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News

Locals celebrate Mardi Gras

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Wednesday February 28, 2001

The flock of the One True Church of the Great Green Frog adorned sacred vestments of capes, masks and wizard’s caps, for their annual parade through Berkeley streets to celebrate Fat Tuesday. 

The leader of the church’s local chapter, who gave his name as Rev. Jim, was dressed as a large green frog as he ceremoniously led the parade. “We hopped out here in solidarity with the Rev. Dan of New Orleans and the people of Brazil and now, I guess, Seattle,” he said referring to other cities where the church celebrates Mardi Gras Day or Fat Tuesday. “This is a traditional New Orleans style march.” 

About 75 celebrants gathered at sunrise at Claremont Open Space above UC Berkeley’s Clark Kerr Campus. Soon after they made their way to a co-op, whose location they did not disclose, where they had breakfast. And then, throwing strings of beads and yelling “Happy Mardi Gras” and “Hoppa-la-yah!” along Telegraph Avenue and Haste Street, the parade wound its way to People’s Park. 

To the best recollection of parade organizers, this is the fifth year Fat Tuesday has been celebrated in Berkeley by the One True Church of the Great Green Frog.  

The parade stopped at People’s Park for lunch, which was served by costumed workers for Food Not Bombs. One server who would only identify himself as John Hoppa-Lu-Yah, said FNB serves food in the park every weekday afternoon. 

After lunch the parade headed for the Berkeley Farmers Market on Derby Street at Martin Luther King Jr. Way where they listened to music provided by the Wild Buds: West Coast Mardi Gras Band and The Sons and Daughters of Orphius. 

The entire parade route runs above the entombed Derby Creek. Along with smashing television sets and drinking not driving, celebrants advocated daylighting the creek, especially the section underneath People’s Park. 

Costumed musicians played guitars and drums in the park while some revelers danced and others ate lunches of fruit and cauliflower salad and all enjoyed the first warm weather after a unusually cold winter.  

One reveler Elisa Smith dressed as a space monkey, said she has be a participating in the parade for five years. “Happy Mardi Gras and hoppa-la-yah!” she said. “I wouldn’t miss this parade it’s always fun. Although it’s a little hot for this costume.” 

The weather, in the high 60s, was welcomed by the group, many who said the parade usually takes place in the rain. The Rev. Jim said the rain was so bad the last two years he had to wear his salamander costume.  

Mardi Gras, French for fat Tuesday, is an annual festival that marks the last day before Ash Wednesday, or the beginning of Lent, a Christian tradition that calls for 40 days of self denial and abstinence from merrymaking. Fat Tuesday is considered by many to be the last chance to “get it all out.” 

Rev. Jim said the Great Green Frog Church was formed (although he’s not quite sure when) as a anecdote to organized groups from bible colleges that would preach to the New Orleans Mardi Gras revelers about their evil ways and demand repentance.  

“The One True Church of the Great Green Frog is to counter their preaching,” he said. “We conducted a survey in Jackson Square on Mardi Gras Day and eight out of 10 revelers chose the frog over Jesus.” 

Rev. Jim handed out green flyers that reminded readers that “the Christians will tell you Jesus walked on water, once, yet frogs do it every day.” 

Five UC Berkeley police monitored the festivities from a respectful distance. Bicycle patrol officer Sean Aranas said there had been no incidents and the group seemed to be enjoying the day “and especially such a beautiful day,” he said. 


Calendar of Events & Activities

Wednesday February 28, 2001


Wednesday, Feb. 28

 

Stagebridge Free Acting  

& Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Call 444-4755 or  

visit www.stagebridge.org 

 

Conversations in Commedia 

7:30 p.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave. (at Prince) 

Mime Troupe founder Ron Davis and icon clown Wavy Gravy give dialogues on satire.  

$6 - $8 Call 849-2568 

 

Women in Interfaith  

Relationships  

9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish  

Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Led by Dawn Kepler, this workshop will explore interfaith relationships on many levels, in relation to culture, religion, and gender. $10 848-0237 x127 

 

Planning Commission Public Hearing  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

The commission is holding public hearings on the Planning Commission Draft General Plan. The commission requests that all written comments on the plan be submitted by March 1. 

 

Guide Dogs for the Blind 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

T. Duncan, a low vision speaker, will talk about guide dogs. 644-6107 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Parent Advocacy in the BUSD 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Martin Luther King Middle School Library 

1781 Rose St.  

Representative from various parent advocacy groups will discuss organizing strategies. Free 558-8933 

 

Disaster Council  

7 p.m. 

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

Presentation on sheltering issues in Turkey by Doug Sandy, American Red Cross. Also, proposed budget for office for emergency services.  

 

Commission on Disability  

6:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Discussion of the Commission on Aging’s recommendation to the City Council regarding small cab companies’ participation in Berkeley Paratransit Program, with certain conditions or comments.  

 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

 


Thursday, March 1

 

Berkeley Metaphysical  

Toastmasters Club  

6:15 - 7:30 p.m.  

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysics come together. Ongoing first and third Thursdays each month. Call 869-2547 

Cancer Support Group 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Summit Medical Center 

Markstein Cancer Education & Prevention Center 

450 30th St., Second Floor  

Oakland  

Free support group for families, friends, and patients diagnosed with cancer.  

869-8833 to register  

 

Cycling Journey  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Leo Tenenblat and Jean Philippe Boubli set off on their mountain bikes from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu, Nepal. They will share slides and stories of their 52-day adventure. Free 

Call 527-4140 

 

Micro Marketplace  

9:30 - 11:15 a.m. 

1150 Virginia St. (at San Pablo)  

Presented by the City of Franklin MicroSociety Magnet School, the marketplace will feature student entrepreneurs and their products: Recycled art, masks, jewelry, games, T-shirts, tile magnets, pottery, plant holders and more.  

 

— Compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

 

 

 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

 


Friday, March 2

 

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 

 

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  

 

Class Dismissed Poetry Posse 

7:30 p.m. 

Little Theater 

Berkeley High School  

2246 Milvia St.  

Afro-Haitian dancers, Dance Production dancers, the BHS poetry slammers, an opening a capella number and a few surprises. A benefit for a Berkeley High school student trip to Cuba.  

$5 - $10  

 

Colombia In Context  

9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Bancroft Hotel  

2680 Bancroft Way  

A conference bringing together leading experts from both Latin America and the U.S. to discuss both the roots of the current Colombian crisis, and the future effects of U.S. strategy on the region. There will be a break between Noon and 2 p.m. 

Visit www.clas.berkeley.edu/clas 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Lockdown America 

7 - 9:30 p.m. 

2040 Valley Life Sciences Bldg.  

UC Berkeley  

Christian Parenti, author of “Lockdown America, on Police and Prisons in the Age of Crisis” will speak. Free 

552-8236 

 

Cosi Fan Tutte Pt. II 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

The second part of this opera will be presented.  

Call 644-6107 

 


Saturday, March 3

 

Rockridge Writers 

3:30 - 5:30 p.m. 

Spasso Coffeehouse  

6021 College Ave.  

Poets and writers meet to critique each other’s work. “Members’ work tends to be dark, humorous, surreal, or strange.”  

e-mail: berkeleysappho@yahoo.com 

 

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

The Cal Sailing Club, a non-profit sailing and windsurfing cooperative, give free rides on a first come, first served bases on the first full weekend of each month. Wear warm clothes and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children must be at least five years old and must be accompanies by an adult.  

Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

 

Wild About Books? 

10:30 a.m. 

Central Berkeley Library  

2121 Allston Way  

Mary Miche, leader of Song Trek Music, will lead a sing-along that will send everyone home humming.  

Call 649-3913 

 

Residential Solar Electricity  

1 - 3 p.m. 

Ecology Center  

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

Hal Aronson, director of the Solar Energy Education Program for Berkeley EcoHouse, will cover how solar electric cells work, different types of systems, and costs of a solar system. Participants will also produce electricity using photovoltaic panels and power a range of appliances.  

$10 - $15  

548-2220 x233  

 

Feathered Dinosaurs  

11 a.m.  

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley’s Dr. Kevin Padian talks about the discovery of feathered dinosaur fossils in northern China. Included with museum admission.  

$3 - $7  

642-5132 

 

“Socialism & the Struggle for Global Justice”  

10:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

200 Wheeler Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Discussions will include “Why Socialism?”; crisis in Palestine; race, class and the fall out from the 2000 elections; and fighting misogyny and sexism.  

$5 donation  

552-8236  

 

Emergency!: Personal Preparedness 

9 a.m. - 11 a.m.  

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

A class sponsored by the Berkeley Fire Dept. and the Office of Emergency Services. Free. 

644-8736 

 


Sunday, March 4

 

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

The Cal Sailing Club, a non-profit sailing and windsurfing cooperative, give free rides on a first come, first served bases on the first full weekend of each month. Wear warm clothes and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children must be at least five years old and must be accompanies by an adult.  

Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

 

Salsa Lesson and Dance Party  

6 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Professional instructors Mati Mizrachi and Ron Louie will lead you through the steps. Irsraeli food will be provided by Holy Land Restaurant.  

$10 

RSVP 237-9874 

 

Spiritual and Social Transformation  

2 - 5 p.m. 

7th Heaven Yoga & Body Awareness Studio  

2820 Seventh St.  

Acarya Dada Shambhushivananda Avadhuta & Norie Huddle. 

$5 - $15 sliding scale  

231-0382  

 


Monday, March 5

 

Your Legal Rights with HMOs 

6 - 7:30 p.m. 

YWCA Oakland  

1515 Webster St., Second Floor  

Oakland  

Presented by the Women’s Cancer Resource Center, UCSF Cancer Resource Center and the San Francisco Bar Volunteer Legal Services, this free workshop covers what your legal rights are and how to guard them.  

Call 415-885-3693 

 

Beginning Bicyclist Workshop  

7 - 9 p.m. 

YMCA  

2001 Allston Way  

Community Room 1, Main Floor  

Jason Meggs and Zed Lopez will teach you how to keep yourself and your bike safe and even how to use your bike for shopping. Free  

Call Jason Meggs, 549-RIDE 

 

“Stop Medical Apartheid” 

Noon  

Parker & Seventh St.  

Local non-violent civil disobedience in reaction to Bayer Corp. involvement in a lawsuit against the government of South Africa. Bayer and 39 other large drug companies are suing the governement to prevent them from producing generic AIDS drugs or importing them at the lowest market price. Speakers or arrestees includes Councilors Maudelle Shirek and Kriss Worthington, Father Bill O’Donnell and Rev. Mark Wilson and South African Bongane Byatai.  

Call 568-1680 

 

Self-Care and Wellness Health Fair 

Pre-Registration Deadline 

9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center 

Ashby Campus, Auditorium  

2450 Ashby Ave.  

Registration deadline for the March 10 event. A day of workshops offering ways to maintain and improve health of the body, mind and spirit.  

$10 admission, $5 per workshop  

 

Beginning Spanish  

10 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Edie Wright.  

Call 644-6107 

 


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 527-5332  

 

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 

 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

 

International Women’s Day 

11:10 a.m. 

Pacific School of Religion Chapel 

1798 Scenic Ave.  

Join students, staff, and faculty in the celebration of International Women’s Day. The theme is “A Call to Place: Quilting Resistance,” highlighting women’s religious experiences and women of the world.  

649-2490 

 

Aquinas, Creation and Cosmic Evolution 

7:30 p.m. 

2400 Ridge Road 

Flora Lamson Hewlett Library  

Dinner Board Room  

Benedict Ashley, author, advisor to the Theological Commission of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and faculty member of the Aquinas Institute, gives the eleventh annual Aquinas lecture. Free 

883-2085 

 

National Nutrition Month Cooking Demonstration 

11:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Five a Day with Natalie.  

Call 644-6107 

 


Wednesday, March 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 

 

Women in Interfaith Relationships  

9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Led by Dawn Kepler, this workshop will explore interfaith relationships on many levels, in relation to culture, religion, and gender. People of all backgrounds and orientations are invited to attend.  

$10 

848-0237 x127 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

 


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 

 

Trekking Northern India  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Professional wilderness guide Randy Pomeroy will take you on a journey from Ladakh to Rajasthan. Free 

Call 527-4140 

 

“Fifty Years in the Making” 

Boalt Hall School of Law  

UC Berkeley 

A gathering of some of the most prominent diplomats, scholars, and legal practitioners in the field of World War II reparation and restitution claims. Free and open to the public.  

 

Backyard Birding & Beyond  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Bird watching with Stan Scher.  

Call 644-6107 

 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

 

Take the Terror Out of Talking 

12:10 - 1:10 p.m. 

California Dept. of Health Services  

2151 Berkeley Way  

Room 804  

Session four of six in a series of classes presented by the State Health Toastmasters, this one is called “Creating An Introduction.”  

649-7750 

 

Friday, March 9  

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 

 

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  

 

Berkeley PC Users Group 

7 p.m. 

Vista College 

2020 Milvia St., Room 303 

E-Mail: meldancing@aol.com 

 

Europe on a Shoestring  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Scott Mcneely, co-author of the Lonely Planet book will share slides and information on some of his favorite adventures off the beaten path. Come learn about smart budget travel.  

Call 527-4140 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Yiddish Conversation  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Allen Stross.  

Call 644-6107 

 

Energy Teach-In & Action Forum  

6:45 p.m. 

Berkeley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall  

1924 Cedar (at Bonita)  

Graham Brownstein of TURN, Charles Kalish of Citizens Power Campaign and Todd Creiten of Campaign Against Utilities Rate Hike give an update on the vital struggle for public power. Find out what you can do about your utility bill.  

233-3175 

 

“Torture in 2001 - The Violations Continue” 

Stephens Hall, Geballe Room  

Townsend Center for the Humanities  

UC Berkeley  

Despite nearly universal prohibition against the use of torture in laws of most nations, the incidence of torture is epidemic. Dr. Kathi Antolak, an expert on the treatment of torture victims will speak.  

 

Saturday, March 10  

The Secrets of Sacred Cinema 

10 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Pacific School of Religion  

1798 Scenic Ave., Mudd 103 

Kevin Peer, a documentary film maker for the past 25 years, gives a two-day intensive for people interested in exploring documentary filmmaking. No equipment or prior experience required.  

$200 per person and registration is required 

Call 486-1480 

 

Narratives of Public Sector Reform: A Colloquium  

10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

223 Moses Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Mark Bevir of the department of Political Science of UC Berkeley, will present his paper on “Decentered Theory of Governance” and Rod Rhodes of the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne will present his paper, “Entering British Governance.” There will also be a session to discuss the broader issues their works raise.  

 

Greece Adventure 

1 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Linda Pearson of REI Adventures will introduce you to Greece in slides and discussion.  

Call 527-4140 

 

Healing Garden  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Ecology Center 

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

Kathi Kinney will teach how to integrate medicinal herbs into existing gardens and landscapes and how to design and maintain a practical, aromatic, easy-care herb garden.  

$10 - $15  

548-2220 x233 

 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

Sedge’s guests this week will be Patrick McCabe, author of The Butcher Boy and Emerald Germs of Ireland, a capella singers M-Pact, Naturalist Claire Peaslee and pianist Mike Greensill.  

664-9500 

 

Self-Care and Wellness Health Fair 

9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center 

Ashby Campus, Auditorium  

2450 Ashby Ave.  

A day of workshops offering ways to maintain and improve health of the body, mind and spirit. Learn the process one might go through when deciding to stay with self-help, when to seek out assistance, and how to integrate care.  

$10 admission, $5 per workshop  

 

Fire Suppression Class  

9 a.m. - Noon  

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

A free class as part of Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). Sponsored by the Berkeley Fire Dept. and the Office of Emergency Services.  

Call 644-8736 

 

Sunday, March 11 

Reimagining Pacific Cities  

6 - 8:30 p.m. 

New Pacific Studio  

1523 Hearst Ave.  

“How are Pacific cities reshaping their cultural and environmental institutions to better serve the needs and enhance the present and future quality of life of all segments of their societies?” A series of ten seminars linking the Bay Area, Seattle, Portland, and other pacific cities.  

Call 849-0217 

 

Myths & Realities of the International House  

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Historical Society  

1931 Center St.  

Director Joe Lurie will show a video and talk about the history and the struggle to open the International House.  

$10 donation  

Call 848-0181 

 

Walk on the Moon  

2 & 7 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

A mother and daughter explore their identities as they summer in the Catskills in 1969 amidst the news of Woodstock and the first lunar landing. Peer led discussion to follow film.  

$2 suggested donation  

 

Energy Attack  

4 - 6 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

PUC Commissioner Carl Wood, labor journalist David Bacon and Environmentalist architect Mark Gorrell will discuss the energy crisis and how to get involved in solutions.  

549-0816 

 

Community Health & Wellness Fair 

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2345 Channing Way  

Review health from a holistic perspective, personally and communally. Stop by for practical health screenings and explore wellness practices such as Taoist Tai Chi, Hatha Yoga and Rosen Bodywork in introductory workshops. Free except for cholesterol screening.  

649-1383 

 

Monday, March 12  

Weight Loss & Gain  

10:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

New theories about weight loss and gain with Dr. McGillis.  

Call 644-6107 

 

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 

 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

 

Reclaim the Seeds! 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Ecology Center 

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

Bring seeds, questions, stories, and ambitions to swap. The center will be coordinating the growout of local quality seed and announcing their season-long workshops, discussions, processing parties, and advisory-consultation team. Free 

Call 923-0733 

 

Time & Thing Management  

1:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

With Mary Ann.  

Call 644-6107 

 

Wednesday, March 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 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

St. Patrick’s Day Musical Celebration  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Guitar duo with Devon and Mark.  

Call 644-6107 

 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

 

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 

 

Berkeley Metaphysical Toastmasters Club  

6:15 - 7:30 p.m.  

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysics come together. Ongoing first and third Thursdays each month.  

Call 869-2547 

 

Cancer Support Group 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Summit Medical Center 

Markstein Cancer Education & Prevention Center 

450 30th St., Second Floor  

Oakland  

Free support group for families, friends, and patients diagnosed with cancer.  

869-8833 to register  

 

Myanmar: The Golden Kingdom  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Philip Hassrick of Lost Frontiers will introduce you to Myanmar’s unique history and culture.  

Call 527-4140 

 

“Respecting Creation”  

7:30 p.m. 

King Middle School  

1781 Rose St.  

Winona LaDuke, Native American Indian activist, environmentalist, author, and Green Party Vice Presidential candidate will speak about the environmental situation under the Bush administration, including California’s power dilemma. A benefit for KPFA and Speak Out.  

$10 - $12  

Call 848-6767 x609 or visit www.kpfa.org 

 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

 

Celtic Theology  

6:30 p.m. 

Dinner Board Room  

Flora Lamson Hewlett Library  

2400 Ridge Rd.  

Thomas O’ Loughlin, lecturer a the University of Wales, will present a lecture entitled “A Celtic Theology: The Dream, the Myth, and Some Questions for Academics.”  

649-2490 

 

Friday, March 16  

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 

 

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  

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Gay & Lesbian Panel Discussion 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Everyone is welcome.  

Call 644-6107 

 

Saturday, March 17  

Rockridge Writers 

3:30 - 5:30 p.m. 

Spasso Coffeehouse  

6021 College Ave.  

Poets and writers meet to critique each other’s work. “Members’ work tends to be dark, humorous, surreal, or strange.”  

e-mail: berkeleysappho@yahoo.com 

 

Light Search & Rescue  

9 a.m. - Noon  

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

A free class as part of Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). Sponsored by the Berkeley Fire Dept. and the Office of Emergency Services.  

Call 644-8736 

 

Burma Human Rights Day  

2 p.m.  

Berkeley Fellowship Hall  

1924 Cedar (at Bonita)  

KPFA Journalist Dennis Bernstein and members of the Burmese Resistance Movement will speak. Sponsored by the Burmese American Democratic Alliance and the Berkeley Fellowship Unitarian Universalists Social Action Committee.  

528-5403  

 

Sunday, March 18 

East Bay Men’s Chorus Rehearsal  

6:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley 

Calling for gay and bisexual men and their allies and friends to join this choral ensemble directed by J.R. Foust. There is no obligation to join the chorus after the first rehearsal.  

Call to RSVP 664-0260 or e-mail eastbaymenschorus@yahoo.com 

 

“Parenting in the Second Half of Life” 

10:30 a.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Author Roberta Maisel will discuss ways parents and their grown children can get on a positive and guilt-free path.  

848-0237  

 

“Hope Against Darkness”  

7:30 p.m. 

Newman Hall  

2700 Dwight Way (at College) 

Richard Rohr will respond to the questions: What is the darkness? What is hope?  

848-7812  

 

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 interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is death and dying in celebration of the Ides of March.  

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 

 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

 

Lavendar Lunch 

12:30 - 1:30 p.m. 

Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave.  

Mudd Bldg., Room 103  

Unitarian-Universalist minister Sean Parker Dennison discusses his experiences as a transgender minister working in parish ministry.  

849-8206 

 

Rethinking Creation  

7 p.m. 

Tucson Common Room  

Church Divinity School of the Pacific 

2450 Le Conte Ave.  

Dr. Sjoerd L. Bonting will speak on “Rethinking Creation: ‘Chaos Events’ and Theology.”  

Call 848-8152 

 

Wednesday, March 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 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

 

Thursday, March 22  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Anna Mae Stanley and host Louis Cuneo.  

644-0155 

 

Trekking in Bhutan  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Ruth Ann Kocour and Elizabeth Rassiga will share slides of their 25-day journey along the Snow Leopard Trek to the sacred mountain Chomolhari and beyond. Free 

Call 527-4140 

 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

 

Friday, March 23 

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 

 

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  

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Saturday, March 24 

Ashkenaz Dance-A-Thon 

2 p.m. - 2 a.m.  

Ashkenaz  

1370 San Pablo Ave.  

Join Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers along with African, Cajun, North African, Balkan, reggae, and Caribbean bands in this twelve hour dance music-fest. This is Ashkenaz big fundraiser for making improvements, including a new dance floor and ventilation system.  

$20 donation  

525-5054 or visit www.ashkenaz.com  

 

Disaster First Aid 

9 a.m. - Noon  

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

A free class as part of Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). Sponsored by the Berkeley Fire Dept. and the Office of Emergency Services.  

Call 644-8736 

 

“LGBT Family Night at the Y” 

6 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley YMCA  

2001 Allston Way  

The third annual free night for gay and lesbian families at the Y. The event will feature floor hockey, swimming, soccer, basketball and other sports, as well as arts and crafts. Free; donation requested.  

Call 848-9622 

 

Sunday, March 25 

Reimagining Pacific Cities  

6 - 8:30 p.m. 

New Pacific Studio  

1523 Hearst Ave.  

“How are Pacific cities reshaping their cultural and environmental institutions to better serve the needs and enhance the present and future quality of life of all segments of their societies?” A series of ten seminars linking the Bay Area, Seattle, Portland, and other pacific cities.  

$10 per meeting  

Call 849-0217 

 

Tuesday, March 27 

“Great Decisions” - European Integration  

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 photograph


Letters to the Editor

Wednesday February 28, 2001

Mail problems 

Editor: 

I moved to Berkeley in November, and opened a P.O. Box on Allston Way immediately. I have had problems with delayed mail and packages taking ages to arrive and arriving damaged. I have filed several complaints, but the local people say the problem must lie somewhere else. 

Am I alone in this? There must be others who are experiencing problems with the post office?  

A package sent to me via priority mail from Florida on December 27th arrived around February 10th. A package sent on January 2nd from New York arrived damaged February 21. 

A package from Oregon in January sent priority mail took TWO WEEKS to arrive. A package sent to my house via first class mail took 3 weeks to arrive. 

There must be a problem somewhere. 

 

Luther Miller 

Berkeley 

 

Wozniak speaks for citizens 

The Daily Planet received this letter to the Community Environmental Advisory Commission: 

We have known Gordon Wozniak for more than 20 years. The idea that he would represent his employer, LBL, rather than the citizens of Berkeley is ludicrous. Gordon is a brilliant scientist, who has been active in the Berkeley community for several decades. He has nothing but the welfare of the people of this city at heart. He is knowledgeable, intelligent, an independent thinker. It would be a great loss to the city and the environmental cause if Gordon Wozniak were no longer involved in problems facing our city. We urge the city’s CEAC to not only retain Gordon as a member but to make him chairman as well. 

Thank you for your consideration. 

Linda Schacht 

John Gage 

Berkeley 

 

Massage studio practices healing 

Editor: 

We are- writing in response to the Berkeley Daily Planet article entitled, “Temporary Ban On Massage Parlors in Works (Jan. 18).” We are quite upset at being referred to as a massage “parlor”. We realize you stated that we are a reputable business, but then we were referred to us as an “adult-oriented” business. Nowadays the terms “parlor” and “adult-oriented” business are used to refer to sexual/sensual services.  

We call ourselves Berkeley Massage and Self-Healing Center because we are a reputable, therapeutic establishment. Through the years we have endeavored to educate the public as to what therapeutic bodywork is and are very distressed when we are referred to as a “parlor” or an “adult-oriented business”.  

We feel that what is said in this article is a set-back to the work that we have done. We understand your concerns about the existence of massage parlors/adult oriented businesses in the downtown Berkeley area. However, we would appreciate being recognized for who we are. 

We have been offering bodywork and self-healing modalities to the community for thirty-two years, and consider ourselves to be a family oriented business. We work with parents, grandparents, children and pregnant women, and our clientele include local business owners, university faculty and students, teachers, lawyers, and computer programmers, to name only a few. Clients state that our work helps them to better cope with the stresses of our fast paced society, which in turn enhances their personal and work relationships. We also help to alleviate sports and work--related injuries. 

We have been a member of the Downtown Berkeley Association since its inception and are currently listed in their new brochure under the Health and Fitness section. We are also members of the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. Enclosed is our brochure. We would be happy to meet with you to discuss this issue further. 

 

The Berkeley Massage and Self-Healing Center 

 

Editors note: We agree and regret the mischaracterization. 

 

Should have pardoned Peltier  

Editor: 

Criticism of Clinton’s pardons have focused on individuals believed to have received tainted pardons – but where is the outcry over pardons that were tragically passed over? Why, for example, didn’t Clinton commute the sentence of Leonard Peltier, whose case would have demonstrated the proper use of clemency power? 

Peltier has been wrongfully imprisoned for 25 years. He was convicted after a shoot-out on the Pine Ridge Reservation took the lives of two FBI agents and one Native man whose death was never investigated. Peltier was found guilty in a trial where witnesses were coerced, false testimony was utilized, and a ballistic test reflecting his innocence was withheld from the defense. Today the U.S. prosecutor admits, “We can’t prove who shot those agents.” The appellate court found that Peltier might have been acquitted absent the FBI abuses, but denied a new trial on a legal technicality. This appellate judge expressed firm support for Peltier’s release through executive clemency. 

Executive clemency for Peltier would have exemplified a proper use of the power, and an honorable decision to correct a terrible injustice and take a historical step towards healing relations between the U.S. government and native people. Instead, January 20, 2001 marked another betrayal of the first peoples of this land by a government who has yet to grant reparations for the many atrocities committed against them. Clinton’s legacy will be forever tainted by his abuse of the clemency process, both in the pardons he granted, and the ones he did not.  

 

boona cheema 

Berkeley 

 

Bulldozed trees, organic gardens  

Editor:  

It’s beyond my comprehension that this has occurred in Berkeley: The city promoting organic gardens in it’s middle schools, creating a “Good Food Cafe” at the high school, the city considering re-surfacing it’s concrete-covered creeks, the city where people teach their children to care about the environment and encourage active participation is respecting and saving it.  

Where am I, then? And what happened to all these trees? To see them cut them down would have been bad enough, but one after another, they still stand tall - there are no stumps - stripped of their bark, mutilated horrendously. As if a giant claw had grabbed each of them and lifted it to some monster’s mouth to be gnawed and spit out. Lightning? But they are not blackened. Devastated and tortured, they have literally been torn up or down. Someone please put them out of their misery. 

I read the local papers often enough to have been aware of any publicized plan to remove these trees in order for construction work to begin at Berkeley High. I have seen nothing, no notification, no warning. When the city plan went through to remove trees along downtown Shattuck Ave. and replace them with others, the papers were full of it and protests went out loud and clear. But nothing about this.  

And I watched some of the trees being removed along Shattuck: They were sawed down quickly, cut up and taken away. The barren spots where they had stood were upsetting, but nothing like this scene of devastation. And why the trees on the sidewalk and those just inside the school grounds? Couldn’t construction have been planned around them? But the thing that left me with such a feeling of shock and anger is how it was done. And it is not done. The poor ravaged trees stand there testifying to the fact that no one gave a good god damn about the life that was in them. 

My daughter, who is a student at Berkeley High, is also upset.  

B. Jacobs 

Berkeley


Arts & Entertainment

Wednesday February 28, 2001

 

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for a year membership March 2: Books Lie, Living Under Lies, Remnants, No Regrets, The Fadeaways, LWL; March 3: Dr. Know, The Dread, Hot Box, Anal Mucus; March 9: Dead and Gone, Sworn Vengence, Punishment, Misoura, The Computer Kills; March 10: The Varukers, 46 Short, Scarred for Life, Oppressed Logic, Faced Down. 525-9926  

 

Albatross Pub All music at 9 p.m. unless noted March 1: Keni “El Lebrijano”; March 6: PickPocket Ensemble; March 7: Whiskey Bros.; March 8: Keni “El Lebrijano”; March 10: PickPocket Ensemble; March 13: Mad & Eddie Duran Jazz Duo; March 15: Keni “El Lebrijano”; 1822 San Pablo 843-2473 

 

Ashkenaz Feb. 28, 8 p.m.: “Fling Ding!” A night of Appalachian music featuring the Bluegrass Intentions; March 24, 2 p.m. - 2 a.m.: Ashkenaz fourth annual dance-a-thon featuring Lavay Smith, African, Caribbean, reggae, Balkan, North African and cajun bands for 12 hours of nonstop dance music. 1370 San Pablo Ave. 525-5054  

 

Eli’s Mile High Club Doors open at 8 p.m. March 2: Henry Clement; March 3: J.J. Malone; March 9: Ron Hacker; March 10: Red Archibald  

 

Jazzschool/La Note All music at 4:30 p.m. March 4: Ray Obiedo; March 11: Stephanie Bruce Trio; March 18: Wayne Wallace Septet $6 - $12 2377 Shattuck Ave.  

Live Oak Concert Series All music at 7:30 p.m. March 4: Marie Carbone, harpsichord, plays music of Frescobaldi, Sweelinck, Froberger, and Weckmann; March 11: Stephen Bell, guitar, plays music of Bach, Villa-Lobos, Ponse, and Albeniz Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St.  

 

Cal Performances March 2 - March 11, call for times: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Zellerbach Hall UC Berkeley. 642-9988 or www.calperfs.berkeley.edu Feb. 28, 8 p.m.: Clerks’ Group performs music from the Burgundian Courts; March 4, 3 p.m.: Baritone Nathan Gunn sings Brahms, Wolf, and a selection of American songs $36; March 11, 3 & 7 p.m.: Burhan Ocal & The Istanbul Oriental Ensemble perform traditional Turkish music $24 Hertz Hall UC Berkeley 

 

“Dido and Aeneas” March 2, 8 p.m.; March 4, 2 p.m. A tale of English Baroque opera that follows the tale of Dido, queen of Corinth, as she is courted and won by Aeneas, conqueror and future founder of Rome. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. Call 925-798-1300 

 

“Aywah!” March 2, 8 p.m. An evening of music and dance from Egypt, Turkey, Morocco and Balkan Roma. Featuring Aywah! Dance Company. Guest singer Eva Primack. $13 - $15 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

 

Mozart Requiem Singalong March 3, 8 p.m. Bella Musica Chorus and Orchestra in their third annual presentation. Bring your own score or buy/borrow one of theirs. $10 suggested donation St. Joseph the Worker Church 1640 West Addison (at McGee) Call 526-5393 

 

Young People’s Symphony Orchestra March 3, 8 p.m. David Ramadanoff conducts the orchestra in a program featuring Schubert, Tchaikovsky, and a suite from Piston’s ballet “The Incredible Flutist” $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. Call 925-798-1300  

“In Song and Struggle” March 4, 4 - 10 p.m. Copwatch presents the second annual event bringing together some of the best women artists from around the Bay Area and beyond in commemoration of International Women’s Day. Artists include Shelley Doty, Rebecca Riots, Rachel Garlin, and many others. $8 - $15 Ashkenaz 1317 San Pablo Ave. Call Copwatch, 548-0425  

 

Mingus Amungus & Allstar Jazz Jam March 4, 7 - 10 p.m. A benefit concert for 65 Cuba-bound Berkeley High students. $10 - $15 Florence Schwimley Little Theater 1930 Allston Way 587-3201  

 

“The Magic Flute” March 3 & 4, 8 p.m. Mozart’s most famous opera adapted by International House resident Kalinka Cichon and presented by a multicultural cast. $5 International House Auditorium 2299 Piedmont Ave. (at Bancroft) e-mail for tix: kalinka@cichon.com  

 

 

 

 

 

Eric Glick Reiman, Tom Nunn, Toychestra March 4, 7:48 p.m. $8 donation TUVASpace 3192 Adeline (at MLK Jr.) 649-8744 

 

Young Emerging Artists March 6, 7 - 8 p.m. John McCarthy will direct students from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Prepatory Division through a performance of works by Sov, Barber and others. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. (at Derby) 925-798-1300 

 

Carol Denney, Folk This!, J.D. Nelson March 7, 8 p.m. CD release party for Denney’s “The Rich Will Never Be Poor” $16.50 Freight & Salvage 1111 Addison St. 548-1761 

 

Canto Para Una Semilla March 9, 8 p.m. La Pena Community Chorus present an homage to Violeta Parra. This is a benefit for Berkeley High School’s CAS program. $10 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

Country Joe McDonald March 9 & 10, 8 - 10 p.m. McDonald will play a solo acoustic set of old & new songs and a tribute to Woody Guthrie. $20 Live Oak Theater 1301 Shattuck Ave. (at Berryman) www.countryjoe.com  

 

“Mystic Journey” March 10, 8 p.m. Suzanne Teng and Mystic Journey are a unique contemporary world music ensemble, based in Los Angeles, making their Bay Area debut. $15 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. Call 925-798-1300 

 

Maria Marquez in Concert March 10, 8:30 p.m. A special evening of Marquez’s songs from her latest CD, “Eleven Love Stories.” $15 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

 

Theater 

 

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

 

“Nightingale” presented by Central Works Theater Through March 4, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 24 & Saturday, March 3, 5 p.m. $8 - $14 LaVal’s Subterranean 1834 Euclid Ave. 558-1381 

 

“Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me” by Frank MacGuinness Through March 17, Thursday - Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday, 8:30 p.m. The story of three men - an Irishman, an Englishman and an American held in a prison in Lebanon. $10 - $15 8th St. Studio Theatre 2525 Eighth St. (at Dwight) 655-0813 

 

“A New Brain” by William Finn March 2 - 18, Fridays & Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday, 7 p.m. Watch as Gordon Schwinn, in the face of a life-threatening brain tumor, composes a farewell concert in which all the important figures in his life make show-stopping appearances. Presented by BareStage Productions $8 - $12 Choral Rehearsal Hall, Lower Level of Caesar Chavez Student Center UC Berkeley 642-3880  

 

“Glory Box” by Tim Miller March 9, 8 p.m. In this one-time performance, Miller explores the themes of same-sex marriage and binational gay/lesbian immigration rights. $15 Zellerbach Playhouse UC Berkeley 601-8932 or www.ticketweb.com  

 

“The Oresteia” by Aeschylus March 14 - May 6 Directed by Tony Taccone and Stephen Wadsworth, Aeschylus trilogy will be the first production staged on the Berkeley Rep’s new prosenium stage. Please call Berkeley Repertory Theatre for specific dates and times. $15.99 - $117 Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2015 Addison St. (at Shattuck) 647-2949 or www.berkeleyrep.org 

 

 

Films 

 

“Magnetic North” Six programs of experimental Canadian video from the past 30 years that range from documentary to conceptual art. In all, 40 tapes from 46 artists will be shown on six Wednesday evenings. Through Feb. 28. $7. Pacific Film Archive 2575 Bancroft (at Bowditch) 642-1412  

 

“A.K.A. Dominga” A video documentary film following the personal journey of one woman uncovering her history 18 years after surviving the Rio Negro Massacre in Guatemala. March 1, 7:30 p.m. La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 x15 

 

“Tragos” Antero Alli’s vision of a future where the desire to escape from the government and media thought-control drives people underground. March 8, 7 & 9:30 p.m. $7 Live Oak Theatre 1301 Shattuck Ave. 464-4640 

 

“Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win” A historic documentary of the May - June 1968 General Strike in France. Directed by Paris working class filmmaker Jean Pierre Thorn. Also to be shown is “France on Strike,” on the 1995 French public workers strike by rail workers, teachers, electrical and postal workers. March 18, 6 p.m. $7 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. (at Prince) 849-2568  

 

 

Exhibits 

 

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 

“Dorchester Days,” the photographs of Eugene Richards is a collection of pictures portraying the poverty, racial tension, crime and violence prevalent in Richards’ hometown of Dorchester, Massachusetts in the 1970s. Through April 6. UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism 121 North Gate Hall #5860 642-3383 

 

“Still Life & Landscapes” The work of Pamela Markmann Through March 24, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Red Oak Gallery 1891 Solano Ave. 527-3387 

 

“Kick Back,” the Department of Art Practice of UC Berkeley spring faculty show Through March 2 Worth Ryder Gallery Kroeber Hall UC Berkeley Call 642-2582 

 

“Unequal Funding: Photographs of Children in Schools that Get Less” An exhibit of black & white photographs by documentary photographer Chris Pilaro. Through March 16, Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photolab Gallery 2235 Fifth St. 644-1400 

 

“Contemporary Photogravure” Printing from hand-inked plates etched from a film positive, a unique exhibition of photographs with luxurious tones. Through March 30, Tuesday - Friday, Noon - 5 p.m. or by appointment Kala Art Institute 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 

 

“Musee des Hommages,” Masterworks by Guy Colwell Faithful copies of several artists from the pasts, including Titian’s “The Venus of Urbino,” Cezanne’s “Still Life,” Picasso’s “Woman at a Mirror,” and Boticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours 2028 Ninth St. (at Addison) 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

 

“Evolution,” No problem quilters exhibit their soft-cloth sculptures. New Pieces is the only gallery that exclusively exhibits quilts in the Bay Area. Through March 1, Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday Noon - 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave. 527-6779 

 

Amanda Haas, New Paintings and Olivia Kuser, Recent Landscapes Through March 24, Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 

 

“Travels in Color” Wax crayon sketches by Pamela Markmann made over the past 35 years Through March 31, 5 - 8 p.m. daily Voulez Vouz Bistro 2930 College Ave. 548-4708 

 

“Chicano Art and Visions of David Tafolla” Vivid color acrylic and oil paintings with Latino imagery. March 5 - April 12, Tuesday - Thursday, 1 - 7 p.m., Saturday Noon - 4 p.m. and by appointment. Opening reception March 10, 1 - 3 p.m. Women’s Cancer Resource Center 3023 Shattuck Ave. 548-9272 or www.wcrc.org 

 

 

Readings 

 

Boadecia’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted March 24, 7 p.m.: Aliza Sherman will read and sign “Cybergrrl@Work: Tips and Inspiration for the Professional You” 398 Colusa Ave. Kensington 559-9184. www.boadeciasbooks.com 

 

Cody’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted Feb. 28: Poetry of Sandra Gilbert & Wendy Barker 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852  

 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore All events at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28: Travel writer Christopher Baker will read and talk about his 7000 miles motorcycle odyssey through Cuba as chronicled in his book “Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro’s Cuba” 1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose) 843-3533  

 

“Strong Women - Writers & Heroes of Literature” Fridays 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  

 

Duomo Reading Series and Open Mic. Thursdays, 6:30 - 9 p.m. 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. 

 

Lunch Poems First Thursday of each month, 12:10 - 12:50 p.m. March 1: Aleida Rodrigues; April 5: Galway Kinnell; May 3: Student Reading Morrison Room, Doe Library UC Berkeley 642-0137 

 

Class Dismissed Poetry Posse March 2, 7:30 p.m. Afro-Haitian dancers, Dance Production dancers, the BHS poetry slammers, an opening a capella number and a few surprises. A benefit for a Berkeley High school student trip to Cuba. $5 - $10 Little Theater Berkeley High School 2246 Milvia St.  

 

Bamboo Ridge Writers Reading March 4, 4 p.m. Five authors published in the book, “Intersecting Circles: The Voices of Hapa Women in Poetry & Prose.” Bamboo Ridge publishes literature which nurtures the voices of Hawaii and celebrates its literary tradition. Eastwind Books of Berkeley 2066 University Ave. 548-2350 

 

Anita Barrows March 4, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Barrows will read from her poem “A Record” inspired by an exhibit done in Theresienstadt and her translation of Rosa Luxenburg’s letters. Free Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237 

 

Women’s Word March 14, 7:30 p.m. An evening of women’s word honoring International Women’s month and featuring Avotcja, Straight Out Scribes, Tureeda & Kira Allen. Hosted by Joyce Young. Open mic will follow. $4 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

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 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; March 18: “Topaz Moon,” Kimi Kodani Hill will discuss artist Chiura Obata’s family and the WWII Japanese relocation camps. Berkeley Historical Center Veterans Memorial Building 1931 Center St. 848-0181 

 

UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Research Seminars Noon seminars are brown bag March 7, 4 p.m.: Akhil Reed Amar will discuss his book “The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction.” March 12, Noon: Catherine Hafer of Ohio State will discuss “The Political Economy of Emerging Property Rights.” April 23, 4 p.m.: Mary Dudziach of USC will discuss “Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy.” Feb. 30, Noon: Daniel Diermeier of Northwestern University will discuss “Mass Political Action.” 119 Moses Hall UC Berkeley 642-4608  

 

“Great Decisions” Foreign Policy Association Lectures Series Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - Noon, Through 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 

 


Transportation panel seeks input

By Erika Fricke Daily Planet Staff
Wednesday February 28, 2001

OAKLAND – The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is calling all those who spend their time waiting at bus stops, or idling in traffic, dreaming up ways to fix the transportation system. The primary agency for regional transportation planning, MTC is holding a series of meetings to receive public input on the development of the Regional Transportation Plan. The plan is revised every three years and guides funding priorities for Bay Area transportation projects. That includes highways, roads and public transit as well as bike and pedestrian roadways. 

The kick-off for these public meetings was held Tuesday at MTC’s Oakland offices. According to MTC officials, almost two hundred people circulated through the exhibit identifying their priorities for transportation funding.  

“We’re making a really concerted effort to reach out and involve the public around the choices and decisions that have to be made,” said Marjorie Blackwell, spokesperson for the transportation commission. “We’re really doing a much more concerted effort.” 

The public meetings are part of a larger attempt to get more public involvement, particularly from low-income and minority individuals. A 19-member group directs MTC; it includes 14 appointed officials representing each of the nine Bay Area counties, two representatives from regional development organizations, and three representatives of federal agencies.  

The planning agency came under fire during a 1999 federal review by the Federal  

Transit and Federal Highway Administrations, agencies that oversee the use of federal funds. They gave MTC conditional certification to receive public money, saying they needed to increase public participation.  

Although public meetings were held three years ago during the last regional plan review, this time the questions involve basic transportation values. “Instead of saying, these are proposals and what do you think? We’re trying to get them involved up front,” Blackwell said. 

Those larger questions include where money should be spent, on public transportation or on roadways, and who should pay the cost for service enhancements. “Underlying all of the choices are values,” said consultant Daniel Lacofano, who mediated the discussion, “We want to try and elucidate these values more than we have in the past.” 

MTC spokesperson Randy Rentschler said that getting the message out to “John Q Public” is one of MTC’s biggest challenges. The commission advertised Tuesday’s meeting by sending out a press release and notifying a contact list, a self-selecting group of individuals who have shown concern about transit issues. They chose not to place an ad in local papers because of the high cost.  

The choice impacted the event: Although many cities and counties were represented, the comments showed a common mindset.  

Participants believed that more money should be spent on alternatives to “single-occupancy vehicles” the one person per car model that congests Bay Area roadways. 

Anthony Rodgers, representative of the Amalgamated Transit Union 192, received shouts and claps when appealing for a focus on alternatives. “We can not continue to build our way out of our transit problems,” he said, referring to new highways, bridges and tunnels. “If we build it, it is dumb.” Instead, he insisted that what are now last-choice alternatives of public transit must become viable options. 

People overwhelmingly favored an increase in the gasoline tax and bridge tolls to fund projects, and participants almost unanimously agreed that it’s important to coordinate development and transportation.  

“I’m concerned about sprawl,” said Bob Sarnoff of Berkeley. He made an organic analogy. “Transportation is like blood,” he said, because wherever you extend transportation lines such as BART or extensive freeways, housing and development will grow.  

But Sarnoff added that containing growth and development often conflicts with communities that want to prevent growth inside the city. “Perhaps that development should be in Berkeley,” He said. “Do we agree to have infill?” 

The information that comes from the public meetings will be synthesized and presented to the Transportation Commissioners at a meeting March 28. Of the $130 billion in government funds projected to make up the transportation budget in the next 25 years, the majority of it is already tied up in long-term maintenance and projects. The Regional Transportation Plan will direct the disbursement of the estimated $13 billion that is available for new projects, Rentschler said. And $13 billion, he said, is still a lot of money.  

However, MTC spokespeople said that the best place for people to give input is at the county level. Each county has a Congestion Management Agency that recommends specific projects to be included in the Regional Transportation Plan. The information from the public meetings will also be given to those agencies. 

“I’m certainly going to be requesting that we get a detailed itemization of any suggestions put forward,” said Councilmember Kriss Worthington, Berkeley’s representative to the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency. 

Although Berkeley resident Jeff Hobson, East Bay Coordinator of the Bay Area Transportation and Land Use Coalition, felt satisfied with the consensus produced in the meeting, he was still concerned about the accountability of the officials to the public input. “I think we really want to see how the comments will be turned into action,” he said. 

 

 


CEO defends hospital’s plans

By Hank Sims Berkeley Daily Planet
Wednesday February 28, 2001

When Alta Bates Summit announced its plan to consolidate services between its two facilities – Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley and Summit Medical Center in Oakland – East Bay lawmakers cried foul. The plan, which calls for “Centers of Excellence” to be instituted at both hospitals, seemed to break an agreement the hospitals made with the community at the time of their merger in 1999. 

According to the consolidation plan, Alta Bates maternity services and oncology will be located at Alta Bates, while cardiovascular services and orthopedics go to Summit. Alta Bates Summit officials say that the consolidation will allow the system to provide better care in each of these areas. 

Alta Bates Summit CEO Warren Kirk, recently named to his post, and Dr. James Cuthbertson, the president of the Alta Bates medical staff and member of the Alta Bates Summit board of trustees, sat down with the Daily Planet on Friday to discuss the changes they will undertake and to defend the hospital against its critics. 

The second part of this interview will appear in Monday’s paper. 

 

A lot of people are concerned that the plan calls for obstetrics to be located here at Alta Bates and removed from Summit. This would seem to contravene one of the promises that was made to the community when the two hospitals merged.  

One person, Supervisor Keith Carson, says that it’s not fair to ask someone from East Oakland to come all the way to Berkeley to deliver a baby. Could you respond? 

Kirk: First of all, it is true that when we first did our merger, we did say that we would make commitments to the community. One was around medical surgery services, the other was around the emergency departments and one was around obstetrics. We said we would keep those services in the community, at both hospitals. So that’s true. 

The truth is that things in health care change dramatically. We’ve found ourselves, now, losing money at the rate of around $1 million per week. We’ve had to look at how we can reorganize ourselves so that we can be financially stable. If we can’t get these facilities financially healthy, they won’t be here. 

So we need to figure out what we can do to become financially stable. Now, we’re not trying to be the most profitable hospital. We’re just trying to be stable enough to buy equipment, replace our facilities, give our employees raises – do the things we need to do to be a hospital. When we looked at the consolidation of services, bringing obstetrics to one place was an important part of that.  

Now, there is absolutely no evidence that driving an extra 2.9 miles is a detriment to patient care. That’s just not true. Those kind of comments are being made by people who just don’t understand the delivery of health care.  

Currently, Alta Bates has relationships with clinics all over Alameda and Contra Costa counties. We have community clinics from as far away as Pleasanton whose patients come here to deliver babies. We have people from much farther away than East Oakland – people who don’t have a lot of means, on the lower end of the socioeconomic scale, and they still come here to deliver babies. So it’s just not the case that it’s a burden to come to Alta Bates to deliver babies.  

We want to change our view of ourselves. Alta Bates is not a Berkeley hospital, and Summit is not an Oakland hospital. These hospitals take care of patients in the East Bay. We take care of patients from the far north of Alameda county, far south, east... We have a huge cachement area. We delivered 7,000 babies at Alta Bates last year. Those weren’t just Berkeley women.  

The services are still in the East Bay. We’re organizing them into “Centers of Excellence” that will increase our ability to expand our care. That’s where we’re heading. 

There are people who have a different agenda. But the truth is that they’re not health care experts. 

There were 3,300 babies delivered at Summit last year. How will Alta Bates cope with those patients? 

Kirk: The relationship changes.  

Cuthbertson: Some patients are going to move away from this facility with the consolidation of other services at Summit. That’s going to open space for the 3,000 deliveries that are moved over here. We’ll have expanded facilities for the deliveries, for the babies and for the moms. 

It’s not a matter of expanding the volume of service that we have here. We’re going to be very careful not to do that. One of our responsibilities, being a neighbor here – it’s not so much what the patients in the hospital are here for, but to make sure that having patients in the hospital doesn’t impinge on the neighborhood through traffic. That’s what we’re trying to arrange, with the city and with the neighbors. Whether it’s noise, whether it’s parking, whether it’s the number of people driving up and down the street, we want to say, “This is our limit and we’re going to stay within it,” and be very careful to do that.  

Another thing that people have suggested about the consolidation is that emergency services will be cut back, or concentrated at one or the other hospital. 

Kirk: When you think about it, women in labor don’t come into the emergency room. They come into the lobby, and they go right up. Oncology patients who get admitted here, a large proportion of them, don’t go through emergency room, they are admitted directly by their physician.  

But cardiovascular or orthopedics patients, a lot of the time, are brought in by an ambulance. Those kinds of patients will be going to Summit. So we expect, over time, that we’ll have less volume (at Alta Bates).  

We’re not planning to downgrade the ER, but I think that we will see, over time, fewer visits – which, for this community, is a good thing. That’s what they’ve been asking us to do, to reduce traffic congestion. But for the patient who lives in this neighborhood and needs to go to the ER, we’ll still be here and available to take care of them. 

So emergency services associated with “Centers of Excellence” at Summit will go to Summit. 

Kirk: Right. Cardiovascular, orthopedic... 

Cuthbertson: If an ambulance picks up someone who is having a cardiac event, they will know to go to Summit. Same with orthopedic injuries.  

Certainly, though, if your loved one is having a heart attack and you put them in the car to go to the closest emergency room, (Alta Bates) might be it. That’s why we want to have the emergency room here. We’re still going to have patients in this hospital who will need a range of critical care services. 

People have also been concerned about the psychological services provided at (Alta Bates’) Herrick Hospital in Berkeley. They feel that they are in peril, and from what I understand, from a letter you sent to employees, is that you feel they are imperiled as well. You say they are not supporting themselves financially. What is the problem at Herrick – why are psych. services not making money? – and what steps will be taken? 

Kirk: The main problem is that the insurers, from whom we get patients, have been unwilling to pay enough to cover our costs. When the hospital stands to lose $40 million this year, we don’t have the ability to subsidize other campuses. So we have to find a way for them to be self-supporting. They don’t have to make huge profits, but they have to be self-supporting. 

We believe we have an obligation to provide this service. There aren’t a lot of these services available in the county. If we don’t provide it, people will have a hard time finding a place for mental health. So we really feel that anything we can do to keep this service open, we need to do. That was the direction from the Board of Trustees and management – to find a way. But we can’t do that if we can’t get the people who send patients to us to pay us at least our costs. 

Who are we talking about? Kaiser? 

Kirk: The main problems we’ve had, traditionally, have been Kaiser and Medical. In the last couple of months, we’ve got a new contract with the county. Dave Kears at Alameda County Health Services was extremely helpful in helping us get a rate that will be sufficient to meet our costs, and that’s a very good thing.  

Now we’re going to talk to Kaiser. We’re negotiating with them now, and they realize that if they want to continue sending patients to our facility, they need to be willing to pay us for the cost of taking care of them. They’ll decide. 

It’s one of those things – every year, our costs go up. We give our employees raises, we have our union relationships that have built-in raises for many of our employees. The county and other organizations who send us patients need to recognize that and continue to give us the raises we need to stay ahead of costs. 

So if you can work out a satisfactory relationship with Kaiser, there won’t be any danger to Herrick. 

Kirk: Yes. But you have to realize that it’s an ongoing event. If you ask me a year from now, it could be a different story. Our costs go up, and the county and the insurers have to continue to be willing to raise our rates. As long as we can do that – stay ahead of our costs – we plan to stay in that service. 


Out and About Calendar

compiled by Guy Poole
Wednesday February 28, 2001


Saturday, Sept. 29

 

Antiwar Rally 

11 a.m. 

Dolores Park 

19th and Dolores streets, San Francisco 

10 minutes from the 16th Street BART Station (415) 821-6545 

 

Disaster First Aid 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar St. 

Free classes in Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). 981-5605  

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us 

 

Strawberry Creek Work Party 

9 a.m.- noon 

Seabreeze Market 

University Avenue and Frontage Road 

Remove non-native pepperweed at the outflow to the Bay and learn about efforts to restore native Oysters to the San Francisco Bay. 

848-4008  

bjanet@earthlink.com 

 

Forum on Censorship 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Art Center 

1275 Walnut St. 

Terri Cohn, Paul Cotton and Kate Delos lead a discussion of the implications of censorship on the arts and other areas of life in the past and future. 644-6893 

 

Redwood Sequoia Congress 

9 a.m. through the evening 

1606 Bonita Ave. 

Human rights and environmental activists will gather in an annual examination of the human condition and the status of the planet.  

841-1182 

 

Get Published Workshop 

noon - 3 p.m. 

Albany Library 

1247 Marin Ave., Edith Stone Room 

Led by writing coach Jill Nagle and will cover query letters, book proposals, finding an agent and more. Preregistration strongly recommended. (415) 431-7491 jill@jillnagle.com 

 

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour 

10 a.m. - noon 

Trish Hawthorne knows the Thousands Oaks neighborhood like no one else. Tours are restricted to 30 participants and require pre-paid reservations, $10. 848-0181  

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc/  

 

Idealist.org Nonprofit Career Fair 

1 p.m. 

Preservation Park 

MLK Jr. Way and 13th St. 

For individuals interested in employment or internship positions in the nonprofit sector.  

(212) 843-3973 www.idealist.org 

 

The Crucible’s Open House and Fix-A-Thon Fundraiser 

noon - 6 p.m. 

The Crucible 

1036 Ashby Ave. 

Parking and entrance on Murray Street  

Featuring the faculty performing hands-on demonstrations of the skills and techniques they teach. Try blacksmithing, welding, stone carving, glass enameling, and other stuff. Bring broken or cracked metal objects and low-tech electric devices in need of repair. The staff will assess the damages and if the items are reparable, they will fix them for a reasonable fee. Free event.  

843-5511 www.thecrucible.org 

 


Sunday, Sept. 30

 

Sixth Annual How Berkeley Can You Be? Parade 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Ave. 

The grand parade leaves from California Street and concludes at Civic Center Park where festival continues. Over 80 art cars, art bikes, Cal Marching Band, Electric Couch, Go Carts, plus live music and circus. 849-4688  

www.howberkeleycanyoube.com  

Potluck Brunch 

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Bateman Park 

Rockridge/Elmwood Gay Lesbian Potluck Brunch. 595-1999 

 

West Berkeley Market 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Avenue between Third and Fourth streets  

Family-oriented weekly market. Crafts, music, produce, and specialty foods. 654-6346 

 

Yoga/ Tibetan 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Instructor Jack van der Meulen will discuss the three levels of Kum Nye practice and demonstrate some of the practices. Free. 843-6812 

 


Monday, Oct. 1

 

Rent Stabilization Board  

Meeting 

Second Floor Council Chambers 

2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

Landlord and tenants of 1704 Francisco St. Apt. An appeal decision that the rent for the apartment was not set by making a good-faith estimate of the median rent for comparable units. 

Community Health Commission Meeting 

7 p.m. 

The Beanery 

2925 College Ave. 

Discussion of health care cuts affecting maternal and child care programs. Omowale Fowels will be a guest speaker. 

 

Personnel Board Meeting 

7 p.m. 

Bay Laurel Conference Room 

2180 Milvia St., first floor 

Disscussion of recommendation to revise salary ranges for Auditor I/II and accountant I/II Classifications. 

 

Peace and Justice Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Discussion of the Council Referral to work with staff in order to determine what contracts are subject to the Nuclear Free Act, what contracts may be approved as a categorical matter because there is no reasonable alternative and what contracts must be reviewed on an individual basis. 

 

Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults Inquiry Program 

7:30 p.m. 

St. Mary Magdalen Parish 

2005 Berryman St. 

A program to learn everything you wanted to know about the Catholic Church but never had the chance to ask. 526-4811 

 

– compiled by Guy Poole 

 

Franciscanism, Understanding the Vision 

1 - 2 p.m. 

Franciscan School of Theology 

1712 Euclid Ave. 

Graduate Theological Union presents seminar exploring the lives, times and writings of and about Francis and Clare of Assisi. 848-5232 

 

Dancing with the Witchdoctor 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Ave. 

Kelly James presents a slide show and recounts experiences based on her experiences as a private investigator in Africa. 843-3533 

 

 

 

 


Berkeley Observed Looking back, seeing ahead

By Susan Cerny Special to the Daily Planet
Wednesday February 28, 2001

Cal Ink: Etched into the history of the 20th century  

 

During the first 75 years of the 20th century, west Berkeley was the location of many manufacturing plants which produced diverse products from vegetable oil to ink, and huge hydraulic pumps to tanned hides.  

Cal Ink originated in 1891, in Los Angeles, as a subsidiary of Union Oil Company, and was sold to an E. L. Hueter of San Francisco in 1896. Sometime between 1900 and 1903 the company moved its manufacturing plant to west Berkeley, into buildings which had been part of the Raymond Tannery. In 1999 Cal Ink, now Flint Ink of Michigan, was the oldest factory in Berkeley operating at its original location. 

On the blocks bounded by Camelia, Gilman, Fourth, and Fifth streets there were about 20 buildings dating from 1906 to 1978. The sprawling factory included manufacturing buildings, laboratories, storage tanks and offices. 

Over the years Cal Ink made almost every type of ink product, from a white ink for marking bees to perfumed ink used in advertising. The products developed and manufactured at this plant included: moisture-proof and heat-resistant inks, inks that resist scratching and oxidation, inks used for newspapers, magazines, boxes, bags, labels, and linoleum, plastic, steel, aluminum, airplane parts, and fabric. It is one of the largest suppliers of ink to the graphic arts industry. From time to time it produced many of the raw materials for ink, such as pigment colors and varnishes. An international company, it uses materials from all over the world including: drying oils from South America, shellac from India, pigments from Europe, and carbon and mineral oil from the United States. It then exports its various inks around the world. During World War I, Cal Ink developed and produced the first "Litho Red" ink made in the United States.  

After 1919 the company changed ownership several times, merging with, or buying other companies, and occasionally creating subsidiaries. Today the company is a division of the Flint Ink Company of Detroit. Although ink was still being made at this location in 1999, portions of the complex have been sold and some buildings demolished 

 

 

 


Don’t denounce those who oppose Lee vote

Dennis Kuby
Wednesday February 28, 2001

 

Editor:  

I will let history decide whether Barbara Lee is a profile in courage in being the sole dissenter in Congress to approve giving war powers to the president. Right now, she is nothing but an asterisk along side Jeanette Rankin, the pacifist congresswoman from Montana who cast the lone vote against declaring war on Japan after the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.  

Assuming that Councilwoman, Maudelle Shirek, was quoted correctly in the DailyPlanet when she characterized those who denounced Barbara Lee as part of a “lynch mob,” I think she owes us an apology or at least a retraction. It’s not the first time that Maudelle has shot from the hip and doubtless it won’t be the last. But, many of us who strongly disagree with Ms. Lee’s vote, are also card-carrying members of the ACLU and the NAACP  

Dennis Kuby 

Berkeley


Wary networks begin fall season delayed by attacks

By Lynn Elber AP Television Writer
Wednesday February 28, 2001

LOS ANGELES — Even as networks delay or drop potentially sensitive episodes and clip violent scenes in terrorism’s immediate wake, network executives expressed uncertainty Tuesday about how deep or lasting the effects of Sept. 11 will be. 

“Everyone wants to see this as a demarcation line in popular culture, and it may very well prove to be,” NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker said. “But I think it’s too early to know exactly what that is.” 

The attacks bumped the official start of the new season a week, to Monday. While networks gingerly returned to regular fare after grueling, nonstop news coverage, viewers seemed eager for the change. 

“You can see it in the prime-time ratings,” Zucker said. “Clearly, people are looking for some diversion and clearly that is a role that entertainment can play.” 

A repeat episode of “Friends” with the wedding of Monica and Chandler on NBC last Thursday drew 17.6 million viewers — unusually high for a rerun. 

Late-night shows returned somberly last week, but already have returned to comedy. 

In general, networks took no chance of giving offense: Even a lightweight comedy like “Ellen,” the new CBS series starring Ellen DeGeneres, was subject to revision. 

DeGeneres’ character spoke in Monday’s premiere episode of losing her job in the dot-com collapse. Her mother’s reply — “I hope you didn’t get caught in the building” — was removed from the show. 

The change was made “in light of the recent tragic events,” the network said, referring to the terrorist destruction of New York’s World Trade Center towers and damage at the Pentagon. 

In an upcoming “Friends” episode, changes are being made in a scene in which newlyweds Monica and Chandler (Courteney Cox and Matthew Perry) run into airport problems on their honeymoon. 

More problematically, a number of new series are set in the world of the CIA or other government agencies, with stories that edge perilously close to aspects of the tragedy. 

CBS pulled the pilot episode for “The Agency,” which opened with a Middle Eastern scene of a booby-trapped hostage, a U.S. flag stuffed in his mouth as a gag, dying in an explosion. 

Airing in its place Thursday will be an episode about a plot to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro. 

In the new Fox series, ”24,” a drama starring Kiefer Sutherland as the head of a U.S. counterterrorist unit, the pilot included a now-edited scene in which a bomb explodes on a plane. The show debuts Nov. 6. 

NBC has scrapped a script with a terrorist story line for the new action series “UC: Undercover,” which starts Sept. 30 and focuses on a Justice Department crime-fighting unit. 

Lloyd Braun, ABC entertainment chief, said Tuesday he wondered whether viewers would have much patience for reality shows with petty conflicts when the real news is so dramatic. 

“I’m not sure the country is going to be as accepting of these shows as they’ve been in the past,” he said. “You have to wonder whether people are going to look at that and say, ‘please, I don’t care.”’ 

There have been a number of other changes, including the removal of potentially unsettling shots of the World Trade Center from programs including NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” 

In contrast, NBC’s White House drama “The West Wing” is tackling the issue of terrorism head-on in an episode written by series creator Aaron Sorkin. The administration of President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) will be shown coping with fallout from a terrorist attack in the Oct. 3 episode. The planned season premiere episode was moved to Oct. 10. 

“We didn’t feel comfortable going back to our fictional White House without taking a moment,” executive producer John Wells told Daily Variety. “Hopefully, we can say something that’s useful and not at any way appear like we’re trying to exploit the tragic events that occurred.” 


Arts and Entertainment Calendar

Staff
Wednesday February 28, 2001

 

924 Gilman Street Sept. 29: DS-13, Beware, Blown To Bits, (+tba); Oct 5: Subincision, Gary’s Agenda, Eugene (+ tba); Oct 6: Tight Brothers from Way Back When, Smash Your Face, Cherry Valence, Bare Bones; Oct 12: One Line Drawing, Funeral Dinner, Diefenbaker, Till 7 Years Pass Over Him; Oct 13: Dead and Gone, Cattle Decapitation, Vulgar Pigeons, Wormwood, Antagony; Most shows are $5 and start at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 

 

Albatross Pub Oct 3: Wesley Brothers; Oct 4:Keni “El Lebrijano” Flemenco Guitar; All free shows begin at 9 p.m. 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473  

albatrosspub@mindspring.com  

 

Anna’s Sept. 28: Anna sings jazz standards, 10 p.m. Bluesman Hideo Date; Sept. 29: Robin Gregory, Bliss Rodriguez, 10 p.m. The Distones Jazz Sextet, Donald Duck Bailey; Sept. 30: Acoustic Soul; All shows begin at 8 p.m. 1801 University Ave. 849-ANNA www.annasbistro.com 

 

Café de la Paz Poetry Nitro, performance showcase with open mike. Sept. 24: Jim Watson-Gove; All shows free, 7 - 10 p.m. 

 

Cal Performances Sept. 30: 7 p.m. Kronos Quartet, David Barron, $30; Oct. 12 - 14: Fri. and Sat., 8:00 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m. Ballet Nacional De Cuba, $24 - $46; Oct. 17 and 18: 8 p.m. Cesaria Evora, $24 - $36; Oct. 19: 8 p.m. Karnak, $18 - $30. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus, Bancroft Way at Telegraph, 642-0212,  

tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu 

 

Eli’s Mile High Club every Friday, 10 p.m. Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. Doors open at 8 p.m. unless noted. 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

 

Freight & Salvage Sept. 29: The Nigerian Brothers, $16.50; Sept. 30: Vasen, $17.50; Oct 2: Budowitz; Oct 3: The Robin Nolan Trio; Oct 4: Darol Anger & Mike Marshall; Oct 5: Golden Bough; Oct 6: The Limeliters; Oct 7: Eddie From Ohio; Oct 8: All Nation Singers, Walter Ogi Johnson, Thunder; All shows start at 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St. 548-1761  

www.freightandsalvage.com 

 

Jazzschool/La Note Sept. 30: 4 p.m., John Santos and the Machete Ensemble. $15. 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5376 

 

Jupiter Sept 29: moderngypsies.net; All music starts at 8:00 p.m. 2181 Shattuck Ave. 843-7625 www.jupiterbeer.com  

 

La Peña Cultural Center Oct 6: 10:30 a.m. Gary Lapow, $4 Adults, $3 Children; Oct 13: 10:30 a.m. Derique- the high tech clown, $4 Adults, $3 Children; 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 www.lapena.org 

 

Music Sources Sept. 30: 5 p.m. Ole Scarlatta! Portuguese and French keyboards and fortepiano joined by Jason McGuire on flamenco guitar, $18 General, $15 members, seniors, students. 1000 The Alameda 528-1685 

 

Sedge Thomson’s West Coast Live Radio Show Sept. 29: Nancy Miford, The Nigerian Brothers, Caroline Dahl. The Freight and Salvage, 1111 Addison St. All shows 10 a.m. - noon. 252-9214 www.wcl.org 

UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra Collaborates with Art Department Sept. 29: 8 p.m. The Symphony will perform several works during an exhibition featuring examples of Leonardo diptychs for the basis of portraying art in motion. $8 general admission, $2 students. Hertz Hall solotoff@uclink.berkeley.edu 

 

“The Complete Shostakovich String Quartets--Part One” Sept. 29: 10 a.m. Quartets III & IV; Oct. 20: 10 a.m. Quartets V & VI. Performed by the prize-winning Alexander String Quartet with Robert Greenberg. $ 30, $84 for the Trio of concerts. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 845-8542 www.juliamorgan.org. 

 

Magnificat Sept. 29: 8 p.m. First Congregational Church. The San Francisco early music ensemble of voices and period instruments present their thenth anniversary season with music of seventeenth century composers. Tickets $12-$45  

(415) 979-4500 

 

The Mike Yax Jazz Orchestra Sept. 30: 2 p.m., Longfellow School of the Arts, 1500 Derby St. 420-4560 

 

“Le Cirque des Animaux” Sept. 29: 8 p.m. Hausmusik presents a wacky baroque musical cabaret on the subject of animals. Parish Hall of St. Alban’s Espiscopal Church, 1501 Washington St. (not wheelchair accessible). $18 general admission, $15 seniors, students and SFEMS members) 527-9029 

 

“Murder Dressed in Satin” by Victor Lawhorn, ongoing. A mystery-comedy dinner show at The Madison about a murder at the home of Satin Moray, a club owner and self-proclaimed socialite with a scarlet past. Dinner is included in the price of the theater ticket. $47.50 Lake Merritt Hotel, 1800 Madison St., Oakland. 239-2252 www.acteva.com/go/havefun 

 

“Twelfth Night” Sept. 25 - 30, Oct. 2 - 7, Tue. - Thurs. 7:30 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 4 p.m., Student Matinees: Sept. 18, 20, 25, Oct. 2, @ 1 p.m. California Shakespeare Festival presents William Shakespeare’s comic tale of romance, loneliness, love and glory. Directed by Jonathan Moscone. $12 - $41. Bruns Memorial Amphitheater, Highway 24, Gateway Exit, one mile east of the Caldecott Tunnel. 548-9666 www.calshakes.org 

 

“Swanwhite” through Oct. 21: Thur. - Sat., 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m. A new translation of the Swedish Play that asks the question what good is romantic love, directed by Tom Clyde. $20, Sundays are “Pay What You Can.” Transparent Theater, 1901 Ashby Ave. 883-0305, www.virtuous.com 

 

“Orestes” Oct. 5 through Oct. 21: Fri. - Sat., 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. An adaptation of the classical play by Euripides that incorporates passages inspired or taken from various 20th century texts. Written by Charles Mee, Directed by Christopher Herold. $6-12. Zellerbach Playhouse on the UC Berkeley campus 642-8268 

 

“36 Views” through Oct. 28: Tues. 8 p.m., Wed. 7 p.m., Thu. 8 p.m. w/ 2 p.m. matinee every other Thu., Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 8 p.m. w/ 2 p.m. matinee every other Sat., Sun. 2 p.m., 8 p.m. Written by Naomi Lizuka, Directed by Mark Wing-Davey. $10 - $54. Berkeley Repertory’s Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St. 647-2949  

www.berkeleyrep.org 

 

Fine Arts Cinema through Oct 3: 10 p.m. daily and 5:20 p.m. Sunday, “Dead Man” Johnny Depp plays a young man who embarks on a journey to a new town in search of a new life, and finds a heated love triangle that ends in double murder leaving William Blake (Depp) a wanted man. Directed by Jim Jarmusch; Oct 4 - Oct 9 “Battleship Potemkin” Directed by Sergei Eisenstein; 2451 Shattuck Ave 848-1143 

 

Pacific Film Archive Sept. 29: 7 p.m. Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, Part I, Joel Adlen on piano; Sept. 30: Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, Part II, Joel Adlen on piano; general admission $7, The New PFA Theatre 2575 Bancroft Way 642-1412 

 

“Tree-Sit: The Art of Resistance” Oct 4: 7 p.m. Feature-length documentary chronicles 10 years of young activist’s struggle to protect ancient redwoods. La Pena Cultural Centre, 3105 Shattuck Ave. (415) 820-1635 

 

“Reykjavik” through Oct. 4: A young man’s sexual impulses go haywire when he discovers the women he has just been to bed with also happens to be his mother’s lesbian lover. Shattuck Cinemas, 2230 Shattuck Ave. 843-3456 

 

Nexus Gallery through Sept. 30: noon - 6 p.m. Jan Eldridge- Large charcoal drawings and acrylic collages; Tricia Grame- visual and textural autobiography of her spiritual evolution; Tanya Wilkinson- A sensuous exploration of the possibilities inherent in the medium of handmade paper. 

 

Bahman Navaee is exhibiting his paintings. Through Sept. 29: Persian Center, 2029 Durant Ave. 848-0264 

 

UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra Collaborates with Art Department Sept. 29: 8 p.m. The Symphony will perform several works during an exhibition featuring examples of Leonardo diptychs for the basis of portraying art in motion. $8 general admission, $2 students. Hertz Hall solotoff@uclink.berkeley.edu 

 

“Debbie Moore’s Autobiographical Paintings” through Sept. 30 at Good Vibrations. Portraits of the artist’s sensual explorations spanning 25 years and reflecting changing ways of intimacy and body play. 2504 San Pablo Ave. 848-1985. 

 

“Three Visions” through Sept. 30: 12 - 6 p.m., An Exhibition of Mixed Media. Nexus Gallery, 2707 Eighth St.  

(707) 554-2520 

 

“The Decade of Change: 1900 - 1910” through September. Chronicles the transformation of the city of Berkeley in this 10-year period. Thursday through Saturday, 1 – 4 p.m. Berkeley History Center, Veterans Memorial Building, 1931 Center St. Wheelchair accessible.  

848-0181. Free.  

 

“Squared Triangle” through Oct. 5: noon - 6 p.m. A minimalist art exhibit featuring three Bay Area artists working in different mediums while achieving the same elegant simplicity. The Crucible, 1036 Ashby Ave. 843-5511 www.thecrucible.com 

 

“Inside Editions” through Oct. 12: Nine printmakers exhibit their work. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tue. - Fri. Free. Kala Art Insitute, 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 kala@kala.org 

 

“Census 2000: Asian Pacific Islander Americans” through Oct. 13; Wed. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Asian Pacific Islander American artists in roughly the demographic proportions indicated by the recent census. Free. Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., Oakland 763-9470  

 

“MWP Perspectives” Jon Orvik: One artist’s journey. Through Oct. 27 Tues. - Fri. 12 - 5 p.m., Sat. & Sun. 12 - 4 p.m. Solo artist exhibiting his journey through metal, wood and paint. Adapt Gallery and Design, 2834 College Ave. 649-8501  

www.adaptgallery.com  

 

“50 Years of Photography in Japan 1951 - 2001” through Nov. 5: An exhibition from The Yomiuri Shimbun, the world’s largest daily newspaper with a national morning circulation of 10,300,000. Photographs of work, love, community, culture and disasters of Japan as seen by Japanese news photographers. Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. U.C. Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism, North Gate Hall, Hearst and Euclid. Free. 642-3383 

 

“Jesus, This is Your Life - Stories and Pictures by Kids” Through Nov. 16: California children, ages four through twelve, from diverse backgrounds present original artwork, accompanied by a story written by the artist. Mon. - Thur. 8:30 a.m. -10 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541. 

 

“Changing the World, Building New Lives: 1970s photographs of Lesbians, Feminists, Union Women, Disability Activists and their Supporters” Sept. 15 through Nov. 17: An exhibit of black and white photographs by Oakland photographer Cathy Cade, who captured the interrelationships of the different struggles for justice and social change. Opening reception Sept. 15, 5 - 8 p.m. Gallery Hours, Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St. Free. 644-1400 cathycade@mindspring.com 

 

“The Whole World’s Watching: Peace and Social Justice Movements of the 1960s and 1970s” Sept. 16 through Dec. 16: A documentary photo exhibition which examines the rich history of the social movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Wed. - Sun., noon - 5 p.m. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., Live Oak Park. Free. 644-6893 

 

“Musee des Hommages” Masterworks by Guy Colwell Faithful copies of several artists from the pasts, including Titian’s “The Venus of Urbino,” Cezanne’s “Still Life,” Picasso’s “Woman at a Mirror,” and Botticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours. Atelier 9 2028 Ninth St. (at Addison) 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

 

Readings 

 

Boadecia’s Books Sept. 21: Deborah Kesten, “The Healing Secrets of Food;” Sept. 22: A special All Poetry Dyke Open Myke, to participate call 655-1015 or feroniawolf@yahoo.com; Sept 28: The Return of Gaymes Night; Sept 29: Ellen Samuels and other contributors to “Out of the Ordinary: Essays on Growing Up with Gay, Lesbian & Transgender Parents”; Mark Pritchard reads from “How I Adore You”; Oct 6: Terry Ryan reads from “The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 words or Less”; All events start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise. All events are free. 398 Colusa Ave. 559-9184 www.bookpride.com 

 

Cody’s on 4th Street Sept. 20: 7 p.m. Jamie Oliver, The Naked Chef, “The Naked Chef Takes Off”; Sept. 22: 10:30 a.m. Cody’s for Kids, Walter the Giant Storyteller; Sept. 25: 7 p.m. Nancy London has been cancelled; Oct 5: 7 p.m. Glen Davis Gold reads from “Carter Beats the Devil”; Oct 12: Cody’s For Kids- Rosemary Wells and Bunny Party; 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500 

 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Sept. 17: Aldo Alvarez describes “Interesting Monsters”; Sept. 18: Clarence Walker discusses “We Can’t Go Home Again: An Argument About Afrocentrism; Sept. 19: Douglas Coupland reads “All Families Are Psychotic”; Sept. 24: Theodore Roszak discusses “Longevity Revolution: As Boomers Become Elders”; Sept. 25: Ken Croswell discusses “The Universe At Midnight: New Discoveries Illuminate the Hidden Cosmos” with a slide show presentation; Sept. 27: Bill Ayers talks about “Fugitive Days”; Oct 1: Urdsula K. Le guin reads from “The Other Wind”; Oct 2: Jonathan Franzen reads from “The Corrections”; Oct 4: Eric Seaborg looks at “Adventures in the Atomic Age: From Watts to Washington”; Oct 5: Victor Villasenor reads from “Thirteen Senses”; All shows at 7:30 p.m. 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852 

 

Cody’s Other Venues - Sept. 20: 7:30 p.m. Cody’s presents an evening with Margaret Atwood in conversation with professor Robert Alter. $12. First Congregational Church 2345 Channing Way; Sept. 28: 7:30 p.m. Cody’s presents a Community Forum on Race and the Achievement Gap at Berkeley High School. Little Theater, Berkeley High School; Oct 7: 7 p.m. Coleman Barks- The Soul of Rumi First Congregational Church of Berkeley 2345 Dana 

 

Coffee Mill Poetry Series Sept. 18: Ben Brose and Jen Iby followed by open mike reading. 3363 Grand Ave., Oakland 465-3935 ksdgk@earthlink.net 

 

Eastwind Books of Berkeley Sept. 29: 7 p.m. Kip Fulbeck reads from his first novel, “Paper Bullets.” 2066 University Ave. 548-2350 

 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore Sept. 20: 7:30 p.m. Antarctica & The Nature of Penguins, An evening with Jonathan Chester; Oct 2: 7:30 p.m. “Dancing with the Witchdoctor: One Woman’s Adventure in Africa” by Kelly James. 1385 Shattuck Ave. 843-3533 

 

Lunch Poems reading Series Oct 4: 12:10 p.m. Ishmael Reed; Morrison Libary in Doe Library at UC Berkeley. Free 642-0137 http://www.berkeley.edu/calendar/events/poems/ 

 

Spasso Sept. 10: Sharron Jones-Reid, Fruit of the Spirit poets, acoustic musicians, comedians, rappers, performance artists, writers. All welcome. 6021 College Ave. Free admission. 

 

Tours 

 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Fridays 9:30 - 11:45 a.m. or by appointment. Call ahead to make reservations. Free. University of California, Berkeley. 486-4387 

 

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

 

 

Museums 

 

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins. $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. (closed Sundays, Memorial Day through Labor Day) Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

 

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20 foot 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 will close its exhibition galleries for renovation. It will reopen in early 2002. On View until Oct. 1 : “Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture.” “Sites Along the Nile: Rescuing Ancient Egypt.” “The Art of Research: Nelson Graburn and the Aesthetics of Inuit Sculpture.” “Tzintzuntzan, Mexico: Photographs by George Foster.” $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 Avenue. 643-7648 or www.qal.berkeley.edu/~hearst/ 

 

University of California Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archive has reopened after its summer-long seismic retrofit. “Martin Puryear: Sculpture of the 1990s” through Jan. 13; “The Dream of the Audience: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951 - 1982)” through Dec. 16; “Face of Buddha: Sculpture from India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia” ongoing rotation through 2003; “Matrix 194: Jessica Bronson, Heaps, layers, and curls” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; “Matrix 192: Ceal Floyer 37’4”” Sept. 16 through Nov. 11; Wed., Fri., Sat., Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., PFA Theater, 2575 Bancroft Way; Museum Galleries 2626 Bancroft Way; 642-0808 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

 

Lawrence Hall of Science “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. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. Space Weather Exhibit now - Sept. 2; now - Sept. 9 Science in Toyland; Saturdays 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. $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  

 

Oakland Museum of California “Half Past Autumn: The Art of Gordon Parks,” through Sept. 23; Wednesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday, noon - 5 p.m., Closed Monday and Tuesday. $6 general; $4 youths (6-17), seniors and students with ID. Free for museum members and children 5 and under. Free admission the second Sunday of the month. 10th & Oak streets, Oakland. 238-2200 www.museum.org 

 

 

Send arts events two weeks in advance to Calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.net, 2076 University, Berkeley 94704 or fax to 841-5694.


By Michael Liedtke AP Business Writer

By Jared Green Daily Planet Staff
Wednesday February 28, 2001

Berkeley comes back to beat  

El Cerrito, get Bissell’s first win  

 

At the end of every third quarter, a Berkeley High football coach asks his team what quarter is coming up. The players respond by screaming “Jackets’ quarter! Jackets quarter!” And on Friday at El Cerrito High, the players were finally right. 

Coming off of three straight blowout losses to start the season, the Yellowjackets finally got into the win column on Friday, scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to win, 32-29, in the ACCAL opener for both teams. Running back Roger Mason’s 20-yard touchdown run with 5:44 left in the game was the difference, and highlighted just how talented the Berkeley squad is: Mason is the ’Jackets’ fourth-string tailback. 

“That run let me know that no matter who’s in the game, we can produce,” Berkeley defensive end Akeem Brown said of Mason’s run, during which he broke three tackles and dragged two defenders into the end zone. “We finally gave the offense the ball, and they put it in the end zone a bunch of times.” 

Five times, to be exact, which was unexpected considering Berkeley (1-3, 1-0 ACCAL) had scored just two touchdowns in their first three games. The ’Jackets exploded with a balanced offense, gaining 276 yards on the ground and 201 passing yards. Starting tailback Germaine Baird rumbled for 106 rushing yards, backup Aaron Boatwright gained 47, and seldom-used Craig Hollis picked up 61 yards on just seven carries, all in the second half. 

Fullback Nick Schooler also pitched in with 25 yards on the ground, but showed amazing versatility as he also made big contributions in the passing game as well as on defense and special teams. With the ’Jackets down 15-6 and on the El Cerrito 11-yard line, quarterback Raymond Pinkston dropped back to pass and was nearly sacked, just managing to dump the ball off to Schooler well behind the line of scrimmage. Schooler shook off the first two tacklers, then broke left, picking up a block from Baird and racing to the corner of the end zone for a touchdown with just 23 seconds left in the half. 

“There was nothing there, so I just headed towards my blockers,” Schooler said. 

After Mason’s touchdown put Berkeley ahead, Schooler came to the rescue on defense, picking off a Randy Gatewood pass with 4:40 left in the game. And when El Cerrito stopped the ’Jackets and forced a punt from midfield, it was Schooler who took the ball with starting punter Jason Goodwin on the sideline with an arm injury. Schooler’s line-drive punt drove the Gauchos back to their own 12. 

El Cerrito managed to get the ball to the Berkeley 27-yard line with four seconds left in regulation, but another Berkeley senior came through when it counted. Lineman Matt Toma, who missed last week’s loss to Dos Palos with a hip pointer, didn’t play on defense until the final play of the game, as the Berkeley coaches wanted him rested for offense. But Toma convinced them to put him in for the final play, then broke through and dragged down Gatewood to end the game. 

“I was doing anything I could to get on the field for that last play,” Toma said. “That was one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever had.” 

The ’Jackets were almost done in early by mistakes on special teams. El Cerrito took a 15-0 lead in the first quarter by taking advantage of a Lee Franklin punt fumble, then smothering Goodwin on the Berkeley five-yard line after he fumbled a snap.  

Although Goodwin reeled in a 26-yard touchdown catch before Schooler’s score, the ’Jackets were still down 15-12 heading into the second half even though the defense had allowed just 86 total yards. Then came the runback that should have broken the game wide open, as El Cerrito’s John Norman took the opening kickoff back 82 yards for a touchdown and a 22-12 Gaucho lead. 

But unlike the three previous games, the ’Jackets didn’t drop their heads and give up. Pinkston answered right back with a 55-yard bomb to wide receiver Sean Young for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 22-18. And after El Cerrito running back Jamonte Cox rinally broke through for a 63-yard run that led to another Gaucho touchdown that put his team up 29-18, Berkeley still refused to go away. Pinkston went back to Young, this time hitting him for a 32-yard gain that put the ’Jackets on the El Cerrito three-yard line. Two plays later Baird dove into the end zone from two yards out, setting the stage for Mason’s final score. 

The ’Jackets piled up 477 yards to El Cerrito’s 262, dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides. Their turnovers kept them from dominating the scoreboard, but head coach Matt Bissell was encouraged by his team’s heart. 

“This is the first time that we’ve made mistakes early and came back from them,” said Bissell, who picked up his first varsity win. “It’s very good to see us not give up when we get down.”


District still short teachers, despite pay raise

By Ben Lumpkin Daily Planet Staff
Wednesday February 28, 2001

Even after teacher salaries jumped 9.5 percent last year as part of new four-year contact, Berkeley Unified School District is struggling to recruit the teachers it needs. 

Jefferson Elementary School Principal Laura Saunders says she needs “bodies” -- people to help with a crushing work load and free her for some critical work that she can only dream about today, such as compiling data to determine her staff’s most urgent professional development needs. 

“Having some additional support at the elementary level is critical,” Saunders said, citing a need for bilingual  

teachers and more teachers in the school’s literacy program. 

Beyond these specifics needs, Saunders said she just needs more teachers overall to help spread the work load and give all teachers more time for professional development. Currently Jefferson Elementary teachers have only two days of professional development at the beginning of the school year, Saunders said.  

“They need more time to develop lessons and practice them,” Saunders said. 

She said this would allow teachers to learn more effective instructional strategies in the critical areas of literacy and numeracy. 

For Berkeley High Principal Frank Lynch the situation is even more pressing. Lynch said he could have to recruit as many as 20 new teachers by the end of the summer just to meet Berkeley High’s basic needs next year.  

Although the latest teachers’ contract will bring Berkeley teacher salaries a little above the median for 30 comparable school districts in the state, Lynch worries teachers could be lured away by higher paying opportunities in nearby districts.  

While the pay range for first-year teachers started at $31,778 before the new contract, it now begins at $36,337. Under the current contract, the high end of the range will reach $63,335 in four years. 

But in the nearby Hayward Unified School District the pay range stands at $43,848 – $73,000, said Brenda Carter-Stroud, administrative secretary for the Hayward Unified School District Personnel Department. 

Citing this discrepancy, Lynch said teachers could end up saying to themselves, “All I have to do is drive further south every day.” 

“Your in a competitive market place,” Lynch said. “If you don’t do something to jack salaries up, you’re going to be behind the eight ball.” 

The BUSD’s first estimate for next year’s budget calls for increasing the total outlay for teacher salaries another 3.9 percent, from $24.9 million to $25.8 million. But with the district facing a potential budget shortfall of several million dollars, it’s too early to say what next year’s increase will be, according to Berkeley Federation of Teachers President Barry Fike. 

And salaries aren’t the only obstacles for the district in overcoming its recruitment and retention challenges, said Shirley Issel, Vice President of the BUSD school board. 

“(The School district’s) bureaucracy is not even into the 80s,” Issel said, decrying a failure to generate important data to help various school administrators do their jobs. “We don’t know how many employees are on the books. Many have not been evaluated in a timely fashion if ever.” 

Bureaucratic disarray is bad for morale, Issel said, because it creates a gulf between the district’s leadership and its employees. 

“We have an inability to hold anyone accountable for doing their job,” Issel said. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” 

Still, BFT’s Fike said things have come a long way. He said Berkeley’s teacher salaries today “are approaching a level where we would be competitive,” as compared to just a few years ago when they were near the bottom of the list for 30 comparable schools. 

“Teacher transiency is a problem statewide,” Fike added, because teachers with advanced degrees can earn more by simply shifting to more lucrative professions.  

“Berkeley teachers have a lot of things really going for us,” Fike said, citing the high availability of grants for teachers pursuing special projects, large investments in “enrichment” programs such as music and the arts, and a bond measure passed last year that promises to rebuilt the district’s maintenance department, ending years of frustration when maintenance issues were not adequately addressed.  

BUSD Elementary Schools have an added recruitment advantage, Fike said: they are very attractive to teachers because of their relatively small size compared to other districts in the state. 

Fike said one of the next hurdles to tackle is the issue of finding affordable housing “for teachers to really be able to afford to live in the areas where they teach.” 

Fike said the BFT is working with the University of California and the City of Berkeley on a project that would build affordable housing for public employees above the parking lots at the Ashby BART station. 

But the key to winning the recruitment battle may lie in the district’s academic reputation, according to Jefferson Elementary School’s Saunders. 

“I think that Berkeley has an edge in that people see us as a progressive district, which we are, and people want to come here,” Saunders said. “Throughout the state we’re really known for doing what’s right for children. And that’s the bottom line for teachers.” 

 

 

 


School district files suit against employees to return overpayment

By Jeffrey Obser Daily Planet staff
Wednesday February 28, 2001

The Berkeley Unified School District filed suit in Alameda County Superior this week to recoup money mistakenly paid to dozens of service employees. 

In March, 552 non-instructional employees – maintenance, accounting, and secretarial personnel, among others – received overpayments in their monthly paychecks. Most consented to pay the money back through deductions to two later paychecks, but some, claiming hardships, have fought to return the money more gradually. 

“It’s awful to be in a position where in order to recover a significant amount of funds, you have to sue your employees,” said Shirley Issel, vice president of the Berkeley Unified School Board. 

“If they aren’t going to (reschedule the payments) voluntarily, I’m going to get a judge to get them to do it,” said Stephanie Allan, representative for the union that went to court to prevent the district from taking back the money by reducing the May and June paychecks. 

In March, due to computer and clerical errors, 552 monthly paychecks were printed with twice the bonus due under a new contract that had raised those employees’ pay by 6 percent, retroactive to July 2000. 

The district discovered the problem after direct deposits and some paper checks had already gone out, said Tina Breyer, the district’s director of classified personnel, so the rest were sent as well, with a letter noting the problem. 

The Public Employees Union Local 1, which holds the contract with the district to represent the employees affected by the overpayment agreed to let the district recoup the money in two deductions so long as individuals could claim hardship exceptions to work out a repayment timetable separately with the district.  

“April is not a good month to take money back, so we negotiated with district to take it out in two payments,” said Rick Spaid, who represents Local 1 in the district office’s technical business unit.  

“The district was very forthcoming to help us.” 

However, the mistake caused many employees serious cash-flow problems. It increased paychecks by well over $1,000 in many cases, pushing some employees into tax brackets as high as 43 percent, Allan said, and brought oversized one-time IRS deductions and increases in other garnishments such as child support and alimony. 

“We’re not making a whole lot of money, and when those deductions are added up, they add up,” said Rickey Brantley, the school safety officer at Willard Middle School, who said Friday morning he expected a process server to show up in the schoolyard at any time. “I’m really perturbed because during the time that all this happened, my mama passed away, so I didn’t know anything about the overpayment until I got back from Louisiana,” Brantley said. 

Further complicating the question, the Stationary Engineers Local 39, bidding to represent the district employees, had unsuccessfully petitioned the Public Employment Relations Board on March 14 to decertify Local 1. Amidst the overpayment fracas, it rounded up 67 affected employees, offering to help them win a more gradual repayment schedule. 

“I’m standing on the sidelines saying to the district, ‘you can’t do this, this violates the law,” Allan said. “You can’t take that much money, not in one check, not in one deduction, not in two deductions.” 

Allan said the 67 had already signed documents to switch unions, but Spaid said Local 39 “definitely gave people the impression they would not have to pay this money back.” 

Local 39 sought an injunction in county court against the May deduction, but it was denied and the deduction went ahead. Allan said this left one food service worker with $80 in her monthly check. 

Local 39 returned to court and on June 20 won an injunction based on state statutes regarding wages and garnishment. Allan said the law limits employer deductions in cases of error to no more than 30 percent of a single paycheck, and less if the remainder leaves employees with less than they need to meet their average monthly expenses. 

Meanwhile, according Spaid, the district lagged on the hardship requests. “We found out last month that the district never answered the hardship letters, so Local 1 raised a little stink and said you need to answer these things,” he said. 

Michele Lawrence, the district superintendent, said she had granted five hardship exceptions out of about 54 among the Local 39 group who had requested them, allowing those people to repay on extended schedules. She said the district had a contract solely with Local 1 and had no legal authority to reach separate agreements with Local 39. 

“The school district was very reluctant to file this suit,” said Lawrence, “but after seven and a half months of conversation, we can no longer negotiate separately with this group of people when in fact our other employees, through their representative group, have already paid back their money.” 

Allan maintains that the agreement with Local 1 to draw the money back in two payments “violates the law, and you can’t stick to an illegal agreement.” 

“The judge is going to tell (Lawrence) to work out agreements with these people,” Allan said. “None of this is necessary. This is, ‘You’re going to work this out our way or you’re going to pay a price.’” 

Spaid also criticized the district – “their idea of communicating,” he said, was to serve them with a lawsuit – but he reserved his harshest criticism for the competing union. 

“They basically have put these 54 people in the position where they’ve told them to tell the district, ‘If you want your money back, you have to sue me,’” he said, adding that if the court rules against them, it may affect their credit ratings. 

“At this point, that’s where it is,” he said. “It’s now between the district and these individuals.” 

According to Breyer, about $25,000 is still not paid back, and as of Friday all but 44 people in the dissenting group had agreed to repay the district in order to be dismissed from its lawsuit.


Only Words?

Joy Flaherty
Wednesday February 28, 2001

 

What a dream! Was it a dream? 

Just a thought! But what a thought. 

How could one be sure, but then again maybe. 

Was this our Whale, was this our Lesson? 

The Wars of Man becoming so numerous 

With such devastating means of destruction. 

Suffering from outbreaks all over our Lands 

The recent Terrorists guided by the same great Hands? 

 

Do we really expect to win always? 

To be the Leader of the Free World? 

(Now, what Free World?) 

To perpetuate the killing and retribution? 

Is that our role in this Game of Life? 

Fear and torment because we can’t understand 

Maybe our Gold and God ARE the same 

With lessons coming from the same Beam of Light. 

 

Over and over the same lessons learned. 

Or just passed off as ‘the way things are’. 

“We can’t be wrong; we have all the Love.” 

But we never thought we were repeating  

Our transgressions in Volumes stretching 

Over 2000 years of our Love of possessions. 

Compassion for others has been our sanctity 

To rectify our minds and spiritual Salvation. 

 

Again we will pass over the meaning of 

God’s love and in His Name we will 

Take the high road to ‘Punish the Infidels’. 

Maybe the lightning and thunder of last night 

Awakened a Truth in others besides me- 

Maybe put the Sword back in the ‘Holster’? 

Finding the men responsible for our Plight 

And having those who listen to the same God as ours 

Over for Supper some Evening.  

Joy Flaherty  

Berkeley


Schott-Kirk combo lifts Cal to victory

By Dean Caparaz Daily Planet Correspondent
Wednesday February 28, 2001

Laura Schott returned to her goal-a-game pace as the Cal women’s soccer team shut out Fresno State, 2-0.  

Schott, an All-American forward, scored both goals in the Golden Bears’ first home game at Edwards Stadium since completing a five-game road trip.  

The win moved Cal’s record to 7-1, while Fresno State fell to 2-4.  

The first goal, a penalty kick, came after Fresno State defender Kristi Nicholls fouled Brittany Kirk in the Bulldogs’ penalty area. Schott put the kick past Fresno State goalkeeper Mary-Tyler Wahl and into the lower-left corner of her net.  

Kirk, a junior midfielder for Cal, definitely went down in the box, but whether it was worth a PK call was debatable.  

“I got the ball and was trying to dribble around the girl and they came from both sides and hit me,” said Kirk, who claimed she collided with two Bulldogs. “It was definitely a foul. I don’t know if most refs would have called it. But it was a foul.”  

“Any good forward understands when they get bumped when’s a good time to go down or not,” said Stacy Welp, Fresno State’s first-year coach. “I think it’s a questionable call. I think our player was trying to get position with her body. But that’s the way it goes. Referees don’t make or break a game. We do.”  

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they were losing 2-0 at the half, thanks to another Kirk-Schott connection. Kirk got the ball in midfield and played what she thought was a bad ball to Schott just to her right. But Schott caught up to it, dribbled through the defenders, rounded the keeper and scored.  

“The pass was off a few yards from where I wanted to play it, but she just came running out of nowhere,” Kirk said. “She made my ball look good.”  

Both teams possessed the ball well in midfield, but Fresno State could not generate many scoring chances. They forced Cal freshman goalkeeper Mallory Moser into just two saves. 

Through eight games now, Schott has eight goals and two assists, leading the Bears in scoring with 18 points. She’s slightly behind the pace she set last season, when she finished third in the nation with a 1.15 goals-per-game average.  

Against Fresno State, Schott had six shots overall and three shots on goal. Schott had a great chance to score in the 87th minute, when a Moser punt was deflected by a Bulldog defender right into Schott’s path, but she tried to dribble the keeper and lost the ball.  

“Sometimes she’s going to have to shoot before she dribbles the keeper,” Cal head coach Kevin Boyd laughed. “But her composure is outstanding. She gets in there and looks for the best chance she can take. She had a great game today.”


Neighbors get specific in criticism of UC plan

By Judith Scherr Daily Planet Staff
Wednesday February 28, 2001

 

 

UC Berkeley’s proposed seismic retrofit and expansion on its northeast quadrant has run afoul of neighbors who criticize the project for potential increases in traffic and air pollution, creek pollution and the loss of recreational space.  

The university, however, says it has no choice but to make its buildings earthquake safe. While doing so, its expansion has a humanitarian mission: “To conduct research in order to learn about the human body’s molecular machinery and genetic blueprint,” according to the university’s description of the project in the Initial Study, an overview of the projects’ possible impacts. The projects “are proposed to facilitate new research and teaching efforts in the public interest,” an introduction to the study says. 

The study is preliminary to a full-blown Environmental Impact Report, which will detail the impacts of the project on the community and propose mitigation measures.  

Jim Sharp lives in the north-of-campus area. He says the neighborhood will suffer from the project and takes a cynical view of its stated purpose. The research “allows the university to sell patents of its research,” he said. 

According to the proposal detailed in the Initial Study Davis Hall, just south of Hearst Avenue is now about 38,000 square feet and would be replaced by a building that is about 145,000 square feet. There are now some 25 faculty and staff who work in the laboratories and offices there, but there will be about 460 people working there when the new project is completed. 

Stanley Hall is also located on the northeast portion of the campus. The university says it will grow four times its current size to about 285,000 square feet. There will be 600 to 700 faculty, researchers and lab assistants working at the facility, compared to the current 288 people working there. 

Soda Hall, north of the campus proper, will also expand. The historic Naval Architecture Building may be moved temporarily while work is being done under it, then moved back, though Sharp said critics from the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association say they don’t think it is possible to move the building without destroying it. 

The lower Hearst Parking Structure at Scenic and Hearst avenues, which has tennis courts and a skateboard park on it’s top tier, may have the recreational uses replaced by 150 to 180 parking spaces. 

“There will be more traffic and less parking,” Sharp said. Neighbors also oppose the proposed loss of the recreational space.  

“They’re planning on 900 (staff). They’re not going to be flying in,” Sharp said, noting that traffic in the area is already very bad. University spokesperson Marie Felde said she believes many of the 900 staff that will work in the new buildings will simply shift their work sites temporarily when they join others on the projects at these new buildings, but she was unable to confirm the numbers of new staff who would come to the campus. 

When asked if the EIR would study where to house new staff, UC Berkeley Principal Planner Jennifer Lawrence said that it would not. It would simply look at traffic impacts. “I believe we’ll hire Berkeley residents,” she said. However, she conceded that the university does not follow a hire-Berkeley-first policy, due to state law which prohibits them from doing so. 

Sharp said the university ought to have written one collective environmental report for both the expansion of the Goldman School of Public Policy, a nearby project that is under way, and the northeast quadrant projects. It is as if “the two operate in different universes,” he said. 

But Lawrence explained that the university has to wait until it has the funds to build each project before it considers the impacts of each. 

Asked why the university wanted to put laboratories so near earthquake faults – one runs through nearby Memorial Stadium – Felde explained that there are already laboratories in these buildings and that it makes sense to expand the current use. There will be a particularly high degree of earthquake safety in these buildings, Felde said. 

The university held a meeting Monday night to get comments on the scope of the Environmental Impact Report. Sharp said some 70 people attended. The next step is for a consultant to write a Draft Environmental Impact Report, which the university says will be completed by April 1. 

Sharp says that is too quick. “I want a very elaborate transportation element,” he said. 

He and his north side neighbors plan to see what they can do to oppose the project. “There is not any discussion of livability of the adjacent area,” he said. 

But Councilmember Betty Olds said the fight is no use. “A lot of (the proposal) I don’t like,” she said. But the city loses every time it goes head to head with the university. 

“I bow to the inevitable,” she said. 

For copies of the Initial Plan or to comment on the plan by March 10, contact Jennifer Lawrence, principal planner, UC Berkeley, Physical and Environmental Planning Office, 1 A & E Building, #1382, Berkeley CA 94720-1382.0


Housing Authority looking for low income tenants

By John Geluardi Daily Planet staff
Wednesday February 28, 2001

The Berkeley Housing Authority has opened up the Section 8 waiting list as part of the agency’s aggressive attempt to add 300 households to the housing-subsidy program by April. 

In the past, the Section 8 waiting list was limited to a restricted number of applicants. Now, for the first time, the BHA has opened up the list to all qualified people who submit applications by Oct. 5. 

Furthermore, the BHA has prioritized low-income tenants who already have housing and landlords who have rental units leased below market rates.  

“Our primary focus is to locate people who are leasing units and are paying more than a third of their income on rent,” said Housing Department Director Stephen Barton, who oversees the BHA. “We also want to attract the attention of landlords who are renting to low-income tenants at below market rates because that’s a potential win, win situation.” 

Barton said a shortage of housing has turned the BHA focus to low-income tenants, living in Berkeley who are already occupying housing, because the Section 8 vouchers are not of much use if there is no available housing to occupy. 

Barton said landlords can benefit from the program by increasing their rents and avoiding Berkeley’s rent control laws. Units that are leased to Section 8 tenants are no longer subject to the rent control ordinance and can immediately begin collecting market, or close to market rents, if a current tenant qualifies for the Section 8 program.  

HUD recently increased rental subsidies on all residential units. An example of the new rental ceiling is $1,105 for one-bedroom units and $1,380 for two-bedroom units. 

“We’re very happy to see the Section 8 program is beginning to really get on the ball,” said Frank Davis, Jr., president of the Black Property Owners Association. “One thousand three hundred and eighty dollars is pretty close to what you can get on the open market, especially in west Berkeley.” 

To get the word out, the BHA has spent $40,000 for mailings, advertising and installing informational phone lines, according to a Sept. 25 BHA report.  

The BHA is anxious to issue as many Section 8 vouchers as possible by a HUD-imposed April deadline, Barton said. 

More typical of a business than a government agency, the Housing Authority receives administrative funding according to how productive it is. That is to say, that the more households that are leased under the Section 8 program, the more funding the BHA receives. The under-leasing of Section 8 units has caused the agency large budget shortfalls in recent years – last year there was a shortfall of $255,000. BHA officials said it expects a similar loss this year. 

HUD has authorized the BHA to subsidize 1,800 households, of which 1,600 can be subsidized by the BHA budget. But currently there are only 1,280 households under lease. 

If the BHA cannot add 300 Section 8 units by the April deadline, HUD will likely cut funding for the program, which will mean cutbacks in BHA staff, or worse, the BHA Board may decide to dissolve the agency and turn over the subsidized housing program to another agency such as the Alameda County Housing Authority. 

“I think this is like the last stand,” said Mayor Shirley Dean, who also sits on the BHA Board. “If we don’t get this thing worked out, it’s gone.” 

For information on the section 8 program tenants can call 981-5406 and interested landlords can call 981-5407 . For a copy of the pre-application on the Web go to www.ci.berkeley.ca.us.


Let the mayor be proud of her cutting-edge city

Maris Arnold
Wednesday February 28, 2001

Editor:  

Kudos to Mayor’s staffers Tamlyn Bright and Jennifer Drapeau for adroitly handling the overwhelming number of hate calls the Mayor’s office received concerning flags on fire trucks. (Daily P, 9/26). Knowing Tamlyn and Jennifer, I’m sure they handled each call with their usual aplomb, intelligence, and patience. No small feat. 

However, I’m a little troubled by the Mayor’s statements, putting on the same level Barbara Lee’s courageous stand and the Scout skirmish in the cultural war with the anti-Muslim Daily Cal cartoon and the flap over fire truck flags, saying in effect these events cast her in a strange role when she attends national, state, and county meetings.  

I can sympathize with her receiving weird looks, but the city of Berkeley is world famous for its cutting edge social services and impassioned democratic participation by its citizenry. The mayor is, if you will, our “ambassador” to less progressive cities. I wish she’d feel proud of Berkeley’s reputation and the actions that earned it instead of feeling apologetic. 

Maris Arnold 

Berkeley


City manager named in closed meeting

By Judith Scherr and John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Wednesday February 28, 2001

 

 

Twice acting city manager, Weldon Rucker has been appointed to the permanent post of city manager. 

The deal was made during closed session Tuesday, with few members of the public aware the appointment was eminent, although a “public employee appointment” of a city manager was noticed on the executive session agenda. Councilmembers had proposed a nationwide search for a manager several months previous. 

The vote in support of Rucker was 8-0, with Councilmember Polly Armstrong absent. 

“I think it was scandalous that Weldon Rucker wasn’t hired six years ago,” Councilmember Kriss Worthington said in a phone interview. “We imported (former city manager) Jim Keene. He didn’t understand Berkeley.” 

Worthington said the process for the appointment was wrong, however. “It should have been done at public session,” he said. 

When the appointment was announced in open session, and Worthington said Rucker should have gotten the appointment the first time he was acting city manager, Mayor Shirley Dean rushed to say that Rucker had been offered the job and declined it. (The Daily Planet was unable to confirm this independently with Rucker.) Rucker served as acting city manager for several years before Keene’s appointment. 

“We’ve all welcomed him and given him a vote of confidence,” Dean said. 

As for Rucker, he didn’t make a long speech: “Maybe now that I’m permanent I can get a working microphone,” he quipped. 

Rucker, who will receive the same compensation as he had while he was acting city manager, has worked for the city for over 30 years, serving in various positions including director of public works and deputy city manager. 

As city manager, Rucker will have several key appointments to make. The city lacks a director for its Planning Department. The police chief has said he is leaving his post soon. The head of the transportation division has recently given up his post after occupying it for only a short time. 


When the School Board doesn’t follow the rules....

By Judith Scherr Daily Planet editor
Wednesday February 28, 2001

An occasional column of  

commentary about those who’d rather shine us on. 

 

When the media spews disinformation, it’s shameful. So I say to those talk-show types who blatantly lied when they told the world our mayor refused to fly the flag: love it or leave it – your jobs, you idiots. 

 

But there’s more to media disinformation, than prevarication. 

Sometimes we want to bring you the complete story, but we’re foiled by our public officials, who reveal scant or no data. 

Public agencies are required under the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law, to provide specific kinds of information to the press and public and to allow the press and public presence at most meetings. 

But we have a problem getting some local officials to follow the rules. Our school leaders are a case in point. 

Remember earlier in the year when the school board flew to LA to gather information about Michele Lawrence (who has since become superintendent)? They let the public know they were going, only after they’d already gone. 

And this very day, perhaps while you’re reading your Planet over a cup of (organic fair-trade) coffee, you’re being shut out of a meeting. 

It’s a closed session. And even though the Brown Act requires an open public comment period, none appears on the agenda. 

So if you’re lucky enough to read this before 9 a.m., with your lawyer and copy of the Brown Act in tow, you might want to forgo your second cup of java and hightail it to the first minutes of the closed-door session.  

Don’t bother to go to Old City Hall, where board meetings usually take place. Head straight up to the meeting at the superintendent’s home, at 1921 San Antonio Ave. If you use a wheelchair to get around and want to comment, sorry, you’re out of luck - the home’s not accessible. (The Brown Act as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act mandates that public meetings be held in accessible locations, by the way.) 

How did the school board come to schedule the meeting without a comment period? I put a call in to School Board President Terry Doran, well known as a fighter for democracy. Referring to a public comment period, Doran, who should know better, said: “I don’t know if we’re providing that or not.” He suggested I call the superintendent’s secretary. 

Sorry, Terry, it’s not for you to decide to provide or not. It’s a public right. 

As for the Saturday meeting itself, you’ve got to wonder why it’s so sensitive that it has to be held out of the public’s sight. 

The intent, says the agenda faxed to the Daily Planet, is for a “Public employment performance evaluation: Superintendent.” 

Doran explained the closed-door session as “a work meeting.” He said “it’s something Michele suggested to get feedback.” The board plans to meet at regular intervals in closed session to provide the feedback, he said. 

Terry Francke, general counsel to the California First Amendment Coalition, pointed out that “you’re talking about the chief executive of an agency. It’s hard to imagine what is not fair game for discussion.” 

Generally, evaluations are held annually. If they are to be held more often, “I would find that highly suspect,” Francke said. “The reason for an open board meeting is that the board is to be seen grappling with the problems” of the district. 

Francke said if the superintendent wanted feedback on how she was doing, she could put in calls to the board president. 

Then there’s the question of holding the meeting at the superintendent’s house. 

“It is just my opinion,” Francke said, “a matter of appearance rather than law,” that holding the meeting at the home of the person being evaluated is “singularly strange and inappropriate.” 

“If she expects feedback, she should go to them,” he said. 

To her credit, once the Daily Planet pointed out that holding a meeting without an open comment period and in an inaccessible location was not a good thing to do, the superintendent conceded that it would probably have been better to hold a public portion of the meeting in a public and accessible place. “I didn’t think about opening up in public,” she said apologetically. 

*** 

Brown Act non-compliance is not limited to the school board, here in the city where the Free Speech movement was born. 

Take our police department, for example. 

(But before we tear into the problems of getting information from the department, I should note that, without being defensive or making excuses, Police Chief Dash Butler promised Friday to make improvements in his department in order to serve the press and public with more complete and timely public information.) 

While Terry Francke says the police should give the press “timely” information in response to their requests, it often takes days for the Planet to get the info it is seeking – usually simple stuff like what happened in the latest bank robbery. 

PIO Lt. Cynthia Harris, currently on vacation, told the Planet a week ago or so that delays often happen because her first concern is taking care of criminal investigations. 

And isn’t that as it should be?  

If I had my favorite gizmo ripped off, wouldn’t I want the good lieutenant to be meeting with her detectives on my case, rather than giving some reporter the low-down on a bank robbery. Sure I would. 

So hire a civilian as PIO, I suggested to the chief. 

But Butler said civilians wouldn’t know what information is sensitive and what could be given out.  

Maybe you could hire a smart civilian. Go figure. 

But why hire a PIO at all, Francke asked, underscoring that the very best source is the cop on the beat who’s most familiar with the crime. 

*** 

If we don’t start getting better information from the cops, and the schools don’t start opening up their meetings as they should, the Daily Planet won’t rip a page out of G. Gordon Liddy or Rush Limbaugh’s book of Anything Goes – which they used to accuse the mayor of UnAmerican activity. We’ll keep plugging away for the truth, supporting Kriss Worthington’s Sunshine Ordinance – buried for the winter in the bowels of the bureaucracy – and hope the school district has the guts to adopt it as well. 


Elected officials support Barbara Lee

Terry S. Doran, President, Berkeley School Board
Wednesday February 28, 2001

Editor: 

We support Barbara Lee’s courageous and moral stand in this moment of crisis and decision.  

The loss of life at the World Trade Center, in the destroyed aircraft, and at the Pentagon is a horrifying shock to the people of the United States and of the whole world. We are united in our intention to see that those responsible for organizing this criminal action are brought to justice. 

Congresswoman Lee has appropriately cautioned us. She voted against giving the Administration a blank check. We agree with her that this is not a conventional war and that an appropriate response will not be one that takes the lives of innocent people. 

We agree with Congresswoman Lee that “this crisis involves issues of national security, foreign policy, public safety, intelligence gathering, economics, and murder. Our response must be equally multifaceted. As we act, let us not become the evil that we deplore.”  

Thank you, Barbara, for having the courage to speak these truths at the time that they most need to be spoken. 

 

Terry S. Doran, President, Berkeley School Board 

Keith Carson, Supervisor, Alameda County 

Darryl Moore, Trustee, Peralta Community College District 

John Selawsky, Director, Berkeley School Board 

Max Anderson, Commissioner, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board 

Maudelle Shirek, Vice Mayor, City of Berkeley 

Kriss Worthington, Berkeley City Council 

Linda Maio, Berkeley City Council 

Donna Spring, Berkeley City Council 

Larry Harris, Commissioner, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board 

Selma Specter, Commissioner, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board 

Stefanie Bernay, Commissioner, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board 

Marc Janowitz, Commissioner, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board 

Sharon Maldonado, Commissioner, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board 

Judy Ann Alberti, Commissioner, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board


Shot fired into grocery store

By Ben Lumpkin Daily Planet Staff
Wednesday February 28, 2001

 

A shot fired from a car outside a San Pablo Avenue grocery store Tuesday morning blasted into a freezer box full of frozen fruit bars just a few feet from one of the store’s owners.  

Javiar Mendez, a co-owner of Mi Tierra Foods at the corner of Addison Street and San Pablo Avenue, said two men shopping in the store started a threatening conversation with him, left the store and then fired one shot at him from a nearby car before making a speedy getaway. Mendez said the younger of the two men, approached him in the store and started trying to pick a fight. 

“He said, ‘You don’t know me. The call me Peligroso,’ ” Mendez said, using the Spanish word for “dangerous.”  

Mendez said he told the two men “I’ve got nothing to do with that,” and they eventually left the store. They then called him from a car at the curbside, Mendez said, and one fired a shot at him when he turned to look. 

“I’d seen them before in the store, but I’d never communicated with them before,” Mendez said of the men.  

Police at the scene declined to answer any questions. 

Herman Leung, an employee of a furniture store next door to Mi Tierra Foods, said he heard the shot about 10:30 a.m., but had no idea what it was at first. 

“I though somebody had dropped something on the floor,” Leung said. 

Leung said there have been numerous problems in the area recently, and police had visited Mi Tierra Foods as recently as Monday for another matter. 

“You always see people yelling and fighting on the street,” Leung said. But, he said, “I’ve worked here for five years and I’ve never see this kind of thing ever.” 

Berkeley Police Lt. Russell Lopes called the alleged attempted shooting an “unusual” event for the area. 

“San Pablo itself is usually relatively quiet,” Lopes said. “The vast majority of the problems are low level quality of life stuff, like people drinking in the streets, some drug dealing and hanging out.”


Student district bad idea

Doris E. Willingham
Wednesday February 28, 2001

Editor: 

UC Berkeley students have a new rallying cry: they want their own district. 

The vociferous proponents of this proposal appear to think that it would be perfectly democratic and fair if students were given their own fiefdom in Berkeley and thus a voice on the City Council in running the entire town. 

Most students, constituting a constantly shifting 22 percent of Berkeley’s population, come here from out of town. Their parents no doubt claim them as tax write-offs. Berkeley students are able to vote here. That vote includes the opportunity to decide on local bond and assessment measures, to which the multitudes of eager student voters never have to contribute a penny. 

The Berkeley City Council should think long and hard about this issue. Do we need another “Only in Berkeley” here? 

 

Doris E. Willingham 

Berkeley


Back on planes, fear of racial profiling remains

By Sasha Khokha Special to the Daily Planet
Wednesday February 28, 2001

Bulent Altan put on his Planet Hollywood T-shirt Thursday to make sure no one thought he was a terrorist. 

Then Altan, a 24-year old native of Turkey, boarded a plane bound for Germany heading on a month-long trip. Like other passengers of Middle Eastern, South Asian, or West Asian descent, he feared he would be regarded with increased suspicion in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.  

He decided to make the trip anyway. 

“I definitely don’t change my plans for terrorist attacks,” said Altan, who lives in South Berkeley. In Turkey, he said, terrorism was a regular threat. 

Speaking to a crowd of travelers at O’Hare airport yesterday, President Bush urged Americans to support the failing airline industry. He told the public to “get on the airlines, get about the business of America.” 

But for travelers who may be perceived as Arab-American, the business of getting on an airplane may be more daunting. Bay Area travelers of Middle-Eastern or South Asian descent have experienced a range of emotions when it comes to air travel. Some, like Altan, said they won’t let a fear of scapegoating change their travel plans. Others said they have been reluctant to board airplanes since Sept. 11. Psychologists said these are all normal responses for those facing heightened discrimination. 

“It’s a dilemma for people who are targets of stereotypes,” said Clark McKown, a faculty fellow in the Psychology Department at UC Berkeley who specializes in the psychology of stereotyping. He said some people “choose to accommodate the environment” by limiting their activities to avoid situations where they face discrimination. Others move ahead with business as usual, deciding to express “their ethnic identity in a clear way and risk being targets of discrimination.” 

“It’s a dilemma that people of color have faced in different contexts,” said McKown, who compared the current situation for Arab-Americans to the climate Japanese-Americans faced during World War II.  

A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll conducted last week found that a majority of Americans favor requiring Arabs, including U.S. citizens, to undergo “separate, more intensive security procedures at airports.” About half of those polled support the idea that Arabs, even U.S. citizens, should carry special identification. 

But in recent weeks, suspicion has also been cast on Americans who are not of Arab descent. 

“I was afraid of what I was going to confront,” said Gurvinder Singh, 36, who said he has been under intense stress since the attacks. “I am a Sikh, I wear a turban, I have a beard.”  

Singh flies from Chino to the Bay Area weekly for work. He was in Santa Clara when the attack happened, and drove the nearly 400-mile trip home. He refused to get on a plane the following week. 

Singh’s fears were not unfounded. Since Sept. 11, pilots on several flights have ordered South Asian or Middle Eastern passengers to deplane because the crew “felt unsafe.” Helal Omeira, Executive Director of the Northern California Council on American-Islamic relations, said he was working to find legal counsel for a mother and child who were removed from a flight at San Jose Airport last week. 

Jo Murray, a spokesperson for Oakland Airport, said she was not aware of any incidents in which passengers were asked to get off aircrafts. 

Omeira said that such removals are embarrassing for passengers, who are usually released after questioning. “It’s just humiliating, because there’s nothing to hide,” said Omeira.  

“They find out that this guy grew up in California, or was born here, or that this woman has a head scarf on because she’s exercising freedom of religion.” 

Singh echoed Omeira’s statement. “When I took my oath and became an American citizen, it came from my heart,” he said.  

Singh said he considered changing jobs to avoid frequent air travel.  

“But for a person who looks as I do in the eyes of so many fellow Americans, I had to ask myself, ‘Am I going to be able to find another job?’” he said. 

Then, he had to ask himself a harder question, one he said every Sikh-American asked in the wake of the attacks. “Do Sikhs fit into America anymore?” 

Omeira said his group had received “a lot of pre-emptive calls” from Muslim travelers seeking advice as they headed to the airport.  

“I tell them to be very forthcoming with information, to answer all the questions,” he said. Omeira recommends Arab-American travelers arrive four or five hours in advance of their flights to “give law enforcement the necessary time to do what they need to do.”  

But he said, he prays and hopes any questioning “is not racially motivated.”  

Jerry Snyder, spokesperson from the Western Regional office of the Federal Aviation Administration, said that although strict security measures are in place, none are “aimed or directed at any ethnic group in any way, shape, or form.” He said that it is not in the FAA’s jurisdiction to require any sensitivity training for security personnel. 

Omeira said he expects air travel to pick up among Arab-Americans. “We all have our reasons for flying,” he said. “We all have family that we want to see.” 

He plans to visit his mother in Oklahoma for Thanksgiving.  

“I can’t think of a reason on this planet that would keep me away from my mom,” he said. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Scientists ready for smog fight

The Associated Press
Wednesday February 28, 2001

RIVERSIDE — A group of University of California, Riverside scientists are tackling a curious problem for parks and wilderness areas in the West: smog. 

Seen as an urban ill, smog and haze also can shroud remote, otherwise scenic spots like the Grand Canyon, Yosemite’s Half Dome and Joshua Tree National Park in the desert east of Los Angeles. 

Armed with $1 million in federal research money, UC Riverside scientists will start work this month with a consortium of 12 Western states, as well as Native American and federal officials, to develop the first model explaining how car exhaust and other pollutants find their way to the sites. 

The two-year project, centered at the university’s Bourns College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology, will address the air quality in 160 national parks, monuments and wilderness areas. 

“The national parks are national parks for a reason,” said Mitch Boretz, a technical planning manager at the environmental center.  

“We really want to make all the effort we can to protect them.” 

The typical visual range at monuments and national parks in the West is 62 to 93 miles – half to two-thirds what it would be without pollution, according to Environmental Protection Agency documents. 

At times, visitors to the Grand Canyon, which drew 4.8 million people last year, can’t see the other side. 

Under a plan announced two years ago by then-Vice President Al Gore, the federal government demanded that the air quality around national parks be returned to pre-industrial clarity. 


Police Briefs

Staff
Wednesday February 28, 2001

On Wednesday, members of California Peace Action, an anti-war group, reported that their group had received several hateful e-mails over the last few weeks, some of which may have risen to the level of threats. 

Police said that the group received two threatening messages on Sept. 13 and another on Tuesday. The first two messages included passages such as “Outfits like yours should be reduced to rubble,” “You disgust me to the core of my being,” and, simply, “Die.” 

The third e-mail contained nothing in its body, but its subject header read, “Be careful what you do, you may not like the results.” 

Sgt. Kay Lantow of the BPD said that the messages were all sent from different e-mail servers. 

“The number of these messages doesn’t compare to the overwhelming number of e-mails in support of what we’re doing,” said Andrew Page, Northern California director of Peace Action. 

Page said that while the messages were somewhat disturbing, they are not nearly so disturbing as the “race crimes” being committed across the country. 

“This doesn’t compare to the actual hate crimes against Arab Americans that are occurring,” he said. “We’re just trying to cover our butts.” 

*** 

Also on Wednesday, a woman who lives on the 1000 block of Cedar Street reported that her American flag had been vandalized. 

The officer who responded to the call noted that he had seen the flag on the victim’s wooden fence during the previous week. He reported that it had since been ripped down and stomped into the dirt, leaving it ripped and full of holes. 

The police have no suspects.


Pardon may not stop Hearst disclosure

The Associated Press
Wednesday February 28, 2001

LOS ANGELES — Despite a presidential pardon, Patty Hearst’s criminal record could be mentioned at trial if she testifies against Sara Jane Olson, the former fugitive accused of a Symbionese Liberation Army plot to bomb police officers, experts said. 

Evidentiary laws probably will bar defense lawyers from bringing up her federal bank robbery conviction because of the pardon by former President Clinton. 

But that pardon didn’t cover her no-contest plea to state charges of felony assault and robbery for a shootout at a Los Angeles sporting goods store. Conceivably, defense attorneys might mention the record in an effort to impeach her honesty as a witness. 

Olson, 53, is an alleged former member of the SLA, a defunct revolutionary group. She is charged with conspiracy to murder police officers with pipe bombs placed under patrol cars in Los Angeles 25 years ago.  

The bombs did not explode. She was a fugitive until her 1999 arrest in St. Paul, Minn., where she had become a doctor’s wife and mother of three. 

Hearst was kidnapped by the SLA in 1974 and later was convicted of taking part in a bank holdup with them. A security camera showed her wielding a semiautomatic weapon, and the photograph was widely publicized. 

She has claimed Olson took part in SLA crimes and is expected to be a key witness at the trial, which is scheduled to begin April 30. 

Despite the pardon, jurors are unlikely to be ignorant of Hearst’s history, said Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School. 

“Pretending no one will know about the conviction is kind of like trying to say, ’O.J. Simpson never went on trial,”’ Levenson said. 

“Jurors who have been on the planet for the last 25 years are going to have some idea about why she is famous.” 

Stuart Hanlon, Olson’s former attorney who remains an adviser in the case, said that even if the jury hears about Hearst’s pardon, he doubts that it would have much impact. 

“Everyone knows Clinton’s pardons are suspect,” Hanlon said.  

“I think a lot of people don’t understand why she did get a pardon, other than she is a Hearst. I don’t think it is going to play a major role in the trial at all.”


Car questions beget car answers in the world of Tom and Ray

By Tom and Ray Magliozzi
Wednesday February 28, 2001

Dear Tom and Ray: 

I am horizontally and vertically challenged. Yep, that's right - I'm fat. I am as tall as I am wide (5 feet 3 inches in both directions). I would like a no-nonsense practical car like a Camry or an Accord, but I have discovered that they don't have enough room for ALL of me. I test drove a '94 Lexus this weekend, and it, too, left me looking for more room (although the car was so beautiful, I wouldn't mind if half my rear dragged out the front door, but the neighbors might!). The practical side of me would like a car that is about a year or two old, reliable and roomy. I can only spend about $18,000. What would you suggest? - Isabel 

TOM: Well, Isabel, we have a friend, children's author Daniel Pinkwater, who has similar problems. He refers to himself as "circumferentially challenged." 

RAY: I don't know if he's quite as wide as you are (or even if YOU'RE quite as wide as you suggest), but his biggest problem was always getting himself in and out of cars. 

TOM: No. His biggest problem was always getting anyone to buy his books. But getting in and out of cars was a close second. 

RAY: Then he called us one day and said he'd found the car of his dreams. It's a VW New Beetle. We were kind of skeptical, since we think of that as a small car. But according to Daniel, it's got very big doors, nice, big door openings and a tremendous amount of room inside due to its unusual "bubble" shape. He didn't say anything about the size of the seat itself. But I presume that if it can contain Daniel without a breach, it can probably hold you, too. 

TOM: And it happens to sell for about $18,000 brand new. So I think the Beetle is definitely worth a "test sit." 

RAY: If the Beetle's seat does prove too small, then I'd suggest you look at a few cars that come with bench seats in the front. In that category are the Toyota Avalon, the Ford Crown Victoria and the Mercury Gran Marquis - any of which can be had used for $18,000. And I've never seen anyone NOT be able to fit on a bench seat. 

TOM: And when your search is complete, post a note in the Special Needs Zone of our Web site (the Car Talk section of www.cars.com) so that other overextended people can benefit from your experience. Best of luck, Isabel.  

 

*** 

 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

My wife drives a Toyota Camry. Recently, it was stolen from in front of our house and abandoned, rather banged up. The locks, however, were undamaged. The cop said Camrys are so common that car thieves have master keys for them. Yikes! It's very disturbing to think that anyone who wants to can just get in our car and drive off. My wife feels that a good solution would be to replace our Camry's locks with a set of locks from a '78 Pinto or some car that thieves are unlikely to have keys for. How tough would that be for a mechanic to do? --Jacob 

RAY: Well, it's true that master keys are available. In fact, I have a set of them at the garage that allows me to get into just about any car. We have them on hand for those not-so-rare occasions when customers lock their keys in their cars. 

TOM: At least that's his story, and he's sticking with it. 

RAY: The keys are made of plastic or thin-gauge metal -- and there's usually a different one for each manufacturer. They work better on some cars than on others. Some locks require patience and a bit of careful jiggling, and some locks are nearly impossible to open. Unfortunately for you, the Camry is one of the easier ones. 

TOM: And I agree with you that it's unconscionable that, for about a hundred bucks, some enterprising teen-ager can get his hands on a set of master keys like this. 

RAY: Unfortunately, installing a lock from a different car isn't easy -- whether it's on the door or the ignition. Most locks are not interchangeable and won't fit other cars. The more cost-effective thing to do is to get an alarm system with an ignition-kill device. Or a deadly snake. 

TOM: And more importantly, you need a decal that lets people know that you HAVE an alarm system ... or the aforementioned deadly snake. You want potential thieves to see your decal, decide it's not worth it and go on to another car. Because even if they realize once they get in that they can't start your car, they might vandalize it in frustration. 

RAY: In fact, if you could buy JUST the warning decals, that would probably be enough. 

TOM: Hey, we should sell them. A set of four for $39.95. They could say: "Warning, Please Do Not Feed My Anaconda." 

 

*** 

 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

How do automatic gas-pump nozzles know when the car's gas tank is almost full, and therefore when to shut off? This question has bothered me since I was 16 and gas was two bits a gallon -- neither of which is true anymore. -- Ross 

RAY: Great question, Ross. The nozzle uses a simple mechanism that's been around for decades. 

TOM: Basically, there's a little hole near the end of the nozzle. You can look for it the next time you fill up. And attached to that hole is a tube that's connected to the handle. 

RAY: When gasoline is flowing freely (i.e., when the tank is not full), the moving liquid creates a vacuum as it pours into the tank, and air gets sucked freely through that tube. But as the tank gets full, the vacuum is reduced. 

TOM: And there's a mechanical, vacuum-activated switch in the handle that -- get this -- senses when the vacuum reaches a critical low point and then switches off the gas flow. 

RAY: This system is far superior to the previous method used to determine when the tank was full. My brother remembers using that system. 

TOM: Yeah, when you felt the gasoline trickle down your pant leg into your shoes, you knew it was just past time to stop squeezing the handle.  

 

*** 

 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

I need your help in solving a problem that really has me stumped. My 1992 Nissan Sentra has a few strange habits, most of which I can live with -- but not this one: When the car sits in the sun with the windows closed, it just will not start. I turn the key and get absolutely nothing. If I open the window and wait about five minutes, it starts up just fine. I replaced the battery, the starter and the battery cables. Nothing worked. Then I took it to a shop, and the mechanic wanted to replace the battery, the starter and the battery cables. Naturally, I declined. It started fine all winter. But now every time I go to the beach, it won't start. -- Erik 

TOM: You gave us two excellent hints, Erik. Now, wouldn't it be impressive if we could actually put them to some intelligent use? 

RAY: It would, wouldn't it? Well, one hint is that it's related to high temperatures inside the passenger compartment. So that would limit it to parts located where, Tommy? 

TOM: Inside the passenger compartment! 

RAY: Very good. And the second hint is that absolutely nothing happens when Erik turns the key. And that means what? 

TOM: It means Erik's sleeping on the beach tonight. 

RAY: Thank you, Dick Tracy. It means it's got to be a part that can completely interrupt current to the starter, because otherwise you'd get at least some sound or hear some effort by the car to start. 

TOM: So my guess is that it's a bad ignition switch. 

RAY: Good guess, but probably wrong. My guess is a bad clutch interlock. Assuming this car has a stick shift (you don't say, but many Sentras of this vintage do), there's a switch on the clutch pedal that prevents you from starting the engine unless the pedal is fully depressed. My guess is that the contacts are being affected by the extreme heat. 

TOM: It's an easy thing to test, Erik. Have your mechanic remove the clutch interlock and just shunt those two wires together -- taking the interlock completely out of the circuit. If the problem goes away, have him install a new clutch interlock (it's cheap), and you'll be all set. 

RAY: Just be careful during the test period, when you're driving around without a clutch interlock. You'll be able to start the car with the transmission in gear. And your delight in having the car actually start might dissipate quickly as you realize you just "started it" into a sand dune. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Bush’s tax plan will need bipartisan support

The Associated Press
Wednesday February 28, 2001

WASHINGTON — President Bush can’t rely solely on Republican votes for his budget’s centerpiece across-the-board tax cut, and his debut prime-time speech Tuesday night put his persuasive and political powers to a crucial test in courting Democratic and moderate support. 

While Democratic leaders rushed to try to put their own stamp on the tax issue, there was little doubt the president with his tightly controlled agenda had already begun to nudge the closely divided Congress his direction on his $1.6 trillion tax cut. 

On the 39th day of his presidency, Bush vowed to set the nation on “a different path” by slashing federal debt while increasing spending for popular programs. 

“The people of America have been overcharged and on their behalf, I am here to ask for a refund,” Bush said. “Some say my tax plan is too big, some say it is too small. I respectfully disagree. This tax relief is just right.”  

“Government should be active but limited, engaged but not overbearing,” he said. 

Republicans cheered with enthusiasm, Democrats without it, as Bush made his way down the center aisle of the House chamber to begin his speech. 

Not even the pageantry of the moment – both houses of Congress, diplomats and Cabinet officials assembled – could extinguish all echoes of last fall’s recount. 

There were audible boos on the Democratic side of the aisle as justices of the Supreme Court were announced. Justice Stephen Breyer was the only one of nine in attendance – and he was one of four who dissented from the historic high court ruling that sealed Bush’s victory 10 weeks ago. What size tax cut will be “just right” is now the prime battleground between the new president and Congress. 

In spite of a questionable mandate, Democratic criticism and low expectations, Bush already has managed to steer the national debate to the topics he spotlighted in his presidential campaign. 

Democrats balk at the size of his tax cut, but their leaders are now talking about across-the-board cuts just as Bush is – not the narrowly focused tax breaks that former Vice President Al Gore advocated in his presidentail campaign. 

“I think that rate reductions are clearly appropriate. But the devil is in the details,” said Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, senior Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee. “The goal here is to put together and pass a budget that meets the nation’s needs. I’m less concerned about who wins and who doesn’t win.” 

Democrats have already suggested their own $750 billion version, with hints that they might go even further. 

Beyond taxes, Democrats are also generally on the same page as the president – even if they are slaming individual parts. Democrats don’t like Bush’s school voucher plan – but they generally support other parts of his plan for an increase in federal education spending. 

They’re skeptical about his modest proposal to give only poor seniors prescription drug coverage, at least at first, but support pumping more federal money into the financially troubled Medicare system and setting up a prescription-drug program. 

Bush’s proposal for a military pay increase, with down-the-road boosts in defense spending and a commitment to newer-age weaponry, is winning support from military-minded lawmakers of  

both parties. 

And his proposal to pay down the national debt has wide appeal, although many Democrats would like to go further than Bush’s plan to pay off $2 trillion of the $3.2 trillion in publicly held debt. Bush also proposed a $1 trillion “contingency fund” for unexpected budgetary needs. 

On the national debt issue, it was Bush who was coming closer to the Democrats. 

Bush also saluted several prominent Democrats in and quoted President John F. Kennedy’s advocacy for tax cuts “to get this country moving again.” 

Bush summed up his budget as also advocating “excellent schools, quality health care, a secure retirement, a cleaner environment and a stronger defense.” All hard goals for members of either party to oppose. 

But few dispute that there will be bruising battles over the specifics, particularly of the tax cut proposal. 

“In the end, I’m very comfortable we’re going to see a different tax package on the president’s desk,” said Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota. 

 

 

 

 

Democrats continue to complain that the Bush plan is too biased in favor of the wealthy. At the same time, they’ve vastly expanded their own proposal for tax relief. 

“The facts have changed. The surplus is bigger. We are in some kind of an economic slowdown. I think everybody agrees we can do a generous tax cut that affects everyone, especially people at the bottom and in the middle,” House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., told NBC. 

Gephardt later made it clear there are limits to how close to Bush Democrats would inch. “President Bush’s budget numbers simply don’t add up. Ours do. His plan leaves no money for anything except tax cuts. Ours does,” he said in the prepared Democratic response to Bush’s speech. 

Bush kept his budget priority list short, focusing mostly on issues he had championed during his campaign. He borrowed a page from former President Reagan, whose first budget also included a big tax cut. 

On a personal level, Democrats have given Bush some slack, reacting positively to his sunny disposition and personal charm. 

“There’s been sort of a feeling that there’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s doing a great job reaching out to everybody and trying to get his message across,” said Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss. 

Bush has long made his tax cut a point of personal pride, pushing it in spite of polls suggesting questionable public support for so large a cut. 

“I believe the president has started his term very well by focusing on things on which he did campaign,” said former Rep. Bill Frenzel, R-Minn., an expert on budget and tax policy and a scholar at the Brookings Institution. 

“Democrats can’t be expected to be for everything the president is for,” Frenzel added. “No president ever gotten every word and line he sent up to the Congress. I don’t expect this one will either.” 


Slower growth in Silicon Valley could lessen strain on resources

By Colleen Valles Associated Press Writer
Wednesday February 28, 2001

SAN JOSE — With the high-tech industry settling down and the economy slowing, Silicon Valley can expect slower growth over the next 10 years, according to a study released Friday. 

That should lessen the strain Silicon Valley’s meteoric growth has put on the availability and quality of resources, such as water, air and open space. But in order to ensure that trend continues, local businesses must shift their focus — from using the resources to build the hub of the high-tech industry to making sure the resources continue to be available and to maintain their quality, according to the report by the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group. 

From 1990 to 2000, the population of Silicon Valley, which encompasses parts of four counties, grew 12.6 percent to 2,370,120 people. By 2010, the growth rate is expected to be only 10.8 percent for a total of 2,625,219 people. 

The slower growth means communities will be better able to help their infrastructure, such as water and sewage lines, transportation systems and schools, keep pace with development, according to the report. But it still has a potential to harm the environment. 

“Just because our growth is declining doesn’t automatically mean it’s better for the environment,” said Joyce Taylor, Bay Area Regional president of Pacific Bell and member of the manufacturing group. 

If special attention isn’t paid to air and water, the protection of open space and the reduction of waste, then air and water quality could be severely diminished, habitat for species could be threatened, and landfills could become crowded and toxic. The report advocates monitoring these aspects of growth over the next 10 years. 

“This growth puts significant constraint on air, water and land resources,” Taylor said. “As we continue to improve our infrastructure, we need to make sure these improvements don’t negatively impact the environment.” 

Air quality officials in Silicon Valley have not yet presented state and federal regulatory agencies with an acceptable plan for cleaning up the air. The Bay Area could lose more than $1 billion in federal highway funds for 30 projects if it doesn’t come up with a plan that meets approval. 

Water is scarce and many of the region’s waterways are polluted by metal particles, oil, pesticides, debris and other contaminants. 

The report cites possible ways to sustain air and water resources, such as telecommuting and increased use of public transportation for air quality, and recycling water. 

“Industry has an incentive to be more sustainable because it benefits them economically,” said Terry Watt, of the Silicon Valley Conservation Council. 

Some businesses already use these tactics, and doing more will actually help companies because they’ll have more resources to draw from, Watt said. 


Court upholds Clean Air Act

The Associated Press
Wednesday February 28, 2001

WASHINGTON — The nation’s premier environmental law withstood a major industry challenge Tuesday as the Supreme Court upheld the way the government sets air-quality standards under the Clean Air Act. 

The court unanimously rejected industry arguments that the Environmental Protection Agency must consider financial cost as well as health benefits in writing standards. 

The American Lung Association called the ruling “a victory for the Clean Air Act and for the health of the American people.” 

The Clean Air Act became law in 1970, and the challenge by industry groups was viewed as the most significant environmental case before the Supreme Court in years. 

The justices rejected industry arguments that the EPA took too much lawmaking power from Congress when it set tougher standards for ozone and soot in 1997. 

Nevertheless, the court threw out the EPA’s policy for implementing new ozone rules and ordered the agency to come up with a more “reasonable” interpretation of the law. 

Edward Warren, the lawyer for industry groups that challenged the law, said they retain a right to challenge the ozone and soot standards in a lower court under traditional legal rules. “There’s a good chance that both of these standards will fall,” he said. 

The American Trucking Associations, leader of the industry group, said it was “clearly disappointed” by the ruling. It said its goal in the case was “to obtain clear, understandable legal standards to promote clean air in a sensible fashion.” 

EPA Administrator Christie Whitman said the decision was “a solid endorsement of EPA’s efforts to protect the health of millions of Americans from the dangers of air pollution.” She gave no indication of what EPA might do to implement the tougher standards, which had been withdrawn to await a ruling from the Supreme Court. 

Frank O’Donnell of the Clean Air Trust environmental advocacy group, called the decision a “huge victory for breathers.” 

Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the court that the clean-air law “unambiguously bars cost considerations” from the process of setting air-quality standards. 

The federal law, which “we interpret as requiring the EPA to set air quality standards at the level that is ‘requisite’ – that is, not lower or higher than is necessary – to protect the public health with an adequate margin of safety, fits comfortably within the scope of discretion permitted by our precedent,” Scalia wrote. 

 

All nine justices agreed on the result of the ruling, although sometimes for different reasons. 

In setting air-quality standards, the EPA is required to use criteria that “accurately reflect the latest scientific knowledge” for identifying pollution’s effects on health. 

Business groups that long have chafed under the clean-air law argued that the EPA was setting standards without clear criteria and without considering the financial costs of complying with them. 

Scalia said that even though the law bars the EPA from considering economic costs in setting clean-air standards, the agency can consider costs in its instructions for implementing the rules. 

A federal appeals court had ruled that the EPA went too far, interpreting the federal law so loosely that it took over Congress’ lawmaking authority. But the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia also refused to require the government to weigh financial costs against health benefits. 

The Supreme Court decided the appeals court was right in ruling the EPA could not consider costs in setting air-quality standards, but wrong in saying the agency unlawfully usurped Congress’ authority. 

Scalia said the EPA’s authority was similar to the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to regulate the airwaves in the “public interest.” 

On ozone, the justices ruled against the EPA’s implementation of revised ozone standards, saying the agency ignored a section of law that restricted its decision-making authority. 

In addition, the lower court had ruled that in setting the ozone standard, the EPA must consider any beneficial health effects of ozone, such as protection against skin cancer. 

The 1997 air standards limited ozone, a major component of smog, to 0.08 parts per million instead of .12 parts per million under the old requirement. States also were required to limit soot from power plants, cars and other sources to 2.5 microns, or 28 times smaller than the width of a human hair. 

Industry groups that challenged the clean-air rules included the American Trucking Associations, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and three states — Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. 

The cases are Whitman v. American Trucking Associations, 99-1257, and American Trucking Associations v. Whitman, 99-1426. 

——— 

Associated Press writer H. Josef Hebert contributed to this report. 

On the Net: Supreme Court: http://www.supremecourtus.gov 


State utilities expect natural gas bills lower than last winter

By Karen Gaudette Associated Press Writer
Wednesday February 28, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — Natural gas prices are dropping nationwide, and two California utilities say their customers can expect substantially lower heating bills — a relief after gas bills exploded last winter by as much as 150 percent. 

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Southern California Gas Co. both said Friday that increased drilling for natural gas and a boost in underground storage mean their customers can expect October gas bills to fall by up to half from last year’s levels. Between them, the two utilities deliver natural gas to more than 20 million customers. 

“The indications are that we’re seeing a downward trend in natural gas prices,” said Christy Dennis, a PG&E spokeswoman. 

In PG&E’s territory, residential customers with average use can expect to pay $14.33 for around 30 therms of natural gas in October, down from $28.77 last year. PG&E did not have breakdowns based on home size, nor an exact bill forecast for the rest of winter. 

The average single family in Southern California Gas’s territory can expect to pay less than $60 per month for about 75 therms of natural gas, down from $80 for the same amount last winter. For apartment dwellers, that’s about $25 — as opposed to $35 during the same months last year, said Denise King, a spokeswoman for Sempra Energy, parent company of SoCal Gas and San Diego Gas and Electric Co. 

Those low prices likely will carry through the winter months of November through February, both utilities predicted. SDG&E, which serves 740,000 natural gas customers in San Diego and north Orange counties, did not have its forecast available Friday morning. 

Analysts said prices have reached their current lows — after being the nation’s highest last year — because inventories are high. 

The futures market for wholesale gas suggests prices will rise gradually over the next two years. Prices could climb again as early as next summer as more gas fired-power plants begin running, said Greg Haas, an equity analyst in the Houston office of the investment brokerage firm Raymond James. 

Several factors conspired to boost natural gas prices last winter. 

Unusually cold weather caused consumers to crank up the heat, boosting demand. Drought-like conditions in the Northwest meant California could import less electricity from hydroelectric dams, forcing natural gas-fired power plants to churn out more megawatts by burning more supply. 

In addition, the state Public Utilities Commission, PG&E, and other natural gas sellers have accused natural gas marketer El Paso Corp. of driving up gas prices by preventing competitors from moving California-bound natural gas along its pipeline. El Paso maintains it did nothing illegal. 

A Federal Energy Regulatory Commission judge will soon decide whether there was wrongdoing and advise FERC commissioners in early October whether California gas customers are due refunds. 

 


Young poet embraces past and future

Marc Polonsky Special to the Daily Planet
Wednesday February 28, 2001

I sit . . .  

reeling from the weight of my internal contradictions . . .  

 

Poet Ariana Waynes says it is important for people to tell their own stories, “particularly the ones whose stories don’t tend to be told,” she says. 

“There are all these people who don’t exist as far as mainstream culture is concerned. And if we’re not telling our stories, if we’re not saying ‘This is true,’ then somebody else is going to decide what’s real. So we have a responsibility. Storytelling is a political act.”  

A voracious reader since early childhood, she wrote her first poem in third grade. As a teen in Lansdale, Penn., she wrote “angry little poems” to alleviate depression. “I had a miserable youth, but very few people to talk to about how awful things were. Instead, I filled up notebooks with the kind of truth that would make your skin crawl,” she wrote.  

She came to UC Berkeley on a scholarship in 1997, intending to study cognitive science. Toward the end of her freshman year, she got wind of poet June Jordan’s Poetry for the People program – a course designed for “political and artistic empowerment of students.” She attended its end-of-spring readings. “I went to three nights of very political, revolutionary poetry. I was amazed and I was kicked open.” In response, she wrote a poem entitled “To the Patriots and the Activists Poets.”  

The following fall, she saw signs on campus for a poetry slam at Tower Books. She entered, performed “To the Patriots . . .” and, to her amazement, won the slam, along with a $200 Tower gift certificate.  

Since that event, barely two and half years ago, the trajectory of Ariana’s performance poetry career has been straight up. Out of 30 contestants, she tied for first place in a slam at La Peña Cultural Center and took home half of the $1,000 grand prize. Immediately, the local slam community embraced her and invited her to various slams in the East Bay and San Francisco.  

Several months later, she made the San Francisco slam team that went to the National Poetry Slam competition in Chicago and, out of 48 teams, tied with Team San Jose for first place.  

Less than a year after her first slam, Ariana had attained the pinnacle of slam success. Excerpts from her poetry appeared in the New York Times, and she was interviewed on a PBS news show. 

Afterward, she was deluged by invitations to perform for colleges and other organizations, including Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Norman Lear’s People for the American Way at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City and national events for Planned Parenthood in Washington, D.C., and San Marco, Fla. She was sponsored to perform in Denmark and London, and she toured large sections of the country performing poetry with her fellow slam-team members. She gave a performance at Yale on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and she taught a master class in poetry writing at Smith College in Northampton, Mass., – all before her 21st birthday.  

Today, at 21, Ariana is a student teacher in the Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley. She describes teaching as “a revelation.” And she has designed her own major under Interdisciplinary Studies: “Cross-Cultural Approaches to Creative Writing as Political Action.”  

Ariana’s personality is warm and generous, comfortably rubbing against the grain of dominant culture because she is “black, bisexual, female, a young person operating in an adult world, and a polyamorist.” She takes on many voices. In one poem she becomes a redwood tree; in others, such as “As You Brace for the Beating” and “Even the Sky Looks Away,” she confronts the roots of violence. She stresses that her poetry is “an act of communication,” not merely an abstraction to be put on display. 

Her second chapbook in particular, More Joy Than Flesh, is extraordinarily open about her intimate life. “I’m not a particularly private person . . . I’ll get really raw and personal, and sometimes it’s a little scary but . .. What will someone else do with the information? When I don’t place a value on privacy, it’s not really an issue. 

“If we’re teaching our children how to be, but we don’t talk openly about sex, then that silence says something. I don’t want to promote silence. . . . I want to promote a vast openness where you can talk about anything that’s true. I want there to be less that we hide away.” 

Ariana Waynes can be reached at FyreflyPress@hotmail.com. Her diary can be found online at http://joyfulgrl.diaryland.com.  

Marc Polonsky is the author of The Poetry Reader’s Toolkit. He can be contacted at marcwordsmith@sfo.com.


Test scoring error sends reward money to the wrong schools

Associated Press
Wednesday February 28, 2001

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The state Department of Education may have to reclaim $750,000 it mistakenly awarded to San Joaquin Valley schools after a scoring error on a standardized test. 

The publisher of the Stanford 9 achievement test said scores were inflated because it measured the results of about 19,000 students on last year’s test against the wrong national sample. 

The money, which was awarded for improvement on the test, was erroneously sent to six public schools and more money was supposed to go to 16 schools where staff members expected bonuses up to $25,000. 

Teachers are upset about the prospect of having to return cash they received for achieving certain goals on the test. 

“We have some mad people,” said Scott Bishop, a high school math teacher and president of the Kerman Unified teachers union in Fresno County where teachers received nearly $600 each. “That’s a lot of money.” 

State Department of Education officials are looking into whether it can allow schools to keep the money they received and whether it can be reimbursed by test publisher Harcourt Educational Measurement. 

“We know that teachers have cashed these checks; we know schools are using this money,” said Paul Warren, the state’s deputy superintendent for accountability. “It would be difficult to ask for it back. We’re trying to find a solution that creates as little upset as possible.” 

Harcourt said it plans to work with the state to resolve the issue that arose when a Central Valley school district expressed concerns about test scores. 

Harcourt reported scores as if the students had taken the test in December rather than the following spring when they would have had more instruction. 

The Stanford 9 is the basis for the state’s testing and accountability program and is the sole criterion for ranking schools and determining their eligibility for taxpayer-funded rewards. 

The six schools that erroneously received money were all in Fresno County; five are in Reedley and one is in Kerman. 

Some teachers and administrators, who are critical of the rewards program want to see it dismantled. 

“We were seeing some divisiveness as a result of that program,” said Jean Fetterhoff, superintendent of Kings Canyon Joint Unified. “If I’m working really hard in a classroom for the right reasons and my kids don’t happen to test very well, but I see a neighbor across the district that is receiving big bucks for what I’m doing, there is a sense of unfairness about that.” 


Consumer confidence continues to drop

The Associated Press
Wednesday February 28, 2001

NEW YORK — Worries about jobs and the business climate dragged consumer confidence in February to its lowest level in more than four years. 

The Conference Board said Tuesday its Consumer Confidence Index fell to 106.8, down from 115.7 in January. It was the fifth consecutive drop in the monthly index, which has not been this low since June 1996. 

“Consumers are seeing all the layoff news, they’re hearing all the doom-and-gloom comments, and they’ve gotten worried. There’s no question about it,” said Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisors in Holland, Pa. 

The pessimism was reinforced by two reports released by the Commerce Department on Tuesday: Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket items plunged in January to their lowest level in 19 months, while new home sales plummeted 10.9 percent, the biggest drop in seven years. 

For now, the economy continues to walk a tightrope, avoiding a plunge into recession, said Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board’s Consumer Research Center. 

“The erosion in consumer confidence continues to be fueled by weakening expectations regarding business and employment conditions,” Franco said. 

The overall February confidence figure was lower than the reading of 110.5 that had been expected by analysts. 

Still, one economist noted that some figures in the Conference Board’s report are not as worrisome. 

“Generally, it’s a weak number on the headline, but the details show a little more encouragement,” said Gary Thayer, chief economist for A.G. Edwards & Sons in St. Louis. 

Thayer pointed to figures showing a growing number of people believe the economy is exhibiting normal conditions, as well as figures indicating more consumers plan to buy  

new homes and cars in the  

next six months.  

The report comes amid intense speculation about whether the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again before its next meeting, March 20. Thayer and Naroff said they do not believe the drop in confidence will be enough to push the Fed into taking early action. 

Consumers continue to be pessimistic about the outlook over the next six months, the Conference Board said. The percentage of consumers expecting a pickup in business conditions declined from 13.1 percent to 11.1 percent, while those anticipating conditions to worsen increased from 15.2 percent to 17.8 percent. 

In addition, only 10.2 percent of American consumers expect more jobs to become available, down from 11.7 percent last month. Those expecting fewer jobs increased from 21.5 percent to 27.2 percent. 

But 57.9 percent of consumers now believe the economy is exhibiting normal conditions, up from 54.8 percent last month. The numbers of people with plans to buy new homes and cars in the next six months also increased. 

On the Net: http://www.conferenceboard.org 


Female state senator doesn’t celebrate women’s suffrage

By John Hanna Associated Press Writer
Wednesday February 28, 2001

TOPEKA, Kan. — A female state senator says she views women’s suffrage as a sign that American society doesn’t value the family enough but she wouldn’t deprive women of the vote. 

Sen. Kay O’Connor on Friday confirmed reports that she told leaders of the Johnson County League of Women Voters she does not celebrate the enactment of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which gave women the right to vote. 

“We have a society that does tear families apart,” said O’Connor. “I think the 19th Amendment, while it’s not an evil in and of itself, is a symptom of something I don’t approve of.” 

O’Connor, 59, who describes herself as an “old-fashioned conservative lady,” serves as vice chairwoman of the Senate Elections and Local Government Committee. 

She says she believes women should have the right to cast their ballot but if men were doing their job of taking care of women and children, then women wouldn’t be required to vote. 

“The 19th Amendment is around because men weren’t doing their jobs, and I think that’s sad,” she said. “I believe the man should be the head of the family. The woman should be the heart of the family.” 

O’Connor, one of the Legislature’s most conservative members on social issues, has said she was forced into the workplace because of her ailing daughter’s medical bills. 

She is serving her first year in the Senate after having served eight years in the House. 

Delores Furtado, co-president of the Johnson County League of Women Voters, told The Kansas City Star she asked the 59-year-old Republican to the league’s “Celebrate the Right to Vote” luncheon, and O’Connor responded: “You probably wouldn’t want me there because of what I would have to say.” 

Furtado said she was shocked because as a state senator “she is the beneficiary of a system she doesn’t support.” 

Thirteen of the Kansas Senate’s 40 members are women, and 10 are Republicans. In the House, women hold 40 of 125 seats, and they include 23 Republicans. 

“It takes both genders to cover the wide variety of issues in state government,” said Republican Senate Majority Leader Lana Oleen. “Kansans didn’t start out as homemakers. They started out as pioneer women.” 

O’Connor said she did not fear any reprisals for making her views known. 

“If I don’t get re-elected, my only punishment is to go home to my husband and my roses and my children and my grandchildren,” she said. “And if the trips to Topeka get to be too much and my husband asks me to quit I would.” 

Still, two statewide officeholders said she should resign and the chairman of the state GOP repudiated her remarks, while saying that the party doesn’t intend to censure her because she’s entitled to her opinion. 

“She should resign, so she can give her seat to someone who believes in the right of everyone to vote,” said Attorney General Carla Stovall, a Republican. 

Legislative leaders say they weren’t planning any action against O’Connor. 

“I admire her for the courage of her convictions; I just can’t imagine anyone in 2001 having those convictions,” said state Rep. Bill Reardon, a Democrat. 


Jury awards $100 million to plaintiffs who sued drug-maker over heartburn medicine

By Deborah Bulkeley Associated Press Writer
Wednesday February 28, 2001

PORT GIBSON, Miss. — A jury awarded $100 million Friday to plaintiffs who claimed a drug-maker pushed sales of a heartburn drug even as the federal government moved to ban it. 

Jurors returned the verdict after less than three hours of deliberations in the $1.2 billion lawsuit against drug-maker Janssen and its parent company, Johnson & Johnson. Plaintiffs said they suffered from anxiety, heart conditions and other health problems after using Propulsid. 

The trial was the first in the nation involving Propulsid. Hundreds of other suits are pending nationwide. 

During closing arguments, plaintiffs’ lawyer Jim Shannon said the drug maker changed Propulsid labels five times since 1994 to keep damaging information from the public. He said the companies also launched a marketing campaign to spur sales of the drug two years before it was taken off the market. 

“The quality of their life has been damaged,” Shannon said. “That’s what this is all about — 10 human beings and what happened to them just because a corporation wanted to make money.” 

Robert Johnson III, the drug makers’ lead attorney, said many of the plaintiffs had health problems unrelated to Propulsid and the manufacturer itself alerted the government to potential problems. 

“Janssen provided that information,” Johnson said. “They have 10,000 employees who are good people who work for a company that has been saving people’s lives.” 

Propulsid has been linked to 80 deaths. Janssen took it off the shelves in 2000, but it is still used in limited cases. 

The trial was for the original 10 plaintiffs, out of a total of 155. Each was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages. Circuit Judge Lamar Pickard set a hearing on possible punitive damages Saturday. 


Defense spending to favor spying, communication over bombs

By Gary Gentile AP Business Writer
Wednesday February 28, 2001

LOS ANGELES — In the nation’s “new kind of war” on terrorism, defense spending is likely to focus as much on information and surveillance as bombs and bullets. 

Unlike previous conflicts, which relied heavily tanks, fighter jets and ships, a prolonged campaign against terrorists will place increased emphasis on an electronic battlefield that will require sensors and software, analysts said. 

Companies such as Northrop Grumman Co., which is developing a long-range unmanned surveillance vehicle and has invested heavily in electronic warfare systems, should benefit. Other contractors building the next generation of satellite-guided missiles and sensitive snooping devices also will play a role. 

“This is a new war that will require new weapons,” said John Kutler, chairman and chief executive officer of Quarterdeck Investment Partners, a Los Angeles investment bank that focuses on aerospace and defense. “The Pentagon has been paying lip service over the past 10 years to its need to find a new mission in the post-Cold War environment. Unfortunately, it didn’t find the mission. The mission found it.” 

It’s too early to predict which companies and which weapons systems will be funded until the administration outlines the scope of its military response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. Bush, two days after the attacks, said “a new kind of war” had been declared on the United States and added, “My resolve is steady and strong about winning this war.” 

Analysts said the new kind of warfare will rely more than ever on collecting and interpreting data, then communicating that information quickly and securely to troops in the field. That need is even greater if the United States attacks countries with few stationary military targets such as missile silos or bases. 

Companies including General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., which makes the Predator unmanned spy plane, and Raytheon, which makes radar systems and cruise missiles, should benefit. 

Bullets and bombs will still be needed to fight a sustained war, especially if ground troops are used to invade countries that harbor terrorists, analysts said. Money to upgrade existing weapons systems already was part of the Defense Department’s budget plans before the terrorist attacks. 

“During the Kosovo air war, we almost ran out of stuff to drop,” said John Williams, a spokesman for the National Defense Industrial Association, a trade group. “Munitions are probably the first thing, depending on how massively we want to do this and what the eventual targets are.” 

Congress will soon receive a Pentagon review of military spending, which should reveal the defense department’s priorities for the next four years. 

The Senate is considering a request for $343 billion for Defense and Energy department needs. The spending bill already has passed the House after legislators there diverted some money President Bush wanted for his missile-defense program to counterterrorism efforts. 

And an announcement on the next generation fighter plane, the joint strike fighter, should be made within the next month. Boeing and Lockheed Martin are competing for the contract. 

Other weapons programs, including a next-generation unmanned spy plane from Grumman, the Global Hawk, and computer warfare systems that can protect domestic computer networks and attack enemy systems, also are likely to receive funding. 

The Defense Department doubled spending for the Global Hawk program in its 2002 budget. The remote-controlled plane, with a wingspan comparable to a Boeing 737, will carry more surveillance equipment and systems designed to track moving targets than similar aircraft now in use. 

Grumman also is developing an unmanned combat craft called Pegasus, which will carry missiles and other weapons. Boeing is working on a similar system. Both are in the early testing stages. 

In March, the U.S. Air Force bought seven more Predators and signed an option for another seven, bringing the total number in service to 79. General Atomics is working on a jet-powered Predator that will carry more equipment and fly at higher altitudes, above the range of enemy fire. 

The Defense Department’s research arm also is working on a system to allow surveillance planes or satellites to track moving targets, something existing bombs and missiles cannot do with precision. The system uses airborne radar that tracks a target and provides the information immediately to missiles in flight. 

In addition to large, well-known contractors, a number of smaller firms, called special access defense companies, are conducting classified research on cyber warfare, analysts said. 

Companies involved in this area will discuss only their efforts to defend commercial and military computer systems against what Grumman chief executive officer Kent Kresa called an electronic Pearl Harbor in a speech last year. 

But analysts said the Defense Department is likely developing cyber warfare weapons of its own, designed to confound enemy weapons and scramble enemy communications. 

“There are people working to prevent terrorist hackers,” said Jacques Gansler, a University of Maryland professor and undersecretary of defense in the Clinton Administration. “On the other end of the spectrum, there are people working on highly classified offensive and defensive information warfare systems. On the offensive side, they can give false information or prevent (enemy) systems from working.” 

Computer Sciences Corp. of El Segundo declined to say whether it was working on such projects. But the company does provide software to protect military and civilian computer systems from intrusion, a service expected to play a pivotal role as the newly established Cabinet-level office of Homeland Security gets organized. 

“Cyber defense will be a part of the homeland defense,” said Thomas Burke, director of information assurance for CSC. 

 

 


Keep notes on today’s garden to help you grow tomorrow’s

By George Bria Associated Press Writer
Wednesday February 28, 2001

POUND RIDGE, N.Y. — Sooner or later a gardener finds the need to keep a journal. From simple jottings in a notebook to entries in a computer database, today’s diary helps to grow tomorrow’s garden. 

No garden is like another and thus a journal is especially valuable in recording what happens in your own. When do your flowers bloom or your vegetables mature? Knowing the dates lets you create a garden that flowers in spring, summer and fall and keeps fresh vegetables on the table through the seasons. 

What’s the weather like each day? When did rabbit, raccoon or deer last get over or through the fence? 

To aid you in crop rotation, keep track of where you plant your tomatoes, corn or beans each year. Moving them around makes for healthier plants. And your records show whether your harvests from perennials like asparagus and raspberries are in good shape or if the plants need help. You might think your tomatoes are late, but looking in your journal you find they’re actually early compared to two years ago. 

Also, you can record where you bought plants, seeds, fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, their performance and their cost. 

Thomas Jefferson, a tireless gardener, started a journal when he was only 22. His first note, written in Virginia on March 30, 1766, said, “purple hyacinth begins to bloom.” He kept such brief reminders even when he was president. All of these, together with his garden correspondence and writings, are preserved in Thomas Jefferson’s Garden Book, published by the American Philosophical Society, Independence Square, Philadelphia. 

Always interested in new technology, Jefferson would likely have welcomed and experimented with today’s gardening software, which helps you keep a many-sided gardening journal, including even video and design. You can buy ready-made programs or craft your own from generic database applications. A big plus in a computerized journal is the search facility, enabling you to find an old record instantly. 

If you want to try out software, a Canadian firm offers one that you can download online or mail-order cheaply. Go to www.gardeners-shop.com/GardenersJournal/Index.html or write to Marco Software, 9 Cellini Court, Ottawa, Ontario, K1G 5J7, Tel. (613) 247-1336. 

Over the years, I’ve kept records with programs like that one and designed my own database, but settled finally with just doing the job with my word processor. I print them out at the end of the year, thus having both a paper and an electronic record. The beauty, of course, is that you can edit as you go along. 

Jottings do the job, too, but your handwriting better be good if you expect to read them next year. 

 


White is a versatile color in the flower garden

By Lee Reich AP Weekly Features
Wednesday February 28, 2001

White flowers and leaves are not the first things that come to mind when planning a colorful garden. Nonetheless, they can really spruce up a flower bed. 

White mixes well with all colors and makes for harmonious transitions between colors that would otherwise clash. Picture a mass of red zinnias next to some blue lobelias. Disturbing, isn’t it? Put an island of white, perhaps something soft such as baby’s breath, between the zinnias and lobelias and they peacefully coexist. Use the soft whites of flowers, or plants with grayish leaves, to harmonize a garden’s many hues. 

White not only pacifies clashes, it also adds zest to already bright colors. The flowers of rose campion are pink-magenta, but they sparkle even more brightly against the plant’s silvery-white leaves. The same goes for the white, woolly leaves of dusty miller, which highlight bright red geraniums or blue salvias. 

White flowers also are useful for cheering up dark areas. White alyssum can brighten up a somber row of yews, and night-blooming white flowers, such as moonflower and nicotiana, seem to glow through the night. 

Although white flowers are useful as complements in a garden, they can also stand on their own. The different textures and shapes offer infinite variety: dainty lilies-of-the-valley, sunny daisies, corpulent peonies, eerie angel’s trumpets, spires of hollyhocks and spidery cleomes. There is also a broad range of white shades: a beige lily, a yellowish-white marigold, a bluish-white anemone, a greenish-white hydrangea. 

The renowned British writer and gardener Vita Sackville-West (1892-1962) planted a garden of only white flowers at her Sissinghurst Castle garden. The overcast, misty climate of Sackville-West’s England puts an extra glow into white flowers. On this side of the Atlantic, however, bright and sunny afternoons often wash the life out of whites. Here, whites are reliably at their best in the soft light of morning or evening. 


News from around the state related to the terrorist attacks

By The Associated Press
Wednesday February 28, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden Gate Bridge will reopen to pedestrian and bike traffic Monday, but for reduced hours. 

The bridge’s walkways and bike lanes will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. said Mary Currie, a bridge spokeswoman. she said it will remain closed during night hours for security reasons, as it has been since the this month’s terrorist attacks. 

Patrols by the California Highway Patrol and Coast Guard will continue, Currie said. The bridge will also keep running a bike shuttle service when the span is closed to bikes and pedestrians. 

Also reopening will be Vista Point on the bridge’s north side, as well as the southeast lot. 

*** 

SAN FRANCISCO — The FBI has requested the records of all 736 foreign students at Fresno State University, said California State University spokeswoman Colleen Bentley-Adler. 

Colleges and universities statewide have been approached by federal agents for records of specific students who are believed to be tied to this month’s terrorist attacks. 

At least one man, Ramez Noaman, has been taken into custody, Bentley-Adler said. Noaman was a student at California Polytechnic State University at Pomona since 1999 and also was taking business courses at San Diego State in fall of 2000. 

In the Bay Area, at least three schools — California State University at Hayward, Chabot Community College and the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo — have turned over students’ records. 

Seven of the 23 California State University campuses — Hayward, Maritime Academy, Fresno, Dominguez Hills, Fullerton, Pomona and San Diego— have been asked for student records. 

At most of the campuses, aside from the blanket request for records at Fresno and a request for records on 17 students at the Maritime Academy, the FBI asked for records for only one or two students, Bentley-Adler said. 

*** 

SARATOGA — Hundreds of South Bay residents awoke early Thursday morning to the sound of an aircraft that many feared was a terrorist attack. 

The plane was harmless, performing an annual check of electrical emissions from utility lines. The yearly check is mandated by the Federal Communications Commission. 

But emergency switchboards were inundated with 911 calls starting about 3 a.m. 

“We thought for sure it was a crop duster because it kept dipping and popping up, dipping and popping up,” said Lori Fox, a Saratoga resident. “We all started closing our windows and thought, ’This is it.”’ 

Chris Duros, owner of Flight Trax since 1989, said the airplane was flying at night because air space is far less congested. 

The plane covered an area in the South Bay that included Saratoga and neighboring cities. 

Fox said residents should have received prior notice of the flight. 

*** 

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE — The military has canceled next month’s open house and air show due to safety, security and workload requirements. 

“While it’s important to provide American taxpayers demonstrations of current air power capabilities, conducting an open house safely at this time would divert critical resources from the war on terrorism,” base commander Maj. Gen. Doug Pearson said. 

The open house and air show were scheduled for Oct. 20-21. It annually draws up to 500,000 weekend spectators. 

The air show is among more than half a dozen others that have been canceled since the Sept. 11 attacks. 

*** 

INDIO — Rep. Mary Bono told elementary school students that the United States war on terrorism was genuine and the government is committed to “bring the bad guys to justice.” 

Bono, R-Palm Springs, on Thursday praised President Bush for building an international coalition to fight terrorism and his plan to beef up airport security while pushing Congress for a $15 billion bailout package for the cash-strapped airlines. 

“The most important thing is to tell these bad people that this is going to stop, and we’re going to make them stop,” Bono told about 40 students, teachers and parents gathered at Mountain Vista Elementary School. 

Principal Ann Reinhagen said parents are alarmed about reports that the terrorists may be considering chemical weapons in their attacks. Bono said officials were “starting to look at where we might be vulnerable and how we can protect our water and the air we breathe.” 

“I think our preparation has been lacking in the past,” Bono said. “I think we all knew terrorism would rear its head on American soil in the next 20 years. It just came a little sooner than we were prepared for.” 

*** 

LOS ANGELES — Firefighters have been selling up to 20,000 aluminum bracelets each day in a fund-raising effort for fallen heroes in New York. 

When city firefighter Kevin Lowe and Orange County firefighter Ray Hoffman initially ordered 3,000 bracelets, they wondered if they would be able to get rid of all of them. 

“That turned out not to be an issue at all,” Lowe said. 

Just days after word spread about the fund-raising effort, Lowe and Hoffman were selling 20,000 bracelets a day and by Thursday they had raised $300,000. 

“Our mail order is astronomical; we are receiving phone calls from all over the country,” Lowe said. “Our current manufacturer is producing 20,000 a day, and it’s not enough to deal with the demand.” 

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, Hoffman telephoned Lowe to remind him about a Newport Beach police officer shot and killed a few years ago. Fellow officers had bracelets made, which were then sold to raise money for the fallen officer’s family. 

The brief brainstorming session soon led to the order for red, anodized aluminum bracelets, which are inscribed with two crossed axes, and the words: In Memory of our Fallen Heroes F.D.N.Y. 9-11-01. 

Money raised goes directly to the wives and children of the New York firefighters who died. 

“Fire departments and other agencies are like one big family,” Lowe said. 

*** 

SANTA BARBARA — Muslim students are heading home. 

Santa Barbara City College student Sari Asiri, who was beaten unconscious last week by two strangers, is returning to Saudi Arabia on Saturday. College officials said he was leaving at the urging of his parents, who fear for his safety. 

The 21-year-old was slashed and knocked out in as he walked on Calle Real on Sept. 17, a week after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. There were no arrests. 

The beating led other area foreign students to leave. 

Mesfer Alkaltham, a 26-year-old Saudi Arabian in the University of California, Santa Barbara, Extension-International Program, said he was cutting short a scholarship from his government to go back home. 

“Before, my family was happy for me to be here to get a higher education. But first you have to have the essential things in life, such as food, shelter and safety. Now we miss the basic things,” Alkaltham said. 

At City College, four students — two from Kuwait, one from Jordan and one from Saudi Arabia — are also leaving, said Derrick Banks, director of the international students support program at the school. There are still about 20 Middle Eastern students at City College. 

In addition, about 15 Middle Eastern students from Chico State University have withdrawn. Another five students from non-Arab countries have also withdrawn, including a Brazilian student whose mother was afraid. 

——— 

LONG BEACH — It turned out legendary flag-waver Thomas “Ski” Demski’s giant Old Glory was a poor fit at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport event featuring President Bush. 

Demski, known for his massive American flags that have flown at monuments and stadiums across the United States, traveled to Chicago late Tuesday after he was asked to bring one of his flags for display at O’Hare. 

Created in honor of the release of American hostages from Iran in 1981, the flag measures 47 feet by 82 feet and weighs 127 pounds. Demski said organizers didn’t provide a big enough space for the flag. 

“We were only able to unfurl the field, and maybe one stripe,” Demski said. 

He later packed up his flag and returned to Long Beach. 

“I guess I’m back to being a Democrat,” he laughed. “But it’s not the president’s fault.” 

Demski still plans to take the flag to New York, where he is arranging to have it fly at ground zero on Oct. 11. The New York Islanders contacted Demski asking him if they could use the flag for their opening game on Oct. 13. 


Safeway earnings rise as chain girds for possible strike

By Michael LiedtkeAP Business Writer
Wednesday February 28, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — Supermarket giant Safeway Inc. on Friday announced higher quarterly profits amid weakening sales growth that executives said should continue as consumers react to the economic fallout from this month’s terrorist attacks. 

The chain of 1,759 stores earned $309.2 million, or 60 cents per share, in the three months ended Sept. 8 — a 15 percent improvement from net income at the same time last year of $270 million, or 53 cents per share. The earnings matched the consensus estimate among analysts polled by Thomson Financial/First Call. 

Revenue in the quarter rose 7 percent to $8 billion, but most of the gain stemmed from Safeway’s recent $530 million takeover of Genuardi’s, a 39-store grocery chain in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. 

In the most telling measure of growth, Safeway’s so-called “identical store” sales edged up by just 0.8 percent, the slowest pace in two years. This category tracks stores that have been open at least a year without being expanded. 

The Pleasanton-based company’s shares gained $1.22 to close at $39.72 Friday on the New York Stock Exchange. 

Safeway CEO Steve Burd told industry analysts that the company is bracing for sales growth in the 1 percent range in this year’s final quarter. As long as the sales growth doesn’t fall far below that rate, Burd said the company expects to meet the consensus earnings estimate of 81 cents per share for the quarter. 

The final quarter could suffer from a threatened strike at 173 Safeway stores in the San Francisco Bay area. Earlier this week, Safeway made its “last and best” offer to store workers. Union leaders recommended that the employees reject the proposal, which would raise pay by 50 cents per hour. 

If the workers turn down the offer they could strike as early as Oct. 8 and embroil the company in a bitter labor dispute for the second straight year. A year ago, a 47-day strike by truck drivers at Safeway’s Northern California distribution center lowered Safeway’s earnings by $66 million. 

In a conference call Friday, Burd emphasized that management won’t budge from its “compelling offer” to store workers. Safeway already has been hiring potential replacement workers and, in a video delivered to current employees, Burd warned the company is prepared to reduce its latest contract offer if there is a strike. 

“If you are an employee and think rationally about things, you vote for this (offer),” Burd told analysts Friday. 

Safeway store workers in the Sacramento area accepted a nearly identical offer earlier this year. 

Union leaders insist the offer isn’t enough to offset the high cost of living in the San Francisco Bay area, where a mid-priced home sells for $476,000, a 66 percent increase since the store workers signed their last contract in 1997. 

Most of the affected Safeway store workers make $11.07 per hour under the current contract, according to labor leaders. The best-paid clerks make $17.58 per hour, which Safeway says is the highest retail rate in the region. 

“We are not saying that a clerk should make $90,000 per year, but they need to make enough to buy a home or pay for gas if they have to drive into work from somewhere else,” said Dennis Kimber, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 428 in San Jose. 

Safeway paid Burd $2.53 million last year, a 92 percent raise from his 1997 paycheck. 

 


Landmark chairman won’t quit

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Tuesday February 27, 2001

 

A Community Environmental Advisory Commission meeting ended abruptly Thursday, making it the third city commission meeting to collapse in confusion and acrimony under allegations of conflict of interest. 

After a heated public comment period, acting chair of the commission, Gordon Wozniak, refused to recuse himself from an issue related to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where Wozniak is a senior scientist. Frustrated by his refusal, three commissioners walked out of the meeting leaving too few commissioners to legally continue.  

Commissioners Pratap Chatterjee  

and Elmer Grossman were not present at the meeting. 

City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque has issued two opinions that allege Wozniak has a conflict of interest serving on the commission while he is employed at LBNL. 

In her Jan. 2 and Jan 31 opinions  

Albuquerque recommended Wozniak resign from the commission because a large percentage of items the commission considers are related to laboratory environmental issues. 

Wozniak is the second CEAC commissioner said by the city attorney to have a conflict of interest. Former Chair John Selawsky resigned when the city attorney alleged his election to the school board created a conflict of interest with his duties as a commissioner. Selawsky resigned shortly after taking his school board post. 

Wozniak said he has a right to be on the commission and will not resign until forced to do so. “I’ve lived in Berkeley for 34 years and the city attorney is trying to make me a second class citizen by not allowing me to serve my community,” he said. 

Commissioners Jamie Casaba, Pam Webster and LA Wood walked out of the meeting Thursday shortly after Wozniak said he would not recuse himself. This is the second time in three weeks a CEAC meeting has ended without the commission considering any of the items on its agenda.  

“There was tension and anger in the room from the very beginning of the meeting,” said Commissioner Nicholas Morgan. “Things just weren’t going well and then the commissioners left and that was it.” 

Morgan said the commentary from the public was hostile and unproductive. The meeting was attend by 25 members of the public, most associated with the Committee to Minimize Toxic Waste, which has aggressively opposes LBNL’s use of the radioactive material, tritium. 

“The commentators thought it was more important to say what a scoundrel Gordon Wozniak is rather than to respect the process,” Morgan said. “It was disgraceful, immature and rude.” 

The first CEAC meeting to implode was on Feb. 1. At that meeting Commissioners Jami Caseber, Pam Webster and Susan Chang, who was standing in for Pratap Chatterjee, walked out, which ended the meeting. 

The CEAC is the second commission to be disabled by allegations by the city attorney of conflict of interest. A Landmarks Preservation Commission meeting came to a sudden halt when four commissioners, Becky O’Malley, Lesley Emmington-Jones, Carrie Olson and Doug Morse were asked by the chair of the commission to not discuss or vote on any issues related to the proposed Beth El synagogue at 1301 Oxford St. The four commissioners refused and the meeting was immediately adjourned. 

Albuquerque said conflict of interest issues are nothing new and that newly appointed commissioners are routinely given information about possible conflicts and some chose to disregard it. 

“Conflict of interest laws are necessary for government to conduct its business in a fair manner that’s impartial and accessible,” she said. 

Wozniak, who has retained San Leandro attorney James Harrison, said he will not resign until he is forced to do so. According to Wozniak the city attorney can issue an opinion about his possible conflict of interest but she cannot remove him from the commission. 

According to Wozniak, he can only be removed by the state attorney general and the councilmember who appointed him. “I serve at the pleasure of Councilmember Polly Armstrong and she hasn’t asked me to step down yet,” he said. 

Armstrong couldn’t be reached by the Daily Planet before press time, but has said she plans to stand by her commissioner. 

CMTW member Pam Sihzola said her group agrees with the city attorney. “He should step down as long as he’s employed by the LBNL because as commissioner he will have to make decisions on subjects that are related directly to his employer,” she said. 

Commissioner Chatterjee agrees. “Commissioner Wozniak has done his level best to focus the commission’s attention on insignificant issues like exit signs rather than the huge amounts of tritium stored at LBNL,” he said. 

Wozniak contends that there is tritium all over the city contained in illuminated “EXIT” signs and that no one seems to care unless it’s in the Berkeley Hills. 

Commissioner Webster said she has been frustrated by the commission’s failure to address any of the items on its agenda. 

“I find myself wondering why Commissioner Wozniak won’t at least recuse himself from items related to the LBNL,” she said. “Because as long as he’s there we won’t get to discuss these issues.” 

The next CEAC meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 2118 Milvia St. in the second floor conference room at 7 p.m. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Calendar of Events & Activities

Compiled by Chason Wainwright
Tuesday February 27, 2001


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 

 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

 

City Council Meeting 

7 p.m 

2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 

Sheryl Walton of the Community Action Team that is looking at poor healthcare outcomes among African Americans in the flatlands will provide an overview of the CAT and its model to the City Council and Berkeley viewers.  

 

Farmers’ Market Fat Tuesday 

Mardi Gras Celebration  

1 p.m. - Dusk 

Derby St. at MLK Jr. Way 

With live performances by The Sons & Daughters of Orpheus and Wild Buds: West Coast Mardi Gras Band. Free and always wheelchair accessible.  

 

BHS Jazz Band  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

A Black History celebration performance. Free 

Call 644-6107 

 

Mardi Gras Improv Show  

7:30 p.m. 

Live Oak Theatre  

1301 Shattuck Ave.  

Renowned comedians from Bay Area Theater Sports, the proceeds will benefit Good Shepard Episcopal Church in Berkeley.  

$10 - $20  

234-6586 

Telegraph Area Association  

9 a.m.  

2509 Haste St.  

Discussions will include committee updates, TAA workshop, and funding/budget.  

 

Organizing for Public Power  

7 p.m. 

Temescal Branch  

Oakland Library, Rear Entrance  

5205 Telegraph Ave.  

Dan Berman, co-author of “Who Owns the Sun?” and advisor to Ralph Nader, Robin Davis, PG&E worker, Eugene Coyle, energy policy economist, and Gail Bateson, labor party, will discuss the electricity crisis.  

373-9219  

 

Fat Tuesday Celebration 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Peace & Justice Ministries Center 

2075 Eunice St.  

Tour the new Berkeley Peace & Justice Center after the renovations are complete. Community open house, complete with building blessing, Cajun food and jazz.  

524-1618 

 

Rhoda Berenson  

on Lori Berenson 

7 p.m. 

Hodgekin Hall, Arrowsmith  

Academy 

2300 Bancroft Way 

Rhoda Berenson, mother of Lori Berenson, imprisoned in Peru for 5 years, will speak about her daughter’s current condition and her book on it. 

 


Wednesday, Feb. 28

 

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 

 

Conversations in Commedia 

7:30 p.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave. (at Prince) 

Mime Troupe founder Ron Davis and icon clown Wavy Gravy give dialogues on satire.  

$6 - $8  

Call 849-2568 

 

Women in Interfaith  

Relationships  

9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Led by Dawn Kepler, this workshop will explore interfaith relationships on many levels, in relation to culture, religion, and gender. People of all backgrounds and orientations are invited to attend.  

$10 848-0237 x127 

 

Planning Commission Public Hearing  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

The commission is holding public hearings on the Planning Commission Draft General Plan. The commission requests that all written comments on the plan be submitted by March 1. 

 

Guide Dogs for the Blind 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

T. Duncan, a low vision speaker, will talk about guide dogs. Free  

Call 644-6107 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Parent Advocacy in the BUSD 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Martin Luther King Middle School Library 

1781 Rose St.  

Representative from various parent advocacy groups will discuss organizing strategies. Free 

558-8933 

 

Disaster Council  

7 p.m. 

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

Presentation on sheltering issues in Turkey by Doug Sandy, American Red Cross. Also, proposed budget for office for emergency services.  

 


Thursday, March 1

 

 

Berkeley Metaphysical  

Toastmasters Club  

6:15 - 7:30 p.m.  

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysics come together. Ongoing first and third Thursdays each month. Call 869-2547 

 

Cancer Support Group 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Summit Medical Center 

Markstein Cancer Education & Prevention Center 

450 30th St., Second Floor  

Oakland  

Free support group for families, friends, and patients diagnosed with cancer.  

869-8833 to register  

 

Cycling Journey  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Leo Tenenblat and Jean Philippe Boubli set off on their mountain bikes from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu, Nepal. They will share slides and stories of their 52-day adventure. Free 527-4140 

 


Friday, March 2

 

Stagebridge Free Acting  

& Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland 444-4755  

or visit www.stagebridge.org 

 

Class Dismissed Poetry Posse 

7:30 p.m. 

Little Theater 

Berkeley High School  

2246 Milvia St.  

Afro-Haitian dancers, Dance Production dancers, the BHS poetry slammers, an opening a capella number and a few surprises. A benefit for a Berkeley High school student trip to Cuba. $5 - $10  

 

Colombia In Context  

9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Bancroft Hotel  

2680 Bancroft Way  

A conference bringing together leading experts from both Latin America and the U.S. to discuss both the roots of the current Colombian crisis. Visit www.clas.berkeley.edu/clas 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets. 644-6226 

 

Lockdown America 

7 - 9:30 p.m. 

2040 Valley Life Sciences Bldg.  

UC Berkeley  

Christian Parenti, author of “Lockdown America, on Police and Prisons in the Age of Crisis” will speak. Free 552-8236 

 


Saturday, March 3

 

Rockridge Writers 

3:30 - 5:30 p.m. 

Spasso Coffeehouse  

6021 College Ave.  

Poets and writers meet to critique each other’s work. “Members’ work tends to be dark, humorous, surreal, or strange.”  

berkeleysappho@yahoo.com 

 

Wild About Books? 

10:30 a.m. 

Central Berkeley Library  

2121 Allston Way  

Mary Miche, leader of Song Trek Music, will lead a sing-along that will send everyone home humming. 649-3913 

 

Residential Solar Electricity  

1 - 3 p.m. 

Ecology Center  

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

Hal Aronson, director of the Solar Energy Education Program for Berkeley EcoHouse, will cover how solar electric cells work, different types of systems, and costs of a solar system. $10 - $15  

548-2220 x233  

 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

 

 

Feathered Dinosaurs  

11 a.m.  

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley’s Dr. Kevin Padian talks about the discovery of feathered dinosaur fossils in northern China. Included with museum admission.  

$3 - $7  

642-5132 

 

“Socialism & the Struggle for Global Justice”  

10:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

200 Wheeler Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Discussions will include “Why Socialism?”; crisis in Palestine; race, class and the fall out from the 2000 elections; and fighting misogyny and sexism.  

$5 donation  

552-8236  

 

Emergency!: Personal Preparedness 

9 a.m. - 11 a.m.  

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

A class sponsored by the Berkeley Fire Dept. and the Office of Emergency Services. Free. 

644-8736 

 


Tuesday February 27, 2001

 

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for a year membership March 2: Books Lie, Living Under Lies, Remnants, No Regrets, The Fadeaways, LWL; March 3: Dr. Know, The Dread, Hot Box, Anal Mucus; March 9: Dead and Gone, Sworn Vengence, Punishment, Misoura, The Computer Kills 525-9926  

 

Albatross Pub All music at 9 p.m. unless noted Feb. 27: Larry Stefl Jazz Trio; March 1: Keni “El Lebrijano”; March 6: PickPocket Ensemble; March 7: Whiskey Bros.; March 8: Keni “El Lebrijano”; March 10: PickPocket Ensemble; March 13: Mad & Eddie Duran Jazz Duo; 1822 San Pablo 843-2473 

 

Ashkenaz Feb. 27, 8:30 p.m.: Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Party with Tee Fee, costume party and king and queen to be crowned; Feb. 28, 8 p.m.: “Fling Ding!” A night of Appalachian music featuring the Bluegrass Intentions; 1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com  

 

Eli’s Mile High Club Doors open at 8 p.m. March 2: Henry Clement; March 3: J.J. Malone; March 9: Ron Hacker; March 10: Red Archibald 3629 MLK Jr. Way Oakland  

 

Jazzschool/La Note All music at 4:30 p.m. March 4: Ray Obiedo; March 11: Stephanie Bruce Trio; March 18: Wayne Wallace Septet $6 - $12 2377 Shattuck. 

 

Live Oak Concert Series All music at 7:30 p.m. March 4: Marie Carbone, harpsichord, plays music of Frescobaldi, Sweelinck, Froberger, and Weckmann; March 11: Stephen Bell, guitar, plays music of Bach, Villa-Lobos, Ponse, and Albeniz Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St.  

 

Cal Performances March 2 - March 11, call for times: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Zellerbach Hall UC Berkeley. 642-9988 or www.calperfs.berkeley.edu Feb. 25, 3 p.m.: Prazack Quartet $32; Feb. 28, 8 p.m.: Clerks’ Group performs music from the Burgundian Courts; March 4, 3 p.m.: Baritone Nathan Gunn sings Brahms, Wolf, and a selection of American songs $36;  

 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra 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  

 

“Dido and Aeneas” March 2, 8 p.m.; March 4, 2 p.m. A tale of English Baroque opera that follows the tale of Dido, queen of Corinth, as she is courted and won by Aeneas, conqueror and future founder of Rome. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. Call 925-798-1300 

 

“Aywah!” March 2, 8 p.m. An evening of music and dance from Egypt, Turkey, Morocco and Balkan Roma. Featuring Aywah! Dance Company. Guest singer Eva Primack. $13 - $15 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

 

Mozart Requiem Singalong March 3, 8 p.m. Bella Musica Chorus and Orchestra in their third annual presentation. Bring your own score or buy/borrow one of theirs. $10 suggested donation St. Joseph the Worker Church 1640 West Addison (at McGee) Call 526-5393 

 

Young People’s Symphony Orchestra March 3, 8 p.m. David Ramadanoff conducts the orchestra in a program featuring Schubert, Tchaikovsky, and a suite from Piston’s ballet “The Incredible Flutist” $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. Call 925-798-1300  

 

“In Song and Struggle” March 4, 4 - 10 p.m. Copwatch presents the second annual event bringing together some of the best women artists from around the Bay Area and beyond in commemoration of International Women’s Day. $8 - $15 Ashkenaz 1317 San Pablo Ave. Call Copwatch, 548-0425  

 

Mingus Amungus & Allstar Jazz Jam March 4, 7 - 10 p.m. A benefit concert for 65 Cuba-bound Berkeley High students. $10 - $15 Florence Schwimley Little Theater 1930 Allston Way 587-3201  

 

“The Magic Flute” March 3 & 4, 8 p.m. Mozart’s most famous opera adapted by International House resident Kalinka Cichon and presented by a multicultural cast. $5 International House Auditorium 2299 Piedmont Ave. (at Bancroft) e-mail for tix: kalinka@cichon.com  

Eric Glick Reiman, Tom Nunn, Toychestra March 4, 7:48 p.m. $8 donation TUVASpace 3192 Adeline (at MLK Jr.) 649-8744 

 

Young Emerging Artists March 6, 7 - 8 p.m. John McCarthy will direct students from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Prepatory Division through a performance of works by Sov, Barber and others. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. (at Derby) 925-798-1300 

 

Carol Denney, Folk This!, J.D. Nelson March 7, 8 p.m. CD release party for Denney’s “The Rich Will Never Be Poor” $16.50 Freight & Salvage 1111 Addison St. 548-1761 

 

Canto Para Una Semilla March 9, 8 p.m. La Pena Community Chorus present an homage to Violeta Parra. This is a benefit for Berkeley High School’s CAS program. $10 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

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

 

“Nightingale” presented by Central Works Theater Through March 4, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 24 & Saturday, March 3, 5 p.m. $8 - $14 LaVal’s Subterranean 1834 Euclid Ave. 558-1381 

 

“Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me” by Frank MacGuinness Through March 17, Thursday - Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday, 8:30 p.m. The story of three men - an Irishman, an Englishman and an American held in a prison in Lebanon. $10 - $15 8th St. Studio Theatre 2525 Eighth St. (at Dwight) 655-0813 

 

“A New Brain” by William Finn March 2 - 18, Fridays & Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday, 7 p.m. Watch as Gordon Schwinn, in the face of a life-threatening brain tumor, composes a farewell concert in which all the important figures in his life make show-stopping appearances. Presented by BareStage Productions $8 - $12 Choral Rehearsal Hall, Lower Level of Caesar Chavez Student Center UC Berkeley 642-3880  

 

“Glory Box” by Tim Miller March 9, 8 p.m. In this one-time performance, Miller explores the themes of same-sex marriage and binational gay/lesbian immigration rights. $15 Zellerbach Playhouse UC Berkeley 601-8932 or www.ticketweb.com  

 

“The Oresteia” by Aeschylus March 14 - May 6 Directed by Tony Taccone and Stephen Wadsworth, Aeschylus trilogy will be the first production staged on the Berkeley Rep’s new prosenium stage. Please call Berkeley Repertory Theatre for specific dates and times. $15.99 - $117 Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2015 Addison St. (at Shattuck) 647-2949 or www.berkeleyrep.org 

 

Boadecia’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted March 24, 7 p.m.: Aliza Sherman will read and sign “Cybergrrl@Work: Tips and Inspiration for the Professional You” 398 Colusa Ave. Kensington 559-9184. www.boadeciasbooks.com 

 

Cody’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted Feb. 28: Poetry of Sandra Gilbert & Wendy Barker 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852  

 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore All events at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27: Barbara Wagner, co-founder of Lost Frontiers, gives a slide presentation and talk about “Pakistan & the Lost Tribes of teh Hindu Kush”; Feb. 28: Travel writer Christopher Baker will read and talk about his 7000 miles motorcycle odyssey through Cuba as chronicled in his book “Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro’s Cuba” 1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose) 843-3533  

 

Duomo Reading Series and Open Mic. Thursdays, 6:30 - 9 p.m. March 1: Eliza Shefler; March 8: Judy Wells; March 15: Elanor Watson-Gove; March 22: Anna Mae Stanley; March 29: Georgia Popoff; Cafe Firenze 2116 Shattuck Ave. 644-0155. 

 

Lunch Poems First Thursday of each month, 12:10 - 12:50 p.m. March 1: Aleida Rodrigues; April 5: Galway Kinnell; May 3: Student Reading Morrison Room, Doe Library UC Berkeley 642-0137 

 

Class Dismissed Poetry Posse March 2, 7:30 p.m. Afro-Haitian dancers, Dance Production dancers, the BHS poetry slammers, an opening a capella number and a few surprises. A benefit for a Berkeley High school student trip to Cuba. $5 - $10 Little Theater Berkeley High School 2246 Milvia St.  

 

Bamboo Ridge Writers Reading March 4, 4 p.m. Five authors published in the book, “Intersecting Circles: The Voices of Hapa Women in Poetry & Prose.” Bamboo Ridge publishes literature which nurtures the voices of Hawaii and celebrates its literary tradition. Eastwind Books of Berkeley 2066 University Ave. 548-2350 

 

Anita Barrows March 4, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Barrows will read from her poem “A Record” inspired by an exhibit done in Theresienstadt and her translation of Rosa Luxenburg’s letters. Free Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237 

 

Women’s Word March 14, 7:30 p.m. An evening of women’s word honoring International Women’s month and featuring Avotcja, Straight Out Scribes, Tureeda & Kira Allen. Hosted by Joyce Young. Open mic will follow. $4 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

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 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; March 18: “Topaz Moon,” Kimi Kodani Hill will discuss artist Chiura Obata’s family and the WWII Japanese relocation camps. Berkeley Historical Center Veterans Memorial Building 1931 Center St. 848-0181 

 

UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Research Seminars Noon seminars are brown bag March 7, 4 p.m.: Akhil Reed Amar will discuss his book “The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction.” March 12, Noon: Catherine Hafer of Ohio State will discuss “The Political Economy of Emerging Property Rights.” April 23, 4 p.m.: Mary Dudziach of USC will discuss “Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy.” Feb. 30, Noon: Daniel Diermeier of Northwestern University will discuss “Mass Political Action.” 119 Moses Hall UC Berkeley 642-4608  

 

“Great Decisions” Foreign Policy Association Lectures Series Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - Noon, Through 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 

 


Student gap top issue in district search

By Ben Lumpkin Daily Planet Staff
Tuesday February 27, 2001

There is a growing consensus that the top issue for the next superintendent of the Berkeley Unified School District will be tackling the achievement gap between white students and students of color. 

There is less agreement, however, about how this ought to be accomplished.  

Leadership Associates, a search firm hired by the board in January to recruit candidates for the superintendent position from all over the country, will take applications for the job until April 6. The board hopes to hire a new superintendent by July. 

A series of community meetings held by Leadership Associates consultants revealed the school board and the public are looking for much the same characteristics in the next district leader. They want someone who has been successful working in a diverse, urban community, someone who will be highly visible and accessible as a superintendent, and someone who can be a consensus builder in a city where school policy is often a divisive political issue. 

Above all, they want someone who can put an end to a long-standing trend of minority students underperforming their white peers on standardized tests.  

“The overriding theme that came through...from virtually all the groups was this whole issue of the achievement gap,” Jake Abbott of Leadership Associates told the board at its regular meeting last week. 

Just what the new superintendent ought to do to address the achievement gap, however, is an issue still open to debate. 

For Corinne Thompson, member of the parents group Parents of Children of African Descent, the best thing the board could do to address the achievement gap is to hire a minority superintendent who will make opening channels of communication with minority students and their parents a top priority.  

“We need someone who can relate (to minority students),” Thompson said, adding that many teachers in the school district “have no idea how to relate to those kids.” 

“The new superintendent needs to tell the teachers, ‘Please change the way you react and talk to these kids.’ ” Thompson said. 

Since more than half the district’s students are minority students, Berkeley School Board President Terry Doran said he considers it very important to find a person of color for the superintendent position if possible. 

“If we have three candidates who all look good and one is a person of color, my preference would be to hire the person of color,” Doran said.  

Doran said finding candidates from school districts that have dealt effectively with the issue of the achievement gap is just as important. 

The school hired Superintendent Jack McLaughlin who left the district at the end of January. Doran said McLaughlin was hired shortly after the district launched a major effort to rebuild many of its buildings in the wake of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. It chose McLaughlin, in part, because he had experience with overseeing a major school building project.  

Similarly, today the school district is looking for a candidate who impresses the board with his or her knowledge of strategies for addressing the achievement gap, Doran said. 

More than just programs, however, the district needs someone who can rally support for those programs in the minority community, Doran said. 

“All over the country, the programs that get more parental buy-in are more successful,” Doran said, citing the REBOUND! program recently instituted at Berkeley High as an example. 

When 242 students were failing ninth grade English or math in the first semester this year, many parents said school efforts to help failing students – a schoolwide tutorial program in all subjects, math tutors for all Algebra I classes, an extra period of English – were a failure themselves.  

Desperate for a solution, Parents of Children of African Descent proposed the REBOUND! program, where failing students could opt to attend special classes all day long. There is one REBOUND teacher for roughly every 10 students, and math and English are taught in double periods to give the students more instructional time. 

Although many “institutional” programs have tried to help students failing multiple classes at Berkeley High, Doran said, none have succeeded in involving parents to the extent that REBOUND! has in the last several weeks. 

“The REBOUND! program was put together and promoted by the parents themselves,” Doran said. “That really is the key.” 

School Board Vice President Shirley Issel takes issue with the REBOUND! program being offered as the model for success.  

“The REBOUND! program was designed to engage disengaged students and their parents,” Issel said. “It really doesn’t address academic standards. It doesn’t relate to any other aspects that I think are critical to affecting students’ achievement.” 

Issel was dismayed by the parents’ rush to judge existing programs for struggling students a failure and their demand that a program of their own devising be implemented instead. This approach to the problem of the achievement gap leads to “polarization rather than partnership” between parents and school administrators, Issel said. 

Issel said the first job of the new superintendent will be “to build consensus as to what’s the problem and what will work to solve it.” 

“We need to get agreement among leaders, and then we need to support the agreements that we make,” Issel said. “That’s the framework for working together.” 

 

 

 

 


Council to hear report on health disparities

Daily Planet Staff
Tuesday February 27, 2001

At its meeting tonight, the City Council will hear a report by the Community Action Team discussing its work plan to address the health disparities in Berkeley. The gap in health outcomes between wealthier Caucasian people who live in the hills and lower income people of color who live in the flatlands was pointed out in a Berkeley Health Department study last year.  

Smoke shop ban 

The City Council will hold a public hearing on whether to extend the moratorium for about 10 months on permits for new retail businesses that sell tobacco. 

On Feb. 15, the City Council adopted a 45-day moratorium on the issuance of permits for the expansion of existing, or new stores that primarily sell tobacco. State law allows interim ordinances to be extended for the 10-month period after a public hearing.  

According to a staff report, there are more than 150 locations in the city that sell tobacco products, one for every 80 Berkeley smokers. 

“This high level of saturation may create a willingness to compete for customers, including minors,” according to a report. 

Echo Lake Youth Camp 

The council will hold a public hearing on raising fees for the Echo Lake Youth Camp and Berkeley Day Camp. 

The popular day camp program is used by 90 percent of Berkeley families according to a staff report. In order for the camp’s staff to provide important elements of the program it will have to increase its fees.  

Camp expenditures are expected to rise next year by $5,400 next year, and $5,744 the following year.  

Under the proposal, session fees for the Day Camp will rise from $65 to $71 during the summer of 2001 and the fees for Echo Lake Youth Camp will be raised from $166 to $200. 

The day camp is a series of one-week sessions that include a 3 days in Tilden Park and two days at the Berkeley Marina. The focus of the camp is outdoor experiences related to a variety of bay environments. 

Echo Lake Youth Camp is a residential camp for Berkeley teenagers that allows them to experience the High Sierras. There are three one-week sessions. 

Tree planting in south Berkeley 

The council will hear an information report from the Department of Parks and Waterfront regarding tree planting in south Berkeley. The department will be able to move up the tree planting schedule this Spring without reneging on commitments to plant trees in other areas of the city. 

The council asked Parks and Waterfront to see if they could move the schedule forward without too much disruption of their schedule. 

The city received over 800 applications for tree planting around the city and had only anticipate 600. Because of the popularity of the program the city had to spread the plantings out over two seasons, fall and spring, instead of just fall.  

The council will also look at giving the Association for Sport Field Users the maintenance contract for the soccer fields at Harrison and Fourth streets. 

Two projects may be referred to a future budget discussion: the Chaplaincy for the Homeless and Berkeley Cougars and Cheerleader Program. 

The council meets in executive session at 5:30 p.m., then will meet in public session at 7 p.m. The public session is at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way and is broadcast on KPFB, 89.3 and TV-25.  

 

 

 


Two players accused of academic fraud

The Associated Press
Tuesday February 27, 2001

 

The University of California, Berkeley, concluded an academic fraud investigation Monday by reporting that two student football players were given credit for work they did not do. 

The school told the Pacific-10 Conference that the two students should not have been allowed to play during the 1999 season because they enrolled retroactively in a class in which they did no work. 

The university recommended to the conference that as punishment it lose four football  

scholarships for the next two years and a two-year probation period. 

The investigation found none on the coaching or athletic program staff was involved – the school said head football coach Tom Holmoe told officials he thought the credit might not be deserved. 

“I’m gratified that the report shows it to be an isolated case and that our staff played no role in the improprieties,” Holmoe said in a statement Monday. “There is some pain we’ll feel in the proposed sanctions, but it’s not going to undermine our goal to achieve major success over the next few seasons.” 

UC Berkeley spokesman Matthew Lyon would not name the two students or professor involved, citing confidentiality concerns. The San Francisco Chronicle said wide receivers Michael Ainsworth and Ronnie Davenport, and Chicano Studies professor Alex Saragoza were involved in the case. 

Lyon said neither of the students is at the school now. He was not sure if they had graduated. The Academic Senate is examining the professor’s conduct and will decide what to do. 

The university’s investigation began after an anonymous letter to the conference. The school concluded its first investigation in January 2000, but the Pac-10 said it still had cause for concern. 

The university then hired independent investigator Michael Glazier of the Kansas law firm Bond, Schoeneck & King. He found the initial investigation was incomplete. 

The Pac-10 will recommend any sanctions in June to the NCAA, and the NCAA will make a final decision. The conference does not need to follow the university’s recommendation, and the NCAA doesn’t need to follow the conference’s recommendation. 

“Though an isolated incident of academic impropriety, its seriousness must be acknowledged in order for us to restore Berkeley’s integrity,” Chancellor Robert Berdahl said in a statement. 


Berkeley professor honored

Daily Planet wire services
Tuesday February 27, 2001

Gerald M. Rubin, professor of genetics in the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, has been awarded the Newcomb Cleveland Prize for 2000 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for a review paper he published last year on the sequencing of the fruit fly genome. He shares the prize with about 100 co-authors, including CraigVenter, head of Celera Genomics Corp. 

The paper was an important milestone on the road to sequencing the entire human genome. A large portion of the human genome was published last week inScience and Nature magazines.  

Rubin, who since the first of last year has split his time between UC Berkeley and Chevy Chase, Md., where he serves as vice president for biomedical research for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, received the prize Feb. 17 during the annual AAAS meeting. Also present to receive the award were Susan E. Celniker, staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and co-director of the Berkeley Drosophila Genome Project (BDGP) Sequencing Center at LBNL, and Mark D. Adams of Celera. 

In selecting the paper, the AAAS said in a statement that, "This collaborative effort by academic and industry researchers was considered by our committee to represent a landmark event in the effort to understand the organization of the hereditary material at the finest structural level." 

The feat, a collaboration between Celera and the BDGP, was achieved in record time with new techniques pioneered by Celera. Rubin is director of the BDGP, which is based at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 

Rubin, 50, received his bachelor's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1971 and earned his PhD in molecular biology from the University of Cambridge in England in 1974. He did postdoctoral work at the Stanford University School of Medicine before joining Harvard Medical School in 1977 as an assistant professor of biological chemistry. 

 

In 1980, he joined the Carnegie Institution of Washington as a staff member in the department of embryology, and three years later he moved to the faculty of UC Berkeley. Rubin is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. 

The AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize was established in 1923 with funds donated by Newcomb Cleveland of New York City and was originally called the AAAS Thousand Dollar Prize. Now known as the AAAS-Newcomb Cleveland Prize, its value has been raised to $5,000.


Driver charged with murder in pedestrian deaths

The Associated Press
Tuesday February 27, 2001

SANTA BARBARA — Prosecutors charged a college freshman with four counts of murder and other crimes Monday for allegedly running down pedestrians with his car in a neighborhood near the University of California, Santa Barbara. 

David E. Attias, 18, accused of being behind the wheel of a car that killed four people and injured a fifth as it barreled down an Isla Vista street Friday night, was scheduled for arraignment on 13 felony counts Tuesday in Santa Barbara County Superior Court. 

Attias, of Santa Monica, was charged with four counts of murder, four counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and five counts of driving while under the influence of drugs and causing great bodily injury. 

The scene of victims strewn on the street and Attias fighting with other young men before his arrest was videotaped by a local cameraman. 

Attias, who was held without bail, is the son of Daniel Attias, who has directed episodes of “Ally McBeal,” “The Practice” and “The Sopranos.” 

The Attias family could not be reached for comment Monday despite several calls to their Santa Monica home. Officials said that Attias was being represented by a Los Angeles lawyer, but the attorney’s identity was not released. 

Killed in the crash were Nicholas Shaw Bourdakis and Christopher Edward Divis, both 20 and UCSB students; Ruth Dasha Golda Levy, 20, a Santa Barbara City College student; and Elie Israel, 27, of San Francisco. 

Levy’s older brother, Albert Arthur Levy, 27, remained in critical condition Monday after multiple surgeries. 

Albert Levy was in town from San Francisco, where he lived with Israel, to visit his sister, said sheriff’s Lt. Mike Burridge. 

Witnesses said Attias got out of the car and shouted, “I am the angel of death!” the Santa Barbara News-Press reported. Police said they could not confirm the report. 

Neighbors and fellow students in newspaper reports described Attias as a loner with a hyperactive nature. He was known as “Crazy Dave” in the private 10-story dormitory where he lived near campus. 

They said Attias would barge into rooms, follow people into elevators for companionship and invite himself into dining groups at the cafeteria. 

“He was always fidgeting. He looked like he was kind of whacked-out,” neighbor Zack Chancer told the Los Angeles Times. 

A freshman told the Times and the Santa Barbara paper that Attias made claims of speaking with God and sometimes acted erratically. He also had become a recent fan of techno music and played it loudly at the dorm. 

Attias, who has not declared a major, graduated from Concord High School in Santa Monica last year. 

“He was a very regular student and did what he was supposed to do,” said Susan Packer Davis, 49, administrator of the school. “He didn’t cause any scenes and did not do anything untoward at all.” 

A candlelight service was scheduled for Monday night at Isla Vista and a memorial service will be held Thursday at Storke Plaza on the UCSB campus. 

Students have organized distribution of yellow ribbons to remember the victims, said school spokeswoman Joan Magruder. 

“I’ve been on this campus for 20 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Magruder said. “Students start crying when they see the flag at half-staff. There is so much grief and they are so traumatized by it. ... Students are walking with their head down and I haven’t heard one bit of laughter at all today.” 


Justices refuse to consider reviving disabled placard fee

The Associated Press
Tuesday February 27, 2001

SACRAMENTO — The U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal Monday to hear Gov. Gray Davis’ challenge of a ruling overturning a fee for handicapped parking placards is a victory for disabled rights, advocates say. 

“It’s wonderful,” said Ben Rockwell, secretary of Californians for Disability Rights. “I think part of what was at risk is whether the state is able to charge for things that should be rights.” 

The $3-a-year fee has not been collected since the first federal court ruling in 1997. 

Davis last year appealed the 1999 appeals court ruling against the fees, upsetting disabled rights groups who feared his action could threaten many basic rights, such as handicapped access to schools. 

Last June, Davis offered to negotiate a settlement of the lawsuit and drop his appeal, saying he didn’t want to jeopardize the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. 

However, since then, the governor’s office and the groups that filed the original lawsuit have remained deadlocked over lawyers’ fees and monetary damages and his appeal remained alive before the nation’s highest court. 

Disabled people can get a special license plate with the disabled symbol, enabling them to park in special parking spaces at no cost above the normal license fee. 

From 1977 to 1997, disabled people had to pay the fee to get a separate placard that allowed them to park in handicapped spaces when they were in someone else’s car. 

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year upheld the lower court’s ruling that the placard fee the state violated the ADA. 

The state had argued in court filings that it was unconstitutional for the federal government to prohibit states from charging a fee, which the state maintained was lower than its costs for an extra service. 

A spokeswoman for the governor said Monday that Davis has been pushing for negotiations to settle the suit, but the two sides have yet to discuss the matter. 

“For the last nine months we have had the door open to full negotiations with nothing off the table and have been urging the plaintiffs in this case into settlement talks,” said Davis spokeswoman Hilary McLean. 

Disabled rights lawyer Guy Wallace disagreed. 

“If the court had granted the review and it came out against us, it could set us back 50 years with disabled rights,” Wallace said. 

“You don’t threaten the rights of citizens in your state because you oppose the lawyers’ fees. That’s nonsense. It’s spin control,” he said. 

The Supreme Court action also refused to hear similar cases from North Carolina and Texas. 

The cases are California v. Dare, 99-1417; Brown V. North Carolina, 99-424; and Neinast v. Texas, 00-263. 


California home sales, prices rise in January

The Associated Press
Tuesday February 27, 2001

LOS ANGELES — The state’s booming housing market shows little sign of a slowdown despite the softening economy, a report released Monday by the California Association of Realtors shows. 

Sales of existing homes increased 6.6 percent in January compared with the same period last year, the report said. Sales were also up 6 percent in January over the previous month. 

The median price of an existing single-family home during January was $246,380, an 8.6 percent rise compared with the same time last year. The January median price decreased 1.1 percent from December. 

“Affordability remains a concern for most California households despite a decline in mortgage interest rates,” Leslie Appleton-Young, CAR’s vice president and chief economist, said. 

Thirty-year fixed mortgage rates averaged 7.03 percent during January, down from the 8.21 percent average of January 2000. 

It also took fewer days to sell a house last month. The median number of days was 29, compared with 52 days during January 2000. 

Supply continued to be tight, especially in Northern California. 

In the San Francisco Bay area, the median price of a single family house was $472,280 in January, compared with $389,380 one year ago. 

In Los Angeles, the median price in January was $217,710 compared with $199,000 one year ago. 


State electricity hunger, but is no power glutton

The Associated Press
Tuesday February 27, 2001

The Associated Press 

 

LOS ANGELES — California’s ongoing power crisis has led neighboring states to accuse the Golden State of hogging electricity, saying its appetite for energy threatens to plunge the entire West into darkness. 

But the numbers paint a different picture, one of a California that does use a vast amount of electricity but consumes less on a per-capita basis than all other states except Rhode Island. 

Mild weather and having proportionately fewer energy-gobbling industries than some other states are part of the reason. However, experts say credit also must go to stringent conservation guidelines. 

“It’s true we’re big, and it’s true we didn’t build a lot of power plants because of restructuring. But we’re not energy hogs at all,” said Arthur Rosenfeld, who sits on the five-member California Energy Commission. “We’re almost as good as Western Europe, and Western Europe is about twice as energy efficient as the United States.” 

Among the 50 states, only Texas consumes more energy – its total use of electricity, natural gas and oil – than California. 

However, California ranks 47th in per-capita energy use – well below No. 4 Texas, No. 20 Washington and No. 27 Oregon, according to statistics from the Energy Information Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Energy. 

When looking specifically at per-capita electricity consumption, California ranks 49th. The state’s residents use 60 percent as much electricity as the average American. 

For air conditioning alone, a typical California household uses one-third the amount of electricity as a household in Texas or Florida, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s 1997 Residential Energy Consumption Survey. 

Experts say both weather and conservation measures play large roles in that figure. 

“It’s a different climate, so even if you do have warm summers, they’re not humid (in California), so you don’t have the big, huge air conditioning load you see in Florida or Texas,” said Robert Latta, the survey’s manager at the Energy Information Administration. 

California also uses electricity, as well as natural gas, oil and coal, more wisely than most states thanks to aggressive conservation efforts started during the oil shocks of the early 1970s, federal and state data show. 

Key to those efforts are stringent standards for new homes and commercial buildings that dictate such guidelines as the types of windows and lighting that can be used to the amount of insulation. Roughly 60 percent of the electricity used in California goes to heat, cool and light those structures. 

“If (California) is not the leading state, they are at least tied for it” in efficiency standards, said Ed Wisniewski, deputy director of the Boston-based Consortium for Energy Efficiency. “Historically, they have been very progressive, and many of the programs we advocate nationally were started in California.” 

The California Energy Commission, which shapes state energy policy and planning, estimates California’s average demand for electricity at any given time at about 50,000 megawatts. That figure would be much greater if not for conservation efforts, Rosenfeld said. 

“If we used as much electricity as Texas, we’d be a 100,000-megawatt state,” he said. 

Texas has more heavy industry, less stringent conservation mandates and a harsher climate. On the residential side, Texans use 50 percent more energy per household than Californians, much of that for heating and cooling. 

California’s per-capita use also is lower because many energy-intensive industries are located elsewhere. Aluminum smelting and paper manufacturing, for example, cluster in the Pacific Northwest, where power is cheap and abundant. 

The industries that are located in California, however, are generally more efficient in their use of electricity than industries elsewhere. 

Companies use just 0.2 kilowatt-hours of electricity to produce every dollar’s worth of goods and services in California, according to 1998 California Energy Commission statistics. Businesses in neighboring states use twice as much. 

“The concept that California is a big, wasteful state really isn’t true,” said Latta, of the Energy Information Administration. 

There’s still room for improvement in California, particularly when it comes to conservation. California ranks just 17th among all states in spending by utilities on energy-efficiency programs as part of their revenues. 

In 1998, California utilities reduced spending on energy-efficiency programs, although the current crisis has prompted the major utilities to reverse that, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. 

Gov. Gray Davis recently unveiled a $404 million conservation program designed to control — if not reverse — any growth in the state’s demand for electricity. 

Maintaining energy efficiency and keeping overall demand in check as the population grows will be among the state’s toughest power-related problems in the years ahead. 

Energy use per capita is up 10 percent over the past two decades. Californians used about 7,000 kilowatt hours per year in 1980, compared with about 7,700 kilowatt hours last year, according to scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 

Making the job more difficult is the sprawling nature of the state’s growth. 

Many people are moving to inland areas where they find cheaper housing but also face more severe summer temperatures that require greater use of air conditioners, Rosenfeld said. 

In the region served by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, the demand for electricity is growing by 3 percent to 5 percent a year. 

“That’s based almost entirely on new customers,” said Gregg Fishman, a SMUD spokesman. “But what we’re seeing is our average per-customer use is remaining almost stable.” 


U.S.-Russian project tests space sail

The Associated Press
Tuesday February 27, 2001

PASADENA — A U.S.-Russian group announced Monday it plans an April test launch of a space sail that relies not on wind but the gentle pressure of the sun’s rays to propel it. 

Backers hope the 30-minute suborbital test flight will show that a tightly packed sail can be unfurled in space.  

The test will be a step toward an October mission that will send an even larger version sailing around the Earth for the first time. 

“We’ll count ourselves as successful if we fly even a short time in that mode,” said Louis Friedman, manager of the Cosmos 1 project and executive director of The Planetary Society, a space advocacy group.  

“The Wright brothers flew for 12 seconds and they had a successful flight. If we can fly not 12 seconds, but 12 minutes, 12 days or 12 weeks, we’ll be happy,” 

Both missions will use converted intercontinental ballistic missiles launched from a Russian nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea – an unlikely but relatively inexpensive option that has kept the project’s budget to $4 million. 

Cosmos Studios, a science-based entertainment company founded by Ann Druyan, widow of the late astronomer Carl Sagan, and Joe Firmage, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and sometimes UFO investigator, is footing the bill. 

“We are proud to be a part of this historic mission, which is a critical baby step to the stars,” said Druyan, Sagan’s longtime collaborator. 

Solar sails, first proposed in the 1920s, rely on the steady pressure of sunlight to move forward. Like a sailboat, a solar sail-driven spacecraft does not have to carry its own fuel, which can be expensive to launch into space. 

The American and European space agencies, and at least one private company, hope that future missions can rely on the technology. 

“If the Planetary Society mission is successful, it will be very useful to NASA,” said Hoppy Price, manager of solar sail technology development at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 

Although solar-driven spacecraft will be slow to accelerate, with time they should reach high velocities that will enable travel across great distances. 

“It allows you to travel, come back and go out again because you don’t have to refuel,” Price said. 

The April launch will test the deployment of just two petal-shaped blades of Mylar polyester film about one-fifth as thick as a garbage bag.  

At the end of the brief flight the sail will fall back into Earth’s atmosphere. 

For the orbital flight later this year, a larger eight-petal design will be used. Inflatable trusses will pull the sail material from a canister and become rigid to support the sail’s shape.  

Each of the triangular petals can be turned to steer the spacecraft, allowing it to tack like a sailboat. 

“The goal is to be the first solar sail flight,” Friedman said. “It doesn’t have an application other than to be the first to demonstrate the technology.” 

The orbiting spacecraft will gradually spiral away from Earth as sunlight pushes on the 720-square-yard sail.  

The 88-pound craft will carry two cameras and several instruments and should appear in the night sky as a point of light as bright as the full moon. 

On the Net: 

The Planetary Society: http://planetary.org/ 

Cosmos Studios: http://carlsagan.com/


Power crisis contributes to schools budget woes

By Ben LumpkinSpecial to The Daily Planet
Monday February 26, 2001

Skyrocketing energy costs, teacher pay raises and growing enrollments are just a few reasons the Berkeley Unified School District is facing a budget crunch in the fiscal year beginning July 1, according to a financial report released last week. 

The district could face a shortfall of nearly $5 million, according to a first estimate of the fiscal 2002 budget presented to the district board Wednesday. The board has scheduled a special meeting for March 5 to consider ways to pare back next year’s budget.  

District Interim Superintendent Steve Goldstone said the numbers represent a “worst case scenario” and are likely to improve before the final 2002 budget is presented to the board in June.  

Since 85 percent of the district’s funding comes from the state, much of the estimates are based on a preliminary state budget issued last month, Goldstone said.  

The state budget numbers have a history of improving as the date of their implementation nears, he added. In the current year, the budget proposed by Gov. Gray Davis last January grew by several billion dollars before it was implemented last summer, Goldstone said.  

But things might not turn out so well this year because of budget pressures generated by California’s energy crisis, Goldstone said. 

The district has watched its own expenditures for natural gas double during the current year and expects another 100 percent increase next year, Goldstone said. Electricity costs for the district could climb by as much as 50 percent next year, according to financial report. 

In the year 2000, the district budgeted $1.9 million for utilities expenses — including electricity, water, sewage, gas and garbage services. Next year it expects to spend $2.8 million for utilities.  

“That’s the big surprise right now,” said John Selawsky, board director. 

Selawsky said it was not unusual for the district to face multi-million dollar shortfalls in the first budget estimate, but added that this year’s numbers made him “a little nervous.” 

Selawsky said the district is facing higher health care premiums for its employees and higher salary expenses as a result of a new teachers union contract. A parcel tax created to fund smaller class sizes is no longer generating enough money to meet the district’s class size reduction needs, he added.  

“As teachers salaries increase and overhead increases ... we can fund fewer and fewer teachers out of that pool of money,” Selawsky said. 

While the district has reduced class sizes to a maximum of 20 students from kindergarten through third grade, it has yet to meet its goal of limiting higher elementary school grade classes to 25 students and secondary classes to 27 students. 

If the current numbers don’t improve, Goldstone said, the board will have to make cuts elsewhere in the budget to meet its class size reduction goals next year. 

Goldstone said the district is already looking at several ways to cut this year’s expenses to help reduce the shortfalls in next year’s budget. If employees are lost through retirement, the district may opt to leave the positions open, he said. The district’s purchases of general supplies will also be analyzed with a view to saving money. 

In the effort to balance the budget by June, Goldstone said the district will do everything it can to avoid cutting academic programs or laying employees off. 

“We want to keep cuts as far away from the classroom as we can so we don’t hurt kids,” he said.


Calendar of Events & Activities

Monday February 26, 2001

Monday, Feb. 26 

“Passages Into Aging” 

7:30 - 9:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Miriam Chaya Fields, co-producer and director, of Timbrels & Torahs, will lead in a discussion about celebrating the wisdom and inspiration of the elder years.  

$5 donation Call 549-9447 x110 

 

Black History Dance Celebration  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

The Imhotet Dancers will perform. Free 

Call 644-6107 

 

West Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corporation  

11th Annual Membership Meeting  

Rountree’s R&B Music Museum  

2618 San Pablo Ave.  

Celebrating Sunday Fourth St. Open-air Market due to open in May. 845-4106 

 

National Women’s Political  

Caucus Meeting  

5 - 7 p.m. 

2017 Stuart St. (off Adeline)  

Florence D. McDonald Community Room  

Berkeley City Councilmember Linda Maio will speak and ask questions. An opportunity to learn more about the NWPC.  

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. 531-8664 

 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

 

City Council Meeting 

8 p.m. 

Sheryl Walton of CAT will provide an overview of the CAT and its model to the City Council and Berkeley viewers.  

 

Farmers’ Market Fat Tuesday 

Mardi Gras Celebration  

1 p.m. - Dusk 

Derby St. at MLK Jr. Way 

With live performances by The Sons & Daughters of Orpheus and Wild Buds: West Coast Mardi Gras Band. Free and always wheelchair accessible.  

BHS Jazz Band  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

A Black History celebration performance. Free 

Call 644-6107 

 

Mardi Gras Improv Show  

7:30 p.m. 

Live Oak Theatre  

1301 Shattuck Ave.  

Renowned comedians from Bay Area Theater Sports, the proceeds will benefit Good Shepard Episcopal Church in Berkeley.  

$10 - $20  

234-6586 

 

Telegraph Area Association  

9 a.m.  

TAA  

2509 Haste St.  

Discussions will include committee updates, TAA workshop, and funding/budget.  

Organizing for Public Power  

7 p.m. 

Temescal Branch  

Oakland Library, Rear Entrance  

5205 Telegraph Ave.  

Dan Berman, co-author of “Who Owns the Sun?” and advisor to Ralph Nader, Robin Davis, PG&E worker, Eugene Coyle, energy policy economist, and Gail Bateson, labor party, will discuss the electricity crisis.  

373-9219  

 

Fat Tuesday Celebration 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Peace & Justice Ministries Center 

2075 Eunice St.  

Tour the new Berkeley Peace & Justice Center after the renovations are complete. Community open house, complete with building blessing, Cajun food and jazz.  

524-1618 

Wednesday, Feb. 28  

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 

 

Conversations in Commedia 

7:30 p.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave. (at Prince) 

Mime Troupe founder Ron Davis and icon clown Wavy Gravy give dialogues on satire.  

$6 - $8 Call 849-2568 

 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

 

 

Women in Interfaith Relationships  

9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Led by Dawn Kepler, this workshop will explore interfaith relationships on many levels, in relation to culture, religion, and gender. People of all backgrounds and orientations are invited to attend.  

$10 

848-0237 x127 

 

Planning Commission Public Hearing  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

The commission is holding public hearings on the Planning Commission Draft General Plan. The commission requests that all written comments on the plan be submitted by March 1. 

 

Guide Dogs for the Blind 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

T. Duncan, a low vision speaker, will talk about guide dogs. Free  

Call 644-6107 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Parent Advocacy in the BUSD 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Martin Luther King Middle School Library 

1781 Rose St.  

Representative from various parent advocacy groups will discuss organizing strategies. Free 

558-8933 

 

Disaster Council  

7 p.m. 

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

Presentation on sheltering issues in Turkey by Doug Sandy, American Red Cross. Also, proposed budget for office for emergency services.  

 

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 

 

Berkeley Metaphysical Toastmasters Club  

6:15 - 7:30 p.m.  

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysics come together. Ongoing first and third Thursdays each month.  

Call 869-2547 

 

Cancer Support Group 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Summit Medical Center 

Markstein Cancer Education & Prevention Center 

450 30th St., Second Floor  

Oakland  

Free support group for families, friends, and patients diagnosed with cancer.  

869-8833 to register  

 

Cycling Journey  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Leo Tenenblat and Jean Philippe Boubli set off on their mountain bikes from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu, Nepal. They will share slides and stories of their 52-day adventure. Free 

Call 527-4140 

 

Friday, March 2  

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 

 

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  

 

Class Dismissed Poetry Posse 

7:30 p.m. 

Little Theater 

Berkeley High School  

2246 Milvia St.  

Afro-Haitian dancers, Dance Production dancers, the BHS poetry slammers, an opening a capella number and a few surprises. A benefit for a Berkeley High school student trip to Cuba.  

$5 - $10  

 

Colombia In Context  

9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Bancroft Hotel  

2680 Bancroft Way  

UC Berkeley  

A conference bringing together leading experts from both Latin America and the U.S. to discuss both the roots of the current Colombian crisis, and the future effects of U.S. strategy on the region. There will be a break between Noon and 2 p.m. 

Visit www.clas.berkeley.edu/clas 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Lockdown America 

7 - 9:30 p.m. 

2040 Valley Life Sciences Bldg.  

UC Berkeley  

Christian Parenti, author of “Lockdown America, on Police and Prisons in the Age of Crisis” will speak. Free 

552-8236 

 

Saturday, March 3 

Rockridge Writers 

3:30 - 5:30 p.m. 

Spasso Coffeehouse  

6021 College Ave.  

Poets and writers meet to critique each other’s work. “Members’ work tends to be dark, humorous, surreal, or strange.”  

e-mail: berkeleysappho@yahoo.com 

 

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

The Cal Sailing Club, a non-profit sailing and windsurfing cooperative, give free rides on a first come, first served bases on the first full weekend of each month. Wear warm clothes and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children must be at least five years old and must be accompanies by an adult.  

Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

 

Wild About Books? 

10:30 a.m. 

Central Berkeley Library  

2121 Allston Way  

Mary Miche, leader of Song Trek Music, will lead a sing-along that will send everyone home humming.  

Call 649-3913 

 

Residential Solar Electricity  

1 - 3 p.m. 

Ecology Center  

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

Hal Aronson, director of the Solar Energy Education Program for Berkeley EcoHouse, will cover how solar electric cells work, different types of systems, and costs of a solar system. Participants will also produce electricity using photovoltaic panels and power a range of appliances.  

$10 - $15  

548-2220 x233  

 

Feathered Dinosaurs  

11 a.m.  

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley’s Dr. Kevin Padian talks about the discovery of feathered dinosaur fossils in northern China. Included with museum admission.  

$3 - $7  

642-5132 

 

“Socialism & the Struggle for Global Justice”  

10:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

200 Wheeler Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Discussions will include “Why Socialism?”; crisis in Palestine; race, class and the fall out from the 2000 elections; and fighting misogyny and sexism.  

$5 donation  

552-8236  

 

Emergency!: Personal Preparedness 

9 a.m. - 11 a.m.  

Emergency Operations Center 

997 Cedar St.  

A class sponsored by the Berkeley Fire Dept. and the Office of Emergency Services. Free. 

644-8736 

 

Sunday, March 4  

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

The Cal Sailing Club, a non-profit sailing and windsurfing cooperative, give free rides on a first come, first served bases on the first full weekend of each month. Wear warm clothes and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children must be at least five years old and must be accompanies by an adult.  

Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

 

Salsa Lesson and Dance Party  

6 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Professional instructors Mati Mizrachi and Ron Louie will lead you through the steps. Irsraeli food will be provided by Holy Land Restaurant.  

$10 

RSVP 237-9874 

 

Monday, March 5  

Your Legal Rights with HMOs 

6 - 7:30 p.m. 

YWCA Oakland  

1515 Webster St., Second Floor  

Oakland  

Presented by the Women’s Cancer Resource Center, UCSF Cancer Resource Center and the San Francisco Bar Volunteer Legal Services, this free workshop covers what your legal rights are and how to guard them.  

Call 415-885-3693 

 

Beginning Bicyclist Workshop  

7 - 9 p.m. 

YMCA  

2001 Allston Way  

Community Room 1, Main Floor  

Jason Meggs and Zed Lopez will teach you how to keep yourself and your bike safe and even how to use your bike for shopping. Free  

Call Jason Meggs, 549-RIDE 

 

“Stop Medical Apartheid” 

Noon  

Parker & Seventh St.  

Local non-violent civil disobedience in reaction to Bayer Corp. involvement in a lawsuit against the government of South Africa. Bayer and 39 other large drug companies are suing the governement to prevent them from producing generic AIDS drugs or importing them at the lowest market price. Speakers or arrestees includes Councilors Maudelle Shirek and Kriss Worthington, Father Bill O’Donnell and Rev. Mark Wilson and South African Bongane Byatai.  

Call 568-1680 

 

Self-Care and Wellness Health Fair 

Pre-Registration Deadline 

9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center 

Ashby Campus, Auditorium  

2450 Ashby Ave.  

Registration deadline for the March 10 event. A day of workshops offering ways to maintain and improve health of the body, mind and spirit.  

$10 admission, $5 per workshop  

 

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 527-5332  

 

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 

 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

 

International Women’s Day 

11:10 a.m. 

Pacific School of Religion Chapel 

1798 Scenic Ave.  

Join students, staff, and faculty in the celebration of International Women’s Day. The theme is “A Call to Place: Quilting Resistance,” highlighting women’s religious experiences and women of the world.  

649-2490 

 

Aquinas, Creation and Cosmic Evolution 

7:30 p.m. 

2400 Ridge Road 

Flora Lamson Hewlett Library  

Dinner Board Room  

Benedict Ashley, author, advisor to the Theological Commission of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and faculty member of the Aquinas Institute, gives the eleventh annual Aquinas lecture. Free 

883-2085 

 

Wednesday, March 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 

 

Women in Interfaith Relationships  

9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Led by Dawn Kepler, this workshop will explore interfaith relationships on many levels, in relation to culture, religion, and gender. People of all backgrounds and orientations are invited to attend.  

$10 

848-0237 x127 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

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 

 

Trekking Northern India  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Professional wilderness guide Randy Pomeroy will take you on a journey from Ladakh to Rajasthan. Free 

Call 527-4140 

 

“Fifty Years in the Making” 

Boalt Hall School of Law  

UC Berkeley 

A gathering of some of the most prominent diplomats, scholars, and legal practitioners in the field of World War II reparation and restitution claims. Free and open to the public.  

 

Friday, March 9  

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 

 

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  

 

Berkeley PC Users Group 

7 p.m. 

Vista College 

2020 Milvia St., Room 303 

E-Mail: meldancing@aol.com 

 

Europe on a Shoestring  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Scott Mcneely, co-author of the Lonely Planet book will share slides and information on some of his favorite adventures off the beaten path. Come learn about smart budget travel.  

Call 527-4140 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Saturday, March 10  

The Secrets of Sacred Cinema 

10 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Pacific School of Religion  

1798 Scenic Ave., Mudd 103 

Kevin Peer, a documentary film maker for the past 25 years, gives a two-day intensive for people interested in exploring documentary filmmaking. No equipment or prior experience required.  

$200 per person and registration is required 

Call 486-1480 

 

Narratives of Public Sector Reform: A Colloquium  

10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

223 Moses Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Mark Bevir of the department of Political Science of UC Berkeley, will present his paper on “Decentered Theory of Governance” and Rod Rhodes of the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne will present his paper, “Entering British Governance.” There will also be a session to discuss the broader issues their works raise.  

 

Greece Adventure 

1 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Linda Pearson of REI Adventures will introduce you to Greece in slides and discussion.  

Call 527-4140 

 

Healing Garden  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Ecology Center 

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

Kathi Kinney will teach how to integrate medicinal herbs into existing gardens and landscapes and how to design and maintain a practical, aromatic, easy-care herb garden.  

$10 - $15  

548-2220 x233 

 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

Sedge’s guests this week will be Patrick McCabe, author of The Butcher Boy and Emerald Germs of Ireland, a capella singers M-Pact, Naturalist Claire Peaslee and pianist Mike Greensill.  

664-9500 

 

Self-Care and Wellness Health Fair 

9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center 

Ashby Campus, Auditorium  

2450 Ashby Ave.  

A day of workshops offering ways to maintain and improve health of the body, mind and spirit. Learn the process one might go through when deciding to stay with self-help, when to seek out assistance, and how to integrate care.  

$10 admission, $5 per workshop  

 

Sunday, March 11 

Reimagining Pacific Cities  

6 - 8:30 p.m. 

New Pacific Studio  

1523 Hearst Ave.  

“How are Pacific cities reshaping their cultural and environmental institutions to better serve the needs and enhance the present and future quality of life of all segments of their societies?” A series of ten seminars linking the Bay Area, Seattle, Portland, and other pacific cities.  

Call 849-0217 

 

Myths & Realities of the International House  

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Historical Society  

1931 Center St.  

Director Joe Lurie will show a video and talk about the history and the struggle to open the International House.  

$10 donation  

Call 848-0181 

 

Walk on the Moon  

2 & 7 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

A mother and daughter explore their identities as they summer in the Catskills in 1969 amidst the news of Woodstock and the first lunar landing. Peer led discussion to follow film.  

$2 suggested donation  

 

Energy Attack  

4 - 6 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

PUC Commissioner Carl Wood, labor journalist David Bacon and Environmentalist architect Mark Gorrell will discuss the energy crisis and how to get involved in solutions.  

549-0816 

 

Community Health & Wellness Fair 

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2345 Channing Way  

Review health from a holistic perspective, personally and communally. Stop by for practical health screenings and explore wellness practices such as Taoist Tai Chi, Hatha Yoga and Rosen Bodywork in introductory workshops.  

649-1383 

 

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 

 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

 

Wednesday, March 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 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

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 

 

Berkeley Metaphysical Toastmasters Club  

6:15 - 7:30 p.m.  

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysics come together. Ongoing first and third Thursdays each month.  

Call 869-2547 

 

Cancer Support Group 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Summit Medical Center 

Markstein Cancer Education & Prevention Center 

450 30th St., Second Floor  

Oakland  

Free support group for families, friends, and patients diagnosed with cancer.  

869-8833 to register  

 

Myanmar: The Golden Kingdom  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Philip Hassrick of Lost Frontiers will introduce you to Myanmar’s unique history and culture.  

Call 527-4140 

 

Friday, March 16  

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 

 

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  

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Saturday, March 17  

Rockridge Writers 

3:30 - 5:30 p.m. 

Spasso Coffeehouse  

6021 College Ave.  

Poets and writers meet to critique each other’s work. “Members’ work tends to be dark, humorous, surreal, or strange.”  

e-mail: berkeleysappho@yahoo.com 

 

Sunday, March 18 

East Bay Men’s Chorus Rehearsal  

6:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley 

Calling for gay and bisexual men and their allies and friends to join this choral ensemble directed by J.R. Foust. There is no obligation to join the chorus after the first rehearsal.  

Call to RSVP 664-0260 or e-mail eastbaymenschorus@yahoo.com 

 

“Parenting in the Second Half of Life” 

10:30 a.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Author Roberta Maisel will discuss ways parents and their grown children can get on a positive and guilt-free path.  

848-0237  

 

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 interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is death and dying in celebration of the Ides of March.  

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 

 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

 

Lavendar Lunch 

12:30 - 1:30 p.m. 

Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave.  

Mudd Bldg., Room 103  

Unitarian-Universalist minister Sean Parker Dennison discusses his experiences as a transgender minister working in parish ministry.  

849-8206 

 

Wednesday, March 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 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Thursday, March 22  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Anna Mae Stanley and host Louis Cuneo.  

644-0155 

 

Trekking in Bhutan  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Ruth Ann Kocour and Elizabeth Rassiga will share slides of their 25-day journey along the Snow Leopard Trek to the sacred mountain Chomolhari and beyond. Free 

Call 527-4140 

 

Friday, March 23 

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 

 

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  

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Saturday, March 24 

Ashkenaz Dance-A-Thon 

2 p.m. - 2 a.m.  

Ashkenaz  

1370 San Pablo Ave.  

Join Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers along with African, Cajun, North African, Balkan, reggae, and Caribbean bands in this twelve hour dance music-fest. This is Ashkenaz big fundraiser for making improvements, including a new dance floor and ventilation system.  

$20 donation  

525-5054 or visit www.ashkenaz.com  

 

Sunday, March 25 

Reimagining Pacific Cities  

6 - 8:30 p.m. 

New Pacific Studio  

1523 Hearst Ave.  

“How are Pacific cities reshaping their cultural and environmental institutions to better serve the needs and enhance the present and future quality of life of all segments of their societies?” A series of ten seminars linking the Bay Area, Seattle, Portland, and other pacific cities.  

$10 per meeting  

Call 849-0217 

 

Tuesday, March 27 

“Great Decisions” - European Integration  

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 

 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

 

Wednesday, March 28 

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 

 

Conversations in Commedia 

7:30 p.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave. (at Prince) 

Mime Troupe/Reinhabitory Theatre legends Judy Goldhaft, Jane Lapiner and Peter Berg 

$6 - $8  

Call 849-2568 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Thursday, March 29  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Georgia Popoff and host Mark States.  

644-0155 

 

Friday, March 30 

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  

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 


Letters to the Editor

Monday February 26, 2001

Meeting seeks input  

for seismic initiatives at UC research facilities 

 

Editor: 

The community is invited to a meeting hosted by UC Berkeley on the proposed Northeast Quadrant Science and Safety Projects (NEQSS) on Monday, February 26, 2001, 7 - 9 pm at the Sibley Auditorium, Bechtel Center, on the central campus. At this meeting, UC faculty and campus representatives will discuss the new initiatives, which respond to seismic conditions and new research opportunities.  

Stanley Hall, built in 1952 and close to the Hayward Fault, is rated seismically "poor" and would be replaced. Davis Hall North is a remnant of an original building constructed in 1931. This site on Hearst Avenue at Le Roy Avenue was identified as a new building site in the campus 1990 Long Range Development Plan. 

Stanley Hall and Davis Hall North are severely constrained in their ability to meet the needs of current research efforts. Over the last 30 years, changes in technology and an increased focus on interdisciplinary research require new approaches to space utilization and structural, mechanical and utilities design. Laboratory safety and environmental regulations have also become more stringent. Both buildings would be replaced under the NEQSS proposals. 

 

Stanley Hall Replacement Building 

UC Berkeley has embarked on a Health Sciences Initiative that will reorganize campus research in the health sciences into interdisciplinary teams. The new Stanley Hall will bring together biologists, physicists, chemists, computer scientists and engineers in a collaborative setting with state-of-the-art laboratories. In this environment, researchers will concentrate on solving pressing biomedical and health problems such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, AIDS, spinal cord injuries and new techniques to study the function of the human genome.  

 

Davis Hall North Replacement Building 

This project is the main component of the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) which will house information technology research focusing on solutions to critical societal needs. The goal is to create inexpensive technologies that are widely available for practical applications in transportation management, disaster response, seismic planning, environmental monitoring, medical alert systems and energy usage. The New Davis Hall will provide space for state-of-the-art laboratories, seminar rooms, classrooms, computing facilities and offices.  

 

The other NEQSS sites include Cory Hall, the Naval Architecture Building, and a low-rise structure north of Soda Hall. 

We hope you will attend this community meeting to learn more about these exciting initiatives and proposed projects, and to provide the university with feedback and input on the scope of the environmental review.  

 

Irene Hegarty 

University of California, Berkeley 

 

 

Treasury Secretary may have link to Marc Rich  

 

Editor: 

I’m not sure if this has any news value, but it occurred to me that there is potentially a confounding connection between Marc Rich and the U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neil. 

Marc Rich has been the head of Clarendon which is a Swiss-based trading company owned by Rich (I believe shared ownership was extended to its employees) during most of his exile. Clarendon traded in various commodities including alumina (the intermediate stage of converting bauxite into aluminum). These multimillion-dollar trades were either straight forward sales of alumina or swaps of the material to accommodate timing and location differences. 

Alcoa has been the world’s largest producer of aluminum and alumina. Paul O’Neil as chairman and CEO would have been ultimately responsible and knowledgeable of Alcoa’s activities. Although I can’t be positive, it’s possible that Alcoa has traded alumina with Clarendon in the past. This is possible despite the fact that Alcoa is the world’s largest producer of alumina and therefore not in need of purchasing any alumina. That possibility arises because of the possible need to swap alumina for the above-mentioned timing and location requirements. The former occurs when a competitor has an earlier availability of alumina and your company has a greater need for the material sooner than later. This is known as a time swap, in effect it permits you to better balance your required alumina inventory. The latter type of swap, the location or physical swap, involves an effort by the two parties to the transaction to physically swap their inventory in transit if shipping costs can be reduced (alumina tends to be produced closer to bauxite sources in order to reduce shipping costs – which means equatorial areas and Australia. Whereas aluminum is produced closer to electricity availability since electricity cannot be efficiently transported.) 

Although I’m not positive, I do suspect that Alcoa could have swapped alumina with, and purchased other commodities from, Clarendon during Paul O’Neil’s reign. In any event, it probably deserves some further investigation. 

My knowledge and suspicion is based on my many years of employment with Kaiser Aluminum’s treasury department. I approved various high value payments which included Kaiser’s payments to Clarendon for alumina and other commodities. I’ve been retired for three and half years since the department was relocated to Houston. 

 

Tom Edwards 

Berkeley 

 

Marcia Poole deserves recognition for actions that saved sex slaves 

 

Editor:  

Thank you for honoring citizens “for their extraordinary work in trying to make the city a safer place to live.”  

However, is there not one person conspicuously absent from the list? Remember Marcia Poole, who, with her brave actions, saved the lives of two East Indian teenage sex slaves? Who risked her life by interfering in the desperate actions of Mr. Reddy as he tried to stuff the bodies into his panel truck. She did not just walk by saying “this is not my business.”  

Isn’t this what you want citizens to do, Chief Butler? Why was she left out? Too close to home, Chief? Would honoring her remind you, Chief, of work left undone? Should you have investigated further, Chief, as to whether Ms. Chanti Prattipati was actually dead when Reddy arrived to get her? Why did he not call 911? Why was he carrying off all three women and where was he taking them? Are these questions your department should have investigated further? Do you feel guilty, Chief? Does Marcia Poole remind you of your dereliction of duty? Is that why you do not want to honor her?  

I would recommend to the Mayor, Vice-Mayor and City Councilmembers that Marcia Poole be honored at the very next City Council meeting. Thank you.  

 

Charlotte Collins 

Berkeley 

 


Bears down Huskies

By Ralph Gaston Special to the Daily Planet
Monday February 26, 2001

In a special night at Haas Pavilion, Sean Lampley etched his name into the California record books, and the Bears followed his strong offensive lead to defeat Washington State, 84-65, on Saturday night. 

Lampley scored 29 points for the Bears, to become Cal’s all-time leading scorer with 1,693. None was as anticipated as his short bank shot with 10:03 to play. When it fell, the crowd roared in appreciation. “I didn't know which shot was the one (record-breaker)," Lampley said. “I knew after that shot from the crowd reaction.”  

After the game, Lampley was presented a game ball by Coach Ben Braun, and took a moment to celebrate with “The Bench,” Cal’s raucous student section. “I told him to enjoy this, and not to forget about the fans,” said Braun afterward.  

The win solidifies the Bears’ (19-7) hold on fourth place in the Pac-10 and gives them 10 wins in the conference for the first time since the 1997 NCAA Tournament team. “We just need to focus on one game at a time, and let's see where everything falls,” Braun said. 

Lampley’s record breaker came in the midst of a 22-5 second half run that saw the Bears turn up their defensive pressure and steadily pull away from the outmanned Cougars.  

“We got a bit tired,” said Washington State Head Coach Paul Graham. “We’re just not as deep.” The Cougars were led by Milton Riley, who scored a career-high 21 points. 

Lampley was active from the onset, opening the scoring with a baseline jumper. The senior forward then added a three pointer from the right side and threw a long pass to Joe Shipp, who completed the play with a one-handed dunk. Lampley used quickness against bigger opponents, strength against weaker ones, and size against smaller ones.  

Graham said, “If he’s not (Pac-10 player of the Year), I don't think you'll talk about many more names before you get to his.” 

Lampley also finished with eight rebounds and two assists. 

Junior center Solomon Hughes also had a solid performance for Cal, scoring 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. Hughes also had four rebounds.  

“I thought Solomon played a good first half,” said Braun afterward. 

“Without his points and rebounds early in the game, we're swimming upstream.” The Bears shot 54 percent from the field for the game. 

The Cougars were able to match Cal basket for basket in a high scoring first half. Guards Jerry McNair and David Adams combined for seven three pointers and 26 first half points, and the Cougars went into halftime trailing by only three, 45-42. However, as the second half wore on, fatigue set in for the pair, and they were held to three points in the second half combined.  

“They (Cal) just rotated more men at us, and we got a bit tired,” said McNair. The Cougars shot only 30 percent from the floor in the second half. 

The Bears travel to Los Angeles next week; they take on UCLA Thursday night and USC Saturday evening. The games are big ones for Cal, who can improve their chances for a high seed in the NCAA Tournament with a strong showing.  

“We have some big-time challenges coming up this week,” said Braun. “We know that UCLA will be ready for us because of what happened last time we played them.” The Bears defeated the Bruins, 92-63, earlier this month at Haas. 


City fails to buy KBLX land for park

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Monday February 26, 2001

The city’s effort to resurrect a deal to purchase 4.5 acres from KBLX Radio as an addition to Aquatic Park stalled when the station’s management said it wasn’t interested. 

“They just aren’t interested,” said Cliff Marchetti of the Department of Parks and Waterfront. “But they said if they change their minds, they’d let us know.” 

In December, the City Council directed the Department of Parks and Waterfront to research available funding sources and seek out the owners of the radio station — Inner City Broadcasting — to see if they were still interested in possibly selling the property. 

The site is adjacent to the south end of Aquatic Park and is bounded by the Ashby Avenue on-ramp, Bay Street and Interstate 80. The property is largely undeveloped and consists of lagoon and grassy uplands. 

According to the Parks and Waterfront Draft Master Plan, the site is an excellent candidate for habitat restoration. The plan, which has not been finalized, also suggests the city purchase the land as an addition to Aquatic Park.  

The city was considering buying the property in 1996. At that time the property was appraised at $467,000, according to an informational report prepared by Parks and Waterfront for the City Council. 

But the deal was contingent on a grant from the State Environmental Enhancement Mitigation Program. The grant was not awarded and the proposed transaction collapsed.  

According to the report, “The owner determined that it was not in the best interest of the station to sell the property at this time and took the property off the market.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


St. Mary’s wins BSAL title, earns berth to playoffs

By Tim Haran Special to the Daily Planet
Monday February 26, 2001

After St. Mary’s jumped to a 21-8 lead at the end of the first quarter in the BSAL title game against Salesian Saturday night, it appeared that the Panthers were on its way to recording yet another blowout in a season filled with lopsided victories.  

But the championship game was no rout as St. Mary’s narrowly defeated the taller Salesian team 62-59 in front of a standing-room-only crowd in Berkeley to claim the Bay Shore Athletic League title. 

“I’m just really proud of these kids tonight,” said St. Mary’s coach Jose Caraballo. “They played hard all year long and they really deserve this win. I’m sure we’ll see Salesian again." 

Saturday’s win came after St. Mary’s lost in the championship game to Salesian last year in an overtime thriller when the teams were part of the Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League. The victory this year gives St. Mary’s (24-4 overall) an automatic berth into the North Coast Section playoffs where they’ll likely be the No. 1 seed in Division IV. Salesian (23-5), meanwhile, should earn the No. 2 or No. 3 seed. St. Mary’s led most of the night, but saw its lead evaporate midway through the fourth quarter when the Chieftains’ James Johnson scored two of his game-high 19 points on a drive to the basket with 2:39 remaining. The bucket capped a 16-6 fourth quarter Chieftains run and gave Salesian its first lead since the game’s opening minute.  

The teams traded hoops and St. Mary’s clung to a 60-59 lead with less than a minute left when Panthers’ forward Chase Moore scored the final two of his team-high 18 points. With 46 seconds remaining St. Mary’s now led by three and had possession of the ball. Forward Jeremiah Fielder broke free from a pair of Chieftains defenders to get an open look at the basket with 10 seconds on the clock, but he couldn’t get the shot to fall that would have clinched the win 

Following a Salesian time out, the Chieftains pushed the ball the length of the court and John Winston launched a 3-pointer that would have tied the game, but the shot fell short. 

St. Mary’s controlled the pace of the game early and jumped to an 11-2 lead that turned into a 13-point advantage at the end of one. The Panthers capitalized on its typical scrappy full-court pressure defense that forced Salesian to turn the ball over eight times in the period.  

"We had a really good first quarter," Caraballo said. "They made some good adjustments on us, but we showed that we know if it’s a close game we’ll be able to persevere and come out on top." The first-quarter dominance proved to be enough for St. Mary’s to hold on as Salesian outscored the Panthers 17-11 in the second and 20-14 in the fourth quarter. 

St. Mary’s aggressive defense resulted in Moore picking up his fourth personal foul in the third quarter and center Simon Knight fouling out midway through the fourth. Knight’s fifth foul came on a bizarre five-point play that saw Salesian drain a 3-pointer and then hit two free throws that were awarded for a St. Mary’s foul away from the ball. 

“Everybody just stepped up tonight,” said St. Mary’s guard DaShawn Freeman, who finished the game with 12 points. “Our team played with a lot of heart and we really wore out the other team. They couldn’t keep up with our pace.” 

Moore, who pulled down six rebounds and led the Panthers with 10 fourth-quarter points, recognized the value of competing down to the wire, especially with the playoffs ahead. 

“People don’t think we can handle it, but coach told us to just do it and he has confidence in all of us that we can step it up and get it done. Big-time players step up in big-time games,” he said. 

Salesian finished the night 13-of-22 from the free-throw line, but Winston missed two key foul shots with under a minute to play that would have brought the Chieftains to within a point of St. Mary’s. The Panthers, meantime, hit just 3-of-6 from the line. 

John Sharper added 10 points while Lorenzo Alexander tossed in six points and grabbed seven boards off the bench. For Salesian, Johnson led all scorers with 19, David Jobe added 13 and Winston scored 11 points. 


Celebrating Black History

By Erika Fricke Daily Planet Staff
Monday February 26, 2001

The annual Black History Month celebration at the Martin Luther King Youth Services Center Saturday opened with a libation — the tradition of giving honor to ancestors and people before you.  

Paul Cotton, on stage above the seated crowd said, “We stand on the shoulders of other people,” and recited names of famous black Americans, Harriet Tubman, W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington. But the thanks weren’t only for the famous. “We honor all the brothers and sisters who died. We honor all the brother and sister’s who said, Hell, No. I won’t do it.” 

Participants celebrated both ancient contemporary heroes all day Saturday.  

While Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. received the requisite nods of recognition, organizers took participants back to an even earlier history, with images and culture of ancient Egypt. 

“We go all the way back since the beginning of time, from the Nubians in Egypt all the way through,” said Patricia Pitre, organizer and mistress of ceremonies. “We wanted to not just say we go back to civil rights and slavery. We have to take it back to the beginning. A lot of our kids only know Martin Luther King.” 

In addition to a play showcasing ancient martial arts, posters about the Ancient Egyptian culture lined the walls.  

Off the walls, in the audience, local heroes were celebrated for their work with Berkeley children. Ivora Peazant, Percy Crawford, Charles Richardson, Norman Letcher and Essie Gaines were winners of awards for their years of community service.  

The Young Adult Project, a city of Berkeley program that provides youth services to prevent delinquency, hosted their 16th annual Black History Month celebration. 

The organizers of the Young Adult Project defined the message for this year’s celebration as “Love of Self, Love of Family, and Love of Community,” to address the concerns many older people in the African American community have for the younger ones. “I can’t expect a child to give love to another person if they don’t love themselves,” said Pitre.  

But, she said, for a community to prosper each member must take care of the others. “We need each other,” she said. 

Pitre feels that looking to young people provides direction for them.  

“The significance of us celebrating black history is for our community and family not to forget whence they came. We’re living in a society with a lot of ills, the old traditional values are fading away,” she said.  

Tyrone Ingram and Walter Fox, who videotaped the event, were only two of the more than 100 people who donated time, energy and services to make the celebration possible.  

Ingram said that supporting and celebrating real black culture was extremely important for all Americans.  

“We don’t have the real essence of black history and black culture in today’s media,” he said. “The representation we get of black society is not a positive one. It’s more hip to be gangsterish and anything that’s anti-social.” 

The celebration was dotted with few faces outside the black community. Ingram said it was too bad that more non-blacks didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about black history because the only forms of black culture that people outside the black community get is “hip-hop pop culture.”  

“We’re getting a pop-commercialized version of black culture and it’s false,” he said.  

The performers at this year’s celebration included dancers and singers, but these were liberally interspersed with speakers, story-tellers and dramatic arts.  

Pitre said she was extremely conscious of showcasing a variety of talents.  

“We’re not just musically inclined,” she said, speaking of the larger misperception of African-Americans as rap artists and athletes. “We have a lot of talents, but the children don’t have the opportunity to perform.” 

Of all the acts — the Prison to Praise Gospel singers, the Teen Club Dance Performance, and other music and poetry — 11-year-old Glorius Price liked the African storyteller best.  

“I thought it was real neat because it’s about culture and real nice things,” he said. “I like to get lots of knowledge about culture.” 

While many people in attendance were affiliated with the Young Adult Project, the celebration also captured community members and passers-by. 

Bradley Dean heard about the celebration through a friend. Wandering amongst the vendors selling African cloth, jewelry and art, he smiled at the speeches and student dances.  

History didn’t mean much to him as a kid, but he said as he got older he realized the importance of looking to the past to determine the future.  

“A lot of things we’re doing right now have been repeated,” said Dean.  

He cited prejudice and groups united against prejudice both cycle and repeat.  

“It happens and then it goes away,” he said. “My mother used to say nothing is new, everything’s been done.” 

 


Consultant who lied about endangered frogs sentenced

Daily Planet wire report
Monday February 26, 2001

An Emeryville environmental consultant has been sentenced to community service and fined in federal court for moving and harming threatened California red-legged frogs at a Concord development site. 

John Zentner, 46, was hired as a consultant for Holly Creek Estates, a 6-acre housing development to ensure compliance with federal and state wetland and conservation laws. 

Instead of informing authorities about the presence of the endangered red-legged frogs, Zentner and his employees attempted to relocate at least 64 red-legged frogs and 500 tadpoles from a watercourse and a pond area. They moved the amphibians to a portion of the pond that was to be preserved. The remaining part of the pond became part of the housing development project. 

Many of the frogs died because the preserved pond was small and shallow and within 15 feet of new homes, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Jacobs. 

U.S. Magistrate Wayne Brazil sentenced Zentner yesterday to 200 hours of community service, a $10,000 fine and three years of probation. Zentner's company, Zentner & Zentner, was fined $65,000. 

According to Zentner's defense attorney, William Goodman, Zentner plans to work his 200 hours of community service at a nonprofit environmental group in Napa. Goodman argued at the sentencing hearing that the case has damaged Zentner's reputation and business. 

Jeff Miller, a spokesman for the Center for Biological Diversity in Berkeley, said his group believes the conviction calls into question Zentner's work on other East Bay developments, including the Greenbriar Homes development along Tassajara Creek in Dublin and the Pine Vista Estates subdivision in Alamo. 

Zentner's attorney denied any wrongdoing with those projects. He said, ``There are no questions raised about other cases.'' 

In 1996, the California red-legged frog was declared a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.  

The red-legged frog is said to have inspired Mark Twain's story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” 


Transportation planning workshop scheduled

Monday February 26, 2001

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission will hold a public workshop on the 2001 Regional Transportation Plan on Tuesday from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. The plan will determine the way that government funds are spent for transportation infrastructure in the nine counties that make up the Bay Area.  

Members of the public will have the opportunity to meet with commissioners and comment on issues like handling traffic congestion, balancing needs to maintain and expand public transportation systems, and ensuring transportation service for low-income and transit dependent people. The Regional Transportation Plan is updated every three years, and the 2001 plan is set to be adopted in November. The meeting will be held at the MetroCenter Auditorium, 101 8th Street in Oakland. For more information call 464-7841.


State GOP elects chairman to rally against Gov.Davis

The Associated Press
Monday February 26, 2001

SACRAMENTO — Shunning a movement to adopt a more moderate approach, California Republicans narrowly elected a conservative chairman Sunday to revive a party dogged by division and defeat. 

Shawn Steel, a health care attorney from Rolling Hills in Los Angeles County, edged out his pro-choice opponent Brooks Firestone on the final day of the state GOP convention. Steel won 53 percent of the more than 1,200 ballots cast. 

“We’ve got some unity (building) to do and that starts right away,” said Steel, adding he wants California Republicans to adopt President Bush’s “compassionate conservatism” and Ronald Reagan’s optimism. 

The vote came after a high-dollar, heated campaign that pitted moderates against conservatives – a split that has plagued the party for years. Firestone’s supporters said he spent more than $100,000 on his campaign; Steel officials did not release figures. 

The state’s GOP has lost three straight statewide elections even as Republicans won the White House and retained Congress in November. 

Steel says he must unify the party now to unseat Davis in 2002 and help Bush take the state in 2004. 

He said he will work to attract diverse voters, launch e-mail and absentee get-out-the-vote drives and help the party capitalize on a new campaign finance law that strengthens its fund-raising power. 

“He walks his talk and he’s very inclusive,” said Therese Cisneros, a state chairwoman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly. 

Steel’s election suggests the party will take conservative stands, such as opposition to abortion and gun control. 

Firestone supporters wanted to lure moderates and independents, including women and California’s growing minority population. 

Despite criticizing Steel, however, Firestone said after the vote that he will work with the new leader. 

“Over the course of this campaign, Shawn and I have become friends and will work together,” said Firestone, a former Assembly member and winery owner from Santa Barbara. “United, this Republican party is unbeatable.” 

Party faithful also used the weekend to criticize the Governor’s handling of the statewide energy crisis. 

“The procrastination, the timidity, the arrogance of this administration has affected California and will do so in the long-term,” said Secretary of State Bill Jones, the only potential governor candidate at the three-day convention. 

Jones spoke Sunday morning with nearly half of the seats empty and delegates noisily filing into the convention hall.  

He said he will decide in the next three weeks whether to oppose Davis. 

Recent polls suggest Californians are happy with the way Davis has handled the energy crisis.  

Democratic spokesman Bob Mulholland said the Republicans were key players in political events that led to electricity deregulation and the crisis. 

In other matters, delegates defeated a rule change that would let representatives the state sends to the Republican National Convention be nominated at the state level instead of by the presidential candidates. Party members also approved allowing independent voters to cast ballots in their primaries. 

On the Net: 

www.cagop.org


Police investigate student’s intent in fatal crash

The Associated Press
Monday February 26, 2001

 

SANTA BARBARA — Authorities are investigating whether a University of California, Santa Barbara freshman intentionally drove his car into a crowd of people, killing four and wounding a fifth. 

David Edward Attias, 18, is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Santa Barbara Superior Court on charges stemming from the Friday crash. He was being held Sunday without bail in the Santa Barbara County Jail after being booked for investigation of felony drunk driving and vehicular homicide. 

Witnesses told police they saw Attias speed down a crowded street in the university community of Isla Vista late Friday, traveling between 60 and 65 mph. Attias sideswiped nine parked cars and struck five people walking along the street. 

“I heard a car gun its accelerator and then I just heard boom! boom! boom!” UCSB student Daniel Conway told KABC-TV. 

At the scene of the accident, Attias allegedly shouted, “I am the Angel of Death,” multiple witnesses told police. 

“We are investigating the potential that it was an intentional act,” said Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Burridge. Burridge added that Attias allegedly attempted to fight off bystanders who sought to detain him after the 11:08 p.m. crash. 

Killed in the crash were Nicholas Shaw Bourdakis and Christopher Edward Divis, both 20 and UCSB students; Ruth Dasha Golda Levy, 20, a Santa Barbara City College student; and Elie Israel, 27, of San Francisco. 

Levy’s older brother, Albert Arthur Levy, 27, remained in critical condition Sunday after undergoing multiple surgeries. 

Albert Levy was in town from San Francisco, where he lived with Israel, to visit his sister, Burridge said. 

Attias suffered only minor cuts and scratches in the crash, which totaled the black Saab he was driving. 

Investigators must wait as long as a week for the results of blood tests to determine if Attias was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash, Burridge said. 

On Sunday, bouquets of flowers lay on the street where the crash occurred, a spokeswoman for the 19,000-student university said. Plans for a campus memorial service were still being organized Sunday. 

“This terrible tragedy leaves all members of our university family stunned and saddened and our hearts go out to the families of the victims of this terrible accident,” said UCSB Chancellor Henry T. Yang. 

Attias has the same Santa Monica address as Daniel Attias, a Hollywood television director who has worked on “Ally McBeal” and “The Sopranos,” the Los Angeles Times reported. 

“We have no comment except for the terrible grief we feel for all the families involved,” Daniel Attias told the Times. 


Hells Angels charged in drug ring

The Associated Press
Monday February 26, 2001

VENTURA — A national Hells Angel leader and nearly two dozen others, including his son and daughter, have been arrested for allegedly participating in an extensive drug ring. 

Investigators arrested George Gus Christie Jr.; his 24-year-old son, George Gus Christie III; his 29-year-old daughter, Moriya Christie and 21 others Friday during sweeps in Ventura and Orange counties. Altogether, the Christie family faces nearly four dozen criminal charges. 

Law enforcement officials said Christie, his family and the Ventura chapter of the motorcycle club had been the target of parallel investigations by county prosecutors and the sheriff’s department for four years. 

The arrests, which end the probe, included 24 of 28 suspects, nine of which are Hells Angels. 

Prosecutors say Christie, 53, assembled a drug distribution network that relied on young Hells Angels operatives – or “HA Cub Scouts” – to sell drugs to teen-agers as they left four middle and high school campuses in Ventura and Ojai. 

Suspects typically peddled plastic bags containing two or three Valium pills to teen-agers for $1 a pill, or sold Vicodin for $3 a tablet and Ecstasy for $20 a tablet, investigators said. 

It took eight months to present the case to the grand jury, which indicted the suspects Friday on 132 criminal counts of theft, fraud, tax evasion, firearms possession, drug sales to minors and the use of a street gang in a criminal conspiracy. 

The senior Christie is charged with 23 criminal offenses that carry potential penalties of 15 to 20 years in prison.  

He and the other suspects were being held in Ventura County Jail over the weekend with bail amounts ranging from $10,000 to $1 million 

“I don’t know what the D.A. wants from me,” Christie said. “Am I a threat to this community? No.” 

Christie, his son, and three other men – William “Gunner” Wolf, 30, of Oxnard and Leonardo Martinis, 33, and Joshua Adams, 23, both of Ventura — are each being held on $1-million bail. 

“An organized criminal enterprise has been stopped from selling drugs to our children and victimizing other citizens through violence, theft, fraud and intimidation,” District Attorney Michael Bradbury said Saturday in a statement. 

Christie has always denied any wrongdoing. Earlier last week, anticipating the indictments, he told the Los Angeles Times: “I“ll save my comments for the courtroom. My lawyer and I will handle everything in the courtroom.” 

Christie, who hosted the motorcycle club’s 50th anniversary celebration in 1998, describes the Hells Angels as a recreational club. Although some members may have broken the law, the Hells Angels have never been involved in crime as an organization, he has previously said. 

Christie was acquitted in 1987 in a federal murder-for-hire case. 


Terry McMillan’s latest novel is of missed opportunities

By Sari Friedman Special to the Daily Planet
Monday February 26, 2001

Family. Can’t live with ‘em… Can’t live with ‘em. 

“A Day Late and a Dollar Short,” the latest novel from local author Terry McMillan, introduces the Prices, a family headed by fifty-five year old matriarch, Viola Price, who’s just landed in a hospital intensive care unit with severe asthma after being abandoned by her husband, Cecil. Viola’s voice is rich and powered up. She’s angry and quite vocal about it. If her life isn’t a soap opera, whose is? 

Viola Price thinks about each one of her children as she waits for her lunch tray, deconstructing them mercilessly, one by one … and then she moves on to Cecil.  

After this, the other family members get a turn. How easy it is to fall into each one of these characters. Viola’s son gets what he thinks is a Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes offer … then he realizes it’s a summons for past due child support. It’s the little things that get you down. Challenges like figuring out how to zip up your pants and stand at the same time. 

But larger challenges lurk as well. Viola’s daughter has to confront her own daughter’s story, a soap opera within a soap opera. Another daughter tries to understand herself in the context of TV sitcoms. Is she Jeannie in “I Dream of Jeannie,” or Denise Nicholson of “Room 222”? 

And each family member must face those too-real moments — Trying to act like you don’t care when a loved one leaves you, trying to live as a “female lion who don’t roar loud enough,” and trying to figure out a way to deal with another family member described “as a horsewho don’t pull his own weight.” 

“For me,” Terry McMillan says, “This novel, ‘A Day Late and a Dollar Short,’ is about missed opportunities. We, as people, always seem to believe we’ll have another chance, and sometimes we don’t get the chance. So my question was, what if you don’t?” 

As Viola Price says, There’s “a whole lotta weird s--- been going on” in every family. And yet, differences aside, every one of us is hungry for love. We all get sick, can’t find our car keys, pretend, feel jealous. McMillan brings out each individual family member’s fears, hopes and dreams… balanced only by the relief inherent in knowing we have a good story. This work of fiction is simply delicious. “Ain’t no time limit on heartache,” as one character says. It’s true. 

Cody’s Bookstore is sponsoring a reading by Terry McMillan tonight at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley. 

Sari Friedman, whose short fiction and poetry appears in various literary magazines and anthologies, teaches writing at several local colleges. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Record industry blames Napster for low CD sales

The Associated Press
Monday February 26, 2001

LOS ANGELES — In the ongoing battle between the recording industry and Napster, industry officials have brought forth new evidence in their attempt to prove the Internet music-swapping service has cut into their business. 

Shipments of CD singles sank by 39 percent last year, according to data released by the Recording Industry Association of America. 

“Napster hurt record sales,” said RIAA president Hilary Rosen. In particular, Rosen pointed to the drop in the sales of singles, once the format that fueled the music industry, as evidence of Napster’s affect. The industry released the figures after a federal court ruled this month that the service helped users to violate music copyright laws. Financial penalties and an injunction have placed the future of the popular service in question. 

Napster chief executive Hank Barry said the association is twisting the data to support the recording industry’s claim that they have suffered “irreparable harm” at the hands of Napster users. 

“In order to argue we’ve done irreparable harm, it would be great if there were some irreparable harm to show,” he said. “We haven’t seen a credible survey yet that suggests Napster is hurting CD sales.” Some experts trace the drop in the sale of singles back to the record companies themselves.  

Singles, a mainstay of the industry in the 1950s and 60s, have fallen out of favor as a tool to inflate sales figures and influence radio programming, said Roy Lott, president of EMI Group’s Capitol label. Even so, Napster is the “prime culprit” for the drop in sales, he said. 

Industry analysts said the drop in sales can be attributed to a number of factors, including economic factors and a weak year for music releases. 

“Napster alone doesn’t seem like a fair alibi,” said Michael Nathanson, a Wall Street analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. “It’s a combination of things. Softness in consumer spending. The hit titles were for such a narrow (audience) that it was a very thin year, and lastly, the Napster factor. You can’t put your finger on it.” 

“To be honest, it wasn’t a great music year,” said Andreas Schmidt, chief of the e-commerce group at Bertelsmann, which has joined forces with Napster. “There were some isolated events, but we didn’t put that much good stuff out.” 


Judge’s remarks may help Microsoft in breakup appeal

The Associated Press
Monday February 26, 2001

WASHINGTON — Microsoft will try to convince an appeals court this week that the breakup of the software giant is unwarranted in a high stakes legal showdown that may focus as much on the judge who made the ruling as the legal underpinnings for it. 

U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson’s comments outside the courtroom – comparing Microsoft chairman Bill Gates to Napoleon and suggesting company officials were not “grown-ups” – have injected a new wildcard into the case. 

Experts say that makes the job more difficult for government lawyers who are trying to preserve their historic antitrust victory ordering the breakup of Microsoft for anticompetitive practices. 

“In conscious or unconscious ways, the court of appeals will feel fewer inhibitions to second-guess Jackson’s findings concerning crucial pieces of evidence,” George Washington University law professor William Kovacic predicted. “Nothing good will come to the government plaintiffs from all of this.” 

Microsoft has “a 50 percent chance of walking completely” thanks to Jackson’s post-trial statements, University of Baltimore law professor Bob Lande said. Before the comments, he gave the government a 2-to-1 edge. 

“Those wonderful findings of fact all have a cloud cast on them because of Jackson’s unjudicial statements,” Lande said. 

In interviews with reporters and authors writing books on Microsoft’s legal ordeal, Jackson made scathing attacks on Gates, the company’s legal team and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which was to hear the company’s appeal Monday and Tuesday. 

Jackson accused the appeals court of “making up 90 percent of the facts on their own” in an earlier Microsoft ruling, and said the judges were “supercilious” and without practical trial experience. 

The appeals court set an unusual amount of time for the argument – six hours over two days, even more than the parties requested. 

The extra time will be spent questioning Jackson’s factual findings, in which he laid out how he thought Microsoft used anticompetitive practices and harmed consumers, the appellate judges said. 

At least publicly, the Justice Department and Microsoft have both played down the significance of Jackson’s words. 

“The press was always hammering the Microsoft mistakes and having fun with them, and I think the judge piled on,” said C. Boyden Gray, a one-time adviser to former President Bush and now a Microsoft supporter. “I don’t think it will affect the outcome.” 


Terms elevate pet relationship

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Saturday February 24, 2001

A rose is a rose by any other name. Sure, but in Berkeley, Shakespeare wouldn’t be able to apply his famous saying to the special relationship between humans and their furry companions – the family dog or cat. 

Tuesday, in an attempt to reduce animal abuse through the power of language, the City Council will consider changing the legal terminology of the relationship between humans and their pets. The Citizen’s Humane Commission has recommended the council change the term “owner” in Berkeley’s Animal Ordinance, to “owner/guardian.”  

The new term will appear on license applications and even when owner/guardians receive citations for their misbehaving wards. 

The commission approved the recommendation on Oct. 18 by a vote of 4-0-3 (A temporary commission secretary did not record which commissioners voted for the proposal and who abstained). 

“The purpose is not to change the law,” said Sarah Barnes, chair of the commission. “The purpose is to make a philosophical change in how we perceive our pets.” 

According to the proposal, the commission supported the change because it wants pet owners/guardians to recognize pets as members of the family with value that extends beyond monetary worth. 

“Changing the word “owner” to “owners/guardians” may move people’s thinking of companion animals as property to an understanding that pets are almost members of one’s family and they have to be protected,” according to the proposal. 

Barnes said the idea to change the terminology was brought to the commission’s attention by the nonprofit In Defense of Animals, founded in 1983 by veterinarian Elliot Katz to end the institutionalized exploitation and abuse of animals. 

Rita Anderson, director of the IDA campaign to change pet-ownership terminology in cities around the country, said Berkeley will be the third to change its animal ordinance. Boulder, Colo., was the first last year and West Hollywood changed its ordinance terminology last week.  

Anderson said there was some opposition to the proposal in Boulder from the American Kennel Club. “They were afraid they were going to lose ownership rights, the right to trade animals for money,” she said. “Which is what we advocate, people should adopt and rescue pets not buy and sell them.” 

Barnes said there was no opposition to the proposal in Berkeley. 

She said the change in language will hopefully reduce all forms of abuse and neglect. “Basic things like not walking dogs on a regular basis to throwing puppies out of moving cars,” she said.  

Deputy City Attorney Matthew Orebic said the change to the Berkeley Municipal Ordinance will not be difficult and will have no financial impact. 

“The only change to the ordinance will be one of language,” he said. “There will be no change to the letter of the law.” 

Berkeley dog owner Ruth Hinds, who was watching her 8-month-old companion, Cosmo, romp with other dogs at the Ohlone Dog Park on Friday, said she supports the idea.  

“The idea of ownership is wrongheaded. Dogs aren’t possessions, they’re not television sets, they’re not automobiles, they’re not things,” she said. “They’re our friends and companions.” 

Moniz Franco, who was at the park with her 3-year-old collie, Bella Luna, sounded a note of skepticism. “I call myself her mom but it’s all semantics,” She said. “I could think of a few more important things the city could be doing.” 


Calendar of Events & Activities

Staff
Saturday February 24, 2001


Saturday, Feb. 24

 

Tibetan New Year’s  

Celebration 

6 - 9 p.m. 

Britta Hauenschild gives a flute concert followed by a festive dinner and New Year’s celebration. Proceeds support Nyingma Institute sacred art and education programs.  

$30 suggested donation  

Call 843-6812 

 

Celebrate Samuel H. Day Jr.  

2 - 4 p.m. 

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists 

1924 Cedar St. (at Bonita)  

Longtime anti-nuclear activist and journalists, Day was the coordinator of the U.S. campaign to free Israeli nuclear whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu. Day died suddenly at his home in Madison, Wisconsin on Jan. 26.  

Call 548-3048 or visit www.nukewatch.org 

 

A Little Taste of Africa  

2 - 4 p.m. 

City of Franklin School  

1150 Virginia St.  

The City of Franklin PTA hosts this fundraiser for Black History Month. There will be performances by a West African Dance Troupe, music, poetry, authentic African dishes, a marketplace, and much more. $5 Call 644-6260 

 

Love of Self, Family  

& Community 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

Celebrating the many talents of African-Americans, join the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project at its annual Black History Month Celebration for a day of music, dance, arts & crafts displays. Free dinner for all who attend.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Meditation Seminar 

1:30 p.m. 

Grace North Church  

2138 Cedar St.  

A free talk followed by practical instruction in meditation on inner light and sound. Sponsored by Know Thyself as Soul Foundation, a nonprofit corporation.  

Call 845-9648 

 

Teahouse Concert  

7 - 9 p.m. 

Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave., D’Autremont Dining Hall 

PACTS, along with PSR’s PANA Institute and the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry, co-sponsor this concert to celebrate and affirm Asian and Pacific Islander Gay, Lesbian. Bisexual and Transgender people of faith and their allies.  

$5 - $10 Call 849-8244 

 

Rolling in the Dough 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

2725 Elmwood Ave. (at Ashby)  

A garage sale and bake sale to benefit the Berkeley high Girls’ Lacrosse team. Donations are welcome and should be brought to the above address between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. 

841-4281  

 

Spanish Fellowship Night 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Peace & Justice Ministries Center  

2075 Eunice St.  

A basic Spanish class and Spanish evening devotions.  

524-1618 

 

YMCA Family Center Community Open House 

3 - 5 p.m. 

2001 Allston Way  

All families are invited to visit the new Family Center, opened in January, which provides parenting information and special programs for families with disabilities, foster families, and pregnant teens and teen mothers.  

665-3238 


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 

 

Reimagining Pacific Cities  

6 - 8:30 p.m. 

New Pacific Studio  

1523 Hearst Ave.  

“How are Pacific cities reshaping their cultural and environmental institutions to better serve the needs and enhance the present and future quality of life of all segments of their societies?” This session is called “Storytelling through Textiles” and will feature talks by textile artists Kathy Rousso and Karen Hampton.  

Free Call 849-0217 

 

Authors in the Library: 

Lois Silverstein 

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Writer and performer, Silverstein, will read selections from “Oh My Darling Daughter,” “Behind the Stove,” and a work-in-progress, “Family Matters.” Discussion and book signing will follow. Free.  

Call 848-0237 x127 

 

Planetary Temples 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers  

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Employee Don Frew will show slides of teh ruined city of Harran. FreeCall 848-8443 

 

Art Meets Science in Time  

2 - 3:30 p.m. 

Bancroft Hotel  

2680 Bancroft Way  

Professor Andrew Stewart of UC Berkeley and Gail M. Wright, a digital artist and lecturer at Mills College explore this subject through slide-illustrated discussions. In conjunction with the 0. Museum’s current exhibition “Telling Time.” Call 549-6950 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

 

Harran: City of the Moon God 

8 - 10 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers  

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Donald Frew will present s, past and present, and will show slides from a recent visit. He will also discuss the likely treasure trove of texts from the ancient world that await discovery there. Free  

Call 848-8443 

 

High Blood Pressure Screenings 

9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Church by the Side of the Road  

2108 Russell St.  

Free blood pressure screenings, follow-up advice and other nutritional counseling. Sponsored by Alta Bates Medical Center.  

869-6763 

 

La Milpa 

3 p.m. 

370 Dwinelle Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Dr. Norman Hammond, professor of Archeology at Boston University will give a slide-lecture on this Mayan city in Northwestern Belize. Free and open to the public.  

 


Monday, Feb. 26

 

“Passages Into Aging” 

7:30 - 9:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Miriam Chaya Fields, co-producer and director, of Timbrels & Torahs, will lead in a discussion about celebrating the wisdom and inspiration of the elder years.  

$5 donation  

Call 549-9447 x110 

 

Black History Dance Celebration  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

The Imhotet Dancers will perform. Free 

Call 644-6107 

 

West Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corporation  

11th Annual Membership Meeting  

Rountree’s R&B Music Museum  

2618 San Pablo Ave.  

Celebrating Sunday Fourth St. Open-air Market due to open in May.  

845-4106 

 

National Women’s Political Caucus Meeting  

5 - 7 p.m. 

2017 Stuart St. (off Adeline)  

Florence D. McDonald Community Room  

Berkeley City Councilmember Linda Maio will speak and ask questions. An opportunity to learn more about the NWPC.  

 


Letters to the Editor

Staff
Saturday February 24, 2001

Still in love and celebrating it 

Editor:  

Your Valentine’s Day may have been the traditional one where the girls receive a box of candy and perhaps a dozen roses or maybe only a half dozen and the married couples dine out at a swank restaurant by candle light.  

Ours was so different that it deserves mentioning. My wife, age 82, and I, age 88, have been married 52 years. I drove from Berkeley, where I was born, to Pinole as we were guests of a buffet there.  

Married couples who have been married 50 years and over are welcome on this special day, but be sure and bring your marriage license. On each table was a notice “All those who have been married 50 years or more and would like a free meal say ‘I do’.” We were treated royally and the employees were cordial.  

After the photo session, the feast was on. The food was excellent and the choices too numerous to mention. The thought of their generosity and the kindness to us elderly couples warmed our hearts.  

 

W. York Jue  

Berkeley 

 

SUVs create  

ecological crisis 

Editor: 

The other day I went out to a multiplex theater in a multiplex shopping center. Admittedly it was a holiday afternoon and the rain made such activity seem like a good idea to many of us….probably too many of us. Fighting off the usual array of Honda Civic’s, Nissan’s and the occasional Lexus for the all too occasional parking space is to be expected. But now, in the midst of daily information corroborating our complicity in global warming and a host of other environmentally destructive consumer driven activity, one has to battle the “SUV” as well. 

The SUV’s contribution to the ecological crisis has been well documented. Moreover, their insatiable appetite for energy is costing us all, as the price of fuel continues to spiral upwards. But the most immediate source of frustration and perhaps “road rage” is the impediment they present to our visual field and the inordinate amount of space they assume…even when they are simply occupying a parking place. Ever try to sliver your way into the driver’s seat of your own car when one of these monstrosities is parked by your side?  

The point is dramatically ‘driven’ home when we are engaged in battle for the increasingly spare parking space with these leviathan testaments to human arrogance and greed. They cut you off and block you out with the grace and remorse of a 300 pound linebacker making his way to a quarterback. You can barely see in front of them so you’re at an immediate disadvantage in making your move toward the next available space. It’s particularly galling when these death traps are occupied by no more than one or two people…often the case. 

If I was out on a dirt mountain road and had to deal with a caravan of SUVs loaded with families and friends it might make some sense for, supposedly, that’s what they were built for and I imagine in those circumstances they would be less likely to indulge my wrath.  

But in some conspicuously consumptive way, these carriages of injustice have become perverted symbols of status. Studies have found that women, in particular, find the elevation they experience while driving these behemoths gives them a concomitant sense of “control “ and perhaps even exaltation. Hey, the heck with the fact that they pose a tangibly greater hazard to those of us still confined to our vertically challenged means of private transport.  

It did occur to me, as I was scurrying around trying to secure that parking space that never did become available, how sweet and sane it would be to have a rapid transit system that could whisk me to the theater and avoid all this sparring with these overbloated hatchbacks posing as “sports.” Say, if we took the book value of all these “utilities” on wheels (just in one shopping center, on a single afternoon) and cashed them in we’d surely have enough capital to start building that rapid transit system…..today!  

Marc Winokur 

Oakland 

 

Affordable units to house local low-wage earners 

Editor: 

Doug Smith’s Feb. 19 letter, “Lip Service to Affordable Housing,” critical of the Berkeley City Council’s recent unanimous vote to allocate city Housing Trust Fund money for 29 affordable housing units misstated, unfortunately, several facts.  

The nonprofit development cited by Mr. Smith, University Neighborhood Apartments, will provide 29 units of deeply affordable, urban in-fill housing above ground floor commercial space along a major transit corridor, University Avenue. 

The amount of Housing Trust Fund money actually earmarked for this development is $1.8 million, not $9.6 million as stated by Mr. Smith. The HTF is a pool of Federal Block Grant dollars, developer loan repayments and city money among other sources.  

The experienced non-profit developer, Affordable Housing Associates, has estimated the total soft and hard construction costs, including land acquisition, at $9.3 million, a reasonable figure for a development of this size in the Bay Area’s expensive, new housing construction market.  

The developer will be responsible for all loan and construction costs above and beyond the city’s $1.8 million HTF contribution. 

It is crucial to bear in mind that these 29 units are targeted for Berkeley residents, including working families, who earn 30 to 60 percent of Alameda County’s median household income level. These units represent one of several in-fill, mixed-use developments along transit corridors, either in the planning stage or in the pipeline, that will confront Berkeley’s ongoing affordable housing crisis.  

 

Chris Kavanagh 

Housing Advisory  

Commission 

 

 

Another soul  

for sunshine 

Editor,  

I would like to second the Daily Planet’s call for the City of Berkeley to adopt a Sunshine Ordinance (”Planet picks up Freedom of Information Award, calls on city for better access,” 2/21/2001). Not only will it accomplish the obvious, such as increasing public access to information and meetings, but will also help to foster an atmosphere of openness among city officials, and increase public participation in the activities of our city government, helping Berkeley live up to its history as the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement. 

Consider my recent experience with Captain Doug Hambleton of the Berkeley Police Department. I called the Berkeley Police Department to request a publicly available document, a list of officers’ names and badge numbers. I had seen a seemingly drunken and rowdy police officer on TV after the premiere of “Survivor” and wanted to confirm that he wasn’t a Berkeley police officer (he’s not, he is a UC Berkeley police officer.)  

My calls to the Police Department were not returned for two weeks. Finally Captain Hambleton returned my call but was badgering and disrespectful. He refused to give me the list unless I gave him an acceptable reason for wanting the list. More alarmingly, he wanted to know who I worked for and what we did, even though I told him my job was unrelated to my request for the list. Finally, after much discussion, he agreed to fax me the “public” version of the list. 

A Sunshine Ordinance would send an important message to city bureaucrats who are more often than not the gatekeepers of information. Berkeley residents have a right to public information without harassment. 

 

Karla James 

Berkeley 

 

 

 

 


Arts & Entertainment

Staff
Saturday February 24, 2001

 

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 February. Featuring the work of Claudia Nierman, Jason Francisco, Fleming Lunsford, and others. 2911 Russell St. 549-6950  

 

UC Berkeley Art Museum “The Mule Train: A Journey of Hope Remembered” through March 26. An exhibit of black and white photographs that capture the fears and faith of those who traveled from Marks, Mississippi to Washington, D.C. ,with mule-drawn wagons to attend the Poor People's Campaign in December, 1967; “Joe Brainard: A Retrospective,” Through May 27. The selections include 150 collages, assemblages, paintings, drawings, and book covers. Brainard’s art is characterized by its humor and exhuberant color, and by its combinations of media and subject matter; Muntadas - On Translation: The Audience, Through April 29. This conceptual artist and pioneer of video, installation, and Internet art presents three installations. Ernesto Neto/MATRIX 19 A Maximum Minimum Time Space Between Us and the Parsimonious Universe, Through April 15. Made from disposable materials such as styrofoam pellets, glass, paper, paraffin wax, and nylon stockings, Neto’s sensual sculptural works provoke viewers to interact with his art. $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. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. 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  

 

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

 

Music 

 

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

Feb. 24: Slow Gherkin, Plus Ones, 78 RPMS, Merrick, Enemy You; March 2: Books Lie, Living Under Lies, Remnants, No Regrets, The Fadeaways, LWL; March 3: Dr. Know, The Dread, Hot Box, Anal Mucus; March 9: Dead and Gone, Sworn Vengence, Punishment, Misoura, The Computer Kills; March 10: The Varukers, 46 Short, Scarred for Life, Oppressed Logic, Faced Down; March 16: The P.A.W.N.S., Kill the Messenger, Phoenix, The Sugarlips; March 17: The Hood, Benumb, Above This World, Chrome Disorder, Eulogy 525-9926  

 

Albatross Pub All music at 9 p.m. unless noted Feb. 24: Dave Creamer Jazz Quartet; Feb. 27: Larry Stefl Jazz Trio; March 1: Keni “El Lebrijano”; March 6: PickPocket Ensemble; March 7: Whiskey Bros.; March 8: Keni “El Lebrijano”; March 10: PickPocket Ensemble; March 13: Mad & Eddie Duran Jazz Duo; March 15: Keni “El Lebrijano”; March 17: Maureen Brennan Group 1822 San Pablo 843-2473 

 

Ashkenaz Feb. 24, 9:30: Zydeco Flames, dance lesson at 8:30 p.m.; Feb. 25, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Youth Balkan Dance with Denise Weiss; Feb. 25, 6 p.m.: Calif. Klezmer; Feb. 27, 8:30 p.m.: Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Party with Tee Fee, costume party and king and queen to be crowned; Feb. 28, 8 p.m.: “Fling Ding!” A night of Appalachian music featuring the Bluegrass Intentions; March 24, 2 p.m. - 2 a.m.: Ashkenaz fourth annual dance-a-thon featuring Lavay Smith, African, Caribbean, reggae, Balkan, North African and cajun bands for 12 hours of nonstop dance music. 1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com  

 

Eli’s Mile High Club Doors open at 8 p.m. Feb. 24: R.J. Mischo; March 2: Henry Clement; March 3: J.J. Malone; March 9: Ron Hacker; March 10: Red Archibald 3629 MLK Jr. Way Oakland  

 

Crowden School Sundays, 4 p.m.: Chamber music series sponsored by the school; Feb. 24, 8 p.m.: Cynthia & the Swing Set and the American Jubilee Dance Theatre. Free swing dance lesson, 7 p.m. New Orleans cajun and creole dinner to be served before dance lesson. $10 - $40 Benefits the Crowden School 1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 559-6910 

 

Jazzschool/La Note All music at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 25: Lauri Antonioli; March 4: Ray Obiedo; March 11: Stephanie Bruce Trio; March 18: Wayne Wallace Septet $6 - $12 2377 Shattuck Ave.  

 

Live Oak Concert Series All music at 7:30 p.m. March 4: Marie Carbone, harpsichord, plays music of Frescobaldi, Sweelinck, Froberger, and Weckmann; March 11: Stephen Bell, guitar, plays music of Bach, Villa-Lobos, Ponse, and Albeniz Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St.  

 

Cal Performances Feb. 24: In two separate programs the Netherlands Dans Theater I presents the work of former artistic director, Jiri Kylian $34 - $52; March 2 - March 11, call for times: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Zellerbach Hall UC Berkeley. 642-9988 or www.calperfs.berkeley.edu Feb. 25, 3 p.m.: Prazack Quartet $32; Feb. 28, 8 p.m.: Clerks’ Group performs music from the Burgundian Courts; March 4, 3 p.m.: Baritone Nathan Gunn sings Brahms, Wolf, and a selection of American songs $36; March 11, 3 & 7 p.m.: Burhan Ocal & The Istanbul Oriental Ensemble perform traditional Turkish music $24 Hertz Hall UC Berkeley 

 

Cynthia and the Swing Set, Jubilee American Dance Theatre Feb. 24, 8 p.m. A benefit for the Crowden School and the Crowden Center for Music in the Community. Guests will also have the chance to win auction and raffle items. New Orleans Cajun and Creole dinner optional. Crowden School 1475 Rose. St. (at Sacramento) $10 - $40 559-6910  

 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra 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  

 

Adam Cooper Memorial Torah Readers Fund Benefit Concert Feb. 25, 7 p.m. Frank London, composer and trumpet player with The Klezmatics and Adrienne Cooper will headline. $25 - $50 Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 1414 Walnut St. 925-944-0931 

 

“Dido and Aeneas” March 2, 8 p.m.; March 4, 2 p.m. A tale of English Baroque opera that follows the tale of Dido, queen of Corinth, as she is courted and won by Aeneas, conqueror and future founder of Rome. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. Call 925-798-1300 

 

“Aywah!” March 2, 8 p.m. An evening of music and dance from Egypt, Turkey, Morocco and Balkan Roma. Featuring Aywah! Dance Company. Guest singer Eva Primack. $13 - $15 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

 

Mozart Requiem Singalong March 3, 8 p.m. Bella Musica Chorus and Orchestra in their third annual presentation. Bring your own score or buy/borrow one of theirs. $10 suggested donation St. Joseph the Worker Church 1640 West Addison (at McGee) Call 526-5393 

 

Young People’s Symphony Orchestra March 3, 8 p.m. David Ramadanoff conducts the orchestra in a program featuring Schubert, Tchaikovsky, and a suite from Piston’s ballet “The Incredible Flutist” $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. Call 925-798-1300  

 

“In Song and Struggle” March 4, 4 - 10 p.m. Copwatch presents the second annual event bringing together some of the best women artists from around the Bay Area and beyond in commemoration of International Women’s Day. Artists include Shelley Doty, Rebecca Riots, Rachel Garlin, and many others. $8 - $15 Ashkenaz 1317 San Pablo Ave. Call Copwatch, 548-0425  

 

Mingus Amungus & Allstar Jazz Jam March 4, 7 - 10 p.m. A benefit concert for 65 Cuba-bound Berkeley High students. $10 - $15 Florence Schwimley Little Theater 1930 Allston Way 587-3201  

 

“The Magic Flute” March 3 & 4, 8 p.m. Mozart’s most famous opera adapted by International House resident Kalinka Cichon and presented by a multicultural cast. $5 International House Auditorium 2299 Piedmont Ave. (at Bancroft) e-mail for tix: kalinka@cichon.com  

 

Eric Glick Reiman, Tom Nunn, Toychestra March 4, 7:48 p.m. $8 donation TUVASpace 3192 Adeline (at MLK Jr.) 649-8744 

 

Young Emerging Artists March 6, 7 - 8 p.m. John McCarthy will direct students from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Prepatory Division through a performance of works by Sov, Barber and others. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. (at Derby) 925-798-1300 

 

Carol Denney, Folk This!, J.D. Nelson March 7, 8 p.m. CD release party for Denney’s “The Rich Will Never Be Poor” $16.50 Freight & Salvage 1111 Addison St. 548-1761 

 

Canto Para Una Semilla March 9, 8 p.m. La Pena Community Chorus present an homage to Violeta Parra. This is a benefit for Berkeley High School’s CAS program. $10 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

Country Joe McDonald March 9 & 10, 8 - 10 p.m. McDonald will play a solo acoustic set of old & new songs and a tribute to Woody Guthrie. $20 Live Oak Theater 1301 Shattuck Ave. (at Berryman) www.countryjoe.com  

 

“Mystic Journey” March 10, 8 p.m. Suzanne Teng and Mystic Journey are a unique contemporary world music ensemble, based in Los Angeles, making their Bay Area debut. $15 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. Call 925-798-1300 

 

Maria Marquez in Concert March 10, 8:30 p.m. A special evening of Marquez’s songs from her latest CD, “Eleven Love Stories.” $15 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

 

Theater 

 

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

 

“The Road to Mecca” by Athol Fugard Through Feb. 24, Friday - Saturday, 8 p.m. Feb. 22, 8 p.m. $10 Live Oak Theatre 1301 Shattuck 528-5620 

 

“Nightingale” presented by Central Works Theater Through March 4, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 24 & Saturday, March 3, 5 p.m. $8 - $14 LaVal’s Subterranean 1834 Euclid Ave. 558-1381 

 

“Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me” by Frank MacGuinness Through March 17, Thursday - Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday, 8:30 p.m. The story of three men - an Irishman, an Englishman and an American held in a prison in Lebanon. $10 - $15 8th St. Studio Theatre 2525 Eighth St. (at Dwight) 655-0813 

 

“A New Brain” by William Finn March 2 - 18, Fridays & Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday, 7 p.m. Watch as Gordon Schwinn, in the face of a life-threatening brain tumor, composes a farewell concert in which all the important figures in his life make show-stopping appearances. Presented by BareStage Productions $8 - $12 Choral Rehearsal Hall, Lower Level of Caesar Chavez Student Center UC Berkeley 642-3880  

 

“Glory Box” by Tim Miller March 9, 8 p.m. In this one-time performance, Miller explores the themes of same-sex marriage and binational gay/lesbian immigration rights. $15 Zellerbach Playhouse UC Berkeley 601-8932 or www.ticketweb.com  

 

“The Oresteia” by Aeschylus March 14 - May 6 Directed by Tony Taccone and Stephen Wadsworth, Aeschylus trilogy will be the first production staged on the Berkeley Rep’s new prosenium stage. Please call Berkeley Repertory Theatre for specific dates and times. $15.99 - $117 Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2015 Addison St. (at Shattuck) 647-2949 or www.berkeleyrep.org 

 

 

Films 

 

“Magnetic North” Six programs of experimental Canadian video from the past 30 years that range from documentary to conceptual art. In all, 40 tapes from 46 artists will be shown on six Wednesday evenings. Through Feb. 28. $7. Pacific Film Archive 2575 Bancroft (at Bowditch) 642-1412  

 

“Toto Recall” A 15-film retrospective honoring Italy’s comic genius. Through Feb. 24 Weekend days only, Friday - Sunday. $7 for one film, $8.50 for double bills. Pacific Film Archive 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

 

“A.K.A. Dominga” A video documentary film following the personal journey of one woman uncovering her history 18 years after surviving the Rio Negro Massacre in Guatemala. March 1, 7:30 p.m. La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 x15 

 

“Tragos” Antero Alli’s vision of a future where the desire to escape from the government and media thought-control drives people underground. March 8, 7 & 9:30 p.m. $7 Live Oak Theatre 1301 Shattuck Ave. 464-4640 

 

 

Exhibits 

 

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 

 

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

 

“Trees With Frosting” Stevie Famulari decorates landscapes with sugar and frosting, making her artwork edible and changeable by viewers. This particular display will remain for two months. Through February. Skapades Hair Salon 1971 Shattuck Ave. 251-8080 or steviesart@hotmail.com 

 

“Dorchester Days,” the photographs of Eugene Richards is a collection of pictures portraying the poverty, racial tension, crime and violence prevalent in Richards’ hometown of Dorchester, Massachusetts in the 1970s. Through April 6. UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism 121 North Gate Hall #5860 642-3383 

 

“Still Life & Landscapes” The work of Pamela Markmann Through March 24, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Red Oak Gallery 1891 Solano Ave. 527-3387 

 

“Kick Back,” the Department of Art Practice of UC Berkeley spring faculty show Through March 2 Worth Ryder Gallery Kroeber Hall UC Berkeley Call 642-2582 

 

“Unequal Funding: Photographs of Children in Schools that Get Less” An exhibit of black & white photographs by documentary photographer Chris Pilaro. Through March 16, Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photolab Gallery 2235 Fifth St. 644-1400 

 

“Contemporary Photogravure” Printing from hand-inked plates etched from a film positive, a unique exhibition of photographs with luxurious tones. Through March 30, Tuesday - Friday, Noon - 5 p.m. or by appointment Kala Art Institute 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 

 

“Musee des Hommages,” Masterworks by Guy Colwell Faithful copies of several artists from the pasts, including Titian’s “The Venus of Urbino,” Cezanne’s “Still Life,” Picasso’s “Woman at a Mirror,” and Boticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours 2028 Ninth St. (at Addison) 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

 

“Evolution,” No problem quilters exhibit their soft-cloth sculptures. New Pieces is the only gallery that exclusively exhibits quilts in the Bay Area. Through March 1, Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday Noon - 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave. 527-6779 

 

Amanda Haas, New Paintings and Olivia Kuser, Recent Landscapes Through March 24, Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 

 

“Travels in Color” Wax crayon sketches by Pamela Markmann made over the past 35 years Through March 31, 5 - 8 p.m. daily Voulez Vouz Bistro 2930 College Ave. 548-4708 

 

“Chicano Art and Visions of David Tafolla” Vivid color acrylic and oil paintings with Latino imagery. March 5 - April 12, Tuesday - Thursday, 1 - 7 p.m., Saturday Noon - 4 p.m. and by appointment. Opening reception March 10, 1 - 3 p.m. Women’s Cancer Resource Center 3023 Shattuck Ave. 548-9272 or www.wcrc.org 

 

 

Readings 

 

Boadecia’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted March 24, 7 p.m.: Aliza Sherman will read and sign “Cybergrrl@Work: Tips and Inspiration for the Professional You” 398 Colusa Ave. Kensington 559-9184. www.boadeciasbooks.com 

 

Cody’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted Feb. 25: Poetry of Martha Rhodes, Linda Dyer & Joy Manesiotis; Feb. 26: Terry McMillan reads from “A Day Late and a Dollar Short”; Feb. 28: Poetry of Sandra Gilbert & Wendy Barker 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852  

 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore All events at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27: Barbara Wagner, co-founder of Lost Frontiers, gives a slide presentation and talk about “Pakistan & the Lost Tribes of teh Hindu Kush”; Feb. 28: Travel writer Christopher Baker will read and talk about his 7000 miles motorcycle odyssey through Cuba as chronicled in his book “Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro’s Cuba” 1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose) 843-3533  

 

“Strong Women - Writers & Heroes of Literature” Fridays 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  

 

Duomo Reading Series and Open Mic. Thursdays, 6:30 - 9 p.m. 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. 

 

Lunch Poems First Thursday of each month, 12:10 - 12:50 p.m. March 1: Aleida Rodrigues; April 5: Galway Kinnell; May 3: Student Reading Morrison Room, Doe Library UC Berkeley 642-0137 

 

Class Dismissed Poetry Posse March 2, 7:30 p.m. Afro-Haitian dancers, Dance Production dancers, the BHS poetry slammers, an opening a capella number and a few surprises. A benefit for a Berkeley High school student trip to Cuba. $5 - $10 Little Theater Berkeley High School 2246 Milvia St.  

 

Bamboo Ridge Writers Reading March 4, 4 p.m. Five authors published in the book, “Intersecting Circles: The Voices of Hapa Women in Poetry & Prose.” Bamboo Ridge publishes literature which nurtures the voices of Hawaii and celebrates its literary tradition. Eastwind Books of Berkeley 2066 University Ave. 548-2350 

 

Anita Barrows March 4, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Barrows will read from her poem “A Record” inspired by an exhibit done in Theresienstadt and her translation of Rosa Luxenburg’s letters. Free Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237 

 

Women’s Word March 14, 7:30 p.m. An evening of women’s word honoring International Women’s month and featuring Avotcja, Straight Out Scribes, Tureeda & Kira Allen. Hosted by Joyce Young. Open mic will follow. $4 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

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 Feb. 25: “Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin,” Gray Brechin will discuss the impact and legacy of the Hearsts and other powerful early families; 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; March 18: “Topaz Moon,” Kimi Kodani Hill will discuss artist Chiura Obata’s family and the WWII Japanese relocation camps. Berkeley Historical Center Veterans Memorial Building 1931 Center St. 848-0181 

 

UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Research Seminars Noon seminars are brown bag March 7, 4 p.m.: Akhil Reed Amar will discuss his book “The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction.” March 12, Noon: Catherine Hafer of Ohio State will discuss “The Political Economy of Emerging Property Rights.” April 23, 4 p.m.: Mary Dudziach of USC will discuss “Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy.” Feb. 30, Noon: Daniel Diermeier of Northwestern University will discuss “Mass Political Action.” 119 Moses Hall UC Berkeley 642-4608  

 

“Great Decisions” Foreign Policy Association Lectures Series Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - Noon, Through 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 

 


Berkeley ends season with 14-game winning streak

By Tim Haran Daily Planet Correspondent
Saturday February 24, 2001

The Berkeley High boys’ basketball team capped a 14-game winning streak to end its regular season Friday by defeating the El Cerrito High Gauchos 77-62 in Berkeley.  

The win also meant the Yellowjackets captured the Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League title by posting a perfect 12-0 league record while finishing 21-5 overall. El Cerrito, meanwhile, finished the year 10-16 overall and 6-6 in the ACCAL.  

Unlike in several of Berkeley’s lopsided wins this season, El Cerrito kept pace with the ’Jackets in the first half before Berkeley caught fire from the outside and outscored the Gauchos 46-35 after the break. 

“We didn’t come out with the intensity that I would have liked defensively,” said Berkeley’s first-year coach Mike Gragnani. “That enabled them to get some penetration early.” 

The ’Jackets trailed by four early before Berkeley guard Byron St. Jules scored his first of a game-high 22 points on a drive to the hoop that resulted in a three-point play with 5:22 left in the first quarter.  

St. Jules scored a quick five points and forced two turnovers in the waning seconds of the first period to give Berkeley a 16-10 edge after one. 

A balanced effort in the second quarter saw five ’Jackets score, led by St. Jules’ four. For El Cerrito, Josh McCorick sparked the team off the bench tossing in six second-period points. Kenneth Jones added another five to bring the Gauchos to within four, 31-27 at the half. 

“We can tell when we have bad warm-ups that we’re going to have a bad game,” St. Jules said. “We picked it up in the second half though and played the way we know we can play.” 

Berkeley found its rhythm to start the third quarter and made adjustments to El Cerrito’s defensive set that had caused the ’Jackets problems in the first half. 

The Gauchos played a man-to-man defense on Berkeley guard Ryan Davis and forward Louis Riordan while playing zone against the rest of the team. 

“They threw a triangle and two at us early,” Gragnani said. “We were a little confused on the court. We hadn’t seen that this year.” 

After El Cerrito scored six of the last eight points to end the first half, Berkeley countered by scoring nine of the first 12 points in the third quarter to build a 10-point cushion with 5:37 left in the period. 

“Once we cut the lead to six or eight points, Berkeley would always make a run,” said El Cerrito coach Brent Daniels.  

“We could never get over the hump.” 

The hump turned into a mountain after Berkeley knocked down three 3-pointers in the third quarter, including a buzzer beater by Riordan. 

“They did a good job of finding the open man for the three,” Daniels said. “They just shot really well in the second half.” 

In addition to St. Jules’ 22, Davis scored 18 points while Riordan added 15 and forward Ramone Reed contributed nine. 

“After we started getting some inside shots, that’s when we started looking for our outside shooters,” Gragnani said. “If we can penetrate and knock down outside shots, we’ll give teams trouble.” 

Down the stretch, the ’Jackets looked to St. Jules and Davis to lead the way.  

In the fourth quarter the tandem combined for 15 of the team’s 23 points, that included hitting several key free throws. Berkeley finished the game 13-of-17 from the line while the Gauchos connected on 10-of-13. 

Although Berkeley finished the year undefeated in the ACCAL, more important, Riordan said, is heading into postseason play with a win.  

“We didn’t want to go into the playoffs coming off of a disappointing loss,” he said.  

“I think we’re capable of playing better than what we’ve shown so far. There are stretches when we play really good basketball and if we can just make those stretches longer, I think we’ll be fine.” 

Berkeley learns its playoff fate at 10 a.m. Sunday when the seeds are announced at Dublin High. “We feel that we deserve a top-three seed,” Gragnani said.


Campus plan aims to taper truancy

By Ben Lumpkin Special to the Daily Planet
Saturday February 24, 2001

The school board, parents and many students support a plan by Berkeley High Principal Frank Lynch to implement a “closed campus” for freshman next year, prohibiting the ninth graders from leaving campus during the school day. 

“Our younger kids cannot handle the freedom of going off campus,” Lynch told the school board at its regular meeting Wednesday.  

“There’s an attitude of ‘if you go to class or don’t go to class it doesn’t make any difference,’” Lynch said in an interview. “We want to provide an environment where we keep them on campus until they reach a certain level of maturity.” 

Lynch said he would like to implement a closed campus for sophomores as well by the fall of 2002 and is proposing the hiring of a truancy officer to make sure parents get the message when their kids skip class. 

Parents can be held culpable by the district attorney when their children are truant, Lynch said. But the letters and phone messages school administrators use to notify parents of their kids’ truancy are often intercepted by the youngsters themselves before parents ever see or hear them, he added. 

Board directors welcomed Lynch’s suggestions Wednesday, pointing to links between skipping classes and poor academic performance, and to the need for police to patrol downtown at lunch time to deal with trouble-making High School students. 

Board Member John Selawsky said as many as 80 percent of students flunking two or more classes at the high school had missed 15 or more days of classes because of truancy. 

“If we expect our kids to achieve and succeed, they have to be in the classroom,” Selawsky said. 

Even Student Director Niles Xi’an Lichtenstein lent his support to the idea. “Looking back, I wish we didn’t have that temptation there,” Lichtenstein said, referring to the temptation to leave campus at lunch time and not return for afternoon classes. 

Director Selawsky said in an interview Friday that he did have some concerns about the plan’s implementation, however.  

“I’m a little skeptical,” Selawsky said. “I don’t know how we’re going to close the campus for ninth graders and not for everyone else.” 

Selwasky also pointed to the fact that more than 800 freshman would have to be served lunch on campus under the plan, more kids than the school’s lunch program can serve currently.  

Some Berkeley High students are even more skeptical of the plan. 

“It’s cool to a certain extent because a lot of people don’t know how to act when they go to lunch and they mess up downtown by starting fights,” said Berkeley High junior Richard Haymon. But Haymon questioned why the plan was being proposed for freshman and sophomores only. Seniors are the biggest trouble makers off campus, he said. 

Haymon and others also worried about the quality of food students would have to eat if kept on campus.  

“There’s so much more variety of food off campus,” said junior Joy Broussard. 

“If we eat McDonald’s at home what makes you think we’re going to come to school and eat salad?” Haymon asked, calling the school district’s preference for healthy, organic foods unrealistic and wasteful. 

Freshman Michelle Lopez said she would support the plan only if it applied to all students, and not just to freshman and sophomore. As for the loss of restaurant privileges, Lopez was unfazed.  

“I could bring my own lunch to school,” she said. 


Preschool can’t make rent, closes down

By Judith Scherr Daily Planet Staff
Saturday February 24, 2001

Finding affordable quality childcare will get even harder next week, when Dragonfly Preschool shuts its doors forever. 

The childcare center that serves 31 children, from infants to 5 year olds, has a pile of debts and has determined that it can no longer operate. Dragonfly is located on the campus of the Berkeley Adult School near Bonar Street and University Avenue, but is not associated with the school district.  

“We’re one of a few which does infant care,” said Executive Director Isabelle Mousard, touting the center’s “family atmosphere” 

The nonprofit program, half of whose parents receive subsidized care, has had a hard time making its $4,000 monthly payments to the school district. “We can’t afford the overhead.” Mousard said. 

Judson Owens, the district’s general services manager explains that the program fell behind in its rent before Mousard came on board as director last summer. A payment schedule was worked out.  

Earlier, the district had allowed the program to expand to include more space in exchange for doing maintenance on the building. Owens said he cannot cut the rent for the preschool. “That would be a gift of taxpayer dollars” and illegal, he said. He said he was still interested in negotiating with the school to see if it could exchange other services with the district. 

Dragonfly Board President Dan Robinson, however, claims communicating with BUSD has been difficult. 

Mousard says the program’s cash-flow problems stem from CalWORKS’ Links program, the state’s welfare-to-work childcare reimbursement for welfare parents going to school or to work. CalWORKS does not reimburse Dragonfly regularly for services, she said. 

Wendy Norton, program director for the Pleasanton-based CalWORKS Links Program disputes the notion that CalWORKS’ is at the root of Dragonfly’s money problems. 

“We processed all payments to the Dragonfly Preschool,” she said, underscoring that reimbursement for the program is complex and depends on parent eligibility and on the childcare centers turning in their attendance sheets in a timely way. “It all affects payment,” she said. “There are multiple issues involved.” 

Norton said she was unable to disclose the particulars of the Dragonfly clients. “Each case is different,” she said. “Circumstances surrounding the cases are confidential.” 

Board President Robinson explained attendance forms are scrupulously turned in on time. The problem is that after the forms are in, the workers at CalWORKS interview the clients to make sure their use of the childcare is appropriate, so that, for example, they are in school or on their jobs while their children are in care.  

Robinson said, however, that becomes complicated. In one instance, a teen mother has difficulty fulfilling the contract with CalWORKS. The school, however, feels an obligation to take care of the preschooler. “It’s the child who would get hurt,” he said.  

Further, CalWORKS does not reimburse the childcare center during vacations. Dragonfly therefore loses money at Christmas, spring break and during the summer. 

Dragonfly’s closing, slated for Feb. 28, comes in the midst of a local childcare crunch. Within a year, Grizzly Peak Childcare, Sunflower House and Harmony Day Care, all in Berkeley, have shut down, Mousard said. 

“The recent closings have a lot to do with the childcare crisis in staffing,” said Betty Cohen, executive director for Bananas, a childcare referral and advocacy agency. 

That’s because people have a hard time finding staff who will work for the close-to-minimum wages childcare workers make, Cohen said. 

Cohen said she is working with families, trying to find childcare for them, but conceded it would be a challenge to find a center such as the one that is closing. 

“They’re losing something they really liked,” Cohen said of the parents out scrambling for care. “They’ll have to start all over again.” 


West Berkeley origins on grazing land

By Susan Cerny
Saturday February 24, 2001

Berkeley Observed 

Looking back, seeing ahead 

 

West Berkeley originated as the unincorporated community of Ocean View. 

It sat on grazing land that was part of Luis Maria Peralta’s Mexican land grant, Rancho San Antonio.  

Captain James Jacobs, who arrived from the gold fields in 1853, was the first to settle there and establish a wharf at the foot of Delaware Street. A year later Captain William Bowen built an inn on Contra Costa Road (now San Pablo Avenue) east of Jacobs’ Landing.  

In 1854 a regular stagecoach line began operation along Contra Costa Road and Bowen’s Inn became a stage stop.  

The road between the wharf and the inn was named Delaware Street and the stage stop at the inn became known as Ocean View. 

Based on comparisons with old photographs, and because of its size, style, and method of construction, the building at 834 Delaware St. is believed to be the original Bowen’s Inn.  

It was built in 1854 on San Pablo Avenue where the stagecoach stopped on its way to Sacramento and the gold fields. County records show that Captain J. S. Higgins purchased the inn from Captain William J. Bowen in 1870 and opened a grocery store in the building. The first Ocean View Post Office was established in the grocery in 1877. It was moved twice: the first time, in 1890, from San Pablo Avenue to Fifth and Delaware streets; and the second time, in 1985, to this location at 834 Delaware St.  

The building has not been substantially altered and if the date of 1854 is correct, may be Berkeley’s oldest standing structure.  

Susan Cerny, author of Berkeley Landmarks, prepares this column in conjunction with the Berkeley Architectural  

Heritage Association.


Creosote leak from chimney is dangerous

The Associated Press
Saturday February 24, 2001

Q: A brick chimney goes up between two unheated rooms in our attic. For the last 35 years, creosote appears to have leaked out of the chimney and stained the wallpaper. Is this dangerous, and if it needs repair, what kind of technician handles this? 

A: The problem is dangerous, and it should be looked after. The creosote indicates there are openings in the chimney wall that extend to the flue. Incidentally, the black stains you see might not be creosote.  

Creosote is formed from the incomplete combustion of wood or coal. Instead, the material might be a sooty, oily film from the incomplete combustion of fuel oil. 

Regardless, both creosote and fuel oil film have corrosive elements.  

As flue gas rises, it cools to the point that a corrosive condensate might form and adhere to the chimney liner. This corrosive material attacks the flue lining and its mortar joints. If there is no flue lining, the corrosive deposits attack the brick and mortar. Eventually, cracks will open and flue gas will escape. 

When the chimney is in the house, rather than outside, flue gases can seep through the cracks and into the attic or living areas.  

This is a fire hazard if wood framing is near the chimney, and it’s a health hazard: flue gas contains carbon monoxide. 

The safest correction is to have a new flue lining installed. Many chimney sweep companies do this.  

Check in the Yellow Pages for chimney sweeps. The company should be certified by the National Chimney Sweep Guild. 

Q: I have received conflicting advice regarding vapor barriers for crawl spaces. Some advise leaving small spaces between the sheets to allow the ground to dry out under the barrier. Others advise leaving no gaps. Also, should the barrier be extended up the concrete walls? 

A: In a crawl space, the vapor barrier is usually 4- to 6-mil-thick polyethylene sheets with overlapped joints that are sealed with heavy-duty plastic tape.  

The sheets are run several inches up the sides of the foundation and are taped to the wall. 

You should not leave spaces between pieces of the vapor barrier.  

To be effective, it must be continuous. The spaces would allow moisture vapor into the crawlspace. 

Some background is helpful in understanding how a vapor barrier works. It is installed to stop the capillary rise of moisture in the soil from becoming airborne vapor.  

It can’t prevent water from collecting in the soil under the crawl space. 

If you find that the ground in the crawlspace is wet, you should take measures to dry it out. For example, the ground should slope away from the house on all sides, foundation drains should be installed to move water away from the foundation, and downspouts should discharge water far enough from the house so it doesn’t seep into the basement. 

 

 

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.


Hundreds want to watch McVeigh execution

The Associated Press
Saturday February 24, 2001

OKLAHOMA CITY — Constance Favorite offers a half-serious suggestion for how to accommodate the 250 people who want to watch Timothy McVeigh’s execution: Hold it in the middle of an Oklahoma field. 

Favorite says she wouldn’t look, but she would be there for the sake of her daughter Lakesha Levy, a 21-year-old Air Force airman who was among the 168 people killed in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. 

“To see it happen is not the important thing to me,” Favorite says. “It’s not anything that I need for myself. Let the people see if that’s what they need to heal.” 

The New Orleans woman is among the hundreds of victims and family members who have notified the government they want to watch the Oklahoma City bomber die on May 16 – so many people that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons is considering showing the execution on closed-circuit television. 

The execution chamber at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., where McVeigh will receive a lethal injection has room for only eight witnesses representing the victims. 

“I’d like to go to Indiana” and witness the execution in person, says Kathleen Treanor, whose 4-year-old daughter and in-laws died in the bombing. “But what are my chances? I’m not setting my expectations too high. As long as I get to view it, I’m a happy camper. To see it happen is going to help me realize that this is over.” 

 

McVeigh, 32, dropped all appeals last month without explanation. And last week he let the deadline pass for asking President Bush to spare his life, saying through a lawyer that it would have been a futile gesture. 

That appeared to clear the way for the first execution by the federal government since 1963. 

Several states have shown executions on closed-circuit television to small groups of people gathered near where the executions were held. The federal government has never done so. 

Officials have not decided whether they would show the closed-circuit broadcast in Terre Haute or Oklahoma City, spokeswoman Linda Smith says. She says officials have rejected McVeigh’s suggestion, made in a letter to a newspaper, that the execution be broadcast nationally. 

Martha Ridley, whose daughter was killed in the attack, is disgusted by the idea. 

“He’s so ego-tripping,” she says. “He wants to make a martyr out of himself. If they broadcast it publicly, if they did it nationally, they would play right into Mr. Timothy McVeigh’s hands.” 

Ridley is raising her 6- and 10-year-old granddaughters, who lost their mother, Kathryn Ridley, in the truck bombing. “He’s been living six years longer than those people he took care of with that bomb,” she says. 

Jannie Coverdale, whose two grandsons died in the blast, says she would like to see the execution on closed-circuit TV. 

Coverdale says she fears that while McVeigh is alive, he can teach his anti-government beliefs to fellow inmates. 

“I don’t believe in revenge,” she says. “I don’t hate him. But I don’t trust him at all. He’s just as dangerous in prison as he would be out of prison.” 

Among the more than 1,000 victims’ relatives and survivors, there is just one who has said publicly that the government should spare McVeigh’s life. 

Bud Welch’s 23-year-old daughter, Julie, died in the Murrah building, where she worked as a Spanish-English translator for the Social Security Administration. Welch, who is Catholic, says his daughter was against the death penalty. And he says he is convinced McVeigh is suicidal. 

“The day we kill him, we’ve assisted suicide,” Welch says. 


Jeb Bush in tears over criticism of staff

The Associated Press
Saturday February 24, 2001

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Jeb Bush wept before a black Baptist education group Friday as he introduced minority staffers and appointees he said have been ridiculed by other blacks for associating with him. 

Bush’s decision to abolish affirmative action in university admissions and state contracting prompted marches and demonstrations, including a sit-in by black lawmakers in the governor’s office suite, last year. 

Bush said he feels hurt by the criticism, not for himself but for people such as Leslie Steele, one of his press aides, and Lottery Secretary David Griffin, both black. Afterward, Bush said he teared up when he looked at Steele in the audience. 

“I saw her and I decided to speak from my heart about it,” Bush said. 

He had asked that Steele come to the podium. When she did, she handed him a tissue that he used to wipe his eyes. 

“I’m not crying for me,” Bush told Steele. “I’m crying for you, Leslie, and others who have to make the ultimate sacrifice.” 

Bush said the criticism was unfair because his initiative that replaced affirmative action has increased black enrollment at universities. He also said that minority contracting with agencies he controls is up about 90 percent and that his administration is the most diverse in Florida history. 

However, white as well as black enrollment at universities increased last fall, leaving the percentage of blacks about the same. 

The Republican governor received a standing ovation when he was introduced at the Southern Regional Conference of the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education and again when he finished speaking. 

The group’s leaders support Bush’s voucher program that uses tax dollars to send children from failing public schools to private and religious schools. 

Other minority organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, have opposed vouchers because they take money from public schools. 

Bush also supports plans by his brother President Bush to pump federal dollars into faith-based social service organizations. 

“I cannot speak for every preacher here, but I can go back to Orlando with a different perspective on Jeb Bush because I sense you really care,” the Rev. Randolph Bracy told the governor. 

 


Investors give $435 million to start-up

The Associated Press
Saturday February 24, 2001

SAN JOSE — A start-up telecommunications company that still has no revenues has received about $435 million in venture capital, a huge amount of money in the beleaguered high-tech industry. 

It is the third-largest amount of funding invested in a start-up, and comes despite the Nasdaq’s recent struggles. But investors say they are encouraged by the management of San Jose-based Sigma Networks, and by its product. 

And while many companies have become shy about initial public offerings, that’s not the only way venture capitalists can make money. Getting bought out by another company has a higher potential for making money, said John Taylor, vice president of research for the National Venture Capitalists Association, based in Arlingon, Va. 

“The acquisition market has been very, very strong recently,” Taylor said. “The amount of money’s actually larger for acquisition.” 

The money raised through IPOs in 1999 and 2000 was between $20 billion and $22 billion each year, Taylor said. By comparison, in the first six months of 2000 alone, the money raised through acquisition was around $36 billion. 

Sigma hopes to build a technological bridge that will improve the connections between the elaborate computing network that serves as the Internet’s backbone and the high-speed access providers that cover the last online mile to homes and businesses. 

Those connections currently are managed by phone companies and it often takes months to make them. Sigma’s technology would make it easier, cheaper and faster to make those connections. 

A number of companies are trying out the technology, including Covad Communications, America Online, Enron, Global Crossing, PSINet. 

Silicon Valley entrepreneur Marc Andreessen, a Netscape Communications co-founder who currently is chairman of Sunnyvale start-up LoudCloud, is on Sigma’s board of directors. 

The two top executives at Sigma are its chairman, Reed Hundt, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, and CEO John Peters, who joined after leaving Concentric Network. 

Peters has said the $435 million will be sufficient to help make the company profitable. 

The 10 backers of the company include Benchmark Capitalo, Cisco Systems and Salomon Smith Barney. 


State hits 30-year unemployment low

The Associated Press
Saturday February 24, 2001

SACRAMENTO — The state’s unemployment rate hit a 30-year low last month as the state’s economic boom continues, the state reported Friday. 

The state unemployment rate for January was 4.5 percent, down from 4.7 percent in December, said the state Employment Development Department. 

The next-lowest unemployment rate was 4.4 percent in December 1969, although different calculation methods were used to determine the jobless rate then. 

An EDD survey showed that about 16.5 million people had jobs in California last month, the highest number ever employed in the state. That was up by 31,000 from December and by 441,000 from January 2000. 

There were 784,000 people unemployed last month, a decline of 32,000 from December and 48,000 over the year. 

That is the lowest number of people unemployed since February 1990, when it was 775,000, the department said. 

 

Of those jobless, 447,800 were laid off, 98,300 left jobs voluntarily and the rest were new entrants or re-entrants into the job market. 

The service industry experienced a loss of 40,400 jobs in January, with most declines in business, engineering, management, educational, recreation and health services. 

Retail trade employment declined by more than expected for the winter season. About 5,400 jobs were cut along with the 121,700 expected for the post-holiday season, the department said. 

Three industry divisions — mining, transportation and public utilities — added jobs last month. 

However, the good employment news was not shared equally around the state. San Mateo County had the lowest jobless rate at 1.5 percent, followed by Santa Clara County at 1.6 percent and Marin County was at 1.7 percent. 

The highest rate was 29.1 percent in Colusa County, followed by Imperial County at 21.4 percent and Merced County at 17.6 percent. 


Market Watch

The Associated Press
Saturday February 24, 2001

NEW YORK — Speculation about an earlier-than-expected interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve helped technology stocks stage a last-minute comeback Friday, giving the Nasdaq composite index its first positive finish in more than a week. 

The moderate gains staunched a dramatic selloff sparked earlier in the session on earnings warnings by Motorola and Sun Microsystems. But analysts cautioned that the upturn might be temporary and stocks will likely fall farther, noting that corporate profits won’t improve anytime soon and more earnings warnings are on the way. 

Blue chips’ prospects also improved late in the session, but not enough for a positive finish. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 84.91 at 10,441.90, a 0.8 percent loss, recovering from a 232-point loss. It fell 3.3 percent for the week.All three indexes are down for 2001. The Nasdaq has been the hardest hit, trading more than 55 percent off of its all-time high of 5,048.62, reached last March.“Investor confidence continues to get shaken to the bone” by these profit warnings, said Tom Galvin, chief investment officer at Credit Suisse First Boston. The Nasdaq’s positive finish marked a surprising end to trading session that started on a sour note. 

— The Associated Press 

Investors had begun selling immediately Friday after Motorola reduced its first-quarter earnings outlook before the market opened citing soft demand for its cell phones and computer chips. 

The news compounded a warning late Thursday from Sun Microsystems that the weak economic environment would hurt the network server manufacturer’s third-quarter results. 

Motorola ended the session down $1.04 to $16.25 and Sun Microsystems was unchanged at $20.81 after spending most of the day down. 

The announcements sent several other technology stocks reeling, including IBM, a Dow component, which dropped tumbled $4.90, or more than 4 percent, to $104, after investment firm Salomon Smith Barney reduced its earnings estimates for the computer maker. 

Another big loser: Texas Instruments, which dropped $2.55, or 8 percent, to $30.15. 

But by late in the session many stocks had recovered at least some of their losses. Tech stocks ending higher included Ciena, up $5.38 at $74.50, and Dow component Microsoft, up $1.25 at $56.44. 

Financial and pharmaceutical stocks remained weak, however. Banker J.P. Morgan Chase dropped $1.25 to $47.05 and Johnson & Johnson lost $1.03 to $95.49. 

The volatility was the latest indication of investors’ worries that a better economy, and stronger corporate profits, may be a long ways off. 

Analysts say the increasing signs of an economic slowdown — ranging from economic data to incessant corporate profit warnings — have made many on Wall Street hesitant to buy stocks. 

“The mood of the market is that any bad news is going to be overreacted to,” said Brian Belski, fundamental market strategist at U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray, who remains unconvinced that stocks have hit bottom. 

The Federal Reserve, which has already cut interest rates twice since Jan. 1, is expected to lower rates again at its meeting in late March. Wall Street was awash with speculation Friday that another cut might come sooner, a theory supported in a research note by Bear Stearns chief economist Wayne Angell, who is also a former Federal Reserve governor. 

“We need the Fed and fast. I don’t think we can wait until the March meeting,” said Matt Brown, head of equity management at Wilmington Trust. “You’re not going to get any relief from corporate earnings. The only possible hero here is the Fed.” 

Trading volume was moderate. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by nearly 9 to 7 on the New York Stock Exchange. Consolidated volume came to 1.45 billion shares, compared with nearly 1.60 billion Thursday. 

The Russell 2000 index was virtually unchanged, rising 0.19 to 477.45. 

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average rose 1.3 percent. Germany’s DAX index closed down 3.2 percent, Britain’s FT-SE 100 was off nearly 1.0 percent, and France’s CAC-40 dropped 2.4 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

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

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


Panthers maul St. Elizabeth to reach championship game

By Jared Green Daily Planet Staff
Friday February 23, 2001

If the St. Elizabeth boys’ basketball team went into Thursday’s playoff game at St. Mary’s with any hopes of upsetting the top-seeded Panthers, they were shattered almost immediately after the opening tip. 

The Panthers took all of 10 seconds to score five points, as guard John Sharper scored an easy layup and free throw and DeShawn Freeman stole the ensuing inbounds pass for another layup. The onslaught continued for nearly the entire first quarter, as St. Mary’s jumped out to a 23-2 lead by forcing 11 Mustang turnovers. Sharper scored 11 points in the quarter and forward Chase Moore pitched in 10. 

“The kids came out and established the tempo right from the get-go,” St. Mary’s head coach Jose Caraballo said. 

Down 29-10 after the first period, the Mustangs collected themselves and managed to put together a 10-point run, committing no turnovers for the first four minutes of the second quarter. But St. Mary’s forward Jeremiah Fielder banked in a three-pointer to end the St. Elizabeth comeback, and the rout was back on. The Panthers came back with a 17-5 run to give themselves a 46-25 halftime lead. The run was highlighted by a Lorenzo Alexander rebound, which he took the length of the floor before dishing off a no-look pass for a Sharper layup. 

The Panther press took its toll on the Mustangs all game long, but they also did a good job slowing down St. Elizabeth point guard Bakari Altheimer, who scored 27 points Wednesday in the Mustangs’ first-round game against St. Joseph. The Panthers held Altheimer without a field goal until the fourth quarter, and he finished the game with just 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting. 

“We didn’t want DeShawn getting in foul trouble, so we ran extra guys at Bakari,” Caraballo said. “He’s the key to that team. Without him scoring, they didn’t have much to go with.” 

Forward Dale Ingram led the Mustangs with 12 points, and guard Terrence Edmond had nine. 

Moore scored 10 points in the third quarter on his way to a game-high 22, and the Mustangs came unglued on offense again, committing 10 turnovers and falling behind 67-37. 

Most of the fourth quarter looked like a junior varsity game, as both coaches emptied their benches, using JV players called up for the playoffs. 

Moore had 10 rebounds and three steals to go with his 22 points. Sharper struggled in the second half, hitting just 2-of-8 from the floor, but still finished the game with 19 points, and Freeman added a quiet 10.


Residents fight eviction

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Friday February 23, 2001

As rents continue to rise making Berkeley affordable for financially exclusive renters, book store employee Sarah Glickstein, 62, and four others are being evicted from their longtime homes under the Ellis Act. 

Each morning for 12 years Glickstein has left her modest studio in a two-story building on a tree-lined section of Berkeley Way to walk the 10 blocks to her job at Black Oak Books where she works at the front desk. Glickstein doesn’t own a car and worries about how she’ll get to work if she cannot find affordable housing in Berkeley. “I’ve been offered places to stay, but none that I can afford,” she said. “I don’t make very much.” 

On Oct. 23, 2000, property owner John Jordon served the five tenants with eviction notices. The units are considered by state law to be off the rental market 120 days after tenants receive the notices, which in the case of Glickstein, and the other tenants of 1829 Berkeley Way, is today. 

The evictions have prompted the City Council to consider additional tenant protection laws. 

Lawrence Hayes, a renter for 11 years, said the tenants have retained Berkeley tenants’ rights attorney Tim Rumberger and have decided to attempt to negotiate with Jordon for a fair move-out payment. If that fails they will fight the eviction in court. 

Jordon is evicting the tenants under the Ellis Act, a controversial state law that allows landlords to take rental properties off the market provided they comply with a series of restrictions, including the requirement of re-renting the units to evicted tenants before putting the units on the open market. Landlords are also required to pay tenants who can demonstrate they are low-income a $4,500 moving fee. 

Rumberger said the law is abused by landlords who simply want to get longtime tenants out so they can raise the rents to increase property values. 

Tuesday, the City Council approved a recommendation requesting the city attorney draft an ordinance to protect tenants who are being evicted under the Ellis Act. Councilmembers Dona Spring and Linda Maio were prompted by the Berkeley Way eviction to submit the proposal. The council approved the proposal by a 8-0-1 vote with Councilmember Betty Olds abstaining. 

Spring and Maio would like to see landlords required to offer vacant units in other properties they own to tenants they evict under the Ellis Act. They have also asked the city attorney to determine if the city can require landlords to own a property for three to five years before they use the Ellis Act as an eviction tool. 

“I really hope we can get the mandatory three to five year restriction in order to stop speculators from buying these properties and using the Ellis Act to kick everyone out,” Spring said. 

Jordon, who insisted he is not a developer but declined to say what his profession is, said he wanted to move into the seven units on the property with his family. He said when he discovered Berkeley wouldn’t allow him to evict the tenants under owner move-in option, he was forced to use the Ellis Act to evict the tenants so he could sell the building and recuperate his losses. 

A separate building in the back of the property has three units that are currently unoccupied. 

According to Olds, there were five buildings with a total of 15 units taken off the market last year. She said the number of units removed from the market was average and didn’t indicate a serious problem. 

If the city is able to enact the extra tenant protections, it will probably not come in time to help Glickstein, who has lived in her studio unit for 20 years, or the other four tenants in her building. 

Ken Hayes, an actor who has lived the building for 12 years, said he has been unsettled since receiving the eviction notice.  

“I was very frightened at first,” he said. “The climate has changed so much, I won’t be able to find another place in Berkeley.” 

Hayes said he will do what he can to fight the eviction as a matter of principle. “There has been constant harassment since Jordon bought the property last June,” he said. 

Hayes said he has received as many as 30 notices from Jordon asking for access to his apartment for repairs. “He would either not show up or he would walk through with his girlfriend or his kids and not do any work,” Hayes said. 

Jordon said he has gone out of his way not to bother the tenants while making mandatory repairs to the building. 

“There were major roof leaks and the building hadn’t been painted in 30 years,” he said. “When I bought the property a housing inspector gave me a list of work that had to be done and it had to be done while the tenants were occupying the units.” 

Glickstein said Jordon did fix the roof and her ceiling isn’t leaking for the first time in 10 years. “I wish he was doing it for our sake but he’s not,” she said. 

Kris Eggen, who does accessibility work for an architecture firm, has lived the property for 29 years. He said Jordon has undertaken repairs on the building but only the minimum required by the city in order to serve the eviction notices.  

“The Berkeley Municipal Code requires a standard of habitability in order to evict tenants,” he said. “Our opinion is the manner in which he chose to do the repairs was very disruptive.” 

Jordon said that the atmosphere in Berkeley is harsh for landlords and creates animosity between owners and tenants. “It’s an odd system for a city that has such a shortage of housing,” he said. 

Glickstein said she tries to put the pending eviction out of her mind so she can carry on with her daily life. “This whole thing is so terrifying the only way I can deal with it is by being optimistic,” she said.  


Calendar of Events & Activities

— compiled by Chason Wainwright
Friday February 23, 2001


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  

 

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 

 

Cosi Fan Tutte 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

An opera presented for free.  

Call 644-6107 

 

Impediments to Housing Expansion  

Noon  

Goldman School of Public Policy  

2607 Hearst Ave.  

Lawrence Gotlieb, vice president for Government and Public Affairs for KB Home in L.A. will discuss “The Housing Affordability Crisis: The Builder’s Perspective.”  

665-6812 

 


Saturday, Feb. 24

 

Tibetan New Year’s  

Celebration 

6 - 9 p.m. 

Britta Hauenschild gives a flute concert followed by a festive dinner and New Year’s celebration. Proceeds support Nyingma Institute sacred art and education programs. $30 suggested donation  

Call 843-6812 

 

Celebrate Samuel H. Day, Jr.  

2 - 4 p.m. 

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists 

1924 Cedar St. (at Bonita)  

Longtime anti-nuclear activist and journalists, Day was the coordinator of the U.S. campaign to free Israeli nuclear whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu. Day died suddenly at his home in Madison, Wisconsin on Jan. 26.  

Call 548-3048 or  

visit www.nukewatch.org 

 

A Little Taste of Africa  

2 - 4 p.m. 

City of Franklin School  

1150 Virginia St.  

The City of Franklin PTA hosts this fund-raiser for Black History Month. There will be performances by a West African Dance Troupe, music, poetry, authentic African dishes, a marketplace, and much more.  

$5 Call 644-6260 

 

Love of Self, Family  

& Community 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

Celebrating the many talents of African-Americans, join the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project at its annual Black History Month Celebration for a day of music, dance, arts & crafts displays. Free dinner for all who attend.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Meditation Seminar 

1:30 p.m. 

Grace North Church  

2138 Cedar St.  

A free talk followed by practical instruction in meditation on inner light and sound. Sponsored by Know Thyself as Soul Foundation, a nonprofit corporation.  

Call 845-9648 

 

Teahouse Concert  

7 - 9 p.m. 

Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave., D’Autremont Dining Hall 

PACTS, along with PSR’s PANA Institute and the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry, co-sponsor this concert to celebrate and affirm Asian and Pacific Islander Gay, Lesbian. Bisexual and Transgender people of faith and their allies.  

$5 - $10 Call 849-8244 

 

Rolling in the Dough 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

2725 Elmwood Ave. (at Ashby)  

A garage sale and bake sale to benefit the Berkeley high Girls’ Lacrosse team. Donations are welcome and should be brought to the above address between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. 841-4281  

 

Spanish Fellowship Night 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Peace & Justice Ministries Center  

2075 Eunice St.  

A basic spanish class and Spanish evening devotions.  

524-1618 

 

YMCA Family Center Community Open House 

3 - 5 p.m. 

2001 Allston Way  

All families are invited to visit the new Family Center, opened in January, which provides parenting information and special programs for families with disabilities, foster families, and pregnant teens and teen mothers.  

665-3238 

 


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 

 

Reimagining Pacific Cities  

6 - 8:30 p.m. 

New Pacific Studio  

1523 Hearst Ave.  

“How are Pacific cities reshaping their cultural and environmental institutions to better serve the needs and enhance the present and future quality of life of all segments of their societies?” This session is called “Storytelling through Textiles” and will feature talks by textile artists Kathy Rousso and Karen Hampton.  

Free  

Call 849-0217 

Authors in the Library:  

Lois Silverstein 

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Writer and performer, Silverstein, will read selections from “Oh My Darling Daughter,” “Behind the Stove,” and a work-in-progress, “Family Matters.” Discussion and book signing will follow. Free.  

Call 848-0237 x127 

 

Planetary Temples 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers  

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Employee Don Frew will show slides of the ruined city of Harran. Free 

Call 848-8443 

 

Art Meets Science in Time  

2 - 3:30 p.m. 

Bancroft Hotel  

2680 Bancroft Way  

Professor Andrew Stewart of UC Berkeley and Gail M. Wright, a digital artist and lecturer at Mills College explore this subject through slide-illustrated discussions. In conjunction with the 0. Museum’s current exhibition “Telling Time.” 549-6950 

 

Harran: City of the Moon God 

8 - 10 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers  

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Donald Frew will present s, past and present, and will show slides from a recent visit. He will also discuss the likely treasure trove of texts from the ancient world that await discovery there. Free  

Call 848-8443 

 

High Blood Pressure Screenings 

9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Church by the Side of the Road  

2108 Russell St.  

Free blood pressure screenings, follow-up advice and other nutritional counseling. Sponsored by Alta Bates Medical Center.  

869-6763 

La Milpa 

3 p.m. 

370 Dwinelle Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Dr. Norman Hammond, professor of Archeology at Boston University will give a slide-lecture on this Mayan city in Northwestern Belize. Free and open to the public.  

 


Monday, Feb. 26

 

“Passages Into Aging” 

7:30 - 9:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Miriam Chaya Fields, co-producer and director, of Timbrels & Torahs, will lead in a discussion about celebrating the wisdom and inspiration of the elder years.  

$5 donation  

Call 549-9447 x110 

 

Black History Dance Celebration  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

The Imhotet Dancers will perform. Free 

Call 644-6107 

 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

 

 

 


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 

 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

 

City Council Meeting 

8 p.m. 

Sheryl Walton of CAT will provide an overview of the CAT and its model to the City Council and Berkeley viewers.  

 

Farmers’ Market Fat Tuesday 

Mardi Gras Celebration  

1 p.m. - Dusk 

Derby St. at MLK Jr. Way 

With live performances by The Sons & Daughters of Orpheus and Wild Buds: West Coast Mardi Gras Band. Free and always wheelchair accessible.  

 

BHS Jazz Band  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

A Black History celebration performance. Free 

Call 644-6107 

 

Mardi Gras Improv Show  

7:30 p.m. 

Live Oak Theatre  

1301 Shattuck Ave.  

Renowned comedians from Bay Area Theater Sports, the proceeds will benefit Good Shepard Episcopal Church in Berkeley.  

$10 - $20  

234-6586 

 

Telegraph Area Association  

9 a.m.  

TAA  

2509 Haste St.  

Discussions will include committee updates, TAA workshop, and funding/budget.  

 

Organizing for Public Power  

7 p.m. 

Temescal Branch  

Oakland Library, Rear Entrance  

5205 Telegraph Ave.  

Dan Berman, co-author of “Who Owns the Sun?” and advisor to Ralph Nader, Robin Davis, PG&E worker, Eugene Coyle, energy policy economist, and Gail Bateson, labor party, will discuss the electricity crisis.  

373-9219  

 

Fat Tuesday Celebration 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Peace & Justice Ministries Center 

2075 Eunice St.  

Tour the new Berkeley Peace & Justice Center after the renovations are complete. Community open house, complete with building blessing, Cajun food and jazz.  

524-1618 

 


Wednesday, Feb. 28

 

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 

 

Conversations in Commedia 

7:30 p.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Ave. (at Prince) 

Mime Troupe founder Ron Davis and icon clown Wavy Gravy give dialogues on satire.  

$6 - $8  

Call 849-2568 

 

Women in Interfaith Relationships  

9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Led by Dawn Kepler, this workshop will explore interfaith relationships on many levels, in relation to culture, religion, and gender. People of all backgrounds and orientations are invited to attend.  

$10 

848-0237 x127 

 

Planning Commission Public Hearing  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

The commission is holding public hearings on the Planning Commission Draft General Plan. The commission requests that all written comments on the plan be submitted by March 1. 

 

Guide Dogs for the Blind 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

T. Duncan, a low vision speaker, will talk about guide dogs. Free  

Call 644-6107 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 


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 

 

Berkeley Metaphysical Toastmasters Club  

6:15 - 7:30 p.m.  

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysics come together. Ongoing first and third Thursdays each month.  

Call 869-2547 

 

Cancer Support Group 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Summit Medical Center 

Markstein Cancer Education & Prevention Center 

450 30th St., Second Floor  

Oakland  

Free support group for families, friends, and patients diagnosed with cancer.  

869-8833 to register  

 

Cycling Journey  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Leo Tenenblat and Jean Philippe Boubli set off on their mountain bikes from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu, Nepal. They will share slides and stories of their 52-day adventure. Free 

Call 527-4140 

 


Friday, March 2

 

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 

 

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  

 

Class Dismissed Poetry Posse 

7:30 p.m. 

Little Theater 

Berkeley High School  

2246 Milvia St.  

Afro-Haitian dancers, Dance Production dancers, the BHS poetry slammers, an opening a capella number and a few surprises. A benefit for a Berkeley High school student trip to Cuba.  

$5 - $10  

 

Colombia In Context  

9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Bancroft Hotel  

2680 Bancroft Way  

UC Berkeley  

A conference bringing together leading experts from both Latin America and the U.S. to discuss both the roots of the current Colombian crisis, and the future effects of U.S. strategy on the region. There will be a break between Noon and 2 p.m. 

Visit www.clas.berkeley.edu/clas 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 


Saturday, March 3

 

Rockridge Writers 

3:30 - 5:30 p.m. 

Spasso Coffeehouse  

6021 College Ave.  

Poets and writers meet to critique each other’s work. “Members’ work tends to be dark, humorous, surreal, or strange.”  

e-mail: berkeleysappho@yahoo.com 

 

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

The Cal Sailing Club, a non-profit sailing and windsurfing cooperative, give free rides on a first come, first served bases on the first full weekend of each month. Wear warm clothes and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children must be at least five years old and must be accompanies by an adult.  

Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

 

Wild About Books? 

10:30 a.m. 

Central Berkeley Library  

2121 Allston Way  

Mary Miche, leader of Song Trek Music, will lead a sing-along that will send everyone home humming.  

Call 649-3913 

 

Residential Solar Electricity  

1 - 3 p.m. 

Ecology Center  

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

Hal Aronson, director of the Solar Energy Education Program for Berkeley EcoHouse, will cover how solar electric cells work, different types of systems, and costs of a solar system. Participants will also produce electricity using photovoltaic panels and power a range of appliances.  

$10 - $15  

548-2220 x233  

 

Feathered Dinosaurs  

11 a.m.  

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley’s Dr. Kevin Padian talks about the discovery of feathered dinosaur fossils in northern China. Included with museum admission.  

$3 - $7  

642-5132 

 

Sunday, March 4  

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

The Cal Sailing Club, a non-profit sailing and windsurfing cooperative, give free rides on a first come, first served bases on the first full weekend of each month. Wear warm clothes and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children must be at least five years old and must be accompanies by an adult.  

Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

 

Salsa Lesson and Dance Party  

6 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Professional instructors Mati Mizrachi and Ron Louie will lead you through the steps. Irsraeli food will be provided by Holy Land Restaurant.  

$10 

RSVP 237-9874 

 

Monday, March 5  

Your Legal Rights with HMOs 

6 - 7:30 p.m. 

YWCA Oakland  

1515 Webster St., Second Floor  

Oakland  

Presented by the Women’s Cancer Resource Center, UCSF Cancer Resource Center and the San Francisco Bar Volunteer Legal Services, this free workshop covers what your legal rights are and how to guard them.  

Call 415-885-3693 

 

Beginning Bicyclist Workshop  

7 - 9 p.m. 

YMCA  

2001 Allston Way  

Community Room 1, Main Floor  

Jason Meggs and Zed Lopez will teach you how to keep yourself and your bike safe and even how to use your bike for shopping. Free  

Call Jason Meggs, 549-RIDE 

 

“Stop Medical Apartheid” 

Noon  

Parker & Seventh St.  

Local non-violent civil disobedience in reaction to Bayer Corp. involvement in a lawsuit against the government of South Africa. Bayer and 39 other large drug companies are suing the governement to prevent them from producing generic AIDS drugs or importing them at the lowest market price. Speakers or arrestees includes Councilors Maudelle Shirek and Kriss Worthington, Father Bill O’Donnell and Rev. Mark Wilson and South African Bongane Byatai.  

Call 568-1680 

 

Self-Care and Wellness Health Fair 

Pre-Registration Deadline 

9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center 

Ashby Campus, Auditorium  

2450 Ashby Ave.  

Registration deadline for the March 10 event. A day of workshops offering ways to maintain and improve health of the body, mind and spirit.  

$10 admission, $5 per workshop  

 

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 527-5332  

 

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 

 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

 

Wednesday, March 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 

 

Women in Interfaith Relationships  

9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Led by Dawn Kepler, this workshop will explore interfaith relationships on many levels, in relation to culture, religion, and gender. People of all backgrounds and orientations are invited to attend.  

$10 

848-0237 x127 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

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 

 

Trekking Northern India  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Professional wilderness guide Randy Pomeroy will take you on a journey from Ladakh to Rajasthan. Free 

Call 527-4140 

 

“Fifty Years in the Making” 

Boalt Hall School of Law  

UC Berkeley 

A gathering of some of the most prominent diplomats, scholars, and legal practitioners in the field of World War II reparation and restitution claims. Free and open to the public.  

 

Friday, March 9  

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 

 

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  

 

Berkeley PC Users Group 

7 p.m. 

Vista College 

2020 Milvia St., Room 303 

E-Mail: meldancing@aol.com 

 

Europe on a Shoestring  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Scott Mcneely, co-author of the Lonely Planet book will share slides and information on some of his favorite adventures off the beaten path. Come learn about smart budget travel.  

Call 527-4140 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Saturday, March 10  

The Secrets of Sacred Cinema 

10 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Pacific School of Religion  

1798 Scenic Ave., Mudd 103 

Kevin Peer, a documentary film maker for the past 25 years, gives a two-day intensive for people interested in exploring documentary filmmaking. No equipment or prior experience required.  

$200 per person and registration is required 

Call 486-1480 

 

Narratives of Public Sector Reform: A Colloquium  

10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

223 Moses Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Mark Bevir of the department of Political Science of UC Berkeley, will present his paper on “Decentered Theory of Governance” and Rod Rhodes of the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne will present his paper, “Entering British Governance.” There will also be a session to discuss the broader issues their works raise.  

 

Greece Adventure 

1 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Linda Pearson of REI Adventures will introduce you to Greece in slides and discussion.  

Call 527-4140 

 

Healing Garden  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Ecology Center 

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

Kathi Kinney will teach how to integrate medicinal herbs into existing gardens and landscapes and how to design and maintain a practical, aromatic, easy-care herb garden.  

$10 - $15  

548-2220 x233 

 

West Coast Live  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Freight & Salvage  

1111 Addison St.  

Sedge’s guests this week will be Patrick McCabe, author of The Butcher Boy and Emerald Germs of Ireland, a capella singers M-Pact, Naturalist Claire Peaslee and pianist Mike Greensill.  

664-9500 

 

Self-Care and Wellness Health Fair 

9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center 

Ashby Campus, Auditorium  

2450 Ashby Ave.  

A day of workshops offering ways to maintain and improve health of the body, mind and spirit. Learn the process one might go through when deciding to stay with self-help, when to seek out assistance, and how to integrate care.  

$10 admission, $5 per workshop  

 

Sunday, March 11 

Reimagining Pacific Cities  

6 - 8:30 p.m. 

New Pacific Studio  

1523 Hearst Ave.  

“How are Pacific cities reshaping their cultural and environmental institutions to better serve the needs and enhance the present and future quality of life of all segments of their societies?” A series of ten seminars linking the Bay Area, Seattle, Portland, and other pacific cities.  

Call 849-0217 

 

Myths & Realities of the International House  

3 - 5 p.m. 

Berkeley Historical Society  

1931 Center St.  

Director Joe Lurie will show a video and talk about the history and the struggle to open the International House.  

$10 donation  

Call 848-0181 

 

Walk on the Moon  

2 & 7 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

A mother and daughter explore their identities as they summer in the Catskills in 1969 amidst the news of Woodstock and the first lunar landing. Peer led discussion to follow film.  

$2 suggested donation  

 

Energy Attack  

4 - 6 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

PUC Commissioner Carl Wood, labor journalist David Bacon and Environmentalist architect Mark Gorrell will discuss the energy crisis and how to get involved in solutions.  

549-0816 

 

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 

 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

 

Wednesday, March 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 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

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 

 

Berkeley Metaphysical Toastmasters Club  

6:15 - 7:30 p.m.  

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

Public speaking skills and metaphysics come together. Ongoing first and third Thursdays each month.  

Call 869-2547 

 

Cancer Support Group 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Summit Medical Center 

Markstein Cancer Education & Prevention Center 

450 30th St., Second Floor  

Oakland  

Free support group for families, friends, and patients diagnosed with cancer.  

869-8833 to register  

 

Myanmar: The Golden Kingdom  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Philip Hassrick of Lost Frontiers will introduce you to Myanmar’s unique history and culture.  

Call 527-4140 

 

Friday, March 16  

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 

 

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  

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Saturday, March 17  

Rockridge Writers 

3:30 - 5:30 p.m. 

Spasso Coffeehouse  

6021 College Ave.  

Poets and writers meet to critique each other’s work. “Members’ work tends to be dark, humorous, surreal, or strange.”  

e-mail: berkeleysappho@yahoo.com 

 

Sunday, March 18 

East Bay Men’s Chorus Rehearsal  

6:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley 

Calling for gay and bisexual men and their allies and friends to join this choral ensemble directed by J.R. Foust. There is no obligation to join the chorus after the first rehearsal.  

Call to RSVP 664-0260 or e-mail eastbaymenschorus@yahoo.com 

 

“Parenting in the Second Half of Life” 

10:30 a.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Author Roberta Maisel will discuss ways parents and their grown children can get on a positive and guilt-free path.  

848-0237  

 

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 interesting discussions on contemporary topics. This evenings discussion topic is death and dying in celebration of the Ides of March.  

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 

 

Free! Early Music Group  

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

A small group who sing madrigals and other voice harmonies. Their objective: To enjoy making music and building musical skills.  

Call Ann 655-8863 or e-mail: ann@integratedarts.org 

 

Lavendar Lunch 

12:30 - 1:30 p.m. 

Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave.  

Mudd Bldg., Room 103  

Unitarian-Universalist minister Sean Parker Dennison discusses his experiences as a transgender minister working in parish ministry.  

849-8206 

 

Wednesday, March 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 

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Thursday, March 22  

Duomo Readings Open Mic.  

6:30 - 9 p.m. 

Cafe Firenze  

2116 Shattuck Ave.  

With featured poet Anna Mae Stanley and host Louis Cuneo.  

644-0155 

 

Trekking in Bhutan  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Ruth Ann Kocour and Elizabeth Rassiga will share slides of their 25-day journey along the Snow Leopard Trek to the sacred mountain Chomolhari and beyond. Free 

Call 527-4140 

 

Friday, March 23 

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 

 

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  

 

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

A free class sponsored by the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project. The class will cover basic hardware identification and specification, basic understanding of software, basic word-processing and basic spreadsheets.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Saturday, March 24 

Ashkenaz Dance-A-Thon 

2 p.m. - 2 a.m.  

Ashkenaz  

1370 San Pablo Ave.  

Join Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers along with African, Cajun, North African, Balkan, reggae, and Caribbean bands in this twelve hour dance music-fest. This is Ashkenaz big fund-raiser for making improvements, including a new dance floor and ventilation system.  

$20 donation  

525-5054 or visit www.ashkenaz.com  

 

Sunday, March 25 

Reimagining Pacific Cities  

6 - 8:30 p.m. 

New Pacific Studio  

1523 Hearst Ave.  

“How are Pacific cities reshaping their cultural and environmental institutions to better serve the needs and enhance the present and future quality of life of all segments of their societies?” A series of ten seminars linking the Bay Area, Seattle, Portland, and other pacific cities.  

$10 per meeting  

Call 849-0217 

 

Tuesday, March 27 

“Great Decisions” - European Integration  

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


Friday February 23, 2001

Signs not enough 

 

Editor: 

Thank you for your coverage of bicycle transportation issues (“Bike boulevard becoming a Berkeley reality,” Feb. 21). As mentioned in the article, Palo Alto implemented the Bryant St. bike boulevard and other bicycle improvements during the 1980s. Sadly, Berkeley’s initial Hillegass/Bowditch bicycle boulevard differs greatly from Palo Alto’s successful model. Palo Alto installed motor vehicle barriers and bicycle-activated stop lights, and eliminated some stop signs in the bicycle direction of travel. These improvements make Bryant St. and other informal bike boulevards, such as Park Ave., faster, safer, and more pleasant for bicyclists. 

Berkeley’s Hillegass/Bowditch bike boulevard consist of numerous signs. It provides bicyclists no advantage over nearby side streets other than the possibility that motor vehicle drivers will be more deferential when driving on a street with bike boulevard signs. I commute once a week by bicycle through Palo Alto and always use the bike boulevards. I see no reason to use Hillegass/Bowditch. 

As Berkeley implements more bike boulevards, perhaps it can learn from Palo Alto’s time-tested success. I hope to see fewer purple signs and more real improvements such as bicycle-activated stop lights at busy intersections.  

 

Brit Harvey 

Berkeley 

 

 

Editor’s note: City planners say signs are only the first step. Vigilant citizens will make it so. 

Uncivilized are us 

 

Editor: 

“We are bombing Japan back into the Stone Age” - General Curtis LeMay, March 9/45 (before Hiroshima)... 

“We are bombing Vietnam back into the Stone Age” - General Curtis LeMay, over 20 years later... 

“We have bombed Iraq back to a pre-industrial society,” - Pentagon, after our first bombings of Baghdad.  

In view of our latest bombings, one is entitled to wonder if we have ever left the stone age.  

 

George Kauffman 

Berkeley 

 

 

 

Both bushes bomb to boost popularity 

 

Editor:  

Toward the end of his presidency, George Bush Sr. tried to boost his popularity with an incomplete war on Iraq.  

At the start of his presidency, George W. Bush also tries to boost his popularity with a war on Iraq. It needs to remain incomplete to be called “compassionate.” 

 

Max Alfert 

Albany 


Arts & Entertainment

Friday February 23, 2001

 

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 “The Mule Train: A Journey of Hope Remembered” through March 26. An exhibit of black and white photographs that capture the fears and faith of those who traveled from Marks, Mississippi to Washington, D.C. ,with mule-drawn wagons to attend the Poor People's Campaign in December, 1967; “Joe Brainard: A Retrospective,” Through May 27. The selections include 150 collages, assemblages, paintings, drawings, and book covers. Brainard’s art is characterized by its humor and exuberant color, and by its combinations of media and subject matter; Muntadas - On Translation: The Audience, Through April 29. This conceptual artist and pioneer of video, installation, and Internet art presents three installations. Ernesto Neto/MATRIX 19 A Maximum Minimum Time Space Between Us and the Parsimonious Universe, Through April 15. Made from disposable materials such as styrofoam pellets, glass, paper, paraffin wax, and nylon stockings, Neto’s sensual sculptural works provoke viewers to interact with his art. $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. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. 642-0808. 

 

The Asian Galleries “Art of the Sung: Court and Monastery” 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, each with a different mathematical challenge.“Within the Human Brain” Ongoing. Visitors test their cranial nerves, play skeeball, master mazes, match musical tones and construct stories inside a simulated “rat cage” of learning experiments. “Vision,” Through April 15 Get a very close look at how the eyes and brain work together to focus light, perceive color and motion, and process information. “T. Rex on Trial,” Through May 28 Where was T. Rex at the time of the crime? Learn how paleontologists decipher clues to dinosaur behavior. Black History Month Events, Through Feb. 24, “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. Computer Lab, Saturdays 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. $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 Feb. 23: Subincision, 30 Second Fury, AKA Nothing, No Common Sense, Stalin’s War; Feb. 24: Slow Gherkin, Plus Ones, 78 RPMS, Merrick, Enemy You; March 2: Books Lie, Living Under Lies, Remnants, No Regrets, The Fadeaways, LWL; March 3: Dr. Know, The Dread, Hot Box, Anal Mucus; March 9: Dead and Gone, Sworn Vengence, Punishment, Misoura, The Computer Kills; March 10: The Varukers, 46 Short, Scarred for Life, Oppressed Logic, Faced Down; March 16: The P.A.W.N.S., Kill the Messenger, Phoenix, The Sugarlips; March 17: The Hood, Benumb, Above This World, Chrome Disorder, Eulogy 525-9926  

 

Albatross Pub All music at 9 p.m. unless noted Feb. 24: Dave Creamer Jazz Quartet; Feb. 27: Larry Stefl Jazz Trio; March 1: Keni “El Lebrijano”; March 6: PickPocket Ensemble; March 7: Whiskey Bros.; March 8: Keni “El Lebrijano”; March 10: PickPocket Ensemble; March 13: Mad & Eddie Duran Jazz Duo; March 15: Keni “El Lebrijano”; March 17: Maureen Brennan Group 1822 San Pablo 843-2473 

 

Ashkenaz Feb. 23, 9:30 p.m.: Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums, dance lesson at 8 p.m.; Feb. 24, 9:30: Zydeco Flames, dance lesson at 8:30 p.m.; Feb. 25, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Youth Balkan Dance with Denise Weiss; Feb. 25, 6 p.m.: Calif. Klezmer; Feb. 27, 8:30 p.m.: Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Party with Tee Fee, costume party and king and queen to be crowned; Feb. 28, 8 p.m.: “Fling Ding!” A night of Appalachian music featuring the Bluegrass Intentions; March 24, 2 p.m. - 2 a.m.: Ashkenaz fourth annual dance-a-thon featuring Lavay Smith, African, Caribbean, reggae, Balkan, North African and cajun bands for 12 hours of nonstop dance music. 1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com  

 

Eli’s Mile High Club Doors open at 8 p.m. Feb. 23: Carlos Zialcita; Feb. 24: R.J. Mischo; March 2: Henry Clement; March 3: J.J. Malone; March 9: Ron Hacker; March 10: Red Archibald 3629 MLK Jr. Way Oakland  

 

Crowden School Sundays, 4 p.m.: Chamber music series sponsored by the school; Feb. 24, 8 p.m.: Cynthia & the Swing Set and the American Jubilee Dance Theatre. Free swing dance lesson, 7 p.m. New Orleans cajun and creole dinner to be served before dance lesson. $10 - $40 Benefits the Crowden School 1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 559-6910 

 

Jazzschool/La Note All music at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 25: Lauri Antonioli; March 4: Ray Obiedo; March 11: Stephanie Bruce Trio; March 18: Wayne Wallace Septet $6 - $12 2377 Shattuck Ave.  

 

Live Oak Concert Series All music at 7:30 p.m. March 4: Marie Carbone, harpsichord, plays music of Frescobaldi, Sweelinck, Froberger, and Weckmann; March 11: Stephen Bell, guitar, plays music of Bach, Villa-Lobos, Ponse, and Albeniz Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St.  

 

Cal Performances Feb. 23 & 24: In two separate programs the Netherlands Dans Theater I presents the work of former artistic director, Jiri Kylian $34 - $52; March 2 - March 11, call for times: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Zellerbach Hall UC Berkeley. 642-9988 or www.calperfs.berkeley.edu Feb. 25, 3 p.m.: Prazack Quartet $32; Feb. 28, 8 p.m.: Clerks’ Group performs music from the Burgundian Courts; March 4, 3 p.m.: Baritone Nathan Gunn sings Brahms, Wolf, and a selection of American songs $36; March 11, 3 & 7 p.m.: Burhan Ocal & The Istanbul Oriental Ensemble perform traditional Turkish music $24 Hertz Hall UC Berkeley 

 

Cynthia and the Swing Set, Jubilee American Dance Theatre Feb. 24, 8 p.m. A benefit for the Crowden School and the Crowden Center for Music in the Community. Guests will also have the chance to win auction and raffle items. New Orleans Cajun and Creole dinner optional. Crowden School 1475 Rose. St. (at Sacramento) $10 - $40 559-6910  

 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra 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  

 

Adam Cooper Memorial Torah Readers Fund Benefit Concert Feb. 25, 7 p.m. Frank London, composer and trumpet player with The Klezmatics and Adrienne Cooper will headline. $25 - $50 Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 1414 Walnut St. 925-944-0931 

 

“Dido and Aeneas” March 2, 8 p.m.; March 4, 2 p.m. A tale of English Baroque opera that follows the tale of Dido, queen of Corinth, as she is courted and won by Aeneas, conqueror and future founder of Rome. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. Call 925-798-1300 

 

“Aywah!” March 2, 8 p.m. An evening of music and dance from Egypt, Turkey, Morocco and Balkan Roma. Featuring Aywah! Dance Company. Guest singer Eva Primack. $13 - $15 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

 

Mozart Requiem Singalong March 3, 8 p.m. Bella Musica Chorus and Orchestra in their third annual presentation. Bring your own score or buy/borrow one of theirs. $10 suggested donation St. Joseph the Worker Church 1640 West Addison (at McGee) Call 526-5393 

 

Young People’s Symphony Orchestra March 3, 8 p.m. David Ramadanoff conducts the orchestra in a program featuring Schubert, Tchaikovsky, and a suite from Piston’s ballet “The Incredible Flutist” $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. Call 925-798-1300  

 

“In Song and Struggle” March 4, 4 - 10 p.m. Copwatch presents the second annual event bringing together some of the best women artists from around the Bay Area and beyond in commemoration of International Women’s Day. Artists include Shelley Doty, Rebecca Riots, Rachel Garlin, and many others. $8 - $15 Ashkenaz 1317 San Pablo Ave. Call Copwatch, 548-0425  

 

Mingus Amungus & Allstar Jazz Jam March 4, 7 - 10 p.m. A benefit concert for 65 Cuba-bound Berkeley High students. $10 - $15 Florence Schwimley Little Theater 1930 Allston Way 587-3201  

 

“The Magic Flute” March 3 & 4, 8 p.m. Mozart’s most famous opera adapted by International House resident Kalinka Cichon and presented by a multicultural cast. $5 International House Auditorium 2299 Piedmont Ave. (at Bancroft) e-mail for tix: kalinka@cichon.com  

 

Eric Glick Reiman, Tom Nunn, Toychestra March 4, 7:48 p.m. $8 donation TUVASpace 3192 Adeline (at MLK Jr.) 649-8744 

 

Young Emerging Artists March 6, 7 - 8 p.m. John McCarthy will direct students from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Prepatory Division through a performance of works by Sov, Barber and others. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. (at Derby) 925-798-1300 

 

Carol Denney, Folk This!, J.D. Nelson March 7, 8 p.m. CD release party for Denney’s “The Rich Will Never Be Poor” $16.50 Freight & Salvage 1111 Addison St. 548-1761 

 

Canto Para Una Semilla March 9, 8 p.m. La Pena Community Chorus present an homage to Violeta Parra. This is a benefit for Berkeley High School’s CAS program. $10 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

Country Joe McDonald March 9 & 10, 8 - 10 p.m. McDonald will play a solo acoustic set of old & new songs and a tribute to Woody Guthrie. $20 Live Oak Theater 1301 Shattuck Ave. (at Berryman) www.countryjoe.com  

 

“Mystic Journey” March 10, 8 p.m. Suzanne Teng and Mystic Journey are a unique contemporary world music ensemble, based in Los Angeles, making their Bay Area debut. $15 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. Call 925-798-1300 

 

Maria Marquez in Concert March 10, 8:30 p.m. A special evening of Marquez’s songs from her latest CD, “Eleven Love Stories.” $15 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

 

Theater 

 

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

 

“The Road to Mecca” by Athol Fugard Through Feb. 24, Friday - Saturday, 8 p.m. Feb. 22, 8 p.m. $10 Live Oak Theatre 1301 Shattuck 528-5620 

 

“Nightingale” presented by Central Works Theater Through March 4, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 24 & Saturday, March 3, 5 p.m. $8 - $14 LaVal’s Subterranean 1834 Euclid Ave. 558-1381 

 

“Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me” by Frank MacGuinness Through March 17, Thursday - Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday, 8:30 p.m. The story of three men - an Irishman, an Englishman and an American held in a prison in Lebanon. $10 - $15 8th St. Studio Theatre 2525 Eighth St. (at Dwight) 655-0813 

 

“A New Brain” by William Finn March 2 - 18, Fridays & Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday, 7 p.m. Watch as Gordon Schwinn, in the face of a life-threatening brain tumor, composes a farewell concert in which all the important figures in his life make show-stopping appearances. Presented by BareStage Productions $8 - $12 Choral Rehearsal Hall, Lower Level of Caesar Chavez Student Center UC Berkeley 642-3880  

 

“Glory Box” by Tim Miller March 9, 8 p.m. In this one-time performance, Miller explores the themes of same-sex marriage and binational gay/lesbian immigration rights. $15 Zellerbach Playhouse UC Berkeley 601-8932 or www.ticketweb.com  

 

“The Oresteia” by Aeschylus March 14 - May 6 Directed by Tony Taccone and Stephen Wadsworth, Aeschylus trilogy will be the first production staged on the Berkeley Rep’s new prosenium stage. Please call Berkeley Repertory Theatre for specific dates and times. $15.99 - $117 Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2015 Addison St. (at Shattuck) 647-2949 or www.berkeleyrep.org 

 

 

Films 

 

“Magnetic North” Six programs of experimental Canadian video from the past 30 years that range from documentary to conceptual art. In all, 40 tapes from 46 artists will be shown on six Wednesday evenings. Through Feb. 28. $7. Pacific Film Archive 2575 Bancroft (at Bowditch) 642-1412  

 

“Toto Recall” A 15-film retrospective honoring Italy’s comic genius. Through Feb. 24 Weekend days only, Friday - Sunday. $7 for one film, $8.50 for double bills. Pacific Film Archive 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

 

“A.K.A. Dominga” A video documentary film following the personal journey of one woman uncovering her history 18 years after surviving the Rio Negro Massacre in Guatemala. March 1, 7:30 p.m. La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 x15 

 

“Tragos” Antero Alli’s vision of a future where the desire to escape from the government and media thought-control drives people underground. March 8, 7 & 9:30 p.m. $7 Live Oak Theatre 1301 Shattuck Ave. 464-4640 

 

 

Exhibits 

 

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,” Through 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  

 

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

 

“Trees With Frosting” Stevie Famulari decorates landscapes with sugar and frosting, making her artwork edible and changeable by viewers. This particular display will remain for two months. Through February. Skapades Hair Salon 1971 Shattuck Ave. 251-8080 or steviesart@hotmail.com 

 

“Dorchester Days,” the photographs of Eugene Richards is a collection of pictures portraying the poverty, racial tension, crime and violence prevalent in Richards’ hometown of Dorchester, Massachusetts in the 1970s. Through April 6. UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism 121 North Gate Hall #5860 642-3383 

 

“Still Life & Landscapes” The work of Pamela Markmann Through March 24, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Red Oak Gallery 1891 Solano Ave. 527-3387 

 

“Kick Back,” the Department of Art Practice of UC Berkeley spring faculty show Through March 2 Worth Ryder Gallery Kroeber Hall UC Berkeley Call 642-2582 

 

“Unequal Funding: Photographs of Children in Schools that Get Less” An exhibit of black & white photographs by documentary photographer Chris Pilaro. Through March 16, Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photolab Gallery 2235 Fifth St. 644-1400 

 

“Contemporary Photogravure” Printing from hand-inked plates etched from a film positive, a unique exhibition of photographs with luxurious tones. Through March 30, Tuesday - Friday, Noon - 5 p.m. or by appointment Kala Art Institute 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 

 

“Musee des Hommages,” Masterworks by Guy Colwell Faithful copies of several artists from the pasts, including Titian’s “The Venus of Urbino,” Cezanne’s “Still Life,” Picasso’s “Woman at a Mirror,” and Boticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours 2028 Ninth St. (at Addison) 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

 

“Evolution,” No problem quilters exhibit their soft-cloth sculptures. New Pieces is the only gallery that exclusively exhibits quilts in the Bay Area. Through March 1, Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday Noon - 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave. 527-6779 

 

Amanda Haas, New Paintings and Olivia Kuser, Recent Landscapes Through March 24, Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 

 

“Travels in Color” Wax crayon sketches by Pamela Markmann made over the past 35 years Through March 31, 5 - 8 p.m. daily Voulez Vouz Bistro 2930 College Ave. 548-4708 

 

“Chicano Art and Visions of David Tafolla” Vivid color acrylic and oil paintings with Latino imagery. March 5 - April 12, Tuesday - Thursday, 1 - 7 p.m., Saturday Noon - 4 p.m. and by appointment. Opening reception March 10, 1 - 3 p.m. Women’s Cancer Resource Center 3023 Shattuck Ave. 548-9272 or www.wcrc.org 

 

 

Readings 

 

Boadecia’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted Feb. 23: Becky Thompson reads “Mothering Without a Compass: White Mother’s Love, Black Son’s Courage”; March 24, 7 p.m.: Aliza Sherman will read and sign “Cybergrrl@Work: Tips and Inspiration for the Professional You” 398 Colusa Ave. Kensington 559-9184. www.boadeciasbooks.com 

 

Cody’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted Feb. 23: Carol Field reads “Mangoes and Quince”; Feb. 25: Poetry of Martha Rhodes, Linda Dyer & Joy Manesiotis; Feb. 26: Terry McMillan reads from “A Day Late and a Dollar Short”; Feb. 28: Poetry of Sandra Gilbert & Wendy Barker 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852  

 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore All events at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27: Barbara Wagner, co-founder of Lost Frontiers, gives a slide presentation and talk about “Pakistan & the Lost Tribes of teh Hindu Kush”; Feb. 28: Travel writer Christopher Baker will read and talk about his 7000 miles motorcycle odyssey through Cuba as chronicled in his book “Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro’s Cuba” 1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose) 843-3533  

 

“Strong Women - Writers & Heroes of Literature” Fridays 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  

 

Duomo Reading Series and Open Mic. Thursdays, 6:30 - 9 p.m. 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. 

 

Lunch Poems First Thursday of each month, 12:10 - 12:50 p.m. March 1: Aleida Rodrigues; April 5: Galway Kinnell; May 3: Student Reading Morrison Room, Doe Library UC Berkeley 642-0137 

 

Class Dismissed Poetry Posse March 2, 7:30 p.m. Afro-Haitian dancers, Dance Production dancers, the BHS poetry slammers, an opening a capella number and a few surprises. A benefit for a Berkeley High school student trip to Cuba. $5 - $10 Little Theater Berkeley High School 2246 Milvia St.  

 

Bamboo Ridge Writers Reading March 4, 4 p.m. Five authors published in the book, “Intersecting Circles: The Voices of Hapa Women in Poetry & Prose.” Bamboo Ridge publishes literature which nurtures the voices of Hawaii and celebrates its literary tradition. Eastwind Books of Berkeley 2066 University Ave. 548-2350 

 

Anita Barrows March 4, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Barrows will read from her poem “A Record” inspired by an exhibit done in Theresienstadt and her translation of Rosa Luxenburg’s letters. Free Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237 

 

Women’s Word March 14, 7:30 p.m. An evening of women’s word honoring International Women’s month and featuring Avotcja, Straight Out Scribes, Tureeda & Kira Allen. Hosted by Joyce Young. Open mic will follow. $4 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

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 Feb. 25: “Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin,” Gray Brechin will discuss the impact and legacy of the Hearsts and other powerful early families; 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; March 18: “Topaz Moon,” Kimi Kodani Hill will discuss artist Chiura Obata’s family and the WWII Japanese relocation camps. Berkeley Historical Center Veterans Memorial Building 1931 Center St. 848-0181 

 

UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Research Seminars Noon seminars are brown bag March 7, 4 p.m.: Akhil Reed Amar will discuss his book “The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction.” March 12, Noon: Catherine Hafer of Ohio State will discuss “The Political Economy of Emerging Property Rights.” April 23, 4 p.m.: Mary Dudziach of USC will discuss “Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy.” Feb. 30, Noon: Daniel Diermeier of Northwestern University will discuss “Mass Political Action.” 119 Moses Hall UC Berkeley 642-4608  

 

“Great Decisions” Foreign Policy Association Lectures Series Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - Noon, Through 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 

 


Cal women fall to UW

Staff Report Staff Report
Friday February 23, 2001

Late nine-point Washington run dooms Bears 

 

The Cal women’s basketball team couldn’t make it two upsets in a row, falling to the Washington Huskies, 78-71, in Seattle. 

The Bears, who beat Stanford last week, were down just 62-61 with 1:51 left in the game, but couldn’t pull ahead. The Huskies went on a nine-point run, with four different players scoring, and the Bears couldn’t come back. 

The Huskies (10-4 Pac-10, 17-7 overall) were led by guards Giuliana Mendiola and Megan Franza, who scored 22 and 21 points, respectively. Franza scored 30 in the teams’ first meeting, a 69-68 Washington win, while Mendiola was scoreless. 

The Bears (7-6, 11-12) got double-figure scoring from four players: guard Courtney Johnson with 16, guard Kenya Corley with 15, forward Lauren Ashbaugh with 14 and forward Ami Forney with 11. Johnson also had nine assists. 

The teams had very similar stats in the game: both teams shot 48 percent from the field and had 23 turnovers. The difference came at the charity stripe. The Huskies headed to the line 26 times, making 19, while the Bears shot 26 free throws, making 10.


School Board votes to back Rebound program

By Ben Lumpkin Special to the Daily Planet
Friday February 23, 2001

Despite the adamant opposition of two of its members, the Berkeley Unified School District board of directors voted Wednesday night to give key financial backing to a Berkeley High School program for students failing two or more classes. 

“I’m very uncomfortable supporting a recommendation that puts these kids in peril of yet another failure,” said Board Vice President Shirley Issel, who abstained from a 3-1 vote to begin paying the four non-credentialed teachers involved in the program. 

The Rebound Program was implemented in January after grade estimates 15 weeks into the last semester indicated that as many as 242 Berkeley High freshman were failing two or more classes. Under the program, 46 freshman failing multiple classes are placed in special classes designed to improve their attendance and academic performance. Instead of one period of English and math each day, they have two. Instead of one teacher for every 20 to 30 students, Rebound students have one teacher for every 10 students. 

“The teachers give questions in a way the kids can understand,” said Corinne Thompson, a member of the parent group that originally proposed the Rebound Program, Parents of Children of African Descent. “They don’t talk over their heads. They go over it again and again until they get it.” 

Occasionally, team building exercises and field trips are substituted for classes to build students’ confidence and stir greater interest in academic subjects. On Wednesday, for example, the Rebound students participated in a challenging ropes course sponsored by the Berkeley Boosters. 

“We hope that physical action translates into an emotional and intellectual awakening,” said program supporter Beth Montano. 

But some board members remain unconvinced.  

Issel cited articles on education research Wednesday night that she said demonstrate conclusively that “the most critical variable in the achievement of at risk students is the hiring of effective teachers.” 

Although the original PCAD proposal called for hiring experienced teachers for the Rebound Program, the four teachers selected are not credentialed, Issel complained. 

“(The school board) is extremely vulnerable to the accusation that we are providing the least qualified teachers to the students most in need,” Issel said. 

Board director Joaquin Rivera, who voted against pay for the Rebound instructors, agreed. 

“I think the research is clear,” Rivera said Wednesday, expressing his concern that at risk students at Berkeley High have teachers who have worked successfully with at risk students in the past.  

“The only time these teachers were ever in a classroom was as students,” Rivera said in a later interview. 

Rebound supporters counter that the teachers’ energy and enthusiasm goes a long way to make up for any lack of credentials. 

“The rebound program is nourishing souls, and God knows we need to nourish souls at Berkeley High School,” said Niles Xi’an Lichtenstein, the board’s student director and a senior at Berkeley High. 

In an interview after the meeting, Berkeley High Principal Frank Lynch said the four Rebound instructors are college graduates who are eligible to be credentialed teachers and are in fact completing credentialing programs in the evenings after working with the Rebound students.  

They have also taken proficiency tests to obtain emergency credentials, Lynch said, but the results aren’t yet available. Until the teachers have emergency credentials, credentialed substitute teachers have been hired to supervise and assist them in the classroom as required by law. 

Because of the shortage of credentialed teachers, Berkeley High must hire non-credentialed teachers to meet its needs at the beginning of every year, Lynch said. These teachers are put through the same interview process used to select the Rebound teachers, he added. 

“You bet on the fact that you can read people pretty well,” Lynch said. “I think we’ve got four very good teachers.” 

In voting to pay the teachers Wednesday, school board President Terry Doran expressed total confidence in the selection process. 

“Every attempt was made to see that the program would be the best that we could put together in the time that we had,” Doran said, emphasizing the need to move rapidly to have the program in place by January.  

Doran said the teachers have a strong record of academic performance and a proven commitment to working with young people.  

Although Rebound supporters expressed satisfaction with the vote’s outcome Wednesday, many said they would like to see more support from the board in future, including more money to expand the program. 

Alex Papillon, president of the Berkeley Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, dismissed the $100,000 the board has set aside for the programs as a “paltry sum of money.” He said many more failing students at Berkeley need to brought into the program. 

“These students have experienced rejection throughout their life in public education and they have begun to turn off to public education,” Papillon said. 

Lynch said many of the students in the Rebound program today are students who habitually skipped their regular Berkeley High classes. He and others said the fact that these students are now attending class every day represents a major victory for the Rebound Program. 

Other supporters of the Rebound Program say one of its greatest strengths is that it increases parent involvement in their children’s studies. Rebound instructors call parents frequently to update them about students’ progress, they say, something that regular teachers rarely have time or inclination to do. 

“Parents feel that there is a door open for them now,” said PCAD member Debrah Watson. “They’re not afraid to come to school anymore.” 


Bears bounce back to beat Washington

The Associated Press
Friday February 23, 2001

 

Sean Lampley scored 29 points and had 17 rebounds as California easily handled Washington 82-66 Thursday night. 

The Bears were coming off of a 32-point loss to Stanford. 

Solomon Hughes added 12 points and six rebounds for the Bears (18-7, 9-4), who completed a season sweep of the Huskies. 

C.J. Massingale scored 13 points to pace Washington (9-17, 3-11), which extended its losing streak to five. The Huskies have dropped eight of their last nine games and 13 of their last 15. 

Lampley, the leading scorer this season in the Pac-10, posted his seventh double-double of the season and the 28th of his career. The senior forward connected on all eight of his shots from the floor and left to a standing ovation with just over four minutes left in the game. 

Lampley and Solomon Hughes were a combined 10-for-10 from the floor in the first half and teamed for 31 points as the Bears jumped out to a double-digit lead early and never trailed. Lampley connected on his first six field goal attempts and had 21 points in the first half, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer that gave California a 47-29 lead. 

Lampley’s 3-pointer also moved him past former Phoenix Suns guard Kevin Johnson into second place on the Bears’ all-time scoring list. With 1,664 points Lampley trails only Lamond Murray, who scored 1,688 from 1992-94. 

Washington made just three of its first 14 shots from the field (21.4 percent), while California sank nine of its first 15 (60 percent) and benefited from 14 Husky turnovers. 

Joe Shipp scored 12 points and Brian Wethers had 10 for California, which led by as many as 28 points in the second half. 

Curtis Allen and Michael Johnson added 10 points each for Washington.


Chinese church redefines itself

By Jennifer Dix Daily Planet Correspondent
Friday February 23, 2001

The Berkeley Chinese Community Church celebrated its centennial late last year.  

It began as a missionary outreach program of the First Congregational Church to Chinese students in 1900, in the days when Asians and other minorities were not allowed to mix with whites in many public places, not even for worship. The Chinese Mission School, as it was then called, offered fellowship for Chinese Christians and taught English to UC Berkeley Chinese students. It grew quickly, soon becoming an independent congregation and a center of the Chinese-American community in the East Bay.  

Many prominent members of the Chinese-American community were associated with BCCC. They include the late Alice Yu, who was the first Chinese educator to break racial barriers in San Francisco. Local personality York Jue, known for his curious sculpture garden on McKinley Street, has been a member of the church for nearly 50 years. Through the early postwar years, BCCC was one of the main centers of the local Chinese-American community. 

Today, the BCCC is balanced, not without some tension, between two generations and two cultures. There is a young immigrant congregation which attends its own Cantonese service every Sunday, while older members of the church are longtime residents who speak no Chinese. 

The senior center at the BCCC is a vital component of the church today. Founded 15 years ago by member Dorothy Wong, a retired supervisor with the California Department of Employment and Development, the center draws visitors every weekday for exercise, lunch, music and social activities. Many of the participants, such as Jimmy Chang, are not even church members. Chang, a retired butcher is at the church five days a week ”but not on Sundays,” he says. He maintains the building and runs an informal farmers’ market at the senior center, selling at cost, produce he’s bought wholesale. “I consider this my home,” he says. 

Many seniors lend their talents to the program, which runs entirely on volunteer labor. Ben Young is another retired butcher – a member of Butchers United Food and Commercial Workers Local 120, he notes proudly – who keeps busy in the kitchen on Tuesdays. Ed Young (no relation) is also frequently found in the kitchen, but he’s famous for his singing voice, which he lends lustily to group choruses of “Begin the Beguine” and “Baby Face.”  

“I love to sing,” he said. “Especially the old songs.” 

It’s clear that many of the seniors have found a family in BCCC. Some regulars come from as far away as Vallejo or Marin County. The program is immensely popular, sometimes attracting more than 100 people weekly. That’s remarkable considering the congregation only numbers about 130.  

Members said there is some uncertainty about the future of their church, which is now really two separate and distinct congregations. “We don’t see (the Chinese immigrants) that often,” said Jenny Louie, who along with her husband, Milton, has been a member of BCCC for 45 years. The Louie’s children were raised in the church, but moved to the suburbs, like so many young people, she said. They are active in their own churches now, but not those that are specifically Chinese congregations. 

“The truth is, most of our children have intermarried,” said Mabel Low, enjoying lunch at the church’s Tuesday senior-center program. Her friends Rose Lee and Bernice Young nod in agreement. Maintaining a Chinese-American identity is not necessarily the chief concern of contemporary generations. Times have certainly changed from the days when Chinese and other minorities couldn’t even worship with whites.  

When Louie looks at BCCC these days, she is not sure what will happen in another generation. “We’re trying to figure out how to grow,” she says. 

“That’s definitely our challenge,” said senior Pastor Rodney Lee. “We’re a modern church struggling to define our future.” 

At the turn of the 21st century, the BCCC is very different from the small group of foreign students that used to meet in the basement of First Congregational. Housed in a handsome building with beautiful gardens on Acton Street, the BCCC is seeking to redefine its identity for the next century.  

The congregation today consists of two distinct groups: the English-speaking and the Cantonese-speaking. The Chinese language school, originally founded to teach English to Chinese students, reversed itself and began teaching Chinese to American-born members of Chinese descent. 

Lee, who is a type of unofficial historian for the BCCC, said she remembers attending the language school as a girl. Lee’s mother wasn’t even a Christian, although she later converted, when she enrolled her daughter. “Christianity wasn’t really why they came,” Lee said. “They came because this was where the Chinese community went.” 

Today the language school has discontinued, although BCCC occasionally offers classes in Cantonese or Mandarin. In some ways, the church seems to have come full circle, with a new congregation of immigrants drawn from the UC community. 

Lee takes an optimistic view of her church’s future. She has seen many changes in her community over the decades, but they don’t faze her. Perhaps there’s a poetic justice in the peculiar tension of immigrant and American, English and Chinese-speaking generations that populate the church today. “Everything comes around again,” she said. 


SFO system will warn of quakes

The Associated Press
Friday February 23, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — Imagine picking up your baggage after a long flight when, over the public address system, a voice warns that a major earthquake is about to hit. 

Welcome to San Francisco International Airport of the not-so-distant future. 

Airport officials say that within a month they will install early warning sensors that go off seconds before an earthquake rumbles through. The system could be used to abort some plane landings, to shut off the airport’s jet fuel pipes, or to give passengers a chance to duck for cover, said airport emergency planner Dale Dunham. 

Dunham said it would be some time before features such as the public warning feature were in place. 

Such systems work because earthquakes send out two shock waves from their origin. The faster wave, which generally does little damage, tips off the second wave – the one that can level buildings to a single mound. 

The destructive 1989 Loma Prieta quake, for instance, rolled some 80 kilometers north from Watsonville. 

The second wave took about 40 seconds to arrive at the airport, according to Mike Blanpied of the U.S. Geological Service. But the first wave would have arrived in about 20 seconds – that 20 second difference could give airport officials valuable time to save lives and property. 

Some schools, hospitals, and nuclear plants have installed such early warning systems. The airport’s three sensors cost about $35,000, said spokesman Ron Wilson. 


Second dog in mauling case ordered destroyed

The Associated Press
Friday February 23, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — The second dog involved in the fatal attack on a popular college lacrosse coach was declared “vicious and dangerous” Thursday and was ordered to be destroyed. 

That decree came from Sgt. William Herndon of the San Francisco Police Department after he heard testimony Feb. 13 from several people who claimed the mastiff-Canary Island mix named Hera and another dog attacked them or their smaller pets. 

“I believe that this dog is a dangerous animal, and that it poses a significant threat and an unreasonable danger to the employees of the Department of Animal Care and Control. I order that the dog be destroyed immediately,” Sgt. Herndon said. 

But Hera’s fate is far from sealed, despite the order to put her down. Last week, District Attorney Terence Hallinan ordered Hera be kept alive, saying she might serve as evidence should charges be brought against the dogs’ owners, Robert Noel and Marjorie Knoller. 

San Francisco Animal Care and Control director Carl Friedman said his office would comply with the order to keep Hera alive until Hallinan’s office had completed its investigation. 

The couple lived with their two dogs Hera and Bane in the upscale apartment building where Diane Whipple was attacked by the animals Jan. 26. 

Bane was put down immediately after the attack. 

The couple has repeatedly denied any knowledge of dangerous training the dogs may have undergone when they were raised in rural Hayfork and said the attack on Whipple was uncharacteristic of the animal’s past behavior. 

But officials at Pelican Bay State Prison say Bane and Hera were part of a ring of dogs raised to fight each other and guard illegal drug operations, a canine training coordinated from behind bars by two inmates. 

Sgt. Herndon said he did not believe the testimony of Marjorie Knoller, who tearfully recalled the attack and her efforts to prevent Whipple’s death. 

“I do not believe that Ms. Knoller testified completely and truthfully during the hearing,” Herndon wrote in his ruling about Hera. 

He said Ms. Knoller’s account of the attack on Whipple, that she covered the victim with her own body but was aware of each dog’s whereabouts at all times, did not describe a complete picture of the event. 

Herndon also said the couple would create a significant risk to public safety if they were to own other dogs and ordered them to refrain from doing so for three years. 

Noel and Knoller did not immediately return calls from The AP seeking comment. The couple has the right to appeal Herndon’s decision to superior court. 


California syphilis outbreak alarms officials

The Associated Press
Friday February 23, 2001

 

 

An outbreak of syphilis in Southern California last year has provided alarming new evidence that gay and bisexual men are lowering their guard against AIDS, the government said Thursday. 

More than half of the syphilis cases in a four-county area during the first half of 2000 were in men who reported having had at least one male sex partner – up from 26 percent a year earlier. 

Health officials said the numbers are a signal that gay and bisexual men, encouraged by news of powerfully effective drug cocktails and longer lifespans for AIDS patients, are worrying less about HIV.  

Both HIV and syphilis are sexually transmitted; condoms can protect against their spread. 

HIV “is no longer perceived to be the threat that it once was,” said Dr. Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of the National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “These are very serious findings.” 

The Southern California cases and similar outbreaks in other major cities came after the national syphilis rate dropped in 1999 to its lowest level on record.  

Just 6,657 cases were reported in 1999, the last year for which national figures are available, or about one case per 40,000 people. 

Syphilis outbreaks in major cities “show that the disease can make a comeback,” said Ken August, spokesman for the California Department of Health Services.  

“It’s important for health-care providers to ask patients about their behavior and to deliver a strong prevention message.” 

 

In four California counties – Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange and Riverside – 66 of 130 syphilis cases from January to July 2000 were in gay or bisexual men, compared with 26 of 100 cases in the same period in 1999. 

Of the 66 cases in 2000, 33 reported they had had anonymous sex, and 17 said they had met sex partners in bathhouses. Only one in five reported using a condom during his most recent sexual encounter, and two in five reported using illegal drugs. 

“These men were engaging in high-risk sexual behavior,” Valdiserri said. “When we see reports of increasing risk behaviors, that’s when we take action. We don’t wait till we see the spike nationally” in HIV. 

Thirty-four of the 66 men reported they were HIV-positive, and nine said they did not know their HIV status. 

“You’ve got people who are doing well on the (HIV) drugs and believe then that they don’t have to worry about infection,” said John Schunhoff, chief of public health operations for Los Angeles County. “Some people argue that there is burnout. They get weary of being protective.” 

The CDC recommended a search for new, innovative ways to get the safe-sex message to gay and bisexual men in large cities. 

Syphilis infections in 1999 remained concentrated in the South, with roughly one case per 22,000 people. Three-quarters of syphilis victims nationwide were black. 

About 300 syphilis cases were reported in 2000 in California. 

——— 

On the Net: 

CDC syphilis information page: http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/dstd/Fact—Sheets/Syphilis—Facts.htm 

California Department of Health Services: http://www.dhs.cahwnet.gov 


Avalanche claims lives of two skiers

The Associated Press
Friday February 23, 2001

TRUCKEE — Two teen-agers who failed to return from a skiing outing at Squaw Valley USA were found dead in an avalanche Thursday near the Lake Tahoe-area ski resort. 

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office recovered the bodies but still was working to establish the specific causes of death of the two 17-year-old California boys reported missing on Wednesday. 

Search and rescue volunteers on snowmobiles found them buried in 5- to 6-feet of snow about 11:30 a.m. Thursday between Squaw Valley and the neighboring Alpine Meadows ski resort to the south. 

“Details regarding what happened are still under investigation,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement Thursday afternoon. 

The victims were identified as Bryan Richmond of Truckee and Brendan Allen of Alpine Meadows, both described as experienced skiers. 

“Brendan was just the kind of person you would want to be around,” said George Williams, a local school official. 

“He lived, loved skiing and the outdoors,” he told KOLO-TV of Reno, Nev. 

The search began about 8 p.m. Wednesday when they failed to return.  

They had told friends they planned to ski from Squaw Valley to Alpine Meadows but didn’t show at 4 p.m. as agreed to for a ride back to their vehicles. 

Avalanche dangers were rated high in most of the rugged, mountain terrain outside the developed ski areas, including around Squaw Valley, site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. 

Authorities said the accident serves as a reminder that skiing outside of ski area boundaries is always hazardous. 

“The two skiers were very experienced Alpine skiers and had skied the same route before,” said Dan Ingalls, the sheriff’s incident commander. 

“However, the activity still carries considerable risk, especially during possible avalanche conditions.”


Bush declares Iraq strike successful

The Associated Press
Friday February 23, 2001

WASHINGTON — President Bush, in his first full-fledged news conference, declared the military strike against Iraq a success Thursday despite the sub-par performance of U.S. missiles. “We got his attention,” he said of Saddam Hussein. 

Fielding questions for a half hour, the president also said he was “deeply concerned” about the FBI spy case but gave agency director Louis Freeh a vote of confidence. “I think he does a good job,” Bush said two days after FBI agent Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested and accused of spying for Moscow. 

By turns confident and cautious, Bush answered more than a dozen questions after opening the White House briefing room session with a defense of his tax-cutting and budget-tightening plans. 

Bush, who will outline his budget priorities in an address to Congress on Tuesday, said he would increase spending for popular education and Medicare programs while reducing the rate of growth in the federal budget overall. 

“Some are saying it’s too small. Some are saying it’s too large,” he said of his 10-year, $1.6 trillion tax cut proposal. “I’m saying it’s just right.” 

From policy in China and Colombia to President Clinton’s pardons, Bush discussed a wide range of topics. He was often repetitive, and frequently glanced down at his notes, particularly when the topic was foreign policy. 

A punctual president, Bush started and stopped the news conference on time. 

In his opening statement, he promised to offer a “reasonable and balanced budget” that will include an 11 percent increase for education and a 10 percent increase for Medicare. The higher Medicare budget is mostly automatic growth attributed to inflation and an increase in the number of people in the program, though a fraction is due to Bush’s push for a state prescription drug benefit. 

He promised to “slow the rate of growth” in the federal budget, but didn’t say what programs would be cut to do so. 

On Iraq, Bush said last week’s airstrike was ordered both to warn Saddam that he won’t be allowed to build weapons of mass destruction and to diminish Baghdad’s ability to attack patrolling U.S. and British planes. 

“I believe we succeeded in both those missions,” Bush said. 

Pentagon officials say results of the strikes were mediocre at best, with damage detected on about 40 percent of the targets. Bush said he looked forward to the Pentagon’s review. 

He said he was troubled by reports that China was helping Iraq build a more sophisticated and effective air defense. 

“We’re concerned about the Chinese presence in Iraq,” Bush said, and the administration is “sending the appropriate response” to Beijing. On that point, White House officials said Secretary of State Colin Powell has expressed the administration’s concern. 

As for the spy case, Bush declined to say whether polygraph tests should be used to root out spies in the FBI, noting the issue is part of an internal review. 

He said, “We will find spies, and we will prosecute them.” 

The president indicated the Hanssen case would not derail U.S. relations with Moscow. Bush said he would deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin “in a very straightforward” manner. 

He welcomed statements by Russian leaders suggesting they are open to discussing missile defense and other nuclear issues. Moscow has previously expressed alarm over Bush’s proposal to build a defense shield, saying it might be viewed a threat. 

“Their words indicate that they recognize that there are new threats in the post-Cold War era, threats that require theater-based, anti-ballistic missile system,” Bush said. 

Several questions posed to Bush dealt with Clinton’s last-minute pardons, including one supported by Hillary Rodham Clinton’s brother. Bush declined to give his opinion on the matter, saying, “It’s time to go forward.” But he also said Congress and the Justice Department have a right to investigate. 

Declaring he is not worried that Clinton is overshadowing his first days in office, Bush said: “I think I’ve got the Congress’ attention.” 

He said he has given his family guidance about ethical matters — “Behave yourself” — and predicted that they will. 

Bush fields questions from reporters nearly every working day at the White House, but Thursday’s session was his first formal news conference. Aides gave reporters just 60 minutes notice and chose the briefing room rather than the more formal East Room setting. 

In the 30-minute session, Bush also: 

—Said the United States’ involvement in Colombia should be limited to training to reduce drug trafficking. “I, too, am worried about ever committing the United States military to an engagement in that part of the world.” 

—Rejected a suggestion that he might be violating the Constitution by allowing religious groups to bid on some federal projects. “I don’t believe it violates the line between the separation of church and state,” he said. 


Skylights can brighten up a room during the winter

The Associated Press
Friday February 23, 2001

 

 

The short, dreary days of winter are a good time to think about adding skylights to brighten up dark rooms. Even small units make a big difference in the way rooms look and feel. 

There are many brands and several styles to choose from. But I advise my clients to stay away from inexpensive units with plastic glazing. Although they are cheaper initially, the bottom line is they don’t last and many of them leak. The better choice is a high-quality curbed skylight with energy-efficient glazing – and the factory flashing kit made for it. The kit won’t add much to the cost, but it will mean a leak-free installation. 

Skylights come as venting units, which open, or as fixed units, which don’t. A venting unit might seem like a good idea, but it is inconvenient to open and close when it’s out of reach. In fact, many customers who order them later tell me they rarely bother to track down the special rod needed to operate their windows. So unless the skylight will be easily accessible, buy the fixed unit and save yourself some money. This even applies to putting a skylight in a bathroom. But it’s essential to make sure the room has adequate ventilation so condensation doesn’t become a problem. A vent fan for a small bathroom should provide 1 cubic foot per minute of air circulation per square foot of floor area, or about eight air changes per hour. 

For more on sizing a vent fan, go to the Website of the Home Ventilating Institute (www.hvi.org). 

Old-fashioned skylights were simply a single thickness of glass in a frame, but today they come with laminated or tempered glass, and low-e and tinted coatings to control heat transmission and UV radiation. Just like windows, skylights are rated for their thermal efficiency by the National Fenestration Rating Council (ratings are available at www.nfrc.org).  

You can compare the U-values as well as heat and light transmission rates of various skylights. Even though tinted glass is available, I generally recommend that you stick with clear glass because it lets in more light. If intense sunlight does cause too much heat buildup or begins to fade carpeting and furniture inside, add a shade or screen. 

Skylights are available in sizes that fit standard 16- or 24-inch on-center framing. Adding a large skylight means that the installer will cut one or more rafters. This is not difficult when the roof is conventionally framed – rafters on the sides of the rough opening are doubled up and headers are added at the top and bottom of the opening. But a truss roof is different. Trusses are carefully engineered to carry roof loads, and modifying them in the field is a bad idea. If your home has trusses, make sure the installer sticks with units made to fit between roof members, or gangs several smaller skylights together to create a larger window. 

 


Possible suspects in Washington chopping legend

By Lee Reich The Associated Press
Friday February 23, 2001

 

George Washington’s birthday is a proper time to think about cherry trees. According to legend, the young president-to-be cut down a cherry tree, then admitted the act to his father because he couldn’t tell a lie. Rather than question the historical truth of the story, though, let’s question just what kind of cherry tree was involved. 

Sweet cherry trees were among those ordered from Europe by the Massachusetts colony in 1629. Plantings spread, and trees became so abundant that in 1749, naturalist Peter Kalm wrote that “all travellers are allowed to pluck ripe fruit in any garden which they pass by, provided they do not break any branches.” Perhaps Washington planted a few sweet cherry trees at his farmstead along the shores of the Rappahannock River. The felled tree also might have been a tart cherry. Although native to Europe’s Caucasus Mountains, colonists in Massachusetts planted them. The tree might have made its way in the nursery trade south to Virginia a hundred years later. 

One thing is certain: the famous cherry tree could not have been one of the ornamental types commonly planted these days. These nonfruiting cherries originated in the Orient and were introduced into America beginning in the 19th century. The most famous is the Yoshino cherry, which fringes the tidal basin in Washington, D.C. Others include the Higan cherry, the Sargent cherry, and, the most widely planted today, the Japanese flowering cherry. 

Besides exotic introductions, the eastern U.S. seaboard abounded with wild cherries in Washington’s time, as it does today. Our native pin cherry is not much more than a bush, so it hardly would have a trunk worthy of legend.  

Colonists did eat the fruit of our native black cherry or, more often, concoct it with rum from the West Indies to make a cherry liqueur. But the best part of the black cherry is its wood, a hardwood which with some sanding and then oil or varnish takes on a finish that is soft brown with a hint of red. 

Now, just suppose George Washington had chopped down one of the black cherry trees. Rather than performing an act of mischief, our future president might have had some loftier purpose in mind. 

(The story, incidentally, was recorded by Mason Locke Weems in his early 19th century book about the life of George Washington.) 

Lee Reich is a columnist for The Associated Press


Bay Area musicians in Grammy winner mix

The Associated Press
Friday February 23, 2001

 

When given the chance, Grammy voters seem intent on correcting past snubs. 

Last year, it was Carlos Santana who finally won a Grammy – eight, actually – for his comeback album, “Supernatural.” This year, it was Steely Dan’s turn. 

The legendary duo nabbed three Grammys – their first ever – at Wednesday night’s ceremony, besting critical favorite Eminem for the top award, album of the year. The jazz-rock group’s biggest hits were in the ’70s, and they are to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next month. 

Grammy voters were also good to musician from the Bay Area and Northern California.The four artists receiving recognition at the awards ceremony were: 

• Raphael Saadiq, who was born and raised in Oakland. He shared the award for Best Male R&B Performance for co-writing Untitled (How Does It Feel) which appeared on Voodoo by D'Angelo. 

• The Deftones, a band which hails from Sacramento. The group won for Best Metal Performance with its album White Pony.  

• Metallica, long associated with San Francisco. The band won Best Rock Instrumental Performance for The Call of The Ktulu, which it performed with Michael Kamen and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra 

• Kent Nagano, who has been the conductor and music director of the Berkeley Symphony since 1978. He won for Best Opera Recording for Busoni: Dokto Faust. 

Just the possibility that Eminem might take the most prestigious award drew protests from gay and women’s groups, who objected to his violent lyrics. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation led a small protest outside the ceremony. 

Adding to the controversy was Eminem’s performance at the awards show with gay superstar Elton John. 

“The duet was so dramatic, so when he lost the best-album award a few minutes later, viewers had to feel that maybe the critics and Elton were right and Eminem was the great artist he said he was,” said O’Neil. 

Another of the best-album nominees, Ed O’Brien of the alternative group Radiohead, agreed. “I think we all feel, and I think a lot of people we’ve spoken to think that he’s made the most culturally significant album, whether it’s good or bad,” said O’Brien. 

(The other nominees for album of the year were “Midnite Vultures” by Beck and “You’re the One” by Paul Simon — a big Grammy winner in the past.) 

While Eminem’s lyrics drew the most scrutiny, Steely Dan’s album also contained some milder but controversial themes, including a cousin’s lust for his underage cousin. 

“We’d like to thank Eminem for taking the heat,” Donald Fagen, the 53-year-old other half of Steely Dan, said backstage. 

Eminem, 28, did win three Emmys, in rap categories. 

But veterans claimed the top trophies. Besides Steely Dan, Irish rockers U2, who had won seven Grammys before, including album of the year, added three more to their trophy case. Perennial Grammy favorite Sheryl Crow, Lenny Kravitz, Toni Braxton, Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton also took awards. 

In the night’s other upset, veteran Southern crooner Shelby Lynne won, ironically, the best new artist award off the strength of her sixth album, “This Is Shelby Lynne.” Under loosened Grammy rules, the award can go to a performer who has made other recordings but has a breakthrough year. 

“I feel like, why not?” Lynne said backstage. “I have been around so long that to me it feels new.” 

Today’s youth sensations, Destiny’s Child, took home two of their leading five nominations. But last year’s top-selling act, ’N Sync, lost all of their categories, repeating the fate suffered by the Backstreet Boys last year. And teen-pop stars Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera also were shut out. 

Of course, not all veterans came home winners; except for her glitzy opening performance of “Music,” Madonna never walked on the stage again, shut out in her three nominated categories. 

Maybe Grammy voters will smile more kindly in another decade or two. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.grammy.org 


Venture capital funds down 33 percent

The Associated Press
Friday February 23, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — Investments in venture capital funds plunged 33 percent during last year’s final quarter in a retreat spurred by the accelerating pace of Internet business failures. 

Venture capitalists raised $18.4 billion nationwide in the fourth quarter, down from $27.4 billion in the third quarter, according to a report released Thursday by the industry’s trade association and Venture Economics, a research firm. 

On a year-to-year comparison, the venture capital slowdown was even more dramatic.  

In the fourth quarter of 1999, investors turned over $29.6 billion in venture capital funds. 

The deceleration in fund-raising coincided with a similar slowdown in the rate of investments in start-ups.  

Venture capitalists invested $19.6 billion during the fourth quarter, a 31 percent decrease from the prior quarter. 

Despite the drop-off late in the year, venture capitalists still raised a record $92.3 billion in 2000, a 54 percent increase from the $60 billion collected in 1999.  

Of that total, Silicon Valley venture capitalists raised $38.6 billion in 2000, including $10.3 billion during the final three months of the year. 

The money raised during 2000 likely will be invested in start-ups and other young companies during the next three to five years. 

Venture capitalists agreed the fourth quarter heralded a pivotal shift in sentiment as the market’s key players concluded that a surplus of money encouraged unwise investments in questionable businesses.  

The imprudent investing translated into the current dot-com carnage that likely will depress venture capital returns for several quarters. 

“There were a lot of businesses getting funded that weren’t really businesses at all. They were really just interesting features on a Web site,” said Alex C. Smith, managing director with Dell Ventures in Texas. 

 

After raising more than $150 billion in the past two years, venture capitalists don’t really need to raise much more money, particularly since the stock market’s appetite for initial public offerings of young companies has waned. 

Venture capitalists depend on IPOs to liquidate their investments in start-ups. 

One major Silicon Valley firm, Crosspoint Venture Partners, abandoned plans to raise $1 billion during the fourth quarter after concluding that the stock market’s demand for technology investments is unlikely to rebound soon. 

The institutional investors who provide funds to venture capitalists also have been spooked by the dot-com carnage, which only recently has stated to have an impact on returns. 

Emboldened by quarterly returns that peaked at 59 percent in 1999, institutional investors began to boost their allotment for venture capital from 1 percent to 2 percent of assets, said Gregory Sands, managing director for Sutter Hill Ventures in Palo Alto. Now, those institutional investors are retrenching. 

“The last two years really were aberrations. It feels like we are going to go back to more normal levels of investment,” Sands said. 

——— 

On The Net: 

http://www.ventureconomics.com 


Last McDonnell Douglas plane delivered

The Associated Press
Friday February 23, 2001

LONG BEACH — The last plane to be built under the McDonnell Douglas name was delivered Thursday during ceremonies marking the end of an era for the Southern California aviation industry. 

The event at Long Beach Airport was attended by about 1,000 people, including former employees of McDonnell Douglas, which was acquired by Boeing in 1997. 

The MD-11 cargo plane purchased by Lufthansa German Airlines was the last of the tri-jet aircraft built in Long Beach, ending a 30-year production run. 

The MD-11 was the successor to the tri-jet DC-10 aircraft designed in the mid-1960s by Douglas Aircraft Co.  

The company, which was founded by industrialist Donald Douglas, merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967. 

McDonnell Douglas once was an aviation industry giant in Southern California, providing thousands of aerospace jobs in its factories from Burbank to Long Beach to San Diego. 

The delivery of the last MD-11 took place 80 years after Douglas flew his first plane on Feb. 23, 1921. 

Douglas, a New York native, moved to California and began building his first plane in 1920 in the back room of a barber shop in Santa Monica.  

Douglas eventually opened an aircraft assembly plant in 1941 near Daugherty Field, which is now Long Beach Airport. 

Douglas Aircraft developed the twin-engine DC-3 in the early 1930s and also delivered more than 30,000 aircraft during World War II. 

Douglas in 1946 approached the military with a plan for government and industry to work together.  

The idea, dubbed Project Rand, led to the formation of the Santa Monica-based Rand Corp., a think-tank known during the Cold War years for its focus on national security issues. 

The Douglas aviation track record includes the delivery of 200 MD-11s and 646 total tri-jet aircraft. 

The industry recently has moved away from tri-jet aircraft due to advances in engine technology, said John Tom, a spokesman for Boeing. 

Boeing abandoned future production of the MD-11 after acquiring McDonnell Douglas and changed the name of the twin-engine MD-95 aircraft that was being developed to the Boeing 717, Tom said. 

“It’s the end of an aviation era. The tri-jet program was a very important program for McDonnell Douglas, Boeing and Long Beach,” Thom said.  

“But we’re not done here. We’re still building 717s and we hope to be in this business for many years to come right here at this location.”


Death of dance teacher remembered

By Ben Lumpkin Special to the Daily Planet
Thursday February 22, 2001

Students and staff of Berkeley High School gathered at the Community Theater during their lunch break Wednesday to mark the one year anniversary of the death of Marcia Singman, a dance teacher at the school for more than 30 years.  

Singman suffered a stroke last February and died a few days later at the age of 55.  

“Marcia was one of those persons who, when that person is gone, the loss is not just immediate, it’s a long term thing,” said Berkeley High vocal music teacher Wendell Brooks as he left the theater hall. Brooks was a colleague of Singman for 15 years. 

“There is no replacing the personality that she was.” 

Singman came to the school in 1968, two years after earning a bachelor’s degree in dance education from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Over the years she became involved in virtually all the arts programs at the school, including piano, choral, stagecraft, jazz, orchestra and dance.  

“She influenced literally thousands of kids,” said long-time friend Sally Wolfer, who teaches drawing and painting at the school. “When she died, the whole school mourned.” 

Students and faculty gathered around a makeshift shrine with candles and flowers Wednesday to share their favorite memories of Singman, or just to meditate on her passing in silence. Many were visibly moved. 

“This was for students and staff to come and be together,” said Berkeley High Visual Arts Teacher Miriam Stahl, who helped prepare the shrine. “She was the most positive person at Berkeley High.” 

Singman was one of the most popular teachers at the school and widely admired for her unflagging energy and optimism. 

In an academic atmosphere of competing perspectives where tempers sometimes flare, Singman’s spirit of tolerance and acceptance kept her above the fray, Brooks said. 

“She never criticized,” Brooks said. “She was a focal point both for her students and her colleagues. She was sort of a center.” 

“She realized that there were people of all different levels in her classes,” said Berkeley High senior Beth Morris. Morris began taking dance because she needed a Physical Education credit and then fell in love with it under Singman’s influence. 

“She really encouraged you,” Morris said. “She was just overall positive about everybody dancing.”  

Morris said she recalled Singman exhorting students to attend upcoming dance performances and auditions in the Bay Area, or teaching dance moves she had picked up watching talented dancers perform. 

“She had no children of her own and she really made her students her extended family,” Brooks said. “She built up one of the best dance departments of any big school anywhere.” 

Wolfer said some of Singman’s students are working at major dance companies today.  

Berkeley High Councilor Susan Werd said her daughter, Lauren Nagel-Werd, was one of those students who Singman inspired to put dancing near the center of her life. Although she had no interest in dance before attending Berkeley High, dancing is one of Nagel-Werd’s favorite pursuits as an undergraduate at Northwestern University, Werd said. 

Werd recalled trying to thank Singman for her positive influence on her daughter. Singman looked her in the eye and said simply, “You know why your daughter can dance? Because she’s smart.” 

“You could never give Marcia a compliment without her turning it around,” Werd said. 

Werd and others said the fact that Berkeley High dance productions continued as scheduled after Singman’s death last year was a tribute to her giving students the poise and confidence to take charge of productions on their own. 

“She put a lot of the responsibility (for production) on students and I think that really improve the shows,” said Berkeley High senior Tetta Martin. “She pushed people to their personal limits.” 

Martin has been dancing for 12 years and is auditioning for shows in the Bay Area.  

She had experimented with choreography before she ever got to Berkeley High, she said, but her skill has improved tremendously thanks to a challenge issued to her one day by Singman. 

“She said my choreography should flow from one step to the next,” Martin said. “I didn’t even understand what she was talking about at the time, but now I do.” 


Calendar of Events & Activities

Thursday February 22, 2001


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 

 

Rivers of the World  

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Pamela Michael, writer, educator and river conservationist, will highlight her new anthology “The Gift of Rivers: True Stories of Life on the Water,” showing slides of nearly 100 of the world’s great rivers. Free 527-4140 

 

Growl & Howl of Man & Woman 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Hillside Community Church  

1422 Navellier St.  

El Cerrito 

A series of Thursday evenings of conversation “engaging people in discovering the pleasures of an excellent discussion.” Bring your favorite gender assumptions and put them to the test. $10  

 

Agaves & Yuccas 

7 p.m. 

UC Botanical Garden 

200 Centennial Drive 

Mary and Gary Irish, experts on these plants will show you where to find these dry garden plants and how to makes them grow happily.  

$15 Call 643-1924 

 

John Henry, Steel-Driving Puppet 

3:30 p.m.  

West Branch Berkeley Library  

1125 University Ave.  

Loren and Dean Linnard, using a variety of rod and hand puppets, elaborate sets, and original songs and music, will tell the story of this legendary railroad man.  

Call 649-3943 

 

Meditation Seminar 

6:30 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church  

2727 College Ave.  

A free talk followed by practical instruction in meditation on inner light and sound. Sponsored by Know Thyself as Soul Foundation, a nonprofit corporation. 845-9648 

 

Concluding Your Speech  

12:10 - 1:10 p.m.  

California Department of Health Services  

2151 Berkeley Way, Room 804  

State Health Toastmasters invites you to take the terror out of talking. 649-7750  

 

Lavendar Lunch  

12:30 - 1:30 p.m. 

Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave., Mudd 100 

Join GTU students David Dezern and Toni Tortorilla as they discuss some of the challenges and joys of being Lesbian/Gay/Bi/Transexual and active in today’s Roman Catholic Church.  

849-8206 

 

Telegraph Area Association 

Economic Development  

Committee 

3:30 p.m. 

Sather Gate Garage Conference Room 

2431 Channing Way  

Updates on the Sather Gate Parking Advisory, PG&E, and the Southside Plan.  


Friday, Feb. 23

 

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. 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 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainqright 

Cosi Fan Tutte 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

An opera presented for free.  

Call 644-6107 

 

Impediments to Housing Expansion  

Noon  

Goldman School of Public Policy  

2607 Hearst Ave.  

Lawrence Gotlieb, vice president for Government and Public Affairs for KB Home in L.A. will discuss “The Housing Affordability Crisis: The Builder’s Perspective.”  

Call 665-6812 

 


Saturday, Feb. 24

 

Tibetan New Year’s Celebration 

6 - 9 p.m. 

Britta Hauenschild gives a flute concert followed by a festive dinner and New Year’s celebration. Proceeds support Nyingma Institute sacred art and education programs.  

$30 suggested donation  

Call 843-6812 

 

Celebrate Samuel H. Day, Jr.  

2 - 4 p.m. 

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists 

1924 Cedar St. (at Bonita)  

Longtime anti-nuclear activist and journalists, Day was the coordinator of the U.S. campaign to free Israeli nuclear whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu. Day died suddenly at his home in Madison, Wisconsin on Jan. 26.  

Call 548-3048 or visit www.nukewatch.org 

 

A Little Taste of Africa  

2 - 4 p.m. 

City of Franklin School  

1150 Virginia St.  

The City of Franklin PTA hosts this fundraiser for Black History Month. There will be performances by a West African Dance Troupe, music, poetry, authentic African dishes, a marketplace, and much more.  

$5  

Call 644-6260 

 

Love of Self, Family & Community 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

Celebrating the many talents of African-Americans, join the City of Berkeley’s Young Adult Project at its annual Black History Month Celebration for a day of music, dance, arts & crafts displays. Free dinner for all who attend.  

Call 644-6226 

 

Meditation Seminar 

1:30 p.m. 

Grace North Church  

2138 Cedar St.  

A free talk followed by practical instruction in meditation on inner light and sound. Sponsored by Know Thyself as Soul Foundation, a nonprofit corporation.  

Call 845-9648 

 

Teahouse Concert  

7 - 9 p.m. 

Pacific School of Religion 

1798 Scenic Ave., D’Autremont Dining Hall 

PACTS, along with PSR’s PANA Institute and the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry, co-sponsor this concert to celebrate and affirm Asian and Pacific Islander Gay, Lesbian. Bisexual and Transgender people of faith and their allies.  

$5 - $10  

Call 849-8244 

 

Rolling in the Dough 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

2725 Elmwood Ave. (at Ashby)  

A garage sale and bake sale to benefit the Berkeley high Girls’ Lacrosse team. Donations are welcome and should be brought to the above address between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. 

841-4281  

 

Spanish Fellowship Night 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Peace & Justice Ministries Center  

2075 Eunice St.  

A basic spanish class and Spanish evening devotions.  

524-1618 

 


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 

 

Reimagining Pacific Cities  

6 - 8:30 p.m. 

New Pacific Studio  

1523 Hearst Ave.  

“How are Pacific cities reshaping their cultural and environmental institutions to better serve the needs and enhance the present and future quality of life of all segments of their societies?” This session is called “Storytelling through Textiles” and will feature talks by textile artists Kathy Rousso and Karen Hampton.  

Free  

Call 849-0217 

 

Authors in the Library: Lois Silverstein 

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Writer and performer, Silverstein, will read selections from “Oh My Darling Daughter,” “Behind the Stove,” and a work-in-progress, “Family Matters.” Discussion and book signing will follow. Free.  

Call 848-0237 x127 

 

Planetary Temples 

8 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers  

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Employee Don Frew will show slides of teh ruined city of Harran. Free 

Call 848-8443 

 

Art Meets Science in Time  

2 - 3:30 p.m. 

Bancroft Hotel  

2680 Bancroft Way  

Professor Andrew Stewart of UC Berkeley and Gail M. Wright, a digital artist and lecturer at Mills College explore this subject through slide-illustrated discussions. In conjunction with the 0. Museum’s current exhibition “Telling Time.”  

Call 549-6950 

 

Harran: City of the Moon God 

8 - 10 p.m. 

Shambhala Booksellers  

2482 Telegraph Ave.  

Donald Frew will present s, past and present, and will show slides from a recent visit. He will also discuss the likely treasure trove of texts from the ancient world that await discovery there. Free  

Call 848-8443 

 

High Blood Pressure Screenings 

9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Church by the Side of the Road  

2108 Russell St.  

Free blood pressure screenings, follow-up advice and other nutritional counseling. Sponsored by Alta Bates Medical Center.  

869-6763 

 

La Milpa 

3 p.m. 

370 Dwinelle Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Dr. Norman Hammond, professor of Archeology at Boston University will give a slide-lecture on this Mayan city in Northwestern Belize. Free and open to the public.  

 


Letters to the Editor

Thursday February 22, 2001

Wozniak has the real conflict of interest 

 

Editor, 

There’s a world of difference between Dr. Gordon Wozniak, head of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s (LBNL’s) Nuclear Science Division, serving as acting chair of Berkeley’s Community Enviromental Advisory Commission (CEAC), and the controversy over the four Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA) members sitting on the Landmark’s Commission. ( “City attorney’s office cites commisioners’ conflict “ 2 / 7 / 01 )  

State law prohibits public officers, such as commisioners from engaging in any employment, activity or enterprise for compensation which is in conflict with his or her duties as a local agency officer.  

Dr. Wozniak‘s duties as a CEAC commissioner involve consideration of LBNL enviromental matters at almost every meeting.  

He routinely sides with LBNL on radioactive issues, such as regular radioactive tritium emissions ( next to the Lawrence Hall of Science ), large accidental tritium releases, combustion of radioactive hazardous waste and other nefarious nuclear or toxic contamination problems.  

Since three of the four Landmark commisioners are merely board members of BAHA serving without compensation ( the fourth does some staff work for pay), they clearly should not be considered as having a conflict of interest in the sense stipulated by State law.  

If they took a position on the Landmark’s Commission adverse to BAHA’s they would not threaten their means of livelihood.  

Depriving members of issue-oriented community groups, or political groups with a public stand on certain issues, from serving on city commissions would relegate the commissions’ City Council advisory functions to persons with no experience or interest in the issues at hand.  

The Daily Planet’s comparison of banning persons active in community affairs from commissioner positions to the 1950’s witch-hunts is not farfetched.  

It appears to be a blatant violation of the First Amendment right to free speech and assembly. 

Dr. Wozniak, as a City of Berkeley enviromental commissioner has clearly shown that he is there to serve the interests of his employer, LBNL, rather than those of Berkeley residents.  

At least one or two LBNL employees are present at every CEAC meeting and observe his interactions at the commission. 

Despite the City Attorney’s decision to the contrary, we understand that Dr. Wozniak plans to be at the next CEAC commission meeting and expects to be elected chair. Please attend. 

The next CEAC meeting will be Thursday at 7 p.m., 2118 Milvia St., second floor conference room. The meeting is open to the public and starts with public comment.  

 

 

Gene Bernardi 

Co-Chair Committee to  

Minimize Toxic Waste


Arts & Entertainment

Thursday February 22, 2001

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for a year membership Feb. 23: Subincision, 30 Second Fury, AKA Nothing, No Common Sense, Stalin’s War; Feb. 24: Slow Gherkin, Plus Ones, 78 RPMS, Merrick, Enemy You; March 2: Books Lie, Living Under Lies, Remnants, No Regrets, The Fadeaways, LWL; March 3: Dr. Know, The Dread, Hot Box, Anal Mucus; March 9: Dead and Gone, Sworn Vengence, Punishment, Misoura, The Computer Kills; March 10: The Varukers, 46 Short, Scarred for Life, Oppressed Logic, Faced Down; March 16: The P.A.W.N.S., Kill the Messenger, Phoenix, The Sugarlips; March 17: The Hood, Benumb, Above This World, Chrome Disorder, Eulogy 525-9926  

 

Albatross Pub All music at 9 p.m. unless noted Feb. 22: Keni “El Lebrijano”; Feb. 24: Dave Creamer Jazz Quartet; Feb. 27: Larry Stefl Jazz Trio; March 1: Keni “El Lebrijano” 1822 San Pablo 843-2473 

 

Ashkenaz Feb. 22, 10 p.m.: Grateful Dead DJ Nite w/Digital Dave; Feb. 23, 9:30 p.m.: Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums, dance lesson at 8 p.m.; Feb. 24, 9:30: Zydeco Flames, dance lesson at 8:30 p.m.; Feb. 25, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Youth Balkan Dance with Denise Weiss; Feb. 25, 6 p.m.: Calif. Klezmer; Feb. 27, 8:30 p.m.: Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Party with Tee Fee, costume party and king and queen to be crowned; Feb. 28, 8 p.m.: “Fling Ding!” A night of Appalachian music featuring the Bluegrass Intentions; 1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com  

 

Eli’s Mile High Club Doors open at 8 p.m. Feb. 23: Carlos Zialcita; Feb. 24: R.J. Mischo; March 2: Henry Clement; March 3: J.J. Malone; March 9: Ron Hacker; March 10: Red Archibald 3629 MLK Jr. Way Oakland  

 

Crowden School Sundays, 4 p.m.: Chamber music series sponsored by the school; Feb. 24, 8 p.m.: Cynthia & the Swing Set and the American Jubilee Dance Theatre. Free swing dance lesson, 7 p.m. New Orleans cajun and creole dinner to be served before dance lesson. $10 - $40 Benefits the Crowden School 1475 Rose St. (at Sacramento) 559-6910 

 

Jazzschool/La Note All music at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 25: Lauri Antonioli; March 4: Ray Obiedo; March 11: Stephanie Bruce Trio; March 18: Wayne Wallace Septet $6 - $12 2377 Shattuck Ave.  

 

Live Oak Concert Series All music at 7:30 p.m. March 4: Marie Carbone, harpsichord, plays music of Frescobaldi, Sweelinck, Froberger, and Weckmann; March 11: Stephen Bell, guitar, plays music of Bach, Villa-Lobos, Ponse, and Albeniz Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St.  

 

Cal Performances Feb. 23 & 24: In two separate programs the Netherlands Dans Theater I presents the work of former artistic director, Jiri Kylian $34 - $52; March 2 - March 11, call for times: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Zellerbach Hall UC Berkeley. 642-9988 or www.calperfs.berkeley.edu Feb. 25, 3 p.m.: Prazack Quartet $32; Feb. 28, 8 p.m.: Clerks’ Group performs music from the Burgundian Courts; March 4, 3 p.m.: Baritone Nathan Gunn sings Brahms, Wolf, and a selection of American songs $36 

 

Cynthia and the Swing Set, Jubilee American Dance Theatre Feb. 24, 8 p.m. A benefit for the Crowden School and the Crowden Center for Music in the Community. Guests will also have the chance to win auction and raffle items. New Orleans Cajun and Creole dinner optional. Crowden School 1475 Rose. St. (at Sacramento) $10 - $40 559-6910  

 

Adam Cooper Memorial Torah Readers Benefit Concert Feb. 25, 7 p.m. Frank London, composer and trumpet player with The Klezmatics and Adrienne Cooper will headline. $25 - $50 Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 1414 Walnut St. 925-944-0931 

 

“Dido and Aeneas” March 2, 8 p.m.; March 4, 2 p.m. A tale of English Baroque opera that follows the tale of Dido, queen of Corinth, as she is courted and won by Aeneas, conqueror and future founder of Rome. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. Call 925-798-1300 

 

“Aywah!” March 2, 8 p.m. An evening of music and dance from Egypt, Turkey, Morocco and Balkan Roma. Featuring Aywah! Dance Company. Guest singer Eva Primack. $13 - $15 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

 

Mozart Requiem Singalong March 3, 8 p.m. Bella Musica Chorus and Orchestra in their third annual presentation. Bring your own score or buy/borrow one of theirs. $10 suggested donation St. Joseph the Worker Church 1640 West Addison (at McGee) Call 526-5393 

 

Young People’s Symphony Orchestra March 3, 8 p.m. David Ramadanoff conducts the orchestra in a program featuring Schubert, Tchaikovsky, and a suite from Piston’s ballet “The Incredible Flutist” $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. Call 925-798-1300  

 

“In Song and Struggle” March 4, 4 - 10 p.m. Copwatch presents the second annual event bringing together some of the best women artists from around the Bay Area and beyond in commemoration of International Women’s Day. Artists include Shelley Doty, Rebecca Riots, Rachel Garlin, and many others. $8 - $15 Ashkenaz 1317 San Pablo Ave. Call Copwatch, 548-0425  

 

Mingus Amungus & Allstar Jazz Jam March 4, 7 - 10 p.m. A benefit concert for 65 Cuba-bound Berkeley High students. $10 - $15 Florence Schwimley Little Theater 1930 Allston Way 587-3201  

 

 

“The Magic Flute” March 3 & 4, 8 p.m. Mozart’s most famous opera adapted by International House resident Kalinka Cichon and presented by a multicultural cast. $5 International House Auditorium 2299 Piedmont Ave. (at Bancroft) e-mail for tix: kalinka@cichon.com  

 

Eric Glick Reiman, Tom Nunn, Toychestra March 4, 7:48 p.m. $8 donation TUVASpace 3192 Adeline (at MLK Jr.) 649-8744 

 

Young Emerging Artists March 6, 7 - 8 p.m. John McCarthy will direct students from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Prepatory Division through a performance of works by Sov, Barber and others. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. (at Derby) 925-798-1300 

 

Canto Para Una Semilla March 9, 8 p.m. La Pena Community Chorus present an homage to Violeta Parra. This is a benefit for Berkeley High School’s CAS program. $10 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

Country Joe McDonald March 9 & 10, 8 - 10 p.m. McDonald will play a solo acoustic set of old & new songs and a tribute to Woody Guthrie. $20 Live Oak Theater 1301 Shattuck Ave. (at Berryman) www.countryjoe.com  

 

“Mystic Journey” March 10, 8 p.m. Suzanne Teng and Mystic Journey are a unique contemporary world music ensemble, based in Los Angeles, making their Bay Area debut. $15 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. Call 925-798-1300 

 

Maria Marquez in Concert March 10, 8:30 p.m. A special evening of Marquez’s songs from her latest CD, “Eleven Love Stories.” $15 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

 

Theater 

 

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

 

“The Road to Mecca” by Athol Fugard Through Feb. 24, Friday - Saturday, 8 p.m. Feb. 22, 8 p.m. $10 Live Oak Theatre 1301 Shattuck 528-5620 

 

“Nightingale” presented by Central Works Theater Through March 4, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 24 & Saturday, March 3, 5 p.m. $8 - $14 LaVal’s Subterranean 1834 Euclid Ave. 558-1381 

 

“Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me” by Frank MacGuinness Through March 17, Thursday - Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday, 8:30 p.m. The story of three men - an Irishman, an Englishman and an American held in a prison in Lebanon. $10 - $15 8th St. Studio Theatre 2525 Eighth St. (at Dwight) 655-0813 

 

“A New Brain” by William Finn March 2 - 18, Fridays & Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday, 7 p.m. Watch as Gordon Schwinn, in the face of a life-threatening brain tumor, composes a farewell concert in which all the important figures in his life make show-stopping appearances. Presented by BareStage Productions $8 - $12 Choral Rehearsal Hall, Lower Level of Caesar Chavez Student Center UC Berkeley 642-3880  

 

“Glory Box” by Tim Miller March 9, 8 p.m. In this one-time performance, Miller explores the themes of same-sex marriage and binational gay/lesbian immigration rights. $15 Zellerbach Playhouse UC Berkeley 601-8932 or www.ticketweb.com  

 

 

Films 

 

“Magnetic North” Six programs of experimental Canadian video from the past 30 years that range from documentary to conceptual art. In all, 40 tapes from 46 artists will be shown on six Wednesday evenings. Through Feb. 28. $7. Pacific Film Archive 2575 Bancroft (at Bowditch) 642-1412  

 

“Toto Recall” A 15-film retrospective honoring Italy’s comic genius. Through Feb. 24 Weekend days only, Friday - Sunday. $7 for one film, $8.50 for double bills. Pacific Film Archive 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

 

“A.K.A. Dominga” A video documentary film following the personal journey of one woman uncovering her history 18 years after surviving the Rio Negro Massacre in Guatemala. March 1, 7:30 p.m. La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 x15 

 

“Tragos” Antero Alli’s vision of a future where the desire to escape from the government and media thought-control drives people underground. March 8, 7 & 9:30 p.m. $7 Live Oak Theatre 1301 Shattuck Ave. 464-4640 

 

 

Exhibits 

 

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,” Through 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  

 

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

 

“Trees With Frosting” Stevie Famulari decorates landscapes with sugar and frosting, making her artwork edible and changeable by viewers. This particular display will remain for two months. Through February. Skapades Hair Salon 1971 Shattuck Ave. 251-8080 or steviesart@hotmail.com 

 

“Dorchester Days,” the photographs of Eugene Richards is a collection of pictures portraying the poverty, racial tension, crime and violence prevalent in Richards’ hometown of Dorchester, Massachusetts in the 1970s. Through April 6. UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism 121 North Gate Hall #5860 642-3383 

 

“Still Life & Landscapes” The work of Pamela Markmann Through March 24, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Red Oak Gallery 1891 Solano Ave. 527-3387 

 

“Kick Back,” the Department of Art Practice of UC Berkeley spring faculty show Through March 2 Worth Ryder Gallery Kroeber Hall UC Berkeley Call 642-2582 

 

“Unequal Funding: Photographs of Children in Schools that Get Less” An exhibit of black & white photographs by documentary photographer Chris Pilaro. Through March 16, Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photolab Gallery 2235 Fifth St. 644-1400 

 

“Contemporary Photogravure” Printing from hand-inked plates etched from a film positive, a unique exhibition of photographs with luxurious tones. Through March 30, Tuesday - Friday, Noon - 5 p.m. or by appointment Kala Art Institute 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 

 

“Musee des Hommages,” Masterworks by Guy Colwell Faithful copies of several artists from the pasts, including Titian’s “The Venus of Urbino,” Cezanne’s “Still Life,” Picasso’s “Woman at a Mirror,” and Boticelli’s “Primavera” Ongoing. Call ahead for hours 2028 Ninth St. (at Addison) 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

 

“Evolution,” No problem quilters exhibit their soft-cloth sculptures. New Pieces is the only gallery that exclusively exhibits quilts in the Bay Area. Through March 1, Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday Noon - 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave. 527-6779 

 

Amanda Haas, New Paintings and Olivia Kuser, Recent Landscapes Through March 24, Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 

 

“Travels in Color” Wax crayon sketches by Pamela Markmann made over the past 35 years Through March 31, 5 - 8 p.m. daily Voulez Vouz Bistro 2930 College Ave. 548-4708 

 

 

Readings 

 

Boadecia’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted Feb. 23: Becky Thompson reads “Mothering Without a Compass: White Mother’s Love, Black Son’s Courage”; March 24, 7 p.m.: Aliza Sherman will read and sign “Cybergrrl@Work: Tips and Inspiration for the Professional You” 398 Colusa Ave. Kensington 559-9184. www.boadeciasbooks.com 

 

Cody’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted Feb. 22: Alison Gopnik describes “The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind”; Feb. 23: Carol Field reads “Mangoes and Quince”; Feb. 25: Poetry of Martha Rhodes, Linda Dyer & Joy Manesiotis; Feb. 26: Terry McMillan reads from “A Day Late and a Dollar Short”; Feb. 28: Poetry of Sandra Gilbert & Wendy Barker 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852  

 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore All events at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27: Barbara Wagner, co-founder of Lost Frontiers, gives a slide presentation and talk about “Pakistan & the Lost Tribes of teh Hindu Kush”; Feb. 28: Travel writer Christopher Baker will read and talk about his 7000 miles motorcycle odyssey through Cuba as chronicled in his book “Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro’s Cuba” 1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose) 843-3533  

 

“Strong Women - Writers & Heroes of Literature” Fridays 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  

 

Duomo Reading Series and Open Mic. Thursdays, 6:30 - 9 p.m. 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. 

 

Lunch Poems First Thursday of each month, 12:10 - 12:50 p.m. March 1: Aleida Rodrigues; April 5: Galway Kinnell; May 3: Student Reading Morrison Room, Doe Library UC Berkeley 642-0137 

 

Class Dismissed Poetry Posse March 2, 7:30 p.m. Afro-Haitian dancers, Dance Production dancers, the BHS poetry slammers, an opening a capella number and a few surprises. A benefit for a Berkeley High school student trip to Cuba. $5 - $10 Little Theater Berkeley High School 2246 Milvia St.  

 

Bamboo Ridge Writers Reading March 4, 4 p.m. Five authors published in the book, “Intersecting Circles: The Voices of Hapa Women in Poetry & Prose.” Bamboo Ridge publishes literature which nurtures the voices of Hawaii and celebrates its literary tradition. Eastwind Books of Berkeley 2066 University Ave. 548-2350 

 

Anita Barrows March 4, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Barrows will read from her poem “A Record” inspired by an exhibit done in Theresienstadt and her translation of Rosa Luxenburg’s letters. Free Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237 

 

Women’s Word March 14, 7:30 p.m. An evening of women’s word honoring International Women’s month and featuring Avotcja, Straight Out Scribes, Tureeda & Kira Allen. Hosted by Joyce Young. Open mic will follow. $4 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

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 Feb. 25: “Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin,” Gray Brechin will discuss the impact and legacy of the Hearsts and other powerful early families; 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; March 18: “Topaz Moon,” Kimi Kodani Hill will discuss artist Chiura Obata’s family and the WWII Japanese relocation camps. Berkeley Historical Center Veterans Memorial Building 1931 Center St. 848-0181 

 

UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Research Seminars Noon seminars are brown bag Feb. 22, 4 p.m.: Sam Kernell of UC San Diego, will present a seminar on “State Electoral Institutions and the Impact of Presidental Elections on Party Control of Congress, 1840 - 1940.” March 7, 4 p.m.: Akhil Reed Amar will discuss his book “The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction.” March 12, Noon: Catherine Hafer of Ohio State will discuss “The Political Economy of Emerging Property Rights.” April 23, 4 p.m.: Mary Dudziach of USC will discuss “Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy.” Feb. 30, Noon: Daniel Diermeier of Northwestern University will discuss “Mass Political Action.” 119 Moses Hall UC Berkeley 642-4608  

 

“Great Decisions” Foreign Policy Association Lectures Series Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - Noon, Through 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 

 


Berkeley boys outlast shorthanded Jets 53-48

By Jared Green Daily Planet Staff
Thursday February 22, 2001

Milton, St. Jules lead balanced attack 

 

On paper, Tuesday’s game between Berkeley and Encinal should have been a walk for the Yellowjackets. The Jets came into the game 4-7 in ACCAL play, while the visiting ’Jackets are undefeated in league play and clinched the league title last week. 

In addition, the Jets were playing shorthanded, with only six players suited up thanks to players who quit the team, couldn’t make grades or were out with an injury. Berkeley had 12 players in uniform, even with two key guards on the bench in street clothes. 

But somehow, the Jets managed to stay with the ’Jackets for almost the entire game, down just one point at halftime and getting within a three-pointer with 21 seconds left in the game. But the Berkeley boys came through like they have all season, pulling out a 53-48 win to keep their unbeaten league record intact at 11-0. The ’Jackets are 20-5 overall. 

Berkeley used a balanced attack, getting at least seven points from six different players. Guard Byron St. Jules and forward Jahi Milton led with 10 points each. 

Four of the Jets players were playing their last game for Encinal, and they came out looking to end their careers with an upset. Forwards Chris Davis and Isaac Watts dominated the boards in the first half, outrebounding the entire Berkeley squad 11-8. Davis was on fire in the first quarter, hitting all five of his shots for 10 points and a 15-13 lead at the break. He finished the game with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting and nine rebounds. 

“We came out with a lot of emotion, this being senior night and all,” Encinal head coach Dan Palley said. “Also, we didn’t play very well the first time against Berkeley, so we had even more incentive.” 

The only Yellowjacket who showed any life on offense was guard Atticus Honore, who took advantage of a rare start with seven points in the quarter. 

The Jets stayed hot in the second quarter, and point guard Mike Dinh gave them a seven-point lead with a three-pointer. But Berkeley’s full-court press began taking its toll, and guard Byron St. Jules sandwiched a pair of steals and layups around a Ryan Davis layup to pull the ’Jackets within one. Forward Ramone Reed then hit a short jumper to give his team a 23-22 lead with two minutes left in the half.  

After the break, Berkeley started to look inside on offense, putting the ball in the hands of Reed and Milton, who scored all of his points in the second half. Reed hit another short jumper, then pulled off a steal and dished to Milton for an easy basket, and Berkeley was up 39-35.  

“I told them at halftime that we can’t live from the outside, and we made the right adjustments,” Berkeley head coach Mike Gragnani said. “Jahi just put the ball in the basket in the second half.” 

But the rest of the ’Jackets were struggling with their shooting, and Encinal center Danny Delmore hit a three-pointer to give his team a 42-41 lead heading into the final quarter. 

Milton hit a jumper early in the period to grab the lead, and the ’Jackets clamped down on defense, shutting out the Jets for nearly four minutes. When St. Jules found a hole and penetrated for a layup with just 1:40 left in the game, he gave the ’Jackets their biggest lead of the night at 51-44. 

But Berkeley followed a Watts free throw with a turnover, and Delmore hit another trey to pull his team within three points. Berkeley forward Louis Riordan had to hit two free throws to ice the game with 11 seconds left.


Commission given 90 day deadline for shellmound

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Thursday February 22, 2001

The Landmarks Preservation Commission unearthed a problem when it considered awarding the West Berkeley Shellmound protective status last September - there were no city regulations for buried and paved-over landmarks. 

The shellmound was the city’s first site being considered for its buried archeological value and city planners suddenly realized there were no regulations to manage the site for potential development or city maintenance of buried electrical conduits, cable lines, water mains and sewer lines.  

In September the LPC refused to approve proposed amendments prepared by Planning Department Acting Deputy Director Vivian Khan, and an effort to amend the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance to accommodate the site stalled. Five months later, the City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to give the LPC 90 days to approve Planning Department amendments or come up with its own. 

“We have a Landmarks Ordinance that covers architectural structures but it doesn’t tell you what to do when you can’t see the landmark,” Khan said. “We need to set forth the procedures for excavation, grading and other soil disturbance on the site.” 

The Shellmound, bounded by Interstate 80, Fourth Street and University and Hearst avenues, was approved as a city landmark largely because of its subterranean archeological resources. The site is the repository of artifacts of the Ohlone Indians, who populated the Bay Area for 5,000 years. 

Until A.D. 800, Native American shellmounds were common sights around the Bay. They were usually characterized by large mounds of shells that could be as high as 15 feet. The area immediately around shellmounds were the site of daily routines, such as hunting, fishing and cooking. They were also used as burial grounds. 

The need for regulations and procedures for archeological sites has become urgent with Rue-Ell Enterprises’ proposal to build a 21,300 square-foot retail building that will partially encroach on the shellmound site. 

Landmarks Commissioner Robert Kehlmann said it was unfortunate the commission did not work with the amendments proposed by the Planning Department in September.  

“Staff really worked hard and came back with draft amendments and members of the LPC just kicked them in the teeth,” he said. 

Kehlmann said it was difficult for the overburdened Planning Department to take the time and put together the amendments. “Staff did their part and the amendments weren’t that far off. In the end we’ll probably approve a draft that is very similar to those we looked at six months ago.” 

Commissioner Becky O’Malley said the amendments presented to them by the Planning Department had not been reviewed by an archeologist. “We held a public hearing and there were at least two archeologists who said the draft amendments were deficient,” O’Malley said. 

She said the 90-day deadline was going to be tough to meet. “We have to get input from qualified archeologists who have enough technological knowledge,” she said. “You need scientists, not just planners, planners often just want things done from a planning perspective.


Roberson’s 39 points lead Lady ’Jackets past Encinal

By Tim Haran Daily Planet Correspondent
Thursday February 22, 2001

It took the Berkeley High girls’ basketball team nearly two minutes to score its first points against Encinal Tuesday night, a lapse that may have cost the ’Jackets its second 100-plus point game in two weeks. 

At any rate, Berkeley still managed to score the game’s first 14 points, hold Encinal to single digits in two of the four quarters, and lead from start to finish in the team’s 93-35 victory over the visiting Jets.  

The ’Jackets jumped to a 22-6 lead after the first quarter, but Encinal regrouped and kept pace with Berkeley through much of the second. Berkeley increased its lead slightly to 39-19 heading into the locker room. 

The Jets’ Jillian Dasher scored the first two points of the third quarter before Berkeley went on a 20-0 run that didn’t end until Encinal’s Amber Carswell scored a hoop with 1:22 left in the period. During the ’Jackets’ run, senior Danielle Milburn scored eight of her 14 points, while Robin Roberson added six of her game-high 39. Senior Gelater Fullwood tossed in four and junior Angelita Hutton contributed a bucket. 

It was a mind-numbing homecoming for Encinal head coach Tanda Rucker, who played on Berkeley’s 1991 state championship team. Seated on the bench beside her injured star point guard Raushanah Bashir, the coach watched in disbelief as the ’Jackets defense forced the Jets to take bad shots. 

“Encinal’s point guard was hurt and she’s an all-league player,” Berkeley coach Gene Nakamura said, referring to Bashir. “I don’t know if it would have been any closer if she had played, but we just overpowered them. We have too much team strength and depth for them.” 

The Jets lost to Berkeley by 15 points earlier this season, but without Bashir in the lineup Tuesday were no match for the ’Jackets. 

“It’s tough without our point guard; she runs the show, she sets up the players,” Rucker said. “(Amber) English and Carswell are the wing players and we had them playing point tonight, which is a brand new experience for them.” 

With the win Berkeley improves to 21-5 overall and 12-0 in the Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League. Encinal, meanwhile, drops to 14-12 and 8-4 in league play.  

Berkeley junior guard Hutton sparked the offense midway through the fourth quarter with two assists to Joy White underneath. In the same two-minute stretch, Hutton recorded two steals and scored six points. 

“I thought Angelita played a great game. She had some great passes,” Nakamura said. “I asked her if she had any change left because she was throwing dimes all over the place.” 

Nakamura used Tuesday’s game as an opportunity to get his team leaders ready for postseason play. 

“In the playoffs, our senior players are going to have to play longer games and they aren’t used to that,” he said. “They’ve been playing 10 or 12 minutes. They’ve got to start cranking it up and be ready to go longer.” 

At the same time, the sizable lead against Encinal allowed the coach to play his entire bench.  

“The good thing about these games is I can play all 12 players,” Nakamura said. “During the playoffs it’s a little different when every game counts.” 

The bench contributed, but the night belonged to Roberson. In addition to scoring 39 points, the senior caused a slew of problems for the Encinal offense by cutting off passing lanes and disrupting outside shots. 

“They were having a hard time getting good shots off and they gave us the ball, we just started running by them,” Nakamura said. “We went back to half-court pressure after we built our lead. They just couldn’t stop our 1-3-1 zone.” 

After playing her last regular-season game in Berkeley, Roberson said the finality of it has yet to sink in. 

“It really hasn’t hit me yet that it’s my last league home game,” Roberson said. “I’m glad I scored as many points as I did so I don’t say ‘man, I only had 12 points in my last game.’ But it felt good.” 

Seniors Roberson, Milburn and Fullwood were recognized before the game for their contributions to the team. Nakamura was also presented with a plaque commemorating his 400 wins as coach of the ’Jackets.


Court makes ruling on ADA, states’ rights

By Judith Scherr Daily Planet Staff
Thursday February 22, 2001

The same five members of the Supreme Court who put George W. Bush in the White House decided Wednesday that persons with disabilities who work for their state governments cannot file discrimination suits against their employers under the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. 

The 5-4 ruling, a further cutback of the federal government’s power over the states, said Congress exceeded its authority when it let state workers file claims seeking monetary damages under the 1990 law. 

“We’re lucky we live in California,” said Arlene Mayerson who teaches at Boalt Law School, UC Berkeley and is the directing attorney at Berkeley-based Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, Inc.  

California has strong laws protecting disabled workers, said Mayerson, who co-authored briefs supporting the plaintiffs in the case that reached the highest court of the land. “Assuming that the Legislature doesn’t see it as an invitation to water down the legislation,” state workers in California will not be affected, Mayerson said. Workers in other states will. 

The case, Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama vs. Garrett et al. concerned two Alabama residents. Patricia Garrett, a University of Alabama nurse, took a four-month leave to undergo treatment for breast cancer. When she came back to work, she was told to take a lower-paying job or quit. The second plaintiff, Milton Ash, a security guard for the Alabama Department of Youth Services, said his severe asthma was aggravated by the agency’s refusal to enforce its no-smoking policy or to repair the exhaust of the vehicle he was given to drive.  

While the lower courts said both could sue, the Supreme Court reversed that decision. 

The majority opinion of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, and Justices Sandra Day O’Connor, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy and Clearance Thomas, said that states cannot be required “to make special accommodations for the disabled, so long as their actions toward such individuals are rational” and that the ADA’s legislative record fails to show that Congress identified a history and pattern of irrational employment discrimination by the states against the disabled. 

The examples offered in the case of discrimination by states “fall far short of even suggesting the pattern of unconstitutional discrimination” to justify legislation based on the Constitution’s 14th Amendment equal-protection guarantee, Rehnquist wrote for the majority. 

“In order to authorize private individuals to recover money damages against the states, there must be a pattern of discrimination by the states ... and the remedy imposed by Congress must be congruent and proportional to the targeted violation. Those requirements are not met here,” the chief justice said. 

Dissenting were Justices John Paul Stevens, David H. Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer. Writing for the four, Breyer said Congress had found about 300 examples of discrimination by state governments. “Congress expressly found substantial unjustified discrimination against persons with disabilities,” he said. 

“The majority decision sets a new low in equal protection law,” said Mayerson of the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund. “A state can exclude persons with disabilities based on ‘negative attitudes’ and ‘fear’ and still not violate the 14th Amendment guarantee of equal protection of the law.” 

The ADA bans job discrimination against the disabled, requiring employers to offer reasonable accommodations to disabled people who are otherwise qualified to perform a job. It also bans discrimination in the provision of government programs and services. 

The law was signed by former President Bush, who filed a court brief supporting the two Alabama state employees who sued the state. Bush said the ADA let disabled people “pass through once-closed doors into a bright new era of equality, independence and freedom.” 

Jan Garrett, executive director of Berkeley’s Center for Independent Living said the decision makes it look as if “the Supreme Court seems to be acting in place of Congress” by weakening the ADA. 

A remedy would be for Congress to revisit and strengthen the ADA, Garrett said. But that could be dangerous, as well. “They could open up other areas,” she said. “We don’t know what the risks might be.”  

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 


State attorney general backs cannabis club against feds

The Associated Press
Thursday February 22, 2001

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Bill Lockyer is backing an Oakland cannabis distribution club in its fight with the federal government over medical marijuana. 

Lockyer filed a brief in the Supreme Court on Tuesday arguing that the state has the right to enforce its medical marijuana law. The brief was filed in connection with a case scheduled to go before the Supreme Court on March 28.  

Proposition 215 allows seriously ill patients to use marijuana. However, the law does not supersede federal antidrug laws, setting the stage for a three-year battle between supporters of the law and the U.S. Department of Justice. 

The case before the Supreme Court began when the Clinton administration sued the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Club and five other Northern California pot clubs in 1998. 

A federal district judge sided with the government in its efforts to halt the Oakland club from distributing the drug. But last year, an appeals court ruled that “medical necessity” is a legal defense. 

The Oakland club, the only one of the original six still functioning, is not distributing marijuana, but is issuing identification cards to be ready if it does get a favorable court ruling. 


Berkeley lab helps make murder suspect, DNA match

Bay City News
Thursday February 22, 2001

State Attorney General Bill Lockyer announced today that a DNA match made at the California Department of Justice DNA Laboratory in Berkeley has fingered a suspect in a 1984 sexual assault and murder. Lockyer said David James McIntosh, a convicted sex offender currently in Folsom Prison on parole violations, will be charged tomorrow in the sexual assault and murder of 13-year-old Heidi Fredette in Tehama County.  

McIntosh was identified as a suspect in Fredette's death as the result of a search of the Department of Justice's Convicted Felon Databank in January. Lockyer called the match a “cold hit,” meaning McIntosh had not been connected with the unsolved crime prior to the search. State law requires that blood and saliva samples be taken from those convicted of certain violent crimes and sexual assaults for the use of law enforcement agencies.  

Although there is currently a backlog of unanalyzed samples, the databank in Berkeley is expected to have analyzed and stored around 200,000 DNA profiles of convicted felons by July. 

Lockyer said a total of 29 convicted felons have been identified as suspects in unsolved crimes due to database searches since they began in 1994. Among those recently identified is Perry Tatmon, who was charged last week with the January 2000 rape of a developmentally disabled woman in Santa Rosa. 

Lockyer said he is sponsoring legislation this year seeking to expand the list of criminal convictions in which the collection of DNA samples can be ordered. 

 


Market Watch

The Associated Press
Thursday February 22, 2001

NEW YORK — The Nasdaq composite index fell to its lowest level in nearly two years Wednesday after an unexpected surge in inflation intensified investors’ fears about the future. 

The Dow Jones industrial average also plunged more than 200 points in heavy trading after the government reported the biggest increase in consumer prices in 10 months. 

Analysts said the data made already nervous investors even more reluctant to take strong positions in a market that might not recover for a while. 

“These inflation numbers were something that was not supposed to happen, and when you’re in a tenuous market ... investors get scared,” said Barry Hyman, chief investment strategist for Weatherly Securities. “There’s just too many unknowns in front of the market at this point.” 

The tech-focused Nasdaq dropped 49.41 and its lowest close since March 3, 1999. It is now 55 percent below its all-time closing high reached last March. 

All three indexes are all down for the year. The Dow is off 2.4 percent for the year, the Nasdaq down 8.2 percent and the S&P off 4.9 percent. 

Wednesday’s losses came on a Labor Department report showing a 0.6 percent gain in its Consumer Price Index for January – chiefly because of increases in natural gas and electricity prices, which have since eased.  

Those numbers caught some market watchers off guard, although many believe that, at least for now, the data is an aberration rather than the beginning of a trend. 

“In the current circumstances, these numbers are not as big a deal,” said Merrill Lynch chief economist Bruce Steinberg. “The economy is weak and you just don’t get inflation developing in these circumstances.” 

Investors were not reassured, however. A broad stock selloff intensified late in the day after fluctuating earlier in the session. 

Financials were pulled lower by banker J.P. Morgan Chase, down $2.60 at $47.35. The Dow fell on losses in its manufacturing sectors: 3M dropped $1.98 to $111.26 and Boeing lost $1.65 to $60.20. 

— The Associated Press 

Technology also weighed down the markets as bargain hunters pushed the battered sector’s stock prices higher only to be replaced by sellers seeking to preserve their profits. 

Oracle fell 13 cents to $23, while Intel, which is also a Dow component, dropped 69 cents to $30.75. IBM’s $3.99 slip to $107.51 also hurt the blue chip index. 

Utility stocks, which are viewed as safer investment in a weak economy, fared better. Edison International rose 35 cents to $13.45 and PG&E was up 7 cents at $13.06. 

Health care stocks were also strong, led higher by Merck, up 81 cents at $78.71. 

But Wall Street was primarily in a selling mood — a reflection, analysts said, of investors’ doubt about whether the economy and whether the Federal Reserve Board is doing enough to stimulate growth. 

The Fed is expected to cut interest rates for a third time this year when it meets again next month. But investors are no longer sure the action will be enough to improve corporate profits anytime soon. 

“People are starting to get concerned that things are really bad. Even if the inflation is not a long-term story, it’s still going to hurt market sentiment,” said Hyman, the Weatherly Securities analyst. 

Declining issues outnumbered advancers 3 to 2 on the New York Stock Exchange. Consolidated volume came to 1.43 billion shares, ahead of the 1.34 billion reported Tuesday. 

The Russell 2000 index dropped 7.63 to 483.51. 

Overseas, stocks were weak. Japan’s Nikkei stock average fell 1.1 percent. Germany’s DAX index was down 1.6 percent, Britain’s FT-SE 100 dropped 0.1 percent, and France’s CAC-40 tumbled 1.3 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

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

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


Opinion

Editorials

Independent booksellers press their case

The Associated Press
Wednesday February 28, 2001

 

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge heard arguments Tuesday in a lingering antitrust suit filed against two major bookstore chains by independent booksellers who allege their competition receives illegal preferential treatment from publishers for secret deals and steep discounts. 

Attorneys representing the American Booksellers Association argued before U.S. District Judge William Orrick that the suit against Barnes & Noble Inc. and Borders Group Inc. should proceed to trial. 

Orrick did not rule Tuesday. The case is set for trial beginning April 9. 

The case was filed in 1998 and the plaintiffs have since tried to pry information about distribution and marketing deals they say publishers give exclusively to the major chains. The 26 plaintiffs claim the growth of large bookstore chains has cost them millions of dollars they are unable to recoup without the same discounts. 

“These are secret deals. They were withheld from the plaintiffs,” said David DeBruin, an attorney for the ABA. 

If secret, such deals would violate the Robinson-Patman Act of 1936 enacted to prevent large businesses from using their purchasing power to gain market advantage. 

Both Borders and Barnes & Noble have declined to comment on the case. 

One Berkeley bookstore owner says his business has declined steadily since Borders and Barnes & Noble outlets popped up in the neighborhoods and cities around him. 

Andy Ross has owned Cody’s Books since 1977. Chain stores stifle variety and diversity in American literary culture, Ross said. 

“The thing about independent stores is they’re all different,” he said. “It’s important that the flow of ideas not be controlled by one or two corporations.” 

Ross said his store was one of the few to continue selling Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses” in 1989, even after Iran’s late leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued an edict against the author and ordered Muslims to kill him for insulting Islam. This is not the first time ABA members have sued over alleged industry favoritism. The trade group sued several major publishers in 1994, making similar claims of secret deals between book houses and major retail chains. 

That case was settled when the publishers entered into a consent order which Barnes & Noble and Borders attorneys argue should prevent the current case from going to trial. Full terms of that settlement have not been released. 

From 1994 to 1997, the four largest bookstore chains – Barnes & Noble, Borders, Crown Books and Books-A-Million – expanded their collective market share from 35 percent to 45 percent, the ABA said. 

The association has about 3,000 members, down considerably from its peak membership of about 5,000 just five years ago. Barnes & Noble and Borders operate 937 and 335 stores, respectively, and are expanding notably in California. 

Susan Novotny, owner of The Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza in Albany, N.Y. said chain stores have sapped profits from her business as well. Her 6,000-square-foot store is within two miles of both Borders and Barnes & Noble. 

“I’ve been up against two of the chain stores in my area since 1993,” Novotny said. “The early years were profoundly depressing. We hemorrhaged a lot of revenue.” 

She’s also concerned that major bookstore chains too often give prominent store placement to best sellers and ignore emerging writers. 

“You don’t need a Danielle Steele (novel) every six months,” Novotny said. 

 


Iranian national who allegedly threatened to ‘kill all Americans’ held without bail

By Michelle DeArmond Associated Press Writer
Wednesday February 28, 2001

LOS ANGELES — An Iranian national who allegedly threatened to “kill all Americans” when he was caught smoking on an international flight was ordered held without bail Friday after a prosecutor argued his actions threatened thousands of lives. 

Javid Naghani was not only a threat to the 145 people aboard Air Canada Flight 792 but to thousands of people on the ground in Los Angeles, Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Rubinstein told Judge Magistrate Jennifer Lum at a hearing in federal court on Friday afternoon. 

Naghani’s attorney, Richard Novak, argued for bail, saying his client is a successful businessman with strong ties to the community, but Lum was not moved. She ordered Naghani to return to court Oct. 15 for a preliminary hearing. 

Naghani, a legal resident with an office-cleaning business called Cleaning of America, was traveling with his wife aboard Air Canada 792 to Toronto when authorities say he was caught smoking in the Boeing 767’s bathroom. 

When flight attendants confronted him, he said he would “kill all Americans” and said he belonged to some sort of unspecified group, according to a criminal complaint filed against him Friday. Naghani also accused the staff of being racist and said, “You do not know who I am,” attendants told an FBI agent. 

“His words are how this court should judge Mr. Naghani’s actions. Those words were spoken to convey a threat and they certainly did,” Rubinstein told the judge. “He was risking the lives of everybody on that plane and also the citizens of Los Angeles that were on the ground.” 

Novak said Naghani is a successful businessman and property owner but also a person who has a drinking problem, adding that may have contributed to the confrontation aboard the plane. He said several government buildings are among those serviced by his cleaning business. 

In arguing against bail, Rubinstein said Naghani has also had previous brushes with the law, including a conviction for reckless driving in 1988 and one for possession of a dangerous weapon, a dagger, in 1995. He didn’t elaborate. 

The defendant, dressed in shorts and an untucked, button-downed shirt, tried to interrupt the hearing at one point, telling the judge the allegations were false. 

“I didn’t say those words, I swear to my mother,” he said. 

After Naghani allegedly made his threat, the pilot turned the jet around and two U.S. fighter planes escorted it back to Los Angeles International Airport less than an hour after departure. Authorities took Naghani into custody and most of the flight’s passengers eventually made it to Toronto on Friday morning. 

Flight attendants told the captain “they were intimidated, fearful and unwilling to deal with Naghani, and that Naghani needed to be removed from the aircraft,” FBI agent David Beall said. 

Naghani’s wife, Rose Hinojos, told a flight attendant her husband had been drinking wine before the confrontation. She told The Associated Press Thursday night she did not see him smoking. 

Hinojos also denounced the authorities, saying they treated her and Naghani like terrorists. 

“I was handcuffed all over like I am a terrorist,” said Hinojos, who was released after questioning. “This is not the way to treat residents. This is the United States. My husband and I are not terrorists. 

“My husband is the kindest person I have ever met,” Hinojos said, adding that Naghani, a businessman, “treats his employees very well.” 

A neighbor described Naghani on Friday as a boisterous chain smoker with a penchant for hard liquor and a “good heart.” 

Helene Apper, who has lived near Naghani for five years, said he was nervous about flying in the wake of the East Coast terrorist attacks. Apper suggested Naghani likely had too much to drink out of nervousness, but was not someone who would actually carry through on violent threats. 

“He loved America and the freedoms it gave him,” she said. 


School test will likely be practice

The Associated Press
Tuesday February 27, 2001

SACRAMENTO — It’s becoming more likely that the ninth-graders who take the state’s first high school graduation test starting next week will be doing it only for practice. 

However, school districts around the state will probably not know for sure until just before the test whether it will count for the students who volunteer to try it, or be just a practice test. 

Gov. Gray Davis’ bill to modify the 1999 law to help it withstand legal challenges is crawling through the Legislature. The 1999 law requires students to pass the new test to graduate, starting with the class of 2004, or today’s ninth-graders. 

Ninth-graders around the state will be taking the reading and writing portion of the new test on March 7 and the math section on March 13. 

The 1999 law allows ninth-graders who volunteer to take the test and, if they do well, to pass it and fulfill their graduation requirement. 

However, in December Davis proposed making the test only a practice exam for ninth-graders this year. 

That’s because he believes all tenth-graders should take the test, beginning next year, so there will be a complete cross-section of students when the state sets the passing grade. If ninth-graders who did well did not have to take the test as tenth-graders, the pool of tenth-graders would be distorted. 

Several lawmakers repeated their concerns Monday that many students will not have been prepared for the test’s tough questions, particularly in algebra. 

More than one-third of current high school graduates do not take algebra and the state just this year made algebra a graduation requirement beginning with the class of 2004.  

Many schools do not have sufficient qualified math teachers. 

“I’ve never taught in a high school in this state that had enough algebra teachers,” said Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, D-Los Angeles, a teacher for 18 years. 

Another former teacher, Assemblywoman Elaine Alquist, D-Santa Clara, said the state has to make sure that all students are able to take algebra, “and not just in summer school taught by an art teacher.” 

——— 

On the Net: Read the bill, SB84 by Sen. Jack O’Connell, D-San Luis Obispo, at http://www.sen.ca.gov 

Read about the high school test at 

http://www.cde.ca.gov/statetests/hsee 


Power problems could spread this summer

The Associated Press
Monday February 26, 2001

LOS ANGELES — As Californians brace for a summer of anticipated power shortages, their neighbors should be ready to share the pain, experts warn. 

“It could get bad all over the West this summer,” said Craig Pirrong, a finance professor who specializes in energy markets at Washington University in St. Louis. “The likelihood of outages is still greatest in California, because that’s where the major deficiency of generating facilities are. 

“But things over the entire West could be dicey this summer.” 

California twice endured short periods of targeted blackouts in January and has been coping with short power supplies for weeks. As demand rises with the temperature, energy experts predict the state will run short on power supply again, particularly in the hottest months. 

The region most likely to face similar problems is the Pacific Northwest, although other western states could be included because they share the same transmission grid. 

Washington, Oregon, Idaho and western Montana depend heavily on hydroelectric power, an energy source facing a double challenge this year. 

The Portland-based Bonneville Power Authority has been forced to draw down its reservoirs in recent months under a federal order requiring energy suppliers to sell to power-starved California. The order has since been lifted, but reservoir levels have been left perilously low as a result. 

Because states west of the Rockies are linked through the same transmission system, problems on the grid in one area also could mean a greater likelihood of disruptions elsewhere. 

That could leave states such as Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Arizona, considered fairly safe from supply problems or soaring prices this summer, more vulnerable to outages. 

The West’s power grid is one giant circuit that works best when reserves allow power to flow at full capacity. 

If the grid section in one state is operating with low or no reserves, as it’s expected to do this summer in California, that state has less of an ability to handle emergencies, such as shorts or unexpected blackouts. 

Without energy reserves, the state could institute targeted blackouts to keep the lights on statewide. If problems are severe, the state would suck energy from the rest of the grid, potentially leading to shortages elsewhere. 

“It’s a scary thought, but the electricity is tied together like a bunch of high-tension rubber bands,” said Kellan Fluckiger, chief operating officer for California’s Independent System Operator, which manages 75 percent of the state’s transmission system. “If you fool with the tension in one place, it fools with the tension on the other end.” 

The ripple effect could hinder transmission capabilities in other states. So even though Arizona, for example, might have plenty of power, it couldn’t deliver it. 

“A limited blackout could become fairly widespread,” said Dick Watson, director of the power division of the Northwest Power Planning Council, a policy advisory board. 

A separate grid serves the East, but supply problems also are emerging in some areas there. The New York Power Authority recently spent $500 million for 11 generators to meet anticipated summer demand during peak periods. The generators will be online in New York and Long Island by June, a spokesman said. 

A nationwide shortage of natural gas, one of the main fuels firing power plants that generate electricity, also could push summer cooling bills higher across the country. 

In California, state officials are taking steps to avoid widespread problems this summer. 

Gov. Gray Davis plans to have enough power plants built in the next few months to meet demand during peak use times. 

Peak demand for power is expected to exceed supplies from May through September, according to a report by the Independent System Operator. The projected deficit will range from 3,030 megawatts in May to as high as 6,815 megawatts in June. It takes about 1,000 megawatts to serve a city the size of Seattle. 

Davis’ goal will be tough to meet by summer, however, said Judah Rose, managing director of ICF Consulting, a Washington, D.C., firm specializing in energy issues. 

“I have never seen any place in the world that has been able to solve that kind of problem in a couple of months,” he said.


Growing white asparagus, a garden delicacy

By George Bria The Associated Press
Saturday February 24, 2001

POUND RIDGE, N.Y. — White asparagus, long a European delicacy, has lately become popular also in America. Home gardeners can easily grow these so-called blanched or gourmet whites as well as the better-known green and purplish spears. 

In my 40-year-old asparagus patch, I’ve raised white ones occasionally and enjoyed their delicate flavor, texture and elegant ivory look as a contrast to the green, which have a stronger, wilder taste. 

Either color, asparagus is one of the garden’s most delicious and rewarding crops, paying you many times over for the time and patience initially required to establish a productive patch. 

Flavor aside, there is little difference between white and green except in the way the spears are harvested. All it takes to make spears white is to mound earth over them as they emerge. That keeps them in darkness, blocking the sun from producing the greening chlorophyll. 

For flavor and tenderness, I’ve found the best time to harvest asparagus is when the spears are about six inches long, much shorter than the tied-up bunches sold in the supermarket. 

So if you pile earth over spears to whiten them, you should make allowance for at least a six-inch growth before their tips break the surface. That’s when you slip a knife underneath the mound and cut the spears at ground level. After cutting the spears, let the residual earth of the mounds just crumble onto the ground. 

The spears that you’re keeping green are making the same growth unshielded from the sunlight and are also ready to harvest. 

Time and again I’ve heard people say they don’t grow asparagus because it takes too long – three or four years before you start getting anything worthwhile. This is true, but the same principle applies to ornamental bushes or fruit trees, which may take even longer. 

Most vegetables are annuals. From sowing to harvesting, they do their thing in one season. Asparagus and rhubarb are perennials. Plant them once and, after they’re established, they’ll produce year after year. You can grow old harvesting asparagus that you planted when you were young. Some patches are legendary, 100 years and older, and prized so highly in the Old Country they formed part of a marriage dowry. 

Back in my 40’s, I planted 16 roots or crowns. Now in my 80’s, I count on an average of 750 spears a year from that modest beginning, with no work except a yearly fertilizing and mulching with salt hay to keep weeds at bay. 

You can start asparagus from seed, but generally people prefer the time-saver of buying roots from nurseries or gardening catalogs. Twenty roots cost about $15. All-male varieties, like Jersey Giant and Jersey Knight, are preferred nowadays to old timers like Mary Washington because of greater disease resistance. 

You plant the roots in trenches, about 2 feet apart, that you dig in the spring as soon as the ground can be worked. Asparagus is not too fussy about soil (slightly acid, pH 6.5 is best) and full sun is not needed, but the site should be well-drained and all weeds destroyed. Pick a place at one end of the garden where the eventual asparagus ferns, which can grow 6 feet tall, will not shade other plants. 

Optimally, the trenches should be 15 inches deep, but don’t despair if you can’t go that deep. The trench should be 12 inches wide. Make a ridge of soil mixed with compost or aged manure along the bottom of the trench and spread the roots, crown up, over the ridge and about 18 inches apart. Cover the roots with the soil you originally dug up and other topsoil as needed. When finished, the crowns should be about 2 inches beneath the surface. Then water the bed generously. 

The waiting then begins. A few wispy spears will appear the first year. Leave them alone to grow into ferns. A few more spears will come up the second year. Also leave them alone. You can start cutting the third year, but don’t expect too much. By the fifth year, if you’ve faithfully fertilized and regularly destroyed weeds, you should enjoy fine harvests. This is a good time to experiment with growing white ones, perhaps mounding earth over a single emerging spear or a corner of the patch. 

——— 

EDITOR’S NOTE: George Bria retired from the AP in 1981 after 40 years that included coverage of World War II from Italy. 

End advance for Thursday, Feb. 22 


State moves out of power alert for first time in weeks

The Associated Press
Friday February 23, 2001

California called off all power alerts Thursday for the first time in nearly six weeks, thanks to the availability of more imported electricity and the return to service of power plants that had been down for repairs. 

The Independent System Operator canceled a Stage 1 alert that had been declared Wednesday. Until last weekend, the state spent 32 consecutive days in a Stage 3 alert — the most severe of the alerts, warning that reserves were dangerously low and that rolling blackouts were possible. 

Until Thursday, the last time California had been free of all alerts was Jan. 13. 

“The supply picture has improved and we are glad that we’re able to come out of the emergency. However, we are looking at a long-term limited supply of electricity within the whole region,” said ISO spokeswoman Lorie O’Donley. 

“We’re coming up on the summer, our high use period, and we appreciate the conservation efforts that people have made. We hope they incorporate that into their lifestyles.” 

Meanwhile, officials said fears that natural gas supplies in Northern California would be depleted by the end of February have eased because more suppliers have agreed to deliver gas to Pacific Gas and Electric Co. – and the utility said it will pay all its suppliers Friday for gas delivered in January. 

At the state Capitol, lawmakers worked on bills they hope will result in more power plants for California. The Assembly Natural Resources Committee approved two bills, sending them to the energy committee for further hearings next week. 

One bill would require local governments in areas where power demand exceeds production to identify potential sites for new power plants. The other would speed up state approval of the remodeling of old or retired power plants. 

Gov. Gray Davis’ administration met again with utility company executives to negotiate a rescue plan for the two utilities. The governor has proposed buying 26,000 miles of transmission lines to give the utilities an infusion of much-needed cash. He also has proposed allowing the utilities to issue revenue bonds to be paid back by ratepayers over many years. 

“We’re hopeful for an announcement tomorrow,” said Steve Maviglio, spokesman for the governor. 

A federal judge is expected to decide Friday whether wholesalers can be forced to sell to the state power grid, even without a creditworthy buyer. A temporary restraining order requiring three generators to keep selling power to the ISO expires Friday. 

U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. had extended the temporary restraining order by two days in order to give attorneys for the grid and the generators more time to try to reach an out-of-court-settlement, but no deal was completed by late Thursday afternoon. 

“We have not entered into any deal to make the TRO from Judge Damrell go away,” Richard Wheatley, a spokesman for Houston-based Reliant Energy, said Thursday afternoon. 

State power regulators decided unanimously Thursday that the Department of Water Resources is responsible for buying any power that two cash-strapped utilities are unable to generate or buy on their own – no matter what price wholesalers are charging. 

However, the PUC voted 3-2 against taking action to ensure that the DWR will receive a portion of ratepayer revenues from PG&E and Southern California Edison Co. to help cover the cost of buying electricity. 

The state, through the DWR, was authorized by a recent law to buy power for the two utilities, who have battled to stave off bankruptcy for weeks and have such low credit ratings that no power companies will sell to them. 

The DWR has spent about $2 billion on electricity for the customers of PG&E and SoCal Edison; the rest is provided by the utilities’ own plants or through existing long-term contracts. But the DWR has refused to buy power beyond a certain price. That means more last-minute power purchases on the expensive spot market. 

The utilities and the state disagree over how the DWR will be reimbursed — whether through state bonds or ratepayer dollars — and the extent of its power-buying role. 

In a letter filed with the PUC last week, the DWR asked state regulators to ensure that it will receive “at least a portion of its current revenue requirements from the sale of power to retail end consumers.” 

But PG&E spokesman John Nelson said Assembly Bill 1X is very clear that the DWR is buying that power to spare the utilities the extra cost to help them get out of their $12.7 billion debt. 

“We believe the draft decision undermines the clear intent of the law and what the Legislature said when it passed AB1X,” Nelson said. “If the CPUC fails to implement the law correctly it could propel the parties toward bankruptcy.” 

The author of the bill authorizing the long-term contracts said Wednesday the legislation’s intent was to fully cover the one-third of the power that utilities purchased on the spot market, either through extended contracts or through the state ISO. 

Assemblyman Fred Keeley, D-Boulder Creek, said his bill was supposed to cover the full “net-short” position — or all of the power the utilities were buying on the spot market. That would include the emergency power purchases grid officials bought to avoid rolling blackouts. That is typically the most expensive power. 

“By refusing to purchase all of the utilities’ net short needs, the DWR is ignoring the intent of Assemblyman Keely’s bill,” PUC Commissioner Richard Bilas said. “DWR’s attitude is exacerbating a problem AB1X was meant to alleviate.” 

——— 

On the Net: Read the bills, AB9x by Assemblyman Keith Richman, R-Northridge, and AB36x by Assemblyman Rod Wright, D-Los Angeles, at 

http://www.sen.ca.gov 


Investors see opportunity despite gloom

By John Cunniff The Associated Press
Thursday February 22, 2001

The stock market’s plunge has left many small investors so intimidated they are likely to miss out on the beginning of the next upturn and the chance to recoup their losses. 

It is one of the tragic ironies of the marketplace, confirmed in at least nine up-down cycles since World War II.  

As opportunity improves, many small investors won’t want anything to do the market. 

This feeling of defeat isn’t limited to stocks.  

Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan has, in fact, expressed fears it could affect buying and selling in general, and thus delay any recovery. 

It’s in the stock market, however, that the psychological effect is most glaring. 

In the overall marketplace, a family that buys a car at the economy’s peak may still have it when the economy tanks. 

You can’t say the same thing about a stock that was purchased at the top and sold at the bottom, an experience shared by many thousands of small investors.  

Their loss is real and extremely painful, and it leaves them in a mood that tolerates no additional chances. 

Sadly, this gloom may descend as opportunity beckons, which in the present instance conceivably could be mere weeks or a few months away.  

This assumption is based on the likelihood that the economy begins to respond to lower interest rates about six months after the first rate cut. 

Gerald Perritt, an investment advisor with a historian’s perspective, states the case succinctly: “The Fed first cut rates in early January, which would mean an economic rebound will begin in early July. 

“If the slowdown had begun sometime last November, its midpoint would occur sometimes this month. If stock prices respond like they have in the past, the bear market bottom is at hand.” 

But investing deals with the future, anticipating events rather than waiting for them to happen.  

It means that the most daring of investors is willing to buy stocks amid the thickest blanket of gloom. 

Unfortunately, this is when many small investors decide they cannot take any risk at all.  

Dump your stocks at the bottom, says Perritt, who edits “The Mutual Fund Letter,” and you lock in your losses. 

Not only that, having dumped stocks at a loss increases the odds that you’ll miss out on the first stage of the market’s recovery. That is, you might miss out on what could be the prime time to buy. 

For reference and decision-making purposes, the average post World War II recession – and this is to date only a contraction and probably won’t deteriorate into a recession – lasted 11.7 months. 

The longest, 17 months, occurred in both 1973-1974 and 1981-1982; the shortest last nine months, in 1957 and again in 1990-1991. 

But, as happened in each one of the nine cycles, the stock market bear was routed months before the recession ended. In the 1990-1991 recession, the bear market ended in November 1990, the recession not until March 1991. 

John Cunniff is a business analyst for The Associated Press