Dressed in a light blue smock, bow tie and his trademark black derby, Jose LaCrosby wended his six-foot-two-inch frame past a bank of hair dryers and styling cubicles to an obscure area in the rear of his salon. 

“This is where I had to work when I first started,” he said. “Men just didn’t work in beauty salons in 1954, well not in black beauty salons, anyway.” 

LaCrosby remembers his first day at Minnie’s Beauty Salon on Alcatraz Avenue near Adeline Street. One of Minnie’s clients had just had her hair washed and treated when she became alarmed at the sight of a man. 

“She threw a towel over her head, ran to the bathroom and locked herself in,” LaCrosby said with a smile. “She swore she wouldn’t come out unless I left the building.” 

In the following years, LaCrosby broke through all the barriers in the beauty business and went on to enjoy success. At the height of his career in San Francisco he simultaneously ran five salons and two beauty supply stores. He would also became nationally known for innovative hair styling techniques. 

In December the 74-year-old hair stylist came back to his roots when he opened LaCrosby’s Style House in the same 12-seat beauty salon where he started 46 years ago. But now his name is proudly displayed on the front window and he doesn’t have to come and go

Monday, Jan. 8

Berkeley Community Chorus Rehearsal 

7 - 10 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church, basement 

1145 Gilman St.  

Conducted by Julian White, pianist, teacher & composer, the chorus will perform White’s “The Children’s Hour” and Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasia.” The chorus meets every Monday night. Performance dates are May 5, 12 & 13.  

$75 tuition for semester 528-2145 or visit www.bcco.org 

Fun With Origami  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Pato O’Sullivan 644-6107  

Tuesday, Jan. 9

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

531-8664 

Remembering: What’s Normal and What’s Not  

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With Tina Williams  

Wednesday, Jan. 10

Kids Dance Open House &  

Class 

5 - 6 p.m. 

El Cerrito Community Center 

7007 Moeser Lane 

El Cerrito  

Parents are invited to explore how dance relates to cognitive, kinesthetic, and socio-emotional development in their children. For ages three to seventeen. Free  

Call 530-4113  

Tai Chi Chuan  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Henry Chang 

Call 644-6107 

Glaucoma: Early Detection Free Lecture  

1 - 2:30 p.m.  

Alta Bates Summit North Pavilion  

350 Hawthorne St.  

Oakland 

Dr. Richard Lee, ophthalmologist, will discuss the risk factors and causes of glaucoma, as well as other aspects of the aging eye. Free 

Call 869-6737 

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 

Benefit Concert for Food First 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 

Featuring the David Thom Band, Buffalo Roam, Tree o’ Frogs, and Ten Ton Chicken. All proceeds benefit Food First.  

$10 - $15 donation 

Call Kevin Doyle, 843-6389 x201 

California Babylon  

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

Kristan Lawson & Anneli Rufus discuss their book “A Guide to Sites of Scandal, Mayhem, and Celluloid in the Golden State.” Free 

Call 843-3533  

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 

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Ski & Snowboard Descents  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Paul Richins, author of “50 Classic Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Summits in California - Mt. Shasta to Mt. Whitney,” presents in slides some of his favorite ski mountaineering and backcountry snowboard descents. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Ballroom Dancing  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Roman Ostrowski  

Call 644-6107  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Kirk Lumpkin and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

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 

“Sing for Hope” 

8 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2435 Channing Way (at Dana) 

The second annual event features an evening of arias and Broadway show tunes sung by seven of New York’s young rising opera stars. All proceeds benefit the Center for AIDS Services, a nonprofit day center in Oakland for people with HIV and AIDS.  

$35 performance only, $50 performance & post-concert reception 

Call 655-3435 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“Innovative Approaches to Farming”  

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Reggie Knox, executive director of Community Alliance with Family Farms of Santa Cruz will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533  

Yiddish Conversation  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With allen Stross  

Call 644-6107 

“Igniting the Dream: Social Justice in  

the New Millennium”  

6 - 9 p.m.  

University of Creation Spirituality  

2141 Broadway  

Oakland  

An art reception, film screening, and panel discussion featuring Rev. Phillip Lawson, Rafael Gonzalez, Luisah Teish, and Dr. Barbara Cannon. Free  

Call 835-4827 x31 or visit www.creationspirituality.com  

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

An open letter to U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer 

Editor: 

As your constituent it pains me to hear that you have not supported Democracy and protested the acceptance of the Electors from the State of Florida. 

Alas, we now have a court appointed president for an impoverished Democracy. The future of a free citizenry is in your hands and yet you stand silently. I am 

asking that you ask yourself what you entered politics for. Remember when you had principals and ideals that mattered? It seems to me, a crises is before us (before you especially) and this is the time when you can do something that will matter in the large scheme of things. The next year should not be business as usual for you. It will not be for me. I will be doing mischief.  

I will be stirring discontent with a court appointed presidency, but my power is much less than yours. Please act in defense of Liberty, Democracy, and Justice. Protect your country’s principals. Make mischief as only a U.S. Senator can. 

Thank You, 

Harry Wiener 

Berkeley

Turnovers and free throws give ASU a 58-47 win 

If this is a pattern, it could be a long season for the Cal women’s basketball team. 

In their first two Pac-10 games of the year, the Bears have taken a one-point lead into halftime. Thursday, they were beaten in the second half by a fired up Arizona squad that simply had more talent on the court. But the second-half collapse against Arizona State (8-5 overall, 1-1 Pac-10) on Saturday was more disturbing, because not only are the Sun Devils not more talented overall, they didn’t even play very well in beating the Bears (4-8, 0-2), 58-47. 

The Sun Devils only outrebounded the Bears by three, and turned the ball over 19 times. They got 14 points from guard Betsy Boardman and 13 points from center Melody Johnson, but shot just 37 percent from the floor. And they really didn’t take advantage of a Cal scoring drought that lasted nearly 10 minutes sandwiched around halftime. When Cal guard Kenya Corley finally hit her team’s first basket of the second half, the Bears were down by just three points at 33-30.  

Point guard Courtney Johnson followed with a layup, and the Bears were within one despite their offensive woes. But they could never quite take the lead away from the Sun Devils, mostly because they didn’t take care of the ball on offense. Cal committed 10 turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the half, and tacked on six more before the game ended. 

“We lost intensity in the second half,” said Cal head coach Caren Horstmeyer. “We’re just not putting the whole game together. We have to be better than that offensively.” 

With neither team performing well on offense, the game came down to free throws. ASU went to the line 25 times, making 17 of their free throws. And the Bears, who were averaging more than 25 trips to the line coming into the game, shot just five on Saturday. Horstmeyer was clearly upset with several calls by the officials during the game. 

“I find it hard to believe that we only shot five free throws in the game, and none by our post players,” she said. 

Johnson, Cal’s leading scorer, has struggled on the offensive end since returning from an illness that kept her out of the team’s final preseason game two weeks ago. She shot just 3-of-12 against Arizona, and followed that up with a 1-of-7 showing on Saturday, scoring just two points. Combine that with forward Lauren Ashbaugh’s scoreless performance against ASU, and it’s not hard to see why the Bears struggled on offense. When two of your top three scorers combine for just two points, it’s tough to win. 

“We need Courtney to be more confident out there,” Horstmeyer said. “We’ve been playing her more at the two spot to get her more shots.” 

Ami Forney was the only Bear to break double figures in points against the Sun Devils, scoring eight points in the first 10 minutes of the game. But she missed several shots in close and finished the game with just 12 points. 

“We have yet to have five players play well on the same night,” Horstmeyer said.

City offers to pay each week if garbage is indeed garbage 

This Earth-friendly city plans to pay residents at least $250 if their trash is clean — of recyclables, that is. 

The city is launching a “Cash for Trash” contest next month that will see inspectors sift through the garbage of one willing household each week. If the trash is free of recyclables — from the obvious glass bottle to the less celebrated milk carton — the household wins the cash. 

Should inspectors from the city and the nonprofit Ecology Center find recyclables, however, the money will roll over into the next week. 

Berkeley featured a similar initiative in 1988, when the jackpot swelled to $4,000. This installment will last five months. 

“This is a fact: If you don’t do promotions, then your recyclables go down,” said Kathy Evans, an adviser to the campaign. “People loved it the last time. They would come up to me all the time and say, ’I’m going to win.”’ 

Actually, the chances of being chosen are quite slim — Berkeley has 38,000 eligible households. 

TEMPE, Ariz. – Sean Lampley had 21 points, leading California in scoring for the ninth consecutive game, as the Golden Bears beat Arizona State 82-67 Saturday night for their first victory in Tempe since Jan. 25, 1990. 

Shantay Legans had 16 points and five steals, and Solomon Hughes and Joe Shipp contributed 15 points each off the bench, helping the Bears (9-4, 1-1 Pac-10), bounce back from a three-point loss to Arizona on Thursday which snapped their seven-game winning streak. 

Legans scored three times on layups after stolen passes and assisted on another. 

Alton Mason had 21 of his 25 points in the second half, and Awvee Storey had 17 points and 13 rebounds, but the Sun Devils (8-5, 0-2) couldn’t keep their 10-game home winning streak against Cal going. 

The Sun Devils had held 20 of their last 23 opponents below 50 percent, but they didn’t come close against Cal, which made a season-high 58.3 percent. Lampley was 7-of-13, Hughes 6-of-6, Legans 5-of-7 and Shipp 5-of-8. 

And the Bears came back to outrebound Arizona State 18-13 in the second half after allowing the Sun Devils a 25-11 margin in the first. 

Despite that, Cal led 29-18 at halftime, and practically decided the game with a 5-0 surge in the first 1:49 of the second half. 

Nick Vander Laan established Cal’s rebounding ethic with a putback, Lampley made a free throw, and Legans made it 34-18 when he stole a pass by Shawn Redhage and scored easily. 

The lead reached 49-29 at the 7:01 mark after Legans made a 3-pointer and a layup after another steal 27 seconds apart. 

Legans’ first stolen-pass layup made it 5-4 at the 6:20 mark of the first half, and the Bears never trailed again.

After reading a book about the experiences of Asian-American women, Kathy Bing-Yeu decided it was time to start her own group to discuss the experiences of being an Asian woman in the United States. 

The group will be free-form, providing room for whatever people wanted to talk about. But, Bing-Yeu suspects several topics will come up.  

“How do we honor our families, meet parental and societal expectations of us, have several careers and fulfill our dreams,” she said. “How do we balance the best of East and West.” 

Claire Chow, a marriage and family therapist in San Ramon, authored “Leaving Deep Waters: The Lives of Asian-American Women at the Crossroads of Two Cultures,” which inspired Bing-Yeu.  

She strongly supports the creation of an Asian-American Women’s Group.  

“One of the problems for women is they tend to be isolated,” said Chow. “Assimilation pushes people to blend into the dominant culture, you disconnect yourself from roots

Gymnasts hit the road to open season with a win 

The No. 5 California Golden Bears defeated the ninth-ranked Stanford men’s gymnastics team Saturday night to earn open the 2001 season by a score of 204.650-190.650 at Burnham Pavilion.  

Cal swept the floor exercise with senior Andrew Hampy taking top honors with an impressive 9.400. Cody Moore’s 8.650 was second, followed by Tal Moscovitz (8.600). The Bears also took the first three spots in the vault with Carl Ziehn winning the title, scoring a 9.150. Hampy placed second (9.050) and Aaron Floyd was third (8.950). On the parallel bars, Cal went 1-2-3 again with Cody Moore in first (8.800), David Eskildsen second (8.650), and Ziehn third (8.550). Ziehn won the high bar event with a score 8.450, while Tom Kutz was second (8.250) and Eskildsen third (8.150).  

Stanford’s David Durante won the all-around competition with a 49.350 while Cal’s Michael Ashe was second with 47.650, and Cardinal Matt Mclean a close third with a 46.500. Stanford’s only individual winner came on the pommel horse as Durante’s scored a 8.950. Cardinal Marshall Erwin, a former NCAA Champion in the rings, tied for third in the event with an 8.300. Cal’s Ashe, the 2000 NCAA Champion in the high bar, won the ring competition with an 8.650.  

A new international style scoring has been implemented for the 2001 season, as the rules are changed every four years. The new scoring system was a first for both teams as well as the judges. Due to the change of rules, the scores will be lower than in years past.

The last time I made a fool out of myself in public was last summer when I attempted to take a sushi-making class and then shared my experiences in this newspaper. I am not good at preparing unusual foods. 

I am not good at acting either. 

But when I was assigned to cover a hip-hop theater workshop at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts on Saturday morning, I decided to give it a try. It was just going to be four hours, so how hard could it be?

Decision based on trends that have halted earlier economic slow-downs 

An economist and professor at the University of California at Berkeley says the likelihood of a national economic recession is 50 percent and possibly even 70 percent. 

Professor Kenneth T. Rosen, who is a professor at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, said in a paper released this week that he based his decision on current economic trends that he says have precluded recessions in 1974, 1980 and 1991. 

He said the convergence of indicators such as high oil prices, a tight labor market, a spike in private sector debt and an over-valued stock market all lead him to believe that the U.S. economy could be headed for a major slump. 

In a paper titled Recession Risk Rising, which Rosen coauthored, he said, “Seldom have so many danger signals converged at the same time.  

We believe that federal economic policymakers, investors and the public at large should be paying close attention to the situation and making relevant decisions accordingly.” 

A recent weakening in demand for commercial real estate, Rosen said, could prove to be beneficial to the sector by providing a soft landing in the event of a recession. 

Rosen, who is also the chairman of Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, said last week’s interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve System was a step in the right direction to alleviate pressure on the economy.  

But, he stressed, other more aggressive policy action will be necessary to fully combat the risk of recession.

Gov. seeks $45 million 

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gray Davis is expected to seek $15 million in next year’s budget for a new state crime lab to analyze DNA and $30 million to help local police improve their own outdated crime labs. 

Sunday’s announcements come as Davis prepares to present his spending priorities Wednesday for the new fiscal year that begins July 1. 

The state’s only existing DNA lab in Berkeley is strained by demand from new laws and new technologies that take advantage of genetic fingerprints, administration officials said Sunday. 

Among the changes that stretch the current system, they said, are a new law giving prison inmates greater leeway to demand DNA tests. Other new laws set up a database to compare DNA from missing persons with DNA from unidentified remains and allow police to match DNA from suspects with samples collected at unsolved crime scenes. 

The officials said Davis will name a selection committee to choose the site and design of the new state lab. 

The $30 million he will propose for local law enforcement crime labs would fund one-time grants to equip, improve or build new labs for jurisdictions that can demonstrate the greatest need, administration officials said on condition they not be named. 

Davis will also propose $75 million to help local police buy the sort of high-tech equipment his aides said is increasingly needed to fight high-tech criminals who rely on computers to create everything from child pornography to instant identities. 

In addition, Davis is expected to seek $11 million dollars to combat identity theft and other high-tech crimes like electronic fraud, counterfeiting, industrial espionage and software and compact disk theft. Together they are projected to cost the state more than $8 billion in lost revenues, wages and taxes each year. 

Of the $11 million, some $3.3 million would go to the state’s five High Technology Crime Task Forces to better train and coordinate with local police, the public and the businesses to fight identity theft. The balance of the funds would expand the High Technology Theft Apprehension and Prosecution Program that helps local law enforcement investigate high-tech crimes. 

Davis also is expected to seek $246.6 million in other aid to local law enforcement, the same amount as in the current year’s budget. 

Of that, $121.3 million is proposed for the COPS (Citizens’ Option for Public Safety) program, which helps hire local police and sheriff’s deputies, build jails, and prosecute criminals. Each of the state’s local law enforcement agencies would get at least $100,000 under the funding proposal. 

The other half of the money would go again to local juvenile crime prevention and treatment programs.

Fremont senator proposes a 

‘do-not-call’ list for state 

SACRAMENTO – A California lawmaker is making another attempt to help consumers hang up on pesky telemarketers before they call. 

State Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Fremont, has reintroduced a bill that would let consumers put their phone numbers on a telemarketers’ do-not-call list that would be maintained by the state. 

A telemarketer who called a number on the list could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. 

Two attempts to create the list have died in the Senate Appropriations Committee since 1996. One of those unsuccessful bills was a 1999 proposal by Figueroa opposed by some of the Capitol’s most influential interest groups, including newspaper publishers, real estate agents and insurers. 

This time, Figueroa predicts, the chances are better. 

“I think more and more people are affected, and more and more people are concerned about privacy issues,” she said. 

Her bill is modeled after a 10-year-old Florida statute. 

“It’s kind of like hanging up a do-not-disturb sign on your home telephone,” said Terence McElroy of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. 

About 125,000 Floridians have their numbers on the do-not-call list and about a dozen other states have enacted similar laws since the Florida program took effect, McElroy said. 

Current federal law requires telemarketing companies to honor the do-not-call requests they receive from consumers, and the Direct Marketing Association maintains a list of off-limits consumers for member companies. 

But not all telemarketers are association members, supporters of Figueroa’s bill say. 

Her legislation would give consumers a “one-swoop opportunity” to eliminate unwanted sales calls, said Shelley Curran, a policy analyst with Consumers Union. 

“We think consumers ought to have control over whether they get solicited by telemarketers,” Curran said. “A lot of people find the calls very frustrating.” 

Jim Ewert, an attorney for the California Newspaper Publishers Association, said the federal law is better because it gives consumers “the ultimate power to pick and choose from whom they want to receive solicitations.” 

“People still have the ability to hang up or erase the message from the answering machine,” Ewert said. “You just never know when there may be something you would be interested in (buying).” 

Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, a San Francisco Democrat who cast a key vote to kill the 1999 bill, said the measure was “not a pro-consumer thing; it’s a stop-pestering-me bill.” 

“As I recall it was kind of a silly bill,” Burton said. “I wasn’t sure how it was going to work and there was a question of how constitutional it was. Can’t people just hang up?” 

McElroy said no one has ever challenged the Florida law’s constitutionality in court. 

Figueroa’s bill would cover telephone salespersons trying to sell or lease goods or services, including credit, investments and insurance. It would not cover calls requested by the consumer or debt-collection calls. 

Consumers could exempt businesses with which they have a financial relationship, including their banks, insurance agents and investment advisers. 

The bill would allow prosecutors and consumers to sue a telemarketing firm for allegedly violating the do-not-call requirement. Courts could order violators to pay up to $500 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for a subsequent one, plus the plaintiff’s attorneys fees. 

Violators could also be charged with a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. 

So far the bill doesn’t specify which state agency would maintain the don’t-call list, keep it updated and sell it to telemarketers for a fee. The designated agency would set up procedures for consumers to remove their names from the list.

Las Vegas trade show gives a glimpse of the future of tech 

LAS VEGAS – From a digital frying pan to a digital camera wrist watch, the gadgets on display at the Consumer Electronics Show promise a future with more beeps, computer chirps and portable convenience than ever before. 

The manufacturers and dealers at the annual trade show here are banking that consumers will continue to gobble up electronic products. 

Sales of consumer electronics devices such as DVD players, camcorders, MP3 players, and other mobile devices hit a record $90.1 billion last year in the United States, the Consumer Electronics Association said. 

Sales are up 10 percent from 1999, and are expected to reach $95.6 billion in 2001. 

Amazon.com Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos said consumer electronics are the online store’s fastest-growing segment. Huge sales in devices such as the Palm IIIXE handheld digital assistant helped make electronics the company’s second-highest revenue generator in 2000, he said. 

It won’t be long before electronics surpass books as the company’s biggest draw, he predicted. 

“They’re perishable items,” Bezos said. “The shelf life is short, and people have to keep getting the latest product.” 

Vendors spread out a plethora of new consumer products — some useful, some amusing — over more than 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space at the trade show. 

Here’s a sampling of wares American consumers can expect this year: 

—Ultra fancy wristwear: Samsung’s Watch Phone tells time, saves voice memos and is a mobile cell phone that can be dialed by voice command. A new Casio wrist watch is touted as the first wearable digital camera and holds up to 100 images. 

—Super Audio CD (SACD) players: Pioneer’s Elite Services DV-AX10 is a combination ultrahigh quality CD and DVD player, Philips is also entering the market with its SACD-1000. 

—In-dash MP3 music players for cars: Rio says its car stereo can store enough digital music files that someone could drive from Los Angeles to New York City more than 10 times without listening to the same song twice. Visteon says its MP3 car radio can store up to 10 hours of music. 

—A growing crop of Web appliances: devices designed either to fit under a kitchen counter or be toted around the home provide wireless Internet access away from a clunky desktop computer. One fancy offering will be Sony’s Airboard, a touch-screen tablet allowing users wireless access to the Web and e-mail while they watch TV from almost anywhere inside their homes. 

—Satellite car radios: More than 18 models of car radios will feature AM and FM radio as well as up to 100 radio channels via satellite, according to XM Satellite Radio. 

—SmartMedia’s DDL Player: a combined receiver for Internet radio stations and a CD player for home stereo systems. 

—Nokia’s Media Terminal: a “home infotainment” set-top box that receives digital TV and video-on-demand, plays MP3 files or connects to a digital camera, and offers Internet access. 

—Harman Kardon’s DMC100 Digital Media Center: a product with high-speed Web abilities for streaming video and audio, a built-in DVD/CD player and a 30-gigabyte hard drive that can store up to 10,000 songs in the compressed MP3 format. 

—The Truster: a small, portable lie detector that uses voice recognition technology to sense when a person is telling a lie. 

—A digital French skillet by Digital Cookware, Inc. The display on the pan handle beeps to alert the cook when the pan’s target temperature has been reached. A digital recipe book is included. 

—SmartBox by Brivo: a washing-machine sized container that acts like a 24-hour doorman to receive packages. Delivery persons punch in a product-specific code to open the digitally locked box, which automatically e-mails or pages the owner about the arrival. 

—An electronic towel dispenser from Bens Electric Appliance of China that shoots out moist towels, either hot or room temperature.

Subterranean Shakespeare opened an oddly cheerful staging Friday at La Val’s of "Waiting for Godot," Samuel Beckett’s bleak comedy that is one of the original anti-plays of the theater of the absurd. 

Composed initially in French by the Irish writer, "Godot" opened in Paris in 1953 and took the literary community by storm, changing forever the meanings, sensibilities and structures of modern drama. This play had the same magnitude of impact on drama that Picasso had on painting. 

In many ways, Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) is the most influential playwright of the 20th century. His stripped down minimalist, existential style influenced many playwrights who followed him — Harold Pinter, Edward Albee, David Mamet, Sam Shepard, and Tom Stoppard, to name a few. 

Beckett's plays ask the big questions: "Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? Who am I?" Many of his characters are people facing death. 

Though bleak, the plays are also funny. Against all of their negative experience, Beckett's characters hope to survive. Beckett himself lived with depression all his life. 

In "Waiting for Godot," a quintessential 20th century story, two shabby tramps Vladimir (Stanley Spenger) and Estragon (Greg Lucey) kill time as best they can loitering on an empty landscape in some vague and unidentified territory, waiting for a man who may or may not arrive. 

This play is a metaphor for the desperately unfulfilled and meaningless 20th century life. The clown tramps are toxic mutations of Chaplin’s clown tramp, which obviously was an influence on Beckett when he wrote this play. 

The tramps’ isolation is broken up for a short time by the arrival of a rich man named Pozzo, played untypically in this production by a woman (Karen Goldstein). Pozzo leads on a leash her shattered, numb, tortured and incoherent servant Lucky (George Frangides), who carries her baggage and suffers her abuse. 

The Sub Shakes production is a mixed bag. For whatever reason, director Yoni Barkan has chosen to stage the play at a fast clip. 

In other productions I’ve seen of this play, the banter between Vladimir and Estragon, is usually played slowly and thoughtfully, with lots of silent time between lines for the philosophical ramifications of the two tramps’ suffering and comic commentaries on life to sink in. 

This slower pace gives the characters time to ponder their predicament line by line, and gives the actors comic opportunity to react pointedly to each idea they consider. 

Barkan’s fast pace, on the other hand, often gives these tramps the feel of an Abbott and Costello routine. Initially, I found this off-putting, though in some ways it grew on me as the production evolved. There are places where this speed enhances the play, such as in a funny argument between Vladimir and Estragon over conflicting crucifixion accounts in the Bible. 

But there are also minuses to the fast pace. It negates, for example, the painful feeling of waiting that the characters suffer in this play. It also at times costs the play some of its humor by glossing over its delicious ironies and paradoxes. 

Barkan’s visually intriguing stylized set features a tree made of metal piping that looks like it was lifted out of a Fernand Leger painting. A Dali-like empty landscape painting by Irina Mikhalevich hangs on the wall as a reminder of the surreal surrounding landscape. A trashed television set serves occasionally as a seat for Estragon when he needs to remove his ill-fitting boots and massage his sore feet. 

In an unusual acting choice, Stanley Spenger plays Vladimir as warm, friendly, nurturing and almost cheerful. This is an atypical interpretation of that normally grim and depressed character. 

And Barkan’s choice to cast a woman as Pozzo, in a play that is usually performed by all men, puts a potentially interesting spin on the play’s abusive dominating character. But nothing more is made of it, so I think ultimately this casting choice trivializes the dynamic of a story which, on a gender politics level, is generally about the desolate dead end realized in a world that is controlled, empowered and conceived by only men. 

Sub Shakes untypical high-speed staging of "Waiting for Godot" runs at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid (at Hearst), Thursday through Saturday, 8 p.m., through Feb. 5. $10 (general), $8 (students). 510/234-6046.

Independent newspapers are increasingly rare. The East Bay Express is the latest to join those swallowed by large corporations. 

New Times, the 30-year-old Phoenix-based corporation that bought the SF Weekly in 1995, will purchase the 22-year-old homegrown Express that began its days in small offices on Adeline Street. 

“The New Times group today announced it has signed a letter of intent to purchase the Express Publishing company, owner and publisher of the East Bay Express,” said Express Editor and Publisher John Raeside, who declined to discuss the deal, but instead issued a press statement. 

Raeside will stay on as editor and publisher, according to the statement. The deal, announced to the Express staff at 10 a.m. Friday, is expected to be sealed in two weeks, said one Express insider. 

One anonymous employee said what the deal means to employees is unknown, while another said it is believed that editorial positions will remain in tact and the paper’s contents will remain unaffected. “We’ll retain full editorial control locally,” the person said. 

“New Times also plans to add resources, beefing up the paper’s editorial, advertising and circulation departments to further fuel its already impressive growth,” according to the press release. 

Jim Larkin of New TImes did not return phone calls. 

The pending sale was news to media critic Norman Solomon, author of the Habits of Highly Deceptive Media. Solomon said that when corporations take over independent papers, “it tends to have a negative effect. It tends to homogenize” the paper, giving it a “cookie-cutter feel.” 

The Express has a circulation of 64,000, while the SF Weekly circulation is 129,000. When the Express is added to its totals, the New Times readership of its 13 weeklies will have grown to 1.2 million. The corporation also owns and operates the Ruxton Group, a national advertising sales group. 

According to the New Times Web site the chain has remained true to “a different vision.” It explains that the corporation was founded “by students at Arizona State University irate over the Vietnam-era shootings at Kent State University....As many daily papers shorten stories and hire consultants to tell them what to print, New Times papers thrive by cultivation networks of local sources, generating truly original story ideas, and digging into stories rather than skating across their surface.” 

The last local newspapers to be gobbled up by a corporation were the Hills Newspapers, including the Berkeley Voice, bought in August 1998 by Knight Ridder, Inc. The Hills newspapers are now published from the West County Times’ offices in Richmond.

Saturday, Jan. 6

Hip Hop Theater Workshop  

9 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave. (at Derby)  

A participatory one-day workshop as part of the center’s Kaleidoscope Arts Infusion Series. Led by hip-hop poet and performer Will Power and playwright Rickerby Hinds.  

$60 individual, $45 family (two or more)  

Call 845-8542 x376 or visit www.juliamorgan.org 

Rose Pruning Workshop  

9:30 a.m.  

UC Botanical Garden  

200 Centennial Dr.  

Peter Klement, UC Botanical Garden rose expert will share his expertise and demonstrate techniques for shaping old-fashioned roses, climbers and hybrid teas to assure maximum flowering. $20 - $27.50 643-2755 

Free Tae-Bo Classes for Adults  

10 - 10:45 a.m.  

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park 

2800 Park St.  

Call 644-8515 

Free Martial Arts Lessons for Children  

11:15 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

Classes taught by Michael Johnson, a fourth degree black belt. Ages 5 - 7, 11:15 a.m. - Noon; Ages 8 - 12, 12:15 p.m. - 1 p.m.; Ages 13 to adults, 1:15 p.m. - 2 p.m. 

644-8515 

P.U.R.R.S. Pet Adoption Day  

Noon - 5 p.m.  

Pet Food Express 

1942 MLK Jr. Way  

Pet’s Are Us is a non-profit animal rescue organization. 444-3204 

Monday, Jan. 8

Berkeley Community Chorus Rehearsal 

7 - 10 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church, basement 

1145 Gilman St.  

Conducted by Julian White, pianist, teacher & composer, the chorus will perform White’s “The Children’s Hour” and Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasia.” The chorus meets every Monday night. Performance dates are May 5, 12 & 13.  

$75 tuition for semester 528-2145 or visit www.bcco.org 

Fun With Origami  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Pato O’Sullivan 644-6107  

Tuesday, Jan. 9

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 531-8664 

Remembering: What’s Normal and What’s Not  

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With Tina Williams  

Wednesday, Jan. 10

Kids Dance Open House &  

Class 

5 - 6 p.m. 

El Cerrito Community Center 

7007 Moeser Lane 

El Cerrito  

Parents are invited to explore how dance relates to cognitive, kinesthetic, and socio-emotional development in their children. For ages three to seventeen. Free  

Call 530-4113  

Tai Chi Chuan  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Henry Chang 644-6107 

Glaucoma: Early Detection Free Lecture  

1 - 2:30 p.m.  

Alta Bates Summit North Pavilion  

350 Hawthorne St.  

Dr. Richard Lee, ophthalmologist, will discuss the risk factors and causes of glaucoma, as well as other aspects of the aging eye. Free 

Call 869-6737 

Thursday, Jan. 11

Toni Stone and the Negro Baseball League 

1 p.m. 

Oakland Museum of California 

1000 Oak St.  

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 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Benefit Concert for Food First 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 

Featuring the David Thom Band, Buffalo Roam, Tree o’ Frogs, and Ten Ton Chicken. All proceeds benefit Food First.  

$10 - $15 donation 

Call Kevin Doyle, 843-6389 x201 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Kirk Lumpkin and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

California Babylon  

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

Kristan Lawson & Anneli Rufus discuss their book “A Guide to Sites of Scandal, Mayhem, and Celluloid in the Golden State.” Free 

Call 843-3533  

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 

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Ski & Snowboard Descents  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Paul Richins, author of “50 Classic Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Summits in California - Mt. Shasta to Mt. Whitney,” presents in slides some of his favorite ski mountaineering and backcountry snowboard descents. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Ballroom Dancing  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Roman Ostrowski  

Call 644-6107  

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 

“Sing for Hope” 

8 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2435 Channing Way (at Dana) 

The second annual event features an evening of arias and Broadway show tunes sung by seven of New York’s young rising opera stars. All proceeds benefit the Center for AIDS Services, a nonprofit day center in Oakland for people with HIV and AIDS.  

$35 performance only, $50 performance & post-concert reception 

Call 655-3435 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“Innovative Approaches to Farming”  

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Reggie Knox, executive director of Community Alliance with Family Farms of Santa Cruz will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533  

Yiddish Conversation  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With allen Stross  

Call 644-6107 

“Igniting the Dream: Social Justice in  

the New Millennium”  

6 - 9 p.m.  

University of Creation Spirituality  

2141 Broadway  

Oakland  

An art reception, film screening, and panel discussion featuring Rev. Phillip Lawson, Rafael Gonzalez, Luisah Teish, and Dr. Barbara Cannon. Free  

Call 835-4827 x31 or visit www.creationspirituality.com  

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 

Dia de los Reyes Concert  

8 p.m. 

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison  

Performing will be Coro Hispano de San Francisco and Conjunto Nuevo Mundo with the Jackeline Rago Ensemble de la Pena.  

$12 - $15  

Call (415) 431- 4234 

Rose Pruning Workshop  

9:30 a.m.  

UC Botanical Garden  

200 Centennial Dr.  

Peter Klement, UC Botanical Garden rose expert will share his expertise and demonstrate techniques for shaping old-fashioned roses, climbers and hybrid teas to assure maximum flowering.  

$20 - $27.50  

Call 643-2755 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

In their first East Bay show of the millennium, Sedge Thomson welcomes Lavay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers.  

Call 415-664-9500 for reservations 

Free Tae-Bo Classes for Adults  

10 - 10:45 a.m.  

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park 

2800 Park St.  

Call 644-8515 

Free Martial Arts Classes for Kids  

11:15 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

Classes taught by Michael Johnson, a fourth degree black belt. Ages 5 - 7, 11:15 a.m. - Noon; Ages 8 - 12, 12:15 p.m. - 1 p.m.; Ages 13 to adults, 1:15 p.m. - 2 p.m. 

644-8515 

Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser  

8 a.m. - Noon  

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

The Teen Clubs of Berkeley present this fundraiser in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Tickets available at all city of Berkeley recreational sites and at the Young Adult Project.  

$3 - $5  

Call 644-8515 

Bridge Rail Unveiling  

9:30 a.m.  

Codornices Creek at the Ohlone Greenway  

Members of the Berkeley and Albany city councils, along with members of the creek-restoration group, will swing sledgehammers to remove forms from the concrete bridge footing and towers. 

Call 8 48-9358 or visit www.fivecreeks.org  

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 

Free Feng Shui Class 

3 p.m. 

Eastwind Books of Berkeley  

2066 University Ave.  

Taught by Lily Chung, author of “Calendars for Feng Shui and Divination.” 

Call Eastwind, 548-3250 

Monday, Jan. 15

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church  

1188 12th St. (at Adeline) 

Oakland  

Featuring Rev. Dorsey Blake, Dr. Matthew Fox, Reconnect Performance Troupe, Cole Performing Arts Choir and Avotcja.  

Call 835-4827 x31 or visit www.creationspirituality.com  

Need help to shop smart 

Editor: 

Many thanks for printing David Bacon's piece on persecution of union organizers in Rio Bravo.  

Bacon is a great resource. Could you ask him to do a piece that would help us uninformed folks to buy clothes and other consumer goods in a way that does not give profit to companies that violate human rights in order to coerce cheap labor here and overseas?  

Perhaps a brief list of “good guy” companies? or titles of sources we can refer to for our own buying?  

Any other things we can do? 

Dorothy Bryant 

Berkeley

The Berkeley High boys’ basketball team is used to David versus Goliath matches. They just aren’t used to playing the role of Goliath. 

The Yellowjackets, who have faced larger opponents in most of their games this season, picked on an even smaller De Anza team Friday night for a 78-41 in their first ACCAL game of the season. 

Berkeley (9-5 overall) went on an 18-3 run during the second quarter to build a comfortable 38-24 halftime lead, then shut down the De Anza offense in the second half, holding the Dons to only six points in the third quarter and 11 in the fourth. 

“We have usually been the smaller team this year,” Berkeley coach Mike Gragnani said. “We were fortunate enough to get some inside stuff going tonight.” 

De Anza played without 6-foot-4-inch Michael McFadden, who was serving a one-game suspension after being ejected in the team’s last game against McClymonds. California high school basketball rules prohibit a player from competing in a game following an ejection. 

McFadden scored 40 points against Oakland Tech and 39 points against McClymonds earlier this week. In McFadden’s absence, Berkeley was able to control the glass and the pace of the game. 

“It will be a different game when he is back next time,” Gragnani predicted of the teams’ next matchup on Feb. 2. 

The Yellowjackets were outscored 12-10 in a slow first quarter that saw both teams miss the majority of their shots. They were down by as many as four points before forward Louis Riordan sparked a rally early in the second quarter with a short jump shot.  

Berkeley caught up at 16-16 when guard Ryan Davis made the first of three layups he would score off of steals. Davis scored eight of his team-high 14 points in the second period. 

Berkeley settled down in the second half and allowed De Anza to make only five field goals in the final 16 minutes. The ’Jackets began the fourth period with a 13-0 run and cruised to their first win in the ACCAL, their new league. 

“We were rushing in the first half and we got a little bit sloppy,” Gragnani said. “In the second half we kept our composure. Our goal at halftime was to hold them to nothing. Any time you hold the other team to single-digit quarters, you have to be pleased with that performance.” 

Jahi Milton and Atticus Honore both scored 10 points for Berkeley off the bench. De Anza’s Angelo Hughes led all scorers with 15 points. The Dons dropped to 5-10 this season. 

The Yellowjackets next host Richmond on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Robin Clewley 

Special to the Daily Planet 

Alta Bates/Summit Medical Center on Ashby Avenue recently conducted an extensive neighborhood phone survey to monitor concerns regarding future expansion and renovation of its facilities. 

But the tone and context of the survey has raised issues with neighborhood participants who said it was biased and manipulative. 

“I was very concerned,” said Lucy Smallsreed, who lives one block from the center. “I’ve had experience designing surveys, and it was quite clear what they wanted to hear.” 

The survey, conducted at the end of December, was a way to get feedback for Alta Bates’ proposed “Master Plan Permit,” a document currently under review which, if approved, will allow the center to move forward with renovations.  

The survey was conducted to “take temperatures of the neighborhood,” said Carolyn Kemp, hospital spokesperson. She also said it was a way to undergo good pre-planning for the possible construction of an additional building and renovation of emergency room facilities. Other potential renovations include refurbishing the lobby and atrium, constructing a new parking garage and creating additional space for administrative needs. 

“We wanted to take in the concerns of the neighborhood,” said Kemp.  

Good intentions or not, some neighborhood participants believe that the questions were phrased in a way to badger them into agreeing to the terms outlined in the hospital’s permit. One survey participant, who wished to remain anonymous, said many of the questions were prefaced with a pro-health bias, but did not address environmental concerns of the neighborhood. Additionally, some of the statements introducing the questions were so long that they “would make your head swim.”  

Smallsreed agreed and said the survey was quite lengthy. She said in addition to the questions pertaining to the permit, some questions were “peculiar.” These included questions which asked her opinion of certain council members and the mayor.  

Over a three-day period, all three people over 18 years old in her household were called. These included herself, her husband and her 19-year old daughter. She does not know where the pollster found her family information.  

Smallsreed said it was difficult to get a straight answer from the interviewer as to the intention of the survey, and which organization was behind the survey. 

Kemp said the survey was conducted by Berkeley-based Evans McDonough, a public opinion polling organization.  

The survey is only the latest issue in the 30-year conflict between the hospital and its neighbors. 

In 1971, the hospital won a city use permit to construct a $17 million building on Ashby Avenue. In return, it promised to demolish an existing building and leave substantial remaining open space. Four years later, the older building was never demolished, and the center began lobbying for additional space to be created, neighbors said.  

In hopes of governing hospital growth, the Hospital-Neighborhood Agreement was signed in 1983. But that did not put an end to friction between the hospital and its neighbors, according to Marty Barclay, president of the neighborhood association. 

In 1997, the city won a lawsuit against the hospital after it learned that Alta Bates was undertaking renovations without appropriate permits.  

Kemp, on the other hand, says the hospital now has a good working relationship with the neighborhood association.  

The center believes that it has every right to renovate its emergency department. “It’s not a secret at all that we need more space in our emergency room,” said Kemp. “When it was built in the early ’70s, it had room for 12,000 patients. Now we’re up to 45,000.” 

Deborah Pitts, public affairs manager for the Alta Bates said the emergency department renovation is a “necessity,” and would not increase traffic or parking in the neighborhood.  

Kemp said according to Berkeley permit rules, the center must outline all possible future renovations in the document, even if the renovations are years down the line. These include the possible renovations for the atrium and lobby, parking lot construction and expansion of administrative offices.  

Permit rules aside, neighborhood residents are skeptical of the center’s motives due to the long history of strife between the parties.  

Smallsreed, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1975, said the survey cemented that skepticism. “It (the survey) was not a neutral or scientific tool,” she said. “It was a marketing tool.”  

St. Mary’s started the game with 10 men, and ended the game with 10 men. But when they did have a full complement of players on the field, they managed to eke out a 2-2 tie against rival Piedmont in a battle of two top EBAL teams on Friday. 

The Panthers started the game with 10 players because of a mix-up with the starting lineup, and coach Teale Matteson quickly got his last player on the pitch. But Matteson’s team finished with 10 men because Bryan Warren, who minutes before had put his team ahead 2-1 with a brilliant goal, was given a red card for violent play. Warren kicked at another player from the ground, and was dismissed with less than seven minutes left in the match.  

That opening was all the Piedmont team needed, as flanker Greg Moore ended a day of frustrating misses with a missile that sailed over the head of St. Mary’s goalkeeper Nick Osborn and into the net, knotting the score. 

“We should have been able to hold a lead with 10 minutes left, but that was a stupid retaliation foul by Bryan,” Matteson said. 

Warren’s dismissal, while unfortunate for the Panthers, was not unexpected. Both teams had been getting increasingly physical in the second half, with three different players being helped off of the field with injuries.  

During actual gameplay, Piedmont was the aggressor for most of the game, and attacked down the flanks effectively. Several crosses went through the St. Mary’s box untouched, and midfielder Mark Beilock hit three shots directly at Osborn.  

Two bright spots for St. Mary’s were defender Nolan Horinouchi and midfielder Stephon McGrew. Time and time again, Horinouchi turned back Piedmont attacks with fearless tackles and headers while McGrew controlled the middle of the field, running with the ball and distributing to his forwards for the few chances they had in the first half. 

The game was scoreless at halftime, but Piedmont came out with a fury in the second half, and Beilock pounced on a loose ball in the 45th minute and wrong-footed Osborn, who didn’t even move to stop the ball on its way to the back of the net. 

Two minutes later, Beilock beat Osborn to a cross and put a header on net, but Warren came back to clear the ball off of the line. Piedmont forward Steve Van Maren hit a cheeky backheel that came off the post, but Piedmont couldn’t add to their lead. 

The Panthers made them pay in the 52nd minute, as Pat Barry’s corner kick bounced around in front of the Piedmont goal several times before Brendan Slevin hammered it into the roof of the net to tie the score. 

“Every time St. Mary’s and Piedmont play, it’s exciting, fast, hard-fought soccer,” Matteson said. “Today was probably the best game we’ve played this year, but we also made a lot of mistakes.”

SAN FRANCISCO – About thirty protesters carrying signs denouncing the George W. Bush “coup d’etat” rallied outside the offices of Senator Barbara Boxer Friday afternoon.  

The group petitioned Boxer to reject the Florida electors today and open public debate about what they alleged to be election fraud.  

“We believe that George Bush did not win Florida,” said event organizer Monica Friedlander, an Oakland resident who works in Berkeley. “We believe that the Florida  

electors are illegitimate and they should be rejected by the full House and the Senate.” 

On Saturday, the House and Senate meet in a joint session to ratify the state electors. The congressional black caucus, including Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, will object to the Florida electors. If one member from both the House and the Senate object to the Florida electors, it opens the question for discussion before the entire joint legislature. The demonstrators wanted Boxer to provide the one senate voice necessary to beg the question.  

Chief of Staff Sam Chapman offered little hope to the petitioners. “(Boxer’s) position is that unless Gore asks her to intervene, she won’t,” said Chapman. “Senator Boxer has taken the position that as one of Gore’s strongest supporters, it is his call whether the contest goes forward.”  

Petitioners were disillusioned by Boxer’s decision. “I’m disappointed that her action will depend on what Vice President Gore wants. I think it’s about democracy and the people of California,” Friedlander said. As political feelings became inflamed, members of the crowd argued, “They represent us, they don’t rule us” and “Gore isn’t her constituent, we’re her constituents,” to protest Boxer’s basing her decision on Gore’s desires rather than on the desires of voters.  

“The country is being robbed of the president we elected,” Friedlander said . 

People said objecting to the Florida electors was not about support for any individual candidates, but about a respect for the democratic process. “We’re going to have the first illegitimate president,” Friedlander said. “I think it would be a very serious threat to our democracy. It’s a matter of principle and democracy at this point, not of political persuasion.” Friedlander is originally from Rumania. “For me it’s especially painful to see something like this happen in a place like America,” she said. 

The attendees agreed that even if Boxer did object to the Florida electors, the election results would probably stand. But, they insisted, Boxer’s formal objection was an important and necessary step to opening public dialogue and protecting the democratic process. “Even though there’s no chance that the protest will be successful it’s important for history to know that people thought the election was illegitimate,” said protester Eric Lindgren. 

Boxer’s petitioners came to demonstrate from all over the Bay Area, including Emeryville, Berkeley, Pleasant Hill and Marin County. When asked how many had never attended a protest before, over half raised their hands. Most of the group had not worked on political campaigns prior to the elections, but were galvanized by the events after the elections.  

Organizer Friedlander said the short notice explained the small turnout for the rally. “It’s an emergency action,” she said. Friedlander began organizing for the Friday rally Wednesday night on the Internet – especially through Berkeley-based moveon.org. She turned in about 200 signed letters to Chapman by Friday noon. 

Despite the short notice, enough people tuned out to move the meeting with the chief of staff from his office to outside the building, where the crowd flanked him on all sides. “For every one of use here there are probably many many thousands of people who support us,” Friedlander said. 

In what is sure to become a regular event this season, the Berkeley girls’ basketball team dominated their first ACCAL opponent, using all 13 players and resting their starters after the first quarter. 

The victim on this occasion was De Anza, but it doesn’t look like any team in the ACCAL will be much of a challenge to the Yellowjackets’ supremacy after their 70-32 dismantling of the Dons. 

“We know we’re going to be facing teams that aren’t as good as us,” said Berkeley forward Robin Roberson. “We just have to concentrate on doing the little things right, and not lose a game in the league.” 

Roberson helped make sure there was no danger of defeat in the first quarter, as she poured in 11 points and the ’Jackets jumped out to a 24-4 lead at the break with a runs of 14 and eight points. Roberson and center Sabrina Keys combined for eight steals in the first quarter, taking advantage of wild passes from the De Anza guards, who were under the pressure of the Berkeley full-court press. 

With victory assured, Berkeley head coach Gene Nakamura sat his starters for most of the second period and dropping his team back into a half-court trap defense. The offense stagnated, scoring just four points in the first five minutes of the quarter. But in came Roberson to score six quick points on her way to 21 for the game, and the Dons’ fate was sealed. 

The only concern for Yellowjackets was the the play of Keys. She made just 4-of-14 from the floor, and seemed nervous when she got the ball inside. 

“Sabrina’s holding the ball too much right now,” Nakamura said. “She needs to just catch and shoot.” 

That’s a pretty good description of what Nakamura’s entire team needs to do to go undefeated in the ACCAL: catch and shoot. Everything else is just gravy.

A former Solid Waste Management intern filed a civil suit against the city Tuesday alleging she was sexually battered by a department manager and that her supervisors did nothing to stop the harassment. 

The suit, filed in the Alameda Superior Court, alleges that last Feb. 14, Transportation Manager Louie Rodrigues masturbated in the presence of intern Fleece Crump while offering her $40 if she would watch him.  

Other allegations against Rodrigues and the city include intentional infliction of emotional distress and assault and battery. 

The suit also alleges Crump complained to her immediate supervisor, Earl Pryor, but no action was taken against Rodrigues. Shortly after she complained, the suit alleges Rodrigues offered Crump $10,000 to say the event never happened.  

The suit also claims that Rodrigues  

“on numerous occasions grabbed Ms. Crump’s hand and attempted to force her to touch his crouch.” And that a group of male  

co-workers participated in a betting pool as to whom would be the first to have sex with her.  

Crump was so upset by the harassment that she became physically ill, requires therapy and has “developed insomnia and poor eating habits,” according to the suit. 

Grump is suing the city for an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages. 

The suit was filed by Crump’s attorney, John Harrison , of Harrison, Taylor and Bazile. Harrison is not commenting on the case. 

Likewise, Department of Public Works officials and City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque are not commenting on the allegations. Albuquerque’s office would only say that the city has not been served with the law suit yet.

This week’s statewide energy rate increase will not break the city, but could have long-term effects on the budget. 

State regulators approved an immediate 90-day increase in electricity rates Thursday, ranging from 9 percent for residences to 15 percent for large industrial businesses.  

Energy costs in city-owned buildings are increasing 10 to 13 percent on average, said Berkeley Energy Officer Neal DeSnoo. The first 90 days will cost the city about $25,000. If the rate increase continues beyond 90 days, the city will likely have to rearrange its budget. 

“If it continues (past 90 days) then it is a problem that will be dealt with in the budget,” DeSnoo said. “It likely will continue, so I think our budget officers will have to work on some adjustments.” 

The city will not make any budget adjustments over the next three months but will be cautious about its electricity use. To conserve energy, city employees are being urged to rely on natural light rather than indoor lighting, and use less heat during the winter and less air conditioning during the summer. The city already pays approximately $1 million a year for electricity. 

The city is saving money on electricity bills through a one-year contract with the Association of Bay Area Governments. Berkeley is part of a group of local cities that buys energy through ABAG to receive discounts. DeSnoo said the money Berkeley saves with that contract will ultimately be equal to the extra money it will pay out for the rate increase. 

“It is not terrible because we have a lower wholesale cost right now. The city will be affected but we are already buying cheaper.” 

The moderate rate increases came after Pacific Gas and Electric in San Francisco and Southern California Edison asked for a 26 to 30 percent increase.  

After 90 days the state Public Utilities Commission will decide whether to continue the rate increase or not, or possibly make prices even higher. 

“We don’t know exactly what to anticipate because it is not clear what will happen in the future,” DeSnoo said. “PG&E is asking for even more money, so things can change in the future.” 

“It’s not an issue if this only lasts for three months because we are already saving that much money with ABAG. If it goes beyond that three months, we will have to go back and look at next year’s budget and make any necessary changes.” 

City offices will not be the only buildings in Berkeley affected by rate increases. Residences make up 28 percent of the Berkeley community’s overall energy expenditure and will pay the smallest increases.  

PG&E was previously charging 10 to 11 cents per kilowatt hour for residences. DeSnoo said the 9 percent rate increase means households will pay one penny more per kilowatt hour. To calculate how much money a household will now have to pay, add one cent to the price per kilowatt hour and multiply it by the number of kilowatt hours used, he said. 

Commercial and industrial groups make up the rest of the community’s bill and will see either a 12 or 15 percent increase, depending on the size of the business. 

Most companies in the city will pay 12 percent increases, but a few of Berkeley’s larger companies like Bayer Corp. and Pacific Steel Casting Company will see 15 percent increases, DeSnoo said. 

Carolyn Kemp, spokesperson for Alta Bates hospital in Berkeley said she did not know how much prices are going up at the hospital, but she expects dramatic increases. 

“It’s going to have a huge impact on us,” she said. “We work very hard to conserve energy, now we will have to work even harder.” 

She said Alta Bates already turns all the lights out in its offices at 6:30 p.m. every day to conserve energy.

SACRAMENTO — California’s power crisis deepened on several fronts Friday, with a utility losing a round in court and announcing layoffs, President Clinton calling for a high-level meeting and a consumer activist warning of a ratepayer rebellion. 

Hours after its request to cap wholesale prices was rejected by a federal appeals court, Southern California Edison announced it will cut 1,450 jobs over the next several months. 

Meanwhile, Harvey Rosenfield, president of the Foundation for Consumers and Taxpayers Rights, warned of a rebellion when consumers receive utility bills. 

“The fuse has been lit. When people get their bills, it’s going to detonate,” Rosenfield said a day after state regulators approved electric rate increases of 7 percent to 15 percent by California’s two biggest utilities. 

The rate increases were only about half as big as SoCal Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. wanted, and they warned that they are headed for financial ruin, in part because of deregulation. 

The two utilities have lost more than $9 billion since June because of soaring prices for wholesale electricity and a state-imposed rate freeze that prevents them from passing the costs on to their customers. That, in turn, affects their ability to borrow money to buy power and avert blackouts. 

The prospect of bankruptcy filings by the two utilities prompted Clinton to set a meeting in Washington on Tuesday. 

Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers and Gene Sperling, director of the National Economic Council, are expected to meet with California officials and the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. 

“The idea there is to try to create some sort of framework that could help to alleviate the supply crunch that California is experiencing now in energy,” said White House spokesman Jake Siewert. 

Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for Gov. Gray Davis, said it was unclear if Davis — who will discuss the power crunch in his State of the State address on Monday night — will attend. 

The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington rejected a bid by SoCal Edison to order FERC to cap prices for wholesale electricity. FERC had argued that the utility’s request would not solve the crisis. 

The three-judge panel said SoCal Edison “has not demonstrated that its right to this relief is clear and indisputable.” 

The rate increase approved Thursday affects about 25 million Californians. The average monthly residential bill of $54 will go up by about $5. Customers could see the increases as soon as next week. 

The rate increases weren’t enough to placate Wall Street. The major credit rating agencies downgraded both utilities. And their stocks have plunged in the past few days. 

Politicians, utility executives and others have offered various solutions to the energy crunch, including establishing a state power authority that would promote the building of power plants; bailing out the utilities at taxpayer expense; giving taxpayers rebates from California’s expected $10.3 billion surplus to cover higher electricity bills; and sending energy-saving light bulbs to residents. 

Meanwhile, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber and Washington Gov. Gary Locke on Friday urged Northwest consumers to cut back on electricity use for the next two or three months to avoid blackouts in their states. California is buying higher amounts of Northwest power at a time when dry weather and declining river levels have reduced hydroelectric generating capacity. 

“We are not going to let the chaos of California drag us down,” Locke said. 

Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock and several anti-tax groups Friday proposed spending $5.3 billion of California’s expected surplus on a rebate to taxpayers. Taxpayers could use that rebate – $530 for families and $200 for singles – to pay their energy bills, McClintock said. 

State government helped cause the energy problem because it “actively discouraged the construction of new power plants” and should provide some short-term relief, he said. 

James Mays, a Southern California conservation advocate, said SoCal Edison should send an energy-efficient light bulb to each of its customers. 

“If the 5 million customers in the L.A. area had just one of these bulbs, it would save enough electricity to power 50,000 homes,” said Mays, of the Coalition for Electrical Energy Conservation. “We don’t consider this a panacea, but as a position, it’s a shot of penicillin.” 

On the Net 

Pacific Gas and Electric Co.: http://www.pge.com 

Southern California Edison: http://www.edisonathome.com 

California Public Utilities Commission: http://www.cpuc.ca.gov 

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: http://www.ferc.gov 

Foundation for Consumers and Taxpayers Rights: http:ratepayerrevolt.org 

SAN FRANCISCO — A local radio station has stepped into the mix of the state’s energy crisis, offering to pay the utility bills of randomly selected listeners who fax in their statements. 

“It’s the same reason KMEL does toys drives and food drives – to help the community,” said KMEL marketing director Katie Eyerly.  

The station was already being inundated with faxes from San Francisco Bay Area residents Friday afternoon, with bills ranging from $30 to $800, Eyerly said. The faxes were to be put in a box with one bill drawn randomly each hour beginning at 5 p.m. Friday. 

The station expects to pay between 20 and 30 bills and will continuing drawing faxes throughout the broadcast days during the weekend, with the bill-paying promotion ending Sunday.

WASHINGTON — President Clinton on Friday declared nearly a third of the country’s federal forest land off-limits to most logging. Some Republicans already were urging President-elect Bush to scuttle the plan. 

The president’s announcement of the the massive forest-protection plan capped a string of White House actions in recent months aimed at establishing a legacy for protecting public lands as Clinton completes the final weeks of his presidency. 

He has proclaimed a number of new national monuments to further protect federal lands and is expected to designate several more before leaving office Jan. 20. But his forest-protection rules, covering nearly 60 million acres of roadless forest lands in 38 states, have been even more controversial. 

“Sometimes progress comes by expanding frontiers. But sometimes, it’s measured by preserving frontiers for our children,” Clinton said. “Today, we preserve the final frontiers of America’s forests for our children.” But the forest plan, largely intact from a proposal unveiled in November, has come under intense attack from mostly Republican Western lawmakers, and from energy, timber and mining industries as being too restrictive. 

Last week, Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah, the new chairman of the House Resources Committee, urged Bush to work with Congress to roll back the expected forest regulation. 

In a letter to Bush and Vice President-elect Dick Cheney, Hansen called the ban on road building and the logging restrictions “one of the most egregious abuses by the Clinton administration.” 

Hansen also outlined other Clinton-era environmental actions that ought to be overturned – from banning snowmobiles in parks to the president’s string of monument designations. 

Under the forest plan, the Forest Service will ban road building in 58.5 million acres of federal forests where no roads currently exist, including 9.3 million acres in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. 

The regulations also will limit future logging in those areas to only activities that “restore and preserve” the forest, although commercial timber contracts already in the government pipeline will be allowed to go through. In some cases that could amount to continued logging for another six to seven years at today’s harvesting rates, officials acknowledged. 

Some environmentalists had wanted the timber sales stopped immediately. Still, environmentalists applauded Clinton’s decision, while at the same time voicing concern that Bush may blunt its implementation or work with its opponents in Congress to reverse it. 

Any efforts to overturn it “would come with a great deal of political liability for Bush. This has huge public support,” maintained Kenneth Rait of the Heritage Forest Campaign, an Oregon-based environmental group. 

Despite an outcry from some Western lawmakers, Clinton has all along been determined to complete the forest plan before he leaves office. One senior adviser characterized it as largely a question of leaving an environmental legacy. 

The vast majority of roadless federal forests are in the West, including parts of Idaho’s Bitterroot range and Alaska’s Tongass, viewed by environmentalists as North America’s rain forest. Smaller sections are scattered across the country from Florida’s Apalachicola National Forest and Virginia’s George Washington National Forest to New Hampshire’s White Mountains. 

Clinton advisers have argued that the impact on the timber industry would be minimal because the roadless areas — although 31 percent of all federal forests — account for only a small percentage of all timber taken from government-owned land. 

Still, Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska, called the plan “fatally flawed” and predicted it likely will be overturned by the courts. He has complained that the road-building restrictions would prevent the development of large reserves of natural gas, especially in the intermountain West. Timber, mining and energy industries already have threatened lawsuits against the forest plan. 

Another of the plan’s most vocal critics, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, has promised “to leave no stone unturned” to find a way to block the Clinton regulation. Several senators have said they will use a never-been-invoked 1996 law that allows Congress to rescind a regulation within 60 days. 

But rescinding the regulation may not be easy. 

A coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans increasingly has opposed road-building in federal forests, said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. As to those who want to overturn Clinton’s plan, “they better bring their lunch to that fight” because it will be intense, said Miller. 

WASHINGTON — Colin Powell. Several women. A couple of Hispanics. By the time President-elect Bush announced the last of his Cabinet selections this week, he had managed to assemble a group every bit as diverse as the one put together by the man he will replace. 

President Clinton began his presidency in 1993 with the most diverse Cabinet in history, fulfilling a campaign promise to build a government that “looks like America.” 

He also set a new standard for his successors – one that Bush has met. 

“I don’t really think it’s possible anymore to form a government of all white men in this country and that’s quite remarkable,” observed Ruth Mandel, director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University and an expert on women and politics. 

Bush is putting women and minorities in charge of eight of 14 statutory Cabinet departments. He has tapped three women, two blacks, two Hispanics, one of whom is female, an Asian-American and an Arab-American. The Republican president-to-be also has chosen a women to run the Environmental Protection Agency, which he has designated a Cabinet-level post, as did Clinton. 

Clinton also had eight women and minorities in his first Cabinet. Three were women, including one black. There also were two Hispanics and three black men, along with a female EPA chief.  

Clinton also put women in charge of several other Cabinet-level agencies. 

His replacements for departing secretaries included one black woman, a Hispanic, two black men, another female and the first Asian-American named to the Cabinet. 

In contrast to Bush’s diverse Cabinet, the incoming House Republican leadership for the 107th Congress picked all white men to head legislative committees. That left Rep. Marge Roukema of New Jersey without a chairmanship, despite 20 years in the House and seniority on the banking committee. 

Cecilia Munoz, vice president for policy at the National Council of La Raza, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights organization, said Cabinet diversity did not start with Clinton but that “his commitment to it has set a standard which is clearly being followed.” 

The all white-male Cabinet changed some in 1933, during the Great Depression, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt chose Frances Perkins, a woman, to head the Department of Labor. 

More than 30 years later, in 1966, the country got its first black Cabinet member in Housing Secretary Robert Weaver, who served under President Johnson. 

President Carter named the first black woman, Patricia Harris, who oversaw two departments – Housing and Urban Development and later Health and Human Services. 

In 1988, late in his second term, President Reagan appointed the first Hispanic, Education Secretary Lauro F. Cavazos, who continued in the post under President Bush, the president-elect’s father. Bush also had Manuel Lujan Jr., a Latino, as interior secretary. 

Six months ago, Clinton made Commerce Secretary Norman Mineta the first Asian-American Cabinet member. Mineta also has agreed to serve the president-elect as transportation secretary. 

In his second term, Clinton also named the first Hispanic woman to the Cabinet, Aida Alvarez, who became head of the Small Business Administration in March 1997. 

While the younger Bush’s Cabinet is visually diverse, ideologically it is the opposite. Most members hold moderate to very conservative views, and several face opposition from labor unions and women’s, environmental and civil rights organizations. 

Diversity also extends to Bush’s White House staff, where his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, is black and his chief legal adviser, Alberto R. Gonzales, is Hispanic. Another top White House adviser is Karen Hughes. 

“It will be good for America to have African-Americans in nontraditional roles. He (Bush) did this for the right reasons,” Rice said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. “That’s what’s most important to me. In fact, that’s what’s very nice about this. Maybe it says something about where we are 140 years after slavery, which is pretty remarkable.” 

Bush has no Jews in the Cabinet, but some of his closest advisers are Jewish, such as policy aides Josh Bolten, Paul Wolfowitz and former Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith. Ari Fleischer, who will become a familiar face to Americans as White House press secretary, also is Jewish. 

Erwin Hargrove, a political science professor at Vanderbilt University, said Bush’s selections are just a first step. More important, he said, will be how they all govern. 

“I think it must now be incumbent on a Republican president to show you’re just not a white, male corporate group, even though that’s what they are,” Hargrove said. “I think he’s just saying this is the country as we well know it and I commend him for that.” 

NEW YORK — The slowing economy reasserted itself on Wall Street Friday, sending stocks tumbling and erasing much of the big gains the market enjoyed earlier in the week. 

Rumors of losses tied to slower economic growth triggered a selloff first in financial stocks and later in high-tech bellwether Cisco Systems. The plunge illustrated how vulnerable the market remains to even a hint of bad news despite its big rally Wednesday on the Federal Reserve’s interest rate cut. 

Heavy selling began early in the session, when rumors spread that Bank of America had suffered credit losses tied to the weakening economy. The company quickly denied the rumors, but its statement did not placate extremely nervous investors. 

Bank of America lost nearly 7 percent, closing down $3.50 at $48. Those rumors “reminded the market that something is happening out there,” said Dan Ascani, president and research director for Global Market Strategists in Gainesville, Ga. “Maybe it’s not Bank of America, but it’s unnerved by whatever it is.” 

The damage spread to other financial stocks and then the rest of the market. 

Banker J.P. Morgan Chase traded down $3.06. Wal-Mart lost $2.25 and Boeing fell $2.25. 

Another set of rumors that Cisco had held a special board meeting to discuss earnings problems helped send the stock tumbling more than 12 percent, or $5.25, to $36.63. Cisco said it would not comment on the rumors. 

Earnings warnings from a handful of companies exacerbated the selling. Investors punished Borders Group, sending it down 7 percent, off 94 cents at $12, after the retailer said fourth-quarter results would miss expectations because of weak holiday sales. 

A similar gloomy forecast from Nordstrom sent the tony retailer’s stock down 7 percent, falling $1.50 to $18.88. 

“I’d expect we’re going to see selloffs like this on and off through January and probably through February and March,” said Charles Pradilla, chief investment strategist at SG Cowen Securities.  

“The Fed rate cut earlier this week was very good, but there are still other issues to work out. Some of these stocks are still overvalued, and then there’s earnings and the slowing economy.” 

A Labor Department report Friday that the nation’s employment rate held steady at 4 percent last month added to the concerns about the economy. 

Investors who have been worried that a decelerating economy would hurt profits temporarily set aside those worries Wednesday, when the Fed cut interest rates earlier than expected. The result: the biggest one-day rally ever in the Nasdaq and a healthy bounce for the Dow. 

But the reprieve didn’t last as market worries over why the Fed would act so dramatically — breaking from its history of incremental action to ease rates more than expected and before its next scheduled meeting — shifted to the forefront again. 

“It’s nervous about what the Fed is reacting to,” said Ascani, the head of Global Market Strategists. 

The Dow closed the first week of 2001 down 124.84 or 1.2 percent. The Nasdaq ended the week down 62.87 or 2.5 percent, while the S&P 500 fell 21.93 or 1.7 percent. 

Declining issues outnumbered advancers 5 to 3 Friday on the New York Stock Exchange. Consolidated volume came to 1.69 billion shares, compared with 2.48 billion Thursday. 

The Russell 2000 index fell 14.06 to 463.14. 

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average rose 1.3 percent. Germany’s DAX index was up 0.1 percent, Britain’s FT-SE 100 gained 0.2 percent, and France’s CAC-40 dropped nearly 1.0 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

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

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

NEW YORK — The Federal Reserve’s interest rate cut is expected to lend support to the slowing economy, but as Wall Street quickly learned, it was no panacea for the stock market’s woes. 

After rallying spectacularly on Wednesday in response to the Fed’s move, stocks plunged Friday on earnings worries and rumors of credit and loan losses related to the economy’s weakness. The slide nearly erased the market’s big gain, including the largest one-day advance ever in the Nasdaq composite index. 

Why the sharp rise and then steep decline? 

“We had a relief rally Wednesday, relief that the Fed would not let the economy go into an abyss,” said Jim Weiss, chief investment officer at State Street Research.  

“The reason the market then faded is that we woke up from our reverie and thought, ’What about earnings?’ and realized interest rates don’t address earnings.” 

That’s not to say the Fed’s move was insignificant. Long-term, interest rate cuts could provide relief for a lot of the problems plaguing stocks: weak corporate earnings, soft consumer demand and waning consumer confidence. 

But most market watchers expect it will take at least six months for the effects of the rate cut to work their way through the economy and show up in productivity, manufacturing and employment data – and, eventually, higher stock prices. 

“Lower interest lowers the costs of borrowing money to do business and could help make the U.S. dollar weaker, improving currency rate translations for companies doing business overseas,” said Dan Laufenberg, chief U.S. economist at American Express. “Those gains may come late in the first quarter but probably not soon enough to save it as far as earnings are concerned.” 

“Possibly it will help the second quarter, but there’s a chance it won’t,” he said. 

In the immediate future, the effects of a rate cut are far less grand and much more fleeting. 

“The short-term impact has already been felt, the psychological impact, that something is being done about this,” said Bob Christian a stock market analyst with Wilmington Trust in Wilmington, Del. 

But the rush didn’t last. Instead, he said that investors began to dwell on why the Fed felt it was necessary to cut rates after an emergency conference call, rather than wait until its its regularly scheduled meeting later this month. 

“That suggests that the Fed seeing something in the economy that is not doing too well and saying, ’Gee, we better start cutting rates,”’ Christian said. 

Many on Wall Street expect the Fed to cut rates again, although no one is quite sure when. 

A few such cuts could help boost consumer confidence, rescuing the retail sector, which is reeling from its worst holiday sales period in years, speculated Weiss, the State Street Research analyst. 

But don’t look for the market to respond again like it did Wednesday. 

“This was a special case because you got the positive shock value of the Fed cutting rates dramatically and unexpectedly,” he said. “Now the market is expecting there will be more and won’t react with such surprise. The negative will be if there aren’t more rate cuts, but I think there will be.” 

Still, many market watchers hope the Fed action marks the beginning of the end to the 2000 correction that resulted in the worst year ever for the Nasdaq and the weakest in nearly two decades for the Dow Jones industrial average. 

They also contend 2001 could be a much better year for investors. Unlike the markets of recent years, where growth was primarily limited to the technology sector, many analysts expect to see investment opportunities in a wider range of stocks, including healthcare, financial and some consumer products and manufacturing issues. 

“I think the low in this market is behind us, but we’re not going to have a V-shaped recovery, where the market shoots right back up. This time it will be more gradual, which is more healthy,” said Christian, the Wilmington Trust analyst. “The Fed cut is the first step of what is likely to be a lot of positive steps in the year, but there are still going to be some potholes in the road ahead.” 

The Dow closed the first week of 2001 at 10,662.01, down 124.84 or 1.2 percent following Friday’s 250.40-point loss. 

The Nasdaq fell 62.87 or 2.5 percent to 2,407.65 for the week, lowered by a 159.18-point drop Friday. 

The Standard and Poor’s 500 index lost 21.93 or 1.7 percent for the week, closing at 1,298.35 after Friday’s 34.99-point decline. 

The Russell 2000 index, which tracks the performance of smaller company stocks, gave up 20.39 for the week, a 4.2 percent decrease. It closed at 463.14 after losing 14.06 Friday. 

The Wilshire Associates Equity Index – which represents the combined market value of all New York Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange and Nasdaq issues – ended the week at $11.87 trillion, off $304 billion from the previous week. A year ago the index was nearly $13.50 trillion. 

End adv for weekend editions 

TUCSON, Ariz. – On a night loaded with emotion, Arizona’s Loren Woods lost his cool. 

His teammates kept theirs, though, and the Wildcats (No. 15 ESPN/USA Today, No. 16 Associated Press) beat California 78-75 in their Pacific-10 Conference opener. 

Michael Wright matched his career high with 28 points and Gilbert Arenas scored nine of his 13 points in the final six minutes, after Woods was thrown out of the game. 

The Wildcats (8-4) were without coach Lute Olson for the second consecutive game. Olson has taken an indefinite leave of absence following the death of his wife, Bobbi, of cancer on Monday. 

Arizona players wore a black strip across their left shoulder in honor of the woman they and many before them knew as a second mother. She had cooked pancakes for the players and was a constant, outgoing presence in the crowd until illness kept her away. 

Arizona, which had struggled throughout the early season after being ranked No. 1 in the preseason, nearly lost consecutive home games for the first time since 1983-84, Olson’s first season at Arizona. 

“It was a real emotional week,” the Wildcats’ Luke Walton said, “but we knew we had to win this game.” 

The Wildcats, who face No. 2 Stanford on Saturday, took the lead for good with a 9-1 run, with Arenas scoring seven, after Woods was thrown out with 6:17 left. 

Sean Lampley scored 21, including 4 of 6 3-pointers for the Bears (8-4), who had won seven in a row. Ryan Forehan-Kelly added 16 points. Cal shot 57 percent from the field, including 8-for-17 from 3-point range. 

Arizona shot 54 percent, and the Wildcats made 10 consecutive free throws in the final 3:51. 

Woods, Arizona’s 7-foot-1 center, had to be restrained by teammates after referee Charlie Range called a foul against him with 6:17 left. Range called a quick technical, then another when Woods kept trying to get to him, using profanity over and over. 

Arizona associate coach Jim Rosborough said Woods, recently selected one of the team captains, might face some sort of penalty from the university for what the coach called “inexcusable” behavior. 

“It’s intolerable. I don’t think it represents us very well. I mean it’s embarrassing as heck,” Rosborough said. 

Rosborough wouldn’t say whether he might bench Woods for the big game against Stanford, “but I’m not going to sit here and say I’m going to win at any costs.” 

Woods said he was frustrated the whole game. 

“I was getting a lot of cheap fouls and things like that,” Woods said. “It was like quicksand out there. I just kept getting lower, like I was going to die out there. Fortunately, the refs took care of that for me.” 

California turned the incident into a five-point play. 

Shantay Legans made three of four free throws on the technicals, then Solomon Hughes made two more on the foul and the Bears led 65-61. 

Arenas sank a 3-pointer, Hughes missed two free throws, and Arenas banked in a short jumper to put Arizona ahead 66-65 with 4:21 to play. Arenas’ two free throws made it 68-65 with 3:51 left. 

Hughes blocked Arenas’ shot, but Wright grabbed and put it in to put Arizona ahead 70-66 with 2:23 remaining. Arenas’ two free throws with 1:55 to go made it 72-66 with 1:55 left. 

But Cal rallied again. Forehan-Kelly sank his last 3-pointer and Lampley made a short jumper to cut the lead to 72-71 with 34.4 seconds remaining. 

Jason Gardner and Wright each sank two free throws to make it 76-72, then Brian Wethers banked in a 3-pointer to slice it to 76-75 with 11.6 seconds to go. 

“At the free-throw line there at the end is where we could have crumbled,” Rosborough said, “but we didn’t.” 

Richard Jefferson’s two free throws put Arizona up 78-75 with 6.6 seconds remaining, and Wethers’ 3-pointer at the buzzer wasn’t even close. 

“As disappointing as it was to lose, tonight we showed we can play,” Hughes said. “Arizona is a strong, good team. It’s like playing against an all-star team, but at the same time, they are beatable.” 

Wright was 11-for-13 from the field. 

“Michael Wright had a great performance tonight,” Cal coach Ben Braun said. “He is a warrior and has a great attitude. We tried to take him out of the game, but we just couldn’t. He was as good as advertised.” 

There was a moment of silence before the tip-off, preceded by a brief tribute by public address announcer Jonathan Norris. 

“Bobbi and Lute were an unbeatable team,” Norris said. “During the 18 years that she called Tucson home, Bobbi’s warm personality and graceful nature made everyone feel very special.”

“This is a critical moment for lesbian and gay people in California,” says Alan LoFaso, the affable chief of staff for Assembly member Carole Migden. “We have the opportunity to expand our rights in California,” he says, “and it’s very important, no - it’s crucial, for us to seize this opportunity.” 

The critical moment LoFaso refers to concerns new legislation coming out of Migden’s office that gives California’s year-old domestic partner policy more teeth with a host of new benefits and rights for same-sex couples. LoFaso and activists around the state are urging same-sex couples to register as domestic partners in 2001 to demonstrate to the legislature - and thereby to the people in California and around the nation - that gay and lesbian couples want and need the important benefits such legislation provides. 

“Use it or Lose it” 

Though California is one of just three states in the country to provide statewide recognition of domestic partners, only 6,000 couples have registered here. And given the states’ burgeoning population of 34 million people, there are likely hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples across the state. Fearing a “use or lose it” response from the legislature or the general public, experts argue it is essential for same-sex couples to register this year.  

“Numbers speak volumes, especially to politicians,” explains Lisa Belsanti, the Director of Communications for the California Alliance of Pride and Equality, the biggest statewide lobby for gay rights. “When Migden and other legislators are pushing for additional domestic partner benefits in their bills,” Belsanti says, “they need to show there is a segment of the population that is in need of the benefits.” 

The current California law grants domestic partners hospital visitation rights and requires government employers contracting with the state to offer domestic partner health benefits. Though widely understood to be a starting point for gay couples on the long road to equality, the law’s limited benefits may account for the small number of couples who registered last year.  

Among the benefits of the new bill, however, domestic partners will be able to make medical decisions on each other’s behalf, inherit property, use sick leave to care for a partner or a partner’s child, be appointed the conservator of each other’s estate, and leave a job to relocate with a partner without jeopardizing unemployment benefits. These are, of course, but a small part of the countless benefits automatically available to spouses when they marry.  

Not Civil Unions or Marriage.Yet Belsanti and others believe that a strong showing of same-sex couples registering in California will help foster additional pro-gay legislation in the state and help other states to follow suit. “It’s not marriage and it’s not civil unions yet,” she says, “but other states are certainly looking to California to see what happens in terms of our domestic partner laws.”  

Given the strong sentiment against same-sex marriage among certain segments of the population, with 36 states passing same-sex marriages bans since 1995, LoFaso is convinced that the path to equality will only happen incrementally: “The referendums against same-sex marriage can be interpreted to say, “If you go too fast, voters will backlash,” so in California we’re doing it slowly and we’re doing it legislatively.” 

Attacks from the Right 

With a strong Democratic majority in both houses and a Democrat, albeit a centrist one, in the Governor’s seat, California is poised to pass some of the most pro-gay legislation in its history. That said, the organized and well-funded Right in the state is actively campaigning against what they refer to as the “counterfeit” and “anti-marriage” domestic partner laws. 

In mid-December, the group “Californians For Families” sent state legislators a “Marriage Protection Pledge,” stipulating that lawmakers “uphold the spirit of Proposition 22 (the anti-gay marriage initiative passed in California last year) and refuse to support domestic partnerships.” Since gay marriage is not likely to appear on the horizon here for a while, the Right has set its sights on dismantling domestic partner laws. “Let’s face it,” says LoFaso, “fear and ignorance is all they have going for them. But fear and ignorance are potent forces in American politics.” 

“In 2001 I will register...” 

Same-sex couples are strongly encouraged to make registering as domestic partners a resolution for the New Year. Couples and families across the country are clamoring for legal recognition, and here in California all you need do is fill out a simple form, have it notarized, and drop it in the mail with a $10 registration fee. Registering is a public affirmation of your relationship, an important political step for gay rights, and, well, it’s certainly easier than trying to lose those ten pounds you said you’d lose last year.  

Patrick Letellier is a freelance writer and activist living in Oakland.

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm.”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. $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. Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

Judah L. Magnes Museum “Telling Time: To Everything There Is A Season” Through May, 2002 An exhibit structured around the seasons of the year and the seasons of life with objects ranging from the sacred and the secular, to the provocative and the whimsical. “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. 2911 Russell St.  

549-6950  

UC Berkeley Art Museum “Amazons in the Drawing Room”: The Art of Romaine Brooks through Jan. 16. 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. “Tacita Dean/MATRIX 189 Banewl” through Jan. 28. A film instillation by British conceptual artist Tacita Dean of the total solar eclipse of Aug. 11, 1999. Wednesday – Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Open Thursdays to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way 

Pacific Film Archive Theater Gallery “Continuous Replay: The Photographs of Arnie Zane” through Jan. 8. Best known as the cofounder of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Zane began his exploration of the human form through photography. 2625 Durant Ave. 

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 by 40-foot replica of the fearsome dinosaur 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 22-23 feet. The Pteranodon lived at the same time as the dinosaurs. 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 “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, the last surviving member of the tribe. $2 general; $1 seniors; $.50 children age 17 and under; free on Thursdays. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Ave. 643-7648  

Lawrence Hall of Science “Math Rules!” Ongoing. A math exhibit of hands-on problem-solving stations. 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. “Vision,” Jan. 20 - April 15, 2001. Get a very close look at how the eyes and brain work together to focus light, perceive color and motion, and process information. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. 642-5132 

Holt Planetarium Programs are recommended for age 8 and up; children under age 6 will not be admitted. $2 in addition to regular museum admission. “Constellations Tonight” Ongoing. Using a simple star map, learn to identify the most prominent constellations for the season in the planetarium sky. Daily, 3:30 p.m. $7 general; $5 seniors, students, disabled, and youths age 7 to 18; $3 children age 3 to 5 ; free children age 2 and younger. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  

Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for a year membership 

Jan. 5: Remnants, The Clumsy Bears, Eleventeen, Whorange, Tear It Up, Fast Times; Jan. 6: The Locust, Beautiful Skin, National Acrobat, The Pattern, Heart of Snow; Jan. 12: The Sick, Totimoshi, 7 Days of Samsara, Vida Blue, The Sabians; Jan. 13: The Stitches, Tsuanami Bomb, Derelectrics, Starvations, Labrats; Jan. 19: Plus Ones, Anti 45, Strike-O-Matics, The P.A.W.N.S., The Bob Weirdos, This Bike Is A Pipebomb; Jan. 20: Groovie Ghoulies, Pansy Division, Subincision, The Potatomen, The Sidekicks; Jan. 26: Tragedy, Yaphet Kotto, Esperanza, Under a Dying Sun; Jan. 27: San Geronimo, Merrick, Anti Domestix. 525-9926  

Ashkenaz Jan. 5, 9:30 p.m.: Reggae Angels Foundation, Jah Light Music; Jan. 6: California Cajun Orchestra, dance lesson at 8:30 p.m.; Jan. 9, 9 p.m.: Andrew Carrier & Cajun Classics, dance lesson at 8 p.m.; Jan. 10: Red Archibald & the Internationals, dance lesson at 8 p.m.; Jan. 11: Benefit concert for Food First featuring: Ten Ton Chicken, Tree o’ Frogs, The David Thom Band and Buffalo Roam, $10 - $15. 1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com  

Eli’s Mile High Club Jan. 5: Scott Duncan; Jan. 6: Takezo; Jan. 12: Ron Hacker; Jan. 13: Frankie Lee; Jan. 19: Craig Horton Blues Band; Jan. 20: Jimmy Mamou; Jan. 26: Carlos Zialcita; Jan. 27: Mark Hummel. 3629 MLK Jr. Way Oakland  

Freight & Salvage All shows begin at 8 p.m. Jan. 5: Beth Custer Dona Luz 30 Besos; Jan. 6: The Waybacks; Jan. 7: The Joyce Todd Trio; Jan. 9: Modern Hicks; Jan. 10: Sonia of Disappear Fear, Denice Franke; Jan. 11: Duck Baker & Jamie Finlay; Jan. 12: Ginny Reilly & David Maloney; Jan. 13: Caren Armstrong; Jan. 14: Street Sounds; Jan. 15: John McCutcheon; Jan. 18: Dry Branch Fire Squad. 1111 Addison St. 548-1761  

Jupiter All music begins at 8 p.m. Jan. 5: Full Throttle Trio; Jan. 6: Post Junk Trio; Jan. 10: Realistic w/DJ Turtle; Jan. 11: Joshi Marshall Project; Jan. 12: Kooken & Hoomen; Jan. 13: Mitch Marcus Trio; Jan. 17: Realistic w/DJ Turtle; Jan. 18: Joshi Marshall Project; Jan. 19: Sex Fresh Trio; Jan. 20: Mamas Boy. 2181 Shattuck Ave. Call THE-ROCK  

Crowden School Sundays, 4 p.m.: Chamber music series sponsored by the school. 1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 559-6910 

Jazzschool/La Note All shows at 4:30 p.m.Tickets are $10 - $12  

Jan. 14: Afro-Jazz with Pascal Bokar ; Jan. 21: The BlueJazzHouse Party with Brenda Boykin and The Eric Swinderman Quartet. 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373 

Cal Performances Jan. 19, 8 p.m.: Gospel ensemble The Mighty Clouds of Joy and The Campbell Brothers, $16 - $28; Feb. 2 & 3, 8 p.m.: Allee der Kosmonauten by Berlin choreographer Sasha Waltz with video installations by New York artist Elliot Caplan, $20 - $42; Feb. 4, 4 p.m.: Russian National Orchestra, $30 - $52. Zellerbach Hall UC Berkeley. 642-9988 or www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra Jan. 31, April 3, and June 21, 2001. All performances begin at 8 p.m. Single $19 - $35, Series $52 - $96. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley 841-2800  

“Sing for Hope” Jan. 12, 8 p.m. The second annual event features an evening of arias and Broadway show tunes sung by seven of New York’s young rising opera stars. All proceeds benefit the Center for AIDS Services, a nonprofit day center in Oakland for people with HIV and AIDS. $35 performance only, $50 performance & post-concert reception. First Congregational Church, 2435 Channing Way (at Dana) 655-3435 

Dia de los Reyes Concert Jan. 13, 8 p.m. Performing will be Coro Hispano de San Francisco and Conjunto Nuevo Mundo with the Jackeline Rago Ensemble de la Pena. $ 12 - $15. St. Joseph the Worker Church 1640 Addison (415) 431-4234  

“Rebecca Riots” Jan. 6, 8 p.m. A trio of women who sing about contemporary political, social, spiritual and personal issues. La Pena Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave.  

“Clori, Tirsi e Fileno” Jan. 27, 8 p.m.; Jan. 28, 7 p.m. Pre-concert talk 45 minutes before each performance. Teatro Bacchino, the Bay Area’s Baroque Opera company perform Handel’s opera. $15 - $20. Crowden School Theater 1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 658-3382 

“Women in Salsa” Jan. 25, 8 p.m. Orquesta D’Soul, a San Francisco based band, is hosting this benefit featuring the musical talents of local bay area women in salsa. $8 in advance, $10 at the door. La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 or visit www.lapena.org 

Theater 

“Dinner With Friends” by Donald Margulies Through Jan. 7. $15.99 - $51. Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2025 Addison St. 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org  

“Fall” by Bridget Carpenter Jan. 19 - Feb. 11. $15.99 - $51. Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2025 Addison St. 647-2949, www. berkeleyrep.org 

“Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett Jan. 5 through Feb. 3, Thursday - Saturday, 8 p.m. $8 - $12. Subterranean Shakespeare La Val’s Subterranean 1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 234-6046  

Films 

New Iranian Cinema Featured films include Mariam Shahriar’s “Daughters of the Sun,” Rassul Sadr Ameli’s “The Girl in Sneakers,” and Parvi Shahbazi’s “Whispers,” and many others. Through Jan. 13 $7 for one film, $8.50. Pacific Film Archive 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412  

“Abel Paz Durruti & the Spanish Revolution” A new documentary film made in 1998. Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m. $7 donation requested. La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. LaborFest, 415-642-8066  

Exhibits 

Toki Gallery “Heads of the Class,” ceramic sculptures by seventh and eighth grade students at the East Bay Science & Arts Middle School. Through Jan. 10, Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 1212 San Pablo Ave. 524-7363  

Kala Art Institute 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. 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 

Berkeley Historical Society “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. 1931 Center St. 848-0181 

“Consecrations: Spirits in the Time of AIDS,” Jan. 24 - Feb. 24. An exhibit seeking to expand the understanding of HIV and AIDS and the people affected by them. Wednesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Pro Arts Gallery 461 Ninth St., Oakland. 763-9425  

“Celebration” An exhibit of artists working and living in the East Bay. Jan. 10 - Feb. 3; Opening reception Jan. 13, 7 - 9 p.m.; Tuesday - Saturday, 11 - 6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 - 5 p.m. !hey! Gallery 4920-b Telegraph Ave., Oakland 428-2349 

Acrylic Paintings of Corinne Innis Paying homage to her subconscious, Innis uses rich colors in her acrylic paintings. Jan. 16 - Feb. 26; Opening reception Jan. 20, 5 - 7 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, 1 - 7 p.m. and by appointment. Women’s Cancer Resource Center 3023 Shattuck Ave. 548-9286 x307  

Drawings & Watercolor Paintings of Daniel Hitkov Hitkov is a young Bulgarian artist whose subjects are the real and unreal in nature, people and things. Through Feb. 12. Red Cafe 1941 University Ave. 843-7230 

Readings 

Boadecia’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted Jan. 6: Gaymes Night; come play Balderdash, Sequence, and others and enjoy pizza, company, and teamwork; Jan. 13: Dyke Open Myke!; Jan. 14, 11 a.m.: LesBiGayTrans prospective parenting group meeting; Jan. 19: Marcy Sheiner and local contributors read from “Best Women’s Erotica 2001”; Jan. 20: Jenny Scholten reads from “Daystripper”; Jan. 27: Susan Swartz reads from “Juicy Tomatoes: Plain Truths, Dumb Lies, & Sisterly Advice About Life After 50” 398 Colusa Ave. Kensington 559-9184. www.boadeciasbooks.com 

Cody’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted Jan. 10: Poetry of Neeli Cherkovski & Judy Grahn; Jan. 12: Spanish Book Club discusses “Los Anos Con Laura Diaz”; Jan. 14: Poetry of James Schevill, Parenting Book Club discuss “Religions, Values, and Peak Experiences”; Jan. 16: Eliahu Klein discusses “The Babbalah of Creation”; Jan. 17: Poetry of Judith Tannenbaum & Ruth L. Schwartz; Jan. 18: Elwyn Berlekamp plays “Dots & Boxes: Sophisticated Child’s Play”; Jan. 19: Anita Roddick discusses “Business As Usual”; Jan. 22: Mona Halaby discusses “Belonging: Creating Community in the Classroom”; Jan. 23: Rebecca Walker reads from “Black, White, & Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self; Jan. 24: “Grrrrr Anthology” poets CB Follett, Lynne Knight, Rafael Jesus Gonzalez, Robert Aquinas McNally, & John B. Rowe; Jan. 25: Norman Stolzoff presents “Wake the Town and Tell the People: Dancehall Culture in Jamaica”; Jan. 26: James Carroll discusses “Constantine’s Sword: The Church and the Jews”; Jan. 28: Poetry of Lynne Knight & Kathleen Lynch; Jan. 29: Tim Wohlforth discusses “On the Edge: Political Cults Right and Left”; Jan. 30: James Elkins discusses “how to use Your Eyes”; Jan. 31: Poetry of Steven Ajay & Anita Barrows  

“Strong Women - Writers & Heroes of Literature” Mondays Through June, 2001, 1 - 3 p.m. Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program. North Berkeley Senior Center 1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 549-2970  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore All free events at 7:30 p.m. (unless noted) 

Jan. 11: Kristan Lawson & Anneli Rufus discuss their book “California Babylon: A Guide to Sites of Scandal, Mayhem, and Celluloid in the Golden State.”; Jan. 16: Various travel authors discuss the spiritual aspects of traveling, “Travel as Pilgrimage.”; Jan. 18: Berkeley resident, restaurant and move critic John Weil, through a slide presentation and talk, takes attendees on a unique tour through the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Berkeley and Oakland. 1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose) 843-3533 

Duomo Reading Series and Open Mic. Thursdays, 6:30 - 9 p.m. Jan. 11: Kirk Lumpkin; Jan. 18: Ayodele Nzinga; Jan. 25: Glenn Ingersoll; Feb. 1: John Rowe; Feb. 8: Tom Odegard; Feb 15: Kathleen Lynch; Feb. 22: Charles Ellick; March 1: Eliza Shefler; March 8: Judy Wells; March 15: Elanor Watson-Gove; March 22: Anna Mae Stanley; March 29: Georgia Popoff; April 5: Barbara Minton; April 12: Alice Rogoff; April 19: Garrett Murphy; April 26: Ray Skjelbred. Cafe Firenze 2116 Shattuck Ave. 644-0155. 

Tours 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387 

Berkeley City Club Tours 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. 848-7800  

The fourth Sunday of every month, Noon - 4 p.m. $2  

Golden Gate Live Steamers Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley. 486-0623  

Small locomotives, meticulously scaled to size. Trains run Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sunday, noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting.  

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Centennial Drive, behind Memorial Stadium, a mile below the Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley. 643-2755 or www.mip.berkeley.edu/garden/  

The gardens have displays of exotic and native plants. 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. 

Lectures 

Berkeley Historical Society Slide Lecture & Booksigning Series Sundays, 3 - 5 p.m. $10 donation requested Jan. 14: Richard Schwartz on “Berkeley 1900,” the history of Berkeley at the turn of the century; Jan. 28: “The Finns in Berkeley and Co-op Beginnings,” a panel discussion on Finnish and Co-op history; March 11: Director of Berkeley’s International House, Joe Lurie, will show a video and dicuss the history and struggle to open the I-House 70 years ago. Berkeley Historical Center Veterans Memorial Building 1931 Center St. 848-0181 

“Great Decisions” Foreign Policy Association Lectures Series Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - Noon, Feb. 13 - April 3; An annual program featuring specialists in the field of national foreign policy, many from University of California. Goal is to inform the public on major policy issues and receive feedback from the public. $5 per session, $35 entire series for single person, $60 entire series for couple. Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave. 526-2925 

City Commons Club Social Hour & Speaker Series Fridays, 11:15 a.m., Jan. 5 - 26; Jan. 5: “Medieval China - How We Got to Where We Are,” Stephen West, professor of East Asian studies at UC Berkeley; Jan. 12: “Innovative Approaches to Farming,” Reggie Knox, executive director of Community Alliance with Family Farms of Santa Cruz; Jan. 19: “Evidence-Based Practice - How It May Effect You,” Eileen Gambrill, professor of social welfare at UC Berkeley; Jan. 26: “The Aftermath of the National Election,” Susan Rasky, senior lecturer at the graduate school of journalism at UC Berkeley. Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave. 848-3533 

Friday, Jan. 5  

“Medieval China - How We Got to Where We Are” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Stephen West, professor at the Institute of East Asian Studies at UC Berkeley will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free 848-3533  

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Saturday, Jan. 6  

Hip Hop Theater Workshop  

9 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave. (at Derby)  

A participatory one-day workshop as part of the center’s Kaleidoscope Arts Infusion Series. Led by hip-hop poet and performer Will Power and playwright Rickerby Hinds.  

$60 individual, $45 family (two or more)  

Call 845-8542 x376 or visit www.juliamorgan.org 

Rose Pruning Workshop  

9:30 a.m.  

UC Botanical Garden  

200 Centennial Dr.  

Peter Klement, UC Botanical Garden rose expert will share his expertise and demonstrate techniques for shaping old-fashioned roses, climbers and hybrid teas to assure maximum flowering.  

$20 - $27.50 643-2755 

Free Tae-Bo Classes for Adults  

10 - 10:45 a.m.  

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park 

2800 Park St. 644-8515 

Free Martial Arts Lessons for Children  

11:15 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

Classes taught by Michael Johnson, a fourth degree black belt. Ages 5 - 7, 11:15 a.m. - Noon; Ages 8 - 12, 12:15 p.m. - 1 p.m.; Ages 13 to adults, 1:15 p.m. - 2 p.m. 

644-8515 

P.U.R.R.S. Pet Adoption Day  

Noon - 5 p.m.  

Pet Food Express 

1942 MLK Jr. Way  

Pet’s Are Us is a non-profit animal rescue organization. 444-3204 

Monday, Jan. 8  

Berkeley Community Chorus Rehearsal 

7 - 10 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church, basement 

1145 Gilman St.  

Conducted by Julian White. The chorus will perform White’s “The Children’s Hour” and Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasia.” The chorus meets every Monday night. Performance dates are May 5, 12 & 13.  

$75 tuition for semester 528-2145 or visit www.bcco.org 

Fun With Origami  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 644-6107  

Tuesday, Jan. 9  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

531-8664 

Remembering: What’s Normal and What’s Not  

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With Tina Williams  

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Wednesday, Jan. 10  

Kids Dance Open House &  

Class 

5 - 6 p.m. 

El Cerrito Community Center 

7007 Moeser Lane 

El Cerrito  

Parents are invited to explore how dance relates to cognitive, kinesthetic, and socio-emotional development in their children. For ages three to seventeen. Free  

Call 530-4113  

Tai Chi Chuan  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Henry Chang 

Call 644-6107 

Glaucoma: Early Detection Free Lecture  

1 - 2:30 p.m.  

Alta Bates Summit North Pavilion  

350 Hawthorne St.  

Oakland 

Dr. Richard Lee, ophthalmologist, will discuss the risk factors and causes of glaucoma, as well as other aspects of the aging eye. Free 

Call 869-6737 

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 

Benefit Concert for Food First 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 

Featuring the David Thom Band, Buffalo Roam, Tree o’ Frogs, and Ten Ton Chicken. All proceeds benefit Food First.  

$10 - $15 donation 

Call Kevin Doyle, 843-6389 x201 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Kirk Lumpkin and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

California Babylon  

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

Kristan Lawson & Anneli Rufus discuss their book “A Guide to Sites of Scandal, Mayhem, and Celluloid in the Golden State.” Free 

Call 843-3533  

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 

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Ski & Snowboard Descents  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Paul Richins, author of “50 Classic Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Summits in California - Mt. Shasta to Mt. Whitney,” presents in slides some of his favorite ski mountaineering and backcountry snowboard descents. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Ballroom Dancing  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Roman Ostrowski  

Call 644-6107  

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 

“Sing for Hope” 

8 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2435 Channing Way (at Dana) 

The second annual event features an evening of arias and Broadway show tunes sung by seven of New York’s young rising opera stars. All proceeds benefit the Center for AIDS Services, a nonprofit day center in Oakland for people with HIV and AIDS.  

$35 performance only, $50 performance & post-concert reception 

Call 655-3435 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“Innovative Approaches to Farming”  

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Reggie Knox, executive director of Community Alliance with Family Farms of Santa Cruz will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533  

Yiddish Conversation  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With allen Stross  

Call 644-6107 

“Igniting the Dream: Social Justice in  

the New Millennium”  

6 - 9 p.m.  

University of Creation Spirituality  

2141 Broadway  

Oakland  

An art reception, film screening, and panel discussion featuring Rev. Phillip Lawson, Rafael Gonzalez, Luisah Teish, and Dr. Barbara Cannon. Free  

Call 835-4827 x31 or visit www.creationspirituality.com  

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 

Dia de los Reyes Concert  

8 p.m. 

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison  

Performing will be Coro Hispano de San Francisco and Conjunto Nuevo Mundo with the Jackeline Rago Ensemble de la Pena.  

$12 - $15  

Call (415) 431- 4234 

Rose Pruning Workshop  

9:30 a.m.  

UC Botanical Garden  

200 Centennial Dr.  

Peter Klement, UC Botanical Garden rose expert will share his expertise and demonstrate techniques for shaping old-fashioned roses, climbers and hybrid teas to assure maximum flowering.  

$20 - $27.50  

Call 643-2755 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

In their first East Bay show of the millennium, Sedge Thomson welcomes Lavay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers.  

Call 415-664-9500 for reservations 

Free Tae-Bo Classes for Adults  

10 - 10:45 a.m.  

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park 

2800 Park St.  

Call 644-8515 

Free Martial Arts Classes for Kids  

11:15 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

Classes taught by Michael Johnson, a fourth degree black belt. Ages 5 - 7, 11:15 a.m. - Noon; Ages 8 - 12, 12:15 p.m. - 1 p.m.; Ages 13 to adults, 1:15 p.m. - 2 p.m. 

644-8515 

Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser  

8 a.m. - Noon  

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

The Teen Clubs of Berkeley present this fundraiser in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Tickets available at all city of Berkeley recreational sites and at the Young Adult Project.  

$3 - $5  

Call 644-8515 

Bridge Rail Unveiling  

9:30 a.m.  

Codornices Creek at the Ohlone Greenway  

Members of the Berkeley and Albany city councils, along with members of the creek-restoration group, will swing sledgehammers to remove forms from the concrete bridge footing and towers. 

Call 8 48-9358 or visit www.fivecreeks.org  

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 

Free Feng Shui Class 

3 p.m. 

Eastwind Books of Berkeley  

2066 University Ave.  

Taught by Lily Chung, author of “Calendars for Feng Shui and Divination.” 

Call Eastwind, 548-3250 

Monday, Jan. 15  

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church  

1188 12th St. (at Adeline) 

Oakland  

Featuring Rev. Dorsey Blake, Dr. Matthew Fox, Reconnect Performance Troupe, Cole Performing Arts Choir and Avotcja.  

Call 835-4827 x31 or visit www.creationspirituality.com  

Tuesday, Jan. 16  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

“Travel as Pilgramage” 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

Various travel writers discuss the spiritual aspects of travel. Free 

Call 843-3533  

Avalanche Safety Course  

6 - 9:30 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Dick Penniman, internationally known avalanche instructor and consultant, presents a slide lecture and video presentation on the fundamentals of avalanches and rescue techniques.  

$20  

Call Dick Penniman, (877) SNO-SAFE 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is the role of the U.S. in global politics and priorities.  

Call 527-9772  

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 

Your Justice System at Work 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

West Oakland Senior Center  

1724 Adeline St.  

Oakland  

Judges of the Superior Court, attorneys, probation officers, sheriff’s officers and other justice system representatives will be present to hear the concerns of the public and to answer their questions.  

Call 268-7610 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Thursday, Jan. 18  

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Ayodele Nzinga and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

Combating Congestion  

1 - 5 p.m. 

Pauley Ballroom 

Student Union Building  

UC Berkeley 

A one-day transportation conference featuring Martin Wachs and Elizabeth Deakin, both of UC Berkeley. Co-sponsored by the Institute of Transportation Studies and the UC Transportation Center.  

Call 642-1474  

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Become Berkeley City Smart 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

In a slide presentation & talk, Berkeley resident, restaurant and movie critic John Weil takes attendees on a unique tour through the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Berkeley and Oakland. Free 

Call 843-3533  

Disabled American Veterans Chapter 25 Meeting 

8 p.m. 

Veterans Memorial Building  

1931 Center St.  

Any woman who has had a relative serve in the U.S. military is invited to attend and join the auxiliary.  

Call 916-372-8364 

Journey Across China 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Eugene Tsiang, Shanghai native, will give a slide presentation on his two-month journey last spring by train and four-wheel drive vehicle across China’s Shaanxi, Gansu and Xinjiang Provinces. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us  

Friday, Jan. 19 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“Evidence-Based Practice - How it May Effect You” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Eileen Gambrill, professor in the department of social welfare at UC Berkeley with speak. 

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Saturday, Jan. 20  

On Death & Dying 

9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Buddhist Temple  

2121 Channing Way (between Shattuck & Fulton)  

Kathleen Gustin, Zen priest, and Rev. Ronald Nakasone of the Graduate Theological Union speak at this workshop designed to help those considering their own ending or that of loved ones.  

$20 per person (box lunch included) 

Call Ken Kaji, 601-5394 

Corinne Innis Reception 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Women’s Cancer Resource Center 

3023 Shattuck Ave.  

Paying homage to her subconscious, Innis uses rich colors in her acrylic paintings.  

Call 548-9286 

Free Tae-Bo Classes for Adults  

10 - 10:45 a.m.  

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park 

2800 Park St.  

Call 644-8515 

Free Martial Arts Classes for Kids  

11:15 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

Classes taught by Michael Johnson, a fourth degree black belt. Ages 5 - 7, 11:15 a.m. - Noon; Ages 8 - 12, 12:15 p.m. - 1 p.m.; Ages 13 to adults, 1:15 p.m. - 2 p.m. 

644-8515 

Monday, Jan. 22  

Berkeley Rail Stop Community  

Design Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

West Berkeley Senior Center 1900 Sixth St.  

The public is invited to suggest ideas and comment on plans for design-development at the rail stop/transit plaza area of West Berkeley.  

Call 644-6580 

Urban Homelessness  

& Public Policy Solutions 

9 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Alumni House  

UC Berkeley  

This day-long conference will include key scholars, service providers, and policymakers in the homelessness field. Some of the subjects to be covered will be: Homeless population dynamics and policy implications, health issues in homelessness, and legal and political issues in homelessness. Free and open to the public.  

For more info, visit: http://urbanpolicy.berkeley.edu/homeless.htm 

Tuesday, Jan. 23 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Jan. 24 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Thursday, Jan. 25  

Spirits in the Time of AIDS 

6 - 8 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland 

Pro Arts reception for the opening of their new exhibition seeking to expand the understanding of HIV and AIDS and the people who are affected by them.  

Call 763-9425 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Climbing Mt. Everest  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Bob Hoffman, organizer and leader of four environmental clean-up expeditions on Everest, will give a slide presentation on the Inventa 2000 Everest Environmental Expedition’s recent ascent. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Glenn Ingersoll and host Louis Cuneo.  

644-0155 

Women in Salsa  

8 p.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave.  

Orquesta D’Soul, a San Francisco based band, is hosting this benefit featuring the musical talents of local bay area women in salsa.  

$8 in advance, $10 at the door 

Call 849-2568 or visit www.lapena.org 

Friday, Jan. 26 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“The Aftermath of the National Election” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Susan Rasky, senior lecturer at the graduate school of journalism at UC Berkeley will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Saturday, Jan. 27  

Clori, Tirsi & e Fileno 

8 p.m. 

Crowden School  

1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 

Teatro Bacchino, the Bay Area’s Baroque Opera company, will be performing Handel’s story of jealousy in love. Pre-concert talk 45 minutes before the performance.  

$15 - $20  

Call 658-3382  

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Cuddly, Soft, Furry Things & Friends 

10 - 10:50 a.m. & 11:10 a.m. - Noon  

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley  

A special workshop for two - three year-olds to meet, pet, and feed rabbits, doves, and snakes.  

$22 - $25, $10 for additional family members, registration required  

Call 642-5134 

Book Publishing Seminar 

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

Regent Press 

6020-A Adeline St.  

Mark Weiman presents an overview of the business of book publishing oriented towards the author considering self-publication. From page layout to promotion and distribution, Weiman will cover all practical aspects of independent book publishing.  

Call 547-7602 or e-mail: regent@sirius.com 

Free Tae-Bo Classes for Adults  

10 - 10:45 a.m.  

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park 

2800 Park St.  

Call 644-8515 

Free Martial Arts Classes for Kids  

11:15 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

Classes taught by Michael Johnson, a fourth degree black belt. Ages 5 - 7, 11:15 a.m. - Noon; Ages 8 - 12, 12:15 p.m. - 1 p.m.; Ages 13 to adults, 1:15 p.m. - 2 p.m. 

644-8515 

Sunday, Jan. 28  

Clori, Tirsi & e Fileno 

7 p.m. 

Crowden School  

1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 

Teatro Bacchino, the Bay Area’s Baroque Opera company, will be performing Handel’s story of jealousy in love. Pre-concert talk 45 minutes before the performance.  

$15 - $20  

Call 658-3382  

Tuesday, Jan. 30 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Jan. 31 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra  

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Featuring “Berkeley Images,” a world premiere by Jean-Pascal Beintus.  

$10 - $35  

Call 841-2800 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Thursday, Feb. 1 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet John Rowe and host Randy Fingland.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 2 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Allee der Kosmontauten 

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Performance of Berlin choreographer Sasha Waltz 1996 work in its West Coast premiere. Also features the film work of Elliot Caplan.  

$20 - $42  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

“A Night In Oakland” 

8 p.m. 

Alice Arts Center 

1428 Alice St. (at 14th St.) 

Oakland  

Savage Jazz Dance Company launches their 2001 spring season along with the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra.  

$10 - $15 

Call 496-6068 or visit www.savagejazz.org 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Saturday, Feb. 3 

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Spirits in the Time of AIDS Artists Talk 

1 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland  

As part of “Consecrations,” the public is invited to hear artists speak about their work and show slides. Free 

Call 763-9425 

Free Tae-Bo Classes for Adults  

10 - 10:45 a.m.  

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park 

2800 Park St.  

Call 644-8515 

Free Martial Arts Classes for Kids  

11:15 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Frances Albrier Community Center  

San Pablo Park  

2800 Park St.  

Classes taught by Michael Johnson, a fourth degree black belt. Ages 5 - 7, 11:15 a.m. - Noon; Ages 8 - 12, 12:15 p.m. - 1 p.m.; Ages 13 to adults, 1:15 p.m. - 2 p.m. 

644-8515 

Sunday, Feb. 4 

“Under Construction No. 10” 

7:30 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church  

2727 College Ave.  

Experience the unusual rehearsal-reading format that lets the audience experience the collaboration between conductor, orchestra and composer in the Berkeley Symphony’s unique series presenting new works or works-in-progress by local Bay Area composers.  

Call 841-2800 

Russian National Orchestra  

4 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

On their tenth anniversary tour, the RNO will perform Shostakovich’s symphony No. 5 and Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto No. 2.  

$30 - $52  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

From Flatlands to the Stars  

9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Diamond Park  

Fruitvale Ave. (at Lyman Rd.) 

A hardy hike along Sausal Creek in Oakland’s unexplored Diamond and Joaquin Miller parks. A free hike sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

“A Night In Oakland” 

2 & 8 p.m. 

Alice Arts Center 

1428 Alice St. (at 14th St.) 

Oakland  

Savage Jazz Dance Company launches their 2001 spring season along with the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra.  

$10 - $15 

Call 496-6068 or visit www.savagejazz.org 

Tuesday, Feb. 6  

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is sex, love, dating, and relationships in celebration of Valentine’s Day.  

Call 527-9772  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Feb. 7  

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Thursday, Feb. 8 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Tom Odegard and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 9  

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Saturday, Feb. 10  

Spirits in the Time of AIDS Open Mic.  

1 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland  

As part of “Consecrations,” the public is invited to see special performances, spoken word, commentary and more.  

Call 763-9425 

Masters of Persian Classical Music 

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Featuring vocalist Mohammad Reza Sharjarian and his son, Homayoun Sharjarian.  

$20 - $40  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Sunday, Feb. 11  

Ruth Acty Oral History Reception 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Historical Society  

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

In 1943 Miss Ruth Acty became the first African American teacher to be hired by the Berkeley Unified School District. She taught thousands of students until her retirement in 1985. Oral History Coordinator Therese Pipe interviewed Acty in 1993-94 for the Berkeley Historical Society. Free  

Horacio Gutierrez  

3 p.m. 

Hertz Hall 

UC Berkeley  

The Cuban-American pianist will perform Berg’s Sonata, Op.1, George Perle’s Nine Bagatelles, Schumann’s Fantasie, Op. 17 and Beethoven’s Sonata No. 29.  

$24 - $42  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Tuesday, Feb. 13 

“Great Decisions” - U.S. Trade Policy 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session, $35 entire series for single person, $60 entire series for couple  

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Feb. 14 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Thursday, Feb. 15 

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Basics of PCs 

9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley 

A class for adults that will cover file management, loading software, software management, downloading pages from the Web, and more. 

$30 - $35, registration required  

Call 642-5134  

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Kathleen Lynch and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 16 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Saturday, Feb. 17  

“Go-Go-Go Greenbelt!” 

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Rockridge BART  

Oakland  

A bike tour on this ride into the rolling East Bay hills. A free ride sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

Sunday, Feb. 18  

Waterfalls of Berkeley  

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

North Berkeley BART  

Sacramento at Delaware  

On this urban waterfall hike, discover three waterfalls along rushing creeks hidden in Berkeley neighborhoods. A free hike sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

Tuesday, Feb. 20 

“Great Decisions” - China & Taiwan 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is different cultural, ethnic and religious values.  

Call 527-9772  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Feb. 21 

Stagebridge Free Acting & Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org 

Thursday, Feb. 22 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Charles Ellick and host Louis C

The need to dig through your car’s coin trays for dimes and quarters to feed ravenous parking meters may soon become a thing of the past.  

The city will begin using E-Park cards, electronic debit cards accepted by about 3,000 Berkeley parking meters, as soon as Feb. 1. 

The cards are the size of a credit card said Deputy City Manager Phil Kamlarz. 

Like a BART card, E-Park cards withdraw money every time they are placed into a slot in the front of the parking meter. However, unlike BART cards, they are not disposable, so people can keep their cards and recharge them. 

“The idea is great,” said Councilmember Kriss Worthington. “It means that people don’t have to shift around for change. That’s exciting.” 

The cards will come in $10 increments up to $50 and will be sold at the Finance Customer Service Center at 2020 Center St. When the cards run out of money they can also be recharged there.  

Every time the card is put into a meter 25 cents will be deducted, good for 20 minutes of parking. People will be able to insert the card multiple times.  

Kamlarz said the cards will work on nearly every meter in Berkeley that operates for a single parking space. These meters already have a small slot for electronic cards just below the coin slot. Reinos – Berkeley’s new meters that control several parking spaces at once – will not accept the E-Park cards. 

“We have gone out and asked people what they thought because we had to see if they would use it,” he said. “It’s not a money-maker, it is just more of a convenience.” 

The idea came up several years ago and the city has since been working with the Chamber of Commerce to implement E-Parking. In 1998 the city installed 3,000 electronic meters and last July the City Council approved a resolution to implement the system, which included purchasing software. 

In the future, electronic cards may be used for other city services that are charged by hourly rates. Kamlarz said parking garages are a possibility. The city may also adapt a regional E-Park card that people can use in other nearby cities. 

Minneapolis and Orlando are two cities that already use parking meter cards. Kamlarz said Berkeley officials talked with officials in those other cities about implementation of the system. 

The city has set up a parking meter hotline at 1-877-METER-411, which leads a caller to a voicemail system for the city’s Finance Department. The Daily Planet continues to wait for a call back from that number.

California head football coach Tom Holmoe announced the signing of former UCLA offensive coordinator to the same job at Cal Thursday, ending a two-month search to fill the position. 

“Having Al Borges join our football staff is a major development, a move that will have a huge impact on our program,” Holmoe said. “There’s a strong consensus in football circles that he is one of the best offensive coordinators in the game and I certainly agree with that assessment. He’s imaginative and creative while also being fundamentally sound.” 

Borges spent the last five years as the offensive coordinator at UCLA, following one season at Oregon. He was a finalist for the Frank Broyles Assistant Coach of the Year Award in 1997 and ’98, and has established a reputation as one of college football’s best offensive minds. 

Borges, 42, is Holmoe’s third offensive coordinator in his five years at Cal, but he comes in with much more experience than either Doug Cosbie, Holmoe’s first hire, or Steve Hagen, who Holmoe fired at the end of last season. Neither man had been a coordinator at a major university before coming to Cal. 

Borges enters a coaching staff that is on shaky ground, as Holmoe’s first four years have resulted in little success. Many consider next year a win-or-else situation for Holmoe. 

“People may be surprised at my moving to Cal, but I really believe it makes a lot of sense,” Borges said Thursday. “Cal is a place with incredible potential and I think I can help. They have a lot of athletes, in particular on offense, who are champing at the bit to be successful.” 

Borges’ most important task will be tutoring quarterback Kyle Boller, a highly-touted recruit who has been inconsistent for the past two seasons. 

“I think Kyle Boller has a chance in the right system, and with the right discipline, to be as good as anybody in the conference,” Borges said. 

Boller will benefit from an offensive line that returns four starters, as well as talented tailbacks Joe Igber and Joe Echema. In all, nine starters return to the offense, which averaged 317 yards per game and 22.4 points per game last year. 

Borges governed an explosive offense at UCLA, peaking in 1997 when the Bruins scored more than 40 points per game and rolled up 433 yards per game, ranking 13th in the nation. 

Borges grew up in Salinas, and was a part-time assistant at Cal in 1982 and ’83 under head coach Joe Kapp before moving on to Diablo Valley College. 

“The last play when I was at Cal was when we ran through the Stanford Band for the winning touchdown in the 1982 Big Game. That has to be some type of omen,” he said. “Ultimately, I think the timing is good for me to come to Cal and I’m excited as heck to get started."  

From Diablo Valley, he moved to Portland State and Boise State before being hired at Oregon in 1995.

Need incentives for new housing construction 

Editor: 

Four years ago the idealogues on the PUC deregulated the power companies with the mantra that the free market would reduce prices. In Berkeley, the Planet has carried a number of opinion pieces on how deregulation of the rental market will solve the rental crisis.  

It is the same argument. 

I was taught that the market is the most efficient, and equitable, way to allocate resources, if certain fairly common conditions are met. If I remember correctly one of those conditions is that supply and demand be rapidly responsive to price signals. A two to three year lead time for new power plants clearly violates this condition. Demand too, tends to be slowly responsive. Small, temporary changes are possible through changes in habit, but major permanent changes require the purchase of more efficient equipment or structures, or changes in product mix or production technology. 

The rental market is similarly inelastic, and neither market is necessarily efficient or well-behaved when allowed to operate in a completely unregulated fashion. This does not mean that one should simply ignore the influence of the market, as former Rent Stabilization Board Chair Randy Silverman does in his arguments for more extensive rent control (Forum: 12/12/00).  

The current form of rent control forces landlords to shoulder the burden of the social problems of poverty and over-population without even an atta-boy in recompensation. If we are serious about the rental problem we should restructure our regulations to provide incentives for new construction, and continued availability of low-income units. 

Robert Clear 

Berkeley

Developers, commissioners and activists have expressed interest in establishing a shelter in Berkeley for survivors of domestic violence.  

Even with widespread support, proponents have found the creation of a shelter difficult; for several years they’ve struggled with the problem of balancing shelter confidentiality with the public input required by zoning ordinances.  

Now planning commissioners say they are at an impasse. 

The difficulty was brought to the fore because of a failed development project in 1996, when nonprofit developers Resources for Community Development attempted to get loans for a project without disclosing the location. The city determined that the project had to go through a public process and the organization dropped the idea. 

“The whole concept of trying to do housing for survivors is it’s not a publicly known site,” said Dan Sawislak, executive director of Resources for Community Development. “We did not want to go through the process that would disclose the location of the site.” 

“It’s very important to secure confidentiality on the address for the safety of the residents in there,” said Susan Sung, member of the Commission on the Status of Women. “Because of the nature of the population, usually they are being pursued or are in danger of perpetrators.” 

But Sawislak said there needs to be a way for the community to give input. “The reality is that these projects are going to have community scrutiny.”  

Other cities in the Bay Area have found ways to allow sites and maintain confidentiality. Oakland manages to keep confidentiality by being circumspect. Willie Yee, zoning administrator with the city of Oakland, said that when posting public notices about the housing facilities, Oakland lists that there will be a residential care facility for a certain number of residents, without specifically saying who the facility will serve.  

“We talk to the applicants and say they should apply under their own names,” he said. “If you have as the applicant Bay Area Battered Women’s Collaborative it’s a pretty dead giveaway of what it is. It’s not to mislead the public but to insure the safety of the women.” 

Most other shelters seem to get through the zoning process by similar means, avoiding the public hearings that would advertise the location of the shelter. 

“Basically they did not go through a zoning process,” said Planning Commissioner Susan Wengraf.  

Commissioners have been trying to find a way out of the dilemma. The Commission on the Status of Women was working with the Planning Commission to find a way to give special dispensation to battered women’s shelters within the zoning ordinances. Somehow, they want to find a way to avoid posting notices and calling public hearings for battered women’s shelters.  

Deborah Arthur, coordinator of the city’s Domestic Violence Prevention Program, called this attempt a progressive step. “In some ways I think Berkeley is kind of on the cutting edge in trying to be proactive,” she said. “They’ve done the research in calling around the state and there’s not a lot of precedent.” 

Deeming complete confidentiality impossible, commissioners decided to create a special permit that would allow for limited public disclosure – instead of posting the notice on telephone poles, they would send it to close neighbors by mail. To get the special permit, management would need to meet with neighbors before the shelter opened and would have to plan for a well-run facility. 

However, the city attorney, in what planning commissioner Zelda Bronstein described as a “conservative ruling,” called the plan a violation of equal rights, because the city would require special procedures from a targeted group. 

At the crux of zoning problem is the relationship between neighborhoods and the social services the community provides to disadvantaged members. It’s a problem that commissioner’s feel can be overcome. “You can try to facilitate working relationship between the neighbors and a transitional house,” said Bronstein.  

Arthur agreed that building community support around domestic violence issues is possible, and imperative to making a neighborhood amenable to the shelter. 

“We as a community need to support the existence of a transitional house,” said Arthur. “We need to recognize what our role is and educate ourselves about domestic violence: how we can be involved to stop the violence and also challenge perpetrators.” 

There are still people who want to create a shelter in Berkeley, if the zoning question can be addressed satisfactorily. But Bronstein said the city attorney’s opinion has left the planning commissioners with their hands tied. 

As Kenya Corley goes, so go the Cal Bears. 

Corley, the Bears’ senior shooting guard, has been hot and cold this season. She was instrumental in Cal’s four pre-Pac-10 wins, averaging 17 points per victory. But she averaged less than nine points per loss, and the Cal offense clearly struggles when she is off her game. 

So it was no surprise that when Corley scored 11 points in the first half against Arizona Thursday in the Pac-10 season opener for both teams, the Bears had a lead over the favored Wildcats going into halftime. But Corley came out cold, missing all eight of her shots in the second half, and the visiting Wildcats took over the lead and held it for a 79-68 win at Haas Pavilion. 

“I can’t explain it,” Corley said of her second-half slump. “I just stopped being as aggressive, and I missed some open shots.” 

Making those open shots carried the Bears to leads as big as six points in the first half, as they shot over 46 percent from the field. But Corley’s coldness was catching, and Cal shot just 31.4 percent in the second half. 

While Corley and her teammates were clanking shots, Arizona point guard Reshea Bristol was heating up after a slow first half. She drew her team within one point with two quick baskets, then gave the Wildcats a 39-38 lead with a three-pointer. Bristol’s teammates rallied behind her, and before the Bears blinked, they were behind by seven points. 

All of this happened despite Arizona head coach Joan Bonvicini suiting up just eight players for the game. Leading scorer and rebounder Veranda James was left in Tucson to finish a winter course, and guard Tysell Bozeman is suspended this week for violating team rules. 

“We stayed together as one unit, and we came out with a win,” Bristol said. “We knew we had to step it up another notch with players out.” 

Helping Bristol out were forward Elizabeth Pickney and center LaKeisha Taylor, who each scored 16 points and caused havoc on the offensive glass. The two combined for eight offensive rebounds, and the Wildcats outrebounded Cal 50-35 overall. 

“Our defense was pretty good, but we didn’t finish it off by blocking out,” Cal head coach Caren Horstmeyer said. “We just gave up way too many offensive boards and second chances.” 

Cal forward Ami Forney continued her recent success with a career-high 22 points to go with nine rebounds, but her staunch inside play couldn’t offset her team’s bad shooting. Point guard Courtney Johnson was just 3-of-12 from the floor, and forward Lauren Ashbaugh never got into the flow of the game, grabbing just five rebounds and scoring just five points. 

But the dominating force of the second half was Bristol. She scored 22 points in the half, including her team’s first seven, and time after time penetrated the Cal defense for short jumpers or passes to wide-open teammates. Despite committing 10 turnovers in the game, she handled the ball well against the Cal pressure, and her confidence spread to her teammates. 

“Reshea has been our leader all year, and she carried the team tonight,” Bonvicini said. “Her confidence and big plays just give our other players more confidence.”

The Jewish Community Center on Walnut Street has decided against installing two Sprint PCS wireless communication antennae on the center’s roof after members, staff and neighbors expressed health concerns. 

JCC Director Joel Bashevkin said the board of directors voted Dec. 19 not to install the antennae, after soliciting input from the community. JCC staff presented the community with reports supplied by Sprint PCS which downplayed possible health effects, but after reviewing them some community members were still not convinced. 

“When we looked at the reports, using the most conservative estimates, the antennae emissions would have been 400 times lower than what the FCC regards as unsafe,” Bashevkin said. “But there were still people concerned about possible long-term health effects.” 

Caroline Semerdjian, a spokesperson for Sprint PCS, said she understands the community’s concerns but said they are based more on a fear of the unknown rather than factual evidence. 

She said cell phones and their antennae have been used for 20 years without any confirmed adverse health effects. 

Ironically, the JCC board decided to nix the antennae installation on the same day the City Council adopted a 45-day citywide ban on any new applications for wireless antennae. 

The council adopted the moratorium after neighbors protested the Zoning Adjustments Board’s approval of a plan to install seven antennae on the roof of the Oaks Theater on Solano Avenue. 

A neighbor is appealing the ZAB’s decision and the City Council will hold a public hearing on the appeal this month. 

In recent years there has been growing concern about possible health risks from the electromagnetic radiation associated with cell phones and their supporting antennae. 

Community concerns were fueled last month when a respected British medical journal published an article claiming a growing body of evidence that electromagnetic radiation is harmful, especially to children. That report, along with others, prompted the British Government to fund a $10 million research and education program. 

The JCC’s cancellation of the installation will come at some cost. The center was going to use lease proceeds from Sprint PCS to pay for the replacement of a smoke stack on the roof. The stack, now purely an architectural element of the facade, has not been functional since the 1940s. The exterior of the building has been a city and state historical landmark for 18 years. 

“We want to replace the smoke stack to keep the building beautiful,” Bashevkin said. “We’ll just find another way to pay for it.” 

Health fears cause JCC to say no to antennae 

Friday 

Men’s Soccer – St. Mary’s at Piedmont, 3:30 p.m. at Piedmont High School 

Men’s Basketball – Berkeley vs. DeAnza, 7 p.m. at Donahue Gymnasium 

Women’s Basketball – Berkeley at DeAnza, 7 p.m. at DeAnza High School 

Saturday 

Women’s Basketball – Cal vs. Arizona St., 1 p.m. at Haas Pavilion 

Men’s Swimming – Cal vs. Michigan, 1 p.m. at Spieker Aquatics Complex

California death row inmates will soon receive legal representation from one of the top law schools in the country, the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall).  

Boalt Hall officials announced Thursday the establishment of the Death Penalty Clinic, where Boalt Hall faculty members will supervise law students in investigating cases, interviewing witnesses and launching death row appeals in state and federal court.  

The Death Penalty Clinic, scheduled to open July 2001, will be the first such clinic in the state to be run by a law school.  

“This is an important opportunity for our students to gain first-rate, hands-on criminal law experience and provide a service that is central to our most cherished principles in criminal justice – the right to a fair trial and equal protection under the law,” said John P. Dwyer, dean of the law school.  

Dwyer, who has had experience working on death penalty appeal cases, said the clinic will open after the law school hires a death penalty specialist. A national search is under way.  

Boalt Hall law professor Charles Weisselberg, who directs the law school's clinical center, also will join the new clinic's staff and help lead the program. Weisselberg has more than 15 years of experience representing criminal defendants in trial and post-conviction cases.  

“There is a growing awareness that the death penalty and, indeed, our criminal justice system in general is not always fairly administered,” Weisselberg said. “This seems to be a very good time to start a program that will look closely at the death penalty in California.” 

While much has been written about death row cases in Texas, Mississippi and elsewhere, Weisselberg said capital punishment in California also merits attention for several reasons. Among them:  

• With 585 inmates, California has the nation's largest number of inmates on death row.  

• More than 160 of California's death row inmates have no attorney to represent them in their appeals.  

• In recent years California voters have expanded the categories in which individuals may be sentenced to death.  

Weisselberg said Boalt Hall is in an ideal position to work on death penalty cases because of enormous student interest and enthusiasm in the project. In addition, he noted that the lawschool is within 15 miles of San Quentin State Prison, which houses all of the state's male death row inmates.  

Sarah Ray, a first-year law student at Boalt Hall, said she is looking forward to the prospect of hands-on experience with a death penalty case.  

“It’s a great learning experience for us," said Ray, "but, more importantly, it affords some legal representation and a voice to people who don't have the resources or the ability to speak for themselves.”  

Students will work on appeal cases from top to bottom. They will hit the streets to search for important new evidence and seek out mitigating information about an inmate's upbringing. 

They will scour the legal record, evaluating the work of defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges, all in an effort to ensure that their clients – whether they appear innocent or not – received a fair trial and sentence.  

Cases will be selected carefully, with preference for cases with a strong Northern California link. A local tie will facilitate investigations, said Weisselberg.  

Students will not work on direct appeal cases - the automatic state Supreme Court review that is confined to the trial court record. Instead, they will focus on "habeas corpus" cases in which defense counsel can explore issues beyond the trial court record, including matters such as the discovery of new and compelling evidence and the conduct of the prosecution and defense.  

Martha W. Barnett, president of the American Bar Association, said strong legal representation for death row inmates is crucial.  

“The ABA looks to all segments of the legal community to respond to the shortage of competent, adequately funded counsel in capital cases," Barnett said. “The association is extremely pleased that Boalt Hall has established a capital punishment clinic, which will train law students to become skilled defenders in this demanding area of litigation and will also make a vital contribution in securing due process and fundamental fairness for those who face the death penalty.” 

The clinic has been funded by two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, Nick McKeown and Peter Davies, who were brought together by a common desire to abolish the death penalty in California and the United States. For now, they want to ensure that inmates receive fair treatment under the law. The donors chose Boalt Hall because of its strong commitment to clinical education.  

“A death penalty clinic will engage students in capital defense cases and, at the same time, educate the next generation of criminal defense lawyers,” said McKeown. 

McKeown and Davies, who have donated more than $1 million, plan to fund the death penalty clinic for at least five years. Boalt Hall's clinical education program includes the International Human Rights Law Clinic and the Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic.

The Associated Press 

California approved emergency rate hikes Thursday for two cash-starved utilities, who denounced the move as inadequate and pleaded for intervention from the governor and state Legislature to avoid bankruptcy. 

Wall Street reacted negatively to the decision by the Public Utilities Commission: Standard and Poor’s and Fitch Inc. sharply downgraded the credit-worthiness of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Southern California Edison Co. 

The stock of both utilities dropped sharply for the second consecutive day. 

Wall Street’s fiscal analysts said the rate increase was insufficient to assure the teetering utilities with enough cash flow to remain solvent over time. 

S&P reduced the investor-owned utilities’ rating to near junk bond status. Fitch went even further, cutting their rating to the level of junk bonds. 

The intervention sought by utilities could include a state-backed, multibillion-dollar bond package to refinance the utilities’ debts, with ratepayers paying off the bonds through a monthly surcharge on their bills. 

PG&E spokesman Ron Low said company executives have presented the bond financing plan to Gov. Gray Davis. SoCal Edison also is interested in exploring the proposal, a company executive said. 

Davis has not yet responded to the proposal, spokesman Steve Maviglio said. 

“Four years ago, Californians were promised that deregulation would reduce the cost of electricity. If I had my way, there would be no rate increase to consumers,” he said. 

The governor is expected to discuss electricity issues Monday. 

in his State of the State Address, including a new plea to federal officials to intervene in California’s electricity crisis and a $1 billion energy conservation and supply plan. 

The plan is expected to include low-cost financing for new power plants, plus incentives for consumers to replace energy-guzzling appliances. 

The five-member PUC voted unanimously to allow PG&E and SoCal Edison to raise residential rates 9 percent, and businesses’ bills by 7 percent to 15 percent, effective immediately. 

Utility company executives had urged the PUC to approve rate increases of 26 percent to 30 percent or more, and Wall Street analysts had supprted rate hikes of that magnitude. 

“We are voting the epitaph for deregulation in California today,” Commissioner Carl Wood said. “Deregulation is dead.” 

The commission also said it would convene Jan. 18 in San Francisco to consider deregulation-related issues. The commission did not offer specifics of the Jan. 18 meeting, but consumer groups suggested more rate increases may be in the offing. 

The stock of both utilities continued their two-day slide. 

PG&E’s parent company, whose stock lost 13 percent of its value on Wednesday, was down another 29 percent to $12 on Thursday. SoCal Edison, which lost 18 percent on Wednesday, was down another 12 percent Thursday to $10.75. 

Together, the utilities have lost more than $9 billion since June, paying spiraling prices for wholesale electricity but blocked by a rate freeze from passing those costs on to their 10 million customers. 

They buy power for roughly 30 cents a kilowatt hour and, because of a rate freeze, they can only charge customers about a fifth of that amount. 

Low said lawmakers in Sacramento should move quickly to stave off insolvency for the utilities, which say they could run out of cash within weeks. 

SoCal Edison agreed. 

“The Legislature will have to take action on a very expedited basis,” SoCal Edison spokesman Gil Alexander said. 

The rate freeze, part of California’s 1996 deregulation law, was established at what was then a generous level to assure utilities a steady stream of revenue as they sold off assets and made the transition to deregulated companies. 

But earlier this year, the cost of wholesale electricity skyrocketed. The rate freeze prevented the utilities from charging customers more to cover those costs. The utilities must maintain a good credit rating to borrow money to buy power. Otherwise, they might be forced to institute rolling blackouts. 

Standard and Poor’s was skeptical of the rate hike’s value, saying it would make only a small dent in the utilities’ cash-flow problem. 

Even if the rate increase remained in effect for a full year, not just 90 days, it would provide only $274 million for PG&E and some $234 million for SoCal Edison, the credit-ratings service said. The numbers were calculated on 1999 figures from the Energy Department. 

“It may be a question of too little, too late,” said David Bodek of Standard and Poor’s. 

But the PUC’s estimates were far higher. 

The commission’s advisory group estimated the rate increase would provide $1.4 billion annually, said Kim Malcolm, chief of staff to PUC President Loretta Lynch. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Securities and Exchange Commission: http://www.sec.gov 

Pacific Gas and Electric Co.: http://www.pge.com 

Southern California Edison: http://www.edisonathome.com 

California Public Utilities Commission: http://cpuc.ca.gov 

California approved emergency rate hikes Thursday for two cash-starved utilities, who denounced the move as inadequate and pleaded for intervention from the governor and state Legislature to avoid bankruptcy. 

Wall Street reacted negatively to the decision by the Public Utilities Commission: Standard and Poor’s and Fitch Inc. sharply downgraded the credit-worthiness of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Southern California Edison Co. 

The stock of both utilities dropped sharply for the second consecutive day. 

Wall Street’s fiscal analysts said the rate increase was insufficient to assure the teetering utilities with enough cash flow to remain solvent over time. 

S&P reduced the investor-owned utilities’ rating to near junk bond status. Fitch went even further, cutting their rating to the level of junk bonds. 

The intervention sought by utilities could include a state-backed, multibillion-dollar bond package to refinance the utilities’ debts, with ratepayers paying off the bonds through a monthly surcharge on their bills. 

PG&E spokesman Ron Low said company executives have presented the bond financing plan to Gov. Gray Davis. SoCal Edison also is interested in exploring the proposal, a company executive said. 

Davis has not yet responded to the proposal, spokesman Steve Maviglio said. 

“Four years ago, Californians were promised that deregulation would reduce the cost of electricity. If I had my way, there would be no rate increase to consumers,” he said. 

The governor is expected to discuss electricity issues Monday. 

in his State of the State Address, including a new plea to federal officials to intervene in California’s electricity crisis and a $1 billion energy conservation and supply plan. 

The plan is expected to include low-cost financing for new power plants, plus incentives for consumers to replace energy-guzzling appliances. 

The five-member PUC voted unanimously to allow PG&E and SoCal Edison to raise residential rates 9 percent, and businesses’ bills by 7 percent to 15 percent, effective immediately. 

Utility company executives had urged the PUC to approve rate increases of 26 percent to 30 percent or more, and Wall Street analysts had supprted rate hikes of that magnitude. 

“We are voting the epitaph for deregulation in California today,” Commissioner Carl Wood said. “Deregulation is dead.” 

The commission also said it would convene Jan. 18 in San Francisco to consider deregulation-related issues. The commission did not offer specifics of the Jan. 18 meeting, but consumer groups suggested more rate increases may be in the offing. 

The stock of both utilities continued their two-day slide. 

PG&E’s parent company, whose stock lost 13 percent of its value on Wednesday, was down another 29 percent to $12 on Thursday. SoCal Edison, which lost 18 percent on Wednesday, was down another 12 percent Thursday to $10.75. 

Together, the utilities have lost more than $9 billion since June, paying spiraling prices for wholesale electricity but blocked by a rate freeze from passing those costs on to their 10 million customers. 

They buy power for roughly 30 cents a kilowatt hour and, because of a rate freeze, they can only charge customers about a fifth of that amount. 

Low said lawmakers in Sacramento should move quickly to stave off insolvency for the utilities, which say they could run out of cash within weeks. 

SoCal Edison agreed. 

“The Legislature will have to take action on a very expedited basis,” SoCal Edison spokesman Gil Alexander said. 

The rate freeze, part of California’s 1996 deregulation law, was established at what was then a generous level to assure utilities a steady stream of revenue as they sold off assets and made the transition to deregulated companies. 

But earlier this year, the cost of wholesale electricity skyrocketed. The rate freeze prevented the utilities from charging customers more to cover those costs. The utilities must maintain a good credit rating to borrow money to buy power. Otherwise, they might be forced to institute rolling blackouts. 

Standard and Poor’s was skeptical of the rate hike’s value, saying it would make only a small dent in the utilities’ cash-flow problem. 

Even if the rate increase remained in effect for a full year, not just 90 days, it would provide only $274 million for PG&E and some $234 million for SoCal Edison, the credit-ratings service said. The numbers were calculated on 1999 figures from the Energy Department. 

“It may be a question of too little, too late,” said David Bodek of Standard and Poor’s. 

But the PUC’s estimates were far higher. 

The commission’s advisory group estimated the rate increase would provide $1.4 billion annually, said Kim Malcolm, chief of staff to PUC President Loretta Lynch. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Securities and Exchange Commission: http://www.sec.gov 

Pacific Gas and Electric Co.: http://www.pge.com 

Southern California Edison: http://www.edisonathome.com 

California Public Utilities Commission: http://cpuc.ca.gov 

Composting is a way to turn garbage into gold. 

Many landfills now compost yard waste, but backyard composting has the advantage of requiring less energy and taking care of food scraps also.  

If everyone composted their yard wastes and food scraps, 30 percent more space would be available in our landfills, even more if some nonrecyclable paper, such as dirty paper plates, were also composted. 

So how does one go about taking that leap from talking about composting to doing it? Begin with a compost bin, which keeps the ingredients neat, holds in moisture and heat, and discourages animals from scavenging.  

The best bins have solid walls so that the ingredients do not dry out excessively. Besides plastic bins available in stores and mail order, homemade ones have been made from cinder blocks, hay bales, logs, wood, even stone. 

Set the bin somewhere convenient, near the source of materials you are going to be adding or the place where you will be using the finished compost – usually between or near the garden and your kitchen door. 

Almost anything that is or was once living can go into the compost bin. The only items not to include are dog or cat feces, meat scraps high in fat, or colored paper. 

Like humans, composting microorganisms need air, water, and food to function at their best. Provide air by not overly compacting the pile as you build it, and by mixing dense materials, such as grass clippings, with fluffier materials, such as straw or leaves.  

Most compost piles are too dry when they are built, then too wet by winter’s end.  

Avoid either extreme by watering the pile as you build it, sprinkling the ingredients just enough to make them glisten.  

Then cover the pile with plastic or wood to prevent moisture from escaping or additional rainwater from entering. 

Carbon and nitrogen are the two most important foods of composting microorganisms. Old plant materials – dry, brown things such as straw, autumn leaves, and wood chips – are high in carbon.  

Succulent, green plant materials, such as grass clippings and vegetable and flower plants, are high in nitrogen.  

Manure and fertilizers also are high in nitrogen.  

Strive for a balance of carbon and nitrogen materials. 

Don’t fret about getting just the right foods and moisture levels into your compost. No matter what you do, the pile of material will eventually turn into rich, brown compost.

For growing indoor blooms in winter, why not try for the ultimate: roses? 

Miniature roses are a good choice for windowsills, a variety such as Lyn Gold, for example, which grows only 6 inches tall and sports lemon yellow blossoms each the size of a nickel. 

Miniature roses trace their lineage back to a plant found about a century ago.  

On some varieties, the petals are knit into a tight bud like those of hybrid teas; blossoms shape might be like a miniature hybrid tea, or loose and floppy like wild roses. Original miniature roses were scentless, but newer hybrids such as Sachet and Singles Better fill the air with their delicate scents. 

Plans for indoor rose blooms should begin in autumn. If you have miniature roses planted in the ground, dig up a plant and pot it up. A 6-inch pot is adequate for a rose as small as Lyn Gold, along with any standard potting mix.  

After giving the potted plant a thorough watering, keep it cool to hold back top growth while roots take hold in the potting soil. A sunny window in a cool room or a garage could provide temperatures close to the ideal 50 degrees Fahrenheit for this stage of growth. 

After a few weeks of cool temperatures, the plant is ready for some warmth to stimulate growth of new shoots and leaves. Put the plant in the sunniest window you have, and in no time you should see shoots capped by fat flower buds, which soon open. 

Q: My two-story house is 40 feet wide on each side, and has three 12-inch-square vents on the roof’s south side.  

There are four soffit vents on the house’s north and south sides. During the winter, frost collects on the attic side of the roof deck and on the rafters. The frost melts and drips on the insulation and seeps through the ceiling. What can I do to reduce the attic moisture in the winter? 

A: Your problem is typical of an attic that has excessive moisture buildup and inadequate ventilation. The unobstructed attic ventilation should be one-threehundreth of the attic floor area. 

Based on your data, the vent openings are about 20 percent less than the recommended amount.  

If there are insect screens covering the vent openings, then the percentage is even more. Insect screens reduces the effective opening by about 40 percent. 

To increase moisture reduction, the roof deck between the rafters should be “washed” with cool dry air.  

This can be achieved with continuous ridge and soffit vents. If these vents cannot be installed, then you must use additional roof and soffit vents. Frost tends to develop on the roof’s north slope, there are no vents presently located there, so install the vents on the north side. 

Also, moisture can migrate into the attic through wall cavities because water can collect in the basement or crawl space after a rain. Keep those areas dry. 

Q: The cathedral ceiling in my 10-year-old house was OK until five years ago, when we noticed black spots appearing through the sand finish. I painted it and it looked good but the black spots came back. No matter what I do, they come back. I have asked many carpenters what causes it, but none seem to know. Can you help? 

A: The black spots are probably mildew spores. Mildew is a fungus and unless you kill it, it will come through a new layer of paint, especially a water-based paint.  

Try washing the ceiling with a solution of bleach, detergent and water. After the ceiling is dry, paint it with a mildew-resistant paint or use a fungicide additive in the paint. 

Q: The plans I have for building a year-round doghouse state that low-radiant heat can be used during the cold winter months. Just what is low-radiant heat and where can I get the parts needed to install it? 

A: This type of heat radiates directly to objects so it does not have to heat the air around them to have a warming effect. Low-radiant heat is usually supplied by electric cables embedded in floors or ceilings.  

To protect the cables from damage by the animals, lay them in a bed of sand over polyurethane insulation and a vapor barrier followed by a minimum of 3 inches of concrete.  

Some low-radiant heating cables can be laid directly in the concrete, but insulation is still required to keep bottom heat loss to a minimum.  

Use Styrofoam panels for this purpose. Protect all wiring in metal conduit so your dog can’t chew it. 

To submit a question, write to Popular Mechanics, Reader Service Bureau, 224 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019. The most interesting questions will be answered in a future column.

NEW YORK — Wall Street stepped back Thursday, taking profits from the stellar gains that followed the Federal Reserve’s unexpected interest rate cut. Investors retreated from blue chips and also refrained from making new commitments to high-tech issues. 

Some pullback was expected after the Fed’s surprise half-point rate cut. 

“Investors awoke today to realize the reason the Fed lowered rates the way they did yesterday is because the economy is fairly soft,” said Charles G. Crane, strategist for Spears, Benzak, Salomon & Farrell in New York. “As exciting as it was to have rates cut, that is not going to prop up profits in the immediate future.” 

Trading was the heaviest ever on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume surpassed 2 billion for the first time. 

Most analysts agreed that Wednesday’s euphoric rally can’t be sustained yet. Investors still must face more signs that the economy is slowing and warnings that first-quarter profits will miss expectations. That was evident with software maker Inktomi, which tumbled $4.63 to $13.88 after it lowered its first-quarter forecasts. The company, which makes network software for delivering Web content, also said fourth-quarter earnings and sales fell short because customers canceled orders. 

But some technology companies built on Wednesday’s sharp gains. Hewlett-Packard gained 56 cents, finishing at $34.63, and Microsoft advanced 50 cents to $48.44. 

Given the cheaper prices in the long-battered tech sector, one market observer said he expected investors to do more buying Thursday. 

“If there is one surprise, it’s that tech stocks aren’t up more than they are,” said Dick Dickson, technical analyst for Scott & Stringfellow Inc. in Richmond, Va. But, “you have a back-and-forth between those who are bottom fishing and the get-me-out-even crowd.” 

But Dickson noted that it was blue chips, not high-techs, that caused the bulk of the losses in the S&P 500, considered the best indicator of the overall market. With Wall Street taking on a healthier tone in Wednesday’s rally, investors were not as attracted by blue chips that are seen as safe havens during times of market volatility. 

S&P component American International Group fell $6.94 to $89 in trading Thursday. Drug issues also hurt the index with Pfizer losing $1.81 at $41.75, and Merck dropping $4.13 to $85. 

Retailing issues rose significantly, despite many companies’ reports that holiday sales slumped. 

“The assumption is that the consumer is going to be an immediate beneficiary of lower rates and will have more disposable income and that is going to help those stocks,” said Barry Berman, head trader for Robert W. Baird & Co. in Milwaukee. 

Abercrombie & Fitch climbed $2.50 to $22.75, although the trendy clothing retailer said December sales dropped 11 percent from last year. Sears was up 40 cents at $36.43, despite announcing that December sales fell 1.1 percent and that it is closing 89 underperforming store. 

A prolonged turnaround in consumer confidence, the economy and corporate earnings will require more than one rate cut by the Fed, analysts said. The Fed likely will be looking for more signs — like the government’s employment report due out Friday — that the economy is weakening before making any further moves. 

Analysts expect the Labor Department to report unemployment rose slightly in December from 4 percent in November. The department reported Thursday that initial applications for unemployment benefits rose by 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted 375,000 for the week ending Dec. 30, the highest level since July 4, 1998. 

Advancing issues narrowly outnumbered decliners 13 to 12 on the NYSE, where consolidated volume — including trades on other exchanges — was 2.48 billion, higher than the 2.2 billion on Wednesday. 

The Russell 2000 index, which measures the performance of smaller company stocks, ended down 7.18 at 477.20. 

Overseas markets were mixed. Japan’s Nikkei stock average closed down 0.7 percent, and Germany’s DAX index slipped 0.9 percent. Britain’s FT-SE 100 gained 2.4 percent, and France’s CAC-40 advanced 2.3 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

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

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

LOS ANGELES — A staple of every auto show is the concept car – an idea rendered in steel that may never reach showrooms. 

Thursday, a top Ford Motors executive gave a concept speech, in which he challenged car companies to shed their old economy reputations and lead the way with new technology and new thinking. 

“I am pretty much fed up with the negative, defensive situation we in the automotive companies nowadays are so often put in,” Wolfgang Reitzle, head of Ford’s Premier Auto Group, said at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show. 

Reitzle discarded his prepared remarks and spoke passionately about the auto industry and a future that might include dealerships with their own test tracks and vacation packages sold along with certain cars. 

Car companies should stop thinking of themselves as manufacturers of “sheet metal boxes” and define themselves as “mobility enterprises,” he said. 

For instance, Reitzle suggested that a globe-trotting customer might pay Ford $50,000 for a “mobility package,” which would provide a car wherever in the world it was needed. 

Reitzle also said car makers have much to learn from the fashion industry and companies such as Wal-Mart, which know how to package an experience and make shopping pleasant. 

He had harsh words for the typical American car dealership, which he called a “parking lot with a roof.” 

He called rebates a “disease” that cheapens a brand. 

“This comes from creating unattractive products which nobody wants that can only be sold by rebates,” he said. 

He was also critical of financial analysts who put great value on Internet companies and consider the automotive industry to be a poor investment. 

“I think we are the future economy,” he said. “Because there is no substitution for the car, it will always grow.” 

Reitzle heads Ford’s luxury car division, representing the Jaguar, Aston Martin, Land Rover, Lincoln and Volvo brands. 

“Last year we sold more than 1,000 Aston Martins and I tell you, a few hundred went to these dot-com millionaires,” Reitzle said, generating a huge laugh. “Even in this way we have an advantage.” 

Reitzle said individualization is a trend, especially in California, that car makers have to embrace to survive. 

“My prediction is that the last step of personalization will take place in the big dealerships,” he said. “The big, strong dealers will not only have a service shop, they will also have a shop for personalization, where the dealer can change parts, make the interior a personalized interior. You can change the colors. You can change it after a year.” 

Reitzle said a new Premier Auto Group dealership will open soon near Phoenix that will have all five Ford luxury brands under one roof and will include two test tracks, including one simulating off-road conditions. 

The group has moved its headquarters to Irvine, Calif., where it will open a design studio, Reitzle said. A second studio in London will design branded merchandise for sale along with the cars, he said.

Throw those preseason predictions right out the window. The Pac-10 women’s basketball race is up for grabs, and no one can say who will end up in the winner’s circle. 

Preseason favorite Stanford has lost two guards to injury, and Oregon lost last year’s conference player of the year before the season even started. Those injuries have brought them back to the pack, and Arizona and Oregon State have stepped up to join them at the top of the conference. With conference play starting on Thursday, no one really knows what to expect. 

“I think you’ve got a number of teams that could vie for the championship,” Cal head coach Caren Horstmeyer said Tuesday. “I don’t know that there are any teams that can go through the conference without a few losses.” 

This is Horstmeyer’s first year at the Cal helm, but she’s very familiar with most Pac-10 programs from her 12 seasons as head coach of Santa Clara. So rather than concentrate on learning her opponents, she has spent her time working on her own team’s game. 

“I have seen a lot of the teams, and I’ve played a lot of the teams,” she said. “If there’s been an adjustment period for me, it’s been seeing where we are as a team.” 

The Bears start the conference season Thursday against Arizona, one of the conference’s top teams. The Wildcats have surprised many by going 10-2 in the preseason despite the loss of four starters from last year’s team. Freshman forward Veranda James has stepped forward to lead the team in scoring and rebounding, but the improvement has come from all over the roster. All five starters are averaging double figures in scoring, and Arizona’s only losses have come to ranked opponents. 

“They’re probably the best running team we’ve seen all year. They run very well, and they penetrate to the basket very well,” Horstmeyer said. “We’ll play very aggressive defense against them, try to limit their transition opportunities and limit them to one shot.”  

The Bears go into Pac-10 play with a 4-6 record, and they have been inconsistent on offense this season, scoring more than 70 three times but less than 52 three times. This up-and-down performance is due to the team not having any consistent offensive threats. Leading scorer Courtney Johnson hit for 32 against Santa Clara and 27 against Alabama, but has been held under double figures five times. Johnson is the team’s point guard, but not a natural floor leader. When she is forced to concentrate on scoring, the rest of the team seems to sag. 

The key to the Bears’ success may be guard Kenya Corley. The senior is averaging 17 points in Cal’s wins, but just 5.2 ppg in the five losses she has played in. When she is scoring, Johnson can concentrate on distributing the ball and running the offense, which clearly makes the Bears a better team. 

The team will get an offensive boost with the return of freshman forward Kiki Williams. After missing the first nine games with a stress fracture, Williams returned in the win against San Jose State. The Marin native is a superior athlete, and can score from inside or outside. Although the coaching staff considered redshirting her following the injury, she has impressed in practice and should see regular action this season. 

With all offensive forces intact, including center Lauren Ashbaugh and forward Ami Forney creating chances in the paint, the Bears feel they have a chance to break out. 

“I think we’re starting to shoot the ball with more confidence. You can see it in our shooting drills, and our percentages have been higher in our games lately,” Horstmeyer said. “We still have our moments when we don’t shoot well, but I think we’ve made great strides in that area.” 

Ashbaugh, a senior who has gone through the growing pains of a young team, agrees. 

“There have been times when we couldn’t shoot a lick,” she said. “We’ve definitely got the talent to be better this year. I think we’re still learning and still growing, and if people would underestimate us, it’d be wonderful.”

Snowshoe Tours  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Catherine Stifter of Backcountry Tracks presents a slide-show on her favorite ski and snowshoe tours off Highway 49 between Sierra City and Yuba Pass. Free 

527-4140 

Keeping Your Healthy  

Resolutions 

10:30 a.m. – noon 

Alta Bates Summit Medical  

Center, Summit North Pavilion Cafeteria, Annexes B & C 

350 Hawthorne St.  

Oakland 

Sue Elderkin, physical therapist, will give tips on sticking to exercise resolutions for the new year and how to incorporate healthy practices into daily life.  

869-6737 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Teddy Weiler and host Randy Fingland.  

644-0155 

Housing Advisory Commission  

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center  

2939 Ellis St.  

Discussion and action on the city proposal to provide equal benefits for domestic partners of city employees and domestic partners of employees of entities doing business with the city of Berkeley. Also discussion and possible action on the city’s Oxford St. parking lot proposal.  

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 

Taize’ Worship Service  

7:30 - 8:30 p.m. 

Loper Chapel  

(adjacent to) First Congregational 

Church of Berkeley  

Dana St. (between Durant & Channing) 

Call 848-3696  

“Medieval China - How We Got to Where We Are” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker 

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Stephen West, professor at the Institute of East Asian Studies at UC Berkeley will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533  

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program. 549-2970  

Hip Hop Theater Workshop  

9 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave. (at Derby)  

A participatory one-day workshop as part of the center’s Kaleidoscope Arts Infusion Series. Led by hip-hop poet and performer Will Power and playwright Rickerby Hinds.  

$60 individual, $45 family (two or more) Call 845-8542 x376 or visit www.juliamorgan.org 

Rose Pruning Workshop  

9:30 a.m.  

UC Botanical Garden  

200 Centennial Dr.  

Peter Klement, UC Botanical Garden rose expert will share his expertise and demonstrate techniques for shaping old-fashioned roses, climbers and hybrid teas to assure maximum flowering.  

$20 - $27.50 643-2755 

Monday, Jan. 8  

Berkeley Community Chorus Rehearsal 

7 - 10 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church, basement 

1145 Gilman St.  

Conducted by Julian White, pianist, teacher & composer, the chorus will perform White’s “The Children’s Hour” and Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasia.” The chorus meets every Monday night. Performance dates are May 5, 12 & 13. $75 tuition for semester 528-2145 or visit www.bcco.org 

Fun With Origami  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Pato O’Sullivan 644-6107  

Tuesday, Jan. 9  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 531-8664 

Remembering: What’s Normal and What’s Not  

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With Tina Williams  

Wednesday, Jan. 10  

Kids Dance Open House  

& Class 

5 - 6 p.m. 

El Cerrito Community Center 

7007 Moeser Lane 

El Cerrito  

Parents are invited to explore how dance relates to cognitive, kinesthetic, and socio-emotional development in their children. For ages three to seventeen. Free  

Call 530-4113  

Tai Chi Chuan  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Henry Chang 

Call 644-6107 

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 League in the 1940s. Free. 

Call 1-888-OAK-MUSE 

Benefit Concert for Food First 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 

Featuring the David Thom Band, Buffalo Roam, Tree o’ Frogs, and Ten Ton Chicken. All proceeds benefit Food First.  

$10 - $15 donation 

Call Kevin Doyle, 843-6389 x201 

Duomo Readings Open Mic  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Kirk Lumpkin and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

California Babylon  

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

Kristan Lawson & Anneli Rufus discuss their book “A Guide to Sites of Scandal, Mayhem, and Celluloid in the Golden State.” Free 

Call 843-3533  

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 

Ski & Snowboard Descents  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Paul Richins, author of “50 Classic Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Summits in California - Mt. Shasta to Mt. Whitney,” presents in slides some of his favorite ski mountaineering and backcountry snowboard descents. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Ballroom Dancing  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Roman Ostrowski  

Call 644-6107  

“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 

“Sing for Hope” 

8 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2435 Channing Way (at Dana) 

The second annual event features an evening of arias and Broadway show tunes sung by seven of New York’s young rising opera stars. All proceeds benefit the Center for AIDS Services, a nonprofit day center in Oakland for people with HIV and AIDS.  

$35 performance only, $50 performance & post-concert reception 

Call 655-3435 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“Innovative Approaches to Farming”  

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Reggie Knox, executive director of Community Alliance with Family Farms of Santa Cruz will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533  

Yiddish Conversation  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With allen Stross  

Call 644-6107 

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 

Dia de los Reyes Concert  

8 p.m. 

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison  

Performing will be Coro Hispano de San Francisco and Conjunto Nuevo Mundo with the Jackeline Rago Ensemble de la Pena.  

$12 - $15  

Call (415) 431- 4234 

Rose Pruning Workshop  

9:30 a.m.  

UC Botanical Garden  

200 Centennial Dr.  

Peter Klement, UC Botanical Garden rose expert will share his expertise and demonstrate techniques for shaping old-fashioned roses, climbers and hybrid teas to assure maximum flowering.  

$20 - $27.50  

Call 643-2755 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

In their first East Bay show of the millennium, Sedge Thomson welcomes Lavay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers.  

Call 415-664-9500 for reservations 

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 

Free Feng Shui Class 

3 p.m. 

Eastwind Books of Berkeley  

2066 University Ave.  

Taught by Lily Chung, author of “Calendars for Feng Shui and Divination.” 

Call Eastwind, 548-3250 

Tuesday, Jan. 16  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

“Travel as Pilgramage” 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

Various travel writers discuss the spiritual aspects of travel. Free 

Call 843-3533  

Avalanche Safety Course  

6 - 9:30 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Dick Penniman, internationally known avalanche instructor and consultant, presents a slide lecture and video presentation on the fundamentals of avalanches and rescue techniques.  

$20  

Call Dick Penniman, (877) SNO-SAFE 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is the role of the U.S. in global politics and priorities.  

Call 527-9772  

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 

Your Justice System at Work 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

West Oakland Senior Center  

1724 Adeline St.  

Oakland  

Judges of the Superior Court, attorneys, probation officers, sheriff’s officers and other justice system representatives will be present to hear the concerns of the public and to answer their questions.  

Call 268-7610 

Thursday, Jan. 18  

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Ayodele Nzinga and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

Combating Congestion  

1 - 5 p.m. 

Pauley Ballroom 

Student Union Building  

UC Berkeley 

A one-day transportation conference featuring Martin Wachs and Elizabeth Deakin, both of UC Berkeley. Co-sponsored by the Institute of Transportation Studies and the UC Transportation Center.  

Call 642-1474  

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Become Berkeley City Smart 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

In a slide presentation & talk, Berkeley resident, restaurant and movie critic John Weil takes attendees on a unique tour through the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Berkeley and Oakland. Free 

Call 843-3533  

Disabled American Veterans Chapter 25 Meeting 

8 p.m. 

Veterans Memorial Building  

1931 Center St.  

Any woman who has had a relative serve in the U.S. military is invited to attend and join the auxiliary.  

Call 916-372-8364 

Journey Across China 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Eugene Tsiang, Shanghai native, will give a slide presentation on his two-month journey last spring by train and four-wheel drive vehicle across China’s Shaanxi, Gansu and Xinjiang Provinces. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us  

Friday, Jan. 19 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“Evidence-Based Practice - How it May Effect You” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Eileen Gambrill, professor in the department of social welfare at UC Berkeley with speak. 

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533 

Saturday, Jan. 20  

On Death & Dying 

9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Buddhist Temple  

2121 Channing Way (between Shattuck & Fulton)  

Kathleen Gustin, Zen priest, and Rev. Ronald Nakasone of the Graduate Theological Union speak at this workshop designed to help those considering their own ending or that of loved ones.  

$20 per person (box lunch included) 

Call Ken Kaji, 601-5394 

Corinne Innis Reception 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Women’s Cancer Resource Center 

3023 Shattuck Ave.  

Paying homage to her subconscious, Innis uses rich colors in her acrylic paintings.  

Call 548-9286 

Monday, Jan. 22  

Berkeley Rail Stop Community  

Design Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

West Berkeley Senior Center 1900 Sixth St.  

The public is invited to suggest ideas and comment on plans for design-development at the rail stop/transit plaza area of West Berkeley.  

Call 644-6580 

Urban Homelessness  

& Public Policy Solutions 

9 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Alumni House  

UC Berkeley  

This day-long conference will include key scholars, service providers, and policymakers in the homelessness field. Some of the subjects to be covered will be: Homeless population dynamics and policy implications, health issues in homelessness, and legal and political issues in homelessness. Free and open to the public.  

For more info, visit: http://urbanpolicy.berkeley.edu/homeless.htm 

Tuesday, Jan. 23 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, Jan. 25  

Spirits in the Time of AIDS 

6 - 8 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland 

Pro Arts reception for the opening of their new exhibition seeking to expand the understanding of HIV and AIDS and the people who are affected by them.  

Call 763-9425 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Climbing Mt. Everest  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Bob Hoffman, organizer and leader of four environmental clean-up expeditions on Everest, will give a slide presentation on the Inventa 2000 Everest Environmental Expedition’s recent ascent. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Glenn Ingersoll and host Louis Cuneo.  

644-0155 

Friday, Jan. 26 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“The Aftermath of the National Election” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Susan Rasky, senior lecturer at the graduate school of journalism at UC Berkeley will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533 

Saturday, Jan. 27  

Clori, Tirsi & e Fileno 

8 p.m. 

Crowden School  

1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 

Teatro Bacchino, the Bay Area’s Baroque Opera company, will be performing Handel’s story of jealousy in love. Pre-concert talk 45 minutes before the performance.  

$15 - $20  

Call 658-3382  

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Cuddly, Soft, Furry Things & Friends 

10 - 10:50 a.m. & 11:10 a.m. - Noon  

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley  

A special workshop for two - three year-olds to meet, pet, and feed rabbits, doves, and snakes.  

$22 - $25, $10 for additional family members, registration required  

Call 642-5134 

Sunday, Jan. 28  

Clori, Tirsi & e Fileno 

7 p.m. 

Crowden School  

1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 

Teatro Bacchino, the Bay Area’s Baroque Opera company, will be performing Handel’s story of jealousy in love. Pre-concert talk 45 minutes before the performance.  

$15 - $20  

Call 658-3382  

Tuesday, Jan. 30 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Jan. 31 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra  

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Featuring “Berkeley Images,” a world premiere by Jean-Pascal Beintus.  

$10 - $35  

Call 841-2800 

Thursday, Feb. 1 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet John Rowe and host Randy Fingland.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 2 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Allee der Kosmontauten 

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Performance of Berlin choreographer Sasha Waltz 1996 work in its West Coast premiere. Also features the film work of Elliot Caplan.  

$20 - $42  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Saturday, Feb. 3 

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Spirits in the Time of AIDS Artists Talk 

1 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland  

As part of “Consecrations,” the public is invited to hear artists speak about their work and show slides. Free 

Call 763-9425 

Sunday, Feb. 4 

“Under Construction No. 10” 

7:30 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church  

2727 College Ave.  

Experience the unusual rehearsal-reading format that lets the audience experience the collaboration between conductor, orchestra and composer in the Berkeley Symphony’s unique series presenting new works or works-in-progress by local Bay Area composers.  

Call 841-2800 

Russian National Orchestra  

4 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

On their tenth anniversary tour, the RNO will perform Shostakovich’s symphony No. 5 and Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto No. 2.  

$30 - $52  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

From Flatlands to the Stars  

9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Diamond Park  

Fruitvale Ave. (at Lyman Rd.) 

A hardy hike along Sausal Creek in Oakland’s unexplored Diamond and Joaquin Miller parks. A free hike sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

Tuesday, Feb. 6  

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is sex, love, dating, and relationships in celebration of Valentine’s Day.  

Call 527-9772  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, Feb. 8 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Tom Odegard and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 9  

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Saturday, Feb. 10  

Spirits in the Time of AIDS Open Mic.  

1 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland  

As part of “Consecrations,” the public is invited to see special performances, spoken word, commentary and more.  

Call 763-9425 

Masters of Persian Classical Music 

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Featuring vocalist Mohammad Reza Sharjarian and his son, Homayoun Sharjarian.  

$20 - $40  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Sunday, Feb. 11  

Ruth Acty Oral History Reception 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Historical Society  

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

In 1943 Miss Ruth Acty became the first African American teacher to be hired by the Berkeley Unified School District. She taught thousands of students until her retirement in 1985. Oral History Coordinator Therese Pipe interviewed Acty in 1993-94 for the Berkeley Historical Society. Free  

Horacio Gutierrez  

3 p.m. 

Hertz Hall 

UC Berkeley  

The Cuban-American pianist will perform Berg’s Sonata, Op.1, George Perle’s Nine Bagatelles, Schumann’s Fantasie, Op. 17 and Beethoven’s Sonata No. 29.  

$24 - $42  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Tuesday, Feb. 13 

“Great Decisions” - U.S. Trade Policy 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session, $35 entire series for single person, $60 entire series for couple  

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, Feb. 15 

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Basics of PCs 

9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley 

A class for adults that will cover file management, loading software, software management, downloading pages from the Web, and more. 

$30 - $35, registration required  

Call 642-5134  

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Kathleen Lynch and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 16 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Saturday, Feb. 17  

“Go-Go-Go Greenbelt!” 

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Rockridge BART  

Oakland  

A bike tour on this ride into the rolling East Bay hills. A free ride sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

Sunday, Feb. 18  

Waterfalls of Berkeley  

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

North Berkeley BART  

Sacramento at Delaware  

On this urban waterfall hike, discover three waterfalls along rushing creeks hidden in Berkeley neighborhoods. A free hike sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

Tuesday, Feb. 20 

“Great Decisions” - China & Taiwan 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is different cultural, ethnic and religious values.  

Call 527-9772  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, Feb. 22 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Charles Ellick and host Louis Cuneo.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 23 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

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 

Tuesday, Feb. 27 

“Great Decisions” - Missile Defense  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, March 1  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Eliza Shefler and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

Tuesday, March 6  

“Great Decisions” - U.S. & Iraq 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is health, nutrition and science; bioengineering.  

Call 527-9772  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, March 8 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Judy Wells and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

Tuesday, March 13  

Berkeley Rep. Proscenium Opening 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Repertory Theater 

2015 Addison St.  

Featuring the premiere performance of “The Oresteia” by Aeschylus. Opening gala dinner held prior to performance. Performance will be at 8 p.m. 

Call 647-2949 

“Great Decisions” - International Health Crisis 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, March 15  

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Elanor Watson-Gove and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

Saturday, March 17  

Berkeley Rep. Community Open House 

Noon - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Repertory Theater 

2015 Addison St.  

Tour the Berkeley Reps. new theater facility, a 600-seat proscenium stage theater. 

Call to reserve a tour, 647-2900  

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 

Tuesday, March 20 

“Great Decisions” - Mexico Reexamined  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interestin

Suspicious fire heats up border labor dispute 

RIO BRAVO, TAMAULIPAS, MEXICO – Since their house was burned to the ground a few weeks ago, Eliud Almaguer and his wife Evelia have been staying with friends, but rarely more than one night in the same place. 

They fear that those who destroyed their house might return. “I fear for the life of my family,” says Almaguer. 

He believes his house was burned because for the last three years he's led a campaign to organize an independent union at the Duro Bag plant, a maquiladora just across the Rio Grande from Pharr, Texas. 

Almaguer's home was typical of the houses lining a dirt street in a dusty Rio Bravo neighborhood. The Almaguers used wood for heating and cooking. These houses are often made of wooden shipping pallets, with unfolded cardboard boxes stapled onto them for walls. They're extreme firetraps the Almaguers were lucky they were not home. 

Modest as it was, the home nevertheless was broken into at least twice before the fire, Almaguer says. “I think they were looking for union documents, since I don't have anything worth stealing, but we keep them in a safe place.” 

Neighbors say they saw a man fleeing the scene just before flames engulfed the small dwelling, but police refused to listen. Almaguer himself says that police refused to take a report from him or conduct an investigation. 

The Duro factory churns out chichi paper bags that sell for a dollar at gift shops. The Kentucky-based Duro Corporation also operates seven U.S. plants. 

Duro's vice-president of manufacturing, Bill Forstrom, says wages start at 60 pesos a day (about six dollars), about three times the cost of a gallon of milk in the supermarket. Forstrom explains that Duro's automated operations are north of the border, but its labor- intensive operations are concentrated in Rio Bravo. “We're in Mexico to take advantage of inexpensive labor,” he explains. 

In the spring of 1998, Almaguer, an intense, stocky man in his thirties, got a job at the plant. He says he saw people lose fingers or suffer other injuries because of missing safety guards, unlabeled solvent containers and other hazards. “In terms of safety, well there just wasn't any.” 

Duro has a “protection contract” with a Mexican local of the Paper, Cardboard and Wood Industry Union, part of the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM). The CTM has been a pillar of support for the country's ruling bureaucracy since the 1940s. The arrangement effectively means the company pays CTM union leaders to guarantee labor peace. 

When workers in the plant try to enforce that contract, bringing grievances to the human relations manager, “he'd throw us out,” Almaguer says. “The company was in violation of at least fifty percent of the contract.” 

Workers could not get the CTM to back their efforts. Finally, in October 1999, the company fired Almaguer. The CTM signed a new agreement with the company in 2000, ignoring workers' demands. In April, they struck in protest and 150 were fired. In June, workers began organizing an independent union. 

Throughout this period, Almaguer and his family were repeatedly threatened, he says. After he was elected local union leader two years ago, he says, one person first threatened his family and later offered money. “He told me to slow down and tell the workers not to be against the National Paperworkers Union and Duro or else I would pay the consequences. That night they came back at 1 a.m., knocking and kicking the door, trying to open it,” Almaguer recalls. 

Forstrom says only a minority of the plant's workers are involved in the protests and that conditions are better here than in some of the company's U.S. plants. “Almaguer has had an agenda different from the company and the majority of employees,” Forstrom says. “I think he has something to gain personally. It's fairly obvious – a job, money, status.” 

Despite opposition from the company and the CTM, the independent union won legal status last summer, but it has yet to negotiate a new contract and 150 remain fired, including Almaguer. 

Meanwhile, for five months, grim-faced women, often with their children beside them, have confronted police outside the plant, and camped out in Rio Bravo's main plaza. Their banners demand “libertad sindical,” or the right to belong to a union of their choice. 

Most of the 1.2 million Mexican workers employed in 3,450 foreign-owned factories belong to unions, at least on paper, but do not control those organizations. 

If more workers run their own unions, and negotiate their own contracts, companies will feel enormous pressure to raise wages. Success at Duro could cost a lot of money. 

“This fire was intentional,” Almaguer declares. “They were trying to wipe us off the map, and now my home is just ashes.” 

Berkeley resident and PNS associate editor David Bacon writes widely on immigrant and labor issues. 

Police Chief Dash Butler has unofficially made it known around the department that he intends to retire by August pending the city’s adoption of a new retirement plan. 

“When you put all you’ve got into the job, your body lets you know when it’s time,” Butler said. “I feel good about leaving now.” 

Butler, 51, who has spent 30 years with Berkeley’s police department including 11 years as chief, has not made an official retirement announcement, but said he will if the City Council adopts a new state-approved retirement policy. The new policy will allow police officers to retire at 50 years old and receive 3 percent of their pay for every year they have been employed.  

Butler was at the helm of the department during some turbulent events in Berkeley. Among them were a hostage standoff in 1990 in which 31-year-old Mirdad Dashdi killed a UC Berkeley student and took 33 hostages at Henry’s Bar in the Durant Hotel, the 1997 policy fight over police use of pepper spray and the 1999 KPFA demonstrations.  

Butler said he was most proud of improving the relationship between the department, city government and the community. “Now we have a sound relationship and that’s because we always try to do the right thing.” 

City officials said they had heard rumors about Butler’s pending retirement. All agreed to be a police chief in a politically active city like Berkeley is a tough job.  

“To survive for 11 years is quite an accomplishment,” said Acting City Manager Weldon Rucker. “The Berkeley Police Department has been under heavy scrutiny for the last 35 years and if you look at some of his predecessors you’ll see they didn’t last so long.” 

Butler, who’s manner is unassuming and quiet, would only say that he would never have been so successful if it weren’t for the quality of the police department employees. 

Mayor Shirley Dean said she is very sorry to hear Butler may be leaving. “He has always been very sensitive on issues regarding youth,” she said. “You just don’t expect that from a police chief these days.” 

Dean said Berkeley is a tough place to be a police chief and it won’t be easy to replace him. 

Councilmember Polly Armstrong said Butler’s biggest success has been keeping illicit drugs to a minimum in Berkeley. She said people don’t think of drugs as a problem in Berkeley and that’s largely due to Chief Butler’s efforts. “His biggest priority has been to keep drugs out of Berkeley and out of the hands of young people,” Armstrong said. “If you look at other cities in the East Bay, they have not been as successful.”  

When Butler, who spent two years on the drug task force, talks about illegal drugs his normally relaxed, quiet tone becomes direct. “Violence and drugs are inextricably, inextricably tied together,” Butler said. “Drugs are the most traceable reason for street corner violence.” 

Again Butler would take little credit for any success Berkeley has had fighting against drug dealers, who Butler described as predatory. He said the patrol officers, the drug task force and the homicide department have worked together to do an incredible job. 

Butler has had his share of conflict with the Berkeley Police Association over policy issues and disagreements about promotions. BPA President Sgt. Randy Files said although he’s clashed with Butler, the chief was always willing to discuss differences. “When there’s been problems in the past we’ve always been able to keep working towards a common goal which was to create the best working environment possible,” Files said. “I wish him the best in his retirement.” 

Though he has had plenty of offers, Butler has never worked for any other police department. “I’ve only ever wanted to be a Berkeley police officer,” he said. 

Butler, who was born and raised in San Francisco, said his successful career with the department may all be owed to a traffic ticket. Butler was 19 years old and attending UC Berkeley when he was pulled over in his “hotrod blue VW bug” by officer Jerry Templeman. (Butler is vague about what the offense was.) 

“I had seen policing done in different ways, and Jerry was a straight shooter who was compassionate,” he said. “I thought about it and decided I wanted to make a positive change and I wanted to make it in Berkeley.” 

Butler said the most immediate task facing a the new chief will be finding qualified people to work in the department. He said the department may soon be facing a staff shortage and the competition for qualified recruits is tough. 

Butler has not said what exactly he will do after he retires but he is interested in computers and has done some writing. Whatever he does he said he feels good about his work in Berkeley. 

“There were a lot of things I said I was going to do in 1990 and I got most of them done,” he said. “I feel like I’m leaving a good legacy.” 

When the Cal men’s basketball team tips off the Pac-10 season against Arizona Thursday evening, they face a team that has seen more trouble than anyone could have imagined. 

The Wildcats are a supremely talented squad, favored by many experts to win the national championship. There was even talk of an undefeated season. But while the title may still be in the cards, the Wildcats have already lost four games and fallen to No. 15 in the polls, and two of their starters, center Loren Woods and wingman Richard Jefferson, have served suspensions for receiving improper gifts. 

The losses are bad, but easily take a back seat to the emotions of losing Bobbi Olson, head coach Lute Olson’s wife and a big part of the Arizona program for the past 18 years. Olson took a leave of absence Saturday to care for his wife, who died Monday of ovarian cancer. 

“She was like a second mom to a lot of the players over the years,” said Josh Pastner, an Arizona assistant coach and former Wildcat player. “She was instrumental in a lot of guys coming here.” 

Olson remains on leave, and no return date has been announced. The normally stoic coach broke down in tears when he told the players he would be leaving to care for his wife of 47 years, and several players expressed their grief by writing Bobbi Olson’s name on their equipment for Tuesday’s game against Mississippi State. 

“It’s an emotional time,” Woods said. “But it’s important we remain strong and play our best for Coach Olson.” 

The Wildcats’ play has been inconsistent this year, to say the least. With Woods missing the first six games and Jefferson missing one game, Arizona has only had its full starting lineup together for four games. They lost to Connecticut on a controversial call. They have been criticized for not playing hard, playing sloppily and trying to cruise by on talent alone. But with the emotional roller-coaster the team has been on, one suspects that fans haven’t seen the real Wildcats play yet. 

“I don’t think you can ever measure how a team is going to react to all of it,” said Cal coach Ben Braun. “We’re not machines. We're all still human beings and your emotional welfare and well being does affect your approach to things. It’s hard to imagine what that coaching staff and their players are going through.” 

But despite the emotional trauma and inconsistent play, the Wildcats remain many experts’ pick to win the Pac-10, including their biggest challenger for the title. 

“Arizona is still perhaps the most talented team in the country,” said Stanford coach Mike Montgomery, whose team is undefeated and No. 2 in the country. “I still think it should be the (Pac-10) favorite. They have had some circumstances recently that put them in a bad spot. But it’s still the team to beat and we have to approach it that way. Anyone who doesn't is not really looking at things very well.”

Extend time between cigs 

Editor: 

About twenty years ago, after several tries, I found a smokingintervention program run by a wise physician at the old French Hospital in San Francisco.  

His theory was that one should never set a date to quit smoking because you'd always find an excuse not to keep the date. 

Instead, he counseled the class to see how long they could go between cigarettes.  

He told us that the urge to smoke only lasts a few seconds and gave us a list of 49 things to do to curb the urge – chew on a tooth pick, get in the shower, kiss a friend, go to a movie... He also told us to congratulate ourselves on the length of time we beat that wee white stick and, if we succumbed, not to beat up ourselves, but to try for a longer record the next time.  

I have been between cigarettes for twenty years.  

I finally threw out the ash trays, changed the nicotine stained curtains and learned to smell the roses.  

I don't know why smoking cessation programs such as that described in your 1/3/01 paper make it such an onerous process with such a low success rate when the competitive instinct in all of us can make us all winners. 

Sally Williams 

Berkeley 

Community members and AC Transit administrators agree, the current complaint system is not working.  

The people who make decisions about the bus system are not getting input from the people who use it. 

“What we’ve been doing is looking at better ways to get a broader array of community input into the work we do here, so we get a better sense of what the community needs,” said Jim Gleich, Deputy General Manager of AC Transit.  

Currently two groups formally interact with AC Transit, one group specializes in disability issues, and the other is a broader group for riders’ issues, the Riders Advisory Committee. 

“I think we’ve felt for a long time that that amounts to limited input,” Gleich said. He said surveys around the country determined that advisory committees do not constitute adequate community input. “It becomes an excuse for not doing a better job. Those groups aren’t reflective of the community they serve. That’s not to say they’re not of value, but for us to pretend that that’s our community input process would be pretty irresponsible.” 

Complainants who are not members of the advisory committee often find themselves without a face to bring their complaints to. Malik Hassan, lead community organizer for Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency, a Berkeley based nonprofit, helped organize low-income individuals to bring issues before the board. His group attended Transit Board meetings to make their voices heard. 

But attending meetings is not an option available to all transit riders. 

“Where are the meetings happening?” said Darren Noy, lead community organizer for Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency. “Working with poor and homeless constituencies, the number one difficulty that we have is transportation. Mobilizing to come to a meeting is a tremendous expenditure of resources. It’s a lot of time and it’s a transportation cost.” 

Gleich is examining several options for revamping the system, including bus rider surveys, more public meetings, and hiring community liaisons. But bus advocates say that no matter how good a public input system is, it won’t change anything unless AC Transit listens to the suggestions and takes them to heart. 

And right now, they say, AC Transit ignores the input they are already getting. 

“They’re wrapped up in the way they run things, and they just are not prepared for community input,” said Charlie Betcher, member of the Riders Advisory Committee. He recommended that AC Transit hire an ombudsman to deal with complaints disinterestedly. “A complaint isn’t useful unless it serves to change the behavior of the party that’s complained about. A lot of people complain,” he said, “but (AC Transit) regards them as an administrative problem.” 

Gleich disagreed with the charge that AC Transit does not respond to complaints. “I think we’re very flexible,” he said. “There are things that get identified that require both some study and maybe fairly complex changes to address so it might take a little time, but we’re up for always being responsive.” 

On the heels of a successful union drive by restaurant workers at the Berkeley marina, another group of employees in the city has called for a union. 

They are the 25 people who work for the 27-year-old nonprofit Community Conservation Center, charged by the city with disposing of its residents’ recyclables. 

The organizing drive is spearheaded by the Industrial Workers of the World, the same almost-century-old union with which the Ecology Center recyclers organized about a decade ago. 

The workers, who are asking for better pay, more vacation time, specific skill level definitions and more democracy on the job, have called for a “card check,” by which a union is automatically established once a majority of the workers sign cards. The employer must agree to the card check. 

But the CCC management has rejected this form of balloting. 

Board secretary Pam Belchamber said a National Labor Relations Board-sponsored vote by secret ballot is the preferable alternative. This method “assures everyone gets to voice their opinion that is confidential,” she said. 

IWW organizer Steve Ongerth, however, argued that a labor board vote could take a year or more. “An employer can delay” the vote, he said. During that time, management might try to fire workers who want to join the union or cut employee hours, Ongerth said. 

“A supermajority signed the cards. They all feel it is in their interest,” he said. 

Belchamber, whose son Jeff Belchamber is CCC manager, said the board had no intention of holding off the election more than a month or 45 days. The board had to look into what unionization would mean for the company, she said, explaining that the concept of their workers joining a union was “new territory.” 

“It’s prudent to take a little time,” she said. “We need to talk about what our responsibility is.”  

Belchamber said the board planned to meet with the workers and a third neutral party to move the process forward.  

“Under no circumstances do we want to delay this.” 

When the downtown Berkeley YMCA reopens its Family Center later this month, it will provide new services for non-member families with disabled children, foster families, pregnant teens and teen mothers. 

In the past, the Family Center had a narrower focus, offering convenient low-cost baby sitting for YMCA members who wanted to ran a tread mill, lift weights or go for a swim.  

The new and improved Family Center will soon add a counseling component to its services. It will be a place where teen mothers and parents of disabled children can find a supportive ear. It will also serve foster families. 

“It’s our way of thanking parents who are foster parents for what they are doing and also to support them,” said Diane Dodge, associate executive director of the YMCA. Eden O’Brien-Brenner, family program director for the downtown Berkeley YMCA who also has a foster child, said the Family Center will serve as a community for parents to meet other parents and for young children to spend time with their peers. She said the programs will serve as an educational resource for parents. They can learn how to manage everything from their children’s separation anxiety to teething problems. 

Many families also need a place to leave their children while they exercise and cannot afford to pay steep prices for childcare services. Child watch services cost $2.50 per hour for members. 

“A lot of families could not exercise if not for this center and the programs,” O’Brien-Brenner said. The old Family Center occupied only one room in the YMCA at 2001 Allston Way. A second room is being added and the original room is being renovated. The area includes special places for kids – a reading loft, a computer learning area, a play area with tricycles and a private resting area for infants. There will also be an area for counseling. While their parents work out or receive counseling, children from eight weeks to seven years old can work with a literacy specialist and do yoga. Proposition 10, a state tobacco tax that gives money to childhood services, funded the expanded counseling program with a $50,000 grant. The YMCA was one of 11 organizations in Berkeley that received funding from the proposition. 

The Family Center will be in use by mid-January and the grand opening event for members will be Feb. 10. The idea for a new center began two years ago, but construction did not begin until child summer camps ended in early September and is not yet finished.  

The cost of construction for the Family Center and the soon-to-be-built Teen Center directly upstairs is about $200,000. 

Dodge said the center should serve at least 300 to 400 families a week, about a 30 percent increase from the previous center. 

“It will be so much fun here that the parents will have to come to work out just so the kids can spend time here at the Family Center,” she said.

SACRAMENTO — Boosting electricity bills for millions of homes an average of $5 a month, a plan floated Wednesday by state regulators, would give California’s strapped utilities a quick infusion of cash. 

But Wall Street is skeptical, it does nothing to preclude future rate increases and it doesn’t target the crux of California’s burgeoning electricity crisis – the spiraling cost of wholesale energy. 

Moreover, it begins to place on ratepayers the ultimate financial responsibility for protecting utilities – a responsibility likely to grow in coming months. For the first time, it spreads the reality of sharp electricity rate increases beyond San Diego and southern Orange County, where residential bills doubled and tripled earlier this year. 

And while the Public Utilities Commission’s proposed 90-day rate increase is far less than feared by consumer groups, it is dramatically smaller than the 26 percent to 30 percent boost urged by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Southern California Edison Co. The PUC was scheduled to vote on its plan Thursday. 

“If it were adopted as proposed, it would give us cause for concern. It would suggest that the commission is not committed to preserving the utilities’ financial viability nor the utilities’ financial integrity, when you consider that the utilities are recovering from their customers only 5.5 cents per kilowatt hour and they are spending 25 to 29 cents to buy it,” said David Bodek of Standard and Poor’s. 

That means the two utilities that serve more than three-fourths of California’s population – and who are absorbing daily losses of $40 million from their wholesale electricity purchases – likely will be back soon seeking additional increases. 

“It certainly seems to be short of what the utilities were asking for and, more importantly, what the Wall Street credit-rating agencies were looking for. It sounds like more of a short-term arrangement and puts off a day of reckoning,” said Gary Schlossberg, senior economist for Wells Capital Management. The utilities say they have lost more than $9 billion since June, caused by huge increases in wholesale power costs that they have been blocked from passing on to their customers because of a rate freeze. 

The PUC’s draft proposal would increase residential rates by about 9 percent, or roughly $5 per month for the average $55 monthly bill. Small businesses’ bills would go up 7 percent, and the largest businesses and industrial ratepayers would pay up to 15 percent more. The bills of low-income people would not be affected. 

Even if the rate increase remained in effect for a full year, not just 90 days, it would provide only $274 million for PG&E and some $234 million for SoCal Edison. The numbers were calculated on 1999 figures from the U.S. Department of Energy for total kilowatt hours sold. 

“It may be a question of too little too late,” Bodek said.  

“They (the utilities) are looking at running out of cash over the next several weeks, and they will need bank financing and access to the capital markets to continue to operate their businesses. 

“It is safe to say the capital markets are looking for evidence that they will be repaid,” he added. 

The PUC’s recommendation includes language offering refunds if the market stabilizes and the utilities can afford it – but there is little likelihood that such refunds will materialize. 

Consumer activists believe the PUC’s initial rate plan is the first of many that will be required to assure fiscal protection for the utilities, who helped write California’s 1996 deregulation law. 

And they note – not happily – that the law allowed utilities to avoid billions of dollars in liabilities from earlier programs, such as nuclear energy development. 

The “PUC will continue to give little bites out of our paychecks to utility companies, hoping we won’t notice it and spreading the cost out over time,” said Harry Snyder, West Coast director of Consumers Union. 

“The problem in California is that there is no coherent leadership. The leadership from the governor is lacking. The leadership from the Legislature is lacking, mainly because nobody in the Legislature knows their elbow from a hot rock,” Snyder said. 

Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for Gov. Gray Davis, said the governor has acted to protect ratepayers and will outline new proposals on Monday in his State of the State Address to the Legislature. 

“He joined with Senator Feinstein in getting an emergency order to keep the lights on and continue getting power, and he approved emergency relief for San Diego,” Maviglio said, declining to comment on the PUC’s plan. 

“The problem is that wholesale power rates are federally regulated and there is nothing that anybody in California can do about it,” he added. 

But Bob Glynn Jr., president and CEO of Pacific Gas and Electric Corp., said California’s electricity crisis comes down to simple numbers – numbers the Legislature can understand. 

“I’ve got a fourth-grade grandson that can do the math on this. If you’re buying at 27 cents and selling at 7, you’re going to fun out of money,” Glynn said. 

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Mercury News has fired a reporting intern who had been suspended for plagiarism, after more evidence of copying work from other publications was discovered. 

The paper said it suspended intern David Cragin on Dec. 28 after discovering that parts of a story he wrote Dec. 26 about San Francisco’s high housing costs appeared to be lifted from a recent article in the Washington Post. 

A review of all of Cragin’s work at the Mercury News revealed he also plagiarized work from other publications, including a San Francisco Chronicle article published three years ago. 

“Plagiarism is unacceptable in our newspaper and in our business,” Managing Editor Susan Goldberg wrote in a memo to newspaper staff.  

“It is an inherent violation of the trust we have with our readers and with our professional colleagues.” 

The paper said it began to investigate Cragin after a reporter from the Chronicle called to question similarities in the two articles. 

In December, the Mercury News investigated whether former intern Eric Drudis fabricated sources in stories he wrote for the paper. 

“It’s obviously a case where the oversight broke down,” University of California, Berkeley journalism professor Thomas C. Leonard told the Chronicle. “That’s a question the Mercury News will want to address, since they’ve had two unfortunate cases recently.” 

The Mercury News reported that Cragin said he read the Washington Post’s Nov. 27 story about families living in cramped hotel rooms before filing his own story. 

The beginning of Cragin’s story mirrors the Post’s story almost word for word. 

“I know it’s pretty similar obviously, but that’s just a small piece of the story,” the Mercury News quoted Cragin as saying. 

Cragin graduated from San Francisco State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and worked for Bay City News Service before joining the San Francisco bureau of the Mercury News last summer. 

NEW YORK — The Federal Reserve lit a match under the financial thermometer. 

It did so at a time when negative news was piling atop negative news, sending vibrations through the economy and threatening to send an avalanche that conceivably could bury the economy in recession. 

Clearly, the Fed had become nervous about losing its ability to control the slowdown it intentionally created by raising interest rates six times between June 1999 and May 2000. 

At the time, it feared that demands by consumers and producers might tax the economy’s ability to respond, an almost certain precursor of inflation and, eventually, recession. It got what it sought, and more. 

Since midyear 2000, negative news has piled upon negative news. Energy supplies fell and prices rose. Factories slumped. High-tech stocks crashed. Retailers were disappointed with sales. Confidence eroded. 

The general view of things, which had reached an extreme of optimism in which all news was viewed as good news, took a drastic turn. A mania of optimism showed indications of deteriorating into a panic attack. 

For many investors, large and small, professional and amateur, the erosion was seen vividly in Wall Street expectations. Belatedly, analysts who had deemed stocks a buy all year long now issued some sell advisories. 

The advice came too late for millions of investors, many of whom had bought at the January 2000 peak of 11,722.98 in the Dow Jones industrial average. Worse, some had bought at the Nasdaq March peak of 5,048.62. 

By yearend, those averages were down to 10,786.85 for the Dow and 2,470,52 for the Nasdaq – a 39 percent plunge. Worse, the prices of many stocks had collapsed, falling more than 50 percent from their highs. And so went confidence. 

While some viewed the tail end of the decline as the result of investors seeking tax deductions by selling before the end of the year, it persisted into the new year, amid the general worsening of economic news. 

While the Federal Reserve gave indications that it now had become more concerned with recession than inflation, few foresaw that it would lower interest rates by one-half percent, 50 basis points, in one sudden move. 

Nor was the timing widely foreseen, at least by ordinary Americans. What seemed to be a consensus among economists was for a 25 basis point cut at the Fed’s regular meeting just before the end of the month. 

The suddenness of the move might even have provided fuel for worriers, rather than a boost to confidence. Was the economic situation even more dire than foreseen? Was the Fed wary of losing control? 

All the time, however, the nation’s financial engineer, chairman Alan Greenspan, the fellow who braked the overly exuberant economy, was still at the controls, and able to throw the lever the opposite way. The worriers weren’t routed entirely. 

It doesn’t mean the Fed has automatic power to make the economy dance to its wishes, but the quick response of the stock market showed that it had restored at least some small measure of confidence. 

Despite the size of the Fed’s cut, it hardly unloaded its ammunition, and some, especially those who expect the economy to continue downhill toward recession levels, anticipate rates to be lowered by another 75 basis points in the near future. 

There are other possible correctives as well. President-elect George W. Bush has promised to seek a tax cut. While perhaps not as powerful as lower interest rates, a tax cut has enormous psychological value, a remedial shock for the entire economy. 

Social Security might enter the picture. Six years ago, the idea of allowing individuals to invest part of their Social Security withholdings in securities was the political third rail – touch it and die. 

Political thinking in both parties has now come around to believing some privatization of Social Security funds is a possibility, conceivably even this year. For stocks, that could be like found money. 

While recognizing the seriousness of the economic downturn, economist Jim Griffin of Aeltus Investment Management, had already taken a bright view of the future. 

“Don’t confuse an ugly present with the prospect for an ugly future,” he advises. 

John Cunniff is a business analyst and writer for The  

Associated Press

A change in behavior is the key to quitting smoking, says Marcia Brown-Machen, director for the city’s Tobacco Prevention Program, which is sponsoring a free six-week smoking cessation class. 

The program will help smokers identify the triggers and stressors in their lives that cause them to smoke. The ultimate goal is “to best create an environment for yourself where you can quit,” Brown-Machen said.  

Many people who quit try six or seven times before they break the habit, Brown-Machen said. The stop-smoking class will be repeated every two months.  

“Some people have to go through this class multiple times,” she said. 

In addition to the behavior modification, Brown-Machen said many students compliment the class with other resources. Some use a new medication called Ziban, which was originally used as an antidepressant and has been found to help people trying to quit smoking, she said.  

Others use nicotine replacement therapies such as the patch, nose sprays, nicotine gum and inhalers. They may also use hypnosis and acupuncture. 

People who attend the classes will learn that they need to go through five stages to change their behavior. The first is pre-contemplation, beginning to think about quitting. That’s followed by contemplation, then action, then trial – trying out and evaluating the new behavior. Finally, there is adopting the new behavior, or actually quitting smoking.  

Classes are limited to 20 people, but usually end up with six to eight students, Brown-Machen said. “We have a high drop-out rate. Many of the people are ambitious at first, but people have to be motivated.”  

She said much of this motivation comes from other people disapproving of the smoking habit, especially from people for whom the smoker cares. Conversely, friends’ support is very important to smokers who are trying to kick the addiction. 

The success rate is typically 10 to 20 percent, Brown-Machen said. 

She said has seen classes where 25 percent of the people are still not smoking six months after the class. She said the class is good because people decide a quit date as a group and then work toward that goal together.  

The class leader will be Carolyn Aust who has had extensive experience leading classes both for Kaiser Permanente and for the American Lung Association.  

Brown-Machen said that the program, which is funded by revenues created by a quarter-per-pack tax initiated by Proposition 99, would like to reach those people who have made New Year’s resolutions to quit smoking. 

The “Freedom from Tobacco” classes begin January 18 and runs for six Thursday evenings, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. Berkeley residents and employees are asked to call 644-6422 and leave a message or e-mail the Tobacco Prevention Program at quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us.  

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 

Commission on the Status  

of Women  

7:45 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

The Mayor’s special study group’s report on domestic violence and plans for international women’s day ceremonies for March, 2001 and other activities for Women’s History Month.  

Human Welfare & Community Action Commission 

7 - 10 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center  

2939 Ellis St. (at Ashby)  

The commission will consider their future schedule through the allocation planning process.  

Thursday, Jan. 4

Snowshoe Tours  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Catherine Stifter of Backcountry Tracks presents a slide-show on her favorite ski and snowshoe tours off Highway 49 between Sierra City and Yuba Pass. Free 

527-4140 

Keeping Your Healthy  

Resolutions 

10:30 a.m. - Noon 

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center 

Summit North Pavilion Cafeteria, Annexes B & C 

350 Hawthorne St.  

Oakland 

Sue Elderkin, physical therapist, will give tips on sticking to exercise resolutions for the new year and how to incorporate healthy practices into daily life.  

869-6737 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Teddy Weiler and host Randy Fingland.  

644-0155 

Housing Advisory Commission  

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center  

2939 Ellis St.  

Discussion and action on the city proposal to provide equal benefits for domestic partners of city employees and domestic partners of employees of entities doing business with the city of Berkeley. Also discussion and possible action on the city’s Oxford St. parking lot proposal.  

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 

Taize’ Worship Service  

7:30 - 8:30 p.m. 

Loper Chapel  

(adjacent to) First Congregational 

Church of Berkeley  

Dana St. (between Durant & Channing) 

Call 848-3696  

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12 234-6046 

“Medieval China - How We Got to Where We Are” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Stephen West, professor at the Institute of East Asian Studies at UC Berkeley will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533  

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. This is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program. 549-2970  

Saturday, Jan. 6

Hip Hop Theater Workshop  

9 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave. (at Derby)  

A participatory one-day workshop as part of the center’s Kaleidoscope Arts Infusion Series. Led by hip-hop poet and performer Will Power and playwright Rickerby Hinds. $60 individual, $45 family (two or more) Call 845-8542 x376 or visit ww.juliamorgan.org 

Rose Pruning Workshop  

9:30 a.m.  

UC Botanical Garden  

200 Centennial Dr.  

Peter Klement, UC Botanical Garden rose expert will share his expertise and demonstrate techniques for shaping old-fashioned roses, climbers and hybrid teas to assure maximum flowering.  

$20 - $27.50 643-2755 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Monday, Jan. 8  

Berkeley Community Chorus Rehearsal 

7 - 10 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church, basement 

1145 Gilman St.  

Conducted by Julian White, pianist, teacher & composer, the chorus will perform White’s “The Children’s Hour” and Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasia.” The chorus meets every Monday night. Performance dates are May 5, 12 & 13.  

$75 tuition for semester 528-2145 or visit www.bcco.org 

Fun With Origami  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Pato O’Sullivan 644-6107  

Tuesday, Jan. 9  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

531-8664 

Remembering: What’s Normal and What’s Not  

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With Tina Williams  

Wednesday, Jan. 10  

Kids Dance Open House &  

Class 

5 - 6 p.m. 

El Cerrito Community Center 

7007 Moeser Lane 

El Cerrito  

Parents are invited to explore how dance relates to cognitive, kinesthetic, and socio-emotional development in their children. For ages three to seventeen. Free  

Call 530-4113  

Tai Chi Chuan  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Henry Chang 

Call 644-6107 

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 

Benefit Concert for Food First 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 

Featuring the David Thom Band, Buffalo Roam, Tree o’ Frogs, and Ten Ton Chicken. All proceeds benefit Food First.  

$10 - $15 donation 

Call Kevin Doyle, 843-6389 x201 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Kirk Lumpkin and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

California Babylon  

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

Kristan Lawson & Anneli Rufus discuss their book “A Guide to Sites of Scandal, Mayhem, and Celluloid in the Golden State.” Free 

Call 843-3533  

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 

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Ski & Snowboard Descents  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Paul Richins, author of “50 Classic Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Summits in California - Mt. Shasta to Mt. Whitney,” presents in slides some of his favorite ski mountaineering and backcountry snowboard descents. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Ballroom Dancing  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Roman Ostrowski  

Call 644-6107  

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 

“Sing for Hope” 

8 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2435 Channing Way (at Dana) 

The second annual event features an evening of arias and Broadway show tunes sung by seven of New York’s young rising opera stars. All proceeds benefit the Center for AIDS Services, a nonprofit day center in Oakland for people with HIV and AIDS.  

$35 performance only, $50 performance & post-concert reception 

Call 655-3435 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“Innovative Approaches to Farming”  

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Reggie Knox, executive director of Community Alliance with Family Farms of Santa Cruz will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533  

Yiddish Conversation  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With allen Stross  

Call 644-6107 

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 

Dia de los Reyes Concert  

8 p.m. 

St. Joseph the Worker Church  

1640 Addison  

Performing will be Coro Hispano de San Francisco and Conjunto Nuevo Mundo with the Jackeline Rago Ensemble de la Pena.  

$12 - $15  

Call (415) 431- 4234 

Rose Pruning Workshop  

9:30 a.m.  

UC Botanical Garden  

200 Centennial Dr.  

Peter Klement, UC Botanical Garden rose expert will share his expertise and demonstrate techniques for shaping old-fashioned roses, climbers and hybrid teas to assure maximum flowering.  

$20 - $27.50  

Call 643-2755 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

In their first East Bay show of the millennium, Sedge Thomson welcomes Lavay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers.  

Call 415-664-9500 for reservations 

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 

Free Feng Shui Class 

3 p.m. 

Eastwind Books of Berkeley  

2066 University Ave.  

Taught by Lily Chung, author of “Calendars for Feng Shui and Divination.” 

Call Eastwind, 548-3250 

Tuesday, Jan. 16  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

“Travel as Pilgramage” 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

Various travel writers discuss the spiritual aspects of travel. Free 

Call 843-3533  

Avalanche Safety Course  

6 - 9:30 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Dick Penniman, internationally known avalanche instructor and consultant, presents a slide lecture and video presentation on the fundamentals of avalanches and rescue techniques.  

$20  

Call Dick Penniman, (877) SNO-SAFE 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is the role of the U.S. in global politics and priorities.  

Call 527-9772  

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 

Your Justice System at Work 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

West Oakland Senior Center  

1724 Adeline St.  

Oakland  

Judges of the Superior Court, attorneys, probation officers, sheriff’s officers and other justice system representatives will be present to hear the concerns of the public and to answer their questions.  

Call 268-7610 

Thursday, Jan. 18  

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Ayodele Nzinga and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

Combating Congestion  

1 - 5 p.m. 

Pauley Ballroom 

Student Union Building  

UC Berkeley 

A one-day transportation conference featuring Martin Wachs and Elizabeth Deakin, both of UC Berkeley. Co-sponsored by the Institute of Transportation Studies and the UC Transportation Center.  

Call 642-1474  

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Become Berkeley City Smart 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

In a slide presentation & talk, Berkeley resident, restaurant and movie critic John Weil takes attendees on a unique tour through the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Berkeley and Oakland. Free 

Call 843-3533  

Disabled American Veterans Chapter 25 Meeting 

8 p.m. 

Veterans Memorial Building  

1931 Center St.  

Any woman who has had a relative serve in the U.S. military is invited to attend and join the auxiliary.  

Call 916-372-8364 

Journey Across China 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Eugene Tsiang, Shanghai native, will give a slide presentation on his two-month journey last spring by train and four-wheel drive vehicle across China’s Shaanxi, Gansu and Xinjiang Provinces. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us  

Friday, Jan. 19 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“Evidence-Based Practice - How it May Effect You” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Eileen Gambrill, professor in the department of social welfare at UC Berkeley with speak. 

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533 

Saturday, Jan. 20  

On Death & Dying 

9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Buddhist Temple  

2121 Channing Way (between Shattuck & Fulton)  

Kathleen Gustin, Zen priest, and Rev. Ronald Nakasone of the Graduate Theological Union speak at this workshop designed to help those considering their own ending or that of loved ones.  

$20 per person (box lunch included) 

Call Ken Kaji, 601-5394 

Corinne Innis Reception 

5 - 7 p.m. 

Women’s Cancer Resource Center 

3023 Shattuck Ave.  

Paying homage to her subconscious, Innis uses rich colors in her acrylic paintings.  

Call 548-9286 

Monday, Jan. 22  

Berkeley Rail Stop Community  

Design Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

West Berkeley Senior Center 1900 Sixth St.  

The public is invited to suggest ideas and comment on plans for design-development at the rail stop/transit plaza area of West Berkeley.  

Call 644-6580 

Urban Homelessness  

& Public Policy Solutions 

9 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Alumni House  

UC Berkeley  

This day-long conference will include key scholars, service providers, and policymakers in the homelessness field. Some of the subjects to be covered will be: Homeless population dynamics and policy implications, health issues in homelessness, and legal and political issues in homelessness. Free and open to the public.  

For more info, visit: http://urbanpolicy.berkeley.edu/homeless.htm 

Tuesday, Jan. 23 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, Jan. 25  

Spirits in the Time of AIDS 

6 - 8 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland 

Pro Arts reception for the opening of their new exhibition seeking to expand the understanding of HIV and AIDS and the people who are affected by them.  

Call 763-9425 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Climbing Mt. Everest  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Bob Hoffman, organizer and leader of four environmental clean-up expeditions on Everest, will give a slide presentation on the Inventa 2000 Everest Environmental Expedition’s recent ascent. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Glenn Ingersoll and host Louis Cuneo.  

644-0155 

Friday, Jan. 26 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

“The Aftermath of the National Election” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Susan Rasky, senior lecturer at the graduate school of journalism at UC Berkeley will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533 

Saturday, Jan. 27  

Clori, Tirsi & e Fileno 

8 p.m. 

Crowden School  

1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 

Teatro Bacchino, the Bay Area’s Baroque Opera company, will be performing Handel’s story of jealousy in love. Pre-concert talk 45 minutes before the performance.  

$15 - $20  

Call 658-3382  

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Cuddly, Soft, Furry Things & Friends 

10 - 10:50 a.m. & 11:10 a.m. - Noon  

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley  

A special workshop for two - three year-olds to meet, pet, and feed rabbits, doves, and snakes.  

$22 - $25, $10 for additional family members, registration required  

Call 642-5134 

Sunday, Jan. 28  

Clori, Tirsi & e Fileno 

7 p.m. 

Crowden School  

1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 

Teatro Bacchino, the Bay Area’s Baroque Opera company, will be performing Handel’s story of jealousy in love. Pre-concert talk 45 minutes before the performance.  

$15 - $20  

Call 658-3382  

Tuesday, Jan. 30 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Jan. 31 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra  

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Featuring “Berkeley Images,” a world premiere by Jean-Pascal Beintus.  

$10 - $35  

Call 841-2800 

Thursday, Feb. 1 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet John Rowe and host Randy Fingland.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 2 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Allee der Kosmontauten 

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Performance of Berlin choreographer Sasha Waltz 1996 work in its West Coast premiere. Also features the film work of Elliot Caplan.  

$20 - $42  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Saturday, Feb. 3 

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Spirits in the Time of AIDS Artists Talk 

1 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland  

As part of “Consecrations,” the public is invited to hear artists speak about their work and show slides. Free 

Call 763-9425 

Sunday, Feb. 4 

“Under Construction No. 10” 

7:30 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church  

2727 College Ave.  

Experience the unusual rehearsal-reading format that lets the audience experience the collaboration between conductor, orchestra and composer in the Berkeley Symphony’s unique series presenting new works or works-in-progress by local Bay Area composers.  

Call 841-2800 

Russian National Orchestra  

4 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

On their tenth anniversary tour, the RNO will perform Shostakovich’s symphony No. 5 and Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto No. 2.  

$30 - $52  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

From Flatlands to the Stars  

9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Diamond Park  

Fruitvale Ave. (at Lyman Rd.) 

A hardy hike along Sausal Creek in Oakland’s unexplored Diamond and Joaquin Miller parks. A free hike sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

Tuesday, Feb. 6  

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is sex, love, dating, and relationships in celebration of Valentine’s Day.  

Call 527-9772  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, Feb. 8 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Tom Odegard and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 9  

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Saturday, Feb. 10  

Spirits in the Time of AIDS Open Mic.  

1 p.m. 

Pro Arts Gallery  

461 Ninth St.  

Oakland  

As part of “Consecrations,” the public is invited to see special performances, spoken word, commentary and more.  

Call 763-9425 

Masters of Persian Classical Music 

8 p.m. 

Zellerbach Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Featuring vocalist Mohammad Reza Sharjarian and his son, Homayoun Sharjarian.  

$20 - $40  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Sunday, Feb. 11  

Ruth Acty Oral History Reception 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Historical Society  

Veterans Memorial Building 

1931 Center St.  

In 1943 Miss Ruth Acty became the first African American teacher to be hired by the Berkeley Unified School District. She taught thousands of students until her retirement in 1985. Oral History Coordinator Therese Pipe interviewed Acty in 1993-94 for the Berkeley Historical Society. Free  

Horacio Gutierrez  

3 p.m. 

Hertz Hall 

UC Berkeley  

The Cuban-American pianist will perform Berg’s Sonata, Op.1, George Perle’s Nine Bagatelles, Schumann’s Fantasie, Op. 17 and Beethoven’s Sonata No. 29.  

$24 - $42  

Call 642-9988 or e-mail tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu  

Tuesday, Feb. 13 

“Great Decisions” - U.S. Trade Policy 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session, $35 entire series for single person, $60 entire series for couple  

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, Feb. 15 

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Basics of PCs 

9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley 

A class for adults that will cover file management, loading software, software management, downloading pages from the Web, and more. 

$30 - $35, registration required  

Call 642-5134  

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Kathleen Lynch and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 16 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Saturday, Feb. 17  

“Go-Go-Go Greenbelt!” 

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Rockridge BART  

Oakland  

A bike tour on this ride into the rolling East Bay hills. A free ride sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

Sunday, Feb. 18  

Waterfalls of Berkeley  

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

North Berkeley BART  

Sacramento at Delaware  

On this urban waterfall hike, discover three waterfalls along rushing creeks hidden in Berkeley neighborhoods. A free hike sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance.  

Call 415-255-3233 for reservations or visit www.greenbelt.org 

Tuesday, Feb. 20 

“Great Decisions” - China & Taiwan 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is different cultural, ethnic and religious values.  

Call 527-9772  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, Feb. 22 

Free “Quit Smoking” Class 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis (at Ashby)  

Cease your smoking with the help of this free class offered to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 to enroll or e-mail quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Charles Ellick and host Louis Cuneo.  

644-0155 

Friday, Feb. 23 

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

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 

Tuesday, Feb. 27 

“Great Decisions” - Missile Defense  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, March 1  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Eliza Shefler and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

Tuesday, March 6  

“Great Decisions” - U.S. & Iraq 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is health, nutrition and science; bioengineering.  

Call 527-9772  

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, March 8 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Judy Wells and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

Tuesday, March 13  

Berkeley Rep. Proscenium Opening 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Repertory Theater 

2015 Addison St.  

Featuring the premiere performance of “The Oresteia” by Aeschylus. Opening gala dinner held prior to performance. Performance will be at 8 p.m. 

Call 647-2949 

“Great Decisions” - International Health Crisis 

10 a.m. - Noon  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

The first in a series of eight weekly lectures with the goal of informing the public of current major policy issues. Many of the lectures are presented by specialists in their field and are often from the University of California. Feedback received at these lectures is held in high regard by those in the government responsible for national policy.  

$5 single session 

Call Berton Wilson, 526-2925 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Thursday, March 15  

Simplicity Forum 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Library 

Claremont Branch  

2940 Benveue Ave.  

Facilitated by Cecile Andrews, author of “Circles of Simplicty,” learn about this movement whose philosophy is “the examined life richly lived.” Work less, consume less, rush less, and build community with friends and family.  

Call 549-3509 or visit www.seedsofsimplicity.org  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Elanor Watson-Gove and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

Saturday, March 17  

Berkeley Rep. Community Open House 

Noon - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Repertory Theater 

2015 Addison St.  

Tour the Berkeley Reps. new theater facility, a 600-seat proscenium stage theater. 

Call to reserve a tour, 647-2900  

Pasand boycott has merits 

Editor:  

I strongly disagree with Berkeley City Council member Miriam Hawley’s opinions that the council’s 7 - 2 vote to approve a resolution to support the boycott of Pasand Madras Cuisine is “premature” (Dec. 22, 2000).  

Since Councilmember Kriss Worthington has already made the point that Lakireddy Bali Reddy has already made it clear that he planned to admit his guilt regarding his sexual exploitation of the girls, and the four other members of his family indicated that they would plead guilty to other offenses - before Prasad Lakireddy changed his mind, I will focus on another of my objections to Hawley’s “premature” judgment.  

Hawley presumes that council members should wait passively for the results of the plea bargain or the court case to be completed - as if it is reasonable to assume that the outcome of these legal proceedings will necessarily be fair and just.  

Unfortunately, there is abundant evidence that this is a poor assumption.  

DNA tests are proving that increasing numbers of men, most of them African American, have been imprisoned for various violent crimes for which they are innocent.  

Strong biases against rape victims - particularly in the past - have resulted in the unfair dismissal of thousands of valid cases of rape.  

The sad fact is that the legal system and the systems of law enforcement are frequently racist, sexist, and classist. Celebrities, and wealthy, powerful men in general, are particularly likely to win innocent verdicts or to get off far too lightly. O.J. Simpson is the best known recent example of this phenomenon.  

Reddy’s power and wealth may account for the shocking prediction that plea deals “could keep all five family members from spending any time behind bars,” (Berkeley voice, 10/27/00, p. A-1). Given this possibility, as well as the marked fallibility of the legal system, I consider it highly commendable that seven out of nine members of the Berkeley City Council want to increase the likelihood that justice will be done in this ugly case - rather than waiting to mindlessly rubber stamp whatever the outcome of the plea bargain or trial may be.  

Diana E.H. Russell  

Berkeley  

Gratitude to those who gave for holidays 

As we ring in the New Year, I wish to express my gratitude to a company that voluntarily offered aid to two families with young children during the holidays. In the spirit of giving, Vanessa Wiggins of Check Agencies of California, in Berkeley, made a contribution to a family from Cragmont and a family from City of Franklin Magnet, both Berkeley Elementary Schools.  

The monetary contribution demonstrated the generosity and the spirit of giving that is present throughout the year in many ways, but especially during the holiday season.  

The appreciation for the donation was best seen in the smiling eyes of the children of the families on Christmas day. 

Because the generosity of Berkeley agencies, organizations, and the community at large are generally unmatched, I remind and/or invite every Berkeley resident to donate toys, food, clothing or cash to a Berkeley shelter once a month.  

Lets continue to keep the spirit of giving alive all year round. Thank you. 

Sherri Morton  

Berkeley 

About five years ago Eric Weaver, a Berkeley parent volunteering at his son’s school, discovered kids stealing the teachers’ snacks.  

“I asked them if they were eating breakfast and they weren’t,” said Weaver. So he began to bring Noah’s Bagels every morning for the kids to eat. 

For the rest of this school year all students at Oxford Elementary can have a free luxury breakfast of hot oatmeal, organic yogurt, and other fresh toppings including organic kiwis and satsuma oranges from local farmers. The elementary school is part of a study by Harvard Psychologist Michael J. Murphy documenting the effects of a healthy whole grain breakfast on students’ lives. 

Researchers will administer surveys to parents, teachers and food servers and test students to determine the impact of the breakfast on kids’ academic performance and social behavior. Previous studies have shown that when breakfast is provided children come to school more often, come earlier, and are better able to focus, said Janet Brown, program officer for the Food Systems Project at Berkeley’s Center  

for Ecoliteracy, one of the agencies involved. “The number one goal is that no child will be hungry in school,”  

said Brown. “The unifying principle recognizes the links between nutrition and cognition.”  

She said this policy takes a stand that nutrition is an essential component of learning, “at a time when there’s so much talk about tests, achievement, and accountability.” 

Melissa Agent, a senior at UC Berkeley, is the core researcher for the project. She said the choice of whole grains was to provide a food both healthy and filling, and said the students seem pleased with the choice. “One kid this morning said he didn’t think he’d ever really like oatmeal, but he does,” she said. 

This year the oatmeal is donated by Quaker Oats and labor costs are provided by grants and donations. 

Oxford principle Kathleen Lewis said that the program will continue once the subsidies are gone. 

An important part of the program is making healthy food a sustainable business, said Jared Lawson, program coordinator for the Food Systems Project. 

Brown said, “The big premise is when the quality goes up in the food that’s being served, participation goes up in the program. There are kids who have money who don’t take advantage of the program in very large numbers right now. If the food were great they would.”  

Previous pilot programs combining food quality and choice support her hopes. A salad bar at Malcolm X Elementary School increased food purchases by 46 percent. 

A combination of serious interest and good luck made Oxford School the site for the new study. “We were chosen because we’ve been really involved in improving the nutritional quality of the food served. We fought hard to get a breakfast program,” said Lewis, recalling Weaver’s trips to the bagel shop to get breakfast for students prior to the beginning of a breakfast program. 

Dr. Murphy, who is affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School is studying school nutrition programs all over the United States. The Oxford breakfast bar is part of a larger health awareness program envisioned by the Food Service Project. The Center for Ecoliteracy will coordinate a curriculum that takes students to farms and orchards to show them where the fruit they put on their oatmeal comes from. Murphy will test whether students performance improves, and the Center for Ecoliteracy will learn, said Brown, whether “their IQ about the environment goes up.” 

“We want children to thoroughly understand that the food on their plate comes from a place in the earth, and be able to understand some of the greater implications of what that means. How we feed ourselves is one of, if not the greatest, threat to the landscape, and the single greatest threat to ecological communities,” she said. “How we feed ourselves has to do with, in the long run, if we’ll be able to feed ourselves.”

City planners are reviewing designs for a housing project at Acton Street and University Avenue that the City Council awarded to developers Panoramic Interests and Jubilee Restoration over 19 months ago.  

The recently-submitted design includes 72 units of housing and about 10,000 square feet of commercial space. In May 1999, the City Council voted to give the developers a purchase option for the state-owned property at a small percentage of its value in exchange for 20 units of affordable housing in the development.  

The council voted 6-3 for Panoramic Interests and Jubilee Restoration despite the for-profit status of Panoramic. A non-profit developer, Affordable Housing Associates, lost the bid for the contract even though the company proposed a smaller number of overall units but a greater number of affordable units. 

Since the council awarded the project, the city, the state and the developers, have had to work out the details of the land transfer. The property is being sold under a little used government code that says state land can be sold at below market rates if it is used as affordable housing. 

The land, which Councilmember Dona Spring said was valued at $1 million, will be turned over to the developers for the price of the state’s administrative costs and consideration for the commercial portion of the development. The final price of the land is still in negotiations between the developer and the state. 

The transfer from the state to the developers won’t be complete until the Zoning Adjustments Board has approved a use permit. 

“We’ve submitted our design to the Planning Department,” said Patrick Kennedy, the executive director of Panoramic Interests. “Next we go before the Design Review Committee and the Zoning Adjustments Board.” 

He added that Walgreens Drug Stores was interested in the commercial space but had recently pulled out of the deal because the company thought it was too close to its downtown store. “But we’re hoping to get something that will be valuable to the neighborhood,” Kennedy said. 

The 20 units of affordable housing will include 15 units of very-low-income housing. The U.S. Department of Housing defines very-low-income housing for people who earn 50 percent of the area’s median income.  

According to Stephen Barton, the Director of Berkeley’s Housing Department, median income for a family of two is $54,100. So, by that standard 15 units will be available for two-person families earning $27,000 a year.  

The other five low-income units will be available to renters who earn 80 percent of the area median income which would be $43,280 for a family of two. 

Spring, who supported AHA over Panoramic and Jubilee, said the 20 units of affordable housing is not much more than a straight for-profit developer would have had to create if it paid full price for the land. “Under our inclusionary zoning laws 20 percent of the units would have had to be set aside for affordable housing,” she said. “He’s only giving five and one-half more units than he would have had to provide otherwise.”  

While homicide rates for cities in the Bay Area are dropping, the number of murders in Berkeley was slightly higher this year then the past two years. Numbers are down significantly from 1996 and 1997. 

In 1996, there were eight homicides in Berkeley; in 1997, there were 11; in 1998, there were four, in 1999 there were three and in 2000 there were five. 

Lt. Russell Lopes said none of the homicides in 2000 were drug related, as far as the department has determined. 

Last January a murder on the 1400 block of Oregon Street was a “personal thing” between people who knew each other, Lopes said. The second incident considered a homicide was an officer-involved shooting, ruled “justified” by the district attorney. In a third incident outside a liquor store on the 3400 block of Adeline, a man punched another and that man hit his head on the sidewalk and died. The fourth incident on the 1200 block of Haskell street occurred during a robbery. The fifth incident, which occurred last month, is being investigated as a homicide, but may be ruled otherwise. A man was found lying near the sidewalk near Adeline Street and Martin Luther King, Jr Way, having apparently hit his head on the sidewalk. The coroner’s report has not yet been filed in this case. 

In Oakland, a city recently plagued by a police corruption scandal, homicides have been on the rise in the past year. Oakland logged 79 homicides in 2000, up from 60 the year before.  

San Jose, however, continued its run as one of the safest large cities in the country, with only 17 homicides in 2000, down from 25 in 1999 and almost as low as its record of 13 in 1970. 

San Jose fared better than two cities of comparable size – Las Vegas, which had about 100 homicides and Detroit, which had about 400. 

On average, homicide rates in the Bay area have been on the decline for the past eight years. San Francisco’s numbers were down slightly too, with 61 killings in 2000, compared to 64 the year before. 

City officials in Oakland point out that the city’s overall crime rate, which includes robbery and rape, is down 16 percent from 1999. But some experts say that an increase in homicide numbers over the course of only one year does not necessarily indicate a trend of increased killings. 

Law enforcement officers say high employment rates, a good economy and community policing are responsible for San Francisco’s and San Jose’s low rates. 

But San Jose Police Chief Bill Lansdowne said it has more to do with maintaining a constant police presence on the streets. 

“It’s very comfortable to say the economy is the answer,” he said. “But patrol is even more important.” 

Having police dispersed throughout the city is important to keeping crime down, said San Francisco police officer Michelle Jean. The city has about a dozen precincts, while Oakland has only one centralized headquarters. 

Of the killings in Oakland in 2000, 10 percent were gang-related and 14 percent were drug-related, two areas in which the police have been able to curb the number of homicides. Where the police are having trouble is in dispute-related killings, which made up 32 percent of the city’s homicides. Some of the disputes were minor, such as spilled beer and a fender-bender.

The identity of a 40-year-old male suicide victim discovered in a parking garage Saturday has not been released, pending notification of next of kin. 

The body was found at 2:30 p.m. when a parking attendant at the Center Street Garage on Center near Milvia Street saw the man in the cab of a U-Haul rental pickup truck and called police. 

Lt. Russell Lopes said the man had been dead for as long as two weeks.  

He said the truck was rented approximately two months before. Lopes said the man was an Oakland resident and had been reported missing a week before the body was discovered. “He left a note with the individual he was living with, which indicated he might be suicidal,” he said. 

According to Alameda County Coroner spokesperson Cheryl Gibb, the cause of death was loss of blood from an apparent self-inflicted wound to the wrist. 

Gibb said investigators are examining the man’s belongings in the hopes of locating family members.

SAN FRANCISCO — Representatives from Southern California Edison made it clear at Tuesday’s meeting of the state Public Utilities Commission that they expect customers, both residential and business, to carry the full weight of the utility’s huge debt. 

This followed Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s announcement earlier Tuesday that it expects to run out of cash by early February unless the PUC allows it to raise customers’ bills or it receives additional financing. 

PG&E filed a Form 8-K on Tuesday morning with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, said SEC spokesman John Heine. Publicly traded companies file the form between quarterly and annual reports if major changes to the business are expected. PG&E said it filed the form to update the PUC on testimony given at last week’s hearing. 

Escalating power costs have forced PG&E and SoCal Edison to accumulate more than $9 billion in debt. SoCal Edison filed a Form 8-K with the SEC on Dec. 27. 

A state-enforced price cap has kept the two investor-owned utilities from passing their debt on to consumers, which has hurt their credit rating – essential for borrowing money to buy power and avoid rolling blackouts that could cripple the state’s booming economy. 

“I think the customer has to pay the wholesale market price,” said Bruce Foster, SoCal Edison’s vice president. “We do think, under the law, that we have an entitlement to regain the cost we’re paying into the power exchange.” 

PG&E said last week that a third of the 60 companies it buys power from no longer will sell to the utility unless it has cash in hand. 

And while consumer rate hikes would alleviate the problem somewhat, almost everyone agrees the most viable long-term solution is to force power wholesalers – via the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission – to lower the rates they charge utilities for power. 

SoCal Edison has filed a suit trying to force FERC to do just that, an opinion PG&E supports and expects to echo in the coming weeks. FERC recently placed a “soft cap” on wholesale prices, which the utilities have criticized, saying it only requires extra paperwork for wholesalers before they charge higher prices. 

Wholesalers counter that low supplies of natural gas have forced them to raise their prices. 

On Tuesday, FERC asked a federal court in Washington to throw out SoCal Edison’s suit and give the commission’s plan time to work, particularly its order that the utilities buy 95 percent of their power ahead of time. 

Gov. Gray Davis joined SoCal Edison’s suit Tuesday, filing a friend of the court brief. 

“As the only guardian against the price gouging by wholesale power producers, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has failed in its responsibility to protect Californians from what the agency itself describes as a dysfunctional market for electricity,” Davis said in a prepared statement accompanying his announcement. 

SoCal Edison officials attended the PUC’s fourth day of emergency public hearings to argue for rate increases. Without them, the utilities warned, they face imminent bankruptcy and won’t be able to provide electricity to power 10 million California homes and businesses – affecting around 25 million people. 

PG&E has asked the PUC for a 26 percent rate hike, and SoCal Edison wants an immediate 30 percent increase. But both utilities say far steeper hikes are inevitable – as much as 76 percent over the next two years for SoCal Edison customers. 

But that would make only a tiny dent in the utilities’ growing debt, and Wall Street may not be satisfied unless consumers pay for the entire $9 billion. 

If not, PG&E’s credit rating will decline, putting it into default on bank loans and inevitably leading to bankruptcy, James Asseltine, a managing director at Lehman Bros. in New York said at Friday’s hearing. 

The PUC has said some rate hikes are necessary, but Davis reportedly drew the line at 10 percent in earlier, private negotiations with the utilities. 

Consumer groups, such as The Utility Reform Network, continue to argue that rate increases are a quick fix and only will hurt consumers. 

“My opinion is that they’re all a bunch of crooks,” said Sylvia Siegel, 82, who founded TURN in the 1960s. “They’re bleeding us. I certainly don’t think they deserve what they’re asking for.” 

State administrative law judges will advise the commissioners Wednesday whether to grant requests from PG&E and SoCal Edison to raise their electric rates. 

The PUC can then accept, amend or ignore the recommendation when it makes its official decision Thursday. 

At last week’s hearings, consumer advocates suggested myriad ways for the utilities to pony-up the cash they need to buy power – by selling stock, liquidating assets or getting loans from the utilities’ parent corporations, which have combined assets of $71.8 billion. 

The state’s ratepayer advocate suggested the utilities buy back the power plants they sold during the deregulation process. That would help them avoid price gouging by current plant owners, many of which are out of state, said Jason Zeller from the state Office of Ratepayer Advocates, and arm of the PUC. 

The utilities, which were required to sell the plants in the switch to a deregulated energy market, said they can’t afford to pay fair market value for them. 

All sides were hoping for federal intervention. So far, FERC has declined to do anything that could be seen as derailing deregulation. 

Davis faces growing criticism over the power crunch, and increasing speculation on what it might mean for his political future. He will call the Legislature into special session Wednesday to consider remedies. 

The session will run concurrently with the regular session that also begins Wednesday. A bill passed with a simple majority in a special session takes effect in 90 days, instead of Jan. 1 as it would in a regular session. 

Measures could include a Democratic proposal to use $2 billion of the state’s $10 billion budget surplus to help hold down electricity prices, possibly by building or buying power plants. 

Davis hasn’t ruled out state-owned power plants. However, he will likely propose spending $1 billion for measures such as encouraging more peak power generation and consumer purchases of energy-efficient appliances, said spokesman Steve Maviglio. 

——— 

On the Net 

Securities and Exchange Commission: http://www.sec.gov 

Pacific Gas and Electric Co.: http://www.pge.com 

Southern California Edison: http://www.edisonathome.com 

OAKLAND — A fire that gutted a controversial needle exchange program in Fruitvale has been ruled an arson, and directors of the center vowed today to continue their services despite the setback.  

Casa Segura, located on the 3200 block of San Leandro Street in the Fruitvale District, was hit by the blaze at about 8 p.m. New Year's Eve.  

The three-alarm fire caused an estimated $250,000 in damage. No one was injured.  

From the beginning, investigators were calling the fire suspicious, and have since determined that it began in the kitchen area with the help of an accelerant, said Capt. Vicky Evans-Robinson of the Oakland Fire Department.  

She would provide no further details, however, saying only that the Oakland Police Department and fire department were investigating.  

Even without an office, program officials are determined to carry on at the damaged site with the help of rented power generators and lamps.  

“We'll continue to do the needle exchange,” said Chris Catchpool, executive director of the program. 

In its nine-year history, the Casa Segura program has survived jury trials, police disapproval and “public opposition from some prominent citizens,”Catchpool said.  

Among the program’s most vocal critics is City Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente, who represents the Fruitvale District. De La Fuente was not immediately available for comment. 

“There has been a sort of hysteria whipped up over what we do and why we do it,” Catchpool said, adding that while the “ideologues” opposed to Casa Segura use only words, violence is sometimes done by “the ones that they’re able to ignite.” 

Catchpool said the Casa Segura program still is ostensibly based in the damaged two-story building and will continue its basic services of needle exchange, community outreach, and HIV and Hepatitis C testing. The program receives half of its funding from state and county AIDS offices, and the other half from private donors, he said.

PASO ROBLES — A 13-year-old boy and a school employee were killed Tuesday when a school bus tumbled down the side of U.S. 101 in San Luis Obispo County. 

The small bus, bound for the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, flipped over when the 70-year-old driver failed to make a lefthand curve on the highway just north of Paso Robles about 8:05 a.m., said California Highway Patrol Officer Scott Lee. 

The bus was carrying four children, the driver, Wendell Hammar, and the school employee, Carla Perriera, 40. The vehicle hit a steel guardrail and rolled over several times down a steep embankment, landing on a highway onramp.  

Lee said he believed the bus landed on its nose before coming to rest on the driver’s side. 

The 13-year-old boy and the school employee were ejected from the van, Lee said. 

The vehicle was operated by a private contractor, West Valley Charter Service of Campbell, the CHP said. 

Lee said the cause of the accident remained under investigation. 

Three students and the driver were taken to Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton. Their injuries ranged from broken bones, contusions and cuts to a spinal injury, Lee said. 

The driver and one student were to be treated and released, said hospital spokesman Dennis Pall. Two other students were transferred to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo in serious condition. 

The bus had picked up the students in the central coast region. 

Staff at the school in Fremont, 160 miles northwest of the accident site, were stunned by the news and had counselors on hand to talk to staff and students, C.M. Baldwin, dean of students, said through an interpreter. 

“We’re all very upset. The staff is crying,” Baldwin said. 

The school has about 500 students, about 300 of whom stay on the grounds during the week and go home on weekends. Tuesday was the first day of classes after the holiday break and the four students on the bus were scheduled to arrive at noon for afternoon classes, she said. 

Baldwin said Perriera was a counselor at the school who would wake students for class, supervise them at recess and orders supplies. She would often ride the bus as an escort, Baldwin said. 

Baldwin said three school officials, including one in charge of transportation, headed to the hospitals to offer support for the families.

SAN JOSE — Intel Corp. wants to bring music to your ears – and not just the five-chime logo that accompanies its television commercials. 

The world’s largest chipmaker is making its latest foray into the consumer product world with a portable MP3 player called the Pocket Concert. 

The slick-looking device is about the size of a deck of cards. It will be introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this weekend and available to buyers in February, company officials said. 

The Intel Pocket Concert Audio Player features a 128-megabyte flash memory that stores up to four hours of downloaded music – twice the amount now offered by most other MP3 players. 

The player joins a crowded portable MP3 market that International Data Corp. predicts will grow from the estimated 1.3 million units shipped in the U.S. in 2000 to 6.7 million in 2003. 

It also is just one of a growing line of products that Santa Clara, Calif-based Intel is banking on to grow beyond the computer microprocessor realm that the company dominates. 

Since 1999, Intel has introduced a PC camera, wireless keyboard, mouse and home networking products, and a handful of fancy digital toys.  

All the devices are personal computer add-ons. 

“We want to make it that much more fun for people to enjoy their PC experience.  

The better the experience gets, the more you’d like to get that advanced PC,” said John Middleton, marketing director of Intel’s connected products division. 

That strategy is especially important now that the PC industry is struggling with a saturated market and a slowing economy, said IDC analyst Bob O’Donnell. 

“Those who bought a PC in the last year or two, they’re not feeling the need to buy a new one, but they might want a new device to use with their existing PCs,” O’Donnell said. 

Other computer companies also are diversifying their offerings. 

Compaq Computer Corp. came out with an MP3 player last summer, while Gateway Inc. teamed up with America Online in the fall to sell an Internet appliance that just needs to be plugged in and connected to a phone line. 

“They’re trying to establish this interesting sphere of activities, but the PC is still the central part,” O’Donnell said. “You hear talk about the ’post-PC’, but we think it’s ’PC-plus.”’ 

Intel’s push in the consumer space hasn’t gone unnoticed. Chief executive officer Craig Barrett is expected to deliver the keynote speech for the first time at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show. 

At the show, the company also plans to demonstrate two wireless products currently under development: a Web tablet that would give users full Internet access from any room in a typical house, and a portable e-mail and instant-messaging device called a chat pad. 

Despite the attractive 128-megabyte feature of the Pocket Concert, it’s too soon to tell how well the player will sell, said IDC analyst Bryan Ma. 

The player carries a retail price of $299, with an extra $59 for an accessory kit that includes a carrying case, rechargeable batteries and connections for a home or car stereo. Many other MP3 players now sold with 64 megabytes of memory cost under $150 a piece. 

Ma also predicts a shakeout in the MP3 player market. 

“A year ago, you could count the number of portable MP3 player vendors on your hand,” he said. “Now I’ve counted well over 60.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.intel.com 

SAN FRANCISCO – A state appeals court ruled late Friday that auto insurers can calculate premiums based on where a customer lives, setting the stage for a potential California Supreme Court showdown. 

The decision from the 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco nullified key provisions of Proposition 103. That 1988 initiative required auto insurers to base prices on a driver’s safety record, years of experience and number of miles driven. The initiative did also allow insurers to consider ZIP code as an “optional,” subordinate factor. 

The three-judge court agreed with insurers who said they needed to give significant weight to a customer’s ZIP code because risk factors varied from area to area, affecting the price of a policy. 

“Territory is a more important determinant of the risk of loss than any other single factor,” Justice Daniel M. Hanlon wrote in overturning a lower court’s decision. 

Consumer groups have mounted a long-standing challenge to potentially discriminatory pricing practices by insurers. The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, which sponsored Proposition 103, said it would appeal to the California Supreme Court. 

“The court strayed from the law approved by voters and made its judgment based on endorsing an economic scheme that insurers have used for decades to discriminate against good drivers in bad ZIP codes,” said foundation President Harvey Rosenfield. 

In court papers, consumer groups pointed out the case of a woman with 27 years of driving experience living in the Los Angeles suburb of Pacoima. She would pay a $772 annual premiums, they said, compared to $281 if she lived in San Luis Obispo. Her premium is 63 percent higher solely because of her ZIP code. 

The insurance industry said there’s a good reason for charging higher premiums based on where drivers live. Drivers in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles, for example, pay more because it costs more to insure motorists in high-crime and high-accident areas. 

Without basing rates on ZIP codes, rates for good drivers in remote counties would go up to subsidize premiums for good drivers in metropolitan areas, the industry argued to the court in September. 

“What’s going to happen, in most counties in California, rates are going to go up,” Vanessa Wells, a State Farm Insurance Co. lawyer told the court. 

Premiums based on ZIP codes were allowed under 1996 regulations from then-Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush. Legislation to repeal the rule was defeated that year. 

Two years ago, an Alameda County judge ruled that premiums based largely on ZIP codes were illegal. Quackenbush appealed. 

Quackenbush resigned this year amid allegations he let insurers avoid billions in fines after the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake by allowing them to donate far less money to a nonprofit fund he is accused of misusing. He was replaced by Harry Low. 

The case is Spanish Speaking Citizens’ Foundation Inc. vs. Low, A084024. 

NEW YORK — Wall Street started 2001 on a sour note Tuesday, unnerved by the same problems that sent the market plunging last year. 

The Nasdaq composite index fell 7.2 percent as investors, anxious about the slowing economy and its effect on corporate profits, again unloaded technology issues. The losses extended a trend that made 2000 the worst year ever for the Nasdaq and the weakest in nearly two decades for the Dow Jones industrials. 

“Even though the market has come down a lot, the short-term news doesn’t look positive, so y ou’re not seeing new money coming in off the sidelines,” said Robert Harrington, head of listed equity trading at UBS Warburg. “Investors are reluctant to commit. They are genuinely concerned about the slowdown in the economy, and the bad news doesn’t give them a reason to act any differently.” 

Indeed, the market spent most of the day focused on earnings, with some of the most visible hemorrhaging in technology issues.  

Analysts said the declines reflect worries that have dogged the market since Labor Day. Investors are no longer confident that companies, particularly those in the high-tech sector, can deliver results worthy of even reduced stock valuations.  

— The Associated Press 

The Federal Reserve last month hinted that interest rate cuts are a possibility in the near future, but that prospect alone hasn’t been enough to cheer Wall Street. 

“The ray of sunshine here in the Nasdaq are some of the semiconductor names. Stocks like Intel and Applied Materials that have already beaten down seem to be holding their ground,” said Scott Bleier, chief market strategist at Prime Charter. 

Intel rose $1 to $31.06 and Applied Materials gained $1.31 to $39.50. 

A report Tuesday from the National Association of Purchasing Management showing manufacturing activity in December was at its lowest level in nearly a decade added to the sense that the economy is weakening. 

The session also marked the market debut of J.P. Morgan Chase, the investment firm formed when J.P. Morgan and Chase Manhattan merged, effective Dec. 30. Shares fell $1.44 to $44. 

Declining issues led advancers 3-to-2 on the New York Stock Exchange. Consolidated volume came to 1.36 billion shares, compared with 1.02 billion Friday. 

The Russell 2000 index tumbled 21.04 to 462.49, a 4.4 percent decline. 

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average closed down 1.2 percent. Germany’s DAX index fell 2.2 percent, Britain’s FT-SE 100 slipped 0.7 percent, and France’s CAC-40 lost 2.2 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

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

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

NEW YORK — Yahoo! Inc. will stop carrying online auctions of Nazi artifacts and other hate-related materials after some users complained that such items promote hate and violence. 

The new restrictions, which take effect a week from Wednesday, could also address a November court ruling from France requiring Yahoo to block such items from French users. 

Although Yahoo has insisted it cannot limit access to certain geographic regions, as the French court ordered, Yahoo may effectively comply by blocking the items from everyone. 

The new guidelines will also apply to the site’s classified listings and its e-commerce partners. Yahoo! search directories, chat rooms and other areas are not affected. 

The senior auction producer at Yahoo, Brian Fitzgerald, said the court order played no role in the new policy, other than to raise awareness internally and speed the decision. 

“We decided we don’t necessarily want to profit from items that promote hatred or glorify hatred and violence,” Fitzgerald said. 

But Mark Gambale, a consultant at Gomez Inc. in Waltham, Mass., questioned the timing. 

“In a way, it’s a pre-emptive strike in making sure this (the French ruling) doesn’t become a serious issue,” he said. “International law has a unique way of evolving. Yahoo! is trying to clean its own house here.” 

Fitzgerald said that while some users support the trade of such items on free speech grounds, the majority of comments received by Yahoo were in opposition. 

When the new policy takes effect, Yahoo will also begin screening items before they are listed. Computer software will reject any item that appears to violate the site’s policies. Users will be able to appeal rejections to a human being. 

Auction sites have typically rejected items only after they are posted. 

Beginning next Wednesday, Yahoo will also charge sellers 20 cents to $2.25 to list an item, although it will not collect a commission on sales. Other auction sites, including eBay and Amazon.com, already charge for both. 

The newly banned items at Yahoo include medals, weapons, uniforms, official documents and other items that carry swastikas or other symbols associated with hate groups. They join a banned list that now includes cigarettes, live animals and used underwear. 

The leading online auction site, eBay, bans hate materials only in Germany, France, Austria and Italy – countries where such items are illegal. Sellers may not ship such items there, and buyers from those countries may not bid on them. 

In April, two French groups sued Yahoo under its old policies, accusing the U.S. company of violating French law barring the display or sale of racist material. 

A French judge ruled in November that Yahoo must prevent French users from auctions of such items, or face $13,000 a day in fines. On Dec. 21, the company asked a U.S. court to block the order, saying France doesn’t have jurisdiction. 

On the Net: 

http://auctions.yahoo.com 

Details on French case: http://www.cdt.org 

E-greetings outpace  

e-commerce dduring holidays

SAN JOSE — Americans may not have been shopping online as much as e-tailers wanted during the holidays, but the Web was apparently still an important resource for many. 

More than twice the number of Internet users sent e-mails to coordinate holiday get-togethers than to buy stocking stuffers, according to a survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project taken between Nov. 22 and Dec. 21. 

The survey of more than 2000 Internet users found that 53 percent of them sent holiday-related e-mails while only 24 percent made purchases online. Thirty-two percent sent e-greeting cards, and 24 percent surfed the Web for recipes and holiday celebration ideas. 

“During the holidays, online Americans were more inclined to use the Internet for social purposes than commercial purposes, said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet Project. 

Cable corporation considers  

sale of programming subsidiary

NEW YORK — New York cable television operator Cablevision Systems Corp. is considering a sale of Rainbow Media Group, its programming subsidiary that includes Bravo and American Movie Classics, industry sources say.Media mogul Barry Diller, freshly armed with $1.1 billion in cash from the sale of his TV station group last month, is widely considered to be the leading bidder.  

Diller’s USA Networks company already owns the Sci-Fi Channel as well as TV and movie studios. 

Government must pay millions to Marathon, Exxon companies

WASHINGTON — The Interior Department must return $156 million to two oil companies because environmental restrictions prevented them from exploring for natural gas off the North Carolina coast more than a decade ago. A federal appeals court ordered the payments to Marathon Oil Co., and Exxon Mobil Corp., saying the government had reneged on its contracts when it rescinded leases for drilling rights 45 miles east of Cape Hatteras on the Outer Banks. 

Apple Computers cuts prices to help clear out its inventory

CUPERTINO — Apple Computer Inc. has slashed prices by as much as $1,100 on some Macintosh computers to clear an inventory glut caused by sluggish holiday sales and to make room for new systems expected to be announced next week. 

The price cuts that took effect New Year’s Day apply to the company’s higher-end machines. Last month, the company offered hefty rebates to spur sales during the holiday season. 

As of Dec. 1, the company had 11 weeks worth of inventory on dealers’ shelves, compared with about 3 weeks in June. 

— The Associated Press 

Father Bill O’Donnell was arrested again.  

This time, he was charged with trespassing at the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia. 

A parish priest at St. Joseph the Worker Church, O’Donnell says he went to Georgia to protest the work of the military training center where he believes Latin American military leaders are trained to murder their compatriots. There were 70,000 peasants in El Salvador killed by soldiers trained at the school, he says. “When the American people discover what our government is doing, they’ll force congress to stop funding it.” 

O’Donnell has been actively involved in social justice issues since 1963. He said he was “exiled to Berkeley” over twenty seven years ago. He had asked the bishop to assign him to the poorest of parishes. But his superior, not enamored with his radical opinions, put him in Berkeley, O’Donnell said.  

Best known as Father Bill, O’Donnell epitomizes Berkeley at its most progressive and compassionate. 

The priest will be 71 in January. He has had heart surgery, a stroke, and just last month, right before being arrested, he fractured his hip, and was put in the paddy wagon on crutches. But nothing stops him. His spirit is as vibrant as ever. His eyes are full of sparks, and though he could get by on sheer charm, he makes no attempts to. He is direct, and extremely forthcoming with his opinions and the choices he has made as a Catholic priest. 

Father O’Donnell’s interest in fighting for basic rights for the poor comes straight from the gospel. “It’s exactly what Jesus did,” O’Donnell says. “The Church exists to be with poor people.”  

His civil disobedience began in 1969 when he was arrested while working with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. A farm boy himself, from Altamont, Calif., he was impressed by the organizing successes of the Farm Workers. He was arrested when urging Safeway to support the grape boycott. 

Father O’Donnell explains his strategies, including risking arrest, using the phrase “speaking truth to power.” 

He says he’s angry when he sees how people are forced to live. “I’m drawn to violate the perpetrators, not with my fists anymore – I learned better than that – but with my tongue.”  

A 10-day course with Saul Alinsky, the radical organizer of grass roots movements throughout the United States, taught O’Donnell to organize for power. 

Taking advice from Alinsky, O’Donnell says, “It’s important to keep your anger cold. If you let it get hot, you blow it, you are discounted. But cold anger gives you the energy to propel forward in a directed, focused way. Then you look carefully for your enemy’s weakness.” 

Alinsky’s organizing ideas include the concept that all people act out of self interest; the trick is to make sure their interest is the moral interest. Father O’Donnell fiercely believes the School of the Americas is immoral and that it is against the American peoples’ self interest to support the school with tax money..  

“In my fight, my responsibility is to help a person (or institution) change. If I can educate someone about the immorality of an issue, I have the hope of that person changing. But, if I am unable to educate them, I shame them. Those who misuse power are actually already full of shame. I hold the mirror up for them to see themselves.” 

Father O’Donnell, like Father Ray Bourgeois before him who has served four years in prison because of his protests at the School of the Americas, could be sent to prison for trespassing on any military base. He is under a Ban and Bar Order since being booked. A judge in Georgia told O’Donnell, “You come to my court, I’ll give you a year.”  

“I’m afraid, sure, but I’m more afraid not to (act),” he says. “I hate the idea of being locked up in jail, but it would give me the opportunity to be alone with my God. I act on what I see as right. I’d love to get out of it because it’s frightening, it’s trouble. I don’t like to be in trouble. But if you’re given the ball – not a very good simile – you’ve got to run it through.” 

Quoting Ghandi he adds, “There’s no other thing I can do. This is the stand I take, God help me.” 

Father O’Donnell sums up his activism as an opportunity for him to become a better human. 

“When I do this work, I know I’m doing something real. There’s fear, and criticism, I piss off my enemies. And then there’s support. In cooperation with others, I find strength. During an action, there is a profound joy – it comes out of nowhere, just a surprise, for doing the right thing. You’re free to be truthful in a loving way, and if you’re a person of faith, you can say it’s godlike.” 

People can join Father O’Donnell at St. Elizabeth’s Church, 1500 34th Ave., in Oakland at 11 a.m. Jan. 27 in a demonstration for Amnesty for Undocumented Illegals, the ‘day workers’ who do manual labor throughout the Bay Area.

Tuesday, Jan. 2

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Berkeley Intelligent Conversation  

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

Jewish Community Center  

1414 Walnut Ave. (at Rose)  

With no religious affiliation, this twice-monthly group, led informally by former UC Berkeley extension lecturer Robert Berent, seeks to bring people together to have interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is the legal and judiciary system.  

Call 527-9772  

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 

Commission on the Status of  

Women  

7:45 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

The Mayor’s special study group’s report on domestic violence and plans for international women’s day ceremonies for March, 2001 and other activities for Women’s History Month.  

Thursday, Jan. 4

Snowshoe Tours  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Catherine Stifter of Backcountry Tracks presents a slide-show on her favorite ski and snowshoe tours off Highway 49 between Sierra City and Yuba Pass. Free 

Call 527-4140 

Keeping Your Healthy  

Resolutions 

10:30 a.m. - Noon 

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center 

Summit North Pavilion Cafeteria, Annexes B & C 

350 Hawthorne St.  

Oakland 

Sue Elderkin, physical therapist, will give tips on sticking to exercise resolutions for the new year and how to incorporate healthy practices into daily life.  

Call 869-6737 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Teddy Weiler and host Randy Fingland.  

644-0155 

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 

Taize’ Worship Service  

7:30 - 8:30 p.m. 

Loper Chapel  

(adjacent to) First Congregational 

Church of Berkeley  

Dana St. 

Call 848-3696  

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

“Medieval China - How We Got to Where We Are” 

11:45 a.m. luncheon 

12:30 p.m. speaker  

Berkeley City Club  

2315 Durant Ave.  

Stephen West, professor at the Institute of East Asian Studies at UC Berkeley will speak.  

$11 - $12.25 with luncheon, $1 with coffee, students free  

848-3533  

Strong Women - Writers & 

Heroes of Literature 

1 - 3 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Taught by Dr. Helen Rippier Wheeler, author of “Women and Aging: A Guide to Literature,” this is a free weekly literature course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program.  

Call 549-2970  

Saturday, Jan. 6

Hip Hop Theater Workshop  

9 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts  

2640 College Ave. (at Derby)  

A participatory one-day workshop as part of the center’s Kaleidoscope Arts Infusion Series. Led by hip-hop poet and performer Will Power and playwright Rickerby Hinds.  

$60 individual, $45 family (two or more)  

Call 845-8542 x376 or visit www.juliamorgan.org 

Monday, Jan. 8

Berkeley Community Chorus Rehearsal 

7 - 10 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church, basement 

1145 Gilman St.  

Conducted by Julian White, pianist, teacher & composer, the chorus will perform White’s “The Children’s Hour” and Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasia.” The chorus meets every Monday night. Performance dates are May 5, 12 & 13.  

$75 tuition for semester 

Call 528-2145 or visit www.bcco.org 

Tuesday, Jan. 9

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

Share your slides and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 

Call Wade, 531-8664 

Wednesday, Jan. 10

Kids Dance Open House &  

Class 

5 - 6 p.m. 

El Cerrito Community Center 

7007 Moeser Lane 

El Cerrito  

Parents are invited to explore how dance relates to cognitive, kinesthetic, and socio-emotional development in their children. For ages three to seventeen. Free  

Call 530-4113  

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 

Benefit Concert for Food First 

8 p.m. 

Ashkenaz  

1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 

Featuring the David Thom Band, Buffalo Roam, Tree o’ Frogs, and Ten Ton Chicken. All proceeds benefit Food First.  

$10 - $15 donation 

Call Kevin Doyle, 843-6389 x201 

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Kirk Lumpkin and host Dale Jensen.  

644-0155 

California Babylon  

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore  

1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose)  

Kristan Lawson & Anneli Rufus discuss their book “A Guide to Sites of Scandal, Mayhem, and Celluloid in the Golden State.” Free 

Call 843-3533  

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 

“Waiting for Godot” 

8 p.m. 

La Val’s Subterranean  

1834 Euclid (at Hearst) 

Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Yoni Barkan, director of last summer’s “A Midsummers Night Dream.”  

$8 - $12  

Call 234-6046 

Ski & Snowboard Descents  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Paul Richins, author of “50 Classic Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Summits in California - Mt. Shasta to Mt. Whitney,” presents in slides some of his favorite ski mountaineering and backcountry snowboard descents. Free. 

Call 527-4140 

Friday, Jan. 12

“Who’s Really In Charge Anyway?” 

7:30 p.m. 

Unitarian Hall 

1924 Cedar St.  

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

“Global wireless communication” appears to be the wave of the future, and the world’s corporate giants are racing for first place. Many observers are betting on the Japanese. Global wireless communication may involve very complex technology, but it simply means you can be at the North Pole with your laptop computer and I at the South Pole with my laptop, and we can communicate with each other as clearly as if we had telephone lines or cables strung between us. 

The wireless revolution began with radio a century ago and television a half century ago. Now it’s the turn of the wireless multimedia. 

The prestigious French newspaper, Le Monde, has a passion for revolutions, whatever and wherever they may be. In a recent special on the Japanese economy (December 12), it wrote, “Japan once again is catching up with the West, this time through new technologies. Americans and Europeans should stop talking about how advanced they are.” 

Co-author of this article, Philippe Pons, who has long lived in Japan, writes, “Japan’s path towards an information society is going to come up with many surprises.” Global Chinese entrepreneurs, though more cautious, express a growing interest in Japan’s advances in communications. 

The Japanese company in the forefront of this revolution is NTT DoCoMo, the world’s number one mobile telephone company. It launched the “i-mode” that allows wireless connection with Internet – and gained a phenomenal 16 million Japanese subscribers in a year and a half. 

It appears confident that its technology works and is competitively priced, so it is now moving quickly into the global market – signing an accord with Hewlett-Packard to develop and sell broadband technology, entering into strategic alliances with AOL, Hutchinson Whampoa in Hong Kong and KNP in the Netherlands. On Dec. 8, it presented itself as the first global communications company able to transmit quality video images, music and information over the Internet. 

DoCoMo’s sudden foray into the world comes just as the giant of giant chip makers, Intel, suffered severe losses – more than $1 billion – from what it thought would be the “next generation” RDRAM technology. 

But as the Chinese language daily, The World Journal, reported, Taiwan firms are stepping up their “nibbling” at Intel’s dominance. Whereas three years ago the great bulk of chips in PC’s manufactured in East Asia (the world center for PC manufacturing) were from Intel, now over half the chips are non-Intel. 

The global wireless revolution must still overcome a lot of technological hurdles, such as transmission difficulties over uneven terrain. But it seems that Japan Inc. has finally decided to put its staggeringly huge financial resources behind this newest advance into the global markets. 

Japan’s “bubble economy” burst in 1992. The question arises: why didn’t the Japanese rev up their stagnating economy sooner, despite continual urging from the two Clinton administrations? Instead, it kept on selling more bonds and spending more for civil entitlements. Japan’s ratio of public debt to GDP is now 114:100 – the highest in the world. 

Maybe Japan Inc. didn’t move because it recalled looking at a similar situation in the United States in 1994. Clinton came into office in 1993 when the U.S. debt was at heights similar to Japan’s today. The new Clinton administration cut spending, and that helped bring down the debt. But what really reduced the debt was an astonishing surge in Silicon Valley production in 1994, spearheaded by Intel. America became the leader of the global communications revolution. 

Silicon Valley pulled along the entire American economy. It was like one railroad train locomotive pulling a hundred cars up a mountain side. Both the Nasdaq and the Dow market averages soared. 

Now the miraculous freight train is in trouble. 

If the Japanese are right that wireless will triumph over wires in the communications revolution, then it could turn out that Japan will succeed America as the leader.  

And given the astonishing economic strength of China, South Korea and Taiwan, it could be the giant East Asian locomotive that pulls the American economy out of its own slump. 

Franz Schurmann, emeritus professor of University of California at Berkeley, reads the Chinese, Japanese and French press and writes of their coverage for NCMonline.com.

Having crossed the threshold into the (real) new millennium, we can look back at 2000 with a little perspective. In all it wasn’t a year of big changes. While there will be a new faces at the White House, Berkeley citizens voted in, pretty much, the status quo, keeping the balance of power on the council 4-5 in favor of the progressive coalition.  

In 2000, a beautiful new Public Safety Building was completed, but there’s still no good and accessible public meeting space for the City Council and School Board. We’ve been honored with the announcement that more than 90 percent of Berkeley women get prenatal health care, yet we have large numbers of low birth-weight babies in African American families. We talk about streamlining council meetings, but it’s all talk – leaving much to be done in 2001. 

January 

The year 2000 kicked off without the feared Y2K glitches. January saw the fight to unionize the Radisson Hotel move into the courts, where management lost an attempt to restrain workers from union organizing work.  

January also saw the city abandon plans for a saltwater firefighting system – plans which had already cost taxpayers a cool $1.3 million. 

That month Berkeley High students got something rare – formal apologies from the Berkeley Police Department. The BPD had been rounding up students, putting into paddy wagons those who were tardy in their return to class after lunch. 

The first month of the year also saw millionaire landlord Lakireddy Bali Reddy arraigned on charges of sexual misconduct and bringing aliens to the country illegally. 

February 

In February, the community was alerted that its superintendent of schools was looking for a new job. He had been in the race for the post in Oakland, but withdrew. Toward the end of the month, the Daily Planet learned that, once again, Superintendent Jack McLaughlin had withdrawn him name from a superintendent’s race – this time the district was Salem, Ore. 

On the bright side of the news, the southeast Berkeley community celebrated a row of Santa Rosa lights that dotted a crosswalk to alert cars to pedestrians crossing Claremont Avenue. 

March 

February and early March saw a number of youth-led marches through the streets of Berkeley, protesting Proposition 21, which would have young people tried as adults. The measure won in the state-wide election, while losing here.  

That month Berkeley teachers and the schools administration came to an impasse in negotiations for a new contract and called for a mediator to step in. 

April 

In the Daily Planet’s April 1 edition, we reported on developer Patrick Kennedy’s public relations blitz for a development on the parking lot at Oxford and Addison streets. At the time, the city had not yet called for proposals on the lot which it owns.  

Also in April, the community living near the new Public Safety Building woke up one morning to find itself staring at a 170-feet high communications tower. They’ve been trying to get rid of it every since. The city’s hired a consultant to help. 

During the first week of the month, a small arson fire was reported at Berkeley High School. The next week, a major fire severely damaged the school’s administration building. 

April also saw the UC Berkeley administration unveil plans for the Underhill Area, which would include a new 1,400-car parking structure, new university offices, a dining commons and new student dorms on the site of the old dining halls. 

May 

May was a good month for the management of Alta Bates/Summit Medical Center. A challenge by Attorney General Bill Lockyer to a lower court ruling on the merger was denied by a federal appeals court judge. The merger was finalized. 

The schools superintendent was job hunting again. On May 10, former Planet editor Rob Cunningham wrote: “Berkeley Schools Superintendent Jack McLaughlin has kept his word – in a manner of speaking. In late February, after withdrawing his name from the list of candidates for a superintendent post in Salem, Ore., McLaughlin said that he wouldn’t pursue jobs in any other district except San Francisco.” The next week, the Planet reported that McLaughlin was edged out of the running for the S.F. post. 

Also in May, KPFA activist Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi was found not guilty having been charged with obstructing or delaying a police officer. Charges stemmed from the previous summer’s demonstrations outside the listener-sponsored radio station.  

In the middle of the month, UC Berkeley law student Rick Young took a sledge hammer to an old car he had brought to the Underhill Parking lot, to protest the university’s plans to develop the lot. Young argued that because the lot was close to campus, it only made sense for the area to be reserved for student housing. Over the summer Young camped out in the lot to make his point, was arrested a number of times and finally had the charges dropped in the fall. 

Not to be outdone by a superintendent in search of greener pastures, City Manager Jim Keene was looking at a post in Tucson, which he accepted in June. 

June 

The school board settled with its teachers for an 11.5 percent wage hike over two years, averting a strike. 

Berkeley made the regional papers when Councilmember Betty Olds called for a ban on cell phones for cyclists. Critical mass cyclists responded with a ride where participants carried mock phones. Olds dropped her resolution. 

A tough academic year at Berkeley High was topped off by a scandal that involved students changing grades at the high school. The principal announced her departure from the school. 

The same month, active residents who live near Memorial Stadium vociferously protested Fox TV’s offer to give the university permanent lights for the stadium. After a number of meetings with the community, the university has not moved ahead with the plan. 

After more than a year’s work on the question, the city approved a “living wage” for most workers whose employers contract with the city. The wage was set at $9.75 per hour plus $1.62 for health benefits. 

July 

In July, students held “movie-ins” at Underhill to protest the University’s development plans. 

August 

In August neighbors of the Oaks Theater got together to protest cell-phone antennas slated to be affixed to the theater. 

In one of the greatest tragedies of the year, a rented house on Martin Luther King Way went up in flames, killing UC Berkeley student Azalea Jusay and her parents. 

Later in August Councilmember Margaret Breland revealed she had breast cancer, but that she would continue to be in the council race. 

September 

In September, the city decided to recycle plastics, ending a years long fight not to do so. 

Also that month, the UC Regents approved the construction of a three-story building on a university-owned lot at Oxford Street and Hearst Avenue. The city and nearby residents opposed the plan. 

October 

In October council approved landmarking the West Berkeley Shellmound over objections by some people who own property in the area. 

November 

In November the city mourned the loss of life-long resident, environmentalist David Brower and planned to name a street and a day to honor him. 

The Zoning Adjustments Board voted down a controversial housing project at 2700 San Pablo Ave. The developer, Patrick Kennedy, had said he would appeal to the council, but, instead, may be revising the plans instead. 

Toward the end of the month, work on the Harrison Street skate park project was halted when chromium 6 was found in ground water that had been drawn into the skate bowls. 

At the end of the month, hundreds of people protested the visit of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. When they blocked the entrance to the Community Theater at Berkeley High, the speech was canceled. 

December 

The Radisson Hotel negotiated a contract with its workers. Management called it “win-win.” 

Four Landmarks Preservation Commission Boardmembers, also members of the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Alliance, are barred by the city attorney from participating in a LPS vote on a Beth El Synagogue development on which BAHA had made a recommendation. 

The schools superintendent finally found a new job. He’ll be heading the state school system in Nevada. 

The Zoning Adjustment Board approved the environmental report for the Beth El project. 

City Hall still hasn’t opened. Its delays are costing tax payers some $2 million. 

What’s in store for 2001? Perhaps it’s up to all of us to write the plan...

A new state law that will allow mothers the opportunity to anonymously abandon newborns at hospital emergency rooms throughout the state without the threat of prosecution took effect Monday.  

The law, introduced by California Republican Senator Jim Brulte and signed into law by Gov. Gray Davis in September, will allow mothers to legally leave unwanted babies, under 72 hours old, at any private or public hospital emergency room with no questions asked. 

“This is the first of many steps to end baby abandonment,” Brute said in a press release. “Young mothers who are scared and desperate now have a new option to safeguard their babies and give them a place where will be cared for and appreciated.” 

Director of the Alta Bates/Summit Medical Center emergency room, Lani Williams, said the hospital is preparing procedures and protocol in the event a mother should want to leave a newborn in a safe environment. 

Mothers will be able to go to the Emergency Room and turn the child over to a nurse. The mother will then have a choice of providing medical information about the child such as problems during birth or family histories of diseases like asthma or cancer. The mother will then be free to go without the threat of prosecution.  

“Any information the mother chooses to leave will be kept highly confidential,” Williams said. 

Hospital staff will then examine the infant, and if he or she is healthy, staff will turn the baby over to Child Protective Services. 

“This law will allow mothers to relinquish their infants in a safe environment that can be completely anonymous,” Williams said. 

The law also affords the mother a two-week “cooling off” period during which the child would not formally enter the child welfare system. If the mother changes her mind, she will have the opportunity to retrieve the child. 

Texas enacted a similar law in September 1999. In the 15 months since, three mothers have legally abandoned babies according to Texas Child Protective Services spokesperson Marla Sheely.  

“The law gives the baby another chance to be placed with family members or even possibly the mother who may be under a great deal of stress when she decides to abandon,” she said. “In fact, one of the three babies left at a Parker County emergency room is now living with family members.” 

Arnold Perkins, Director of Alameda County Health Services, said the law will offer a humane option to young mothers who may be under a great deal of stress.  

“I think its wonderful that we now have a law that can help a young mother who may be in a panic situation,” he said. “There should also be a counseling component in this law so these mothers are not destroyed by guilt.”

The City of Berkeley is offering its environmentally-conscious citizens a way to get rid of those old holiday trees and trimmings with free composting and extra recycling services. 

Residents who wish to bid farewell to their Christmas trees may simply leave them on their curbside on their regularly-scheduled plant debris pickup days in January, according to the city manager’s office. All trees should be trimmed into five-foot lengths, have their stands and decorations removed and be set outside by 7 a.m. 

There will also be two tree drop-off bins. One will be located at the recycling center on Dwight and Martin Luther King Jr. ways that will be open between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The second location is at the city transfer station on 1201 Second St. at Gilman Street; it will be open between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. 

The service is also available to apartment complexes and businesses. Those interested should call (510) 644-8856.

SACRAMENTO – Parents can abandon their newborns in hospitals without facing prosecution and shoppers will pocket a little extra money from a decreased sales tax under two of the hundreds of laws that go into effect on Monday. 

Thousands of Californians will feel the changes when they cash their first paychecks in 2001. Starting Monday, minimum wage earners will get a long-awaited 50 cent raise to $6.25 an hour. The last bump was approved in March 1998. 

Labor groups called the increase one of the most significant laws approved in 2000. The rate is expected to jump another 50 cents on Jan. 1, 2002. 

Consumers also will keep more money at the checkout through a one-quarter percent sales tax cut, which will send $1.2 billion less to state coffers. Governor Gray Davis said the tax cut was possible because of a healthy economy and multibillion dollar budget surplus. 

Californians will save half on vehicle license fees, too. They are the largest part of annual registration costs paid by vehicle owners. 

The new laws also cover topics surrounding racial issues that date back to the 19th century. 

Insurance companies will now have to report if they ever issued slave insurance to slave owners. The new law is aimed at helping academics study what many believe was a precursor to life insurance. Some descendants of slaves say it could pave the way toward financial reparations. 

The law has no punitive effect on insurance companies. It is the first such law in the nation, according to academics and civil rights activists. 

It is also now a misdemeanor to sell or manufacture cheaply made guns, or so-called Saturday night specials. 

Gun control advocates say the law, which passed in 1999, gives California the country’s toughest handgun safety standards. Opponents say it will push cheap gun sales into the black market. 

One of the top corruption scandals of the year also is reflected in a new law. Former Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush resigned this summer amid allegations he used settlement money from Northridge earthquake victims’ insurance companies to further his political career. 

As of Monday, quake victims will have one year to refile their claims. The bill was passed after state studies surfaced indicating claims-handling violations. 

It will become legal for parents of newborn babies to abandon their children at hospitals without fear of criminal prosecution. The law also allows for a 14-day cooling off period, during which time the parents can reclaim the child. 

Topping the list of health-related laws is a provision to allow patients to sue their managed-care plan. The patients must first tell an independent review panel why they think a treatment was denied, delayed or changed. 

A lawsuit may follow if the patient is unsatisfied with the panel’s decision and if the managed-care plan’s decision meant loss of life, loss of body functions, chronic pain, financial loss or disfigurement. 

Rape victims may find solace in a law that will extend the time prosecutors can wait to file charges against sex offenders identified through DNA. The former six-year statute of limitations will be extended to 10 years or within one year of new evidence, whichever is longer. 

Laws to protect consumers who bought faulty new vehicles also go on the books. Car makers will only get two tries to correct safety problems before the vehicle is labeled a lemon and must be bought back. The previous law used to allow up to four fix-it attempts. 

Several new laws also target privacy issues. A new state office will keep track of complaints of privacy violations and distribute information on how to resolve privacy disputes.  

And for those Californians who don’t like new laws, they can now have one of their own: The Local Agency Formation Commissions in each county will collect the names of groups and individuals who financially support secession movements. 

Hundreds of new laws go into effect Monday. Here are a few: 

— MINIMUM WAGE: Minimum wage earners will get a 50 cent raise to $6.25 an hour. The last bump was approved in March 1998. 

— GUNS: It will be a misdemeanor to sell or manufacture cheaply made guns, or so-called Saturday night specials. 

— EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS: Victims of the 1994 Northridge earthquake will have one year to refile their insurance claims. The bill was passed after state studies surfaced indicating claims-handling violations. 

— CHILD ABANDONMENT: Parents of newborn babies will be able to abandon their children at hospitals without fear of criminal prosecution. The law allows for a 14-day cooling off period, during which time the parents can reclaim the child. 

— HMO LAWSUITS: Patients will be able to sue their managed-care plan, after going through an independent review panel. That’s if they think their treatment was denied, delayed or changed and if the managed-care plan’s decision meant loss of life, loss of body functions, chronic pain, financial loss or disfigurement. 

— RAPE: The statute of limitations for rape cases will be extended from six to 10 years or within one year of new evidence, such as DNA matching, whichever is longer.

A local activist will be in Italy next week to protest the Roman Catholic Church’s anti-gay positions. 

Kara Speltz of Oakland will travel to Rome on Monday, where she will join 22 members of Soulforce for four days of nonviolent protests in the Vatican. They hope to be accepted by Pope John Paul II, but realize their chances are slim. 

Soulforce, a network of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics, is joining Dignity/USA, a similar organization, to plan the protests. Most of the participants will be Roman Catholic. 

“My life is my church,” said Speltz, an openly gay Roman Catholic who considers herself very religious. 

The group will visit the Vatican each day Jan. 3-6, bringing gifts. They will walk down the Via della Conciliazione – the Avenue of Reconciliation – and present gifts for orphan children the first day, gifts for people living with AIDS the second day, and gifts for occupants of a battered women’s shelter on the third day. They hope that a priest will bless the gifts before they are delivered to the people in need, a longtime tradition at the Vatican. 

Speltz said on the fourth day the protesters will present themselves as gifts, but are dubious that the Vatican will accept them. 

Earlier this month the Pope met with right-wing Austrian leader Joerg Haider – who many protesters labeled a Nazi – but has not welcomed gay protesters to the Vatican, Speltz said. “It is very hard to see somebody like that welcomed in the Vatican and then they say to us that we are not welcome.” 

The group has already met with police officials in Rome to obtain a permit for a nonviolent protest, but there is a possibility they will be arrested for their protests. 

“It’s not conceivable, but it’s also not something that we are planning on,” Speltz said. 

In November, Soulforce staged a protest of the Catholic Church’s exclusionary policies towards gays in Washington, D.C. More than 250 people gathered and 104 were arrested for blocking a driveway to the National Shrine. 

Speltz has been arrested three times protesting with Soulforce and several other times before that, protesting during the Vietnam War. 

She is comparing this fight to the Vietnam War era, when she protested, but did not “turn her back” on her country. Today she will not turn on the Catholic Church, even if she does not agree with its policies towards gays. 

“I love my church too much to do that,” she said.

The Berkeley East Bay Humane Society, 2700 Ninth St. in Berkleley, announced its increase in weekend adoption hours. New shelter and adoption hours are: 

Tuesday - Friday, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Closed Mondays. 

The adoption center will be open for pet food sales, training class enrollments and all other business from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Rummage Sales will continue to be held on the first and third Saturdays of the month from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. 

For more information, call (510) 845-7735 or go to the website at WWW.BEHUMANE.ORG

Q: What is happening with California’s deregulated electricity market? 

A: For months, two investor-owned utilities serving 25 million people have been paying dramatically increased costs for wholesale electricity. The utilities, Pacific Gas and Electric Co., and Southern California Edison Co., have been paying nearly 20 cents to 30 cents per kilowatt hour for power, sometimes more. But they can’t recoup those costs: A rate freeze — part of the state’s deregulation law — caps what they can charge their customers at far less, roughly 6 cents a kilowatt hour. Since June, PG&E and SoCal Edison have lost about $9 billion. Wall Street has downgraded their credit worthiness, wholesalers are reluctant to deal with them and the utilities say they expect insolvency within weeks if things don’t change. 

Q: Where did all the money go? 

A: According to state officials, most of it has gone to Texas-based providers of wholesale electricity. 

Q: Why was deregulation put into effect, and when? 

A: Traditionally, California has had higher electricity costs. In the mid-1990s, the large industrial ratepayers wanted a break in their energy bills and said if competition was introduced into the electricity market, rates would fall through natural market forces. The industrial ratepayers were joined by the utilities, who wanted out from under regulation, and free-market theorists. Consumer groups — who now are the most vocal critics of deregulation — were neutral on the plan, which was approved without a dissenting vote by the Legislature and signed by former Gov. Pete Wilson in 1996. The effective date of the law was 1998. 

Q: What was deregulation supposed to do? 

A: The idea was to require utilities to buy power on the open market, presumably at lower, competitive costs and pass those savings on to consumers. The law — and the PUC’s rules accompanying it – froze rates at a level that was much higher than the actual cost of electricity at the time. The goal was to make sure the monopoly utilities had enough cash coming in as they divested themselves of their power-generating assets. After the divestiture was completed, no later than March 2002, the utilities could operate without a rate freeze, passing on to their customers the cost of electricity. The law required the utilities to sell any power they generate into a market pool – the same pool from which they are required to buy power. The law was directed at the state’s large investor-owned utilities – PG&E, SoCal Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric Co. The law also set up a private nonprofit body to manage the state’s grid, the Independent System Operator, and a similar group to conduct the market transactions, the California Power Exchange.  

SDG&E finished its transition last year, and its rate freeze was removed. When wholesale prices rose this year, SDG&E passed those costs on to ratepayers, prompting an outcry and raising fears that the rest of the state would be similarly affected. 

Q: What happened? 

A: When deregulation was approved, the state enjoyed excess electricity capacity. But in recent years, the state’s grid has become stressed. That’s because demand has increased, more power plants are aging and down for maintenance and repairs, imports are down because other western states are vying for power, and wholesalers have spotted flaws in California’s market and are able to exert maximum leverage. Wholesale electricity prices have increased roughly fivefold since the summer. 

Q: What happens next? 

A: One question is whether the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will curb wholesale electricity prices. Another is whether the PUC will boost rates again, and a third is whether Wall Street will downgrade the utilities still further.  

The utilities say some wholesalers already want to sell only on a cash-and-carry basis, which means the utilities may order power rationing if they can’t buy enough electricity. 

Q: What will the governor do? 

A: The governor has urged conservation, favors financial incentives for those who build power plants, signed a law speeding up the licensing of new plants and has demanded that FERC take action. He has described deregulation as a “colossal” failure, but has not said whether he wants to deregulate the market, or how. 

SAN DIEGO — A civil rights group is contesting San Diego County’s policy of stopping a nonprofit group from distributing informational pamphlets inside and near welfare offices, arguing that the policy is a violation of the First Amendment right. 

The American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial counties filed a claim Wednesday that also accuses county employees of harassment during a demonstration last summer and targeting a nonprofit group called SPIN while allowing other groups to leave pamphlets inside welfare offices. 

“County welfare offices may not select certain groups to express their ideas on government property while silencing another just because they may not like what that group has to say,” said Guylyn Cummins, a lawyer for the ACLU. 

“The Constitution protects everyone’s right to communicate with others in a lawful and non-disruptive manner,” Cummins said. 

County officials have not had a chance to review the claim and were unable to comment, Cathy Spearnak, spokeswoman for the county’s Health and Human Services Agency, said Thursday. 

The issue stems from several incidents last July when representatives of Supportive Parents Information Network tried to give fliers to people seeking welfare.  

The fliers explained their rights and offered help in filling out applications. 

According to the claim, SPIN members were ushered out of the welfare offices and were not required to remove their fliers from display racks inside the offices. 

In another incident, the executive director of SPIN, Joni Halpern, attempted to go with a woman seeking welfare-to-work assistance but was forced to leave the office after she began talking with other people in the lobby about SPIN’s application services.

SAN FRANCISCO — The state’s third-largest health insurer violated patient confidentiality by accidentally e-mailing the names of 12,000 patients to the wrong doctors, company officials acknowledged. 

Los Angeles-based Health Net blamed the December mistake on a computer glitch that matched patients being treated for depression and anxiety with the wrong doctors. 

After nearly 5,000 doctors received the e-mail, Health Net sent another letter asking all physicians to destroy the patient list and return a form acknowledging they had done so. 

The majority of doctors have responded, and future mailings will be reviewed more closely to ensure they go to the correct doctors, company spokesman Brad Kieffer said Friday. Health Net insures nearly 2.2 million Californians. 

Although it’s common for insurance providers to send information to physicians, documenting patients who may benefit from specific treatment, drugs or preventative care programs, some say it’s a dangerous practice. 

“Although this private information was disclosed to doctors, it’s not your doctors who got the information,” said Stan Dorn, project director of Health Consumer Alliance, an Oakland legal service group. “It could be a doctor who goes to your church or synagogue. It could be a family friend. Consumers should be able to trust that private information will stay private.” 

Health insurers routinely categorize patients and send lists to make physicians’ workloads a little lighter. But when that information goes to the wrong place, its purpose is defeated. 

“Most physicians are going to be respectful, but the reality is that this shouldn’t have happened,” said Mary De May, a Mill Valley psychiatrist who received the correction letter. “As a physician, if I got a list of patients that supposedly were mine but weren’t, I would know something that I shouldn’t know.”

Henry James Vaux, Sr., a professor emeritus of forestry at the University of California, Berkeley, and former chairman of California's Board of Forestry, died on Dec. 22 in Berkeley after a brief illness. He was 88.  

Vaux was best known for his contributions to the field of forest economics and forest policy. His research in forestry formed the basis for the development of modern forest practices and his leadership was pivotal to the evolution of forest policy in California.  

“Henry James Vaux was one of the most innovative people in the forest policy arena,” said Richard B. Standiford, associate dean for forestry in UC Berkeley's College of Natural 

Resources. “He was one of the giants in forestry in California.”  

Vaux's views were frequently sought by legislators and policy makers and he played a significant role in the development of California’s forestry laws during the 1960s and 1970s. 

These laws included a forest practices act, which created for the state a public trust responsibility to protect environmental attributes such as soil and water on forested lands. He also played a key role in a forest tax reform act which eliminated tax incentives to harvest timber prematurely, and a forest improvement act which created a fiscal partnership between the state and private forest landowners aimed at improving forest management on private land.  

In 1976, then-Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Vaux chairman of the state Board of Forestry, which carried both policy and regulatory responsibilities. Vaux’s service as chairman was noteworthy for reinvigorating the board’s policy-making role.  

Throughout his career Vaux received many professional honors. Among them were the Gifford Pinchot Medal awarded by the Society of American Foresters and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Forestry Association. He was also a fellow of the California Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. UC Berkeley awarded him the Berkeley Citation upon his retirement, and the UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources established the Henry Vaux Forestry Education Center at Blodgett Forest near Auburn. The Center was dedicated in his honor in 1999.  

In the last 25 years of his life, Vaux spent much of his time establishing a family home in the Alexander Valley, a wine-growing region in Sonoma County. He was known to many of his friends and colleagues as Hank.  

Vaux is survived by his daughter, Alice Vaux Hall of Portland, Oregon; his son, Henry Vaux, Jr. of El Cerrito; his daughter-in-law Prindle A. Vaux of El Cerrito, Calif.; and three grandchildren. A celebration of his life will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27 at the Men's Faculty Club at UC Berkeley. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Henry Vaux Distinguished Professorship in Forest Policy, c/o the College of Natural Resources, UC Berkeley, CA 94720-3100.

Critics say money will just flow through different channels with same effect 

SACRAMENTO – Tony Miller is a longtime supporter of campaign contribution limits, but he won’t be popping any champagne corks to welcome California’s latest plan to cap donations. 

Miller, a former chief elections officer for the state, was one of the leading opponents of the new limits, which were approved by voters on Nov. 7 as Proposition 34. 

“Time will tell if it’s effective at all,” he says. “My concern is the same amount of money, if not more, will flow through different channels into the same bank accounts.” 

The new limits were put on the ballot by the Legislature and Gov. Gray Davis. They take effect Jan. 1 for legislative candidates, but won’t impact candidates for governor and other state offices until after the 2002 elections. 

The limits will allow most donors to give up to $3,000 per election to someone running for the Legislature. So-called small contributor committees — groups of at least 100 people who chip in no more than $200 each — can give up to $6,000. 

Candidates for governor will be able to take up to $20,000 per election from most contributors. For other statewide candidates, the per-election limit will $5,000 from most donors, although small contributor committees could give twice that amount. 

But there will be no limits on how much political parties can give to candidates and how much the parties can raise for a variety of political purposes, and that’s where Miller and groups like Common Cause and the League of Women Voters see big problems with the proposition. 

The measure allows a donor to give up to $25,000 a year to a party to contribute to its candidates, but there’s no restrictions on how much parties can accept for voter registration drives, get-out-the-vote efforts — even independent campaigns for candidates. 

“I can give $1 million to the party, which can make mailings for candidates A and B and candidates A and B can provide the copy,” he says. “It’s a huge loophole.” 

But Lance Olson, general counsel for the state Democratic Party, predicts the parties will prefer to give money directly to candidates instead of making independent expenditures and that the $25,000 limit is generous enough to let them do that. 

The proposition also includes voluntary spending limits and some additional disclosure requirements for candidates and ballot measures. 

The state had no limits on donations when voters adopted Proposition 34, except in races to fill midterm vacancies in the Legislature. Five- and six-figure contributions had become common, increasing concerns that wealthy special interests had too much clout at the Capitol. 

Nearly 60 percent of the campaign money collected by Davis in the first half of 2000 came in donations of more than $20,000, but the governor says he doesn’t let big contributors influence his decisions. 

Previous efforts to impose limits were either rejected by lawmakers or voters, vetoed by the governor or struck down by the courts. 

Limits were in effect temporarily after voters approved Proposition 73 in 1988 and Proposition 208 in 1996, but most of the provisions of those measures were blocked by court rulings. 

A federal judge concluded that 208’s limits were too low and that 73’s favored incumbents. 

Miller and other critics contend that the real reason lawmakers put Proposition 34 on the ballot was to avoid the possibility that courts would revive 208’s tougher limits. 

The critics are already talking about trying to put an initiative on the ballot in 2002 or 2004 to strengthen 34’s requirements. 

Davis, who raised a whopping $21.6 million in contributions during his first 18 months in office, said the new limits would “strike the right balance between reducing the amount any one person can give to you and still passing constitutional muster.” 

“Even though some other (measures) were supported by the people..., they have not fared well in the courts,” he said. I am convinced that this bill will pass constitutional muster and will finally put campaign reform in place.” 

The lead author of Proposition 34, Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, D-San Francisco, bristles when critics suggest that the measure didn’t get enough public scrutiny before it was approved by California lawmakers. 

The bill that became Proposition 34 was put together by a two-house conference committee and had only one hearing before it was adopted. 

“We did not have a plethora of public hearings, but it was a lot more public a process than with 208 or any of the other citizens’ initiatives that have ever been put on the ballot,” he said. 

Olson, who helped draft the proposition, said Burton believed that if the bill followed the usual route of going through several committees “it would get buried in amendments and it would die.” 

Burton said 208’s limits were so low they would make it impossible for most challengers to raise enough money to defeat an incumbent and would encourage special interests to put on their own campaigns to elect or defeat officials. 

Proposition 34 “is not perfect but it’s a hell of a lot better than nothing,” he said. 

CONTRIBUTION LIMITS 

Legislative candidates: $3,000 per election from most sources, $6,000 per election from small contributor committees that have been in existence at least six months, give to at least five candidates and have at least 100 members who chip in no more than $200 each. No limit on donations from political parties. No donations from lobbyists. 

Gubernatorial candidates: $20,000 per election from most sources. No limit on donations from political parties. No donations from lobbyists. 

Other statewide candidates: $5,000 per election from most donors and $10,000 from small contributor committees. No limit on donations from political parties and no donations from lobbyists. 

Political parties: $25,000 a year for donations to candidates. No limit on donations for other purposes. VOLUNTARY SPENDING LIMITS 

State Assembly candidates: $400,000 for the primary, $700,000 for the general election. 

State Senate candidates: $600,000 for the primary, $900,000 for the general election. 

Gubernatorial candidates: $6 million for the primary, $10 million for the general election. 

Other statewide candidates: $4 million for the primary, $6 million for the general election.  

DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS 

Paid endorsements: Requires state and local ballot measure ads to disclose if a person appearing in the ad is being paid $5,000 or more. 

Donations: Requires candidates and ballot measure committees to report with 24 hours any donations of $1,000 or more received with 90 days of an election. 

Advertising payments: Requires persons to disclose when they spend $50,000 or more to buy campaign ads that identify a candidate for state office but do not clearly support the candidate’s election or defeat.