24

“First Steps in Finding your Family History” 

Brunch 10:30 a.m., lecture 11 a.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Using both story-telling and generational techniques, Dr. Lois Silverstein will offer beginning steps to rediscovering family heritage and traditions.  

$4 for BRJCC members and $5 for all others 

848-0237 

Wednesday, Sept. 27

“Improving your bottom line” 

2-5 p.m. 

Berkeley Yacht Club 

1 Seawall Dr. 

Speakers include, Mayor Shirley Dean, Dr. Drian Nattrass and Mary Altomare Natrass, authors of “The Natural Step for Busines” and two of the world’s leading authorities on providing a strategic business framework romoting sustainabiliity and profitability. 

Monday, October 2

“2nd Annual Berkeley City Championship” 

Tilden Park Golf Course 

Entries accepted August 1. Entry Fee includes gift, cart and Awards Dinner. Proceeds benefit local organizations and projects. This event determines Berkeley City Champion and Seven other Flight Winners. 

$115 Entry Fee 

841-0972 

Thursday, October 5

“3rd annual Berkeley Black Police Officers’ Association Golf Tournament” 

Tilden Park Golf Course 

Shotgun Start at 7:30 a.m. Entry Fee includes cart range balls and Award Luncheon. Proceeds benefit Berkeley Black Police Officers’ Scholarship Fund. 

$99 Entry Fee 

644-6554 

ONGOING EVENTS 

Sundays 

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. This week’s focus will be the countywide new Measure B transportation sales tax. The meeting is open to all, regardless of party affiliation. 

415-789-8418 

Tuesdays 

Easy Tilden Trails 

9:30 a.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, in the parking lot that dead ends at the Little Farm 

Join a few seniors, the Tuesday Tilden Walkers, for a stroll around Jewel Lake and the Little Farm Area. Enjoy the beauty of the wildflowers, turtles, and warblers, and waterfowl. 

215-7672; members.home.com/teachme99/tilden/index.html 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2-7 p.m. 

Derby Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

548-3333 

Berkeley Camera Club 

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda 

Share your slides and prints with other photographers. Critiques by qualified judges. Monthly field trips. 

531-8664 

Computer literacy course 

6-8 p.m. 

James Kenney Recreation Center, 1720 Eighth St. 

This free course will cover topics such as running Windows, File Management, connecting to and surfing the web, using Email, creating Web pages, JavaScript and a simple overview of programming. The course is oriented for adults. 

644-8511 

Saturdays 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

548-3333 

Poets Juan Sequeira and Wanna Thibideux Wright 

Thursdays 

The Disability Mural 

4-7 p.m. through September 

Integrated Arts 

933 Parker 

Drop-in Mural Studios will be held for community gatherings and tile-making sessions. This mural will be installed at Ed Roberts campus. 

841-1466 

Fridays 

Ralph Nader for President 

7 p.m.  

Video showings to continue until November. Campaign donations are requested. Admission is free.  

Contact Jack for directions at 524-1784. 

2nd and 4th Sunday 

Rhyme and Reason Open Mike Series 

2:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Art Museum, 2621 Durant Ave. 

The public and students are invited. Sign-ups for the open mike begin at 2 p.m. 

234-0727;642-5168 

Tuesay and Thursday 

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 

Much work still needed to ease traffic 

Dear Editor:  

Thank you for informing your readers about the almost-completed repaving job on College Avenue and for sending your reporter to the neighborhood traffic meeting on August 22. The meeting, called by the city's Public Works Department, was the first to bring neighbors from District 7 and District 8, people from both east and west of College, together in one room.  

The meeting may have started out a bit on the “raucous” side, but it was well run and soon settled into a civil exchange of neighborhood traffic problems and ideas on how to solve them. Your reporter mistakenly ascribes to District 8 Councilmember Polly Armstrong a very well received statement that was actually made by Connie Stroud, a former member of the Transportation Commission and the Zoning Adjustments Board.  

While she did not express it in her statement, the speaker lives on a residential city street that has considerably more traffic than College Avenue (roughly 14,000 cars/day) and even exceeds by several thousand the number of vehicles on four-lane Telegraph (roughly 18,000 cars/day).  

Ms. Stroud made the following points:  

• Attempts to solve neighborhood traffic problems should not occur on a street by street basis but with a view to the larger picture.  

• The City should be more diligent in administering its Residential Parking Permit program, both the annual and the 14-day versions, through greater vigilance in issuance and enforcement.  

• She cited a change in street configuration that neighbors on heavily traffic-afflicted streets in southeast Berkeley have asked the city to make for decades: reversing the directions of Dwight and Haste or returning them to two-way traffic. 

Either measure would offer drivers more options and provide better access to and use of Telegraph Avenue and the freeway system, thus unburdening neighborhood streets.  

As stated in your report, at the end of her remarks Ms. Stroud asked why this measure had not been undertaken and added that the city would have to give residents a sound explanation if it were not implemented.  

Awaiting action or a satisfactory response from Traffic Engineering along with Ms. Stroud and hundreds of affected residents,  

Doris Willingham  

Berkeley 

Grow up: buy a building 

Regarding Aug. 26 perspective piece: “Boomtown with no room, by Andrew Lam of Pacific News Service:  

Editor: 

No room for who? 

There is plenty of room in San Francisco and Berkeley and Oakland. The question is, Who is privileged enough to stay? 

By privileged, I do not mean those Dot-comers (a euphemism for the hated white male) but that protected class of people who are government assisted. 

They typically have not taken advantage of the free education afforded them and do little to add to the rich fabric of the Bay Area. That is unless garbage on the streets, filthy language polluting the air, and the need to lock up everything you own during daylight hours and fear of venturing out after dark is why one considers a comfortable living condition.  

The cost of housing is high because of supply and demand, Why use that valuable and limited supply on dead beats. 

To be on welfare or Section 8 in the Bay area is taking up valuable space and driving up the cost to those artists, writers, performers, etc. who do indeed add a needed flavor to the rich fabric of life. 

I would rather have two dot-comers on scooters cruising down my block than two high school drop-outs on bicycles with hooded sweatshirts and a bad attitude. 

The other protected class is the renter. Andrew, if you and your friend the artist and perhaps a few more friends could have gotten together and bought a building with a couple of flats to share you would not even be allowed to move into your own building under current rent control laws. If you own, nobody can tell you to move.  

Twenty five years in the city and you are not allowed to grow up and become a home owner because you have been made comfortable by the government protecting you through rent control.  

Now you are terrified as your friends must leave and you are secure in your rent controlled apartment. You should have thought of the future and not depended on the government to protect you.  

Rent control has caused much of the current housing problem.  

Michael Larrick  

Berkeley 

How many more will have to die by automobiles? 

Wednesday, Sept. 13 marks the 101st anniversary of the first automobile fatality in North America. Since then, four times as many U.S. residents have been killed in motor vehicle accidents as were slain in all our nation’s wars since the 1776 Revolution. 

Are we so incentive to violence that we’ll accept it to such an extreme degree in order to have independent mobility? 

Among the rights we all enjoy in the United States is (or should be) the right to equal access to all public accommodations without having to rely on modes of transportation so dangerous that they require eat belts, air bags or crash helmets. 

Land-use decisions (consistently ignoring public transit and other alternatives to the auto as necessary infrastructure) leave increasing numbers of us faced with a choice of driving illegally or being disenfranchised. 

All planning codes should prohibit any development that is not at least as accessible and functional for non-motorists as it is for those who drive. 

We have a serious civil rights issue here: development that accommodates motorists only violates the equal protections provision of our constitution. 

What kind of fools would build the biggest public works project in human history – our interstate highway system – for national defense and then force themselves into dependence on a mode of transportation that’s deadlier than war? 

Our land use decisions are a greater threat to our well-being than any allegedly hostile elements outside our borders. 

Art Weber 

Transportation Chair,  

Berkeley Gray Panthers 

Museums 

Ebony Museum of Arts 

The museum specializes in the art and history of Africa.  

Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.  

30 Jack London Village, Suite 209. (510) 763-0745. 

Habitot Children’s Museum 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

“Back to the Farm.”  

Ongoing 

An 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 more.  

Cost: $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under.  

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.  

647-1111 or www.habitot.org 

Judah L. Magnes Museum 

2911 Russell St.  

549-6950 

Free 

Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 

“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. 

“Spring and Summer.”  

Through Nov. 4.  

“Chagall: Master Prints and Posters, Selections from the Magnes Museum Collection.”  

Through Sept. 28. 

UC Berkeley Art Museum 

2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley 

“Mandala: The Architecture of Enlightenment,” through Sept. 17.  

An exhibit of rare and exquisite works featuring more than forty mandalas and related objects including sculptures and models of sacred spaces. 

“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.  

“Hans Hoffmann” open-ended.  

An exhibit of paintings by Hoffmann which emphasizes two experimental methods the artist employed: the introduction of slabs or rectangles of highly saturated colors and the use of large areas of black paint juxtaposed with intense oranges, greens and yellows.  

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 age 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 through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 642-0808. 

UC Berkeley Museum of  

Paleontology 

Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley 

“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. 

642-1821. 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst  

Museum of Anthropology 

Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Avenue, Berkeley 

“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: The Phoebe Hearst Museum,” open-ended.  

This new permanent installation will introduce visitors to major topics in the museum’s history, including the role of Phoebe Apperson Hearst as the museum’s patron, as well as the relationship of anthropologists Alfred Kroeber and Robert Lowie to the museum. 

“Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” ongoing. 

This exhibit documents the culture of the Yahi Indians of California as described and demonstrated from 1911 to 1916 by Ishi, the last surviving member of the tribe. 

$2 general; $1 seniors; $.50 children age 17 and under; free on Thursdays. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

643-7648 

Mills College Art Museum 

5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland 

“The 100 Languages of Children,” through October.  

An exhibit of art by children from Reggio Emilia, Italy. At Carnegie Building Bender Room. 

Free. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. 430-2164 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

“Experiment Gallery”  

Closing Sept. 10. Step inside a giant laboratory and experiment with concepts surrounding sound, light, mechanics, electricity, and weather. 

“Math Rules!” Ongoing. A math exhibit of hands-on problem-solving stations, each with a different mathematical challenge. Make mathematical ice-cream cones, use blocks to build three dimensional structures, make dodecagon pies from a variety of mathematical shapes and stretch mathematical thinking. 

“Within the Human Brain” Ongoing. Visitors test their cranial nerves, play skeeball, master mazes, match musical tones and construct stories inside a simulated “rat cage” of learning  

experiments. 

“Laser: The Light Fantastic” Ongoing. Make a laser light  

show, work a supermarket-style laser, examine holograms and stop a  

laser beam barehanded. 

“1492: Two Worlds of Science” Ongoing. Explore European and Native American science and technology at the time of Columbus' voyage, through activities with number systems, navigation tools, map making, computer games and a replica of the rocking deck of the Nina. 

Family Workshops – Registration is required and each child must be accompanied by an adult. (510) 642-5134 

Holt Planitarium  

Programs are recommended for age 8 and up; children under age 6 will not be admitted. $2 in addition to regular museum admission. 

“How Big Is the Universe,” through Sept. 3. Learn about various  

ways to determine distances. Through Sept. 3: Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m. 

“Moons of the Solar System,” through Dec. 10. Take a tour of the  

fascinating worlds that orbit Earth and other planets out to the edge  

of the Solar System. Through Sept. 3, Saturday and Sunday, 2:15 p.m.;  

Sept. 9 through Oct. 29, 1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.; Nov. 4 through Dec. 10;  

2;15 p.m. 

“Constellations Tonight” Ongoing. Using a simple star map, learn  

to identify the most prominent constellations for the season in the  

planetarium sky. Daily, 3:30 p.m. $7 general; $5 seniors, students, disabled, and youths age 7 to 18;  

$3 children age 3 to 5 ; free children age 2 and younger. Daily 10 a.m.  

to 5 p.m.; Centennial Drive, University of California,  

Berkeley. (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

The Oakland Museum of  

California 

1000 Oak St., Oakland 

“Helen Nestor: Personal and Political” Aug. 17 through Oct. 15.  

An exhibit of images documenting the Free Speech Movement, the 60s civil rights marches, and women’s issues. 

“California Classic: Realist Paintings by Robert Bechtle” through Oct. 1.  

An exhibit of 18 paintings and drawings by the Bay Area artist dating from 1965 to 1997. 

Special Exhibit – “Meadowsweet Dairy: Wood Sculpture,” through Sept. 15.  

An exhibit of 12 sculptures made with materials found and salvaged to reveal the beauty of the natural object. At the Sculpture Court, City Center, 1111 Broadway. Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

$6 general; $4 seniors and students; free children age 5 and under; second Sundays are free to all. Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; first Friday of the month, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

(888) OAK-MUSE or www.museumca.org. 

Music 

Ashkenaz 

1317 San Pablo Ave.  

525-5099 

For all ages 

www.ashkenaz.com 

Sept. 1, 9:30 p.m. CD release party with Strictly Roots 

Sept. 3, 9 p.m. Don Carlos & Reggaie Angels 

Sept. 5, 9 p.m. A night of Big Mountain Awareness with Blackfire 

Sept. 6, 8 p.m. lesson and 9 p.m. show Poullard-Thompson Band (Cajun) 

Sept. 8 Fantcha 

Sept. 27, 8 p.m., dance session, 9 p.m., music 

Kate Brislin, Jody Stecher, Heath Curtis, Bluegrass intentions 

Old time, Appalachian music 

525-5099 

924 Gilman St. 

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

Call 525-9926.  

La Pena Cultural Center 

Benefit concert  

3105 Shattuck Ave.  

Thursday, Aug. 31 

Concert begins at 8 p.m.  

$5  

www.lapena.org 

The Albatross Pub 

1822 San Pablo Ave. 

843-2473 

All shows begin at 9 p.m. 

Larry Stefl Jazz Quartet, Sept. 2. 

Dunsmuir Historic Estate 

2960 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland 

End of summer concert: “Caribbean Rhythms” 

Sunday, Sept. 3, noon- 3 p.m. 

$5 adults, $4 seniors; $1 for children under 13 

615-5555, www.dunsmuir.org 

Starry Plough 

3101 Shattuck Ave. 

Noche de Flamenco, 8:30 p.m., Sept. 6 

Featured artists include Cristo Cortes, Monica Bermudez  

and Carola Zertuche, with special guest El Pollito 

$10 

841-2082 

The Greek Theatre 

Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals, Maceo Parker, Sept. 8, 7 p.m. $30.  

Hearst Avenue and Gayley Road, Berkeley. (510) 444-TIXS 

Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center 

Daniela Mercury, Sept. 8, 8 p.m. $35. 

10 10th St., Oakland. (510) 534-6348, (510) 762-BASS 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra 

Nicholas McGegan conducting, Sept. 9 and Sept. 10.  

A performance of Handel's opera-oratorio “Semele.”  

$32 to $46. Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 7 p.m. First  

Congregational Church, Dana Street and Durant Avenue, Berkeley.  

(415) 392-4400 or www.philharmonia.org 

The Jazzschool 

2375 Shattuck Ave. 

Dick Hindman Trio 

4:30 p.m., Sept. 17 

$12; $10 students/seniors; $6 for Jazzschool students and children under 13 

Classical Concert 

Friday, Sept. 29  

First Lutheran Church at Homer and Webster streets, Palo Alto 

8 p.m. 

(415) 378-4863 

Films 

University of California, Berkeley Art Museum 

Pacific Film Archive 

2575 Bancroft Way 

642-1412 

“Treasures from the George Eastman House” 

Various programs and a 16-film salute to little-known actresses. 

Sept. 1 -Oct. 8 

“MadCat Women’s International Film Festival”  

Sept. 8,9 

Festival showcases women filmmakers from around the world. 

“Paper Tiger Television” 

A look at TV used to promote grassroots political action. PTTV members will appear for discussion with the audiences at screenings. 

Sept. 12,15 

$7 for one film; $8.50 for double bills. UC Berkeley students are $4/$5.50. Seniors and children are $4.50/6.00  

Paramount Movie Classics Summer 2000 Series  

The evening includes a classic movie, walk-in music from the Wurlitzer  

organ, a newsreel, cartoon, movie previews and the Paramount's prize  

give-away game “Dec-O-Win.” 

Sept. 8: The French Connection. 

Sept. 22: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. 

$5. Shows at 8 p.m. 2025 Broadway, Oakland. (510) 465-6400. 

Theater 

“The Green Bird” by Carlo  

Gozzi 

Berkeley Repertory Theatre 

2025 Addison St. 

Adapted by Theatre de la Jeune Lune and directed by Dominique Serrand.  

“The Green Bird” runs from September 8 - October 27. For tickets contact the box office at 845-4700 

“The Philanderer”  

by George Bernard Shaw 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave. 

Performed by the Aurora Theatre company, “The Philanderer” takes on the challenging and often humorous exploration of gender roles and the separations that exist between the sexes. 

Preview dates are September 8-10 and 13, tickets for preview showings are sold at $26. Opening night is September 14, admission is $35. Showtimes run Wednesday through Saturday through October 15 at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees show at 2 p.m., plus selected Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. Admission for regular performances is $30. Student discounts are available. For tickets and information call 843-4822 or visit www.auroratheatre.org. 

“Endgame” 

Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, through Sept. 2 at La Val’s Subterranean 1834 Euclid Ave. Berkeley. 

Directed by George Charbak.  

524-9327. 

“Antigone” 

1:30 p.m., Aug. 26 

Fellowship of Humanity 

411 28th St. Oakland 

655-7962 

This staged reading of Sophocles’ “Antigone” is adapted by Walter Springer and features Ranier Hunt and Al Paltin. Performance is free, contributions are accepted. 

“MIMZABIM!” 

Climate Theatre & Subterranean Shakespeare 

La Vals Subterraniean 1834 Euclid, Berkeley 

Sept.7 -Oct. 14 

Thursday - Saturday 8:00 p.m. 

$12, Students $8 

Exhibits 

The Artistry of Rae Louise  

Hayward 

The Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 

3023 Shattuck Ave. 

548-9286, ext. 307 

Aug. 12 - Sept. 27 

Rae Louise Hayward, one of the founders of The Art of Living Black, Bay Area Black Artist Annual Exhibition and Open Studios Tour. 

Haywards’ art celebrates the beauty of African culture from its people to its music. The opening reception with the artist will be held Aug. 26 noon-3 p.m.  

Regular gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday 1-7 p.m., Saturday 12-4 p.m. and by appointment.  

Traywick Gallery 

1316 Tenth St.  

527-1214 

Charles LaBelle 

Sept. 9 - Oct. 15 

LaBelle’s new series of large-scale color photographs highlight nighttime nature in Hollywood. He recreates trees at night using a hand-held spotlight and playing on the beam across the leaves and branches. The opening reception will be held on September 12 from 6 to 8 p.m.  

Blue Vinyl by Connie Walsh  

Sept. 9 - Oct. 15 

This multimedia project combines video, sound and printmaking to explore concepts of intimacy and its relation to private space. The opening reception is on September 12 from 6-8 p.m. 

Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11-6 p.m. and Sundays 12-5 p.m. 

A.C.C.I. Gallery  

“Paperworks,” Sept. 1 through Oct. 7.  

A group exhibit of works by Carol Brighton, Vannie Keightley, Jean Hearst. 

Opening Reception, Sept. 1, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Free. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1652 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-2527 

Berkeley Art Center 

“Ethnic Notions: Black Images in the White Mind,''  

Sept. 10 through Nov. 12. An exhibit by Janette Faulkner exploring racial stereotypes in commercial imagery. Free. Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Live Oak Park, 1275 Walnut St., Berkeley. (510) 644-6893 

California College of Arts and Crafts  

“Add/Drop/Add: CCAC Fine Arts Faculty Exhibitions”  

Sept. 5 through Sept. 16. 

Free. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Oliver Art Center, 5212 Broadway, Oakland. 594-3712 

Chi Gallery  

“Alegres Cantos en Mi Ser (Songs of Joy in My Being)” through Sept. 30.  

An exhibit of paintings depicting scenes of Afro-cuban music, by Susan Mathews. Reception, Sept. 9, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Free. Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. 912-A Clay St., Oakland. (510) 832-4244. 

Creative Growth 

“Indelible Ink” closing Sept. 1. Selections from the Creative Growth Permanent Collection and new works. 

Free. Monday through Friday, noon to 5:30 p.m. 355 24th St., Oakland. (510) 836-2340 

Kala Institute  

“Layerings: New Work by Four Kala Fellows” through Sept. 28. The 2000 Kala Art Institute Fellowship Awards Exhibitions, Part II of works by Margaret M. Kessler, Barbara Milman, Michele Muennig, and  

David Politzer. Free. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Workshop Media Center  

Gallery, 1060 Heinz Ave., Berkeley. (510) 549-2977  

Readings 

Rhyme & Reason Poetry Series 

Berkeley Art Museum, 2621 Durant 

Second and fourth Sundays of each month. For open reading following featured readers, sign up at 2 p.m., readings begin at 2:30 p.m. 

Sept. 10. Q.R. Hand, Tennessee Reed 

Readings at Cody’s 

2454 Telegraph Ave.  

Aug, 29, 7:30 p.m., Karl Schoenberger 

Discussion of Levi's Children: Coming to Terms with Human Rights in the Global Marketplace. Allegations of corporate complicity in human rights violations have exploded into one of the most controversial issues today. Levi's Children offers a desperately needed perspective on the challenges faced by businesses and activists alike.  

Aug. 30, Poetry: 7:30 p.m. Joe Todaro and Celia White 

Aug. 31, 7:30 p.m. John McWhorter, discussion of Losing the Race: Anti-Intellectualism in Black America. UC Berkeley linguistics professor McWhorter, author of Word on the Street, paints a painful portrait in an explosive books that will shock many, enrage others, and offer points for serious thought and discussion.  

845-7852  

Sept. 5, 7:30 p.m. Terry Burnham and Jay Phelan discuss their book “Mean Genes – From Sex to Money to Food: Taming Our Primal Instincts.” 

Sept. 7, 7 p.m. Andrea Siegel, “Open and Clothed: For the Passionate Clothes Lover.” At 1730 Fourth St. 

Sept. 7, 7:30 p.m. Diana Spaulding and David Dodd, “The Grateful Dead Reader” 

Sept. 8, 7:30 p.m. Glenn Dickey, “Glenn Dickey's 49ers – the Rise, the Fall and the Future of  

Football's Greatest Dynasty.” 

Sept. 10, 7:30 p.m. Julia Cameron and her book “The Artist's Way.”  

Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place  

843-6812 

Free 

Aug. 27, 6 - 7 p.m. “Bringing the Light of Knowledge to Work” 

Dan Jones, Nyingma Institute project leader and instructor, discusses how to integrate human energies while activation understanding and generating positive attitudes in work and life.  

Sept. 3, 3 to 5 p.m. Open House 

Free introduction to Tibetan Buddhist Culture 

6-7 p.m. “Life of the Buddha” 

Instructor Eva Casey relates the lessons of Buddha to the practitioner’s experience.  

Sept. 10, 6-7p.m. “Overcoming Obstacles to Meditation” 

Instructor Abbe Blum talks about meditation troubles and how they can be viewed to unlock the mind’s secrets. 

Sept. 17, 6-7 p.m. “Knowledge of Freedom” 

Buddhist teacher June Rosenberg will demonstrate how “Knowledge of Freedom” teachings can be applied in daily life. 

UC Berkeley’s Poem Reading Series Kickoff Event 

Sept. 7, 12:10 p.m. Robert Hass introduces Berkeley campus figures reading their favorite poems. Free. Morrison Room, Doe Library, Bancroft Way at College Avenue,  

Berkeley. (510) 642-0137 

Tours 

Golden Gate Live Steamers 

Small locomotives, meticulously scaled to size, run along a half mile of track in Tilden Regional Park. The small trains are owned and maintained by a non-profit group of railroad buffs who offer rides.  

Free. Trains run Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sunday, noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley.  

486-0623  

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 

Scientists and engineers guide visitors through the research areas of the laboratory, demonstrating emerging technology and discussing the research’s current and potential applications. A Berkeley lab tour usually lasts two hours and includes visits to several research areas. Popular tour sites include the Advanced Light Source, The National Center for Electron Microscopy, the 88-Inch Cyclotron, The Advanced Lighting Laboratory, and The Human Genome Laboratory. Reservations required at least two weeks in advance of tour. 

Free. University of California, Berkeley. 

486-4387 

Berkeley City Club Tours 

Guided tours through Berkeley’s City Club, a landmark building designed by architect Julia Morgan, designer of Hearst Castle. 

$2. The fourth Sunday of every month except December, between noon and 4 p.m.  

2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. 

848-7800 

Dance 

Yoshi’s 

Mark Isham's In A Silent Way Project Sept. 4, $18. 

Ray Brown Trio with Kevin Mahogany, Sept. 5 through Sept. 10. $20 to $24 general; Sunday matinee: $5 children; $10 adult with one child. 

Unless otherwise noted, music at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. (510) 238-9200 or  

(510) 762-BASS 

Luna Kids Dance 

Creative dance for children 

Parent-child class 

Sept. 9, 9-10 a.m. 

Redwood Day School, 3245 Sheffield Ave, Oakland 

Sept. 12, open house 

Ashkenas, 1317 San Pablo, 4:30-5:30 p.m. 

530-4113 

Mark Morris Dance Group 

“Four Saints in Three Acts” and “Dido & Aeneas” 

Sept. 21-24 Zellerbach Hall 

Music by the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra and American Bach Soloists 

Tickets: $34 - $52 

643-6714 

The class of 2003 at UC Berkeley’s Boalt Law School has finally enrolled. Minority numbers, which plummeted after the UC Board of Regents banned affirmative action from admission decisions in 1997, rose slightly from 22 percent to 29 percent. The small increase was due primarily to a rise in students of Asian and Pacific Islander descent.  

However, the small rise still falls much lower than pre-1997 numbers when 37 percent of enrolled students were of non-white heritage. 

According to Kevin Nguyen, spokesperson for UC Regent Ward Connerly, the small increase demonstrates that changed admission standards have spurred academic excellence in the K-12 school systems. Connerly, a controversial figure, chaired the California Civil Rights Initiative, which campaigned for the passage of Proposition 209 banning what proponents call “racial preferences.”  

“Race preferences padded admissions.” says Nguyen. “Before the race ban, it was much easier for policy makers to grant a preference as opposed to investing in our K-12 programs and allowing students to compete naturally. Once we got away from automatic preference based on the presumption of social disadvantage, all students were able to compete vigorously in the new academic environment,” says Nguyen. 

According to statistics provided by the university’s Public Affairs Office, in the four years since Prop. 209 passed, Native American enrolled students dropped 74 percent, African-Americans experienced a 72 percent drop, Latinos a 45 percent drop, while Asians gained 8 percent and whites 1 percent, when compared to affirmative action-era numbers. Specifically, blacks accounted for 7.75 percent of enrolled students at Boalt in the two years before Prop. 209 passed. In the four years since the passage of Prop. 209, blacks dropped to 2.15 percent of the student population. Native Americans, who were at 1.7 percent of enrolled students pre-209, tumbled to 0.45 percent and Latinos fell from 12.05 percent to 6.6 percent of enrollees. 

At the same time, Asians grew from 15.5 percent to 16.8 percent, and whites from 52.55 percent to 53.15 percent of total enrolled students. 

Bernida Reagan, executive director of the East Bay Community Law Center, the community-based component of Boalt’s program, claims that the drastic drops resulted from changed admission standards that left the unlevel playing field of education completely out of the equation. 

“Prop 209 encourages wealth disparity and digital divide issues because it closes the door to people who don’t already have access to opportunity. When all you consider is GPA and LSAT scores in the admission process, those are factors which people of color don’t have opportunities to succeed in at the same level as whites,” says Reagan. “The result is fewer blacks and Latinos getting into Boalt these days.” 

Nguyen disagrees. “The steep drops were indicative of the admission scale that was used for many years. It created artificial levels of admission not based on merit.” 

Regardless, the consequences of fewer black and Latino law students is felt every day at Reagan’s clinic. Before Prop. 209, more students of color would come to her clinic to work with underserved communities. Now, she claims, “public work seems to be considered less important as students of color feel they have to compete for the corporate jobs, and the more mainstream issues that have little to do with their race.” 

And as fewer students opt for social justice work, the issues of the under-represented get  

left behind. 

“With less students to do the work,” says Reagan, “living wage, rent control, minority contracting, and immigration issues fall to the wayside.” 

She characterizes Prop. 209 as a harsh expression of hostility to the gains that people of color made during the Civil Rights Era. 

“It feels like things we took for granted in the ’70s and ’80s, all the gains of the civil rights era, people have become hostile to. It’s very possible that the largest number of civil rights cases have become reverse discrimination suits,” says Reagan.  

“Think about it,” she said. “Schools should represent the populations they serve. If that’s not happening, we have to take a look at their admission policies and ask why that’s not the case. We’re at a point where we’re just trying to hold into the things that we have, and that’s a tough situation.” 

The case of wealthy landlord Lakireddy Bali Reddy accused of bringing minors into the country for sex and for bringing workers to the country under false pretenses is plodding ahead, with Reddy’s attorney attempting to get some of the charges against his client dropped and the U.S. Attorney’s Office is arguing that the charges are valid. 

In a motion to dismiss several charges filed with the court two weeks ago, Reddy’s attorney, Ted Cassman, argued that the laws under which Reddy is charged are obsolete and vague. 

“The term ‘immoral purposes’ is a boundless and essentially meaningless concept,” Cassman wrote, arguing that the law is not clear about what conduct it forbids. Many references in the criminal code to “immoral purposes” were long ago replaced with more precise language forbidding prostitution and sex with minors, he said. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Kennedy, in a response filed just before midnight on Friday, argued that the statute in question had been challenged and upheld by the Supreme Court.  

“He utterly fails to address the fact that the Supreme Court has expressly held that the “immoral purposes” language...does in fact constitutionally apply to a variety of factual scenarios,” Kennedy wrote. 

These scenarios include polygamy and concubinage and lower courts have said immoral purposes applies to rape. 

The U.S. attorney has charged Reddy with violations of law stemming from allegations that he brought at least two young women – both said to be minors – to the U.S. for the purpose of having sexual relations with them and that, in complicity with his adult son Vijay Lakireddy, also charged in the case, brought other people to the U.S. under false pretenses to work in his businesses. 

Reddy, whose properties are worth more than $70 million, is free on a $10 million bond. Lakireddy is free on a $500,000 bond. 

Also in his brief, Reddy’s attorney argued that sex between Reddy and the young women was consensual, therefore not rape. 

“There is no suggestion that any alleged sexual contact was forced or non-consensual,” Cassman wrote, further arguing that the law, was invalid because of its vagueness. 

Quoting a U.S. Supreme Court case, Cassman wrote in his brief that “vague laws may trap the innocent by not providing fair warning.”  

Kennedy argued sexual contact between adults and minors is well-founded as statutory rape.  

“Statutory rape has long been outlawed in our society,” Kennedy wrote. “Virtually every state in the country outlaws sexual relations between an adult and a minor. The defendant, who has lived in the United States for over 30 years, can hardly claim he had no idea that his conduct was against the laws of the United States.” 

The parties will be in Judge Sandra Armstrong Brown’s courtroom Sept. 12 to hear her ruling on the motion to dismiss some of the charges. Kennedy has said that he plans to file additional charges against Reddy. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said it is not known at this time whether those charges will be filed on that day.

You can’t have too much good karma. 

Volunteers from three non-profit organizations: Dharma Publishing, the Yeshe De project and the Tibetan Aid Fund get much good karma by working year-round at Dharma Publishing, at 2910 San Pablo Ave. There they transcribe, preserve and print Buddhist texts, as well as raise funds to help and encourage the progress of Tibetans living in their homeland and in exile. 

Saturday, the 29-year-old publisher, founded by Buddhist Llama Tarthang Tulku, opened its doors for an open house tour of the showroom and press, and a taste of the art, tradition and food of the Tibetan culture that the staff works hard to help preserve. “We have about 100 full-time volunteers here and in our other press (Dharmacakra Press) in Sonoma County,” said Erin Clark, who volunteers at the Tibetan Aid Fund. “It’s very meritorious, it’s good charm. We’re making offerings to people and helping ourselves.” 

The volunteers, some who come from around the world to study at the Nyingma Institute – also founded by Tulku – at 1815 Highland Place, do everything from stuffing envelopes for Tibetan Aid Fund, to manning a giant printing press for the publishing company. 

Those who stayed after the tour and volunteered their Saturday afternoon were treated to a Tibetan vegetarian dinner. 

Clark said the ancient texts and prayers that they print – some 60,000 are in the building now – are donated to Tibetan monks, nuns and monasteries. Most will go to the World Peace Ceremony later this year in Bodh Gaya, India. Their goal is to send 150,000 printed prayers to the ceremony, she said. 

The texts are typeset, proof-read, printed, folded and cut at the Dharmacakra Press, then they are trucked to Berkeley where the staff at Dharma complete the edge-dying and wrapping.  

Clark explained that while the Tibetan Aid Fund’s primary goal is raising money for exiled Tibetans, the Yeshe De project is dedicated to preserving the ancient texts and prayers. 

After printing, the sacred Tibetan prayers are cut into 3-foot long strips and are rolled up to be put in hand-held prayer wheels. Monks and nuns chant the prayers and spin the wheel to release the blessing of the prayer. 

“If you turn the wheel clockwise it’s said to also have a healing effect,” said Kirk Grissom, tour guide and volunteer for Dharma. 

The man behind it all, the Buddhist lama Tarthang Tulku, came to Berkeley in 1969 and established the Nyingma Institute.  

The Institute brings students of Buddhism from around the world to hear the teachings of Tulku, known to his students as Rinpoche – a title bestowed to exceptional Tibetan lamas. Many of the students, like Magdalena Duran from Spain, volunteer at Dharma. 

Duran said that when she isn’t studying the teachings of Rinpoche, or working a regular job, she volunteers in the showroom at Dharma. 

Grissom said the lama began Dharma Publishing to preserve Tibetan texts and art, to publish Buddhist works in Western languages that communicate the meaning and value of the Dharma (the teachings of the Buddha) and to distribute the texts to his fellow monks and scholars in Tibet and India. 

Monday, Aug. 28

City of Berkeley Loan  

Administration Board special meeting 

7 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

Conference Room, 2nd floor 

2939 Ellis Street 

Agenda items include the Odyssia Cafe and Cafe Caracas 

“The Universal, the Particular  

and the Personal in Liturgy” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Rabbi Ben Hollander, from Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English, with the cooperation with the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay. 

Tai Chi Chih 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

With Ben Levitan. 

644-6107 

Tuesday, Aug. 29

Golden Age Party Celebration 

1:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

Celebration honoring seniors over 90 years of age. 

644-6107 

“The Akedah: To Be a Servant  

of God” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond JCC 

1414 Walnut St. 

Rabbi Yosef Leitbowitzr, from Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English, with the cooperation with the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay. 

Wednesday, Aug. 30

“Rav Kuk’s Concepts of  

Repentance” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond JCC 

1414 Walnut St. 

Rabbi Yosef Leitbowitzr, from Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English, with the cooperation with the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay. 

Rhythm Magic 

1:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

With Mikka. 

644-6107 

Bridge 

1 p.m. 

Live Oak Community Center 

1301 Shattuck Ave. 

The games are open to all players 

For partnership and other informa- 

tion, please call Vi Kimoto at (510) 

223-6539. 

Thursday, Aug. 31

Meeting Life Changes 

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

With John Hammerman. 

644-6107 

“Life and Death Mishnaic  

Themes of Yom Kippur” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond JCC 

1414 Walnut St. 

Leah Rosental, from Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English, with the corporation with the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay.  

The History of California Rock Climbing 

7 p.m. 

REI 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Join Andy Puhvel, director of Yo! Basecamp rock climbing school, for a slide presentation on the history of rock climbing here in California. You’ll find out how creative advancements in technology, combined with boldness and inspiration, made Yosemite Valley climbers the pioneers of this sport.  

527-7377 

“Calming Our Minds” 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Community Theater 

Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Zen Master, will be giving a public lecture titled “Calming Our Minds, Opening Our Hearts” at the Berkeley Community Theater. 

Tickets are $20 

433-9928 

The Revelations: A Concert for the Children of Chiapas 

8 p.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave. 

The Revelations, a Spanish-English reggae band from San Diego, will perform at La Pena Cultural Center to benefit Schools for Chiapas. Schools for Chiapas, a 

nonprofit organization, supports Mayan communities in the Mexican state of Chiapas in their effort to create an autonomous, indigenous education system. $5. 

849-2568 

Friday, Sept. 1

Bridge 

1 p.m. 

Live Oak Community Center 

1301 Shattuck Ave. 

The games are open to all players 

For partnership and other informa- 

tion, please call Vi Kimoto at (510) 

223-6539 

“Daughter of the Regiment” 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

644-6107 

Saturday, Sept. 2

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Lakeside Park on Lake Merritt, Oakland 

Internationally Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh will lead meditation exercises and lectures focusing on ‘mindful living.’ 

(510) 433-9928 

Acupuncture for head and neck pain 

1-2 p.m. 

Meiji College of Oriental Medicine 

2550 Shattuck Ave. 

This is an opportunity to find out about what acupuncture and Oriental herbal medicine is and how it works. Free. 

666-8248 

Exercise to Music 

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

644-6107 

Wednesday, Sept. 6

Alzheimer’s and dementia support group 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

644-6107 

Thursday, Sept. 7

Growing wise with Betty Goren 

10:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

644-6107 

“Discipline & Citizenship” conference 

Graduate Theological Union 

Bade Museum, Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave. 

6:30 p.m. -8 p.m. 

Friday, Sept. 8

“Discipline & Citizenship” conference 

Graduate Theological Union 

Bade Museum, Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave. 

9 a.m.-4 p.m. 

895-4542 

Conversational Yiddish 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

644-6107 

Saturday, Sept. 9

Open house 

Julia Morgan center for the Arts 

Meet new leaders and artist and learn about future plans for the facility. RSVPs encouraged 

2640 College Ave. Berkeley 

4- 7 p.m. 

845-8542 

Sunday, Sept. 10

“Doors to Madame Marie” 

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

As part of the Jewish Learning Center’s Authors Series in the Library, Odette Meyers will be available for discussion and booksigning. 

848-0237 

“Next Stop, Greenwich Village” 

2-4:30 p.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center Cinema 

1414 Walnut St.  

Based on filmmaker Paul Mazursky’s own passage from Brooklyn to Greenwich Village, the film is about the dynamics of leaving home and trying to leave home behind. There will be a peer led discussion following the movie. 

$2 suggested donation.  

848-0237 

Monday, Sept. 11

“12th annual Berkeley YMCA Golf Tournament” 

Tilden Park Golf Course 

Shotgun Start at 11:00 a.m. 

Entry fee includes cart, lunch on the course and dinner. Proceeds benefit Albany-Berkeley YMCA  

$125 Entry Fee 

549-4525 

Voter workshop 

Learn about voting absentee and working a local polling places. 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

644-6107 

Tuesday, Sept. 12

Tai Chi Chuan 

11 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

644-6107 

Wednesday, Sept. 13

Mid-Autumn Festival 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

644-6107 

Thursday, Sept. 14

Eugene O’Neil House, Mt.  

Diablo State Park Trip  

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

$21 per person 

644-6107 

Pre-business workshop 

Small-business Development Center 

519 17th St. Suite 200, Oakland 

8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 

$35  

273-6611, www.eastbayscore.org, eastbayscore@yahoo.com 

Yoga class 

2 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

644-6107 

Friday, Sept. 15

“The Barber of Seville” 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

644-6107 

Saturday, Sept. 16

Shoreline clean-up walk 

10 a.m. 

Seabreeze Market, on Frontage Road just west of University Avenue 

Friends of Five Creeks leads a walk, talking about  

history, wildlife, and restoration possibilities from Strawberry to Codornices Creeks, as part of Coastal Cleanup 2000.  

Call: 848-9358  

Saturday, Sept. 19

“Fibromyalgia Support  

Group” 

noon -2:00 p.m. 

“RAP Session” 

Alta Bates Medical Center, Maffly Auditorium-Herrick Campus, 2001 Dwight Way 

601-0550 

Thursday, Sept. 21

Hearing to terminate the  

Conditional Order for  

Abatement for Pacific Steel  

Casting Co. 

Bay Area Air Quality management District 

939 Ellis St. 7th Floor Board Room 

San Francisco 

415-749-4965 

APCO vs. Pacific Steel Casting Company 

Docket No. 832 

9:30 a.m. 

Bay Area Air Quality Management District  

939 Ellis St., 7th Floor Board Room 

San Francisco 

A hearing has been scheduled in connection with the Motion to Terminate the Conditional Order for Abatement filed by the Respondent, Pacific Steel Casting Company. 

(415) 749-4965 

Friday, September 22

Point Reyes Nature Center, Earthquake Trail Trip 

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

$18 per person 

644-6107 

Sunday, Sept. 24

“First Steps in Finding your Family History” 

Brunch 10:30 a.m., lecture 11 a.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Using both story-telling and generational techniques, Dr. Lois Silverstein will offer beginning steps to rediscovering family heritage and traditions.  

$4 for BRJCC members and $5 for all others 

848-0237 

Wednesday, Sept. 27

“Improving your bottom line” 

2-5 p.m. 

Berkeley Yacht Club 

1 Seawall Dr. 

Speakers include, Mayor Shirley Dean, Dr. Drian Nattrass and Mary Altomare Natrass, authors of “The Natural Step for Busines” and two of the world’s leading authorities on providing a strategic business framework romoting sustainabiliity and profitability. 

Monday, October 2

“2nd Annual Berkeley City Championship” 

Tilden Park Golf Course 

Entries accepted August 1. Entry Fee includes gift, cart and Awards Dinner. Proceeds benefit local organizations and projects. This event determines Berkeley City Champion and Seven other Flight Winners. 

$115 Entry Fee 

841-0972 

Thursday, October 5

“3rd annual Berkeley Black Police Officers’ Association Golf Tournament” 

Tilden Park Golf Course 

Shotgun Start at 7:30 a.m. Entry Fee includes cart range balls and Award Luncheon. Proceeds benefit Berkeley Black Police Officers’ Scholarship Fund. 

$99 Entry Fee 

644-6554 

ONGOING EVENTS 

Sundays 

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. This week’s focus will be the countywide new Measure B transportation sales tax. The meeting is open to all, regardless of party affiliation. 

415-789-8418 

Tuesdays 

Easy Tilden Trails 

9:30 a.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, in the parking lot that dead ends at the Little Farm 

Join a few seniors, the Tuesday Tilden Walkers, for a stroll around Jewel Lake and the Little Farm Area. Enjoy the beauty of the wildflowers, turtles, and warblers, and waterfowl. 

215-7672; members.home.com/teachme99/tilden/index.html 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2-7 p.m. 

Derby Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

548-3333 

Berkeley Camera Club 

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda 

Share your slides and prints with other photographers. Critiques by qualified judges. Monthly field trips. 

531-8664 

Computer literacy course 

6-8 p.m. 

James Kenney Recreation Center, 1720 Eighth St. 

This free course will cover topics such as running Windows, File Management, connecting to and surfing the web, using Email, creating Web pages, JavaScript and a simple overview of programming. The course is oriented for adults. 

644-8511 

Saturdays 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

548-3333 

Poets Juan Sequeira and Wanna Thibideux Wright 

Thursdays 

The Disability Mural 

4-7 p.m. through September 

Integrated Arts 

933 Parker 

Drop-in Mural Studios will be held for community gatherings and tile-making sessions. This mural will be installed at Ed Roberts campus. 

841-1466 

Fridays 

Ralph Nader for President 

7 p.m.  

Video showings to continue until November. Campaign donations are requested. Admission is free.  

Contact Jack for directions at 524-1784. 

2nd and 4th Sunday 

Rhyme and Reason Open Mike Series 

2:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Art Museum, 2621 Durant Ave. 

The public and students are invited. Sign-ups for the open mike begin at 2 p.m. 

234-0727;642-5168 

Tuesay and Thursday 

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 

Kudos to city 

Editor: 

Thank you, thank you...College is open and smooth! I have waited 15 years for the street to be repaved.  

No longer is it necessary to own a SUV in Berkeley...we can go back to the Volvo Station Wagons! 

Kudos to the politicians, construction crews, planners, what a success! 

Steve KoneffKlatt 

Berkeley 

Poor bus service isolates elders 

The Berkeley Daily Planet received this petition addressed to Rick Fernandez, AC Transit general manager and the AC Transit Board of Directors: 

The signatures herewith represent the over 200 residents of the HUD-subsidized low-income, elderly and disabled, housed at Redwood Gardens, 29051 Derby St.: 

(We) charge the above officials with violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and the United States Constitution by discriminating against the undersigned because of age, sex, race, ethnic origin and failure to extend equal treatment to the undersigned as American citizens. 

The effects of the unfair schedule of AC Transit Bus line #7 departing its last run from the Berkeley BART Station each weekday at 9:12 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday at 6:36 p.m., only running every hour, causes the isolation of the inhabitants of Redwood Gardens from participating in the life of the community and our inability to actively become involved in the duties of citizenship. We would like the immediate restoration of the schedule which permitted us to engage in evening activities in the community. 

200 signatures 

Another view on iceplant 

Editor: 

Apropos Tony Morosco’s “Perspective” about iceplant, here is a contrary view: 

We think there is nothing more beautiful than a large area of iceplant, with red and green leaves and exquisite pink and yellow flowers, spilling down a beige sandstone cliff, with the white-flecked blue ocean in the background. 

Contrast this with the weed-patch collection of mangy-looking “native plants” which appears where iceplant has been destroyed with toxic herbicides (shame on you Native Plant Society), and which grow up to obscure the ocean view. 

So cheers for iceplant, long may it prosper, and cheers for the Postal Service e for producing a stamp which sows its beauty. 

Mary Ann and Bair Whaley 

Berkeley 

Wednesday, Sept. 13 marks the 101st anniversary of the first automobile fatality in North America. Since then, four times as many U.S. residents have been killed in motor vehicle accidents as were slain in all our nation’s wars since the 1776 Revolution. 

Are we so incentive to violence that we’ll accept it to such an extreme degree in order to have independent mobility? 

Among the rights we all enjoy in the United States is (or should be) the right to equal access to all public accommodations without having to rely on modes of transportation so dangerous that they require eat belts, air bags or crash helmets. 

Land-use decisions (consistently ignoring public transit and other alternatives to the auto as necessary infrastructure) leave increasing numbers of us faced with a choice of driving illegally or being disenfranchised. 

All planning codes should prohibit any development that is not at least as accessible and functional for non-motorists as it is for those who drive. We have a serious civil rights issue here: development that accommodates motorists only violates the equal protections provision of our constitution. 

What kind of fools would build the biggest public works project in human history – our interstate highway system – for national defense and then force themselves into dependence on a mode of transportation that’s deadlier than war? Our land use decisions are a greater threat to our well-being than any allegedly hostile elements outside our borders. 

Art Weber 

Transportation Chair, Berkeley Gray Panthers 

When Mark Covington applied for a clerical position at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory eight years ago, he unknowingly underwent a battery of genetic tests.  

“The Lab ran urine and blood tests for sickle cell anemia and syphilis,” said Covington, an African American. “They didn’t tell me about it, and they even re-tested me later, after I was hired.” 

Covington and seven others claimed that tests performed on minority workers were not done on Caucasians. They sued the labs for violation of their civil rights and won. 

Now an organizer with CUE, the Coalition of University Employees, Covington and his union are leveling new charges of racial discrimination against the Labs. The union represents 240 clerics in the labs. 

Claiming that people of color receive no training programs, that advancement is based on arbitrary and undefined standards, and that new hires are given higher wages than employees who have been there for years, CUE filed a discrimination suit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Program on Aug. 22. 

“Seventy-five percent of the lowest level clerics at the Labs are ethnic minorities. At the higher levels, they number only 28 percent.” said Covington. 

Clerics are “the glue of the lab” said Alyce Herrera, spokesperson for CUE. “They do scientific reports, power point presentations, they keep the offices going.” 

Ron Kolb, spokesperson for LBNL, defended the lab and dismissed the union’s charges as a negotiating tool. 

“The suit is a surprise to us,” Kolb said. “But the charges are nothing new. We’ve been at the negotiating table with CUE for two and a half years now. It’s just a bargaining tactic.” 

Kolb said the heart of negotiations is the pay system, which is “based on market rates and is merit based.” 

“CUE wants built-in raises based on seniority. The implication is that we are not paying at market rates, but the fact is that we pay 10 percent higher than what the UC schools pay already. Raises are based upon personal performance levels, not seniority,” Kolb said. 

Covington disagrees. 

“Raises are not based on any kinds of standards at all,” he said. “The different classifications of administrative assistant are vague, arbitrary, and there is no step system to get a promotion.  

Because of that, you see people who have been employees the longest clustered at the bottom of the wage scale and responsibility scale. New hires are getting between a dollar and a half to three dollars more per hour.” 

Kolb blames that on the lengthy negotiations between the labs and CUE. 

“There have been no raises in the last two and a half years for those already employed because there is no deal brokered,” he said.  

“In the meantime, we’ve had to hire new people, and we’ve hired at market rates, which have increased. 

“After the deal is done, all of the older employees represented by CUE will receive eight to 10 percent in back pay, and whatever the contract allows for raises.” 

Covington is still concerned with the issue of people of color bumping their heads on the glass ceiling.  

“Why are the stats so different at different levels of responsibility and pay? I don’t think that it’s because minorities are less capable. It speaks to the management of the labs. Opportunities for advancement aren’t available to minorities here. There is no training that’s been outlined – to advance, minorities often have to leave the department.”  

“Those stats are probably right,” Kolb said. “But of themselves they don’t prove any discrimination. 

“We would deny that advances people make in the labs have any basis in their ethnicity. These numbers are no different than numbers which pervade the entire UC system.” 

But Covington calls such words an admission of a bigger problem rather than a justification of the lab conditions.  

“The labs are just a small part of a larger problem. As diverse as this area is, we still see these good ol’ boy networks.” 

The EEOC suit comes on the heels of Wen Ho Lee’s release from a New Mexico prison. 

The university has managed security and personnel decisions at a troika of nuclear laboratories across the nation since the Cold War, including Los Alamos National Laboratory, where the Atomic bomb was created.  

It was there that Dr. Wen Ho Lee was arrested on secret evidence for allegedly passing national secrets to an unidentified foreign nation.  

In solitary confinement for the last eight months in a New Mexico prison, critics of Lee’s arrest claimed that the Los Alamos Labs, also administered by the UC system, singled Lee out because of his race.  

With no evidence to hold him, Lee finally returned home after posting $1 million in bail. 

Covington said he thinks the advances made by people of color in America since the Civil Rights Era have rapidly deteriorated. 

“Its just another national lab managed by the university where these kinds of issues keep rearing their ugly heads,” Covington said.  

“Diversity issues are no longer in fashion, and people here in Berkeley think that it’s not like that here, that it could never be that way here. But you just have to ask yourself, why is all ‘the diversity’ stuck at the bottom?” 

Spokesperson Linda Li said the EEOC will conduct a 180 day investigation, after which it will either recommend that the Department of Justice take a case up against the university, or dismiss the suit if it finds no evidence of discrimination.  

Kolb said, “We welcome any EEOC investigation. We have proof that we are not discriminating.”

Few images are cozier than that of friends and family snuggled around the hearth on a rainy winter’s eve. 

And few images are as frightening as the desperate mom dialing 911 when her child, with a severe asthma attack, is gasping for air. 

There could be a link between the two images.  

“Studies by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District suggest that between 20 and 50 percent of air polluting particulate matter comes from home fireplaces and wood stoves,” says a report issued last week by the city’s Community Environmental Advisory Commission. 

Because of the possible danger to health, the advisory commission is considering recommending restrictions on wood-burning fireplaces.  

They have outlined a panoply of proposals, from educating people to the potential harm from the particulates to the more drastic step of banning wood-burning stoves when homes are sold.  

The commission is asking for community input. 

Interim Planning Director Wendy Cosin said the city has no data on the specifics of how or where wood-burning stoves affect residents.  

The city recently had a consultant conduct a one-day study in the city to study particulates and emissions in the air, but Cosin said the study wasn’t sophisticated enough to separate out the residue from wood-burning stoves from other kinds of air pollutants. 

The CEAC began to look at the question in January after receiving a letter from Bay Area Air Quality Management District Executive Officer Ellen Garvey which said, in part: “The Air District is concerned with wood burning because fireplaces and wood stoves generate 40 percent of the particulate matter in the Bay Area during the winter months. Of greatest concern are the fine particles, which can lodge deep in the lungs causing permanent lung damage and increasing mortality.”  

Particulates are associated with aggravated asthma, aggravated coughing, chronic bronchitis, and even premature death, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.  

Wood smoke contains lead cadmium and arsenic. “Wood smoke can damage sperm and cause birth defects,” says the group Burning Issues, a Point Arena-based organization dedicated to clean energy research and education. 

The smoke also generates carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and toxic air pollutants, Garvey said. 

Realtors are among those who have questioned restrictions on wood-burning stoves when homes are sold. Earlier in the year, the Berkeley Association of Realtors passed a resolution in opposition. 

Lois Kadosh. association president, pointed to some of the beautiful old Berkeley homes – craftsmen houses and Maybecks – whose fireplaces are the “centerpiece” of the home. “People have an emotional attachment to fireplaces,” she said. 

She said it would be unfair for someone who bought such a home, not to be allowed to use “a beautiful part of the house.” 

Kadosh said the realtors, however, have open minds on the question. “We’d like to see the actual statistics,” she said. “Where are they getting their facts?”

Following extensive discussions about health impacts from wood burning, the Community Environmental Advisory Commission concluded that exposure to wood-smoke particles may result in acute and chronic health problems.  

CEAC has prepared 10 actions for consideration to reduce the adverse health effects from smoke generated by wood burning and are requesting public comment on them.  

They include: 

• Promote an area-wide public awareness campaign  

under the auspices of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District; 

• Adopt an ordinance banning old-fashioned wood stoves and open space fireplaces in new residential construction, and set standards for appropriate choice of fuels; 

• Ban new commercial installations of fireplaces and wood ovens or require that smoke-control measures be employed;  

• Adopt an ordinance requiring before the sale of a house that open fireplaces and old-fashioned wood stoves shall be either removed or replaced with gas logs, closed low-polluting fireplaces, or modern low-polluting wood stoves;  

• Adopt an ordinance requiring that a fireplace or wood-stove conversion shall be performed whenever a major house remodeling is proposed; 

• Enact a transfer-tax credit to help cover the cost of fireplace or wood-stove conversions before the house sale;  

• Establish a telephone hotline for complaints to Bay Area Air Quality Management District, which already has the authority to control excessive household chimney smoke emissions; 

• Adopt an ordinance prohibiting the use of fireplaces and wood stoves during “spare the air” days, and allowing a waiver for homes with no other sources of heat; 

• Enlist the support of the Berkeley Dispute Resolution Service to help resolve wood-smoke problems concerning specific houses; 

• Develop a plan to further study the magnitude of air pollution by wood-smoke, using technologically advanced air-sampling devices at multiple locations throughout Berkeley.  

Comments can be e-mailed to toxins@ci.berkeley.ca.us, faxed to 540-5672 or mailed to: Toxins Management Division, 2118 Milvia Street, 2nd Floor, Berkeley, CA 94704;  

The CEAC may discuss this at its Sept. 7 meeting, 7 p.m. on Sept. 7 at 2118 Milvia Street, Conference Room A.

by John Angell Grant 

Daily Planet Correspondent 

Word for Word opened a theatrical staging of novelist Annie Proulx’s short story “The Bunchgrass Edge of the World” on Thursday at the Magic Theater in San Francisco.  

Proulx is probably best known for her wonderful 1994 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Shipping News.” 

Word for Word is an unusual and interesting theater company. The group’s mandate is to present on stage works of fiction, not drama, and to stick rigidly to the writer’s exact text. 

Thus, in Word for Word productions, the actors speak not only the story's dialogue, but also its narration, exposition and description. When the group is on target, these stagings are very powerful. 

The current production, however, struggles to find an appropriate performance framework for Proulx’s story, and doesn’t solve that problem until more than half-way through the show. 

“The Bunchgrass Edge of the World” is a quirky and episodic story of three generations of a dysfunctional Wyoming ranching family. 

Humorous and poignant, Proulx’s saga is similar in flavor and tone to other contemporary American novelists of the west, such as Jim Harrison, Larry McMurtry and Cormac McCarthy. Running about 90 minutes without an intermission, “Bunchgrass” tells a rambling family story of poverty and wealth, hard-nosed patriarchs, incest, prodigal children, alcohol and drugs, and other family conflicts. 

Performed by seven actors, several of them playing multiple roles, much of the show appears to be an ensemble story in which all the family members have moments of story importance. 

The play’s final third, however, focuses on lonely and obese daughter Ottoline, and makes it her story. Ottoline’s startling conversations with an abandoned tractor eventually verge on the sexual. A sudden positive turn of events in Ottoline's life gives “Bunchgrass” a wistfully happy ending. 

Director Sandra Langsner Crew’s staging has several problems. For one, Proulx’s story narrative is broken into tiny fragments that are divided among the seven performers. The series of quick cues that this requires distracts from the content of Proulx’s text. 

In addition, the foot noise of the actors, who move on and off the stage quickly again and again through their many short narrative scenes, also distracts from the lyricism of Proulx’s prose. 

Third, the fast pacing of the show’s early scenes lends itself to a satirical, and at times buffoonish interpretation of the quirky characters by the actors–but this does not reflect the compassion Proulx feels for her troubled family members. 

Word for Word’s production doesn’t settle down until its final third, when Ottoline (Amy Kossow) begins to have encounters with a talking tractor (Brian Keith Russell). This part of Crews’ staging proves to be quite clever and powerful. 

B. Chico Purdiman's cattle dealer Flyby, appearing also in this final segment, is one of the evening's stronger performances. 

The play’s final third is strong for one reason – the actors get away from satirical performance and play the characters for real. 

Novelist and short story writer Proulx did not come to fiction writing until she was in her 50s. In a 1997 interview she wisely advised aspiring writers, “Spend some time living before you start writing.” 

Proulx then went on to skewer a platitude found in creative writing programs far and wide, by adding, “What I find to be very bad advice is the snappy little sentence, ‘Write what you know.’ It is the most tiresome and stupid advice that could possibly be given. If we write about what we know we never grow.” 

“The Bunchgrass Edge of the World,” presented by Word for Word at the Magic Theater, Building D, Fort Mason, San Francisco, through Sept. 17. For tickets and information, call (415) 437-6775. 

For information about Word for Word's school and library tours of classic and contemporary fiction, call (415) 364-1616, or visit the website (www.zspace.org).

In the last decade, Oceanview has transformed from an industrial zone and working class residential area to a lucrative shopping district attracting crowds from as far away as Walnut Creek and Silicon Valley. Thursday night’s meeting of the West Berkeley Project Area Commission brought out all the frustrations of an area under dramatic transition, which one commissioner called, “vignettes of class warfare.” 

At the center of the controversy is a proposed weekend street market to be located between Hearst and University avenues on Fifth Street. 

“The market is intended to support low-income residents and vendors who are not benefiting from the Fourth Street economic boom,” says Jim Masters, a project consultant for the West Berkeley Development Corporation. Adds Besty Morris, also on the WBDC, “We’re trying to serve low and moderate income residents of West Berkeley who cannot access the wealth of West Berkeley. This market will provide affordable organic goods, give area artists who aren’t part of the established Berkeley scene a place to sell their work.”  

Working with Kevin Crane, a smartly dressed Caucasian business man from Miami, the corporation wants to open a market which Crane said would be “re-enforcing the cultural and ethnic aspects of this area” similar to one Crane said he’d opened in Little Haiti, Miami. 

But opposition to the market comes from many sources. Everyone at the meeting said that, while they enjoy markets, and like the idea of fresh produce, the market will exacerbate already existing parking problems. Customers coming to Fourth Street businesses have already overrun existing parking facilities. While business owners want the city to subsidize a parking solution, residents don’t want their streets lined with parking meters.  

Other concerns about the proposed market ranged from car and noise pollution to security and vandalism problems. 

David Larson, a local resident and vice president of marketing for a local firm said: “With a street market here, the litter problem from the itinerant population will only get worse.” 

Others felt that it is these low income residents who have been forgotten as the area charges ahead with redevelopment, and that the debates over how to spend the $2 million in redevelopment money sound like “little vignettes of class warfare.” 

“Everybody is questioning the little people, but who’s questioning the yuppies that come from Walnut Creek? Who’s questioning cars? Studies show that if you build a bigger parking lot, then more cars will come. We need to think about bigger issues than just more parking,” said Commissioner Rhiannon. 

“If there’s so much opposition, they can hold the fair in front of my little shack,” she added. 

While much of the resident opposition did arise from a “not in my backyard” perspective, other issues which might hold up plans for the market center around weekend access to local businesses and parking lots. The managers of Spenger’s Fish Grotto need to grant permission for one of its access ways to the parking lot on the south side of the building to be cut off before a market could be held.  

“That’s simply not agreeable” said Dana Ellsworth, a representative of Spenger’s. “Management does not want their parking lot blocked off.” 

Scott Stone, who represented the owner of two nearby buildings said that such a market would increase his client’s fire insurance and was also worried about access, trash and vandalism. 

If such access issues cannot be resolved, it could spell the end of the proposed market.

Saturday, August 26

“Wild about Books” 

10:30 a.m. 

Berkeley Public Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

“Hats Off to Reading!” You’ll hear about lost hats, matching hats, paper hats-and make your own to take home with you. Frog and Toad plant a garden together. 

Sophocles’ “Antigone” 

1:30 p.m. 

Fellowship of Humanity, garden 

411 28th St. and Broadway 

Oakland 

A staged reading of an adaptation of “Antigone” by Walter Springer.  

Contributions. 

451-5818 

Open House Tour of the  

Dharma Publishing Showroom  

and Tibetan Aid Project.  

10:30 a.m. - 12 noon 

The tour will show traditional Tibetan book making, sacred art projects, and spinning copper prayer wheels. The video provides a look at the World Peace Ceremony in Bodhgaya, India. A vegetarian lunch will be served to all who stay and volunteer on one of the projects.  

RSVP lunch and volunteers only, 1-3 p.m. 

548-5407 or 848-423 

Last scheduled Underhill  

movie night 

9 p.m. 

Underhill lot at College and Channing 

Protesters against the development of the Underhill lot as a parking structure will have the last movie-showing of the year: “Berkeley in the 60's” and “Pulp Fiction.” 

http://www.bclu.org/underhill/ 

CREW-CUT 

Volunteer Orientation at Bird  

Rescue 

10 a.m.-noon 

699 Potter St., Aquatic Park 

International Bird Rescue and Research in Berkeley will be holding a volunteer orientation for people who want to help injured and orphaned native birds and to learn more about the skill of wildlife rehabilitation. 

call 841-9086 to register 

Star Alliance 15th  

Anniversary 

1-4 p.m. 

Live Oak Park 

1301 Shattuck Ave. 

Star Alliance — an institute for world peace — initiates its 15th  

Anniversary Year with a free concert they’re calling “Sitar, guitar & song.” The public is invited! Topping the bill is Indian sitarist Habib Kahn, freshly returned from concerts in Lebanon. Ballads in English and Spanish will be sung by composer-vocalist Michael DeWall. Brian Wallace will perform on the sarood and sing his unique song.  

The event is free. 

848-2764 

Sunday, August 27

“Hearing the Voice of the Lad  

Where He Is: Rosh Hashanah” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond JCC 

1414 Walnut St. 

Rabbi Ben Hollander, from Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English, with the cooperation with the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay. 

World Music Festival 

Noon to 6 p.m.  

Durant Avenue just above Telegraph.  

Telegraph merchants, artists, craftspeople, restaurants, and clubs will participate in this exciting event, which is Free and accessible to the entire Bay Area community. 

Featured artists include ten-piece salsa veterans Orequestra Charanson; the modern Afro-beat band Kotoja; the West Coast's premier zydeco band, Zydeco Flames; and Liza Silva & Voz do Brazil. 

The Festival is seeking volunteers, sponsors, and booth vendors. For further information, call 510-649-9500 or e-mail taa@transbay.net. 

Open Indoor Rehearsal for  

Breast/Nude Freedom Parade 

3 p.m. 

1109 Addison St. 

Indoors for festive topfree anthem singing, group-body dancing, and practice for unveiling our bodies in  

preparation for next month's outdoor 9th Annual 

Breast/Nude Freedom Parade.  

848-1985;  

www.xplicitplayers.com. 

Community weeding 

Cragmont Elementary School 

830 Regal Road 

9 a.m. - noon and 1-4 p.m. 

This is going to be the initial clearing for the start of a large community garden project at the school, sponsored by an Eagle Scout troup. Bring gloves, snacks will be provided. 

For more information, call 525-6058. 

Monday, August 28

“The Universal, the Particular  

and the Personal in Liturgy” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Rabbi Ben Hollander, from Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English, with the cooperation with the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay. 

Tai Chi Chih 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

With Ben Levitan. 

644-6107 

Tuesday, August 29

Golden Age Party Celebration 

1:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

Celebration honoring seniors over 90 years of age. 

644-6107 

“The Akedah: To Be a Servant  

of God” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond JCC 

1414 Walnut St. 

Rabbi Yosef Leitbowitzr, from Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English, with the cooperation with the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay. 

Wednesday, Aug. 30

“Rav Kuk’s Concepts of  

Repentance” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond JCC 

1414 Walnut St. 

Rabbi Yosef Leitbowitzr, from Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English, with the cooperation with the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay. 

Rhythm Magic 

1:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

With Mikka. 

644-6107 

Bridge 

1 p.m. 

Live Oak Community Center 

1301 Shattuck Ave. 

The games are open to all players 

For partnership and other informa- 

tion, please call Vi Kimoto at (510) 

223-6539. 

Thursday, August 31

Meeting Life Changes 

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

With John Hammerman. 

644-6107 

“Life and Death Mishnaic  

Themes of Yom Kippur” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond JCC 

1414 Walnut St. 

Leah Rosental, from Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English, with the corporation with the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay.

Although attendees at the West Berkeley Project Area Commission meeting Thursday night were divided on the issue of the open-air market, they agreed that parking is a problem. 

In 1998, the PAC conducted a study that showed the Fourth Street area lacked 600 parking slots, “a number which has probably increased since then” says Commission Chair Bart Selden. How to address this shortage is on everyone’s minds, ranging from a potential parking garage to the possible paving of one of Berkeley’s last dirt roads - Second Street.  

However, proponents of a parking garage in the Fourth Street area may be dropping their plans. Denny Abrams, a partner of Abrams/ Millikan & Associates, said: “Though we need a parking garage, it seems there is no political will. People keep calling this proposal a subsidy, and we can’t get past that. I don’t know if I’m willing to spend a year a half of my life trying to get something that there is no will to accomplish.” 

The Berkeley City Council, sitting as the Redevelopment Agency, which holds final approval for a city-subsidized garage, has already indicated that such a use of funds would be untenable. 

Owen Maercks, owner of the Fifth Street East Bay Vivarian said that parking has gotten so bad, that if a market is built the added cars will exacerbate an already “terrible parking situation.” 

“This could be the straw that breaks my back. This could be what forces me to move my business out of here. That’s how bad the parking situation is,” said Maercks.

UC Berkeley is retracting its push for permanent lights at Memorial Stadium – literally. 

Chancellor Robert Berdahl announced Thursday that the university will put off installing the permanent lights for one year and look into retractable alternatives.  

Panoramic Hill neighbors have battled tooth and nail for two years to prevent the university from installing the nine, 60 to 75-foot light towers they say will cast ugly shadows over their neighborhood and malign the historic stadium.  

Concerned neighbors brought the solution to the university, said Marie Felde, campus public information director. They suggested the design by General Electric Sports Lighting. 

The housing for the lights would be raised for night games, then move back down a permanent pole after the game, Felde said. 

Councilmember Polly Armstrong, who asked the university to look for alternatives in June, said she’s “really very pleased that the university is stepping up to the plate and listening to the neighbors.” 

“The feedback I got from previous meetings was that (retractable lights) weren’t an option,” she said. 

Felde said the only other design was a telescopic pole, one which retracts into itself, rather than having the lights’ housing retract. Felde said that was “way too expensive.” 

Panoramic Hill neighbors said they had felt the university was strong-arming them when officials said in June that they were categorically exempt from making an Environmental Impact Report, required by the California Environmental Quality Act, to moor the lights to the rim of the 77 year-old stadium, and threatened a lawsuit. 

But last week City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque wrote a letter to planners asking them to avoid litigation by voluntarily preparing a draft EIR.  

Robert Breuer, who formed Neighbors of Memorial Stadium in response to the permanent lights, said that it is unfortunate that the organization has had to threaten a lawsuit for two years in a row. 

“Maybe now it’s clear to them they cannot categorically exempt themselves from CEQA regulations,” he said. “Maybe they’ve realized that they have a historic structure here.” 

Fox Television, which plans to broadcast four to six football games at the stadium, signed a 10-year contract with the PAC-10 conference to televise Saturday games this season. Fox also offered to pick up the $1 million tab for the permanent lights. 

Felde said that the university had recently put out a request for contractors to propose costs for the retractable lights. At this point she said she was unsure how much the lights would cost, or if Fox would be willing to pay.  

Though happy with the postponement, Breuer is still puzzled by the need for the lights. 

“The history is that they’ve only used the lights once or twice a year, and we think it’s strange that they wouldn’t continue using temporary lights,” he said. 

But university officials have said that temporary lights are difficult to manage and adjust. And, last year’s estimate was that each televised game was worth $200,000 to the school.  

Breuer also fears that the lights will increase the number of night games at Memorial. He said that Stanford University has added two more night games to its schedule since they have added lights. 

“That has never happened in Berkeley,” he said, “It would be a significant change.” 

Councilmember Armstrong is sure a happy end can be brought to this two-year old fight. 

“I’m hopeful that between the neighbors energy and the university’s willingness, that we’ll be able to find something that works for everyone,” Armstrong said. “I’m really optimistic.”

The return of Ishi to his Indian homeland 80 years after University of California scientists cut out his brain in the interests of science has drawn new attention to the quest to retrieve ancestral bones from museum basements. 

Ishi, it turns out, is an exception. Ten years after Congress ordered the return of Native American remains, only 10 percent of the up to 200,000 remains estimated to be in public collections are officially accounted for, federal records show. 

With more than 8,000 Indian remains, Berkeley is third only to the Smithsonian and Harvard in its collection. Berkeley’s total American Indian repatriations so far: an amulet and an earthenware jar. 

While a variety of factors lie behind the delays, two stand out: Institutions have been slow to reveal their holdings to Indians as they try to match bones to tribes, and federal officials have been slow to do something about the data that have been turned in. 

Underlying the logistical logjam is a clash of science and sacrament reverberating across the archaeological world — how to balance the study of the rites of man with the rights of men. 

“It really comes down to a distinction between thinking that you own remains or sacred objects versus understanding that you are custodians or stewards for them,” said Martin Sullivan, a historian who recently completed eight years on the national advisory committee overseeing the repatriation law. 

Steve Banegas, who has worked on reclaiming remains for the Kumeyaay Cultural Repatriation Committee representing 12 Southern California tribes, puts it more bluntly. 

“They all have an excuse. The bottom line is they just don’t want to do it,” he said. “They see it as losing something where we see it as righting a wrong.” 

One of the most famous repatriation cases is that of Ishi. 

Found in remote Northern California in 1911, Ishi was taken up by UC anthropologist Alfred Kroeber and treated as an original aboriginal, ending his days living at a museum where he demonstrated ancient skills for curious crowds. He would become part of California folklore, ending up in fourth-grade lesson plans as an example of the “last of the Yahi.” 

On his death in 1916, scientists ignored Ishi’s request not to be autopsied — Kroeber opposed this but was out of town — and removed his brain. Kroeber later sent the brain to the Smithsonian where it remained in storage, largely forgotten until 1997 when a group of California Indians began the search that ended with Ishi being flown home to the shadow of Mount Lassen this month. 

Ishi’s return was one of more than 4,000 repatriations conducted by the Smithsonian from its collection of 18,000 sets of Indian remains. 

The Smithsonian repatriations are governed by the National Museum of the American Indian Act. All other federally funded agencies and museums were ordered to return remains of American Indians and Native Hawaiians in the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). 

“You are going to find some institutions out there who use the letter of the law to drag their feet and then you will find a lot of institutions out there who basically embrace the spirit of the law and the spirit of the law is about human rights,” said Jason Harding of the American Indian Ritual Object Repatriation Foundation in New York. 

The law says remains will be returned to federally recognized tribes, a troublesome issue in California where many tribes lost their federal status, a legacy of broken treaties and decimated numbers. Some estimates put the pre-European Indian population as high as 300,000, dropping to half that by the Gold Rush and fewer than 16,000 by the 1900 census. 

Berkeley was among 58 institutions that got an extension from the original inventory deadline of November 1995. The school missed its second deadline, in 1998, became one of six institutions threatened with fines if an inventory was not forthcoming. 

Last spring, Chancellor Robert Berdahl kicked in $1.2 million from discretionary funds and the inventory was completed June 30, said Edward M. Luby, Hearst repatriation coordinator. He blamed the delay on lack of funding and the complexity of the task of matching bones to tribes. 

About 17 percent of Berkeley’s remains have been determined to be affiliated to a particular tribe, meaning they can be claimed. Only three requests are pending, mainly because the inventory is only just now being completed. 

On the federal level, the National Parks Service, the overseeing agency, has been overwhelmed. John Robbins, assistant director for cultural resources for the parks service, acknowledged there is a two-year backlog on publishing the legal notices required before some items can be returned. 

The parks service doesn’t keep track of remains returned, only of remains inventoried. As of mid-July, 355 notices of completed inventories accounting for 19,104 human remains and 321,377 associated burial objects had been published, said Timothy McKeown, repatriation team leader for the parks service. 

Many more inventories have been submitted, but not yet entered into the database. 

In 1990, the Congressional Budget Office estimated there were between 100,000 and 200,000 Native American remains in federally funded collections. 

Sullivan testified at a July Senate hearing that the spirit of urgency that once characterized the repatriation law is being “seriously compromised,” by the paperwork backlog. He, along with the rest of the advisory committee, recommended shifting oversight of the law out of the National Parks Service, noting that some remains are held by national parks, a potential conflict of interest. 

Overall, though, Sullivan thinks the law is working. 

“The problems that we’re seeing now are real headaches but they have to do more with procedures,” Sullivan said in a telephone interview. “On a higher scale, what’s happened is there’s finally a national standard that recognizes these human rights.” 

Larry Myers, executive secretary of the California Native American Heritage Commission, has a problem with how long repatriation is taking. But he agrees NAGPRA spells progress. 

“One of the best things I think that NAGPRA has really done — it’s made all these institutions figure out what they had,” he said. 

Myers recalls taking a tour of the Hearst some years ago and being unnerved by a row of grinning skulls, separated from their skeletons in defiance of native tradition. 

“Indians feel that’s just atrocious,” said Myers. “It was something that you don’t want to get real close to.” 

UC says the Hearst has since tried to reunite remains. 

The struggle over who owns the past isn’t relegated to old collections; American Indians and scientists are now fighting over the remains of Kennewick Man, a 9,000-year-old skeleton found in a Washington State river in 1996. 

Anthropologists say they need the old bones for new research. 

But scientists who consider repatriation a lost opportunity for scholarship are wrong, said G. Peter Jemison, repatriation coordinator for the Seneca Nation of Indians in New York State. 

“They’re going to come in contact with the living people and they’re going to learn so much more than they’re ever going to learn by using a ruler,” he said.

Berkeley Police say they believe they’ve caught two suspects responsible for a string of armed robberies during the month of August. 

A victim who said he was robbed early Friday morning at gunpoint at Dwight Way and Telegraph Avenue, identified the suspects to police. 

Lt. Russell Lopes said a 20-year-old Oakland man and a 17-year-old juvenile may be responsible for three robberies earlier this month, including a robbery early Thursday morning on the 2200 block of Ashby Avenue. 

The adult suspect is being held without bail on a single charge of armed robbery and probation violation.  

Lopes said that he and his accomplice have preyed on lone pedestrians and couples. 

He believes they were responsible for the armed robbery of a couple in a parked car in the Berkeley hills on Aug. 3, and the armed robbery of a pedestrian on the 2500 block of Hillegas Avenue on Aug. 10.  

Lopes said the men used a getaway car in the first two robberies. They were apprehended on foot, however, at Grant and Parker streets.

Radioactive emissions from 12 telecommunications antennas set to be affixed to the Oaks Theater on Solano Avenue is worrying Thousand Oaks neighbors. 

Studies into telecommunications radiation are in their infancy and it is not known if even tiny amounts over time could pose a health threat, antenna opponents argue. 

But they may have to grin and bear the radiation that makes cell phones and pagers work because the city has no authority in regulating the safety aspects of the antenna. That comes under the jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Commission which says the amounts of radiation generated by the proposed Nextel Communications antenna are well within their parameters. 

Skittish neighbors gathered at the Northbrae Community Church on The Alameda Wednesday evening at a meeting called by Nextel, designed to ease their edginess.  

“This isn’t required by law, it’s just something that Nextel does,” said company spokesperson Kristen Hulsey of the meeting. “We want everyone to know that we’re in compliance with local, state and FCC standards and we’re trying to work with the neighborhood.” 

Some citizens didn’t come away from the meeting feeling so easy.  

Dr. Leonard Schwartzburd, a psychologist, who says his practice is 60 feet from the top of the theater, argued that there’s not enough evidence to lighten his doubts. 

“I’m very concerned that when a new technology arises that there’s a rush to expand it before we know all about it. I just don’t think that there’s enough checks and balances,” he said.  

“These antenna will be here indefinitely,” he said. “No one knows what the cumulative effects will be.” 

Vivian Kahn, interim deputy director of planning, said according to the Telecommunications Act of 1996 state and local governments may only prevent the installation of such antenna on an aesthetic basis. 

“Federal law precludes us from making a decision from a health standpoint. We make decisions on everything but that,” she said. 

Kahn said a zoning officer approved the antennas, but an appeal to Zoning Adjustments Board was filed Aug. 12 by Constance and Kevin Sutton. 

The Suttons’ appeal states that the installation of the antenna is inappropriate based on the city’s “Wireless Telecommunications Antenna Guide” that says that these antennas shouldn’t be placed in residential areas. 

“It seems to me that they could put these things outside residential areas, they would just have to spend more money,” Kevin Sutton said. “Cities seem to be rubber-stamping these things and they don’t know anything about the cumulative effect.” 

Sutton said that the same thing is happening in Oakland. He said that another telecommunications company wants to put these same antennas on Whole Foods grocery store on MacArthur Boulevard, which is also a residential area. He said that telecommunication companies have saturated industrial areas, where the FCC recommends that they go, and are now forced to look to residential areas. 

“Each company has to have their own,” said UC Berkeley microbiologist John Taylor. “The city really needs to look at this.” 

Hulsey said that the decision to place the antennas on the theater is customer driven and the company is boosting their coverage for the growing cell users in the area. 

“We need additional capacity,” she said. “We’re predicting a growth in users in the area. This site will meet our coverage objective.” 

Jerrold Bushberg, Ph.D., a health and medical physics consultant for Nextel told the audience that residents near the antenna need not worry. He said that the radiofrequency (RF) generated by the antennas is most analogous with that of ultra-high frequency (UHF) television channels that have been in the atmosphere for 40 years. 

In his written report to Nextel, he measured the RF emitted from the antennas to be roughly 2.32 percent of the FCC maximum, and says that the exposure levels are in full compliance with current FCC public safety standards and are, in fact, substantially lower than the prevailing public health and safety standards. 

A chart included in Bushberg’s findings shows that the amount of radiation Schwartzburd would be subjected to, from 60 feet away from the base of an antenna, .01070 milliwatts of non-ionized radiation per cubic centimeter. That is only 1.88 percent of the FCC’s standard for exposure. 

But Schwartzburd is the first to point out that Bushberg himself said he understood the people’s concern that there are no adequate independent review of long-term RF effects. 

“Essentially they’re asking the industry to self-regulate. And industry doesn’t have a very good track record of self-regulation,” he said. 

The Suttons’ appeal also addresses the aesthetics of the antennas. It contends that an installation like this would bring down property values, since many neighbors have views that include the roof and sides of the theater. 

Hulsey said the antennas won’t be visible, they will be screened or integrated into the building itself. 

“They will not affect the area aesthetically,” she said. 

Kahn said that the ZAB can uphold the Zoning Officer’s decision to go ahead, or call a public hearing on the matter.  

Sutton said that he feels very strongly and will go as far as necessary to stop the antennas. He’ll retain an attorney if necessary, he said. 

If the ZAB upholds the Zoning Officer’s findings, Sutton may appeal to City Council. 

Taylor said that a report he was directed to by Bushburg shows that a third generation of cell phones that deal with computer data are not far away. Soon we’ll be even deeper into wireless telecommunication, he said. 

“It would be a good time for some regional planning to find a good place for these things so people can use these things without fear,” the scientist said. 

Friday, August 25

Bridge 

1 p.m. 

Live Oak Community Center 

1301 Shattuck Ave. 

The games are open to all players 

For partnership and other informa- 

tion, please call Vi Kimoto at (510) 

223-6539 

Girls golf clinic 

8:30 a.m.-noon 

Tilden Park Golf Course 

The California and San Francisco women’s golf teams Co-host a free clinic as part of the national “golf for women/national golf Coaches Association “Get a Girl Golfing Day.” For girls/teens age 8-17. Bring clubs, if possible, but this is not required. 

643-7940 

Saturday, August 26

“Wild about Books” 

10:30 a.m. 

Berkeley Public Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

“Hats Off to Reading!” You’ll hear about lost hats, matching hats, paper hats-and make your own to take home with you. Frog and Toad plant a garden together. 

Sophocles’ “Antigone” 

1:30 p.m. 

Fellowship of Humanity, garden 

411 28th St. and Broadway 

Oakland 

A staged reading of an adaptation of “Antigone” by Walter Springer.  

Contributions. 

451-5818 

Open House Tour of the  

Dharma Publishing Showroom  

and Tibetan Aid Project  

10:30 a.m. - noon 

The tour will show traditional Tibetan book making, sacred art projects, and spinning copper prayer wheels. The video provides a look at the World Peace Ceremony in Bodhgaya, India. A vegetarian lunch will be served to all who stay and volunteer on one of the projects.  

RSVP lunch and volunteers only, 1-3 p.m. 

548-5407 or 848-423 

Last scheduled Underhill  

movie night 

9 p.m. 

Underhill lot at College and Channing 

Protesters against the development of the Underhill lot as a parking structure will have the last movie-showing of the year: “Berkeley in the 60's” and “Pulp Fiction.” 

http://www.bclu.org/underhill/ 

CREW-CUT 

Volunteer Orientation at Bird  

Rescue 

10 a.m.-noon 

699 Potter St., Aquatic Park 

International Bird Rescue and Research in Berkeley will be holding a volunteer orientation for people who want to help injured and orphaned native birds and to learn more about the skill of wildlife rehabilitation. 

call 841-9086 to register 

Star Alliance 15th  

Anniversary 

1-4 p.m. 

Live Oak Park 

1301 Shattuck Ave. 

Star Alliance – an institute for world peace – initiates its 15th  

Anniversary Year with a free concert they’re calling “Sitar, guitar & song.” The public is invited! Topping the bill is Indian sitarist Habib Kahn, freshly returned from concerts in Lebanon. Ballads in English and Spanish will be sung by composer-vocalist Michael DeWall. Brian Wallace will perform on the sarood and sing his unique song.  

The event is free. 

848-2764 

Sunday, August 27

“Hearing the Voice of the Lad  

Where He Is: Rosh Hashanah” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond JCC 

1414 Walnut St. 

Rabbi Ben Hollander, from Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English, with the cooperation with the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay. 

World Music Festival 

noon to 6 p.m.  

Durant Avenue just above Telegraph.  

Telegraph merchants, artists, craftspeople, restaurants, and clubs will participate in this exciting event, which is Free and accessible to the entire Bay Area community. 

Featured artists include ten-piece salsa veterans Orequestra Charanson; the modern Afro-beat band Kotoja; the West Coast's premier zydeco band, Zydeco Flames; and Liza Silva & Voz do Brazil. 

The Festival is seeking volunteers, sponsors, and booth vendors. For further information, call 510-649-9500 or e-mail taa@transbay.net. 

Open Indoor Rehearsal for  

Breast/Nude Freedom Parade 

3 p.m. 

1109 Addison St. 

Indoors for festive topfree anthem singing, group-body dancing, and practice for unveiling our bodies in  

preparation for next month's outdoor 9th annual 

Breast/Nude Freedom Parade.  

848-1985; ww.xplicitplayers.com. 

Community weeding 

Cragmont Elementary School 

830 Regal Road 

9 a.m. - noon and 1-4 p.m. 

This is going to be the initial clearing for the start of a large community garden project at the school, sponsored by an Eagle Scout troup. Bring gloves, snacks will be provided. 

For more information, call 525-6058. 

Monday, August 28

“The Universal, the Particular  

and the Personal in Liturgy” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Rabbi Ben Hollander, from Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English, with the cooperation with the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay. 

Tai Chi Chih 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

With Ben Levitan. 

644-6107 

Tuesday, August 29 

Golden Age Party Celebration 

1:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

Celebration honoring seniors over 90 years of age. 

644-6107 

“The Akedah: To Be a Servant  

of God” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond JCC 

1414 Walnut St. 

Rabbi Yosef Leitbowitzr, from Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English, with the cooperation with the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay. 

Wednesday, Aug. 30

“Rav Kuk’s Concepts of  

Repentance” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond JCC 

1414 Walnut St. 

Rabbi Yosef Leitbowitzr, from Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English, with the cooperation with the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay. 

Rhythm Magic 

1:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

With Mikka. 

644-6107 

Bridge 

1 p.m. 

Live Oak Community Center 

1301 Shattuck Ave. 

The games are open to all players 

For partnership and other informa- 

tion, please call Vi Kimoto at (510) 

223-6539. 

Thursday, August 31

Meeting Life Changes 

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

With John Hammerman. 

644-6107 

“Life and Death Mishnaic  

Themes of Yom Kippur” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond JCC 

1414 Walnut St. 

Leah Rosental, from Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English, with the corporation with the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay.  

The History of California Rock Climbing 

7 p.m. 

REI 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Join Andy Puhvel, director of Yo! Basecamp rock climbing school, for a slide presentation on the history of rock climbing here in California. You’ll find out how creative advancements in technology, combined with boldness and inspiration, made Yosemite Valley climbers the pioneers of this sport.  

527-7377 

“Calming Our Minds” 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Community Theater 

Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Zen Master, will be giving a public lecture titled “Calming Our Minds, Opening Our Hearts” at the Berkeley Community Theater. 

Tickets are $20 

433-9928

The Berkeley Daily Planet received this letter from Rick Ayers, sponsor of the Berkeley High School’s award-winning newspaper: The Berkeley High Jacket 

Dear Berkeley High Community, 

We have just received the scorebook and review of the Berkeley High Jacket from the National Scholastic Press Association. 

Once again, the students who put out Jacket have walked away with top honors - receiving an “All American” (the top!) honor rating with Marks of Distinction in Coverage and Content; Writing and Editing; Photography, Art, and Graphics; Layout and Design; and Leadership. 

A few comments from the Judge who reviewed six issues of our papers over the summer: 

“Excellent - really excellent - stands on school matters in every issue. Strongly voiced editorials. . . . A really fine sense of your responsibilities to student reader. Your editorials are well-reasoned, strong. . . . Keep up the excellent coverage you have on theater and music departments. . . (commendation for) piece on minority teacher need. . .. (commendation for) piece on arson, spread on teachers leaving. . . . really fine attention to news issues like ethnic slavery and arson. . .. (commendation for) piece on reactions to the arsons, pieces on School Board. . . . Vulgar head, November 24, p.2. . . . The writing in major articles is strong - based on solid investigation. . . . Some great active sports shots (photos). . . . Some of the photos are superb. Graphics are generally simple and clean. . . (commendation for columns being) visible and consistent issue to issue. . .. Pages are focused and balanced. Some clutter but not excessive amounts. . . . .” 

And his final summary: 

“A very fine paper. Lots of interesting, gutsy pieces in every issue. 

“Editorials and news are your strengths. Some features are also good - theater and music. Sports writing needs some attention. Do consider using the front cover in a more traditional manner - to showcase major stories - like arson. It'll make your product look more like a real newspaper and not a magazine.” 

The Jacket has developed a strong tradition over many years and the students - editors who lead the class and veteran writers, photographers, and business staffers - certainly keep each other to the standards we have developed. 

The Jacket is also grateful to the administration which, despite the controversial issues that the paper has tackled, never wavered in its support for student press rights. 

We are looking forward to a great paper in the year ahead. 

Be sure to visit our web site at www.Jacket.org to see how you can support the Jacket by subscribing. 

In other Jacket news, you may remember that a producer from Hollywood approached Jacket staffers concerning making a “made for TV” movie about the student investigative report on Mr. Reddy and indentured servitude. 

The new development is that Disney has agreed with the producer to go ahead with this production. 

We will have two writers visiting Jacket in September and getting to know the students, the culture of the class, and Berkeley High School. 

The current schedule calls for the script to be done by January and possibly shooting in the spring. 

We are looking forward to this project being a positive story on high school journalism as well as on activism for Indian immigrant rights. 

Rick Ayers

MUSEUMS 

Habitot Children’s Museum 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

“Back to the Farm.”  

Ongoing 

An 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 more.  

Cost: $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under.  

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.  

647-1111 or www.habitot.org 

Judah L. Magnes Museum 

2911 Russell St.  

549-6950 

Free 

Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 

“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. 

“Spring and Summer.”  

Through Nov. 4. 

“Chagall: Master Prints and Posters, Selections from the Magnes Museum Collection.”  

Through Sept. 28. 

UC Berkeley Art Museum 

2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley 

“Mandala: The Architecture of Enlightenment,” through Sept. 17.  

An exhibit of rare and exquisite works featuring more than forty mandalas and related objects including sculptures and models of sacred spaces. 

“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.  

“Hans Hoffmann,” open-ended.  

An exhibit of paintings by Hoffmann which emphasizes two experimental methods the artist employed: the introduction of slabs or rectangles of highly saturated colors and the use of large areas of black paint juxtaposed with intense oranges, greens and yellows.  

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 age 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 through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

642-0808. 

UC Berkeley Museum of  

Paleontology 

Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley 

“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. 

642-1821. 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst  

Museum of Anthropology 

Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College  

Avenue, Berkeley 

“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: The Phoebe Hearst Museum,” open-ended.  

This new permanent installation will introduce visitors to major topics in the museum’s history, including the role of Phoebe Apperson Hearst as the museum’s patron, as well as the relationship of anthropologists Alfred Kroeber and Robert Lowie to the museum. 

“Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” ongoing. 

This exhibit documents the culture of the Yahi Indians of California as described and demonstrated from 1911 to 1916 by Ishi, the last surviving member of the tribe. 

$2 general; $1 seniors; $0.50 children age 17 and under; free on Thursdays. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

643-7648. 

Mills College Art Museum 

5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland 

“The 100 Languages of Children,” through October.  

An exhibit of art by children from Reggio Emilia, Italy. At Carnegie Building Bender Room. 

Free. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. 

430-2164. 

The Oakland Museum of  

California 

1000 Oak St., Oakland 

“Helen Nestor: Personal and Political,” Aug. 17 through Oct. 15.  

An exhibit of images documenting the Free Speech Movement, the 60s civil rights marches, and women’s issues. 

“California Classic: Realist Paintings by Robert Bechtle,” through Oct. 1.  

An exhibit of 18 paintings and drawings by the Bay Area artist dating from 1965 to 1997. 

SPECIAL EXHIBIT – “Meadowsweet Dairy: Wood Sculpture,” through Sept. 15.  

An exhibit of 12 sculptures made with materials found and salvaged to reveal the beauty of the natural object. At the Sculpture Court, City Center, 1111 Broadway. Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

SPECIAL EVENTS AND LECTURES – Free after museum admission unless noted.  

“Family Workshop: A Sense of Place,” Aug. 20, 2 p.m.  

Create landscape drawings inspired by your personal view of nature. For reservations 238-3818. 

$6 general; $4 seniors and students; free children age 5 and under; second Sundays are free to all. Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; first Friday of the month, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

(888) OAK-MUSE or www.museumca.org. 

MUSIC 

Eli’s Mile High Club 

3629 Martin Luther King Jr Way 

Friday, Aug. 25  

Bolden and Birdlegg 

655-6661 

New Millennium Strings 

Saturday, Aug. 26, 8 p.m. 

Organ benefit concert 

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church 

2300 Bancroft, Berkeley 

Sunday, Aug. 27, 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Food Pantry benefit 

Arlington Community Church 

52 Arlington Ave., Kensington  

Donation suggestions: $10; $7 for students and seniors 

526-3331 

Walnut Square 

150 Walnut Street near Vine St. 

11:30 a.m., Aug. 26. 

Chamber Music for the Inner Courtyard, a classical ensemble, will perform the music of Haydn, Bach, Mozart. Call 843-4002. 

Jazz Singers’ Collective 

Saturday, Aug. 26, 8:30 p.m. 

Kensington Circus Pub 

389 Colusa 

524-8814 

Ashkenaz 

1317 San Pablo Ave.  

525-5099 

For all ages 

www.ashkenaz.com 

Sept. 1, 9:30 p.m. CD release party with Strictly Roots 

Sept. 3, 9 p.m. Don Carlos & Reggaie Angels 

Sept. 5, 9 p.m. A night of Big Mountain Awareness with Blackfire 

Sept. 6, 8 p.m. lesson and 9 p.m. show Poullard-Thompson Band (Cajun) 

Sept. 8 Fantcha 

Sept. 27, 8 p.m., dance session, 9 p.m., music 

Kate Brislin, Jody Stecher, Heath Curtis, Bluegrass intentions 

Old time, Appalachian music 

525-5099 

924 Gilman St. 

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

Call 525-9926.  

The Hoods, 18 Visions, Punishment, New Jersey Bloodline, Lowlife. Aug. 25. 

Tilt, The Nerve Agents, The Missing 23rd, Turnedown, Larry. Aug. 26. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

Benefit concert  

3105 Shattuck Ave.  

Thursday, Aug. 31 

Concert begins at 8 p.m.  

$5  

www.lapena.org 

The Albatross Pub 

1822 San Pablo Ave. 

843-2473 

All shows begin at 9 p.m. 

Larry Stefl Jazz Quartet, Sept. 2. 

Dunsmuir Historic Estate 

2960 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland 

End of summer concert: “Caribbean Rhythms” 

Sunday, Sept. 3, noon- 3 p.m. 

$5 adults, $4 seniors; $1 for children under 13 

615-5555, www.dunsmuir.org 

Starry Plough 

3101 Shattuck Ave. 

Noche de Flamenco, 8:30 p.m., Sept. 6 

Featured artists include Cristo Cortes, Monica Bermudez and Carola Zertuche, with special guest El Pollito 

$10 

841-2082 

The Jazzschool 

2375 Shattuck Ave. 

Dick Hindman Trio 

4:30 p.m., Sept. 17 

$12; $10 students/seniors; $6 for Jazzschool students and children under 13 

Classical Concert 

Friday, Sept. 29  

First Lutheran Church at Homer and Webster streets, Palo Alto 

8 p.m. 

(415) 378-4863 

FILMS 

University of California, Berkeley Art Museum 

Pacific Film Archive 

2575 Bancroft Way 

642-1412 

“Treasures from the George Eastman House” 

Various programs and a 16-film salute to little-known actresses. 

Sept. 1 -Oct. 8 

“MadCat Women’s International Film Festival”  

Sept. 8,9 

Festival showcases women filmmakers from around the world. 

“Paper Tiger Television” 

A look at TV used to promote grassroots political action. PTTV members will appear for discussion with the audiences at screenings. 

Sept. 12,15 

$7 for one film; $8.50 for double bills. UC Berkeley students are $4/$5.50. Seniors and children are $4.50/6.00  

THEATER 

“The Green Bird”  

by Carlo Gozzi 

Berkeley Repertory Theatre 

2025 Addison St. 

Adapted by Theatre de la Jeune Lune and directed by Dominique Serrand.  

“The Green Bird” runs from September 8 - October 27. For tickets contact the box office at 845-4700.  

“The Philanderer”  

by George Bernard Shaw 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave. 

Performed by the Aurora Theatre company, “The Philanderer” takes on the challenging and often humorous exploration of gender roles and the separations that exist between the sexes. 

Preview dates are September 8-10 and 13, tickets for preview showings are sold at $26. Opening night is September 14, admission is $35. Showtimes run Wednesday through Saturday through October 15 at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees show at 2 p.m., plus selected Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. Admission for regular performances is $30. Student discounts are available. For tickets and information call 843-4822 or visit www.auroratheatre.org. 

“Endgame” 

Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, through Sept. 2 at La Val’s Subterranean 1834 Euclid Ave. Berkeley. 

Directed by George Charbak.  

524-9327 

“Antigone” 

1:30 p.m., Aug. 26 

Fellowship of Humanity 

411 28th St. Oakland 

655-7962 

This staged reading of Sophocles’ “Antigone” is adapted by Walter Springer. Performance is free, contributions are accepted. 

“MIMZABIM!” 

Climate Theatre & Subterranean Shakespeare 

La Vals Subterraniean 1834 Euclid, Berkeley 

Sept.7 -Oct. 14 

Thursday - Saturday 8:00 p.m. 

$12, Students $8 

EXHIBITS 

The Artistry of Rae Louise Hayward 

The Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 

3023 Shattuck Ave. 548-9286, ext. 307 

Aug. 12 - Sept. 27 

Traywick Gallery 

1316 Tenth St.  

527-1214 

Charles LaBelle 

Sept. 9 - Oct. 15 

LaBelle’s new series of large-scale color photographs highlight nighttime nature in Hollywood. He recreates trees at night using a hand-held spotlight and playing on the beam across the leaves and branches. The opening reception will be held on September 12 from 6 to 8 p.m.  

Blue Vinyl by Connie Walsh  

Sept. 9 - Oct. 15 

This multimedia project combines video, sound and printmaking to explore concepts of intimacy and its relation to private space. 

The opening reception is on September 12 from 6-8 p.m. 

Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11-6 p.m. and Sundays 12-5 p.m. 

READINGS 

Rhyme & Reason Poetry Series 

Berkeley Art Museum, 2621 Durant 

Second and fourth Sundays of each month. For open reading following featured readers, sign up at 2 p.m., readings begin at 2:30 p.m. 

Aug. 27, Kathleen Ellis, Rand Fingland 

Sept. 10. Q.R. Hand, Tennessee Reed 

Readings at Cody’s 

2454 Telegraph Ave.  

Aug, 29, 7:30 p.m., Karl Schoenberger 

Discussion of Levi's Children: Coming to Terms with Human Rights in the Global Marketplace. Allegations of corporate complicity in human rights violations have exploded into one of the most controversial issues today.  

Levi's Children offers a desperately needed perspective on the challenges faced by businesses and activists alike.  

Aug. 30, Poetry: 7:30 p.m. Joe Todaro and Celia White 

Aug. 31, 7:30 p.m. John McWhorter, discussion of Losing the Race: Anti-Intellectualism in Black America.  

UC Berkeley linguistics professor McWhorter, author of Word on the Street, paints a painful portrait in an explosive books that will shock many, enrage others, and offer points for serious thought and discussion.  

845-7852  

Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place  

843-6812 

Free 

Aug. 27, 6 - 7 p.m. “Bringing the Light of Knowledge to Work” 

Dan Jones, Nyingma Institute project leader and instructor, discusses how to integrate human energies while activation understanding and generating positive attitudes in work and life.  

Sept. 3, 3 to 5 p.m. Open House 

Free introduction to Tibetan Buddhist Culture 

6-7 p.m. “Life of the Buddha” 

Instructor Eva Casey relates the lessons of Buddha to the practitioner’s experience.  

Sept. 10, 6-7p.m. “Overcoming Obstacles to Meditation” 

Instructor Abbe Blum talks about meditation troubles and how they can be viewed to unlock the mind’s secrets. 

Sept. 17, 6-7 p.m. “Knowledge of Freedom” 

Buddhist teacher June Rosenberg will demonstrate how “Knowledge of Freedom” teachings can be applied in daily life. 

UC Berkeley  

Lunch Poems Reading Series 

Various readers from Berkeley campus 

Thursday, Sept. 7.  

12:10 -1:30 p.m. 

Doe Library, Morrison Room 

642-0137, free 

TOURS 

Golden Gate Live Steamers 

Small locomotives, meticulously scaled to size, run along a half mile of track in Tilden Regional Park. The small trains are owned and maintained by a non-profit group of railroad buffs who offer rides.  

Free. Trains run Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sunday, noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting.  

Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley.  

486-0623.  

Lawrence Berkeley  

National Laboratory 

Scientists and engineers guide visitors through the research areas of the laboratory, demonstrating emerging technology and discussing the research’s current and potential applications.  

A Berkeley lab tour usually lasts two hours and includes visits to several research areas. Popular tour sites include the Advanced Light Source, The National Center for Electron Microscopy, the 88-Inch Cyclotron, The Advanced Lighting Laboratory, and The Human Genome Laboratory.  

Reservations required at least two weeks in advance. Free. 486-4387. 

Berkeley City Club Tours 

Guided tours through Berkeley’s City Club, a landmark building designed by architect Julia Morgan, designer of Hearst Castle. 

$2. The fourth Sunday of every month except December, between noon and 4 p.m.  

2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. 

848-7800 

Caldecott Tunnel Tour 

Take a walking tour through the giant ventilation ducts that run above the bores of the Caldecott Tunnel and learn the intricacies of running a tunnel system. Tours for six or more people. Reservations required. Ask for Ray or Sherman to make a reservation. Free. Wednesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. Caldecott Tunnel, state Highway 24, Oakland. (510) 286-0315. 

The Camron-Stanford House the 1876 Italianate-style home which was at one time the Oakland Public Museum, has been restored and furnished with appropriate period furnishings by the Camron-Stanford House Preservation Association. It is the last Victorian house on Lake Merritt's shore. Tours available on Wednesday and Sunday. $4 general; $2 seniors; $1 juniors age 12 to 18; free children under age 12. Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 14th Street and Lakeside Drive, Oakland. (510) 444-1876. 

DANCE 

Luna Kids Dance 

Creative dance for children 

Parent-child class 

Sept. 9, 9-10 a.m. 

Redwood Day School, 3245 Sheffield Ave, Oakland 

Sept. 12, open house 

Ashkenas, 1317 San Pablo, 4:30-5:30 p.m. 

530-4113 

Mark Morris Dance Group 

“Four Saints in Three Acts” and “Dido & Aeneas” 

Sept. 21-24 Zellerbach Hall 

Music by the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra and American Bach Soloists 

Tickets: $34 - $52 

643-6714

It was only the first scrimmage, but it looked like the same old story. 

Cal’s defense dominated its offense the same way it dominated its opponents last year, by using the cornerbacks to shut down receivers one-on-one and using everyone else on the field to stop the run. Pre-season All-American defensive end Andre Carter made four tackles, including one for a loss and one sack, and senior cornerback Harold Pearson returned an interception for a touchdown. 

The offense was sporadic at best, stagnant at worst. Sophomore quarterback and team focal point Kyle Boller completed just half of his passes, but looked much more comfortable in the offense than at any point last season.  

His stats were dragged down by four drops by his receivers, including one by senior Phillip Pipersburg dropped that would have been a 70-yard touchdown pass on the day’s opening play.  

“Kyle threw the ball on the money all afternoon,” Holmoe said. “We just had too many dropped balls, and that's something we need to work on.” 

Junior back-up Eric Holtfreter completed 11 of 16 passes for 92 yards and the day's only touchdown pass, a 15-yarder to sophomore James Smith. 

The day’s poor play by the wideouts is an ominous sign considering the lack of experience at the position. 

Even with Boller’s expected improvement, someone has to catch the passes he throws. None of the tight ends have proven to be threats in the passing game, nor have any of the backs. So unless a couple of receivers can distinguish themselves as reliable before the opening game on Sept. 9, it could be another long season of watching the offense sputter for Bear fans. 

“We're not where we want to be,” Boller said after the scrimmage. 

“I think the defense just played a good game,” junior receiver Sean Currin said. “We're still pretty much putting the pieces together.” 

Holmoe said receivers Geoff McArthur and Chase Lyman have shown the ability to catch and run with the ball and may earn playing time as true freshmen. In addition, junior Chad Heydorff should be able to return to practice within ten days after straining his hamstring, rather than missing 3-4 weeks initially throught. 

The strength of the offense should be the running game, and head coach Tom Holmoe has said he plans to lean heavily on the running backs and offensive line to move the ball down the field. But like the passing game, it was hit-or-miss Wednesday for the backs. Sophomore Joseph Echema busted out for a 20-yard run, and gained 42 yards on 12 carries for the day, but fellow sophomore Joe Igber averaged just a yard per carry in the scrimmage. He started his day with a 13-yard run, but then lost 9 yards a swing pass that actually counted as a run. 

The starting offensive line was patchwork, as senior center Reed Diehl was held out with a hand injury and sophomore right guard David Hays (who was himself a replacement for the injured Scott Tercero) hurt his knee on Tuesday and was also absent. Diehl is expected back for the opener against Utah, but Hays had arthroscopic surgery Thursday and could be out for the season.  

“Everything was going great for me. I had the opportunity to be a four-year starter,” Hays said. “Most likely the surgery will push the recovery past the season.” 

Holmoe was a little more optimistic about his player’s recovery. 

“I've got to have a little attitude check with him,” Holmoe said. “He's a sophomore in college, not a medical student.” 

Tercero, a sophomore, is working his way back from a knee injury and has lost more than 10 pounds at camp, but has yet to take part in contact drills and probably won’t be ready until at least the third game of the season. Senior Chris Click will probably move over from the reserve tackle to play at right guard until either Tercero or Hays are ready. 

“We're obviously in kind of thin straits,” said offensive line coach Ed White. 

The biggest and most pleasant surprise of Wednesday’s scrimmage was the play of the team’s three candidates for the place-kicking spot. Freshman walk-on Tyler Fredrickson and sophomores Mark Jensen and Jeremy Hershey, who shaved their heads in an apparent show of positional unity, combined to go 20 for 21 on field goal attempts, with only Jensen’s 52-yarder drifting wide right. After horrible performances last year from the kicking position, even an average year would be a huge lift for the team. 

NOTES: Linebacker Matt Nixon had two tackles for losses in the scrimmage, and may have put himself farther up the in the crowded depth chart for the position. With the departure of last year’s starters Sekou Sanyika and Keith Miller, along with the injured Matt Beck, the linebacker spots are wide open. 

“We'd like to see some separation,” Holmoe said this week. “We have about five players who are really solid on the inside, but it would be nice to see a few elevate their game and establish themselves as starters.” 

Juco transfer Chris Ball figures to be the starter in the middle, but Nixon is making a bid at the position. 

Junior Scott Fujita holds an edge over sophomore Calvin Hosey at weakside linebacker.  

On the strongside, junior J.P. Segura is attempting to hold off challenges from sophomore walk-on John Klotsche and senior Jason Smith, who transferred from Vanderbilt in 1998.

Popular knowledge pigeonholes our nation’s young adults as being both ignorant and apathetic when it comes to politics – not that they’d know or care.  

Yet despite the empty-headed slacker image thrust upon anybody too young to clearly remember the 1969 World Series, quite a few young adults do indeed care about the political future of our nation.  

A group of 40 or so UC Berkeley students who fit the above criteria squeezed into the ASUC senate chambers in Eshleman Hall Thursday afternoon for a Cal Democrats/Berkeley College Republicans-sponsored event billed as a “debate and dinner.” And while Cal Dems and BCR couldn’t deliver on the “debate” portion (their chosen debaters were unable to attend), after an hour the pizza man did indeed show up, to the bipartisan delight of all.  

Stuck with an hour to fill and no scheduled speakers, Cal Dems president Andy Katz and BCR head Robb McFadden decided to turn the floor over to the audience, kicking off a loosely-moderated panel discussion.  

The students, who, perhaps unwittingly seemed to seat themselves accordingly on the left and right sides of the room, touched on the benefits and negatives of both parties’ candidates, as well as arguing the finer points of gun control, capital punishment, campaign finance reform and the Supreme Court.  

As might be expected, the highly contentious issue of gun control elicited sharp feelings from both sides. In a bit of a surprise, however, every acknowledged Republican present admitted he or she differed with the NRA, and wished to see some sort of gun control instituted.  

“As terrified as we all may be by NRA members – and I know if I see Ted Nugent knocking on my door with his bow and arrow, I’m gonna run. NRA members are not murderers. You only have to fear NRA members if you’re a deer, and last I checked, deer do not vote,” said junior Westy Donohue.  

“Can gun control keep kids or people who are unfamiliar with guns from killing themselves – which is the No. 1 cause of gun death? Yes. Can it prevent crime? No.” 

Democratically leaning students argued coddling the NRA allows guns to fall into the hands of supposedly normal people who may later undertake deranged activities, and pointed to the Columbine High massacre as an example. They also mocked George W. Bush’s institution of voluntary gun lock programs in Texas.  

“Unless it has a sign reading ‘no guns,’ in Texas you can take a gun into a church, temple or mosque,” said Katz. “I like the Democrats because the people they take money from aren’t as scary.” 

Continuing the gun control debate, Donohue claimed that it wasn’t the duty of the executive branch of government to prevent people’s stupidity. Sitting across the room, freshman Patrick Hammon disagreed.  

“I think it is if the stupidity effects all of us,” said Hammon. “You have to be 16 years old to be licensed to drive because the consequences of allowing younger people to drive would effect us all.” 

Finally, freshman Brad Hamburger pointed out that both parties are associated with less than upstanding donors.  

“If you look at the campaign finance issue, it’s bad on both sides. Al Gore is very hypocritical to make that the first agenda on his list,” said Hamburger. “And Gore has money from the Chinese. They support guns – they like to shoot their own people!” 

While the students were, on the whole, notably intelligent, well-spoken and emotionally under control, the debate lacked somewhat because both sides were preaching to the respective choirs. The Democrats and Republicans certainly weren’t going to pluck voters from the other sides, or even win concessions for that matter. What’s more, many of the Democrats and Republicans, while supporting their candidates, were not overly enthusiastic in their support. After the pizza arrived and the debate transformed into a mixer, several liberal and conservative-leaning students admitted they were toying with the idea of casting their votes for Ralph Nader.  

Still, the sight of students of such obviously differing views laughing, joking and exchanging high-fives over pizza and sodas was a heartening one. After all, could Michael Kinsley and Pat Buchanan behave so maturely? 

BHS field hockey looking for a coach 

The Berkeley High women’s field hockey team is in need of a volunteer coach. They ask only that it be a person with field hockey experience who can come out 3-4 times a week and help run practices. 

The team practices Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. There are varsity and JV squads lined up, and the schedule currently has 10 matches. 

Anyone interested in helping out the team can call either of the team’s captians, Marion at 845-5344 or Elizabeth at 525-7294. 

Soccer, field hockey games this weekend 

Three Cal sports teams will kick off their seasons this weekend. The men’s soccer team will play its alumni squad on Saturday at 3 p.m., while the women’s team will play USF today at 5 p.m. 

Cal’s field hockey team faces University of Pacific Saturday at 1 p.m. 

All three games are scheduled for Witter Field on the UC Berkeley campus.

Local politerati gathered at the Emeryville Holiday Inn on Thursday, contemplating an expansive view of the Bay and a vision of the American political landscape to come. 

In the “kickoff” for their November presidential election activities, the League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Albany and Emeryville brought Bruce Cain, Director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley and self-confessed “political junkie,” to address a room of local politicians and League members, which included Mayor Shirley Dean and Emeryville’s Mayor Richard Kassis. 

For the price of the $45 per person League fund-raiser, attendees received not only a nice piece of fish - unless they were vegetarian - but they also got a full-plate discourse on the state of American politics. 

“The Republicans are geniuses,” quipped Cain. “They’ve managed to re-position their party without repositioning their issues.” While one liners were rampant, the serious problems of re-districting, campaign finance reform and the questionable utility of the electoral college were also addressed. 

“It’s possible that this election could see the Republicans win the 2000 election even though the Democrats receive 51% of the vote,” said Cain, referring to the winner-take-all electoral college. 

While Cain elucidated national issues, Anne Henderson, the League’s State Legislative Officer, explained the work that the organization was pursuing in Sacramento. 

“Even though the legislature is in its last gasp, bills are still being introduced,” said Henderson, who travels to Sacramento weekly to lobby.  

“There are bills trying to repeal most of Proposition 208, and calling themselves ‘finance reform bills.’ It’s phony reform. And there are what some call ‘polluter protection acts’ that we lobby against.”  

Henderson is one of 427 members of The League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Albany and Emeryville. A “non-partisan political organization,” the League “encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy,” according to its literature. 

Front and center is the League’s support for a bill that would establish state funding for a website from which civic minded surfers could download software giving them access to legislative information.  

“Otherwise, access to this public information will be a commodity, in the hands of software manufacturers,” Henderson said. “Not many people know about this.” 

While the League is hoping for more public participation in the political process, it’s also looking for more public participation in its own ranks. At the Holiday Inn kick-off, the membership appeared largely white, upper-middle class and highly educated. Though there were men and people of color present, they were outnumbered by white women. 

“We have growth goals and diversity goals,” said Doris Fine, also on the League’s state board. “We can’t just be stay-at-home mothers. We have to accommodated more working women.” 

Ironically, it’s partly due to the League’s success in lobbying for equal rights for women that they now face such new challenges in outreach and recruitment. As more women enter the workforce, the traditional base of the League has dwindled. 

After the luncheon, as the crowd disappeared into the massive construction projects of the Emeryville Marina, it was apparent that the kick off was a success. Cain’s speech at the luncheon had ignited some early political fireworks.  

“I was fascinated by Cain, I could have listened to him all day,” Dean said. “ But I would have loved to hear him talk about the possibility of a third party.” 

While there is only one official member of a third party on the council – Dona Spring, who belongs to the Green Party – Dean was referring to the division on the council that splits the more traditional Democrats from those whose politics are to their left. 

Along with the question of political division, Dean raised a specter of a phenomenon she sees as related – the question of re-districting.  

Dean said it could happen “sometime after the Census count” estimated for 2001. 

“Re-districting will be a very critical issue. There will be huge demographic swings in Berkeley. Particularly, Hispanics will constitute double digits of the population. Because of that, I think the City Council will try to re-configure districts and dump as many moderates as possible.” said Dean. 

But Spring disagrees.  

“There hasn’t been enough significant change in the city for the census results to have a serious impact on re-districting. All we can do is tweak the boundaries of already existing districts to equalize population in every district, but to dramatically re-write those boundaries, voters would have to agree to it,” said Spring. 

Though more than a year away, it appears as if new Berkeley lines are already being drawn. 

A speeding car crashed into a duplex on the 1400 block of Hearst Avenue at about 1 a.m. Thursday morning, injuring a lone passenger and bursting into flame, said Assistant Fire Chief Mike Migliore.  

The driver jumped out of the vehicle and fled after the crash, leaving his wounded companion behind, Migliore said. 

The woman who lives in the apartment was in bed in another part of the house and was not injured. 

Migliore said three fire trucks responded to the fire that broke out under the hood and spread to the house.  

The damage to the apartment caused by the crash and the fire totaled about $11,000, he said. 

Paul Nasman. who lives across Sacramento Street, said he heard a few seconds of screeching before the crash. 

Nasman said that the driver managed to squeeze between a parked pick-up truck and a tree to enter the building. 

Berkeley police were not available to comment on the condition of the passenger or whether the driver had been found.

Rarely does a camera capture an image which reveals a nation’s soul with poignant ferocity.  

When Berkeley-based documentary filmmakers Deborah Hoffman and Francis Reid went to South Africa to make a film about the aftermath of apartheid, they saw a video tape of victims of state-sanctioned murder, brutally slain in a ditch.  

It’s an unsettling image, certainly, but beyond a gruesome spectacle, that video is resonant of South Africa’s bold attempt to settle its apartheid civil war and forge nobility and humanity from its social and political wreckage.  

Hoffman and Reid’s film “Long Night’s Journey into Day,” screening at the UC Theater, which starts today and runs through Sunday, goes for the big issues: history, redemption, nationhood.  

Words like these get bandied around easily during a presidential campaign year, to be re-interpreted at a spin doctor’s will, but Hoffman and Reid found a spot on the globe where such ideas are a great deal more than handy rhetoric. In 1994, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was formed as a joint agreement between the African National Congress and South Africa’s former ruling party.  

Upon taking control, the ANC agreed to pardon criminals, but refused to give blanket amnesty to all perpetrators of apartheid crimes. The TRC was created to listen to the victims and criminals, case-by-case, and decide amnesty individually. 

Tonight’s screening will feature a performance of South African music by the local choir Vukani Mawethu.  

Following the screening, the filmmakers and the Berkeley Dispute Resolution Service, a conflict mediation organization, will facilitate audience discussion groups to explore how the TRC’s conciliation systems can be brought to our town. 

The TRC went beyond determining legal resolution of  

war crimes.  

Those who had suffered crimes – or are the loved ones of those who died from them – were given an unprecedented amount of attention to express their grief and anger. The trials were broadcast on television and radio, and audiences packed the courtrooms. 

“It’s like the entire country went to therapy,” said Hoffman. “I don’t think ever before in a truth commission have victims been given center stage as they were in South Africa.” 

Hoffman and Reid pieced together their account of South Africa’s experiment in reconciliation from four cases: the parents of Amy Biehl, a white American student killed in a riot by anti-apartheid activists; Eric Taylor, a police officer seeking amnesty for the murder of a group of black activists called the Craddock 4; Robert McBride, who killed four people when he bombed a café to protest apartheid; and the widows of the Guguletu 7, who were the victims of a state-sanctioned massacre. 

“The scale of what was going on there was so extraordinary, it was impossible to take care of all the needs, because there was hardly a person in the country who themselves didn’t have a reason to go to the TRC,” said Hoffman. “They had been either victims or perpetrators, but most were victims.” 

Talking heads and courtroom proceedings may not be common fare for a visual spectacle, but watching the widows of the Guguletu 7 watch that unsettling video of their dead husbands lying in a ditch, is to witness the raw emotion inherent in this political process.  

The trial came to a screeching halt as the women’s wailing and sobs overwhelmed the hearing. Hoffman said it was an unexpected but not a surprising reaction to pressure-cooking the victims alongside the perpetrators in a room with a video of corpses.  

“Later that day I bumped into one of the women and she looked really happy,” said Hoffman, “and I said, ‘are you feeling better?’ She said, ‘yes, I am, because now I know so much more.’”  

Breakthroughs and redemption are not always forthcoming, however, and “Long Night’s Journey into Day” is not cheerleading for national psychiatric sessions. The film’s motivation takes cues from the South African radio and television broadcasts during the trials: the media function during the TRC as not to pinpoint the absolute Truth, but create a space for argument and plurality so that democracy could begin. 

“How do you go about forgiving somebody that has killed your loved one?” said Reid, pondering the enormity of the TRC’s task.  

“Is that even possible? Does hearing the truth about what happened, which you may never have known, does that in any way equate justice? Was justice being served by this commission, or not? Those are questions we face in this country, that we face in every place in the world where there have been atrocities.” 

Tonight’s screening will bandy around questions like these, as the Berkeley Dispute Resolution Service means to make the documentary more than just a window onto a foreign land. Tami Graham, the case manager at BDRS, said one of the most important tasks of the Berkeley service is to give people the opportunity to be heard, which is the first and most important step toward resolution. 

The TRC, likewise, gave currency to the testimonials of South Africa’s common citizens. By speaking of the heretofore-unacknowledged crimes of apartheid, they created a new historical agency that accounts for the suffering of the victims. 

That the TRC was investigating murders and the BDRS mostly deals in neighborhood zoning law and tree-trimming squabbles does not lessen the need for truth and a means of reconciliation. 

“I think one of the things I most got out of the two and a half years we spent making the film is realizing that history is really just made by ordinary people,” said Hoffman. “You have a choice at every moment to take the high road or the low road, or to be courageous or not, to know the truth or to decide you don’t want to face the truth.” 

The film will be shown today, Saturday and Sunday at 5:20 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 9:40 p.m. plus matinees on Saturday and Sunday. The UC Theater is at 2036 University Avenue. Call 843-3456. 

It never occurred to Anne Marie Foley that she could end up homeless.  

That was something completely alien to her, growing up in suburban Alameda County. But five years ago, when her alcoholic husband became abusive, Foley took their four children and left.  

Relatives and friends either couldn’t or wouldn’t help. “I think my family thought if they didn’t help me, I would go back and be a good wife,” Foley says.  

Eventually, the 35-year-old homemaker found herself living with her kids, aged 4 through 15, in a homeless shelter. “I never thought it would happen to me.” 

Foley’s ordeal lasted five months. She moved from place to place, since shelters allow residents to stay only 30 days at a time. Some nights the shelters were full – once, she was told there was room for only two of her children. “What was I supposed to do with the other two?” she asks rhetorically. (That night, they found an acquaintance who let them all sleep on the floor of her house.) 

Today, Foley is self-sufficient, living in a rented home in Alameda and working an office job. Her oldest daughter is in college, and the children are all doing well.  

Foley credits this turnaround to a number of factors, including her own strength and determination.  

But there is one special place she remembers that helped get her through her darkest days – the Women’s Daytime Drop-in Center in Berkeley.  

Since 1989, the WDDC has served women and children who are homeless or in crisis, providing them with meals and a safe place to come during the day. The center serves an average of 150 women and children each month. One client calls it “the most compassionate and honest agency dealing with homeless people.” 

Housed in a cozy brown-shingled bungalow, the home at 2218 Acton Street is situated next to a tot park in a quiet, safe-feeling West Berkeley neighborhood. The living room has a large, comfortable sofa. A playroom is stocked with toys. 

The center serves breakfast and lunch each weekday. Volunteers and clients together prepare meals and clean up.  

Children can play and women can chat, read the paper, or get counseling.  

But this is not just a place to hang out – staff members are on the premises to work individually with each client to assess her needs and try to connect her with the services available. Many of the women are struggling with drug or alcohol problems. Some have fled domestic violence. Others have disabilities or mental illnesses. Even those who are not clinically ill are likely to be suffering from depression due to their circumstances. 

“Everyone who walks in here is in crisis,” says WDDC activities coordinator June Cummings. “I tell them, ‘You know what? We’re going to help you with everything.’”  

The first priority is trying to find permanent shelter. The center staff draw on numerous resources to find out if clients are eligible for one of several government assistance programs. Clients can use the WDDC phone to search for jobs, contact a doctor, or make other appointments. 

While some may wonder if getting a job first isn’t more important, Cummings has seen firsthand what homelessness does to a person’s life and psyche. 

“Lose your home and you lose everything,” she says. Without a phone, there’s no way to call or arrange a job interview. Without a shower or laundry, it’s hard to be presentable. If you have dependent children, the crisis is magnified.  

Just as renters and home buyers have been driven by escalating housing costs out of San Francisco to the East Bay and out of the East Bay to points north, so are the homeless being pushed from place to place. “We have people coming over here from San Francisco. The shelter systems are flooded with people. If you call the shelter hotline, three out of five days there are no spaces available,” says Cummings.  

The housing crisis is intensified among lower-income residents, as formerly-housed people are forced out into the streets and the homeless ranks swell. 

“A lot of people who were making it before are not making it today,” Cummings observes. Nationwide, the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population is women with children.  

A lot of WDDC clients “are not the people you see out on the streets,” says Lisa Spinas, who coordinates children’s activities at the center. “They’re trying to keep their kids safe, and lots of times there’s nowhere to go during the day.” 

On a recent morning, the WDDC is filled with women of all ages, with and without children.  

A new client, a young mother with a baby and two more young children in tow, keeps to herself, shy but dignified. They have left an abusive home in Arkansas.  

The children are clean and neat as pins.  

The oldest, a six-year-old girl, wears her hair in tidy ponytails fixed with matching barrettes. Spinas takes the girl and her brother out to play so their mother can feed her baby without distractions. 

In the living room, women gather. They don’t talk much; some peruse the newspaper, others gaze vacantly into space. It’s hard to get a good night’s rest at a shelter, or sleeping outdoors in a park.  

Now and then, signs of stress erupt without warning. In the hallway, a woman who has been conversing calmly with a friend suddenly breaks down in sobs. 

It’s understood that the WDDC is a safe haven.  

Clients are not allowed to enter the house if they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but some come here between fixes, knowing they are accepted while they wait to get into a treatment program. 

While many women pass through the drop-in center only briefly, others are regulars, coming back for months, even years, as they ease their way into a more stable life. Patrice, 47, is a Berkeley native who started using drugs as a teenager.  

“We were dropping reds at University and Ninth in junior high!” She began coming to the WDDC five years ago, when she was homeless, jobless, and fighting addiction.  

Today, although she still lives in a shelter, she’s been sober for six months and she holds down a data entry job.  

She is friendly and gracious, welcoming newcomers to the house on Acton Street like a hostess.  

“Sally,” a simple, open-faced woman who prefers that her real name not be used, first came to the drop-in center four years ago. “It’s nice, clean, safe, and everybody’s friendly,” she says. “There are no scary people coming here.”  

Sally became homeless after a series of mishaps that included moving in with some people in Vallejo who stole her belongings and threatened her. “I thought they were friends, but they turned out bad.”  

Sally now has her own place at the Lakehurst Hotel in Oakland. When she turned 50 last month, Patrice baked a birthday cake for her.  

“In a year, maybe, I think I will look back on this as one of the richest experiences of my life,” says one client.  

“There is a connection with the other women and it’s from the heart.” 

Those who work at the drop-in center say they witness victories every day, and that out of the despair can come unparalleled joy. “I’ve seen some real miracles,” says counselor Maryann Schwink-Mathews.  

“I get to see people go from living in hell to having all the doors open they never thought could open and all the things happen they never thought would happen.”

Thursday, August 24

Community Dance Party 

7:45-9:45 p.m. 

Live Oak Park 

1301 Shattuck Ave.  

Dance instructions will be provided by The Berkeley Folk Dancers.  

Teens $2, adult non-members $4. 

524-7803 

Movie: “Anastasia” 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

Featuring Bergman, Brenner, and Hayes. 

644-6107 

Fair Campaign Practices  

Commission 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Health Room 

The agenda will include a discussion with the city clerk about the use of the web site for publication of campaign contribution information. 

West Berkeley Project Area  

Commission 

7 p.m. 

West Berkeley Senior Center 

1900 Sixth St. 

Among the items to be discussed are the request for proposals for a parking garage and a Fifth Street public market. 

League of Women Voters  

Luncheon 

noon 

Bay Holiday Inn  

1800 Powell St. 

UC Berkeley Professor Bruce Cain will speak 

$45 

Call: 642-1657 

Friday, August 25

Bridge 

1 p.m. 

Live Oak Community Center 

1301 Shattuck Ave. 

The games are open to all players 

For partnership and other informa- 

tion, please call Vi Kimoto at (510) 

223-6539 

Girls golf clinic 

8:30 a.m.-noon 

Tilden Park Golf Course 

The California and San Francisco women’s golf teams Co-host a free clinic as part of the national “golf for women/national golf Coaches Association “Get a Girl Golfing Day.” For girls/teens age 8-17. Bring clubs, if possible, but this is not required. 

643-7940 

Saturday, August 26 

“Wild about Books” 

10:30 a.m. 

Berkeley Public Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

“Hats Off to Reading!” You’ll hear about lost hats, matching hats, paper hats-and make your own to take home with you. Frog and Toad plant a garden together. 

Sophocles’ “Antigone” 

1:30 p.m. 

Fellowship of Humanity, garden 

411 28th St. and Broadway 

Oakland 

A staged reading of an adaptation of “Antigone” by Walter Springer.  

Contributions. 

451-5818 

Open House Tour of the  

Dharma Publishing Showroom  

and Tibetan Aid Project.  

10:30 a.m. - 12 noon 

The tour will show traditional Tibetan book making, sacred art projects, and spinning copper prayer wheels. The video provides a look at the World Peace Ceremony in Bodhgaya, India. A vegetarian lunch will be served to all who stay and volunteer on one of the projects.  

RSVP lunch and volunteers only, 1-3 p.m. 

548-5407 or 848-423 

Last scheduled Underhill  

movie night 

9 p.m. 

Underhill lot at College and Channing 

Protesters against the development of the Underhill lot as a parking structure will have the last movie-showing of the year: “Berkeley in the 60's” and “Pulp Fiction.” 

http://www.bclu.org/underhill/ 

CREW-CUT 

Volunteer Orientation at Bird  

Rescue 

10 a.m.-noon 

699 Potter St., Aquatic Park 

International Bird Rescue and Research in Berkeley will be holding a volunteer orientation for people who want to help injured and orphaned native birds and to learn more about the skill of wildlife rehabilitation. 

call 841-9086 to register 

Star Alliance 15th  

Anniversary 

1-4 p.m. 

Live Oak Park 

1301 Shattuck Ave. 

Star Alliance — an institute for world peace — initiates its 15th  

Anniversary Year with a free concert they’re calling “Sitar, guitar & song.” The public is invited! Topping the bill is Indian sitarist Habib Kahn, freshly returned from concerts in Lebanon. Ballads in English and Spanish will be sung by composer-vocalist Michael DeWall. Brian Wallace will perform on the sarood. 

The event is free. 

848-2764 

Sunday, August 27

“Hearing the Voice of the Lad  

Where He Is: Rosh Hashanah” 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond JCC 

1414 Walnut St. 

Rabbi Ben Hollander, from Israel, presents a free evening lecture, in English, with the cooperation with the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay. 

World Music Festival 

Noon to 6 p.m.  

Durant Avenue just above Telegraph.  

Telegraph merchants, artists, craftspeople, restaurants, and clubs will participate in this exciting event, which is Free and accessible to the entire Bay Area community. 

Featured artists include ten-piece salsa veterans Orequestra Charanson; the modern Afro-beat band Kotoja; the West Coast's premier zydeco band, Zydeco Flames; and Liza Silva & Voz do Brazil. 

The Festival is seeking volunteers, sponsors, and booth vendors. For further information, call 510-649-9500 or e-mail taa@transbay.net.

Voters should think about the president’s veto power 

Editor: 

Flooded with oratory by the candidates, it is not amiss to reflect that as a nation we never vote on issues, only for persons who make promises which may be, but often are not, kept once they are in office. 

European countries hold national plebiscites on continuing a monarchy, joining the European Union, accepting Euros in place of francs, guilders, pesos, etc. 

We, however, persist as an elitist representative republic, not a direct democracy; nationally, we trust to fortune that our elected betters will work the common will. 

Initiative, referendum, and recall laws still accord fewer than half our states direct vote on local issues. 

Because national plebiscites could bypass the congress and the president, national initiative, referendum, and recall can be established only by constitutional amendment. In the 1970s such an amendment was proposed and backed by many, including Ralph Nader. However, introduced in congress (a body often timid to legislate but always jealous of its primacy), any National Initiative Amendment proposal was bound to fail to secure the needed two thirds vote there. 

That failure need not be the final word however, for the U.S. Constitution offers an alternative which bypass any vote by Congress. Article V states: “The Congress...on the Application of the Legislatures of two-thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which...shall be valid...when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three-fourths thereof...” 

Cautioning the U.S. against “national initiatives” Washington Post writer David Broder warns fearfully, in his new book Democracy Derailed: “the experience with the initiative process at the state level in the past two decades is that wealthy individuals and special interests have learned...to subvert the process to their own purposes.” 

Broder only barely notes in passing that this latter-day corruption, which Oregon and Colorado law sought to eliminate, is now protected by the very body meant top shield the states, the U.S. Supreme Court: The court recently ruled unconstitutional that laws permitting only unpaid circulation of ballot petitions; signatures, the court ruled, may still, in effect, be bought. 

Therefore it is important that any amendment to enable direct national vote on issues guarantees that beyond a measure’s central or local headquarters, signatures on petitions for place on nationwide ballot be sought by unpaid volunteers only and that solicitation at workplaces is prohibited and petitions printed as paid advertising disqualified. 

Passage by a nationwide simple majority should exempt a measure from presidential veto, or congressional amendment or nullification. 

National issues could be economically balloted at presidential and biennial congressional elections, after notification of congress that two-thirds of all state legislatures have verified petitions on a measure from 5 percent of their electorates. Petition circulation and verifying for federal plebiscites would be done in the states responsible for election details. 

Foreseeing the bright possibilities in national plebiscites, might not our dropped-out voters return to the polls – and help elect president the candidate who proposes to work for passage of an afore-outlined constitutional amendment? 

Judith Segard Hunt 

Berkeley

The College Avenue repaving project, with its clogs and glitches, is just about complete, but area residents and merchants are not ready to sit back in silence to enjoy the slick black road. 

There are too many other traffic-related problems that have been smoldering for years. 

At a Tuesday evening meeting at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, people who live and work on and near College Avenue met and breathed fire in the city’s direction and hissed at each other during a raucous meeting to address traffic concerns. 

Merchants in the area complained that their customers need easier access to their businesses.  

Residents argued that motorists speed through their neighborhoods and use them as shortcuts to UC Berkeley and the freeways. And they say that the city has been unfair when distributing traffic calming devices. 

Newly-hired traffic planner Jeff Knowles and Director of Public Works Rene Cardinaux took notes and did their best to answer questions at the meeting, also attended by Mayor Shirley Dean and City Council members Polly Armstrong and Kriss Worthington. Cardinaux said that he and Knowles are listening to the residents and merchants’ problems and ideas to help them put together a solution, if one exists. 

“We’re trying to figure out the problem,” he said. “We don’t want to use traffic calming devices if there are too many cars. We want to divert them. I understand the concerns, but it has to be a neighborhood-wide study to see if there is a problem.” “We owe them a good hearing, and there’s a lot of wisdom in a group of people,” Cardinaux said. “You just need to cull it out.” 

He said that they plan to have one more of the “listening sessions” before he begins to zero in on solutions.  

However, the College Avenue area won’t be the only district affected. “You can’t solve a traffic problem in one area without looking at another area,” he said. “It’s not just the (College) neighborhood that has these concerns. It’s every part of the city.” 

He said that, ideally, they hope to solve the traffic problems in one area then work their way around the city. 

In the College Avenue area, Cardinaux said that the traffic diverters and other temporary devices to slow the traffic, assembled for the paving project, will be removed, and the area will be returned to the pre-construction status quo within the next week. The traffic overflow and the devices used to check the overflow during the three-month re-paving of College from Dwight Way to Alcatraz Avenue, fumed area merchants and residents. 

Cardinaux said in the past five years residents have said that the city has neglected their complaints of traffic in the neighborhood, and now that they’re in the spotlight because of the construction, they want to continue a dialogue. 

“This is about safety and nothing else!” said a fiery Paul Tuleja, who lives near the Benvenue Avenue and Ashby Avenue intersection. “Benvenue is the only unobstructed residential side street between the Oakland border and the university. Is it any wonder that this intersection is a repeated accident place?” 

“This intersection is so dangerous,” he said. “We need a temporary solution while the city works on its four or five-year plan for everyone else.” 

Tuleja said he thought that putting in 24-hour right-hand turn only lanes at the intersection, or blocking the street off with bollards – a round concrete barrier the city uses to divert traffic and prevent entrance – to prevent northbound traffic, would help.Hillegas Avenue resident Marguerite Barron questioned the reasons that neighborhoods east of College were blocked off by bollards and diverters. 

“Why should neighborhoods east of College be pockets of privilege?” she said. 

Several residents said that the diverters do more than just keep cars out.  

“I never thought that neighborhoods were about cars. I thought they were about people,” said Mark Chekal. 

“We should open our streets and our hearts to the city,” said Edith Yu. “The problem is that all are streets are blocked off... we should open all of our streets so everyone bears the burden of their own local traffic.” 

Adrian Custer, a bicyclist, said he was ready to move because of the drivers in the area. 

“What needs to happen is you need to educate people,” he said. “And we need better enforcement of traffic laws.”\With his son in his arms, College Avenue resident Dave Walker said that slowing down cars is the real issue. “There is certainly a need for safe streets,” he said. “But diverters create more problems than they solve. If they work so well, why can’t I have them on College Avenue. It’s a residential area and I pay my taxes.” Councilmember Polly Armstrong said that residents have been asking the city to make Dwight Way and Haste Street two-way thoroughfares for years to ease the traffic along College and in the surrounding neighborhoods. 

“If that doesn’t happen, you’ll need to give a detailed explanation to these people,” she said to Cardinaux and Knowles. 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who just a month ago was being threatened with a lawsuit by the Elmwood Merchants Association because of the traffic problems resulting from the paving project, tried to find a happy medium between residents and merchants. 

“The City Council’s job is not to get applause,” he said. “Our job is to find how we balance these things.” 

He said that he would like to improve short-term parking for businesses on College and said that limiting the long-term parking by the employees of UC Berkeley and Alta Bates Hospital is one way to do it. 

He also said that “pinchers,” the little orange sticks that force traffic into one lane, have appeared to limit traffic speed. 

“I’d like to give it a one-year trial program in a neighborhood and give it a chance,” he said. “It’s a step forward.”

It’s a Berkeley Sabbath.  

This Sunday, there will be communion in the streets: frenzied dervishes whirling to Juju and Charanga rhythms, pilgrims seeking transcendence at the bottom of a microbrew, and seers vending visions of other dimensions.  

Or, in plain English, a free music festival replete with food, drink, and art. The second annual Berkeley World Music Festival will kickoff at high noon in the crossroads of Telegraph and Durant avenues. 

Dancers will hear Orestes Vilato, a legendary Cuban timbale player, jam with San Francisco’s Orquesta Charanson, a Charanga band known for hard charging salsa. With Anthony Blea on the violin, the ten piece band carries on a tradition of one of Vilato’s original bands, Tipica ’73. Vilato has played with literally everyone- from Willie Nelson to Mongo Santamaria to Herbie Hancock. Also featured is Kotoja, a juju band of Nigerian and U.S. musicians headed by Ken Okulolo, himself a treasure of rhythm and musical knowledge.  

The street party could help revive the image of the Telegraph District as a cultural hot spot, which some residents say has tarnished over the last few years. 

“Telegraph’s more about shops, and shopping than culture these days,” says Carlos Juzang, a Berkeley-based illustrator. “People like to shop, but culture, you can’t say that’s really there anymore. Think about it - for businesses to stay there, they have to make money, and culture is something you can’t put a price to.”  

There will be plenty of culture this weekend, however. The free show will feature Brazilian music and Oakland-based poet and musician Avotcja, who recites and sings, accompanied only by a rain stick.  

Presented by the Telegraph Area Association, a coalition of merchants, residents, and students, who say they are dedicated to “achieving a safe and attractive area that will be an economic and social asset to the Berkeley community,” the street dance party will also serve up ethnic foods, microbrews, and arts and crafts.  

“I’ll go check it out,” says Drew Gauldin, a youth organizer who lives in Oakland, “but I think it’ll be a big crew of gray ponytails.” Regardless, those gray ponytails, the city of Berkeley will be swirling to the world groove all Sunday long. 

The Festival is also sponsored in part by KPFA, the city of Berkeley, U Berkeley, and the East Bay Community Foundation. Festivities last from noon to 6 p.m

Rosa Parks Elementary School Principal Rebecca Wheat says that over three decades as an educator in Berkeley have simply sailed by. 

“It doesn’t really seem possible I’ve been doing it that long,” she said. 

After 32 years as an teacher, principal and director of the early childhood education program for the Berkeley Unified School District, Wheat is retiring. She says that commitment to literacy and the embracing of diversity by the community has been her secret to longevity. 

“I consider it very exciting to work in a district like the BUSD that really does appreciate diversity,” she said. “The community is always trying to make things better.” 

She began her career with the district as a substitute in 1968 when she was an undergrad at UC Berkeley. 

She went on to get her Master’s in Early Childhood Education and her doctorate in Educational Psychology from UC Berkeley before becoming a first and second grade teacher at LeConte Elementary School. 

In 1985, she became the principal at Arts Magnet Elementary School where she served for five years. She then took over as head of the district’s Early Education Program. 

In the fall of 1997, she was asked to head Columbus Elementary School, which was re-built in 1997 with school bond funds. The name was changed to Rosa Parks Elementary in March.  

Because of her extensive work in early childhood education, she was a natural selection for the school that was chosen to offer a medley of before and after school programs. 

“She was my choice,” said Superintendent Jack McLaughlin. “She has a great skill in bringing people together. She was involved from the very beginning and helped in getting the school up and running.” 

Under Wheat’s guidance, Rosa Parks now offers child care, and offers specialty classes in science adventure and puppetry. And the school has a Title 7 grant to support Spanish language classes. 

It also has a social service component that includes individual and family counseling, dental care and health referrals for the students. “School starts at 7:30 a.m. and goes to 6 p.m.,” she said. “It’s really an exciting school, I’ve been very fortunate.” Wheat is going back to early childhood education at the collegiate level. She’s going to  

teach part -time at San  

Francisco State. 

“Being a principal is very tough,” she said. “But it’s also very rewarding.”  

During her career she said that she’s been focused on early childhood education, especially in getting children to read at an early age. 

“The taxpayers in Berkeley are great. The community has made a strong commitment to literacy,” she said. “It’s a wonderful investment. If you can teach a child to read early on... the better their education will be.” 

She said that the district’s early childhood program that she headed begins teaching children to read before they are three years old. 

She said she’ll miss the children, her colleagues and the families that she’s worked with. 

“But there’s a lot I won’t miss,” she said. “I live in the community so I still get a chance to see the kids and families around the neighborhood.” 

Ever the educator, she  

was at the school  

Tuesday  

morning.“Oh I’ve just come in to help get set up,” she said. “There are a few things that just can’t wait.”

UC Berkeley Police and and Berkeley Police bomb squads checked out the car of a UC Berkeley employee that was parked on city property Tuesday evening after the employee recieved several threatening calls saying there was a bomb in the car, said Lt. Bud Stone, Bomb Squad Commander for the police. 

He said the threats were vague, and after interviewing the owner of the car they didn’t appear to be valid. 

“But you can’t say that the threat isn’t real and say ‘here’s the keys, you start it,’ ” he said. 

So the bomb squad spent nearly three hours making an extensive search of the vehicle before determining that there was no bomb. 

“Everybody went home happy,” he said.

Who’s paying? It’s the question of the Millennium. 

Either the city or Fourth Street businesses will foot the bill for a proposed central parking lot to be built near the burgeoning west-side gourmet ghetto.  

As the shopping public flocks to Fourth Street – a boulevard of new age pastel, boutiques and restaurants – parking has gotten so bad, that many business owners say they are actually losing customers because they can’t park. Some shoppers have even resorted to chauffeurs to avoid having to park in lots three or four blocks away. 

“A guy came up in his limo today and just parked it illegally in our lot,” says Michelle Tagger, manager at Cody’s Book Store on Fourth Street. “I said, you’ve got to move it and he said, ‘where?’”  

“I told him, ‘Drive around ‘til you find one, just like everyone else!’ He didn’t like that- and he wouldn’t move it either.” said Tagger. 

“Parking is definitely a problem around here,” adds Meghan Ritchie, an employee at the Vivarium, the well-known reptile retailer. “Our driveway here is always full because people can’t find parking and nobody wants to pay for it at the Spenger’s lot.”  

Spenger’s Fish Grotto, a landmark of old Berkeley that many first time visitors see upon arrival, is located a few blocks from the main shopping center. 

Fourth Street is an obstacle course of construction crews, sauntering shoppers, and the inevitable fleets of reversing SUV’s. Parking is scarce, even in the myriad lots already available to the legions of high-end consumers.  

“To get a parking spot in those lots, you have to be in by 9 a.m.,” says Ritchie. 

Owen Maercks is co-owner of the Vivarium.  

“I’ve had customers call me up and say they’ve gone around the block 20 times and just couldn’t get a parking spot. It’s ridiculous,” he says. 

Bringing things to a head however, are plans to expand the shopping district. A proposed outdoor market on 5th street would close the block between Hearst and University on weekends, attracting even more traffic to the area. “Before the city starts handing out more permits and licenses,” says Maercks, “it should solve the parking problem. I’ve been here 12 years, and it’s just gotten worse.” 

To relieve the jam, business owners have proposed a central parking lot, estimated to cost in excess of $7 million dollars. Where that money will come from, however, has yet to be decided. Originally, Rick Millikan asked for matching funds from the city for a public garage to be built over his Fourth Street property. While owners feel that the city should foot $3 million of the bill for “business infrastructure costs,” Berkeley City Councilman Kriss Worthington calls the proposal the “most outrageous giveaway of taxpayer money in my entire time in office.” 

“I agree that the Fourth Street parking problem should be addressed,” says Worthington, “but the law is very simple. When a new business opens it has to create parking for its clientele. If we license new businesses, it is their responsibility to cover those costs.”  

Maercks, however, disagrees. “The city should solve the parking problem here first, then grant new business licenses. They make money from taxes and licensing, and it is their responsibility to upkeep infrastructure. That’s why I pay taxes.” 

The final decision will be left up to the City Council, acting as the Redevelopment Agency. The Berkeley Redevelopment Agency Project Area Commission, which will meet Thursday night to discuss the possible manifestations and funding of such a “garage concept,” may make a recommendation for or against the project to the Redevelopment Agency. 

According to an August 24th report by Daniel Vanderpriem, Berkeley Redevelopment manager, there does not appear to be sufficient support on the Redevelopment Agency Board to pursue the endeavor. Already $1 million of the $3 million proposed for the garage has been redirected toward the I-80 overpass project. The remaining $2 million also seems likely to end up elsewhere. 

Furthermore, the fact that there is quite a bit of unused parking only a few blocks away from the shopping district makes the board less likely to move forward with a multi-level garage.  

But some long-time residents see the entire quandary from a different perspective.  

Gino Borgna, a 40-something handy man who has lived in West Berkeley for most of his life, feels that the added business has been positive for the area, but a downside also exists. 

“The expansion of business has moved people out of the neighborhood, people who couldn’t really afford to live here anymore. You don’t see the same kind of diversity here anymore.” says Borgna, who recently bought a home in San Pablo. 

The Ocean View neighborhood, once predominately working class and largely people of color, has undergone radical change over the last five years. Small homes have become condos, warehouses have become businesses, and the “blight” has become neon light. Home to Berkeley’s industrial zone, the gentrification has chased many lifelong Berkeley residents out of the city, which is no longer affordable to them. 

“I bought my home for $90,000. I couldn’t even rent a parking spot in Berkeley for that much,” says Borgna. 

The West Berkeley Project Area Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at the West Berkeley Senior Center at 1900 Sixth St.

Tuesday, August 22

Meeting to address traffic  

concerns 

7:30-9:30 p.m. 

St. John’s Church 

2727 College Ave. 

First in a series of city-sponsored meetings addressing traffic concerns in the Ashby-College avenues area. 

665-3440 

Dr. Art’s Guide to Planet  

Earth 

7 p.m. 

Ecology Center 

2530 San Pablo Ave. 

Dr. Art Sussman, author of “Dr. Art’s Guide to Planet Earth,” combines scientific demonstrations with audience participation to introduce easy-to-understand principles that explain how our planet works. 

Blood Pressure Measure 

9:30-11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

With Alice Meyers. 

644-6107 

Wednesday, Aug. 23

Disaster Committee 

7 p.m. 

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar Street 

Agenda includes a discussion led by Jeanne Perkins of Association of Bay Area Governments on a housing study by the Association of Bay Area governments and a discussion of disaster preparedness in the schools. 

Low Vision Speaker 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

John Mortimore from Accessibility Incorporated will demonstrate a closed circuit magnifying TV. 

644-6107 

Meeting on Nextel Antennas 

7 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church 

941 The Alameda 

Nextel has applied to the city to install 12 radiation-emitting antennas for cell phone transmisson on the roof of the Oaks Theater. Neighbors are hosting an informational meeting. A Nextel representative will attend.  

524-0121 

Bridge 

1 p.m. 

Live Oak Community Center 

1301 Shattuck Ave. 

The games are open to all players 

For partnership and other informa- 

tion, please call Vi Kimoto at (510) 

223-6539. 

Thursday, August 24

Community Dance Party 

7:45-9:45 p.m. 

Live Oak Park 

1301 Shattuck Ave.  

Dance instructions will be provided by The Berkeley Folk Dancers.  

Teens $2, adult non-members $4. 

524-7803 

Movie: Anastasia 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst and MLK Jr. Way 

Featuring Bergman, Brenner, and Hayes. 

644-6107 

Fair Campaign Practices  

Commission 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Health Room 

The agenda will include a discussion with the city clerk about the use of the web site for publicaton of campaign contribution information. 

West Berkeley Project Area  

Commission 

7 p.m. 

West Berkeley Senior Center 

1900 Sixth St. 

Among the items to be discussed are the request for proposals for a parking garage and a Fifth Street public market. 

League of Women Voters  

Luncheon 

noon 

Bay Holiday Inn  

1800 Powell St. 

UC Berkeley Professor Bruce Cain will speak 

$45 

Call: 642-1657 

Friday, August 25

Bridge 

1 p.m. 

Live Oak Community Center 

1301 Shattuck Ave. 

The games are open to all players 

For other information, please call Vi Kimoto at 223-6539 

Girls golf clinic 

8:30 a.m.-noon 

Tilden Park Golf Course 

The California and San Francisco women’s golf teams cko-host a free clinic as part of the national “golf for women/national golf Coaches Association “Get a Girl Golfing Day.” For girls/teens age 8-17. Bring clubs, if possible, but this is not required. 

643-7940 

Saturday, August 26

“Wild about Books” 

10:30 a.m. 

Berkeley Public Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

“Hats Off to Reading!” You’ll hear about lost hats, matching hats, paper hats-and make your own to take home with you. Frog and Toad plant a garden together. 

Sophocles’ “Antigone” 

1:30 p.m. 

Fellowship of Humanity, garden 

411 28th St. and Broadway 

Oakland 

A staged reading of an adaptation of “Antigone” by Walter Springer.  

Contributions. 

451-5818 

Open House Tour of the Dharma Publishing Showroom and Tibetan Aid Project.  

10:30 a.m. - 12 noon 

The tour will show traditional Tibetan book making, sacred art projects, and spinning copper prayer wheels. The video provides a look at the World Peace Ceremony in Bodhgaya, India. A vegetarian lunch will be served to all who stay and volunteer on one of the projects.  

RSVP lunch and volunteers only, 1-3 p.m. 

548-5407 or 848-423

When Karen Craig and other disabled members of various city commissions have health or wheelchair emergencies, they would like to attend meetings via speaker phone.  

City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque ruled that this is OK, but only as long as the accommodation is requested 72 hours in advance – that’s the time the state’s open meeting law requires for public posting of meetings. She also said the place from which the disabled person would be calling would have to be open to the public. 

Craig, a former chair of the Commission on Disability, learned the hard way, how problematic the city attorney’s Brown Act interpretation could be. 

In mid July, Craig’s wheelchair got stuck in an uneven gap at the Ashby BART station. The chair lost power. The disabled woman eventually got home from BART via emergency transportation, but found it would take some time to have the chair back in working order.  

Meanwhile Craig had a subcommittee meeting to attend the next day. 

But Albuquerque nixed Craig’s proposed use of the speakerphone to participate in the meeting, contending that it would violate the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law, since she had not made the request 72 hours before the meeting was to take place. 

In response, Craig has filed a grievance with the city, contending that, under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act “my rights to accommodations have been denied.” 

“The Brown Act of the State of California ensures that no function of government is held in secret,” Craig wrote. “An accommodation under Title II of the ADA, especially a last minute one, namely a speaker phone, where everyone at the meeting, including the public, knows that a qualified disabled person is on the speaker phone and all discussions and votes are heard publicly by everyone attending, is an accommodation under the ADA and does not fall under the intent and definition of teleconferencing in the Brown Act.” 

In an Aug. 15 response, Albuquerque stuck to her original interpretation of the Brown Act. However, she said, she is waiting for input from experts on the ADA and, given their input, she might reconsider her opinion. 

In her response to the grievance, Albuquerque explained that the city is obliged to follow the Brown Act.  

Its rules “help ensure that the functions of government are carried out publicly, rather than in secret, and...insulate governmental action from apparent or actual impropriety due to favoritism, corruption or undue influence from special interests....Full compliance with the Brown Act is the very essence of the operation and function of state and local government,” Albuquerque wrote. 

The city is obligated to follow both the Americans with Disabilities Act, which says that disabled people need reasonable accommodation to participate in meetings, and the Brown Act, she said. 

But waiving the Brown Act requirements for 72-hour notice of meetings “is not required under the ADA.” 

“If members of any city commission, board, committee or the City Council wish to participate in meetings of their respective governing bodies by telephone, the Brown Act must be strictly followed in all respects; including provision of 72 hours’ notice of the teleconference and permitting the public access to the remote teleconference location,” she concluded. 

Ken Stein, manager of the U.S. Department of Justice-funded ADA information line, disagrees with Albuquerque. Under the ADA, there is an obligation to modify policies to accommodate people with disabilities, he said. That would include the Brown Act. 

“It is a violation of the ADA to not allow parties (access to meetings) via speaker phone,” he said. 

Stein said the Department of Justice would be responding to Albuquerque’s decision. Albuquerque said she would welcome that. 

“I could have turned tail and run (away from the problem),” Craig said, explaining why she’s pushing forward with the complaint. “I chose not to do so.”

In the wake of the tragic house fire that killed a UC Berkeley student and her parents, the Fire Department and campus delegates are trying to get students and residents to take responsibility and learn fire safety. 

Berkeley Fire Chief Reginald Garcia, UC Berkeley Assistant Vice Chancellor Harry LeGrande and Campus Information Officer Marie Felde talked to reporters Tuesday about fire safety. 

“I think tenants should take more responsibility,” said Garcia. “Most landlords are responsible and install smoke detectors, but if they don’t, you should buy one and bill the landlord.” 

The fire that killed student Azalea Jusay and her parents, Francisco and Florita Jusay early Sunday morning at 2610 Martin Luther King Jr. Way was “preventable and tragic,” Garcia said. 

The owner of the house, Manuel Reburiano of Daly City, may be in violation of city and fire codes for not installing smoke detectors and having un-openable windows. 

Investigators have found no evidence of a smoke detector, and it was reported by the fire’s sole survivor, Michelle Plesa, that the window in Azalea But Garcia says new renters should check for smoke detectors and test them for audibility, familiarize themselves with their environment and plan an escape route, and make sure windows will open as soon as they move in. 

Garcia, Felde and LeGrande wanted to focus on those who rent single-family homes, and hoped to open up the fire-safety education process. 

“Because of the high demand, a lot of people don’t feel like they can ask for much,” Felde said. “We want to get the message out that: ‘You don’t have to live in a unsafe place.’” 

LeGrande said that he plans to encourage landlords that post rentals with Cal Rentals to be familiar with the fire code and to keep the homes they rent in compliance. 

He added that the University has plans to incorporate fire safety into workshops preparing students for the move off campus. 

Garcia said that it’s imperative that people learn fire safety, and said that the Fire Department’s website contains valuable information and links. 

He also said that there are a series of classes called Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) to prepare people for emergencies. 

Garcia said that the leading causes of residential fires were heating appliances, electrical appliances and kitchen fires. He warned of overloading outlets, putting combustibles near heating sources and using candles. 

“Candles are the leading cause of fires in dormitories,” he said. “We recommend that you don’t burn them.” 

He also said that, though the fire code doesn’t call for it, that every house should have a fire extinguisher. Apartments are required to have one fire extinguisher every 75 feet, he said. 

“Fire extinguishers are good for five to seven years and are under $20,” Garcia said. 

Garcia said that the fire code also calls for one openable window in a room. 

“The code calls for windows should be openable without tools or much physical strength,” he said. “A child or a disabled person should be able to easily open it.” 

He added that fixed window bars on windows are against the fire code, and anyone with fixed bars on their windows should call the Fire Department.

A masked man pulled a knife on the owners of U.S. Liquors at 2997 Sacramento Street around 4 p.m. Sunday and robbed the store while the husband had the couple’s infant son in his arms, police said. 

Berkeley Police Capt. Bobby Miller said that the owners, Bao Truong and Be Nguyn Truong, were behind the counter when a masked black man, estimated to be around 30 years-old, about 6 foot 170 lbs., wearing black jeans and a camoflauge jacket, suddenly jumped over the counter and shoved the wife into a corner. 

Bao Trung, who was out of view playing with the couple’s infant son, said he saw the suspect pull a five-inch knife, and he yelled at his wife to give him all the money in the register. 

The suspect then walked over to Truong brandishing the knife and grabbed him by the throat and forced him to lay face down on the ground, Truong said. Truong said he still had his son in his arms. 

Nguyn Truong subsequently opened the register and the suspect cleaned it out, Truong said.  

Bao Truong said no one was injured. He said that he thinks the suspect has been in the store before, but couldn’t make him out because of the suspect’s black mask. 

The suspect then fled East on Ashby Avenue. Miller said he had not been caught by press time. 

***** 

A man was robbed at gunpoint at his residence on the 1700 block of Woolsey Street after two young men followed him from downtown, said Capt. Bobby Miller of the Berkeley Police. 

The victim said he first saw the suspects at Bancroft Way and Fulton Street, and then saw them again at the downtown BART station.  

Miller said the man didn’t think anything of it, and rode BART to the Ashby station and began walking home down Woolsey Street. 

He then encountered the same young men on the street, and said they followed him to his residence where they pulled a handgun and demanded money. 

Miller said the man gave them his wallet and the suspects fled on foot. 

One of the suspects is described as a black male, around 20-years-old, 5 ft 11 in., about 180 lbs wearing a red hooded sweatshirt with black lettering, and dark pants. 

The other is described as a black male around 16 or 17-years-old, around 5 ft. 7 in., 140 lbs. He was wearing a dark T-shirt and dark pants.

At around 5 p.m. Tuesday, police began closing off streets in the area of Milvia and Carleton streets, area residents said. 

It appears there was a suspicious package in the area. It also appears that the incident ended well. 

Details, however are extremely sketchy. 

Capt. Bobby Miller of the Berkeley Police Department, when reached in his office at about 9:30 p.m., said he knew nothing of what was going on. He referred the Daily Planet to the watch commander who said there had been an evacuation due to a suspicious package found in a vehicle. 

However, the watch commander said he could give out no further information, because the case was a UC Berkeley police case since “the incident happened on UC property.” 

Once the UC Berkeley police were reached, Sgt. Jim Macedo said he could give out no information on the incident, because it was a city of Berkeley case. 

One can assume that the incident ended well, as the person on the police radio called out: “They’re happy campers now.” 

Who’s on first, anyway?