Surviving on defense and rebounding, the Berkeley Yellowjackets won their first-round game in the First Annual Lady Yellowjacket Basketball Tournament on Thursday, defeating an outgunned Bonita Vista team 50-36. But against a weaker opponent, Berkeley’s front-line players struggled, leading coach Gene Nakamura to bench several of them for much of the second half. 

“I’d give my starters a D- for this game,” Nakamura said. “They didn’t hustle, and I’m very dissatisfied with their play.” 

The ’Jackets started fast, and their tough defense shut out the Barons for the entire first quarter, which ended with an 11-0 advantage for the home team. 

“We got a little over-confident after the first quarter,” said Berkeley forward Natasha Bailey. “We lost some intensity.” 

Coming off of a tough come-from-behind victory over Oakland High Tuesday, several ’Jacket starters looked tired, and it showed in their rough shooting. Juniors Bailey and Sabrina Keys and senior Robin Roberson combined to shoot just 7-for-30 from the field, and point guard Danielle Milburn tossed up eight shots from the outside, making just one three-pointer. Berkeley made just 20 of their 71 shots as a team. 

But the junkyard-dog defense of Nakamura’s squad carried them through, as the ’Jackets tallied 24 steals, mostly from their full-court press, and the Barons guards threw several other balls out of bounds. Roberson made up for a 2-for-13 shooting day by snagging eight steals, and off-guard Angelita Hutton grabbed five more. 

Hutton has been a revelation for the team this year, leading the team in scoring in two of the first three games. The junior scored 14 on Tuesday, the only Berkeley player to score in double figures. 

The Barons were led by senior Ashley Jensen, who scored 16 points, including eight in the fourth quarter when the outcome was already decided. Jensen got little help, as her guards could barely get the ball past half-court most of the time. 

Nakamura said he is considering changing his lineup for Friday’s second-round matchup against Sacred Heart Prep. (Atherton) to inject some energy into his team. 

“I’m just waiting for some people to step out and prove they want to start,” Nakamura said. “Until then, I’ll just shuffle them in and out like I did today.” 

Berkeley will take on Sacred Heart in the semi-finals Friday at 8:30 p.m. 

Other first-round games: 

Sacred Heart Prep. (Atherton) 41, Atwater 32 

A third-quarter burst, fueled by Melissa Bayol’s back-to-back three-pointers, led Sacred Heart past Atwater in the first game of the day. Bayol scored 10 points in the game, and teammate Haley Woods scored 11 in the victory. 

Both teams went scoreless for five minutes in the second quarter, but Sacred Heart was much faster to shake off the scoring blues. They put the game away with a 6-0 run in the final period to earn a second-round matchup with host Berkeley High. 

Piedmont 47, Chino 24 

After jumping out to a 6-0 lead, the Piedmont Highlanders never looked back. Chino never had a lead in the game, and no Cowgirl scored more than six points. Piedmont closed out any hope for the Cowgirls with a 9-0 run to begin the fourth quarter. 

Piedmont will face Bishop Gorman in the semi-finals Friday at 7 p.m. 

Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) 66, Kennedy (Richmond) 34 

A close game through most of the first half turned into a rout as Bishop Gorman outscored Kennedy 28-13 in the second half. Bishop Gorman guard Liz Cansdale scored a first-round-high 23 points, and her backcourt partner Breona Gray poured in 19 to lift their team to victory. 

The halftime score of 34-21 became a sure win for the most far-flung team in the tournament when the Las Vegans wnet on a 19-2 run in the third quarter.

Regulate the antennas 

Editor: 

The following is from a letter origianally addressed to the city clerk: 

As Berkeley citizens currently involved in this issue, we would like to affirm that there is virtually unanimous support in the neighborhoods for more careful control of telecommunications systems throughout the city.  

In addition to supporting the proposed amendment, we’d also like to suggest the following:  

1. These systems should be treated like any other utility, and should be subject to the same zoning requirements as other utility services.  

These installations have significant adverse impact on the quality of a residential neighborhood, and should not be treated as innocuous or "invisible" additions to existing structures or uses.  

2. The FCC encourages cities to regulate the installation of wireless systems in order to reduce friction between the industry and local citizens. 

3. We also believe that for clarity the current "Administrative Guidelines for Wireless Telecommunications Antennas" adopted by the City Council on December 10, 1996, should be incorporated into the current proposed amendment, at least by reference.  

These guidelines recommend that antenna arrays should be located in the manufacturing zone whenever possible.  

4. If an applicant wishes to locate telecommunications systems outside of the manufacturing zone, the application should include a description of the use and purpose of the installation so that city staff and citizens can weigh the costs and benefits of the installation.  

5. Unfortunately, the proposed amendment and the current "Administrative Guidelines" will have no effect at all unless the Planning and Development Department enforces them, so it is important that the mayor, the council, and the city manager ensure that they are enforced.  

6. In addition to requiring permits, it is also essential that the city maintain a record of telecommunications systems and their locations in Berkeley, so that the cumulative effect of these systems can be evaluated by both City staff and citizens.  

Neighbors are concerned about new installations, but they are also concerned about additional transmitting antennas added to existing installations.  

Additions are almost inevitable in this growing industry, once a location has been approved for telecommunications systems. 

Constance and Kevin Sutton  

Berkeley 

Beth El’s ties to the community are relevant 

Editor: 

A letter to the Planet about Congregation Beth El’s proposal to build a new synagogue referred to “what a fine institution this is and how much it does for the community.” 

Nothing new there. But then, amazingly, the letter says that this is irrelevant information that should not be a part of the discussion. 

Would we decide to approve a new library or school or any other important building in Berkeley without reference to what that institution does for our community? 

Beth El provides a remarkable array of valuable programs and services to residents of our city, and it seems to me that it is extremely relevant to say so.  

The letter writer implies that the only real issue is the impact this new building would have on its site and neighborhood.  

That issue is thoroughly addressed in the telephone book sized Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on the project.  

The EIR concludes that, based on studies widely respected experts in everything from traffic to parking to fish and trees, the new synagogue would create no significant impacts that cannot be addressed.  

Our city officials will use the objective findings in the EIR, and the responses to that document from all interested parties, to determine the future of this project. 

And the members of Beth El will be ready, as they have always been, to consider ways to make this beautifully designed building and the green space around it as much of an asset to the community as the congregation’s fine educational, spiritual and outreach programs already are.  

Jerry Weintraub 

Berkeley 

Asphalt strip not fitting memorial to Brower 

Editor: 

While in general I support Mayor Dean's and Councilmember Olds's plan to honor David Brower, a car-oriented strip of pavement on top of a stretch of bay fill hardly seems the most fitting memorial for the founder of Friends of the Earth.  

Why not a park, preserve, trail, or bike path instead, for example the 31-mile East Bay Skyline National Recreational Trail? 

Robert Lauriston 

Berkeley 

Friday, Dec. 8

PC Users Group 

7 p.m. 

Vista College 

Room 303  

2020 Milvia St.  

A groups of PC users who help each other solve problems. They introduce their members to new software, hardware, and invited speakers and technicians from various PC related companies. Meet the second Friday of each month.  

Call Melvin Mann, 527-2177  

“The Nutcracker” 

7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689  

A Time to Give  

2 & 8 p.m. 

Alice Arts Center Theater 

1428 Alice St. (at 14th St.) 

Oakland  

A benefit for the Applied Ballet Arts Foundation, the show features new choreography to Beethoven’s Sonata Pathetique, Schubert’s Sonata for arpeggione, and Max Bruch’s Schottish Fantasy for violin.  

$12 - $15 sliding scale  

Call 268-9000 x218  

Yiddish Conversation 

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Julia Morgan Collaborating with Bernard Maybeck  

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., speaker 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

Mark Wilson, realtor with Prudential Realty, will speak. Also City Commons Club annual meeting.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Trunk Show  

with Art Quintanna 

4 - 7 p.m.  

Gathering Tribes Gallery 

1573 Solano Ave. 

Hailing from New Mexico, Quintanna specializes in older “dead pawn” Indian jewelry.  

An Evening Under the Stars 

5 - 8 p.m. 

Courtyard at Swans Marketplace 

Ninth St. between Washington and Clay St. 

With jazz standards playing in the background, discover the work of local artists and find a unique holiday gift. Sponsored by East Bay Galleries for Art and Cultural Development.  

Call 832-4244 

Bridge Biker Collective Party  

8 p.m. 

6447 Regent St. (near Alcatraz) 

Celebrate the new initiative to win equal access to Bay Area bridges at a party following the monthly Berkeley critical mass ride. Free  

Call 273-9288 or visit www.bikethebridge.org 

WomenSing  

8 p.m. 

Valley Center for the Performing Arts 

Holy Names College 

3500 Mountain Blvd.  

Oakland 

In the first concert of their 35th anniversary season titled “Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day,” WomenSing perform music of Irving Berlin, Holst, and others.  

$20 general, $18 seniors/students, $10 18 and under 

Call 925-798-1300 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Los Cenzontles & Artemsia Brass Quartet 

Saturday, Dec. 9

Berkeley Artisans Holiday  

Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. Call 845-2612  

Berkeley Community Chorus  

& Orchestra 

8 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church  

1145 Gilman St.  

Arlene Sagan conducts Gounod’s “St. Cecelia Mass,” Handel’s “Chandos Anthem no. 7,” and Mozart’s “Exsultate Jubilate.” Free  

Call 528-2145 or www.bcco.org 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 & 7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

Dana St. (between Channing & Durant) 

The fair features hand-crafted gifts from women’s cooperatives in Central America, Haiti, and Nepal. Most are one-of-a-kind and many are under $10.  

Call 540-5296, box three 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Bay Area Steppers Drill Team 

2 - 4 p.m. 

1216 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Artists at Play Holiday Sale 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Artists at Play Studio  

1649 Hopkins St. (at Carlotta)  

Work by the artists including original servings dishes, frames, jewelry, and other items. 

Call 528-0494  

Class Dismissed  

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.)  

Kensington 

Meredith Maran discusses her book “A Year In the Life of an American High School, A Glimpse into the Heart of a Nation,” the result of her following the lives of three Berkeley High students. Free 

Call 559-9184  

Loneliness as a Spiritual Crisis 

7:30 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Cedar St.  

Hear about the spiritual path of Light and Sound. Also includes the ancient teachings of the saints.  

Call Unitarian Hall, 841-4824 or visit www.masterpath.org 

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free Call 548-3333 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

Interviews, musical performances and a live radio play broadcast to a hundred cities worldwide. This show features the Magniolia Sisters, Alex DiGrassi, Tata Monk and author Malachy McCourt.  

Call 415-664-9500  

– Compiled by 

Chason Wainwright 

Trunk Show with Art Quintanna 

10 a.m. -6 p.m.  

Gathering Tribes Gallery 

1573 Solano Ave. 

Hailing from New Mexico, Quintanna specializes in older “dead pawn” Indian jewelry.  

Sunday, Dec. 10 

Parenting Book Club 

11 a.m.  

Cody’s Books 

1730 Fourth St.  

Take part in a discussion of “Mothers Who Think” edited by Camille Peri. New group members always welcome. The group meets the second Sunday of each month.  

Call 559-9500 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Poems on the Jewish Experience 

3 - 5 p.m. 

St. Clement’s Episcopal Church 

2837 Claremont Blvd.  

Selected from over 200 poems submitted, the winners of the fourteenth annual Anna Davidson Rosenberg Award will read their poems.  

Journey of the Soul 

7 - 9 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

2727 College Ave.  

A public satsang and Babaji Kriya Yoga meditation with Himalayan yogi Yogiraj Sat-Gurunath.  

Call Sylvia Stanley, 845-9434  

UNtraining White Liberal Racism 

2 - 4:30 p.m. 

555 Tenth St. (at Clay) 

Oakland 

Robert Horton, a white male, founded the UNtraining as a way for white people to work together on the unconscious power of white skin privilege and how it perpetuates racism. 

$10 

235-6134 

Irish Harp & Guitar 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1603 Solano Ave.  

Trish NiGabhain is one of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

LesBiGayTrans Parenting 

11 a.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

These two groups meet on the second Sunday of each month. The group meeting at 11 a.m. is for prospective parents, the one at noon for parents.  

Call 559-9184 

Ancient Buddhist Tales 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Rima Tamar, storyteller and Dharma Publishing sales director, tells some classic Buddhist stories. Free  

843-6812 

TOCAR with David Frazier 

4:30 p.m. 

Jazzschool/La Note  

2377 Shattuck Ave.  

$6 - $12  

Reservations: 845-5373 

Tibetan Nyingma Open House 

3 -5 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

A free introduction to Tibetan Buddhist culture, including a Tibetan yoga demonstration and a meditation garden tour.  

Call 843-6812  

Baroque Choral Guild  

7:30 p.m. 

First Congregational Church 

2345 Channing Way 

Performing the music of Giovanni Gabrieli, Claudio Merulo, Giovanni Croce, and others.  

$20 general, $15 seniors and students  

Call 408-733-8110 

“From Swastikas to Jim Crow”  

10:30 a.m.  

Jewish Learning Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Donald and Lore Rasmussen of Berkeley, and Jim McWilliams of Oakland, discuss their experiences and the experiences of others who fled Nazi Germany and ended up teaching in African-American colleges in the segregated south. Admission includes brunch.  

$4 BRJCC members; $5 general  

Call 848-0237 x127 

Weird Rooms 

3 - 5 p.m.  

Berkeley History Center 

1931 Center St.  

Mal and Sandra Sharpe discuss people who collect unusual things and how their collections take over their rooms.  

Black Images in the White Mind 

6:30 p.m. 

Walden Pond Books  

3316 Grand Ave.  

Oakland  

Jan Faulkner will give a slide show presentation of about her book, “Ethnic Notions.”  

Call 832-4438 

Retire Campaign Debt  

7 - 9 p.m. 

Takara Sake  

708 Addison St.  

Berkeley City Council member Margaret Breland’s fundraiser with food, sake tasting, beverages and live music.  

$25 donation requested 

Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra 

4 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church  

1145 Gilman St.  

Arlene Sagan conducts Gounod’s “St. Cecelia Mass,” Handel’s “Chandos Anthem no. 7,” and Mozart’s “Exsultate Jubilate.” Free  

Call 528-2145 or www.bcco.org 

Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

Dana St. (between Channing & Durant) 

The fair features hand-crafted gifts from women’s cooperatives in Central America, Haiti, and Nepal. Most are one-of-a-kind and many are under $10.  

Call 540-5296, box three 

Monday, Dec. 11 

Ask the Doctor 

10 a.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Dr. McGillis will discuss prevention and treatment of colds and influenza. 

Call 644-6107 

AHAP Talent Show & Raffle 

2 - 4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Center St.  

The Affordable Housing Advocacy Project organizes the talent show and raffle to help raise funds to further develop tenant leadership through participation in conferences and networking with other tenants in regional, state and national organizations.  

Call 1-800-773-2110 

Wednesday, Dec. 13 

Oakland Preschool Fair 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Piedmont Avenue Elementary School 

4314 Piedmont Ave.  

Oakland 

Sponsored by the Neighborhood Parents Network, this panel discussion allows parents the opportunity to speak with representatives from local preschools. 

Free to NPN members, $5 general 

Call 527-6667 

Ballroom Dancing for Seniors 

9 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Energy Commission 

5:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Waterfront Commission Meeting 

7 p.m. 

H’s Lordship Restaurant  

199 Seawall Dr.  

Planning Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Commission on Disability  

6:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Board of Library Trustees  

7 p.m. 

West Branch  

1125 University Ave.  

Homeless Commission  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Models for the Millenium  

7 p.m. 

Ecology Center  

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

An evening of discussion with Becky Tarbotton, the Ladakh Programs Co-ordinator for the International Society of Ecology and Culture. She will speak about the connection between the destruction of Ladakhi culture and issues faced by our own communities in the West.  

Suggested donation $5  

Call 548-2220 x233 

Police Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St.  

Thursday, Dec. 14  

Ultimate Alpine Climbing  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Join veteran alpine climber Kitty Calhoun in a slide presentation of her 20-year climbing career.  

Call Jason, 527-7377 

Meeting Life Changes  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With John Hammerman.  

Call 644-6107 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Solano Ave. Association 

Holiday Mixer & Meeting 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

Cafe Del Sol 

1742 Solano Ave.  

With light refreshments and a silent auction, the Solano Ave. Association invites you to “meet your business neighbors.”  

Call 527-5358  

Community Health Commission 

6:45 p.m. 

2640 MLK Jr. Way  

Auditorium 

Call 665-6845 for exact location 

Zoning Adjustments Board  

7 p.m. 

Council Chamber 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Second Floor 

Friday, Dec. 15 

BHS Orchestra and Concert Band 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater  

Allston Way 

St. Paul AME X-Mas Party 

5:30 - 8 p.m. 

2024 Ashby Ave.  

For St. Paul’s annual party they ask that you bring a new toy or book for a needy child. Free 

Call 665-2164 

“The Nutcracker” 

7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Cal Jazz Choir & Oddly Enough, A Barbershop Quartet 

Dance for the Forests 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1317 San Pablo Ave.  

Join the Alice Di Michele Band, Rachel Garlin, and acapella group Making Waves at this benefit concert for the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters.  

Admission is sliding scale 

835-6303 

Holiday Musical Quartet 

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., music  

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

With music arranged by Melinda McCallister, the quartet will perform popular year-end songs from around the world.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Lesbians and Gays Get Together 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Saturday, Dec. 16 

Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

Call 845-2612  

“The Nutcracker” 

2 & 7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus 

2 - 4 p.m. 

Strolling along Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Free Puppet Shows  

1:30 & 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health  

2230 Shattuck Ave.  

The Kids on the Block, an award-winning educational puppet troupe, with puppets with such conditions as cerebral palsy, blindness and Down syndrome. The shows promote acceptance of physical and mental differences. Free 

Call 549-1564 

Sunday, Dec. 17  

Benefits of Kum Nye and Meditation 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Miep Cooymans, Nyingma Institute meditation instructor lectures and demonstrates this gentle, self-healing system. Free 

843-6812 

Quadraphoic Sound Explosion  

7:48 p.m. 

Tuva Space  

3192 Adeline St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Thomas Day of San Francisco, Boris Hauf of Vienna, and Kit Clayton of San Francisco present a night of live experimental electronic music.  

$8 suggested donation 

Call 444-3595 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

The Disputation 

2 - 4:30 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Call 848-0237 

Guitar of Reverend Rabia 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1741 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Hanukkah Happening 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Cantor and recording artist Richard Kaplan will lead attendees in seasonal music. Free.  

Call 848-8443 

Monday, Dec. 18 

Design Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Tuesday, Dec. 19 

Planning for the Future 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose) 

Informally led by Robert Berend, former UC Extension lecturer, this group aims to have intelligent discussions on a wide range of topics. They stress that there is no religious bent to the discussions and that all viewpoints are welcome. Bring light snacks to share with group.  

Call Robert Berend, 527-5332  

Wednesday, Dec. 20 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Thursday, Dec. 21 

Berkeley Metaphysic Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysic come together at Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters. Meets first and third Thursdays each month. 

Call 869-2547 or 643-7645 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Friday, Dec. 22 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus & These “R” They Gospel Youth Choir 

Saturday, Dec. 23  

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Royal Hawaiian Ukulele Band 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1561 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Klesmeh! Festival  

8 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave.  

A Hanukkah concert of Klesmer music and its mutations, featuring the San Francisco Klesmer experience. Hosted by Berkeley monologist/comedian Josh Kornbluth.  

$18 advance, $20 door; $16 kids and seniors  

Call 415-454-5238 

Sunday, Dec. 24  

Ancient Winds 

Noon - 4 p.m. 

1573 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Tuesday, Dec. 26  

Kwanzaa! 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join storyteller Awele Makeba as she shares tale and a capella songs from African and African-American history, culture, and folklore which celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Included with admission to the museum.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Wednesday, Dec. 27 

Magic Mike 

Noon and 1:30 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Special effects, magic, juggling, ventriloquism, and outrageous comedy is what Parent’s Choice Award winner Magic Mike is all about. Included in price of museum admission.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Thursday, Dec. 28  

Season of Lights  

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

The Imagination Company brings to life world winter celebrations and highlights the significance of light to several culture. Included in museum admission price.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Friday, Dec. 29  

Earthcapades 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join Hearty and Lissin as they blend storytelling, juggling, acrobatics, and more, to entertain and teach about saving the environment. Included in museum admission. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Saturday, Dec. 30  

Bats of the World  

1 & 2:30 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Maggie Hooper, an educator with the California Bat Conservation Fund, will show slides, introduce three live, tame, and indigenous bats, and answer your questions about these fascinating creatures. Included in admission to the museum. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Sunday, Dec. 31 

Light Up the Lights! 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Popular songmeister Gary Lapow performs traditional holiday music from around the world. Included in price of museum admission. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Wednesday, Jan. 3  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Friday, Jan. 5  

Zen Buddhist Sites in China 

7 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Andy Ferguson, author of “Zen’s Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings,” presents a slide show of Zen holy sites in China. Ferguson will read from the book and engage the audience in a brief meditation session. Included in museum admission. 

$6 general, $4 seniors and students with ID 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

Thursday, Jan. 11 

Toni Stone and the Negro Baseball League 

1 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Marcia Eymann, curator of historical photography, discusses memorabilia of Toni Stone, a woman who played in the Negro Baseball Legue in the 1940s. Free. 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Friday, Jan. 12 

“Who’s Really In Charge Anyway?” 

7:30 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Cedar St.  

The subject to be discussed is the guru dilemma and individual spiritual mastership. Hear about the spiritual path of light and sound and the ancient teachings of the saints.  

Call Unitarian Hall, 841-4824 or visit www.masterpath.org 

Saturday, Jan. 13 

“Dyke Open Myke!” 

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books  

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

A coffeehouse-style open mic. night for emerging talent. 

Call Jessy, 655-1015  

or Boadecia’s Books, 559-9184 

Sunday, Jan. 14 

Teaching Chinese Culture in the U.S.  

2 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Educators from Bay Area Chinese schools explore issues related to teaching Chinese culture and language. Included in museum admission.  

$6 general; $4 seniors and students with ID 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

LesBiGayTrans Parenting 

11 a.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

These two groups meet on the second Sunday of each month. The group meeting at 11 a.m. is for prospective parents, the one at noon for parents.  

Call 559-9184 

“Berkeley, 1900” 

3 - 5 p.m. . 

Berkeley History Center 

1931 Center St.  

Richard Schwartz gives an oral history of Berkeley at the turn of the century.  

A-Singin’ and a Chantin’ 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Pagan recording artist DJ Hamouris shares some songs and chants. 

Call 848-8443 

Wednesday, Jan. 17  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Sunday, Feb. 25  

“Imperial San Francisco: 

Urban Power, Earthly Ruin” 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley History Center 

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

Gary Brechin speaks on the impact and legacy of the Hearsts and other powerful San Francisco families. Free 

Call 848-0181 

Sunday, March 18  

“Topaz Moon” 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley History Center 

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

Kimi Kodani Hill speaks on artist Chiura Obata’s family and the WW II Japanese relocation camps. Free 

Call 848-0181 

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 

Mondays 

Baby Bounce and Toddler Time 

10:30 a.m. 

Oct. 16 - Dec. 11 

Berkeley Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

For children ages 6 to 36 months. Get those babies off to a good start with songs, rhymes, lap bounces, and very simple books. 

649-3943  

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 

Wednesdays  

10:30 a.m. 

Preschool Song and Story Time 

Berkeley Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

Music and stories for ages 3-5.  

649-3943 

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 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202  

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 

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 

Tuesday 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 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 

The historic Fox Cottage, at 2612 Channing Way is being prepared for its 500-foot move to 2350 Bowditch St. The cottage, built in 1930, has had some interior walls removed so workers can brace the frail brick walls for the move. Once the walls are stiffened, the cottage will be hydraulically lifted and put on dollies before it trundles to its new home around the corner. The cost of the excursion is estimated to be at least $750,000.

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. 

“Second Annual Richard Nagler Competition for Excellence in Jewish Photography” 

Through Feb., 2001. 

Featuring the work of Claudia Nierman, Jason Francisco, Fleming Lunsford, and others.  

UC Berkeley Art Museum 

2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley 

Wednesday – Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Open Thursdays til 9 p.m.  

Through Jan. 16, 2001: “Amazons in the Drawing Room”: The Art of Romaine Brooks  

Predominantly a portrait artist, Brooks paintings were influenced by elements of her life and are a visual record of the changing status of women in society and her own refusal to conform to the social order of early twentieth-century Europe.  

Through Jan. 28, 2001: “Tacita Dean/MATRIX 189 Banewl” 

A film instillation by British conceptual artist Tacita Dean of the total solar eclipse that occurred on August 11, 1999.  

Pacific Film Archive Theater Gallery 

2625 Durant Ave. 

Through Jan. 8, 2001: “Continuous Replay: The Photographs of Arnie Zane” 

Best known as the cofounder of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Zane began his exploration of the human form through photography. 

Through Dec. 17: Wolfgang Laib/Martrix: “188 Pollen from Pine” 

Laib uses elements of nature including beeswax, milk, rice, pollen, and stone to create his art pieces.  

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”  

A suspended skeleton of a flying reptile with a wingspan of 22 to 23 feet. 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 Ave. 

“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. 

“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. 

$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 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

“Math Rules!” Ongoing. A math exhibit of hands-on problem-solving stations, each with a different mathematical challenge. 

“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. 

“In the Dark,”through Jan. 15, 2001. Plunge into darkness and see amazing creatures that inhabit worlds without light.  

“Saturday Night Stargazing” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza.  

“ChemMystery,” through Jan. 1, 2001. The LHS becomes a crime scene and a science lab to help visiting detectives to solve two different crime scenarios.  

Call 643-5134 for tickets  

“Family Holiday Programs,” Dec. 26 - 31. An entire week of song, music, dance, and other assorted entertainment that are guaranteed child-pleasers. Call LHS for details or check “out & about” close to Dec. 26.  

Open daily, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

$7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4 

642-5132 

Holt Planetarium  

Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley 

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

“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.  

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

The Oakland Museum of  

California 

1000 Oak St., Oakland 

“Secret World of the Forbidden City” Through Jan. 24, 2001. A rare glimpse of over 350 objects which illustrate the opulence and heritage of the Chinese Imperial Court Under the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China from 1644 - 1911. For this exhibit: $13 general, $10 seniors and $5 for students with ID.  

For museum: $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. Many special events scheduled for November and December related to “Secret World of the Forbidden City.” 

(888) OAK-MUSE or www.museumca.org. 

Music 

924 Gilman St. 

All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted 

$5; $2 for a year membership 

525-9926 

Dec. 8: Good Clean Fun, S.E.E.D., more TBA 

Dec. 9: Phobia, Grief, 16, Noothgrush, Spaceboy 

Dec. 15: Monopause, Moe! Kestra!, Pendulum, Iron Ass, Spezz Arotto 

Dec. 16: Yaphet Kotto, Lions of Judah, Blood Brothers, The Shivering 

Ashkenaz  

1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 

525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com 

Dec. 8: Mood Swing Orchestra, 9:30 p.m.; dance lesson, 8 p.m., $11  

Dec. 9: Magnolia Sisters, 9:30 p.m.; dance lesson, 8:30 p.m., $14 

Dec. 10: Obeyjah with Princess’d & Village Culture, 9 p.m., $8  

Dec. 12: Tom Rigney & Flambeau, 9 p.m.; dance lesson, 8 p.m., $8  

Freight & Salvage  

All shows begin at 8 p.m.  

548-1761 

Dec. 8: Ian Tyson (classic Canadian cowboy) 

Dec. 9: Robin Flower & Libby McLaren (string & keyboards) 

Dec. 10: The Magnolia Sisters (cajun) 

Dec. 11: Judy Henske (blues & jazz) 

Dec. 12: Bob & Sheila Everhart (country) 

Dec. 13 & 14: Dan Bern 

Eli’s Mile High Club 

3629 MLK Jr. Way  

Oakland 

Doors for all events, 8 p.m. 

Dec. 8: Mojo Madness 

Dec. 9: Eli’s Allstars 

Dec. 15: Jimmy Mamou 

Dec. 16: Ron Thompson 

Albatross Pub 

1822 San Pablo Ave. 

843-2473 

All shows begin at 9 p.m., unless noted 

Dec. 9: pickPocket ensemble (European cafe music) 

Dec. 12: Mad & Eddie Duran Jazz Duo 

Crowden School 

1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 

559-6910 

Dec. 10, 4 p.m.: 2nd Annual Colin Hampton Memorial Concert featuring young artists from around the Bay Area, $10; Free for those under 18.  

Sundays, 4 p.m.: Chamber music series sponsored by the school.  

ACME Observatory Contemporary Music Series 

Tuva Space 

3192 Adeline (at MLK Jr. Way) 

444-3595 

All shows begin at 7:45 p.m.  

Dec. 17: Thomas Day, Boris Hauf, and Kit Clayton 

$8 suggested donation per show 

Live Oak Concert Series 

1275 Walnut St.  

644-6893 

All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. 

Dec. 10: Minstrel Voices perform works by Jacopo Perl, Cipriano Di Rore and Josquin Des Pres. 

Dec. 17: Cellist Elaine Kreston performs suites by J.S. Bach 

$10 general, $9 students/seniors, children under 12 Free 

Jazzschool/La Note  

2377 Shattuck Ave.  

845-5373 

All events begin at 4:30 p.m. 

Dec. 10: Tocar featuring David Frazier 

Dec. 17: San Francisco Saxaphone Quartet 

$6 - $12  

Dec. 21, 8 p.m.: A Charlie Brown Christmas by Dmitri Matheny 

Solano Holiday Performers  

Solano Ave.  

On weekend afternoons until Christmas, various artists will be performing.  

Dec. 9, 10, 16, 17, 23 & 24, Noon - 6 p.m. 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra 

Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley 

841-2800 

Performance dates include Jan. 31, April 3, and June 21, 2001. All performances begin at 8 p.m.  

Single $19 - $35, Series $52 - $96  

Strolling Musicians & Carolers  

Downtown Berkeley 

Sponsored by the Downtown Berkeley Association and co-sponsored by the Daily Planet and the City of Berkeley. 

Performances are 5 - 7 p.m. 

Dec. 8: Los Cenzontles & Artemsia Brass Quartet 

Dec. 15: Cal Jazz Choir & Oddly Enough, a Barbershop Quartet 

Dec. 22: Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus & These “R” They Gospel Youth Choir  

Baroque Choral Guild  

First Congregational Church  

2345 Channing Way 

408-733-8110 

Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m. Performing the music of Giovanni Croce, Giovanni Bassano, Claudio Monteverdi, and others.  

$20 general, $15 senior/student 

Klesmeh! Festival  

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave.  

415-454-5238 

Dec. 23, 8 p.m. A Hanukkah concert of Klesmer music and its mutations, featuring the San Francisco Klesmer experience. Hosted by Berkeley monologist/comedian Josh Kornbluth.  

$18 advance, $20 door; $16 kids and seniors  

Theater 

“Dinner With Friends” 

by Donald Margulies 

Berkeley Repertory Theatre 

2025 Addison St.  

Through Jan. 5, 2001 

845-4700, www.berkeleyrep.org 

“The Weir” by Conor McPherson 

Aurora Theater Company 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

Through Dec. 17, Tuesday - Saturday, 8 p.m. (no performance Nov. 23); Sunday, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. 

$35 opening night 

$30 general 

Call 843-4822 

“The Crucible” by Arthur Miller 

Berkeley High Drama Dept.  

Florence Schwimley Little Theater 

Allston Way (between Milvia & MLK Jr. Way) 

Dec. 8 & 9, 8 p.m.  

$5 

Tickets available at the door  

“Resist Me” by Jackie Bendzinski 

Campus Performing Arts Association 

Zellerbach Room Seven  

UC Berkeley  

Dec. 14 - 16, 8 p.m.; Dec. 16, 2 p.m. 

$8 general; $5 students with ID  

Call 697-7529  

“The Hard Nut” 

The Nutcracker With a Twist 

Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley 

Dec. 8, 9, 14 - 16, 8 p.m.; Dec. 9 & 16, 2 p.m.; Dec. 10 & 17, 3 p.m.  

$26 - $50 

Call 642-9988 

“The Nutcracker” 

Berkeley Ballet Theater 

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Dec. 8 & 15, 7 p.m.; Dec. 9 & 16, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Dec. 10 & 17, 2 p.m.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689  

“The Christmas Revels”  

Scottish Rite Theater  

1547 Lakeside Dr., Oakland 

A celebration of the winter solstice that combines dance, drama, ritual, and song.  

Dec. 8 & 15, 8 p.m.; Dec. 9 & 16, 1 & 5 p.m.; Dec. 10 & 17, 1 &5 p.m.  

$15 - $30, discounts for groups, seniors and children under 12 

For tickets call Ticketweb, 601-8932 

For info. call 893-9853 

Exhibits 

Berkeley Art Center 

Live Oak Park, 1275 Walnut St., Berkeley 

644-6893 

“Against All Odds: Ingenuity, Talent and Disability,”  

Featuring the work of six disabled artists who use inventive, adaptive art-making techniques to create media ranging from prints and ceramic sculpture to computer-generated paintings and collage works. Through Dec. 16. Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Free.  

Artists at Play Studio  

1649 Hopkins St. (at Carlotta)  

Call 528-0494  

“Artists at Play Holiday Sale” 

Work by the artists including original servings dishes, frames, jewelry, and other items. 

Dec. 9, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

Dana St. (between Channing & Durant) 

Call 540-5296 x3 

“Holiday Crafts Fair” 

The fair features hand-crafted gifts from women’s cooperatives in Central America, Haiti, and Nepal. Most are one-of-a-kind and many are under $10.  

Dec. 9 & 10, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

California College of Arts and Crafts  

Oliver Art Center, 5212 Broadway, Oakland  

594-3712 

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Free. 

Kala Art Institute 

1060 Heinz Ave., Berkeley 

549-2977 

Over sixty artists affiliated with the Kala Art Institute will show works ranging from wood block prints to digital media.  

Through Jan. 16, Tuesday - Friday, Noon - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Artisans Holiday “Open Studios” 

For a free map send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: 

Berkeley Artisans Map, 1250 Addison St. #214, Berkeley, CA. 94702.  

11 a.m. - 5 p.m ., Saturdays & Sundays, Through Dec. 17 

For additional info. call 845-2612 

You may also download the map at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com  

Traywick Gallery 

1316 Tenth St., Berkeley 

527-1214 or www.traywick.com 

Group show by Traywick artists, Through Dec. 23.  

Gallery hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Nexus Gallery  

2701 Eighth St., Berkeley 

531-9229 

“The Glitter Reminder,” paintings by Michele Theberge, prints and textiles by Sharon Jue, photographs by Amy Snyder, sculpted water environments by C.R. Mitchell and Tom Mataga and textile installations by Claudia Tennyson.  

Dec. 9 - 23, Opening reception: Dec. 10, 2 - 5 p.m. 

Gallery hours: Monday - Friday, Noon - 6 p.m., Saturday & Sunday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. 

Berkeley Historical Society  

1931 Center St.  

Call 848-0181 

“Berkeley’s Ethnic Heritage.” An overview of the rich cultural diversity of the city and the contribution of individuals and minority groups to it’s history and development.  

Thursday through Saturday, 1 – 4 p.m. Free.  

Pro Arts Gallery 

461 Ninth St., Oakland.  

763-9425  

2000 Juried Annual, Through Dec. 30. This years show features 79 works by 70 artists. This show is juried by Larry Rinder, curator of contemporary art at the Whitney Museum. 

Wednesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

YWCA  

2600 Bancroft Way 

848-6370 

Benecia artist Connie Millholland’s semi-abstract images of personal pain created by the Holocaust.  

Through Dec. 15.  

Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 

3023 Shattuck Ave.  

Call 548-9286 x307 

Alan Leon: Hebrew Calligraphy and Illuminations, Through Dec. 15. Tuesday - Thursday, 1 - 7 p.m.; Saturday, Noon - 4 p.m. and by appointment.  

Readings 

Cody’s Books 

2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852  

& 1730 Fourth St., 559-9500 

Telegraph events (all begin at 7:30 p.m., unless noted): 

Boadecia’s Books  

398 Colusa Ave.  

Kensington  

559-9184 

www.boadeciasbooks.com 

All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted  

Dec. 8: “Gaymes Night” Play Pictionary, Taboo, Scattergories and eat pizza  

Dec. 9: Meredith Maran discusses “Class Dismissed: A Year in the Life of an American High School, a Glimpse into the Heart of a Nation,” a result of her following the lives of three Berkeley High students over the course of a year.  

Dec. 10, 11 a.m.: LesBiGayTrans Parenting group.  

Dec. 14: Lillian Ann Slugocki & Erin Cressida Wilson will read from their book, “The Erotica Project,” a result of their realization that there was little well-written erotica for women who have sex with men.  

Lunch Poems: A Noontime Poetry Reading Series 

Morrison Room, Doe Library 

UC Berkeley 

Call 642-0137 

12:10 - 12:50 p.m.  

Under the direction of Professor Robert Hass, this is a series of events on the first Thursday of each month. Free.  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose) 

843-3533 

All events begin at 7:30 p.m. 

Dec. 12: Peter Booth Wiley discusses why architects hate the Victorians of San Francisco  

Tours 

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. 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. 

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

2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. 

848-7800 

Golden Gate Live Steamers 

Small locomotives, meticulously scaled to size, run along a half mile of track in Tilden Regional Park. 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  

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden 

The gardens have displays of exotic and native plants. 

Botanical Garden Tours, Saturday and Sunday, 1:30 p.m. $3 general; $2 seniors; $1 children; free on Thursday. Daily, 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Botanical Garden, Centennial Drive, behind Memorial Stadium, a mile below the Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley. 643-2755 or www.mip.berkeley.edu/garden/ 

Lectures 

Berkeley Historical Society 

Slide Lecture & Booksigning Series 

Berkeley Historical Center 

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

848-0181 

Sundays, 3 - 5 p.m.  

These are free events  

Dec. 10: Mal and Sandra Sharpe on “Weird Rooms” 

People who collect strange things and how their collections take over their rooms.  

Jan. 14: Richard Schwartz on “Berkeley 1900,” the history of Berkeley at the turn of the century.  

City Commons Club 

Luncheon Speaker Series 

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

848-3533 

Social Hour, 11:15 a.m.  

Luncheon, 11:45 - 12:15 p.m. 

Speaker, 12:30 p.m. 

$1 - $12.25, Speeches free to students 

Dec. 8: Mark Wilson, realtor with Prudential Realty speaks on “Julia Morgan collaborating with Bernard Maybeck” 

An interim parking plan for Berkeley High School approved 4-1 by the Board of Education Wednesday night provoked acrimony between school representatives and neighbors of the school, who feared it would compound an already dire parking situation.  

The plan would allow the school to apply for up to 110 residential parking permits to be issued to staff and designates 70 additional parking spaces around the north, west and south perimeter of the school for exclusive use by the staff. 

Construction of a new physical education building and a new administrative building and student center will usurp 150 staff parking spaces now on the school campus. Originally, the school had planned to provide parking on the blacktop during the construction, which is estimated to take three years.  

But after a fire destroyed one of the major buildings earlier this year, the school had to locate portable classrooms on the blacktop. This has left BHS with  

little staff parking during the new  

building construction, scheduled to start early next year. 

“This is a crisis situation and an interim situation,” said School Board President Terry Doran. 

Doran said the board had searched for alternate solutions but found none that were realistic.  

A significant number of Berkeley High staff members live in areas not served by public transit, said Principal Frank Lynch. “The bottom line is that with all our good intentions to get people to use alternative methods of transport, there are still people who out of necessity are going to drive.” 

More than a dozen area residents came to the meeting to protest the plan, which they said would create vicious competition for an already limited number of parking spaces. “We are being told that we won’t be able to unload our groceries so that teachers can unload their teaching materials,” said area resident Wendy Alfsen.  

Councilmember Dona Spring said, “If we give stickers to everyone who wants them, we don’t have a permit parking system anymore.” 

Opponents of the measure had suggested the school use a lot off site, perhaps at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, and offer shuttle service to the school. But several members of the school board rejected this plan, as did a teacher representative. 

“Who is going to drive all the way past Berkeley to Albany and then have to wait for a shuttle?” said Barry Fike, president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers and a Berkeley High neighbor as well. “Or should we ask our teachers to disrupt our classes and play the two-hour shuffle?” he said, referring to requiring them to park in spaces that have a two-hour limit. 

Residents said the measure would strain relationships between neighbors and the school. “I don’t like to complain about the presence of the high school in my neighborhood,” said Nick Bertoni, who lives across the street from Berkeley High. “But this is our home and our neighborhood and we have to live here. Many residents don’t have garages or driveways and there is no other place for us to park.”  

“There’s something about an inconvenience like this that really gets to you and makes you feel like you’re getting screwed,” said Jason Bathrick, who testified that when he takes his wife to work in the morning, he cannot find a place to park when he returns.  

Some Berkeley High teachers also had concerns. “Providing teachers with permits in a neighborhood where there is no parking isn’t giving them anything,” said Berkeley High teacher Julie Gilfoy. “By giving us permits you are giving us nothing but anger and frustration.” 

Defenders of the plan said they had searched for a better alternative, but found none. “We’ve been in discussions for a long time with city staff and that didn’t generate solutions,” Doran said. He said the school was simply exercising its right to the parking spaces allotted them through the residential parking permit system, which allows permits for 60 percent of school staff. 

Newly-elected Board Director John Selawsky, who was sworn in at Wednesday’s meeting, cast the one dissenting vote. “Just because we are an educational institution and we have a laudable mission does not mean we can ignore the issues of the community,” he said. “I have a gut feeling the district hasn’t done its homework on this and that some of these problems could have been foreseen.” 

The board unanimously approved a recommendation to offer other trip reduction incentives. These included building a bicycle storage area, providing employees information on public transport and carpool programs, assigning priority parking spaces for car-poolers and participating in a program which allows employees to get tax write-offs for public transit costs. Doran proposed an amendment to the plan that would reimburse staff who use public transport for up to $65 a month. “We have to show we are willing to absorb some of the problem,” he said. Board members declined to pass the proposal on the spot, but approved an amendment to investigate such a subsidy. 

The deadline for resolution of the parking issue may be pushed back a bit, as construction is expected to be delayed from its original January start date to February or March of this year.

The City Council was unable to act Tuesday on a second air quality study that might definitively determine health risks to people who live or work near Interstate 80. 

Mayor Shirley Dean submitted a recommendation to the council asking the city manager to develop criteria for a second study that would thoroughly and definitively asses the risk of respiratory disease in west Berkeley. While the first study, completed in September, showed dangerous levels of air pollution, it was criticized by air quality officials as inconclusive.  

Councilmember Linda Maio submitted a competing recommendation at the Tuesday meeting, but the council did not have time to discuss it. Maio’s proposal called for a reworking of the first study and a collaboration between the city and various government, health and environmental organizations to develop a regional public awareness campaign that links emissions to the health and well being of the community. 

“If we’re just going to study, study and study, we won’t get anything done,” Maio said. “I want to partner with other cities and groups and I want action that will end up with results.” 

Dean said she didn’t think the two motions were incompatible. “I don’t mind rewriting the first study or forming committees as long as we do a more definitive study,” she said. 

In June, the City Council allocated $10,000 for the first study, which focused on west Berkeley primarily along I-80. Acurex Environmental Corp. of Mountain View, deployed a series of monitors, or filtering devices, that collected particles from the air that were analyzed and summarized in a report completed in September. 

According to the mayor’s written recommendation, the study showed there were high levels of two toxic compounds, acrolein and formaldehyde. Both are associated with vehicle exhaust. 

But, a review of the study by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, was critical of the study. According to the BAAQMD report the project duration was too short and the collected data was insufficient to estimate health risks.  

Dean said approving $10,000 for the report before determining the extent of the project was ill-conceived and any future proposals to address emissions coming from I-80 would carry more weight with a thorough and definitive study.  

“I’m concerned we’ll spend another year talking about how we need another study and I’m there already,” Dean said. “I think we should do another study and do it right.” 

Maio, who put the original study on the agenda in June, said she had the idea after reading a 1999 report by the Bay Area Regional Asthma Management and Prevention Initiative. The report analyzed asthma hospitalization rates in Alameda, Solano, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties. 

In Alameda the highest rates of hospitalization for asthma were among residents who live along the I-80 corridor. 

Maio is convinced the cause of the high level of asthma and other respiratory illnesses is related to auto emissions, especially those generated by the popularity of sport utility vehicles. 

“There needs to be more awareness about the impact of our driving habits,” Maio said. “People should know that driving an SUV has consequences for you, your family and your friends.” 

Richard Varenchik, a California Air Resources Board spokesperson, said the majority of SUVs are used as passenger vehicles but their allowable emissions are three times higher. He said legislation was passed in November 1998 that will reduce SUV emissions beginning in January 2004. 

The City Council is scheduled to discuss the second air quality study at the Dec. 17 meeting. 

While most Berkeley students prepare for long nights of studying and last-minute cramming, Muslim students will spend the last few weeks of this semester strengthening their links to God. And they will do so by fasting in celebration of Ramadan. 

“Ramadan is like no other time of the year,” said Aadil Maniar, who is in charge of publicity for the Muslim Student Union. “Spirituality is very enriching.” 

The holiest month on the Muslim calendar, Ramadan takes place on different dates in the Western calendar each year. This year the holiday began Nov. 27 and will end Dec. 26. 

During the entire month of Ramadan, the time when the Qu'ran, was sent to the prophet Mohammed by God, Muslims fast during daylight hours. 

After sundown, the complete fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the iftar. 

A time of worship and contemplation, Ramadan is also a time that brings the community together. Following the iftar it is customary for Muslims to go out visiting family and friends. 

“People get closer during this time,” said Hooma Multani, a senior majoring in environmental studies. “A group of us gets together everyday to break fast at 5 p.m. It is a very festive time.” 

Fasting may seem counterproductive for students in the middle of finals, but for Multani, not eating or drinking helps her concentrate more on her studies. 

“It's not that I forget that I am fasting,” Multani said. “But there is the sense that I am doing something for God. It makes you not pay attention to material things.” 

Eman Tai, a student at Hastings Law School and UC Berkeley graduate, agreed. 

“The difficult part is not fasting,” Tai said. “ The difficult part is having to deal with school and exams and at the same time having to get ready for the holiday. I think it would be hard, too, if people celebrated Easter or Christmas during school time.” 

Fasting does not affect her performance at school, said Multani. On the contrary, “it is easier to concentrate because you have a higher level of spirituality.” 

This is also a perfect time to educate people about a misunderstood religion, said Maniar. 

“When people see you are not eating they ask why,” Maniar said. “I think it helps build bridges between Muslims and non-Muslims.” 

OAKLAND— A class action federal suit was filed Thursday on behalf of at least 12 black men who say their civil rights were violated by four Oakland police officers known as “The Riders.” 

Lawyers for the group also called for a federal investigation into the department’s “ongoing pattern and practice of police misconduct.” 

The suit names as defendants the four officers charged in the scandal, Frank Vazquez, 44, Clarence “Chuck” Mabanag, 35, Jude Siapno, 32, and Matthew Hornung, 29, as well as Police Chief Richard Word and the city of Oakland. 

Mabanag, Siapno and Hornung have pleaded innocent to charges including assault, kidnapping and filing false reports. Authorities are still looking for Vazquez, who may have fled to Mexico. 

A call to Word’s office seeking comment Thursday was not immediately returned. 

But Word and Mayor Jerry Brown repeatedly have said the four officers’ alleged misconduct was isolated to about three weeks last summer and that no additional officers were involved.  

Word vehemently has denied any “code of silence” or institutionalized abuse. 

Two of the officers, Mabanag and Siapno, have been fired. Vazquez and Hornung remain on paid administrative leave. 

Calls to the officers’ attorneys were not immediately returned Thursday. 

Lawyer John Burris, who filed Thursday’s suit, called the misconduct “a matter of official policy rooted in an entrenched posture of deliberate indifference to the constitutional rights of African-American males” in West Oakland. 

He said Word and other high-ranking officials tolerated abuse within the department and were aware of a “repeated pattern of misconduct” by “The Riders,” but failed to stop them. 

”(Former Police Chief Joseph) Samuels and Word are both men of honor who want to do the right thing,” Burris said. “But the chiefs only get the information that filters up to the top at the very end.” 

There was a “breakdown within the department to allow officers to feel comfortable when this behavior can go on,” he said during a news conference attended by at least 10 black men who said they had been beaten up, framed or otherwise abused by “The Riders” and other officers. 

At least four of the alleged victims who filed the civil suit also are named in the criminal complaint against the officers. 

All 12 of the men who brought the suit have had their criminal cases dismissed. 

Prosecutor David Hollister has said about 50 cases have been dismissed so far, but Burris said hundreds more could be affected as calls from people who believe they were wrongly accused pour into his and other lawyers’ offices. 

Lawyer Jim Chanin said he asked the district attorney’s office to “accelerate the process of finding victims of ’The Riders”’ and “reversing those injustices.” 

“The Riders” case has been compared to the Rampart scandal in Los Angeles in which three officers were convicted of framing suspects, more than 100 cases have been thrown out and 70 civil rights suits have been filed. 

Burris said the Oakland case is even more disturbing because the officers intimidated and coerced their victims with name calling and personal put-downs. 

“It’s a subversion of the whole criminal justice system,” he said.

SACRAMENTO — Imagine this: A public school in a poor, minority neighborhood where the teachers are all fully qualified, the buildings shine with new paint, each class has only 15 students and books and supplies are plentiful. 

Hard to imagine? 

It’s certainly not the case now, according to a new study being released Thursday by the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning that says underqualified teachers are still concentrated in urban schools with mostly poor and minority students. 

But it could be so if state lawmakers, Gov. Gray Davis and local districts choose to concentrate efforts and shower resources on the 1,600 public schools where one in five teachers are underqualified, says the study. 

“We’re thinking, we need to flip the idea of low-performing schools around,” says Margaret Gaston, codirector of the nonprofit center based in Santa Cruz that focuses in improving teaching. Now, in most cases, teacher pay and working conditions are better in suburban districts than in the urban and rural schools with high concentrations of poor students who don’t score well on tests. 

Consequently, good, veteran teachers don’t want to work in the very low-performing schools that most need them. 

The education establishment should turn those low-performing schools into places where teachers want to work, says the study. 

“We need to make these schools compelling places to be. We can do that. We know how to do that. It will take political will and serious investment, but it’s possible to do,” Gaston said. 

The Legislature and Davis are currently working on their proposals for the 2001 session. The Assembly’s Select Committee on Low Performing Schools is holding a hearing Thursday to discuss the study and look at future legislation aimed at those schools. Davis makes his recommendations to the Legislature in January. 

Gaston says education officials need to concentrate additional resources in the lowest-performing schools to improve the learning conditions by making the buildings clean and safe, providing sufficient books and other materials linked to the state’s new rigorous standards and perhaps offering higher pay. 

State school Superintendent Delaine Eastin agrees. 

“I would say this is more challenging work than being a suburban teacher,” she said. “There should be a differential.” 

However, Wayne Johnson, president of the California Teachers Association, says giving some teachers higher pay has never worked in the past. In Los Angeles in the 1970s, officials gave a large bonus for working in “hard-to-staff schools,” he recalls. “They didn’t have any takers. It became known as combat pay. The community hated it, saying ’You have to pay teachers more to come in and teach our children.’ I don’t think pay will do it,” said the head of the state’s largest teachers’ union. 

The numbers have actually worsened since the center’s similar study a year ago. However, Gaston stresses that the effects of several new programs passed this year by Davis and the Legislature to recruit teachers to low-performing schools are not yet being felt. 

“The fact remains that the problem is so huge, it’s not going to be solved overnight. They’re going to have to maintain their focus and their interest in this issue over time in order to fully address this crisis,” Gaston said. 

The report found that in the 1999-2000 school year, more than 40,000 teachers, or about 14 percent, did not have a full state credential, meaning they have not taken the full five-year course that includes how-to-teach instruction. 

Eastin says the figure now is closer to 49,000, including 37,000 teachers working with “emergency” credentials, meaning they have graduated from college but need more teaching courses, plus 12,000 who are in intern programs or are teaching subjects outside their training. 

Those underqualified teachers, however, are not evenly distributed around the state. Thirty percent of schools, most of them in suburban areas, have no such teachers. 

In 24 percent of schools — up from 21 percent the year before — more than one-fifth of the teachers do not have full credentials. 

Those 1,600 schools with 1.5 million students are predominantly urban schools with mostly poor and minority students, says the study. 

In schools where 75 percent of the students qualify for free- or reduced-price lunches because of family poverty, an average of 22 percent of teachers are underqualified. 

In addition, the schools with the state’s lowest quarter of test scores have an average of 23 percent of teachers underqualified, says the study. 

The CTA is surveying its teachers and will present its own plan to improve teaching at low-performing schools by spring, Johnson said. 

He thinks the top recommendation is likely to be reducing class sizes in low-performing schools to about 15 to give teachers more time to work with kids who need more help. 

Class sizes now are 20 in most kindergarten-through-third grade classes and a few high school classes, but exceed 30 in most other grades. 

——— 

On the Net: The center is at http://www.cftl.org 

SACRAMENTO — California declared an unprecedented electricity alert Thursday after the state’s overwhelmed power grid, crippled by idled power plants and scant supplies, struggled to meet evening demands. 

The alert lasted about two hours, and the power grid’s managers said they hoped to avoid blackouts by tapping electricity intended for the enormous state and federal pumps that push water from Northern California to the central and southern regions of the state. 

“We’re hoping that with these resources we can avoid the blackouts,” said Lorie O’Donley, a spokeswoman for the Independent System Operator. 

The Stage Three alert, which lasted from about 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., followed hours of increasing stress on California’s electricity grid, which has been strapped by cold weather, power plants idled for maintenance and repairs, and dwindling imports. 

But by temporarily halting the pumps – two-story structures that suck water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta east of San Francisco – authorities hoped to obtain at least an additional 500 megawatts, perhaps more. 

The demand on grid reached 31,600 megawatts Thursday evening, nearly the maximum available. Reserves dipped to below 1,000 megawatts, prompting the alert. One megawatt is enough electricity for 1,000 homes. 

“We are within less than 1,000 megawatts right now,” said ISO spokeswoman Stephanie McCorkle. 

If the reserve is exhausted, power outages likely will begin. 

“If we’re short by 500 megawatts, that’s 500,000 people affected (by blackouts). If we’re short 1,000 megawatts, that’s a million people,” McCorkle said. 

She said about 85 percent of California, which is about 900 miles long with 34 million people, was covered by the alert. 

Throughout the day, hundreds of companies cut their electricity usage. Others awaited notification to do likewise – computer chip maker Intel prepared to turn off 50 percent of the lights at its 6,500-employee Folsom campus if necessary. 

“If that’s not enough, we’ll take the lights down 100 percent and work in the dark,” said Bill Mueller, Intel’s director of communications. 

The IS0 said an unidentified 500-megawatt power plant unexpectedly went down in the afternoon, further stressing the system. 

Shortly before the Stage Three alert, the ISO said California utilities, which try to buy power at least a day in advance to obtain the best possible price, had purchased power with just one hour of lead time. 

By late afternoon, that lead time had been cut to 10 minutes, the ISO said, reflecting a dramatic tightening in the market. 

The ISO also said a new cold snap was expected to hit Sunday evening, posing new stresses for the system. 

Gov. Gray Davis said the problems stemmed in part from flaws in California’s newly deregulated electricity system, including huge increases in the cost of wholesale power. 

“We’re simply not ready for deregulation in California,” the governor said. 

“California is riding point on this deregulation experiment,” Davis added.  

“The problem is, I can’t control the process. There are too many players. I’m trying to use a combination of reforms, good ideas and guilt to produce the desired result” of stability and an easing of high rates. 

California has experienced isolated blackouts in the past, but has never endured controlled widespread blackouts ordered by authorities to protect the state’s power grid. 

The ISO declared a Stage Two power emergency at 4 a.m., urging millions of residential and business customers to conserve energy. 

Hundreds of companies voluntarily cut power under “interruptible” energy conservation agreements triggered by the alert. Those companies get huge rebates in exchange for agreeing to reduce power if necessary during such emergencies. 

The alerts are the latest in a series of problems to bedevil California’s deregulated electricity system, which has been rocked for six months by dramatic increases in wholesale energy costs. 

Under a 1996 law, California’s investor-owned monopoly utilities began a gradual transition to deregulation. The companies were required to sell off their power-generating assets, such as dams and power plants, and purchase electricity on the open market. 

The goal was to lower prices to consumers through a competitive market. But skyrocketing energy costs have sent market prices sharply higher. 

During the transition, the utilities operate under a rate freeze. Afterward, the freeze is removed. 

San Diego Gas and Electric Co., with 1.2 million customers in San Diego and southern Orange County, was the first to complete its transition. It passed on the costs of wholesale electricity to its customers, resulting in a doubling and tripling of customers’ bills. The increases prompted state and federal investigations. 

Pacific Gas and Electric Co., with 4.5 million customers in Northern and Central California, and Southern California Edison Co., with 4.2 million, still have a rate freeze. 

Together, the two utilities contend they have paid more than $5 billion in excess wholesale charges since the summer. The companies have sought permission from state regulators and the federal courts to pass those charges on to their ratepayers. 

With few power plants of their own, California utilities have been forced to pay high rates for wholesale electricity. 

Concerned about deregulation, power plant builders shunned California and no new power plants were developed for a decade, leaving supplies stagnant. Several new plants are under construction now — eight have been licensed since 1998 — but the soonest they will begin operation is next summer. State officials believe costs will ease as that new energy becomes available. 

The last major blackout in California occurred June 14 during a heat wave in the San Francisco area. It lasted several hours and was due to local voltage and equipment problems. 

In 1996, there was an uncontrolled cascading blackout throughout the Northwest, including many areas of California, that lasted up to nine hours. 

Earlier in the week, the state Public Utilities Commission ordered engineers and inspectors to examine idled power plants at a dozen sites across the state to verify the legitimacy of their shutdowns. 

Authorities ordered the inspections after an unusually large number of power plants, producing about 7,000 megawatts, reported they were down for maintenance or other reasons. 

Publicly, there was no indication officials were concerned about deliberate shutdowns to drive up costs. Privately, though, officials at two state agencies said they were concerned the number of idled power plants could result in cost spikes ultimately benefitting those plants. 

——— 

On the Net: 

The California Idependent System Operator Web site is www.caiso.com 

SACRAMENTO — Saying California needs more classrooms now, the Legislature’s Republican leaders proposed using $1 billion from a projected $10.3 billion state budget surplus for school construction. 

Assembly Minority Leader Bill Campbell, R-Villa Park, said Thursday it was “very appropriate to use part of this surplus” for schools instead of waiting for voters to approve a new school construction bond measure in 2002. 

The $1 billion for school construction and renovation would include $800 million that would be available to school districts agreeing to spend an equal amount. 

Campbell and Senate Minority Leader Jim Brulte, R-Rancho Cucamonga, said that would be enough to wipe out a backlog of more than 200 projects awaiting approval by the State Allocation Board. 

Another $200 million would go to small school districts and charter schools that have difficulty raising construction money, and to charter schools that serve low-performing students. The Republicans also proposed: 

• Giving community colleges $320 million in the coming fiscal year to bring them up to the minimum funding level required by Proposition 98 of 1988. Assemblyman Robert Pacheco, R-Walnut, said the two-year schools repeatedly have been shortchanged during the last 10 years despite the funding requirement. 

• Creating an income tax credit of up to $500 to encourage Californians to contribute to a college trust fund for their children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews. 

• Authorizing a tax credit for employers who loan employees to teach math or science in public schools.  

The credit would be equal to 50 percent of the cost of loaning the employee. 

The Legislature’s budget analyst, Elizabeth Hill, predicted last month that California’s hot economy would generate an extra $10.3 billion in revenue over the next 18 months. Her projections have triggered a slew of spending proposals. 

Republican leaders have scheduled a series of news conferences to discuss their suggestions. 

They said last week that lawmakers should spend $710 million on jails, crime labs, law enforcement equipment and prosecution of gun-related crimes. 

ATLANTA — Ask people what they think about using “smart growth” to curb sprawl, reduce traffic and protect open land, and the idea ranks up there with world peace and ending hunger. 

But when developers start building stores and workplaces near suburban homes, they usually get one response from locals – “Not in my neighborhood!” 

With the country’s top proponents of smart growth – dense development that combines homes within walking distance of schools, stores, apartments and workplaces – meeting in Atlanta this week, the hot topic has been overcoming local opposition to change. 

“What we say is there are two things Americans hate about growth: sprawl and density. The joke is, what the hell else is there?” said Ron Terwilliger, a developer and chairman of the Urban Land Institute, which sponsored the conference. 

The dilemma is especially pronounced in metro Atlanta, where the 35-mile average commute is the longest in the nation and where smog is so bad the federal government has cut off highway funds and parents are warned to keep small children inside on some summer days. 

However, even here, several planned subdivisions that were to include stores and bike trails have fallen flat because of resistance from neighbors. 

There’s no question people are unhappy with the clogged roads and blight that often accompany suburban growth. The problem is many people favor mass transit and dense development for others but choose one-acre lots tucked in subdivisions for themselves. 

“People move out to the suburbs because they like the greenery,” said planner Robert Preston. “Then things come in and destroy that. They want to put space – literal and psychological – between themselves and the growth.” 

But while developers told war stories of getting smart-growth support from residents – not to mention investors and local zoning boards – there was a great deal of optimism as planners and government officials talked about changing minds. 

Real estate consultants talked about recent surveys of likely home buyers that found up to a third would trade in a bigger lot for a shorter commute. And businesses in congested areas see the consequences of sprawl and are starting to request smart-growth planning from local governments. 

The key to making smart growth the norm is showing people real examples of how it works, planners said. 

“There’s an immediate fear in changing anything. People think we’re trying to cram them in small places,” Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes told the group. “We need to educate people, show examples, so they know there is another way.” 

As traffic gets worse and strip malls age, planners predicted they soon won’t have to preach smart growth — even suburbanites will clamor for it. 

“It’s going to take people seeing others doing it, living it successfully,” said Michael Pawlukiewicz, environmental policy director of the Urban Land Institute. “It’s not going to change overnight. But I have no doubt it’s going to change, and people are going to get excited about it.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

Urban Land Institute: http://www.uli.org/indexJS.htm 

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines — The mother of an American held hostage in the southern Philippines has appealed anew to a Muslim extremist group to free him. 

In a telephone call from her home in Oakland, California, to a radio station in Zamboanga City, Carol Schilling said she was worried about her son, Jeffrey, who was seized by members of the Abu Sayyaf group on southern Jolo island in August. 

“I appeal to the Abu Sayyaf to free my son, Jeffrey, in the name of Ramadan,” Islam’s holiest month, she said in the call late Tuesday to the Radio Mindanao Network. 

Schilling, a Muslim convert, was seized by the Abu Sayyaf after he visited their camp with his Filipino wife. His wife, a cousin of one of the rebel leaders, was not abducted. 

The rebels said Schilling was a CIA agent, which he denied. 

Later, the rebels demanded $10 million in ransom for Schilling, but the government and the U.S. Embassy refused to pay, and instead the Philippine military launched a rescue operation to free him and another hostage, Filipino Roland Ulla. 

In a call to the same radio station in September, Schilling’s mother pleaded with the rebels to release him unharmed. 

“Jeffrey is not your enemy and I am not your enemy,” she said. 

In another interview last month, Schilling said he is being kept in chains, has an infection in his leg and is losing hope that he will be released. He said he was becoming “less and less optimistic every day.” 

Schilling, 24, said the rebels holding him travel at night to escape pursuing military troops. He said no doctors are available to treat his infected leg and he had no medicine. 

An Abu Sayyaf spokesman told the radio station last month that the rebel leader who had custody of Schilling, Abu Sabaya, was lost at sea and feared dead after his boat capsized in rough waters while traveling from Jolo to Tawi-Tawi, farther south. 

Jolo is about 950 kilometers (595 miles) south of Manila. 

The spokesman said Schilling was not with them at the time and that he was in the custody of rebel chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani at an undisclosed hide-out. 

The military could not confirm the report about Sabaya and expressed doubts about it. 

Since the start of Ramadan, the Abu Sayyaf have stopped contacting local radio stations. 

Ulla, the Filipino hostage, is the last of a group of 21 tourists and workers abducted from a Malaysian diving resort in April still held by the rebels. More than dlrs 15 million in ransom was paid for the release of the others, according to negotiators. 

The Abu Sayyaf claims it is fighting for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines, but the military regards it as a bandit gang. 

An analysis of 69 people who died with the help of Dr. Jack Kevorkian found that only 25 percent were terminally ill and five had no physical problems. It also found that more women than men sought his assistance. 

Studies of physician-assisted suicide suggest that terminally ill men over 65 are more likely than women to seek a doctor’s help to die. In the Kevorkian analysis, 49 patients, 71 percent of the total, were women. 

“We figured that men would be more likely to seek assistance from Dr. Kevorkian. In fact, the opposite turned out to be true,” said one of the researchers, Julie Malphurs of the University of South Florida in Tampa. 

The analysis was described in a letter published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers only looked at the 69 people who died with Kevorkian’s help in Michigan’s Oakland County because the autopsies were done by the same medical examiner’s office. They ranged in age from 21 to 89. 

“We wanted to see what kind of person went to Dr. Kevorkian to help them die and what factors went into them reaching that point,” Malphurs said. 

Kevorkian has said he helped some 130 people end their lives from 1990 to 1999. He was convicted and sentenced to prison last year for the 1998 death of a terminally ill man whose death he videotaped. 

L.J. Dragovic, the Oakland County medical examiner and one of Kervorkian’s harshest critics, shared the patients’ records and also signed the letter. 

Kevorkian’s former attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, criticized the report. 

“This is nothing new. This is the same analysis he’s been making for the last 10 years,” said Fieger, adding that Kevorkian didn’t require those he assisted to be terminally ill but to be “interminably suffering.” 

According to the analysis, autopsies determined that 17 of the 69 patients, or 25 percent, were not expected to live more than six months. Autopsies also failed to confirm any physical problems in five people. Twenty-nine percent had cancer; 38 percent had Lou Gehrig’s disease or multiple sclerosis. 

“It’s very clear ... they wanted to die but the reason they wanted to die was something beyond terminal illness,” said another university researcher, Donna Cohen. 

“It probably had do with some desperation, depression and a sense of helplessness and an inability to control their lives. That part is real. We need to look carefully at how we support people who are living through these things” 

She said the analysis could help states considering physician-assisted suicide legislation. Oregon is the only state where doctors can legally prescribe lethal doses of drugs to terminally ill patients. 

——— 

On the Net: 

New England Journal of Medicine: http://www.nejm.org 

With Wednesday’s opening of its solar power facility in west Berkeley – the largest photovoltaic solar array in the Bay Area – Green Mountain Energy kicked off a drive to get people to switch to solar for their power needs.  

At a dedication ceremony Thursday, Julie Blunden, GME’s western regional president, said electricity production is the largest source of industrial pollution.  

The facility, located at 815 Heinz St., produces 100 kilowatts, or 120,000 volts of continuous power. 

“Enough to power thousands of Christmas trees” said Dan Shugar, executive vice president of PowerLight, the Berkeley company that designed, manufactured and installed the 924-panel grid-connected solar electric system, which sits atop their manufacturing facility.  

Janice Lin, PowerLight’s director of business development, said PowerLight bought photovolataic cells from AstroPower, an independent corporation based in Delaware, constructed the system and sold it to GPU Solar, Inc.  

GPU, Inc., a registered public utility holding company based in New Jersey, is selling the 165,00 kilowatt hours produced by the facility each year to GME. Green Mountain will then re-sell the energy to their customers in California. 

Howard Wenger, director for North America business at AstroPower noted that electricity makes our society today possible.  

“If power was god’s greatest gift, solar is god’s second greatest gift,” he said. 

Wenger said the cells used in the panels at the Green Mountain Solar facility would last up to 30 years.  

The solar panels themselves are laid out on the roof in groups called strings, which are groupings of 22 panels. Stephen Smith of PowerLight said the panels, which can withstand hail balls up to an inch thick, can be monitored via a weather station mounted on the roof. The station monitors the roof temperature, wind speed, and the brightness of the sun. Customers can remotely access the information to make sure the system is working at its maximum capacity. 

According to GME statistics, over the 30 year life of the panels, the facility will produce enough electricity to avoid the burning of 13,773 barrels of oil or 876 million cubic feet of natural gas.  

This is the company’s second Northern California venture in cooperation with GPU Solar. 

Lin said funding for the Green Mountain Solar facility was provided in part by the California Energy Commission’s renewable energy program, the City of Palo Alto’s renewable energy program, and the Department of Energy through the Solar Electric Power Association.  

GME, which has a regional office in San Francisco, currently serves 100,000 customers in California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  

Ceramic tiles are a beautiful accent in many old homes. Whether decorative or plain, the richness of this material commonly lends an air of grace and charm to old entranceway floors, baths and fireplaces. 

Like everything else in this world, some of these tiles may become damaged over time and need replacement. In most cases the answer isn’t as easy as a trip to the local home center or tile store.  

The difficulty in finding matches for old hand-painted, -printed or -carved tiles is obvious.  

Differences in the way tiles were made years ago make most of today’s mass-produced tiles inappropriate replacements for even plain field tiles. 

Color variations were common in the glaze of many old tiles. Two glaze variations that were typical of tiles produced 50 years ago are picture framing and crazing or crackle glazing.  

Picture framing occurs when the glaze puddles around the edges of the tile, outlining or framing it. The latter situation appears when the glaze doesn’t actually fit the body of the tile but shrinks at different rates, causing cracks to occur in its face. Today, the pair would be considered color flaws. 

Fortunately, both can be reproduced by some of the custom tile studios catering to this type of work.  

The first step in this process is sending the studio a good sample piece of the tile you’re trying to replace. A good quality photo can help if you can only send a section of tile instead of an entire undamaged piece. 

Tile reproduction is a costly process, the major expense being the research and development for the glaze and clay body. Much trial and error is involved here, and the experts depend on their past experiences to guide them.  

Choosing a glaze color is not like choosing a paint color: What you see is not what you get.  

The unfired state of glaze is nothing like its fired state.  

Finding the right match of glaze and clay body is a slow process. Expect to pay from $150 to $300 for this work, unless the shop you choose has already developed a matching glaze for a past job and has this information in its files. 

Once the color match is developed, the next step is creating the template or mold. Depending on how intricate or carved the tile is, you can pay anywhere from $100 on up for this work. 

Matching hand-painted tiles runs from $25 to $100 each. Of course, pricing is not a static figure. Each situation is unique. 

A less expensive alternative is to retile the entire area, whether it’s a fireplace, foyer or bath.  

Some tile companies offer a line of historic designs that will blend in with your old-home decor. 

If you’re interested in tile history, you might want to contact The Tile Heritage Foundation, P.O. Box 1850, Healdsburg, CA 95448. This is a nonprofit, member-supported organization for research and preservation.  

As such, it has a network of tile identifiers across the country that is able to establish where a tile came from and what type of tile it is. If you want to learn more about this part of your old house, all they need from you is a good quality photograph of the tile and a stamped, self-addressed return envelope.

Have you looked at the glazing putty around your windows lately? If so, chances are you noticed some cracked, broken or entirely missing strips of putty. The fact is, all single-pane windows need reglazing periodically. Replacing cracked putty will save energy and prevent rot from invading your windows. 

Start your glazing project by removing any screen, storm or combination window that might be in place. Then look to the most deteriorated strip of putty and start chipping it away with a rigid, chisel-edge putty knife. Old, rock-hard putty may first require heat to soften it. Use an electric heat gun, rather than a torch to reduce the risk of fire. 

Once the putty is out, remove the half-dozen glazer’s points that lock the pane against the sash frame. These will either be diamond-shaped metal points or formed metal clips. Use a needle-nose pliers or screwdriver to unseat them. 

To remove the glass, go indoors and press evenly against the bottom of the glass pane. When the glass is pushed just past the bottom rail of the sash, go back outside, grasp the pane (with heavy gloves) and pull down steadily.  

Because glass is usually seated firmly in a slot in the top rail of the sash, you may need to twist and tweak it a bit, until it breaks free. If the pane is broken, remove the loose pieces first. 

When the glass pulls free, brush the L-shaped recess with a wire brush and wipe away loose particles. Then use a utility knife to pry the remaining putty from the top slot of the sash. 

To install new glass, slide the pane from below into its upper slot and gently press the bottom against the sash.  

If the pane won’t slide into its recess at the bottom, slip a putty knife into the recess and gently pry the glass until it clears the recess edge. Then secure the pane with glazier’s points. Press the points into the frame with a screwdriver or a putty knife. 

Install a bead of putty all around the window. Soften the putty, if necessary, before  

using it by rolling a glob of it in your hands.  

Smooth the putty by drawing a clean knife along the joint. Carefully trim away any excess when finished. 

In most cases, you’ll want to paint the glazing when it’s had a few hours to skin over. Don’t worry about getting paint on the glass. Overpainting makes painting easier and also helps seal the joint and picks up the oily film left on the glass by the putty. The paint dries in a few hours, so just scrape the glass clean with a single edge razor blade.

A proposal to rename a stretch of University Avenue near the Berkeley Marina after labor hero Cesar Chavez has met with objections from some family members and supporters, who are calling the move a back-handed compliment.  

The proposal, put forward by Mayor Shirley Dean and Councilmember Betty Olds, designated the stretch of University connecting with Marina Boulevard and Spinnaker Way, a relatively lightly-travelled area, for the distinction. 

“We believe Cesar Chavez merits the honor of a principle thoroughfare, such as has been done in San Francisco and Los Angeles,” said Federico Chavez, nephew of Chavez and head of the Cesar E. Chavez Labor Organizer Legacy Committee. The Committee has been working with local businesses to secure support to rename Sacramento Street in honor of Chavez. “We’ve really been gaining momentum on this,” said Chavez.  

“This proposal is a slap in the face to people who have been working to honor Cesar Chavez by naming a major street after him,” said Councilmember Kriss Worthington. Worthington said he had been engaged for several years in efforts with Chavez supporters to find a major East Bay corridor that would run through Latino communities and would offer a marked interstate exit.  

Worthington charged Mayor Shirley Dean with proposing the stretch of University near the marina to “deliberately pre-empt our process.” He said he had discussed the efforts to rename either Sacramento or an equivalent street as far back as 1998. 

The mayor said she knew nothing of these plans. “Nobody has ever come to me to discuss renaming Sacramento Street.” 

Dean said her proposal was motivated in part by a desire to accommodate the wishes of Chavez supporters that the entity bearing his name be featured on an interstate sign. Dean attempted to have Cesar Chavez park indicated on the University Avenue exit sign but, she said, the California Department of Transportation refused to give such a designation to a city park. By naming a stretch of road that exits the highway after Chavez, Dean hoped to address the problem. 

The Mayor retracted her recommendation after learning of the opposition to it.  

“We’re not in the business of shoving honors down people’s throats,” she said. “We’re trying to do the right thing here.” 

The effort to name a street after Cesar Chavez was initiated in 1994 with a push to rename University Avenue. Those efforts were scrapped following significant opposition from businesses along the road. Shortly thereafter, the North Waterfront Park was renamed in honor of the United Farm Workers’ leader. Recently, controversy has erupted again over an off-leash dog park that was designated for a section of the park. “There were hurt feelings over the way that was handled,” said the younger Chavez, who explained his group objected to having been left out of discussions about the dog park. But Mayor Dean noted that the dog run is one of the most popular places in the park.  

“It was no insult to the Latino community,” she said. 

Councilmember Linda Maio, who agreed that a major road should be named after Chavez, observed that the name-change proposal at least had brought the issue to the fore. “The idea in its basic form was a good beginning to initiate a process that will help us decide the best way to honor these national leaders,” said Maio. 

Thursday, Dec. 7

Berkeley Metaphysic  

Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysic come together at Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters. Meets first and third Thursdays each month. 

Call 869-2547 or 643-7645 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Women’s Travel Book Club 

6:30 p.m. 

Cody’s Books 

1730 Fourth St.  

Join a discussion of M.F.K. Fisher’s “Two Towns in Provence: Map of Another Town & A Considerable Town.” New members are always welcome. The group meets the first Thursday of each month.  

Call 482-8971 

Make a Wreath 

10 a.m. 

UC Botanical Garden 

200 Centennial Dr.  

Whether you are a beginner or a veteran wreath-maker, join Nancy Swearengen and Jerry Parsons and learn to use some unusual  

materials.  

$27.50, including materials 

Call 643-2755 

Prepare Meals  

in a Snow Kitchen  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Chuck Collingwood of the Sierra Club will present a slide lecture on how to survive overnight in the snow.  

Call Jason, 527-7377 

Let Your Chi Flow Freely 

6 - 7 p.m.  

University of Creation Spirituality 

2141 Broadway Ave. 

Oakland 

Share peace and tranquillity communally and regain harmony and balance.  

Call Idris Hassan, 835-4827 x31  

Lunch Poems Reading Series 

12:10 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.  

Morrison Room, Doe Library 

UC Berkeley  

Featuring the first three authors in the UC Press’s California Poetry Series. Featured poets will be Fanny Howe, Mark Levine, and Carol Snow. Free 642-0137  

Housing Advisory Commission 

7:30 p.m.  

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St.  

Discussions will include staff reports on state rent restrictions for section eight vacancies and on the vacant unit inspection program.  

Public Works Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Berkeley Special Education  

Parents Group 

7 p.m. 

King Middle School  

Library 

1781 Rose St.  

A discussion of social living skills, graduation requirements, and other issues of special education in the Berkeley Unified School District.  

Community Environmental Advisory Commission 

7 p.m. 

2118 Milvia St.  

Second Floor Conference Room 

Friday, Dec. 8

PC Users Group 

7 p.m. 

Vista College 

Room 303  

2020 Milvia St.  

A groups of PC users who help each other solve problems. They introduce their members to new software, hardware, and invited speakers and technicians from various PC related companies. Meet the second Friday of each month.  

Call Melvin Mann, 527-2177  

A Time to Give  

2 & 8 p.m. 

Alice Arts Center Theater 

1428 Alice St. (at 14th St.) 

Oakland  

A benefit for the Applied Ballet Arts Foundation, the show features new choreography to Beethoven’s Sonata Pathetique, Schubert’s Sonata for arpeggione, and Max Bruch’s Schottish Fantasy for violin.  

$12 - $15 sliding scale  

Call 268-9000 x218  

Yiddish Conversation 

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Julia Morgan Collaborating with Bernard Maybeck  

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., speaker 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

Mark Wilson, realtor with Prudential Realty, will speak. Also City Commons Club annual meeting.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Trunk Show  

with Art Quintanna 

4 - 7 p.m.  

Gathering Tribes Gallery 

1573 Solano Ave. 

Hailing from New Mexico, Quintanna specializes in older “dead pawn” Indian jewelry.  

An Evening Under the Stars 

5 - 8 p.m. 

Courtyard at Swans Marketplace 

Ninth St. between Washington and Clay St. 

With jazz standards playing in the background, discover the work of local artists and find a unique holiday gift. Sponsored by East Bay Galleries for Art and Cultural Development.  

Call 832-4244 

Bridge Biker Collective Party  

8 p.m. 

6447 Regent St. (near Alcatraz) 

Celebrate the new initiative to win equal access to Bay Area bridges at a party following the monthly Berkeley critical mass ride. Free  

Call 273-9288 or visit www.bikethebridge.org 

WomenSing  

8 p.m. 

Valley Center for the Performing Arts 

Holy Names College 

3500 Mountain Blvd.  

Oakland 

In the first concert of their 35th anniversary season titled “Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day,” WomenSing perform music of Irving Berlin, Holst, and others.  

$20 general, $18 seniors/students, $10 18 and under 

Call 925-798-1300 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Los Cenzontles & Artemsia Brass Quartet 

Saturday, Dec. 9

Berkeley Artisans Holiday  

Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

Call 845-2612  

Berkeley Community Chorus  

& Orchestra 

8 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church  

1145 Gilman St.  

Arlene Sagan conducts Gounod’s “St. Cecelia Mass,” Handel’s “Chandos Anthem no. 7,” and Mozart’s “Exsultate Jubilate.” Free  

Call 528-2145 or www.bcco.org 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 & 7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15 Call 843-4689 

Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

Dana St. (between Channing & Durant) 

The fair features hand-crafted gifts from women’s cooperatives in Central America, Haiti, and Nepal. Most are one-of-a-kind and many are under $10.  

Call 540-5296, box three 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Bay Area Steppers Drill Team 

2 - 4 p.m. 

1216 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Artists at Play Holiday Sale 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Artists at Play Studio  

1649 Hopkins St. (at Carlotta)  

Work by the artists including original servings dishes, frames, jewelry, and other items. 

Call 528-0494  

Class Dismissed  

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.)  

Kensington 

Meredith Maran discusses her book “A Year In the Life of an American High School, A Glimpse into the Heart of a Nation,” the result of her following the lives of three Berkeley High students. Free 

Call 559-9184  

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Loneliness as a Spiritual Crisis 

7:30 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Cedar St.  

Hear about the spiritual path of Light and Sound. Also includes the ancient teachings of the saints.  

Call Unitarian Hall, 841-4824 or visit www.masterpath.org 

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

Interviews, musical performances and a live radio play broadcast to a hundred cities worldwide. This show features the Magniolia Sisters, Alex DiGrassi, Tata Monk and author Malachy McCourt.  

Call 415-664-9500  

Trunk Show with Art Quintanna 

10 a.m. -6 p.m.  

Gathering Tribes Gallery 

1573 Solano Ave. 

Hailing from New Mexico, Quintanna specializes in older “dead pawn” Indian jewelry.  

Sunday, Dec. 10

Parenting Book Club 

11 a.m.  

Cody’s Books 

1730 Fourth St.  

Take part in a discussion of “Mothers Who Think” edited by Camille Peri. New group members always welcome. The group meets the second Sunday of each month.  

Call 559-9500 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Poems on the Jewish Experience 

3 - 5 p.m. 

St. Clement’s Episcopal Church 

2837 Claremont Blvd.  

Selected from over 200 poems submitted, the winners of the fourteenth annual Anna Davidson Rosenberg Award will read their poems.  

Journey of the Soul 

7 - 9 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

2727 College Ave.  

A public satsang and Babaji Kriya Yoga meditation with Himalayan yogi Yogiraj Sat-Gurunath.  

Call Sylvia Stanley, 845-9434  

UNtraining White Liberal Racism 

2 - 4:30 p.m. 

555 Tenth St. (at Clay) 

Oakland 

Robert Horton, a white male, founded the UNtraining as a way for white people to work together on the unconscious power of white skin privilege and how it perpetuates racism. 

$10 

235-6134 

Irish Harp & Guitar 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1603 Solano Ave.  

Trish NiGabhain is one of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

LesBiGayTrans Parenting 

11 a.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

These two groups meet on the second Sunday of each month. The group meeting at 11 a.m. is for prospective parents, the one at noon for parents.  

Call 559-9184 

Ancient Buddhist Tales 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Rima Tamar, storyteller and Dharma Publishing sales director, tells some classic Buddhist stories. Free  

843-6812 

TOCAR with David Frazier 

4:30 p.m. 

Jazzschool/La Note  

2377 Shattuck Ave.  

$6 - $12  

Reservations: 845-5373 

Tibetan Nyingma Open House 

3 -5 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

A free introduction to Tibetan Buddhist culture, including a Tibetan yoga demonstration and a meditation garden tour.  

Call 843-6812  

Baroque Choral Guild  

7:30 p.m. 

First Congregational Church 

2345 Channing Way 

Performing the music of Giovanni Gabrieli, Claudio Merulo, Giovanni Croce, and others.  

$20 general, $15 seniors and students  

Call 408-733-8110 

“From Swastikas to Jim Crow”  

10:30 a.m.  

Jewish Learning Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Donald and Lore Rasmussen of Berkeley, and Jim McWilliams of Oakland, discuss their experiences and the experiences of others who fled Nazi Germany and ended up teaching in African-American colleges in the segregated south. Admission includes brunch.  

$4 BRJCC members; $5 general  

Call 848-0237 x127 

Weird Rooms 

3 - 5 p.m.  

Berkeley History Center 

1931 Center St.  

Mal and Sandra Sharpe discuss people who collect unusual things and how their collections take over their rooms.  

Black Images in the White Mind 

6:30 p.m. 

Walden Pond Books  

3316 Grand Ave.  

Oakland  

Jan Faulkner will give a slide show presentation of about her book, “Ethnic Notions.”  

Call 832-4438 

Retire Campaign Debt  

7 - 9 p.m. 

Takara Sake  

708 Addison St.  

Berkeley City Council member Margaret Breland’s fundraiser with food, sake tasting, beverages and live music.  

$25 donation requested 

Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra 

4 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church  

1145 Gilman St.  

Arlene Sagan conducts Gounod’s “St. Cecelia Mass,” Handel’s “Chandos Anthem no. 7,” and Mozart’s “Exsultate Jubilate.” Free  

Call 528-2145 or www.bcco.org 

Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

Dana St. (between Channing & Durant) 

The fair features hand-crafted gifts from women’s cooperatives in Central America, Haiti, and Nepal. Most are one-of-a-kind and many are under $10.  

Call 540-5296, box three 

Monday, Dec. 11

Ask the Doctor 

10 a.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Dr. McGillis will discuss prevention and treatment of colds and influenza. 

Call 644-6107 

AHAP Talent Show & Raffle 

2 - 4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Center St.  

The Affordable Housing Advocacy Project organizes the talent show and raffle to help raise funds to further develop tenant leadership through participation in conferences and networking with other tenants in regional, state and national organizations.  

Call 1-800-773-2110 

Wednesday, Dec. 13

Oakland Preschool Fair 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Piedmont Avenue Elementary School 

4314 Piedmont Ave.  

Oakland 

Sponsored by the Neighborhood Parents Network, this panel discussion allows parents the opportunity to speak with representatives from local preschools. 

Free to NPN members, $5 general 

Call 527-6667 

Ballroom Dancing for Seniors 

9 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Energy Commission 

5:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Waterfront Commission Meeting 

7 p.m. 

H’s Lordship Restaurant  

199 Seawall Dr.  

Planning Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Commission on Disability  

6:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Board of Library Trustees  

7 p.m. 

West Branch  

1125 University Ave.  

Homeless Commission  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Models for the Millenium  

7 p.m. 

Ecology Center  

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

An evening of discussion with Becky Tarbotton, the Ladakh Programs Co-ordinator for the International Society of Ecology and Culture. She will speak about the connection between the destruction of Ladakhi culture and issues faced by our own communities in the West.  

Suggested donation $5  

Call 548-2220 x233 

Police Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St.  

Thursday, Dec. 14

Ultimate Alpine Climbing  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Join veteran alpine climber Kitty Calhoun in a slide presentation of her 20-year climbing career.  

Call Jason, 527-7377 

Meeting Life Changes  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With John Hammerman.  

Call 644-6107 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Solano Ave. Association 

Holiday Mixer & Meeting 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

Cafe Del Sol 

1742 Solano Ave.  

With light refreshments and a silent auction, the Solano Ave. Association invites you to “meet your business neighbors.”  

Call 527-5358  

Community Health Commission 

6:45 p.m. 

2640 MLK Jr. Way  

Auditorium 

Call 665-6845 for exact location 

Zoning Adjustments Board  

7 p.m. 

Council Chamber 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Second Floor 

Friday, Dec. 15

BHS Orchestra and Concert Band 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater  

Allston Way 

St. Paul AME X-Mas Party 

5:30 - 8 p.m. 

2024 Ashby Ave.  

For St. Paul’s annual party they ask that you bring a new toy or book for a needy child. Free 

Call 665-2164 

“The Nutcracker” 

7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Cal Jazz Choir & Oddly Enough, A Barbershop Quartet 

Dance for the Forests 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1317 San Pablo Ave.  

Join the Alice Di Michele Band, Rachel Garlin, and acapella group Making Waves at this benefit concert for the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters.  

Admission is sliding scale 

835-6303 

Holiday Musical Quartet 

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., music  

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

With music arranged by Melinda McCallister, the quartet will perform popular year-end songs from around the world.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Lesbians and Gays Get Together 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 

Debate continues on Netanyahu protests and free speech rights 

ADL not concerned with everybody’s rights 

Editor: 

In its letter to the Daily Planet and the City of Berkeley, the Anti-Defamation League, describing itself as a “civil rights organization dedicated to countering division and hatred and protecting all people’s rights to fair representation and expression,” expresses concern about the handling of Netanyahu’s recent aborted speech and asserts that “the city has an obligation to do whatever it can to provide a safe environment in which people can express their opinions freely.” 

In fact, the ADL is much more concerned about some people’s rights than others.’ In its written statement on the ongoing Palestinian crisis (see www.adl.org), the ADL one-sidedly blames the Palestinians and Palestinian leadership while whitewashing the violence perpetrated by Israeli forces.  

Thus, the actions of the Palestinians, who for decades have suffered under a brutal Israeli occupation, is unequivocally portayed as insidious and morally wrong, while Israeli violence is at worst “unfortunate” or “tragic”, and of course thoroughly “restrained”.  

Not surprisingly, the ADL extends its views to Netanyahu, who is in no small part responsible for the situation in Palestine, and feels that not enough was done to protect this great leader’s right to make money and promote his political career in the city of Berkeley.  

In fact, the high school campus where Netanyahu was to speak was cleared of all students, denying them their rights (which matter little to the ADL, as they are not great Zionist leaders), and many armed police troops and a bomb squad were specially deployed on Netanyahu’s behalf.  

But perhaps the Berkeley police should have done more, like firing volleys of tear gas at the protesters or shooting a few of them in the eye with a rubber-coated bullet, or perhaps launching missile strike at their homes (all in a most restrained manner, of course) - after all, that’s how it’s done in Israel.  

And if some of the protesters died or were severely injured, that no doubt would have been “unfortunate,” but at least then Netanyahu’s rights would have been safeguarded, and others who oppose the ADL’s and Netanyahu’s political agenda would not be encouraged to stand up for what they believe.  

Herman Kahn 

Berkeley 

The ACLU gets  

speech rights right 

Editor:  

I joined the American Civil Liberties Union in Los Angeles in the 1950s, inspired by the work of the late A. L. Wirin, its general counsel.  

He was the Southern California counterpart of the late Ernest Besig, the inspirational ACLU spokesperson here in the North. 

The Netanyahu free speech controversy reminds me of a comparable situation in the 1930s in Southern California in which A. L. Wirin had intervened. 

The notorious fascistic demagogue the Rev. Gerald L. K. Smith was refused the right to use Glendale High School for a speech. Wirin took the issue to court on behalf of the ACLU arguing Smith’s Constitutional rights of free speech. He won. On the night of Smith’s meeting, there was an angry picket line in front of the school protesting his reprehensible views. A prominent demonstrator in that picket line was one A.L. Wirin. 

Harry Siitonen 

Berkeley 

Need to hear all sides, even offensive speech 

Editor: 

As former members and supporters of the Berkeley Free Speech Movement, all currently active in efforts to preserve the FSM's legacy, we wish to affirm that the right of free speech exists even when (perhaps especially when) the speaker and/or the content of his or her speech is unpopular or even offensive, as the views and actions of Benjamin Netanyahu are to many of us. 

While peaceful and even vigorous protests are more than warranted, we are very disturbed by attempts of participants and apologists for the 28 November incident at the Berkeley Community Theater to justify preventing the speaker from addressing his audience by associating this position with the FSM. 

We are equally offended by the statements from some critics of those actions that imply such a connection, thereby discrediting the FSM. 

Although the FSM began as an attempt to protect the free-speech rights of students engaged in the civil rights movement, it never limited its defense of free speech to those with whom we agree or to advocates of causes we like, a position that would have been hypocritical to say the least. Free speech, as Mario Savio has said, is not just "a tactic for political ends"; it is a good in and of itself, a touchstone of humanity. 

Let there be no mistake--we consider any infringements of the free speech of controversial speakers and, equally important, the rights of their would-be listeners, to be a serious violation of the principles for which thousands of students struggled in 1964. Berkeley is, should be, and will remain a bastion of free speech and free assembly. 

Reginald Zelnik, Lynne Hollander Savio, Bettina Aptheker, Mal Burnstein, Kate Coleman, Tom Savio, Lee Felsenstein, David L. Goines  

Fox Cottage may be near end 

Editor: 

If you haven’t already heard, the University of California appears to be moving swiftly to dismantle the City of Berkeley landmark at 2612 Channing Way.  

Two weeks to the day after the UC Regents approved the Underhill Area Plan FEIR – I noticed yellow “caution” tape stretched around the Fox Cottage and a redwood or two.  

The building’s front window has been boarded up, or maybe removed. A white van with the UCB “fiat lux” logo was out in front around 10:15 this morning, between orange cones. 

My guess is that the bricks and materials which comprise the cottage will be stored offsite for a while, and then, when someone decides that Fox is really too expensive to reconstruct after all, they’ll quietly find their way into the Altamont landfill or Omega Salvage.  

Here’s additional evidence that these are the final hours for Fox Cottage as we know it: 

(1) As of 1 p.m. December 4, a big green “HARD HAT AREA” sign (white letters) has been posted on the boarded-up window, 

(2) A large grey dumpster has appeared on the NE portion of the Fox lot, near the redwoods 

(3) The side door on the east side is open with some construction debris in the doorway. 

If you need more information about the significance of this structure and its relationship to what remains of the pre-1950’s Southside neighborhood, I recommend that you contact Anthony Bruce or Lesley Emmington at the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association, 841-2242. These other people know more than I do about Fox Cottage and the history of the Southside.  

Jim Sharp 

Berkeley 

Need to know status of the Chernobyl nuclear plant  

Editor: 

I am writing to inform you of the upcoming closure of Unit 3 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine. Unit 4 at this power station was the plant that was destroyed in the 1986 accident at Chernobyl. 

Some concerns has been brought up by Greenpeace regarding the safety of the reactors that would replace Chernobyl's generation capacity. The Greenpeace press release is here: http://www.greenpeace.org/pressreleases/nucreact/2000nov30.html and the leaked report is here: www.greenpeace.org/~nuclear/waste/k2r4risk.pdf 

I urge you to carefully review the section beginning with "Health Effects of the Chernobyl Accident: A Current Assessment." Many news organizations have incorrectly reported the health impacts of the Chernobyl accident. 

Please contact me if you have any additional questions.  

Lance Kim 

President 

American Nuclear Society 

Berkeley Student Section 

lancekim@nuc.berkeley.edu 

Following up a tough win against the towering frontcourt of Skyline last week, the Berkeley High boys’ basketball team was looking to avoid a letdown against a much smaller Balboa (San Francisco) squad. No problem. 

Going over, around and through the hapless Balboa players, the Yellowjackets (2-0) dominated the entire game, ending up with an easy 84-42 win. Four Berkeley players scored in double figures, led by forward Louis Riordan’s 16. Guard Allyn Washington chipped in 14 despite sitting for much of the second half, while forwards Ramone Reed and Jahi Milton scored 12 and 10 points, respectively.  

Defensive terror Byron St. Jules led Berkeley with five steals, repeating his frenzied harrassment of the opposing point guard he showed against Skyline. Berkeley’s full-court press forced Balboa into a huge number of turnovers, and as a result they got off almost twice as many shots as the Bears. 

“We want to make teams work all the way up the court, and to expend their energy getting the ball across the half line,” said Berkeley head coach Mike Gragnani. “We just wore them down.” 

That made up for a bad shooting day, as the ’Jackets made just 27 of their 70 shots. Balboa made nearly half of their shots, but that didn’t make up for throwing the ball around the court like a pinball.  

The claustrophobic conditions in the Balboa gym, which has walls within a foot of the court on all sides, seemed to effect the home team more than the visitors. But Gragnani was still unhappy with his team’s sloppy turnovers. 

“We’re an intense team, and sometimes intensity on offense makes you play too fast,” he said. “We need to slow the ball down and get good shots.” 

Gragnani praised Reed for his play against the Bears. Reed, who is being recruited by several major colleges for football, pulled down 11 rebounds to go with his 12 points and two steals. 

“Ramone was a real leader on the floor today,” Gragnani said. 

Contact Jared Green at jared@berkeleydailyplanet.net.

The driver of a truck narrowly escaped serious injury Tuesday evening when his truck was struck by a train after he became impatient and drove around a guard arm in an attempt to reach a construction yard 50 yards away, Union Pacific police said. 

A witness, a woman who was waiting in the car behind the O.C. Jones and Sons construction truck in the east bound lane, told Berkeley police that the driver suddenly pulled out and drove around the barrier and the vehicle was immediately struck.  

Police said the front of the truck was smashed and the truck was thrown approximately 50 feet spewing hammers, shovels and jackhammers along the tracks. 

The driver, Pedro Martinez, a long time employee of O.C. Jones and Sons General Engineering and Construction, Inc., at 1520 Fourth St., appeared to be from bleeding from the hand, but was able to walk, police said. 

“He was walking and could talk but he seemed to be dazed,” a traffic officer said. 

Martinez was rushed to Alameda County Medical Center where hospital officials said he was in stable condition and would likely be kept overnight for observation. 

Union Pacific police officer Bob Oliver said the Amtrak train bound for Oakland from Chicago was held up for an hour while authorities conducted an investigation of the accident scene. 

Cedar Street between Second and Fifth streets were blocked off to traffic for an hour as well. 

Shaking off a cold-shooting first half, the Cal Bears came on strong to beat Cleveland State on Tuesday night at Haas Pavilion. 

Led by senior forward Sean Lampley’s season-high 22 points, the Bears broke away late in the game for a 62-54 victory over the visiting Vikings. Junior center Solomon Hughes pitched in 10 points in the winning effort.  

Guard Jamaal Harris paced Cleveland State (3-4) with 19 points, with 15 coming in the first half, and Theo Dixon added 16 points.  

The win broke a three-game losing streak for Cal (2-3). Coming out of halftime tied at 27, the two teams traded scoring runs. Cleveland State scored the first seven points and then went up by eight at 37-29 five minutes into the period. Behind six points by Hughes and four more from Lampley, the Bears went on a 10-0 run to grab the lead for good at 39-37 with 10:45 left.  

“I thought the big key for us in the second half was picking up the pressure and doing a better job against Jamaal Harris,” Cal head coach Ben Braun said. “Cleveland State did a great job extending our defense.”  

Cal, which missed its first 12 three-point attempts, finally connected from behind the arc when Joe Shipp nailed a trey for a 45-38 advantage with 8:35 remaining. The Bears later extended their lead to 10 at 52-42 on a pair of Lampley free throws.  

Cleveland State responded by scoring five straight points to cut its deficit in half. Cal, though, made 10 free throws in the final 2:08 to put the game away. 

“I thought that we played a very good game and I thought that they (Cal) played a terrific second half,” said Cleveland State head coach Rollie Massimino. 

A combined 66 fouls were called in the contest, 34 on the Vikings.  

The Bears host Colorado at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. 

Contact Jared Green at jared@berkeleydailyplanet.net.

Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence Summers called on policymakers Wednesday to continue expanding the technologically-dependent domestic economy and to foster relationships between international trading partners. 

“Undoubtedly, the largest and more important impediment to growing the scale and size of markets is the very imperfect integration of the global economy,” said Summers in a speech at UC Berkeley’s Haas Business School. 

Summers’ appearance at the university comes at a time when his future with the Treasury Department is unclear, since the federal election quagmire remains unresolved. 

Many Washington-watchers believe if Gov. George W. Bush emerges as the victor in the presidential contest, Summers, a Clinton appointee, will be ushered out. 

Summers has also been tight-lipped about the status of his job if Vice President Al Gore were to win the presidency. But a recent lunch between Summers and Gore has been fueling speculation that he would be included in a Gore administration. 

Summers told the standing-room only crowd that the country needs to take advantage of the stable economy before the economy slows down. He said, for example, investing money into construction of new school buildings is an important piece of business that needs to be addressed. 

“There are plenty of philosophical differences and issues that are the right subject to partisanship.  

“But I don’t know what philosophy there is that says that when you’re the richest country that’s ever been that you can’t afford to do something about that problem,” he said. 

Summers also said that there is an “overwhelming importance” in committing more funds to research in the advancement of technology. 

“If one thinks about the potential ahead of information technology and in medical technology, it is hard to believe that we as the richest country and the world shouldn’t be making every plausible investment in basic research.” 

Summers also urged academics and the business community to educate the public about the benefits of global trade, which he said are largely invisible. 

“How many times have you ever heard anyone say, ‘Thank God for international trade. I can buy more toys for my kid at the holiday season.’ There’s an enormous task of education if we are going to make this case that international trade works,” he said. 

Before his remarks, Summers relaxed in a chair, from which he smiled and acknowledged members of the audience. The congenial atmosphere in the Arthur Anderson Auditorium was a marked departure from the hostile audience Summers faced earlier this week in Ohio. 

Students at Oberlin College heckled and jeered the nation’s top economist, a former chief economist for the World Bank, during his 90-minute speech on Monday, as he laid out his views on how to aid developing countries. 

Despite neighborhood opposition and legal complications, a neighborhood group brought an armload of petitions to the City Council Tuesday to underscore its request that the city continue working for the new hills fire station. 

It has been eight years since funding for a new hills station was approved by the voters – Measure G called for a new hills fire station, jointly funded by several jurisdictions. The city has just hired an architect to put together preliminary design and engineering plans for the station. 

Encouraged by this development, the Neighbors for Fire Safety neighborhood group submitted a petition to the City Council with 735 signatures of north hills area residents urging the city to continue the process for construction of a fire station at Shasta and Park Gate roads, three blocks from existing Station No. 7 at 2931 Shasta Road. 

“It’s more than a fire station at stake here, it’s a question of our lives, our children’s lives, homes, property, our health and income,” said NFS member Collin Murphy. 

The site of the estimated $5 million station, which will be approximately 7,500 square feet, is being opposed by a loosely organized neighborhood group that says the proposed plan does not satisfy the Measure G requirements and should be moved to another location. 

“We oppose this plan on grounds that it does not offer efficient fire protection,” said Andrea Cukor, who lives across the street from the proposed site. Cukor said the group also opposes the station’s cost, size and its deviation from Measure G. 

The Fire Department conducted a study of at least eight sites and determined the Shasta and Park Gate site to be the best suited for fire response time. “It would be our number one choice and we don’t have a number two choice right now,” said Assistant Fire Chief David Orth. 

Measure G, a bond measure for $55 million was passed in 1992 partly in response to the devastating Oakland/Berkeley hills fire in 1991. It called for replacing deteriorated water mains, retrofitting Berkeley’s seven fire houses and the construction of a new fire station that would be jointly funded, staffed and equipped by multiple jurisdictions.  

According to fire department officials, the city worked with Oakland to meet measure G requirements by developing plans for a jointly-funded and staffed fire station. But four years ago, Oakland decided to build its own fire station on Alvarado Road in the Oakland hills leaving Berkeley at the alter without a partner to satisfy the wording of Measure G. 

Now, Berkeley has signed a contract with Marcy Wong Architects for $35,000 to develop the initial architectural and engineering plans for a station at the Shasta and Park Gate site. 

“At least we’ve jumped the first hurdle,” Murphy said. 

If hiring an architect is the first hurdle there will likely be many more to come. 

The architect is expected to consult neighbors of the proposed site to determine what would be an acceptable design. Once there is some agreement and plans are drawn up, an environmental consultant will be hired to produce an Environmental Impact Report. The EIR will have to consider alternate sites that would cause less of an environmental impact and be better suited for purposes of fire fighting. 

According to Cukor, there is at least one site that fits the bill. “There is a site at Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Centennial Drive which is owned by the East Bay Regional Park District and is not environmentally sensitive,” she said. 

Cukor added that the site at Shasta and Park Gate is used as a salamander study habitat by UC Berkeley. 

Once the Environmental Impact Report is ratified by the City Council, the whole package will go before a superior court judge who will decide if the project meets the requirements of Measure G.  

Councilmember Kriss Worthington said the project no longer meets those guidelines because there is currently no other jurisdiction participating in the new station. If the project is challenged in court, Worthington said it could delay construction of the fire station for at least another year and the judge could possibly throw the whole thing out. 

The seven NFS members who presented the council with the petition were challenged by Worthington who was concerned about the portion of the petition which read “having informed ourselves of the arguments for and against the city’s preferred site for a replacement of Berkeley’s Fire Station 7.” 

Worthington wanted to know specifically what arguments the signatories had been presented with before they signed. “If they were told this is their last chance for a fire station, of course they are going to sign,” he said.  

Worthington was rebuffed by Councilmembers Betty Olds and Polly Armstrong who apologized to the group.  

“I apologize for the public criticism,” Armstrong said. “Petitions are not legal documents and should never held up to legal standards.” 

Councilmember Olds, who is the representative of District 6, where the proposed site is located, said the criticism was a disgrace. “In all the time I’ve been on the council, I’ve never heard a group of citizens attacked who were trying to do their duty,” she said. 

Worthington said on Wednesday that he too is frustrated with the long delay for a new fire station, but said the whole issue could have been settled if the neighbors had put the current plan on the ballot last November. 

“If this is such a great idea why would they trust a judge to decide the matter instead of the voters? I trust the voters,” he said. 

Murphy said a new bond measure would have required a two-thirds vote for approval and the group didn’t want to risk it. “I think it would be a big mistake to lose the bonds that already passed,” she said. 

OAKLAND — Three of the four police officers charged in “The Riders” scandal pleaded innocent Wednesday to assault, kidnapping, filing false reports and other charges in one of the city’s biggest crackdowns on police misconduct. 

Jude Siapno, 32, Clarence “Chuck” Mabanag, 35, and Matthew Hornung, 29, each pleaded innocent to all charges against them in Alameda County Superior Court. 

The crimes, which allegedly took place between June 13 and July 3, were brought to light after a rookie officer who had been on duty about three weeks came forward to his superiors in early July. 

Dressed in suits and ties, the officers smiled and appeared relaxed in the courtroom before the proceedings. Hornung sat with his parents. The officers spoke only in response to questions from the Judge Marshall Whitley. 

Several uniformed police officers also attended in support of their accused colleagues. 

A fourth accused officer, Frank Vazquez, 43, did not appear. Authorities believe he may have fled to Mexico, where he has relatives. 

After the hearing, Mabanag’s lawyer, Michael Rains, described his client as an officer who never missed a day of work during his 10 years on the force, had an exemplary record and could not suddenly have become a bad cop. 

“What we see is a case that’s going to largely hang on a rookie police officer ... with very little life experience,” Rains said outside the courtroom. “He simply didn’t see what he said he saw. He was not equipped to deal with the rigors of life in Oakland on the morning shift.” 

Rains said the rookie, Keith Batt, who quickly resigned after accusing the officers, was having a tough time during his initial weeks on the force and resented Mabanag, his trainer, for being tough on him. 

Rains also said police officers are held to a higher standard than civilians. 

“We say officers shouldn’t be entitled to bigger rights ... but I see that they can be prosecuted when others can’t,” the lawyer said 

Their next court appearance was scheduled for Dec. 20. 

SAN FRANCISCO — A public interest group sued Kaiser Permanente on Wednesday, accusing the state’s largest HMO of jeopardizing patients’ health by prescribing them double dose-sized pills they must cut in half. 

“Kaiser’s mandatory pill splitting policy is an outrageous example of an HMO endangering its own patients to increase its own profits,” said Arthur Bryant, an attorney for Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, representing six patients and a doctor involved in the suit. 

The health care giant said its 8 million patients nationally were not endangered by the 7-year-old pill-splitting practice. Of the 1,000 medications it dispenses in pill form, only seven qualify for splitting, said Kaiser spokeswoman Beverly Hayon. 

Those seven medications are for conditions such as high blood pressure and depression, and include some antibiotics, she said. 

“We encourage patients to split those kinds of pills. It is voluntary but at the discretion of the physician,” she said, adding that Kaiser provides patients a pill splitter. Pill splitting, she said, is to counter the skyrocketing price of prescription drugs. Drug companies often charge the same for varied doses of medication. 

The suit said patients were forced to split pills, while Kaiser said the program was voluntary. 

Charles Phillips, a physician who worked at a Kaiser emergency room in Fresno, said that many patients suffering from severe hypertension, heart attacks and strokes received uneven dosages of their blood pressure medication because Kaiser told them to split pills. 

“As a doctor, I have a duty to prevent harm to my patients,” said Phillips, a plaintiff in the suit. 

The American Medical Association, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists and the American Pharmaceutical Association oppose mandatory pill-splitting. Research shows that dosages may vary greatly, resulting in overdosing and underdosing. 

The suit, filed in Alamada County Superior Court, requests a court order demanding Kaiser cease the pill-splitting practice. The suit covers Kaiser’s 6 million California patients, but not the 2 million others nationally. 

The case is Timmis vs. Kaiser, 833971-7. 

LOS ANGELES — People pay to get their pools cleaned, their lawns raked and their trees trimmed. So should it come as any surprise that more and more of them are paying to get their holiday lights put up? 

Professionals in the holiday-light-stringing business in Southern California report record numbers of requests this year – electricity shortage or no. 

“When I first started, I was doing two or three homes,” said Jeff Clericuzio, who operates ’Tis the Season Holiday Lighting in Canyon Country in northern Los Angeles County. “Then it jumped to 60. Now I’m up to 300 ... I have too much to handle just by word of mouth.” 

Elwood and Linda Johnson are among those who want their home to twinkle and glow for Christmas – but would rather have someone else do the hard part. 

Elwood Johnson, 63, said he put up his own lights for decades. But when he moved from Milpitas in the San Francisco Bay Area to Stevenson Ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley last year, he noticed that the majority of his neighbors were paying more in dollars than in effort for their light displays. 

Last year, he persuaded the folks with the cherry pickers to squeeze him into their schedule, paying about $125 in his initial outlay. This year, he doubled the number of lights, as well as the cost, to about $250. 

The cost of professional holiday installations depends on the elaborateness of the display and varies with services provided, such as taking down the lights and storing them.  

Companies can generally provide a range of lights, while some permit owners to use their own, provided they meet electrical safety codes. 

Ric Robertson of RMR Holiday Lighting in Beverly Hills said clients spend an average of $800 to $2,000. Some, including a few celebrities, pay as much as $20,000, he said. 

Wayne Walker of Trius Construction of Northridge and Palmdale said displays average about $1,500 per home. Costs range from $75 to $3,000 per tree, “depending on whether the client wants it lit up like the burning bush of Moses.” 

Nationwide, the market for home holiday decorating is leaping by 30 percent to 35 percent per year, said Jim Ketchup, who converted Christmas Decor – his home holiday lighting business in Lubbock, Texas – into a national franchiser five years ago. He estimates 300 franchisees will decorate more than 35,000 homes this year, up from about 27,000 last year. 

FOUNTAIN VALLEY — Power shortfalls and price spikes are leading some California companies to consider solar power, not just as a cleaner substitute for conventional energy but also as a reliable source of electricity in a volatile market. 

Two solar projects went on line Wednesday at Southern California office buildings, including a one-acre, 230-kilowatt array in Fountain Valley. It is believed to be the largest private commercial photovoltaic system in the Western Hemisphere. 

The energy companies involved in that project and another in Carlsbad said interest in onsite energy sources is rising about as fast as electricity prices and power alerts. 

“There’s been an enormous increase. We’re basically sold out through the first quarter (of 2001),” said Daniel Shugar, executive vice president of PowerLight Corp. 

The Berkeley-based company has sold nine 100- to 200-kilowatt photovoltaic systems in the last two months. 

“People want their systems online by summer,” he said. 

The managers of California’s power grid declared about 15 Stage Two emergencies last summer when reserves fell below 5 percent, triggering voluntary outages. The state has never called a Stage Three emergency, which would be triggered when reserves fall below 1.5 percent and force rolling blackouts. 

Winter is shaping up to be just as rough on the grid. 

The California Independent System Operator declared its third Stage Two emergency in as many days Wednesday. Also Wednesday, inspectors examined all the state’s power plants to verify an unusually high number of forced outages. 

The solar energy produced at the Fountain Valley office complex won’t solve the state’s power problems. 

In fact, it will provide only about half the electricity needs of the 110,000 square-foot building, or enough to run about 40 homes. 

It will, however, provide an important hedge against power outages, said Robert Accomando, a vice president for property owner Arden Realty. 

“If we can’t provide electricity to our tenants, we’re out of business,” he said. 

The photovoltaic systems for the Fountain Valley and Carlsbad offices cost a total of about $2 million. They are owned by RealEnergy of Los Angeles, which will sell Arden the electricity for whatever rate the utility company is charging at the time, RealEnergy Chairman Daniel Cashdan said. 

Solar energy costs about 15 cents per kilowatt hour to produce, while traditional electricity can run as low as 3 cents, RealEnergy President Paul Slye said. Electricity costs during periods of peak use, however, can rise to 27 cents or more per kilowatt hour, he said. 

Subsidies are helping pay for the Fountain Valley and Carlsbad projects, including more than $880,000 from the state. 

The state has provided more than $10 million in incentives to buy solar systems and other alternative fuel sources during the last four years, California Energy Commission economist Sanford Miller said. 

A recent extension of the incentive program means it could provide nearly $200 million by 2012. 

Cashdan said RealEnergy is working on other commercial projects that likely will be bigger than the Fountain Valley system. 

“I think this marks the beginning of a new era of innovation in energy,” said Ananth Ananthasubramaniam, director of new technology investments for the utility DTE Energy, a company involved in the solar projects. “It’s just like PCs, just like cell phones — I think this will transform the business.” 

——— 

On the Net 

www.realenergy.com 

www.energy.ca.gov/greengrid 

www.caiso.com 

MARIPOSA — In the shadow of the mountains where he lived, worked and killed, motel handyman Cary Stayner pleaded innocent Wednesday to slaying three Yosemite National Park tourists. 

The brief appearance in Mariposa Superior Court is the closest Stayner has been to the crime scenes since he led investigators to evidence following his arrest for beheading a Yosemite naturalist – a crime for which he is serving life in prison. 

The arraignment was also the first time the husband and father of two victims set eyes on the accused killer. 

“I was repulsed. I know what he did,” a weary looking Jens Sund said outside the historic courthouse in the tiny Sierra foothills town. 

Returning to the area from his home in Eureka reopened wounds that had begun to heal since the bodies of his wife, Carole Sund, daughter, Juli, and their friend, Silvina Pelosso of Argentina, were found in March 1999, a month after they disappeared. 

“This reminds me of everything,” Sund said, standing beneath towering evergreens outside the white clapboard Greek revival building that looks more like New England church than a courthouse. 

Sund and Stayner, though merely yards apart, never made eye contact as the manacled defendant shuffled into court soon after the bell in the courthouse clock tower tolled 9 a.m. 

Stayner grinned at his father and took a seat in front of the potbelly wood stove that is the centerpiece in the 146-year-old courtroom. 

As Judge Thomas C. Hastings read the charges – three counts of murder and five special circumstances that could bring the death penalty – Stayner nodded and shook his head and then declared his innocence. 

As he left the courtroom, Stayner glanced in the direction of the Sund family sitting beneath a painting of Half Dome, one of Yosemite’s famous granite features. Of the bandits, cattle rustlers and killers who have paraded through the courthouse since it was built in pioneer days, Stayner may be the most notorious. His story has been told around the world because the killings shattered the calm in one of America’s most dramatic landscapes. 

A manhunt ensued in the rugged Sierra Nevada and rolling foothills after the three women disappeared during a trip to Yosemite. Stayner, 39, an avid outdoorsman, allegedly confessed to the February 1999 slayings while the FBI was questioning him in the July 1999 beheading of park naturalist Joie Armstrong. 

The three women were staying at the Cedar Lodge, a rustic motel just outside the park’s western gate where Stayner worked. 

Law enforcement sources told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that Stayner told investigators he entered their motel room, saying he had to fix a leak in the bathroom. Once inside, he said he pulled a pistol and told the women to lie face down on their beds, then bound their hands with duct tape and gagged them. 

He said he strangled Carole Sund, 42, and Pelosso, 16, in the motel room, and also sexually assaulted the girls. He then drove Juli, 15, and the two bodies to a remote reservoir, where he slashed Juli’s throat, he said. 

More than a month later, the remains of Carole Sund and Pelosso were found in their burned-out rental car, abandoned along a logging road. Juli Sund’s body was found a week later near the reservoir with the help of a map Stayner admitted sending anonymously to the FBI. 

Armstrong, a 26-year-old nature guide, was found beheaded near her cabin in the park. Stayner was caught three days later and allegedly admitted killing all four women. 

During his sentencing in federal court last Thursday for killing Armstrong, Stayner sobbed and said he couldn’t explain his actions. 

“I gave in to the terrible dark dreams that I tried to subdue,” he said. “The craziness that lurked in my mind for as long as I can remember became a reality in this terrible crime.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

Mariposa County sheriff Web site: http://www.sierratel.com/sheriff/ 

ANGELES — The Los Angeles Police Commission called on the Boy Scouts of America on Tuesday to drop its ban on gays, indicating it may fold the Police Department’s Explorer Scout program if it doesn’t. 

The organization was asked to take up the issue at its national governing board meeting in February. If the commission isn’t satisfied with the outcome, commissioners said they would consider replacing the Explorer Scout program with something else. 

“It is regrettable that the Boy Scouts of America, which had been such a significant, positive force in our society, has chosen recently to take such discriminatory positions toward gays and lesbians,” Commissioner Dean Hansell, a former Eagle Scout, wrote in his motion calling for the Scouts to reconsider. 

Police Chief Bernard Parks also expressed concern, saying, “We have officers who are openly gay on the department,” who could not serve as Scout leaders. 

But another former Scout, Commissioner Bert Boeckmann, defended the organization, saying “it embraces everything we want in young people.” 

The Explorer program, which serves mainly minority youths between 14 and 21, operates in 18 Los Angeles police stations. 

Scouting officials pointed out that it is administered by a separate organization called Learning for Life, which has no policy against gays. But they also acknowledged that Learning for Life is closely affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America and some of the people who run the organization are also Scouting employees. 

Several school districts and cities around the country have prohibited Scout troops from meeting in their facilities since the Supreme Court upheld the organization’s ban in June. Some police departments, including San Diego’s, have severed their ties with the Explorer program. 

The City Council has asked all the city’s departments to review their affiliations with the Scouts, and the city attorney’s office has said anti-discrimination laws could invalidate any contracts the Scouts have with those departments. 

SACRAMENTO — The state school board approved two very different charter schools on Wednesday – an urban military academy backed by Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown and Gov. Gray Davis, and a basics elementary sought by parents in the high desert of Kern County. 

Both were approved by 6-0 votes, the Oakland military school after a 90-minute hearing featuring rare testimony by Davis and an overflow crowd of backers and opponents, some of whom called the proposal racist. 

The two new schools are the first actually chartered by the state under a 1999 law allowing proponents rejected by local school boards to seek a charter from the state. 

The previous 348 schools were approved by local or county school boards since the original charter school law was passed in 1993. 

Charter schools are public schools that operate largely free of the complex education code and use a variety of methods to try to improve student achievement. 

Former governor Brown got help from his former chief of staff Davis, who told the board his own private military school experience taught him character, discipline and responsibility. 

“I’m not saying military schools are good for everyone,” Davis said. “I’m saying they’re good for some people.” 

The Oakland Military Institute will be a partnership between the mayor’s office and the California National Guard. It will eventually have 972 students in grades seven through 12, but will open this summer with 162 seventh-graders, Brown said. 

Students will wear uniforms, attend a two-week summer camp and have classes on Saturdays. The goal, said Brown, is prepare each graduate to attend the best colleges. 

Brown’s proposal was rejected in June by the Oakland Unified School District and in September by the Alameda County Board of Education. 

Opponents said the school would drain resources from the other troubled public schools in Oakland, which is heavily minority. Others objected to its military nature. 

The school, in addition to the state funding it will receive as a public school, already has $1.3 million from the state that Davis put in this year’s budget plus $2 million in federal funds.  

While potentially drawing from beyond Oakland and Alameda, most of the students would likely come from inside the districts, bringing a net loss in per-pupil state funding. 

Brown says he will seek private funds if necessary to make the school a success, noting that both he and Davis are formidable political fund raisers. 

“We’ve got powerful people here who are committed and we’re going to make it happen,” he said. 

Opponent Wilson Riles Jr., a former Oakland City Council member and son of the late former state schools superintendent, said the charter school would not help solve the real problems in the other schools. 

“We don’t need another disaster in Oakland,” he said. 

The Rev. T.C. Wilson Jr. said the school was not sponsored by “the community,” although Brown has support from several other black pastors. 

“This is a new form of racism that’s coming through,” Wilson said. 

“Why not try to get money to make all of our schools better?” asked parent and grandparent Gwen Hardy. “We do not want a military school. What we want is moneys to go into our schools and improve the schools we already have.” 

Brown said his charter school would help improve other schools. 

“With just a bit of competition, just a little bit, maybe 10 percent of the students moving into excellent charter schools, I believe the effect on the entire school system will be a renewed call to excellence,” he said. 

By contrast, approval of the Ridgecrest Charter School in the northeast corner of Kern County took only minutes. 

Its backers, a group of Ridgecrest parents unhappy with the public schools in their Sierra Sands Unified School District, had their public hearing in September and were told to make some changes in their proposal. 

They have been working on their school for nearly two years. Three of them have since been elected to the Sierra Sands board, but do not have the majority needed to get their school approved locally. 

They whooped with joy as they left the board meeting room. Now they must find a building to open their kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school emphasizing reading and math basics by next September. 

“I’m elated, ecstatic,” said grinning parent Terri VarnHagen. 

——— 

CHARTER SCHOOL SPECIFICS 

• WHAT ARE CHARTER SCHOOLS: Public schools created by parents, teachers or community members that operate free of much of the state Education Code. The 348 in existence were approved by local or county school boards. A 1999 law allows backers who are turned down by local boards to ask the state Board of Education to grant the charter. 

• OAKLAND MILITARY INSTITUTE: Charter No. 349, backed by Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown in partnership with the California National Guard. It will have 972 students in grades seven through 12. Students will wear uniforms and attend summer camp and Saturday classes. The goal is to have all students pass the high school exit exam, score at least 1200 on the college-entrance test and qualify for admission to state universities. 

• RIDGECREST CHARTER SCHOOL: Charter No. 350, backed by a group of parents in Ridgecrest in northeastern Kern County. It will be run by School Futures Research Foundation, a San Diego-based nonprofit that operates eight other California charter schools. It will emphasize basics, use phonics to teach reading, teach Spanish in all grades and have longer school days and years than regular schools. It will have 200 to 300 children in kindergarten through eighth grade, expanding to high school in future years. 

• CONDITIONS: The board required both charter schools before opening to provide proof of liability insurance, contract with a school agency for needed special education services and contract with an outside agency to monitor the school’s progress. The charters are for three years, starting with opening day. 

On the Net: Read about charter schools at 

http://www.cde.ca.gov/charter 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Al Gore hung his presidential hopes on legal proceedings moving at head-spinning speed a day ahead of arguments before the Florida Supreme Court, counting on a court shocker to upset George W. Bush’s certified Florida victory. 

Lawyers sprinted between courtrooms Wednesday to battle over absentee ballots while Bush and Gore submitted papers to persuade the state Supreme Court to rule their way in a fight over recounts. 

Late in the day, Republican legislative leaders called for a special session on Friday to choose a slate of electors to enforce Bush’s election. But the two leaders said they hoped such a step would become moot through a final court resolution of the disputed election. 

Gore’s team set the stakes in its filing with the high court, writing: “In but a few more days, only the judgment of history will be left to fall upon a system where deliberate obstruction has succeeded in achieving delay – and where further delays risk succeeding in handing democracy a defeat.” 

Bush’s team countered that the people had spoken on Election Day and that “at no time in our nation’s history has a presidential race been decided by an election contest in a court of law.” 

The stalemate that has loomed since Nov. 7 seemed to be nearing the end of overtime and heading to a sudden-death score, almost surely in the form of a court ruling. 

One surprise might come from two parallel cases unfolding before separate judges in the same Tallahassee courthouse. Democrats were challenging a total of 25,000 absentee ballots in Seminole and Martin counties, saying Republicans had been unfairly permitted to correct mistakes on ballot applications, in violation of state law. 

Either suit had the potential to switch the lead in Florida’s vote count from Bush to Gore, since Bush won the absentee ballots by a 2-to-1 margin. 

Bush, leading by a few hundred votes ever since the Nov. 7 election and talking more like a president-elect each day, said he had “pretty well made up my mind” on his White House staff. 

Meeting in Austin, Texas, with his presumptive national security adviser, Stanford University administrator Condoleezza Rice, Bush warned the nation’s enemies not to look for advantage amid political uncertainty. 

He said he would do “whatever it takes to send a chilling signal to terrorists that we’ll protect our property and our people.” 

In Washington, congressional leaders held the traditional nail-driving ceremony to kick off construction of the inaugural platform on which someone will be sworn in on Jan. 20.  

The printing of thousands of programs, invitations and tickets remained on hold. 

Virtually everyone was looking toward the courts for a final answer. 

One interim ruling finally went Gore’s way on Wednesday.  

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta said Bush and his supporters failed to prove they were irreparably injured by hand recounts that lowered his lead from 930 votes to 537 out of 6 million cast in Florida. 

At the same time, the judges made clear they were not ruling on the constitutional points raised by the Texas governor. 

In Florida, the legal landscape was less clear. Bush and Gore submitted written legal arguments to the state’s highest court in advance of Thursday morning’s oral arguments. 

“Time is of the essence in this matter,” Gore said in his papers. “If the office at issue was not the presidency, ... delaying ballot counting until after all other issues are resolved would not be such irremediable and egregious error.” 

Gore asked the high court to overturn Leon County Circuit Court Judge N. Sanders Sauls, who refused to order a hand recount of some 14,000 disputed ballots in predominantly Democratic counties. 

Sauls rejected every Gore argument on Monday, saying even recounts would not be likely to give a victory to the vice president. 

Bush’s legal team seized on the judge’s reasoning, saying “Yet another recount on any significant scale would likely prove futile.” 

The Bush team Sauls’ decision “well-reasoned and careful” and argued that the great public interest would be “frustrated, not furthered, by prolonging these legal proceedings” 

At a trial on the Seminole case, a transcript of a deposition with a county elections supervisor was read aloud, showing that never before had she allowed party officials to fill in voter identification numbers on absentee ballot applications. This time, she made the accommodation only for Republicans. 

Sandra Goard, the elections supervisor, admitted allowing two Republican operatives to fill in the missing numbers that were required before ballots could be mailed out. 

Goard also admitted that Florida law did not give her the authority to allow party officials to fill in the numbers. 

Bush won the absentee ballots in Seminole County by some 4,797 votes. In Martin County, he beat Gore by 2,915 absentee votes. The Martin County case remained in the pretrial phase. 

First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams said he thought it would be unlikely that Leon County Circuit Judge Nikki Clark would toss out a sufficient number of votes to give Gore a victory. 

“If Judge Clark were to throw out enough votes to put Gore ahead, there would be a lot of stunned people on the streets as well as in the camps of both candidates,” he said. 

It’s the middle of the day and dozens of shoppers buzz in and out of coffee houses, boutiques and music stores. Many sport designer sweaters and leather jackets with tall, black leather boots. 

Middle-aged women and young mothers with babies in tow look for gifts for friends and family. A homeless man with an overgrown beard knocks on the door of an abandoned church nearby.  

This is Berkeley’s Fourth Street. The holiday season has arrived and consumers are ready. 

“I’m being absolutely frugal this year,” said Helen Fox from the Oakland Hills as she browses through Garden Home. She picks up 99 cent candles and inexpensive napkins, and says she will use them to decorate her home for her annual holiday party. She expects more than 50 guests and will be catering the event. “I get to do the fun part and decorate the house,” she said. 

But the recent presidential election and the stock market dips have made Fox wary this season. 

“We’ve lost a ton of money on the stock market,” she said.  

Nevertheless, Fox is budgeting $3,000 for gifts. She said she refuses to use credit cards for the holidays. 

A nationwide survey conducted by Myvesta.org, a nonprofit debt counseling organization, found that the average credit card debt increased from $1,700 to $2,800, up 60 percent from 1999 to 2000.  

Fear of debt is one reason why 24 percent of consumers plan to spend less this holiday season, reports a recent survey of the Consumer Federation of America and the Credit Union National Association. 

But debt isn’t on Helen Kenyon’s mind as she scrutinizes an embroidered pillow with a fur-trimmed coat over her arm. Kenyon came to the United States from Cheshire, England, to go Christmas shopping. “I find more unique gifts and Christmas decorations in the U.S.,” she said as she displayed a sparkly stuffed snowman ornament. 

Kenyon flew into San Francisco after a Christmas shopping spree in New York. “I enjoy the shopping as much as the giving,” she said. “It’s nicer to come here and shop. It’s more relaxed and casual.” 

Kenyon finished her Christmas list, which she stores on her computer, at the end of October. “I look at what has changed in my life and decide how much I’m going to spend on each person,” she said, adding that she expects to spend about $1,200 for the season, plus airfare and a gift for her boyfriend. 

Caroline Fong entered Sweet Potatoes Inc., a children’s clothing store that sells girl’s dresses for $84, with her newborn daughter, Sarah, strapped to her chest in a baby jumper. She stopped working when her baby was born, and she says that is part of the reason she is looking for bargains this year. Fong came from Castro Valley to go to the Dansk cookware outlet. 

The most commonly cited budget limit for shoppers interviewed on Fourth Street, this year was $3,000. That’s more than twice the national average, as estimated by Myvesta.org . They said the average shopper will spend about $1,200 this holiday season. 

Many shoppers complained about parking on Fourth Street, but this is not a place where shoppers come by public transportation. When asked where the nearest bus stop is located, a woman wearing a red velvet coat, working in a corner boutique responded, “I have no idea. I’ve never ridden a bus in my life.”

PALO ALTO — Hewlett-Packard Co. CEO Carly Fiorina said Wednesday the company made management changes and sharpened its focus after posting disappointing results in its most recent quarter. 

Addressing the company’s semi-annual conference for investment analysts, Fiorina said she and other HP executives will not get bonuses for the second half of this year. Also, some personnel changes, such as the retirement of the company’s comptroller, were being put into place earlier than previously planned, she said. 

HP is still on track to increase revenues by 15 percent to 17 percent this year despite the sales slowdown plaguing the domestic market for personal computers, Fiorina said.  

She said the company is better positioned in other markets and other product lines than competing PC makers who have been reporting hard times in the past week. 

Fourth-quarter earnings at HP fell a dime per share short of Wall Street expectations last month, after Fiorina had spent all year working to transform HP from a relatively slow-moving Silicon Valley institution into a nimble technology and service provider. 

Fiorina said the results had “given the management team additional energy and urgency to accomplish the goals we laid out in this journey.” 

“It is a multiyear process,” she said. “I don’t think anyone at HP believed we could take on substantial and systemic change ... and have it over and done with in 12 months.” 

She also lamented that word of her negotiations to buy the PricewaterhouseCoopers consulting company was leaked, forcing her to negotiate in public before the deal fell through. Fiorina said she has not ruled out some business arrangements with the consulting company or a similar deal with another firm. 

Shares of HP fell $3 to $32 on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, but rose to $32.38 in the after-hours session. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.hp.com 

NEW YORK — Stocks turned abruptly lower Wednesday when an earnings warning from Bank of America incited a wave of selling and wiped out much of Tuesday’s big advance in the Dow industrials. High-tech stocks also fell sharply. 

A mid-afternoon statement from the nation’s second largest banking company intensified selling that began in after-hours trading Tuesday, when Apple Computer issued its own warning of disappointing earnings. 

The warnings killed Tuesday’s euphoric rally, which began after Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan hinted that the Fed is inclined to lower interest rates early next year. 

“It brought us back to earth,” said Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer at First Albany Corp., of the latest batch of bad earnings news. “It’s a reminder that we are not out of the woods yet.” 

But Tuesday’s buying spree “was probably overdone,” said Barry Berman, head trader for Robert W. Baird & Co., reasoning that investors are still grappling with plenty of uncertainty. 

“The presidential election hasn’t been resolved yet ... There is still uncertainty about earnings for next year,” Berman said. 

— The Associated Press 

Bank of America skidded $3.19 to close at $38 after warning of poor earnings and saying that it is budgeting for significantly higher loan and credit losses in 2001. The banking company’s announcement was particularly painful because financial stocks recently had been seen as a relatively safe haven amid the volatility in the high-tech sector. 

Apple slid $2.69 to $14.31. The company said Tuesday it is losing money this quarter and that a sales slump will drive earnings well below analysts’ forecasts. 

In recent months, similar announcements from tech companies have led to huge selloffs on Wall Street. More companies are expected to issue earnings warnings and poor quarterly results even if the Fed reduces interest rates early next year. That means it’s too soon for the market to have a rally with some momentum, analysts said. 

“It’s not going to have a significant impact on the sales and earnings of companies for at least nine months. And, during that period we are going to have to slug our way through one report after another of companies telling us that their earnings are disappointing,” said Johnson of First Albany. 

“At some point, we will see enough light at the end of the tunnel in which outlook for earnings will brighten. But we’re just not there yet. It’s that simple.” 

Other personal computer makers suffered. Compaq dove $4.25 to $20.12 and Gateway fell $1.82 to $17 after Credit Suisse First Boston downgraded both stocks. 

Yahoo! tumbled $6.38, or 14.5 percent, to $37.50 after Internet analyst Henry Blodget of Merrill Lynch reduced his earnings and revenue estimates for the Web portal through June. Blodget cited a decline in Internet advertising. 

Some of the Dow’s tech issues also fell. Chip maker Intel lost $4.25 to finish at $31.75. Microsoft ended down $3.19 at $56.69. 

Among blue chips, retailers were hurt by declining consumer confidence and a lackluster holiday shopping season. Limited fell $1.31 to $17.94, and Best Buy lost $1.81, closing at $28.81. 

Pharmaceuticals also posted losses, even though the sector is considered a safer bet in a bearish market or a slowing economy. Drug maker Johnson & Johnson slipped $3.19 to $96.13. 

Declining issues outnumbered advancers 3 to 2 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume was 1.67 billion shares, down from Tuesday’s 1.71 billion. 

The Russell 2000 index, which tracks the performance of smaller companies, ended down 7.63 at 463.54. 

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average rose 1.3 percent. European markets fell slightly. Germany’s DAX index lost 0.2 percent, Britain’s FT-SE 100 fell 0.4 percent, and France’s CAC-40 slipped 0.2 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com 

Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com 

The Landmarks Preservation Commission was able to get through its entire agenda on Monday night, but it wasn’t pretty. 

A month after the Nov. 6 LPC meeting disintegrated without the commission hearing any of its agenda items, Monday’s meeting was successful despite confusion and frustration caused by a controversial and unresolved opinion by City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque disallowing four commissioners’ participation on certain landmarks applications because they are directors or staff of the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association. 

Albuquerque’s opinion said their participation would create a conflict of interest on any applications on which BAHA has taken positions. 

The four commissioners, Becky O’Malley, Carrie Olson, Lesley Emmington-Jones and Doug Morse, retained an attorney and said they would ignore Albuquerque’s instructions until there is a definitive decision from the City Council or the courts about the validity of the opinion.  

The City Council adopted a resolution Nov. 21, to retain outside counsel for a second opinion. However, Albuquerque and the commissioners’ attorney, Antonio Rossmann, are still squabbling over who will be retained as outside counsel. 

There were eight commissioners present at Monday’s meeting, including three of the four whose participation was brought into question by Albuquerque. Commissioner Morse was absent. The nine-member commission requires a quorum of five to convene and in order to adopt any motions five commissioners have to approve them. 

At the beginning of the meeting, LPC Chair Burton Edwards instructed the three commissioners he would not recognize them during discussions and city staff would not count their votes on three of the items on the evening’s agenda. 

“I’m placed in an unenviable position, but I feel obliged to follow the city attorney’s advice and not risk tonight’s action,” Burton said. 

An insurgency almost occurred when O’Malley made a motion to overrule Burton’s instructions. Emmington-Jones seconded the motion, but when it became clear there were insufficient votes to adopt the motion she withdrew it before a vote was taken.  

The three issues on Monday night’s agenda that BAHA has taken written positions on were Gorman’s Furniture Building on Telegraph Avenue, The Edwards House on Dwight Way and the controversial Beth El proposal for a synagogue and school at 1301 Oxford St. 

Both O’Malley and Emmington-Jones momentarily stepped out of their LPC roles and addressed the commission from the podium during the public comments portion of the meeting on matters related to the Final Environmental Impact Report on the Beth El project. Later in the evening the commission took no action on the Beth El FEIR. 

O’Malley later addressed the commission, again from the floor, on the Gorman Building, which was awarded landmark status by her colleagues during the meeting.  

The atmosphere was awkward when the five eligible commissioners had an animated discussion about the conditions of the Gorman landmarking, while the three ineligible commissioners sat at the table motionless and silent.  

The ban from discussing the project “was irritating and totally unnecessary and pointless,” O’Malley said Tuesday. “There was no reason why we couldn’t participate in that discussion, there was no conflict. Everybody was in agreement.” 

Edwards said he had mixed feelings about Albuquerque’s opinion, but after the Nov. 6 meeting fell apart he decided to strictly follow her advice until the issue is resolved. He said he could not risk exposing the city to litigation. “My responsibility is to the public, my fellow commissioners and the City of Berkeley,” Edwards said.  

John Coreris, of Coreris Cabinets and Construction, said he is concerned Albuquerque’s opinion banning the four commissioners from discussing his project, is going to affect his right to due process on his application to build an eight-unit development next to the Edwards House at 2526 Dwight Way. 

The four commissioners are ineligible to vote on the application because Coreris went to BAHA seeking their approval for the project, which they gave in a written letter, thereby allegedly causing a conflict of interest. 

Coreris said he’s been working with all nine LPC members since July and is concerned he may not have the support of the five remaining eligible commissioners. 

“The compromises we made with the LPC were before nine commissioners. Without their unanimity now, I have to put this project before only five commissioners and only one has to abstain or vote no,” Coreris said. “And you can’t get five people in Berkeley to agree on anything.” 

Wednesday, Dec. 6

Task Force on  

Telecommunications 

7 p.m. 

1900 Addison  

Third Floor Conference Room 

Untraining White Liberal  

Racism 

7 - 9:30 p.m. 

Call for location  

El Cerrito 

Robert Horton, a white male, founded the UNtraining as a way for white people to work together on the unconscious power of white skin privilege and how it perpetuates racism. 

$10 

235-6134 

C.A.T. Meeting 

7 p.m. 

Over 60 Health Center 

3260 Sacramento (at Alcatraz) 

2nd Floor 

If you arrive on time, park in the basement garage off Sacramento St. and take the elevator. If you arrive late, park on the street and go to the main entrance to the center.  

Disaster Council  

7 p.m. 

Public Safety Building 

2100 MLK Jr. Way 

Second floor conference room 

Discussions will include the report on disaster preparedness at Alta Bates and the city council/disaster council joint meeting.  

Citizens Budget Review  

Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

BHS Jazz Lab Band &  

Combos 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater 

Allston Way  

Their first concert of the new school year.  

$8 general, $3 students  

Board of Education 

7:30 p.m. 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Council Chambers 

Fire Safety Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

Fire Department Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

Berkeley Communicators  

Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Thursday, Dec. 7

Berkeley Metaphysic Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysic come together at Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters. Meets first and third Thursdays each month. 

Call 869-2547 or 643-7645 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Women’s Travel Book Club 

6:30 p.m. 

Cody’s Books 

1730 Fourth St.  

Join a discussion of M.F.K. Fisher’s “Two Towns in Provence: Map of Another Town & A Considerable Town.” New members are always welcome. The group meets the first Thursday of each month.  

Call 482-8971 

Make a Wreath 

10 a.m. 

UC Botanical Garden 

200 Centennial Dr.  

Whether you are a beginner or a veteran wreath-maker, join Nancy Swearengen and Jerry Parsons and learn to use some unusual materials.  

$27.50, including materials 

Call 643-2755 

Prepare Meals  

in a Snow Kitchen  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Chuck Collingwood of the Sierra Club will present a slide lecture on how to survive overnight in the snow. Call Jason, 527-7377 

Let Your Chi Flow Freely 

6 - 7 p.m.  

University of Creation Spirituality 

2141 Broadway Ave. 

Oakland 

Share peace and tranquillity communally and regain harmony and balance.  

Call Idris Hassan, 835-4827 x31  

Lunch Poems Reading Series 

12:10 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.  

Morrison Room, Doe Library 

UC Berkeley  

Featuring the first three authors in the UC Press’s California Poetry Series. Featured poets will be Fanny Howe, Mark Levine, and Carol Snow. Free  

Call 642-0137  

Housing Advisory Commission 

7:30 p.m.  

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St.  

Discussions will include staff reports on state rent restrictions for section eight vacancies and on the vacant unit inspection program.  

Public Works Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Berkeley Special Education Parents Group 

7 p.m. 

King Middle School  

Library 

1781 Rose St.  

A discussion of social living skills, graduation requirements, and other issues of special education in the Berkeley Unified School District.  

Community Environmental Advisory Commission 

7 p.m. 

2118 Milvia St.  

Second Floor Conference Room 

Friday, Dec. 8

PC Users Group 

7 p.m. 

Vista College 

Room 303  

2020 Milvia St.  

A groups of PC users who help each other solve problems. They introduce their members to new software, hardware, and invited speakers and technicians from various PC related companies. Meet the second Friday of each month.  

Call Melvin Mann, 527-2177 

“The Nutcracker” 

7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15 843-4689  

A Time to Give  

2 & 8 p.m. 

Alice Arts Center Theater 

1428 Alice St. (at 14th St.) 

Oakland  

A benefit for the Applied Ballet Arts Foundation, the show features new choreography to Beethoven’s Sonata Pathetique, Schubert’s Sonata for arpeggione, and Max Bruch’s Schottish Fantasy for violin. $12 - $15 sliding scale  

Call 268-9000 x218  

Yiddish Conversation 

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Julia Morgan Collaborating with Bernard Maybeck  

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., speaker 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

Mark Wilson, realtor with Prudential Realty, will speak. Also City Commons Club annual meeting.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Trunk Show  

with Art Quintanna 

4 - 7 p.m.  

Gathering Tribes Gallery 

1573 Solano Ave. 

Hailing from New Mexico, Quintanna specializes in older “dead pawn” Indian jewelry.  

An Evening Under the Stars 

5 - 8 p.m. 

Courtyard at Swans Marketplace 

Ninth St. between Washington and Clay St. 

With jazz standards playing in the background, discover the work of local artists and find a unique holiday gift. Sponsored by East Bay Galleries for Art and Cultural Development. 832-4244 

— compiled  

by Chason Wainwright 

Bridge Biker Collective Party  

8 p.m. 

6447 Regent St. (near Alcatraz) 

Celebrate the new initiative to win equal access to Bay Area bridges at a party following the monthly Berkeley critical mass ride. Free  

Call 273-9288 or visit www.bikethebridge.org 

WomenSing  

8 p.m. 

Valley Center for the Performing Arts 

Holy Names College 

3500 Mountain Blvd.  

Oakland 

In the first concert of their 35th anniversary season titled “Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day,” WomenSing perform music of Irving Berlin, Holst, and others.  

$20 general, $18 seniors/students, $10 18 and under 

Call 925-798-1300 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Los Cenzontles & Artemsia Brass Quartet 

Saturday, Dec. 9  

Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

Call 845-2612  

Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra 

8 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church  

1145 Gilman St.  

Arlene Sagan conducts Gounod’s “St. Cecelia Mass,” Handel’s “Chandos Anthem no. 7,” and Mozart’s “Exsultate Jubilate.” Free  

Call 528-2145 or www.bcco.org 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 & 7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

Dana St. (between Channing & Durant) 

The fair features hand-crafted gifts from women’s cooperatives in Central America, Haiti, and Nepal. Most are one-of-a-kind and many are under $10.  

Call 540-5296, box three 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Bay Area Steppers Drill Team 

2 - 4 p.m. 

1216 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Artists at Play Holiday Sale 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Artists at Play Studio  

1649 Hopkins St. (at Carlotta)  

Work by the artists including original servings dishes, frames, jewelry, and other items. 

Call 528-0494  

Class Dismissed  

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.)  

Kensington 

Meredith Maran discusses her book “A Year In the Life of an American High School, A Glimpse into the Heart of a Nation,” the result of her following the lives of three Berkeley High students. Free 

Call 559-9184  

Loneliness as a Spiritual Crisis 

7:30 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Cedar St.  

Hear about the spiritual path of Light and Sound. Also includes the ancient teachings of the saints.  

Call Unitarian Hall, 841-4824 or visit www.masterpath.org 

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

Interviews, musical performances and a live radio play broadcast to a hundred cities worldwide. This show features the Magniolia Sisters, Alex DiGrassi, Tata Monk and author Malachy McCourt.  

Call 415-664-9500  

Trunk Show with Art Quintanna 

10 a.m. -6 p.m.  

Gathering Tribes Gallery 

1573 Solano Ave. 

Hailing from New Mexico, Quintanna specializes in older “dead pawn” Indian jewelry.  

Sunday, Dec. 10 

Parenting Book Club 

11 a.m.  

Cody’s Books 

1730 Fourth St.  

Take part in a discussion of “Mothers Who Think” edited by Camille Peri. New group members always welcome. The group meets the second Sunday of each month.  

Call 559-9500 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Poems on the Jewish Experience 

3 - 5 p.m. 

St. Clement’s Episcopal Church 

2837 Claremont Blvd.  

Selected from over 200 poems submitted, the winners of the fourteenth annual Anna Davidson Rosenberg Award will read their poems.  

Journey of the Soul 

7 - 9 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

2727 College Ave.  

A public satsang and Babaji Kriya Yoga meditation with Himalayan yogi Yogiraj Sat-Gurunath.  

Call Sylvia Stanley, 845-9434  

UNtraining White Liberal Racism 

2 - 4:30 p.m. 

555 Tenth St. (at Clay) 

Oakland 

Robert Horton, a white male, founded the UNtraining as a way for white people to work together on the unconscious power of white skin privilege and how it perpetuates racism. 

$10 

235-6134 

Irish Harp & Guitar 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1603 Solano Ave.  

Trish NiGabhain is one of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

LesBiGayTrans Parenting 

11 a.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

These two groups meet on the second Sunday of each month. The group meeting at 11 a.m. is for prospective parents, the one at noon for parents.  

Call 559-9184 

Ancient Buddhist Tales 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Rima Tamar, storyteller and Dharma Publishing sales director, tells some classic Buddhist stories. Free  

843-6812 

TOCAR with David Frazier 

4:30 p.m. 

Jazzschool/La Note  

2377 Shattuck Ave.  

$6 - $12  

Reservations: 845-5373 

Tibetan Nyingma Open House 

3 -5 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

A free introduction to Tibetan Buddhist culture, including a Tibetan yoga demonstration and a meditation garden tour.  

Call 843-6812  

Baroque Choral Guild  

7:30 p.m. 

First Congregational Church 

2345 Channing Way 

Performing the music of Giovanni Gabrieli, Claudio Merulo, Giovanni Croce, and others.  

$20 general, $15 seniors and students  

Call 408-733-8110 

“From Swastikas to Jim Crow”  

10:30 a.m.  

Jewish Learning Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Donald and Lore Rasmussen of Berkeley, and Jim McWilliams of Oakland, discuss their experiences and the experiences of others who fled Nazi Germany and ended up teaching in African-American colleges in the segregated south. Admission includes brunch.  

$4 BRJCC members; $5 general  

Call 848-0237 x127 

Weird Rooms 

3 - 5 p.m.  

Berkeley History Center 

1931 Center St.  

Mal and Sandra Sharpe discuss people who collect unusual things and how their collections take over their rooms.  

Black Images in the White Mind 

6:30 p.m. 

Walden Pond Books  

3316 Grand Ave.  

Oakland  

Jan Faulkner will give a slide show presentation of about her book, “Ethnic Notions.”  

Call 832-4438 

Retire Campaign Debt  

7 - 9 p.m. 

Takara Sake  

708 Addison St.  

Berkeley City Council member Margaret Breland’s fundraiser with food, sake tasting, beverages and live music.  

$25 donation requested 

Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra 

4 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church  

1145 Gilman St.  

Arlene Sagan conducts Gounod’s “St. Cecelia Mass,” Handel’s “Chandos Anthem no. 7,” and Mozart’s “Exsultate Jubilate.” Free  

Call 528-2145 or www.bcco.org 

Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

Dana St. (between Channing & Durant) 

The fair features hand-crafted gifts from women’s cooperatives in Central America, Haiti, and Nepal. Most are one-of-a-kind and many are under $10.  

Call 540-5296, box three 

Monday, Dec. 11 

Ask the Doctor 

10 a.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Dr. McGillis will discuss prevention and treatment of colds and influenza. 

Call 644-6107 

AHAP Talent Show & Raffle 

2 - 4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Center St.  

The Affordable Housing Advocacy Project organizes the talent show and raffle to help raise funds to further develop tenant leadership through participation in conferences and networking with other tenants in regional, state and national organizations.  

Call 1-800-773-2110 

Wednesday, Dec. 13 

Oakland Preschool Fair 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Piedmont Avenue Elementary School 

4314 Piedmont Ave.  

Oakland 

Sponsored by the Neighborhood Parents Network, this panel discussion allows parents the opportunity to speak with representatives from local preschools. 

Free to NPN members, $5 general 

Call 527-6667 

Ballroom Dancing for Seniors 

9 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Energy Commission 

5:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Waterfront Commission Meeting 

7 p.m. 

H’s Lordship Restaurant  

199 Seawall Dr.  

Planning Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Commission on Disability  

6:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Board of Library Trustees  

7 p.m. 

West Branch  

1125 University Ave.  

Homeless Commission  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Models for the Millenium  

7 p.m. 

Ecology Center  

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

An evening of discussion with Becky Tarbotton, the Ladakh Programs Co-ordinator for the International Society of Ecology and Culture. She will speak about the connection between the destruction of Ladakhi culture and issues faced by our own communities in the West.  

Suggested donation $5  

Call 548-2220 x233 

Police Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St.  

Thursday, Dec. 14  

Ultimate Alpine Climbing  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Join veteran alpine climber Kitty Calhoun in a slide presentation of her 20-year climbing career.  

Call Jason, 527-7377 

Meeting Life Changes  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With John Hammerman.  

Call 644-6107 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Solano Ave. Association 

Holiday Mixer & Meeting 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

Cafe Del Sol 

1742 Solano Ave.  

With light refreshments and a silent auction, the Solano Ave. Association invites you to “meet your business neighbors.”  

Call 527-5358  

Community Health Commission 

6:45 p.m. 

2640 MLK Jr. Way  

Auditorium 

Call 665-6845 for exact location 

Zoning Adjustments Board  

7 p.m. 

Council Chamber 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Second Floor 

Friday, Dec. 15 

BHS Orchestra and Concert Band 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater  

Allston Way 

St. Paul AME X-Mas Party 

5:30 - 8 p.m. 

2024 Ashby Ave.  

For St. Paul’s annual party they ask that you bring a new toy or book for a needy child. Free 

Call 665-2164 

“The Nutcracker” 

7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Cal Jazz Choir & Oddly Enough, A Barbershop Quartet 

Dance for the Forests 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1317 San Pablo Ave.  

Join the Alice Di Michele Band, Rachel Garlin, and acapella group Making Waves at this benefit concert for the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters.  

Admission is sliding scale 

835-6303 

Holiday Musical Quartet 

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., music  

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

With music arranged by Melinda McCallister, the quartet will perform popular year-end songs from around the world.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Lesbians and Gays Get Together 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Saturday, Dec. 16 

Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

Call 845-2612  

“The Nutcracker” 

2 & 7 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus 

2 - 4 p.m. 

Strolling along Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Free Puppet Shows  

1:30 & 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health  

2230 Shattuck Ave.  

The Kids on the Block, an award-winning educational puppet troupe, with puppets with such conditions as cerebral palsy, blindness and Down syndrome. The shows promote acceptance of physical and mental differences. Free 

Call 549-1564 

Sunday, Dec. 17  

Benefits of Kum Nye and Meditation 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Miep Cooymans, Nyingma Institute meditation instructor lectures and demonstrates this gentle, self-healing system. Free 

843-6812 

Quadraphoic Sound Explosion  

7:48 p.m. 

Tuva Space  

3192 Adeline St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Thomas Day of San Francisco, Boris Hauf of Vienna, and Kit Clayton of San Francisco present a night of live experimental electronic music.  

$8 suggested donation 

Call 444-3595 

“The Nutcracker” 

2 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Theater 

2640 College Ave.  

Performed by the Berkeley Ballet Theater.  

$12 - $15  

Call 843-4689 

The Disputation 

2 - 4:30 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Call 848-0237 

Guitar of Reverend Rabia 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1741 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Hanukkah Happening 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Cantor and recording artist Richard Kaplan will lead attendees in seasonal music. Free.  

Call 848-8443 

Monday, Dec. 18 

Design Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Tuesday, Dec. 19 

Planning for the Future 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose) 

Informally led by Robert Berend, former UC Extension lecturer, this group aims to have intelligent discussions on a wide range of topics. They stress that there is no religious bent to the discussions and that all viewpoints are welcome. Bring light snacks to share with group.  

Call Robert Berend, 527-5332  

Wednesday, Dec. 20 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Thursday, Dec. 21 

Berkeley Metaphysic Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysic come together at Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters. Meets first and third Thursdays each month. 

Call 869-2547 or 643-7645 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Friday, Dec. 22 

Music in the Streets 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Strolling through downtown  

Berkeley 

Berkeley Community Chamber Chorus & These “R” They Gospel Youth Choir 

Saturday, Dec. 23  

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

Royal Hawaiian Ukulele Band 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1561 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

Ninth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

Klesmeh! Festival  

8 p.m.  

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave.  

A Hanukkah concert of Klesmer music and its mutations, featuring the San Francisco Klesmer experience. Hosted by Berkeley monologist/comedian Josh Kornbluth.  

$18 advance, $20 door; $16 kids and seniors  

Call 415-454-5238 

Sunday, Dec. 24  

Ancient Winds 

Noon - 4 p.m. 

1573 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Tuesday, Dec. 26  

Kwanzaa! 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join storyteller Awele Makeba as she shares tale and a capella songs from African and African-American history, culture, and folklore which celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Included with admission to the museum.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Wednesday, Dec. 27 

Magic Mike 

Noon and 1:30 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Special effects, magic, juggling, ventriloquism, and outrageous comedy is what Parent’s Choice Award winner Magic Mike is all about. Included in price of museum admission.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Thursday, Dec. 28  

Season of Lights  

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

The Imagination Company brings to life world winter celebrations and highlights the significance of light to several culture. Included in museum admission price.  

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Friday, Dec. 29  

Earthcapades 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join Hearty and Lissin as they blend storytelling, juggling, acrobatics, and more, to entertain and teach about saving the environment. Included in museum admission. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Saturday, Dec. 30  

Bats of the World  

1 & 2:30 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Maggie Hooper, an educator with the California Bat Conservation Fund, will show slides, introduce three live, tame, and indigenous bats, and answer your questions about these fascinating creatures. Included in admission to the museum. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Sunday, Dec. 31 

Light Up the Lights! 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Popular songmeister Gary Lapow performs traditional holiday music from around the world. Included in price of museum admission. 

$7 adults; $5 children 5 - 18, seniors and students; $3 children 3-4 

Call 642-5132 

Wednesday, Jan. 3  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Friday, Jan. 5  

Zen Buddhist Sites in China 

7 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Andy Ferguson, author of “Zen’s Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings,” presents a slide show of Zen holy sites in China. Ferguson will read from the book and engage the audience in a brief meditation session. Included in museum admission. 

$6 general, $4 seniors and students with ID 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

Thursday, Jan. 11 

Toni Stone and the Negro Baseball League 

1 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Marcia Eymann, curator of historical photography, discusses memorabilia of Toni Stone, a woman who played in the Negro Baseball Legue in the 1940s. Free. 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Friday, Jan. 12 

“Who’s Really In Charge Anyway?” 

7:30 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Cedar St.  

The subject to be discussed is the guru dilemma and individual spiritual mastership. Hear about the spiritual path of light and sound and the ancient teachings of the saints.  

Call Unitarian Hall, 841-4824 or visit www.masterpath.org 

Saturday, Jan. 13 

“Dyke Open Myke!” 

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books  

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

A coffeehouse-style open mic. night for emerging talent. 

Call Jessy, 655-1015  

or Boadecia’s Books, 559-9184 

Sunday, Jan. 14 

Teaching Chinese Culture in the U.S.  

2 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

Educators from Bay Area Chinese schools explore issues related to teaching Chinese culture and language. Included in museum admission.  

$6 general; $4 seniors and students with ID 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

LesBiGayTrans Parenting 

11 a.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

These two groups meet on the second Sunday of each month. The group meeting at 11 a.m. is for prospective parents, the one at noon for parents.  

Call 559-9184 

“Berkeley, 1900” 

3 - 5 p.m. . 

Berkeley History Center 

1931 Center St.  

Richard Schwartz gives an oral history of Berkeley at the turn of the century.  

A-Singin’ and a Chantin’ 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers 

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Pagan recording artist DJ Hamouris shares some songs and chants. 

Call 848-8443 

Wednesday, Jan. 17  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Sunday, Feb. 25  

“Imperial San Francisco: 

Urban Power, Earthly Ruin” 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley History Center 

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

Gary Brechin speaks on the impact and legacy of the Hearsts and other powerful San Francisco families. Free 

Call 848-0181 

Sunday, March 18  

“Topaz Moon” 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley History Center 

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

Kimi Kodani Hill speaks on artist Chiura Obata’s family and the WW II Japanese relocation camps. Free 

Call 848-0181 

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 

Mondays 

Baby Bounce and Toddler Time 

10:30 a.m. 

Oct. 16 - Dec. 11 

Berkeley Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

For children ages 6 to 36 months. Get those babies off to a good start with songs, rhymes, lap bounces, and very simple books. 

649-3943  

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 

Wednesdays  

10:30 a.m. 

Preschool Song and Story Time 

Berkeley Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

Music and stories for ages 3-5.  

649-3943 

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 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202  

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 

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 

Tuesday 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 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 

Prioritize new housing over more parking 

Editor: 

The city-owned Oxford lot, nested at Allston Way, at the edge of UC Berkeley’s campus and Downtown Berkeley, is an optimum space for affordable housing and a nightclub on the ground floor.  

An agenda item on the Berkeley City Council agenda for December 5 would request the Planning Commission to investigate development of the site, including a feasibility study for underground parking.  

The Berkeley Daily Planet, on Saturday, Dec. 2, reported that Councilmember Betty Olds suggested a nightclub on the ground floor and three stories of parking above, but Councilmember Dona Spring, a co-author of the measure, preferred affordable housing for very low and low-income households.  

The site is right next to campus. Campus and transit-oriented housing for students, new faculty, and staff is the responsible plan. The regional housing crisis threatens affordability and access to a UC Berkeley education, and even the institution’s diversity.  

If Berkeley does not respond by increasing the stock of affordable housing, traffic will increase even more as increasing amounts of students are priced out of the market and forced to commute.  

Design of any housing project for the Oxford lot should encourage UC Berkeley students to live in the future housing and allow low-income students to qualify as potential households.  

Based on data from the ASUC Housing Survey, apartment-style housing, without residential parking, would be the most likely development to attract students. Four out of five commuter students would give up their car to live in affordable housing near campus.  

The revenue for affordable housing also must come from somewhere.  

City policy, including proposed zoning for the Southside, accounts for this reality by helping affordable housing developers “pencil out” their projects with density bonuses or additional stories, direct subsidy, or other incentives.  

In this case, rent from a nightclub could help keep the housing above it affordable.  

A nightclub would draw demand from diverse ages, including the ever-bored -for-nighttime-recreation student community.  

It would also be consistent with Downtown Plan objectives of creating a “24-hour Downtown,” and as a cultural facility would allow for more stories of housing under downtown zoning.  

This gesture should be matched by UC Berkeley. It is time to identify the next housing project site based on the consensus-reflecting guidelines in the Draft Southside Plan.  

Most likely candidates include the Ellsworth Structure, South Anna Head across from People’s Park, or other surface parking lots in the neighborhood where the parking will be replaced by the Underhill lot.  

University Co-ops have in the recent past offered to construct affordable housing on University land, and this is the time to begin.  

The City of Berkeley has in its power the resources to make an effective improvement upon the housing situation.  

The city council and planning commission should consider the nightclub/affordable housing solution as a way to keep Berkeley affordable, reduce traffic, and generate the 24-hour downtown Berkeley has envisioned.  

This opinion piece I wrote was in my capacity of Director of the ASUC (Associated Students of UC) Commission on Housing and Student Life, or Director of the Municipal Lobby in the ASUC External Affairs Office. 

Andy Katz 

Director of the Associated Students of UC Commission on Housing and Student Life and Director of the Municipal Lobby in the ASUC External Affairs Office. 

Fix problems, restore pride in U.S. elections 

Editor: 

Our erstwhile pride in an electoral system that once showcased American democracy is tempered by the sad events in Florida.  

To the isolated incidences of administrative incompetence, we now must add the more disturbing reports of racially based disenfranchisement of African Americans (NY Times, Nov. 30).  

A few million ballots may seem a lot to tally, yet in the same America, two billion shares of stock change hands every single trading day – with nary a hitch.  

Lest we need more on our social conscience than mislaid priorities, consider the many men and women around the globe who languor in jail for daring to advocate the very voting rights we treat so cavalierly.  

There is more to restore than our pride. 

A. C. Shen 

Berkeley 

Wireless antennas proposed for the Berkeley-Richmond Jewish Community Center on Walnut Street are causing consternation in some quarters. 

A public hearing on the antennas at the Zoning Adjustments Board will be held next week. 

The antennas were proposed as a way to pay for a pressing JCC expense. 

The JCC needs a new smokestack. The old one is corroded, and since the building is a historical structure, the smokestack has to be replaced, rather than removed. 

Because the cost of the work is prohibitive, center administrator Joel Bahevkin was looking for a way to pay for it. Enter Sprint telecommunications.  

The company was searching for a site in the area for additional antennas used to power its wireless devices. 

Sprint offered to pay for the new smokestack if the JCC would allow antennas installed on its structure. 

But not everyone thinks that’s a good deal. Jane, who asked that her real name not be used, has a child in the center’s pre-school program. 

“The antennas are controversial,” she said. “There’s not enough information to make a decision.” 

Moreover, she said, the JCC planned a parent meeting to take place only one day before the public hearing on the antennas at the city’s Zoning Adjustment Board, not giving them enough time to prepare for the hearing. 

Bahevkin said he knows the antennas are controversial. That is why the JCC hired an independent company, Sonoma-based Hammett and Edison, to study the project, he said. The independent company will make a presentation to the parent group next week. Representatives from Sprint will also attend, he said, noting that Dec. 13, the day before the public hearing, was the only day available for all the parties to come together. 

City planner Matt Le Grant said the city has little power over telecommunications antennas that are regulated by federal law. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 determines how much radiation the antennas can emit. The city cannot create its own regulations in that regard. The city’s regulatory power is limited to aesthetics. It can require the telecommunications company, for example, to hide the antennas from view. 

The Zoning Adjustment Board will hold a public hearing on the proposed JCC antennas at its Dec. 14 meeting beginning at 7 p.m.

At a regional forum titled “Safe From the Start,” sponsored by the office of California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, parents, educators and health and social services professionals drew battle plans Tuesday to combat youth violence.  

Meeting at the Claremont Hotel, attendees drew up strategies for programs such as early intervention, community and parental involvement, home visits by social service representatives, and parent training courses.  

Many of the conference attendees expressed concern at what seemed to be an escalating number of incidences involving children and violence. “We’ve had instances like a 4-year-old who said: ‘Don’t make me have to hurt you,’ when he was told to pick up his toys, or a 3-year-old who said to his mother, ‘I’m going to tell dad to come over and kill you,’” Alicia Lieberman, director of the Child Trauma Research Project at the University of California San Francisco said. 

The conference sought to address what speakers identified as a “root cause” of youth violence: witnessing violence at an early age. “The way to be predisposed to violent behavior is to be exposed to such behavior early on,” noted former “All in the Family” star Rob Reiner, chair of the California Children and Families Commission. The commission is partially responsible for implementing Proposition 10, a tobacco tax earmarked for early childhood development programs.  

“To keep the schools safe, we have to realize that incidences of violence can happen anywhere and we all have to work together to lower the risk,” said Marjorie Alvord, a Malcom X High School parent who attended the conference. 

Joining her were parent Lisa Cullen and therapist Leni Siegal, who coordinates a program at Malcom X called Healthy Start, which brings mental health  

professionals, parents and students together to combat children’s exposure to violence.  

“I want to learn how to recognize and how to inform other parents about the kinds of situations that cause violence, and how to stop it from happening,” Alvord said. 

Siegal discussed a method of intervention she had been using to try to stop violence from occurring: working with students to settle long-standing feuds. “These problems can last for years. They can start in kindergarten and it’s still a problem in the fourth grade. Sometimes they can expand to older brothers or sisters who are also in the system.”  

Siegal gets the children to work out an agreement, which she writes into a document that both parties sign. Even if the agreement doesn’t stick, Siegal said she becomes a confidante whom the children turn to for help in resolving the dispute, rather than attempting to settle it violently. 

Nikki Williams, director of Berkeley Youth Alternatives, said the conference helped her affirm the importance of her organization’s strategy for bringing social service professionals directly into the home.  

“The discussion really brought home that you have to be careful it doesn’t add anxiety for the family. There is a stigma in poor communities for this kind of thing. You have to be extremely culturally sensitive and careful you don’t give the aspect of judging the family.”  

BYA Director of Development and Policy Kevin Williams said, “These families have to be able to trust you. They have to know you are going to be there when they need you the most.” 

Williams also discussed a plan to begin offering parent training courses next year, in which they will teach parents about the physical and psychological damage exposing children can have upon them, and help them set boundaries for their children. 

Barbara Staggers, director of Adolescent Medicine at the Oakland Children’s Hospital, stressed the importance of providing guidance to youth who are acting out violently. “Teenagers may look like adults, but they are not adults. They are looking to us for guidance and for love. And they are saying to us, ‘If you don’t give it to me, I’m going to go out and get attention – and you are not going to like it. It’s going to be very, very ugly.’”  

Staggers has first-hand experience in providing children who have been exposed to violence at home with role models and “community activities that can make them feel like human beings.” That can help break the negative cycle, she said.  

“Dr. Staggers gave me the tools to navigate the situations I was facing at home,” Alameda County Behavioral Health Care supervisor Kimberly McDaniel said. As a child, McDaniel was exposed to frequent episodes of violence in her home. “It saved my life to have somebody who really listened. Somebody who really cared. And seeing a black woman in a position of power and respect really captivated me. Dr. Staggers gave me the skills and resources to be resilient, and to deal with my situation so that I didn’t become violent. I played basketball instead.” She was also motivated to follow in Dr. Staggers footsteps to attend the University of California at Berkeley and, in doing so, became the first person in her family to earn a college degree. 

The Berkeley High School AIDS memorial quilts already have nearly two hundred squares.  

The project began last spring. 

The six BHS quilts hang in the Berkeley Community Theater this week along with three large sections of the world renown AIDS Memorial Quilt. The BHS quilts were put together by Teens Advocating Safer Sex, an HIV peer health education group at the high school. The quilt was the idea of one of the members of TASS whose life was touched by HIV and AIDS.  

Chayla Summers, one of the members of TASS, said the group visited classrooms and did two-day presentations.  

At the end of the presentations, each student in the classes was asked to make a square for the quilt. Students were also allowed to invite friends from outside the class to contribute squares.  

Many of the squares made by students involve safe sex and the use of condoms.  

One square says, “Before you connect, you must protect.” Another says, “It doesn’t care who you are. Don’t think it will spare you.” 

TASS does not condemn teenage sex, instead it tries to tell students that if they choose to have sex, they also need to choose to be safe, Sommers said.  

In addition to the quilt project, TASS does outreach, which includes passing out condoms on campus. 

Sonya Dublin, who has served as coordinator for HIV prevention services at Berkeley High for the past three years, said the quilt project is an opportunity for students to express their feelings about HIV and AIDS.  

Dublin said she believes the quilt helps break down stereotypes and stigmas that surround the disease. 

As coordinator for HIV prevention, Dublin oversees HIV testing on campus.  

Berkeley High began its testing program in 1996.  

Dublin cited Centers for Disease Control statistics, which indicate that 50 percent of all new infections in the United States are in people under the age of 25.  

She feels that because TASS does work such as the quilt, students are more educated and are more likely to seek out HIV-related services.  

She said she’s hopeful that all the students will get to see the quilts.  

This is the second time sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt has visited Berkeley High School. The project was started in San Francisco in 1986. 

The quilts will be on display at the Berkeley Community Theater on the Berkeley High School campus until Friday.

SAN JOSE — Santa Clara County approved an unprecedented plan Tuesday to use its share of the national tobacco settlement to provide health coverage for all uninsured children in the county. 

The county, which has more than 1.7 million residents burdened with the high cost of living in Silicon Valley, is believed to have 69,000 children without health insurance. 

“We’re sick and tired of waiting for the national and state elected officials to respond to this problem,” said James T. Beall Jr., one of the three county supervisors who unanimously approved the program.  

“It’s continually getting bigger and bigger.” 

On Jan. 2, officials will begin enrolling children in the new program, which is expected to cost $14 million a year.  

It covers families that make up to three times the federal poverty level, meaning a family of four with earnings of nearly $52,000 is eligible. 

Most state and federal programs are aimed at people making less than half that amount. But the higher limit reflects life in Santa Clara County – which has a median home price of more than $550,000 and one of the tightest apartment-rental markets in the country. 

“People are paying such exaggerated prices for rent and in home prices – if they’re able to afford to buy a home – that they’re barely surviving,” Supervisor Blanca Alvarado said.  

“Fifty-two thousand dollars for a family of four doesn’t go a long way in Silicon Valley.” 

The plan, known as the Children’s Health Initiative, calls for using $3 million of the $18.5 million the county is expecting each year for 25 years under the tobacco settlement. 

Another $2 million will come from tobacco taxes, $1.9 million from the county’s taxpayer-financed general fund and $1 million from a county-run health maintenance organization. 

San Jose, the largest city in the county, has considered using some of its $10 million share of the tobacco settlement for a similar health insurance program for children.  

The City Council is scheduled to vote next week on whether to contribute about $750,000 to the county program next year and more in subsequent years. 

That would still leave the initiative at least $5 million short of what it needs to make sure all children are covered – regardless of their immigration status.  

Officials hope to seek private funding and believe it will be easier to get donations once they can show the plan is working. 

The program is designed to let parents know what local, state and federal health insurance programs their children qualify for, and to make up for any coverage gaps left by those programs. 

“We’re going to go to schools, to churches and work through community-based organizations,” county spokeswoman Susan Fitts said.  

“It’s really a grassroots effort to find the children, rather than have a program and say, ‘Come and get it.’ ” 

Under the 1998 tobacco settlement, California and 45 other states will split $206 billion over 25 years. Four other states settled separately for an additional $40 billion. 

California and New York are the only states that are splitting the windfall with their counties, according to the National Association of Counties.  

And while several counties around the country are striving to provide universal coverage for children, the organization said Santa Clara County would be the first to achieve the goal. 

“We look at this as sort of a basic crusade we’re on,” Beall said. “And we hope this can spread like wildfire throughout the United States.” 

On the Net: 

Santa Clara County: http://claraweb.co.santa-clara.ca.us 

National Association  

of Counties: www.naco.org

LOS ANGELES — A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday barring six makers of popular aluminum scooters from selling models that allegedly infringe on a patent held by industry leader Razor USA. 

The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Manuel Real was not expected to reduce the number of scooters available to consumers during the holiday shopping season. 

Attorneys for several of the defendants in Razor USA’s lawsuit said outside court that thousands of scooters their companies have already shipped to stores can still be sold and they can easily retrofit other scooters to comply with the court’s order. 

Attorney Daniel Cislo, representing three of the manufacturers, said it would cost his clients “a buck or two” to per scooter to change the design of the rear fender brake. Cislo said he will appeal the preliminary injunction and warned that in the mean time it may cause other scooter manufacturers to dump products on the market, bringing down prices and harming Razor. 

“The children of America will have their scooters,” Cislo said. 

The injunction covers scooters made by Gen X Sports, K2, Titan, Wysco, Zenital, and Yunn Haaur Enterprises Inc. Their scooters are marketed under a variety of names. 

Razor USA’s attorney had no comment after the hearing, at which the trial was set for Jan. 30. The company’s attorneys argued Monday before Real that the defendants infringed on a Razor patent and copied distinctive features of its scooters. 

The arguments hinged on interpretations of several key definitions in the patent and charges by defendants that Razor’s lawsuit was an attempt to stifle competition during the critical holiday shopping season. 

“This is unfair,” Cislo said Monday. “Why are they entitled to a patent that is so broad, it covers everything in the world?” 

Razor USA has reached settlements with several of the original 16 defendants, which will allow them to sell their existing supplies of scooters in return for a royalty payment on the patent. After their supplies are depleted, the companies will have to redesign their rear brake and, in some cases, change the look of the scooter, including the rectangular foot pad and oval grip tape. 

“What they have acknowledged is they can redesign around the patent, which is exactly what we want them to do,” Brian Sieve, an attorney for Razor USA said Monday. “All we want them to do is stop infringing our patent.” 

Much of the argument centered around the definition of the word “connected” as used in the Razor patent. 

Attorneys for the defendants argued that when the Razor patent refers to elements of the fender brake being connected to the frame, the term should be taken to mean connected with a fastening device, such as a bolt. 

Razor USA attorneys said the term should not be defined so narrowly, a contention the judge seemed to back. 

“Are my two fingers connected?” Real asked one attorney, holding his two index fingers together in the air. “I say they’re connected and I don’t see any bolt.” 

Razor USA sued 16 makers and distributors of rival scooters in November. 

The company sells scooters made by Taiwan-based JD Corp. It was assigned a U.S. patent on Oct. 31 for the rear fender, which acts as a brake when stepped on. The next day, the company filed a patent infringement lawsuit in federal court. 

Real issued a temporary restraining order against the defendants in November. 

The stakes are high for scooters. In September, the Razor was the top-selling toy in the nation based on total sales, according to the NPD Group, which tracks toy sales. 

LOS ANGELES — A policeman who killed an actor holding a realistic fake gun at a Halloween party shot the man in the back of the head and in the back, an autopsy report showed. 

A lawyer for Anthony Dwain Lee’s family contends the findings released Monday contradict police accounts that Officer Tarriel Hopper shot Lee after he turned suddenly toward the officer and pointed the fake gun at him. Police Chief Bernard Parks disagreed. 

“The officer cannot control the movement of the person,” Parks said Tuesday morning. Hopper “did not say the person was not moving. So if the person points a gun at the officer and the officer shoots and the person moves, we have no control over where they are standing when they are struck by the weapon.” 

The coroner’s report concluded that Lee was struck from behind by four bullets. Two in the back caused his death as they tore through vital organs. 

Lee, 39, had appeared on TV shows such as “ER” and “NYPD Blue,” and had a small role in the 1997 Jim Carrey movie “Liar Liar.” He had turned from gangs years ago and become a committed Buddhist. 

Lee was killed shortly after midnight Oct. 28 at a Hollywood Hills mansion where Hopper and Officer Natalie Humphrey had arrived in response to a noise complaint. 

A security guard hired for the party met the officers in an entry area and asked them to wait while he found one of the hosts, but Hopper, 27, went outside. The officer made his way along a narrow outdoor walkway and shined his flashlight through a glass door into a back bedroom where Lee was chatting with two other men. 

Hopper fired when Lee allegedly reached into his waistband, pulled out what appeared to be a .357 Magnum semiautomatic handgun and waved it in his direction, police said. The gun was a rubber replica. 

Nine shots were fired, according to police. 

“He could not have withdrawn a gun from his waist and pointed a gun at the officer and then have been shot four times in the back. It’s impossible,” said Cameron Stewart, an attorney with the law firm of Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., who was retained by Lee’s family. 

Stewart said she will file a claim with the city of Los Angeles, the first step in a wrongful-death action. She said she hopes city officials “will recognize the tragedy that has occurred and will step up to the plate and do the right thing.” 

Police are investigating the shooting, as are the district attorney’s office and Cochran’s firm. 

LAPD spokesman Lt. Horace Frank said Monday he could not comment on the report, which also showed cocaine and alcohol were found in Lee’s system, because the department had not had a chance to read it. 

Regarding the four shots in the back, Frank said: “They can be explained.” He said the coroner’s report will be a key piece of the police investigation. 

“It should be noted there were reports early on in this investigation that Mr. Lee was struck in the back,” Frank said. 

SACRAMENTO — California hospitals have settled a 10-year-old lawsuit with the state for $350 million to cover Medi-Cal reimbursement rates that a federal court said were set too low. 

The California Healthcare Association sued the state Department of Health Services in 1990 over Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for outpatient services at hospitals, such as X-rays or emergency room treatment where the patient is not admitted. 

“We had been trying to negotiate with them for several years over the way the state calculated the reimbursement fees,” said Jan Emerson, spokeswoman for the California Healthcare Association, which represents hospitals. 

The state had based the rates on “what was enough of a fee to encourage hospitals to participate” in the Medi-Cal system, Emerson said. 

In 1997, the 9th District Court of Appeals said the state was required to set rates that were “reasonably related to the hospitals’ costs,” she said. 

Hilary McLean, spokeswoman for Gov. Gray Davis, said the agreement will “provide some stability to California’s busiest hospitals.” 

California’s share of the settlement will amount to about $175 million with the rest coming from federal funds, McLean said. 

In addition to the lump-sum payment to the hospitals, Medi-Cal rates for outpatient services will be increased by 30 percent starting July 1. That increase will cost about $79.5 million, McLean said. 

The rates will then be increased by 3.3 percent each year for three years. 

Medi-Cal, California’s version of the federal Medicaid system, is funded jointly by state and federal governments and covers low-income families. 

Two additional lawsuits that didn’t make it to court were included in the settlement agreement. They were a class-action lawsuit representing all hospitals contracting with Medi-Cal and a lawsuit filed by eight counties. 

The California Healthcare Association will create a formula to distribute the retroactive payment to the hospitals, Emerson said. 

“It’s not going to solve hospitals’ problems, but we’re very pleased to get any kind of increase,” she said. 

The increase is the first rise in Medi-Cal rates for outpatient services since 1985. 

LOS ANGELES — MP3.com restored its beleaguered music locker service Tuesday, seven months after lawsuits from record labels and music publishers forced its shutdown. 

The My.Mp3.com service, which was once completely free, will now feature two levels of service. For no charge, members can store up to 25 CDs. That service will be advertising-supported. 

For an annual fee of $49.95, members will be able to store up to 500 CDs and enjoy more features and less advertising. 

My.Mp3.com, which allows members to store songs on the Internet and listen to them over any Web-enabled device, triggered a copyright infringement lawsuit in January by the five major record labels, music publishers and several independent labels. 

The plaintiffs argued that by allowing people to instantly listen to music they buy, or add music from their collection to a personal “locker” by briefly inserting a CD into a computer for verification, MP3.com illegally distributed music for which they did not own the rights. 

MP3.com, based in San Diego, disabled the service in May to prevent anyone from storing music produced by the major recording companies that filed the copyright lawsuit. 

Over the course of the summer, the company reached settlements with most labels, agreeing to pay a lump sum for past violations and a licensing fee for future use. Every major label settled, except for Universal Music Group, which forced the case to trial. 

In September, U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff ruled that MP3.com willfully violated record company copyrights and ordered the company to pay damages. 

Last month, MP3.com ended the lawsuit by agreeing to pay UMG $53.4 million. The company also reached a separate licensing agreement with rock star David Bowie. 

The company still faces lawsuits from several independent labels. 

Several critical issues still remain for the company, including its efforts to negotiate licenses with independent labels that represent major artists such as The Backstreet Boys and ’N Sync. 

And it remains to be seen if consumers will embrace the new service and will pay a subscription fee to listen to music they already own. 

“Nobody yet knows how popular the premium service may prove to be,” Phil Leigh, an analyst at Raymond James & Associates wrote in a report Tuesday. “To date there has been little evidence that consumers are willing to pay for content on the Web, as evidenced by the experiences of organizations like Slate and TheStreet.Com.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.mp3.com 

INDUSTRY — Conservationists have threatened a lawsuit to block the sale of a 2,533-acre wildlife corridor by the Boy Scouts of America to a city redevelopment agency. 

The city of Industry’s Urban Development Agency claims that it purchased the Firestone camp in rustic Tonner Canyon for $16.5 million to build a reservoir. The property, which is two miles outside city limits near Diamond Bar, also was sought by two environmental groups that offered $1.5 million more for the land before their proposals stalled. 

Environmentalists were hoping to purchase the 30-mile long property to preserve a wildlife corridor that stretches from northern Orange County to the hills in Whittier. 

Conservationists are considering a lawsuit claiming the city did not conduct a proper environmental review for a reservoir before buying the land. The land dispute also is being stoked by suspicion that the deal was influenced by business ties between the Boy Scouts board and the city. 

Scout officials deny any favoritism, but acknowledge that a member of the its executive board worked on the transaction on behalf of the redevelopment agency. According to documents and interviews obtained by the Los Angeles Times, John H. Semcken III, vice president of Majestic Realty Co., helped broker the $16.5 million purchase and lobbied fellow Scout board members to accept the offer.  

The newspaper reported Monday that Semcken, who is one of 25 volunteer vice chairmen for the nonprofit Los Angeles Council of the Boy Scouts of America, shared details about the property with his boss, Majestic owner Ed Roski Jr. 

Roski, who is also a developer, has built acres of industrial parks in conjunction with Industry’s redevelopment agency. 

“To me the key issue here is the city of Industry, working with Majestic, is using its influence on the Scout board to negate any deals (the conservationists) propose,” said Jeff Yann, chairman of the San Gabriel Valley Task Force of the Sierra Club. 

Yann and other environmentalists suspect that Roski will eventually build subdivisions on the land, which is at a juncture of growth from Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties. 

Industry officials say they plan to build a reservoir that will hold up to 250,000 acre-feet of water. 

“What angers me is this whole idea that Roski is going to develop this thing,” said Industry Mayor Dave Winn. “And we have no intention to develop the area either. I’d like to put that notion to rest because I’m getting tired of it.” 

Semcken confirmed his involvement in the deal, but said it didn’t pose a conflict because he worked for free and didn’t vote to accept the offer. 

Boy Scout board members voted Nov. 16 to accept Industry’s bid for the land. The Yucaipa-based Wildlands Conservancy and the Wildlife Corridor Conservation Authority made $18 million offers, but both deals fell through. 

SACRAMENTO — Polluted groundwater caused when a Sacramento County company dumped contaminants into wells and landfills can be cleaned, according to a new plan by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

The catch: It could take 240 years. 

The plan will be subject to a public hearing on Thursday. The EPA wants to hire contractors to take water out of the ground, treat it, and then dump it into a tributary of the American River. 

“We’ve been working on this plan for a number of years,” said Charles Berry, the EPA’s manager of the Aerojet site that was placed on the Superfund cleanup list in 1983. Aerojet began making propellants for rocket engines in Rancho Cordova in 1953. Contamination from the solvents and other chemicals dumped into wells and landfills has spread at least one mile west of the Aerojet site. The pollution is 2,000 times more than what the EPA considers safe. 

Thirteen wells near the groundwater have been closed. Aerojet spend $52.7 million on the cleanup if the EPA plan is approved. 

Once work starts, the EPA expects full cleanup of the groundwater in 240 years – longer than the company predicts, said Rosemary Younts, a spokeswoman for GenCorp Inc., Aerojet’s parent company. 

Aerojet wants the EPA to approve another cleanup plan that would cost about $6.2 million less and require less construction near company property. 

SAN DIEGO — A 15-year-old student who showed off a handgun on campus and threatened to shoot a classmate escaped the attention of school officials because no one reported him, authorities said Tuesday. 

The student at Junipero Serra High School ended up accidentally shooting himself on Friday, causing minor injuries. He was booked into juvenile custody. 

But with at least one student having seen the boy with the .38-caliber pistol, authorities were concerned that no one reported him. 

“When they hear of these type of incidents where students may have a gun on campus, they should be taught by parents to tell teachers so police can check it out,” police spokesman Bill Robinson said Tuesday. 

The students were “very, very fortunate” that nothing more serious happened, he said. 

According to a police report, one student told an officer that the teen showed her the gun hours before the accidental shooting. 

“He lifted up his shirt and showed me the gun in his shorts,” she said in the report. When the girl asked the teen why he had the gun, he told her he was threatened by another student and “I’m going to shoot him after school,” the report stated. 

The girl did nothing. 

Even the boy who had allegedly been threatened by the teen failed to tell authorities. 

That does not surprise Ron Stephens, executive director of the National School Safety Center in Los Angeles. 

Despite the shooting deaths at Columbine High School in Colorado, “there clearly has not been a turnaround in this code of silence on campus,” Stephens told The San Diego Union-Tribune.  

“It is considered uncool to rat on your peers.” 

School officials sent a letter to students Tuesday advising them to report potential problems. 

“Each of us ... carries an individual responsibility to assure a safe environment for learning,” the letter said. “It is essential that you, the students, report dangerous incidents. Please give paramount consideration to your personal and schoolwide safety, and do not accept the false view that would label you an informant for doing so.” 

The student, who remains in juvenile custody, will automatically be recommended for expulsion, district spokesman David Smollar said. Juvenile criminal charges were pending. 

ORLANDO, Fla. — The American Medical Association approved a resolution Tuesday asking the government to consider making the “morning-after” contraceptive available over-the-counter. 

The AMA’s policy-making House of Delegates passed the recommendation without discussion during a convention in Orlando. 

“This is a wonderful decision by the AMA. This is a terrific resolution,” said Joan Coombs, senior vice president of Planned Parenthood. 

But Cathy Cleaver, a spokeswoman with the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, said proponents of the morning-after pill are misleading the public with claims that it prevents pregnancies rather than causing abortions. 

Coombs estimated that widespread use of the morning-after pill could prevent annually 1.7 million unplanned pregnancies and 800,000 abortions. 

The Vatican recently condemned the emergency contraceptive and the nation’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, decided last year not to sell it in any of its 2,400 pharmacies. 

Coombs said that if the Food and Drug Administration moves to make the drug over-the-counter, “it will make it (the morning-after pill) more acceptable and consumers will demand it. Acceptance will be market-driven,” she said. 

Taken within three days of sexual intercourse, the morning-after pill prevents ovulation or, if it’s already occurred, blocks implantation of a fertilized egg. A report by the AMA’s Council on Medical Service suggests that women might not be able to get the pills in time to prevent a pregnancy unless they’re made available over-the-counter. 

An AMA committee debated the issue on Sunday and sent its recommendation to the full House of Delegates. 

Some of those who testified Sunday said selling the pills over-the-counter would lead to lost opportunities to counsel patients on sexually transmitted diseases. 

Though morning-after pills are not as widely opposed as the RU-486 prescription abortion pill approved by the FDA in September, foes consider them a form of abortion since an egg could have been fertilized by the time a woman takes them. 

Calling the AMA move “tragic,” Cleaver said that if the pill is widely available, teen-age girls would be able to buy it without parental involvement, even in states where parents must be notified when their daughters are having abortions. 

“They may not realize that what they’re doing is aborting their developing baby,” Cleaver said. 

But Planned Parenthood does not consider the use of the pill a form of abortion since it does not work if a fertilized egg has already implanted itself in the uterus, the scientific definition of pregnancy. 

There are two morning-after pills on the market: Preven and Plan B. They were approved for U.S. use within the past two years. 

For the FDA to make the pills available over the counter, a pharmaceutical company must apply to the FDA. The FDA then takes a number of criteria into account when making a decision, such as written instructions to patients and the product’s safety history, FDA spokeswoman Susan Cruzan said. 

“We decide on each application on its own merits, on scientific issues,” she said. 

Cruzan said that it is not public information whether a pharmaceutical company has applied to the FDA to have its products made available over the counter. 

Morning-after pills can cause side effects, most commonly nausea and vomiting. Headaches, breast tenderness and changes in menstrual periods also have been reported, but the AMA report suggests serious side effects are rare. 

The pills are “considered safe and effective by the medical community as a whole,” the report said. It also stated that efforts are needed to improve awareness about their availability. 

——— 

On the Net: http://www.ama-assn.org 

http://www.plannedparenthood.org 

http://www.nrlc.org 

Al Gore suggested Tuesday that even a rejection of his Florida Supreme Court appeal might not drive him from the presidential race, though many Democrats said that would be the limit of their loyalty.  

George W. Bush confidently declared himself ready to “seize the moment” as the nation’s 43rd president. 

“I don’t feel anything other than optimistic,” the vice president told reporters, his tone a stark contrast from the sense of foreboding expressed by Democrats across the country. 

Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, a finalist in Gore’s summertime search for a running mate, was among those warning that Gore had one last chance. 

“The Florida Supreme Court is going to rule in two or three days, and if he’s unsuccessful on that, then I think that is the end of it,” he said. 

Four weeks into America’s election limbo, the courts still held the keys to the White House: The Florida Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal of Gore’s historic election challenge to Bush’s certified Florida victory; briefs were filed in reaction to U.S. Supreme decision; and oral arguments were heard at a federal appeals court in Atlanta. 

The flurry of activity came one day after Circuit Judge N. Sanders Sauls rejected Gore’s request to order hand recounts of disputed ballots and overturn Florida’s official election results. Gore appealed, and oral arguments will be heard by the Florida high court Thursday. 

The could-be presidents responded in different ways, Gore by rallying Democratic troops for his last stand and Bush by acting as if his presidency was only a matter of time. 

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” the Texas governor told reporters outside the state Capitol in Austin, Texas, promising an efficient transition to power.  

in the handling of absentee ballot applications in two Florida counties. 

“That doesn’t seem fair to me,” Gore said outside the White House. 

Democrats filed lawsuits in Seminole and Martin counties over the ballot applications. A trial in the Seminole case is scheduled for Wednesday, and Gore’s advisers said there might be a ruling by the end of the week — perhaps before the Supreme Court rules on the Sauls appeal. 

“I do think it’s likely that all of the current controversies will end up being resolved, one way or another, in the Florida Supreme Court,” Gore said. 

Gore’s remarks were the latest twist in a convoluted case: The vice president, who has argued that every vote should count, is now embracing legal action seeking to throw out thousands of absentee ballots. 

Despite the vice president’s hesitation, top Democratic aides on Capitol Hill said there will be calls for Gore to concede if the seven Florida justices — all Democratic appointees — upholds Sauls’ decision. 

Outside Washington, rank-and-file Democrats said Gore had a right to fight in the state Supreme Court but they held out little hope for a positive ruling. Many criticized Republicans or the judicial system for blocking recounts. 

Others second guessed the Gore team. 

“He’s on his last legs now. We’re at the end game,” said Ted Kaufman, a Democratic National Committee member in Delaware. “I worked for Gore, but Bush will be my president.” 

Jon Ausman, vice chairman of the Florida Democratic Party, blamed Gore’s lawyers for presenting a skimpy case to Sauls. 

“We’re cooked,” he said. “It’s possible the appeal might work, but when you call only two witnesses in Sauls’ court and the other guy calls nine, you can’t expect much. That was blunder. It was extremely stupid.” 

Democratic state Sen. Chris Cummiskey of Arizona pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court decision Monday to set aside a state high court ruling allowing some recounts. 

“Unfortunately, I think this is the end for the vice president,” he said. 

Party leaders stood behind Gore out of loyalty to him and, more significantly, concern about their own futures. No Democrats wants to abandon the vice president too soon, and risk alienating minority voters and key core constituencies who have made the election a political crusade. 

Republicans were more optimistic as GOP running mate Dick Cheney visited Capitol Hill. “I expect the courts will speak again with finality,” said House Speaker Dennis Hastert. 

The fierce fight for Florida’s 25 electoral votes spawned more than 40 separate lawsuits that threaten to tie up the 2000 presidential race beyond a Dec. 12 deadline for states to assign electors and the Dec. 18 meeting of the Electoral College. 

In Atlanta, the U.S. Appeals Court heard arguments in two separate but related appeals from Bush supporters fighting recounts. The Florida Democratic Party has argued there is no need for the appeals court to rule on the matter since manual recounts are finished and Bush has been certified the winner in the state. 

“Why isn’t this case moot? Why isn’t this appeal moot?” Judge Charles Wilson, appointed by President Clinton, asked a GOP lawyer. 

“No one has won this election, as far as I know,” replied the GOP attorney, Theodore Olson. “It’s still very up in the air.” 

In Florida, Republicans squabbled over whether to call a special session to appoint a slate of electors loyal to Bush. The governor’s advisers have quietly urged restraint in the GOP-led Legislature, fearing backlash if a Bush slate is appointed before the courts resolve the dispute. 

The U.S. Supreme Court set aside a Florida high court ruling Monday that had extended the deadline for recounts, and asked the state court for more information about its decision. 

In papers filed with the Florida court Tuesday, Gore’s legal team urged the justices to reinstate its prior ruling allowing the recounts. Bush lawyers asked the court to change its mind. 

The year’s busiest shopping season is here, and online retailers and shipping services are hoping to avoid the fiasco of last December when online giants like BarnesandNoble.com and ToysRUs.com failed to deliver thousands of packages in time for Christmas. 

E-tailers and shipping services said they’ve improved their Web sites, stocked up on merchandise, and established shipping warehouses to ensure that yuletide parcels reach their destinations. FedEx has hired 4,000 temporary package handlers and couriers nationwide – they’ll be paid between $9.50 and $13 per hour. 

It is unclear if 4,000 new handlers and streamlined Web sites will be enough. Some 55 million people are expected to visit online shopping sites next month, up 67 percent form last year. In 1999, online shoppers found Web sites slow and difficult to navigate, and 5 percent received their orders after Christmas, according to a report in Newsday. As a result, the Federal Trade Commission hit seven e-tailers with $1.5 million in fines. Toys ’R Us had to pay $350,000 for making misleading claims, and several customers filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company breached its delivery contract. 

But this year, e-tailers and shipping services said they’re ready for anything. 

“I don’t think people realize that we have 660 aircraft globally,” said Sally Davenport, a FedEx spokesperson. “We are experts in terms of being able to take shipments and work around problems.” 

She said last year’s e-commerce shipping problems won’t be repeated because e-tailers have learned from past experience, and FedEx has improved communication with its dot.com clients. 

“Earlier in the year, we sat down with our customers, and talked about what they expected to be giving us,” Davenport said. “They do market forecasts …and we administer our resources accordingly.” 

A spokesperson from L.L. Bean, one of FedEx’s biggest customers, was confident that the clothing company has done its part to avoid any shipping mishaps. 

“We are well focused in e-commerce, and we have a very strong record on delivery,” said Mary Rose McKinnen, a company spokesperson. “We feel well positioned for the holidays.” 

In the East Bay, FedEx and U.S. Postal Employees said they’re also ready for the onslaught. 

“I really don’t think we will have a problem this year,” said Florencia Aceituno, a window supervisor at the Berkeley Post Office. “We’re already delivering Airborne Express packages.” 

To deal with the rush, Aceituno said the post office has already hired temporary employees. Also, the postmaster will decide if additional measures will be taken in early December. Regina, a FedEx worker at a shipping headquarters in Emeryville who declined to give her first name, said that consumers have nothing to be worried about this year. 

“Oh yeah, we’ll be ready,” she said, firmly planing her hands on her hips. “Most people think the peak season starts now, but really, it started in early October.”

SAN JOSE — Apple Computer Inc. became the latest personal computer maker to warn of disappointing earnings, saying Tuesday that first-quarter earnings will fall well short of Wall Street’s expectations because of a slowdown in sales. 

Not counting one-time gains from investments, Apple expects to report a loss of between $225 million and $250 million when results are released next month. 

••• 

ATLANTA — Delta Air Lines sued its pilots’ union and 49 pilots Tuesday and said it will trim 100 to 125 flights from its schedule as it tries to manage mounting cancellations caused by pilots refusing to work overtime. 

Delta chairman and chief executive Leo Mullin said the airline was forced to seek a temporary restraining order against the pilots in federal court after it canceled 386 flights between Friday and Sunday. 

••• 

MAPLEWOOD, Minn — The losers in the sweepstakes to succeed General Electric’s Jack Welch as chairman received their consolation prizes Tuesday: top spots at 3M and Home Depot Inc. 

3M said Tuesday that W. James McNerney Jr. will become the company’s next chairman and chief executive. McNerney, 51, will succeed L.D. DeSimone on Jan. 1; DeSimone, who is reaching the company’s mandatory retirement age of 65, will remain with the company until April 1. 

••• 

WASHINGTON — It’s official: It will cost a penny more to mail a letter starting Jan. 7. The increase to 34 cents was accepted by the Postal Service’s board of governors Tuesday. It will be accompanied by changes in many other rates, including international mail. 

But the wide-ranging set of rates approved last month by the independent Postal Rate Commission fell well short of what the post office wanted, prompting the agency to adopt the new rates under protest. 

••• 

LONDON — Iraq has engaged in “urgent negotiations” with the United Nations on a pricing formula that would enable it to resume its shipments of crude oil, OPEC announced Tuesday. 

Meanwhile, crude prices continued to drop as traders bet that any prolonged stoppage would be made up for by other oil producers.

Wall Street had its first rush of euphoria in months Tuesday, with the Nasdaq composite posting its biggest one-day advance ever amid optimism that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates. Blue chip stocks also soared, carrying the Dow Jones industrials up more than 338 points. 

Some market analysts interpreted the buying spree as a signal that Wall Street might actually have reached a bottom after months of earnings-driven selling. 

“This rally will stick. The market won’t go straight up again, but I think the worst is behind us,” said Bill Barker, an investment consultant with Dain Rauscher. 

The Nasdaq rose 274.05 to 2,889.80, or 10.4 percent, according to preliminary calculations.  

Much of the day’s gains occurred after Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan indicated at a banking conference that he was concerned about the nation’s slowing economic growth. 

But investors had already begun the day optimistic that the presidential deadlock was close to being resolved and pleased with news that Nokia expects strong sales and revenues next year. 

Nokia’s announcement gave investors further reason to buy following months of selling based on bad earnings reports. Nokia rose $5.50 to $49.88. 

— The Associated Press 

Stocks really surged after Greenspan expressed concern about the effects higher energy costs and tightening credit are having on businesses and consumers’ willingness to spend. 

Analysts said the chairman’s statement makes it very likely the Fed will relax its stance against cutting rates when it meets Dec. 19. That raises the possibility of an interest rate cut early next year. The Fed boosted rates half a dozen times between summer 1999 and summer 2000 because of concerns the economy was growing too rapidly and becoming vulnerable to inflation. 

“When you have a market that’s been as repressed as this, you set up this kind of coil-spring syndrome. You get some good news and that’s all it takes,” said Larry Wachtel, a market analyst with Prudential Securities. “You got clarification on the president, you had Mr. Greenspan making his speech, and that’s all you needed to snap back.” 

Indeed, after weeks of selling off stocks on earnings worries compounded by the election limbo, investors were buying with gusto Tuesday. 

Banker J.P. Morgan boosted blue chips, rising $13.13 to $151.63. Shares of Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing were up $11.63 at $116.63, an 11 percent gain, after announcing it had named W. James McNerney Jr., the head of General Electric Co.’s aircraft engines division who was passed over for GE’s top job, to be its next chairman and chief executive. 

Tech stocks, which have been among the most battered in recent weeks, also shot up. Microsoft rose $3.44 to $59.88; Sun Microsystems climbed $12.88 to $91.75, a 16 percent gain. 

But investors were still punishing stocks that warned of disappointing earnings. Shares of 3Com tumbled $3.34 to $10.01, a 25 percent drop, after the supplier of broadband equipment warned of soft quarterly results. 

Wall Street also shunned pharmaceutical and energy-related stocks, which had been viewed as safe havens during the market’s volatility. Drug maker Merck fell $2.25 to $89.75; Exelon fell $2.28 to $63.01.. 

“During the bad times, when most of the market was getting killed, drugs and utilities were on the ’high’ list,” said Wachtel, the Prudential analyst. “If I’m going to bargain hunt, I’m not going to look at these stocks.” 

Advancing issues outnumbered decliners more than 2-to-1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 1.38 billion shares, well ahead of the 1.1 billion reported at the same point Monday. 

The Russell 2000 index rose 20.78 to 471.17. 

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average fell 1.7 percent. Germany’s DAX index rose 3.6 percent, Britain’s FT-SE 100 was up 2.3 percent, and France’s CAC-40 climbed 3.5 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com 

Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com 

WASHINGTON — A Nicaraguan garment factory that supplies discounted clothing to American soldiers imposes sweatshop conditions and starvation wages on its workers, a lawsuit filed Tuesday contends. 

The lawsuit, filed by labor-rights attorneys in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, seeks punitive damages against the Chentex factory and its Taiwan-based parent, Nien Hsing. 

It contends Nien Hsing pays workers at the plant less than 20 cents for each pair of blue jeans sewn. The jeans retail for between $25 and $30, but workers receive what amounts to less than 30 cents an hour. 

At a Tuesday news conference, a sweatshop watchdog group said the jeans are sold to American military personnel through the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, which supplies servicemen and women. 

According to the National Labor Committee for Human Rights, the service imported 64 tons of blue jeans made at the Nicaraguan plant last July, August and September alone. 

“This factory in Nicaragua actually presents the true face of the global economy,” said Charles Kernaghan, executive director of the watchdog. “It’s one of oppression, starvation wages, mass firings, blacklisting, union busting and enormous corporate greed.” 

Pentagon officials admit to doing business with the company, but they say they found no evidence of poor working conditions when a delegation visited the Chentex plant several weeks ago. 

“We do business with them,” said Capt Eric Hilliard, public affairs officer for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. “We went down there, checked it out, and we saw that things were up to par.” 

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service is one of the world’s largest retailers, operating 1,423 stores on U.S. military bases nationwide. It had $7.3 billion in sales last year. 

Kernaghan said he uncovered the link to the Pentagon while reviewing the company’s sales documents. Several American department stores – including Kohl’s, Kmart, Wal-Mart, Target and J.C. Penney – also had garment contracts with the company. 

Since last spring, the National Labor Committee has staged numerous demonstrations outside various Kohl’s stores, demanding that the company cut its ties with the Nicaraguan plant. More protests are planned elsewhere, Kernaghan said. 

Two congressional Democrats, Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney and Ohio Rep. Sherrod Brown, also attended the news conference. Brown traveled to Nicaragua in July and vouched for the deplorable treatment of the garment workers. 

McKinney, who in October introduced legislation that would require U.S. corporations to disclose information about their overseas operations, asked the General Accounting Office to conduct a study. 

“We have to understand these goods come to us at a tremendous human cost, and it’s not necessary,” said McKinney, who sits on the Armed Services and International Relations committees. 

Kernaghan said the Nicaraguan workers are asking for just eight cents more per garment – a raise he says would raise them from “misery to poverty.” 

“How in the world can we spent $60 billion on Star Wars and not be able to pay eight cents more for a pair of jeans?” McKinney said.

SAN FRANCISCO — Homeowners cannot sue construction companies for negligence anymore, unless building code violations or other defects cause injury or economic loss, the California Supreme Court decided Monday. 

The 5-2 decision says homeowners can recover the cost of repairing building code violations or other defects that cause damage only during the warranty time on a new home, from one to 10 years. 

Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar wrote that even though building codes require that walls be built to reduce damage during an earthquake or strong wind, it doesn’t mean “any given defect is sufficiently grave to pose a realistic risk of structural failure.” 

Chief Justice Ronald M. George disagreed with part of the decision, saying the Legislature should change the law to protect homeowners from dangerous construction. 

“California is prone to earthquakes, and, tragically, the negligent construction of residential housing almost surely will result in the deaths and injury of numerous current and future residents of this state,” he wrote. 

But an attorney who represented San Diego residents in the case says the decision will ultimately hurt homeowners. 

“For all the people who are not the original owners and encounter some kind of life safety problem ... they are now disenfranchised,” said lawyer Steven M. Strauss. “They don’t have a remedy.” 

Another lawyer said the court’s decision will likely make homeowners less likely to search for defects because they cannot get reimbursed for the damages, and they will not want to disclose those defects to future buyers. 

But attorneys representing the building industry said most lawsuits are filed over minor defects that will never cause major damage. 

“Spending millions of dollars to correct technical defects ... is something of an economic waste,” said Gregory L. Dillon, a Newport Beach lawyer who defended major home builder, The William Lyon Co., in the case. 

The Supreme Court based Monday’s decision in part on a 1965 ruling limiting a manufacturer’s liability to physical injuries in a negligence lawsuit. 

The case was brought by owners of a San Diego condominium project and a single-family housing development. They wanted compensation for building code violations that included improperly connected walls and inadequate fire protection insulation. 

A trial court and a Court of Appeal had ruled the residents were barred from suing for negligence unless defects caused damage. 

In a dissent, Supreme Court Justice Stanley Mosk said he regretted the court did not create even a “minimal safeguard” for homeowners. 

SAN FRANCISCO — San Jose maintained its position as the No. 1 place for high-tech jobs, but other cities with high employment growth were closing the gap. 

San Jose had 252,900 high-tech jobs in the most recent statistics, according to a study released Tuesday by the Nasdaq Stock Market and the American Electronics Association, a high-tech trade association. 

But Boston was a close second with 234,800 high-tech jobs, followed by Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Dallas. Los Angeles, with 160,500 high-tech jobs, was ranked sixth in the 1998 figures. 

The “Cybercities” study named San Francisco the second-fastest growing city in high-tech employment, with 65 percent growth over a five-year period, trailing only Colorado Springs’ 77 percent growth. 

The Bay area is “starting to slow a bit relative to other markets,” said Mark Albertson, senior vice president for AeA. “There are some quality of life characteristics that may be putting the brakes on.” 

Those include factors such as affordable housing, transportation, energy and education, said Michelle Montague-Bruno, a spokeswoman for the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, who nevertheless touted the attractiveness of her region. 

The average high-tech annual salary in San Jose was $85,100, putting it second behind Seattle, where workers averaged $129,300. San Francisco high-tech wages were fourth in the nation, at an average of $78,400. In some areas in the country, high-tech wages were as much as 220 percent higher than private sector wages. 

Compared to the East Coast, university research and development ventures in Silicon Valley were falling behind. 

“The Bay area lags behind in R&D, compared to many of the universities on the Eastern seaboard,” Albertson said. 

This is the first year of the study, which aims to provide a snapshot of the high-tech industry in 60 metropolitan areas. But it is missing a key element of the high-tech industry – the past two years. It uses government data from 1998. 

Some industry experts say this year’s dot-com fallout and other factors in the fast-moving tech industry make the study outdated. 

“Between two years ago and now, San Francisco could very well have been the fastest growing area,” said Marie Jones, director of business assistance at the San Francisco Partnership, a nonprofit economic development group. 

The study shows that in tech employment within the Bay area, San Francisco, at 20th, was upstaged by Oakland, ranked 17th. 

San Jose residents were the most wired in the nation, with a computer in 77 percent of households and Internet access in 66 percent. 

Jones said the study’s findings on other cities’ booming high-tech industries aren’t surprising. 

“Everyone is trying to say they’re as big as San Jose. San Jose doesn’t play that game. They know they’re the biggest,” Jones said. Even so, she added, “the idea that one city should have all the growth is kind of silly.”

As cold weather descends and natural gas costs soar, the Berkeley City Council is expected to adopt a resolution tonight continuing a program to assist vulnerable residents heat their homes. 

If approved, the State of California Department of Community Services and Development will grant Berkeley $30,000 for next year’s administration and material costs for the much needed low-income program. The overall cost of the state-funded program this year was $125,000. 

Applicants will be assigned priority according to a mathematical calculation that considers the very young, the very old and the disabled. 

Energy Officer Neal De Snoo, of the Berkeley Housing Department, said 1,200 homes took advantage of the bill-pay assistance program last year and 125 homes were weatherized. 

To apply for the program, applicants must call the city’s Energy Office on the first of the month and staff will schedule an appointment with an energy consultant. At the consultation, applicants will be assigned priority status according to need. 

Also during the consultation, applicants will learn some energy management techniques such as changing furnace filters, turning off lights when not in use and how to determine when a home is not weather tight. The application is then turned over to the State of California Department of Community Services and Development where it undergoes an approval process. 

Berkeley residents who qualify for the free weatherization program will have their homes modified to stay warmer and thereby reduce energy costs. Energy-saving modifications include, attic, water heater and pipe insulation, low-flow devices put on hot water faucets, and rubber “shoes” fastened to the bottom of doors. 

“Right now there’s more demand than resources,” said De Snoo, “and demand for the program is going up.” 

Senior Service Assistant Diane Norman, of the North Berkeley Senior Center, said the program is very important to seniors who are at higher risk of becoming ill during the winter months. “A lot of seniors don’t know about the program and I think a lot of seniors have been living without heat during the coldest months of the year,” she said. 

For more information about the low-income energy program call (510) 644-8544. 

West Berkeley Air Quality Study 

Mayor Shirley Dean will ask the council to have the city manager develop criteria for an ambient air quality study in west Berkeley.  

Another study of the area was submitted to the city last September that found the compounds acrolein and formaldehyde in amounts exceeding levels considered safe for humans. The source of the dangerous compounds possibly came from automobile exhaust on the I-80 Freeway.  

The September study was considered to be lacking in certain data. A definitive study that will better estimate health risks such as cancer and chronic disease is being requested by the mayor. 

Downtown affordable housing on Oxford Street 

The council will likely adopt a recommendation to ask the Planning Commission to come up with a set of guidelines for developers to work from while preparing proposals for a multi-use development at the site of the Oxford Street parking lot. 

The city owned site at the corner of Allston Way has been earmarked for affordable housing but until developers submit realistic cost analyses, the affordable housing is still on the wish list. 

University Avenue improvements 

The council is also expected to adopt a recommendation to have the city join forces with the University Avenue Association to apply for $2 million in state Transportation for Livable Communities funds to make University Avenue safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. 

The modifications will include improved sidewalks, pedestrian lights, public transit amenities, bicycle facilities and traffic-calming sidewalk bulbouts. The council will also consider whether to appropriate $24,500 from the parks budget to hire a landscape architect to assist staff in developing plans and preparing the application. 

The city and the UAA must act quickly to beat the February deadline for applications. 

President of the University Avenue Association, Kirpal Khanna said Berkeley’s main avenue is long overdue for a face lift and safety upgrades. “Traffic moves so fast on University,” he said. “We want to make sure it’s safe for pedestrians.” 

New Harley’s for Berkeley police  

The council will consider the city manager’s recommendation to purchase six new Harley Davidsons for the Berkeley Police Department’s Traffic Bureau at a cost not to exceed $102,900.  

Leases on six motorcycles the police now use are due to expire at the end of December. 

Lt. Stan Muller of the Traffic Bureau said the police department would like to replace the leased motorcycles with six new Harley Davidsons to add to the city’s fleet of three BMWs. The bikes would be purchased from McGuire Harley Davidson of Walnut Creek. 

Skate boards 

Mayor Shirley Dean and new Councilmember Mim Hawley have requested the council ask the city attorney to draft an ordinance prohibiting the use of skateboards, rollerblades, bicycles, scooters at special events. 

According to the mayor and Councilmember, there have been complaints about reckless behavior on the wheeled devices during crowded outdoor events such as the Solano Stroll where 150,000 people attended. 

The new ordinance would be designed to protect the elderly, infirm and very young. 

The City Council meets at 7 p.m. tonight in Old City Hall at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The meeting will be broadcast on KPFA-FM 94.1 and televised on Ch-25. 

Tuesday, Dec. 5

Design the Perfect School  

7 - 9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose) 

Informally led by Robert Berend, former UC Extension lecturer, this group aims to have intelligent discussions on a wide range of topics. They stress that there is no religious bent to the discussions and that all viewpoints are welcome. Bring light snacks to share with group.  

Call Robert Berend, 527-5332  

Jewish Book Club 

7:30 - 9:15 p.m.  

Jewish Learning Center  

1414 Walnut St.  

Join in a discussion of Brian Norton’s “Starting Out in the Evening.” Free 

848-0237 x 127 

Get the Lead Out 

6 - 8 p.m. 

Frances Albrier Center 

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

Learn how to prevent lead poisoning in your home. Taught by expert staff, this course offers techniques property owners can use to safety paint and remodel their homes.  

Call 567-8280 

Make a Wreath 

7 p.m. 

UC Botanical Garden 

200 Centennial Dr.  

Whether you are a beginner or a veteran wreath-maker, join Nancy Swearengen and Jerry Parsons and learn to use some unusual materials. $27.50, including materials 

Call 643-2755 

City Council 

7 p.m. 

Old City Hall  

2134 MLK Jr. Way 

Wednesday, Dec. 6

Task Force on  

Telecommunications 

7 p.m., 1900 Addison  

Third Floor Conference Room 

Untraining White Liberal  

Racism 

7 - 9:30 p.m. 

Call for location  

El Cerrito 

Robert Horton, a white male, founded the UNtraining as a way for white people to work together on the unconscious power of white skin privilege and how it perpetuates racism. 

$10 

235-6134 

Citizens Budget Review  

Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

BHS Jazz Lab Band &  

Combos 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater 

Allston Way  

Their first concert of the new school year.  

$8 general, $3 students  

Board of Education 

7:30 p.m. 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Council Chambers 

Fire Safety Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

Fire Department Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

Berkeley Communicators  

Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Thursday, Dec. 7

Berkeley Metaphysic  

Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysic come together at Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters. Meets first and third Thursdays each month. 

Call 869-2547 or 643-7645 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available. 642-7202 

Women’s Travel Book Club 

6:30 p.m. 

Cody’s Books 

1730 Fourth St.  

Join a discussion of M.F.K. Fisher’s “Two Towns in Provence: Map of Another Town & A Considerable Town.” New members are always welcome. The group meets the first Thursday of each month. 482-8971 

Make a Wreath 

10 a.m. 

UC Botanical Garden 

200 Centennial Dr.  

Whether you are a beginner or a veteran wreath-maker, join Nancy Swearengen and Jerry Parsons and learn to use some unusual materials.  

$27.50, including materials 

Call 643-2755 

Prepare Meals in a Snow Kitchen  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Chuck Collingwood of the Sierra Club will present a slide lecture on how to survive overnight in the snow. Call Jason, 527-7377 

Let Your Chi Flow Freely 

6 - 7 p.m.  

University of Creation Spirituality 

2141 Broadway Ave. 

Oakland 

Share peace and tranquillity communally and regain harmony and balance. 835-4827 x31  

Lunch Poems Reading Series 

12:10 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.  

Morrison Room, Doe Library 

UC Berkeley  

Featuring the first three authors in the UC Press’s California Poetry Series. Featured poets will be Fanny Howe, Mark Levine, and Carol Snow. Free 642-0137  

Housing Advisory Commission 

7:30 p.m.  

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St.  

Public Works Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Community Environmental Advisory Commission 

7 p.m. 

2118 Milvia St.  

Second Floor Conference Room 

Friday, Dec. 8

PC Users Group 

7 p.m. 

Vista College 

Room 303  

2020 Milvia St.  

A groups of PC users who help each other solve problems. They introduce their members to new software, hardware, and invited speakers and technicians from various PC related companies. Meet the second Friday of each month.  

Call Melvin Mann, 527-2177  

Yiddish Conversation 

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Julia Morgan Collaborating with Bernard Maybeck  

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., speaker 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

Mark Wilson, realtor with Prudential Realty, will speak. Also City Commons Club annual meeting.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Trunk Show  

with Art Quintanna 

4 - 7 p.m.  

Gathering Tribes Gallery 

1573 Solano Ave. 

Hailing from New Mexico, Quintanna specializes in older “dead pawn” Indian jewelry.  

An Evening Under the Stars 

5 - 8 p.m. 

Courtyard at Swans Marketplace 

Ninth St. between Washington and Clay St. 

With jazz standards playing in the background, discover the work of local artists and find a unique holiday gift. Sponsored by East Bay Galleries for Art and Cultural Development.  

Call 832-4244 

Women Sing  

8 p.m. 

Valley Center for the Performing Arts 

Holy Names College 

3500 Mountain Blvd.  

Oakland 

In the first concert of their 35th anniversary season titled “Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day,” WomenSing perform music of Irving Berlin, Holst, and others.  

$20 general, $18 seniors/students, $10 18 and under 

Call 925-798-1300 

Saturday, Dec. 9

Berkeley Artisans Holiday  

Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

Call 845-2612  

Bay Area Steppers Drill Team 

2 - 4 p.m. 

1216 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Artists at Play Holiday Sale 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Artists at Play Studio  

1649 Hopkins St. (at Carlotta)  

Work by the artists including original servings dishes, frames, jewelry, and other items. 528-0494  

Class Dismissed  

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.)  

Kensington 

Meredith Maran discusses her book “A Year In the Life of an American High School, A Glimpse into the Heart of a Nation,” the result of her following the lives of three Berkeley High students. Free 

Call 559-9184  

— Compiled by  

Chason Williams 

Loneliness as a Spiritual Crisis 

7:30 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Cedar St.  

Hear about the spiritual path of Light and Sound. Also includes the ancient teachings of the saints.  

Call Unitarian Hall, 841-4824 or visit www.masterpath.org 

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

Interviews, musical performances and a live radio play broadcast to a hundred cities worldwide. This show features the Magniolia Sisters, Alex DiGrassi, Tata Monk and author Malachy McCourt.  

Call 415-664-9500  

Trunk Show with Art Quintanna 

10 a.m. -6 p.m.  

Gathering Tribes Gallery 

1573 Solano Ave. 

Hailing from New Mexico, Quintanna specializes in older “dead pawn” Indian jewelry.  

Sunday, Dec. 10

Parenting Book Club 

11 a.m.  

Cody’s Books 

1730 Fourth St.  

Take part in a discussion of “Mothers Who Think” edited by Camille Peri. New group members always welcome. The group meets the second Sunday of each month.  

Call 559-9500 

Poems on the Jewish Experience 

3 - 5 p.m. 

St. Clement’s Episcopal Church 

2837 Claremont Blvd.  

Selected from over 200 poems submitted, the winners of the fourteenth annual Anna Davidson Rosenberg Award will read their poems.  

Journey of the Soul 

7 - 9 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

2727 College Ave.  

A public satsang and Babaji Kriya Yoga meditation with Himalayan yogi Yogiraj Sat-Gurunath.  

Call Sylvia Stanley, 845-9434  

UNtraining White Liberal Racism 

2 - 4:30 p.m. 

555 Tenth St. (at Clay) 

Oakland 

Robert Horton, a white male, founded the UNtraining as a way for white people to work together on the unconscious power of white skin privilege and how it perpetuates racism. 

$10 

235-6134 

Irish Harp & Guitar 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1603 Solano Ave.  

Trish NiGabhain is one of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

LesBiGayTrans Parenting 

11 a.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

These two groups meet on the second Sunday of each month. The group meeting at 11 a.m. is for prospective parents, the one at noon for parents.  

Call 559-9184 

Ancient Buddhist Tales 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Rima Tamar, storyteller and Dharma Publishing sales director, tells some classic Buddhist stories. Free  

843-6812 

TOCAR with David Frazier 

4:30 p.m. 

Jazzschool/La Note  

2377 Shattuck Ave.  

$6 - $12  

Reservations: 845-5373 

Tibetan Nyingma Open House 

3 -5 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

A free introduction to Tibetan Buddhist culture, including a Tibetan yoga demonstration and a meditation garden tour.  

Call 843-6812  

Baroque Choral Guild  

7:30 p.m. 

First Congregational Church 

2345 Channing Way 

Performing the music of Giovanni Gabrieli, Claudio Merulo, Giovanni Croce, and others.  

$20 general, $15 seniors and students  

Call 408-733-8110 

“From Swastikas to Jim Crow”  

10:30 a.m.  

Jewish Learning Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Donald and Lore Rasmussen of Berkeley, and Jim McWilliams of Oakland, discuss their experiences and the experiences of others who fled Nazi Germany and ended up teaching in African-American colleges in the segregated south. Admission includes brunch.  

$4 BRJCC members; $5 general  

Call 848-0237 x127 

Weird Rooms 

3 - 5 p.m.  

Berkeley History Center 

1931 Center St.  

Mal and Sandra Sharpe discuss people who collect unusual things and how their collections take over their rooms.  

Black Images in the White Mind 

6:30 p.m. 

Walden Pond Books  

3316 Grand Ave.  

Oakland  

Jan Faulkner will give a slide show presentation of about her book, “Ethnic Notions.”  

Call 832-4438 

Monday, Dec. 11

Ask the Doctor 

10 a.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Dr. McGillis will discuss prevention and treatment of colds and influenza. 

Call 644-6107 

AHAP Talent Show & Raffle 

2 - 4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Center St.  

The Affordable Housing Advocacy Project organizes the talent show and raffle to help raise funds to further develop tenant leadership through participation in conferences and networking with other tenants in regional, state and national organizations.  

Call 1-800-773-2110 

Wednesday, Dec. 13

Oakland Preschool Fair 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Piedmont Avenue Elementary School 

4314 Piedmont Ave.  

Oakland 

Sponsored by the Neighborhood Parents Network, this panel discussion allows parents the opportunity to speak with representatives from local preschools. 

Free to NPN members, $5 general 

Call 527-6667 

Ballroom Dancing for Seniors 

9 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Energy Commission 

5:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Waterfront Commission Meeting 

7 p.m. 

H’s Lordship Restaurant  

199 Seawall Dr.  

Planning Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Commission on Disability  

6:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Board of Library Trustees  

7 p.m. 

West Branch  

1125 University Ave.  

Homeless Commission  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Police Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St.  

Thursday, Dec. 14

Ultimate Alpine Climbing  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Join veteran alpine climber Kitty Calhoun in a slide presentation of her 20-year climbing career.  

Call Jason, 527-7377 

Meeting Life Changes  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With John Hammerman.  

Call 644-6107 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Solano Ave. Association 

Holiday Mixer & Meeting 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

Cafe Del Sol 

1742 Solano Ave.  

With light refreshments and a silent auction, the Solano Ave. Association invites you to “meet your business neighbors.”  

Call 527-5358  

Community Health Commission 

6:45 p.m. 

2640 MLK Jr. Way  

Auditorium 

Call 665-6845 for exact location 

Zoning Adjustments Board  

7 p.m. 

Council Chamber 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Second Floor 

Friday, Dec. 15

BHS Orchestra and Concert Band 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater  

Allston Way 

St. Paul AME X-Mas Party 

5:30 - 8 p.m. 

2024 Ashby Ave.  

For St. Paul’s annual party they ask that you bring a new toy or book for a needy child. Free 

Call 665-2164 

Dance for the Forests 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1317 San Pablo Ave.  

Join the Alice Di Michele Band, Rachel Garlin, and acapella group Making Waves at this benefit concert for the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters.  

Admission is sliding scale 

835-6303 

Holiday Musical Quartet 

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., music  

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

With music arranged by Melinda McCallister, the quartet will perform popular year-end songs from around the world.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Lesbians and Gays Get Together 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 

Tuesday, Dec. 5

Design the Perfect School  

7 - 9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose) 

Informally led by Robert Berend, former UC Extension lecturer, this group aims to have intelligent discussions on a wide range of topics. They stress that there is no religious bent to the discussions and that all viewpoints are welcome. Bring light snacks to share with group.  

Call Robert Berend, 527-5332  

Jewish Book Club 

7:30 - 9:15 p.m.  

Jewish Learning Center  

1414 Walnut St.  

Join in a discussion of Brian Norton’s “Starting Out in the Evening.” Free 

848-0237 x 127 

Get the Lead Out 

6 - 8 p.m. 

Frances Albrier Center 

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

Learn how to prevent lead poisoning in your home. Taught by expert staff, this course offers techniques property owners can use to safety paint and remodel their homes.  

Call 567-8280 

Make a Wreath 

7 p.m. 

UC Botanical Garden 

200 Centennial Dr.  

Whether you are a beginner or a veteran wreath-maker, join Nancy Swearengen and Jerry Parsons and learn to use some unusual materials. $27.50, including materials 

Call 643-2755 

City Council 

7 p.m. 

Old City Hall  

2134 MLK Jr. Way 

Wednesday, Dec. 6

Task Force on  

Telecommunications 

7 p.m., 1900 Addison  

Third Floor Conference Room 

Untraining White Liberal  

Racism 

7 - 9:30 p.m. 

Call for location  

El Cerrito 

Robert Horton, a white male, founded the UNtraining as a way for white people to work together on the unconscious power of white skin privilege and how it perpetuates racism. 

$10 

235-6134 

Citizens Budget Review  

Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

BHS Jazz Lab Band &  

Combos 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater 

Allston Way  

Their first concert of the new school year.  

$8 general, $3 students  

Board of Education 

7:30 p.m. 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Council Chambers 

Fire Safety Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

Fire Department Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

Berkeley Communicators  

Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Thursday, Dec. 7

Berkeley Metaphysic  

Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysic come together at Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters. Meets first and third Thursdays each month. 

Call 869-2547 or 643-7645 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available. 642-7202 

Women’s Travel Book Club 

6:30 p.m. 

Cody’s Books 

1730 Fourth St.  

Join a discussion of M.F.K. Fisher’s “Two Towns in Provence: Map of Another Town & A Considerable Town.” New members are always welcome. The group meets the first Thursday of each month. 482-8971 

Make a Wreath 

10 a.m. 

UC Botanical Garden 

200 Centennial Dr.  

Whether you are a beginner or a veteran wreath-maker, join Nancy Swearengen and Jerry Parsons and learn to use some unusual materials.  

$27.50, including materials 

Call 643-2755 

Prepare Meals in a Snow Kitchen  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Chuck Collingwood of the Sierra Club will present a slide lecture on how to survive overnight in the snow. Call Jason, 527-7377 

Let Your Chi Flow Freely 

6 - 7 p.m.  

University of Creation Spirituality 

2141 Broadway Ave. 

Oakland 

Share peace and tranquillity communally and regain harmony and balance. 835-4827 x31  

Lunch Poems Reading Series 

12:10 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.  

Morrison Room, Doe Library 

UC Berkeley  

Featuring the first three authors in the UC Press’s California Poetry Series. Featured poets will be Fanny Howe, Mark Levine, and Carol Snow. Free 642-0137  

Housing Advisory Commission 

7:30 p.m.  

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St.  

Public Works Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Community Environmental Advisory Commission 

7 p.m. 

2118 Milvia St.  

Second Floor Conference Room 

Friday, Dec. 8

PC Users Group 

7 p.m. 

Vista College 

Room 303  

2020 Milvia St.  

A groups of PC users who help each other solve problems. They introduce their members to new software, hardware, and invited speakers and technicians from various PC related companies. Meet the second Friday of each month.  

Call Melvin Mann, 527-2177  

Yiddish Conversation 

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Julia Morgan Collaborating with Bernard Maybeck  

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., speaker 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

Mark Wilson, realtor with Prudential Realty, will speak. Also City Commons Club annual meeting.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Trunk Show  

with Art Quintanna 

4 - 7 p.m.  

Gathering Tribes Gallery 

1573 Solano Ave. 

Hailing from New Mexico, Quintanna specializes in older “dead pawn” Indian jewelry.  

An Evening Under the Stars 

5 - 8 p.m. 

Courtyard at Swans Marketplace 

Ninth St. between Washington and Clay St. 

With jazz standards playing in the background, discover the work of local artists and find a unique holiday gift. Sponsored by East Bay Galleries for Art and Cultural Development.  

Call 832-4244 

Women Sing  

8 p.m. 

Valley Center for the Performing Arts 

Holy Names College 

3500 Mountain Blvd.  

Oakland 

In the first concert of their 35th anniversary season titled “Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day,” WomenSing perform music of Irving Berlin, Holst, and others.  

$20 general, $18 seniors/students, $10 18 and under 

Call 925-798-1300 

Saturday, Dec. 9

Berkeley Artisans Holiday  

Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

Call 845-2612  

Bay Area Steppers Drill Team 

2 - 4 p.m. 

1216 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Artists at Play Holiday Sale 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Artists at Play Studio  

1649 Hopkins St. (at Carlotta)  

Work by the artists including original servings dishes, frames, jewelry, and other items. 528-0494  

Class Dismissed  

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.)  

Kensington 

Meredith Maran discusses her book “A Year In the Life of an American High School, A Glimpse into the Heart of a Nation,” the result of her following the lives of three Berkeley High students. Free 

Call 559-9184  

— Compiled by  

Chason Williams 

Loneliness as a Spiritual Crisis 

7:30 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Cedar St.  

Hear about the spiritual path of Light and Sound. Also includes the ancient teachings of the saints.  

Call Unitarian Hall, 841-4824 or visit www.masterpath.org 

Farmers’ Market Craft Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park  

(Center at MLK Jr. Way) 

Local craftspeople will be selling a variety of handcrafted gifts. Also live music, massage, and hot apple cider. Free 

Call 548-3333 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

Interviews, musical performances and a live radio play broadcast to a hundred cities worldwide. This show features the Magniolia Sisters, Alex DiGrassi, Tata Monk and author Malachy McCourt.  

Call 415-664-9500  

Trunk Show with Art Quintanna 

10 a.m. -6 p.m.  

Gathering Tribes Gallery 

1573 Solano Ave. 

Hailing from New Mexico, Quintanna specializes in older “dead pawn” Indian jewelry.  

Sunday, Dec. 10

Parenting Book Club 

11 a.m.  

Cody’s Books 

1730 Fourth St.  

Take part in a discussion of “Mothers Who Think” edited by Camille Peri. New group members always welcome. The group meets the second Sunday of each month.  

Call 559-9500 

Poems on the Jewish Experience 

3 - 5 p.m. 

St. Clement’s Episcopal Church 

2837 Claremont Blvd.  

Selected from over 200 poems submitted, the winners of the fourteenth annual Anna Davidson Rosenberg Award will read their poems.  

Journey of the Soul 

7 - 9 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

2727 College Ave.  

A public satsang and Babaji Kriya Yoga meditation with Himalayan yogi Yogiraj Sat-Gurunath.  

Call Sylvia Stanley, 845-9434  

UNtraining White Liberal Racism 

2 - 4:30 p.m. 

555 Tenth St. (at Clay) 

Oakland 

Robert Horton, a white male, founded the UNtraining as a way for white people to work together on the unconscious power of white skin privilege and how it perpetuates racism. 

$10 

235-6134 

Irish Harp & Guitar 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

1603 Solano Ave.  

Trish NiGabhain is one of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

LesBiGayTrans Parenting 

11 a.m. 

Boadecia’s Books 

398 Colusa Ave. (at Colusa Cir.) 

Kensington 

These two groups meet on the second Sunday of each month. The group meeting at 11 a.m. is for prospective parents, the one at noon for parents.  

Call 559-9184 

Ancient Buddhist Tales 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Rima Tamar, storyteller and Dharma Publishing sales director, tells some classic Buddhist stories. Free  

843-6812 

TOCAR with David Frazier 

4:30 p.m. 

Jazzschool/La Note  

2377 Shattuck Ave.  

$6 - $12  

Reservations: 845-5373 

Tibetan Nyingma Open House 

3 -5 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

A free introduction to Tibetan Buddhist culture, including a Tibetan yoga demonstration and a meditation garden tour.  

Call 843-6812  

Baroque Choral Guild  

7:30 p.m. 

First Congregational Church 

2345 Channing Way 

Performing the music of Giovanni Gabrieli, Claudio Merulo, Giovanni Croce, and others.  

$20 general, $15 seniors and students  

Call 408-733-8110 

“From Swastikas to Jim Crow”  

10:30 a.m.  

Jewish Learning Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Donald and Lore Rasmussen of Berkeley, and Jim McWilliams of Oakland, discuss their experiences and the experiences of others who fled Nazi Germany and ended up teaching in African-American colleges in the segregated south. Admission includes brunch.  

$4 BRJCC members; $5 general  

Call 848-0237 x127 

Weird Rooms 

3 - 5 p.m.  

Berkeley History Center 

1931 Center St.  

Mal and Sandra Sharpe discuss people who collect unusual things and how their collections take over their rooms.  

Black Images in the White Mind 

6:30 p.m. 

Walden Pond Books  

3316 Grand Ave.  

Oakland  

Jan Faulkner will give a slide show presentation of about her book, “Ethnic Notions.”  

Call 832-4438 

Monday, Dec. 11

Ask the Doctor 

10 a.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Dr. McGillis will discuss prevention and treatment of colds and influenza. 

Call 644-6107 

AHAP Talent Show & Raffle 

2 - 4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Center St.  

The Affordable Housing Advocacy Project organizes the talent show and raffle to help raise funds to further develop tenant leadership through participation in conferences and networking with other tenants in regional, state and national organizations.  

Call 1-800-773-2110 

Wednesday, Dec. 13

Oakland Preschool Fair 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Piedmont Avenue Elementary School 

4314 Piedmont Ave.  

Oakland 

Sponsored by the Neighborhood Parents Network, this panel discussion allows parents the opportunity to speak with representatives from local preschools. 

Free to NPN members, $5 general 

Call 527-6667 

Ballroom Dancing for Seniors 

9 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Energy Commission 

5:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Waterfront Commission Meeting 

7 p.m. 

H’s Lordship Restaurant  

199 Seawall Dr.  

Planning Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Commission on Disability  

6:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Board of Library Trustees  

7 p.m. 

West Branch  

1125 University Ave.  

Homeless Commission  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Police Review Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St.  

Thursday, Dec. 14

Ultimate Alpine Climbing  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Join veteran alpine climber Kitty Calhoun in a slide presentation of her 20-year climbing career.  

Call Jason, 527-7377 

Meeting Life Changes  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With John Hammerman.  

Call 644-6107 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Solano Ave. Association 

Holiday Mixer & Meeting 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

Cafe Del Sol 

1742 Solano Ave.  

With light refreshments and a silent auction, the Solano Ave. Association invites you to “meet your business neighbors.”  

Call 527-5358  

Community Health Commission 

6:45 p.m. 

2640 MLK Jr. Way  

Auditorium 

Call 665-6845 for exact location 

Zoning Adjustments Board  

7 p.m. 

Council Chamber 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Second Floor 

Friday, Dec. 15

BHS Orchestra and Concert Band 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater  

Allston Way 

St. Paul AME X-Mas Party 

5:30 - 8 p.m. 

2024 Ashby Ave.  

For St. Paul’s annual party they ask that you bring a new toy or book for a needy child. Free 

Call 665-2164 

Dance for the Forests 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1317 San Pablo Ave.  

Join the Alice Di Michele Band, Rachel Garlin, and acapella group Making Waves at this benefit concert for the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters.  

Admission is sliding scale 

835-6303 

Holiday Musical Quartet 

11:45 a.m., buffet lunch 

12:30 p.m., music  

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave.  

With music arranged by Melinda McCallister, the quartet will perform popular year-end songs from around the world.  

$1 with coffee, students free 

Call 848-3533 

Lesbians and Gays Get Together 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Call 644-6107 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 

Reactions to Netanyahu protests 

Is it OK to stop some speech? 

Editor: 

A decade ago, David Irving, the revisionist British historian, came to Berkeley to give a lecture. When demonstrations and heckling did not stop him, a bomb threat did. Police evacuated the hall.  

I knew some protesters, Jews from the left and right, and understood their anguish. Most people supposed that the protesters had called in the bomb threat. Although the visit was canceled, there was no uproar in the media. 

David Irving was not in Berkeley to deny the Jewish holocaust. He was promoting his latest book, Churchill’s War. Still, he was known for denying that the holocaust ever happened. 

In a similar manner, I do not believe that Netanyahu was here to promote collective punishment, the enslavement of the Palestinian people or to excuse his or Israel’s crimes against humanity. I am sure that, like Mr. Irving, he is aware of the selective sensitivities of liberal Bay Area politics. 

In the end, I can only reconcile this issue by recognizing the vast difference between denying freedom of speech to a writer on a war he took no part in, and a leader who committed crimes against humanity less than a decade ago.  

If this man becomes Israel’s next Prime Minister, it will serve Israel and humanity that he should know not every American will support his actions and blame the 

victim. Not every American can be intimidated, like our shameless elected officials. 

Nabil Al Hadithy 

Berkeley 

Should listen  

to every side 

Editor: 

The intimidation and silencing of Benjamin Netanyahu in Berkeley last week was a shameful event. It is a stain on our reputation as a community ready and able to hear every side of every question.  

The leader of this attack on freedom of expression was quoted as saying that Mr. Netanyahu had a right to speak but “we also have a right to try and stop him.” The concept of a “right” to interfere with the speech of political opponents is chilling. Have the demonstrators forgotten the long, hard battle for free speech in the United States? 

And have they somehow failed to notice what life is like in countries where either mobs or governments still believe they have “the right to try and stop” the expression of speech with which they disagree? 

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” has long been a watchword for those who believe in civil liberties and a civil society. There is no excuse for abandoning this principle. 

Elmer R. Grossman, M.D. 

Berkeley 

Could have done more to protect Netanyahu’s right to speak 

The Daily Planet received the following letter from the San Francisco Anti-Defamation League addressed to Mayor Shirley Dean and Police Chief Dash Butler): 

As you might know, the Anti-Defamation League is a civil rights organization dedicated to countering division and hatred and protecting all people’s rights to fair representation and expression. Last week our office was deluged with phone calls from Berkeley residents who were upset with reports about the city’s response to the scheduled appearance of Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Berkeley Community Theatre last Tuesday.  

Media reports suggest that the city might not have done enough to protect Mr. Netanyahu’s right to speak. One report quotes Berkeley City Council Member Dona Spring as saying “I am upset we’re spending public money to provide security for this event.” According to a November 30 story in the Jerusalem Post, the Berkeley Police Department recommended that the event be canceled because demonstrators broke through police barricades and there were not enough officers to contain the crowd.  

I am sure you agree that the city has an obligation to do whatever it can to provide a safe environment in which people can express their opinions freely. By acquiescing to the protesters’ demands, we encourage others to use bullying tactics to silence opinions with which they disagree. I would appreciate your looking into this matter and informing me of how the city will respond if necessary. 

Jonathan Bernstein 

Director, Central Pacific Region ADL 

Cc: Police Chief Dashel Butler 

A mother’s appeal during  

the month of Ramadan  

As the Mother of Jeffrey Schilling, I am appealing to the Abu Sayyaf for my son’s immediate and unconditional release during the month of Ramadan.  

Holding my son against his will is causing great pain to me and to his wife Ivy.  

Keeping Jeffrey will not accomplish anything for your movement. 

It violates a basic sense of decency to hold an innocent person against his will. 

Jeffrey is not your enemy, nor am I. 

Whatever you hope to achieve will not be realized by holding my son, a fellow Muslim, one who cares deeply about the plight of the Muslim people of Mindanao.  

I would ask that you release Jeffrey at this time, and through this humanitarian act, demonstrate to the world that you are capable of treating innocent people in the same manner that your people wish to be treated.  

Jeffrey’s release will bring great credit to your movement and win you praise from everyone who is watching this matter.  

I pray that you will continue to treat Jeffrey with respect and dignity.   

Please release him unharmed.  

Carol Schiller 

Oakland 

Open Statement by  

the Willard Faculty 

We, the Willard faculty, share our community's shock and grief at the recent tragic events involving some of our students. We extend our sympathy and deepest sorrow to the children and their families, and we support all efforts to bring resolution to the case in a way that is fair and judicious. Much has been written and said on the matter, and as we struggle to carry on the work of educating our youth under the scrutiny of the media and the public eye, we believe that it is important for us to make the following points. 

First, we applaud those who caution against a rush to judgment, against those charged or implicated in the matter, against the public school system, against the victim, against popular culture. Surely if we are to improve the safety and the attitudes of our children, our sense of outrage and disbelief must be tempered by calm reflection, and a reasoned and deliberative approach is most appropriate. 

Second, we caution those who are quick to criticize our site administration here at Willard for failing to provide information to parents and the public in a prompt manner. Considering the amount of misinformation generated about this case, and the manner in which these children have become the subject of a national media event, was it not prudent of our administrators to endeavor to protect the children and to allow the police to investigate the incident? Was it not right to proceed cautiously and deliberately, especially because this was an isolated incident and did not, to the best of their knowledge, pose any apparent threat to the general student population? 

Lastly, we welcome our community's interest in helping us address some of the issues we face as middle school educators in modern America. Our schools are a mirror of our society, and our students mimic our attitudes and ethics. It will take all of us working together to understand what has happened, and we will all be required to ask some hard questions. 

This has been an extremely difficult time, but we remain hopeful that this tragedy - for that is what it is - will serve as a catalyst for a renewed commitment to our youth. It is right to be concerned, and yet we must use this opportunity to come together in partnership to create the best possible educational environment for our children. We remain committed to that goal, and we invite you to join us. 

The Willard Faculty 

Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com 

The city will take eight of its most heavily-polluting vehicles off the streets and replace them with alternately-fueled transportation in the next six months.  

A $388,000 grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Transportation Fund for Clean Air will allow replacement of four refuse trucks, three recycling trucks and a bus for homeless transportation with vehicles that run on compressed natural gas. The old vehicles run on diesel fuel, which the California Air Resources Board has found to emit 40 toxic contaminants, 15 of which are considered to be cancer-causing.  

“The recycling trucks and the garbage trucks drive up and down every street, not just on the major truck thoroughfares,” said Matt Nichols, an environmental planner with the BAAQMD.  

“That exposes the most sensitive individuals, children and the elderly, to a significant amount of particulate matter.” 

Replacing these vehicles with a natural-gas powered fleet will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 89 tons, nearly 2,500 pounds of smog-causing pollutants and eliminate cancer-causing particulate matter, Nichols said.  

“Natural gas still emits some greenhouse gases, but for human health at the local level, it is extremely clean,” said Housing Department Energy Officer Neal De Snoo. 

Compressed natural gas vehicles are not only cleaner than diesel trucks, they are also quieter. “The residents of Berkeley are going to hear the difference,” noted Nichols.  

The grant will enable the city to expand its alternatively-fueled fleet from 17 to 23 vehicles. The city also plans to use its own funds to purchase a natural-gas powered street sweeper and an aerial truck used for streetlight service.  

The city currently has approximately 70 diesel vehicles. It hopes to replace all of them over the next ten years. “What we’re trying to do is phase out our diesel vehicles, particularly the older vehicles which emit a lot of particulate matter,” said De Snoo “These trucks are driving by schools and down residential streets. We don’t want that soot out in our neighborhoods.”  

One of the vehicles to be replaced through the grant is the Social Service Transport bus, which brings homeless people to doctors, meals, job-training programs and social service agencies. The bus has logged about 200,000 miles over its 10 years of service and is subject to frequent breakdowns. With a capacity of 19 passengers, it is in such demand that the drivers frequently have to do a second run to accommodate all the passengers, according to David Wee, mental health program supervisor for the city of Berkeley Crisis Services Program. The new bus will be able to accommodate at least 24 passengers and will expand its services to include two or three routes a week to Highland Hospital and East Oakland, a currently unserved area. It will add an additional 4,000 miles of service to its route. “This is going to tremendously help the people who use this service,” said Wee. “We’ve found that a lot of these people wouldn’t go to these programs if it weren’t for the transportation we are providing.”  

In addition, the city will lease an electric housing inspection vehicle, which will be on the streets next month.  

The city will break ground today on a new natural gas fueling station, which will make operating the vehicles more convenient for drivers, who currently have to drive to Oakland to get fuel. The new station at the intersection of Second and Gilman streets, should open in three months.  

It will also service alternative fuel vehicles from the University of California at Berkeley, the Berkeley Unified School District and Pacific Gas and Electric.

“Free from parental control at last. Now all you need is money. Cha-Ching.”  

And the money Visa is selling is plastic. A credit card Visa calls “the currency of fun.” But instead of using it to have fun, most students are spending the $500 starting limit to cover the rise on tuition and living costs. 

“Students are not just using credit cards to pay for incidentals. They are using them to pay for tuition,” said Shirley Dean, director of marketing at the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of the East Bay. (Dean is not to be confused with the mayor of the same name.) “We have seen an increase of people in their early 20s looking for help from us.” 

On average, students get their first credit card by the age of 18 and by the time of graduation the same students has acquired at least two more, according to the Consumer Federation of America.  

Most of these credit cards charge an annual percentage rate of 18 to 19 percent. 

”I received about three applications for credit cards at home when I was 17,” said Cassady Winston, a freshman at UC Berkeley. “Now I have two credit cards on my name. I got the first one two weeks after I turned 18. I have a $1,000 debt in credit cards” 

As tuition escalated and student loans jumped sharply in the 1990s, credit card advertisements became increasingly visible on campus, according to a report by Georgetown University professor Robert Manning for the consumer federation. 

The federation also says that 70 percent of students at four-year institutions have at least one credit card. 

“From bookstore inserts to applications strategically placed in dorm corridors, classrooms and cafeterias, credit card advertising campaigns are designed to condition students to accept the use of credit cards as the social norm of college,” Manning says. 

“A particularly disturbing trend is the emerging ‘marriage of convenience’ between credit card companies and universities,” he adds. 

That trend is present at UC Berkeley as well. Credit cards advertisements go into every bag at the University’s bookstore. 

“We put the ads on the bags year long,” said Monica O’Neill, a supervisor at the student bookstore. “At least half of the students pay with credit or debit cards.” 

Heather Milne, a student who works at the Cal Student Store, says that every Friday afternoon MBNA America gives out Cal hats when students sign up for a Visa card that has a picture of the stadium on the front. 

“Most of my friends that have the card signed up to get the free hat,” Milne said. “They don’t use it, but they have other credit cards they use.” 

Nationally, tuition and fees rose by 4.4 percent at four-year public institutions last year, according to a report by the College Board.  

However, in the University of California system, tuition, fees, room and board for state residents remained at an average of $13,233 for the sixth year. At UC Berkeley the same costs are estimated at $15,000, with over $8,000 allotted for on campus housing alone. 

Although student aid has grown faster than tuition in the past decade, the increase has come in the form of student and parent loans, according to Manning’s report. 

“More students are taking out loans,” said Cheryl Resh, associate director of financial aid. “But whether the amount of money being borrowed has increased is hard to say.” 

Regardless of the increase in aid, students at UC Berkeley find they need to use credit cards to make ends meet. 

“I get most of my expenses paid for by scholarships, Pel and Cal grants,” said Narcissus Hogue, a junior at UC Berkeley. “But I still have two credit cards that are maxed out right now.” 

The problem starts when students’ debt begins to exceed 20 percent of their income, said Dean, whose organization offers free workshops on reducing credit card debt. 

“When you can only make the minimum payment or a little bit more, you are in a dangerous situation,” she added. 

Winston, the freshman who got his first credit card a few days after turning 18, has used both of his credit cards to the maximum and only makes the minimum payment. 

“I know they will eventually increase my limit,” Winston said. 

LOS ANGELES — Fourth-graders joined the fight over diesel school buses Monday, donning gas masks and urging state air regulators not to spend millions to buy the vehicles. 

About 20 youngsters from Castle Heights Elementary School joined representatives of several environmental groups at a press conference. 

“A lot of people are dying every day, breathing in diesel fuel,” 9-year-old Amanda Davis said, explaining why her class decided to demonstrate against diesel buses. 

“When I have kids,” 9-year-old Justin Rubinstein said, “I really don’t want them to breathe in diesel gas and really get hurt by asthma or lung cancer.” 

A girl held up a drawing of a school bus, with two people coughing behind a knot of black scribbles. 

The California Air Resources Board, which meets Thursday in Sacramento, will consider a staff recommendation on how to spend a $50 million state appropriation to reduce school bus pollution. 

The most contentious issue has been whether diesel fuel – which runs more than two-thirds of the school buses on California roads – can be reformed enough to keep it viable. 

The staff plan would spend $15 million on advanced, cleaner-burning diesel buses. Another $25 million would be spent on natural gas-burning buses and $10 million on retrofitting existing diesel buses with cleaner engines. 

Staff members say the proposal is intended to help both urban areas, where the need for pollution controls are most acute, and rural districts, where many of the oldest buses operate and expensive natural gas infrastructure is lacking. 

Critics contend diesel is inherently polluting and a particular threat to children. 

But Tom Trueblood, spokesman for International Truck and Engine Corp., said the latest diesel technology is much cleaner than engines in vehicles on the road today, and also the cheapest way to reduce emissions. 

The only engine that could meet the air board’s proposed standard for diesel school buses is an International model. It is still being tested and has not yet been federally or state certified – meaning it cannot be sold – but the company expects to deliver models by 2002. 

Air board spokesman Jerry Martin said buying diesel buses will help rid California of some of the dirtiest and most dangerous school buses on the road. 

About 1,900 buses, 12 percent of the total number in the state, were made before 1977 federal safety and emissions standards kicked in. 

On the Net: 

Air Resources Board: www.arb.ca.gov

Some say clinical trials showing  

cancer research is headed forward 

SAN FRANCISCO — A leukemia drug that brought cancer into remission in most patients in clinical trials is generating extraordinary excitement among cancer specialists and patients as a gentler, more effective treatment that assures researchers they’re on the right track. 

The drug, called Glivec, or STI-571, and manufactured by Novartis AG, should be available for prescription as early as June 2001, researchers said as they presented their findings at the American Society of Hematology convention on Monday. 

Meanwhile, people with advanced chronic myeloid leukemia will be allowed to get the pill immediately by joining clinical trials that are already in progress, and newly diagnosed leukemia patients can get on waiting lists for new trials, which will be gradually expanded. 

“This drug is a major breakthrough. It will change the way we treat patients with CML,” said Dr. Hagop Kantarjian, who oversees one of the trials at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. 

Anyone diagnosed with leukemia should make every effort to get the new pill, rather than depend interferon, the common treatment for leukemia, said Edward Benz, president of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School, who was not involved in the research. 

“I think patients ought to find out if there’s a clinical trial and if they qualify for it,” Benz said. “This is not a miracle drug,” he added, but it is a model for future cancer study because it targets the cause of the disease without damaging other cells. 

“The results support the dream that so many of us in molecular biology have – that is, if you know the genetic abnormality, you can develop a better therapy,” Benz said. 

Leukemia, caused by an abnormal protein that is the product of an abnormal chromosome, affects about 10,000 adults worldwide each year. It leads to a huge increase in the number of white blood cells, which can interfere with the functioning of other organs. 

Glivec blocks a signal that the protein sends out. That effectively prevents the abnormal growth and production of other cancerous cells. 

So far, the Glivec trials have involved almost 3,000 patients around the world who have not responded well to interferon, a natural protein which must be injected. Interferon revs up the body’s immune defense but has side effects including pain, joint inflammation and flu-like symptoms. And while it can prolong a leukemia patient’s life by up to two years, about 20 percent of patients stop using it because of its side effects. 

Bone marrow transplants are the only proven way of curing leukemia, but these procedures carry a mortality rate of up to 40 percent, and are only successful in 55 to 65 percent of cases. Other drugs are used to maintain the health of leukemia patients, but don’t decrease the number of white blood cells or help make the blood normal again. 

Results analyzed for more than 760 of these patients in different stages of the disease were presented Monday. More than 530 people in the first phase of the disease were studied and in more than 90 percent of the cases, their blood was normal after six months of treatment. 

The drug also proved effective for many people with more advanced leukemia: 91 percent of the 230 patients in the second phase of the disease responded positively; of these, 63 percent saw their blood counts return to normal. In some, the cancer-causing chromosome disappeared. 

“The main thing is that I got my life back,” said Carol Stuckey, a 50-year-old mother of two from West Linn, Ore., who was diagnosed with CML seven years ago and was close to being in the final phase of the disease, when a patient only has months to live. 

She has been on STI-571 since December 1999, and said the treatment has helped her lead a normal life. “I have energy again. Just prior to taking the medication, I was totally drained. Within two weeks of taking STI, I had wonderful energy. I went Christmas shopping.” 

Stuckey had not responded well to interferon and had been unable to find a match in bone marrow donors. She said she sometimes has leg cramps or puffy eyes since starting to take Glivec, but that those are minimal side effects compared to the lack of energy she was experiencing. 

“The whole of cancer research has been to identify the differences between cancer cells and normal cells. That’s been the goal of cancer research and here it is,” said Brian Druker, an Oregon Health Sciences University researcher who was the principal developer of the drug. “I view it as a new era of cancer therapeutics. It’s the most effective treatment we know of for CML.” 

Researchers chose CML because they knew about the abnormal chromosome and its abnormal protein. Before they transfer the model — targeting a specific abnormality with minimal effect on healthy tissue — to other cancers, they must isolate the causes. 

“All the cancers that have been studied are accumulations of genetic abnormalities,” said Benz. “The trick will just be sorting through those, and each of those is a long, drawn-out process. That doesn’t reduce the significance of this. It means in other examples we’ll have to work harder to find the target.” 

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco International Airport will start transferring all international flights to a new $1 billion terminal. 

The 2.5 million-square-foot international terminal – five times as big as the Transamerica pyramid building in downtown San Francisco – is divided into two wings and has a total of 24 gates for arriving and departing aircraft, and twelve baggage carousels. 

The old international terminal, which had 10 gates and six carousels, opened in 1954. 

International passengers currently get off their plane and wait for their bags before officially entering the country. To speed up the process, passengers now first will pass through U.S. Immigration, then pick up their bags and pass through expanded U.S. Customs facilities. 

Also, unlike in the current international terminal, boarding areas will be open to people without tickets. 

Airport officials expect to entirely convert to the new international terminal by Sunday, but passengers may encounter some chaos during the transition. 

The new international terminal originally was scheduled to open in September, but the process was delayed several months by telecommunications glitches.

SAN DIEGO — A lawsuit seeking $682 million from tobacco companies for improperly marketing to California teen-agers has moved a step closer to class-action status with a state court’s tentative ruling. 

An estimated 1.5 million Californians who smoked as minors between April 1994 and December 1999 could be eligible to join the case against R.J. Reynolds, Lorillard Tobacco Co., Brown & Williamson, and Philip Morris. 

Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Prager issued a tentative ruling in favor of class-action status Friday. Oral arguments on the issue are to be heard next week: Norm Blumenthal, an attorney for the plaintiffs, is optimistic Prager will formalize the decision then. 

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of six San Diego area residents who began smoking when they were teens. 

The suit claims that in-store tobacco promotions are placed near candy shelves and at children’s eye level and that advertising images encourage minors to light up. 

The suit seeks the profits from sales made on the ads targeted to youth, an estimated $682 million, Blumenthal said Monday. 

It also seeks to discourage the placement of cigarettes on countertops where they can easily be stolen by teens and to stop tobacco companies from using images that appeal to minors. 

“It’s time for the (Marlboro) cowboy to ride off into the sunset with Joe Camel,” Blumenthal said. 

Michael York, an attorney for Philip Morris, said the company intended to argue against class-action certification next week. 

R.J. Reynolds said it was confident the tobacco companies would prevail. 

“There is simply a fundamental lack of merit in trying to handle tobacco-related lawsuits as class actions,” the company said in a statement. 

Even under California law, “the plaintiffs must be able to identify who is in the class and which class members have been affected by the alleged unfair business practices. There is no mechanism to do either in this case.” 

Representatives of Brown & Williamson and Lorillard Tobacco Co. did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

Judge Prager in April had declined to grant class-action status to the case, noting that damages were available without the designation. But three rulings from the state Supreme Court since then — two dealing with unfair competition lawsuits and another limiting the reasons courts can deny class-action status — “changed the legal landscape and allowed us to go in for reconsideration,” Blumenthal said. 

Given California’s “unique consumer protection laws,” this case appears likely to be the first involving teens and tobacco advertising to win class-action status, he said. 

On the Net: http://www.sandiego.courts.ca.gov/jccp/tobacco/orders/tr001130.html

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court says the University of Washington Law School acted legally when it used race as a factor in its now-abandoned admission policy. 

The ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday means public schools across the circuit, which includes most western states, can continue using affirmative action programs, said Dan Tokaji, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union at the University of Southern California, which supported the university in its case. 

However, the ruling will not affect admissions in Washington and California, where voters banned such affirmative action programs, he said. 

The lawsuit was brought by Katuria Smith, Angela Rock and Michael Pyle, who say they were denied admission to the region’s largest and most prestigious law school because they’re white. 

Michael Rosman, a lawyer for the Center for Individual Rights, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit agency that opposes affirmative action and represented the trio, said his clients “still want damages for having been subjected to discrimination when they were applying.” Two of the three attended different schools and paid higher tuition than they would have paid at the University of Washington, he said. 

Monday’s ruling cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1978 Bakke vs. University of California decision, in which it struck down the use of racial quotas in school admissions, but allowed schools to consider race in deciding which students to accept. 

In so doing, the 9th Circuit created a direct conflict with the 5th Circuit court, which governs Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. 

In 1996, a three-judge panel of that court ruled in favor of four white students who sued the University of Texas, saying its law school did not admit them because of their race.  

The ruling led to an injunction banning universities from using race as a factor in admission policies. 

“We are well aware of the fact that much has happened since Bakke was handed down,” said Judge Ferdinand F. Fernandez, writing for the three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit. “Since that time, the court has not looked upon race-based factors with much favor. Still, it has not returned to the area of university admissions.” 

Rosman said they haven’t decided whether to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. They say that while the university’s admissions policy may have been constitutional, it also may have been applied incorrectly. 

But David J. Burman, the university’s lawyer, said the students do not have much of a case. 

“We’re optimistic that, at some point, they’ll choose to drop it,” he said. 

A message was not immediately returned from the University of Washington’s attorney general’s office. 

LOS ANGELES — Animal control workers and advocates say a state law requiring pet shelters to delay euthanasia has led to overcrowding and increased dog fights in the city’s kennels, some of which date to the 1920s. 

“I primarily blame the city shelter problem on SB 1785,” said Phyllis Daugherty, Animal Issues Movement director. “The shelter should have the right to humanely euthanize those animals which pose a threat or danger to animals or to people.” 

County animal control officials and administrators at several city shelters have asked the state to reimburse the cost of caring for the animals longer. 

The Commission on State Mandates held hearings last week and is expected to make a decision on reimbursement requests in January. 

Overcrowding has forced workers to place enemy dog breeds in one kennel when they should be separated. Up to four fights break out daily. 

At a South-Central animal shelter, workers had to place an 11-year-old blind Akita into a kennel where six other dogs vied for food and water. Workers said two pit bulls recently attacked a German shepherd. 

Workers often use brooms and sticks to break up the fights. 

“It is an extreme situation for animal control workers to separate the dogs that are fighting,” said City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, chair of the council’s Public Safety Commission. 

City officials are now hoping a voter-passed Measure F will aid workers who take in more than 70,000 dogs into the 386 kennels. The measure has earmarked $154 million for expansion and construction of more animal shelters. 

State Sen. Tom Hayden, D-Los Angeles, sponsored legislation to delay euthanasia in an effort to reduce the number of pets killed. 

“We kill way too many lost dogs and cats, and the legislation opened a new day be extending the holding periods and creating incentives to look for the owners or work with animal welfare activists to adopt them out,” said Hayden, who will run for a City Council seat when his term expires next month.

Photos from a satellite orbiting Mars suggest the Red Planet was once a water-rich land of lakes, strengthening the theory that billions of years ago it had the conditions needed for the evolution of life. 

The photos, taken by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, show massive sedimentary deposits, with thick layers of rock stacked one on top of another in miles-deep formations. 

“Some of the ... images of these outcrops show hundreds and hundreds of identically thick layers, which is almost impossible to have without water,” said Michael C. Malin, first author of a study being published Friday in the journal Science. 

Malin and his co-author, Kenneth S. Edgett, both researchers at Malin Space Sciences Systems in San Diego, said the photos show clear views of horizontal deposits of rock, a characteristic of sedimentary rock, in the walls of craters and chasms cut into the surface of Mars. 

Such layered rock structures are common on Earth where there were once lakes. Sediments can settle to the lake bottom and, over geologic time, form sheets of rock, one on top the other like pancakes in a stack. 

Malin and Edgett said such layered rock can be formed by wind or volcanic activity, but the prevalence of sedimentary outcrops on Mars suggests strongly the action of water. 

J. William Schopf, head of UCLA’s Center for the Study of Evolution and the Origin of Life, said the study gives strong support for theories that Mars billions of years ago was wetter, warmer and potentially more friendly to life. 

“This is the strongest evidence yet for what appear to be sedimentary units (rock formations) on Mars,” said Schopf. “If we saw these things from Earth orbit, we’d know” they were formed by water. 

Malin and Edgett suggested that craters, gouged out by asteroids, formed basins that collected water. With its many craters, Mars could have resembled a land of lakes. Sediment flowing into the craters could settle on the lake bottoms and eventually harden into layers of rock. 

They said the process occurred early in Mars’ history, between 4.3 billion and 3.5 billion years ago. 

If there once were lakes of water on the planet, Schopf said, “it makes it increasingly plausible” that life could have existed on Mars. He cautioned, however, that the only way to be sure is to go to Mars and return with samples. 

“You cannot have Earthlike life without having water, but the presence of water, in and of itself, doesn’t say that there was life there,” said Schopf. 

Many experts believe Mars may have been warmer and wetter billions of years ago and that some change in the planet’s atmosphere caused the open water to vaporize and disappear into space. Some have suggested Mars may still have subsurface pools of water, frozen there by the deep cold that now grips the planet. 

On the Net: NASA on the planets: http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/ 

SACRAMENTO — An experimental program to increase salaries for underpaid, part-time “freeway fliers” who teach at multiple community colleges was approved Monday by the system’s state advisory board. 

A $2 million pilot program, if approved by the Legislature and Gov. Gray Davis, would allow six colleges to hire five full-time, tenure-track instructors each. It also would let them teach courses at neighboring colleges. 

The plan is part of a larger state system proposal “to see if we can offer full-time opportunities to enable people to come off the freeways,” said Tom Nussbaum, state chancellor. 

“I think this is really very exciting,” said Chris Storer, a philosophy instructor at DeAnza College in Cupertino and executive council chairman of the California Part-Time Faculty Association. 

The state system’s proposed 2001-2002 budget, approved by the board and presented to the Democratic governor, also contains $75 million for the first year of a three-year program to bring part-time instructors’ salaries closer to those of full-time faculty. 

Most colleges and universities rely on part-time instructors, who do not have tenure rights and frequently are paid less with fewer benefits, to give them flexibility as enrollments change. 

However, the use of part-timers is particularly acute in California’s community college system, the largest in the nation. It serves 1.5 million students in 107 colleges run by 72 locally elected districts. 

About 31,000 of the statewide community college faculty, or 34 percent, are part timers. Some of them want to teach part time, but thousands want full-time jobs. Many, therefore, end up teaching courses in several nearby districts to piece together a living. They call themselves “freeway fliers” because they spend so much time commuting among colleges. 

While pay scales vary among districts, the part timers generally make much less than their full-time counterparts who do the same work. The statewide average hourly rate for full-time faculty in 1998 was $112.94, while for part timers it was $40.84, according to the chancellor’s office. 

Most part timers also did not have health benefits and were not paid for holding office hours until the Legislature provided money for that two years ago. 

“The hopes really of the entire higher education community in the United States are looking to California and what the community college system is doing,” Storer said. 

“Everybody has come finally to the recognition that something has to be done. California has a chance to be out in front,” he said. 

Students will gain from the proposals by having more contact with faculty, said Judith Michaels of the California Federation of Teachers. 

Under the pilot proposal, the six districts chosen would create new, full-time faculty positions, five for each college. Those instructors would teach not only at their home college, but also at nearby colleges. 

The instructors would get the same salary and fringe benefits as other full-time faculty. The home college and the neighboring colleges would continue to pay those instructors at their existing part-time rates, with the state making up the difference. 

The cost would be $2 million a year for four years. During that time, the state would study the program to see how well it worked. 

The California Community Colleges Board of Trustees unanimously approved the proposal Monday. 

In the past two years, faculty groups and the board have proposed money to increase part timers’ salaries, but Davis has blocked or vetoed those proposals. 

The governor has said he was waiting for a study that was included in a 1999 bill on the differences between salaries for part-time and full-time faculty. That study by the California Postsecondary Education Commission was supposed to be finished last spring, but it is not scheduled to be done until next March. 

The $75 million to increase part timers’ salaries is part of a budget proposal by the chancellor’s office. It would be $930 million higher than this year’s $2.7 billion budget. 

That increase is the largest the chancellor’s office has ever proposed, Nussbaum said. It is designed to “help us catch up for long periods of underfunding.” 

The state’s community colleges, with the nation’s lowest tuition of $330 a year, are expected to grow by an additional 400,000 students by 2005, according to the California Postsecondary Education Commission. 

Davis will not release his budget proposals until Jan. 10. The Legislature will then approve its budget version next summer for the fiscal year beginning July 1. 

——— 

On the Net: The chancellor’s office is http://www.cccco.edu 

LOS ANGELES — Lawyers for the first three officers convicted in a police corruption scandal said Monday that they will seek a new trial. 

Sgts. Brian Liddy and Edward Ortiz and Officer Michael Buchanan were convicted Nov. 15 of conspiracy and perjury for framing gang members during a 1996 arrest.  

Prosecutors said the officers made false police reports claiming they were intentionally struck by a pickup truck. 

A fourth officer was acquitted. 

Defense attorneys said they will ask for a new trial next week. 

Harland Braun, representing Buchanan, said jurors wrongly relied on a computer-generated police report about the incident that said “great bodily injury” was involved – which the officers did not allege in their handwritten account. 

The police corruption investigation was sparked by statements from Rafael Perez, a former officer convicted of stealing cocaine from an evidence locker. Perez claimed that he and others in a Rampart-area anti-gang unit planted evidence, filed false reports and shot innocent people. 

Perez’s ex-lover was arraigned Monday for allegedly filing a false report with the FBI claiming Perez and another officer killed three people. 

Sonya Flores, 24, was arraigned before a federal judge. She was expected to plead guilty Tuesday and could face up to five years in prison.  

However, a 10-month sentence was being recommended, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office. 

Her attorney, Marshall Bitkower, said he hoped his client would receive a lighter sentence to a halfway house. 

Flores, appearing calm during her brief appearance before U.S. Judge Carla Woehrle, made no statement to reporters. 

“I think she’s apologized already,” Bitkower said after the hearing. 

Flores’ allegations, made public in October, contributed to Perez being discounted as a witness in the corruption trial of the other officers. 

They also sent federal authorities to Tijuana, Mexico, to dig for bodies she said were buried in a ravine. None were discovered and the so-called victims were later located and interviewed by the FBI. 

On Nov. 11, Flores recanted her allegations, telling reporters that she made them because she was angry at Perez. 

“Rafael got me pregnant and started seeing other women. He promised to leave his wife and marry me. All he did was use me and throw me away,” she said. 

SACRAMENTO — The California Legislature opened its 2001 session Monday with plenty of handshakes, hugs and unanimity, but there were also signs of discord lurking around the corner. 

“Just to get out alive is our motto,” quipped Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, D-San Francisco, as lawmakers began a session that could see fights over redistricting, tax cuts, electricity deregulation and a number of other issues. 

Lawmakers met briefly to take their oaths of office, elect their leaders and begin introducing the thousands of bills they will consider over the next two years. Then they recessed until January. 

They got off to a harmonious start with the Senate and Assembly unanimously re-electing Burton and Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, to the top posts in their houses. 

Lawmakers also smoothly approved the rules under which they will operate in 2001 and 2002, including some changes designed to limit late amendments and avoid the chaos that hit on the last night of this year’s session. 

“At this moment, the eyes of our country – and, in fact, the world – are focused on examples of partisan warfare,” said Hertzberg, referring to the court fights over the presidential election. “People are wondering whether our political process really works. Today we have provided a different example.” 

But there also were reminders of some of the battles that may lie ahead. 

Assemblyman Bill Leonard, R-Rancho Cucamonga, introduced a resolution calling for a fair redrawing of legislative seats to reflect population growth revealed by this year’s federal census. 

Redistricting, as the process is called, can be one of the most highly partisan processes lawmakers engage in. Where lines for Senate, Assembly and congressional districts are placed can determine if one party will control the Legislature and even Congress for the next decade. 

Leonard is concerned because for the first time in 20 years members of one party – in this case the Democrats – will be able to dictate where those lines go because they hold the governor’s office and have majorities in both houses of the Legislature. 

That would allow Democrats to try to maximize the number of seats they hold by putting heavily Republican areas into as few districts as possible. 

Hertzberg promised to “draw fair lines, lines that reflect the true California.” 

If Republicans don’t agree they can try to get voters to overturn the new districts or challenge them in court or both. Going to the voters would not be an option if Democrats can muster enough Republican support to approve the plans by two-thirds votes. 

Other hot issues could include how to control skyrocketing electricity rates, whether to toughen gun control laws and how to use a budget surplus projected to top $10 billion. 

Democrats now hold 26 of the Senate’s 40 seats and 50 of the Assembly’s 80 seats. That’s an increase of one Senate seat and four Assembly seats. 

One Assembly seat is vacant because a Republican candidate, Jan Leja of Beaumont, agreed Friday to plead guilty to filing false campaign finance reports and not to take her seat. 

A special election will be held next year to fill that vacancy. 

Despite her absence, there are more women in the new Legislature, as well as more Hispanics, Asians and gays, including the first openly gay member of the Senate, Democrat Sheila Kuehl of Santa Monica. 

Twenty-eight lawmakers – all in the Assembly – are totally new. Ten first-time senators are former members of the Assembly and three lawmakers are returning to the Assembly after stints in the Senate.

NEW YORK — A key gauge of future economic activity fell 0.2 percent in October, suggesting further slowing for the U.S. economy in the new year. 

The Conference Board said Monday that its Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators declined to 105.5 in October after registering no change in September and dropping 0.1 percent in August. 

The index is watched closely because it gives an indication of where the overall U.S. economy is headed in the next three to six months. 

A related index, which measures current or coincident economic activity, fell 0.1 percent in October — the first decline since a 0.1 percent drop in September 1999, the New York-based business group said. 

Also Monday, the Commerce Department reported that sales of new homes moderated in October after surging the month before, providing further evidence the economy is slowing. Americans bought new single-family homes at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 928,000 in October, a 2.6 percent drop from September. Some analysts were expecting a 4.9 percent decline. 

The reports prompted a retreat to blue chips on Wall Street, with technology stocks falling. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 108.44 at 10,481.98 early Monday afternoon. Broader indicators were mixed. 

Ken Goldstein, the Conference Board’s chief economist, noted that since the start of 2000, the leading indicators have declined in five months and have been been flat in four. 

“To be sure, this series has been signaling and continues to point toward a cooling of still-strong economic conditions,” Goldstein said. 

Economic growth slowed markedly in the July-September quarter, with the gross domestic product expanding at an annual rate of 2.4 percent, down from 5.6 percent in the spring quarter. GDP is a measure of the nation’s total output of goods and services. 

The slowing came after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates six times between June 1999 and May 2000 to try to keep the economy from overheating and sparking inflation. 

The Fed has aimed for a “soft landing” for the economy – slowing growth but not sending the economy into a recession. 

Bryan Jordan, an analyst at Banc One Investment Advisors in Columbus, Ohio, said the economy appears to be on target for a soft landing. 

“There’s no doubt the economy is cooling off, and these numbers are more evidence of that,” he said.  

“We don’t buy into that hard landing story. There’s still a lot of inherent strength in the economy.” 

The Conference Board report said that six of the 10 indicators that make up the leading index declined in October: manufacturers’ new orders for consumer goods, stock prices, manufacturers’ new orders for nondefense capital goods, consumer expectations, initial claims for unemployment insurance and interest rates. 

——— 

On the Net: 

www.conference-board.org 

www.census.gov 

NEW YORK — PepsiCo Inc. shares rose Monday after it sealed a deal to buy Quaker Oats Co., the maker of Cap’n Crunch cereal, Aunt Jemima pancake mix and Gatorade, for about $13.4 billion in stock. 

Adding the popular Gatorade to its fleet of non-carbonated beverages will give PepsiCo the dominant brand in the $2.5 billion sports drink category.  

The company also sells Aquafina water, Lipton teas and Tropicana juices. 

“This is one terrific moment in the history of PepsiCo and Quaker,” Roger A. Enrico, PepsiCo chairman and chief executive officer, told investors and analysts in a conference call. 

He said the deal will help PepsiCo grow faster than expected in both revenue and profits. 

PepsiCo shares, which had slid 6.6 percent on Friday amid reports it was close to a deal, were up 3.4 percent, in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Quaker shares also were higher, rising $2.31 a share. 

When the deal closes, Enrico said Steve Reinemund, PepsiCo president and chief operating officer, will succeed him as chairman and CEO. Chief financial officer Indra Nooyi will add the title of president. 

Robert Morrison, Quaker chairman and CEO, will be a vice chairman of the combined company. 

Quaker Oats can back out if PepsiCo’s stock dips below $40 a share for a period of 10 random days in the month before closing. Under this scenario, PepsiCo would have to increase the share-exchange ratio in order to keep the deal alive. 

At least two PepsiCo rivals had a similar thirst to acquire Quaker Oats: the board of Coca-Cola Co. abandoned talks to buy Quaker for a reported $15.75 billion two weeks ago and French food conglomerate Danone SA backed away from a possible bid. 

PepsiCo beat out its competitors with an offer that essentially mirrored the one rejected by Chicago-based Quaker roughly one month ago. 

“Gatorade would do even better under PepsiCo than it has under Quaker Oats because of better marketing and distribution,” said John Sicher, a veteran soft drink industry watcher who publishes Beverage Digest in New York. 

The deal could raise antitrust concerns because of PepsiCo’s ownership of All-Sport, a competing brand to Gatorade, albeit with much less market share. However, PepsiCo has agreed to get rid of All-Sport in order to keep the deal alive. 

Tom Pirko, who heads the beverage consulting firm Bevmark in Santa Barbara, Calif., said a PepsiCo-owned Gatorade would actually be good for competition. Under PepsiCo, Gatorade would benefit from a vast distribution system and over time would spur demand for more products in the sports drink category, he said. 

Pirko said the acquisition of Quaker Oats, and Gatorade in particular, would give PepsiCo a “huge psychological edge” in its competition with Atlanta-based Coca-Cola, the world’s leading soft drink manufacturer. “PepsiCo is building a formidable package of leading brands,” he said. 

While picking up Gatorade was no doubt the primary thrust of this transaction for PepsiCo, analysts were quick to point out that Quaker Oats’ food products, which include granola snack bars and rice cakes, nicely complement PepsiCo’s line of salty snacks. 

“Quaker Oats’ grain-based snacks could show real growth within the Frito-Lay marketing and distribution system,” Sicher said. “PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay division is the nation’s leader in salty snacks with brands such as Lay’s, Fritos and Doritos chips. 

Quaker vast food business also includes such brands as Quaker and Life cereals, and Rice-A-Roni. 

Coca-Cola abandoned its pursuit of Quaker Oats after the soft drink company’s board rejected a deal reportedly worth $15.75 billion. Only hours after Coca Cola’s announcement, the French food conglomerate Danone issued a statement that it may be interested in making a bid for Quaker Oats. But it also dropped out of the running. 

Gatorade began in the 1960s as a drink for thirsty athletes but has become a mainstream beverage. 

Beverage Digest estimated Gatorade accounted for 84.1 percent of take-home sales of sports drinks in the first nine months of this year. Coke’s Powerade had 10.9 percent while PepsiCo’s All Sport had 2.8 percent, Beverage Digest said. 

PepsiCo’s Pepsi-Cola division is the nation’s second biggest soft drink concern with brands like Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and Mountain Dew. Atlanta-based Coca-Cola is the soft drink leader. 

PepsiCo has been moving to expand its non-carbonated drink portfolio. It recently agreed to buy South Beach Beverage Co., which makes herbally enhanced juices and teas. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Quaker Oats: http://www.quakeroats.com 

Coca-Cola: http://www.cocacola.com 

Danone: http://www.danone.com 

PepsiCo: http://www.pepsico.com 

REDWOOD CITY — The ExciteAtHome cable modem company Monday called off a joint venture with the Dutch communications giant UnitedGlobalCom to deliver high-speed Internet access overseas. 

When the deal was announced in July, the companies said it would create the largest provider of high-speed Internet access outside North America. The venture, called Excite Chello, was to have operated in 15 countries. 

ExciteAtHome executives said “market conditions” led UnitedGlobalCom to ask for changes in the terms of the deal, and the alternative proposals would have been too complex and slowed ExciteAtHome’s international expansion. 

The company said its subscriber base is still expected to increase 25 to 30 percent this quarter, to around 3 million. 

“We do not feel any pressure to run out and do another deal,” Chief Financial Officer Mark McEachen said. 

Officials at UnitedGlobalCom did not return a call for comment. 

ExciteAtHome shares fell more than 5 percent Monday to $5.88 on the Nasdaq Stock Market, but rose as high as $6.13 in after-hours trading. 

ExciteAtHome and UnitedGlobalCom, which operates the Chello Internet service in Europe, New Zealand and Chile, were each to have contributed $93.8 million in the joint venture. Liberty Media, led by former cable industry mogul John Malone, was committed to a $187 million investment. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.excite.com 

http://www.unitedglobal.com 

Original press release: http://www.unitedglobal.com/718.htm 

Surviving with Suzie 

My 9-year-old friend Jenae came over to our house for a weekend visit.  

“What are we going to do?” she demanded.  

“Huh? What?” 

“Let’s see,” I answered. “We could practice your multiplication tables. We could read. We could check my e-mail, make dinner, clean up around here or go outside into the garden and pull weeds.” 

She looked at me as if I were crazy. “No,” she said. “I mean what are we going to do?” 

“Mmmmmmm. How about resting here on the couch?” 

“Look,” she said, ticking off activities with her fingers. “We could go bowling. We could go fishin’ or ice skating or to the movies. Or, we could make a cake.” 

“We don’t have a fishin’ pole,” I said. 

“I know,” she answered, “but we can make one. We’ll get us a stick and some string and a hook and some meat. We’ll put the meat on the hook, then we’ll go to the beach, put the hook in the water, catch a tadpole and watch it grow into a frog.” 

“You want to watch a tadpole grow into a frog?” 

“Sure, why not?” 

I thought about the options. I was not as confident as Jenae that we could make a fishing pole, catch a tadpole and watch it change into a frog. Bowling sounded awful. I knew I wouldn’t like her choice in movies having already seen, at her insistence, a remake of “The Mummy.” Making a cake would require more patience than I could possibly muster. That left only ice skating. 

“All right. We’ll go for a skate.” 

We bundled up and headed for Iceland, where a line of 13 year olds snaked around the corner. We stood between squealing girls and sullen boys, inched our way to the front of the line, bought our tickets, got our rental skates and hit the ice. Literally.  

“I thought you said you could skate,” I shouted as we picked ourselves up from the cold, hard surface. 

“I did,” said Jenae. “And I can, if you didn’t pull me down with you.” 

We brushed ourselves off and wobbled forward. We fumbled our way across the rink. By the light of a hundred pairs of the silver, gleaming braces inside our co-skaters mouths, we were able to guide ourselves through a maze of teenage bodies around the rink just once.  

“Let’s get somethin’ to eat,” said my charge, leaning unsteadily on a wall as others whipped by us. “I’m hungry.” 

“No way. Another time around, young lady.” 

“My feet hurt.” 

“Too bad. So do mine.” 

Around the rink we went, hand in hand, and then another lap and another lap after that. Jenae forgot that she was hungry and that her feet hurt. Rap music pumped loud and hard and a strobe light kept things spinning. I began to feel delirious. 

“Let’s stop,” I said, breathless. “I’m tired and hungry and my feet hurt.” 

“Okay,” said Jenae. “Just one more time around and then we’ll go bowling. I sure hope you’re a better bowler than ice skater.” She let go of my hand and glided across the ice, between the skinny girls in bellbottoms and the boys in baggy pants and backward baseball caps. Strobe lights pulsing, rap music pumping, I wished she could stay a kid forever.  

But as she came back around the rink, then did a fancy backward spin to stop, I knew she’d soon be ready to stand in the long line to Iceland without me. 

“Come on,” I said. “Let’s get to the bowling alley before it closes. And tomorrow we’ll bake a cake, go to the movies, buy a fishin’ pole, catch a tadpole and watch it change into a frog. Hurry up!.” 

Susan Parker is a North Oakland resident and author of “Tumbling Down,” which will be published by Crown Books next year. Her columns will appear from time to time in the Daily Planet. You can reach her at sparker@slip.net.

They wept with Katie Lee as her songs of the flowing river brought David Brower’s spirit into the Berkeley Community Theater Saturday. 

They laughed with Ken Brower when he described his father as a man who insisted that his children traverse icy streams on foot. 

More than 1,000 of Brower’s friends and admirers at the mid-afternoon memorial evoked the essence of nature and howled with musician Paul Winter until the theater walls echoed with the sounds of wild wolves.  

The man known as the “archdruid,” died in his Berkeley home Nov. 5. He was 88 years old. 

The way to preserve the spirit of the man would be to emulate his activism, Brower’s friend Huey Johnson said.  

“We either solve the environmental problem, or the earth dies. David Brower’s ideas, capped by his CPR – conservationism, preservation, restoration — is the obvious path to achieve this,” Johnson said. 

A tape of Brower performing a piece he had written for the piano was played and environmental activist Julia “Butterfly” Hill read a poem. U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) brought a tribute to the three-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize which she had placed in the Congressional Record. Claiming Brower as its own, the Berkeley City Council voted last month to set aside July 1 as an annual David Brower Day to memorialize the lifetime Berkeley resident. 

Videographers encapsulated Brower’s life and activism: When he was eight years old, Brower’s mother lost her sight. David would lead his mother on excursions through the Berkeley hills, describing the beauty of the nature he found there. But it was Yosemite that Brower fell in love with, hiking its valleys and scaling its peaks. 

Brower joined the Sierra Club when there were just 2,000 members and helped bring it to a strength of more than 70,000.  

“If you have enjoyed this wild country, you have a duty to defend it for future generations,” he would tell others. 

In 1952, he became the club’s first paid executive director and immediately went to work fighting dam construction along the Colorado River. Uncompromising, Brower fought with the Sierra Club Board of Directors over finances and its support of a nuclear power plant which Brower opposed. He resigned as executive director in 1969 — the first of what would become numerous resignations from the club — and later established Friends of the Earth and Earth Island Institute. 

The organizations, he said, “(are) working to restore the environment and passing it along to the next generation.” 

“(Brower’s) spirit lives in our guts, our hearts,” Katy Lee told the rapt audience. Then she sang about the dams Brower fought to block.  

“The children will grow to be Davids among us and let the river flow. You’ll set it free. Listen to me. You’ll set it free,” she sang. 

Monday, Dec. 4

Personnel Board Meeting 

7 p.m.  

Permit Center 

2118 Milvia St.  

First Floor Conference Room 

The Heart of the Matter  

12:15 p.m., buffet lunch 

1 p.m., speaker 

H’s Lordship Restaurant  

Berkeley Marina 

199 Seawall Dr.  

Stephen Raskin, MD will speak on “Beyond Cholesterol - The Heart of the Matter.” Sponsored by the North Oakland/Emeryville Rotary Club. 

$13 with lunch, $5 without 

Call Robyn Young, MD, 748-5363  

BHS AIDS Memorial Quilt 

Berkeley High School 

2246 Milvia  

Berkeley High will be displaying the AIDS Memorial Quilt the entire week, including 150 panels made by Berkeley High students.  

Call Sonya Dublin, 644-6838 x4 

Landmarks Preservation  

Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkely Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Peace and Justice Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Keeping Parents Sane 

6:30 - 8:30 p.m. 

Jewish Family & Children’s Services  

of the East Bay 

2484 Shattuck Ave., Suite 210 

If your child(ren) are defiant and oppositional and you don’t know what to do, try this workshop led by Liz Marton, MFT.  

$20 

Call 704-7475 

Criminalization of Youth 

7:30 p.m. 

King Middle School  

1781 Rose St.  

Angela Davis, educator, activist, and former political prisoner speaks at this benefit lecture for the Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library.  

$5 

Call 595-7417  

Make a Wreath 

7 p.m. 

UC Botanical Garden 

200 Centennial Dr.  

Whether you are a beginner or a veteran wreath-maker, join Nancy Swearengen and Jerry Parsons and learn to use some unusual materials.  

$27.50, including materials 

Call 643-2755 

Furniture Making for Women 

9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Finish carpenter Tracy Weir teaches this hands-on, four day workshop, culminating with each attendee building her own cabinet unit with drawer and shelf. Runs through Dec. 8.  

$475  

Call 525-7610 

“Choosing Something Like a  

Star” 

7:30 p.m. 

PSR Chapel 

1798 Scenic Ave.  

This annual free concert will feature the PSR Chorale and the Kairos Youth Choir performing carols from many traditions.  

Call Mike Ellard, 236-3033 

Tuesday, Dec. 5

Design the Perfect School  

7 - 9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose) 

Informally led by Robert Berend, former UC Extension lecturer, this group aims to have intelligent discussions on a wide range of topics. They stress that there is no religious bent to the discussions and that all viewpoints are welcome. Bring light snacks to share with group.  

Call Robert Berend, 527-5332  

Jewish Book Club 

7:30 - 9:15 p.m.  

Jewish Learning Center  

1414 Walnut St.  

Join in a discussion of Brian Norton’s “Starting Out in the Evening.” Free 

848-0237 x 127 

Get the Lead Out 

6 - 8 p.m. 

Frances Albrier Center 

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

Learn how to prevent lead poisoning in your home. Taught by expert staff, this course offers techniques property owners can use to safety paint and remodel their homes.  

Call 567-8280 

Make a Wreath 

7 p.m. 

UC Botanical Garden 

200 Centennial Dr.  

Whether you are a beginner or a veteran wreath-maker, join Nancy Swearengen and Jerry Parsons and learn to use some unusual materials.  

$27.50, including materials 

Call 643-2755 

City Council 

7 p.m. 

Old City Hall  

2134 MLK Jr. Way 

Wednesday, Dec. 6

Task Force on  

Telecommunications 

7 p.m. 

1900 Addison  

Third Floor Conference Room 

Untraining White Liberal  

Racism 

7 - 9:30 p.m. 

Call for location  

El Cerrito 

Robert Horton, a white male, founded the UNtraining as a way for white people to work together on the unconscious power of white skin privilege and how it perpetuates racism. 

$10 

235-6134 

Disaster Council  

7 p.m. 

Public Safety Building 

2100 MLK Jr. Way 

Second floor conference room 

Discussions will include the report on disaster preparedness at Alta Bates and the city council/disaster council joint meeting.  

Citizens Budget Review  

Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

BHS Jazz Lab Band &  

Combos 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater 

Allston Way  

Their first concert of the new school year.  

$8 general, $3 students  

Board of Education 

7:30 p.m. 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Council Chambers 

Fire Safety Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

Fire Department Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

Berkeley Communicators  

Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Thursday, Dec. 7

Berkeley Metaphysic Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysic come together at Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters. Meets first and third Thursdays each month. 

Call 869-2547 or 643-7645 

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 

5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202 

Women’s Travel Book Club 

6:30 p.m. 

Cody’s Books 

1730 Fourth St.  

Join a discussion of M.F.K. Fisher’s “Two Towns in Provence: Map of Another Town & A Considerable Town.” New members are always welcome. The group meets the first Thursday of each month.  

Call 482-8971

Netanyahu deserves  

to speak, but where do we draw the line? 

Editor: 

It’s appropriate to take a somewhat detached viewpoint on the events of last Tuesday and the wider question of free speech. Personally, as a Jew I found Netanyahu’s politics and policies abhorrent. But, I do not think it is at all helpful to prevent him from speaking. If we only allow people with whom we agree to speak how can we have a dialogue or conscensus? 

However words do have some power to do harm. I would have supressed Hitler’s right to free speech at the Nurmeburg rallies. So where do you draw the line? There isn’t any exact formula for it. You have to form a judgement about it for each case that comes up. In my mind, equating Netanyahu’s policies with the Holocaust feeds a rather unproductive mixture of hysteria and panic, masked by “righteous indignation.” This heady cocktail of unmoderated emotion typically leads to the kind of injudicious action we saw last Tuesday. 

Philip Morton 

Berkeley 

Cal led in nearly every statistical category against Florida International University on Sunday, but in a game littered with poor shot selection, missed layups and general sloppy play, the 30 percent the Bears shot from the field proved to be the difference. 

Although Cal put up more shots and outrebounded FIU, they couldn’t overcome their dismal shooting percentage as the Golden Panthers defeated Cal 57-51 at Haas Pavilion to win the 10th annual Oakland Tribune Classic. 

Cal, who advanced to the championship game by defeating Cal State Northridge on Saturday, shot just 21 percent from the field in the first half and finished the game only marginally better. 

“We missed five layups early in the game,” Cal head coach Caren Horstmeyer said. “That’s hard when you miss easy shots.” 

In fact, after posting 38 first-half points againt Northridge, the Bears managed just 18 in the opening period against FIU on 7-of-33 shooting. The Golden Panthers, meanwhile, didn’t shoot much better at 36 percent, but it was enough to keep Cal out of its offensive rhythm. 

“Their game plan was to play from end line to end line,” said FIU head coach Cindy Russo. “We tried to change the tempo and we were able to do that.” 

The Bears trailed by as many as eight points in the first half before making a run early in the second. Cal grabbed a 31-30 lead with 11:50 left in the game before reserve forward Amber White went down with a possible fractured ankle. Following the game, Horstmeyer said X-rays were being taken of White’s ankle to determine the severity of the injury. 

After the teams traded buckets, FIU’s Mandy Shafer hit a three-pointer and two free throws with less than eight minutes to play to stretch the Golden Panthers’ lead to seven. 

That lead shrunk to four with 1:22 remaining on a pull-up jumper by Cal point guard Courtney Johnson. On the next possession, Cal’s defense forced FIU to take a wild shot as the 30-second clock wound down, but the Bears allowed the Golden Panthers’ Cheryl Moody to come up with the offensive rebound. Her two free throws sealed FIU’s win. 

Cal’s Johnson, who was named to the All Tournament team, carried the Bears against Northridge with 21 points and eight steals. Sunday, however, she hit just 3-of-14 shots for nine points. 

Only seven FIU players saw action against Cal and Shafer and tournament MVP Gergana Slavtcheva played from start to finish. Shafer finished with 10 points while Slavtcheva netted a game-high 18. Two other players scored in double figures for the Golden Panthers. 

“Gergana is a very emotional player,” Russo said. “In her head she’s not a success unless she scores.” 

Cal’s bright spots, meanwhile, were the play of center Ami Forney and reserve guard Latasha O’Keith. In 35 minutes, Forney finished with a team-high 14 points and nine rebounds. Off the bench, O’Keith dropped in a career high 10 points and added five rebounds. 

“Our drives and inside play was really working for us,” said Forney, who was also named to the All tournament team. “For some reason we stopped doing that and settled fo the outside shot. We stopped attacking.” 

The shorter Bears team pressured FIU throughout the game and forced 24 turnovers. But for the second game in a row, Cal’s Lauren Ashbaugh struggled. She scored just nine points in each of Cal’s two tournament games.  

The Golden Panthers were in foul trouble much of the second half as Cormisha Cotten, Ivelina Vrancheva and Moody all played the majority of the half with four personals. 

Cal visits San Francisco on Dec. 8 before returning to Haas Pavilion on Dec. 10 against Santa Clara, Horstmeyer’s former team. Cal’s Johnson, who was named to the All Tournament team, carried the Bears against Northridge with 21 points and eight steals. Sunday, however, she hit just 3-of-14 shots for nine points. 

Only seven FIU players saw action against Cal and Shafer and tournament MVP Gergana Slavtcheva played from start to finish. Shafer finished with 10 points while Slavtcheva netted a game-high 18. Two other players scored in double figures for the Golden Panthers. 

“Gergana is a very emotional player,” Russo said. “In her head she’s not a success unless she scores.” 

Cal’s bright spots, meanwhile, were the play of center Ami Forney and reserve guard Latasha O’Keith. In 35 minutes, Forney finished with a team-high 14 points and nine rebounds. Off the bench, O’Keith dropped in a career high 10 points and added five rebounds. 

“Our drives and inside play was really working for us,” said Forney, who was also named to the All tournament team. “For some reason we stopped doing that and settled fo the outside shot. We stopped attacking.” 

The shorter Bears team pressured FIU throughout the game and forced 24 turnovers. But for the second game in a row, Cal’s Lauren Ashbaugh struggled. She scored just nine points in each of Cal’s two tournament games.  

The Golden Panthers were in foul trouble much of the second half as Cormisha Cotten, Ivelina Vrancheva and Moody all played the majority of the half with four personals. 

Cal visits San Francisco on Dec. 8 before returning to Haas Pavilion on Dec. 10 against Santa Clara, Horstmeyer’s former team.

While some mall retailers flagged down shoppers the day after Thanksgiving to convince them to work over the holiday season, stores in downtown and south Berkeley reported that they had already hired for the Christmas season. 

“Finding people is not a problem,” said Kevin Hemmerich, assistant manager of Bath and Body Works. “We receive applications constantly.”  

The 4.7 percent unemployment rate in California — lower than a year ago — has not been a problem in Berkeley. 

The bath store on Telegraph and Bancroft avenues hired 15 sales people to join the eight who fill the shifts the rest of the year. Now the only thing missing, a worried Hemmerich said, is the increased flow of customers that will justify the cost.  

However, over on Fourth Street, kitchen specialty store Sur la Table has already received a heavy increase of shoppers before Thanksgiving. Sur la Table management expects those numbers to continue to rise. The store’s holiday hiring — a 50 percent increase from its regular staff — is almost done, said Assistant Manager Richard Chapman. 

“It wasn't as hard as I expected,” Chapman said, adding that it was much harder hiring employees at his former San Francisco restaurant job. 

But managers agreed that Christmas is a hard time to recruit because students leave for the holidays and stores must depend on local residents. Nevertheless, they have found a labor force willing to work for a few weeks — high school students. 

“We mostly hire people who want to make a little extra money over the holiday,” said Elf Fuller, manager of Berkeley Games on the corner of Center Street and Shattuck Avenue. 

Already this year, Fuller has hired three high school students who will mainly wrap presents and stock shelves. 

Most stores were able to hire extra help without offering special incentives aside from the usual employee discounts. But some stores offered additional discounts. Bath and Body Works, for example, added a small percentage to the 30 percent employee discount every time an employee brought in an applicant who was hired. 

Some Berkeley stores, however, lagged in hiring. Rasputin, a Telegraph Avenue music store, had little luck finding employees. “I'm still looking for people. You want a job?” asked floor manager Dennis Bishop, amidst holiday workers he did employ ringing up compact disc’s and helping customers. 

And hose who do take the job may land a full-time job offer after the holiday shopping madness ends. 

Games of Berkeley, for example, reviews all of its employees on January 1 and if their performance is better than permanent employees, Fuller said they may replace them. 

“Sounds a little harsh, but it seems to get the best out of everyone during the holiday season,” said Fuller.

AUSTIN, TX - The University of California women’s swim team, behind a phenomenal performance by freshman standout Natalie Coughlin, finished in sixth place with 367 points at the 2000 Texas Invitational.  

Coughlin captured a total of five individual titles at the Texas Invite. On Sunday, she won the 200 fly with a meet record and NCAA automatic time of 1:55.93. On Saturday, Coughlin won the 200 free with an NCAA automatic mark and school record time of 1:45.65, and captured the 100 back with an NCAA automatic mark and Texas Invitational record time of 52.79. Coughlin’s time of 1:45.65 in the 200 free topped the former Cal school record of 1:45.83 swam by Sarah Anderson in 1991. Coughlin’s time of 52.79 in the 100 back bettered the meet record time of 53.80 set by Arizona’s Beth Botsford in 1999. Coughlin actually defeated Botsford (53.30) in this year’s Texas Invite.  

On Friday, Coughlin placed first in the 100 fly (52.40) and the 200 IM (1:58.35). Coughlin’s time of 52.40 in the 100 fly equaled the Cal school record set by Marylyn Chiang in 1999.  

Other highlights for the Bears on Sunday were junior captain Alice Henriques finishing second in the 200 back (1:58.54) and Cal’s 400 free relay placing third (3:22.73 Coughlin, freshman Danielle Becks, senior Haley Cope, sophomore Michelle Harper).

Several streets in the Berkeley Marina area may soon be designated with the venerable names of three local heroes.  

Mayor Shirley Dean and Councilmember Betty Olds have recommended David Brower, Cesar Chavez and Tom Bates be honored with street names for their important work on the waterfront and in the larger community.  

This Tuesday, the City Council will consider a recommendation to pass the plan on to the Parks and Waterfront and the Planning and Transportation commissions for input and approval. 

If the plan is approved, what is currently Sewall Drive would become David Brower Way. Brower, who died in Berkeley on Nov. 5, was an internationally respected conservationist and activist. He was executive director of the Sierra Club and later founded Friends of the Earth among other environmental organizations. He also supported the Oakland-based non-profit Save San Francisco Bay. 

Councilmember Betty Olds, who has known the Brower family for 45 years, said the Brower family seems to be very happy with the renaming. “It’s nice to have a street named after your dad,” she said. 

A stretch of University Avenue west of Interstate 80 will become Tom Bates Boulevard. The former California assemblyman, who still lives in Berkeley and is married to former Mayor Loni Hancock, was instrumental in securing state funding for the East Shore Park. Without his efforts in the Assembly the park would likely of been commercially developed long ago.  

Councilmember Linda Maio remembered when the park was a dump site. “I never understood how they chose that particular area for a dump, it’s such a beautiful spot and thanks to Tom Bates, we now have a public park,” she said. 

Another stretch of University Avenue from I-80 connecting with Marina Boulevard and Spinnaker Way will become one continuous road renamed Cesar Chavez Drive. The former landfill turned park was already named for the well-known farm labor organizer but, by putting his name on the street, the city will be able to bypass a pesky Caltrans policy.  

When the park was named after Chavez, the city wanted to erect a sign on I-80 directing people to the public park. But Caltrans prohibits signs directing drivers to state and regional parks. Now with the off-ramp road named after Chavez, Caltrans must display his name prominently over the freeway at the University Avenue exits.

AUSTIN, TX - The University of California men’s swim team finished in second place (563 points) at the 2000 Texas Invitational. Cal trailed only host and No. 1 ranked Texas (751).  

On the third day of the Texas Invite, the Bears were paced by sophomore Olympic gold medalist Anthony Ervin, who won the 100 free with an NCAA automatic time of 43.48. Ervin also helped Cal place second in the 400 free relay with an NCAA automatic time of 2:55.36 (Ervin, junior Matt Burny, sophomore Trent Holsman, junior Matt Macedo).  

The Bears time in the 400 free relay, despite being second to Texas’ time of 2:55.34, surpassed the old meet record of 2:55.90 set by Arizona State in 1998.  

Other impressive finishes for Cal during the final day of the Texas Invite were junior Peter Aronsson placing fifth (2:01.91) and sophomore Daniel Kim placing eighth (2:05.89) in the 200 breast, junior Hiro Sakoda placing sixth in the 200 fly (1:48.16), junior Matt Burny placing eighth in the 100 free (45.07) and junior Matt Macedo placing seventh in the 200 back (1:48.48).  

Day two highlights for the Bears included Kim winning the 100 breast with a time of 55.14 and junior Andrew Chan placing eighth with a time of 56.64. Other top individual finishes were sophomore Joe Bruckart placing fifth(1:38.12) and Burny sixth (1:38.43) in the 200 free.

For 52 years, 60-year-old social worker Doris Mack said she has depended on faith at McGee Baptist Church to keep her going. Yesterday, she drew on the strength of those around her again during the World AIDS Day Service while remembering those who have died of the disease. 

“He had no chance, he was born with AIDS,” she said tearfully, remembering a two-year-old foster child that she had watched over. 

The boy was dying in a hospital and the family refused to accept the reason for his death, she said. 

“My religion is what helped this family, because they were in denial,” said Mack. “What I said to them is ‘He is dying of AIDS. He wants to go, let him go to God.’ In six hours, he was gone.” 

Churchmembers lit the candle of hope, honoring both the beginning of Advent and honoring World AIDS Day. Reverend Mark Wilson’s reading from Jeremiah spoke of keeping hope while waiting for a “new day” when the global epidemic will be defeated. 

“That new day is dependent upon economics and wealth,” he said, noting the complacency in wealthy nations like the United States. “That day has not come in Vietnam and Asia, that day has not come for those living with HIV/AIDS in war-torn and starving lands in Africa.” 

One in four women in South Africa suffers from AIDS and twenty percent of the population is infected, according to last week’s United Nations report on AIDS. 

Wilson seeks not only to encourage his own church to join the worldwide fight against AIDS, but to band together many black churches which, because of homophobia, are slow to join the fight. 

I’ve been waiting for hope,” Wilson said, wiping sweat from his brow. “Waiting for churches to stop condemning and to start caring, to stop loathing and to start loving, to stop hating and to start holding and healing,” he said, clapping and stomping as he delivered his sermon. 

Not content to just preach forgiveness and compassion, Wilson also roused people to talk openly about preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS among teenagers. 

“Sixty percent of new cases in Alameda County are teenagers and youth, from our families, high schools, and churches,” he said, citing a recent county study. 

“We need to be holding workshops at the church and having discussions with them about substance abuse and addiction. We need to help them understand sex and sexuality,” he said. 

But it’s not only the young who need prevention education, Wilson said.  

Senior citizens, often widowed, are still sexually active with new partners, he said.  

As single, older people remain sexually active and have new partners, Wilson said they need to learn prevention. 

“A whole lot of senior citizens need some counseling around HIV as well,” said Wilson.  

Counseling and testing are available at the church, thanks to funding from the city’s HIV/AIDS program. The church also hosts a food program and houses an AIDS information library.  

The city has partnered with McGee for three years through the Faith Project to reach out to the African-American community, which is disproportionately infected, said Leroy Blea, program director. 

The project goal is to support groups of color with strong AIDS education programs already in place, he said. That way, the message is delivered in a culturally appropriate manner, which means the message is more likely to stick. 

“Talking to kids, working it into the fabric of who the congregation is — as they push those boundaries, they make it possible for other churches to talk about this subject,” he added of McGee’s innovation. 

All the services yesterday tied in this AIDS message. From Sunday school to communion, the church taught lessons about tolerance in the community and stressed that AIDS affects everyone. 

“When you think about World AIDS Day, you can’t blame anyone,” said Reverend Frankie Moore in a Sunday school class. “You can’t turn your nose up at anybody. There’s no good reason you’re not in those shoes. And it’s by the grace of God that you’re not.” 

Newcomers to the church, were invigorated by the service’s fervor in advocacy and hope. 

“I was extremely inspired and energized by the message and commitment of this church,” said Trena Cleland, an HIV testing counselor. “It truly is a pioneering congregation.”

Senior All-American defensive end Andre Carter took home several awards, including the Bear Backer Award for the team’s Most Valuable Player, at the annual Cal Football team banquet on Sunday night.  

Carter, also was earned the Big Hit Award, for most big hits during the season, and shared the Andy Smith Award for most playing time with offensive tackle Mark Wilson, and the Brick Muller Award for most valuable lineman with offensive lineman Reed Diehl. In addition, Carter was named as one of four captains in a vote by teammates, sharing that honor with Diehl, Chidi Iwuoma and Jacob Waasdorp.  

Sophomore Tully Banta-Cain was named the team’s Most Improved Lineman and the Outstanding Player in the Big Game. Jacob Waasdorp pulled down Most Inspirational Player honors for the second consecutive season. Mark Wilson was named the team’s Most Valuable Freshman Player.  

All-America punter Nick Harris was named the team’s Most Valuable Special Teams player and the Frank Schlessinger Coaches Award for a player demonstrating oustanding athletic and academic success and community service.

A recent state supreme court ruling on employee recruitment practices in San Jose will deal a fatal blow to affirmative action in California, adversely affecting racial diversity in hiring and college admissions, a university law professor said. 

“I think it's going to mean fewer minority students in our universities, less work for minority businesses, and larger unemployment in minority communities,” said Golden Gate Law School professor David Oppenheimer. 

The ruling, which will eliminate a San Jose program aimed at recruiting minority contractors, was the first time the court had interpreted the scope of Proposition 209, the 1996 ballot initiative that prohibits state and local governments from using race or gender preferences in hiring, contracting or college admissions. 

“It's a very disappointing decision,” said Oppenheimer, a long-time opponent of the ballot initiative. “It seems that any race conscious program constitutes a preference under 209, and what that means is any program that is designed to reach out to minority students is probably going to be improper." 

The scope of the decision could possibly go as far as minority outreach programs like sending targeted mailings about job openings to minority candidates or advertising for employment heavily in minority newspapers, he said. 

Despite these restrictions, administrators say the impact on minority admissions in the UC system should be small. “I don't think this will have a major effect on our recruiting,” said Richard Black, the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Admissions and Enrollment at UC Berkeley. 

Most Berkeley programs that could affect minority recruitment are already structured to not officially constitute “affirmative action.” For example, the outreach programs that help prepare high school and elementary students to enter Berkeley do not focus on minorities directly, but instead target individual low-income students and students whose parents did not go to college. 

“I don't see any impact on our programs," said Marsh Jaeger, director of UC Berkeley’s Center for Educational Outreach. But she wasn't completely sure of the effect and added that she will review the court decision with the university's lawyers. 

It’s too early to say that no UC recruitment policies would be affected, said Kevin Nguyen, a spokesperson for UC Regent Ward Connerly.  

It is possible that UC schools have sent special mailings to minority students in the past, he said. Connerly has said that and any similar recruitment policies would be changed or eliminated. 

Doing away with affirmative action in outreach, both at UC and in general government hiring, is a positive step for race relations, said Nguyen, who also acts as the Director of the American Civil Rights Institute. Connerly chairs this group. 

California, lacking one racial majority, can't rely on preferences, Nguyen said. “That kind of race-based policy is only going to tear the state apart,” he said. “What we need is a color blind approach in this day and age.” 

But despite the efforts of Prop 209 backers, it hasn't yet come to that point, said San Francisco lawyer and UC Regent William Bagley. Any arm of the state government that receives large amounts of federal money must abide by federal affirmative action hiring guidelines. “These hiring guidelines supersede the regents guideline and (Proposition) 209,” he said. 

Bagley says he opposes the ban on affirmative action passed by the UC regents in 1995 and plans to introduce a proposal to overturn it next year. Doing so could possibly put the UC system in violation of 209, and lead to renewed battles in the state supreme court, legal experts said. 

But for now, the outlook appears bleak for the beneficiaries of affirmative action, Oppenheimer said. 

“(These programs) have been important because, in their associations, women and minority contractors tend not to be as informed about potential jobs,” he said.  

“That's a very substantial source of work for women and minorities that’s going to dry up,” he added.

IRVINE – Ben Jones scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half Saturday as UC Irvine beat California 56-52. 

Sean Jackson, who played two seasons at Cal before transferring to UCI, added 13 points for the Anteaters (3-1), including 4-of-6 3-pointers. 

Shantay Legans scored 16 points and Sean Lampley added 12 to lead the Golden Bears (1-3). 

It was Irvine’s first win against a Pac-10 school since beating Oregon State in 1994. 

UC Irvine led 26-22 at halftime and extended the lead to 48-36 with 8:25 remaining. The Golden Bears rallied, and a Legans layup with 2:49 to play pulled the Bears to within 52-51. 

The Anteaters preserved the win with two free throws each by Jerry Green and J.R. Christ down the stretch. 

Both teams shot poorly, on the night, with UC Irvine sinking only 36 percent of their field goals, and California making 38 percent.

Oakland Zoo to get a facelift 

OAKLAND – The Oakland Zoo is set to get a facelift with a final infusion of cash from bonds approved a decade ago by city voters. 

The $5.19 million recently designated for use by the East Bay Zoological Society is from the last cycle of Measure K bond issues. The money will be combined with private donations to finance improvements to animal areas, chidren’s rides and the new entrance currently under construction. 

Voters passed Measure K in 1990, which directed that $10 million go to the zoo for capital improvements. 

The zoo has budgeted about $800,000 to improve the African elephant breeding program. The bond money will also enable to the zoo to finish its tropical rain forest exhibit, install new restrooms and renovate the homes of many of its animals. 

Runoff in S.F. race, growth control loses 

SAN FRANCISCO – Final election results confirmed that there will be a run-off in the District 8 race for city supervisor, the San Francisco department of elections announced. Elections officials also declared Friday that growth control Proposition L officially lost by 1,272 votes. 

Supervisor Mark Leno fell six votes short of avoiding the runoff in District 8. He will face five other candidates again on Dec. 12. Ballots have been sent to all voters in run-off districts, the department of elections said. 

Ten the city’s 11 districts will see a runoff. Only incumbent Tom Ammiano gained more than 50 percent of the vote. He won District 9. 

Litter and graffiti officers increased  

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco will have a larger team to combat litter and graffiti. 

The Department of Public Works is boosting its squad of “environmental control officers” from 13 to 22 workers. That allocates 2 officers for each of the 11 new Board of Supervisors districts. 

The city spends about $30 million a year and dedicates 380 people for cleanup and graffiti removal. Pubic works said it receives about 4,500 phone calls each month from residents complaining about litter. 

Anesthesiologist convicted of elder abuse, gets two years 

SAN MATEO – An anesthesiologist who stole a wedding ring from the finger of one of her patients was sentenced to two years in state prison. 

Wanda Newbreast Heffernon, 42, of Richmond was convicted of felony charges of elder abuse and receiving stolen property. She must also pay $2,000 in restitution. 

Heffernon pleaded no contest to the charges. 

Heffernon was working at a Portola Valley nursing home in late 1999 when she stole a diamond wedding ring and engagement ring from a 94-year-old woman. 

Woman awakens from a coma, accuses boyfriend 

OAKLAND – An Oakland woman suddenly awoke from a coma and told hospital security she had been pistol-whipped into unconsciousness by her ex-boyfriend. 

The woman’s ex-boyfriend, Mandingo Hayes, had spent most of the year in prison for assaulting her before. He was arrested and pleaded innocent in Alameda County Superior Court to charges of assault with a deadly weapon, violating a restraining order, stalking and domestic violence. 

The woman, whose identity has not been release to protect her safety, was placed on life support after her mother visited and found her unconscious at her home. 

The woman awoke the night before Thanksgiving — a day before doctors and family had discussed removing the life support system. 

Hayes is awaiting a hearing and is being held without bail at Santa Rita jail. 

Boys Ranch to help provide vegetables 

RICHMOND – Teens at Byron Boys Ranch this week will unveil a new horticulture project that will help provide vegetables to areas of Contra Costa County that lack access to healthy foods. 

According to a Contra Costa Health Services spokeswoman, around 20 boys who are residents of rehabilitation facility have been working after school and on weekends to build planter boxes for the East-West Market Garden. 

At a job fair on Thursday, the boys will unveil the planters, which will contain the seeds of an assortment of winter vegetables like carrots, cabbage, celery and parsnips. The produce will sold at farmer’s markets in areas identified by the West Contra Costa Food Security Council as lacking access to fruits and vegetables. 

“The council did surveys that found little availability of fresh produce in several areas, especially more isolated parts of North Richmond and Richmond’s Parchester Village,” said spokeswoman Melody Steeples. “That need can be met, in part, by the East-West Market Garden. 

Mike Grimes, principal of the Byron Boys Ranch on-site high school, said volunteers have enjoyed the new project so much that the school plans to add horticulture classes to the course schedule in spring to help expand the garden. 

“For us, the whole idea of the project is to teach these guys a healthy skill that they can take home with them, and show them all the good things you can get out of a 9-by-12-foot box.”

SAN FRANCISCO – Lee Wildes can’t stand inaction when it comes to treating patients with HIV and AIDS. That’s why he has sent thousands of dollars of surplus drugs to HIV sufferers in Africa — all but ignoring federal and international guidelines against doing so. 

Despite strict regulations enforced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization, Wildes believes the need is too great in a continent ravaged by the deadly disease. 

Wildes, a registered nurse who himself has tested positive for HIV, wants to save 100 lives in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Congo. Federal authorities have not attempted to stop his shipments. 

“Busting us would be criminal,” Wildes told the San Jose Mercury News. “They’d be killing 100 people.” 

The shelves of his apartment are lined with HIV medications. Once Wildes replaces the drugstore labels with ones reading “African AIDS Network,” he mails the pills to contacts in Africa. 

In Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, Esther Guza knows she could never afford $1,170 — the price that the HIV medications would otherwise command. Every three months she receives a package from the African AIDS Network. 

“It’s a miracle,” Guza said “Sometimes you don’t know how to express your gratitude” 

Wildes started collecting the surplus drugs in 1997 from friends and family of AIDS victims who were clearing their counters of leftover medicine bottles. As word of Wildes’ project spread, doctors and nurses throughout the nation began sending him HIV drugs that were nearing their expiration. 

His work is done on the hush, with names and institutions kept confidential. 

Local AIDS service centers in Africa, like the one that introduced Wildes to Guza, say many HIV sufferers owe their lives to the underground drug supply network. 

“We have thirty people alive today,” said Lynde Francis, founder of the center where Guza had been receiving meningitis and tuberculosis treatments. “Every single one of those thirty would be dead now if we didn’t have the medicine from Lee.” 

Not everyone approves of what Wildes, or “Saint Lee” as many of his patients call him, is doing. 

The FDA prohibits anyone from sharing their drugs and the World Health Organization tries prevent shipments of those expired medicines to developing countries, where high prices can keep them out of the hands of those in need. 

The six countries Wildes sends drugs to accounted for 878,600 AIDS -related deaths in 1999, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. 

Those who contribute to the African AIDS Network say the ravages of AIDS compels them to continue.

SAN FRANCISCO – The day Productopia.com shut down, Joanna Nissen was talking on her cellphone about being laid off as she rode the bus to the office to clear out her desk. 

Overhearing Nissen, another rider approached. 

Learning she was a computer systems administrator, the stranger asked if she’d be interested in Kinecta Corp., a privately held online content-management services company. 

Nissen gave the man her information. 

By the time she got to her old desk at Productopia 15 minutes later, Nissen already had an e-mail lining up an interview. Three days later, she had a new job, earning more than she had at Productopia. 

“It was pretty darn quick,” said the 31-year-old Nissen. 

Despite all the layoffs and dot-com closures, survivors like Nissen don’t have to do much looking. 

Most of the 60 Productopians got jobs within weeks after the company’s dissolution. Others remain unemployed by choice — fending off recruiters, refraining from posting their resumes online, enjoying the respite from the 14-hour days that define life at a startup. 

Still others are doing free-lance or contract work to buy a little time before making a more permanent decision. 

“I got a lot of calls from recruiters — I had to tell a couple of them to chill,” said Scott Love, former director of product management at Productopia. 

Public relations manager Melissa Sheridan was getting up to 10 calls a day from headhunters starting Oct. 2, the day Productopia brass told the staff that funding had been cut off. 

Sheridan weighed five offers and was back to work within a month — this time at public relations firm OutCast Communications, which works with many dot-coms but isn’t one. 

“I was focused on finding a job where it wasn’t reliant on just one technology that may or may not work,” she said. “I wanted to minimize the risk.” 

Anne Gates, Productopia’s former design director, turned down an offer from a company that admitted it had only enough money to last through January. The company told her it would have more funding by then; she told them to call back when the cash was in the bank. 

“The companies are just as desperate to get people, but employees are more critical,” said Howard Lee of Silver and Lee Associates, a recruitment firm. “They’re picking and choosing better, getting smarter and going with companies that have a better chance to succeed.” 

That doesn’t mean all dot-coms have lost their appeal. The excitement of technology startup work is what encouraged Dee Dee Anderson to abandon years of advocacy work at the National Organization for Women. 

Anderson, 29, moved in August 1998 from Washington D.C. to San Francisco with $700 in her pocket and got a job — complete with stock options — with an Internet start-up, Flycast Communications. 

She struggled initially with her conscience, feeling she had moved from a career with a good cause to one rooted in making someone “at the top, rich.” 

“Then I started paying down my bills,” she said. “And then I started empowering employees with how to get the most bang for their buck when dealing with their stock options.” 

Flycast was later acquired. Anderson did well with her stock options and has since started working at Productopia in July. 

Productopia’s closure left a bitter aftertaste with some of her former co-workers, but Anderson said the high-energy, high-risk thrill and lofty this-technology-is-going-to-change-the-world goal will lead her to “roll the dice” with yet another Internet company once she decides to go back to work. 

“The Dot-Com movement is like the youth movement of the 60s — that time was an extraordinary time of energy and hope,” said John Challenger, president of the job placement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas, Inc. “People are going to fight to hold onto that.”

SAN FRANCISCO – When e-commerce companies began to evaporate this year, Silicon Valley venture capitalists Brad Garlinghouse and Joanna Strober paid a visit to Productopia.com to deliver a pep talk to the troops. 

The investors told the employees not to fret about surviving the dot-com shakeout. Productopia was a viable company with a sound business plan, they insisted. 

Employees left the early summer meeting believing their product review Web site had received an vital vote of confidence from the very people who had already poured $22 million into the company. 

Just a few months later, however, Productopia’s once-friendly financiers decided that even if Productopia became profitable in 2001, it would never make enough money to justify an additional investment. 

So they cut the financial cord. 

Shorn of their backers’ deep pockets and unable to find a buyer, Productopia had little choice but to shut down on Oct. 2. 

The cold-hearted financial reckoning that doomed Productopia is occurring throughout the Bay area and Silicon Valley as venture capitalists turn their backs on online retailers they embraced just a few months ago. 

And the trend may well accelerate after the holiday shopping season weeds out another batch of underperforming e-commerce companies. 

Garlinghouse, a partner at CMGI in Menlo Park, and Strober, a general partner for Bessemer Venture Partners in Menlo Park, declined to be interviewed for this article. 

But other Silicon Valley venture capitalists said the two were merely doing their jobs. 

“Their allegiance is to their investors,” said Wes Raffel, a general partner at Advanced Technology Ventures in Palo Alto. “It’s naive to think they are going to keep throwing money after bad. This is about business. This isn’t about friendship.” 

Other venture capitalists say they are trying to find more humane ways to put struggling e-tailers out of their misery. 

Accel Partners, for instance, recently arranged to merge one of its unprofitable ventures, Homewarehouse.com, into Walmart.com, a larger, more stable company in its investment portfolio. 

“There are some firms that think they should pull the plug right away when they determine a company isn’t going to ever generate good returns,” said Peter Fenton, a principal at Accel. “But we don’t want to strand our companies. We figure we are on the hook to help them get to a safe harbor.” 

The cash crackdown represents a dramatic shift from a year ago, when financiers routinely invested more money into staggeringly unprofitable e-commerce businesses. In most cases, they didn’t flinch because a receptive stock market yielded lucrative jackpots for online businesses making initial public offerings. 

Today, Wall Street has virtually no interest in buying the stocks of unproven e-commerce companies. 

“Venture capital was pretty easy until recently because the stock market covered up a lot of mistakes. Now you have to bite the bullet and make the hard, tough decisions,” said Rick Kimball, a general partner with Technology Crossover Ventures. 

E-commerce and online content companies nationwide received $7.7 billion in venture capital during the three months ended Sept. 30, a 26 percent decline from the prior quarter, according to Venture Economics, an industry research firm. 

Most analysts expect an even greater decline this quarter. 

In this new get-tough era, it’s no longer enough just to show a profit. Venture capitalists want a business to prove it can produce a 10 percent profit margin on a consistent basis before they will invest more money into the company, Kimball said. 

That attitude disillusioned several of Productopia’s laid-off employees. 

Rosie Passantino, former director of product management, has vowed never to work for another company backed by CMGI or Bessemer.  

“I hold them personally responsible for misleading the workforce of Productopia,” she said. 

Others, like former Productopia associate editor Roman Loyola, are less disappointed. 

“I kind of understand that they’re in the business of making a boatload of dough and aren’t interesting in funding companies that might only make a little bit of money,” Loyola said. “They are called venture capitalists for a reason.”

TRUCKEE – Thousands of people were rudely awakened when a series of moderate earthquakes and aftershocks jolted this Sierra resort town early Saturday morning. 

No major damage or injuries were reported, but the largest quake measuring preliminary magnitude 4.8 was felt in Lake Tahoe, Reno, Nev., Sacramento and Placerville. 

The 7:34 a.m. quake, centered 14 miles northwest of Truckee, was followed over the next hour by four smaller aftershocks, including one measuring 3.2. Three small quakes hit later. 

Law enforcement authorities said the quakes caused little damage. A small bridge did collapse near Colfax and a house chimney toppled near Cisco Grove. 

“It’s fortunate that the quakes were centered near the (sparsely populated) Jackson Meadows area and away from populated areas,” said Nevada County sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Perea. 

Eric Lamoureux, a spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Services, said the quakes occurred on a previously unknown fault. 

“The state geologist doesn’t expect a larger quake from this fault at this point,” he said. “But it’s a wakeup call to a lot of people. It’s important to know that fault lines run up and down the Sierra and that these major quakes can happen anywhere and on faults not identified.” 

Despite the quakes, it was business as usual in downtown Truckee on Saturday as no damage was evident. Many people were in bed when the 4.8 quake hit. 

“It was a good quick jolt and I could hear the timber in the house creak. It woke me up,” Carl Brawley of Donner Lake said while eating breakfast at the Squeeze Inn. “If you live in California, you have to learn to surf the earth.” 

“It was like a wrestling match was going on in our home,” added Mark Lundbeck of Truckee. “You could feel everything sliding around. It was kind of fun.” 

At Tourist Liquor down the street, clerk Aaron Johnson was surprised not to find a single bottle on the floor when he arrived at work. The 4.8 quake woke him out of a sound sleep. 

“I thought maybe a car hit the cabin next to me,” he said. “It was like my bed was doing a circular motion. It hit real quick and then it was over.” 

Perea said he and other officers felt the strongest quake during their morning briefing. 

“We felt a little small jolt and then a big one,” he said. “We thought the phones would start ringing and sure enough they did.” 

The sheriff’s department received about 100 calls, most from residents wondering if a quake had indeed just struck. 

“We sent deputies out to different areas to see if there were any problems, but there were none. It’s just another day in paradise,” Perea said. “The houses up here are built to handle a pretty good snow load. They’ll take more jolting than houses in the (San Francisco) Bay area.” 

No power outages or disruptions in telephone service were reported. 

The 4.8 quake also woke up people in Reno, South Lake Tahoe and Grass Valley. 

Lamoureux said three quakes of magnitude 5 or more have rocked the Truckee area in the last 30 years, including a 6 temblor in 1966. They caused no major damage or injuries. 

“All I know is the earthquakes keep following me and I can’t get away from them,” added Brawley, who moved to the Sierra after the October 1989 Loma Prieta quake.

SAN FRANCISCO – Rev. Jim Mitulski bid a fond farewell Sunday to his Protestant congregation at the Metropolitan Community Church, a place in the heart of the city’s predominantly gay Castro District where locals flock to hear sermons of compassion. 

Mitulski, who has built a national reputation by speaking out for tolerance and acceptance for gay and lesbian communities, says it is time for a change of pace. 

“I’m committed to continue to do AIDS work, but I need a change of scenery,” Mitulski said. “I don’t want my life to be defined by the grief I feel for having lived through those years.” 

Mitulski grieved for many of those who filled his pews and later succumbed to AIDS. Despite the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and early 1990s, the church’s congregation grew from 100 to 500. 

Mitulski himself is HIV positive. He has conducted more than 500 funerals and almost as many gay wedding celebrations in his years at the San Francisco church. 

It is those many funerals that Mitulski wants to put behind him 

“Now that we’ve moved through the difficulty of the AIDS years, I have to get away from the sad memories,” Mitulski said. 

The Metropolitan Community Church has been through tumultuous times as the San Francisco community and the nation grappled for a way to deal with bias against gays. The church was firebombed twice, but reopened its doors with the help of Mitulski and others. 

In the mid-1990s, AIDS patients could drop by the church and get marijuana which many claim helps alleviate pain. Mitulski personally handed the drug out from the altar. 

Several nonprofit groups have headquartered their operations at the church, which also provides support and counseling for gays and lesbians each day of the week. 

Mitulski will take a job as program coordinator for the James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center at San Francisco’s Main Library, which houses tomes of literature for gay and lesbian history. 

San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano applauded Mitulski’s history of work at the church. 

“He withstood the test of time,” Ammiano, who is openly gay, said. “For gay people particularly, there has always been a large mistrust of organized religion. I’ve always found him understanding of that. He’s been very beneficial to the gay community. We’re going to miss him.” 

Mitulski gave his three final sermons Sunday.

STOCKTON – The Department of Corrections is disputing projections it will need 9,000 to 11,000 fewer beds because of a voter initiative that bars many drug users from prison. 

Prison officials say those estimates are overblown by half, and that cost savings to taxpayers are overestimated as well. 

They say they must expand their drug treatment programs despite voters’ approval of Proposition 36 last month. Once the initiative takes effect July 1, it will require that those convicted of using or possessing drugs for the first or second time be sent to community treatment programs. 

“There won’t be a precipitous drop in the number of inmates as soon as this goes into effect, but there will be a decline as more inmates are released and more inmates are diverted to drug treatment,” said department spokesman Russ Heimerich. 

The department estimates the initiative will lead to a need for about 6,270 fewer beds in five years. That compares to projections by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office that the proposition will free up at least 9,000 beds — the equivalent of two to three prisons. 

The legislative analyst predicted that will save taxpayers $200 million to $250 million annually in operating costs, plus one-time savings of $450 million to $550 million because the state won’t have to build new prisons as rapidly. 

Department officials said the savings will be less, mainly because many drug users go to dormitory-style prison camps or community correctional centers, most run under contract with private firms. It costs an average $23,000 to house an inmate in prison for a year. However, a domitory-style prison costs $15,000 to $17,000 annually. 

The projections by both the department and the legislative analyst depend in large part on guessing whether California’s 58 county prosecutors will refuse to negotiate plea bargains with drug dealers, knowing that a drug use or possession conviction will bring no prison time. 

Convictions for more serious charges will bring longer sentences. In addition, some drug users who would have gone to prison will commit new crimes while they remain free and thus wind up incarcerated for longer periods. 

Dan Carson, who wrote the legislative analyst’s report, said prison officials underestimated the benefits of treatment in keeping drug users out of prison, as well as the number of repeat offenders who will avoid extended sentences under the initiative. 

“Basically, they assumed no affect at all from drug treatment programs, which is kind of an awkward argument for the administration when they’ve asked for hundreds of millions of dollars each year for treatment, on the presumption treatment works,” Carson said. 

Three years ago, the department had just 400 drug treatment beds. It now can provide drug treatment for 5,000 inmates at a time, and this year’s budget adds 3,000 more beds. 

That’s still far short of the need, said Ernest Jarman, the department’s assistant director for substance abuse programs. 

The crimes committed by at least 70 percent of inmates have some connection to drugs, such as a burglary to support a drug habit, Jarman estimated. He projected at least 80 percent of inmates have a current or past drug problem. 

The department faces a Dec. 31 deadline to present a plan to provide treatment to every inmate who needs it by 2005. But then it’s up to the governor and Legislature whether to go ahead with the expansion. 

California has recently become a national leader in inmate drug treatment with programs like that offered at the Northern California Women’s Facility at Stockton, said professor David Deitch. 

Studies in Delaware, New York, Texas and California show intensive prison treatment programs can be “startlingly effective,” said Deitch, who heads the federally funded Pacific Southwest Addiction Technology Transfer Center at the University of California, San Diego. 

They can cut the re-arrest rate for hard-core addicts up to 30 percent after three years — but only if they are combined with community-based treatment programs that support the inmates once they leave prison. 

Because of budget constraints, only half of California inmates go through those post-release programs. 

The 15-month-old Stockton program is too new to have valid recidivism statistics. But a study last year of three California programs found about 25 percent of those who completed post-release programs returned to prison within two years, compared to half of those who had treatment only in prison and two-thirds of those who had no treatment. 

“I didn’t want the program, but amazingly it’s paid off for me. I have grandchildren now — I don’t need to be in prison,” inmate Linda Jones, 49, of Stockton, said during and after group therapy that ranged in tone from gripe session to revival meeting. “I never had a grandmother, and I want them to have one. 

“I’m really out for change,” said Jones, who became addicted to heroin 14 years ago. “I’m hoping SAP (the substance abuse program) can give me the change that I need.” 

The prison system’s new emphasis on treatment hasn’t been an easy sell to some prison employees, said correctional counselor Velda Dobson, who helps run the Stockton program. 

“We’re used to working on the correctional side, not the treatment side,” she said. In the beginning, employees would disparage what they termed “the hug-a-thug program,” she said, though things are getting better. 

“I’ve got skid marks down the sidewalk” from dragging some corrections officials into supporting the program, Dobson said.

Last Christmas, Father Bill O’Donnell, Councilmember Kriss Worthington and a host of labor activists donned santa hats and sat in the Berkeley Marina Radisson Hotel lobby chanting Christmas carols with pro-union lyrics. 

This holiday season, they’ll change their tune. 

Friday, Hotel Employee and Restaurant Employee Union Local 2850 negotiators put the final touches on a contract they will recommend to the Radisson workers who will vote on the contract next week. 

“The housekeepers and dishwashers will have a merry Christmas this year,” said Wei-Ling Hubert, an organizer with HERE. 

In June, after nine months of negotiations with hotel management, claims filed against the hotel with the National Labor Relations Board, and a city government boycott of the hotel, hotel management approved the workers’ demand to unionize. Contract negotiations began over the summer. 

Radisson General Manager Brij Misra also said he was happy with the proposed contract. “I’m very pleased with our negotiations that we completed today,” he said. “I look forward to working with our associates who make sure that everyone who comes here gets the best service in the East Bay.” He added that the hotel’s goal was always to support its employees.  

When told of the completed contract negotiations, Councilmember Kriss Worthington said: “It’s a victory for all the hard work of the employees who risked punishment and firing for starting up a union.” 

Before commenting on whether the city would end its boycott of the hotel, Worthington said he would first have to check with union organizers, but that he thought the city would. “It’s so exciting to have a victory like this,” he said. 

Because the workers have not yet seen the contract, Hubert said she did not want to comment on specifics of the terms that have been negotiated. However, she said gains were made in the area of health benefits, pensions and wage increases over five years. 

The elderly workers without pensions “were a huge inspiration to the other workers,” Hubert said. “The workers stayed united and would not give up.” 

Saturday, Dec. 2

Wild About Books? 

10:30 a.m. 

Berkeley Central Library 

2121 Allston Way 

Storyteller Kellmar draws from her African-American roots with stories that touch the heart and the funnybone. For children aged 3-7. 

Call 649-3943  

Building Blocks for Learning 

9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 

Clark Kerr Conference Center 

Waring & Parker Sts.  

The Institute of Human Development at UC Berkeley sponsors this second annual workshop on learning and development in young children aimed at teachers and child care workers.  

Call 643-7944 

Artists at Play Holiday Sale 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Artists at Play Studio  

1649 Hopkins St. (at Carlotta)  

Work by the artists including original servings dishes, frames, jewelry, and other items. 

Call 528-0494  

The Yo-Yo Lady 

2 - 4 p.m. 

1898 Solano Ave.  

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Small Press Distribution  

Open House 

Noon - 4 p.m.  

1341 Seventh St. (off Gilman) 

Browse 8,000 literary titles and listen to readings by Bay Area authors. Readings by poet Lyn Hejinian, George Albon,  

Dan Leone, Gail Mitchell, and Sianne Ngai.  

Call 524-1668 x305 

Whymsium Anniversary Party 

7:30 - 11 p.m. 

Whymsium  

1414 Fourth St.  

Described as something beyond dinner and a movie, the folks at Whymsium invite you to share your interests and explore your hobbies. This annual party features a talent show, games and a dance.  

$3 - $20 sliding scale 

Call 595-5541  

UC Botanical Holiday Plant Sale 

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

UC Botanical Garden  

200 Centennial Dr.  

You’ll find a selection of orchids, ferns, rhododendrons, cacti, hardy herbs, and house plants galore for yourself or gardening friends.  

Call 643-2755 

Native American Flute  

5 - 6 p.m. 

Gathering Tribes Gallery  

1573 Solano Ave.  

Celebrating the release of his CD “Spirit Within,” Berkeley resident and flutist Walter Ogi Johnson performs.  

Monitoring Police Activity 

11 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Copwatch Office  

2022 Blake St. (west of Shattuck) 

Learn what your rights are in dealing with police and learn how to monitor police safely. Free.  

Call 548-0425 

Finding a Way In 

7 - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Learning Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Offering a safe space for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender jews to express personal concerns and to find a place to belong in the Jewish community.  

$5 with pre-registration; $7 at door  

845-6420 

Berkeley Artisans Holiday  

Open Studios 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Get map from: 

1250 Addison St. #214 

or download at: http://www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Over one hundred professional artists and craftspeople open up their studios and workspaces to the public. All styles of artistic expression are represented. Runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17. 

Call 845-2612  

Know Your Rights Training 

11 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Copwatch Office  

2022 Blake St.  

Learn what your rights are in dealing with the police. Learn how to monitor the police safely.  

Call 548-0425 

Publish Your Own Book 

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Regent Press 

6020-A Adeline St. 

Mark Weiman of Regen Press presents an overview of the business of book publishing oriented towards the author considering self-publishing.  

$60 per person 

Call Mark Weiman, 547-7602 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Friends of Berkeley Youth Alternatives 

Wine Tasting  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Rosenblum Cellars 

2900 Main St.  

Alameda 

All proceeds benefit the children and families served by Berkeley Youth Alternatives. 

$25 

Call 845-9010 

Alternative Building Materials 

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Seminar taught by architects Dan Smith and John Fordice. 

$75  

Call 525-7610 

Sunday Dec. 3

Connecting with Nature 

1 - 3 p.m.  

Rotary Nature Center  

600 Bellevue Ave. (at Perkins) 

Oakland 

Children aged six to twelve, accompanied by a parent, are invited to explore nature with all their senses. Cathy Holt, author of “The Circle of Healing” will lead the event. Free 

Call Stephanie for reservations, 238-3739 

Fun and Science of Chocolate 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive 

UC Berkeley 

Join expert chocolate maker John Scharffenberger as he navigates throught he history of chocolate and demonstrates the science of chocolate production. Advanced reservations required.  

$30 per person, includes price of admission to LHS 

Call 642-5134 for reservations 

Lessons and Carols 

7 p.m. 

All Souls Episcopal Church  

2220 Cedar St. (at Spruce) 

Call 848-1755 

Sewing for Seniors 

9 a.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

With Grace Narimatsu. Free 

Call 644-6107 

HIV Memorial Service 

11 a.m. 

McGee Avenue Baptist Church 

1640 Stuart St.  

A special morning HIV service for members of the community.  

Call 843-1774 

Transcending Limits on Knowledge  

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place 

Lee Nichol on Tarthang Tulku’s “Time, Space, and Knowledge.” Free 

843-6812 

Richmond Holiday Arts Festival 

Noon - 4 p.m. 

Richmond Art Center 

2540 Barret Ave.  

Richmond 

A silent auction, craft sale, gifts and services auction, and hands-on art projects. Proceeds benefit the Richmond Art Center. Free  

620-6772 

Kitka’s “Wintersongs Holiday Tour” 

7 p.m. 

Lake Merritt United Methodist Church 

1330 Lakeshore Ave. 

Oakland 

In it’s first annual winter holiday concert, this women’s vocal ensemble will perform Eastern European seasonal songs.  

$15 - $20 

444-0323 

Berkeley High Pep Band 

4 - 6 p.m. 

1850 Solano Ave. 

One of many performers doing their stuff on Solano during the holidays. Performances every weekend afternoon till Christmas.  

Winterfest 

Noon - 4 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

Oakland 

A celebration of winter family traditions like music, dance, craft activities, and food. Included in museum admission. 

$6 general, $4 seniors and students with ID 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

Joe Raskin & David Slusser’s  

Improv Derby 

7:48 p.m. 

Tuva Space 

3192 Adeline (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Joe Raskin/George Cremaschi Duo & David Slusser’s Improv Derby. Part of ACME Observatory Contemporary Music Series.  

$8 suggested donation 

Call 444-3595 

The Music Connection 

2:30 p.m. 

Resurrection Lutheran Church 

397 Euclid Ave.  

Oakland  

Several well known Bay Area musicians and composers join amateur autistic musicians to raise money and raise awareness of autism and to provide the opportunity for those living with the disease to develop their talents. 

$10 - $200 suggested donation 

Call 420-0606  

“Music on Squirrel Hill”  

4 p.m. 

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley 

One Lawson Road 

Kensington 

The San Francisco Choral artists directed by Claire Giovannetti sing traditional and less familiar classics of the season.  

$15 general, $10 students & seniors  

Call 525-0302 

Monday, Dec. 4

Personnel Board Meeting 

7 p.m.  

Permit Center 

2118 Milvia St.  

First Floor Conference Room 

The Heart of the Matter  

12:15 p.m., buffet lunch 

1 p.m., speaker 

H’s Lordship Restaurant  

Berkeley Marina 

199 Seawall Dr.  

Stephen Raskin, MD will speak on “Beyond Cholesterol - The Heart of the Matter.” Sponsored by the North Oakland/Emeryville Rotary Club. 

$13 with lunch, $5 without 

Call Robyn Young, MD, 748-5363  

BHS AIDS Memorial Quilt 

Berkeley High School 

2246 Milvia  

Berkeley High will be displaying the AIDS Memorial Quilt the entire week, including 150 panels made by Berkeley High students.  

Call Sonya Dublin, 644-6838 x4 

Landmarks Preservation Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

North Berkely Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Peace and Justice Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Keeping Parents Sane 

6:30 - 8:30 p.m. 

Jewish Family & Children’s Services  

of the East Bay 

2484 Shattuck Ave., Suite 210 

If your child(ren) are defiant and oppositional and you don’t know what to do, try this workshop led by Liz Marton, MFT.  

$20 

Call 704-7475 

Criminalization of Youth 

7:30 p.m. 

King Middle School  

1781 Rose St.  

Angela Davis, educator, activist, and former political prisoner speaks at this benefit lecture for the Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library.  

$5 

Call 595-7417  

Make a Wreath 

7 p.m. 

UC Botanical Garden 

200 Centennial Dr.  

Whether you are a beginner or a veteran wreath-maker, join Nancy Swearengen and Jerry Parsons and learn to use some unusual materials.  

$27.50, including materials 

Call 643-2755 

Furniture Making for Women 

9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Finish carpenter Tracy Weir teaches this hands-on, four day workshop, culminating with each attendee building her own cabinet unit with drawer and shelf. Runs through Dec. 8.  

$475  

Call 525-7610 

“Choosing Something Like a Star” 

7:30 p.m. 

PSR Chapel 

1798 Scenic Ave.  

This annual free concert will feature the PSR Chorale and the Kairos Youth Choir performing carols from many traditions.  

Call Mike Ellard, 236-3033 

Tuesday, Dec. 5

Design the Perfect School  

7 - 9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose) 

Informally led by Robert Berend, former UC Extension lecturer, this group aims to have intelligent discussions on a wide range of topics. They stress that there is no religious bent to the discussions and that all viewpoints are welcome. Bring light snacks to share with group.  

Call Robert Berend, 527-5332  

Jewish Book Club 

7:30 - 9:15 p.m.  

Jewish Learning Center  

1414 Walnut St.  

Join in a discussion of Brian Norton’s “Starting Out in the Evening.” Free 

848-0237 x 127 

Get the Lead Out 

6 - 8 p.m. 

Frances Albrier Center 

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

Learn how to prevent lead poisoning in your home. Taught by expert staff, this course offers techniques property owners can use to safety paint and remodel their homes.  

Call 567-8280 

Make a Wreath 

7 p.m. 

UC Botanical Garden 

200 Centennial Dr.  

Whether you are a beginner or a veteran wreath-maker, join Nancy Swearengen and Jerry Parsons and learn to use some unusual materials.  

$27.50, including materials 

Call 643-2755 

City Council 

7 p.m. 

Old City Hall  

2134 MLK Jr. Way 

Wednesday, Dec. 6

Task Force on Telecommunications 

7 p.m. 

1900 Addison  

Third Floor Conference Room 

UNtraining White Liberal Racism 

7 - 9:30 p.m. 

Call for location  

El Cerrito 

Robert Horton, a white male, founded the UNtraining as a way for white people to work together on the unconscious power of white skin privilege and how it perpetuates racism. 

$10 

235-6134 

Disaster Council  

7 p.m. 

Public Safety Building 

2100 MLK Jr. Way 

Second floor conference room 

Discussions will include the report on disaster preparedness at Alta Bates and the city council/disaster council joint meeting.  

Citizens Budget Review Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

BHS Jazz Lab Band & Combos 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High Little Theater 

Allston Way  

Their first concert of the new school year.  

$8 general, $3 students  

Board of Education 

7:30 p.m. 

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Council Chambers 

Fire Safety Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

Fire Department Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters 

7:15 p.m. 

Vault Restaurant  

3250 Adeline St.  

Learn to speak fluently without fear or hesitation.  

Call Howard Linnard, 527-2337 

Thursday, Dec. 7

Berkeley Metaphysic Toastmasters Club 

6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.