The cagey veteran versus the young buck. It’s a common story in sports. But one doesn’t often hear about it in high school tennis. 

When Berkeley hosted Alameda on Thursday, the No. 1 singles match pitted Berkeley senior Noah Farb against Alameda freshman Daniel Elefant. On a day that Berkeley won easily, six matches to one, the Farb-Elefant matchup was a good example of how experience helps. 

During the first set, Elefant was more than holding his own, matching Farb point for point. Late in the set, Elefant called four close shots out, and Farb objected each time. By the fourth time, Farb called for line judges to call the rest of the match. The delay and uproar appeared to get to the freshman, as he dropped the next four points and the set 7-5. Although Elefant came back strong in the second set, Farb won that one too, 6-4, to win Berkeley’s fourth match of the day, assuring the Yellowjackets a victory. 

“He made some questionable calls, but it really didn’t bother me,” Farb said. “I mostly did it to get in his head.” 

The senior-laden ’Jackets used their experience to win nearly every match against the younger Hornets. Alameda’s lone win came from No. 2 singles Hein Tu, who beat Berkeley’s Patrick Hamilton 6-1, 6-0. At No. 3 singles, Berkeley’s Nicky Baum downed Chris Chung, while Nate Simmons claimed a 6-3, 6-1 victory for Berkeley at No. 4 singles. 

“They’re a good young team, and I was impressed with them today,” Berkeley coach Dan Seguin said after the match. “But once our guys got on track and started to execute, we took over.” 

On the doubles side, Berkeley’s top team, Gabe Zeldan and George Thomas, won easily at 6-4, 6-2. The second team, Quincy Moore and Ben Chambers, looked in danger when they lost the first set, 1-6, to Vincent Chu and Ellis Ng, but came back to win the next two sets 6-0 and 6-1. Third team Chris Lee and Jonah Schrogin won in three sets to finish the match.

Flowers and messages of farewell left at the southwest corner of Shattuck and Hearst avenues memorialize Jayne Ash, a tuberculosis controller, who died March 15 from injuries she suffered when she was struck by a truck while crossing Shattuck at Hearst. See obituary, Page 3.

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 

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 

“Jewish Holidays from a  

Secular Perspective”  

8 p.m.  

Albany Community Center  

1249 Marin Ave.  

Albany  

Hershl Hartman, international authority on secular humanistic Judaism, will speak. Sponsored by Kol Hadash, Northern California Community for Humanistic Judaism.  

428-1492 

“Turandot” 

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

The opera.  

644-6107 

Commission on Disability 

Subcommittee on Transportation  

2:30 - 4:30 p.m. 

2180 Milvia St.  

Third Floor North, Maple Room 

The subcommittee will discuss the paratransit program, pedestrian access problems, AC Transit access issues and the Berkeley program of nightlights for wheelchair users. 

Saturday, March 24

Update on Pacifica Radio 

noon-3 p.m. 

Freight & Salvage Coffee House 

1111 Addison St. 

$50 donation; 548-0542 

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  

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 

Diabetes & Cardiovascular  

Disease Health Clinic 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church  

2024 Ashby Ave.  

Dr. Lenore Coleman, Bayer Clinical Science specialist and certified diabetes educator and Dr. Cassandra Herbert Whitman, Alta Bates Medical Associates will be available to answer questions. Free comprehensive screenings will be given people to identify cardiovascular risk factors. Free 

848-2050 

Energy Ideas for Remodeling  

9:30 - 11 a.m.  

City Energy Officer Neal De Snoo will conduct a seminar on the options available for incorporating energy efficient fixtures and systems into residential remodeling and renovation projects. Sponsored by Truitt & White Lumber Company of Berkeley. Free 

Call 649-2674 for reservations  

Visit www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/energy for info. on energy conservation and efficiency 

Hunger Hike in the Redwoods  

10 a.m.  

Joaquin Miller Park  

Ranger Station on Sanborn Dr.  

Oakland  

Join the Alameda County Community Food Bank for this educational hike. Enjoy the views while learning about local edible and medicinal plants. Bring a bag lunch.  

$25 donation  

834-FOOD x327 

“Five a Day from Local  

Farms & Gardens” 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m.  

Berkeley Farmers Market  

Center St. at MLK Jr. Way 

Sponsored by the Berkeley Food Policy Council and the Ecology Center there will be cooking demonstrations and samples of healthy, nutritious food, featuring seasonal produce. Free 

Rally for Public Power 

2 p.m.  

Berkeley Civic Center Park  

MLK Jr. Way and Center St.  

Sponsored by the Social Action Committee of the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, those frustrated with blackouts and the inaction of elected officials are called to consider a declaration invoking the power of eminent domain.  

Compassionate Listening  

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. (at Rose) 

Hear Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener and three other local women report on their recent visit to Israel and Palestine. They listened to Israelis and Palestinians from a variety of political, religious and social perspectives tell their stories, hopes, fears and dreams. Donation requested. Proceeds benefit the Mideast Citizen Diplomacy.  

Live from Death Row 

2 p.m.  

YWCA  

1515 Webster St.  

Hosted by the Campaign to End the Death Penalty (CEDP), “Live From Death Row” is a public forum where death row inmates meet via speakerphone with a speakers’ panel and the general public to share their experiences of living with the brutal reality of capital punishment. Includes Nobel Peace Prize nominee and San Quentin death row inmate Stanley “Tookie” Williams.  

Sunday, March 25

Women in Science & Technology  

1 - 4 p.m.  

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley  

In celebration of Women’s History Month, LHS presents a day to inspire and inform students. Women who work in such fields as computer graphics, geology, and astronomy demonstrate how they use math, science, and technology in their professional lives. Free with museum admission.  

Passover Family Day  

12:30 - 3 p.m. 

Judah L. Magnes Museum  

2911 Russell St.  

Create a Passover seder plate, view Magnes treasures, see “Madame Matza Ball Celebrates Passover,” a puppet show for the tikes, enjoy free refreshments, and exchange recipes. 

Beyond the Dragons  

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Nyingma Institute meditation instructor Abbe Blum explores the maneuvers of mind that consistently make us miserable. Open up new possibilities for self-understanding and gain control and direction in life. Free 

843-6812 

Duck Soup Celebrates 20 Years  

1 - 6 p.m.  

Duck Soup Family Playschool  

5304 Bryant Ave.  

Oakland  

A big party complete with families and staff, past and present, face painting, crafts, a puppeteer, potluck surprises, storytelling and much more.  

563-7430 

Monday, March 26

The New House of Representatives 

Noon  

Harris Room  

119 Moses Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Lois Capps, congresswoman, (D., Santa Barbara), will discuss “The Makeup of the New House of Representatives.” Bring a brown bag lunch. Free 

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 

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.org 

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 

“Five a Day from Local Farms & Gardens” 

1 p.m. - Dusk  

Berkeley Farmers Market  

Derby St. @ MLK Jr. Way  

Sponsored by the Berkeley Food Policy Council and the Ecology Center there will be cooking demonstrations and samples of healthy, nutritious food, featuring seasonal produce. Free 

548-3333 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 9:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

Make some new friends, expand your horizons and get support with a bunch of queer women all in the same place at the same time (somewhere between 18 and 25).  

548-8283 or visit www.pacificcenter.org 

Blood Pressure Testing 

9:30 - 11:30 a.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With Alice Meyer  

644-6107 

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 

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. 

CA. Telephone Access for Low Vision 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With Frances Franco. 

644-6107 

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 

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. 

Help the Abused  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Gary Hines will discuss how to recognize if a peer is in an abusive situation and what to do. Free  

644-6107 

Special Education Parents Group 

7 - 9 p.m. 

LeConte School Cafeteria  

2241 Russell St.  

Discussion of special education in the Berkeley Unified School District.  

558-8933 

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  

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

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 

“Yellowstone Buffalo” Screening 

7 p.m.  

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists  

Cedar & Bonita  

A compilation video exposing the ongoing slaughter of Yellowstone’s wild buffalo herd. Seventy five percent of donations go to the Buffalo Field Campaign’s front-line efforts to protect the buffalo herd. Sponsored by A First Amendment Center, Berkeley. Free 

287-9406  

Saturday, March 31  

Shelter Operations 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 

Cesar Chavez Day Commemoration  

11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Cesar Chavez Park (Northwest Corner)  

Four fourth and fifth grade classes from area elementary schools will present the virtues of Cesar Chavez, followed by a dance by the Azteca Dance Group. Mayor Shirley Dean, School Board President Terry Doran, Fr. Bill O’Donnell, and Federico Chavez will speak.  

845-0657 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright

The debate on the McCain-Feingold bill and soft money reform shows how far we have strayed from the idea of one person, one vote. 

Rather than starting with that goal and considering the steps needed to achieve it, the present discussion begins by assuming that spending money to influence elections is a “right,” then asks how to limit the damage that must follow. 

McCain-Feingold attempts to close one avenue for the corrupting influence of money, but it ignores the root problem and, disturbingly, suggests that hard money (contributions directly to candidates) is somehow legitimate because it is done openly. 

Should we feel better about legislators being bought because we know who's buying? Raising hard money limits as a “compromise” for imposing soft money limits, if passed, will be a moving away from democracy because it would shift much soft money (now given to the parties) to even more valuable hard money contributions. 

Without such a trade-off, the bill would be an improvement, at least in the short-term. But even modest reductions in corruption may be counter-productive if they reinforce the legitimacy of an inherently anti-democratic system – one that led Sen. Bob Dole calling for “cleaning up the campaign sewer money” even before soft money became a major factor. 

Money and incumbency are the dominant factors in elections, and the two move like interlocked gears. 

Incumbents won more than 96 percent of Congressional contests in which they ran last year and the highest-spending candidate won 94 percent of all races. Only seven of the 432 races with an incumbent were won by a lower-spending challenger. 

In fact, for most citizens, putting a $2,000 limit per candidate, per election on hard money contributions is like placing a 60 MPH speed limit on bicycling. 

Just one-tenth of one percent of Americans made a political contribution of $1,000 or more last year, yet they accounted for 75 percent of the direct contributions received by both Bush and Gore. 

Allowing wealth to translate to political power so directly precludes a government that serves the broader public interest. 

Donors know this. A poll of major hard money donors by Lake, Snell, Perry and Associates following the 1996 elections found 76 percent confirming that “influencing policy/government” was a “very important” reason for contributing. 

And their investment was repaid with access to federal officials beyond the reach of those who rely on our voices or word processors for “speech.” 

Recent attempts to control money's influence while within the existing rules have been thwarted repeatedly – they have not only failed to improve the situation, they have not even slowed the march toward government of, by, and for money. 

In January, the Supreme Court upheld the use of severely limiting campaign contributions as a way to prevent both actual and perceived corruption, and rejected the idea that someone must document money changing hands for a specific vote to verify that corruption exists. 

A majority of the justices also suggested they were willing to reclaim democracy from moneyed interests by overruling a 1976 decision that saw money as speech. As Justice Stevens wrote, “money is property; it is not speech.” 

We must ask, first, what must be done to assure our citizens equal protection. We must redefine campaign contributions from a right to a privilege – a privilege subject to whatever limits are needed to prevent those with money from overwhelming those who lack it. 

Rather than waiting for the Supreme Court to do the right thing, Americans should demand a law that clearly distinguishes expressing an opinion – “speech” as the Constitution intends it – from spending money to amplify one's speech. Only then can we, the citizens – the demos of democracy – have government that truly represents us. 

Pacific News Service commentator Jeff Milchen is director of ReclaimDemocracy.org in  

Boulder, CO.

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. 2911 Russell St. 549-6950  

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. “Fossil Finding with Annie Montague Alexander” March 24-25, 31 & April 21; “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 March 23: 18 Visions, Walls of Jericho, Time In Malta, Undying, Betray the Species; March 24: Workin’ Stiffs, The Bodies, Strychnine, East Bay Chasers, For the Alliance; March 30: Deathreat, Ahimsa, F*** God In the Face, The Black, Creation Is Crucifixion; March 31: The Jocks, The Cost, The Fleshies, Quest for Quintana Roo, Chi Chi Nut Nut & The Pinecone Express 525-9926  

Ashkenaz March 23, 8 p.m. - 2 a.m.: Dead-A-Thon with Digital Dave, Legion of Mary, Cosmic Mercy; 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; March 25, 3 - 6 p.m.: Brassworks; March 27, 9 p.m.: Bayou Pon Pon, dance lesson at 8 p.m.; March 28, 8 p.m.: Fling Ding, Kathy Kallick Band, Bluegrass Intentions; March 29, 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.: Grateful Dead DJ Nite w/Digital Dave; March 30, 9:30 p.m.: Johnny Nocturne Band, dance lesson at 8 p.m.; March 31, 9 p.m.: SoVoSo, Kotoja; April 29: Clinton Fearon & Boogie Brown Band; May 6, 7 p.m.: Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble 1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com  

Eli’s Mile High Club Doors open at 8 p.m. March 23, 9:30 p.m.: Carlos Zialcita; March 24: Daniel Castro; March 30: Craig Horton Blues Band 3629 MLK Jr. Way Oakland  

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. March 23: Perfect Strangers; March 24: Barry & Alice Olivier; March 25: Boogie Woogie Piano Cavalcade w/Beverly Stovall, Sue Palmer, Wendy De Witt, Big Joe Duskin; March 27: Maria Muldaur; March 28: Todd Phillips, David Grier & Matt Flinner; March 29: Tom Paxton; March 30 & 31: House Jacks 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzschool/La Note All music at 4:30 p.m. March 25 & 27 - 29, 4 - 10 p.m.: Student Winter Recitals; April 8: The Marcos Silva Quartet; April 15: Art Lande and Mark Miller; April 22: Alan Hall & Friends 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373 or visit www.jazzschool.com  

Live Oak Concert Series All music at 7:30 p.m. March 25: Horizon Wind Quartet play music of Mendelssohn, Rossini, Ravel, Ligetti and others All concerts $8 - $10 Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St.  

Cal Performances March 23, 7 p.m. & March 24, 1 & 8 p.m.: “The King Stag: A Tragicomic Tale for the Theatre” by Carlo Gozzi $24 - $46; April 1, 3 p.m.: Pianist Richard Goode play the music of Bach, Chopin and Beethoven $28 - $48; April 4, 8 p.m.: Pianist Chucho Valdes $18 - $30  

Zellerbach Hall UC Berkeley. 642-9988 or www.calperfs.berkeley.edu March 25, 3 p.m.: Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio perform music of Beethoven, Ravel and Tchaikovsky $32; Hertz Hall UC Berkeley 

Elaine Bernstein March 25, 2 p.m. Bernstein, soprano and Sally Munro, mezzo, with Gwendolyn Mok at the piano, will perform a variety of duets from the operas “Hansel & Gretel,” “Cosi Fan Totte,” “Der Rosenkavaher,” and “Lakme,” and more. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

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  

BHS Jazz Ensemble March 23, 7:30 p.m. The spring concert performance from the award-winning jazz ensemble. Proceeds benefit the students who will travel to Europe this summer to perform in Italy and Switzerland. $5 - $8 Florence Schwimley Little Theatre 1920 Allston Way  

The Berkeley Opera presents “The Marriage of Figaro” March 23 - April 1, call for specific times $10 - $30 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. (at Derby) 925-798-1300 

Solo Opera Opera Gala Concert March 23, 8 p.m. $25 St. John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave. 925-685-4945 or e-mail: solomail@pacbell.net 

Rebecca Riots March 24, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. $12 - $14 Club Muse 856 San Pablo Ave. Albany 528-2878 

Benefit Concert for the Xiana Fairchild Volunteer Center March 25, 7:30 p.m. Featuring The Sick, Simplistic, Mastema, Drain, and an all-star jam with surprise guests. All proceeds to benefit the volunteer center. 18 and over show. $8 Blake’s on Telegraph 2367 Telegraph Ave. 848-0886  

“A Musical Night Out” March 31, 7 p.m. A four-hand piano concert featuring Andrew Canepa and Stephanie Smith performing the works of Dvorak, Debussy, Barber and more. $10 - $15 Pacific School of Religion Chapel 1798 Scenic Ave. 849-8280  

Music in Great Berkeley Houses March 31, 7 p.m. $35 Gwendolyn Mok, piano, and Jean-Michel Fonteneau, cello, will play the music of Frank Bridge, Debussy, and Poulenc. Palache House Reserved tickets required 841-2242 

“How Desolate Lies the City...” March 31, 8 p.m. The cantatas of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries. $20 - $37 First Congregational Church of Berkeley 2345 Channing Way 415-621-7900 

Jesus Diaz y su QBA March 31, 9:30 p.m. Cuban timba dance music. $12 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568  

Berkeley High Jazz Ensemble Brunch April 1, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Free - $40 Santa Fe Bar & Grill 1310 University Ave. 527-8245 

“From Broadway to Brazil” April 1, 4 p.m. Berkeley Broadway Singers is a 70-member chorus led by Ellen Hoffman. They will be singing Motown classics along with class Broadway showtunes Free Saint Ambrose Church 1145 Gilman St. 524-0107 

Music on Squirrel Hill presents Trio Accorde April 1, 7:30 p.m. $10 - $15 Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley One Lawson Road Kensington 525-0302 

Emergency String Quartet  

& Carlos Actis Dacto Solo April 1, 8 p.m. Part of the ACME Observatory Contemporary Music Series TUVA Space 3192 Adeline (at MLK Jr. Way) 649-8744 

Hillbillies From Mars April 8, 2 p.m. Rocking the Bay for twenty years, the Hillbillies fuse rock n’ roll, swing, Latin and African beats. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

UC Alumni Chorus presents “Bravo! Opera!” April 8, 7:30 p.m. A veritable Opera chorus smorgasbord with Bizet’s “Carmen,” Verdi’s “IL trovatore,” and Copland’s “The Tenderland.” $8 - $12 Hertz Hall UC Berkeley 643-9645 

Young Emerging Artists Concert April 10, 7 - 8 p.m. The Young Musicians Program Jazz Combo will perform jazz standards and original compositions. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Under Construction No. 11” April 8, 7:30 p.m. A concert of new works by local composers, including Mary Stiles, Mark Winges, and David Sheinfeld. Free St. John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave.  

“Little Shop of Horrors” Through Apri 1, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, 2 p.m., no show Friday, March 23; $12 Berkeley Community Little Theatre Allston Way at Martin Luther King, Jr. Way Call 943-SHOW  

“The Oresteia” by Aeschylus Through 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 

“The Tempest” by William Shakespeare Through April 14, Thursday - Saturday, 8 p.m. Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Stanley Spenger $8 - $10 LaVal’s Subterranean Theatre 1834 Euclid Ave. (at Hearst) 237-7415 

Action Movie: The Play Through April 21, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m. Non-stop action and martial arts mayhem with comedy, surprise plot twists, and the occasional movie reference thrown in. $7 - $12 The Eighth Street Studio 2525 Eighth St. 464-4468 

10th annual Family Matinee Theatre and Ice Cream Social March 25 & April 1, 3 p.m. The premiere of Linda Spector’s “Strega Nona and Other Grandparent Tales,” with a cast aged 9 - 70. $4 - $8 First Congregational Church 2501 Harrison Oakland 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org.  

“Conversations in Commedia” March 28, 7:30 p.m. Featuring San Francisco Mime Troupe/Reinhabitory Theatre legends Judy Goldhaft, Jane Lapiner and moderator Peter Berg $6 - $8 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. (at Prince) 849-2568 

“Dreamers” through March 24 The American feature film debut of Chinese-born writer/director Ann Lu. The executive producer of the film is UC Berkeley alumnus Peiti Feng Fine Arts Cinema 2451 Shattuck Ave. 848-1143 

“Earth” April 7, 7:30 p.m. A 1930 film, set in Ukraine, by Soviet director Alexander Dovzhenko with an original music score created and performed by composer and musician Adrian Johnston. $7 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

“Regeneration” April 8, 5:30 p.m. The first feature-length gangster movie, filmed around 1915 on the streets of New York’s Hell’s Kitchen. Directed by Raoul Walsh, the movie will have a new original music score created and performed by composer and musician Adrian Johnston. $7 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

“Lost & Found” Documentaries from the Graduate School of Journalism April 15, 5:30 p.m. Three documentaries from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism explore the possibility of redemption in the face of immeasurable loss. Lisa Munoz’s “Chavez Ravine,” Kelly St. John’s “In Forever Fourteen,” and Zsuzsanna Varga’s “Screw Your Courage.” Pacific Film Archive 2621 Durant Ave. 642-5249 

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 

“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 

“Sugar N’ Spice N’ Everything Nice: Live, Loves and Legacies of Women of Color” Through April 21, Wednesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Works by Aissatoui Vernita, Flo Oy Wong, Tomoko Negishi, Consuelo Jimenez and many others. Pro Arts Gallery 461 Ninth Street Oakland 763-9425 

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. Through April 12, Tuesday - Thursday, 1 - 7 p.m., Saturday Noon - 4 p.m. and by appointment. 548-9272 or www.wcrc.org 

Nylan Jeung and David Lippenberger Lippenberger renders figures in acrylic and Jeung work with ink and watercolor on rice paper, using traditional eastern techniques. Through April 7, Wednesday through Sunday, Noon - 5 p.m Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893 

Recent Works of Narangkar Khalsa & Pete Glover Through March 31 !hey! Gallery 4920-B Telegraph Ave. Oakland 428-2349  

“The Art of Meadowsweet Dairy” Objects found in nature, reworked and turned into objects of art. Through May 15, call for hours; Opening reception: April 6, 6 - 9 p.m. Current Gallery at the Crucible 1036 Ashby Ave. 843-5511  

“It’s Not Easy Being Green” The art of Amy Berk and New Color Etchings by James Brown & Caio Fonseca March 28 - April 28, Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Opening reception: March 28, 6 - 8 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 or www.traywick.com 

Bernard Maisner: Illuminated Manuscripts & Paintings. Through August 8 Maisner works in miniature as well as in large scales, combining his mastery of medieval illumination, gold leafing, and modern painting techniques. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library 2400 Ridge Rd. 849-2541 

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 March 25: Poetry of Beverly Matherne & A.J. Rathbun; March 28: Poetry of Craig Van Riper & Jaime Robles; April 4: Poetry of Carole Simmons Oles & Matthew McKay; April 11: Poetry of Kurt Brown & Al Young 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted March 27: Travel writer Edward Hasbrouck, author of “The Practical Nomad” will provide essential tips, advice, and consumer skills for the independent traveler; March 29: Katherine Widing, author of “Cycling France” will give a slide presentation/talk on just that 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 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. 

Rhythm & Muse Open Mike March 25, 2 p.m. Featuring poet Paradise Berkeley Art Museum 2621 Durant (at Bowditch) 527-9753 

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

“Slam the Prisons” April 6, 6 p.m. - 1 a.m. A benefit for prison activism featuring Tang, Company of Prophets, Sheryl D. Mebane and many others. Proceeds benefit the defense of New Afrikan political prisoner Khalfani X. Khaldun and the Prison Activist Resource Center. $10 La Pena Cultural Center 3205 Shattuck Ave. 898-0431  

Tours 

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

Berkeley City Club Tours 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. The fourth Sunday of every month, Noon - 4 p.m. $2 848-7800  

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  

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

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tours All tours begin at 10 a.m. and are restricted to 30 people per tour $5 - $10 per tour April 29: Susan Schwartz leads a tour of the Berkeley Waterfront; May 12: Debra Badhia will lead a tour of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre and the Arts District; May 19: John Stansfield & Allen Stross will lead a tour of the School for the Deaf and Blind; June 2: Trish Hawthorne will lead a tour of Thousand Oaks School and Neighborhood; June 23: Sue Fernstrom will lead a tour of Strawberry Creek and West of the UC Berkeley campus 848-0181 

Lectures 

UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Research Seminars Noon seminars are brown bag  

April 23, 4 p.m.: Mary Dudziach of USC will discuss “Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy.” 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 

California Colloquium on Water Scholars of distinction in the fields of natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, law and environmental design speak about water resources and hopefully contribute to informed decisions on water in CA. April 10, 5:15 - 6:30 p.m.: “Understanding the Delta - An Engineering Perspective” Richard Denton, water manager of the Contra Costa Water District; May 8, 5:15 - 6:30 p.m.: “What Makes Water Wet?” Richard Saykally, professor of Chemistry, UC Berkeley 212 O’Brien Hall, UC Berkeley 642-2666  

City Commons Club Lecture Series Fridays, 12:30 p.m. $1 general Students Free March 23: Guy Colwell, master painter of Nasters, will speak on “Using Painting to Teach Art History”; March 30: Jana Grittersova, professor of International Relations, UC Berkeley will speak on “The European Union - Integration and Expansion” Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave. 848-3533 

“Color, Color, Color” March 26, 7:30 p.m. A lecture by Christine Barnes which looks at three characteristics of color common to all quilts: Value, temperature and intensity. Free - $3 First Unitarian Church One Lawson Road Kensington 834-3706 

“The Gene’s Eye View of Creation” April 4 & 10, 4:10 p.m. Evolutionary Biologist Richard Dawkins, a leading thinker in modern Darwinism, will deliver a lecture “The Genetic Book of the Dead” April 4 and “The Selfish Cooperator” April 10 International House Auditorium UC Berkeley  

St. Mary’s track team provided a lesson in dominance Thursday night as the Panthers handily defeated Kennedy and Salesian High Schools. 

In its second Bay Shore Athletic League meet of the young outdoor season, St. Mary’s boys defeated Kennedy 80-10 and Salesian 94-27. The girls, meanwhile, routed Kennedy 95-2 and Salesian 110-13. Five points are awarded for first place finishes in each event. 

“We ran well tonight,” said Jay Lawson, now in his 14th year as head coach of the Panthers. “Our boys’ team has the potential to be our best ever.” 

That’s saying a lot, considering the St. Mary’s boys have captured the section title three years in a row and took third at the state championships last year. Although the Panthers only graduated two boys from last year’s team, one of the graduates happened to be last year’s state high jump champion and the other is now a quarter-mile runner for UCLA. 

Lawson said that he rested some of his top athletes Thursday, in preparation for Saturday’s St. Francis Invitational in Mountain View. “That will be a good test for us,” he said. 

Against Kennedy and Salesian, Phil Smith had an especially strong performance, Lawson said. Not only did he break the 40-foot mark in the triple jump (40 feet, 10 inches), he also took first in the long jump with a personal-best 20 feet, 3 1/2 inches. Phil Weatheroy won the discus (149 feet, 8 inches) as well as the shot put (47 feet, 3 inches). Chris Dunbar won the 100 and 200 with times of 10:84 and 21:80, respectively. 

On the girls’ side, Kamaiya Warren took first place in the discus (128 feet, 1 inch) and shot put (42 feet, 8 inches). Riana Shaw won the triple jump (34 feet, 5 1/2 inches) and the high jump (5 feet, 2 inches). 

Following Saturday’s meet in Mountain View, St. Mary’s heads to James Logan (Union City) on March 28. That contest, Lawson said, could prove challenging. 

“Their girls’ team is one of the strongest in the state,” he said. “We always have our hands full with their boys’ team, where 10-12 points usually separates first and second.”

The primary’s not until March 2002, but a gaggle of State Assembly wannabes are already crowding ‘round the starting gate, elbows set to jab, coffers ready to fill – term limits loom that will eject Dion Aroner from the 14th District Assembly seat next year. 

A wrinkle in the plans of some among the hopefuls, however, could be redistricting: the boundaries of the district could change before next year’s elections. 

The district runs from North Oakland through Emeryville and Berkeley and up through Albany and El Cerrito to San Pablo and Richmond. The district is heavily Democrat and most observers see the Democratic primary as the race to be won. 

Among those eyeing the seat are Jane Brunner, vice mayor of Oakland, Mark Friedman, El Cerrito city councilmember, John Delrymple, executive director of the Contra Costa County Central Labor Council, Charles Ramsey, West Contra Costa School Board director and Kriss Worthington, Berkeley councilmember.  

Supervisor Keith Carson, who ran  

against Aroner for the State Senate seat in 1998, says he won’t run and AC Transit Director Greg Harper says he’ll only run if Aroner asks him to do so. 

Jane Brunner 

Brunner, 53, won a hard-fought race for her first term on the Oakland City Council – she ran unopposed the second time. In her first race, she had the blessing – and benefit of the fund-raising capacity – of now-State Sen. Don Perata.  

“I haven’t announced,” Brunner said, when asked if she were going to make the run for assembly. “I’m considering it.” 

Like all the others thinking about the race, Brunner characterizes herself as a progressive and points to issues she’d tackle in the Assembly: affordable housing, sustainable development and schools. 

Brunner is known in Berkeley where she taught special education for a number of years. Later she became an attorney and worked for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Engineers. Along with her duties on the City Council, she practices law with the Oakland firm of Siegel & Yee. 

She said her decision rests on whether it looks like she could raise the money she’d need for the race – Aroner spent around $300,000 when she first won her seat in 1996, after her former boss, Tom Bates, was displaced by term limits. 

“I’ll make the decision if I get a good response,” Brunner said. 

John Delrymple 

Berkeley resident John Delrymple is better known in Contra Costa County, where he heads up the Central Labor Council. 

Is he running? “I’m considering it,” he said. “I’m talking to folks about it.” 

Delrymple touts his ability to bring people together. “I’ve had very practical experience in building coalitions,” including bringing labor and environmentalists together, he said. 

Delrymple, 48, saids in Sacramento he would emphasize education, transportation and affordable housing issues. He co-chaired the Measure M committee that successfully won a school bond measure in the West Contra Costa School District. He has worked on healthcare issues, including the single-payer health care initiative. 

Before taking the helm of the Central Labor Council, he was director of the Health Care Workers Union, SEIU 250 for 12 years. 

Mark Friedman 

El Cerrito City Councilmember Mark Friedman, who turns 50 today, ran for the Assembly in 1996 and came in third, 2,000 votes after Aroner and 150 votes after attorney and TV personality Jim Rogers. Will he jump into the fray again? “I don’t know,” Friedman said. “I’ve certainly given it a lot of thought.” 

Friedman, who directs the Alameda County Children and Families Commission, says he’s torn between his job where he feels he can accomplish what he wants to do and what he feels he could accomplish in the Assembly.  

On the commission, he’s responsible for the distribution to early childhood programs of funds from Proposition 10 – tobacco tax money. “It’s a chance to make a real long-term difference in the lives of children born in Alameda County,” he said. 

Like Brunner, Friedman says he would “articulate progressive policy.” He’d concentrate his attention on health care, the environment and tax policy.  

An eventual decision to run would also depend on who else is in the race. Friedman said he doesn’t plan to get into a situation where the progressive vote is splintered. 

On the El Cerrito City Council since 1997, Friedman has served a one-year rotation as mayor. He was chief of staff for former Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan and worked for three years as an aide to Don Perata when he was a supervisor. Perata is now in the State Senate. 

“I’m a proven consensus builder,” Friedman said. “I have the ability to bring people together.” 

Charles Ramsey 

Richmond resident Charles Ramsey, an attorney, is the only one who comes out and says it: “I’m a candidate.” He’s already started collecting endorsements. They include Richmond City Councilmembers Irma Anderson and Tom Butts, as well as former Berkeley Councilmember Mary Wainwright.  

Ramsey, 38, grew up in Berkeley – he’s the son of Henry Ramsey who served on the Berkeley City Council – and graduated from Berkeley High School. Two of his possible opponents characterized Ramsey as “conservative,” but that’s not how Ramsey sees himself. “I’m a progressive,” he said, pointing to stands he’s taken on the school board, where he’s in his second term. He opposed the superintendent’s call to bring in strike-breakers during a teacher’s strike; he supports distribution of condoms in schools; he’s proud that the district gives life-time health-care benefits and domestic partner benefits to its employees. 

He says his support for vacancy decontrol is “progressive.” Vacancy decontrol, which is state law, means that when a tenant has voluntarily vacated an apartment, landlords may charge whatever the market will bear. Vacancy control “is an attempt to equalize the situation,” he said. For example it would help seniors who are property owners in need of a second income. 

On the other hand, “I do not support landlord gouging,” he said. 

Ramsey dropped out of the assembly race in 1996 after an arrest for solicitation of a prostitute. “I thought I’d better focus on my family,” he said, noting he’s married with two children. “I took care of home first.” 

Kriss Worthington 

Berkeley Councilmember Kriss Worthington, 46, says his top issues are health care, education, jobs and housing. “These are the bottom line liberal-progressive issues.”  

He said he would work on these issues in Sacramento, as he does on the local level, but he hasn’t decided whether he’ll run.  

Like Friedman, he says he won’t run against like-minded candidates for fear they would split the vote. “On the other hand I don’t want to hand the seat to someone who does not reflect the voters of the district,” he said. 

He said he hopes progressives will get together and select one candidate that can beat any conservatives in the race. That candidate wouldn’t have to raise as much money as the others, he said, as long as progressives come out to volunteer to walk precincts and work in the campaign. He points out that he won a hard race in 1996 with less money than his opponent. 

Worthington said he’s torn when he thinks about leaving politics on the local level: “I love working on the nuts and bolts – putting trash cans where they need to be,” he said. 

Redistricting 

There’s one wrinkle that could curtail the plans of at least two hopefuls: Ramsey, who lives in Richmond, and Friedman of El Cerrito. As a result of the census, the Assembly and Senate districts could be restructured. Usually, the party in power tries to draw assembly lines in its favor. Three among the potential candidates told the Daily Planet they have heard whispers that the following redistricting scenario is a possibility, although those working on the plan to reshape the district at the Assembly level say they won’t begin their work until the census figures are in. 

The scenario described is this: the West Contra Costa portion of the district - El Cerrito to RIchmond – would be lopped off and Lamorinda, which includes Orinda, Lafayette and Moraga, would be added. This would dilute the Democratic stronghold of the 14th Assembly District, but not enough for the Democrats to lose. 

The purpose of the shift would be to add the more liberal Antioch to the conservative 15th Assembly District now occupied by Republican Lynne Leach. 

Not in the running 

Among the surprises in next year’s Assembly race is who’s NOT running – or probably not running: Mayor Shirley Dean and Councilmember Linda Maio. 

It’s been rumored for at least a couple of years that Dean was preparing for an Assembly race, but Monday, she said “No.” 

Then she backtracked, just a little: there’s “maybe a little crack” of a possibility. “I’m still kind of looking,” she said. 

Dean says she can address locally, the issues she holds dear – energy, health care, transportation. “If anything is going to happen, it will happen on the local level first,” she said. 

Similarly, Maio said “I’m not (running).” Then she said, “I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure I’m not.” She said that were she to land a seat in the Assembly, she could “probably get a lot done on affordable housing.” 

But it’s the local level “where the activism is,” she said. “That’s where life happens.” 

And will she challenge Dean for mayor in November 2002? “I’m thinking about it.” 

Willard needs a librarian now 

Editor: 

Willard Middle School has lost its librarian.  

The district has told Gail Hojo, principal, that she cannot hire another librarian until next year because a librarian is a ‘non-mandated position.’  

Since there is a current budget deficit, there is a hiring freeze on ‘non-mandated positions.’  

THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! 

I am asking all of you to contact the school board (BoardofEd@berkeley.k12.ca.us) and/or the BUSD administration to rant, rave and get this changed.  

Our children are being put in an inequitable and disadvantaged position.  

The library is a classroom. Learning how to use it a necessary skill for a decent education.  

Middle school is where students really learn how to use the library to get into college.  

I was told that Berkeley High School teachers can tell if a student came from Willard or from King just by noting their ability to use the library. 

The citizens of Berkeley have taken great pride in our fantastic public library system, donating thousands of dollars to keep it open through a special library tax, and now, thousands more to renovate it.  

It is one of the most-used libraries per capita in the United States, maybe even in the world. What is wrong with us that we can't keep our libraries open in the schools? 

We, as citizens, voted in the money to pay for the libraries in the schools when we passed the BSEP tax.  

Libraries were specifically targeted to benefit in the original measure. Some of those funds do go to our school libraries. Why are libraries and librarians disrespected by our school board and school administrators?  

Why are they being put at the bottom of the heap? This is a travesty.  

Please make our libraries and librarians a number one priority – get them off the ‘non-mandated list’ and help our kids to be great Berkeley citizens. 

Lisa Bullwinkel 

Berkeley 

Sophomore center Nick Vander Laan has been granted his release to transfer from Cal, head coach Ben Braun announced Wednesday.  

A 6-10 center from Sacramento, Vander Laan averaged 6.2 ppg and 5.3 rpg in 20.1 minutes per game for the Bears this past season. 

“Nick has requested to transfer for personal reasons, and I respect his decision to pursue his career goals,” Braun said. 

Vander Laan was facing reduced playing time next season, as recruit Jamal Sampson is expected to play right away. 

Vander Laan did not indicate which schools he is considering. 

“I decided to leave Cal for personal reasons,” Vander Laan said. “I’ve valued my experience in my two years at Cal. However, I feel it is important for me to pursue my basketball goals elsewhere.”

The City Council gave a boost to a struggling theater group by waiving the permit application fee for the transformation of a former clothing store into a temporary performance space. 

The waiver will allow the Central Works Theater Ensemble to save as much as $2,500 in application fees normally due to the Planning and Development Department. The nonprofit theater group is applying for a use permit to remodel the 5,200-square-foot store at the intersection of Sacramento Street and Dwight Way into a 49-seat theater.  

“$2,500 is a lot of money for a nonprofit theater group.” said Co-director Gary Graves. “If we had to pay that with no guarantee of the outcome, we may not have even tried.” 

The council approved the recommendation by Councilmember Kriss Worthington by a vote of 8-1, with Councilmember Betty Olds voting in opposition. Olds said on Thursday the only reason she voted against the item was because there was so little information available to the council before the vote.  

Olds said she has since discovered the Civic Arts Commission voted unanimously to approve the waiver on Feb. 28, and that had she known on Tuesday, she may have voted differently. 

Worthington said the city should provide a series of small theater and arts groups the same kind of financial support it did for the new Berkeley Repertory Theatre on Addison Street. The city donated $4 million towards the development of the new $20 million, 600-seat proscenium theatre, which celebrated its gala opening on March 13. 

“I’d invite as many arts organizations as possible to contact the City Council and ask for their fair share,” Worthington said. “If the city is going to commit to the arts then it should commit to as many modes of expression as possible.” 

Mayor Shirley Dean said the council regularly waives city permit and application fees for temporary theater groups as well as nearly all events that take place in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Park. “We might be able to save everybody a lot of time if we just don’t charge these fees,” she said. 

Dean said she wasn’t sure about Worthington’s idea to match $4 million in funding for small arts organizations. “That’s fine that he wants to do that, but did he say where the money was going to come from?” she said. 

If the Central Works Theater Ensemble receives a permit to transform the building into a theater, it will perform at the location for up to two years. The property was recently purchased by Affordable Housing Associates and the director, Ali Kashani, has offered the space to the theater group for what he described as a nominal fee. 

Ultimately the building will be razed and replaced with affordable housing. 

The Central Work Theater Ensemble was formed in 1990 and primarily presents new works by Bay Area playwrights and actors, according to Graves. He said the ensemble is different from the Berkeley Repertory in that “We’re interested in producing something more intimate, affordable and homegrown.” 

Founding member and Co-director Jan Zvaifler said the group chose the name Central Works because the name is akin to Public Works, which every city needs. 

Graves said performance space in Berkeley is in short supply. “It’s a desperate struggle to find space to perform in,” he said. “We’ve performed in St. John’s on College, the Berkeley City Club, the Santa Fe Bar And Grill and our last show was in the basement theater at La Val’s Subterranean.” 

Zvaifler said the theater group was encouraged by the fee waiver. “We still have a long row to hoe but it’s been nice to discover how much support there is out there,” she said.

A program to address the high failure rate among Berkeley High School freshman – particularly students of color – has failed to yield significant gains after a year and a half, Berkeley High School teachers and administrators reported to the school board Wednesday. 

In the fall of 1999 the high school instituted Village 9, a school-within-a-school for all freshmen at Berkeley High intended to improve student performance. Village 9 offers tutoring and mentoring services to freshman. In addition, it organizes students into smaller, core groups, each with a team of three teachers, to make their first year at the 3,200-student high school less overwhelming. 

While 169 students failed freshman English in the first semester of 1999 – the first semester of the Village 9 program –167 failed the class in the first semester of 2000, said Michele Patterson, vice principal of curriculum/instruction at Berkeley High. 

In freshman math, the failure rate actually increased from 139 students failing in the fall of 1999 to 182 students failing in the fall of 2000. 

But as Patterson pointed out Wednesday, this increase is partly attributable to the fact that, in accordance with state content standards, the High School required all freshman to take Algebra this fall. In the past freshmen could choose between algebra or pre-algebra based on their level of preparation when they left middle school. The higher number of failures this year are students who may well have passed a pre-algebra class, Patterson said. 

The most troublesome numbers Wednesday, many agreed, were those showing the achievement gap between white students and African-Americans – one of the principal problems the Village 9 program was supposed to address – unchanged from this year to last. 

Ninety-seven African-American students failed freshman math in the fall of 1999, compared with just seven whites. In the fall of 2000, 97 African-Americans failed math, compared this time with 14 whites. 

In freshman English, 111 African-Americans failed in the fall of 1999, compared with 18 whites. In 2000, 92 African-Americans failed, compared with 14 whites.  

“This is a very big red flag about our achievement gap,” Patterson told the board Wednesday. 

While at least one board member reported mild disappointment with the news Wednesday, most said they were impressed and encouraged by the quality of the report. 

“I would have liked to have seen better numbers,” said Board Director Joaquin Rivera. “You always want to see better numbers. 

“But I was at least pleased to see that some of the weaknesses of the program have been identified.” 

Board Director John Selawsky said the BHS staff gave the board the kind of information they need to evaluate the programs progress – information that is often hard to come by in the district. 

“The gave us recommendations that target groups that need some extra help,” Selawsky said. “It was usable and helpful information.”  

Patterson identified a number of areas Wednesday where she felt the program could be improved.  

A back-up English class intended to keep struggling freshman from actually failing their regular English class is not having the desired impact, Patterson said. Fully 38 students who passed the backup class in the fall of 2000 still failed their regular English class, she said.  

The problem, said Patterson, is that the backup English teachers are essentially being asked to teach basic literacy, something that, as regular High School English teachers, they have never been trained to do. 

Another major problem cited by Patterson was the fact that students in the greatest need of the intervention services available through Village 9 often don’t get them because the high school doesn’t know who these students are until a couple of weeks into the school year. Middle schoolers in danger of being retained in the eighth-grade because of bad grades didn’t show up at Berkeley High this year until two weeks after the beginning of class, Patterson said, because only then did they know they had passed summer school and were eligible for high school. 

The very students for whom Village 9 is supposed to ease the transition from middle school to high school end up starting high school under the most challenging of circumstances, Patterson said. 

Patterson hopes to iron out these and other problems by next fall. 

“Any time you put a new program in place it’s going to take time to see progress and growth,” Patterson said. 

“A year from now you’ll see a significant change in the numbers. People are starting to understand what needs to be done.” 

Patterson recommended to the board Wednesday that Village 9 be enhanced by instituting a backup Algebra class; improving cooperation between Berkeley High and “feeder” middle schools; closing the campus for ninth-graders to eradicate the high rate of absences; expanding an existing mentoring program where Berkeley High seniors are assigned to counsel groups of freshman throughout the year; bringing in adult mentors to work with freshman; and creating a required summer school program for middle schoolers to prepare them for the realities of high school. 

In other news Wednesday, the board voted to enter into an agreement with the Albany Berkeley Girls Softball League to build a new softball field at Longfellow Arts & Technology Magnet Middle School; to approve a resolution calling on filmmakers and actors to support films that do not glamorize tobacco use; and to approve the schedule for the 2001-2002 academic year, setting the first day of school for August 29.

When Jayne Ash would get off from her job as a tuberculosis controller with the State Department of Health, she’d often head for the Jazz School, not far from Hearst and Shattuck avenues, where she worked. 

Her passion was playing flute and guitar and, more recently, she’d begun to do vocals, said her brother Dan Ash of San Jose.  

Jayne Ash was struck by a truck as she crossed Shattuck Avenue on March 13. She was headed back to work from a coffee break. She died two days later.  

“She was real friendly. She could talk to almost everybody,” Dan Ash said, remembering as well his sister’s love for dancing and having fun.  

A native of Flossmoor, IL., Jayne Ash had most recently lived in Raleigh, N.C. and had come west to take the state job and to be in the Bay Area. She was the director of the California Tuberculosis Controllers Association. 

On Sunday, her friends came together at Live Oak Park for a memorial. Other friends are holding a memorial in Raleigh on April 1.  

She is survived by her mother Ruth Ash; father Myron Ash and his wife Jewel; siblings Laurel, David, and Daniel; sisters-in-law Catherine Ash and Shelley Ash; nieces, nephews and dozens of loving friends in the Bay Area, Chicago area and Raleigh. 

Donations in Ash’s name may be sent to the Jazz School Educational Scholarship Fund, 2375  

Shattuck Ave., Berkeley 94704.

SAN FRANCISCO — Days before California’s next execution, the state Supreme Court upheld a prison department rule Thursday demanding spiritual advisers of condemned inmates leave the prisoner 45 minutes before the execution. 

The court ruled that the Corrections’ Department policy, in response to security concerns at San Quentin, is constitutional and that inmates do not enjoy “unrestricted” freedom of religion. 

Even so, the high court’s 7-0 decision upholds a prison department security policy that a federal judge ruled on Monday was an “exaggerated response” to safety concerns. 

Supreme Court Justice Joyce L. Kennard wrote that it was the department’s right to remove the adviser from the inmate 45 minutes before an execution to protect the identity of executioners who will then begin readying the prisoner for death. 

But on Monday, U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that San Quentin must show witnesses assembled for the execution the inmate being strapped down and the prison officials inserting needles. 

The prison didn’t want to, citing safety concerns for the executioners. It feared they could fall victim to retribution if the assembled witnesses were to see who was doing the killing, a position Walker ruled had no merit. 

The high court’s ruling came six days before California executes its ninth prisoner, Robert Massie, since voters reinstated capital punishment in 1978. 

Massie’s attorney, Frederick Baker, said Massie will have a spiritual adviser stay with him until prison officials order the Rev. Bruce Bramlett, an Episcopalian minister of San Rafael, to leave. 

“I think (Massie) finds having the ability to discuss matters in a spiritual nature to be a comfort,” Baker said. 

And although Bramlett’s time to administer last rites is reduced to protect the executioners’ identities, Bramlett will be one of the assembled witnesses to Massie’s death and may see who the executioners are. 

“You’ve identified the irony,” said Jordan Eth, a San Francisco attorney who argued the case before the high court. 

Prison spokesman Russ Heimerich said the department has not changed its spiritual adviser policy. 

The department also has not decided whether executioners at Massie’s lethal injection will wear masks to cover their identities. 

“We haven’t concluded that yet,” he said. 

San Quentin strives to execute inmates the first minute of the day a prisoner is eligible. Massie, who killed a San Francisco liquor store clerk in 1979 after robbing him, is scheduled to die at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. 

Under the high court’s ruling, Bramlett can remain near Massie and speak with him until 45 minutes before the execution. The prison’s chaplain, who is a state employee, can remain for another 20 minutes.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Navy has decided to do a full environmental review of its proposal to expand its practice runs at a target in Fort Hunter Liggett, about 40 miles south of Big Sur. 

The Navy is proposing to increase its practice runs, during which dummy bombs are dropped on a 500-foot diameter target of shipping containers, from as few as 200 sorties to more than 2,900. That translates to about four flights a day with three planes in each flight. 

Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel) has pushed for the full environmental impact statement for the proposal instead of the less comprehensive environmental assessment, which the Navy had already begun. 

The Navy made the decision “due to the high level of public interest and concern,” said Navy spokesman Cmdr. Jack Papp. 

“The Navy did not make this decision because it believes this proposal will have impact on the environment on and surrounding Fort Hunter Liggett,” he said.  

“The environmental impact statement will make that determination on whether or not there will be an environmental impact.” 

Residents and recreational users of the area along with environmentalists oppose the plan because of its proximity to the habitats of endangered and protected species, such as the bald eagle and the California condor. 

Also, they are concerned about noise levels from the jets that will come from Lemoore Naval Air Station in the Central Valley, and from aircraft carriers in the Pacific Ocean, as well as accidents, such as stray bombs landing in residential areas. 

Farr opposes the expanded military exercises and said he thinks a full environmental impact statement would bring serious environmental risks to light. 

“I believe that once these risks are fully revealed, it will become clear that Fort Hunter Liggett is not the right place for loud, low-flying fighter jets,” he said in a statement. 

The fort includes 165,000 acres and is used as a training ground for Army reserves and the National Guard. It is a wild stretch of oak woodlands and rolling hills once owned by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who sold the property to the Army in 1940. 

SACRAMENTO — California intensified scrutiny of its soaring power prices Thursday, with grid officials accusing wholesalers of $6.2 billion in overcharges and the state auditor blaming both buyers and sellers for the skyrocketing costs. 

Meanwhile, lawmakers prepared to open an inquiry Friday into high natural gas prices that have contributed to the state’s energy crisis. 

The California Independent System Operator, which oversees the state’s power grid and buys emergency electricity to avoid blackouts, told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that electricity suppliers have overcharged it and the state Power Exchange $6.2 billion since May for the power the two bought on behalf of utilities. 

The excessive charges will continue during high demand this summer unless the commission steps in, the ISO said. 

Despite alleging billions in overcharges, ISO officials did not ask FERC to order refunds beyond the $555 million it requested for December and January overcharges, or accuse wholesalers of market manipulation. 

That fueled criticism from consumer advocates that state and federal regulators are letting profit-reaping power wholesalers manipulate the California market. 

“Nobody’s talking about fines,” said Doug Heller of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. “You’ve got companies bilking the state for over $6 billion, and you’re only talking about refunds?” 

ISO officials are working with Attorney General Bill Lockyer, the state Electricity Oversight Board and the state Public Utilities Commission to determine how they could get a refund, ISO attorney Charles Robinson said. 

Former FERC attorney Stephen Angle said the possibility of the commission ordered wholesalers to refund $6.2 billion “is pretty slight.” 

FERC can only order a refund once it has made the rates subject to refund, which it did for rates only back to October, Angle said. 

In addition, FERC says it only has jurisdiction over private U.S. companies that sold power, not municipal utilities or foreign companies that California bought electricity from. The ISO report included every entity that sold power to California. 

Lockyer began investigating in August, when lawmakers asked him to look into possible collusion and price manipulation in the electricity and natural gas markets, spokeswoman Sandy Michioku said. She declined to comment on the investigation’s status. 

State lawmakers are also investigating. The Assembly energy commission plans a hearing Friday to open its inquiry into high natural gas prices, starting with testimony from utility customers. 

California’s two largest utilities, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and Southern California Edison, say they’ve lost nearly $14 billion since June due to rising wholesale power prices.The state’s 1996 utility deregulation law blocks them from recouping the high costs from their customers. 

With both utilities denied credit by power suppliers, the state has spent about $45 million a day since early January to buy electricity for their customers. 

FERC has given several electricity wholesalers until Friday to justify $124 million in January and February power charges the commission considers excessive. Those who cannot must refund the money, FERC said. 

PG&E spokesman Ron Low said it hopes FERC reviews the ISO’s filing quickly. 

“Virtually every regulatory agency has said that California’s energy market is broken and that wholesale prices since last summer have not been just and reasonable,” Low said. 

Consumer advocate Heller said PG&E and Edison should pursue refunds from the wholesalers, not rate increases from their customers. 

The Bureau of State Audits issued a 97-page report finding several factors to blame for California’s volatile electricity market. 

California’s flawed deregulation of the market encouraged both buyers and sellers to “manipulate wholesale prices to their advantage” on real-time power markets – in the case of sellers, by understating supply and in the case of buyers, by underscheduling demand to try to win more advantageous prices, the report said. 

Other factors include: 

• A retail rate freeze that prohibited utilities from passing on soaring wholesale costs. 

ª Limits on utilities’ ability to enter long-term power contracts and a requirement that they sell their own power plants and buy electricity through the Power Exchange. 

ª The ISO’s inability to coordinate power plant outages for maintenance. 

The audit was requested by Sen. Steve Peace, D-Chula Vista, one of the co-authors of the deregulation law.  

An aide said Peace was disappointed by the audit. 

Auditors failed to see “that the problem in California and throughout the West is that supplies are tight,” spokesman John Rozsa said. “There’s no market structure changes that would fix this situation.” 

Lawmakers plan to review how the audit’s findings fit with legislation they are considering, said Chuck Patilla, a consultant to Assemblyman Fred Keeley, D-Boulder Creek. 

A FERC staff report this month recommended several steps to keep wholesale prices in check this summer, when California’s demand for power is expected to rise by up to 50 percent. 

Those recommendations erroneously assume a large portion of California’s power will be purchased under long-term contracts, the ISO’s Robinson said. 

FERC is also focusing on periods when California is in a Stage 3 power alert, declared when reserves threaten to drop below 1.5 percent. The ISO believes that is too limited, Robinson said. 

California had enough electricity Thursday to avoid a repeat of the blackouts that hit the state Monday and Tuesday. 

——— 

On the Net: 

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: www.ferc.fed.us 

The California Independent System Operator: www.caiso.com 

• The Assembly might meet again Friday to consider the failed bill to allow the alternative energy producers to be paid. An Assembly committee begins its inquiry into natural gas prices. 

• Generators have until Friday to appeal an order by federal regulators to refund power charges of $69 million for January and $55 million for February. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission says some sales were priced too high, even taking into account high natural gas prices, air quality control costs and plant maintenance. 

•The Public Utilities Commission meets Tuesday in San Francisco to determine whether to order utilities to pay their alternative energy producers, how much the state will receive from the utilities for power it buys on behalf of their customers, whether to extend a blackout exemption to all hospitals of all sizes and whether to investigate the holding company formations of the parent companies of PG&E, SDG&E and SoCal Edison. 

The problem: 

High demand, high wholesale energy costs, transmission bottlenecks and a tight supply worsened by scarce hydroelectric power in the Northwest and maintenance at aging California power plants are all factors in California’s electricity crisis.  

Edison and PG&E say they’ve lost $13.7 billion since June to high wholesale prices that the state’s electricity deregulation law bars them from passing onto ratepayers, and are close to bankruptcy. 

liers, scared off by the two companies’ poor credit ratings, are refusing to sell to them, leading the state to start buying power for the utilities’ nearly 9 million residential and business customers. 

POUND RIDGE, N.Y. — The weather may still feel wintry, with snow barely gone, but gardeners gladly ignore the wind chill factor to celebrate a first rite of spring – planting peas. 

And seed catalogs spur the early-bird enthusiasm by featuring newer and newer variations of a vegetable esteemed for its taste, the delicate beauty of its flowers and its antiquity. Pea seeds have been found on the site of the ancient city of Troy and in mud where Swiss lake people lived 5,000 years ago. 

They boast a page in science, too, and another in fable. Breeding peas gave Austrian monk Gregor Johann Mendel his 19th century breakthrough in genetics. And everyone remembers Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale where a princess proved she had the delicate skin of royalty because she felt a pea through 20 mattresses and 20 more feather beds. 

Peas are small, but the plants that bear them may be short or tall, bushes or vines. Many are best grown on trellises. All show lovely flowers, but the loveliest, the sweet pea, is a plant that is cultivated widely just for its masses of blooms. 

Here in the Northeast, St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, is the traditional day for sowing peas, but deep snow often will cause delays of even a few weeks. The point is that the pea is one of few seeds that can germinate in soil as cold as 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The fava, or Windsor bean, is another. So you sow them as early as you can in trenches about 1 1/2 inches deep. 

Pat down earth on them. In about three weeks, the sprouting seeds break ground and, if all goes well, you should be eating your first peas in June. 

As gardeners soon discover, they need to shell a lot of peas just to provide a few meals for a couple of people, not to mention a family of four. The varieties that you eat pod-and-all make peas rewarding even in small gardens. So snow peas and sugar snaps have become very popular. 

A French heirloom type of snow pea called Carouby de Mausanne caught my eye, and I’m trying some.  

It is featured as growing 6 to 8 feet tall on a trellis and blossoming with exquisite purple flowers before producing sweet flat pods excellent for fresh or stir fry eating. 

For years, I’ve had great success with a snow pea called Norli, also purple-flowering, which grows about 5 feet tall and yields abundantly. 

Conventionally, the best way to eat snow peas is when the incipient seeds barely show in the pods. But often I’ve left the pods on the vine to over-ripen and swell. Then I shelled them, discarded the toughened pods and found that the salvaged peas were pretty good cooked. 

Another edible pod variety, the sugar snap pea, preserves a crunchy, tasty pod even when the peas inside reach full size. That would seem like the best of possible worlds, but aficionados of the snow pea say its flat pod is more of a gourmet delicacy.  

If you don’t have room for both, breeders have come to the rescue by developing a “snow snap” that’s a cross of a snow and a snap. It is called Sugar Snow and, according to the catalog, you can pick them young and flat or let the peas get plump and sweeter. 

Despite the excitement over edible pod peas, some gardeners still like to grow traditional peas inside inedible pods even if space limits them to token harvests. Of these shelling peas, an old-timer named Lincoln has a loyal following for its 7-9 peas per pod, but it is not as disease-resistant as some newer varieties like Mr. Big. This is an All-America winner bearing 9-10 peas per pod. And there is also Rondo, a double-podded variety averaging 10 per pod. 

A delicacy favored by many are petits pois, French for “little peas.” Shepherd’s offers a variety called Precovelle. Steamed briefly and buttered, the tiny peas, about half the size of a regular pea, melt in the mouth. 

——— 

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, March 22 

Sunflowers have changed. It’s as if they’ve been to charm school and been taught manners, thank you! 

The crude one-size-fits-all character can still be found, but increasingly, sunflowers are wooing gardeners with their bright colors, compact habit, repeat blossoms and overall utility as a garden and cut flower. So civilized are they that sunflowers are now quite welcome as a cut flower indoors and yes, even on the dining room table. 

In earth terms, the transformation has come about in the blink of an eye, but in people terms, it’s been happening in the last four years or so, according to Alana Mezo, a senior horticulturist at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Ill. This marks the second year Mezo will wow visitors with big plantings of many different varieties – big, tall, skinny and bushy – of sunflowers. 

What gets a senior horticulturist at one of the nation’s finest public gardens excited about a humble plant that’s been in cultivation, feeding people, birds and animals for 2,000 years? Simply, the colors and versatility that have been added by breeders in recent years. 

Italian White is one of her favorites because it bears so many flowers and over so many weeks that it’s not unusual to see, on the same plant, flowers fresh for cutting and other flowers gone to seed and being enjoyed by goldfinches and chickadees. 

Most gardeners sow seeds directly in the garden, after danger of frost has past. Starting inside is easy and takes just five weeks to raise a plant ready for transplanting. Chicago Botanic staff does that - germinating the seed and growing the little plants in small “cells,” then moving them into a 4-inch diameter plastic pots and finally, before setting out, setting the plants outside in a protected area for several days so they can get used to the change in environment before being planted. This process is called hardening off. Typically, the germinating and growing-true-leaves stage takes two weeks and the 4-inch-pot stage three weeks. Like other seeds started indoors, a lot of light is critical, and the best way to provide this is with a 4-foot fluorescent shop fixture set 6 inches from the top of the seed tray or germinated plants, and left on 12 to 16 hours a day. 

They need a fair amount of water, especially in hot, sunny spots, because a lot of moisture is lost through the abundant foliage. Day temperatures in the mid-80s are ideal. One way of helping that along is to plant sunflowers near a south-facing building where reflective heat will keep the air a little warmer than in surrounding areas. 

A big mistake is spacing the plants too close together. Branching varieties that grow 4 to 7 feet tall should be spaced 2 to 4 feet apart. Otherwise, the plant won’t reach its branching potential. Smaller varieties can be grown closer together than that; read the seed package for specifics.  

About the only bad thing about sunflowers is that most varieties produce a lot of pollen. In the garden that’s fine. But inside as a cut flower, the pollen stains fabrics of all kinds and the stain is hard to remove. In recent years, breeders have developed varieties that produce little or no pollen and these are a great choice if the plant is being grown for cutting. 

Several pollen-free varieties are available – some names to look for are: Fantasia, Sunny and Claret. Don’t worry about remembering these names – if the variety is pollen-free, the seed package or catalog description will mention it because it is considered a big plus. 

To maintain the repeat bloom nature of many varieties, Mezo recommends deadheading the plant – simply removing spent blossoms. Doing so forces out more side shoots and more flowers, she said.

Very quietly, history is coming alive in the yards of thousands of Americans and it is a tree, not a historian, that is doing the telling – telling of patriots and battles, of musicians and industrialists, of space exploration and slavery. 

The trees are the “product” of a program created by American Forests, a nonprofit conservation group in Jacksonville, Fla.  

The program – Famous and Historic Trees (FHT) – is one of several conservation and habitat efforts spearheaded by the organization. 

FHT has identified some 2,000 trees that are in some way connected to a historic event or famous person.  

Of these, 75 different trees are offered for sale at prices ranging from $35 to $50. Most are $35. With two exceptions, all are direct descendants of trees still alive and ranging in age from about 30 to 225 years old. Among the most popular are these: 

• Johnny Appleseed Apple. In the late 1780s, John Chapman planted an orchard of his favorite apple, Rambo, at a farm in Nova, Ohio. Over time, all but one tree died, was cut down or somehow destroyed. Cuttings and seeds from the surviving tree were gathered by American Forests and grown on to develop the trees now offered in the FHT program. 

• George Washington Tulip Poplar. Washington planted this tree in 1785 at his Mount Vernon home where it survives today. It has grown so old that its blossoms each spring require hand pollination if they are to produce seeds, and that is exactly what is done to produce the seeds that are then germinated to grow the saplings offered by FHT. 

• Moon Sycamore. Stuart Roosa was one of three astronauts aboard Apollo XIV when it was launched Jan. 31, 1971. Tree seeds collected from trees across the country was part of the cargo because Roosa, a former U.S. Forest Service employee, wanted to do something to honor the service.  

Among the seeds were those from an American sycamore, and back on earth, the seeds were germinated, grown on and donated to colleges and universities. The seeds produced from these trees are the ones used by the FHT to grow into saplings. 

• Others are a pin oak, sycamore, sweetgum and weeping willow from the Graceland estate of Elvis Presley, a sycamore from the Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland, an oleander from the Fort Meyers, Fla., home of Thomas Edison, a sycamore from the estate of Henry Ford in Dearborn, Mich., and a green ash from the birthplace of George Washington Carver in Diamond, Mo. 

To grow these trees, representatives from American Forests each year gather the seeds – in whatever form – from the original tree.  

The seeds (seeds, acorns and so on) are then germinated at a nursery in Florida and grown on as seedlings. When they are big enough – usually 18 to 24 inches tall – they are offered for sale.  

At any one time, Famous and Historic Trees has 75,000 trees in its nursery – a population that is doubling every year because of the popularity of the program, according to spokesperson Susan T. Corbett. 

By collecting seeds, and in a few cases, cuttings, the direct link to the original tree that in some way has witnessed history is maintained, she said. 

The Johnny Appleseed tree is the most notable of trees propagated by cutting, rather than seed.  

This is done to improve the performance and winter-hardiness of the tree. Most fruit trees grown by homeowners and orchardists are really two trees – the “good” variety that is grafted onto a vigorous rootstock. The Johnny Appleseed tree is grown in this way. 

Each FHT tree comes with a growing kit that includes a translucent plastic sleeve to protect it for its first few years away from the nursery, fertilizer, a stake to support the sleeve, netting to protect it from birds, planting instructions and information about the tree. It is guaranteed to grow or it will be replaced. 

Most of the trees will grow most anywhere in the country. FHT uses the United States Department of Agriculture cold hardiness map to detail specific zones where the particular tree will thrive.  

Most will do just fine in zones 4 through 8 that covers all but the most extreme climates in the country. 

How many of these trees have been set out since the program began in 1988 is not clear, but interest in the program has prompted the nursery to double its production in recent years, Corbett said. Proceeds from the program are used to improve it and fund other projects of American Forests, such as Global ReLeaf.  

That program has resulted in the planting of more than 15 million trees in some 500 urban and community forest projects. 

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

FRESNO — Often scorned at home and ignored in the United States, migrant laborers found themselves celebrated as heroes Thursday by Mexican President Vicente Fox. 

Nearly 3,000 people crowded into a convention hall to hear Fox, who praised field workers and promised to work on issues that matter most in their lives. About 2,000 more listened outside through loudspeakers. 

Fox pledged to push Mexico’s Congress to allow people to vote from outside the country, to work with U.S. officials on a solution to long-standing disputes over immigration and to make it easier for expatriates to return to Mexico. 

“You are important, believe me, very important,” Fox said, as cheers drowned out his words. 

Such talk is a change for Mexican leaders. Money sent home by expatriates is one of Mexico’s largest sources of income. But past leaders did little to court the men and women who fled their homes to work long hours and difficult jobs in the United States. 

Fox campaigned in California last May and views expatriates as a source of financial and moral support for his right-of-center National Action Party and its legislative agenda. 

“You are permanent ambassadors of Mexican culture,” he told the crowd. “You have become a link between the United States and Mexico.” 

Fox pledged Mexican consulates would do more to investigate civil rights abuses against Mexicans in the United States and said he would devote more money to rural Mexico so people might not have to leave. 

After the morning rally with agriculture workers, Fox visited an elementary school in San Fernando with first lady Laura Bush. 

Fox asked Bush to use her influence to help Mexicans working in the U.S. get an affordable university education. 

The first lady told The Associated Press afterward that the federal government should not be involved. 

“I think that’s something that’s really left up to the state,” she said. 

Gov. Gray Davis, who accompanied Bush and Fox to the school, has said it would be too expensive to offer in-state tuition to non-citizens. 

Still, Fox’s plea won repeated standing ovations from the largely Latino crowd of parents. 

About two dozen anti-immigration protesters lined the street outside the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City where Fox was due for a town hall meeting. Barry Bartindale 56, a woodworker from Los Angeles, said he was protesting “the invasion of the U.S. by Mexico.” 

Fox’s visit to Fresno also drew about 100 protesters, but with a different message. Angel Noriega said both the Mexican president and Davis could do more for immigrants. 

“Things are better than before, but we’re waiting for more,” Noriega said. 

But the majority of people at the Fresno event seemed enthusiastic, saying Fox’s visit gives overdue attention to immigrant laborers. 

“Finally, we have a president who seems concerned with the plight of poor people,” said Jessie Oviedo, 56, who came to the United States from Mexico as a child and worked as a farm laborer before eventually landing a government clerical job. 

“This is a big day for us,” said Emilio Bolanos, 80, who showed up at the convention center at 6 a.m. for a front-row seat. “President Fox represents the future.” 

Fox’s tour with Davis also represents the growing influence of Latinos in the nation’s most populous state. The governor noted that more than a third of California’s 34 million residents are of Mexican descent. 

“We are not just neighbors, we are partners, and we are partners for life,” Davis said. 

Berkeley Repertory Theatre opened parts two and three of its strong, epic staging of Greek playwright Aeschylus’ 458 B.C. tragic trilogy “The Oresteia” on Wednesday in its new Roda Theater, adjacent to the company’s old space on Addison Street in downtown Berkeley. 

These two short plays, each running slightly more than an hour, are a continuation of part one of the trilogy, which opened a week earlier. All three parts of “The Oresteia”– an epic story of murder, revenge, justice and redemption – now runs in repertory through the first week of May. 

“The Oresteia” is a complicated and tangled story. In part one (“Agamemnon”),Queen Clytemnestra murders her husband Agamemnon when he returns home from the Trojan War. 

In part two (“The Libation Bearers”), Clytemnestra’s estranged son Orestes returns home to the family compound seven years later to cut up his mother and her lover Aegithus in a bloody execution as revenge for his father’s death. 

In part three (“The Eumenides” ), the Furies haunt and torture the guilt-ridden Orestes, trying to destroy him as revenge for his mother’s murder. 

When the god Apollo protects Orestes from the crazed Furies, a debate ensues over which murder was worse: Clytemnestra’s murder of her husband, or Orestes’ murder of his mother. 

The goddess Athena then intervenes by inventing the process of trial-by-jury, putting Orestes on trial and advising the humans judging him to find balance and the golden mean in their ultimate decision. She also helps the Furies transform their rage into a positive nurturing and guardian social force. 

There are many strong directorial touches from “Oresteia” co-directors Tony Taccone and Stephen Wadsworth in the double bill of parts two and three that opened Wednesday. 

At the top of the show, in the eerie opening graveyard scene of "The Libation Bearers," Electra and a chorus of mourning servant women wail at the grave of her father Agamemnon, slowly pulling the stealthy Orestes out of his hiding place in the weeds and into their circle of revenge. 

In a bloody denouement, Orestes’ murders of Clytemnestra and Aegithus remind us where slasher movies took their inspiration. The ending of part two is chilling, as sister Electra and a chorus of servant women celebrate the murders with an angry wail. 

In part three, “The Eumenides,” there is finally some humor, after all the darkness that has gone before. 

When goddess Athena (Michelle Morain, looking a little like Dale Evans in white go-go boots) bursts in comically on the Furies’ torture of Orestes, the stage lights go bright for the first time. Breaking the fourth wall, a trial jury in modern dress is pulled out of the audience for the play’s conclusion. 

What’s so strong about Aeschylus’ story is not just the magnificence and complexity of the myth, but how personal the playwright’s telling is. Aeschylus took well-known episodes from mythology, and turned them into powerful, personalized moment-to-moment stories. 

Fittingly, the performances in parts two and three are personal ones, not stagy or oratorical.  

Duane Boutte is an intense Orestes. Derrick Lee Weeden is striking as Orestes’ companion Pylades, a character with few lines but lots of stage time as the ever watchful aide, peering into dark corners alertly, and guarding his friend’s safety. 

Jonathan Haugen is a high-strung Aegithus in part two, the lover of Clytemnestra. He returns in part three as a stubborn, but articulate god Apollo, the guardian of Orestes in his trials. The zombie Furies of part three, defending the injustice done to the woman Clytemnestra, make a big impact. 

Christopher Barreca’s scenic design has spectacular moments. In part two, Orestes creeps at the edge of a graveyard in long dry grass that crackles and breaks when he flattens himself to hide. 

In part three, the sets have moments where they steal the show, from the massive stone exterior of Apollo’s temple at Delphi, to the interior of Athena’s temple the Acropolis, to the stunning, brightly lit grassy mountain seacoast where the final jury trial takes place. 

Composer Larry Delinger’s modern, simple electronic tones and drumming provide great moments of punctuation, pushing the drama of the story forward at key points, like a good movie soundtrack. 

Peter Maradudin’s powerful lighting design yields from dark and gloomy to bright and hopeful at the play’s transformative conclusion. 

And so ends this tale of triple familicide, a story about revenge and justice, and about the transformation of anger and rage to love. 

It is a bold move for the folks at the Rep to launch their new Roda Theater with such a sober, serious and difficult show. “Guys and Dolls” this ain’t. 

But if you like your theater dark, dense, difficult and meaningful, there is an important wisdom here for the fragile, conflict-ridden and revenge-filled global village that we now live in.  

Planet theater reviewer John Angell Grant has written for “American Theatre,” “Callboard,” and many other publications. E-mail him at jagplays@yahoo.com.

SAN FRANCISCO — Concluding that the stock market’s technology craze was a fad, leading online brokerage Charles Schwab Corp. Thursday said it will jettison as many as 3,400 jobs – about 13 percent of its work force. 

In making the cuts, the San Francisco-based brokerage conceded that much of its recent prosperity stemmed from the dot-com mania that lured inexperienced investors into swapping stocks on the Internet as if they were buying lottery tickets at a convenience store. 

The giddiness has given way to gloom as the stocks of Internet start-ups and technology bellwethers have crashed. 

The past two years represented “a euphoria-led trading level that just isn’t going to return,” said Schwab President David Pottruck during a conference call. 

Charles Schwab, the company’s chairman and founder, was almost apologetic for allowing the brokerage to be swept up in the frenzy.  

As its trading volumes soared, the brokerage added 6,000 new jobs last year, increasing its staff by 30 percent to about 26,000 full-time workers. 

“We have come through a highly speculative technology bubble,” Schwab said. “Maybe I should have been a little more emphatic in understanding that this was a temporary phenomenon.” 

To make amends for the upcoming layoffs, Schwab and his wife are donating $10 million to create a fund that will pay up to $20,000 in tuition for the employees who lose their jobs.  

Schwab has an estimated $10 billion fortune, according to Forbes magazine’s most recent wealth survey. 

The company also is providing severance packages that will pay up to 10 months of salary, cover health insurance premiums and offer up to 1,000 stock options.  

Fired workers who return within 18 months will receive a $7,500 rehiring bonus. 

Even as its business suffered, Schwab had tried to avoid the layoffs by slashing management salaries, reducing bonuses and encouraging workers to take unpaid days off. 

Schwab’s problems aren’t isolated, industry analysts said. Most brokerages, particularly those that relied heavily on trades made over the Internet, are facing tough times as investors retreat from the plummeting stock market. 

Most other brokerages, though, are fooling themselves into believing that their businesses eventually will return to the glory days of 1999 and 2000, said industry analyst Mark Constant of Lehman Brothers. 

“Everyone wants to blame this on a blip in the market, but the reality is what happened the last couple years was a joke and we’re not going back to that kind of environment anytime soon,” Constant said. 

As the biggest Internet broker, Schwab has been particularly hard hit. 

In February, the brokerage’s average daily trades plunged by 31 percent from the prior year and fell 13 percent from the prior month. With trading commissions evaporating, the slowdown is taking a big bite out of the company’s profits. 

Besides announcing the layoffs, Schwab also warned that its first-quarter profits won’t meet expectations. 

The company said its profit will range between $88 million and $98 million, or 6 cents to 7 cents per share, a 66 percent decrease from last year. Excluding special charges, the company said its first-quarter profit will range between $110 million to $120 million, or 8 cents per share. Analysts previously expected the company to earn 13 cents per share. 

Schwab’s shares fell 70 cents to close at $15.20 Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock has lost nearly half its value so far this year. The company plans to buy back up to 20 million shares to boost its stock. 

The layoffs and other budget cuts are expected to save Schwab $40 million to $45 million beginning in the third quarter. Jobs left unfilled through employee attrition will save another $10 million in 2002. 

With trading volume in a slump, Schwab hopes to generate more income from advisory fees from customers looking for investment help amid the current market turbulence. 

Schwab customers have an average of $400,000 in assets, but only about $220,000 is in Schwab accounts, Pottruck said. The brokerage hopes to persuade customers to transfer more money into Schwab accounts by proving that it can dispense sound financial advice. Schwab is about to introduce a new advertising campaign emphasizing its advisory service. 

The big challenge will be convincing customers to pay fees for advice from a company known for its low-cost, do-it-yourself service, Constant said. 

——— 

On The Net: 

http://www.aboutschwab.com 

SEATTLE — Microsoft warned users Thursday that an unauthorized party had obtained digital certificates that would enable someone to falsely represent themselves as the software giant and deliver a computer virus to an unsuspecting recipient. 

VeriSign Inc. of Mountain View, notified Microsoft that it issued two digital certificates on Jan. 29 and 30. Someone posing as a Microsoft employee was able to trick VeriSign into issuing the certificates, Microsoft said. 

VeriSign’s digital certificates – a key security feature of Microsoft’s Internet software – are used by Microsoft to assure the genuineness of programs. 

“The danger, of course, is that even a security-conscious user might agree to let the content execute and might agree to always trust bogus certificates,” the company said. 

Mahi deSilva, VeriSign’s vice president and general manager of applied trust services, said Thursday that the fraud was discovered almost immediately after the certificate was issued, in the course of normal auditing VeriSign does after issuing digital certificates. 

Microsoft and VeriSign were working to correct the problem, both companies said.  

Users were warned to inspect for certificates that were issued on Jan. 29 and 30, since no legitimate certificates were given on those dates, and to notify Microsoft or VeriSign if they discover them. 

The FBI has also been notified, deSilva said. 

Microsoft also advised customers to set security levels on their Internet browsers to request permission before opening downloaded documents. 

So far, VeriSign believes no one has used the certificates, deSilva said. 

The problem is serious and effects could last years, said Russ Cooper of TruSecure Corp. and editor of the NTBugTraq mailing list. 

“This is an extremely huge mistake by VeriSign,” he said. “There’s no way that this certificate should have been given to a non-Microsoft employee.” 

DeSilva, who blamed “human error” for the fraudulent certificates, said the company’s reputation shouldn’t suffer “because we found this problem. We’ve been very proactive about communicating this problem to the various authorities. We think we’ve done everything we can to be ahead of the curve here.” 

Investors didn’t agree, at least initially. Shares of VeriSign fell $1.94, or 6 percent, to $33.06 in after-hours trading after rising $2 to $35 during the regular trading session on the Nasdaq Stock Market. 

Shares of Microsoft were up 12.5 cents after closing at $54, up $3.94. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.microsoft.com 

http://www.verisign.com 

NEW YORK — Despondent investors intensified their selloff of blue chip stocks Thursday, accelerating the decline in the Dow Jones industrial average and narrowly avoiding bear market territory. 

A last-hour rally allowed the Dow to recover somewhat, but the index still closed with a loss of nearly 100 points. 

Investors are in “deep despair,” said Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer for First Albany Corp. “There is a sense of giving up. They are extraordinarily depressed and demoralized.” 

Despite the late recovery, the market’s litany of grim numbers “points out how much damage has been done, and how we have gone from irrational exuberance to irrational depression,” said Alfred E. Goldman, director of market analysis for A.G. Edwards & Sons in St. Louis. 

According to traditional measures, a bear market occurs when there is a drop of 20 percent over a sustained period. While the tech sector landed in bear market turf last year, Wall Street has been debating whether the broader market has also become bearish, or has just dipped into bear territory. The S&P 500 officially entered a bear market on March 12. 

The Dow, which until last week was able to resist the heavy selling that decimated the Nasdaq, has fallen to bear levels because investors believe the economy is getting much weaker, severely hampering even the most stalwart companies. 

“This is about a market that is forecasting a recession,” said Gary Kaltbaum, market technician for First Union Securities. “I know a lot of people are saying we are not in a recession, but remember, 12 months ago people were saying technology was great and wasn’t going anywhere but up.” 

The Dow was able to curb its losses as the Nasdaq advanced on a rebound in deeply discounted tech stocks. Still, Kaltbaum said, it’s doubtful the Dow will be able to sustain a recovery for quite some time. 

“You had to bounce from somewhere,” he said.  

“The Dow is in bad shape no matter what.” 

The Dow began its plunge last week when the market’s fears of a recession widened to include the possibility of a halt in growth globally, especially given news that Japan is in a state of deflation and that the country’s banking system is burdened by debt. 

Investors sold blue chips on a deepening conviction that the economy and corporate earnings won’t improve any time soon, particularly if demand for U.S. goods and services slumps abroad as well. 

The market also remains irritated by the interest rate cut the Federal Reserve made Tuesday. Investors, who wanted the Fed to reduce rates by 0.75 percentage point, don’t think the 0.5 point reduction will be enough to boost earnings and the economy. 

Among blue chips hurting Thursday was Procter & Gamble, down 45 cents at $62.75, after confirming earlier reports that it is slashing 9,600 jobs as it tries to restore long-term growth. 

General Motors skidded $1.22 to $52.30 after announcing plans Wednesday to briefly idle more North American assembly plants in the next three months as it winnows inventories.  

GM idled two assembly plants, affecting 5,600 workers, earlier this week. 

The impact of slowing demand from consumers abroad has hurt other Dow stocks. McDonald’s, which warned earlier this month that Europe’s fears about the spreading of mad cow disease will pinch profits more than expected, fell 54 cents to $25.11. 

A new report showing the economy has further slowed added to investors’ sour mood. 

Economic activity fell 0.2 percent in February, according to the Conference Board. The New York-based private research group said its Index of Leading Economic Indicators fell to 108.8 last month after increasing a revised 0.5 percent in January. 

The group provided little encouragement that the economy would rebound any time soon, but it did say slow growth would continue in the coming months. 

The Labor Department reported Thursday that initial applications for jobless benefits edged down by 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 379,000 for the week ending March 17. Despite the drop, the figures were interpreted as showing a continuing drop in demand for workers. 

Declining issues outnumbered advancers nearly 3 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume was very heavy at 2.04 billion, compared with 1.56 billion on Wednesday and close to the record 2.2 billion shares traded on Jan. 3. 

The Russell 2000 index, which tracks the performance of smaller companies stocks, was down 2.94 at 432.80. 

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average closed down 1.9 percent. 

Stocks dove even further in Europe. Germany’s DAX index fell 4.2 percent, Britain’s FTSE 100 declined 4.1 percent and France’s CAC-40 closed down 4.0 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

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

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

When the two Berkeley-based high school baseball teams play against each other, the players don’t just want to do well to help their team. They want to win bragging rights over their friends on the other team. The St. Mary’s Panthers did just that on Wednesday, downing Berkeley High, 7-5. 

“You know that if you play badly, you’re going to hear about it later,” said Berkeley’s Jeremiah Fielder. “So you definitely want to bring your best game.” 

The Panthers (2-9) did just that by getting to Berkeley starter Moses Kopner, who will pitch for Stanford next season. Kopner had trouble with his control early, committing two hit batsmen and a walk to open the bottom of the first inning. St. Mary’s second baseman Chris Alfert followed with a bases-loaded infield single, and pitcher Anthony Miyawaki followed with a single to left that brought home another run. Designated hitter Joe Storno than blooped a hit into left-center to score another before Kopner settled down by striking out the next three batters. He committed a balk before getting out of the inning, however, and the Panthers had a 4-1 lead after one. 

“Moses was just getting warmed up, and he was ahead in the count,” Berkeley head coach Tim Moellering said. “But the ball found the batters’ bodies, and he got himself in a hole.” 

Berkeley’s one run in the top of the first came when leadoff man Lee Franklin pulled a double down the third-base line, went to third on an error, then stole home with two outs. That was all the offense the ’Jackets (7-4) would get in the first four innings, as Miyawaki got them to pound the ball into the ground for easy outs. He got some defensive help from third baseman Tom Wright, who made two diving stops, including stabbing a line drive to start a double play to kill a Berkeley threat in the third inning. 

The ’Jackets finally broke through for another run in the fifth inning, as shortstop Jason Moore singled to drive in Clinton Calhoun, who reached on a fielder’s choice. But Berkeley’s threat ended strangely, as DeAndre Miller was caught trying to steal home on what looked like a missed sign by catcher Paco Flores. 

The Panthers answered right back by scoring three runs in their half of the fifth. Fielder reached on an error, and Kopner loaded the bases with two more walks. Miyawaki helped his own cause again, driving in two runs with a single, and Storno hit a sacrifice fly before Kopner struck out the last two batters of the inning. 

Bad baserunning again killed a promising Berkeley rally in the sixth, as Noah Roper hit a single and was promptly picked off of first base. Designated hitter Matt Toma followed with his second double of the game, then Miyawaki walked Bennie Goldberg. Both runners scored on a single by Dominic Hunter that got by St. Mary’s right fielder Chase Moore. 

“We ran ourselves out of a couple of innings,” Berkeley head coach Tim Moellering said. “We were in the game the whole way, but things just didn’t break for us.” 

St. Mary’s got into the baserunning antics in the bottom of the sixth. With Brandon Hartoy at third and Fielder at second, first baseman Joe Starkey hit a grounder to shortstop. Hartoy got caught in a rundown and was tagged out. Starkey strayed past first base and got in another rundown, then Fielder was caught sneaking away from third. He was tagged out for a very complicated double play that ended the inning. 

St. Mary’s head coach Andy Shimabukuro decided to leave Miyawaki in the game to start the seventh inning, but it was soon obvious that the starter was tiring fast. Miyawaki gave up a single and a double to start the inning, and Shimabukuro quickly called on Storno to douse the rally.  

Storno walked the first batter he faced before getting the next three batters to earn the save. Toma hit a shot down the first-base line with two outs, but Starkey was there to smother the ball and end the game.

Thursday, March 22

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 

Ribbon Cutting & Evening Mixer  

5:30 - 7 p.m.  

National Car Rental  

920 University Ave.  

Sponsored by the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce. Special drawing for a weekend rental of a 4x4.  

549-7003 

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. 

Basic Electrical Theory  

& National Electrical Code 

7 - 10 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Taught by author, speaker and retired City of Oakland Building Inspector Redwood Kardon. 

$35  

525-7610 

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

Keeping the Commitment 

12:10 - 1:10 p.m. 

California Department of Health Services  

2151 Berkeley Way, Room 804 

The State Health Toastmasters present the sixth of six sessions to take the terror out of talking.  

649-7750 

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 

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 

“Jewish Holidays from  

a Secular Perspective”  

8 p.m.  

Albany Community Center  

1249 Marin Ave.  

Albany  

Hershl Hartman, international authority on secular humanistic Judaism, will speak. Sponsored by Kol Hadash, Northern California Community for Humanistic Judaism.  

428-1492 

“Turandot” 

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

The opera.  

644-6107 

Commission on Disability 

Subcommittee on Transportation  

2:30 - 4:30 p.m. 

2180 Milvia St.  

Third Floor North, Maple Room 

The subcommittee will discuss the paratransit program, pedestrian access problems, AC Transit access issues and the Berkeley program of nightlights for wheelchair users. 

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 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

“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 

Diabetes & Cardiovascular Disease Health Clinic 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church  

2024 Ashby Ave.  

Dr. Lenore Coleman, Bayer Clinical Science specialist and certified diabetes educator and Dr. Cassandra Herbert Whitman, Alta Bates Medical Associates will be available to answer questions. Free comprehensive screenings will be given people to identify cardiovascular risk factors. Free 

848-2050 

Energy Ideas for Remodeling  

9:30 - 11 a.m.  

City Energy Officer Neal De Snoo will conduct a seminar on the options available for incorporating energy efficient fixtures and systems into residential remodeling and renovation projects. Sponsored by Truitt & White Lumber Company of Berkeley. Free 

Call 649-2674 for reservations  

Visit www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/energy for info. on energy conservation and efficiency 

Hunger Hike in the Redwoods  

10 a.m.  

Joaquin Miller Park  

Ranger Station on Sanborn Dr.  

Oakland  

Join the Alameda County Community Food Bank for this educational hike. Enjoy the views while learning about local edible and medicinal plants. Bring a bag lunch.  

$25 donation  

834-FOOD x327 

“Five a Day from Local Farms & Gardens” 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m.  

Berkeley Farmers Market  

Center St. @ MLK Jr. Way 

Sponsored by the Berkeley Food Policy Council and the Ecology Center there will be cooking demonstrations and samples of healthy, nutritious food, featuring seasonal produce. Free 

Compassionate Listening  

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. (at Rose) 

Hear Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener and three other local women report on their recent visit to Israel and Palestine. They listened to Israelis and Palestinians from a variety of political, religious and social perspectives tell their stories, hopes, fears and dreams. Donation requested. Proceeds benefit the Mideast Citizen Diplomacy.  

Live from Death Row 

2 p.m.  

YWCA  

1515 Webster St.  

Hosted by the Campaign to End the Death Penalty (CEDP), “Live From Death Row” is a public forum where death row inmates meet via speakerphone with a speakers’ panel and the general public to share their experiences of living with the brutal reality of capital punishment. Includes Nobel Peace Prize nominee and San Quentin death row inmate Stanley “Tookie” Williams.  

Sunday, March 25

Women in Science & Technology  

1 - 4 p.m.  

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley  

In celebration of Women’s History Month, LHS presents a day to inspire and inform students. Women who work in such fields as computer graphics, geology, and astronomy demonstrate how they use math, science, and technology in their professional lives. Free with museum admission.  

Passover Family Day  

12:30 - 3 p.m. 

Judah L. Magnes Museum  

2911 Russell St.  

Create a Passover seder plate, view Magnes treasures, see “Madame Matza Ball Celebrates Passover,” a puppet show for the tikes, enjoy free refreshments, and exchange recipes. 

Monday, March 26

The New House of Representatives 

Noon  

Harris Room  

119 Moses Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Lois Capps, congresswoman, (D., Santa Barbara), will discuss “The Makeup of the New House of Representatives.” Bring a brown bag lunch. Free 

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 

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.org 

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 

“Five a Day from Local Farms & Gardens” 

1 p.m. - Dusk  

Berkeley Farmers Market  

Derby St. @ MLK Jr. Way  

Sponsored by the Berkeley Food Policy Council and the Ecology Center there will be cooking demonstrations and samples of healthy, nutritious food, featuring seasonal produce. Free 

548-3333 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 9:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

Make some new friends, expand your horizons and get support with a bunch of queer women all in the same place at the same time (somewhere between 18 and 25).  

548-8283 or visit www.pacificcenter.org 

Blood Pressure Testing 

9:30 - 11:30 a.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With Alice Meyer  

644-6107 

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 

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. 

CA. Telephone Access for Low Vision 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With Frances Franco. 

644-6107 

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 

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. 

Help the Abused  

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Gary Hines will discuss how to recognize if a peer is in an abusive situation and what to do. Free  

644-6107 

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  

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

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 

“Yellowstone Buffalo” Screening 

7 p.m.  

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists  

Cedar & Bonita  

A compilation video exposing the ongoing slaughter of Yellowstone’s wild buffalo herd. Seventy five percent of donations go to the Buffalo Field Campaign’s front-line efforts to protect the buffalo herd. Sponsored by A First Amendment Center, Berkeley. Free 

287-9406  

Saturday, March 31  

Shelter Operations 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 

Compiled by Chason Wainwright 

“The spelling book is heavier than it looks,” said sixth-grader Margaret Lawrence, as she leaned forward against the weight of her giant backpack Wednesday. 

“The social studies book is a monster,” said Margaret’s mom, Melanie Lawrence, inviting a reporter to heft the bag, which indeed seemed more appropriate for a paratrooper than a middle schooler. 

A handful of concerned parents and about 20 students from Longfellow Arts & Technology Magnet Middle School gathered outside the school before class Wednesday to protest the weight of bags students must carry from class to class, and back and forth from school each day. 

According to a 1999 study by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, 58 percent of orthopedists reported seeing patients who complained of back and shoulder pain caused by heavy backpacks. The physicians also reported muscle strain among children carrying heavy loads in backpacks, and warned that the trend could lead some children to develop poor posture, notably excessive slouching. 

According to the study, children carrying a backpack that weighs more than 20 percent of their body weight are at risk of injury to their shoulders and spine. 

Longfellow eighth-grader Desiree Woods doesn’t need to be told by the AAOS. Woods said she weighs 92 pounds but totes around a backpack weighing in the 20-pound range. She regularly sees a chiropractor to help deal with pain and discomfort caused by the bag. 

“My chiropractor says it puts a lot of extra strain on the lower back where it shouldn’t be,” Woods said.  

Unlike other Berkeley middle schools, Longfellow has no lockers for students to store their books, gym clothes, lunch and other items during the day when they aren’t needed. 

During the planning process for the recently completed renovation of Longfellow’s main building, which dates back to 1923, it was determined that installing lockers would detract from the building’s historical character, said Longfellow Principal William Dwyer.  

Planners were mindful of the heavy backpack problem, however, Dwyer said. They budgeted thousands of dollars to buy enough math and science books for every student to keep one at home and one at school, thus cutting down on the load they carry back and forth each day. 

But parents Wednesday said the problem has yet to be adequately addressed. They would like to see lockers put into the school, they said, or at least see the school continue to address the issue in some way. 

“Is there some backpack-management training we can give the kids?” asked Longfellow parent Cynthia Papermaster, who organized the protest. “We ought to be talking about what we can do?” 

Dwyer said the issue hasn’t come up at the school’s Site Committee meetings, but said he is considering options to address the problem, including having physical education teachers instruct students how to safely lift and wear backpacks. 

Physicians interviewed in the AAOS study recommend that children: use a hip strap for heavier bags; use both back pack straps, firmly tightened, to hold the pack two inches above the waist; place the heaviest items close to the back; bend both knees when picking up a heavy back pack; and consider purchasing a backpack with wheels. 

Better plan for Beth El possible  

Editor: 

I wish to commend David Blake’s brave comments at the last Zoning Adjustment Board meeting on March 8. He hit the nail right on the head. This project would not have been approved on the design of the project itself. 

No one questions the good works of Temple Beth El or any religious institution. I believe many people do good work whether they belong to a church or not. Does that give any one group the right to put a parking lot and road in the corridor of Codornices Creek, the most open creek in Berkeley. Does that mean one can move a mature live oak tree and transplant it somewhere else and hope that it survives? What does that teach the children? 

What the neighborhood questions is the project design and its detrimental impacts on the open Codornices Creek corridor, its riparian ecology; parking and traffic impacts on the surrounding neighborhood including Live Oak Park, Berkeley Arts Center, and Jewish Community Center; and the destruction of an historic site. People will drive.  

This area is the last remnant of one of the first farms in Berkeley. The site of the Byrne Mansion was chosen because of the proximity of the then opened creek. You can see the open green corridor clearly from aerial views. The landmark is the land itself. It is contiguous with Live Oak Park and the rest of Codornices Creek. 

I invite you to come to 1301 Oxford and Berryman Path. Look at the developer’s story poles to see the dimensions of the structure (footprint the size of a football field or the local Safeway) and the blue taped areas representing the parking lot and road which is now adjacent to Berryman Path. Imagine a seven foot stucco wall along Berryman Path. The community gardeners who once maintained the northern portion of the property did not have their lease renewed, so the area is overgrown, but its natural beauty still remains. They say that with the latest plan for parking lot and road parallel to Berryman Path, that Codornices Creek can be restored. This is dubious at best, since it would mean extremely steep banks, increased pollution in the creek, and a road between the creek and Berryman path. Cars and roadway will hang over the edge of the creek. 

I believe there is a better plan for this property that can satisfy all stakeholders. You can have enough parking, adequate space for a building, and have a beautiful open creek to be proud of. The plan that the ZAB approved is not that plan. It ignores neighborhood and several environmental organizations concerns. Don’t take my word for this. Come see the paradise. They are building a parking lot over it. 

Diane A. Tokugawa 

Berkeley 

The Berkeley High boys’ lacrosse team started its game against University (San Francisco) with a bang, with midfielder Ed Hill scoring the game’s first goal on the Yellowjackets’ opening possession. Unfortunately, the ’Jackets went out with a whimper, as they were held scoreless for the next 40 minutes and lost 11-2. 

The Red Devils (7-2 overall, 4-0 league) were led by attackers Brian Wendell and Aldis Butler, who had 10 and eight points, respectively. Wendell scored four goals, two from assists by Butler, while Butler scored three goals, one assisted by Wendell. 

Hill, one of the few ’Jackets who could maintain possession of the ball for any amount of time, scored both Berkeley goals, with the second coming late in the fourth quarter after the game was long decided. The ’Jackets looked thoroughly confused in the first quarter, as they tried a new defense, but after falling behind 3-1 and rarely invading the University goal, they went back to their man-to-man defense. 

Following Hill’s first goal, University’s Roman Adler struck back with a goal. Berkeley’s Joe Rabinowitz had a shot at point-blank range on Devil goalie Sean Koffel, but couldn’t finish it. That was the end of Berkeley’s offense in the opening period, as University held the ball in their offensive zone. Wendell scored two goals to end the period, including one power-play goal after Berkeley defender Brandon Lucker put a late hit on one of Wendell’s teammates and was assessed a penalty. 

The second quarter was much of the same, as the Devils scored four goals and killed a short two-man advantage for Berkeley. Berkeley just couldn’t connect on their passes close to the University goal, and Butler took advantage early in the quarter. A missed connection from behind the Devil goal ended up with the ball rolling free, and Butler scooped it up, made a 30-yard run and beat Berkeley goalie Mark Bloch for his first score. 

Later in the period, Butler used a solid pick to get free in front of Bloch once again, and beat him low. Wendell followed soon after with a wraparound goal, and then University put on a show, as Butler stole a Bloch outlet pass and drove toward the goal before flipping a pass behind his head to Wendell for the prettiest goal of the game. 

Berkeley came out of halftime with fire in their eyes, and they had several good shots on goal. Midfielder Stefan Isaksen juked his way to a 20-yard run that led to the doorstep of the goal, but he just missed the upper corner. Berkeley just couldn’t finish their chances, and when University’s Bingo McKenzie scored a long shot on Berkeley substitute goalie Monty Carlson, it seemed to take the wind out of the ’Jackets’ sails. University tacked on three more goals to end the game.

The City Council adopted an energy plan Tuesday that will take some of the financial sting out of the energy crisis and begin implementing programs for renewable energy and energy conservation. 

The council unanimously approved the two-year Community Energy Plan, which includes financial assistance for low-income residents, public information campaigns and materials for residents who want to make their homes more energy efficient. The plan will also explore the possibility of city or regional utility ownership. 

The council also approved $519,500 to begin instituting the plan in fiscal year 2001-2002. City staff estimates that the plan will require another $855,750 for fiscal year 2002-2003 in order to institute a series of renewable, conservation and efficiency programs.  

“The most important thing in the short term is probably the financial assistance for low-income residents,” said Energy Officer Neil De Snoo. “The long-term goal is a package of programs and each piece has an important role.” 

The council referred 50 energy initiatives to city staff and the Energy Commission at a Feb. 13 meeting. They became the basis for the Community Energy Plan. 

Energy Commission Chair Jeffrey Siegel said it was a challenge to put the plan together by Tuesday’s council meeting, and much of the credit goes to De Snoo. 

“It was very difficult because some of the ideas were contradictory and we had to come up with a document that either everybody would be happy with or nobody would,” Siegel said. 

The plan is organized in two phases – the first is designed to combat the current energy crisis, and the second is aimed at implementing plans to reduce future energy use. 

The first phase will immediately provide $49,750 for bill payment assistance for an estimated $1,400 low-income households. The average payment this year per household will be approximately $210 and is expected to be raised to $275 when additional funding becomes available next year, according to the written plan. 

Berkeley EcoHouse will begin a program at King and Willard middle schools to train students to identify inefficient home weatherization and then remedy the situation. The $20,000 program will also provide weatherization materials. 

Councilmember Linda Maio said the EcoHouse program could blossom into a larger program in which the students could possibly use their new skills to install weatherization measures in seniors’ homes. 

“It’s part of the education we have to do,” Maio said. 

The city will also launch a citywide information campaign that will include a mailing to all residents detailing ways to reduce energy use in the home and office.  

After some contentious discussion, the council also voted to fund a public power utility study. Originally the plan called for the study to be funded next year. But a motion made by Councilmember Kriss Worthington guaranteed funding in fiscal year 2001-2002. 

The $85,000 study was approved by five votes with Councilmembers Betty Olds and Polly Armstrong voting in opposition and Mayor Shirley Dean and Vice Mayor Maudelle Shriek abstaining. 

Richard Challacombe was among several members of the Social Action Committee of the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists in the audience to support municipalization by holding up brightly colored signs that read “Power To The People.”  

“We were very pleased that the money for the study was approved,” he said. “We don’t want to wait a year or 18 months for the ball to get rolling.” 

Mayor Shirley Dean said she was glad the city was able to put together such a comprehensive energy plan. She pointed out that an additional energy resolution had been approved on the consent calendar – items on the consent calendar are approved unanimously without discussion – that could be a significant force in moving to solar power. It was a resolution by Dean and Shirek, to join the Bay Area Solar Consortium, which will facilitate research, development and education of solar power. The program is part of former President Clinton’s Million Solar Roofs initiative, which encourages residents and businesses to install solar panels on one million rooftops by 2010. 

Medical marijuana 

In other matters the council was unable to reach a decision on the number of marijuana plants certified individuals would be allowed to grow in their residences under the pending Medical Marijuana Ordinance. 

The item was set for next Tuesday’s meeting. 

More than 50 parents – many with their children – filled the Berkeley Arts Magnet School Auditorium Tuesday night to hear Dr. Barbara Staggers talk about strategies for better communication between parents and children. 

The lecture, sponsored by the Berkeley PTA Council, is the first in a series addressing parenting issues. 

“I want to hear what they have to say about when you should talk to kids, and when and in how much detail,” Kristin Prentice, who has two children in the Berkeley school district, said before the lecture. “I talk to my kids already, but I don’t know if I’m doing it right.” 

Staggers, director of Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital in Oakland, has lectured all over the country on parent-child communication on tough issues like sexuality, peer pressure, drugs and violence. She began the evening by telling parents how to recognize different stages of development – early, middle and late adolescence – and respond to them appropriately. 

“You have to understand that normal development is normal” – even when it doesn’t appear that way to the adult mind, Staggers said.  

“Puberty happens.” 

Are parents frustrated by their 9-year-old’s monosyllabic answers to questions they consider important? The child may not be willfully withholding information, Staggers said, so much as reflecting his or her own bewilderment at the situation. 

For example, since early adolescent children typically don’t plan ahead but rather react to things as they occur, they might be just as surprised and dismayed as a parent when they receive a D in a class, Staggers said. 

“They really don’t know how it happened.”  

Since adolescents as a group don’t plan ahead, they won’t be prepared to respond to difficult situations faced by many children today unless parents take the initiative to prepare them, Staggers said.  

“You have to role play,” she said, advising parents to practice with their children how to walk away from a fight, or how to say no to drugs or sex, before they ever confront such a situation on their own. 

In a world where addictive drugs are readily available to youth, or where the risk of AIDS is an ever-present danger, adolescents can’t afford even one mistake, Staggers said. 

“That’s what prevents kids from using drugs: talking with their parents,” Staggers said. “Ask them, ‘Why do you want to do drugs?’ ‘What do you know about drugs?’”  

Staggers talked at length about the importance of developing clear expectations for children’s behavior and then reinforcing these expectations with appropriate punishments and rewards. 

“I see a lot of adolescents who are not parented,” Staggers said. “You cannot always be their friend, but you have to always be their parent.” 

Staggers emphasized in disciplining children, parents should find way to make it clear that they dislike the child’s behavior, not the child. 

“They cannot doubt or question whether you love them,” Staggers said. “We lose too many kids that way...Kids who look for love in all the wrong places.” 

Patricia Bandy, who attended Tuesday’s meeting with her granddaughter Brijuanaé Bandy, said in her day open communications between parents and children was the exception not the rule. Bandy said she wants to stay attuned to her grandchildren’s lives so she can overcome negative influences of the media age. 

“They’re exposed to guns, when you think they have no idea about guns,” Bandy said. “They know it all.” 

“I haven’t had these conversations with them yet. But I want to know. I want them to talk.” 

Parent Maya Karpinski agreed. 

“The media has made times faster for our kids,” she said. “You have to always keep one step ahead of the information they get.” 

At the end of the night, Staggers divided the audience into four groups, carefully separating parents from their children. She asked two of the groups to come up with a list of reasons about why it’s good to be a parent, and the other two, to form a list of reasons for wanting to become a teen. 

“If I can do this and one parent or child comes out inspired, that’s one less kid or parent that I’ll see in my clinic,” Staggers said. 

Two more Berkeley middle school students have pleaded guilty to charges they sexually assaulted a 12-year-old female classmate last fall. 

The 11- and 12-year-old Willard Middle School boys joined 13-year-old Monday in admitting they assaulted the girl both on and off campus on Oct. 25. 

The boys will be sentenced in April. 

A 13-year-old Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School student and four other boys who allegedly assaulted the same girl in November, are now awaiting trial. 

The boys’ parents have said their sons engaged in consensual sex with the girl. Police, however, called the assault a gang rape. Still, no rape or kidnap charges were filed against any of the boys. 

Initial reports on the rape may have been exaggerated, said Jon Thurston, Alameda County deputy district attorney. 

“Police made it sound like this girl was dragged around from pillar to post and raped. But that didn’t happen. The initial reports just weren’t true,” Thurston told the San Jose Mercury News. 

Still, it’s illegal to have sex with anyone under age 18. State laws say children under 14 are not capable of giving consent.

After bringing his salsa sounds to the Bay Area for five decades, a Latin jazz institution is headed south. 

Pete Escovedo, jazz pioneer and Bay Area native, is moving to Southern California to be with his daughter, singer Sheila E., and to take up his career in a more music-friendly climate, said Henry Royal, general manager of the Oakland salsa club Kimball's Carnival. 

“Due to the fact that the club scene up here didn't work out for him, he decided to pack his bags and try something new,” Royal said. 

Escovedo will be given a proper sendoff at the end of the month, with Kimball's Carnival hosting the “Farewell to the Bay Area” party.  

Musical guests such as Sheila E., John Santos, Ray Obedio and producer Narada Michael Walden are expected to attend. 

Now in his early 60s, Escovedo has had a long and highly successful career in the jazz scene, playing with the likes of Count Basie, Tito Puente, Carlos Santana, Woody Herman, Anita Baker and others. 

Born in Pittsburg and raised in Oakland, Escovedo recently settled in Alameda, starting his own jazz club, Mr. E's Spotlight on the Square. That club is now closed, Royal said. 

“It’s going to be a great loss to us, because we're not going to have the advantage of seeing Pete,” Royal said. 

The farewell party will be held Friday and Saturday, March 30 and 31, at Kimball's Carnival, 522 Second St., Jack London Square, Oakland. Tickets are $25.

When “Forrest Gump” was released to wild box office success in 1994, the title character was poised to represent the soul of a generation: a man who bumbled his way through every major historical event and cultural trend for 30 years.  

Isn’t it unfortunate that the slightly touched Forrest seemed oblivious to the world at large? 

Odd, because the post-war Baby Boomers are one of the most self-aware generations in history. They have had as much impact on the world as the world has had on them. Their mirror is a cultural barometer. And in that mirror they now see wrinkles. 

“I look at myself as an EveryBoomer,” said Berkeley-based filmmaker Elizabeth Sher, whose hour-long documentary “Thinner, Younger, Smoother” will be broadcast on KQED-TV at 10:30 p.m. The video looks at the cosmetic surgery industry that has grown exponentially alongside the now-aging generation – once-dangerous teenagers – with pesky crow’s feet and love handles. 

Sher, who had earned a graduate degree in fine arts at UC Berkeley and now teaches at the California Academy of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, included herself in her own video, rooting the exploration of the plastic surgery market in her own decision-making process to tightening up the bags under her eyes.  

But with testimonials from surgery patients, interviews with doctors, humorous clips from pop culture ephemera, and man-on-the-street commentary, Sher shows she is not alone in her concerns; that liposuction is not merely navel-gazing. 

“What I think is interesting is that it didn’t come out of nowhere,” Sher said.  

The film traces the advancement of plastic surgery techniques in tandem with the marketplace that is willing to buy them. 

An injection of Botox, for example, has been used for 20 years to induce controlled muscle atrophy. Now, at a beauty salon in Sausalito the image-conscious consumer can attend an informal cocktail party once a month and get Botox injections to remove lines from a worrying forehead. 

People think a furrow in their brow makes them look angry, Sher said. “But you don’t really look angry. You have a line in your forehead.” 

Candid interviews with people on the street, conducted by Berkeley’s Man-On-The-Street legend Mal Sharpe, reveal the physical effects of age are not a burden to be borne willingly. Tightening, tucking and sucking are common considerations for a demographic looking for ways to stave off aging. 

The film illustrates its points with quick snippets from American film and television of the 1950s and 1960s.  

Images of starlets and sitcoms evoke the historical context of the Boomer’s image of themselves, and the cultural flotsam that once formed their young minds. They also add a note of humor to personal testimonials and expository interviews, cuing the audience that this stuff is not without humor. 

The nature of the subject matter even undermines the shopworn documentary technique of the talking-head interview.  

What is normally a bland-but-necessary filmmaking habit of shooting a person talking about something the camera cannot see, these interview subjects are talking about their own faces. When a person scrutinizes his own forehead or her own cheekbones (a practice usually reserved for the privacy of a bathroom mirror), the viewer gets to scrutinize right along with them.  

And, yeah, that guy in Sausalito really does have a high forehead, now that you mention it. 

When exploring the self-awareness, the self-image, and self-importance of a generation, the medium becomes the message. 

Peter Crimmins is the producer of "Film Close-Ups” on KALX radio in Berkeley.

NEW YORK — Concerns over shrinking inventories of petroleum products lifted energy futures sharply higher Wednesday at the New York Mercantile Exchange. 

Products futures led the way after data showed an unexpected weekly decline in stocks of gasoline and a larger-than-expected drawdown in distillate inventories. 

The Nymex rally got underway after the Department of Energy reported Wednesday morning that U.S. gasoline stocks dropped 3.4 million barrels to 198.2 million barrels and distillate stocks, which include diesel fuel and heating oil, fell 3.6 million barrels to 110.7 million barrels last week. 

Most analysts had projected an increase in gasoline stocks and a smaller draw in distillate stocks. 

Traders continue to worry that the slowing global economy will exacerbate a seasonal decline in oil demand in the second quarter, causing a supply glut and further pressuring prices. 

Those concerns have brought crude prices under pressure despite the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ agreement Saturday to cut oil production by 1 million barrels a day and the Federal Reserve’s move Tuesday to lower short-term interest rates by half a percentage point. 

In other commodities trading, May corn fell 1.25 cents to $2.1025 a bushel after setting a contract low of $2.0575. May wheat slid 4.25 cents to $2.6650, after registering a contract low of $2.62, while May soybeans fell 3.50 cents to $4.4325. 

In the corn and soybean markets the continued gains in the dollar sent prices tumbling. 

“The dollar is killing us. It’s wiping out our ability to compete,” said Jim Bower, a grain broker, and president of Bower Trading in Lafayette, IN. “We are not going to see new demand for our products (corn, beans, wheat) from our Asian customers with our dollar priced so high.” 

Cocoa futures fell on the Coffee, Sugar & Cocoa Exchange as speculative selling continued. 

A poor performance in the London futures market and a stronger dollar and British pound against the euro acted as a damper for the New York opening, they added. Because cocoa is priced in dollars or pounds, rises in those currencies make it more expensive to buyers. The May contract fell $29 to $957 a metric ton. 

WASHINGTON — While minorities are establishing a foothold in the business world, their companies so far are only generating a smidgen of the country’s total sales revenue, according to a new Census Bureau report. 

While 1 in 10 firms are owned by blacks or Hispanics, those businesses brought in only 1 percent of $18.6 trillion in total revenue receipts for all U.S. businesses in 1997, according to the report being released Thursday. 

That means lenders must give minority-owned businesses more leeway to turn a profit, and lawmakers must do more to educate future generations of blacks and Hispanics – the country’s two largest minority groups – to get them better prepared for the business world, said George Herrera, president of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. 

“We still obviously have a long way to go in terms of being able to have these companies grow to a larger level, but what’s encouraging is we’re getting into entrepreneurship,” Herrera said Wednesday.  

“Diversity is no long just pretty and good, but it is essential in the business world.” 

Many of the more than 2 million black- or Hispanic-owned firms are in service-oriented markets that don’t have high growth potential but still serve an essential need in communities, said Roderick Harrison, a demographer with the Center for Joint Political and Economic Studies. 

Hispanics owned 1.2 million non-farm related businesses in 1997, and generated $186.3 billion in revenue. Blacks owned 823,499 firms, generating $71.2 billion in revenue in 1997. 

There are more Hispanic firms in part because the Hispanic population is exploding across the country.  

Those businesses are filling a specialty niche that others may not be able to fill, and many offer Spanish-language products unavailable elsewhere, Harrison said. 

Meanwhile, many black-owned firms compete for business with non-black owned firms across all sectors, stiffening competition, he said. 

The figures, compiled from a survey separate from the 2000 census, were the most recent available. Because of changes in the way the survey was taken, the 1997 results were not directly comparable to prior surveys. Most Hispanic- or black-owned forms were concentrated in four states with historically high percentages of minority population: New York, California, Texas and Florida. 

Mexicans owned 39 percent of 1.2 million businesses run by Hispanics — most among the specific Latino ethnic groups — which brought in $73.7 billion in receipts. 

——— 

On the Net: Census Bureau site: http://www.census.gov 

Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies: http://www.jointcenter.org/ 

U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: http://www.ushcc.com/ 

NEW YORK — Investors punished stocks once again Wednesday, directing their anger mostly at blue chips as they grappled with disappointment over the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy. The Dow Jones industrials tumbled 233 points, the sixth time in the past nine sessions that the index has dropped by triple digits. 

Wall Street’s foul mood about the economy and earnings sent the Dow lower at the start of Wednesday’s trading, and selling intensified during the last hour of the session. 

“The market is just not happy,” said Dan Ascani, president and research director at Global Market Strategists in Gainesville, Ga. “It’s very serious ... This has spread to Corporate America from the tech stock bubble burst. That’s not a good sign for the economy.” 

Stocks extended the decline they suffered Tuesday when the Fed cut interest rates by 0.5 percentage point. Investors believed that a more aggressive 0.75 point reduction was needed to boost the slowing economy and anemic corporate profits, and the Fed’s failure to deliver a bigger cut prompted the market to sell heavily. 

“Just as there seemed to be no end in sight on the upside a year ago, the market is equally dismal right now,” said A.C. Moore, chief investment strategist for Dunvegan Associates in Santa Barbara. “Positive sentiment feeds on itself; negative sentiment feeds on itself.” 

He added that the selling was overdone given that the Fed has said it will lower rates as much as is needed to stimulate the economy. “The markets pretty much have a mind of their own. (The cut) may be exactly what the economy needs, but it’s not what the market had built into expectations,” Moore said. 

Wall Street has been increasingly downtrodden since last week’s steep drop that gave the Dow its worst-ever weekly point drop of 821.21. Investors had been bidding up safer blue chip stocks, believing they remained relatively intact and that technology issues were most vulnerable amid slower economic growth.  

— The Associated Press 

But evidence that the slowdown is affecting many other businesses has hurt blue chips. 

On Wednesday, Procter & Gamble, a Dow stock, slipped $2.70 to $63.20 on a Wall Street Journal report that the maker of Crest and Jif is considering eliminating 10 percent to 20 percent of its global work force. 

Other consumer product makers fell, including Kimberly Clark, down $2.39 at $67.01. But blue chip losses were spread across sectors. Merck fell $2.29 to $67.96, while General Motors declined $1.67 to $53.52. 

Meanwhile, the tech sector was more mixed. IBM advanced 78 cents to $89.08, while Microsoft tumbled $2.63 to $50.06. Both are Dow components. 

Despite Wednesday’s selling, some analysts were somewhat hopeful stocks will soon move higher. They noted that in Wednesday’s dealings the tech sector held up better than Old Economy stocks, which tend to fare better in bear markets. 

“Although we were disappointed (Tuesday), the people who are willing to get back in today are doing so in the most beaten up sectors, like technology and telecommunications,” said Arthur Hogan, chief market analysts for Jefferies & Co. 

However, other analysts believe the weakness in blue chips means the economy has slowed more than thought and that investors aren’t finished selling. 

“I’m not sure there has been capitulation yet,” said Ascani from Global Market Strategists. “There are still too many people left over from the bull market who have held on.” 

Adding to Wednesday’s heavy selling was news that inflation at the consumer level rose 0.3 percent in February, slightly worse than the 0.2 percent increase Wall Street expected. Rising costs for food and prescription drugs accounted for the uptick, according a report issued earlier by the Labor Department. 

Declining issues widely outnumbered advancers 11 to 4 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume was a heavy 1.56 billion shares, compared with 1.45 billion on Tuesday. 

The Russell 2000 index, which tracks the performance of smaller companies stocks, fell 8.74 to 435.74. 

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average soared 7.5 percent, its seventh-largest percentage gain ever and its highest close in three weeks. Stocks moved strongly higher after the Japanese government said it expects within six months to have a plan for dealing with crippling debt at the nation’s banks. 

However, stocks in Europe moved lower. Germany’s DAX index fell 2.8 percent, Britain’s FTSE 100 slipped 1.9 percent, and France’s CAC-40 declined 2.2 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

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

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

A woman upset by the apparent violation of a city agreement to save eight New Zealand pine trees in front of the Central Library, halted the destruction of their concrete planter boxes and several remaining stumps Tuesday. 

When Berkeley resident Debbie Moore heard from a friend that the trees had been cut down she immediately went to the library and climbed into a 3-foot high concrete planter box on Shattuck Avenue near Kittredge Street where she had been arrested in November 1999 during a protest to save the trees. 

“I felt utter despair when I heard,” Moore said. “I felt really threatened by the fact that the city would come in and destroy these trees after they made a contract to save them.” 

Public Works engineer Sam Lee, who is in charge of the Shattuck Avenue Redevelopment Project, said the trees were deemed un-savable by Jerry Koch, who heads the city’s forestry division. Lee said Koch ordered the destruction of the trees and their planter boxes. The trees were cut down Tuesday morning by a work crew from Bauman Landscaping Co.  

The planter boxes were not demolished. 

Koch did not return calls to the Daily Planet before press time to respond to questions on the specifics of why the trees could not be saved. 

During the planning process for the Shattuck Avenue Redevelopment Project in 1998, there was a proposal to remove nearly all of the trees along Shattuck from University Avenue to Dwight Way. A protest, known as the Lorax Protest, ensued and the City Council ultimately adopted a compromise in which certain trees would not be cut down.  

The protest was named Lorax after a 1971 Dr. Seuss book “The Lorax.” 

Berkeley librarian Elizabeth Overmyer, said the story is about a cranky tree-Nome type character who tries to alert the world that the expansion of capitalism will result in the deforestation of the planet. 

The Parks and Waterfront and Planning departments determined which trees would be saved and which destroyed according to the health of individual trees and how their presence affected the redevelopment project. 

Assistant City Manager Michael Caplan said the list of trees to be saved was contained on what was known as the “dot map.” He did not have the map in his possession and the Daily Planet was unable to review a copy of it before press time. 

Councilmember Dona Spring said the eight trees in front of the Central Library were included among those to be saved. “There’s no doubt about it, those trees were to be moved and not killed,” Spring said. “It’s very upsetting that agreements and contracts are broken and there’s no accountability in the city of Berkeley.” 

Moore spent the morning and afternoon foiling the attempts of the work crew to jack hammer the planter boxes by moving from planter box to planter box.  

Moore said the foreman of the work crew asked police to arrest her but they refused because the containers are considered public property.  

Moore said she would remain in the planter box to make sure the work crew did not destroy the tree roots. “I know it’s not very pretty now, but this stump can be planted in People’s Park and it will still grow,” she said.  

The foreman of the work crew, which cut down the trees refused to give his name or comment as did the owner of the Richmond-based landscape company. 

The planter boxes were not demolished. 

Koch did not return calls to the Daily Planet before press time to respond to questions on the specifics of why the trees could not be saved. 

During the planning process for the Shattuck Avenue Redevelopment Project in 1998, there was a proposal to remove nearly all of the trees along Shattuck from University Avenue to Dwight Way. A protest, known as the Lorax Protest, ensued and the City Council ultimately adopted a compromise in which certain trees would not be cut down.  

The protest was named Lorax after a 1971 Dr. Seuss book “The Lorax.” 

Berkeley librarian Elizabeth Overmyer, said the story is about a cranky tree-Nome type character who tries to alert the world that the expansion of capitalism will result in the deforestation of the planet. 

The Parks and Waterfront and Planning departments determined which trees would be saved and which destroyed according to the health of individual trees and how their presence affected the redevelopment project. 

Assistant City Manager Michael Caplan said the list of trees to be saved was contained on what was known as the “dot map.” He did not have the map in his possession and the Daily Planet was unable to review a copy of it before press time. 

Councilmember Dona Spring said the eight trees in front of the Central Library were included among those to be saved. “There’s no doubt about it, those trees were to be moved and not killed,” Spring said.  

“It’s very upsetting that agreements and contracts are broken and there’s no accountability in the city of Berkeley.” 

Moore spent the morning and afternoon foiling the attempts of the work crew to jack hammer the planter boxes by moving from planter box to planter box.  

Moore said the foreman of the work crew asked police to arrest her but they refused because the containers are considered public property.  

Moore said she would remain in the planter box to make sure the work crew did not destroy the tree roots. “I know it’s not very pretty now, but this stump can be planted in People’s Park and it will still grow,” she said.  

The foreman of the work crew, which cut down the trees refused to give his name or comment as did the owner of the Richmond-based landscape company.

Wednesday, Mar. 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 

Free Writing, Cashiering  

& Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.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 word-processing and basic spreadsheets. 644-6226 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107 

Chimneys From A - Z  

7 - 10 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Taught by Irish Sweep Sally McKnight.  

$35 525-7610 

Design Dung  

7 - 9 p.m.  

School of Journalism Library  

121 North Gate Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Part of the Terner Series, an informal salon-style discussion series, which brings together industry professionals, students, and interested community members. This session is a discussion of the failure to communicate good and bad architecture. Free 

Alzheimer’s Support Group 

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

For families and caregivers.  

Thursday, March 22

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 

Ribbon Cutting  

& Evening Mixer  

5:30 - 7 p.m.  

National Car Rental  

920 University Ave.  

Sponsored by the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce. Special drawing for a weekend rental of a 4x4.  

549-7003 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

Basic Electrical Theory  

& National Electrical Code 

7 - 10 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Taught by author, speaker and retired City of Oakland Building Inspector Redwood Kardon. 

$35 525-7610 

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays.  

Keeping the Commitment 

12:10 - 1:10 p.m. 

California Department of Health Services  

2151 Berkeley Way, Room 804 

The State Health Toastmasters present the sixth of six sessions to take the terror out of talking.  

649-7750 

Friday, March 23

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 

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 word-processing and basic spreadsheets. 644-6226 

“Jewish Holidays from  

a Secular Perspective”  

8 p.m.  

Albany Community Center  

1249 Marin Ave.  

Hershl Hartman, international authority on secular humanistic Judaism, will speak. Sponsored by Kol Hadash, Northern California Community for Humanistic Judaism. 428-1492 

— Compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

“Turandot” 

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

The opera.  

644-6107 

Commission on Disability 

Subcommittee on Transportation  

2:30 - 4:30 p.m. 

2180 Milvia St.  

Third Floor North, Maple Room 

The subcommittee will discuss the paratransit program, pedestrian access problems, AC Transit access issues and the Berkeley program of nightlights for wheelchair users. 

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 

Diabetes & Cardiovascular Disease Health Clinic 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church  

2024 Ashby Ave.  

Dr. Lenore Coleman, Bayer Clinical Science specialist and certified diabetes educator and Dr. Cassandra Herbert Whitman, Alta Bates Medical Associates will be available to answer questions. Free comprehensive screenings will be given people to identify cardiovascular risk factors. Free 

848-2050 

Energy Ideas for Remodeling  

9:30 - 11 a.m.  

City Energy Officer Neal De Snoo will conduct a seminar on the options available for incorporating energy efficient fixtures and systems into residential remodeling and renovation projects. Sponsored by Truitt & White Lumber Company of Berkeley. Free 

Call 649-2674 for reservations  

Visit www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/energy for info. on energy conservation and efficiency 

Hunger Hike in the Redwoods  

10 a.m.  

Joaquin Miller Park  

Ranger Station on Sanborn Dr.  

Oakland  

Join the Alameda County Community Food Bank for this educational hike. Enjoy the views while learning about local edible and medicinal plants. Bring a bag lunch.  

$25 donation  

834-FOOD x327 

“Five a Day from Local Farms & Gardens” 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m.  

Berkeley Farmers Market  

Center St. @ MLK Jr. Way 

Sponsored by the Berkeley Food Policy Council and the Ecology Center there will be cooking demonstrations and samples of healthy, nutritious food, featuring seasonal produce. Free 

Compassionate Listening  

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. (at Rose) 

Hear Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener and three other local women report on their recent visit to Israel and Palestine. They listened to Israelis and Palestinians from a variety of political, religious and social perspectives tell their stories, hopes, fears and dreams. Donation requested. Proceeds benefit the Mideast Citizen Diplomacy.  

Live from Death Row 

2 p.m.  

YWCA  

1515 Webster St.  

Hosted by the Campaign to End the Death Penalty (CEDP), “Live From Death Row” is a public forum where death row inmates meet via speakerphone with a speakers’ panel and the general public to share their experiences of living with the brutal reality of capital punishment. Includes Nobel Peace Prize nominee and San Quentin death row inmate Stanley “Tookie” Williams.  

Sunday, March 25

Women in Science & Technology  

1 - 4 p.m.  

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley  

In celebration of Women’s History Month, LHS presents a day to inspire and inform students. Women who work in such fields as computer graphics, geology, and astronomy demonstrate how they use math, science, and technology in their professional lives. Free with museum admission.  

Passover Family Day  

12:30 - 3 p.m. 

Judah L. Magnes Museum  

2911 Russell St.  

Create a Passover seder plate, view Magnes treasures, see “Madame Matza Ball Celebrates Passover,” a puppet show for the tikes, enjoy free refreshments, and exchange recipes. 

Beth El question not about good works but good development 

Editor: 

Michael Fajans’ letter in the Berkeley Daily Planet (”Beth El’s a respected part of the community,” March 19) claims that Congregation Beth El’s power derives from the “Congregation’s many and ongoing contributions to the community.” Mr. Fajans then lists a number of ways in which Congregation Beth El and its membership is involved in the community. No one is disputing the involvement or value of Congregation Beth El’s membership in the community. 

What Mr. Fajans would have us ignore by his recitation of good works is the impact that the proposed synagogue and school would have upon the immediate neighborhood. Let’s ask Mr. Fajans if the good works of Congregation Beth El’s membership will do the following: 

• Keep car fluids (leaking oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, etc.) from running off their proposed driveway into Codornices Creek? 

• Result in daylighting the culverted portion of Codornices Creek at the site of the proposed project? 

• Ensure adequate parking on site for Congregation Beth El’s activities and services? 

• Ensure that Congregation Beth El’s hours of operation not interfere with the quiet and peaceful enjoyment of our homes? 

• Ensure that traffic on Spruce Street will not become a demolition derby should Congregation Beth El’s proposed driveway exit on Spruce Street near Berryman Path as currently planned? 

These questions and others have been asked for many months now by neighbors and have gone unanswered by Congregation Beth El’s leadership. Why? 

David A. Dempster 

Berkeley, CA  

Save money, nerves: use public transit 

Editor: 

Two interesting points Steve Geller (3/14) raised in his response to our letter concerning BUSD’s request for staff permits to daily park in residential parking zones I’d like to reply to: 

First, many may not realize that residents who live in RPP zones cannot park on their streets unless they pay for an annual stickers€“only non-area residents park for free. The city’s enforcement and monitoring is sufficiently haphazard that many commuters do park for free simply by moving their cars around. 

Secondly, it is not quite so simple as the streets are public property. As we understand it, each adjacent property owner owns property to the middle of the street and the city has an easement to use the area as a public right of way. Neither property owners nor the community have weighed in on how they (we) want the public right of way used. 

We join Mr. Geller in urging better transportation incentives and alternatives and thank him for raising our consciousness. Residents and non-residents alike would be surprised how much anxiety and money can be saved by using transit. Higher costs for and less access to parking will encourage more travelers to try public alternatives. 

Wendy L. Alfsen 

Berkeley 

High Tech products don’t stand up to high standards 

Editor: 

It’s no wonder that the market is teetering away these days. An honest look at the majority of hi-tech products just don’t hold up to reasonable standards of reliability and customer support. Networks are so overloaded that one wastes as much time as one saves just trying to get through to certain sites or completing a download without an unexplainable disconnect. Junk programs proliferate and are often just come-ons to lure “users” into paying for the upgrade that, perhaps, does what it claims. Tech-Support is often a hopeless labyrnthian ride to nowhere…and when you do get to talk to someone, you’re lucky if they know what they’re talking about.  

It is obvious that too many companies have greedily taken on more customers than they are capable of handling. Moreover, their software is highly fallible and frustrating to use. But rather than ‘fess up to this, they run their predictable mantras about ‘upgrades,’ re-configurations, refreshing your drivers, etc. ad nauseum. I suppose though, they are just riding the wave of nascent 21st century avarice and greed. It is this self-centered profligacy that has led to similar crisis in housing, energy, the ubiquitous rape of our natural resources and the protection of intellectual property. 

Meanwhile, consumers and even some businesses are finally showing some hard-earned caution and are pulling back from the madness. The market, accordingly, goes south. Frankly, I need a new computer just to keep up with it all. But I hesitate…… as I know it will probably take a good month of file transfers, program loading, re-connecting and spending precious evenings ‘on hold’ waiting for someone behind some firewall to waste more of my time. 

The hi-tech boom which propelled the euphoria of the 1990’s was built on an hysterically optimistic and in many ways, fraudulent foundation. But after all the cock-a-doodle-doin’…some folks are beginning to wake up, though there’s a lot less for all of us to roost on these days. 

Marc Winokur  

Oakland 

Stock market plunge reflects Bush’s tax cut plan 

Editor, 

Last November, a majority of the voters repudiated Bush’s economic plans and voted for Gore, but Bush’s fixers made him President anyway. Now, the stock market is showing its opinion of W’s tax plan and economic priorities. 

The multi-headed Market knows that a strong middle class is much more valuable to the economy than making a few rich people even richer. If “Humpty Dumpty” gets his tax cut, all the king’s fixers and all the kings men won’t be able to put the economy together again. 

Bruce Joffe 

Oakland 

End the drug war, legalize marijuana 

Editor: 

Cannabis has no lethal dose and its pharmacological effects have never caused a single death in over 5,000 years of recorded history. 

The (unseen) driving force against medical (or unrestricted adult) legalization of cannabis is the fact that cannabis can’t be patented. This precludes the need for big business to be involved and that fact makes cannabis commercially unattractive to the pharmaceutical, tobacco and alcohol industries (lobbies). It seems that if it can’t be profitized successfully the government can’t justify legalization even for the sick and dying. 

Furthermore, the war on cannabis drives the war on drugs. Without cannabis prohibition, the drug war would be reduced to a pillow fight. This is the politics and the economics of cannabis prohibition. 

Maybe the corrupt politicians and media are required to adhere to the party line of cannabis prohibition because law enforcement, customs, the prison and military industrial complex, the drug testing industry, the “drug treatment” industry, the INS, the CIA, the FBI, the DEA, the politicians themselves et al can’t live without the budget justification, not to mention the invisible profits, bribery, corruption and forfeiture benefits that prohibition affords them.  

Myron Von Hollingsworth 

Fort Worth, Texas 

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for a year membership March 23: 18 Visions, Walls of Jericho, Time In Malta, Undying, Betray the Species; March 24: Workin’ Stiffs, The Bodies, Strychnine, East Bay Chasers, For the Alliance 525-9926  

Ashkenaz March 21, 9 p.m.: Gator Beat, dance lesson at 8 p.m.; March 22, 9:30: Groundation; March 23, 8 p.m. - 2 a.m.: Dead-A-Thon with Digital Dave, Legion of Mary, Cosmic Mercy; 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 or www.ashkenaz.com  

Eli’s Mile High Club Doors open at 8 p.m. March 23: Carlos Zialcita; March 24: Daniel Castro; March 30: Craig Horton Blues Band 3629 MLK Jr. Way Oakland  

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. March 21: Reverend Billy C. Wirtz; March 22: Sid Selvidge, Alan Smithline; March 23: Perfect Strangers; March 24: Barry & Alice Olivier; 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzschool/La Note All music at 4:30 p.m. March 22, 8 - 10 p.m.: Adult Big Band; March 25 & 27 - 29, 4 - 10 p.m.: Student Winter Recitals; April 8: The Marcos Silva Quartet; 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373 or visit www.jazzschool.com  

Live Oak Concert Series All music at 7:30 p.m. March 25: Horizon Wind Quartet play music of Mendelssohn, Rossini, Ravel, Ligetti and others All concerts $8 - $10 Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St.  

Cal Performances March 23, 7 p.m. & March 24, 1 & 8 p.m.: “The King Stag: A Tragicomic Tale for the Theatre” by Carlo Gozzi $24 - $46; April 1, 3 p.m.: Pianist Richard Goode play the music of Bach, Chopin and Beethoven $28 - $48 Zellerbach Hall UC Berkeley. 642-9988 or www.calperfs.berkeley.edu March 25, 3 p.m.: Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio perform music of Beethoven, Ravel and Tchaikovsky $32; Hertz Hall UC Berkeley 

“An Afternoon of Song” with Elaine Bernstein March 25, 2 p.m. Bernstein, soprano and Sally Munro, mezzo, with Gwendolyn Mok at the piano, will perform a variety of duets from the operas “Hansel & Gretel,” “Cosi Fan Totte,” “Der Rosenkavaher,” and “Lakme,” and more. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

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  

New Century Chamber Orchestra present “Time Past and Time Present” March 22, 8 p.m. $25 - $30 St. John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave. 415-392-4400 

BHS Jazz Ensemble March 23, 7:30 p.m. The spring concert performance from the award-winning jazz ensemble. Proceeds benefit the students who will travel to Europe this summer to perform in Italy and Switzerland. $5 - $8 Florence Schwimley Little Theatre 1920 Allston Way  

Boadecia’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted March 21, 7 p.m.: Gay/Bi Men’s Book Group will discuss “Lost Language of Cranes” by David Leavitt; 398 Colusa Ave. Kensington 559-9184. www.boadeciasbooks.com 

Cody’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted March 21: Poetry of James Schevill; March 25: Poetry of Beverly Matherne & A.J. Rathbun; March 28: Poetry of Craig Van Riper & Jaime Robles; April 4: Poetry of Carole Simmons Oles & Matthew McKay 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted March 27: Travel writer Edward Hasbrouck, author of “The Practical Nomad” will provide essential tips, advice, and consumer skills for the independent traveler 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 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. 

Rhythm & Muse Open Mike March 25, 2 p.m. Featuring poet Paradise Berkeley Art Museum 2621 Durant (at Bowditch) 527-9753 

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

“Slam the Prisons” April 6, 6 p.m. - 1 a.m. A benefit for prison activism featuring Tang, Company of Prophets, Sheryl D. Mebane and many others. Proceeds benefit the defense of New Afrikan political prisoner Khalfani X. Khaldun and the Prison Activist Resource Center. $10 La Pena Cultural Center 3205 Shattuck Ave. 898-0431  

Tours 

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

Berkeley City Club Tours 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. The fourth Sunday of every month, Noon - 4 p.m. $2 848-7800  

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  

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

Lectures 

UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Research Seminars Noon seminars are brown bag  

April 23, 4 p.m.: Mary Dudziach of USC will discuss “Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy.” 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 

City Commons Club Lecture Series Fridays, 12:30 p.m. $1 general Students Free March 23: Guy Colwell, master painter of Nasters, will speak on “Using Painting to Teach Art History”; March 30: Jana Grittersova, professor of International Relations, UC Berkeley will speak on “The European Union - Integration and Expansion” Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave. 848-3533 

“Color, Color, Color” March 26, 7:30 p.m. A lecture by Christine Barnes which looks at three characteristics of color common to all quilts: Value, temperature and intensity. Free - $3 First Unitarian Church One Lawson Road Kensington 834-3706 

One class minus  

3 teachers equals negative learning 

Parents of Willard Middle School sixth-graders are concerned that an unusually high rate of teacher turnover in sixth-grade math has left their children far behind and in danger of failure through no fault of their own. 

“I’m not sure how much they’ve lost in the course of all these events,” said Willard parent Beverly Dynes, who has a daughter in one of the troubled math classes. “I’m just at a loss right now to know what to do.” 

The problems began in the fall when the students’ full-time math teacher, Ann Strong, was replaced by a substitute, parents said. In February, yet another substitute took over the class. And then he disappeared as well. 

“It’s a very unique situation,” said Berkeley Unified School District Associate Superintendent for Instruction Christine Lim. “It’s been a series of unfortunate situations,” she said. 

Parents said the situation deteriorated over the course of the year, with math class becoming more and more chaotic for their children. 

“There’s been very skimpy homework for the last three months, which is an indication that there is not a lot going on in the class,” Dynes said. 

Paco Montfort, who has a son is in one of the math classes, said the school district ought to consider providing summer classes to help the students get caught up. 

“There are only two months of classes left,” he said. “I don’t think they’ll be prepared for seventh-grade.” 

Last week two of Willard’s most experienced math teachers agreed to teach sixth-grade math for the rest of the year, even though it means giving up a preparation period to which they are entitled under contract, said Willard Vice Principal Ellen Dean. Dean said school administrators are confident these teachers will help the students overcome any deficits they may have developed in math.  

“Certainly everyone is aware of how disruptive the program has been,” Dean said. “Every effort is being made to make sure these children finish the school year with the same preparation as other children.”  

But, while parents report being impressed with the new teachers so far, they wonder if this solution might not be too little too late. 

Rebecca Poliskin said she plans to enroll her daughter in a UC Berkeley math class this summer to help make up the deficit.  

Dynes said she cannot afford to pay a tutor to help her daughter get up to speed. She plans to work with the youngster herself over the summer but, she said, “That’s really not a good solution. I don’t even know the curriculum.” 

“I’m concerned that she’ll fall behind and become discouraged and lose confidence in her abilities,” Dynes said. “It’s more than unfortunate. It can be a turning point in a kid’s life.” 

Dynes and Poliskin expressed frustration that, despite repeated efforts, they hadn’t been able to get Willard Principal Gail Hojo to respond to their continuing concerns.  

“She refused to acknowledge that there was a problem,” Poliskin said. 

Hojo did not respond to repeated requests for comment on this story. 

Lim, a former principal at Willard, said she believed the problem is being solved by the students’ current teachers, who “know the curriculum and the community” and can “hit the ground running.” 

“We have a plan for the rest of the year that is going to stick and remain,” Lim said. “And it’s a good plan.”

The much anticipated Transportation Demand Management study, jointly sponsored by the city and the university, revealed some surprising facts about the state of parking in Berkeley: “Lack of parking has more to do with perception than reality,” said Jeffrey Tumlin, a principal for Nelson Nygaard Consulting Associates, the group which conducted the study.  

The $90,000, 18-monthlong study found the perceived scarcity stems from the fact that existing parking resources are poorly coordinated. Robert Wrenn, chair of the Planning Commission pointed out that evening visitors downtown complain that they can’t find parking although the Tang Center university parking lot on Bancroft Way is available – to those willing to pay the parking fee.  

“There was no time of day when the parking was completely full,” Tumlin told the audience of about thirty transportation-minded citizens during a presentation of the study Monday night. 

While UC Berkeley lots are at capacity at mid-day, only two of the four city lots are completely full, he said. 

The study also countered the notion that the city is on the verge of a major parking crisis. Downtown growth is estimated to be minimal over the next 10 years. According to the study, to accommodate an increase in the student and UC Berkeley employee population with single occupancy automobiles, 915 new parking spaces would be needed by 2010. The study also pointed out that minor increases in the use of bicycles and transit alternatives would easily accommodate the growth without requiring more parking spots. 

The question of new parking versus alternatives to the single-occupancy auto, was the center of most of the tension and disagreement amongst residents at the study’s unveiling.  

“It comes down to the values of the community; controlling parking is the tool of controlling congestion.” Tumlin said. 

Wrenn said when parking is cheap and easily available, people take their cars rather than using public transportation. When parking is more expensive and harder to find, they use other options. 

Wrenn said he believes the parking is appropriately dense. Citing the figure that parking density is usually at about 85 percent, he called that rate “good.”  

“It’s not easy to find a space but it’s not impossible.” 

Already many people in Berkeley use alternative modes of transportation to get to work or school. Only 15 percent of students, and about half of both UC Berkeley employees and other employees drive alone in their cars. But, the study suggested that those figures could decrease.  

“We need to focus the Transportation Demand Management on improving AC Transit, and the ability to walk and bike,” said Tumlin 

According to the study about 75 percent of people who work or study in Berkeley live within a seven miles of their destination. While people who live within three miles of Berkeley tend to use transportation alternatives, people living four miles or more away from their destination drive at the same rate as people coming from as far away as East Contra Costa County, he said.  

Although questions over parking caps and transit focus provoked controversy, Tumlin was surprised at how often people, “who had historically come down on the opposite sides of the fence,” agreed. The residential neighbors who want less traffic and fewer cars and the businesses that want more parking to bring people downtown both recognized that massive congestion would be a problem. Both sides want a livable city where people can live and play safely and comfortably, and they also want a vibrant and vital downtown.  

One possible mechanism to improve parking availability without increasing supply is to create a coordinating board with all the parking space owners in the city, to make sure that resources can be more flexible. One example of this, said UC Principal Planner Jennifer Lawrence, would be for the university to subsidize church parking lots that aren’t being used during the day, and offer church spaces for UC permit holders.  

But even that proposal is controversial, said graduate student Jonathan Kass, of Students for a Livable City. “There’s really a compromise in just managing parking more efficiently,” he said, because that means more cars and more traffic. 

The study, which examined the area surrounding the UC campus and the southside, did not provide any easy solutions for the community. Instead, the $90,000 Transportation Demand Management study will inform the Berkeley General Plan, the Southside Plan, and the UC development plan, all in progress. Now residents and planners must decide which options to use, according to their goals.  

Those priorities may become clearer when it comes time to allocate funds and hire people. “We need to look at it from a budget standpoint and figure out where we should put money,” said city Planning Director Wendy Cosin. “Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and get specific about what we can feasibly implement and what it would cost.” 

For some, Starbucks is java heaven. For others, it’s the enemy.  

Those who hold the latter view stood with placards and information sheets outside company branches across the country Tuesday, trying to get regulars to join a one-day boycott. 

“I don’t want corporations  

taking over our local coffee shops,” said Terri Compost of Oakland, as she distributed leaflets outside the Starbucks at Cedar Street and Shattuck Avenue. The local organizing group, which had set up a sidewalk stand offering free organic tea, came together through the Ecology Center where people were meeting over concerns about genetically-engineered foods. The national boycott was organized by the Minnesota-based Organic Consumers Association. 

Boycott efforts got a little help from PG&E’s rolling blackouts, Compost said with a laugh. On a more serious note, she pointed to Starbucks’ corporate culture: a Starbucks will come into town and locate near a competitor to drive it out of business, she said.  

There are problems with the brew itself, she said. Most of the coffee carried by Starbucks is not “fair-trade” coffee, which means that a third party certifies that workers who grow it are paid a fair wage. They do carry one fair-trade coffee, but only the beans. Protesters say they should promote brewed fair-trade coffee. 

Also, milk products sold at Starbucks contain Bovine Growth Hormone which organizers claim is associated with cancer. 

Starbucks prepared its response in a document signed by Orin Smith, president and executive officer. He said the company concluded its products are safe “either because they have been approved by government agencies or conform to governmental regulations.” 

As for the Bovine Growth Hormone in milk, Smith wrote: “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, World Health Organization, American Medical Association, National Institute of Health and regulatory agencies in 30 countries take the position that milk from cows supplemented with ...(recombinant bovine somatropin) is no different from milk from untreated cows.” However, in response to concerns, the company is looking for an alternative which Smith said they expect to stock by the end of summer. 

Smith quotes Paul Rice, executive director of TransFair USA – the company that certifies fair trade coffee – saying: “Starbucks high-profile support for Fair Trade sends a powerful and visionary message to the rest of the coffee industry....”

The school board is expected to approve the 2001-2002 academic schedule for kindergarten through 12th-grade at its regular board meeting tonight. 

It will also consider passing a resolution that would call on actors and filmmakers to support films that do not glamorize the use of tobacco products, but rather “accurately” portray the “cosmetic, social and physical consequences of tobacco use.” 

Although California’s teen smoking rates are the lowest in the country at 6.4 percent, smoking in feature films is on the rise, according to a report prepared by school district staff. 

In other business, the board will consider entering into an agreement with the Albany– Berkeley Girls Softball League to build a new softball field at Longfellow Arts & Technology Magnet Middle School, decide whether to approve, in concept, a plan for working with the city and UC Berkeley to construct affordable housing for district employees over the Ashby BART station’s parking lot, and hear a status report from the district’s Energy Conservation Committee.

NEW YORK — Investors, disappointed by the Federal Reserve’s latest interest rate cut, turned their fury on Wall Street yet again Tuesday, sending prices skidding and leaving the Dow Jones industrials at their lowest level in two years. 

Many investors had hoped the Fed would slash rates by an aggressive 0.75 percentage point, but when the central bank announced in mid-afternoon it was lowering rates by 0.50 for the third time this year, stocks began to slide. 

The decline continued the massive selloff that last week gave the Dow its biggest one-week point drop ever. Analysts called the market’s mood about as grim as the litany of profit warnings that have pulled Wall Street’s major indexes into bear market territory. 

“Negative psychology is increasing and confidence is eroding,” said Alan Ackerman, executive vice president of Fahnestock & Co. “It is fair to say, with prices drifting downward, everything appears to be for sale from Main Street to Wall Street.” 

The Dow ended a heavily traded session down 238.35 at 9,720.76 The last time the Dow closed lower was March 24, 1999, when it dropped 154.90 to 9,666.84. 

The market was disappointed by the Fed, Ackerman said, because the central bank needed to “do something dramatic to show that it recognizes the need for improved confidence,” among consumers and investors. Many investors believed an extraordinarily large rate cut was needed to prompt consumers and businesses to increase spending and reinvigorate the economy. 

Tuesday’s drop left the Dow, which has now lost 1,137.49 over the past eight sessions, down 17 percent from its high close of 11,722.98, reached Jan. 14, 2000. 

The Nasdaq, meanwhile, is off more than 63 percent from its own high close of 5,048.62, reached March 10, 2000, and the S&P 500 has lost more than a quarter of its value since peaking at 1,527.46 a year ago. 

Investors also sold amid confusion about just how much the economy is hurting, because data is unclear about the extent to which growth has slowed, said Ronald J. Hill, investment strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. He noted, for example, that while slumping consumer demand has created big inventory gluts, employment remains strong. 

“The market is sort of groping for a bottom. We haven’t had a real cathartic selloff, but last week felt pretty ugly,” Hill said. 

Wall Street’s pessimism has been increasing since last week’s debacle that gave the Dow its worst-ever weekly point drop of 821.21. 

The companies whose bleak outlooks helped trigger last week’s selloff also fell sharply Tuesday. Compaq Computer declined 85 cents to $17.75, while Oracle tumbled $1.06 to $14.38. 

Last week’s blue chip decline, which was also spurred by bad economic news from Japan, particularly rattled investors because such routs had been largely confined to the tech-laden Nasdaq. Investors had bid blue chips higher, believing the broader market was mostly intact despite the cooling economy. 

Now investors are worried about the degree to which non-tech companies stand to suffer from the slowing economy. Investors interpreted the slimmer cut by the Fed as reason to punish economically sensitive sectors such as financial and retailing stocks, along with consumer cyclicals like auto shares. 

General Motors, which is idling two assembly plants this week as it whittles down inventories, fell $1.10 to $55.19. 

Retailing stocks fell as investors bet that consumers would continue to curb their spending. Electronics retailer Best Buy plunged $2.40 to $41.60. 

Likewise, financial stocks traded lower on the notion that consumers and businesses will borrow less. Citigroup stumbled $2 to $44.30. 

Declining issues outnumbered advancers nearly 18 to 13 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume was 1.45 billion shares, ahead of 1.32 billion on Monday. 

The Russell 2000 index, which tracks the performance of smaller companies stock, fell 6.79 to 444.48. 

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average slipped 0.3 percent amid fears that deflation and banking problems would cripple the economy. 

However, stocks in Europe moved higher. Germany’s DAX index rose 2.2 percent, Britain’s FT-SE 100 advanced 1.7 percent, and France’s CAC-40 climbed 1.8 percent.

The City Council will decide tonight whether to hear an appeal by developers of a proposed four-story project consisting of 48 units of housing with a floor of commercial space at 2700 San Pablo Ave. 

The Zoning Adjustments Board denied the 44,300-square-foot project in November by a vote of 7-0 with two abstentions because it said the project was too dense and too tall. Developers argue in their appeal that the project conforms with the West Berkeley Plan, which calls for increased housing stock and more neighborhood-oriented businesses.  

It is likely the City Council will accept the city manager’s recommendation and set a public hearing on the appeal for April 24.  

The project includes 5,400-square-feet of commercial space that will likely be used as a “quick service food” outlet. In addition, the housing units will include nine units of affordable housing. 

Councilmember Miriam Hawley said she will recuse herself from voting on any aspect of the appeal at the recommendation of City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque. According to Hawley, Albuquerque said she has a conflict of interest because of a letter she wrote last June to the ZAB supporting denser development along transit lines. Hawley was an AC Transit Director at the time. 

“My philosophy is that if I ask the city attorney’s opinion, I will follow her advice,” Hawley said. “I think we have a good and conscientious city attorney and if we don’t have faith in her judgment we’re in trouble.” 

During the November permit hearing, the developers of the project, Panoramic Interests and the nonprofit Jubilee Restoration, refused an offer from ZAB members to reduce the size of the project by one story, which board members said would likely be approved.  

Panoramic Interest project manager Chris Hudson told the board that the project was appropriate for the site and the developers would rather take their chances by appealing to the City Council. 

“Our plans are still the same as they were in November,” Hudson said. “We feel that the ZAB didn’t consider what the West Berkeley Plan, a plan that took 10 years and a whole lot of neighborhood input to make, calls for.” 

The project has faced strong opposition by a group known as Neighbors for Responsible Development. They submitted a petition with over 400 signatures from neighbors who are against the size of the project. 

NRD member Howie Muir said in a letter to county and state representatives that the project site is surrounded with one and two-story private homes and “the proposed design is hugely out of scale: it is too high, too massively composed, and too densely populated for its location.” 

Muir said 20 percent of the vacant and under utilized lots in Berkeley are on San Pablo and his group has fought the size of the development because they are concerned it will set a tone for future development. 

“We’d love to see development along San Pablo, just not this type of oversized design,” he said. 

Former ZAB member Ted Gartner, who voted against the project in November, said it was frustrating dealing with the developers because they resisted most of the ZAB’s suggestions. “They flatly refused to take mind of suggestions from the Design Review Board and the ZAB,” Gartner said. “Clearly they felt confident they would be able to get what they wanted from the City Council.” 

Gartner said his appointing councilmember, Margaret Breland, removed him from the ZAB in January because of differing visions about future development on San Pablo Avenue. 

Jubilee Restoration project manager Gordon Choyce said the developers have not made any plans in case the appeal is denied. “We’re pretty optimistic about the project being approved,” he said. “City staff has consistently recommended that the project be approved and we’re confident the project meets zoning requirements.” 

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 

Fibromyalgia Support Group  

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Alta Bates Medical Center 

Maffly Auditorium, Herrick Campus 

2001 Dwight Way  

Don Hill, RPH, BS, Pharmacist, will discuss “FM/A Generalized Review of Medications.” Free 

204-4503 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 10 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

A movie night extravaganza featuring “The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love.” Pizza, sodas, and even sushi. Make some new friends, expand your horizons and get support with a bunch of queer women all in the same place at the same time (somewhere between 18 and 25).  

548-8283 or visit www.pacificcenter.org 

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. 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 

TREES Forum  

12:30 p.m. 

Hewlett Library  

2400 Ridge Rd., Dinner Board Room  

Marty Kheel will present “Women, Animals and Nature: Eco-feminist Reflections.”  

trees@gtu.edu 

Debate Lobbying 

Noon  

Harris Room  

119 Moses Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Kevin Esterling, Robert Wood Johnson Fellow, UC Berkeley, will discuss “Does Policy Research Matter in Lobbying Debates?” Bring a brown bag lunch. Free. 

Advice for Life  

12:30 - 2:30 p.m. 

Albany Senior Center 

646 Masonic Ave.  

Albany  

A series of Tuesday presentations and discussions that will cover: Memory loss, assertiveness, loss, grief, insight into life changes, opening communication in relationships, and independence in the later years. Free  

Wednesday, Mar. 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 

Free Writing, Cashiering  

& Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.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. 644-6226 

Income Tax Assistance  

9 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Call Maggie for an appointment, 644-6107. 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Chimneys From A - Z  

7 - 10 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Taught by Irish Sweep Sally McKnight.  

$35  

525-7610 

Design Dung  

7 - 9 p.m.  

School of Journalism Library  

121 North Gate Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Part of the Terner Series, an informal salon-style discussion series, which brings together industry professionals, students, and interested community members. This session is a discussion of the failure to communicate good and bad architecture. Free 

Alzheimer’s Support Group 

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

For families and caregivers.  

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 

Ribbon Cutting & Evening Mixer  

5:30 - 7 p.m.  

National Car Rental  

920 University Ave.  

Sponsored by the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce. Special drawing for a weekend rental of a 4x4.  

549-7003 

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. 

Basic Electrical Theory & National Electrical Code 

7 - 10 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Taught by author, speaker and retired City of Oakland Building Inspector Redwood Kardon. 

$35  

525-7610 

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays. Facilitated by H.D. Moe.  

Keeping the Commitment 

12:10 - 1:10 p.m. 

California Department of Health Services  

2151 Berkeley Way, Room 804 

The State Health Toastmasters present the sixth of six sessions to take the terror out of talking.  

649-7750 

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 

“Jewish Holidays from a Secular Perspective”  

8 p.m.  

Albany Community Center  

1249 Marin Ave.  

Albany  

Hershl Hartman, international authority on secular humanistic Judaism, will speak. Sponsored by Kol Hadash, Northern California Community for Humanistic Judaism.  

428-1492 

“Turandot” 

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

The opera.  

644-6107 

Commission on Disability 

Subcommittee on Transportation  

2:30 - 4:30 p.m. 

2180 Milvia St.  

Third Floor North, Maple Room 

The subcommittee will discuss the paratransit program, pedestrian access problems, AC Transit access issues and the Berkeley program of nightlights for wheelchair users. 

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 

Diabetes & Cardiovascular Disease Health Clinic 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church  

2024 Ashby Ave.  

Dr. Lenore Coleman, Bayer Clinical Science specialist and certified diabetes educator and Dr. Cassandra Herbert Whitman, Alta Bates Medical Associates will be available to answer questions. Free comprehensive screenings will be given people to identify cardiovascular risk factors. Free 

848-2050 

Energy Ideas for Remodeling  

9:30 - 11 a.m.  

City Energy Officer Neal De Snoo will conduct a seminar on the options available for incorporating energy efficient fixtures and systems into residential remodeling and renovation projects. Sponsored by Truitt & White Lumber Company of Berkeley. Free 

Call 649-2674 for reservations  

Visit www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/energy for info. on energy conservation and efficiency 

Hunger Hike in the Redwoods  

10 a.m.  

Joaquin Miller Park  

Ranger Station on Sanborn Dr.  

Oakland  

Join the Alameda County Community Food Bank for this educational hike. Enjoy the views while learning about local edible and medicinal plants. Bring a bag lunch.  

$25 donation  

834-FOOD x327 

“Five a Day from Local Farms & Gardens” 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m.  

Berkeley Farmers Market  

Center St. @ MLK Jr. Way 

Sponsored by the Berkeley Food Policy Council and the Ecology Center there will be cooking demonstrations and samples of healthy, nutritious food, featuring seasonal produce. Free 

Compassionate Listening  

8 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. (at Rose) 

Hear Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener and three other local women report on their recent visit to Israel and Palestine. They listened to Israelis and Palestinians from a variety of political, religious and social perspectives tell their stories, hopes, fears and dreams. Donation requested. Proceeds benefit the Mideast Citizen Diplomacy.  

Live from Death Row 

2 p.m.  

YWCA  

1515 Webster St.  

Hosted by the Campaign to End the Death Penalty (CEDP), “Live From Death Row” is a public forum where death row inmates meet via speakerphone with a speakers’ panel and the general public to share their experiences of living with the brutal reality of capital punishment. Includes Nobel Peace Prize nominee and San Quentin death row inmate Stanley “Tookie” Williams.  

Sunday, March 25

Women in Science & Technology  

1 - 4 p.m.  

Lawrence Hall of Science  

UC Berkeley  

In celebration of Women’s History Month, LHS presents a day to inspire and inform students. Women who work in such fields as computer graphics, geology, and astronomy demonstrate how they use math, science, and technology in their professional lives. Free with museum admission.  

Passover Family Day  

12:30 - 3 p.m. 

Judah L. Magnes Museum  

2911 Russell St.  

Create a Passover seder plate, view Magnes treasures, see “Madame Matza Ball Celebrates Passover,” a puppet show for the tikes, enjoy free refreshments, and exchange recipes. 

Proposed regs for medical pot already found viable 

By Don Duncan  

Tonight the City Council will once again take up the issue of medical cannabis use in Berkeley (Pot growing limits on council agenda, Weekend, March 17-18, 2001). The medical cannabis ordinance before the council is virtually identical to the policy adopted by the city of Oakland more than three years ago. It allows patients to possess quantities of medication and grow a number of plants based on the Federal Investigational Use Program that currently supplies medical cannabis to nine patients in the United States.  

The Oakland protocols have been remarkably successful at protecting the health and safety of patients, while setting clear and consistent guidelines for the community. No one in Oakland – including the police department, health officials, or civic leaders – believes that the protocols have led to widespread abuse or an increase in crime. 

The Berkeley City Council has the rare opportunity to adopt a policy that has already been tested in a neighboring city. Unfortunately, the Department of Public Health has joined the City Manager and City Attorney’s office in opposing this important measure. Despite their public statements, this opposition from city staff is clearly not based on the facts. 

At a special meeting of the Community Health Commission on January 25, expert witnesses testified that the Oakland protocols were more likely to provide for the needs of patients than the arbitrary limits set by city staff in their counter-proposal. In fact, one cannabis cultivation expert dismissed the staff’s 10-plant limit as "utopian." Federal studies have shown that a variety of factors contribute to plant yields – most importantly the skill of the individual cultivator. City staff chose to ignore the testimony of doctors, cultivation experts, and patients by submitting a highly restrictive version of the ordinance. Additionally, city staff has again defied the wisdom of the Community Health Commission, which has twice voted in favor of the Oakland protocols. 

The Community Health Commission made its decision after hours of testimony and weeks of consideration. The Council should listen to the commission and adopt the medical cannabis ordinance as approved by its members. The city staff’s recommendation is arbitrary and does not protect patients. It may also leave the city vulnerable to more lawsuits and legal challenges from patients and their loved ones. 

We must urge the City Council to see past the staff’s rhetoric and remember the overwhelming mandate of Proposition 215. More than 85 percent of Berkeley residents voted to support medical marijuana. We must adopt local guidelines that protect patients and set reasonable limits. 

Don Duncan is the director of the Berkeley Patients’ Group 

Glory-seeking authorities must slow down when at the wheel 

By Raymond A. Chamberlin 

Year after year the California Highway Patrol and nearly all its local emulators around this state pursue their real-fun road game of chase a drunk, teenage thrill-seeker or whatever – anyone who is, at the time, mentally unfit to drive a car in a normal manner, let alone as chased at speeds well over double the speed limit – into any innocent bystander or other handy obstacle.  

Public safety is totally subordinated here to 'get your man', regardless of the relative risk of not doing so within the chase. That is the rule of our glory-seeking authorities. Somebody ends up killed? Just label the crazed fugitive as the murderer and the presumed cool-headed pursuers as heroes totally free of fault. 

A year and a half ago it was a woman pedestrian in Oakland at a busy hour in the morning next to a high school – knocked thoroughly dead against a gas pump. The fugitive had merely displayed unsafe driving and was not wanted on warrant for any crime. So the Oakland Police chasers made up a false and very corny story that the fugitive had threatened one of them with his vehicle.  

The fugitive ended up getting nine years for manslaughter but the woman is still very dead. 

Early this Wednesday morning, it was a man driving legally on Berkeley streets – crunched indisputably dead in his totaled automobile. The fugitive is said to have been driving under the influence and was known to have a warrant out against him for a previous DUI. The authorities are thinking of charging him with second-degree murder – whatever will improperly establish him as the killer – while these police, whose heads we’re supposed to think of as having been clear at the time, were obviously the cause of this innocent driver's death. 

Particularly, in this state, whose Southland has long been entertained by hot pursuit, we are just on the street as clay pigeons, at the mercy of our police authorities.  

We're told, though, that Berkeley's police are much more restricted as to when and how they may chase. But what is the actual legal setting that perpetuates, in this state, the equivalent of human sacrifices to the gods as once practiced in primitive societies? 

Look up California Vehicle Code Sections 17004 and 17004.7: 

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate?WAISdocID=3904613307+0+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve 

Those are the code sections that give the CHP and its local copycats license to kill anything in the path of anyone they take a fancy to chase. None of us who legally walk the sidewalks or drive the streets of this state will ever be safe from the police until we get the members of our Legislature to CHANGE THIS OUTRAGEOUS LAW! 

Raymond A. Chamberlin lives in Berkeley. 

Reviewer got play’s essence  

Editor: 

I have frequently admired John Angell Grant's excellent reviews but have been slow to write to you. The review of “Agamemnon” was especially fine. Without talking down to readers, Grant managed to convey the essence of the play in recognizable contemporary language. I always look forward to his reviews. 

Estelle Jelinek 

Berkeley 

$1.44 billion but not for housing  

Editor: 

No matter how you look at it and no matter how it’s raised, $1.44 billion – raised by UC Berkeley alumni since 1993 for the “New Century Plan” – is a whole lot of money. I’m still blown away, and before I get any further let me congratulate all who helped achieve that amazing feat. 

But let’s not get too carried away. Some great stuff will undoubtedly come out of that gargantuan effort, but there was also something that was noticeably lacking in everything that I read about the UC Berkeley New Century Campaign. While there were a few programs that seemed to directly benefit undergraduate students, including scholarships and research 

programs, the one program that students repeatedly say is their No. 1 priority was totally ignored. In short, where the heck are students going to live? With $1.44 billion on hand, you would think that there would some interest in beginning to address a situation that is already at crisis levels. The housing situation has reached an emergency level, but we still don’t seem to be getting much help. 

While I occasionally enjoy the benefits of the new Haas Pavilion, it seems odd that the sports facility is the headliner in the plan’s “Improving Undergraduate Life” category, while housing and so many other important student issues didn’t even receive an honorable mention. Who set these priorities, anyway? If I had anything to do with it, the basketball teams would still be playing in Harmon Gym (which some say was one of the best in the land) and all students would have close, safe, affordable housing. But, then again, nobody seemed to ask me what I thought was most important. 

Now is the time to take serious action to address the housing emergency. Actually, the time was about ten years ago, so we have some catching up to do. With $52.6 million in unrestricted gifts to the Chancellor’s Millennium Fund, Berdahl could do a great deal to help, even with just 1 or 2 percent of his stash. For example, the Cooperative Student Association, which manages all the student-run coops, offered to cover all capital costs for construction 

and expansion of student housing, in exchange for a very low lease on available university-owned land. The Berkeley community has been supportive of the idea of increasing student housing, yet Berdahl turned them down. 

The university’s obsession with cars also hurts students and the greater community. Even though nearly 3/4 of students who commute to Cal would trade in their car if they could live close to campus, the Chancellor still seems to prioritize parking over housing. 

And don’t think the housing situation is going to get any better, either. If you haven’t heard yet, a tidal wave is about to crash on our campus and across the UC system.  

Tidal Wave II is expected to increase the whole UC population by about 64,000 by the end of the decade, and bring about 4,000 more students to our own home-away-from-home. The university’s gracious 

response to absorb this increased pressure on the dwindling housing stock is a planned increase of about 900-1000 beds over that same time period. That means 3000 more people fighting over your next apartment, or backyard shack if you’re lucky. Good luck! 

David Nabti 

Student, UC Berkeley 

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  

UC Berkeley Art Museum “The Mule Train: A Journey of Hope Remembered” through March 26. “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. $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 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  

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for a year membership March 23: 18 Visions, Walls of Jericho, Time In Malta, Undying, Betray the Species; March 24: Workin’ Stiffs, The Bodies, Strychnine, East Bay Chasers, For the Alliance; March 30: Deathreat, Ahimsa, F*** God In the Face, The Black, Creation Is Crucifixion; March 31: The Jocks, The Cost, The Fleshies, Quest for Quintana Roo, Chi Chi Nut Nut & The Pinecone Express 525-9926  

Ashkenaz March 20, 9 p.m.: Brass Menagerie, dance lesson at 8 p.m.; March 21, 9 p.m.: Gator Beat, dance lesson at 8 p.m.; March 22, 9:30: Groundation; March 23, 8 p.m. - 2 a.m.: Dead-A-Thon with Digital Dave, Legion of Mary, Cosmic Mercy; 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; May 6, 7 p.m.: Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble 1370 San Pablo Ave. 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com  

Eli’s Mile High Club Doors open at 8 p.m. March 23: Carlos Zialcita; March 24: Daniel Castro; March 30: Craig Horton Blues Band 3629 MLK Jr. Way Oakland  

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. March 21: Reverend Billy C. Wirtz; March 22: Sid Selvidge, Alan Smithline; March 23: Perfect Strangers; March 24: Barry & Alice Olivier; March 25: Boogie Woogie Piano Cavalcade w/Beverly Stovall, Sue Palmer, Wendy De Witt, Big Joe Duskin; March 27: Maria Muldaur; March 28: Todd Phillips, David Grier & Matt Flinner; March 29: Tom Paxton; March 30 & 31: House Jacks 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzschool/La Note All music at 4:30 p.m. March 22, 8 - 10 p.m.: Adult Big Band; March 25 & 27 - 29, 4 - 10 p.m.: Student Winter Recitals; April 8: The Marcos Silva Quartet; April 15: Art Lande and Mark Miller; April 22: Alan Hall & Friends; April 29: Nancy King/Rob Scheps/Glen Moore Trio 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373 or visit www.jazzschool.com  

Live Oak Concert Series All music at 7:30 p.m. March 25: Horizon Wind Quartet play music of Mendelssohn, Rossini, Ravel, Ligetti and others All concerts $8 - $10 Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St.  

Cal Performances March 23, 7 p.m. & March 24, 1 & 8 p.m.: “The King Stag: A Tragicomic Tale for the Theatre” by Carlo Gozzi $24 - $46; April 1, 3 p.m.: Pianist Richard Goode play the music of Bach, Chopin and Beethoven $28 - $48 Zellerbach Hall UC Berkeley. 642-9988 or www.calperfs.berkeley.edu March 25, 3 p.m.: Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio perform music of Beethoven, Ravel and Tchaikovsky $32; Hertz Hall UC Berkeley 

“An Afternoon of Song” with Elaine Bernstein March 25, 2 p.m. Bernstein, soprano and Sally Munro, mezzo, with Gwendolyn Mok at the piano, will perform a variety of duets from the operas “Hansel & Gretel,” “Cosi Fan Totte,” “Der Rosenkavaher,” and “Lakme,” and more. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

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  

New Century Chamber Orchestra present “Time Past and Time Present” March 22, 8 p.m. $25 - $30 St. John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave. 415-392-4400 

BHS Jazz Ensemble March 23, 7:30 p.m. The spring concert performance from the award-winning jazz ensemble. Proceeds benefit the students who will travel to Europe this summer to perform in Italy and Switzerland. $5 - $8 Florence Schwimley Little Theatre 1920 Allston Way  

The Berkeley Opera presents “The Marriage of Figaro” March 23 - April 1, call for specific times $10 - $30 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. (at Derby) 925-798-1300 

Solo Opera Opera Gala Concert March 23, 8 p.m. $25 St. John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave. 925-685-4945 or e-mail: solomail@pacbell.net 

Rebecca Riots March 24, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. $12 - $14 Club Muse 856 San Pablo Ave. Albany 528-2878 

Benefit Concert for the Xiana Fairchild Volunteer Center March 25, 7:30 p.m. Featuring The Sick, Simplistic, Mastema, Drain, and an all-star jam with surprise guests. All proceeds to benefit the volunteer center. 18 and over show. $8 Blake’s on Telegraph 2367 Telegraph Ave. 848-0886  

Music in Great Berkeley Houses March 31, 7 p.m. $35 Gwendolyn Mok, piano, and Jean-Michel Fonteneau, cello, will play the music of Frank Bridge, Debussy, and Poulenc. Palache House Reserved tickets required 841-2242 

“How Desolate Lies the City...” March 31, 8 p.m. The cantatas of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries. $20 - $37 First Congregational Church of Berkeley 2345 Channing Way 415-621-7900 

Jesus Diaz y su QBA March 31, 9:30 p.m. Cuban timba dance music. $12 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568  

Berkeley High Jazz Ensemble Brunch April 1, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Free - $40 Santa Fe Bar & Grill 1310 University Ave. 527-8245 

“From Broadway to Brazil” April 1, 4 p.m. Berkeley Broadway Singers is a 70-member chorus led by Ellen Hoffman. They will be singing Motown classics along with class Broadway showtunes Free Saint Ambrose Church 1145 Gilman St. 524-0107 

Trio Accorde April 1, 7:30 p.m. $10 - $15 Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley One Lawson Road Kensington 525-0302 

Hillbillies From Mars April 8, 2 p.m. Rocking the Bay for twenty years, the Hillbillies fuse rock n’ roll, swing, Latin and African beats. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Bravo! Opera!” April 8, 7:30 p.m. A veritable Opera chorus smorgasbord with Bizet’s “Carmen,” Verdi’s “IL trovatore,” and Copland’s “The Tenderland.” $8 - $12 Hertz Hall UC Berkeley 643-9645 

Young Emerging Artists Concert April 10, 7 - 8 p.m. The Young Musicians Program Jazz Combo will perform jazz standards and original compositions. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798 

“Under Construction No. 11” April 8, 7:30 p.m. A concert of new works by local composers, including Mary Stiles, Mark Winges, and David Sheinfeld. Free St. John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave.  

Boadecia’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted March 21, 7 p.m.: Gay/Bi Men’s Book Group will discuss “Lost Language of Cranes” by David Leavitt; 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 March 21: Poetry of James Schevill; March 25: Poetry of Beverly Matherne & A.J. Rathbun; March 28: Poetry of Craig Van Riper & Jaime Robles; April 4: Poetry of Carole Simmons Oles & Matthew McKay; 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted March 27: Travel writer Edward Hasbrouck, author of “The Practical Nomad” will provide essential tips, advice, and consumer skills for the independent traveler; March 29: Katherine Widing, author of “Cycling France” will give a slide presentation/talk on just that 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 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. 

Rhythm & Muse Open Mike March 25, 2 p.m. Featuring poet Paradise Berkeley Art Museum 2621 Durant (at Bowditch) 527-9753 

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

“Slam the Prisons” April 6, 6 p.m. - 1 a.m. A benefit for prison activism featuring Tang, Company of Prophets, Sheryl D. Mebane and many others. Proceeds benefit the defense of New Afrikan political prisoner Khalfani X. Khaldun and the Prison Activist Resource Center. $10 La Pena Cultural Center 3205 Shattuck Ave. 898-0431  

Tours 

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

Berkeley City Club Tours 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. The fourth Sunday of every month, Noon - 4 p.m. $2 848-7800  

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  

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

Lectures 

UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Research Seminars Noon seminars are brown bag  

April 23, 4 p.m.: Mary Dudziach of USC will discuss “Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy.” 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 

City Commons Club Lecture Series Fridays, 12:30 p.m. $1 general Students Free March 23: Guy Colwell, master painter of Nasters, will speak on “Using Painting to Teach Art History”; March 30: Jana Grittersova, professor of International Relations, UC Berkeley will speak on “The European Union - Integration and Expansion” Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave. 848-3533 

“Color, Color, Color” March 26, 7:30 p.m. A lecture by Christine Barnes which looks at three characteristics of color common to all quilts: Value, temperature and intensity. Free - $3 First Unitarian Church One Lawson Road Kensington 834-3706 

City Council members, community activists and others gathered late Monday afternoon to celebrate the first day of training for the Berkeley Police Department in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues. 

When the training is complete, the Berkeley Police Department will be the first department in the county and possibly the world to train all its employees in LGBT issues, said City Councilmember Kriss Worthington. 

The goal of the training is to improve the manner in which police “approach, react to, connect with and respond to the transgender community in Berkeley,” said Darryl Moore, senior management analyst for the public works department and an early advocate of the training. 

“Last year in San Francisco alone over half of all violent incidents against (the LGBT community) were perpetrated by police or security personnel,” said Catherine Ahn, a senator for the Associated Students of the University of California at Berkeley. 

“How (police) treat minorities is important for everybody because it sets the standard,” said Berkeley resident Laura Mankikar, whose partner is transsexual. 

City Councilmember Dona Spring said the training is important because it will help police “understand the discrimination that (gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgender) people face and the hate crimes they can be subjected to.” 

“In some places in this country gays and lesbians are losing their rights,” Spring said. “This legitimizes their gains and issues (in Berkeley). It’s really a conscious-raising event.” 

Police will be trained in groups of 25-30 over the next couple of months, Worthington said.  

The six-hour training sessions are divided into two parts. The first two hour session covers the history of the lesbian, gay and bisexual community and laws affecting this community. The second and longer segment deals the transgender community. 

“There are a lot more questions and a lot more confusion” about transgender people, Worthington said. 

Officers are given definitions of terms and overview of social issues impacting the transgender community. They study some case histories, learn how to search transgender people and place them into custody, and review hate crime and domestic violence scenarios as they might be experienced by transgender people. 

“A lot of times, not knowing, people make certain assumptions about a situation,” said Berkeley City Manager Weldon Rucker. “This gives (the police department) another level of understanding.” 

Rucker said he expected LGBT training to be instituted in other city departments in the future.  

Moore said it was particularly important for the training to be instituted for city employees who come into regular contact with the public, adding that it made sense to start with police “because they are the front line.” 

“This is not just a token training. This is almost a full day of training.” said Frank Gurucharri, executive director of the Pacific Center for Human Growth, which provides community services for gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgender people. 

“When you do sensitivity training about people, they become people, and you move one step out of stereotypical relationships,” he said. 

The City Council will consider a variety of issues including the controversy surrounding Gordon Wozniak’s position on the Community Environmental Advisory Commission. 

In January City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque issued opinions claiming Wozniak’s employment as a senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory was in conflict with his role on the CEAC. Albuquerque suggested Wozniak resign because of the many issues CEAC considers related to the laboratory. Wozniak disagreed with the opinions and refused to resign from the commission. Two CEAC meetings ended abruptly over  

internal arguments among commissioners over his continued  

participation. 

Wozniak’s future on the commission may be determined by an amendment to the Berkeley Municipal Code, which is also on tonight’s agenda. The new sections of the code would give the council the authority to terminate appointed commissioners and board members if the council determines they were “engaged in an employment, activity or enterprise for compensation, which is inconsistent, incompatible or in conflict with his or her duties as a board or commission member.” 

If the council adopts the new ordinance and determines Wozniak’s employment is in conflict with his role on CEAC, his seat on the commission could be declared vacant.  

Since November the city attorney has said seven commissioners have conflicts of interest to some degree.  

Wood Smoke 

The council will consider a CEAC recommendation to limit the use of wood in fireplaces based on studies by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District that have determined that wood smoke particulate matter causes adverse health effects. 

The CEAC has recommended the council prohibit the installation of open fireplaces in new residential construction and require smoke-reducing equipment on all new commercial wood-burning fire places. The recommendations also called for long-term community education and an ambient air study.  

However the City Manager’s Office suggested the council not adopt the education and air-study sections of the recommendation, because those projects would be too expensive in light of other pressing environmental issues such as lead poisoning, pesticide use, polyvinyl chloride use, dioxins and automobile impact on air quality. 

Harrison Park air study 

The council will consider a resolution authorizing the city manager to contract an air study at Harrison Park with Applied Measurement Science to determine if the Interstate 80 vehicle traffic is causing a health risk to park users. 

The $39,700 study will be a follow up to another study done in 1997 by Acurex Environmental Corp. Acurex determined that the measurements of harmful materials in the air around the park, located at Fourth and Harrison streets, were normal accept for small particulate material, which was likely from automobile exhaust coming from the nearby freeway. 

Since 1997 two things have happened that warrant a new study: I-80 was widened resulting in a 20 percent increase in traffic, an the Environmental Protection Agency has revised health standard related to particulate material. 

Medical marijuana 

The council may adopt a medical marijuana ordinance tonight. It first referred the issue to the city attorney in December 1999 and it has been bouncing between the City Manager’s Office and the Community Health Commission ever since.  

The question has been how many plants will qualified individuals be allowed to grow at one time. The commission would like to allow 144 indoors or 60 outdoors. City staff has consistently advocated for much less, no more than 10 indoors or outdoors.  

Medical marijuana advocates say that more plants insure a good crop and city staff says too many plants could lead to abuse of the ordinance with surplus crop finding its way into the hands of recreational dealers.  

The police department has said they are concerned that large numbers of plants could provoke burglary and possibly home-invasion styled robberies. 

Other items on the agenda include: 

• Adoption of an ordinance that requires a two-week notice to the police department for any large indoor events. 

• Acceptance of a $50,000 donation from Albany for the construction of the Harrison Street Skate Park. 

• Adoption of a resolution in support of the University Professional and Technical Employees, CWA Local 9119 who are working without a contract. 

• A request for the city attorney to review the police department’s policy on requesting identification from members of the public. 

The council meets at 7 p.m. at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Meetings are broadcast on KPFB 89.3 and TV-25.  

There is a 5 p.m. special meeting at the same place to discuss staff feedback on council priorities.

A 26-year-old woman returning home from a party was allegedly dragged behind a house by three men and forced to perform oral sex on one of them, police said.  

Berkeley Police Lt. Russell Lopes said the victim was leaving a party March 9 with friends when they stopped at a Shell station on the corner of Fulton Street and Durant Avenue to discuss their next move. When her friends decided to proceed to another party, the victim set out for home alone, Lopes said.  

Three men walking on the opposite side of the street crossed over and forcibly carried the woman off the street about 3 a.m., police said. Then, as one man stood lookout on the street, the others forced the woman to perform oral sex. 

The three man fled when the lookout reported someone approaching, police said. Police said the victim reported the crime on March 12. An investigation is ongoing. 

••• 

After a weeklong investigation into the disappearance of a maintenance worker at Berkeley Marina Yacht rental company, Berkeley Police homicide investigators called in Alameda Country Sheriff’s Department divers to search the waters near where the man was last seen working. 

On March 15, the divers discovered the body of Berkeley resident Ronnie Smith, 34, submerged in four feet of water near the boat he had been working on, Berkeley Police Lt. Russell Lopes said. He said investigators are assuming that Smith, a nonswimmer, fell into the water in a spot more than 12-feet deep. 

“There were no signs of foul plays,” Lopes said, adding the a preliminary report from the coroner’s office indicates the cause of death as accidental drowning.  

The investigation remains open until the results of a complete autopsy are in, Lopes said.  

••• 

In what police say may be a gang related dispute, a heated argument between two groups of youth ended in gun fire and broken windows on Sunday. 

Lopes said what started as a verbal altercation between two groups near the parking lot of H’s Lordships Restaurant on the 100 block of Seawall Drive escalated when a member of one group smashed out the windows of a car belonging to a member of the other group. 

In response to the assault on the car, an unidentified youth produced a gun and fired a series of shots into the air, causing dozens of people to flee the area in panic, Lopes said. 

By the time police arrived on the scene all suspects were gone, Lopes said. One youth was at a hospital in Walnut Creek late Sunday with an injured arm. He later told Berkeley Police he had been present during the earlier incident. Lopes said he refused to identify any of the other participants or describe what had taken place.

Some 30 students spent the night outside the mansion of University of California at Berkeley Chancellor Robert Berdahl Monday night to urge the university to work on affordable housing issues. 

The students are part of a coalition including the university's student government, a renters' advocacy group and the public interest group CalPIRG that is urging the university to support measures that insure that housing for students is close to the campus, livable and affordable. 

The students say that the university has many options it is not pursuing to provide housing opportunities to the students, including fund-raising for housing, and changing policies that prevent the university from financing housing. 

At the moment, according to student spokesman Andy Katz, the chancellor's mansion is the only housing the university provides that is on-campus. All student housing has to be self-financed, which means that only those living in the residence halls can finance housing. 

Some of the students say that unavailable housing provides an added stress that can prevent them from achieving their full academic potential. 

SAN JOSE — Jay Harris, chairman and publisher of the San Jose Mercury News, resigned Monday, saying he hoped his action would prompt the newspaper’s parent company, Knight Ridder, to “closely examine the wisdom” of the paper’s profit targets. 

Harris, 51, who had been publisher for seven years, announced his surprise resignation in a wistful e-mail to the paper’s employees. 

“In a letter to Knight Ridder CEO Tony Ridder and the Newspaper Division president, Steve Rossi, I explained I was stepping down ’in the hope that doing so will cause them to closely examine the wisdom’ of the profit targets we’ve been struggling to find a way to meet,” Harris wrote. 

In a self-profile published by the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Harris described himself as a “journalistic traditionalist” and bemoaned when short-term demands cause papers to sacrifice core values. 

“We all know we must make significant adjustments in the face of the currently severe economic downturn,” Harris wrote Monday. “But so far, we have been unable to find a way to meet the new targets without risking significant and lasting harm to the Mercury News – as a journalistic enterprise and as the special place to work that it is.” 

Calls to Harris’ office, as well as to a spokesman for Knight Ridder, were not immediately returned. Mercury News spokeswoman Patty Wise said the paper had no comment. 

Earlier this month, Harris had announced plans to lay off an unspecified number of employees, blaming a dramatic fall in help-wanted ad revenue and other signs of Silicon Valley’s economic slowdown. 

The paper, which has 1,700 employees, is the third-largest in Northern California with a daily circulation of 289,000. 

In a March 5 memo to his staff, Harris said that early retirement offers might help, but that “we will be unable to achieve the level of expense reduction we are seeking to achieve without layoffs.” 

A newspaper industry analyst said Monday that Harris’ resignation was unexpected. 

“He’s always been one of the company’s most highly regarded executives and has successfully run one of the company’s biggest profit centers,” said John Morton, a newspaper analyst from Silver Spring, Md. “I’m very surprised.” 

Harris has been noted for efforts to bring increased racial diversity to American newsrooms.  

In the last five years, he also launched weekly Spanish- and Vietnamese-language newspapers tied to the Mercury News. 

Harris said he will stay in the Silicon Valley area, but that he did not know what his next professional step would be. 

“I’m looking forward to a brief break from public life and a period of reflection and rejuvenation,” he wrote his staff. “I will look for another platform from which to serve the public interest. Maybe I will do some writing. I used to do that for a living.” 

Also on Monday, Knight Ridder, the nation’s second-largest newspaper publisher group, lowered its expectations for first-quarter earnings for the second time. 

After warning a month ago that first-quarter earnings would be down “modestly” from the same period a year ago, the company said that the “revenue environment continues to deteriorate, and we do not see relief in March.” 

The company now expects first-quarter earnings to fall 15 cents to 20 cents. Analysts surveyed by First Call/Thomson Financial had expected Knight Ridder to earn 71 cents a share in the first quarter, down from 74 cents in the period a year ago. 

The San Jose, Calif.-based company, whose newspapers include The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Detroit Free Press, said advertising revenues fell 2.7 percent in February compared to February 2000, with markets in San Jose, Philadelphia and Detroit showing the most weakness. 

Knight Ridder’s stock was off $1.13 to close at $54.36 Monday on the New York Stock Exchange. 

Other newspaper publishers have warned of lower profits in the first quarter due to a drop in advertising revenues. Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal, also has warned investors twice of lower profits. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www0.mercurycenter.com/ 

http://www.kri.com/ 

NEW YORK — Investors hoping for a big interest rate cut sent blue chip stocks higher Monday, helping Wall Street’s major indexes recover after last week’s beating. But analysts warned that the market’s mood will likely sour again if the Federal Reserve doesn’t deliver the aggressive action the market wants. 

Much of the gains came in the tech sector, which suffered heavy damage last week. A series of earnings warnings and cautionary statements from tech companies left the Dow with its biggest weekly point drop ever and pushed the Nasdaq below 2,000 for the first time in 27 months. 

Financial stocks also rose after Lehman Brothers upgraded its rating on Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley just days before the firms report earnings for the three months ending in February. 

But the main driver for the late rise in blue chips seemed to be hopes for a rate cut from the Fed. While a rate cut of some kind has been widely expected from Tuesday’s meeting of the Fed’s Open Market Committee, investors debated how big the cut would be. 

The most optimistic observers said the Fed might make an unusually aggressive cut of three-quarters of a percentage point, or 75 basis points. But others expected the Fed to match the two half-point cuts it made during January, and that, some market watchers fear, could lead to further declines. 

“Equity investors want to be bailed out by the Fed, but there are plenty of reasons for the FOMC not to act as aggressively as investors want,” said Charles White, portfolio manager at Avatar Associates. 

“The real risk here is that there are a lot of people looking for 75 basis points, but the higher probability is that we’ll get a smaller cut,” White said. “The question is how the market is going to react to that. I think people will be disappointed.” 

No matter what the Fed does Tuesday, some analysts warned that other lingering concerns would make a sustained comeback unlikely over the next several weeks. 

— The Associated Press 

A number of companies have announced layoffs and issued warnings about profits for the first quarter, which ends March 31, and there are still signs that the broader economy remains stuck in a slowdown. 

“I don’t see the market running away on the upside when you’ve got all this first quarter news coming out as well as guidance for the rest of the year,” said Barry Berman, head trader for Robert W. Baird & Co. in Milwaukee. “On the other hand, if you start to see news that’s better than expected, you could start to see people looking for a bottom.” 

Advancing issues outpaced decliners by 7 to 4 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume came to 1.32 billion shares, well off the pace of Friday, when volume was inflated by the expirations of futures and options contracts. 

The Russell 2000 index was up 9.47 at 451.27. 

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average rose 2 percent during the day on growing hopes that Japanese officials may be able to prevent the country’s financial problems from deepening, but the indicator couldn’t sustain the gains and ended the down 0.34 percent. 

Germany’s DAX index fell 1.35 percent, Britain’s FT-SE 100 was off 0.20 percent, and France’s CAC-40 was down 1.10 percent. 

The Berkeley School Board will consider at its regular meeting Wednesday whether to adopt new Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards published by the California State Board of Education in January. 

The content standards specify what students should know at each grade level, kindergarten through twelfth grade, in dance, music, theater and visual arts.  

Since arts standards are not tested, the Berkeley Unified School District doesn’t have to adopt them.  

“The content standards are intended to provide a framework for programs that a school may offer in the instruction of visual or performing arts,” said a law calling for the creation of arts standards, signed by Governor Gray Davis last year. 

But Board of Education Director John Selawsky said the standards are needed in Berkeley. The arts curriculum in the district is implemented on a somewhat “piecemeal” basis, Selawsky said.  

Selawsky said some schools having strong arts curriculums supported at all grades by grant money while other schools have only occasional art lessons offered by regular classroom teachers with no special training in arts education. 

Arts in the district “are not under any framework or guidelines or standards today,” Selawsky said, so no effort is made to determine what art classes ought to involve on a districtwide basis. 

“What is an arts class (in Berkeley)?” Selawsky asked. “Cutting out hearts for valentine’s day. Is that an arts class? The standards get people thinking about what an articulated arts program looks like.”  

The state standards evaluate students’ knowledge of dance, music, theater and the visual arts based on five criteria: Artistic perception, creative expression, historical and cultural context, aesthetic valuing and connections, relations and applications. 

In theater, for example, the standards recommend that a third grader: learn basic theater vocabulary like character, setting, audience and motivation; be involved in an actual dramatic production; and understand some universal themes in dramatic stories drawn from different periods and places.

Monday, March 19

Timber Framing  

7 - 10 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Instructed by builder/timber framer Doug Eaton.  

$35  

525-7610 

Socratic Solutions  

7:30 - 9 p.m.  

International House  

Home Room  

UC Berkeley  

The Socratic Society presents a lecture by Theoharis Kemos on Socratic insights into our social problems. Celebrate Socrates’ 2470th birthday anniversary. Free. 

Social Dance  

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With the North Berkeley Senior Dancing Group.  

644-6107 

A New Softball Field at  

Longfellow? 

7 p.m. 

Longfellow Theater  

1500 Derby (at Sacramento)  

The BUSD, Longfellow School, and the Berkeley/Albany Girls Softball Association invite you to attend a community meeting to discuss the proposed field.  

644-6320 

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 

Fibromyalgia Support Group  

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Alta Bates Medical Center 

Maffly Auditorium, Herrick Campus 

2001 Dwight Way  

Don Hill, RPH, BS, Pharmacist, will discuss “FM/A Generalized Review of Medications.” Free 

204-4503 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 10 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

A movie night extravaganza featuring “The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love.” Pizza, sodas, and even sushi. Make some new friends, expand your horizons and get support with a bunch of queer women all in the same place at the same time (somewhere between 18 and 25).  

548-8283 or visit www.pacificcenter.org 

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 

TREES Forum  

12:30 p.m. 

Hewlett Library  

2400 Ridge Rd., Dinner Board Room  

Marty Kheel will present “Women, Animals and Nature: Eco-feminist Reflections.”  

trees@gtu.edu 

Debate Lobbying 

Noon  

Harris Room  

119 Moses Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Kevin Esterling, Robert Wood Johnson Fellow, UC Berkeley, will discuss “Does Policy Research Matter in Lobbying Debates?” Bring a brown bag lunch. Free. 

Advice for Life  

12:30 - 2:30 p.m. 

Albany Senior Center 

646 Masonic Ave.  

Albany  

A series of Tuesday presentations and discussions that will cover: Memory loss, assertiveness, loss, grief, insight into life changes, opening communication in relationships, and independence in the later years. Free  

Wednesday, Mar. 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 

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.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. 

Chimneys From A - Z  

7 - 10 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Taught by Irish Sweep Sally McKnight.  

$35  

525-7610 

Design Dung  

7 - 9 p.m.  

School of Journalism Library  

121 North Gate Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Part of the Terner Series, an informal salon-style discussion series, which brings together industry professionals, students, and interested community members. This session is a discussion of the failure to communicate good and bad architecture. Free 

Alzheimer’s Support Group 

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

For families and caregivers.  

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 

Ribbon Cutting & Evening Mixer  

5:30 - 7 p.m.  

National Car Rental  

920 University Ave.  

Sponsored by the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce. Special drawing for a weekend rental of a 4x4.  

549-7003 

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. 

Basic Electrical Theory & National Electrical Code 

7 - 10 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Taught by author, speaker and retired City of Oakland Building Inspector Redwood Kardon. 

525-7610 

Living Philosophers  

10 a.m. - Noon  

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

Hear and entertain the ideas of some modern day philosophers: Jacob Needleman, J. Revel, Hilary Putnam, John Searle, Saul Kripke, Richard Rorty and others. Every Friday, except holidays.

KPFA value is its diverse programs 

Editor: 

Re: Wayne Huber’s comments about the lack of diversity of opinion within KPFA. 

Mr Huber's criticism is misdirected when referring to KPFA. The entire radio spectrum has been homogenized into a selling machine. Commercial radio has many voices with one purpose. National Public Radio has become an outlet for the same purpose with just a slightly different voice. KPFA is one of the few stations in the nation that speak with a unique voice. It was designed that way. Those that like the voice get a vote by paying for 

it. If Mr. Huber wants a vote he should forget his radio dial and send in a contribution to the station. 

Harry Wiener 

Berkeley 

Helicopter hell over San Pablo Park 

Editor: 

While the question of whether the CHP was correct in choosing to chase a drunk driver continues; I want to question why 4 hours after the accident some branch of the media felt it was necessary to have a helicopter hovering at low altitude over a residential neighborhood. I live 3 blocks from the accident. I did not hear sirens or crashing, but at 5:30 a.m. an unidentified helicopter arrived over San Pablo Park Neighborhood and hovered in the area for an hour. I have to assume that by that time the cars had been towed off, the investigation was over and all that was left was flashing red lights. Is there any one we can call or hold accountable for destroying the peace of a flatland morning? 

Lucina Pearson  

Berkeley,  

Beth El’s a respected part of the community 

Editor: 

In an article March 8, you quoted Zoning Board member David Blake claiming Congregation Beth El received a permit from ZAB because it is “powerful.” Beth El has participated in a lengthy and difficult Berkeley permit process.  

To the degree the fifty-year-old Congregation has any power in Berkeley, it comes about because of respect gained through the Congregation’s many and ongoing contributions to the community.  

Congregation Beth El educates children and adults and teaches them their responsibilities in the world. The Congregation provides a summer day camp (Camp Kee Tov) that serves the children of the wider community.  

Beth El creates a community for its members and unites with other religious institutions in Berkeley to do good works. Our members work in the Berkeley schools, helped create BOSS, feed the homeless, and receive awards for the amount of food contributed to the Alameda County Food Bank. 

Members and supporters of Congregation Beth El are deeply grateful that the Zoning Adjustments Board voted to grant the congregation a use permit, so it will be able to go on providing these essential human services in the future. David Blake’s first question to Beth El at Zoning Adjustments Board hearings was “why didn’t we look for a new site in Albany or El Cerrito.” Our congregational family has been in North Berkeley for 50 years, and we want to stay here where the majority of our members live. 

Michael Fajans 

Berkeley 

BART director: need housing at transit hubs not more parking 

Editor: 

Re; Heather Petersen’s Letter of 3-07: 

Petersen uses excellent quotes but what she suggested is at cross-purposes to her quotes. She calls for a shuttle service on one hand, which I believe needs to be provided, but on the other hand she says build structured parking.  

Paraphrasing John Levy, she says greater auto use discourages transit use.  

In fact, building more parking will only promote more auto use and less transit use and for an effective remedy we need to get people out of cars and into transit. However, most of all, we need to work towards building transit-oriented developments to make transit more viable.  

These developments should not be just at BART stations but along high mixed use dense corridors as in Curitiba, Brazil where most of the trips are along the corridor and not to centers or nodes. 

Since BART parking fills every day, riders are parking throughout the neighborhood causing parking problems. Parking is the worst use of land for such a high activity and high property value area. Most BART parkers are long-term parkers and their cars will not generate added activity or use. 

Land cost around BART, even in the suburbs, now ranges up to over $80 per square foot; so one surface parking space could cost $18,000 to $25,000. Structured parking over existing BART spaces will cost about the same. 

At $20,000 per space the public would subsidize a free parker over $6 per day when including maintenance and operating costs. Instead of more parking, we can provide far superior service for more than twice the riders and be more environmentally sound by providing free bus shuttles indefinitely at these costs.  

BART has established a Strategic Plan that incorporated a policy that promotes Transit Oriented Developments where people can live, work and walk around such as there is in Paris, or Barcelona, in lieu of parking.  

A limitation however is that BART owns only a limited area and for a decent TOD of one half to three quarter mile area, it will take a partnership with the city and developers to have this happen. 

Roy Nakadegawa  

BART Director, District 3 

District 3 includes parts of Berkeley 

Recently, I was privileged to spend several afternoons visiting with James Schevill, esteemed friend and poet, Berkeley born and bred. I would like to share something of our talks about his life and work with Daily Planet readers 

His literary publication spans more than half a century, from Tensions, 1947 to New and Selected Poems, Swallow Press, 2000. His work includes other volumes of verse, a novel, plays and two biographies.  

Our talks meandered. 

“I wrote my first poem after Kristallnacht, the night in 1938, when Nazi storm troopers went through the country destroying Jewish properties and desecrating Jewish cemeteries,” he told me. In Germany studying music, he happened to be in Freiburg visiting a friend. When he saw what havoc the Nazis had wrought, and that they had built fences to conceal their desecrations, he was profoundly moved. 

A developing political consciousness infused his work thereafter. 

Of his Stalingrad Elegies, 1964, a critic wrote in the summer 1965 Virginia Review Quarterly, “Schevill does more than reflect on his time; he recreates his time as an emblem of all times.” 

The Complete American Fantasies, 1996, is his favorite work. “We have no myths, except that we’re a democracy,” he says. Schevill’s poetry exposes the collective fictions and false dreams that we in the United States live. We do not live in a white country, he says. 

He allows his mind to go where it will, and come back and tell us where it’s been. Not travel pieces, but poems that give us his sense of what he’s seen and experienced in such places as Haiti, U.S.S.R., Mexico, Europe, and many regions of the United States.  

Your music study accounts for the musical quality of much of your work, I suggested. “Yes, several of my pieces have been set to music. Poetry has to have music, and rhythm. It’s always been that way. You can even look at today’s rappers.” I agreed. 

Howard Nemerov says of Schevill’s verse, “The excitement of language depends for him on its jaggedness, its eccentricity.” In The Buddhist Car and Other Characters, “the marvelous and the mundane rub shoulders.” Schevill admires “the constant transformations” in the Armenian poet Balakian’s work. “It’s death to the poet when you lose the impulse to experiment,” he emphasizes. 

Schevill, who has also written a novel and a biography, is Professor Emeritus of Literature at Brown University. 

One of his strengths: as poet and dramatist is his ability to so thoroughly imagine the lives of his characters that he can evoke them for us in their voice. His work in theater shows in his verse, much of which is dramatic monologue. 

Schevill likes theater for its immediate response from the audience. When you’ve produced a play you know whether it’s a success or not. The audience tells you. 

Throughout his life he has worked not only as artist, but to support the community of artists. He was an early director of the San Francisco Poetry Center. He presented plays at San Francisco’s Actor’s Workshop, an experimental group and served on its board of directors.  

His proudest moments: “When I do my best work.”  

One of the aims of his work is to restore people to poetry. In restoring people to poetry Schevill lets his characters tell their stories. 

As we continue telling our stories to each other, we are led inevitably to talk of our advanced age and its losses. “Our friends’ dying reminds me of my own mortality,” he says. 

Followers of his work will be happy to hear that he is continuing to write, after a crippling stroke suffered February a year ago. When I ask what he is working on now, he answers without hesitation, “I am working on poems and a new play.” 

“Be sure to tell them about my most recent book.” New and Selected Poems represent what Schevill thinks are the strongest pieces from his books of verse. 

William Butler Yeats wrote some of his finest poems when he was 80. If James Schevill, born in 1920, continues to write at the level of the new pieces in New and Selected Poems, he will do the same. 

Poet Adam David Miller is the author of Land Between and Apocalypse is My Garden.

Guards lead St. Mary’s past bigger foe 

Just minutes after winning the first state basketball title in St. Mary’s history, head coach Jose Caraballo laid out his plans for even bigger goals next season. 

“We wanted to take care of business in Division IV, and we did that,” Caraballo said, a huge smile on his face. “Next year we move up to Division I and see if we can win that.” 

The coach’s confidence was brimming over, and with good reason: his Panthers had just beaten Southern Section champ Crossroads, 76-62, in a remarkably easy win. Caraballo’s talented backcourt of DaShawn Freeman and John Sharper dominated the action, combining for 37 points, 11 steals, six rebounds and five assists, carrying their team past the bigger Roadrunners. 

“I personally think my backcourt’s the best in the state. They give me everything,” Caraballo said of his guards, who also play together during summer. “They’re born leaders, and they know each other very, very well.” 

Crossroads came into the game looking to take advantage of their most obvious asset: center Isaiah Fox. The 6-foot-10 senior will play for Arizona next season, but first he wanted to deliver a third state championship to his school. Fox did his part, scoring a game-high 30 points and grabbing 21 rebounds. He drew numerous fouls on the Panthers shooting 14-of-18 from the charity stripe, and was largely responsible for three St. Mary’s players fouling out in the fourth quarter. 

“I thought there were more fouls out there than they called, but I was hitting my free throws, so it wasn’t really a problem,” Fox said after the game. 

Fox’s coach, Daryl Roper, said he thought the officials didn’t call the game equally. 

“It’s the inconsistency of the calls that bothers me,” Roper said. “He just happens to be overpowering, and the refs seem to think the fouls don’t affect him.” 

But Fox’s teammates weren’t up to the championship task, as forward Jordan Rush was the only other Crossroads player to score in double figures with 10 points. The Roadrunners committed 28 turnovers in the face of the St. Mary’s defensive pressure, including eight by Fox, and shot just 37 percent from the floor. 

The Panthers, on the other hand, got balanced scoring with 20 from Freeman, 17 from Sharper, and 14 from forward Chase Moore, who also pulled down 12 rebounds. They also got key offensive contributions from reserve guards Matt Straus and Terrence Boyd. 

The Panthers were clearly the aggressors in the game, as they have been all season. Caraballo has his squad pressing non-stop on defense, and he counts on their superior quickness and hustle to get them through rough patches. 

“The kids played so hard. It’s all about their heart, their will, their desire,” Caraballo said. “They just left everything out on the floor.” 

Freeman, the team’s leader, agreed with his coach. 

“We worked hard, hustled, got every loose ball,” Freeman said. “Maybe we just wanted it a little more than they did.” 

The Panthers started slowly, and the teams were tied at 14-14 after the first quarter. But St. Mary’s got a kick-start from Straus, who led a 10-point run that put them up for good. First he drove the lane and pump-faked the Crossroads big men out of their shoes, spinning for an easy layup. A minute later, he hit an open 3-pointer, which Moore followed with a hook shot over Fox for a 26-17 Panther lead.  

Fox brought his team back to within two points with a bunch of free throws, but Freeman stole an inbounds pass with just seconds left and spun past Rush for a layup at the buzzer for a 31-27 halftime lead. 

The second half was more of the same, as the Panther guards doubled down on Fox whenever he got the ball, stripping him several times. Freeman continued to penetrate with impunity, scoring nine points on layups and free throws, and Boyd added six points as the Panthers took a 54-41 lead.  

“They started slowing down on defense, and that’s when we started running,” Freeman said. “We got to them in the second half, and that’s how we won the game.” 

The Roadrunners never got closer than 13 points in the final period, and all that was left was a meltdown by Fox. The big man took umbrage at an intentional foul call, ranting at the officials and earning a technical foul, which put him on the bench for the rest of the game. 

The Panthers had a big dog-pile in the middle of the floor after the game, but once they calmed down, the players started talking about next year’s goals. The team loses just one starter, defensive specialist Jeremiah Fielder, and should be among the state’s top teams next year. 

“I think we’ve got a really good chance. Most everybody’s coming back, and we have the heart to win at the next level,” Sharper said. 

“We’re going to do the same thing we did this year,” Freeman said. “Nobody even picked us to win our league, and look what we did. We just take it as motivation.”

Aroner calls for legislation to stop punishing disabled who go to work 

Twin 14-year-olds with spina bifida – a birth defect due to spinal cord damage often causing paralysis – who attend Oakland Technical High School cannot get personal assistant help because they are homeless and therefore have no address. Disability rights activist Jane Jackson, a mentor to the twins, testified on their behalf before the Assembly Human Services Committee last week.  

The committee, chaired by Assemblymember Dion Aroner, D-Berkeley, held the hearing to get specifics on the barriers that disabled people face when they try to access education and employment. 

Aroner has introduced a bill to the Assembly, AB925, that attempts to help disabled people get what they need in order to work. About 72 percent of people with disabilities across the country are unemployed. 

Speaking to the committee via video-conferencing technology from a room in Dwinelle Hall on the UC Berkeley Campus on Wednesday, Jackson was one among the hundred or so participants who testified from four different venues around the state. Committee members who watched the proceeding in Sacramento, including Wilma Chan, D-Alameda, walked away with a list of horror stories: 

• Chrissy Thomson testified in Berkeley that she can’t put money away for her future. She’s a paraplegic who is employed, but rules that govern programs for the disabled do not permit her to have more than $2,000 in the bank or she’ll lose her medical benefits. Her degenerative disease means that eventually she may be unable to work – squirreling away money now would ease her worries for the future. “I should be able to work as much as I can and not lose benefits,” she said. 

• A man speaking from San Diego is a quadriplegic with one set of needs. His wife is disabled with a completely different set of needs. Each has a vehicle and neither can drive the other’s. They were denied services from the state department of Health and Human Services because its rules permit a family to own only one vehicle. 

• Someone speaking from a hearing room at UC Los Angeles stated that he spent 47 percent of his income on attendant care. “There’s not enough money left to pay for room and board,” he said. 

• Others addressed the attendant situation from the standpoint of the workers who earn $7.50 an hour. “That’s not enough to support a family on,” said one person, also speaking from Los Angeles. 

• Mary Skyer, who works in deaf services in San Francisco, testified through a sign-language interpreter about a young deaf man who trained and got a job doing smog inspections. As soon as he got the job, his Social Security Disability Insurance was cut off. Skyer suggested that SSDI should give people a reasonable amount of time to get on their feet, and gradually decrease payments. 

Aroner’s AB925 is would require the Health and Human Services Agency “create a sustainable, comprehensive strategy to accomplish various goals aimed at bringing persons with disabilities into employment....” The bill would set up “one-stop centers” to provide services to people with disabilities, so that they do not have to go from agency to agency, where they sometimes have to confront conflicting requirements. The bill would allow people to maintain their medical benefits while they are working or going to school. 

Senior scores 13 points in fourth quarter to lead furious comeback, but Berkeley falls to Narbonne in title game for third time 

By Jared Green 

Daily Planet Staff 

It was almost a storybook ending for Robin Roberson and the Berkeley Lady ’Jackets in the CIF Division I state final Saturday night, but a questionable call and a big size disadvantage kept Roberson and her teammates from claiming the school’s third crown. Berkeley fell to defending national champion Narbonne (Harbor City), 48-45, at ARCO Arena in Sacramento. 

Roberson scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to bring the ’Jackets back from a 10-point deficit, her last basket giving her team their first and only lead of the game at 45-44 with 1:20 left in the game. But the Lady Gauchos (28-3) came up with five offensive rebounds down the stretch, including two from their own missed free throws in the final seconds, and Berkeley wouldn’t score again. 

After Roberson’s final bucket, which capped a 17-6 Berkeley run, center Sabrina Keys fouled Narbonne’s Wilnett Crockett, who hit one free throw to tie the game. The ’Jackets got the ball back with 18.7 seconds left when Narbonne’s Amber Pruitt traveled, and it looked like Berkeley would get the last shot. With the way Roberson, who scored 22 of her game-high 26 points in the second half, was scorching the nets, head coach Gene Nakamura had to believe his team was on the winning track. 

But before the ’Jackets (27-6) could inbound the ball, the referees intruded. Berkeley guard Angelita Hutton was called for pushing off on Narbonne point guard Loree Moore, and the ball went back to the Gauchos. 

“It’s very disappointing to have a call change the game,” Nakamura said. “I was speechless, because I can’t imagine that call being made at that point in the game like that.” 

The call was out of character for the game, which grew increasingly physical in the second half with little intervention from the officials. 

“I was just a little surprised that people that weren’t making any calls suddenly were making calls late in the game,” Nakamura said. “But they’re human, and that’s just part of the game you have to live with.” 

Moore, who will play for national power Tennessee next season, made the first free throw but missed the second. But Narbonne’s height advantage, which Berkeley had managed to negate for much of the second half, came back into play as the 6-foot-2 Lisa Willis grabbed the rebound for the Gauchos. Keys tied her up for a jump ball, but the possession arrow was with Narbonne. They inbounded to Moore, and Rebekah Payne fouled her with 7.8 seconds left. 

“When you have your second rebounder being 6-3 and stepping into the lane, that’s tough,” said Nakamura, whose team has just one six-footer in Keys. “They were long rebounds, and that’s the way the ball bounces.” 

Moore missed the front end of a one-and-one, but Crockett got the rebound and was fouled with 3.7 seconds left. She knocked down both free throws, and Berkeley could only manage an off-balance runner from Roberson that missed the rim as time ran out. 

Narbonne head coach James Anderson said his team’s late rebounding was the key to the win, downplaying the contoversial foul call. 

“Was it a foul? I thought it might not have been,” Anderson said. “But those two rebounds at the end were the crucial plays in the win. If we make our free throws, we win that game earlier.” 

The loss was an especially tough pill to swallow for Roberson, who will play at Arizona next season. She ends her Berkeley career without a state championship, having lost to Narbonne three times (1998, 2000 and this year) in the final game. After struggling in the semifinal game against Oakland, she came out slowly against the Gauchos, shooting just 2-for-9 from the field. But she came out on fire in the second half, and nearly led her team to victory. 

“I was trying to get everyone pumped up, because I feel like everyone feeds off of me,” Roberson said of her second-half exploits. “I felt like it was on my shoulders to pick it up.” 

She got help from Keys, who battled all day against the Narbonne’s huge front line. The junior had 13 points and 12 rebounds, including eight boards in the second half. Berkeley’s size disadvantage was a major reason most predictions were for a Narbonee walk-over, but Keys more than held her own against Willis, 6-foot-3 Crockett and 6-foot-3 Jamie Funn. Narbonne also had 6-foot-2 Indi Johnson off the bench. 

“I felt pretty good about my rebounding today. That’s my role, I’m the rebounder of the team. It doesn’t matter to me if I score as long as I rebound and as long as we win,” Keys said. 

But other than Roberson and Keys, the ’Jackets were horrible on offense. Without Roberson’s 12-for-27 shooting day, Berkeley was just 4-of-34 from the field, and the team was an ice-cold 4-for-30 in the first half and took a 22-12 deficit into halftime. 

But despite his team’s first-half slump, Nakamura felt they outplayed the Gauchos, who will likely be named national champions for the second year in a row by USA Today. 

“I feel we won that game. I couldn’t have asked more from our girls,” he said. “We out-played them, and we should have won the game, plain and simple.” 

Nakamura pointed out the play of Payne on the defensive end, as she harrassed Moore into several uncharacteristic turnovers. But Moore also had a good all-around game, leading her team with 11 points, eight steals and seven assists.

In an attempt to facilitate rent hikes for Berkeley landlords approved by HUD two years ago, the interim manager of the Berkeley Housing Authority discussed the procedure with the Black Property Owners Association on Thursday. 

Recently hired BHA manager Sheila Maxwell provided the landlords with a copies of the application for rent increases and a two-page list of procedures landlords must follow to legally receive the increases, said Frank Davis, president of the BPOA. 

According to the handout, the rental increases will provide landlords with “rents that are similar to market rents.” 

In February, at a Housing Authority Board meeting, interim Housing Director Stephen Barton and Maxwell outlined the two major failings of the Housing Authority. One was the organization’s inability to provide Section 8 landlords with increases approved by Housing and Urban Development and the other was the agency's failure to process a backlog of qualified Section 8 applicants.  

BHA, which was $255,000 over budget last year and is projected by Barton to be $245,000 over this year, is at risk of being dissolved by the City Council, which has the authority to do so under state law. 

Neither Maxwell nor Barton returned Daily Planet calls Friday to update housing authority progress in the areas of deficiencies they had defined in February. 

HUD has made 1,840 Section 8 certificates available to the Housing Authority, but as of February only 1,300 households were receiving the rental subsidies. Last year the city was fined $54,000 by HUD for failing to process the backlog of applications. 

The shortcomings of the Housing Authority have been amplified by many Section 8 landlords who have taken their properties out of the program seeking higher profits on the Bay Area's red-hot rental market.  

Councilmember Dona Spring said at the February BHA board meeting that Berkeley lost an average of 10 Section 8 units a month in 2000 compared to a rate of 2.5 during 1999. 

According to the information Maxwell gave BPOA members, new payment standards will allow landlords to receive $750 for studios, $980 for one-bedroom units and $1,308 for two-bedroom units. 

The procedures for landlords to receive the increases include filling out a one-page application and giving 60-day notice to eligible tenants. BHA inspectors will verify that the unit meets HUD standards and the rent increase should go into effect on the anniversary the tenancy began. 

Davis said Maxwell addressing his association seemed like a step in the right direction. “It's a start but BHA is in bad shape and will have to really follow through to turn things around,” he said. 

For more information about applying for rental increases or for Section 8 call the Berkeley Housing Authority at (510) 644-4840 or e-mail at bha@ci.berkeley.ca.us

It took a while, but the Cal rugby team eked out a 25-0 win over Army Sunday to clinch its own Invitational Tournament. 

The Bears were held to just 10 first half points and it took another 20 minutes of the second period before constant Cal pressure was converted into a reasonably comfortable margin on the scoreboard.  

More often than not, the Bears’ own mistakes took pressure off Army and kept the game close. 

“I’m not sure if we were made to look bad by a game Army side, or whether we just weren’t up to it, irrespective of the opponent. Certainly, we were average at best,” said Cal head coach Jack Clark. 

The Bears beat Minnesota and Army were winners over Humboldt Saturday to set up a rematch between last year’s national championship semi-final opponents. And early on, the Invitational final was something of a reprise of that encounter with the Bears making a slow start. 

Fullback Dave Guest missed a couple of penalty attempts early in the game, but was able to make amends with a try at 17 minutes. Guest added a penalty just before the halftime whistle, but the team still faced a stern halftime talk from the coaching staff. 

Early in the second period, wing Cameron Bunce was also the recipient of a well-timed pass from Sherman to cross for the Bears’ second try. 

It took a big scrum to put Cal into the clear. The Bears pushed Army off their ball just 5 meters from the Black Knights’ line, and loose forward John Willenborg dotted down – just reward for a busy game.  

Still lacking rhythm, the Bears held out the never-say-die Army side, and Guest added a late penalty to the scoreline.

A 17-year old boy from San Pablo drowned in Lake Anza Saturday afternoon, despite his friends’ attempts to rescue him. 

At about 4 p.m., John Johnson was swimming across the lake in Tilden Regional Park. He got about three-quarters of the way to the other side, when he began to struggle and yell for help. His friends swam toward him, but the boy sank below the surface. His friends were unable to find him, according to an East Bay Regional Park District Police report.  

Members of the Berkeley Fire Department, Berkeley Police, Regional Parks Police, Regional Parks Fire Department and the Contra Costa County Sheriffs Department responded for rescue.  

The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s department dive team recovered the victim’s body at about 7 p.m. Saturday. 

The incident is under investigation. An official in the Contra Costa County coroner’s office said Sunday the drowning, still under investigation, is thought to be accidental at this time.

A joint city and university study has been released, about eight months after it had been anticipated. The study addresses traffic congestion and transit use in and around the campus area. It will play an important role in informing planning programs and strategies of the university and the city, particularly around such volatile questions as whether to increase parking. 

A joint city-university meeting on the study will be held tonight at 7 p.m. at the Trinity United Methodist Church, 2362 Bancroft Way.

20-year-old experimental neighborhood not living up to promises, owners say 

BENICIA – A 258-home neighborhood here was an innovative experiment in energy efficiency — 20 years ago. 

Now, with a different energy crisis bringing renewed attention to solar power, some residents say the savings don’t quite measure up. 

Rooftop solar water heaters, double paned windows and walls insulated six inches thick didn’t bring the savings they expected and many have jettisoned solar power all together after facing repairs they couldn’t afford. 

“In the beginning, it worked out great,” said Lucy Grijalva, who bought her home 18 years ago. 

Thanks to the federal government, she enjoyed a $10,000 tax credit for buying the solar-equipped home. 

The credit, sparked by the 1973 oil embargo, was created as part of a federal program to offset the country’s energy crisis. 

Both homeowners and developers received the tax credit, so Benicia’s Southhampton Co. jumped on it. 

Architects designed the houses for passive and active solar energy, said Stuart Posselt, one of the project’s managers. 

The homes had 12 inches of insulation in the ceilings and every opening in the walls was caulked to keep the cool or hot air inside. Landscapers designed the lots with trees that lost their leaves in the fall so as not to obstruct winter sun. Ceiling fans circulated warm air blown from fireplace fans. Solar panels on the roofs heated water pumped to a hot water tank. The panels also help heat the house. 

“When this was done, it was state of the art,” Posselt said. 

That was two decades ago, and many homeowners have abandoned their solar panels when faced with repair bills costing thousands of dollars. 

Shirley Florio moved into her house six years ago, she said, because it was affordable and well constructed. 

When it came time to get a new roof, she took off the solar panels. She thought about fixing her broken water tank, and received a $3,500 estimate to fix it and $7,000 estimate to replace it. 

“I said, ’Forget it,”’ she said. “I didn’t notice that much of a benefit.” 

J.D. and Lorna-Dee Johnson said their system has worked well for the six years they have lived in their house, but it’s starting to break down. 

They will fix their water tank because they care about energy conservation and they can afford the repairs. They save about $25 a month on their gas bill.

Overnight Amtrak crash injures 90; investigators unsure what caused wreck 

OMAHA, Neb. – Tony Plocinik and his wife, Joann, were thrown across their train car when an Amtrak train derailed in southwest Iowa. 

“All of a sudden, bam, we flew,” he said. “I went flying off and hit the chair and seat and she landed on top of me.” 

One person died and 90 were injured in the wreck Saturday night. Investigators had not determined what caused the accident, which left twisted train and rail wreckage. 

“It was devastating, and fortunate that only one person was killed,” Plocinik said. 

Exhausted survivors on the 195-passenger train huddled on chairs and sofas in several Omaha hotels after being bused 60 miles from the wreck. 

Amtrak arranged for them reach their destinations by whatever means they chose — airplane, bus or perhaps even another train. 

After the derailment, passengers stood outside or inside the wreck and watched red rescue lights streak the darkness. People from nearby Nodaway, Iowa, scrambled to help and area farmers used their trucks to take many survivors to hospitals and a nearby shelter. 

Plocinik, 69, of Eastpointe, Mich., was sleeping next to his wife when the train derailed. His neck and left shoulder were jarred, but he wrestled open two emergency exit windows in the darkness. He said it took only 15 minutes for rescuers to arrive, and an Amtrak employee handed him an emergency light stick that illuminated the compartment. 

“All of the seats in that little compartment were twisted,” Plocinik said. “The luggage rack was twisted metal and baggage was jammed. You couldn’t get out of the emergency door, only the windows.” 

Passenger Mary Clare Maloney, 16, of Des Moines, Iowa, said she waited more than an hour in her car’s upper level to be rescued. The car was at a 45-degree angle, she said, tipped so passengers had to walk on the wall and not the floor to get out. “That was kind of weird and dizzying,” she said. 

Beth Giudcessi, a classmate of Maloney’s, was traveling to Colorado with her and seven other students for a ski vacation. 

“There was a sudden push, just a sharp turn to the right and we were thrown against the wall. It happened very quickly,” Giudcessi said. 

Maloney and others did not blame Amtrak for the wreck. 

“It was one of those things that just happened,” she said. “There was nothing they could do about it.” 

Briana Dreyer, 14, of Des Moines, was traveling with her father and a friend to ski in Glenwood Springs, Colo., during a weeklong break from school. She said she would board another train so she could enjoy her vacation. 

“I’ll be scared,” she said, “but I mean, it’s spring break.”

Grant awarded to battle cancer 

OAKLAND – The Ethnic Health Institute program at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center has been awarded a $707,000 grant to help combat prostate cancer among blacks. 

The grant will be used to implement a program in Alameda County to improve and manage rates of prostate cancer in black men. 

The program will also provide educational outreach, early detection, screening, and follow-up care while raising awareness of the disease. 

The county health status report for 2000 said the prostate cancer death rate in black men is 2 1/2 times higher than for whites. 

Gospel CD may help AIDS cause 

SAN FRANCISCO – A new gospel CD is expected to raise awareness and money for AIDS advocacy in the black community. 

Proceeds from the “One Voice” CD will be distributed to AIDS agencies serving the black faith community beginning later this year. 

The “One Voice” CD features a collaboration of contemporary Gospel luminaries, including lead vocal contributions by Donald Lawrence, Edwin Hawkins, Bishop Walter Hawkins, BeBe Winans and others.

OAKLAND – In the upstairs room of a mission-style library, two dozen men and women lean over giant maps of the East Bay and consult color-coded computer printouts showing where Hispanics, blacks, Asians, Republicans and Democrats live. 

Wielding markers and calculators, they argue about what areas should be in or out of a new state Assembly district — Alameda, Piedmont, northern San Leandro or western Oakland. 

This strange exercise is a workshop designed to show community groups how ordinary people, with the help of the new technology, can get involved in that most political of processes — redistricting. 

The redrawing of government election districts every 10 years to reflect population changes has always been the ultimate arcane smoke-filled-room political activity. Political bosses kept their plans secret and the public rarely knew what was going on until the deal was done. 

This year, technology means groups with computer smarts can use the census figures being released this month to participate in the redistricting process. That process will determine which politicians will make decisions for the next decade on issues ranging from school funding to pothole filling. 

Politicians used computers to do redistricting in 1981 and 1991, but machines and database software used to analyze the complex information were much more expensive, difficult to use and essentially inaccessible to the general public, unless they went through a big university. 

The Internet and the widespread availability of powerful computers and software have changed everything. 

“We feel that technology is bringing redistricting all the way down to the grass roots now,” says Zachary Gonzalez, redistricting coordinator for the Willie C. Velasquez Institute, a think tank based in Los Angeles and San Antonio, Texas, that focuses on Latino election issues. “With the new software, it’s as simple as pointing and clicking.” 

The Velasquez Institute joined with Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials in a redistricting alliance to conduct the Oakland workshop and 19 others around the state. 

The alliance is also planning two statewide conferences next month. One, in Sacramento, will bring together Latino community leaders to train them in the legal and computer aspects of redistricting. The second, in Los Angeles, is being cosponsored by the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center to discuss redistricting issues affecting all minority groups. 

In addition, MALDEF, the NAACP-LDF and the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium (an affiliate of APALC) wrote a community redistricting guide that is available both in book form and online. 

The lines that will be redrawn over the next year include everything from U.S. congressional and state legislative districts down to local government bodies such as city councils and school boards. The state Legislature does the congressional and legislative districts, while local bodies generally do their own lines. 

Redistricting “is the ultimate basic test of political power and one our communities have to play hard in,” said Antonio Gonzalez, president of the Velasquez Institute. 

“Defining a district determines what kind of people can run and win in a district,” he says. Redistricting “is the best opportunity to expand representation” and give communities “a bigger, better, broader voice in governance.” 

Anyone with Internet access and the right software can use the Statewide Database at the University of California, Berkeley, to look at the same Census 2000 and voter information that the politicians will be using — racial, ethnic, income and party registration breakdowns down to the block level. 

Statewide Database staff will help the general public, scholars and politicians learn how to use the data, but will not actually draw redistricting maps, says director Karin MacDonald. 

However, groups such as the alliance plan to produce their own model plans to present to the Legislature and local bodies. When lawmakers release their plans, the groups will quickly analyze and critique them — and go to court if they feel the plans are unfair. 

They will use the same software program being used by the Legislature and many local governments, Maptitude for Redistricting, which costs about $3,500, said Zachary Gonzalez. 

The alliance is also offering “remote redistricting sessions” to make it even easier for small community groups to know what’s going on with their own congressional, legislative and local government lines. 

Community groups will be able to connect by phone lines with the main MALDEF computer and draw district lines on the Maptitude program sitting on the MALDEF computer, all for the cost of the phone call, said Zachary Gonzalez. 

Antonio Gonzalez says the Hispanic alliance will be working with the NAACP, the APALC and Native American groups to see how their analyses agree and try to resolve differences that could hurt all their efforts. 

“If we want to make an impact as minorities in this area, we have to work together,” agreed Arnold Fong of the Organization of Alameda Asians, a participant at the Oakland workshop. 

Ultimately, all this high-tech knowledge means that the politicians drawing the lines are likely to face greater scrutiny this year right down to the very smallest local boards. 

Ignacio De La Fuente, president of the Oakland City Council, told the workshop that the locally elected boards that run the Bay Area Rapid Transit and AC Transit, the basic transportation for millions in the East Bay, have never had Latinos elected to them. 

Latinos may have the numbers, he said, “but if we don’t have political representation at every level, it doesn’t mean a damn thing.” 

Facts about California’s redistricting process 

— What is redistricting? Taking the latest census figures and redrawing boundaries of electoral districts within a state — U.S. congressional, state legislative, county supervisor, city council, local school board and other districts. 

— When is it done and why? Every 10 years, right after the census, to reflect shifts in population and make sure districts each have about the same number of people. 

— Who does it? The state Legislature does congressional, legislative and Board of Equalization districts and the governor must sign the plans. Local government bodies do their own local districts. 

— When will it be done? The Legislature will be doing it next summer, before it adjourns on Sept. 14. Local bodies have different deadlines. 

— How many state districts are there? California’s congressional delegation is increasing from 52 to 53 because the state gained population. The Legislature’s districts remain 40 for the Senate and 80 for the Assembly. 

— Why should I care? The district boundaries will help determine which candidates will be running for those offices for the next decade. You want to be able to vote for representatives who share your interests on important issues ranging from income taxes and school funding to street lights and new playgrounds. 

— What are the rules? The most important is “one person, one vote,” meaning districts must have about the same population. Federal law also forbids giving members of a racial or ethnic group less of a chance of electing candidates of their choice. This means such groups cannot either be split thinly among lots of districts or packed into a small number of districts, either way diluting their voting strength. District drawers should also attempt to make them appear compact and contiguous, respect political boundaries (such as city lines), preserve similar communities and protect incumbents. 

— What is “gerrymandering”? A very weirdly shaped district drawn to meet political interests, such as maximizing voters of one party. The name comes from an 1812 redistricting law signed by Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry that included strange salamander-shaped districts that were nicknamed “gerrymanders.”

Search engine hopes to keep results more current 

SAN FRANCISCO – Web search engine AltaVista will add an online newsstand to its main index Monday to make its results more topical and useful to surfers looking for up-to-the-minute information. 

With the new service, Palo Alto-based AltaVista will automatically produce the top stories related to search requests. Clicking on a news center at the top search page will provide a complete index of all the latest online stories about the requested topic. 

The new feature, licensed from San Francisco-based Moreover, addresses a glaring shortcoming for even the most powerful search engines. 

Even though they have indexes covering a staggering amount of information on the Web, the top search engines rarely produce results that pick up on breaking news developments. 

“This is definitely going to be a big plus for search engine users,” said Danny Sullivan, an industry analyst for Searchenginewatch.com. 

“Right now when you use a traditional search engine to find the latest news on the Web, you’re really using the wrong tool. It’s like you are using a hammer when you really need a screwdriver.” 

The information void stems from how search engines find out what’s on the Web. The engines rely on computers, known as “crawlers,” that comb most Web sites every 15 to 30 days and then update the information. 

The lag time between when an article is first posted on a Web site and when it shows up in a search engine’s database means vital information might not be produced on a topic. 

For instance, enter “Tim Koogle” in a major search engine and you will get plenty of links to information about the Yahoo! Corp. CEO. But none of the top results would indicate that Koogle is relinquishing the reins of the company or produce articles explaining why because the decision was announced two weeks ago. 

Even Yahoo’s own search engine doesn’t provide the latest details about Koogle. The No. 1 result on Koogle is an article from May 2000. 

Moreover’s technology delivers the latest articles, including information posted on the same day, by searching more than 2,400 newsy sites every 15 minutes or so. Some publishers pay Moreover to review their Web sites, a structure that could lead to news articles from some Web sites will be featured more prominently in the search results. 

Privately held Moreover’s lead investors include the Reuters news service. The company has raised a total of $21 million in venture capital and expects to be profitable a year from now, said CEO Nick Denton, a former business reporter for Financial Times. 

Moreover introduced its technology last summer, but only recently began to license it to other sites. Before Monday’s announcement, Moreover’s highest profile deal was with Inktomi Corp., which incorporated the specialty search engine at NBCi.com and iWon.com. 

As one of the world’s most popular search engines, AltaVista “is the one deal that should take us over the top,” Denton said. 

Terms of the licensing agreement weren’t disclosed, but Moreover doesn’t expect to make much money from the partnership. Denton said Moreover expects to make most of its money through licenses with companies that use the service on their Web sites or Intranets. 

Moreover already is in talks to license its news-searching service to Yahoo and two other major search engines, Google and Excite, Denton said. 

Mountain View-based Google already provides links to three news stories on some searches and plans to offer more later this year, said spokesman David Krane. He declined to comment if the improvements would include a deal with Moreover.

The City Council will have to hash out one final problem in the Medical Marijuana Ordinance it will consider Tuesday night – what amounts individuals and collectives will be allowed to grow and possess. 

Medical marijuana advocates want the ordinance to match Oakland’s, which allows individuals to grow 144 plants indoors or 60 outdoors. Collective growers have no limits. City staff is recommending that Berkeley’s ordinance stay more in line with counties such as Marin and allow individuals to grow no more than 10 plants and limit collectives to  

50 plants.  

The council first referred the issue to the City Attorney’s Office in December 1999 asking for a draft ordinance that would allow chronically ill and terminally ill patients to legally grow and use marijuana. 

The draft was then sent to the Community Health Commission in July. The CHC revised the ordinance allowing more plants for personal use and possession than city staff had recommended. City Manager Weldon Rucker asked the commission to reduce the allowable numbers. The CHC voted not to reduce the quantity and sent the recommendation to the City Council on Jan. 25. 

Now the City Council will attempt to decide on reasonable amounts for individuals and collectives to grow. 

“We had staff look at what was a reasonable dosage and considered legal implications,” said Fred Medrano, director of Health and Human Services.  

“Oakland allowing 144 plants just doesn’t make any sense. You just don’t need that many for medical purposes.” 

Lt. Russell Lopes addressed the CHC on Jan. 25 and said the department supports medical marijuana use but does not support growing a large number of plants. He said that large amounts of marijuana being grown in homes or in collectives might encourage burglary and possibly home-invasion robberies. 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington said he supports a larger number of allowable plants, but said what number the council will be able to agree on remains to be seen. “Ten plants per year is clearly not sufficient,” he said. “When you say 10 plants you have to remember that not every plant becomes full grown and is usable.” 

Councilmember Polly Armstrong said it will be a challenge for the council to determine a fair number. She said she would rather err on the side of smaller amounts. “We want to take care of people who need it and we have a lot of learning to do to know what that means,” she said. “I have to say 144 plants sounds like a lot, but I’m not a farmer or a marijuana cultivator,” she said. “I do know that we don’t want Berkeley to turn into the Amsterdam of northern California.” 

Tod Mikuriya, a Berkeley resident and former psychiatrist in charge of marijuana research for the National Institute of Mental Health, said Oakland enacted its Medical Marijuana Ordinance two years ago and has not had problems. 

He said Berkeley should have adopted an ordinance a long time ago and would have if the city attorney and city manager had not tried to stall the issue. 

“It’s really a disgrace when a city like Oakland, which does not have a reputation for being terribly liberal, can move ahead with a good ordinance,” Mikuriya said “and here in Berkeley we have a city government that’s being run by a group of civil servants against the will of the people.” 

Court approved cannabis expert Chris Conrad said the problem with lower numbers of allowable plants is that it assumes all the plants will be usable and the grower will experience no problems. 

“The city manager’s recommendation for 10 plants is utopian in that it assumes your growing system will work perfectly all year around,” he said. “It doesn’t take into consideration things like bug infestations or growers having to stop a crop because their electricity bill is too high.” 

Co-medical Director of the East Bay Aids Center Steve O’Brien said growing 20 to 25 plants would be reasonable. He said that his patients who grow marijuana usually grow between four and 10 plants at a time. “The number one goal should be to protect the rights of sick people to use the drug,” he said. “If the higher numbers are approved there will be too much room for abuse.”  

Saturday, March 17

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. 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  

Berkeley Folk Dancers  

Fun Night 

7:45 - 10:45 p.m. 

Live Oak Park Hall  

Shattuck at Berryman  

“The Green Party” Dance  

$5 - $7  

655-3074 

Feminist Politics of Family  

9 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.  

Maude Fife Room (315) 

Wheeler Hall  

UC Berkeley  

A yearly symposium highlighting graduate student work. The focus of the conference this year is re-envisioning feminist conceptions of the 21st century family. Keynote speakers include Evelyn Nakato Glenn on “Caring” and Carol Queen on “Erotic Families in Choice.” Free and open to the public.  

643-3040 

Free Puppet Shows 

1:30 & 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health  

2230 Shattuck Ave.  

The Kids on the Block, the award-winning educational puppet troupe, which includes puppets with cerebral palsy, blindness and Down syndrome, promotes acceptance and understanding of physical and mental differences.  

549-1564 

Greenbelt Outing:  

Clean Up Cerrito Creek 

9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Meet at El Cerrito BART 

Join Greenbelt Alliance and Friends of Five Creeks for a work party to clear invasive plants and restore native habitat to Cerrito Creek. Afterwards, take a moderate loop hike up to Albany Hill and down to the Bay Trail. Bring work gloves, weeding tools, rain gear if necessary, and a lunch. Snacks will be provided.  

415-255-3233 

Sunday, March 18

East Bay Men’s Chorus Rehearsal  

6:30 p.m. 

University Lutheran Chapel  

College & Haste  

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. Rehearsal season runs March through July.  

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  

The Bungalow - Tradition & Transformation 

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Taught by architect/contractor and West Berkeley bungalow restorer Barry Wagner.  

$35 525-7610 

Awareness In Action  

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute  

1815 Highland Place  

Barr Rosenberg will speak on the Skillful Means teachings and practices toward a joyous, energetic, and relaxed approach to work.  

843-6812 

T. Rex: Mover & Shaker  

2 p.m.  

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley  

John Hutchinson of the Department of Integrative Biology at UCB, using video and hands-on activities, will demonstrate how some of the largest creatures roamed the earth. Free with museum admission.  

Monday, March 19

Timber Framing  

7 - 10 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Instructed by builder/timber framer Doug Eaton.  

$35 525-7610 

Socratic Solutions  

7:30 - 9 p.m.  

International House  

Home Room  

UC Berkeley  

The Socratic Society presents a lecture by Theoharis Kemos on Socratic insights into our social problems. Celebrate Socrates’ 2470th birthday anniversary. Free 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Social Dance  

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

With the North Berkeley Senior Dancing Group.  

644-6107 

A New Softball Field at Longfellow? 

7 p.m. 

Longfellow Theater  

1500 Derby (at Sacramento)  

The BUSD, Longfellow School, and the Berkeley/Albany Girls Softball Association invite you to attend a community meeting to discuss the proposed field.  

644-6320 

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 

Fibromyalgia Support Group  

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Alta Bates Medical Center 

Maffly Auditorium, Herrick Campus 

2001 Dwight Way  

Don Hill, RPH, BS, Pharmacist, will discuss “FM/A Generalized Review of Medications.” Free 

204-4503 

Young Queer Women’s Group 

8 - 10 p.m.  

Pacific Center 

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

A movie night extravaganza featuring “The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love.” Pizza, sodas, and even sushi. Make some new friends, expand your horizons and get support with a bunch of queer women all in the same place at the same time (somewhere between 18 and 25).  

548-8283 or visit www.pacificcenter.org 

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 

TREES Forum  

12:30 p.m. 

Hewlett Library  

2400 Ridge Rd., Dinner Board Room  

Marty Kheel will present “Women, Animals and Nature: Eco-feminist Reflections.”  

trees@gtu.edu 

Debate Lobbying 

Noon  

Harris Room  

119 Moses Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Kevin Esterling, Robert Wood Johnson Fellow, UC Berkeley, will discuss “Does Policy Research Matter in Lobbying Debates?” Bring a brown bag lunch. Free  

Advice for Life  

12:30 - 2:30 p.m. 

Albany Senior Center 

646 Masonic Ave.  

Albany  

A series of Tuesday presentations and discussions that will cover: Memory loss, assertiveness, loss, grief, insight into life changes, opening communication in relationships, and independence in the later years. Free  

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 

Free Writing, Cashiering & Computer Literacy Class 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.  

AJOB Adult School  

1911 Addison St.  

Free classes offered Monday through Friday. Stop by and register or call 548-6700. 

www.ajob.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. 

Chimneys From A - Z  

7 - 10 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Taught by Irish Sweep Sally McKnight.  

$35  

525-7610 

Design Dung  

7 - 9 p.m.  

School of Journalism Library  

121 North Gate Hall  

UC Berkeley  

Part of the Terner Series, an informal salon-style discussion series, which brings together industry professionals, students, and interested community members. This session is a discussion of the failure to communicate good and bad architecture. Free 

Alzheimer’s Support Group 

1 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

For families and caregivers.  

Frohe  

Weihachten 

Editor: 

I am a visitor from Germany. Your beautiful town is surrounded by lovely scenery, has an impressive campus and countless handsome neighborhoods with their small, distinctive shopping centers. I’m appalled by the filthiness of some areas, and I can tell you’re still working on your downtown.  

I am amused by the presence of nutcrackers, peace & joy doves, and poinsettias that still festoon the downtown lamp poles. 

Has time stood still in Berkeley? In Cologne, where I come from, they’re getting ready for Easter. 

Heilecke Witschke 

Cologne, Germany 

Un-Berkeley to harass Wozniak 

Editor:  

Gordon Wozniak, member of the environmental commission is being harassed and run down, not for anything he did or is doing but for what he might do. For centuries, people were destroyed not for what they did but for what they believed or for what they might do. This is regressive, brutal, and perfidious and as UN-Berkeley as it gets.  

Wozniak is a distinguished scientist and about to retire. Without any evidence or basis he is accused, by some without credentials or credibility, of malfeasance. If Wozniak does wrong, he should be censured. But for his professional expertise he ought to be acknowledged, even by those who disagree with him.  

Why would a man with a long sterling record of community service jeopardize his reputation? There is not evidence of any quid pro quo or any other benefit to him. His peers and our civic leaders need the guts to stand up not only to defend Gordon from self-serving attacks, but do it for the integrity and quality of volunteer public service in Berkeley. 

Berkeley is fortunate that able people accept public service. No one gets rich from it and by and large its not even fun. To keep capable volunteers doing public service in our city we must throw roses their way and not rotten tomatoes.  

Harry D. Weininger 

Berkeley 

Smoke scream 

Editor: 

There has been some misunderstandings with regard to the recommendations of the Community Environmental Advisory Commission for a proposed Woodsmoke Ordinance due to be heard by the Berkeley City Council on March 20.  

This is a very good thing for Berkeley. It has been put together with the greatest of consideration for people who love their fireplaces. The proposed ordinance will not affect existing fireplaces or residential woodstoves. It only restricts wood burning fireplaces in new home construction. Restrictions would probably apply to less than a half dozen units a year in Berkeley. 

Because of the growing concern regarding the unhealthy conditions created by residential woodburning, especially during stagnant air days in winter, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has encouraged local governments to pass a model ordinance similar to the one being considered. To date, 8 or 9 cities and municipalities have had the foresight to pass such an ordinance to help clear the air that residents must breathe. 

Burning wood produces particulate pollution proven to be a serious health hazard to everyone, especially to children, the elderly, and people with respiratory problems. The main objective of the proposed ordinance is to get funding for a public education program so that the public can make an informed choice with regard to if, when, and how often they use their wood burning appliances. 

The ordinance is based on many health studies and has been put together by people who care about keeping our air as clean as possible. Please let your Council person know that you support their voting for the proposed ordinance.  

For more information on the proposed ordinance please contact the Toxics Management Dept., City of Berkeley at 705-8150. For more information regarding particulate pollution from woodsmoke, please check out burningissues.org on the world wide web. 

Jami Caseber, Chair 

Community Environmental Advisory Commission  

Fire fought with force 

Editor: 

Your report of fire dancing classes in San Francisco was inspiring, but Berkeleyans should be forewarned that to attempt to enjoy fire in this town will be met with fierce repression. 

While emergency flares, cigarettes tossed every which way, and of course an endless barrage of internal combustion engines spewing lung damaging carcinogens may fill the streets with impunity, the ongoing war on culture and freedom in Berkeley demands that fire not be used for any other purpose, particularly for free expression and art. Public safety is certainly not the concern. 

In a recent example, a Reclaim the Streets demonstration on February 9 of this year, in solidarity with indigenous in Ecuador who are suffering our country’s imperialism, included some individuals who lit torches with which to light an effigy of the almighty dollar (which recently forced its way into Ecuador to destabilize and leach off the economy there).  

The effigy was but 5-6 feet high and burned in about a minute in the middle of the street. This was used as an excuse by police to attack the demonstration, violating our civil right to free speech. Police essentially instigated martial law. They forcefully confiscated and destroyed valuable property including bicycles, hand-made trailers, a sound system, a personal backpack with ID, keys, etceteras, a banner which read, ‘Indigenous Freedom’, and our beloved couch. They used violence to drag targeted individuals off the sidewalk and into the street where they were arrested with false charges and held for many days, some are still falsely charged. 

The following month, police and business groups attempted to use the manufactured concept that the demonstration was ‘violent’ (coupled with the unrelated and unfortunate looting at an affirmative action demonstration) to justify further repression of demonstrations in 

Berkeley, this time targeting the monthly critical mass bicycle celebration on its 8th birthday. Claiming without substantiation that the riders were planning to burn two buildings (even in the worst rioting in Berkeley’s history people have not lit buildings on fire!), the ride was treated to armadas of riot police, helicopters, motorcycles, and of course the media. Perhaps the media’s presence is all that protected us that day. This is a family ride with children on it, which has been peaceful and positive on a monthly basis for eight years! But police have made no secret about their desire to suppress it. Business groups (the TAA and BID) even released their own alarmist and inaccurate communiques, with such misinformation as to claim that Reclaim the Streets has set fire to cars (never). 

Berkeley should be smart enough not to continually increase its police forces. Where is the balance of powers? Who is protecting the vulnerable from everyday abuses? (Essentially no one). The division between ‘progressives’ and ‘conservatives’ is sharp and deep, and the police are the conservatives’ primary tool of cultural repression, racist whitewashing, and gentrification against the barely outnumbered progressives. So when the kids on Telegraph are swept away, your innocent experimentation with traditional fire dancing may be next. At this rate, the peoples of Ecuador will have to hold demonstrations in support of the oppressed peoples of Berkeley. 

Jason Meggs 

Berkeley 

Last weekend Subterranean Shakespeare began its 14th season of low-budget productions of the Bard at LaVal’s Subterranean with a modern-dress production of Shakespeare’s last play “The Tempest.” 

“The Tempest” is the story of a magician giving up his magic powers and retiring from the world. It is often viewed as an allegory about Shakespeare himself giving up the theater and retiring from London back to his land and prosperity in Stratford, where he was born. 

For this production, director Stanley Spenger has done some gender-bending, casting several women to play the parts of men. In addition, he has changed several of the characters in the play from male to female. 

These gender decisions, however, are haphazard artistically, and don’t serve a clear vision for the play. 

For example, in one scene in this reconfigured casting, two men from the shipwrecked court of Naples rudely insult two women of the court. This behavior profoundly contradicts the important etiquette of Shakespeare’s world of courtly manners, but without adding new insights to the story. 

In “The Tempest,” magician Prospero lives with his daughter Miranda (Jasmin Fiandaca) on a lonely remote island, after losing the dukedom of Milan to a conniving brother. 

As the play begins, Prospero is able through his magical powers to create a storm that shipwrecks onto the island the treacherous brother and his allies from back home. So in part the play is a story of Prospero’s family reckoning.. 

But “The Tempest” is also in large part a romance and a comedy. Drunken shipwrecked sailors stumble comically around the island, and a young couple falls in love.  

The Sub Shakes staging is a no-frills production that focuses on the words, rather than the visuals, and completes the play in a brisk two hours and fifteen minutes, including an intermission. 

I have mixed feelings about the Subterranean Shakespeare productions that are directed by Spenger.  

On the one hand, as the driving force behind the group for many years, he is to be commended for giving Berkeley so many affordable productions of these classics. 

On the other hand, although some of the directors who stage plays for him are good, Spenger himself is neither a strong director nor a strong actor. 

Despite cooking up a clever low-budget makeshift shipwreck to open “The Tempest,” Spenger loses much of the humor, magic and poetry of this play in this production. 

For example, the usually riotous three-way drunk among monster Caliban (Geoffrey Pond) and shipwrecked sailors Trinculo (Diane Jackson) and Stephano (James Ryder) is rushed and hammy.  

There are few opportunities in this staging for the comical reaction shots, double takes and visual humor that this segment generally contains. 

Often the actors in this production look like fish out of water, performing without the thoughtful guidance that a good director can provide. There is lots of standing around by performers who don’t have lines to speak. 

Gregory Pond’s buffoonish Caliban doesn’t feel like a monster. The show’s blocking is muddy. 

Nor is Spenger a strong actor. In “The Tempest” he has cast himself in the central role of ringmaster magician Prospero. 

Spenger obviously loves the poetry of Shakespeare, but he largely mugs and poses his way through a childish and mercurial portrayal. Basic craft elements are missing from his acting – like performance objectives and focus. 

Spenger appears to be a theatrical autodidact, and it shows in this production. If he worked on the craft seriously with good teachers, he could make his shows better. 

That’s what it’s going to take to get the plays he directs and performs in at LaVal’s to the next level. 

Planet theater reviewer John Angell Grant has written for "American Theatre," "Callboard," and many other publications. E-mail him at jagplays@yahoo.com.

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  

UC Berkeley Art Museum “The Mule Train: A Journey of Hope Remembered” through March 26. “Joe Brainard: A Retrospective,” Through May 27. Muntadas - On Translation: The Audience, Through April 29. 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 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 infomation. “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. “Fossil Finding with Annie Montague Alexander” March 17 - 18, 24-25, 31 & April 21; “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 

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for a year membership March 17: The Hoods, Benumb, Above The World, Chronic Disorder, Eulogy; March 23: 18 Visions, Walls of Jericho, Time In Malta, Undying, Betray the Species; March 24: Workin’ Stiffs, The Bodies, Strychnine, East Bay Chasers, For the Alliance; March 30: Deathreat, Ahimsa, F*** God In the Face, The Black, Creation Is Crucifixion; 525-9926  

Albatross Pub All music at 9 p.m. unless noted March 17: Maureen Brennan Group 1822 San Pablo 843-2473 

Ashkenaz March 17, 9:30 p.m.: Sensa Samba, dance lesson at 8:30 p.m.; March 18, 5 - 10 p.m.: Aid for Ahmedabad Earthquake Relief Concert featuring Vinyl, New Monsoon, Raja & Srini, plus Henry Kaiser, $20; March 20, 9 p.m.: Brass Menagerie, dance lesson at 8 p.m.; March 21, 9 p.m.: Gator Beat, dance lesson at 8 p.m.; March 22, 9:30: Groundation; March 23, 8 p.m. - 2 a.m.: Dead-A-Thon with Digital Dave, Legion of Mary, Cosmic Mercy; 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; May 6, 7 p.m.: Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble 1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com  

Eli’s Mile High Club Doors open at 8 p.m. March 17: Sugar G; March 23: Carlos Zialcita; March 24: Daniel Castro; March 30: Craig Horton Blues Band 3629 MLK Jr. Way Oakland  

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. March 17: The Black Brothers: Shay, Michael & Martin; March 18: Hanes Family; March 19: Liam O’Flynn & The Pipers Call; March 21: Reverend Billy C. Wirtz; March 22: Sid Selvidge, Alan Smithline; March 23: Perfect Strangers; March 24: Barry & Alice Olivier; March 25: Boogie Woogie Piano Cavalcade w/Beverly Stovall, Sue Palmer, Wendy De Witt, Big Joe Duskin; March 27: Maria Muldaur; March 28: Todd Phillips, David Grier & Matt Flinner; March 29: Tom Paxton; March 30 & 31: House Jacks 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzschool/La Note All music at 4:30 p.m. March 18: Wayne Wallace Septet $6 - $12; March 22, 8 - 10 p.m.: Adult Big Band; March 25 & 27 - 29, 4 - 10 p.m.: Student Winter Recitals; April 8: The Marcos Silva Quartet; April 15: Art Lande and Mark Miller; April 22: Alan Hall & Friends; April 29: Nancy King/Rob Scheps/Glen Moore Trio 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373 or visit www.jazzschool.com  

Live Oak Concert Series All music at 7:30 p.m. March 18: Mark Sanders, flute, David Cheng, violin, Darcy Rindt, viola, Paul Rhodes, cello. Flute quartets of Haydn and Mozart; March 25: Horizon Wind Quartet play music of Mendelssohn, Rossini, Ravel, Ligetti and others All concerts $8 - $10 Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St.  

Cal Performances March 23, 7 p.m. & March 24, 1 & 8 p.m.: “The King Stag: A Tragicomic Tale for the Theatre” by Carlo Gozzi $24 - $46; April 1, 3 p.m.: Pianist Richard Goode play the music of Bach, Chopin and Beethoven $28 - $48 Zellerbach Hall UC Berkeley. 642-9988 or www.calperfs.berkeley.edu March 25, 3 p.m.: Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio perform music of Beethoven, Ravel and Tchaikovsky $32; Hertz Hall UC Berkeley 

“An Afternoon of Song” with Elaine Bernstein March 25, 2 p.m. Bernstein, soprano and Sally Munro, mezzo, with Gwendolyn Mok at the piano, will perform a variety of duets from the operas “Hansel & Gretel,” “Cosi Fan Totte,” “Der Rosenkavaher,” and “Lakme,” and more. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

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  

Yair Dalal & Hamza El Din March 17, 8 p.m. Traditional and contemporary compositions rooted in their rich and diverse cultures. Special guest include cellist Joan Jeanrenaud, formerly of Kronos Quartet, percussionist Salaheddin Takesh, and KPFA Radio’s Kutay Derin Kugay as master of ceremonies $23 - $25 Wheeler Auditorium UC Berkeley  

John Santos & The Machete Ensemble March 17, 8:30 p.m. $12 - $14 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

Terry Gibbs March 18, 2 p.m. A concert/dance featuring the celebrated vibraphonist. $15 Longfellow School of the Arts 1500 Derby St. (at Sacramento) 420-4560 

Jack Wright with Tom Dill, Morgan Guberman Trio & Viv Corringham March 18, 7:48 p.m. $8 donation Tuva Space 3192 Adeline (at MLK Jr. Way) 649-8744 

New Century Chamber Orchestra present “Time Past and Time Present” March 22, 8 p.m. $25 - $30 St. John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave. 415-392-4400 

BHS Jazz Ensemble March 23, 7:30 p.m. The spring concert performance from the award-winning jazz ensemble. Proceeds benefit the students who will travel to Europe this summer to perform in Italy and Switzerland. $5 - $8 Florence Schwimley Little Theatre 1920 Allston Way  

The Berkeley Opera presents “The Marriage of Figaro” March 23 - April 1, call for specific times $10 - $30 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. (at Derby) 925-798-1300 

Solo Opera Opera Gala Concert March 23, 8 p.m. $25 St. John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave. 925-685-4945 or e-mail: solomail@pacbell.net 

Rebecca Riots March 24, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. $12 - $14 Club Muse 856 San Pablo Ave. Albany 528-2878 

Benefit Concert for the Xiana Fairchild Volunteer Center March 25, 7:30 p.m. Featuring The Sick, Simplistic, Mastema, Drain, and an all-star jam with surprise guests. All proceeds to benefit the volunteer center. 18 and over show. $8 Blake’s on Telegraph 2367 Telegraph Ave. 848-0886  

Music in Great Berkeley Houses March 31, 7 p.m. $35 Gwendolyn Mok, piano, and Jean-Michel Fonteneau, cello, will play the music of Frank Bridge, Debussy, and Poulenc. Palache House Reserved tickets required 841-2242 

“How Desolate Lies the City...” March 31, 8 p.m. The cantatas of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries. $20 - $37 First Congregational Church of Berkeley 2345 Channing Way 415-621-7900 

Jesus Diaz y su QBA March 31, 9:30 p.m. Cuban timba dance music. $12 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568  

Berkeley High Jazz Ensemble Brunch April 1, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Free - $40 Santa Fe Bar & Grill 1310 University Ave. 527-8245 

“From Broadway to Brazil” April 1, 4 p.m. Berkeley Broadway Singers is a 70-member chorus led by Ellen Hoffman. They will be singing Motown classics along with class Broadway showtunes Free Saint Ambrose Church 1145 Gilman St. 524-0107 

Trio Accorde April 1, 7:30 p.m. $10 - $15 Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley One Lawson Road Kensington 525-0302 

Hillbillies From Mars April 8, 2 p.m. Rocking the Bay for twenty years, the Hillbillies fuse rock n’ roll, swing, Latin and African beats. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Bravo! Opera!” April 8, 7:30 p.m. A veritable Opera chorus smorgasbord with Bizet’s “Carmen,” Verdi’s “IL trovatore,” and Copland’s “The Tenderland.” $8 - $12 Hertz Hall UC Berkeley 643-9645 

Young Emerging Artists Concert April 10, 7 - 8 p.m. The Young Musicians Program Jazz Combo will perform jazz standards and original compositions. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra presents “Under Construction No. 11” April 8, 7:30 p.m. A concert of new works by local composers, including Mary Stiles, Mark Winges, and David Sheinfeld. Free St. John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Ave.  

Theater 

“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 Through March 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  

“Little Shop of Horrors” Through Apri 1, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, 2 p.m., no show Friday, March 23; $12 Berkeley Community Little Theatre Allston Way at Martin Luther King, Jr. Way Call 943-SHOW  

“The Oresteia” by Aeschylus Through 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 

“Chappy Knuckles (Semi-Regional Motorcross And) Family Fun Hour” March 19 & 20, 7 & 9 p.m. Shotgun Players’ Black Box Productions presents Old Man McGinty, who has a rubbing stone that he would love for you to touch. $10 LaVal’s Subterranean Theatre 1834 Euclid Ave. 655-0813 or visit www.shotgunplayers.com  

“The Tempest” by William Shakespeare Through April 14, Thursday - Saturday, 8 p.m. Presented by Subterranean Shakespeare and directed by Stanley Spenger $8 - $10 LaVal’s Subterranean Theatre 1834 Euclid Ave. (at Hearst) 237-7415 

Action Movie: The Play March 23 - April 21, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m. Non-stop action and martial arts mayhem with comedy, surprise plot twists, and the occasional movie reference thrown in. $7 - $12 The Eighth Street Studio 2525 Eighth St. 464-4468 

Stagebridge presents the 10th annual Family Matinee Theatre and Ice Cream Social March 25 & April 1, 3 p.m. The premiere of Linda Spector’s “Strega Nona and Other Grandparent Tales,” with a cast aged 9 - 70. $4 - $8 First Congregational Church 2501 Harrison Oakland 444-4755 or visit www.stagebridge.org.  

Films 

“Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win” March 18, 6 p.m. 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. $7 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave. (at Prince) 849-2568  

The Bullfighter & the Lady and Seven Men From Now March 17, 6:30 p.m. Join Budd Boetticher, director of Westerns, who will discuss his career and screen two of his favorites. $7 Pacific Film Archive 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch St.) 642-1412 

“Dreamers” March 17 - 24 The American feature film debut of Chinese-born writer/director Ann Lu. The executive producer of the film is UC Berkeley alumnus Peiti Feng Fine Arts Cinema 2451 Shattuck Ave. 848-1143 

“Earth” April 7, 7:30 p.m. A 1930 film, set in Ukraine, by Soviet director Alexander Dovzhenko with an original music score created and performed by composer and musician Adrian Johnston. $7 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

“Regeneration” April 8, 5:30 p.m. The first feature-length gangster movie, filmed around 1915 on the streets of New York’s Hell’s Kitchen. Directed by Raoul Walsh, the movie will have a new original music score created and performed by composer and musician Adrian Johnston. $7 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

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 

“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 

“Sugar N’ Spice N’ Everything Nice: Live, Loves and Legacies of Women of Color” Through April 21, Wednesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Works by Aissatoui Vernita, Flo Oy Wong, Tomoko Negishi, Consuelo Jimenez and many others. Pro Arts Gallery 461 Ninth Street Oakland 763-9425 

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. Through April 12, Tuesday - Thursday, 1 - 7 p.m., Saturday Noon - 4 p.m. and by appointment. 548-9272 or www.wcrc.org 

Nylan Jeung and David Lippenberger Lippenberger renders figures in acrylic and Jeung work with ink and watercolor on rice paper, using traditional eastern techniques. Through April 7, Wednesday through Sunday, Noon - 5 p.m Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893 

Recent Works of Narangkar Khalsa & Pete Glover Through March 31; Opening reception March 10, 7 - 9 p.m. !hey! Gallery 4920-B Telegraph Ave. Oakland 428-2349  

“The Art of Meadowsweet Dairy” Objects found in nature, reworked and turned into objects of art. March 19 - May 15, call for hours; Opening reception: April 6, 6 - 9 p.m. Current Gallery at the Crucible 1036 Ashby Ave. 843-5511  

Bernard Maisner: Illuminated Manuscripts & Paintings March 18 - August 8 Maisner works in miniature as well as in large scales, combining his mastery of medieval illumination, gold leafing, and modern painting techniques. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library 2400 Ridge Rd. 849-2541 

Readings 

Boadecia’s Books All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted March 21, 7 p.m.: Gay/Bi Men’s Book Group will discuss “Lost Language of Cranes” by David Leavitt; 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 March 18: Poetry of Yvonne Cannon, Lara Gularte, Richard Rocco; March 19: Jean Rouverol talks about “Refugees From Hollywood: A Journal of the Blacklist”; March 21: Poetry of James Schevill; March 25: Poetry of Beverly Matherne & A.J. Rathbun; March 28: Poetry of Craig Van Riper & Jaime Robles; April 4: Poetry of Carole Simmons Oles & Matthew McKay; April 11: Poetry of Kurt Brown & Al Young 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted March 27: Travel writer Edward Hasbrouck, author of “The Practical Nomad” will provide essential tips, advice, and consumer skills for the independent traveler; March 29: Katherine Widing, author of “Cycling France” will give a slide presentation/talk on just that 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 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. 

Rhythm & Muse Open Mike March 25, 2 p.m. Featuring poet Paradise Berkeley Art Museum 2621 Durant (at Bowditch) 527-9753 

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

“Slam the Prisons” April 6, 6 p.m. - 1 a.m. A benefit for prison activism featuring Tang, Company of Prophets, Sheryl D. Mebane and many others. Proceeds benefit the defense of New Afrikan political prisoner Khalfani X. Khaldun and the Prison Activist Resource Center. $10 La Pena Cultural Center 3205 Shattuck Ave. 898-0431  

Tours 

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

Berkeley City Club Tours 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. The fourth Sunday of every month, Noon - 4 p.m. $2 848-7800  

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  

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

Lectures 

Berkeley Historical Society Slide Lecture & Booksigning Series Sundays, 3 - 5 p.m. $10 donation requested 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 19, Noon: Anne Balsamo of Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, will explore IT issues within the humanities; April 23, 4 p.m.: Mary Dudziach of USC will discuss “Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy.” 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 

City Commons Club Lecture Series Fridays, 12:30 p.m. $1 general Students Free March 16: Paul H. Young, Jr. retired foreign service officer, will present “A Pilgrim’s Visit to Athos”; March 23: Guy Colwell, master painter of Nasters, will speak on “Using Painting to Teach Art History”; March 30: Jana Grittersova, professor of International Relations, UC Berkeley will speak on “The European Union - Integration and Expansion” Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave. 848-3533 

“Color, Color, Color” March 26, 7:30 p.m. A lecture by Christine Barnes which looks at three characteristics of color common to all quilts: Value, temperature and intensity. Free - $3 First Unitarian Church One Lawson Road Kensington 834-3706 

For the first time ever, two Berkeley high school basketball teams could bring home state championships in the same season. But if the Berkeley Lady ’Jackets and the St. Mary’s Panthers are to win their respective titles, they will both have to overcome bigger, stronger opponents. 

For Berkeley, this is no new situation, as the ’Jackets have won two state titles in the last decade. They face an opponent as familiar as any other in Narbonne, which defeated Gene Nakamura’s squad in 1998 and last year in the Division I Final, although the Lady Gauchos were forced to vacate the title in 1998 due to recruiting violations. 

The Panthers, on the other hand, have never been this far, with their loss in the Northern Section semifinals last year their best effort until now. The ultra-quick Panthers will take on Southern Section Division IV champ Crossroads, which features 6-foot-10 center Isaiah Fox and 6-foot-6 forward Jordan Rush. 

The Lady ’Jackets are led by senior forward Robin Roberson, who has signed to play at Arizona next year. Roberson has added 3-point range to her game this season to go with her tough inside game, but she will be facing a Narbonne squad that has one of the nation’s biggest and best frontcourts. Forwards Amber Pruitt, Wilnett Crockett and Jamie Funn are all taller than the 6-foot Roberson, so the Berkeley star will likely look for her points outside the paint. 

While Narbonne’s most explosive player is Tennessee-bound guard Loree Moore, Nakamura is concerned with the Lady Gauchos’ front line and their ability to dominate the offensive glass. His team gave up 19 offensive rebounds to Oakland in the Northern Section Final. 

“Narbonne is such a multi-talented team, and they’re a big team,” Nakamura said. “They go 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 across the front line, and if we don’t block out, they’ll beat us on putbacks alone. If they control the boards on us, we’ll be in deep trouble.” 

The task of containing the taller Gauchos will fall to center Sabrina Keys and forwards Roberson and Gelater Fullwood. Keys has had a disappointing year on the offensive end, but she uses her 6-foot-1 frame well to grab rebounds. Fullwood will be at a size disadvantage, but she is very active and plays with more energy than her bigger teammates. 

Berkeley’s offense will hinge on whoever Nakamura decides on at the point. Senior Danielle Milburn and sophomore Michi Yamamoto have both performed well at times this season, but neither has been able to hold down the starting job for more than a few games. Late in the season, Nakamura has depended on junior Angelita Hutton to bring the ball up the court, but she isn’t a true point guard and has struggled in the playoffs. If Milburn or Yamamoto can run the offense against Narbonne, it should allow Hutton to concentrate on her scoring, which would in turn take the heat off of Roberson. 

On the boys’ side, St. Mary’s will use their quickness to offset the size of Crossroads in a David vs. Goliath matchup. Fox, who will play at Arizona next year, has had a monster impact in the playoffs, culminating in a 33-point, 22-rebound effort against Bakersfield in the section final. St. Mary’s coach Jose Caraballo will defend him with 6-foot-8 sophomore Simon Knight and hope for the best. Knight has the size to match up with Fox, but his lack of experience could mean trouble for the Panthers. 

Fox is the latest in a line of standout players for the Roadrunners, who won a state title in 1997. Crossroads has produced current NBA players Baron Davis and Austin Croshere. 

Senior guard Joe Abraham will run the offense for Crossroads, and how he handles the St. Mary’s press will be a key to the game. If the Roadrunners can consistently set up their half-court offense, they can pound the ball inside to Fox and Rush. But if the Panthers can make the game a chaotic, run-and-gun affair, the odds will favor the Berkeley squad. 

Caraballo will answer the Roadrunners’ size with his quicksilver backcourt, point guard DaShawn Freeman and John Sharper. Freeman, one of the top junior guards in the state, has played well-rounded games in the playoffs and should create havoc for the Crossroads guards. Sharper has been on fire lately, averaging 25 points per game in the playoffs. The guards team with forwards Chase Moore and Jeremiah Fielder to pressure the other team into turnovers, and Fielder has proven time and time again that he can shut down a big scorer. 

The game should come down to tempo. Whichever team controls the pace should win the championship.

Fifth-graders Erin Williams and Keila Russell lead busy lives. 

But that didn’t stop them from making time away from their regular occupations (Erin is a newspaper publisher and Keila is vice mayor of a small town) to start a small photography business. As first time entrepreneurs, they ran into difficulties making the business profitable. It may have been unrealistic to charge $7 retail for a product that cost only 50 cents to produce, they said. 

But in the bustling corridors of the City of Franklin Microsociety Magnet School last week, the business partners seemed undeterred. They’re already working on another business plan for a gourmet food shop specializing in caramel apples. 

“Food is a big seller,” Keila said. 

“And we want big sellers,” Erin said. 

Keila let this daring display of entrepreneurial spirit sink in before marching out the deal clincher. 

“And caramel apples are good with ice cream.” 

One of four magnet schools launched in Berkeley under a $3 million, three-year federal grant awarded in 1999, the City of Franklin teaches kids the skills they need to survive in the real world by building a real world within the school.  

The students study the same curriculum as other grade-schoolers, but for at least 45 minutes, twice a week, they use the things they learn as adult professionals might. 

“They say, ‘Oh, that’s why I need to know this,’” said Franklin Principal Barbara Penny-James. “Rather than just an academic exercise they see the practical application of what they learn.” 

Each grade is in charge of running an agency that the whole school, in community meetings, determined was a necessary component of their microsociety. Each agency is tied in carefully with the curriculum of that particular grade. 

Kindergartners, for example, draw on their science curriculum to run the school’s recycling agency. First-graders practice critical reading and writing skills as the employees of the school’s post office.  

Second-graders might be called a wing of the school’s state department. Their social studies revolve around the country of Brazil, and the students periodically launch public education campaigns to bring the rest of the school up to speed on South America’s largest and most populous country.  

Third-grade is the financial district. Students hone basic math skills as employees of the school store and the school bank. Fourth-grade is for the foodies. As the staff of the school restaurant, these students take field trips to Wild Oats Market on University Avenue to learn about nutrition. They visit area restaurants to study a broad array of menus before drafting one of their own. 

Fifth-graders report on everything going on in the lower grades as the staff of the “201 Times” newspaper. They work on writing and communication skills and draw on concepts learned in math, history and science classes to narrate the life of the school. 

“We’re preparing them to become more active participants in society,” said Franklin fifth-grade teacher Lourdes Lejano. “They don’t want to miss anything, because they have an opportunity to see the consequences if they do miss anything.” 

Franklin students are paid for the jobs in microdollars. They’re paid one microdollar for coming to school each day and another microdollar for coming to school on time. They, in turn, must to pay rent for the desks and school materials. Money left over can be spend at the school store, or on Market Day once a year, when students like Erin and Keila test their skills by operating entrepreneurial businesses. 

The power of the microsociety model is that it teaches responsibility and accountability, said Berkeley Chamber of Commerce CEO Rachel Rupert. 

“We get kids coming out of high school who can’t spell, don’t know how to problem solve, or don’t have the accountability to be on time (for work),” Rupert said. “(Franklin kids) are going to have a better understanding of what it takes” to hold down a real job. 

The microsociety isn’t just based on the real city of Berkeley, it’s actually linked to it wherever feasible. The school is a member of the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce and sends a delegation to its annual trade show. A banker has visited campus to help third graders understand what it takes to run a real bank and a retired judge stops in occasionally to help with the school court. Next month he’ll swear in students lucky enough to pass the City of Franklin BAR examination. 

Students begin to see how the things they learn in school help determine which career path they can take, Franklin teachers said. 

“They’re able to link their own experiences and the experiences of their parents,” said Lejano. 

City of Franklin Microsociety Magnet School will soon expand to become the city’s only K-8 school, adding one grade each year for the next three years. 

“Everywhere I go people say, ‘Yes, this is the way to go,’ ‘Yes, this makes so much sense,’” Penny-James said. 

Penny-James said the microsociety works best with the middle school component in place because the activities of the older students enrich the school society and provide additional learning opportunities for students at all levels. 

For example, Franklin’s first sixth-grade class next year will study French and have an opportunity to travel to a French speaking country. Penny-James said the school will begin teaching some French even at lower grades, anticipating that students will want to start early when they see what’s in store for them in sixth grade. 

Irving Phillips, director of magnet programs for the Berkeley Unified School District, said it’s too early to say how well Franklin has met some of the key goals of federally funded magnet schools, like reducing racial segregation and raising student achievement. The school is still in the early stages of recruiting students from across Berkeley, he said, and it has only one year’s test scores under its belt. 

Franklin faired worse that most Berkeley elementary schools last year on standardized tests for reading, math, language and spelling, but part of that could be that the many of the school’s 170 students were underperforming in other schools and came to Franklin for “a second chance,” Penny-James said.  

Other Berkeley magnet schools have seen their test scores improve dramatically from the first year to the second, Phillips said. Malcolm X Arts & Academic Magnet School saw its state Academic Performance Index (API) rating climb from 622 in 1999 to 688 in 2000. The Rosa Parks Environmental Science School API climbed from 522 to 614 in the same period. 

Franklin had an API of 610 last year, the first year it was rated. 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Demetrius Porter scored a career-high 27 points and helped stem three second-half comebacks by California as ninth-seeded Fresno State beat the Bears 82-70 on Friday night in the first round of the South Regional. 

The victory gave coach Jerry Tarkanian a 17-1 record in the first round of the NCAA tournament and set up a second-round matchup with top-seeded Michigan State on Sunday. 

The defending national champions beat Alabama State 69-35. 

It was Tarkanian's first NCAA win at Fresno State (26-6) and the second in school history. He won four first-round games at Long Beach State and 12 at UNLV, including the championship season of 1990. 

Porter, a senior guard whose previous best was 26 points against Rice as a junior, hit a 3-pointer to start an 8-0 run when the eighth-seeded Bears (20-11) closed to 46-43 with 13:54 to play. He ended the run with a nice high-arching shot on a long drive. 

Cal, which was making its first tournament appearance since 1997, closed to 56-51 but Porter hit the last of his five 3-pointers with 7:34 left to give Fresno State a 61-51 lead. He finished 5-for-10 from 3-point range. 

The last run by the Bears had them within six at 68-62 with 3:38 to play when Porter made two free throws to start Fresno State's closing run of 14-8 with all the points coming from the free-throw line. 

Melvin Ely, the Western Athletic Conference player of the year, added 21 points and 13 rebounds for Fresno State, while Chris Jeffries had 15 points. 

Shantay Legans had 15 points to lead the Bears, while Pac-10 player of the year Sean Lampley had 13, six below his average. He had just four points in the first half on 2-for-8 shooting and was 6-for-18 for the game, well off his season mark of 51 percent. California lost four of its last five games.

In the 1960s, then UC Berkeley master’s student and campus activist David Horowitz was hauled before the campus administration and disciplined for holding an unscheduled “rally” for a liberal cause.  

Horowitz told an audience of over 450 people Thursday night that he came back to campus to stop what he’d started. 

“Forty years ago I tried to start the ball rolling,” Horowitz said in an interview before the talk at the Valley Life Sciences building. “I’d like to spend my later years trying to roll it back.” 

Two conservative student groups, the Berkeley College Republicans and the Berkeley Conservative Foundation, invited Horowitz to campus after the student-run newspaper, the Daily Californian, publicly apologized for an ad it had run. The ad, written by Horowitz, listed 10 reasons why paying reparations for slavery was a bad idea. Among other arguments, the ad claimed that blacks had already received trillions of dollars in welfare payments and that blacks, like whites, had benefited from the wealth that slavery had helped to bring to the country. 

Many of Horowitz’ opponents on campus used words like “racist” and “bigot” to describe him. Comparing the word “racist” to the word “communist” Horowitz declared the current political climate on campus “racial McCarthyism.”  

In the McCarthy era, people who were called communists were stigmatized, censored and often lost their jobs. Horowitz implied that calling people “racist” was an effective way of censoring them. 

But Horowitz reserved his fiercest criticism for UC Berkeley officials, calling them the “parents” who should be overseeing students and fostering free speech. 

“It’s the job of the administration to protect political minorities,” he said. “There should be ethnic, religious and intellectual diversity.” 

Instead they create a climate where only certain liberal, progressive sentiments are condoned, he said, adding, “Apparently at this campus some ideas are too dangerous for the students or the university community to hear.”  

Horowitz claimed that protecting students from speech that makes them uncomfortable is part of a whole trend of treating minority students as if they are “weak, ill, and crippled.” Instead people should be able to handle challenges to their opinions. 

“I have no ill will to the students whose feelings were hurt by the ad,” he said, referring to the group of students who demanded a retraction from the Daily Californian. “I’m angry at the parents.” 

Horowitz did not explain why he held the university responsible for the apology issued by the editor of the Daily Californian. University spokeswoman Marie Felde refuted the implication that the administration has any control over the ideas presented on campus. “There are regulations that deal with the time and place of organized rallies and amplified sound,” she said. “The content of the speech is never regulated and it would never be here at Berkeley.”  

She said that Horowitz’ presence at the university, speaking to a packed house, “questions the comment” that Berkeley is a “monolith” of liberal ideology, as Horowitz said.  

But some students in the audience, on both extremes of the political spectrum, heard an unwelcome truth in Horowitz’ words.  

Jennifer Simmons, an African-American student and member of the Berkeley College Republicans, said she feels limited by an environment where she feels proscribed political opinions reign. 

“It’s hard to be conservative on this campus,” she said, “All the minorities are so liberal. Going out on my own and saying, ‘This is what I believe in,’ ostracizes me.” 

Shagha Balali took a breather from intense discussions on the steps outside the Valley Life Sciences building, to address the question of free speech on campus.  

“People will not state opposing opinions because of their fear that they’re going to be bashed because of it,” she said matter-of-factly. 

University administrators disagree; they say that public discussion is thriving. 

“The best possible illustration of the welcoming of a multitude of viewpoints is to come onto campus at noon,” Felde said. “There was one table the other day that sought support to end the death penalty and another selling campus yearbooks, and I don’t know how much more open to a range of opinions you can have.” 

Thursday’s event ended abruptly during a question and answer session that followed Horowitz’ speech. The first two speakers questioned his facts on African-American history. The third speaker got to the heart of the debate, saying that the First Amendment does not require a newspaper to publish somebody’s opinion, just because the person pays for ad space. The Daily Californian, he said, was not required to publish Horowitz’ ad.  

When Horowitz tried to respond, the speaker yelled over him. The audience got involved, some of them shouting for the man to quit talking, others shouting for his right to “free speech.”  

The question became moot when someone turned off the speaker’s microphone, and Horowitz quickly left the stage.  

Stephen Brooks, administrative director for the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, which Horowitz founded, described the reason for the rapid exit.  

“His assessment of the situation was that it had devolved beyond the point which reasonable dialogue would be possible,” Brooks said. Horowitz realized that the student was making a speech, not asking questions, and wouldn’t relinquish the microphone, he said. “He realized there was no way back to the civil discourse that had taken place before.” 

The move disappointed many of the audience members, who declared it counter to the entire message of free speech and public debate. 

Law student Richard Petty sat right up in the front of the auditorium with the event organizers. “I think it was very disappointing,” he said. The spirit that makes it possible for unwelcome ads to run in campus newspapers, said Petty, is the same one that means the microphone of an unwelcome speaker should be left turned on.  

Last year, Arizona State was a team experts predicted would be hampered by inexperience and youth. They only won the Pac-10 championship and advanced to a NCAA regional final. Cal’s baseball team has such lofty goals, but they are now the inexperienced team in the Pac-10, and their inexperience showed this afternoon in a frustrating 7-4 loss to the Sun Devils at Evans Diamond.  

“We pitch and play enough defense that we should be able to play with the better teams,” Cal head coach Dave Esquer said. “We need to produce more offensively if we’re going to be the kind of team that’s not just close, but will beat those teams.” 

The game’s key moment came in the top of the fifth inning. Cal starter Trevor Hutchinson (2-4) escaped harm when Mel Stocker, who doubled to start the inning, was cut down at the plate trying to score on a single by Jeff Phelps. Hutchinson then walked catcher Casey Myers but retired Jeremy West on a grounder to second. With two outs, shortstop Brooks Conrad slapped a 2-2 fastball into the left-centerfield gap, scoring Phelps and Myers and giving the Sun Devils their first lead of the ballgame.  

Arizona State (18-4-1, 1-0 Pac-10) never trailed after Conrad’s hit. Hutchinson struggled with his control throughout the game, walking four batters and throwing 106 pitches in only 4 2/3 innings.  

“I don’t think Trevor had his best stuff today,” Esquer said.  

Cal (13-10, 0-1) opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. Senior first baseman Clint Hoover’s two-run triple drove in Ben Conley and Brian Horowitz, giving the Bears an early 2-0 lead. However, pitcher Jon Switzer induced a fly-out to centerfielder Chris Duffy, who threw to the plate to nail the tagging Hoover and end the Cal threat. The Bears would add another run in the top of the third as Conley scored on Switzer’s wild pitch. 

As soon as the Bears grabbed a lead, however, Arizona came back, as the Devils were in the details. Hutchinson committed a fielding error on a comeback grounder by Phelps, which led to a bases-loaded, one out battle with Myers. The All-American catcher promptly laced a two-out, two-run single to center to cut the lead to 3-2.  

“We have to be better at these little details,” explained Esquer. “Casey Myers is one of the best hitters in the Pac-10, and because of that (error), he’s up with bases loaded instead of being up with runners on second and third. That changes the complexion of the whole inning.” 

Cal would tie the game in the fourth inning on an error by second baseman Steve Garrabrants, but would not lead again after Conley’s double in the fifth. The Devils added two insurance runs in the seventh inning with RBI singles from Rod Allen and Duffy. Conrad and Myers led Arizona State with three hits and 2 RBI’s apiece. 

Freshman leftfielder Brian Horowitz singled in his first at-bat, extending his hitting streak to18 games. Horowitz has reached safely in 22 of the Bears’ 23 games this season. 

Arizona State will play two more games at Evans Diamond; both tomorrow and Sunday’s games will begin at 1 p.m.

It’s got boxes of old buttons, stacks of paper of all shapes, sizes and colors, lots of paper clips and ribbons. 

And now the 26-year-old East Bay Depot for Creative Use has a home – at least it does for 18 more months. The Depot, at 6713 San Pablo Ave., is a place where teachers and artists come to find recyclables for art projects and a place where the public in general comes to find, well, almost anything – faux fireplaces, refinished chairs, lampshades. 

The Depot, which employs 41 people – 25 of them work there full time – almost lost its lease about a year ago when the nonprofit’s landlord, UC Berkeley, announced it wanted to reclaim the Depot’s 4,500 square-foot space.  

The university wanted to move employees to the San Pablo Avenue building, who are being displaced by large retrofitting projects on campus. 

After months of negotiations that director Linda Levitsky said included letters from numerous Berkeley and Oakland teachers and work on the part of Councilmember Linda Maio and other public officials, she got the good news on Thursday. The university said they could stay temporarily. 

Levitsky said the plan is that when it’s time to leave, the new space around the block at Urban Ore’s Eco Park will be ready. With the help of the city, Urban Ore, a business that recycles products such as furniture and plumbing supplies, moved into its current location at 900 Murray St. They are retrofitting a building on the site which they plan to share with a number of other businesses that recycle.  

“The beauty for the Depot, if it goes over there, is we’ll have a 15 year lease,” Levitsky said. “The key to success is a long-term lease.”

Berkeley Observed 

Looking back, seeing ahead 

The 1852 U.S. Coastal Survey Map is one of the very earliest maps of Berkeley.  

It shows the original Berkeley shoreline before it was developed.  

The natural shape of the creeks as they make their way to the Bay are clearly visible. Two of the ancient shell mounds built by the native people who once populated the shoreline, are also shown: one at Temescal Creek in Emeryville and the other at Strawberry Creek in Berkeley.  

The map also shows that the foot of Strawberry Creek once ended in a medium-sized marsh and that Codornices Creek ended in a very large one.  

Location of the creeks may not be completely accurate. There are several parcels outlined and some buildings. Only one road is shown, extending from Strawberry Creek north along the foot of the hills. 

Old maps can often explain present conditions. Today, the marshy mouth of Strawberry Creek is located between Fourth and Seventh streets, University Avenue and Addison Street. A memoir by retired teacher Wilhemina Bolsted Ciarciarulo of life in Berkeley in the 1880s, describes how school children walked along plank boardwalks to cross the pond that appeared here during the rainy season.  

She reported, that sometimes they even fell into the pond. 

After the 1906 earthquake the pond disappeared and never returned. If you buy property here today you would be told it is in a flood hazard zone, and this map explains why.  

A second map by the U.S. Coast Survey from 1856 shows the marshy area at the foot of Strawberry Creek already half the size as it was in 1852.  

It also shows Berkeley’s first wharf, and Jacob’s Landing has been built.  

The updated 1856 map also shows roads and delineates parcels of land, which the 1852 map did not.  

Survey maps were important tools as land was subdivided and sold.  

Early maps give us the opportunity to see how the topography was modified as it was used and developed. By working backward one can piece this together.  

The 1852 map is located at UC Berkeley, in the Berkeley Map Room in the Earth Sciences Library. The Bancroft Library on the campus is another source for early California maps.  

Susan Cerny and Stephanie Manning wrote this column in conjunction with the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association

ANAHEIM — Biographies on homosexuals will be returned to a school library under terms of a settlement between the American Civil Liberties Union and the Anaheim Union High School District. 

In December, the ACLU filed a federal suit on behalf of two students claiming the district violated constitutional free speech rights when it removed 10 biographies from the library at Orangeview Junior High School. 

Among the banned books was a series called “Lives of Notable Gay Men and Lesbians” and biographies on tennis player Martina Navratilova, economist John Maynard Keynes, and writers Willa Cather and James Baldwin. 

The district approved a settlement during a Thursday night meeting and a motion for approval of the agreement was being filed Friday in U.S. District Court, ACLU attorney Martha Matthews said.  

The student plaintiffs weren’t identified. 

“The two plaintiffs in this case and their families, as well as the two librarians who fought to defend a core principle of their profession – intellectual freedom – deserve the thanks of every student and parent in the district for ensuring an environment that doesn’t shut out the contributions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people,” Matthews said. 

Protesters staged a noisy demonstration during the Thursday night school board meeting to demand settlement of the lawsuit. 

Board members discussed the lawsuit in closed session, although in open session they listened silently as protesters from both sides urged them to return the books at once or banish them forever. 

They did not publicly discuss a March 1 formal complaint filed against them by fellow board member Alexandria Coronado, who is opposed to returning the books to libraries. 

Coronado charged that the board secretly voted 3-to-1 to settle the lawsuit last month, but then refused to tell the public. The claim states she cast the dissenting vote.  

If her colleagues don’t admit that they have settled and publicly apologize for keeping it secret, Coronado said she would sue them for violating the state’s open meeting laws. 

“Everyone has a right to protest, but that doesn’t mean I think the books should go back on the shelves,” said Robin Bowman, a parent at Kennedy High School.

SACRAMENTO — California may be in the midst of an energy crisis and a high-tech slowdown, but those developments are not yet affecting the state’s employment rate, which is at a three-decade low. 

The February jobless rate was 4.5 percent, the state Employment Development Department announced Friday. That was the lowest since December 1969, when it was 4.4 percent, the department said. 

The January rate was 4.6 percent. However, when the department first announced that rate a month ago, it, too, was 4.5 percent. State experts routinely adjust the rate after the initial announcement as they get additional information from employers and unemployment claims offices, said department spokeswoman Suzanne Schroeder. 

The jobless rate in February 2000 was 4.9 percent. The national figure was 4.2 percent for last month. 

A record 16.5 million Californians had jobs last month, up by 32,000 from January and by 432,000 from a year ago.  

The biggest gains came in service and retail jobs, particularly in health, engineering and management services and in food and clothing shops, the department said. 

“In terms of job growth, it looks like our economy is still strong. We’re outperforming the rest of the nation,” said Sandy Harrison, spokesman for Gov. Gray Davis’ Department of Finance. 

His department’s March economic analysis said that employers identified fewer than 600 unemployment claims related to the current energy crisis during the first seven weeks of 2001. 

The effects of the energy problems and Silicon Valley layoffs won’t show up until later this year, said Tom Leiser, senior economist for the UCLA Anderson Forecast. 

He said layoffs that have been announced in high-tech industries in the past few months have come in areas with labor shortages, meaning people were able to quickly get new jobs. 

“We’re seeing the beginning of weakness in the labor market, but not yet in the unemployment figures.  

As long as people are hanging onto their jobs, they’re continuing to spend at a reasonable pace,” he said. 

A total of 771,000 people did not have jobs last month, down by 25,000 from January and by 65,000 from a year ago. The total was the lowest number of unemployed since January 1990. 

Of the jobless, 460,000 were laid off, 98,800 left their jobs voluntarily and the rest were new entrants or re-entrants into the job market. 

The job figures were not uniform around the state, with the San Francisco Bay area and other coastal counties generally retaining their very low rates and agriculture-dependent counties having the highest. 

San Mateo and Marin counties had the lowest rates at 1.6 percent, followed by Santa Clara County at 1.7 percent. 

The highest rate of 27.9 percent was in Colusa County, followed by Imperial County with 18 percent and Merced and Tulare counties at 17.9 percent.

NEW YORK — It felt at first like stocks had perhaps hit bottom this past week – and not just once, but twice. 

Then, when the two big routs failed to inspire rallies, it became clear prices still have further to fall. 

The steep selloffs – sparked by yet more bad earnings news and fears of a global recession – pushed the Dow Jones industrials below 10,000 for the first time in 27 months and sank the Nasdaq composite index under 2,000 for the first time since October. And stocks slid even further with the Dow losing 821 points to end the week at 9,823.41, and the Nasdaq falling 161 to 1,890.91. 

When such drops fail to demonstrate that the markets have reached “the bottom” that Wall Street has been looking for, investor confidence slips further. That’s not going to help the market in days to come, said Brian Belski, fundamental market analyst for U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray. 

“The biggest problem with the market is that people are continuously looking for a bottom,” Belski said. 

Stocks failed to rally after the Nasdaq fell below 2,000 Monday and the Dow plunged more than 430 points. Likewise, the market didn’t fare better after the Dow lost 317 points Wednesday. 

Add to that reports that Japan’s economy, the second largest in the world, is in a state of deflation and investors here simply see no reason to buy stocks. 

“There is just so much pessimism around and it seems to be growing, which could be a good thing because that often happens at the bottom,” said Eugene G. Mintz, financial markets analysts at Brown Brothers Harriman. 

But Belski was less confident of a bottom being reached any time soon. 

“This is a market that has surprised everybody. Everybody is asking, ‘When are we going to turn around?” Belski said. “It’s not going to be easy.” 

A longer wait shouldn’t surprise people, analysts say, reminding investors that the market in the last year has lost more than $4 trillion. Yet who can blame investors for yearning to feel as rich as they did this time last year, just before the high-flying tech sector started tumbling? 

Just wanting the drubbing to end isn’t enough. For the market to really rebound – longer than a token session at a time – analysts say it’s going to take signs that the economy is getting out of its funk, earnings reports that beat rather than miss expectations and consumers starting to spend freely again. 

Earnings warnings, the latest coming late Thursday from Compaq Computer and Oracle, are what’s keeping stock prices and consumer confidence down. All it takes to quash a rally is one big-name company warning that business will continue to slump. 

“Every time the market gets its feet together, this happens,” said Larry Wachtel, market analyst for Prudential Securities. 

With healthier earnings, stock prices, economic growth and consumer confidence all dependent on one another, improving all of them is going to take some time – perhaps all year. The market, which had taken comfort in the belief that a reprieve would come in the second half of 2001, now is struggling to cope with a longer-term recovery. 

“The real question for this market is, when are earnings going to turn around, and earnings aren’t going to turn around until consumers start spending more money,” said James Meyer, director of research at Janney Montgomery Scott. “So, I want to see some positive sentiment.” 

Even reductions in interest rates, with the year’s third cut expected Tuesday from the Fed, will take at least six months to lift profits and stock prices. 

Although the wait for a market recovery will be longer than expected and a new bull market is even further away, many investors say they’re not concerned, because they’re in the market for the long haul. 

“I don’t get caught up in bull market, bear market, recession or whatever,” said Jim Nuckols, a 46 year-old tobacco and cattle farmer in Midway, Ky. 

“I just have every intention of putting my money where I have it and continually investing in stocks and mutual funds and hope for the best.” 

For the week, the Dow lost 821.21, eclipsing the 805.71 the blue chips lost during the week ended April 14, 2000. However, the Dow’s 7.71 percent slide was only its 44th-biggest weekly drop in percentage terms. The blue chips have now fallen 9.2 percent since they peaked at 11,722.98 on Jan. 14, 2000. 

The Nasdaq fell 161.79, or nearly 7.9 percent for the week, leaving the index 59.3 percent below the peak of 5,048.62 it reached March 10, 2000. The Nasdaq is also at its lowest close since Nov. 17, 1998. 

The S&P 500 fell 82.86 or 6.72 percent for the week. It has lost a quarter of its value from the high of 1,527.46 it reached a year ago. 

The Russell 2000 index, which measures the performance of smaller company stocks, fell 31.85, or 6.7 percent, for the week. It closed Friday at 441.80 after losing 10.36. 

The Wilshire Associates Equity Index — which represents the combined market value of all New York Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange and Nasdaq issues — ended the week at $10.56 trillion, off $772.36 billion from the previous week. A year ago, the index was $14.27 trillion. 

The University of California at Berkeley is turning 133 years old, and the campus is taking the occasion to celebrate its history, particularly its “Nobel” past. 

The Charter Day festivities will include a keynote address by Nobel Laureate Daniel McFadden, UC Berkeley economics professor and recipient of the Nobel Prize in economics in 2000. 

McFadden is the 17th member of the university's faculty to garner that distinction. That legacy will be honored when the university presents a slide show honoring its Nobel Prize history. 

The events begin at 10 a.m., when the school's chancellor, Robert M. Berdahl, will give a welcome speech at Zellerbach Hall. The celebratory events will also include the presentation of two awards, the Elise and Walter Haas International Award, and the Peter E. Haas Public Service award. A birthday party celebration is scheduled to take place in Dwinelle Plaza beginning at noon.

WASHINGTON — Employers can force workers to take job-related disputes to arbitration rather than to court, the Supreme Court said Wednesday in a ruling with special significance for employees who are not union members. 

The court divided 5-4 to rule that employers can use a federal law to enforce the arbitration agreements many workers sign when they take jobs. 

The court’s conservative-led majority took a narrow view of a federal law from the early days of the labor era that makes commercial arbitration agreements enforceable in federal court. The majority said an exception to the law did not apply to the case of a gay former electronics salesman who claimed he was harassed at work. 

While employees can still try to challenge the arbitration agreements, the ruling strengthens employers’ hands while giving employees fewer options to claim they were treated unfairly. 

The decision will probably increase the popularity of binding arbitration among employers, said employment lawyer Laura Allen of the New York firm Brown & Wood. “It means employers can continue doing what they’ve been doing already, only more so,” she said. 

Business groups already champion the practice as a cheaper, simpler and fairer alternative to resolving cases in court. 

Arbitration typically involves an outsider playing a role akin to a judge, but without a lot of the expensive procedures and requirements of a court proceeding, and without the unpredictability of a jury. 

Circuit City Stores had asked a federal judge to rule that the 1925 Federal Arbitration Act required Saint Clair Adams to settle his discrimination claim by arbitration. 

Adams’ lawyer, Michael Rubin, predicted the court’s ruling in Circuit City’s favor will embolden other employers to do the same thing. 

The heart of Wednesday’s case is a portion of the 1925 law that makes an exception for “seamen, railroad employees or any other class of workers engaged in foreign or interstate commerce.” 

Adams’ lawyers said the “commerce” part of the phrase applied to him, and a federal appeals court agreed. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the arbitration enforcement law did not apply to employment or labor contracts at all. 

Circuit City contended that the exception from the arbitration enforcement law was limited to workers actually involved in moving goods from one state to another, and the Supreme Court agreed. 

Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the court majority, said the 9th Circuit interpretation is unworkable and would spawn more lawsuits.  

He was joined by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Sandra Day O’Connor. 

A broad exception would “call into doubt the efficacy of alternative dispute resolution procedures adopted by many of the nation’s employers, and in the process undermine” the Federal Arbitration Act, he wrote. 

Arbitration clauses in employment contracts typically apply to nonunion workers who sign them as a condition of employment. Critics of the practice say workers often don’t read the legal fine print and don’t realize what rights they are signing away. 

Use of arbitration in employment cases has risen in recent decades, and about 10 percent of American workers are now covered by binding arbitration. 

High technology, one of the fastest-growing areas of the work force in recent years, is overwhelmingly nonunion. Although it is not clear how many high tech workers have signed arbitration clauses, lawyers said the practice is common. 

Justice John Paul Stevens wrote a dissenting opinion that accused the majority of “playing ostrich” to the legislative and historical context of the arbitration law and its consequences. 

That history includes opposition to the arbitration law from organized labor, which feared it would force courts to enforce unfair labor contracts, Stevens wrote for himself and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen J. Breyer. Justice David H. Souter filed a separate dissent. 

The majority decision Wednesday resurrects the reasons labor feared arbitration enforcement in 1925, Stevens wrote. 

On the Net: Supreme Court web site: http://www.supremeurtus.gov

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge Tuesday allowed a lawsuit to proceed against Barnes & Noble Inc. and Borders Group Inc. filed by independent booksellers who allege the chains receive illegal preferential treatment from publishers for secret deals and steep discounts. 

U.S. District Judge William Orrick Jr. set an April 9 trial here in an antitrust suit brought by the New York-based American Bookseller Association, which represents small, independent bookstores nationwide. The suit alleges that the two major book chains, which urged Orrick to throw out the suit, use their weight illegally to demand major discounts from some of the nation’s largest publishers. That, in turn, undermines mom-and-pop bookstores that cannot acquire the same deals. It’s an allegation that the chains emphatically deny. 

Still, the judge said that while the 26 suing independent booksellers represented by the ABA could have their day in court, they cannot win damages if they prevail. Orrick said it would be impossible to determine how much the independents were harmed by alleged anticompetitive practices. 

“While we are disappointed regarding the judge’s ruling on damages, this suit was never about monetary damages,” the ABA said in a statement. “Rather, from the beginning, it has been a fight to ensure that all book retailers play by the same rules on a level playing field.” 

Mel Goldman, attorney for New York-based Barnes & Noble, did not return phone messages. 

As major bookstore chains have expanded to new territories in recent years, the number of independent bookstores has declined. 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 from its peak of 5,000 five years ago. Barnes & Noble and Borders operate 937 and 335 stores, respectively, and are expanding notably in California. 

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On the Net: 

American Booksellers Association, http://www.bookweb.org 

Borders, http://www.borders.com 

Barnes & Noble, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ 

NEW YORK — For people who’d turn blue were an errant wind to blow away a $20 bill, investors seem remarkably detached, even blase, about seeing more than $4 trillion in equity assets disappear into the air. 

Yes, the consumer surveys say that confidence has plunged, but the actions do not confirm it. People are buying houses and cars, relaxing on cruises, flocking to casinos and generally spending more than they earn. 

The “consumer schizophrenia,” as economist David A. Wyss describes it, is causing a great deal of confusion among those who are accustomed to relying on the surveys, and perhaps even concern at the Federal Reserve. 

It leaves the Fed, for example, with the dilemma of determining whether consumers have had enough punishment and are deserving of lower interest rates, or if they still are a somewhat irrationally exuberant. 

Attitudinal plunges reflected in consumer confidence surveys cannot be ignored; the recent declines, Wyss points out, bear similarities to the declines that preceded the most recent four recessions. But neither can consumer actions be discounted – not when consumers borrow to buy. 

A possible clue may be contained in the suggestion from the surveys themselves that while people are increasingly concerned about the future economy, they may not as yet have experienced the painful effects. Jobs remain plentiful, inflation is in check, mortgage rates low, a tax cut is coming. And the future is a long way off. 

Yes, and it’s hard not believe that after nine years or so of rather good economic times, recessions are mere abstractions to millions of people rather than something they must deal with personally and painfully. They may not as yet have read the quarterly reports from their 401(k) plans and their mutual funds, but soon they will, and most of the reports will make poor reading. 

So far, the popular rational for dealing with the unpleasant facts is to say, “Oh well, I’m in it for the long term.” But that response ignores the fact that all people live in a timeframe, and that timeframe, as for retirement, may not coincide with the long term. 

Inherent in the long-term view is that the future that will be better, no matter what the consumer confidence surveys suggest. Stocks have always come back, or so it is said, and they will again, or so it is believed. 

Alan Greenspan, the Fed chairman, is still a hero to millions, and there is confidence he’ll not do anything further to hurt them. He may have created this thing, and he will see that the correction causes the least pain. 

Greenspan’s obligation, however, is not primarily to stocks but to the overall economy, and while the stock market is an important part of economy, so also are such matters as inflation, government spending and the trade deficit. Difficult as it might be to accept, small investors are on their own, as they’ll realize it when they face the realities and total their losses. Sadly, they tended to be invested in the stocks that took big falls. 

The five most popular stocks among investment clubs, according to the National Association of Investors Corp., are Cisco Systems Inc., Intel Corp., Lucent Technologies Inc., Home Depot Inc. and Microsoft Corp. Cisco alone is held by 15,480 clubs. 

In trading Monday, Cisco was down about 76 percent from its 52-week high. Intel was off 66 percent, Lucent down 85 percent, Home Depot down 39 percent and Microsoft down 53 percent. 

The reality makes hard reading. 

John Cunniff is a business analyst for The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO – Several crooning Newark cops were rocking in their dress blues at Parkway Heights Middle School this week to promote the release of their new CD — all in the name of traffic safety education. 

“Nothing But Trouble Driving on Crank” and “Designated Driver Blues” are only two of the 13 songs on the “Cops on Patrol” CD released this month by several San Francisco Bay area law enforcement agencies in conjunction with the Chief Operator Teen Driver program. 

“It’s received great reviews. Kids go crazy for it,” Newark police officer Will Palmini said Friday. “This bridges this huge gap. It shows that police officers can have fun. It just makes you feel really good to help out on a different level.” 

The program was created by Palmini’s father, Albany police Lt. Bill Palmini, who has done Elvis impersonations for years as part of a “singing cops” effort to teach middle and high school students about safe driving. 

Bill Palmini’s group, Elvis and the Lawmen, has traveled to 15 states and Canada, releasing three CDs along the way. The group, whose latest CD is “Traffic Safety Gold,” was awarded an honorary gold record in 1996 by the Recording Industry of America. 

The Teen Driver program was able to expand this year after receiving a three-year, $1.1 million grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the U.S. Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, according to Tanya Chalupa, program coordinator. 

Will Palmini, 28, Shawnacy Nauroth, 27, and their boss, Lt. Lance Morrison, played a large part in the making of the CD. The three form the next generation of musical cops with their “alternative” sound. 

Morrison, who plays guitar, wrote most of the songs on the disc. Will Palmini on lead vocals and Nauroth on drums and vocals round out the group. 

Will Palmini likens the Newark group’s “rock and rock-rap” sound to that of Creed. 

The “Cops On Patrol” CD is handed out free at schools and teen centers. It features songs by several law enforcement agencies, including San Jose police with “Cell Your Phone,” Hollister police with “Don’t Take My Child” and other officers from San Francisco, Albany, Oakland, Daily City and Concord. 

The officers spend much of their off-duty time practicing and visiting schools. Will Palmini thinks it’s worth the effort. 

“The kids I’ve handed the CD out to say things like ’Hey, there are the cool cops.’ That helps. We (police officers) want people to talk to us,” he said. 

The Newark group may have future plans to expand its traffic safety message to tackle other teen issues such as drug and alcohol use, teen pregnancy and smoking. Some of the songs already touch on those topics, Will Palmini said. 

For example, “Nothing But Trouble Driving on Crank” is as much about not using drugs as it is about safe driving, he said. 

The Newark group, which Will Palmini said doesn’t have an official name yet, will perform in Crescent City next week and in Los Angeles in April. 

“This is a traffic safety program, but it’s more than that,” Will Palmini said. “It’s a way to reach out to kids in the community and recruit them to be safety ambassadors. They’re learning traffic safety in a positive, upbeat way — and it’s not boring.” 

One way the program reaches out to kids is through a popular student songwriting contest, which is judged by MTV and superior court officials. Any middle or high school student can enter. The song can be any genre of music, must be no more than three-and-a-half minutes long and must focus on traffic safety.

LOS ANGELES — At the downtown headquarters of Chicana Service Action Center, soon-to-be released U.S. Census Bureau statistics represent more than numbers. 

Sophia Esparza, the nonprofit agency’s executive director, said the data reflects the people who depend on the agency’s domestic violence shelters, youth job training services and welfare-to-work programs offered primarily to the region’s poor Hispanics.  

The Census Bureau itself estimates there was a net national undercount in the 2000 Census of about 1.2 percent of the population, or 3.3 million people, down from 1.6 percent or 4 million people in 1990. 

There historically has been a higher undercount of the nation’s poor, infants and minorities. 

which is known as a “differential undercount.” The trend appears to be continuing, with surveys following the 2000 Census estimating a net undercount for Hispanics of about 3 percent. 

The undercount issue is acute in California, where an estimated 900,000 people, or 2.73 percent, were not counted in the 1990 Census. 

A Commerce Department decision to use raw numbers instead of adjusted figures has been challenged by Los Angeles and other cities and counties that have banded together in a lawsuit against the federal agency, which oversees the decennial count. In recently filed court documents, city attorneys called the government’s refusal to adjust the numbers through statistical sampling techniques “the civil rights issue of the decade.” 

“The Census Bureau by its own admission missed counting 3.3 million Americans,” City Attorney Jim Hahn said. “That is a totally unacceptable situation. In Los Angeles, vital political representation and an estimated $325 million in federal and state funding allocated on the basis of population is at stake, and we will take every legal action we can to assure the most accurate count of city residents.” 

The Chicana Service Action Center, which has been offering services since 1972, relies on Census demographics when applying for its share of the $185 billion in federal funding doled out each year. 

The group recently received a $1.3 million grant for a welfare-to-work program in Huntington Park, a heavily Hispanic area about 10 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. 

“We got that funded by looking at statistics,” she said. “We had to find out where the employers are, the number of welfare mothers and children. Census data gives us key indicators of demographics, which is needed when you’re looking at siting services.” 

The impact an undercount will have on funding will be felt throughout the state, officials said. 

California lost out on $2.2 billion worth of federal funding due to the 1990 Census undercount, said Linda Gage, chief of the demographic research unit for the state Department of Finance. An independent study has estimated the state could lose $5 billion over the next 10 years if unadjusted data is used for funding, Gage said. 

Census officials said no decision has been made yet on whether to release adjusted data in the future. A 1999 U.S. Supreme Court ruling found that raw numbers must be used to apportion Congressional seats, but did not block the use of sampled data for in-state redistricting and the allocation of federal funds. 

The bureau’s own statisticians in early March recommended releasing raw data for redistricting purposes after concluding that discrepancies with other demographic surveys could not be resolved by April 1, the legal deadline for releasing redistricting data to the states. 

At the Chicana Service Action Center, officials hope the city will prevail in its lawsuit and force the release of adjusted data. 

“If they don’t release adjusted numbers we will not be able to implement our programs strategically,” Esparza said. “The demand will not go away just because people were not counted by the Census Bureau.” 

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On the net: U.S. Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/