The Berkeley Bay Festival offers boat rides, art activities and educational experiences each year. And each year new people are stunned by what the Berkeley Marina has to offer. 

Saturday, thousands of people visited the Berkeley Marina for the annual festival. Patty Donald, event organizer, hoped they took something home with them that will remind them that the Bay is right next door, and that it belongs to all of us. 

“If they can't touch [the Bay] they won’t care about it,” said Donald. “If you can hold a crab in your hand, you’re going to think about what you put down the storm drain.” 

Part of her goal for the Berkeley Bay Festival is to teach people the importance of this vital resource, and get them to visit the marina for reasons, “beyond restaurants and boats.” 

Patty Donald herself realizes the truth of that statement. Five generations of her family have lived on the Bay, and her grandparents used the Bay as a port for shipping the products from their food and grain business. 

Donald wanted to ensure that young people and adults alike got to touch and look at parts of the Bay normally out of reach, and teaching through doing permeated the event. Each booth offered a hands-on activity for kids — where they colored pictures of fish, separated trash from sea shells on a small area of sand and distinguished male and female brine shrimp from each other. 

Hands-on learning is a method of education that is growing in popularity, and Susan Sepanik from Save the Bay, an organization fighting for bay preservation, explained that this kind of learning is grounded in extensive research.  

“It’s been proven that experiential education is great for kids,” she said. “They learn a lot more if you get a chance to get out on the water.” And, said Sepanik, her organization is very conscious that the educational technique of getting young people to play in and around the Bay is with the intent of “creating Bay stewards for the future.” 

A group of five girls attached to five blue balloons, visiting the festival for Emma Cox’s 11th birthday party, attested to the success of the educational strategy. Brittany Lai, Isabel Callejo Brighton, Aiyana Price, and Rosa and Emma Cox clamored together, “We like learning about the Bay and stuff. We just love nature, we all like animals and nature and stuff.”  

They added that conservation was important because, “We’d rather see them throughout our lives.”  

As if in accordance with Donald’s wishes, those who came were not the usual marina crowd of fine diners and boaters.  

Adamma Ison, whose boyfriend works in the Adventure Playground, said that not enough people know about the Marina, and so the usual visitors are not, as she put it delicately, a “mix of people.” 

But on Saturday, Ison was delighted that a diverse group came.  

“I wouldn’t mind volunteering next year,” she said.  

One favorite of festival participants were 30 minute boat rides, not to be mistaken for ill-fated three hour tours.  

The Cal Sailing Club, Hornblower Cruise Ship, and Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors, all offered rides for groups from four to 75 people throughout the day. The Disabled Sailors association makes sailing available to people with all disabilities, including extreme limited mobility and blindness. The group has three boats, which berth in both San Francisco and Berkeley. Skipper Mark Evju is paraplegic and has the blond hair and deeply reddish brown skin of the permanently sun-burnt. He’s been a sailor all his life. And he said, his acquired disability hasn’t stopped him.  

“I've been in a chair for ten years and there’s nothing — besides skateboarding and rollerblading — there’s nothing I can’t do.” 

Evju tried other sports before he found the Association for Disabled Sailors, and now he races in Disabled Regattas, and takes people out for tours around the Bay. Saturday, his boat took two to four passengers at a time around the Bay. He explained the depth of water, the means of “tacking” into the wind, and assured passengers that the boat couldn’t tip over. 

Those were comforting words to many new boaters, who sailed for the first time Saturday. Katherine Castillo Segovia was one of these. 

“I liked it when I touched the water. It was so cold,” she said. “Some of the water came to my face.”  

“I basically just flipped,” said Corinne Eno, chair of the Berkeley High school Grounds Committee, describing her reaction when asked to organize a campus clean-up in advance of an Arts Festival today. 

It’s not that Eno hasn’t organized campus clean-ups before. In fact, in her role on the Grounds Committee, she is often called up before big events to organize a last minute effort  

by volunteers. 

But Eno has been after the school district for years to get custodial staff dedicated to the goal of keeping the campus clean year round, so emergency clean ups wouldn’t have to happen. And in all that time nothing has improved, Eno said. 

Friday, describing hedge rows strewn with trash and a stairwell on Allston Way abuzz with flies because of all the trash left there day after day. 

“We’ve made numerous complaints at all levels and nothing is ever done,” Eno said. “It’s an ongoing and horrible problem.” 

Even when the students went away on spring break earlier this month, Eno said the campus was apparently not cleaned up. 

“The trash was still there, even after they’d had a week with no kids,” Eno said.  

Judging from the reaction Eno received after sending a defiant e-mail announcing that should would not organize a campus clean up this time, a lot of Berkeley High parents are just as fed up with the state of the campus. 

“I’ve been deluged with e-mails and phone calls [expressing support]” Eno said. “People are disgusted, they’re frustrated, they’re embarrassed.” 

Eno said one father wrote of his shame when he goes to sporting events at Berkeley High and sees visitors noticing the quantity of garbage around the field. 

When no effort is made to keep the campus regularly, clean students feel no compunction not to litter, Eno said.  

“It leads to this attitude of, well, if it’s filthy it doesn’t matter,” she said. 

“Parents need to say loud and clear that they’re not going to accept this situation any more.” 

District Interim Superintendent Stephen Goldstone said Friday that he has heard the message loud and clear. 

“There’s going to be a major effort [to keep the campus cleaner],” Goldstone said. 

Indeed, after Eno’s e-mail, custodial staff gave the campus a complete going over Wednesday, pruning the shrubbery and picking up litter. 

Goldstone said he took a complete tour of the campus and the perimeter Friday. 

“The perimeter still had a lot of trash and weeds,” he said.

Monday, April 30

Politics of Permits  

7 - 10 p.m.  

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Contractor/Mediator Ron Kelly will explain how to get your permit approved.  

$35  

525-7610 

Venus & Mars  

7:30 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Rabbi Yaacov Deyo, founder of LA’s speed dating will explain how to pick a mate, make your relationship thrive and how to fight effectively.  

$10  

848-0237 

100 Days of Bush  

Noon - 1 p.m.  

Lower Sproul Hall  

UC Berkeley  

The Students for Climate Protection are marking George W. Bush’s 100th day in office with a rally protesting Bush’s general environmental record in office and specifically focusing on his decision to pull the U.S. out of the global warming treaty negotiations. 

PTA Council Meeting  

7 p.m.  

Malcolm X Library  

1731 Prince (between King & Ellis)  

Introduction and election of PTA Council officers for 2001 - 02. If you would like to be an officer or nominate someone, contact Cynthia, 849-2683. Also, Dr. Goldstone will report on the budget situation and will update the situation on district issues and the superintendent search. 

Claremont Renters  

Neighborhood Meeting  

6 - 8 p.m.  

Claremont Branch Library  

2940 Benvenue Ave.  

Presentation on policies affecting rent ceilings, habitability issues and evictions. Get answers to your rent control questions.  

Tuesday, May 1

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 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 Farmers’ Market 

2 - 7 p.m. 

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

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 

Intelligent Conversation  

7 - 9 p.m.  

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

A discussion group open to all, regardless of age, religion, viewpoint, etc. This time the discussion will center on balancing work, life and, most importantly, happiness. Informally led by Robert Berend, who founded similar groups in L.A., Menlo Park, and Prague. Bring light snacks/drinks to share. Free  

527-5332 

PTSA General Membership Meeting  

7:30 p.m.  

Little Theater  

Berkeley High School  

Election of PTSA officers and School Site Council members. Interested parties may place their name in nomination prior to the meeting or be nominated from the floor. To run absentia, call Kristin at 843-7548. The school is also asking for volunteers to create an adult presence on campus.  

Looking for Support on HIV Issues 

12:45 - 1:45 p.m.  

Pacific School of Religion  

1798 Scenic Ave., Mudd 103  

“Beating the Bushes for Support on HIV Issues,” a conversation with Earl Curtis, a PSR student and intern at Project Inform.  

849-8229 

Responsibility for Technology  

7 p.m. 

Church Divinity School of the Pacific 

2451 Ridge Rd.  

Tucson Common Room 

“An Ethic of Responsibility for Technology,” featuring Dr. Normand Laurendeau. Enter from 2450 Le Conte Ave. near Parson’s Hall across from the GTU bookstore.  

848-8152 

LaborFest May Day  

Celebration  

7:30 p.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center  

3105 Shattuck (at Prince)  

A video screening of Sri Lankan “Slaves of Free Trade” by Yappa Kashyapa, poet Jack Hirschman, singers Carol Denney, Larry Shaw, Pam Pam, and The La Pena Choir. Also a report on Turkish hunger strikers and the general strike against privatization and IMF.  

$7 donation 

415-642-8066  

“2001 State of the City Address” 

7 p.m. 

City Council Chambers  

Old City Hall  

2134 MLK Jr. Way  

Mayor Shirley Dean will give her annual state of the City address. Light refreshments will be served.  

981-7105 

Home Design 

7 - 10 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St. 

First day of workshop taught by architect/contractor Barry Wagner. Continues Tuesdays through May 22. $150 for four evenings. 

525-7610 

Wednesday, May 2

Computer Literacy Class 

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.  

MLK Youth Services Center  

1730 Oregon St.  

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

Call 644-6226 

Thursday, May 3

Berkeley Metaphysical  

Toastmasters Club  

6:15 - 7:30 p.m.  

2515 Hillegass Ave.  

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

Call 869-2547 

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 

Free Smoking Cessation Class  

5:30 - 7:30 p.m.  

Six Thursday classes through May 17.  

Call 644-6422 to register and for location  

Disaster First Aid 

1 - 4 p.m.  

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 Catholics Group  

7:30 p.m. 

Newman Hall  

2700 Dwight Way (at College)  

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender Catholics group are “a spiritual community committed to creating justice.” This meetings discussions will center on “Queer Midrash: Exploring Scripture.”  

654-5486 

Climbing Mt. Shasta 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

As a climbing ranger with the U.S. Forest Service, Dan Towner has spent nine seasons exploring Mt. Shasta. He will help to prepare for a safe and successful first climb of Shasta via the Avalanche Gulch route. Free  

527-4140 

Caregivers’ Support Group  

1 - 2:30 p.m.  

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center 

Summit North Pavilion, Cafeteria Annexes B & C 

350 Hawthorne Ave.  

Oakland 

Come learn about resources for caregivers of older loved ones. Free 

869-6737

New Temple Beth El will be good for the community 

Editor: 

The decision about how Congregation Beth El should build its new synagogue and religious school cannot be made by considering only one special interest, as several writers to the Daily Planet have urged in the past few months.  

This is not simply a traffic issue, a noise issue, a creek issue, a size issue, a historical landmark issue, or an issue of the needs of the congregation. All of these factors must be addressed and balanced to make this project work and, after four years of design and re-design, Beth El's plan does address and balance all of these critical factors in the following ways:  

Traffic and Parking Impacts  

When assessing the traffic and parking impacts of the new synagogue, commentators often write as if Beth El were a new organization moving into the area. Yet, Beth El is now located just two blocks away and has been there for more than fifty years!  

The question is, “Does the new location deal with traffic and parking better than the current location?” You be the judge.  

Beth El's plan calls for more than 30 onsite parking places; the present facility has two. The new site has a drive-through so cars and buses can pick up and drop off children, seniors, disabled people and others. At the current site, this must be done on public streets.  

The move will greatly reduce neighborhood traffic and parking impacts.  

Sound  

The new building will be much farther from adjoining houses than the existing synagogue. Outdoor activities will be focused toward the center of the site, lessening sounds for neighbors. Most evenings, the congregation's only activities are a committee meeting or an adult education class. When there is a celebration like a wedding or bar/bat mitzvah, Beth El will, of course, continue to conform with the city's noise ordinance and with its own commitment to be a good neighbor.  

There will be less noise in the neighborhood at the new site.  

The Creek  

The Congregation's plan includes significant improvement of Codornices Creek. For 50+ years, the creek has run through a culvert 27 feet underground into an open section with eroding banks that are overgrown with non-native vegetation. Without the Beth El project, erosion will continue and cause problems downstream. From the very start, the congregation proposed to restore and beautify the creek, at its own expense.  

The City's Environmental Impact Report concludes that Codornices Creek will be in better condition after construction of the synagogue than it is today.  

In fact, Beth El's is the only current proposal to commit to making major improvements in the upper reaches of Codornices Creek.  

Importantly, in the plan approved by Berkeley's Zoning Board, there is no driveway, parking, paving, or building over the creek. Those who say otherwise are not telling the truth. The Congregation will plant the creek corridor naturally and will cooperate with the city to create a place for public viewing of the creek, which is not possible now.  

Beth El will be a responsible steward of what has been a neglected, deteriorating creek and property.  

Size  

Beth El's building will actually cover a smaller percentage of the land than the buildings on the surrounding block. And because of its design and orientation, the building will appear even smaller than it is.  

Some commentators sound the familiar refrain of opponents to virtually all Berkeley building projects: "Make it smaller." That refrain is misplaced here. Congregation Beth El is building a house of worship, education and gathering. It is not constructing an office building or a store where smaller size means less profit. Here, smaller size means cramped classrooms. 

Congregation Beth El's planned building is the size it needs. No more.  

By any reasonable measure, the building size is appropriate.  

Historical Preservation  

Since the Byrne House burned down many years ago, little or nothing has been done to publicly recognize or enhance the site's historical value.  

Beth El will retain and enhance the historical features identified by the Landmark Preservation Commission. The congregation also plans to install artwork and a plaque commemorating the site's history.  

A Balanced Project  

The Beth El building project addresses and balances all key issues and needs.  

It reduces the parking, traffic and sound impacts of Beth El on its neighbors. It improves and beautifies the creek. It is appropriate in size and style for the neighborhood. It celebrates the site's history. And, last but not least, it supports an institution that serves Berkeley's citizens and its values.  

Harry Pollack 

for Congregation Beth El  

Berkeley 

Another side to Israel/Palestine peace issue 

Editor: 

Gregory Hoadley and Will Youmans have used a lot of big words with not one point of backing to give a false impression of both Judaism and Israel (“Distinguish between Judaism and Israel” and “Address Palestinian exclusion from homeland,” April 27). 

First, learned rabbis, not Palestinian activists, decide what is “Jewish.” If you were to ask a group of rabbis whether Zionism and the land of Israel are central to Judaism 99 percent would answer yes, and that they have been so for the past two thousand years of exile. Jerusalem was the birthplace of Judaism, and since the beginning of the Diaspora it has been the center of Jews’ yearning. I won’t tell you what your religion teaches, so please don’t try to teach me mine. 

Second, the anti-Semitic aspects of Student’s for Justice in Palestine’s rally were not “the most trivial aspects that SJP has the least control over,” as is stated. In fact, the most hate-filled moments of the protest came from one of the event’s speakers over SJP’s microphone when he stated that Jews are “conniving” by nature, and that Jews only helped out African-Americans in the Civil Rights Movement for their own benefit. He said all this and received applause, even from the few Jews active in the rally, who are anything but “courageous.” 

Third, the two letters yell and shout to point out and even exaggerate some of the bad acts Israel has carried out while refusing to even concede that Palestinians are anything but saints. Any rational person who reads news reports or has any knowledge of the region’s history knows that the acts of hatred and vengeance are very two-sided. 

Finally, the bottom line is that last summer Israel offered peace; the most generous peace ever offered. Had the Palestinians accepted this peace, or at least given a counter proposal, these futile arguments would no longer be taking place.  

Instead, the Palestinian Authority decided to embark down a path of orchestrated violence to achieve what couldn’t be achieved through negotiations, namely, the destruction of Israel. 

David Singer 

Berkeley  

A capacity crowd of 2413 fans filled Evans Diamond on Sunday to watch the Golden Bears (26-22, 11-10) play the Stanford Cardinal (34-12, 12-6). The Bears, having taken the first two games from Stanford, were looking for a sweep to further their chances at making the post-season.  

For a while, it looked as if Cal would have a chance at a sweep, but after scoring only five runs in the first 24 innings of the series, the Cardinal bats got hot in the seventh inning. Stanford scored six runs, all with two outs, and added another in the eighth. The late hitting, combined with an outstanding pitching performance from Mike Gosling, propelled Stanford to an 8-0 victory. 

Gosling improved his record to a perfect 5-0, pitching a complete game, and scattering four hits and a walk, while striking out 10 Cal batters. 

For the first six innings it looked like a pitching duel between Gosling and David Cash (8-3), starting in place of usual third starter Ryan Atkinson, who was out with a tender shoulder. But Cash ran into trouble in the seventh and never made it out of the inning.  

Cal’s best chance to score - and take an early lead - was in the bottom of the third inning. With two outs, Ben Conley reached on a dropped third strike that got away from Stanford catcher Ryan Garko and Connor Jackson followed with a single, bringing up freshmen outfielder Brian Horowitz with a runner in scoring position. Horowitz worked the count to 3-0 before hitting a two-hopper down the third base line which Andy Topham backhanded and threw to first, beating Horowitz by a step.  

Stanford scored in the top of the of the fourth when back-to-back doubles scored Carlos Quentin. The game remained 1-0 until the top of the seventh. Quentin led off with a single and Stanford coach Mark Marquess put the hit and run on, which Stanford executed to perfection as designated hitter Jonny Ash hit a ball into the hole vacated by shortstop Jeff Dragicevich. 

Dragicevich missed a change in the defensive coverage assignment sent in by the Cal bench, costing Cal the opportunity at a double play, and leading to a big inning for the Cardinal. After a sacrifice bunt moved Quentin and Ash into scoring position, Cash intentionally walked Brian Hall to load the bases, setting up a possible force at home or a double play. Cash struck out Topham on three pitches, bringing up leadoff hitter Sam Fuld. Fuld hit a single up the middle, driving in both Ash and Quentin. After giving up a RBI single to Chris O’Riordan, Cash was pulled.  

The Cal bullpen gave up two more hits, leading to Stanford’s sixth and seventh runs of the game. After the top of the seventh the Cal the fans began slowly leaving for the exits. All they missed was Stanford scoring the final run of the game on a Topham sacrifice fly in the eighth inning.

The St. Mary’s track & field team once again had a good day at a top meet on Saturday, with several wins at the Top 8 Invitational at James Logan High School. 

Leading the way for the Panthers was thrower Kamaiya Warren, who won both the discus and shot put. Also on the girls’ side, Riana Shaw set a personal best in the high jump, winning the event by clearing 5’8”, and Bridget Duffy won the 3,200-meter race. 

For the boys, Chris Dunbar won the 400-meter dash, while Halihl Guy won the 300-meter high hurdles. But Guy finished second to Logan’s Nate Robinson in the 110-meter hurdles, and McClymonds High pulled out a surprise victory in the 4x100-meter relay, which the Panthers have dominated this year.

The city plans to develop 100 affordable housing units in the coming year despite ongoing obstacles facing nonprofit developers such as the rising land and construction costs.  

According to the Draft 2001 Annual Action Strategy for Housing and Community Development, another 104 units are in the pipeline but are not expected to be completed until the following year. And there are another 50-100 projected units that have not yet begun the planning or approval processes.  

The annual strategy report outlines the city’s primary goals of maintaining the city’s ethnic, social and economic diversity through the creation of affordable housing, social services and jobs.  

Besides housing, the report also describes funding sources for housing and homeless programs as well as the development of programs such as the respite care for the homeless. 

Of the 100 units to be completed this year, half will be reserved for tenants who earn 80 percent of the area median income, which is $67,600 for Berkeley households. That means for example, that those units will be available to a family of three that earns about $50,000. The other 50 units will be reserved for family’s who earn 50 percent of the AMI or $30,000 for a family of three.  

The majority of the affordable housing projects are being built by the city’s four nonprofit developers; the Affordable Housing Associates, the Northern California Land Trust, Resources for Community Development and Jubilee Restoration. The four nonprofits are currently being considered for a total of $336, 665 in federal Community Development Block Grant money. The City Council is expected to approve the grants at its May 8 meeting.  

Some of the larger projects in the pipeline include a proposed 30 units at 1725 University Ave. and another 25-35 units proposed for 2517 Sacramento St. Both are Affordable Housing Associate projects. Resources for Community Development has obtained 3222 Adeline St. on which it plans to build 19 units.  

The reports says that the obstacles to creating new affordable housing have increased this year over last year.  

“Unfortunately the trends and conditions that made providing affordable housing so difficult last year have only gotten worse this year.” the report says. “That is, rental and sales costs for housing have increased, as have construction costs. There has also been an increase in commercial rents making it more difficult to nonprofits agencies to operate.” 

Tuning up appliances, opening or closing vents and swapping energy-eating incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent ones are just a few ways Berkeley residents can reduce utility costs in light of California’s energy crisis, a Sierra Club panel said Saturday. 

Other ideas included windmills at Cesar Chavez Park, solar panels on southern facing Berkeley homes and public utility ownership.  

Under the florescent glare of overhead lighting, The Northern Alameda County Chapter of the Sierra Club hosted the panel discussion of energy experts and about 25 community members at its Berkeley office. 

Four speakers presented insights and suggestions toward more effective energy usage. They included, Sierra Club Senior Lobbyist in Sacramento, Bill Magavern, who gave an in-depth overview of the current situation.  

Other panelists included Mark Gorrell, a local architect and member of the Berkeley Ecology Center. Gorrell offered ideas on how to maximize renewable energy sources and minimize energy costs.  

Graham Brownstein from The Utility Reform Network, a California consumer advocacy organization, encouraged community education, involvement, and action. Sierra Club energy conservation expert Paul Craig presented the facts on individual cost-cutting tactics. 

Though environmentalists have emphasized conservation for decades, today’s crisis calls for more proactive solutions. Conservation alone will not end the blackouts that will be rolling in around June 1, according to the Notice of Public Participation Hearings put out by the California Public Utilities Commission last week. Instead, being more efficient and integrating new, sometimes simple, sometimes costly systems into everyday life is the existing challenge. 

“Efficiency is the absolute best investment we can use to get us through this problem,” Brownstein said. “It’s about making the energy you’ve got available, go further.” 

Long term solutions in renewable resources, though discussed, were not the primary focus of the panel. The speakers suggested methods the individual could use to take immediate action against the rising costs of energy. 

Simple tune-up and the cleaning of home appliances like the refrigerator, furnace, and air conditioning system can take dollars off of the monthly PG&E bill. 

Gorrell suggested ways to actually make the power meter go backwards.  

“If you’re willing to spend about 10 minutes a day opening and closing vents. You could do it for free,” Gorrell said. 

Through the use of insulation and solar energy, Gorrell demonstrated how to make a solar water heater for as little as $25. By wrapping an insulated blanket around a heater, reducing the thermostat, and repairing leaky faucets anyone can play a part in lowering electric bills.  

Other helpful hints included replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent ones. One can find florescent bulbs which use only 11 watts of power and produce 60 watts of light at a very affordable cost, Gorrell said. 

Making the transition from the 60 cent incandescent bulb to the $3 florescent bulb is just the beginning. Though the purchasing of newer, more energy efficient appliances may be expensive, they will gradually pay for themselves through more affordable electric bills.  

“Either reduce your demand and pay for (the cost) up front, or pay it in the utility bills,” Brownstein said. 

The simple incentive of lower PG&E bills should encourage more frugal usage.  

“Prices are high and the blackouts are coming. There isn’t the slightest doubt that there will be thousands of mega watts which simply aren’t available,” panelist Craig said.  

Renewable energy sources are the ultimate goal in terms of the future. 

Gorrell suggested wind mills in Cesar Chavez Park, and solar panels a top the thousands of south facing Berkeley homes. All the panelists agreed that taking back public power over the utility companies and incorporating individual energy saving systems into residences are the means by which the energy crisis can be appeased. 

PG&E’s proposed “rate design” could mean still higher utility bills. The proposal going before the California Public Utilities Commission offers an incentive to conserving consumers. It states, "Residential customers who use more than the exempt level of 130 percent baseline in any month will be subject to surcharges that get bigger the more energy they use."  

The CPUC is encouraging attendance to a series of public hearings. All panelists agreed that community action is imperative. 

“We’re not doing our job. The public has got to be involved in running this country or the guys who have been, will run it into the ground,” Brownstein said.  

The nearest public hearing scheduled nearest Berkeley residents will be held in Oakland at the Caltrans District 4 Auditorium at 7 p.m. on May 10.  

For more information, contact the Sierra Club at 848-0800 or PG&E’s Smarter Energy Line at 1-800-933-9555. Or go to their websites: www.sierraclub.org, www.pge.com.

Jay Moody, 22, of North Carolina celebrates the 32nd  

anniversary of People’s Park by catching air over a table on a truck flatbed. Hundreds of people gathered in the park for the day-long event which featured singing, food and skating.

After police arrested five Berkeley High School students in connection with a series of assaults at the school over the last several weeks, city and school district officials announced late Friday a number of extraordinary measures for boosting safety. 

Berkeley Unified School District Interim Superintendent Stephen Goldstone has authorized emergency funding to increase the number of safety officers from seven to 17 patrolling the campus for the rest of the school year.  

The Berkeley Police Deparment will help select and train the new personnel. Until the safety officers are in place, Berkeley Police will be assigned to the campus “to step up security.” 

The school is establishing a telephone and Internet hotline for students to report incidents of violence on the campus — anonymously, if they prefer. 

Ninth and tenth graders will attend special assemblies Tuesday to learn about personal safety and school violence laws.  

“I’m grateful for the fast and energetic help of all our city’s public safety departments,” Berkeley High Principal Frank Lynch said in a prepared statement Friday. “Our goal is a peaceful, respectful campus, and I believe we can achieve it with this extraordinary level of mutual support.” 

“We all want to make Berkeley High a safe place to learn and a good place to be,” added Berkeley City Manager Weldon Rucker in the prepared statement. “We’re going to work together on this, and we hope to see results starting now.” 

One of the reasons for the recent surge in violence at the school could be the loss of space on the campus for students to socialize comfortably, Lynch said. A building damaged by fire was closed last year and much of the east side of the campus is currently off limits during construction. 

“This year, we have been taking away the places students rely on for socializing, studying, and letting off some physical steam,” Lynch said, noting that, at 17-acres, the campus is already a third of the size recommended by the state of California to accommodate its 3,200 students. 

Police believe the recent assaults are the work of 10 to 15 boys, “most if not all of them Berkeley High Students,” according to the prepared statement Friday. Those who have been arrested are reportedly identifying other participants. 

SANTA ROSA – Some send orders to kill through the mail disguised as letters to lawyers. Others scrawl notes in tiny letters on scraps of paper and wrap them in plastic for visitors to hide in their bodies. 

Federal prosecutors say gang leaders have orchestrated hundreds of murders from inside maximum-security prisons. The Corrections Department says there’s little it can do to stop the killings, ordered by inmates who have nothing to lose and nothing but time. 

Authorities say five imprisoned leaders of the powerful Nuestra Familia gang were responsible for the murders of at least five men between 1997 and 1999. They and other members unsuccessfully tried to arrange the killings of at least 10 more men and women. 

“The murders were generally people who were affiliated with the organization,” said Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Mark Young. “They weren’t just innocent bystanders that were caught up. They were somehow involved in the organization and somehow fell out of favor with the organization.” 

Operation Black Widow, a three-year, $5 million, local, state and federal investigation began in Santa Rosa and culminated in the 25-count indictment of a total of 12 men and one woman on federal charges of murder, robbery, conspiracy and drug-related crimes. 

Nuestra Familia gang leaders are accused of ordering and carrying out a campaign of intimidation, assaults and killings to control a crime syndicate and drug distribution empire reaching as far south as Bakersfield. 

Authorities say last week’s indictments cover just a few of scores of crimes they can link to the organization. A federal judge on Thursday entered innocent pleas to all charges on behalf of the 13 defendants. 

Eight gang leaders were serving time at Pelican Bay when they gave the orders to kill, prosecutors say. Deemed high-risk, they lived in the 1,056-bed “prison within a prison” known as the SHU, or security housing unit. 

These inmates live alone in antiseptic cells that are painted white with a glass wall so that guards can always see inside. Meals are brought to the cells and they are allowed outside only one hour a day, alone, to exercise in a small concrete yard. 

Clothing, bedding and personal items are X-rayed before they’re placed in a cell. Inmates sleep on a mattress on top of a concrete slab. Toilets are stainless steel, with no removable parts. 

Despite such intense security, gang leaders have managed for years to effectively communicate with members and foot soldiers in other prisons and on the outside, prosecutors said. 

“The hardcore prison gang members recruit these kids,” said Brian Parry, assistant director of the Corrections Department. “We know when certain gang members parole, they go out with a mission or orders to organize drug trafficking, commit robberies for money for the gang and hurt or kill those gang members who didn’t follow orders. Most of these gang members kill each other. They use that as their internal discipline.” 

In California, 160,000 people are in prison, another 120,000 are on parole and at least one-third of the total are gang members, Parry said. 

Inside prison, inmates wear badges that denote their gang affiliation. Whites, blacks, Hispanics from Northern California and Hispanics from Southern California generally don’t mix. They don’t share cells, use the exercise yard at the same time or eat together. 

“I don’t think other states have as big a problem as California does,” Parry said. “The volume is what is difficult to deal with, plus we don’t have the space to move them around like we used to. Other states can move them around and dissipate (the gang’s) power.” 

The gangs have a hand in at least 75 percent of prison violence, Parry added. 

“We do ourselves a disservice if we talk about gangs. This isn’t a bunch of young hoodlums. This is organized crime,” said Commander Scott Swanson of the Santa Rosa Police Department, which traced local murders to Nuestra Familia members at Pelican Bay. 

Nuestra Familia — its members are called “nortenos” — originated within prison walls in 1965 as a means to protect Hispanic inmates from rural Northern California. The rival Mexican Mafia — “surenos” — includes Hispanic prisoners from Southern California. They are the two most powerful gangs in the state prison system, officials say. 

“You can’t just take off the top layer and say ’OK, we’re finished,”’ Swanson said. “There are thousands and thousands of members on the streets.” 

He said 2,000 certified gang members live in Sonoma County alone. At least 1,000 of those are nortenos. 

Also troubling is the highly organized and intricate communication system within the gang’s leadership, authorities said. 

“Here is the most secure prison in California and this is what’s happening inside the walls,” Swanson said. “I don’t want to be a politician and say it’s a crisis. I would prefer to let the facts speak for themselves. But when you talk about a criminal enterprise that’s been responsible for hundreds of murders over the years and thousands of robberies, extortions and what it does to the community, is that a crisis? You decide.” 

Prison resources are already stretched too far, Parry said. 

“We’ve struggled with gangs for 40 years,” he said. “Unfortunately, there’s a never-ending group of young people who want to be in a gang.” 

And in prison, gang members have nothing but time and nothing to lose. 

“They’re at no risk,” said Joseph McGrath, Pelican Bay’s warden. “Many of them are serving life terms. They don’t have to worry about being stabbed or challenged by other inmates because of their secure environment. Yet they can send an order out, and because their structure is so sophisticated they know that if somebody doesn’t carry out their orders, someone else will take care of that person.” 

Investigators uncovered “hit lists” sent through the mail or hand-delivered by parolees. 

Inmates write in urine on the back of innocent-looking drawings. The dried urine remains invisible until held next to a heat source. 

They also send “ghost writings,” using a pointed object on the inside of a manila envelope. The recipient rubs pencil lead lightly over the markings to read the message. 

Investigators also uncovered elaborate codes, including one based on an ancient Aztec language dialect. 

Anyone who refused to obey the group’s rules or directives, or sought to withdraw from the Nuestra Familia, were ordered killed, prosecutors say. 

State Sen. Wes Chesbro, D-Arcata, in a letter Tuesday, asked Gov. Gray Davis to create a task force “to target prison gangs and the neighborhood violence and terror they have spawned on the North Coast.” 

The request follows criticism by Santa Rosa and Sonoma County law enforcement officials that top state officials ignored pleas for financial help over the past several years. 

Davis spokeswoman Hilary McLean said Friday the governor had not yet responded to Chesbro’s request, but would review it along with all the other funding requests he has received.

SANTA ROSA – Some send orders to kill through the mail disguised as letters to lawyers. Others scrawl notes in tiny letters on scraps of paper and wrap them in plastic for visitors to hide in their bodies. 

Federal prosecutors say gang leaders have orchestrated hundreds of murders from inside maximum-security prisons. The Corrections Department says there’s little it can do to stop the killings, ordered by inmates who have nothing to lose and nothing but time. 

Authorities say five imprisoned leaders of the powerful Nuestra Familia gang were responsible for the murders of at least five men between 1997 and 1999. They and other members unsuccessfully tried to arrange the killings of at least 10 more men and women. 

“The murders were generally people who were affiliated with the organization,” said Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Mark Young. “They weren’t just innocent bystanders that were caught up. They were somehow involved in the organization and somehow fell out of favor with the organization.” 

Operation Black Widow, a three-year, $5 million, local, state and federal investigation began in Santa Rosa and culminated in the 25-count indictment of a total of 12 men and one woman on federal charges of murder, robbery, conspiracy and drug-related crimes. 

Nuestra Familia gang leaders are accused of ordering and carrying out a campaign of intimidation, assaults and killings to control a crime syndicate and drug distribution empire reaching as far south as Bakersfield. 

Authorities say last week’s indictments cover just a few of scores of crimes they can link to the organization. A federal judge on Thursday entered innocent pleas to all charges on behalf of the 13 defendants. 

Eight gang leaders were serving time at Pelican Bay when they gave the orders to kill, prosecutors say. Deemed high-risk, they lived in the 1,056-bed “prison within a prison” known as the SHU, or security housing unit. 

These inmates live alone in antiseptic cells that are painted white with a glass wall so that guards can always see inside. Meals are brought to the cells and they are allowed outside only one hour a day, alone, to exercise in a small concrete yard. 

Clothing, bedding and personal items are X-rayed before they’re placed in a cell. Inmates sleep on a mattress on top of a concrete slab. Toilets are stainless steel, with no removable parts. 

Despite such intense security, gang leaders have managed for years to effectively communicate with members and foot soldiers in other prisons and on the outside, prosecutors said. 

“The hardcore prison gang members recruit these kids,” said Brian Parry, assistant director of the Corrections Department. “We know when certain gang members parole, they go out with a mission or orders to organize drug trafficking, commit robberies for money for the gang and hurt or kill those gang members who didn’t follow orders. Most of these gang members kill each other. They use that as their internal discipline.” 

In California, 160,000 people are in prison, another 120,000 are on parole and at least one-third of the total are gang members, Parry said. 

Inside prison, inmates wear badges that denote their gang affiliation. Whites, blacks, Hispanics from Northern California and Hispanics from Southern California generally don’t mix. They don’t share cells, use the exercise yard at the same time or eat together. 

“I don’t think other states have as big a problem as California does,” Parry said. “The volume is what is difficult to deal with, plus we don’t have the space to move them around like we used to. Other states can move them around and dissipate (the gang’s) power.” 

The gangs have a hand in at least 75 percent of prison violence, Parry added. 

“We do ourselves a disservice if we talk about gangs. This isn’t a bunch of young hoodlums. This is organized crime,” said Commander Scott Swanson of the Santa Rosa Police Department, which traced local murders to Nuestra Familia members at Pelican Bay. 

Nuestra Familia — its members are called “nortenos” — originated within prison walls in 1965 as a means to protect Hispanic inmates from rural Northern California. The rival Mexican Mafia — “surenos” — includes Hispanic prisoners from Southern California. They are the two most powerful gangs in the state prison system, officials say. 

“You can’t just take off the top layer and say ’OK, we’re finished,”’ Swanson said. “There are thousands and thousands of members on the streets.” 

He said 2,000 certified gang members live in Sonoma County alone. At least 1,000 of those are nortenos. 

Also troubling is the highly organized and intricate communication system within the gang’s leadership, authorities said. 

“Here is the most secure prison in California and this is what’s happening inside the walls,” Swanson said. “I don’t want to be a politician and say it’s a crisis. I would prefer to let the facts speak for themselves. But when you talk about a criminal enterprise that’s been responsible for hundreds of murders over the years and thousands of robberies, extortions and what it does to the community, is that a crisis? You decide.” 

Prison resources are already stretched too far, Parry said. 

“We’ve struggled with gangs for 40 years,” he said. “Unfortunately, there’s a never-ending group of young people who want to be in a gang.” 

And in prison, gang members have nothing but time and nothing to lose. 

“They’re at no risk,” said Joseph McGrath, Pelican Bay’s warden. “Many of them are serving life terms. They don’t have to worry about being stabbed or challenged by other inmates because of their secure environment. Yet they can send an order out, and because their structure is so sophisticated they know that if somebody doesn’t carry out their orders, someone else will take care of that person.” 

Investigators uncovered “hit lists” sent through the mail or hand-delivered by parolees. 

Inmates write in urine on the back of innocent-looking drawings. The dried urine remains invisible until held next to a heat source. 

They also send “ghost writings,” using a pointed object on the inside of a manila envelope. The recipient rubs pencil lead lightly over the markings to read the message. 

Investigators also uncovered elaborate codes, including one based on an ancient Aztec language dialect. 

Anyone who refused to obey the group’s rules or directives, or sought to withdraw from the Nuestra Familia, were ordered killed, prosecutors say. 

State Sen. Wes Chesbro, D-Arcata, in a letter Tuesday, asked Gov. Gray Davis to create a task force “to target prison gangs and the neighborhood violence and terror they have spawned on the North Coast.” 

The request follows criticism by Santa Rosa and Sonoma County law enforcement officials that top state officials ignored pleas for financial help over the past several years. 

Davis spokeswoman Hilary McLean said Friday the governor had not yet responded to Chesbro’s request, but would review it along with all the other funding requests he has received.

SACRAMENTO – Pacific Gas and Electric’s bankruptcy filing could hurt the state’s efforts to encourage conservation with energy-efficiency rebates. 

Some building contractors were supposed to be paid by the utility for things like installing energy-efficient windows. However, those rebate checks are now among $37 million in utility rebates and vouchers tied up in bankruptcy court. 

The utility says the delay involves only payments that were pending when PG&E filed for bankruptcy protection April 6. Rebate applications and vouchers submitted after that date will be honored as before. 

But the California Public Utilities Commission says the issue is causing uncertainty over existing rebates as the state prepares to spend $110 million to encourage consumers to buy energy-efficient appliances, windows, lights, furnaces and air conditioners. 

Bob Grandinetti, owner of Hall’s Window Center in Sacramento, said the utility owes his company about $80,000. 

“I have to front this money, wait for this money,” Grandinetti said. “I can’t demand 30-day payment; I have to accept their terms. And if I don’t offer (the discount), I’m not competitive.” 

Hall’s Windows is requiring its customers to agree to forfeit the discount if PG&E doesn’t pay. 

The Window Outlet in Woodland won’t provide the utility discount upfront at all — but will reimburse the customer if and when PG&E pays. 

Office manager Gail Burton said six PG&E checks bounced April 17. Though the utility is advising businesses to keep offering the discounts, she labeled the program “a farce.” 

Home Depot salesman Devin Rachac said customers at his Folsom store are lured by the rebate offer to consider costly but high-efficiency appliances, but some worry they’ll never actually see the money. 

PG&E gives rebates directly to consumers for buying Energy Star-labeled refrigerators, dishwashers and clothes dryers. 

It gives consumers discount vouchers to take to any of 296 participating contractors who install energy-efficient windows, exterior doors with glass, and heating and air conditioning systems. Those contractors then send the vouchers to PG&E for reimbursement. 

PG&E processed 14,283 vouchers the first three months of this year, compared to 30,417 all of last year.  

It has received applications for 1,383 appliance rebates in the first two weeks of the program that began in late March, but some of those rebates, like the contractor vouchers, are tied up in the bankruptcy proceedings. 

Customers pay for the rebates and vouchers with a surcharge on their electricity bills, but PG&E lawyer Bob McLennan said the money has been frozen by the bankruptcy filing. 

The utility will ask the bankruptcy judge at a May 16 hearing to pay the rebates and vouchers, McLennan said, but the judge could instead opt to make the money available to other creditors.

SACRAMENTO – More California cities are considering starting their own utilities as the state’s problems with its privately owned power companies drag on. 

Municipal utility drives already are underway in San Francisco, Corona, and San Diego County. 

Proponents say rate hikes, blackouts and bankruptcies are fueling the idea that public power offers cheaper, more reliable service. 

But only a few cities have set up their own electric departments in recent years, and most fall short of full-fledged utilities. 

Cities like Davis, Lincoln and Culver City considered the option during the 1990s and rejected it. State regulators blocked a proposed far Northern California multi-county public power agency when some local governments objected. 

“Is the investment worth the risk? Most of us would say we don’t know yet,” Santa Rosa City Manager Jeffrey Kolin said at a Sacramento gathering of city and county officials this week sponsored in part by the American Public Power Association. 

The flagship effort is in San Francisco, where voters will decide in November whether to create their own utility in the hometown of venerable giant Pacific Gas and Electric, which filed for bankruptcy protection this month. 

Since January, the cities of Hercules in the Bay Area and Corona in Riverside County avoided possible condemnation fights with existing utilities by forming their own utilities to deliver electric service to new neighborhoods. 

Blackouts and appeals from darkened businesses led Corona officials to quickly opt to build several small plants to power city operations and new neighborhoods. 

Glenn Prentice, who heads the new Corona electric utility, said a half-dozen other cities have since contacted him for more information. 

Despite their financial woes, the state’s investor-owned utilities disagree. 

“There’s been much more talk of it, but as soon as most folks sit down and take a look at the realities ... they realize that they would have to buy on the same market, at the same outrageous prices that we and the state have been paying,” said PG&E spokesman John Nelson said. “The talk quickly evaporates.” 

PG&E says public power companies no longer have access to low-cost electricity such as that provided by federal dams. In addition, cities that withdraw from investor-owned utilities still face 15 years of paying off pending state bonds that California officials plan to use to cover this year’s spiraling power costs. 

But advocates of public power say they can charge less because they don’t have to pay taxes or dividends to investors. 

And as electricity prices soar and the lights dim, they also like the idea of deciding locally which customers pay the lowest rates and how to handle rolling blackouts. 

“One of the things this crisis has proved is the value of local control,” said Jerry Jordan, head of the California Municipal Utilities Association.

Companies spending millions on new entertainment tech 

SAN JOSE – What do you get when you combine the features of a cable box, a VCR, a stereo and a computer? Plenty of companies are spending billions of dollars to find out. 

Many consider convergence in digital entertainment or some kind of all-in-one set-top device inevitable. Disagreement and uncertainty arise only over the business model or platform most likely to succeed. 

So reach for your remote. The battle to dominate armchair entertainment has been joined. 

From upstarts to corporate behemoths, companies across multiple industries are honing their strategies and lining up their allies, sometimes befriending opposing sides to hedge their risks. Their eyes are set on pieces of a lucrative pie — 100 million television-viewing households in the United States and millions more abroad. 

“It’s anybody’s game right now,” said Steve Perlman, the entrepreneur behind WebTV, whose latest venture, Rearden Steel Technologies, involves an as-yet undisclosed digital home entertainment product. 

WebTV, which was bought out by Microsoft Corp., allows users to surf the Internet from their televisions and play along with game shows or engage in other types of interactive TV. 

Rearden’s plans remain secret for now, but the endeavor recently won $67 million in a first round of funding — a hefty sum in today’s tight venture capital market and proof the investment throttle remains open in digital entertainment. 

“You’re talking tens of billions of dollars being thrown out there now in these new technologies,” said Sean Badding, an analyst with market research firm The Carmel Group. 

Dozens of companies from the software, hardware, cable, satellite, PC and consumer electronics industries are staking their claim for what may well be the next big digital gold rush. 

Hewlett-Packard Co. and RealNetworks Inc., for instance, announced last month they were working together to create products that will let consumers obtain digital entertainment via the Internet and experience it on their living room stereos and televisions. 

Later this year Nokia Inc. plans to start selling a so-called home infotainment center called the Media Terminal. It’s a set-top box that receives digital TV and video-on-demand, can play MP3 files or connect to a digital camera — and offers Internet access. 

The Media Terminal also will feature the latest technology in television — digital video recording, which allows users to pause live TV or record TV programming onto a hard drive, without the hassle of videotapes. 

With its recent debut of UltimateTV, Microsoft Corp. has also jumped on the DVR bandwagon to compete against sector leader TiVo Inc. UltimateTV combines WebTV with a DirecTV satellite service, DVR technology and two tuners, allowing users to watch one channel while recording another. 

Motorola Corp. and Scientific-Atlanta Inc., the top makers of U.S. cable set-top boxes, are each introducing this year advanced cable boxes featuring DVR, interactive TV, video on demand, e-mail, and high-speed Internet access. The Scientific-Atlanta Explorer 8000 also has digital music capabilities and the Motorola DCT 5000 features IP telephony. 

Traditional PC companies Compaq and Dell are also weaving home entertainment into their businesses. 

One business, SONICblue Inc., even reinvented itself a year ago to become a digital media technology company. Formerly a graphics chip maker called S3, SONICblue has positioned itself squarely in the digital convergence race. 

“We want to let people have audio, video, and information in their homes and we want it all to work together,” said Andy Wolfe, SONICblue’s chief technology officer. “We are now poised to develop that all-in-one device but there’s clearly a lot to be done first.” 

SONICblue acquired DVR pioneer ReplayTV Inc. this year, adding to its portfolio that includes Diamond Multimedia, maker of Rio digital audio players; HomeFree, a home network solutions company; and Sensory Science, a small digital entertainment products company. 

Since the company’s makeover, Wolfe has been shopping for technologies. He hasn’t had to look hard; more than 100 companies have knocked on SONICblue’s doors. 

According to Nielsen Media Research, American households spend an average of more than 8 hours a day watching television, and of the 100 million people with Internet access at home, nearly two-thirds spend at least a half hour online every other day. 

A product that successfully combines the two mediums — along with the Internet goodies people increasingly enjoy, such as e-mail, instant messaging, online shopping, downloading MP3 music files and gaming — “that’s the Holy Grail,” Badding said. 

The challenges are daunting, though. 

Previous interactive TV efforts have flopped and digital video recording has yet to prove affordable — recorders currently cost about $500 — and attractive enough for mass adoption. 

In 1997, Time Warner pulled the plug on its three-year interactive TV trial in Orlando, Fla. after spending $100 million. And over its four-year history, WebTV gained about 1 million customers — far below blockbuster market levels. 

Under Microsoft, WebTV has been folded into the MSN Web services division. 

Along with EchoStar Communications, WebTV first introduced personal video recording in 1999. The technology has only started to take off, though, reaching about 400,000 households in 2000. 

Before becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of SONICblue, ReplayTV stumbled under competitive pressure and stopped making its own personal video recorders, deciding to focus instead on licensing its technology — a move analysts say made sense. 

“Where this industry is heading is that this technology will be included in larger TV services,” said Bruce Kasrel, an analyst with Forrester Research. 

That way, consumers won’t get as many bills or need as many boxes connected to their TVs, analysts say. Consumer electronic giants Sony Corp. and Philips Electronics make the boxes that now come packaged with TiVo and DirecTV services. 

And now that AOL, which has a $200 million investment in TiVo, has merged with major cable operator Time Warner, it’s likely TiVo’s DVR services will also be bundled one day with a cable service, analysts say. 

Though specific plans have not been announced, TiVo is working with AOLTV on a joint project that would take features that have been tied to a PC, such as downloading music or managing digital photos, and putting it all on an entertainment system. 

“Some things are better suited to the PC and some things are better suited to the living room,” said Brodie Keast, TiVo’s senior vice president of marketing and sales. 

Lots of money is at stake. 

Forrester Research projects that digital video recorder sales will to reach 53 million units by 2005, making it the fastest-growing product in the personal technology sector. 

Companies and service providers that stand to profit from the converging technologies are making multiple partnerships. 

Satellite broadcast provider DirecTV, for instance, has partnered not only with TiVo, but also with UltimateTV and OpenTV, an interactive TV provider. 

And Rearden Steel’s high-profile list of investors includes AOL Time Warner, Cisco Systems, EchoStar, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and former Netscape chief executive Jim Barksdale. Allen’s Vulcan Ventures was also an investor in TiVo and ReplayTV. 

“There’s no clear-cut winner yet on which device will win in the homes,” said analyst Laurence Bloom of TechTrends Inc. “But our research shows that there is going to be an all-in-one set-top box. Consumers don’t want stacks of set-top boxes and they don’t want cable spaghetti behind their TVs.”

Woman’s statement clashes with Kerrey’s recent account of raid 

THANH PHONG, Vietnam (AP) — Bui Thi Luom says she was 12 years old when seven Americans with guns stormed into her Mekong Delta village, rounding up women and children. She says she watched helplessly as they opened fire, despite her grandmother’s pleas for mercy. 

She was the only survivor in her hut of 16 people — 11 children and five women, she said. 

Luom’s account, told for the first time to journalists on Saturday, follows the public acknowledgment last week by former Sen. Bob Kerrey that civilians were killed during a commando raid by his U.S. Navy SEAL team on this coastal village 32 years ago. 

In an interview with AP on Saturday, Kerrey angrily denied Luom’s allegations. Kerrey, who says he has been privately haunted by the memory of killing civilians, reiterated his assertion that the SEALS opened fire only after being fired on. 

“They (the SEALS) received fire and on returning fire, some innocent civilians were killed. Not once was an order given to round people up and execute them,” he said. 

He also said assertion from another witness, Pham Thi Lanh, that the raiders wore “helmets” was untrue, and showed the “lack of credibility” in her statement. 

However, The New York Times and CBS’s ”60 Minutes II,” in a joint reporting project, quoted another ex-SEAL, Gerhard Klann, as saying the civilians were herded into a group and massacred at Thanh Phong. 

Kerrey, who later served as Nebraska governor and senator, and ran for president in 1992, received a Bronze Star medal for the Feb. 25, 1969 raid. 

Now the president of New York’s New School University, Kerrey says the village was a declared “free-fire zone” where everyone was regarded as hostile. The attack was prompted by intelligence reports saying Viet Cong officials planned a meeting there that night and that no civilians would be present, he says. 

“We fired because we were fired upon,” Kerrey told a New York news conference on Thursday. “We did not go out on a mission to kill innocent people. I feel guilty about what happened.” 

Although Kerrey insists that his written after-action report mentioned civilian deaths, SEAL message exchanges later that day — and his Bronze Star citation — refer only to 21 Viet Cong killed. Radio logs two days later said 24 died, 13 civilians and 11 VC. 

Luom, now 44, told reporters there were no Viet Cong in Thanh Phong, and only the Americans fired weapons. “They only killed civilians, women and children. No VC,” she said. Altogether, 20 people were killed, she said. 

A small woman with a shy smile, Luom lives with her husband and five children in a nearby fishing village. 

Local officials arranged for Luom and a second witness, Lanh, to meet with foreign reporters. A provincial official was present during the interviews. Lanh gave an account that was similar in most details to what she’d said in an earlier interview with CBS, which Kerrey previously said was untrue. 

The Mekong Delta was the wartime stronghold of the National Liberation Front — the Viet Cong — the homegrown Communist insurgency that sought to overthrow the U.S.-backed South Vietnamese government. 

Thanh Phong is a tiny cluster of thatched-roof huts on the coast 100 miles southeast of Ho Chi Minh City. Lush groves of coconut and banana trees line the red-dirt road that connects it to Ben Tre province. 

In 1969, it was even poorer, Luom said. There were no men — many had been killed in bombing raids and others had joined the Viet Cong, she said. Viet Cong sympathies were strong, other residents say. One resident recalled that the first sea shipment of arms from Communist North Vietnam to the south arrived in Thanh Phong in 1964. 

The second witness, Lanh, 62, said she hid in a banana grove as the intruders killed an elderly couple and their three grandchildren. The adults, Bui Van Vat, 65, and Luu Thi Canh, 62, were decapitated, she claimed. 

“They killed her first. I saw the soldiers cutting off her head. Then he started screaming and they killed him,” Lanh said. “He was wearing a scarf, and you could still see the skin hanging on his neck.” 

She said she ran to her house and stuffed her children’s mouths with cloth to keep them quiet. After the incident, she said she found a pile of bodies, including eight of her relatives. The next morning, she and other survivors gathered the bodies, wrapped them in straw mats and buried them in a common grave. “We didn’t even have coffins for them,” she said. 

Lanh, whose account had several inconsistencies, said she could not positively identify the men as Americans. “They spoke a language I didn’t understand and they wore helmets and big clothes,” she said. 

Luom said the victims in the hut where she lived included her pregnant aunt and grandmother. Luom was the oldest of 11 children and the youngest was 3 years old, she said. 

“That night I was sleeping inside the shelter. My grandmother woke me up, calling everybody in the shelter to come outside,” Luom said. “I counted them — seven men with guns.” 

The men rounded up the women and children and seated them in a circle near the shelter’s entrance, Luom said. 

“One woman started coughing and the American soldier put a gun to her throat. My grandmother told her not to cough or the soldier would kill her.” 

Luom said they pulled a young girl to her feet, and the girl screamed. Other villagers told her later the girl had been disemboweled, but Luom said she did not see this. 

“My grandmother turned to help her. I saw her kneel in front of the Americans, pleading for mercy. After that, the soldiers began to shoot,” Luom said. 

The Americans stood about three feet away, she said, and as gunfire erupted, she fled into the dugout shelter. Before leaving, she said, they threw an explosive into the shelter. 

“I just heard an explosion. I’m not sure if it was a grenade or gunfire. It hit my knee,” she said, pulling up a pant leg to show a scar on her left knee. “I don’t know if they knew I had escaped. I think they tried to kill anybody left in the shelter.” 

“Of course they had to know” it was only women and children, Luom said bitterly. “They should have been punished. At the time I was too small, but if I could get revenge, I would. If I could have killed them, I would.”

As the June deadline for its 2001-2002 budget draws near, the Berkeley Board of Education will review increasingly specific plans for eliminating an anticipated shortfall of $5.2 million. 

In addition to looking for ways to cut costs, district officials are making plans to bring in more funds.  

Most of the school district’s revenue comes from the state and is allocated according to a formula that distributes funds based on a district’s average annual attendance rate.  

In a preliminary proposal for balancing next year’s budget, district staff has zeroed in on one area where it doesn’t have to rely on Sacramento’s generosity to fill its coffers: staff wants to increase rates to rent BUSD facilities – auditoriums, gymnasium and classrooms – by 10 percent.  

The rates haven’t been increased in years, said Interim Superintendent Stephen Goldstone. 

The district pulls in between $300,000 and $400,000 a year by renting out classrooms and auditoriums for live music, lectures, church services and after-school activities run by nonprofits, said Judson Owens, BUSD property manager.  

The money goes directly into the school district’s general fund to be spent wherever the district needs a little additional cash. 

A night’s lecture at the Community Theater can bring in around $3,500, Owens said. The summers can be particularly profitable. The University of California has been known to pay in the range $40,000 to use district classrooms for a seminar lasting a little over two weeks. The cost for the district to clean up the classrooms afterward is minimal. 

When the building that houses the city of Franklin Elementary School is not being used by the district, it is rented out to a school for the disabled and for other uses. During those years the district’s total rental revenues hit $800,000, Owens said. 

“There are no guarantees that we can rent any of our facilities,” Owens said. 

“First and foremost schools are for our children,” Owens said. 

He said the facilities will only be rented out when “the use does not in any way take away from the delivery of education.” 

Bob Baldock, who organizes public events for nonprofits in Berkeley, pointed out that King Middle School auditorium, a site he often rents for lectures, will not be usable next year, since construction at the school will temporarily interfere with parking. 

Furthermore, said Baldock, although school facilities offer some of the most reasonable rental rates in Berkeley for nonprofits (nonprofits can rent at cut rates if the events support education in some way, Owens said), rates for the Community Theater, at least, are already nearly out of reach for many. 

The budget will be discussed at the regular board meeting, 7:30 p.m., May 2, at the district administrative offices, 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. 

Saturday, April 28

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

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

548-3333 

Berkeley Bay Festival  

11 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

Berkeley Marina  

160 University Ave.  

The Festival, held at the Marina since 1937, has had an environmental education and boating theme for the past 22 of those years. A variety of organizations will be on hand to inform and inspire people to learn how they affect the environment and to take action. Also, live music, food, a climbing wall and free sailing. Free 644-8623 

El Salvador  

Reconstruction Plans  

10 a.m. - 3 p.m.  

Institute of Governmental Studies  

Moses Hall, Room 109  

UC Berkeley  

Four leaders from El Salvador, representing urban and rural community development initiatives will be on hand, along with Senator Liz Figueroa, to discuss facts and priorities of their emergency management/disaster relief efforts in the wake of the recent earthquake. Free 415-970-1033 

Working People Against  

Deregulation 

7:30 p.m. 

Fellowship of Humanity  

390 27th St. (at Broadway) 

Oakland 

Join energy workers, teachers and other workers in a discussion about the issues surrounding the California energy crisis. Speakers include: Drew Bonthius, executive board member Oakland AFT 771, David Walers, power plant worker and member of IBEW 1245, and Eugene Coyle, Energy Economist.  

$3 261-4269 

An Energy Efficient Home 

10 a.m. - Noon  

2530 San Pablo Ave. (at Blake)  

Mark Gorrell, architect/consultant, will discuss how to reduce energy costs in existing houses and design new homes to minimize energy costs.  

$7.50 - $10  

548-2220 x233 

International Family Fair  

11 a.m. - 5 p.m.  

New School of Berkeley  

Bonita St. (between Cedar & Virginia)  

Games and activities for children, a huge raffle, food from Christie’s Vegetarian Cafe, and a variety of live entertainment, including a Capoeira demonstration. Free  

548-9165 

BASA Spring Festival  

5:30 p.m.  

Cesar Chavez Center  

Bancroft & Telegraph  

UC Berkeley  

An evening celebration of African culture featuring student and professional performances, dance, a fashion show, music, poetry, drama, and African cuisine from local African restaurants.  

$5 - $10 including dinner 

595-1307 

Sierra’s Solutions to the Energy Crisis 

10 a.m. - Noon  

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

The Sierra Club presents a panel discussion on energy conservation and a general membership meeting of the club’s Alameda group. Speakers include Graham Brownstein from Toward Utility Rate Normalization (TURN), Paul Craig, a Sierra Club energy expert on energy conservation, and Bill Magavern, Sierra Club senior lobbyist. 527-0176 

Parent Resource Center Workshop 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Alternative High School  

Martin Luther King Jr. Way (at Derby)  

If you are interested in learning more or want to help with smaller learning communities for Berkeley High, there will be two open meeting sessions on smaller learning communities from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m., and 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. 644-8524 

Philosophy of Life, A Buddhist Perspective 

2 - 5 p.m. 

10 Evans Hall  

UC Berkeley  

An introduction to Buddhism and the Soka Gakkai International, human revolution, diversity from the Buddhist perspective, mentor-disciple relationship and a video on Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Ikeda.  

Sunday, April 29

Berkeley Waterfront Walking Tour  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Led by Susan Schwartz and sponsored by the Berkeley Historical Society.  

848-0181 

Hands-On Bicycle  

Repair Clinics  

11 a.m. - Noon  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Learn how to maintain the drive train and to repair the chain of your bicycle from one of REI’s bike technicians. All you need to bring is your bike. Free  

527-4140 

People’s Park 32nd  

anniversary Festival  

12:30 - 6 p.m.  

People’s Park  

Haste St. & Telegraph Ave.  

Performances by, among others, Rebecca Riots, X-Plicit Players, Shelley Doty X-tet, with special guests Wavy Gravy, Frank Moore, Stoney Burke, Kriss Worthington and many more. Also including skateboarding demos, animal petting farm, puppets, and “surprises.” 848-1985 

The Reform Future 

Noon  

Fellowship of Humanity  

390 27th St. (at Broadway)  

Oakland  

Craig Wilson, anti-Buchanan delegate, will discuss the future of the Reform Party.  

655-7962 

The Ornament  

of the Middle Way 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

This text by Buddhist master Shantarakshita to be discussed by Barr Rosengerg. 

Free 843-6812 

Celebration of Youth  

Arts Festival  

Noon - 6 p.m.  

Berkeley High Campus 

The community theater will host non-stop performances of instrumental music, chorus, and dance, including the BHS Jazz Band and the Afro-Haitian dancers and drummers. Also, students enrolled in visual or performing arts classes will exhibit or perform their work. Free 548-5335 

Decade of Change  

3 - 5 p.m.  

Berkeley Historical Society  

1931 Center St.  

The Berkeley Historical Society celebrates the opening of their new exhibit, exploring the decade of 1900 - 1910 when Berkeley grew from a town of ten thousand to a city of forty-thousand. Also the 24th annual meeting which will include a review of the past year. 848-0181 

Monday, April 30

Politics of Permits  

7 - 10 p.m.  

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Contractor/Mediator Ron Kelly will explain how to get your permit approved.  

$35  

525-7610 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

Venus & Mars  

7:30 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Rabbi Yaacov Deyo, founder of LA’s speed dating will explain how to pick a mate, make your relationship thrive and how to fight effectively.  

$10  

848-0237 

100 Days of Bush  

Noon - 1 p.m.  

Lower Sproul Hall  

UC Berkeley  

The Students for Climate Protection are marking George W. Bush’s 100th day in office with a rally protesting Bush’s general environmental record in office and specifically focusing on his decision to pull the U.S. out of the global warming treaty negotiations. 

PTA Council Meeting  

7 p.m.  

Malcolm X Library  

1731 Prince (between King & Ellis)  

Introduction and election of PTA Council officers for 2001 - 02. If you would like to be an officer or nominate someone, contact Cynthia, 849-2683. Also, Dr. Goldstone will report on the budget situation and will update the situation on district issues and the superintendent search. 

Claremont Renters Neighborhood Meeting  

6 - 8 p.m.  

Claremont Branch Library  

2940 Benvenue Ave.  

Presentation on policies affecting rent ceilings, habitability issues and evictions. Get answers to your rent control questions.  

2700 San Pablo Ave. proposal does not conform to zoning 

Editor:  

I would like to clarify a few points regarding your recent article about the appeal of the 2700 San Pablo project to the City Council.  

The design rejected unanimously by the ZAB contained 61 parking spaces.  

The new design offered on appeal to the City Council contains only 33, a 46 percent reduction in parking. The City Council would have to make special allowances for this inadequate parking because by law developers are required to provide a minimum of 44 spaces for this building.  

The West Berkeley Plan permits a maximum of 4 stories at nodal intersection such as Ashby or University. Leaving aside the fact that 2700 San Pablo is not at a node, the City Council should take note that zoning regulations permit a maximum of 4 stories only if the ground floor is commercial.  

Developers are allowed to exceed 3 stories only because ground floor commercial space helps create a thriving street life by providing shops and cafes. In their previous design, the developer had offered 100 percent ground floor commercial. But now in their appeal to City Council, the new design provides only 20.7 percent commercial. The rest of the ground floor is not open to the public. 

The Daily Planet reported that the new design provides 2,605 sq. ft for commercial space (out of 7,225 sq. ft on the ground floor). In my opinion, the design actually provides only 1,495 sq. ft. because the remaining "commercial space" is devoted to the building management office. 

It is questionable whether the West Berkeley Plan allows an office of this sort to qualify as commercial space. This 1,100 sq. ft. private office is larger than many of the homes in this neighborhood!  

Lastly, the developers (who have been waging legal battles to avoid being required to provide any affordable housing in apartment buildings) have used a loophole to provide less than the 20 percent affordable housing required by the city.  

What they have done is to provide 4 live-work spaces that are exempt from the affordable housing calculations -- the developers have carefully avoided stepping over the threshold of 5 or more live-work spaces which would have made them subject to being included in the affordable housing calculations.  

But in reality, affordable units comprise less than 17 percent of the dwelling units.  

This design is just as bad as the design rejected by the ZAB and in some ways worse; the 7-0 ZAB rejection of this project should not be overturned on appeal.  

Michael Goldberg 

Berkeley  

2700 San Pablo neighbors want smaller project  

in back yards 

Editor: 

Developer Patrick Kennedy is resorting to “name calling” and either gross exaggeration or a misunderstanding of the English language in his comments about opposition to his most recent development proposals at 2700 San Pablo Ave. 

First of all, calling those who disagree with him NIMBY's is just “name calling” that side steps the issues at hand. We want the site developed with low income housing! We want it in our back yard! We just want a building of reasonable scale. 

Furthermore, the “virulent” opposition he speaks of is nothing of the sort. Virulence means “an extreme bitterness or malignity of temper” - this in no way characterizes his opposition - who have been thoughtful and persistent. 

Just a few facts to throw in here:  

• The latest proposal is taller than the last one. 

• It does not meet established requirements for parking, 

• The fourth story does not meet zoning requirements unless the first story is all commercial. 

• It takes advantage of a loophole to provide less than 20 percent affordable housing. 

Incidentally, I live within 50 yards of the site. 

Bob Kubik 

Berkeley 

SJP opposes all discrimination 

Editor: 

I am dismayed by the lengths that people will go in accusing groups that speak out against Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians. In her April 26 letter to the editor, Ms. Liss airs several complaints about our recent sit-in on the Berkeley campus, claiming that we (Students for Justice in Palestine) were breeding “anti-semitism,” and accusing us of not addressing “the entire historical context” of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. 

These vague but serious accusations of prejudice are a common way of trying to silence those who dare to suggest that Israel needs to change its treatment of Palestinians. Students for Justice in Palestine is absolutely opposed to anti-semitism, and does not condone any anti-semitism expressed by people who joined us at our rally. In fact, the same principles that cause us to be opposed to anti-semitism compel us to speak out against the conditions under which Palestinians are forced to live.  

Robert Fisk wrote in the London Independent, “(T)here's not much difference between the tactics of the Israeli army in the occupied territories and that of the South African police. The apartheid regime had death squads, just as Israel has today. Yet even they did not use helicopter gunships and missiles.”  

Within Israel, Arab citizens were fired upon with live ammunition while demonstrating, 14 were killed. Israel has built ‘by-pass’ roads connecting the illegal settlements in the occupied territories that Palestinians are not allowed to use. Israel has been condemned for excessive violence, use of torture, and collective punishment by the UN commission on human rights, Amnesty International, and many other well-respected organizations. And yet, the United States still gives over $8 million in taxes to Israel in military aid every day. We, as Americans, are funding Israel’s destruction and dispossession of the Palestinian people and thus all must become aware of the facts of the situation and decide if we still want our aid going to the oppressive Israeli military.  

Sarah Weir 

Berkeley 

TV needs balance 

Editor:  

There are often discussions of various political and other problems being aired by T.V. stations; only the public stations are in the habit of using moderate and polite speakers, one-on-one or as members of panels.  

Commercial stations, more frequently than not, tend to put people with extreme opinions on the screen, thereby arousing strong positive or negative reactions of the audience. This procedure no doubt leads to greater audience interest, an increase in the number of listeners and a higher rating of such programs. The station then can charge more money for advertising. The latter is most probably the motive for using such procedures.  

Let me give a few specific examples: The T.V. and/or radio host Armstrong Williams happens to be a strong supporter of the current administration and is frequently invited to defend a particular conservative position. He may be a darling of right-wingers, but he grates on the conscience of liberal viewers.  

There also is Barbara Olson, the very conservative wife of an equally conservative candidate for a high position in the Justice Department. Olson is entitled to her opinions, but she was on the screen hundreds of times, on various programs, to deride Clinton and his administration throughout the duration of that administration and she exhibited extreme bias.  

When one looks on the other end of the spectrum, one rarely sees truly liberal experts being consulted.  

Max Alfert 

Berkeley 

Albany 

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 Art Museum “Joe Brainard: A Retrospective,” Through May 27. The selections include 150 collages, assemblages, paintings, drawings, and book covers. Brainard’s art is characterized by its humor and exuberant color, and by its combinations of media and subject matter; “Muntadas - On Translation: The Audience” Through April 29. This conceptual artist and pioneer of video, installation, and Internet art presents three installations; “Ricky Swallow/Matrix 191,” Including new sculptures and drawings; Through May 27 $6 general; $4 seniors and students age 12 to 18; children age 12 and under free; free Thursday, 11 a.m. to noon and Wednesday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley 642-0808 

The Asian Galleries “Art of the Sung: Court and Monastery” A display of early Chinese works from the permanent collection. “Chinese Ceramics and Bronzes: The First 3,000 Years,” open-ended. “Works on Extended Loan from Warren King,” open-ended. “Three Towers of Han,” open-ended. $6 general; $4 seniors and students age 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 11 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 642-0808 

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20 by 40-foot replica of the fearsome dinosaur made from casts of bones of the most complete T. Rex skeleton yet excavated. When unearthed in Montana, the bones were all lying in place with only a small piece of the tailbone missing. “Pteranodon” A suspended skeleton of a flying reptile with a wingspan of 22-23 feet. The Pteranodon lived at the same time as the dinosaurs. Free. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 642-1821 

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for a year membership. All ages. April 28: 7 Seconds, Throwdown, Vitamin X, Over My Dead Body, Breaker Breaker; May 4: Plan 9, Zodiac Killers, Reverend B. Dangerous Freakshow, Dory Tourette & The Skirtheads, Knockoffs; May 5: Shikabane, Phobia, Harum Scarum, Vulgar Pigeons, Insidious Sorrow 525-9926  

Ashkenaz April 28, 9:30 p.m.: Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums, 8 p.m. dance lesson; April 29, 9 p.m.: Clinton Fearon & Boogie Brown Band, DJ Edwin The Selector; May 6, 7 p.m.: Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble 1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com  

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. April 28: Roy Rogers & Norton Buffalo; April 29: Bryan Bowers; April 30: Sharon Shannon; May 1: Casey Neill Trio, Spiral Bound; may 3: Lorin Rowan Trio; May 4: cris Williamson; May 5, 10 a.m. - Noon: West Coast Live with author P.D. James and Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser; May 5: R. Crumb 7 The Cheap Suit Serenaders; May 6; Terry Riley, George Brooks & Gyan Riley; 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzschool/La Note All music at 4:30 p.m. May 6: David Creamer Trio; May 13: Michael Zilber Group 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373 or visit www.jazzschool.com  

La Pena Cultural Center May 3, 8 p.m.: Third Eye Movement presents Deuce, Eclipse, Soul Sista Soul, Red Guard, Jahi, plus others; May 5, 9 p.m.: Chicano de Mayo Celebration dance with O-Maya, Yaksi, DJ Corazon & La Viuda Negra, plus poets Leticia Hernandez and Robert Karimi; May 11, 8 p.m.: Erika Luckett, Irina Rivkin & Making Waves, Gwen Avery, Shelly Doty X-tet; 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 or www.lapena.org  

Cal Performances April 28, 8 p.m.: Vanguard Swing Orchestra, UC Berkeley Big Band $18 - $30; April 29, 3 p.m.: Mezzo-Soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson sings Handel, Lieberson, and Schumann $28 - $48; May 4 & 5, 8 p.m.: Merce Cunningham Dance Company presents “Way Station,” “BIPED,” and “Rainforest” $20 - $42 Zellerbach Hall UC Berkeley; 642-9988 or www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Russian Chamber Orchestra April 28, 8 p.m. Featuring Piano Soloist Yakov Kasman, Soprano Svetlana Niktenko, and the Konevets, a vocal quartet from St. Petersburg. First Congregational Church 2345 Channing Way 415-478-2277  

The Pirate Prince April 29, 8 p.m. The first production for the new Hillside Players. Princesses, pirates, witches and modern dialogue in a family-geared show. Free admission, reservations required Hillside Club 2286 Cedar St. 528-2416  

Community Music Day at the Crowden School and Crowden Center for Music April 28, 1-5 p.m. Music and dance performances and storytelling. Families can make their own instruments, watch a master violin maker at work, or go to the Instrument Petting Zoo to try playing different instruments. Rose Street at Sacramento in Berkeley. Free. Call 559-6910.  

Bella Musica April 28, 8 p.m. & April 29, 4 p.m. Hear how various composers through the ages view the plight of the lovelorn, from the ardent exclamations of Morley’s “Fire, Fire” to the intoxication of the “Coolin” by Samuel Barber. $9 - $12 St. Joseph the Worker Church 1640 Addison St. 525-5393 or www.bellamusic.org 

“Music from the Mediterranean and Beyond” April 29, 2 p.m. Zahra combines Arab folk roots with the groove and influences of modern music $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 www.juliamorgan.org 

Community Women’s Orchestra Family Concert April 29, 4 p.m. Conducted by Ann Krinitsky, featuring works by Rossini, Richter, Beethoven. Free or by donation. Piano solo by Dr. Pearl Toy. Malcolm X School 1731 Prince St. 653-1616 

UC Dance Theater Spring 2001 Season Program B: April 28, 29, 2 p.m. “Esplanade” by Paul Taylor, reconstructed by Mary Cochran, “American Decades” by David Wood, “Le Matin sans Minuet” by Christopher Dolder, and “Treading” by Christopher Dolder $6 - $12 Zellerbach Playhouse UC Berkeley 601-8932 

Reflejos de Mexico April 28, 2 p.m. The dance troupe celebrates the vast richness of the Mexican culture. Park of Dance Week. $10 - $12 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

Odissi Dance April 28, 7 p.m. Reputed to be the most lyrical of the seven main forms of Indian classical dance with its liquidity of movement and graceful expression. $18 - $28 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 www.juliamorgan.org 

“Epicenter” April 28 2 p.m., 7 p.m. Premiere of 21-year-old Jonathan Whittle-Utter’s play billed as “A Psychodrama of Paradigm Shifts.” A student production about a troubled marriage, secret society warfare and the end of the world, the degradation of western philosophy. $8-$10 Zellerbach Room 7 Studio (underneath the auditorium) UC Berkeley Campus 444-7063 www.BayStage.com 

“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. 647-2949 or www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Death of a Salesman” Through May 5, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m. plus Thursday, May 3, 8 p.m. The ageless story of Willy Loman presented by an African-American cast and staged by Actors Ensemble of Berkeley. $10 Live Oak Theater 1301 Shattuck (at Berryman) 528-5620 

“Big Love” by Charles L. Mee Through June 10 Directed by Les Waters and loosely based on the Greek Drama, “The Suppliant Woman,” by Aeschylus. Fifty brides who are being forced to marry fifty brothers flee to a peaceful villa on the Italian coast in search of sanctuary. $15.99 - $51 Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 

Shotgun Players “Slings and Arrows: Love Stories from Shakespearean Tragedies” written and directed by Rebecca Goodberg and developed by the ensemble and “Blue Roses” conceptualized and directed by Christian Schneider. Discussions with the audience will follow each show. Thursday-Sunday, 7 p.m. through May 5. $10 La Val’s Subterranean Theatre 1834 Euclid Ave. 655-0813  

Interplay Fest! May 4, 8 p.m. May 5, 3:30 - 8 p.m., May 6, 3 p.m. A full weekend of performances by Wing It! Performance Ensemble, Cultural InterPlay Ensemble, and the Art of InterPlay Ensemble. Weekend Pass: $15, Individual performances, $7 - $10 First Congregational Church of Berkeley 2345 Channing Way (at Dana) 814-9584 

“Planet Janet” May 11 - June 10, Fridays and Saturdays 8 p.m., Sundays 7 p.m. Follows six young urbanites’ struggles in sex and dating. Impact Theatre presentation written by Bret Fetzer, directed by Sarah O’Connell. $7 - $12 La Val’s Subterranean Theatre 1834 Euclid 464-4468 www.impacttheatre.com 

“The Musical Tree of India” May 13, 2 p.m. Tears of Joy Puppet Theatre present this legend from tribal India. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

“The Misanthrope” by Moliere May 18 - June 10, Fri - Sun, 8 p.m. Berkeley-based Women in Time Productions presents this comic love story full of riotous wooing, venomous scheming and provocative dialogue. All female design and production staff. $17 - $20 Il Teatro 450 449 Powell St. San Francisco 415-433-1172 or visit www.womenintime.com 

The far side of the moon May 3 - 5, 8 p.m. May 5, 2 p.m. and May 6, 3 p.m. A solo performance by Canadian writer, actor and director Robert Lepage with an original score by Laurie Anderson. $30 - $46 Zellerbach Playhouse Bancroft at Dana UC Berkeley 642-9988  

Films 

San Francisco International Film Festival April 28: 2 p.m. My Mother Had Fourteen Children, 4 p.m. The Endurance, 6:30 p.m. Maine-Ocean Express, 9:30 p.m. Without a Trace April 29: 2 p.m. Orouet’s Way, 5:30 p.m. Werckmeister Harmonies, 9 p.m. The Season of Men April 30: 7 p.m. Chop Suey, 9:15 p.m. Clouds of May May 1: 7 p.m. Such Is Life, 9:30 p.m. Peppermint Candy May 2: 7 p.m. The Natural History of the Chicken, 9 p.m. Platform May 3: 7 p.m. Daresalam, 9:15 p.m. Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors. All $9 Pacific Film Archive 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-5249 

“Slaves of Free Trade” May 1, 7:30 p.m. Also poet Jack Hirschman, singers Carol Denney, Larry Shaw, Pam Pam, and the La Pena Choir. Also a report on Kurdish prisoner and legislator Lela Zana and a video on Korean Daewoo auto workers. A May Day celebration. $7 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck (at Prince) 

“A Ship with Painted Sails: The Fabulous Animation of Karel Zeman” May 4: 7 p.m. The Stolen Airship, 9:10 p.m. A Jester’s Tale May 5: 7 p.m. Journey to the Beginning of Time, 8:35 p.m. The Treasure of Bird Island May 11: 7 p.m. Zeman Shorts, 8:55 p.m. The Fabulous World of Jules Verne May 12: 7 p.m. Baron Munchausen, 9:10 p.m. Kraba - The Sorcerer’s Apprentice May 13: 5:30 The Thousand and One Nights, 7:05 p.m. The Tale of John and Mary. Admission: $7 for one film, $8.50 for double bills. Pacific Film Archive Theater 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

“Women’s Evening at the Movies” May 5, 7:30 - 10 p.m. Jennifer Tilly stars in “Bound,” as a mob man’s mistress who becomes lovers with a sexy handywoman. Join a great group of bi, lesbian, transgender and queer women to watch the flick and munch on junk food. $5 donation requested Pacific Center 2712 Telegraph Ave. 548-8283 or www.pacificcenter.org 

“Mirele Efros” May 13, 2 - 4:30 p.m. Jacob Gordin’s classic story set in turn-of the century Grodno. A classic study in family relations. Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center Cinema 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237 x127 

Exhibits 

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

Art of Maia Huang & Brenda Vanoni Through April 28, Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. !hey! Gallery 4920-B Telegraph Ave. (at 51st) Oakland 428-2349 

“Scenes from The Song of Songs/Images from The Book of Blessings” Landscape and still life oil pastels by poet and artists Marcia Falk Through May 2, Monday - Thursday, 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday, Noon - 7 p.m. Flora Hewlett Library Graduate Theological Union 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 

“The Distance Between Us” Through May 4 The photographs of Mimi Chakarova depicting South African townships, inland parishes in Jamaica and her most recent work in Cuba. Photographs about people and their incredible will to survive regardless of the circumstances. Graduate School of Journalism North Gate Hall UC Berkeley 

“The Sands of Time” Arab/Muslim sculptures and ceramics of Khalil Bendib. Through May 5, Monday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. or call for appointment Mussi Artworks Foundry & Gallery 719 Heintz Ave. Space 10 644-2735 

Youth Arts Festival A city-wide celebration of art, music, dance and poetry by youth from the Berkeley Unified School District. Featuring paintings, drawings, sculpture and ceramics by K-8 students Through May 12, Wednesday - Sunday, Noon - 5 p.m. Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St.  

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

“Scapes/Escapes” Ink, Acrylic, Mixed Media by Evelyn Glaubman May 1 - June 1 Tuesday - Thursday, 9 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. Gallery of the Center for Psychological Studies 1398 Solano Ave. Albany 524-0291 

“Watercolors and Mixed Media” by Pamela Markmann Monday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. A retrospective of 30 years’ work at Markmann’s Berkeley studio. Red Oak Gallery 2983 College Ave. 526-4613  

“Elemental” The art of Linda Mieko Allen May 2 - June 9, Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Reception: May 2, 6 - 8 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 www.traywick.com 

Berkeley Potters Guild Spring Show and Sale May 5, 6, 12, 13, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Fifteen artists open their personal studios to the public and offer pieces for sale. Berkeley Potters Guild 731 Jones St. 524-7031 www.berkeleypotters.com 

Ledger drawings of Michael and Sandra Horse. Meet the artists May 18, 19, 20 (call for times). Exhibit runs through June 18. Gathering Tribes Gallery 1573 Solano Ave. 528-9038 www.gatheringtribes.com  

“Alive in Her: Icons of the Goddess” Through June 19, Tuesday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photography, collage, and paintings by Joan Beth Clair. Opening reception May 3, 4 - 6 p.m. Pacific School of Religion 1798 Scenic Ave. 848-0528 

Bernard Maisner: Illuminated Manuscripts & Paintings. Through Aug. 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 

“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 

“Geographies of My Heart” Collage paintings by Jennifer Colby May 7 - August 24; Reception event May 7, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m,: Colby will give a slide-lecture using contemporary women’s art depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe to illustrate her dissertation research in Women’s Spirituality at the California Institute of Integral Studies - Dinner Board Room; Flora Lamson Hewlett Library 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 

Images of Portugal Paintings by Sofia Berto Villas-Boas of her native land. Open after 5 p.m. Voulez-Vous 2930 College Ave. (at Elmwood) 

Quilt Show through May 12. M-Th, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m., Fri-Sat, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Twenty-second annual show displays over 60 quilts. Berkeley Public Library’s North Branch. 1170 The Alameda 644-6850 

“Tropical Visions: Images of AfroCaribbean Women in the Quilt Tapestries of Cherrymae Golston” Through May 28, Tu-Th, 1-7 p.m., Sat 12-4 p.m. Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 3023 Shattuck Ave. 548-9286 ext 307 

Readings 

Cody’s Books 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852 All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted April 28: Christopher Hitchens discusses “The Trial of Henry Kissinger”; April 29: Poetry of Gloria Frym & Lewis Warsh; April 30: Jamling Tenzing Norgay discusses “Touching My Father’s Soul”; Han Ong reads “Fixer Chao”; May 3: Several authors from the anthology “My Story...Life As A Teen Parent” will read; May 4: Doris Haddock will read from “Granny D: Walking Across America in My 90th Year” about her 3,200-mile journey across the country; May 8: Geling Yan reads “The Lost Daughter of Happiness”  

Cody’s Books 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500 All events at 7 p.m., unless noted April 30, 11 a.m.: Anthony Browne will chat about writing and illustrating children’s books; May 7: Rachel Naomi Remen reads from “My Grandfather’s Blessings: Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging”  

Boadecia’s Books 398 Colusa Ave. Kensington All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted May 4: Sylvia Brownrigg will read from “Pages for You”; May 11: Suzanne Gold will read from her novel “Daddy’s Girls”; May 12: Krandall Kraus will read “Love’s Last Chance: A Nigel & Nicky Mystery”; May 18: Melinda Given Guttman will read from “The Enigma of Anna O”; May 19: Jessica Barksdale Inclan will read from “Her Daughter’s Eyes” 559-9184 or www.bookpride.com  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore 1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose) 843-3533 All events at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise May 1: Andrew Horvatt will discuss “Japanese Beyond Words”; May 3: Char Miller, editor, will discuss “Water in the West: A High Country News Reader” and “Fluid Arguments: Five Centuries of Western Water Conflict”; May 3: Conner Gorry will discuss the Lonely Planet published “Guatemala”; May 10: Gray Brechin talks about “Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin”; May 23: Jon Bowermaster discusses his book “Birthplace of the Winds: Adventuring in Alaska’s Islands of Fire and Ice”; May 29, 7 - 9 p.m.: Travel Photo Workshop with Joan Bobkoff. $15 registration fee  

“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. May 3: Lucy Lang Day with host Dale Jensen; May 10: Jamie Kennedy with host Mischell Erickson; May 17: Gregory Listach Gayle with host Mark States; May 24: Stephanie Young with host Louis Cuneo; May 31: Connie Post with host Louis Cuneo Cafe Firenze 2116 Shattuck Ave. 644-0155. 

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

Selected Poetry of Yehuda Amichai April 29, 10:30 a.m. Chana Bloch and Chana Kronfeld, co-translators of Yehuda Amichai’s “Open Closed Open,” will read their translations from the Hebrew. Book signing to follow. $4 - $5 Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237 

“New Draft Programme of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA” May 9, 7 p.m. Take part in a discussion of this blueprint for fighting and winning a revolution in the United States. Revolution Books 2425C Channing Way 848-1196 

Paul Polansky and Voice of Roma May 10, 3 p.m. Polansky’s poetry gives voice to the Kosovo Roma and their plight in the aftermath of their plight in the aftermath of the 1999 war. Free Kroeber Hall Gifford Room Second Floor (at College and Bancroft in Anthropology Building) 981-1352 

Rhythm & Muse Open Mike May 12, 6:30 p.m. An ongoing open mike series, featuring poet/artist Anca Hariton. Free Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 527-9753 

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. Through April 29, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. See an amazing display of plants that are sources of commonly used fibers and dyes. 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 

City Commons Club Speaker Series All speakers at 12:30 p.m. April 27: Wen-Hsing Yeh, professor of history, UC Berkeley speaks on “The Culture of China in a Changing World” $1 admission with coffee Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave. 848-3533 or 845-4725 

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. May 8, 5:15 - 6:30 p.m.: “What Makes Water Wet?” Richard Saykally, professor of Chemistry, UC Berkeley (refreshments served in 410 O’Brien Hall at 4:15 p.m.) 212 O’Brien Hall, UC Berkeley 642-2666  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute Free Lectures All lectures begin at 6 p.m. April 29: Barr Rosenberg on “The Ornament of the Middle Way”; May 6: Sylvia Gretchen on “Faith, Doubt, and Refuge in Buddhist Practice”; May 13: Abbe Blum on “Tapping Into Creativity”; May 20: Miep Cooymans and Dan Jones on “Working with Awareness, Concentration, and Energy”; May 27: Eva Casey on “Getting Calm; Staying Clear”; June 3: Jack van der Meulen on “Healing Through Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga)”; June 10: Sylvia Gretchen on “Counteracting Negative Emotions” Tibetan Nyingma Institute 1815 Highland Place 843-6812 

West Coast Regional Spartacist Educational April 28, Noon Jon Wood, of the Spartacist League, will speak: “Defend the Gains of the Cuban Revolution”; 3:30 p.m.: George Foster, central committee, Spartacist League, will speak: “For Socialist Revolution in the Bastion of World Imperialism” 60 Evans, UC Berkeley 839-0851 

“Falun Gong Phenomenon” April 29, 2 - 5 p.m. Chinese columnist and political critic, Hu Ping will speak on the Falun Gong movement. free Moffitt Library 101 UC Berkeley  

“Reading Technologies” May 2, 4 - 6 p.m. Ivan Illich, visiting scholar at UC Berkeley in anthropology, will talk about the history, visual architecture and meaning of reading from the time of classical print cultures and the medieval monk to the innovation and detachment of today’s digital era. Free Morrison Reading Room Doe Library UC Berkeley 642-5339 

“Hunting T. Rex” May 6, 2 p.m. A talk by Dr. Philip Currie, curator of dinosaurs, Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology. Currie asks the question: Was there social interaction amongst the Tyrannosaurs? $3 - $7 Lawrence Hall of Science UC Berkeley 642-5132 or visit www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Berkeley 1900 May 7, 7 p.m. Richard Schwartz, author of Berkeley 1900, a book about life at the turn of the 19th century, will speak at the Friends of Five Creeks’ monthly meeting. Albany Community Center (downstairs) 1249 Marin 848-9358 

Peopling of the Pacific May 11, 8 p.m. Dr. Patrick Kirch, department of Anthropology, UC Berkeley, will review results of archaeological research in the Pacific Islands, providing a current overview of Oceanic prehistory. 370 Dwinelle Hall UC Berkeley 415-338-1537  

On fire. In a groove. Couldn’t miss with his eyes closed. Any superlative you can come up with, this week it applied to Jeremiah Fielder. 

Three days after throwing a complete game win and going 4 for 4 with two home runs and two doubles earlier this week, the St. Mary’s senior had another banner day on Friday, going 3 for 3 with two doubles, a triple and five RBI against St. Joseph, leading the Panthers to a 11-1 win. 

“I’ve never hit like this before in my life,” Fielder said after Friday’s fireworks. “I usually hit line drives, but I’ve been working on my mechanics and added some power.” 

Fielder’s coach agreed with him. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a player on a run like he’s on,” St. Mary’s head coach Andy Shimabukuro said. “The last two games are probably the best he could have had.” 

Even when Fielder made his only out of the week on Friday, it was a sacrifice fly that brought home a run. Add that to bases-loaded doubles in the fourth and fifth innings, a ringing triple in the first, and two nice plays in the field, and you’ve got a dominating performance. And it could have been even better: Fielder’s first double on Friday went under the outfield fence, and would have been at least a triple and scored an extra run. 

The only thing that rivaled Fielder’s feats was a titanic home run by right fielder Chase Moore in the fifth inning. The two-run blast cleared the left field fence by a good 20 feet, and was part of a five-run inning that put the Panthers (13-9 overall, 7-2 BSAL) out of reach. They tacked the final run on in the bottom of the sixth to invoke the 10-run rule and send the crowd home early. 

St. Mary’s starter Anthony Miyawaki started shakily, giving up a leadoff single to Victor Ramirez. St. Joseph right fielder John Barber followed by pounding a ball into right-center, scoring Ramirez. But Barber was gunned down at third trying for a triple, and Miyawaki settled down, going the distance and giving up just three more hits, walking none and striking out nine Pilots. 

The Panthers pulled even in the bottom of the first when Joe Starkey brought in Fielder with a sacrifice fly, and scored two more in the next inning on an RBI single by catcher Marcus Johnson and Fielder’s sacrifice fly.  

While Miyawaki stifled the Pilots, St. Joseph (3-6 BSAL) starter Chad Freitas was in trouble from the start, as the Panthers scored in every inning but one. But after Fielder’s first bases-loaded double in the fourth, which ended Freitas’ day on the mound, the Panthers ran themselves out of the inning. Omar Young was thrown out trying to score on a routine ground ball, and Fielder fell asleep on a double steal and was caught in a rundown between third base and home to end the inning. 

But the Panthers batted around on reliever Allan Soohoo in the fifth, with the help of two Pilot errors, and the game was no longer in doubt.

’60s icon raises funds for cataract operations  

When he turns 65 on May 15, Wavy Gravy is throwing himself a party, an “ascension to geezerhood” celebration. Idols of rock will perform together at the Berkeley Community Theater – Dr. John, Mickey Hart, Paul Cantina, Jack Casady and more. Wavy will emcee.  

Wavy Gravy, icon of the ’60s, clown and hippie is above all a social activist.  

The birthday gala is just an excuse – the concert is really a fund-raiser in disguise for SEVA, Sanskrit for Service to Human Kind. SEVA is a health organization that provides cataract operations to people in Nepal, India and Tibet. A ticket to the birthday concert is enough to pay for an operation on “one eyeball, 20 bucks,” Wavy says. 

Up the alley from Peet’s on Fourth Street, Wavy’s tidy SEVA office is decorated by, among other things, a light with soft bristles that change color as they revolve and a star fish upon which sits a yellow plastic monk talking on a cell phone. Beautifully framed posters of other SEVA fund-raisers Gravy organized hang in the halls. “Peace through Living” is the subtitle to his book, Something Good for a Change. And his life is an illustration of that concept.  

In jeans and Hawaiian shirt, Wavy describes SEVA and meanders through other details of his most remarkable adventures. 

“The main slice of blindness is curable and preventable,” Wavy says. “Eighty percent of all people who are blind are unnecessarily blind and 80 percent of that 80 percent can regain sight.”  

SEVA was created 23 years ago after Wavy, his Hog Farm commune and Dr. Larry Brilliant, went to Nepal. They had started out for Pakistan to feed people marooned by floods, but because of the war between India and Pakistan they “veered left.” There Brilliant set up a clinic and Wavy blew bubbles. The kids had never seen bubbles before and “chased them through fields of reefer that stretched to the Himalayas trying to escape to the stars. It was such a gift, to be in this beauty, yet the terrain was steep and difficult. It was so easy to fall,” Wavy said. The ironic part was that so many people there were blind. 

Nicole Grasset, a woman legendary in Public Health, (Wavy calls her “one of the great saints, a mother Teresa in a Dior dress, except it’s a ‘knock off’ she washes by hand.”), pitched an idea to Brilliant, Ram Dass and Wavy to do something about the blindness. With an initial $10,000 grant from Steve Jobs at Apple Computer, they were able to go into Nepal and survey where eye camps could be set up.  

Soon after, Wavy happened to be on an airplane with the Grateful Dead and he proposed the idea of a SEVA fund-raiser to them. Bob Weir had already read something in the Whole Earth Catalog about the eye camps. The Dead agreed to a fund-raiser which was a huge success and Bill Graham donated $10,000 too.  

Wavy Gravy has set up such successful fund-raisers that SEVA has been able to expand its health focuses to work with indigenous peoples of the Americas, in diabetes prevention on several American Indian reservations in the United States and with Mayans in Guatemala. 

Never ordinary, Wavy grew up in Princeton, N.J., where, as he tells it, “I was five and airing myself in the front yard. Albert Einstein asked my mother if he might take me for a walk.” It was the first of many walks. Einstein wore tennis shoes and a sweatshirt and told Wavy that “as a young child (he) remembered things like linoleum patterns. I remember Einstein’s smell. Musty,” but more than that. 

When his parents divorced and each remarried and had other families, Wavy, then Hugh Romney, knew he’d have to make his own way through college. He joined the Army and later went to Boston University, on the GI Bill, to study performing arts. There he met the most incredible teachers, people who’d been blackballed by Hollywood during the McCarthy era. Wavy remembers Martha Graham as one of the dance instructors. “I had the hots for her; she had feet like cypress trees.” Top directors would come into the giant theater on campus and cast a play and everyone would have a part or were assigned to the crew.  

But the university administration didn’t want the teachers off in their own space ignoring core curriculum, so they quit. And they took Wavy with them to New York City and got him a scholarship at the Neighborhood Play House. He then became poetry director of the Gas Light Theater. People came in four deep to stare at the beatniks as if they were a geek show. Wavy recited poems he wrote, which got shorter and shorter “until they dissolved into haiku.” 

Eventually, he dropped the poems and just talked about the weird things that had happened to him during the day. He calls what he does ‘Stand Up Philosophy’ or ‘Head Riffs.’ 

His act was so impressive he was invited to open for jazz musicians including John Coltrane and Thelonius Monk. One night in Texas, B.B. King was trying to set up after Wavy (still Hugh Romney) had introduced him and Wavy was in the way. B.B. King clapped him on the shoulder and said, “Don’t worry Wavy Gravy, I’ll work around you.” Wavy’d been christened. 

Wavy brought his theater energies west and was a member of The Committee, an improvisational group in San Francisco. Eventually, he and friends formed a commune which was called the Hog Farm because of a gig they had living on a mountain top in California, rent free for slopping the hogs. Wavy and his Hog Farm Commune criss-crossed the country in buses to bring anti-war messages to college campuses.  

No stranger to stardom, he has been in the national eye since Woodstock where he made the famous announcement, “What we’re thinking of is breakfast in bed for 400,000.” He has been on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine and Life, as the psychedelic hero, crony to the Merry Pranksters and an original acid test survivor.  

Because of beatings he received during anti-war demonstrations, Wavy had to have several spinal fusions. After the last fusion, he was severally depressed, “bouncing on the bottom,” he called it. 

But someone suggested he work at Children’s Hospital and gave him a red nose to wear there. He went and found the antidote to his depression was the children. (They lit up at the sight of his red nose.)  

The more involved he got with the children, the more he lost track of his own personal pain. He worked at Children’s Hospital for many years. One nurse remembers his devoted readings of Wind in the Willows to a girl who had spina bifida. “He was so unassuming and soft spoken,” said Eileen Barrett (sister of the author). “He came week after week after week, his book tucked under his arm. He was perfect for her.” 

Wavy kept dressing as a clown when he discovered cops didn’t hit him anymore. He’s always touted laughter. “Humor enables people to see things in a new way. When people laugh their defenses go down.” 

When he met his wife, to whom he’s been married 35 years, he knew she was the one because she put peanuts on his hamburger. They bought a ranch in Leggett, and there they run a summer camp for kids called Camp Winnarainbow. The basic idea of the camp is to “set up a palette where people can discover they’re a star.” 

Wavy’s such a famous man, Ben and Jerry designed an ice cream flavor for him, “a very complex blend,” Rob at the Ben and Jerry’s on Oxford Street says. It took about two hundred taste tests to hit the right balance. Money from the ice cream sales is donated to assure diversity at Camp Winnarainbow.  

The camp pays him a monthly salary and his room and board. Although many think he’s a ‘godzillionaire,’ Wavy claims he has only $300 in the bank, that he just deposited. He lives in north Berkeley in a place he calls ‘Hippie Hyannisport’ in a multi-generational communal household. He says he’s thinking of slowing down a little, but right now in addition to the fund-raiser and getting Camp Winnarainbow ready for the summer onslaught, he has an art show hanging in San Francisco at the Laser Reflection Gallery.  

His work, he says, is done out of “pure greed and selfishness. It gets me stoned – a high that is not in the pharmaceutical cabinet.” 

When the phone rings and the caller asks him how he is, his answer “Semi–spectacular” is only semi-accurate. Drop the semi and you’d have the full truth.  

Call SEVA at 845-7382 for information on tickets for the fund-raiser. 

Hutchinson throws complete game 

Pitching on Fridays in the Pac-10 is a tough assignment. Every week, there are staff aces to square off against: USC’s Mark Prior, Arizona State’s Mike Esposito, and Oregon State’s Thad Johnson are a few that have gotten the best of Cal’s Trevor Hutchinson.  

But the junior right-hander was able to turn the tables Friday, striking out 10 Cardinal batters as Cal defeated Stanford, 7-4, yesterday at Evans Diamond. The win puts the Bears in good position to win their first series against Stanford since 1993. 

“For us to contend, we have to face a lot of number one’s (starters), guys with big reputations and big numbers behind them,” Cal head coach David Esquer said. “We have to be good enough to beat them.” 

In addition to Hutchinson (4-6), the Bears (25-21 overall, 10-9 Pac-10) were aided by a power surge in the sixth inning. Rob Meyer was hit by a pitch with one out, then watched designated hitter Brad Smith line a Jeremy Guthrie fastball over the right-centerfield fence, giving Cal a 5-4 lead. One out later, Ben Conley smashed his second home run of the season to leftfield. Conley was 3-4 with two runs scored in the game.  

Cal got out of the gates slowly in the first. A leadoff walk and two singles loaded the bases with no one out for the Cardinal, eventually leading to a run on a sac fly by Ryan Garko. With two outs, Andy Topham struck out, seemingly ending the inning. But the pitch was in the dirt, and catcher John Baker committed a throwing error to allow Stanford to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.  

“Against Stanford, you can’t afford to fall into a hole early, and we did just that,” said Hutchinson. “But we were able to battle back.” 

Cal responded with three runs of their own right away. Conley led off with a double down the leftfield line, and was brought home by Conor Jackson’s single. Brian Horwitz then singled, followed by a strikeout by Baker and a single by Carson White, loading the bases. Clint Hoover then grounded to Scott Dragicevich at shortstop. White was forced out at second, but Chris O’Riordan’s throw to first was in the dirt and escaped Arik Van Zandt at first, allowing Jackson and Horwitz to score and giving Cal a 3-2 lead. The teams combined for five errors in the game.  

The Cardinal (33-11, 11-5) would strike again in the second with one run, and scored again in the fourth when Jackson’s errant throw let in a run. From there, Hutchinson took control, setting down 13 consecutive Cardinal batters. After Jackson’s error in the fourth, the Cardinal did not have another baserunner until Dragicevich’s two-out single in the eighth. The score remained 4-3 until the Bears’ power surge in the sixth.  

“Once we settled down defensively, he (Hutchinson) really got himself on a roll,” said Esquer. “We’re going to need big performances from him.” 

For Cal to advance to the NCAA Regionals, they must win the series against Stanford, but the good news is that the Bears have not lost a series in which they won the opening game this season.  

“Beyond the big picture, we’ve really grown up as a team,” Esquer said. “They’ve shown a lot of poise not falling apart after making some key mistakes and giving (Stanford) runs. They’re starting to figure out what it takes to win.”

The City Council heard from 45 speakers Thursday prior to awarding more than $7 million in grants to nonprofit organizations that provide housing, homeless and health services. 

The hearing was held at the North Berkeley Senior Center, and the council is scheduled to vote on grant funding for the 115 applicants at its May 8 meeting. 

The city received the grant applications months ago and the process of evaluating them began in November. Three city commissions, several city agencies and the City Council have been involved in the evaluation process. The three commissions are the Housing Advisory Commission, the Homeless Commission and the Human Welfare and Community Action Commission. 

The City Manager’s Office and the three commissions sent recommendations to the council outlining the agencies they thought were worthy of grants and the amounts they should get.  

The council will review the recommendations, consider the public comments they heard Thursday night and likely make some adjustments before approving the grant funds. 

The grants come from a variety of federal and local funding sources including the $4.3 million in federal money from the Community Block Development Grant program and $2.4 million from the city’s general fund. The city will distribute nearly $500,000 more than it did last year.  

There are many worthwhile nonprofits in Berkeley and deciding which ones to fund can be a tough task, said Interim Director of Housing Stephen Barton.  

“We fund a lot of excellent services in Berkeley but there are always more excellent services that don’t get funding because there simply isn’t enough money,” he said. 

Many of the speakers at the hearing were representatives from the nonprofits who were there to thank the council and the commissions for recommending grants. They also took the opportunity to remind the council one more time the community value the grant funding would provide. 

Center for Independent Living Executive Director Jan Garret thanked the council for past grants and briefly outlined some projects CIL will pursue if it gets the $204,800 it requested. About $143,000 would go to building residential wheelchair access, $28,400 would go blind services and another $33,700 would be spent on staffing.  

Father Rigobinto Caloca Rivaro of the Multicultural Institute brought along several children who participate in the institute’s after-school program called Mas. Each of them addressed the council with speeches they had written themselves. One student named Miya told the council that if there were more programs like Mas, there would be fewer social ills.  

“I think there has been too much focus on building jails and if there were more programs like Mas, we wouldn’t need jails, because there would be a familiar place where people could go after school and get help with their homework,” she said. 

Some of the public speakers expressed frustration at not receiving any funding at all. The coordinator of the Family Resource Center told the council that the center will fold if it’s not given any seed money. 

According to John Martin, Jr., FRC coordinator, the center applied for $48,500 to help pay therapists who counsel Berkeley Unified School District students in crisis. Martin said the center helped 84 children who needed guidance because one or both of their parents had been jailed or were fighting a drug problem.  

“These kids are sometimes suffering from severe depression or they’re acting out in class,” Martin said. 

He added that the center has been evaluated by the Zelerbach Foundation and has been the focus of a study by UC Berkeley graduate students in Social Welfare. Both found that the center has made a positive difference in its clients’ lives. 

“The irony is that this is a state of the art family center in the middle of the poorest census tract in Berkeley and the city is going to turn us down for funding after it pitched in to help build it,” Martin said. 

Martin said the funding process is too weighted to nonprofits which have received money in the past.  

The application of Jubilee Restoration, a nonprofit housing developer, was one of the few to bring out disagreements between the Housing Advisory Commission and City Manager Weldon Rucker. 

Jubilee requested a grant of $100,800. The HAC reviewed the request and recommended $32,100, saying that Jubilee has had administrative problems. The City Manager doubled HAC’s recommendation for the same reasons. 

“Jubilee has shown some weaknesses but they’ve also showed some strengths,” Rucker told the council. “I don’t know of any new nonprofit developer that didn’t have problems and the extra money will help them straighten things out.”

Development boom began over 100 years ago 

Henry B. Berryman came to California in the 1850s and made his money selling coal brought around the Horn of Africa as ballast in ships. He rented Napoleon Bonaparte Byrne’s elegant house at 1301 Oxford St. in the early 1870s when Byrne moved to the Delta to farm. He eventually purchased Byrne’s house about 1880.  

Berryman’s name is familiar today as the man who developed Berryman Reservoir on Euclid Avenue near the Rose Garden and gave his name to Berryman Street.  

By the late 1870s Berryman had purchased a large section of Byrne’s farmland and subdivided it into building lots.  

To facilitate access to his subdivision he and other businessmen extended the Berkeley Branch spur line of the Central (later Southern) Pacific Railroad from Shattuck Avenue north to Berryman Station at Vine and Rose streets in 1878.  

The population was large enough in 1885 that a neighborhood school was built at Rose and Milvia streets. Moved and enlarged in 1897, the Rose Street School is still standing (a residence since 1905) at 1329 Milvia St.  

Berryman’s subdivision, Berkeley Villa Tract, extended from Rose Street to Eunice Street and from Martin Luther King, Jr. Way to Euclid Avenue and included today’s Live Oak Park.  

There are only a handful of pre-1890 buildings still standing in the area. The majority of the older buildings date from the 1890s and retain their Victorian trimmings, while the simple brown-shingle houses date from around 1900 to 1915.  

May 6, the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association will hold its annual self-guided house tour in the Live Oak Park neighborhood. Call 841-2242 or go to berkeleyheritage.com. 

Susan Cerny writes Berkeley Observed in conjunction with the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association

The Albany Police Department is looking for middle school and high school songwriters to write rap songs about teen driving safety, such as driving under the influence, accidents or using safety belts.  

To enter the contest, students should submit their song on a tape cassette and provide the lyrics on a separate piece of paper. Contestants need not come from Albany. 

Songs must be no longer than three and one half minutes long. No background music is required. 

Winning entries will have their song professionally recorded on compact disc. Cash prizes will be given to the top four songs (first prize $300, second price $200, third prize $150 and fourth prize $100.) The deadline for the contest is  

May 1.

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge overseeing the case against Napster Inc. essentially threw up her hands and appealed for help Friday. For the moment, her memorandum guarantees Napster users can continue downloading copyright music at will. 

The record labels want Napster to remove any copyright songs they identify on the song-swapping service, a position U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel has strongly endorsed in a series of rulings. 

But removing the songs has proven exceptionally difficult, since Napster users constantly make them reappear under different file names, staying one step ahead of Napster’s efforts to remove songs. 

Napster has said it can’t possibly keep up with every variation on its network, which Patel has described as an out-of-control “monster” that should be shut down entirely. 

On Friday, however, Patel effectively acknowledged that unless an appellate court clarifies its ruling in the case, she can’t force Napster to identify and remove all those files. 

In other words, for now, it remains the record labels’ burden to identify infringing songs on Napster’s ever-changing index of file names. 

Patel invited the Recording Industry Association of America to “seek clarification in the court of appeals.” 

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Patel’s July order that Napster remove all copyrighted works from its file-swapping site, but with several key caveats. The appellate court said the record industry trade group must “provide notice to Napster of copyrighted works and files containing such works available on the Napster system before Napster has the duty to disable access to the offending content.” 

Patel ruled Friday that the record labels’ interpretation, that they need not identify individual files, “requires reading more into the paragraph than the Ninth Circuit has made apparent.” 

Napster’s interpretation: it has to screen out songs only after the record labels identify specific infringing files, along with proof of copyright ownership. 

Napster recently began using Gracenote, a Berkeley, Calif.-based company that keeps a huge database of recorded music, to help screen songs. But Gracenote doesn’t compensate for changing song titles and artist name spellings that users twist to get around the screens. 

For example, a search for the Beatles hit “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” returns no results in Napster’s search engine. But type in “Fab Four” as the artist and the song appears, along with many other Beatles hits. 

Unless record labels can prove that a particular file name is infringing – in this example, that these individual “Fab Four” song files are really Beatles’ songs – Napster is not obligated to remove them. 

The industry argues that it need only provide the artist and song name, not the thousands of files appearing on Napster’s indexes. 

Patel also invited both sides to submit more technical guidance on how Napster might prevent newly released songs from appearing on the site, and noted that her own “neutral technology advisor,” A.J. Nichols, is studying the technological issues in the case. 

“The court will reserve making any findings regarding the relevant technology until it has reviewed Dr. Nichols’ report,” she said. A recording industry spokeswoman sought to downplay Patel’s latest ruling.  

“Napster still needs to comply with the order,” said Amy Weiss. 

Napster attorney Robert Silver praised Patel’s reading of the appellate ruling.  

If record labels want to stop the trading of copyright music, it’s crucial that they provide specific file names to Napster. 

“It is the only way that we can maximize the effectiveness of the filtering of noticed works that are actually on the system,” Silver said. 

A total of 17 million Americans — 20 percent of all people using the Internet — used Napster in February, and despite court-ordered screening technology, 12 million people still managed to use it in March, according to the Jupiter Media Metrix research firm. 

Meanwhile, other ways of trading music over the Web are gaining in popularity. People logging on to Bearshare.com, a decentralized network of users communicating directly with each other, grew from 187,000 in February to 520,000 in March, the research firm said. 

The case is In Re Napster, C00-1369. 

On the Net: 

http://www.riaa.org 

http://www.napster.com 

http://www.bearshare.com

SAN FRANCISCO — Frederick D. Smith, a Tuskegee Airman who became San Francisco’s first black public defender, has died following a long illness. He was 84. 

Smith was born in Kansas in 1917 and died April 13 at a convalescent home in San Francisco. 

He attended the University of Iowa in 1936, but left after three years to work in Chicago’s stockyards where he learned to fly planes. 

During World War II, Smith joined the Tuskegee Airmen, graduating in class 45C. After the war, he moved to the San Francisco Bay area to work as a longshoreman. 

In 1951, Smith entered the Hastings School of Law.  

And after graduating in 1956, he earned membership in the California Bar and worked for the law firm of McMurray, Brodsky, Walker, Bancroft and Tepper. 

Smith joined the Office of the Public Defender in 1961, eventually rising to head attorney.  

He ended his career with the office in 1986 at the San Francisco Youth Guidance Center. 

He is survived by his son, Frederick D. Smith Jr.; daughter-in-law, Josefa Matus; and grandson, Frederick D. Smith III, all of San Francisco; a sister, Marjoria Britton, of Pasadena; Mary Roth, his companion of 17 years; and his ex-wife, Mary Ellen Wilcox of Norman, Okla. 

SAN FRANCISCO — The daughter of a missing Antioch grandmother has been arrested on suspicion of murder one day after investigators identified body parts scattered in Solano and Sierra counties as those of the missing woman. 

Kendra Bernard, 38, was arrested Wednesday at an ex-boyfriend’s trailer home in San Leandro.  

She is being held without bail at County Jail in Martinez, according to Detective Corporal Barry Delavan of the Antioch Police Department. 

A man found the head and other body parts of a woman last Friday near the Yolo County border in Solano County. The same day, a 13-year-old boy found the torso of a woman off the side of a road in Sierra County near the Nevada border – some 120 miles away. Deputies there found more remains. 

Realizing the remains might be related, police took them to Solano County for an autopsy Tuesday. 

Margaret Bernard, 62, a word processor with First American Title in Concord, was last seen at her job on April 13. She had worked there for about 15 years. 

Her relatives in Modesto filed a missing persons report Tuesday after they were repeatedly unable to reach their mother or sister by phone, said Margaret’s son, Phil Bernard. 

The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office is expected to review the case Friday.

EL CAJON — A judge ruled Friday that the teen-ager charged in a deadly school shooting in suburban San Diego will be tried as an adult, rejecting a challenge to a new, voter-approved California law aimed at cracking down on juvenile crime. 

Charles Andrew “Andy” Williams, 15, pleaded innocent to two counts of murder and 26 other felony charges in the attack March 5 at Santana High. 

Superior Court Judge Herbert R. Exarhos rejected a challenge to Proposition 21, a gang violence and juvenile justice law that requires prosecutors to charge juveniles as adults for certain serious crimes. 

Public defender Randy Mize said he would file a challenge with a state appellate court in San Diego. 

The judge read from his 17-page ruling before a courtroom packed with friends and family wearing stickers and carrying placards featuring photos of Bryan Zuckor and Randy Gordon, the two boys killed in Santee. 

Williams, wearing a jail-issue orange jumpsuit, kept his head bowed through most of the hearing. 

The slightly built teen spoke publicly for the first time, softly uttering “not guilty” and answering “yes” to the judge’s questions about whether he understood the charges. 

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for July 17. 

After the hearing, Mize said Williams understood the judge had dealt his case a setback, but did not fully comprehend the court proceedings. 

“He certainly did not have a clue as to what the judge said today,” he said.  

“Based on his age, I don’t think he has a clue of what Proposition 21 is and how it applies to him as a 15-year-old.” 

Zuckor’s aunt, Carol Lynn Briens, said she cried tears of relief at the judge’s ruling but thought “all these words, all these legal things” distracted from the truth about Williams. 

“The truth is what he did, and what he did has affected many people’s lives,” she said. 

Williams’ lawyers argued that Proposition 21, approved by 62 percent of voters last year, violated prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment in the California Constitution and gave prosecutors the power of judges. 

In adult prison, defense attorneys argued, Williams would be cruelly targeted for sexual and physical assaults at the hands of older inmates.  

Exarhos disagreed, citing regulations requiring minors  

to be segregated from the  

adult prisoners. 

The judge also said prosecutors properly exercised their discretion when they alleged that Williams was “lying in wait” for his victims and committed multiple murders.  

Under Proposition 21, those circumstances automatically landed the case in adult court. 

“The defendant does not have a constitutional right to have the charges brought in juvenile court,” Exarhos said. 

Chief Deputy District Attorney Kristin Anton said the case belonged in adult court. 

“This case involves horrific crime. It’s the worst thing that can happen to a victim or a family,” Anton said.  

“Even without Proposition 21, we would have proceeded to get this individual into adult court.”

SACRAMENTO — By pushing California to join other Western states in a regional organization to run the states’ power grids, federal energy regulators want something that will neither cut energy costs nor stave off blackouts, Western officials said Friday. 

Plus, officials said, not many states want to join a club with California as a member. 

“Given the problems in California now, I’m not sure who would want California to join them,” said a Western power official who asked to not be quoted by name. 

California officials said Friday they will go to court rather than join a regional transmission organization (RTO) they say would limit California’s ability to control its power grid by giving more authority to the federal government and other Western states. 

“We’re not going to give up our authority to resolve our problems,” said California Independent System Operator board chairman Michael Kahn. 

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is illegally trying to force California to join an RTO by making that a condition of limited electricity price caps the commission ordered this week, alleged Kahn and California Public Utilities Commissioner Loretta Lynch. 

That won’t help in the short run, they said, echoing earlier criticism by Gov. Gray Davis. 

Eventually, however, states will move toward RTOs, officials and analysts said. 

This week FERC approved an RTO spanning seven Western states that will control 90 percent of the lines from the Canadian border to southern Nevada. RTO West includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana, parts of Nevada and Utah, a tiny portion of Northern California and possibly the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. 

“RTO West can serve as an anchor for the ultimate formation of a West-wide RTO,” the commission said, noting new Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham’s recent support for a Western regional RTO. 

A second RTO known as Desert Star, made up of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, eastern Wyoming and the western Texas panhandle, expects to seek FERC approval next month. 

California should create its own RTO – essentially, the current California Independent System Operator – to work with its neighbors to form the sort of seamless, larger, more efficient energy market FERC envisions, California and other Western officials suggested. 

“As a short-term goal, most people believe there should be three Western RTOs, and as a long-term goal, merge those,” said Desert Star project manager Michael Raezer. 

Western states are too diverse and have too many operational barriers to merge their grids immediately, officials and analysts said. 

Eighty percent of power in the Pacific Northwest, for example, comes from federal hydroelectric plants, while the desert Southwest gets half of its power from publicly owned utilities. Most of California, however, receives its power from investor-owned utilities such as Pacific Gas & Electric, which recently sought bankruptcy protection. 

In theory, a larger regional market would erase the shortages in supply and competition that have driven up prices and prompted four days of rolling blackouts in California so far this year, said Stanford University economist Frank Wolak. 

However, sparsely populated but energy-rich Western states could be overpowered by California and see their relatively cheap energy rates increase in a seamless market, Wolak said. 

Nor is it apparent that a single RTO would bring benefits beyond the cooperation that already exists between states, said Erik Saltmarsh, chief counsel for the California Electricity Oversight Board.  

The minimal cost savings might be offset by the high cost of merging the states’ power grids, he said. 

“Everyday we schedule (power flow) from Montana to Los Angeles and from British Columbia to Phoenix,” Saltmarsh said. “We don’t view that as a problem.” 

FERC, he added, invests an RTO with “magical powers,” as if by joining all of California’s problems will go away. “We don’t think it’s necessary, it doesn’t do anything, it’s a distraction from the key problems and it doesn’t solve them.” 

That’s isolationist thinking that no longer works, said Stephen Angle, a former FERC attorney whose law firm now represents several power generators. 

FERC’s concern, Angle said, is that California has tried to go it alone but created problems “for itself that are spilling into other states.” 

An RTO “is a long-term solution,” Angle said. “They’re not going to be up and running in time for this summer. But there certainly is a need to integrate California into a larger market for the long term.” 

CONSERVATION 

Hoping to set an example for a power-short state, Gov. Gray Davis on Friday announced that state office buildings reduced energy use by an average of 20 percent in January and February. 

The measures have saved taxpayers $286,000, Davis said. 

The amount is paltry sum compared with the more than $5 billion the state has paid since January to keep California’s lights on, and such measures did not stop operators of the state power grid from declaring a Stage 2 power shortage emergency earlier this week. 

But in a news conference packed with state workers who applauded him when he entered, Davis defended the results, saying they came from only two months of effort. 

Davis also repeated promises that the state would escape its power woes within two years. 

At his side were David Freeman, former head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, who starts Tuesday as Davis’ energy czar, and Aileen Adams, secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency. 

Adams oversaw the state conservation effort. 

She said workers were being barraged with power-saving instructions on everything from hand-written notes to on-hold messages. 

“We are tracking our bills for the first time,” Adams said. 

The message is already spreading to the private sector, Adams said. 

The trade group Building Owners and Managers Association has pledged to conserve energy in its 300 million square feet of California office space, Adams said. And McDonald’s restaurants have begun printing conservation messages on food tray liners. 

Davis also said his wife had managed to conserve power in the governor’s mansion by 34 percent in January and 63 percent in February. 

“Of course, it’s 55 degrees the whole time,” he said. “And I have to go to bed in a heavy sweatshirt and sweatpants, and there’s no light on in any room that we’re not in.” 

SACRAMENTO — One person died and seven were injured Friday in a rush-hour crash on Interstate 5 that officers say was caused by a big-rig driver who didn’t see a car when he tried to change lanes. 

Around 8:10 a.m. the southbound tractor-trailer driven by Kulvir Lehal, 34, of Canada tried to change lanes and hit a passenger car, causing the truck driver to lose control, the California Highway Patrol said. 

The truck crossed a cement median into the northbound lanes, hitting several cars and another big rig and catching fire. 

Median pieces ruptured the truck’s gas tank.  

The truck burned down to its wheels, sending up a thick plume of smoke that could be seen throughout the greater Sacramento area. 

In all, debris from the cement median and the crash itself damaged 14 vehicles. 

Lehal was booked into the Sacramento County jail on misdemeanor manslaughter charges, the CHP said. 

Killed in the crash was John Estrada, 51, of Sacramento, whose new black sports car was one of those smashed in the northbound lanes, the CHP said. The other injuries were minor. 

Witness Michael Via, a driver with Lucent Technologies, said was on northbound I-5 when he saw the big rig sliding sideways toward him. 

“My partner started screaming and hollering ‘Slow down.’ I saw the truck coming in our direction going sideways, smoke billowing out of both sides. It was already on fire,” he said. 

The truck came to a stop when it bumped a small, white passenger vehicle, Via said. 

The driver of the car was already stopped when the truck struck her car. 

She ran out of her car immediately, followed about 30 seconds later by the driver of the big rig, Via said.

FRESNO — The widow of an education professor at California State University, Fresno gave the school $4 million Friday for its teaching programs. 

Marion Kremen gave the money to honor her late husband, Benjamin Kremen, a pioneer in guidance counseling programs at the university. He taught at the school from 1950 to 1976. He died in 1995. 

Kremen said the gift is intended to strengthen the graduate program her husband established, and to create a doctoral program. 

The school currently offers an education doctorate jointly with the University of California at Davis, but is among campuses in the CSU system seeking legislative approval to offer independent doctorates. 

The gift is the second-largest for an academic program at the university. Sid Craig gave $10 million in 1992 for the school of business that bears his name. 

President John D. Welty will ask the CSU Board of Trustees next month to rename the education school The Benjamin and Marion Kremen School of Education and Human Development. 

Marion Kremen, 91, a classical pianist educated at the Peabody Institute of Music in Baltimore has taught elementary school, served as a principal and taught at various universities, including Johns Hopkins, Marshall, Michigan State and Fresno State. 

MODESTO — California’s dairymen continued adding cows to their herds last year, but the increased production led to slumping prices. 

A sharp drop in prices, fueled by the added production, drove down the value of California’s top agricultural commodity to $3.7 billion. 

That was about a 10 percent drop from $4.09 billion in 1999 and the second straight year that revenue fell, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

California dairies had record revenue of $4.29 billion in 1998. 

“I don’t think many dairymen are surprised by this, because we knew herds were growing,” said Merced dairyman Manny Vierra, who milks 610 Holsteins. 

The state’s dairies produced plenty of milk even while prices fell last year, as production jumped 6 percent to 33.24 billion pounds. That continued a steady increase and strengthened California’s position as the nation’s leading milk producer. 

Runner-up Wisconsin, which lost the top spot in 1993, produced 23.25 billion pounds of milk last year. 

The price that dairies receive is based on the market prices for the commodities made from milk: butter, powder and cheese. 

“Demand for dairy products continues to grow, however, so that’s a positive,” said Michael Marsh, chief executive officer of Modesto-based Western United Dairymen, which represents 1,100 of the state’s 2,000 dairies. 

Another positive for dairies is that feed prices remain low, the result of excess corn, soybeans and other grains in the Midwest.

WASHINGTON — Fulfilling President Bush’s proposal to test every student in grades three through eight could cost states as much as $7 billion over the next seven years, the National Association of State Boards of Education says. 

Spokesman David Griffith said education officials believe Bush’s plan asks states to test students more than necessary and, they fear, without adequate funding. 

“They’re just really concerned that ... this whole rush in testing is coming so quickly,” he said. 

In his budget, Bush requested $320 million for test development – a figure that wouldn’t even cover testing in California, let alone all 50 states, according to an association survey. 

Only 15 states currently test students in reading and math in grades three through eight, Griffith said. Most rely at least partially on off-the-shelf tests that aren’t geared to the curriculum, as Bush’s plan proposes. 

According to the survey, states would need to spend as much as $7 billion in the seven-year period following passage of major federal education spending legislation now before Congress. Bush’s education plan requires states to develop the tests by 2004 and give them each year through 2008. 

The survey puts even a conservative cost estimate at $2.7 billion if states opt for rudimentary tests. 

“The costs are staggering, but not surprising to states who have put in place comprehensive assessment systems over the past 10 years,” said Brenda Welburn, NASBE’s executive director. 

The Senate is scheduled next week to debate reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which provides most of the funding for K-12 education. The Senate version would give states $400 million – slightly more than Bush – while the House version matches Bush’s $320 million request. 

Senate Democrats have proposed giving states more money for the tests, saying the federal government should pick up half the cost. Even a Republican, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, is considering an amendment that would help states pay more testing costs. 

The survey gathered the figures based on per-pupil costs, ranging from $25-$125 per student, to develop tests, and $25-$50 to administer and score them. 

Griffith said the low figures represent “as basic an aligned assessment as you can get.” 

Education Department spokeswoman Lindsey Kozberg said the survey overestimates the cost of administering tests, saying the Houston Independent School District, for instance, spent less than $10 per pupil for off-the-shelf tests. 

“Their low end is more than two-and-a-half times what we know Houston’s costs were,” she said. Education Secretary Rod Paige is a former Houston schools superintendent. 

Griffith said NASBE based the costs on those provided by testing contractors for tests similar to those proposed by Bush. 

“The president’s plan requires so much detail,” he said. “Those demands are actually going to increase administration costs.” 

Kozberg said several states have already developed adequate tests, which could lower their development costs. 

The survey projected the number of students for the 2004-05 school year based on 1999-2000 enrollment data. The estimates do not include the costs of science tests, which would be required in 2007-08. 

In several states, the survey shows, developing and giving even the most basic tests would run well past $100 million. For example, Pennsylvania and Ohio would each need about $106 million. Illinois would have to spend $116 million, while New York would require $159 million. Texas would require $229 million. 

California would need nearly $346 million, more than Bush’s proposed $320 million test development budget for all 50 states. 

According to the survey, about 21.6 million students will be enrolled in grades three through eight in 2004. Bush’s plan would link billions of dollars in federal funds to annual student performance on tests. 

——— 

National Association of State Boards of Education: http://www.nasbe.org 

Bush education budget: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/Budget02 

WASHINGTON — Two newly declassified official reports concerning a raid on a Vietnamese village by Bob Kerrey’s Navy SEAL team make no mention of civilian casualties that the former senator says he included in his initial after-action report on the incident. 

The reports, both dated Feb. 25, 1969 – the day of the raid on Thanh Phong, a coastal hamlet in the Mekong Delta – were released Friday by the Naval Historical Center in Washington. 

They are not signed, but military address codings suggest they are a message from Kerrey’s immediate superior officer to the commander of SEAL Task Force 115 and that officer’s reply. 

Both refer only to ”21 VC KIA (BC),” meaning ”21 Viet (Viet Cong) killed in action (body count).” The senior commander’s reply says the SEALS “have gained a well-deserved spotlight as a result of their successful and highly productive operations,” and praises “the Kerrey Raiders of Market Time,” saying they “not only surprised the enemy in his own sanctuary but struck him a severe and fatal blow. Well done.” 

Market Time was the code name for a U.S. Navy effort to interdict Viet Cong boats carrying ammunition and supplies along the coast of the South China Sea, where the communist forces controlled many populated areas. 

The language is similar to that in a later citation awarding then-Lt. (jg) Kerrey, 25, the Bronze Star, the nation’s fourth-highest award for valor. Kerrey has said recently that because a dozen of the victims turned out to be civilians, “the medal means nothing to me.” 

Kerrey also claimed, most recently at a New York news conference on Thursday, that his written after-action report on the Thang Phong raid included the civilian casualties. 

Kerrey, a Democrat who served as governor and senator from Nebraska and ran for president in 1992, publicly disclosed the incident this week. He said he has been haunted by the memory of the killings and has kept the details private, even from his children. 

Kerrey said Thursday that he and his six-member squad began shooting only after they were fired on in a free-fire zone – an area cleared of civilians by government forces. Anyone remaining was assumed by South Vietnamese and U.S. forces to be the enemy. 

The first teletype message, labeled a “spot report,” says Kerrey’s team “received fire from hooches” and returned fire. Then: “Observed several personnel running from hooches. Took under fire,” it said. 

It said no Americans were hurt and that 21 Viet Cong were killed. It also noted the number of rounds of ammunition the squad had expended and said two hooches had been destroyed and two Chinese carbines captured. 

Civilian casualties were mentioned two days later, Feb. 27, in a radio log obtained by The Associated Press. The log, which reflect military activity in Than Phu district of Kien Hoa province, where the village is located, cited 11 Viet Cong and 13 civilians killed during the raid. 

Later that day, a separate log entry reports that an “old man” from the village came to the district headquarters was seeking restitution for the killings. 

The Vietnam government on Thursday offered conciliatory words for Kerrey. “Mr. Kerrey has shown in his statements about what happened in the past in Vietnam that he was remorseful about his behavior,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Phan Thuy Thanh said in Hanoi. 

“We think the best way for Mr. Kerrey and other Americans who fought in Vietnam to achieve peace of mind is to contribute to healing the wounds from the war through concrete and realistic actions,” she said. 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Jurors heard a murky, secretly recorded FBI tape Friday that prosecutors say shows a former Ku Klux Klansman plotted a 1963 church bombing that killed four black girls. 

Thomas Blanton Jr., on trial for murder, can be heard twice uttering the phrase “plan a bomb” or “plan the bomb” on the tape, recorded with a hidden listening device in his kitchen nine months after the explosion at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. 

At one point, he appears to justify a meeting with Klansmen at a river bridge one night shortly before the bombing: “You’ve got to have a meeting to plan a bomb.” 

Jurors listened to the electronically enhanced tape using headphones and were provided with transcripts by prosecutors. The tinny audio was mostly inaudible to spectators in the large, wood-paneled courtroom, but reporters were later allowed to listen to the tape on headphones. Judge James Garrett refused to provide a transcript to the public. 

Defense lawyer John Robbins said prosecutors are taped only part of a conversation, have distorted the meaning of his client’s words and chose not to enhance essential parts that were unintelligible. He said Blanton actually was talking with his then-wife, Carolyn Jeanne Barnes, about being hounded by FBI agents investigating the explosion. 

“You do not know the context of this conversation because the FBI didn’t record the beginning,” Robbins said outside court. “You can’t judge a person’s conversation in a vacuum.” 

The bomb went off outside the church on Sept. 15, 1963, a Sunday. The girls, who were gathered in a downstairs lounge preparing for a youth worship service, died in a storm of brick and other debris. 

The explosion killed Denise McNair, 11, and Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley and Carole Robertson, all 14. It was one of the most notorious crimes of the civil rights era. 

Blanton, now 62, was identified as a suspect within weeks of the blast. He has always denied any involvement. 

Two FBI agents testified that in June 1964 they secretly placed a microphone against a kitchen wall in an apartment Blanton shared with his wife, whom he has since divorced. 

The tape records Blanton’s response when his wife asked him about going to a Cahaba River bridge on a night before the bombing. She is concerned that Blanton may have been with a former girlfriend, Waylene Vaughn, on the Friday night before the Sunday bombing. 

Blanton says he was at the river bridge meeting, not with Vaughn, and along with saying the phrase “plan a bomb” or “plan the bomb,” he voices the words “making a bomb.” 

Robbins fought hard to keep jurors from hearing the tape. Earlier prosecution testimony sought to show Blanton, a crude-spoken racist at the time, was capable of taking part in the bombing; the FBI tape was supposed to link him directly to it. The courtroom, mostly empty for earlier testimony, was more than half full Friday when the tape was played. 

Robbins argued that the tape should not have been allowed because such recordings were not permitted as evidence in 1963. The judge sided with prosecutor Doug Jones, who contended that a change in the law in 1968 made the tape admissible. 

FBI agent Bill Fleming said the quality of the nearly 37-year-old tape was digitally enhanced using equipment unavailable at the time of the bombing. More than a half-dozen agents, stenographers and an expert listened to the tape dozens of times to complete the transcript, he said. 

After Friday’s testimony, Jones said he will not call Blanton’s former wife as a witness. She has said Blanton was with her the night before the bombing and not with Klansmen planting it. 

Jones indicated her story hasn’t changed. “I don’t need an alibi for Tommy Blanton in my prosecution,” he said. 

By not calling her, Jones will not be able to back up his claim in opening statements that Blanton giggled when she asked him about the bombing. 

Blanton is the second person put on trial in the bombing. Former Klansman Robert “Dynamite Bob” Chambliss was convicted of murder in 1977 and died in prison. 

Ex-Klansman Bobby Frank Cherry was indicted with Blanton last year, but the judge delayed his trial after medical evaluations raised questions about his mental competency. A fourth suspect, Herman Cash, died without ever being charged. 

VIEQUES, Puerto Rico — The U.S. Navy dropped 500-pound dummy bombs from jet fighters and fired shells from ships as it resumed exercises on Vieques island Friday, despite the presence of protesters so close they forced a temporary halt to the fire. 

“They’re risking the lives of our people by dropping bombs,” said Robert Rabin, an organizer of demonstrators who say the exercises harm islanders’ health and environment. Navy officials in the U.S. Caribbean territory insist the training does not hurt the island’s 9,400 people and is vital to save American lives in combat. 

Hundreds of protesters around the entrance to the Navy’s Camp Garcia cut through the fence in nearly a dozen places Friday, and there were at least two violent confrontations. 

Navy police fired rubber bullets and pepper spray at young men who hurled rocks and cow manure over a trampled section of fence. Reporters on the scene said at least one man was injured when a rubber bullet hit him in the abdomen. 

Earlier, U.S. marshals fired pepper gas after 32 protesters cut through the fence, unimpeded by about a dozen Puerto Rico police officers just yards away. 

While the Navy complained about the police inaction, Puerto Rico’s top law enforcer, Police Chief Pierre Vivoni, complained about the marshals: “I saw that they were using pepper gas against the people detained, even when they were already detained, and that is improper.” 

At least 46 people were arrested Thursday and Friday and all would be prosecuted for trespassing on federal land, the Navy said. 

Four Puerto Rican legislators sent by boat to see whether the exercises were violating a local noise law were detained briefly by the U.S. Coast Guard as they approached restricted waters, then allowed to continue sailing outside the military zone. 

Rabin said an unknown number of demonstrators who cut through fences and breached the area by boat remained in the 12,000-acre (4,800-hectare) military zone Friday afternoon. 

The Navy said there were no intruders on the 900-acre firing range on the island’s eastern tip, which federal agents scoured through the night with helicopters, dogs and foot patrols. 

“The range is green ... There’s nobody out there to pose a danger to,” said spokesman Lt. Corey Barker. “They wouldn’t do the exercises unless it was perfectly safe.” 

Nevertheless, eight protesters were discovered on a small island within 100 yards of the target zone, where the exercises began with bombing runs shortly after 9 a.m. 

Navy spokesman Jeff Gordon said the protesters were spotted just before a ship was to begin shelling – “close enough to the range to suspend the exercise.” 

The shelling began about an hour and half later. 

Among protesters who may still be in the restricted area are opposition Sen. Norma Burgos and Myrta Sanes, sister of civilian security guard David Sanes, whose April 1999 death by 500-pound bombs dropped off target on the range provoked an explosion of public anger and anti-U.S. sentiment. 

Protesters occupied the range after the guard’s death, preventing exercises until they were removed by U.S. marshals in May 2000. Since then, training has been limited to inert ammunition and hundreds of protesters have been arrested. 

About 15,000 sailors and Marines are taking part in the latest exercises, which involve the Norfolk, Va.-based aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and about a dozen cruisers and destroyers. They are expected to last several days. 

On Thursday, a federal judge turned down a last-minute court action from the Puerto Rican government complaining that the exercises could harm islanders’ health and violate the new noise law. 

Puerto Rican officials claimed a partial victory in the court case, noting U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler was disturbed by “an implied promise” from Navy officials to postpone the drills until the Department of Health and Human Services completed a review of studies linking noise from the exercises to islanders’ heart problems. 

Friday’s exercises were the first since Gov. Sila Calderon was elected in November, in part because of her demands for an immediate end to the bombing exercises. 

The Navy owns two-thirds of Vieques and says the bombing range, which covers 3 percent of the island, is the only one where it can simultaneously practice amphibious invasions, ship-to-shore shelling and bombing from aircraft. 

——— 

On the Net: 

U.S. government statements on Vieques: http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/facilities/vieques 

U.S. Navy site: http://www.navyvieques.navy.mil 

Vieques resident’s site: 

http://www.vieques-island.com/board/navy/study.html 

WASHINGTON — The government is warning manufacturers of drugs used in the treatment of AIDS not to imply too much in their advertising. 

The Food and Drug Administration acted Friday after it determined that some advertisements, particularly on the West Coast, seemed to imply that with modern treatment people did not need to worry about AIDS. 

An ad might, for example, show two people enjoying outdoor recreation, with the caption that they both tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, but were still enjoying life. 

The agency’s Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising and Communications said it reviewed these direct to consumer ads and concluded that “many do not adequately convey that these drugs neither cure HIV infection not reduce its transmission.” 

The advertising in question needs to be changed within 90 days, FDA said, noting that promoting the drugs without displaying their limitations, and using images not representative of HIV patients, is in violation of the federal Food and Drug Act. 

AIDS deaths have declined sharply in the last few years as the combination of drugs used to treat the disease has improved.  

But treatment can be costly and while it extends the life of the patients it doesn’t cure the disease. In addition most of the drugs need to be taken in combination with other drugs, something the ads didn’t always make clear. 

“Although today’s treatment regimens have transformed HIV infection to a chronic disease in many patients, HIV infection is still associated with significant” illness and death, the letter said. 

It noted that people on therapy can still pass the disease on to others, so precautions must still be taken. 

The letter from Thomas Abrams, director of the division of marketing, advertising and communications, also pointed out that not all people respond to the drugs, and it said some ads minimize side effects of the drugs, which can include redistribution of body fat and facial wasting. 

The FDA did not single out any particular drug maker, saying it sent the advisory to all companies that make drugs to treat AIDS. It asked them to reply by May 18, listing promotional materials to be changed and stating when that would be done. 

Companies making drugs for the treatment of AIDS include Abbott Laboratories, Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Boehringer Ingelheim Corp., Bristol-Myers Squibb, DuPont Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, Hoffmann-LaRoche Inc. and Merck & Co. 

On the Net: 

Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov

WASHINGTON — Illegal immigrants are flocking to immigration offices to apply for visas as a Monday deadline approaches. 

Some Immigration and Naturalization Service centers are extending hours Saturday and Monday, while immigrant advocacy groups and attorneys are working late to help last-minute filers with their applications. 

“We’re getting long lines at the district offices,” said Elaine Komas, an INS spokeswoman. “We’re getting a tremendous increase in the volume of calls.” 

She said that in March the agency received the largest number of visa applications ever for a one-month period. Over a three-month period the agency has handled more than a million calls per month, a 33 percent increase over the typical month. 

Vanna Slaughter, executive director of Dallas Catholic Charities, said her organization has been inundated with people seeking immigration counseling services. 

“We have handled around 500 people since the first of the year,” she said. “That’s unheard of. We usually do that by end of the year.” 

Mario Ramos, an immigration lawyer in Nashville, Tenn., said some immigrants just learned about the deadline and realized they need to act quickly. 

“They have this really desperate sound in their voice,” he said. 

Members of Congress urged President Bush to issue an executive order extending the deadline, but the White House said Friday changing the law required an act of Congress. Spokesman Scott McClellan said the White House was reviewing the issue. 

“We are working through a high-level working group with Mexico on migration issues such as this and the president previously has made it clear that he supports reuniting families that have been separated,” McClellan said. 

The Legal Immigration and Family Equity Act that took effect in December allows an estimated 640,000 illegal immigrants to apply for visas without first returning to their home countries and applying from there. That is significant because most illegal immigrants are barred from re-entering the United States once they leave. 

A visa allows an immigrant to stay in the country and reserves a place for the immigrant to later apply for a green card, which signifies permanent legal residency. 

To apply for a visa, an immigrant must be sponsored and have a close relative who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Then the immigrant must pay $225 in application and fingerprinting fees and a $1,000 fine for entering the country illegally. 

Marisol, 24, an illegal immigrant who has lived in Washington for eight years and did not want to give her last name, was among those seeking an application at the INS office in Arlington, Va., on Thursday. 

“This is going to give us the opportunity to be residents here and not have to leave our children,” she said as she held her squirming toddler. 

Applications must be postmarked or delivered to the INS by midnight Monday. Those who miss the deadline risk arrest unless they return to their home country and apply. Many of those who return home will have to wait 10 years before they will be allowed back into the United States. 

Since its inception, the visa application law has touched off a frenzy in the immigrant community. Initially some believed the law was a general amnesty, leading them to be victimized by profiteers. 

The rules governing who may sponsor whom are complex. In certain cases, relatives may sponsor applicants; in some cases employers may do so — but only after proving a job is legitimate and there is a shortage of American workers to fill it. 

Marriage to a U.S. citizen is often the easiest route. Advocates and attorneys say they have been advising immigrants in relationships to get married or move up wedding dates so they can take advantage of the law. As a result, requests for marriage licenses have surged in many areas of the country. 

In Arlington, Circuit Court deputy clerk Aida Duncan said her office has issued 2,000 marriage licenses since January, about double compared to the same period last year. 

The INS has issued warnings that marriage fraud — marrying just to get a green card — carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $260,000 fine. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Immigration and Naturalization Service LIFE Act: http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/services/residency/LIFE.htm 

WASHINGTON — The economy surprised the naysayers by turning in a solid growth rate of 2 percent in the first quarter – double what had been expected for a period in which there had been fears a recession might be beginning. 

The Bush administration called the rebound “nothing but good news.” Private economists also found it encouraging but expressed concern that the recession threat was not over. 

The advance in the gross domestic product in the January-March quarter was not only bigger than anticipated but also was double the 1 percent annual rate of growth registered in the last three months of 2000. 

On Wall Street, the news lifted stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 117.70 points to close at 10,810.05. 

“We’re back from the brink,” said a hopeful Richard Yamarone, economist with Argus Research Corp. “The economy, however, remains fragile. Looking ahead, people shouldn’t expect miracles. Economic growth will probably be weaker in the second and third quarters.” 

GDP is the total output of goods and services produced within the United States and is considered the broadest measure of the nation’s economic health. The first-quarter figure, released Friday by the Commerce Department, marked the government’s most up-to-date reading. 

Hardy spending by consumers, especially on costly manufactured goods, such as cars and furniture, and an improved trade performance were major forces boosting first-quarter growth. That helped to offset weaknesses elsewhere, including a drop in business investment in computers and other equipment. 

The Bush administration, which had been concerned that the economy could dip into recession in President Bush’s first months in office, welcomed the pickup. 

“Our 2 percent real growth rate in the first quarter is nothing but good news compared to what most people expected,” said Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill. 

Earlier this year, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan worried that economic growth might have stalled out, ending the country’s record 10-year-long economic expansion. Others feared that economic output may have actually declined. 

The Fed slashed interest rates four times this year to stave off recession and rejuvenate the economy. Even with the first-quarter bounce back, many economists believe the Fed will cut rates again on May 15. 

With first-quarter GDP in positive territory, economists believe the United States may have escaped the period of maximum danger for recession. 

“The report suggests we have a better chance of achieving a soft landing for the economy than many thought just a few weeks ago,” said Lynn Reaser, chief economist for Banc of America Capital Management. 

Others contend that the threat of a recession remains, with the possibility that rising unemployment in coming months could yet precipitate a plunge in consumer spending, the fuel of economic growth. 

“To date, the economy is recession free,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Economy.com. “But the risks are still very high that the expansion could come unraveled and that we end up in a full-blown downturn.” 

Zandi and other economists predict the economy will lose altitude in the current second quarter, with some saying that GDP may slip into negative territory. “The second quarter is probably going to be the low point for the economy,” Zandi said. 

Still, most analysts believe the economy will return to more healthy growth toward the end of the year. 

An inflation gauge tied to GDP rose at an annual rate of 3.3 percent in the first quarter, the fastest pace in a year, reflecting higher costs for services such as medical care and for natural gas and electricity. But the rise didn’t trouble economists, who believe the weak economy will temper inflation pressures in the months ahead. 

In a speech Friday, Greenspan offered another reason not to be alarmed. He predicted the growth in the productivity of U.S. workers would continue, even while the economy slows. Increasing output per hour of work is a key to growth without inflation – and a major factor in growing government surpluses. 

In the first quarter, the economy’s biggest boost came from consumer spending, which rose at an annual rate of 3.1 percent. Leading the way: a big jump in spending on durable goods – such as cars, appliances and furniture – which soared at an annual rate of 11.9 percent after having shrunk at an annual rate of 3.1 percent in the fourth quarter. 

“The storm is beginning to subside,” said Jerry Jasinowski, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, whose industry has been hardest hit by the slowdown. 

The biggest drags on first-quarter growth came from a continuing effort by businesses to reduce an overhang of unsold goods. That shaved 2.5 percentage points off growth. A drop in business investment on computers and other equipment, which the Fed cited as a new worry in its latest rate cut on April 18, subtracted 0.2 percentage point from growth. 

On the Net: 

GDP report: http://osecnt13.osec.doc.gov/public.nsf 

DIAMOND BAR — Teenagers are setting the pace for a car-customizing craze that began in California several years ago and has now spread to the East Coast, Texas and the Midwest. 

The big-bucks tinkering often exceeds the original price of the car, with youths sometimes spending as much as $20,000 on aftermarket parts and accessories, including wheels, stereos and low-rider kits. 

Basic gotta-have customizing includes lowering the suspension and adding high-performance tires. For the more adventurous with deep pockets, there are nitrous-oxide injection units to rev up engine performance and 5,000-watt sound systems. 

“These kids are spending $2,000 on a set of wheels,” said Chris Horn of the 4,600-member Specialty Equipment Market Association, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Diamond Bar. 

“Our whole industry is a $24 billion a year business. It’s really growing at an explosive pace,” 

Horn said Thursday that teens with second jobs and mom-and-dad handouts are fueling the custom car spree. 

Rich Cutting recently spent $8,000 on audio for his ride. 

“Nobody wants a stock car,” said the resident of Woodland Hills in suburban Los Angeles. “Your car has to say a lot.” 

Honda, Acura, Lexus and Mitsubishi woo this crowd. 

Leading the explosive growth is the sport-compact portion of the automotive aftermarket industry. SEMA said that segment was worth $1.2 billion in 2000, which compares to $756 million in 1999 and $295 million in 1997. SEMA organizes shows nationwide to introduce car enthusiasts to the latest gee-whiz aftermarket items. It’s granddaddy event is held each November in Las Vegas. 

Manufacturers took notice and many aftermarket items have been incorporated into newer model cars. Fancy wheels, stereo systems, grilles and lighting accessories are just a few of those manufacturer embellishments. 

“Ford has really targeted the Focus as the car that 18- to 20-year-olds can buy and accessorize, and General Motors is focusing on this market,” Horn said.

NEW YORK — With the Dow Jones industrials up nearly 10 percent during April, many individual investors are trying to decide whether to jump into the rally. But buying stocks can be dicey in an uncertain economy and fragile earnings environment. 

So, how do you put together a strategy for a fickle stock market? 

Cautiously and without impulse buying, according to Allan Meyers and Art Bonnel, who each steer mutual funds with hundreds of millions of dollars in assets. Their funds differ in size and approach, but the advice they offer individual investors is similar. Focus on a company’s growth prospects and don’t try to time the market. 

“We look for those companies that are going to have the best earnings going forward, rather than the flyers,” said Meyers, manager of the $600 million Kent Growth and Income Fund, which features a mix of growth and value stocks. “Take a longer-term perspective, and don’t buy the hot stocks just because everyone else is.” 

“It’s very difficult to be in the right place at the right time all the time, even when you’re a professional manager,” notes Bonnel, who manages the $150 million U.S. Global Investors Bonnel Growth Fund. He likens the last nine months, particularly for tech stocks, to the devastation caused by the stock market crash of 1929. 

In a step that paralleled moves by some individual investors, Bonnel pulled his aggressive growth fund partly out of the market in the first quarter of 2001, shifting more than 80 percent of its assets into cash. 

But in April, the combination of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve and data suggesting the economy was healthier than anyone had thought lured him back. Today, about 20 percent of the fund’s assets are in cash, with the rest in stocks. 

The makeup of his stock holdings has changed radically from a year ago, though. 

About 3 percent are in technology, compared with 70 percent in the spring of 2000, when tech stocks were still roaring and the fund’s assets reached $350 million. 

Today the fund is down about 23 percent for the year, despite its emphasis on the types of stocks considered safer investments in a questionable economy. 

“We’ve been going into soaps, cleaners, petroleum ... chewing gum, beverages and ammunition,” said Bonnel, a 30-year veteran of the industry. He’d still like to buy technology, but he’s waiting for the earnings picture to get a little clearer. Although the sector has enjoyed a nice run-up, he’s not convinced the worst is over. 

His advice: If you’re going to buy, focus on earnings and a company’s long-term perspective, rather than hype or emotion. 

A year ago, he said, technology earnings prospects were still strong, but even when they weren’t, the momentum and euphoria surrounding the sector made it impossible to resist. 

“Things just got totally out of hand, but you had to keep riding it,” he recalled. “I would tell individual investors today that you have to look at company and say, ’Are they good?’ and ’Will they continue to be good?”’ 

That focus on performance is shared by Meyers, although the Kent Growth and Income Fund he manages took a different strategy to survive the market’s hemorrhaging. 

The fund of mostly large, blue chip stocks stayed with equities throughout 2000 and in 2001, although Meyers did some selling and buying to minimize losses. The fund is currently down more than 6 percent for 2001. 

In February and March, he bought utility, financial and retail stocks. Technology has had less appeal — nearly 19 percent of the fund’s assets are already in tech, in line with the technology weighting on the Standard & Poor’s 500 index. 

“We want to see the earnings prospects turn around on these stocks first,” Meyers said, suggesting individual investors do the same. “You’ll still get a chance to buy them – everyone’s trying to get the low price, but you have to remember that for the last year these stocks have been making new lows.” 

He prefers to hold on to stocks for years and hedge his bets by spreading his money across several sectors – two strategies he contends work especially well for individual investors. 

Individuals also have an advantage over professional money managers, Meyers notes. 

A fund often sells strong stocks to avoid too much concentration in specific sectors or to compensate for other poor performers that might pull down rates of return, a competitive measure used to assess fund performance. Investors don’t face that pressure, though, with their own portfolios. 

“Don’t overweight in any one sector, like technology. Buy different stocks, so that when some are down, others are up,” Meyers said. “And don’t panic. Keep your wits about you no matter what.” 

The market’s major indexes ended the week mixed. 

The Dow finished the week up 230.20, or 2.2 percent, at 10,810.05 on a 117.70 gain Friday. 

The Nasdaq slipped 87.73 or 4.1 percent for the week. It closed Friday at 2,075.68 on a gain of 40.80. 

The S&P 500 index ended the week up 10.07, a 0.8 percent change, after rising 18.53 to 1,253.05 on Friday. The Russell 2000 rose 6.41 to 483.97, ending the week up 17.26 or 3.7 percent. 

The Wilshire Associates Equity Index — which represents the combined market value of all New York Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange and Nasdaq issues — ended the week at $11.508 trillion, up $99 billion from the previous week. A year ago the index was $13.541 trillion. 

End adv for weekend editions 

The No. 4 California Golden Bears swept the Santa Clara Broncos in a mid-week doubleheader, 8-1 and 2-0. The Bears used 12 hits in game one and another six in the nightcap to help improve their record to 47-8 overall. The Broncos fall to 14-33 on the year.  

Cal broke the first game open in the fourth inning, scoring three runs on two hits. Candace Harper, Veronica Nelson and Paige Bowie each drove in a run in the inning to give Cal a 5-1 lead.  

The Bears plated an unearned run in the fifth and two more in the sixth on a two-run homer by Nelson.  

Forest pitched six innings of one-run three-hit ball with eight strikeouts to earn the win and improve to 25-5 on the season. Jen Deering pitched a scoreless seventh in a non-save opportunity.  

The fourth inning was good to the Bears again in the second game, as Nelson sent a shot to deep left-center field, clearing the wall with ease for her 18th homer on the season, giving Cal an insurance run for the eventual 2-0 final. Nelson’s roundtripper gives her 18 on the year, adding to her single-season home run record as well as the Cal career homer record (32).  

After a leadoff single by SCU’s Sydney Wiginton to open the game, Cal senior Nicole DiSalvio got the next 21 batters out in order to win her 17th decision with only three losses. DiSalvio also fanned four Bronco batters.  

Friday, Cal heads to No. 2 UCLA for continued Pac-10 competition at Easton Field, at 2 p.m., and then travels up to No. 13 Washington for a two-game series. Saturday’s game starts at 2 p.m.

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 Art Museum “Joe Brainard: A Retrospective,” Through May 27. The selections include 150 collages, assemblages, paintings, drawings, and book covers. Brainard’s art is characterized by its humor and exuberant color, and by its combinations of media and subject matter; “Muntadas - On Translation: The Audience” Through April 29. This conceptual artist and pioneer of video, installation, and Internet art presents three installations; “Ricky Swallow/Matrix 191,” Including new sculptures and drawings; Through May 27 $6 general; $4 seniors and students age 12 to 18; children age 12 and under free; free Thursday, 11 a.m. to noon and Wednesday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley 642-0808 

The Asian Galleries “Art of the Sung: Court and Monastery” A display of early Chinese works from the permanent collection. “Chinese Ceramics and Bronzes: The First 3,000 Years,” open-ended. “Works on Extended Loan from Warren King,” open-ended. “Three Towers of Han,” open-ended. $6 general; $4 seniors and students age 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 11 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 642-0808 

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Lobby, Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” ongoing. A 20 by 40-foot replica of the fearsome dinosaur made from casts of bones of the most complete T. Rex skeleton yet excavated. When unearthed in Montana, the bones were all lying in place with only a small piece of the tailbone missing. “Pteranodon” A suspended skeleton of a flying reptile with a wingspan of 22-23 feet. The Pteranodon lived at the same time as the dinosaurs. Free. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 642-1821 

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 April 27: Atom & His Package, Phantom Limbs, Har Mar Superstar, The Frisk, Shubunkins; April 28: 7 Seconds, Throwdown, Vitamin X, Over My Dead Body, Breaker Breaker; May 4: Plan 9, Zodiac Killers, Reverend B. Dangerous Freakshow, Dory Tourette & The Skirtheads, Knockoffs; May 5: Shikabane, Phobia, Harum Scarum, Vulgar Pigeons, Insidious Sorrow 525-9926  

Ashkenaz April 27, 8 p.m.: Musicians for Medical Marijuana Benefit featuring Fact or Fiction with Martin Fierro, Shelly Doty X-Tet; April 28, 9:30 p.m.: Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums, 8 p.m. dance lesson; April 29, 9 p.m.: Clinton Fearon & Boogie Brown Band, DJ Edwin The Selector; 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 Door open at 8 p.m. April 27: Carlos Zialcita; April 28: J.J. Malone; May 4: Henry Clement; May 5: Terry Hanck; May 11: Jimmy Mamou; May 12: Fillmore Slim 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland 655-6661  

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. April 27: Sol Y Canto; April 28: Roy Rogers & Norton Buffalo; April 29: Bryan Bowers; April 30: Sharon Shannon; May 1: Casey Neill Trio, Spiral Bound; may 3: Lorin Rowan Trio; May 4: cris Williamson; May 5, 10 a.m. - Noon: West Coast Live with author P.D. James and Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser; May 5: R. Crumb 7 The Cheap Suit Serenaders; May 6; Terry Riley, George Brooks & Gyan Riley; May 12, 10 a.m. - Noon: West Coast Live with authors Adair Lara and Janis Newman, and the Acoustic Guitar Summit guitar quartet. 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzschool/La Note All music at 4:30 p.m. May 6: David Creamer Trio; May 13: Michael Zilber Group 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373 or visit www.jazzschool.com  

La Pena Cultural Center May 3, 8 p.m.: Third Eye Movement presents Deuce, Eclipse, Soul Sista Soul, Red Guard, Jahi, plus others; May 5, 9 p.m.: Chicano de Mayo Celebration dance with O-Maya, Yaksi, DJ Corazon & La Viuda Negra, plus poets Leticia Hernandez and Robert Karimi; May 11, 8 p.m.: Erika Luckett, Irina Rivkin & Making Waves, Gwen Avery, Shelly Doty X-tet; May 12, 10:30 a.m.: Colibri; May 13, 4 p.m.: In the Cafe La Pena - Community Juerga; May 17, 8 p.m.: Tribu; 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 or www.lapena.org  

Cal Performances April 28, 8 p.m.: Vanguard Swing Orchestra, UC Berkeley Big Band $18 - $30; April 29, 3 p.m.: Mezzo-Soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson sings Handel, Lieberson, and Schumann $28 - $48 642-9988 or www.calperfs.berkeley.edu  

The Pirate Prince April 29, 8 p.m. The first production for the new Hillside Players. Princesses, pirates, witches and modern dialogue in a family-geared show. Free admission, reservations required Hillside Club 2286 Cedar St. 528-2416  

“Rome Wasn’t Burnt In A Day” April 27, 7:30 p.m. Earth First! campfire singer/songwriter Danny Dolinger playing songs of love, revolution, bravery, cowardice and group hygiene. $5 Unitarian Fellowship Hall 1924 Cedar (at Bonita) 548-3113 

Community Music Day at the Crowden School and Crowden Center for Music April 28, 1-5 p.m. Music and dance performances and storytelling. Families can make their own instruments, watch a master violin maker at work, or go to the Instrument Petting Zoo to try playing different instruments. Rose Street at Sacramento in Berkeley. Free. Call 559-6910.  

Russian Chamber Orchestra April 28, 8 p.m. Featuring Piano Soloist Yakov Kasman, Soprano Svetlana Niktenko, and the Konevets, a vocal quartet from St. Petersburg. First Congregational Church 2345 Channing Way 415-478-2277 

Bella Musica April 28, 8 p.m. & April 29, 4 p.m. Hear how various composers through the ages view the plight of the lovelorn, from the ardent exclamations of Morley’s “Fire, Fire” to the intoxication of the “Coolin” by Samuel Barber. $9 - $12 St. Joseph the Worker Church 1640 Addison St. 525-5393 or www.bellamusic.org 

“Music from the Mediterranean and Beyond” April 29, 2 p.m. Zahra combines Arab folk roots with the groove and influences of modern music $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 www.juliamorgan.org 

Community Women’s Orchestra Family Concert April 29, 4 p.m. Conducted by Ann Krinitsky, featuring works by Rossini, Richter, Beethoven. Free or by donation. Piano solo by Dr. Pearl Toy. Malcolm X School 1731 Prince St. 653-1616 

Chamber Music from Crowden School May 1, 7 - 8 p.m. The final installment of the Young Emerging Artists Series, Crowden presents some of its most talented string-instrument players. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 www.juliamorgan.org 

UC Dance Theater Spring 2001 Season Program A: April 27, 28, 8 p.m. A premiere of “Soulmate” by Marni Wood, “New Work” by Anne Westwick and “New Work” by Christopher Dolder with original music by Edwin Dugger. Program B: April 28, 29, 2 p.m. “Esplanade” by Paul Taylor, reconstructed by Mary Cochran, “American Decades” by David Wood, “Le Matin sans Minuet” by Christopher Dolder, and “Treading” by Christopher Dolder $6 - $12 Zellerbach Playhouse UC Berkeley 601-8932 

Reflejos de Mexico April 28, 2 p.m. The dance troupe celebrates the vast richness of the Mexican culture. Park of Dance Week. $10 - $12 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

Odissi Dance April 28, 7 p.m. Reputed to be the most lyrical of the seven main forms of Indian classical dance with its liquidity of movement and graceful expression. $18 - $28 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 www.juliamorgan.org 

Music and Dance of Bali May 5, 8 p.m., May 6, 2 p.m. Forty-five member ensemble Gamelan Sekar Jaya presents rhythms of Balinese gamelan in an orchestra of gongs, drums, flutes and bronze metallophones accompanied by several of Bali’s skilled dancers. $8-$16 Saturday, $5-$10 Sunday Julia Morgan Theatre 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 www.juliamorgan.org 

“Dance! The Soul Behind the Art” May 11, 8 p.m. The Attitude Dance Company presents jazz, hip hop, lyrical, street funk, modern and tap dancing. $6 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300  

“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 proscenium 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 

“Death of a Salesman” Through May 5, Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m. plus Thursday, May 3, 8 p.m. The ageless story of Willy Loman presented by an African-American cast and staged by Actors Ensemble of Berkeley. $10 Live Oak Theater 1301 Shattuck (at Berryman) 528-5620 

“Big Love” by Charles L. Mee Through June 10 Directed by Les Waters and loosely based on the Greek Drama, “The Suppliant Woman,” by Aeschylus. Fifty brides who are being forced to marry fifty brothers flee to a peaceful villa on the Italian coast in search of sanctuary. $15.99 - $51 Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 

“Slings and Arrows: Love Stories from Shakespearean Tragedies” written and directed by Rebecca Goodberg and developed by the ensemble and “Blue Roses” conceptualized and directed by Christian Schneider. Thursday-Sunday, 7 p.m. through May 5. $10 La Val’s Subterranean Theatre 1834 Euclid Ave. 655-0813  

Interplay Fest! May 4, 8 p.m. May 5, 3:30 - 8 p.m., May 6, 3 p.m. A full weekend of performances by Wing It! Performance Ensemble, Cultural InterPlay Ensemble, and the Art of InterPlay Ensemble. Weekend Pass: $15, Individual performances, $7 - $10 First Congregational Church of Berkeley 2345 Channing Way (at Dana) 814-9584 

“The Musical Tree of India” May 13, 2 p.m. Tears of Joy Puppet Theatre present this legend from tribal India. $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

“The Misanthrope” by Moliere May 18 - June 10, Fri - Sun, 8 p.m. Berkeley-based Women in Time Productions presents this comic love story full of riotous wooing, venomous scheming and provocative dialogue. $17 - $20 Il Teatro 450 449 Powell St. 415-433-1172 www.womenintime.com 

“Epicenter” April 27 & 28 7:30 p.m., April 28 2 p.m. Premiere of 21-year-old Jonathan Whittle-Utter’s play billed as “A Psychodrama of Paradigm Shifts.” A student production about a troubled marriage, secret society warfare and the end of the world, the degradation of western philosophy. $8-$10 Zellerbach Room 7 Studio (underneath the auditorium) UC Berkeley Campus 444-7063 www.BayStage.com  

The far side of the moon May 3 - 5, 8 p.m. May 5, 2 p.m. and May 6, 3 p.m. A solo performance by Canadian writer, actor and director Robert Lepage with an original score by Laurie Anderson. $30 - $46 Zellerbach Playhouse Bancroft at Dana UC Berkeley 642-9988  

Films 

San Francisco International Film Festival Through May 3 Thirty-five features and more than two dozen short films from twenty-seven nations will be shown. $9 Pacific Film Archive 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-5249 

“Slaves of Free Trade” May 1, 7:30 p.m. Also poet Jack Hirschman, singers Carol Denney, Larry Shaw, Pam Pam, and the La Pena Choir. Also a report on Kurdish prisoner and legislator Lela Zana and a video on Korean Daewoo auto workers. A May Day celebration. $7 La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck (at Prince)  

“Women’s Evening at the Movies” May 5, 7:30 - 10 p.m. Jennifer Tilly stars in “Bound,” as a mob man’s mistress who becomes lovers with a sexy handywoman. Join a great group of bi, lesbian, transgender and queer women to watch the flick and munch on junk food. $5 donation requested Pacific Center 2712 Telegraph Ave. 548-8283 or www.pacificcenter.org 

“Mirele Efros” May 13, 2 - 4:30 p.m. Jacob Gordin’s classic story set in turn-of the century Grodno. A classic study in family relations. Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center Cinema 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237 x127 

Exhibits 

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

Art of Maia Huang & Brenda Vanoni Through April 28, Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. !hey! Gallery 4920-B Telegraph Ave. (at 51st) Oakland 428-2349 

“Scenes from The Song of Songs/Images from The Book of Blessings” Landscape and still life oil pastels by poet and artists Marcia Falk Through May 2, Monday - Thursday, 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday, Noon - 7 p.m. Flora Hewlett Library Graduate Theological Union 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 

“The Distance Between Us” Through May 4 The photographs of Mimi Chakarova depicting South African townships, inland parishes in Jamaica and her most recent work in Cuba. Photographs about people and their incredible will to survive regardless of the circumstances. Graduate School of Journalism North Gate Hall UC Berkeley 

“The Sands of Time” Arab/Muslim sculptures and ceramics of Khalil Bendib. Through May 5, Monday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. or call for appointment Mussi Artworks Foundry & Gallery 719 Heintz Ave. Space 10 644-2735 

Youth Arts Festival A city-wide celebration of art, music, dance and poetry by youth from the Berkeley Unified School District. Featuring paintings, drawings, sculpture and ceramics by K-8 students Through May 12, Wednesday - Sunday, Noon - 5 p.m. Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St.  

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

“Scapes/Escapes” Ink, Acrylic, Mixed Media by Evelyn Glaubman May 1 - June 1 Tuesday - Thursday, 9 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. Gallery of the Center for Psychological Studies 1398 Solano Ave. Albany 524-0291 

“Watercolors and Mixed Media” by Pamela Markmann Monday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. A retrospective of 30 years’ work at Markmann’s Berkeley studio. Red Oak Gallery 2983 College Ave. 526-4613  

“Elemental” The art of Linda Mieko Allen May 2 - June 9, Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Reception: May 2, 6 - 8 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 www.traywick.com 

Berkeley Potters Guild Spring Show and Sale May 5, 6, 12, 13, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Fifteen artists open their personal studios to the public and offer pieces for sale. Berkeley Potters Guild 731 Jones St. 524-7031 www.berkeleypotters.com  

“Alive in Her: Icons of the Goddess” Through June 19, Tuesday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Photography, collage, and paintings by Joan Beth Clair. Opening reception May 3, 4 - 6 p.m. Pacific School of Religion 1798 Scenic Ave. 848-0528 

Bernard Maisner: Illuminated Manuscripts & Paintings. Through Aug. 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 

“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 

“Geographies of My Heart” Collage paintings by Jennifer Colby May 7 - August 24; Reception event May 7, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m,: Colby will give a slide-lecture using contemporary women’s art depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe to illustrate her dissertation research in Women’s Spirituality at the California Institute of Integral Studies - Dinner Board Room; Flora Lamson Hewlett Library 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 

Images of Portugal Paintings by Sofia Berto Villas-Boas of her native land. Open after 5 p.m. Voulez-Vous 2930 College Ave. (at Elmwood) 

Quilt Show through May 12. M-Th, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m., Fri-Sat, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Twenty-second annual show displays over 60 quilts. Berkeley Public Library’s North Branch. 1170 The Alameda 644-6850 

“Tropical Visions: Images of AfroCaribbean Women in the Quilt Tapestries of Cherrymae Golston” Through May 28, Tu-Th, 1-7 p.m., Sat 12-4 p.m. Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 3023 Shattuck Ave. 548-9286 ext 307 

Readings 

Cody’s Books 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852 All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted April 27: Poetry of Michael Heller & Carl Rakosi; April 28: Christopher Hitchens discusses “The Trial of Henry Kissinger”; April 29: Poetry of Gloria Frym & Lewis Warsh; April 30: Jamling Tenzing Norgay discusses “Touching My Father’s Soul”; Han Ong reads “Fixer Chao”; May 2, 6 p.m.: Michael Moorcock reads from “The Dreamthief’s Daughter: A Tale of the Albino”; May 3: Several authors from the anthology “My Story...Life As A Teen Parent” will read; May 4: Doris Haddock will read from “Granny D: Walking Across America in My 90th Year” about her 3,200-mile journey across the country; May 8: Geling Yan reads “The Lost Daughter of Happiness”  

1730 Fourth St. 559-9500 All events at 7 p.m., unless noted April 30, 11 a.m.: Anthony Browne will chat about writing and illustrating children’s books; May 7: Rachel Naomi Remen reads from “My Grandfather’s Blessings: Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging”  

Boadecia’s Books 398 Colusa Ave. Kensington All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted May 4: Sylvia Brownrigg will read from “Pages for You”; May 11: Suzanne Gold will read from her novel “Daddy’s Girls”; May 12: Krandall Kraus will read “Love’s Last Chance: A Nigel & Nicky Mystery”; May 18: Melinda Given Guttman will read from “The Enigma of Anna O”; May 19: Jessica Barksdale Inclan will read from “Her Daughter’s Eyes” 559-9184 or www.bookpride.com  

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore 1385 Shattuck Ave. (at Rose) 843-3533 All events at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise May 1: Andrew Horvatt will discuss “Japanese Beyond Words”; May 3: Char Miller, editor, will discuss “Water in the West: A High Country News Reader” and “Fluid Arguments: Five Centuries of Western Water Conflict”; May 3: Conner Gorry will discuss the Lonely Planet published “Guatemala”; May 10: Gray Brechin talks about “Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin”; May 23: Jon Bowermaster discusses his book “Birthplace of the Winds: Adventuring in Alaska’s Islands of Fire and Ice”; May 29, 7 - 9 p.m.: Travel Photo Workshop with Joan Bobkoff. $15 registration fee  

“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. May 3: Lucy Lang Day with host Dale Jensen; May 10: Jamie Kennedy with host Mischell Erickson; May 17: Gregory Listach Gayle with host Mark States; May 24: Stephanie Young with host Louis Cuneo; May 31: Connie Post with host Louis Cuneo Cafe Firenze 2116 Shattuck Ave. 644-0155. 

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

Selected Poetry of Yehuda Amichai April 29, 10:30 a.m. Chana Bloch and Chana Kronfeld, co-translators of Yehuda Amichai’s “Open Closed Open,” will read their translations from the Hebrew. Book signing to follow. $4 - $5 Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237 

Paul Polansky and Voice of Roma May 10, 3 p.m. Polansky’s poetry gives voice to the Kosovo Roma and their plight in the aftermath of their plight in the aftermath of the 1999 war. Free Kroeber Hall Gifford Room Second Floor (at College and Bancroft in Anthropology Building) 981-1352 

Rhythm & Muse Open Mike May 12, 6:30 p.m. An ongoing open mike series, featuring poet/artist Anca Hariton. Free Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 527-9753 

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. Through April 29, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. See an amazing display of plants that are sources of commonly used fibers and dyes. 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 

City Commons Club Speaker Series All speakers at 12:30 p.m. April 27: Wen-Hsing Yeh, professor of history, UC Berkeley speaks on “The Culture of China in a Changing World” $1 admission with coffee Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave. 848-3533 or 845-4725 

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. May 8, 5:15 - 6:30 p.m.: “What Makes Water Wet?” Richard Saykally, professor of Chemistry, UC Berkeley (refreshments served in 410 O’Brien Hall at 4:15 p.m.) 212 O’Brien Hall, UC Berkeley 642-2666  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute Free Lectures All lectures begin at 6 p.m. April 29: Barr Rosenberg on “The Ornament of the Middle Way”; May 6: Sylvia Gretchen on “Faith, Doubt, and Refuge in Buddhist Practice”; May 13: Abbe Blum on “Tapping Into Creativity”; May 20: Miep Cooymans and Dan Jones on “Working with Awareness, Concentration, and Energy”; May 27: Eva Casey on “Getting Calm; Staying Clear”; June 3: Jack van der Meulen on “Healing Through Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga)”; June 10: Sylvia Gretchen on “Counteracting Negative Emotions” Tibetan Nyingma Institute 1815 Highland Place 843-6812 

West Coast Regional Spartacist Educational April 28, Noon Jon Wood, of the Spartacist League, will speak: “Defend the Gains of the Cuban Revolution”; 3:30 p.m.: George Foster, central committee, Spartacist League, will speak: “For Socialist Revolution in the Bastion of World Imperialism” 60 Evans, UC Berkeley 839-0851 

“Falun Gong Phenomenon” April 29, 2 - 5 p.m. Chinese columnist and political critic, Hu Ping will speak on the Falun Gong movement. free Moffitt Library 101 UC Berkeley  

“Reading Technologies” May 2, 4 - 6 p.m. Ivan Illich, visiting scholar at UC Berkeley in anthropology, will talk about the history, visual architecture and meaning of reading from the time of classical print cultures and the medieval monk to the innovation and detachment of today’s digital era. Free Morrison Reading Room Doe Library UC Berkeley 642-5339 

“Hunting T. Rex” May 6, 2 p.m. A talk by Dr. Philip Currie, curator of dinosaurs, Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology. Currie asks the question: Was there social interaction amongst the Tyrannosaurs? $3 - $7 Lawrence Hall of Science UC Berkeley 642-5132 or visit www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Berkeley 1900 May 7, 7 p.m. Richard Schwartz, author of Berkeley 1900, a book about life at the turn of the 19th century, will speak at the Friends of Five Creeks’ monthly meeting. Albany Community Center (downstairs) 1249 Marin 848-9358 

Peopling of the Pacific May 11, 8 p.m. Dr. Patrick Kirch, department of Anthropology, UC Berkeley, will review results of archaeological research in the Pacific Islands, providing a current overview of Oceanic prehistory. 370 Dwinelle Hall UC Berkeley 415-338-1537  

Distinguish between Judaism and Israel 

Editor:  

Regarding Devora Liss’s 4/26/01 letter “Appalled by SJP symbolism”: As a member of Students for Justice in Palestine, at Tuesday’s rally I confronted the individual with the sign equating the Star of David with the swastika to inform him that this symbolism was unacceptable. The individual was not a member of SJP. Ms. Liss could have at least mentioned that within minutes after this sign was displayed, it was removed, at the insistence of SJP members.  

While I agree with Ms. Liss that the Star of David is “a collective Jewish symbol, not specifically a pro-Israel sign,” those who defend Israel’s indefensible record of atrocities have not themselves made this distinction clear. Indeed, pro-Israel activists assert that Jewish identity is inseparable from the colonization of Palestine. Israel still calls itself a state of all the Jews in the world, rather than a state of its citizens, one-fifth of whom are not Jewish. The symbolism on the flag is entirely Jewish, even though the native population of the land is overwhelmingly non-Jewish. Courageous Jews who protest Israel’s brutality have been marginalized and derided by their co-religionists.  

While I distinguish between Judaism as a religion, and Israel as a state, it is unfortunately very easy to see how one might think that the massacres, home demolitions, assassinations, land expropriations, settlement building, imprisonment, and torture committed by the Israeli regime against the Palestinians are somehow Jewish in nature. One need only consider the illegal settlers who rampage through Arab villages chanting “Death to the goyim (non-Jews)” to realize that Israel’s colonization of Palestine has engendered hatred on both sides of this conflict, including hatred manifested in the name of Judaism and supported by the Israeli state.  

Judaism existed for thousands of years before the Zionist project to colonize Palestine and it is my belief that it will continue to exist after Zionism has been thoroughly repudiated. While pro-Palestinian activists must continue to make this distinction, some burden also falls on Jews to remind the public that Israel’s abysmal human rights record is not a manifestation of the Jewish faith. 

Gregory Hoadley 

Oakland 

Address Palestinian exclusion from homeland 

Editor: 

Devora Liss misses the point completely (“Appalled by SJP symbolism” 4-26-01). The Students for Justice in Palestine and their rally cannot be categorically dismissed based on the content of one sign or one idea out of hundreds. 

She picks the most trivial aspects that SJP has the least control over, and attempts to use them to discredit an entire movement. When organizers saw the sign she mentioned, they asked him to remove it. He did. She never mentioned that. 

Similarly trivial, she claims that inconveniencing some students is another reason SJP’s claim “lacks validity.”  

None of her voiced concerns engage the fundamental issue at hand – Israel as an Apartheid state. Perhaps because “the Jewish state” is so essentially based on the exclusion and expulsion of the Palestinians, that she has no choice but to attack irrelevant and minute details. Her letter made clear that she was less interested in learning about the Palestinian-Israel conflict from the viewpoint of the victims, than she is in defending the indefensible: Israel’s brutal Apartheid policies. 

Will Youmans 

Berkeley 

Neighbors support 2 or 3-story project on San Pablo Ave. 

Editor:  

It was most thoughtful of Mr. Kennedy to thank his supporters at Panoramic Interests’ website – you’ve done well to point that out. Mr. Kennedy’s thoughtfulness has its limits, however. He continues to misrepresent those who disagree with his plan – he seems to thrive on mischievous misrepresentation. 

From the start, Neighbors for Responsible Development has argued for a two-three-story building at 2700 San Pablo and continue to support additional housing, including affordable units, at the site. We object, however, to inappropriate height and four to five stories is too high for the surrounding context of one-story and occasional two-story buildings. 

Maximum zoning height limits are not directives to build to a particular height, but are “maximums,” and the Zoning Adjustments Board is responsible for adjusting the height of a project to limits appropriate to the surroundings and project needs. The ZAB unanimously denied Mr. Kennedy’s project.  

NRD has repeatedly presented alternative three-story designs that would meet the city’s desire for housing and a developer’s reasonable profit margin, but Mr. Kennedy insists 

that he doesn’t build anything less than four stories. At the hearing, we offered an example of a three-story building with as many bedrooms as Mr. Kennedy’s most recent design and with an occupancy rating about the same as his first plan. Faced with a model of the area, clearly demonstrating how physically mis-scaled his project is, Mr. Kennedy proceeded brazenly and publicly to vandalize it, audibly tearing two buildings from the display’s base to examine them, and then appeared to object when I rescued the display from his grasp. It was a display of arrogant disregard for the property and welfare of others that has characterized his attitude to those who live and work in this neighborhood: he would as happily tear away the character and identity of our neighborhood. We welcome a project at 2700 San Pablo and hope it will provide housing—but at a scale appropriate to the neighborhood that surrounds it. 

Howie Muir 

Berkeley 

Conserve, educate 

Editor:  

People don’t know that fluorescent lights use only 20 percent of the energy used by regular lightbulbs; they don’t know that electric cars use 50 percent of the energy used by internal-combustion engined cars; they don’t know that standard air-conditioning uses ten times more energy than water-evaporation coolers; they don’t know that all these old, standard technologies produce a lot of environmental heat, which is one of the causes of global warming. People don’t know that the burning of octane puts eight times more greenhouse gas in the atmosphere than the burning of natural gas. High carbon fuels like heating oil, diesel, and coal are far worse.  

Even if they do know all of this, they will only reduce their energy usage if their indulgence becomes too painful, financially, to keep it up.  

For the utilities which deliver gas and electricity to our homes, the basic structure of a two-tier pricing structure, baseline usage and over-baseline usage, is already in place, but does not induce conservation because the price difference is too small. All we have to do now to make it work, to induce conversation, is to make the over-baseline unit price three or four times higher than the baseline unit price. Only then will people try not to exceed their baseline quantity: Turn off lights, heat or cool moderately only one or two rooms of the house, only use their dryers in emergencies, keep the refrigerator on a lower setting, etc.  

As for gasoline, diesel, heating oil and coal - a hefty carbon tax will result in less usage of these products and induce people to switch to less polluting systems. The more carbon there is in a fuel, the higher the tax will be. Yes, four dollars a gallon for gas and six dollars a gallon for diesel is no fun, but it will, in ten years time, make our cities livable again. 

These conservation inducing measures will of course be fought by the energy corporations who only want us to buy more energy at a higher price and a bigger profit margin for themselves. But the people, by reducing their usage of energy, have it in their power to turn a situation of excessive demand and high prices into one of excessive supply and lower prices.  

Jan H. Visser 

Berkeley 

Friday, April 27

Stagebridge Free Acting  

& Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Call 444-4755 www.stagebridge.org 

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.  

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 

50 Plus Fitness Class  

9:30 a.m. - Noon 

UC Berkeley (varied locations)  

A class for those 50 and over which introduces participants to an array of exercise options. Demonstration and practice will include strength training, Tai Chi, Alexander Technique, and more. Fridays through May 11.  

$10 per individual session 

Pre-register: 642-5461  

Lost in Dreamland?  

10 -11:30 a.m.  

Alta Bates Summit  

Medical Center 

Summit North Pavilion, Cafeteria Annex A  

350 Hawthorne Ave.  

Oakland 

Dr. Jerrold Kram, pulmonologist, sleep specialist and director of the California Center for Sleep Disorders, will talk about sleep disorders and how to remedy them. Learn about snoring, restless leg syndrome, and sleep apnea. Free 

869-6737 

Independent Media & Dissent 

8 p.m. 

King Middle School  

1781 Rose St.  

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now host and survivor of the 1991 massacre in which Indonesian soldiers killed more than 250 East Timorese, will speak about independent media and dissent, from the U.S. to Indonesia and East Timor. Tickets available at many local book stores including: Black Oak Books, Cody’s, and Pegasus.  

$10 - $13 985-0385 

Saturday, April 28

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 548-3333 

Berkeley Bay Festival  

11 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

Berkeley Marina  

160 University Ave.  

The Festival, held at the Marina since 1937, has had an environmental education and boating theme for the past 22 of those years. A variety of organizations will be on hand to inform and inspire people to learn how they affect the environment and to take action. Free 644-8623 

El Salvador Reconstruction Plans  

10 a.m. - 3 p.m.  

Institute of Governmental Studies  

Moses Hall, Room 109  

UC Berkeley  

Four leaders from El Salvador, representing urban and rural community development initiatives will be on hand, along with Senator Liz Figueroa, to discuss facts and priorities of their emergency management/disaster relief efforts in the wake of the recent earthquake. Free  

415-970-1033 

Working People Against Deregulation 

7:30 p.m. 

Fellowship of Humanity  

390 27th St. (at Broadway) 

Oakland 

Join energy workers, teachers and other workers in a discussion about the issues surrounding the California energy crisis. Speakers include: Drew Bonthius, executive board member Oakland AFT 771, David Walers, power plant worker and member of IBEW 1245, and Eugene Coyle, Energy Economist.  

$3 261-4269 

An Energy Efficient Home 

10 a.m. - Noon  

2530 San Pablo Ave. (at Blake)  

Mark Gorrell, architect/consultant, will discuss how to reduce energy costs in existing houses and design new homes to minimize energy costs. $7.50 - $10  

548-2220 x233 

International Family Fair  

11 a.m. - 5 p.m.  

New School of Berkeley  

Bonita St. (between Cedar & Virginia)  

Games and activities for children, a huge raffle, food from Christie’s Vegetarian Cafe, and a variety of live entertainment, including a Capoeira demonstration. Free  

548-9165 

BASA Spring Festival  

5:30 p.m.  

Cesar Chavez Center  

Bancroft & Telegraph  

UC Berkeley  

An evening celebration of African culture featuring student and professional performances, dance, a fashion show, music, poetry, drama, and African cuisine from local African restaurants.  

$5 - $10 including dinner 

595-1307 

Sierra’s Solutions  

to the Energy Crisis 

10 a.m. - Noon  

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

The Sierra Club presents a panel discussion on energy conservation and a general membership meeting of the club’s Alameda group. Speakers include Graham Brownstein from Toward Utility Rate Normalization (TURN), Paul Craig, a Sierra Club energy expert on energy conservation, and Bill Magavern, Sierra Club senior lobbyist. 527-0176 

Parent Resource Center  

Workshop 

9 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Alternative High School  

Martin Luther King Jr. Way. If you are interested in learning more or want to help with smaller learning communities for Berkeley High, there will be two open meeting sessions on smaller learning communities from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m., and 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. 644-8524 

Sunday, April 29

Berkeley Waterfront  

Walking Tour  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Led by Susan Schwartz and sponsored by the Berkeley Historical Society. 848-0181 

Hands-On Bicycle  

Repair Clinics  

11 a.m. - Noon  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Learn how to maintain the drive train and to repair the chain of your bicycle from one of REI’s bike technicians. All you need to bring is your bike. Free 527-4140 

People’s Park 32nd Anniversary Festival  

12:30 - 6 p.m.  

People’s Park  

Haste St. & Telegraph Ave.  

Performances by, among others, Rebecca Riots, X-Plicit Players, Shelley Doty X-tet, with special guests Wavy Gravy, Frank Moore, Stoney Burke, Kriss Worthington and many more. Also including skateboarding demos, animal petting farm, puppets, and “surprises.”  

848-1985 

The Reform Future 

Noon  

Fellowship of Humanity  

390 27th St. (at Broadway)  

Oakland  

Craig Wilson, anti-Buchanan delegate, will discuss the future of the Reform Party.  

655-7962 

The Ornament of the Middle Way 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

This text by Buddhist master Shantarakshita to be discussed by Barr Rosengerg. 

Free 

843-6812 

Celebration of Youth Arts Festival  

Noon - 6 p.m.  

Berkeley High Campus 

The community theater will host non-stop performances of instrumental music, chorus, and dance, including the BHS Jazz Band and the Afro-Haitian dancers and drummers. Also, students enrolled in visual or performing arts classes will exhibit or perform their work. Free  

548-5335 

Decade of Change  

3 - 5 p.m.  

Berkeley Historical Society  

1931 Center St.  

The Berkeley Historical Society celebrates the opening of their new exhibit, exploring the decade of 1900 - 1910 when Berkeley grew from a town of ten thousand to a city of forty-thousand. Also the 24th annual meeting which will include a review of the past year.  

848-0181 

Monday, April 30

Politics of Permits  

7 - 10 p.m.  

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Contractor/Mediator Ron Kelly will explain how to get your permit approved.  

$35  

525-7610 

Venus & Mars  

7:30 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Rabbi Yaacov Deyo, founder of LA’s speed dating will explain how to pick a mate, make your relationship thrive and how to fight effectively.  

$10  

848-0237 

100 Days of Bush  

Noon - 1 p.m.  

Lower Sproul Hall  

UC Berkeley  

The Students for Climate Protection are marking George W. Bush’s 100th day in office with a rally protesting Bush’s general environmental record in office and specifically focusing on his decision to pull the U.S. out of the global warming treaty negotiations. 

PTA Council Meeting  

7 p.m.  

Malcolm X Library  

1731 Prince (between King & Ellis)  

Introduction and election of PTA Council officers for 2001 - 02. If you would like to be an officer or nominate someone, contact Cynthia, 849-2683. Also, Dr. Goldstone will report on the budget situation and will update the situation on district issues and the superintendent search. 

Claremont Renters Neighborhood Meeting  

6 - 8 p.m.  

Claremont Branch Library  

2940 Benvenue Ave.  

Presentation on policies affecting rent ceilings, habitability issues and evictions. Get answers to your rent control questions.  

The morning coffee rush at a popular Elmwood cafe turned frantic Thursday when a woman ran in screaming that her car had been stolen with her 8-month-old daughter in the back seat. 

“It happened so fast,” said Miguel Perez, an employee of the cafe. 

Perez had to dial 911 when the panic-stricken woman, who apparently spoke little English, threw down the phone in despair. 

Berkeley Police put out an all points bulletin just after 9 a.m. Within an hour, Emeryville Police found the baby unharmed, still sitting in her car seat in the back seat of the car, which had been abandoned near the intersection of Adeline and 40th streets in Oakland. 

The woman, who lives in Oakland and is a regular patron of Espresso Roma, left her daughter in the car unattended because she didn’t want to wake her by moving the car seat, said Berkeley Police Sgt. Kay Lantow.  

She parked within view of the Espresso Roma’s check-out counter and ran in to buy coffee, Lantow said.  

When she returned to the car a few minutes later she found the baby still sleeping and decided to run another quick errand at a nearby store, Lantow said. But she had not gone far toward the store when she realized she’d left her keys in the car door. 

“She turned back around, and the car was already gone,” Lantow said.  

“We’re guessing that, more than likely, the suspect didn’t see the child and, more than likely, once he figured it out, he abandoned the car,” Lantow said, explaining that the car seat had been covered so that the baby was not visible. 

Lantow said late Wednesday that there are still no suspects in the case and no witnesses to the crime. 

“Everything now is under investigation and hopefully now we will be able to do what we do and try to figure out who did this,” she said. 

When Berkeley Police arrived on the scene Wednesday morning they found the woman in a state of total panic. The language barrier was an added problem, since the Spanish-speaking woman had trouble telling police what had happened or even describing her car, witnesses said. 

“It was quite emotional,” said Cyrus Shabahari, owner of an interior decorating store a few stores away from Espresso Roma. “She was screaming, stomping her feet, yelling, running up and down...” 

Two people soon stepped in to help translate for the woman, Lantow said. 

Emeryville Police officer Mike Allen was the first on the scene in Oakland. He said he was driving down 40th street (just a block outside of Emeryville) just after 10 a.m. Wednesday when he noticed a man “waving his hands frantically” beside a green Dodge Neon four-door car. 

The man, Boubacar Dialla of Hayward, heard a baby crying when he walked past the car. He became concerned when he noticed the car was parked in a red zone and there were no adults in the area, Allen said. 

Allen said he set out to look in a nearby business for the owner of the car until he realized it matched the description of the car reported stolen by Berkeley police.  

Allen immediately notified Berkeley police, who rushed to the scene with the child’s father. 

“I saw the baby in the father’s arms, and she looked very fine to me,” Lantow said, when asked about the baby’s condition. 

“It’s nice to have a happy ending,” said Allen, a 12-year veteran of police work. “That’s what I’m in the job for.” 

Lantow said the case might not have ended so well if not for the crucial assistance rendered by Mr. Dialla and the two citizen translators. 

The crime appears to have been purely “opportunistic,” Lantow said, with someone walking along Ashby Avenue in Berkeley spotting the keys in the door of the car and jumping at the chance for a “joy ride” or some easy money. 

It’s not uncommon for cars stolen under similar circumstances to be used to commit other crimes before they are abandoned, Lantow said. But in this case, the suspect apparently didn’t even drive with undue haste. 

Police found a cup of Espresso Roma coffee sitting upright on the passenger side floor, right where the car’s owner had left it. 

TEMPE, Ariz. – The Pac-10 Championship didn’t have the storybook ending the California women’s golf team seemed headed for after the first round, but the Golden Bears still managed to put their mark on school history.  

After leading after round one with a school record of 288, Cal shot a 302 Tuesday and a 301 Wednesday to finish this year’s conference tournament in sixth-place with a 54-hole total of 891. The Bears shattered the previous Cal record of 896 and finished only one stroke behind Washington (890) for fifth place at Karsten Golf Course. This year’s conference meet also saw the Bears set the school record for 36 holes (590).  

Arizona claimed its fourth conference crown in the last five years by firing a tournament low 287 in the final round to finish with a nine-over-par 873. Stanford took second with an 876, host Arizona State placed third (883) and USC grabbed fourth at 886.  

Arizona’s Lorena Ochoa won a playoff with her teammate Natalie Gulbis to claim medalist honors after both athletes fired 54-hole scores of three-under-par 213. Washington’s Kelli Kamimura was two strokes back in third at 215.  

Cal’s Vikki Laing turned in the Bears highest ever finish at the league meet, finishing fourth (previous high was a tie for 11th) with a 54-hole school record of 216. Freshman Sarah Huarte, the first day leader with a 69, finished in a three-way tie for 10th with a 221 after shooting a 75 and 77 over the final two rounds.  

Sophomore Ria Quiazon was steady as always, carding a 74 in the third round to tie for 23rd with a Cal career best of 226.  

The Bears next await their fate for NCAA regionals, which take place at different sites May 10-12.

According to a recent progress report, The Berkeley Housing Authority’s efforts to become financially stable have fallen short of its goals raising questions about the agency’s future. 

Unlike most government agencies, the BHA is structured like a business, said Interim Housing Director Stephen Barton.  

The agency is financially rewarded based on its production. So, if it fails to provide low-income tenants with Section 8 vouchers and those tenants are unable to find housing, the BHA does not receive federal funds. 

Last year the BHA lost $255,000, which was made up by the city’s general fund. Barton said this year BHA will likely lose between $250,000 and $300,000.  

The BHA Board, made up of the City Councilmembers and two tenant representatives, has said the BHA may be dissolved if it can’t turn itself around.  

Another possibility is that BHA management could be turned over to the Alameda County Housing Authority.  

Barton said there is a solid business plan in effect and the city is doing what it can to solve the agency’s problems.  

He said the BHA has had success in accelerating the processing time for vouchers, but there is still a lot more to do before the problems are solved. 

“We could try to deal with that deficit by cutting staff, but then we wouldn’t be able to process and provide Section 8 vouchers, which is really the only way to solve the problem and still serve low-income tenants,” he said.  

According to the April 24 BHA progress report, the agency received another blow when Interim Manager Sheila Maxwell submitted her resignation just six months after she accepted the position. Maxwell was the fourth manager since 1991.  

She did not return calls to the Daily Planet Thursday to respond to questions about the reasons for her resignation. 

Barton said he will oversee the BHA with the assistance of housing staffer Ted Katiama, until a replacement can be found. 

The Housing and Urban Development Department, the federal agency that oversees the BHA, has approved 1,840 vouchers for Berkeley. Currently only 1,266 are in use, which represents 20 fewer than in January. 

Barton said the housing authority has taken steps to speed up the processing of Section 8 applicants, but the agency’s problems have been compounded by a shortage of housing and high market rents. According to the report, 105 of the 1,592 applicants have been approved for vouchers since January. But of those, only 31 have actually found housing.  

Barton said the BHA will likely re-prioritize the Section 8 waiting list to give first priority to applicants who are already have housing and are spending 50 percent or more of their income on rent. The BHA has also begun outreach programs to landlords that may be able to benefit by participating in the Section 8 program. At its meeting on Tuesday, the BHA Board approved an increase in Section 8 rental rates bringing the allowable rental subsidy in range of market rates.  

The report also said the BHA has been hindered in approving more vouchers because applicants have not been showing up for scheduled interviews. During March there were 188 initial applicant interviews scheduled and 124 were no-shows. 

Councilmember Dona Spring said much of the problem was created when the state approved the Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act in January, 1999. The act allowed landlords to raise a unit’s rent each time it became vacant. Prior to Costa Hawkins, landlords who participated in the Section 8 program were exempt from rent control. 

“Ever since then we’ve had a steady stream of landlords leaving the Section 8 program,” she said. “It’s created a tremendous demand on housing in a market where there is no housing.” 

Mayor Shirley Dean said the tough rent control as it existed in Berkeley prior to Costa Hawkins, was responsible for some of the housing problems the BHA is currently facing. She said the controls caused too much pent up demand for rental increases and as soon as landlords had an opportunity to cash in, they took it. “It caused all kinds of problems and the people who got hurt were the very people it was trying to protect,” she said. 

Councilmember Mim Hawley said the BHA has to focus on outreach to landlords who can benefit from participating in the program. She said there are many landlords who can get higher and more regular rents than they are receiving now. 

She added that if the BHA is turned over to the Alameda County Housing Authority there may be some advantages for Berkeley Section 8 tenants. “Berkeley is a university town and that will always make it tough to find available housing,” she said. “If the county takes over there will be a wider range of housing for tenants to chose from.” 

Councilmember Linda Maio said that if the county takes over the BHA there would have to be an office located in town.  

Friday 

Baseball – Cal vs. Stanford, 2:30 p.m. at Evans Diamond 

Baseball – Berkeley at De Anza, 3:30 p.m. at De Anza High School 

Baseball – St. Mary’s vs. St. Joseph, 3:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s College High School 

Softball – Berkeley at De Anza, 3:30 p.m. at De Anza High School 

Swimming – Berkeley at Alameda, 3:30 p.m. at Alameda High School 

Saturday 

Track & Field – St. Mary’s at Top 8 Invitational, 11 a.m. at Logan High School 

Baseball – Cal vs. Stanford, 1 p.m. at Evans Diamond 

Sunday 

Baseball – Cal vs. Stanford, 1 p.m. at Evans Diamond

Berkeley Lite is an occasional column on fighting back against those who’d like to shine us on.  

Straw. 

We know about the proverbial straw man. Not real; someone or something set up to deflect attention.  

And a straw vote: a way to count yeas and nays, while not truly voting. 

Our own City Council held a straw vote at its meeting Tuesday night. 

Councilmember Polly Armstrong said the vote was to save hard-working people from waiting all evening on wooden council chairs to talk about something the council was bound to pass anyway. 

At issue was an item on Tuesday’s laundry list of issues maybe to be discussed – the council often refers to the list as an “agenda” – there was the question of approving a resolution on Community Development Block Grants. CDBG money is federal funds that support community organizations. 

The city’s pitifully small council chambers was overflowing that night with people who had come to the meeting for a variety of reasons – the issue of compassionate treatment of homeless sleeping outdoors, a San Pablo Avenue development, an Oxford Street development, Housing Authority questions, the CDBG grant funds and more. 

In its wisdom, and after an almost unanimous vote to do so (the turkey in the straw voting against the motion was the ever-oppositional Councilmember Kriss Worthington) the council took the straw vote and provisionally approved the city manager’s recommendations on the CDBG funding. (The real vote, they decided later, would take place at a specially scheduled meeting Thursday.) 

While Armstrong argued that the council almost always passes the manager’s annual recommendation, so it wasn’t necessary for speakers on that question to stay and address the council, Worthington countered that it was “outrageous” for the council to express its opinion before listening to the public at the scheduled public hearing. 

Democracy is indeed unwieldy. But Worthington’s point is well taken – let the people have a true voice. 

*** 

Speaking of the public’s right to butt into officialdom, Berkeley Lite wanted to ask the Berkeley police about an incident observed a couple of weeks ago. Why were a couple of the city’s finest stationed in an unmarked car outside San Pablo Park training binoculars on a large group of Sunday picnickers? Why not send undercover folks into the park if they wanted to see the people hiding the Easter eggs or munching chicken up close? If they were afraid of trouble brewing among the large number of picnickers, why wouldn’t they send in those friendly-looking guys with cute legs and bikes - the guys who seem to know just how to chat it up with a crowd and at the same time remind them, in a friendly way, to keep in order? 

We tried to ask the police these questions. 

Calling Chief Dash Butler’s office for a response, Berkeley Lite learned he was on vacation. And for the record, we should say to the top cop’s credit that, especially of late, he has regularly returned the Daily Planet’s calls.  

A staffer referred us to the police public information officer, who, it turned out, was also on vacation, so we called the officer taking his place. Several times. No call back.  

So we’ve got no answer for our questions. 

Neither reporters nor the public should have to scale walls to get public information.  

Here’s another example of access denied: A few weeks ago a reporter tried to find out how many accidents had occurred over the last few years at the intersection where a young woman had been run over by a cement truck while crossing the street. 

The interim traffic engineer told the Daily Planet he was not authorized to talk to the press. The police at the traffic bureau said they were similarly unauthorized and that the only spokesperson was the cops’ public information officer. It took five hours and half a dozen calls to reach the PIO. And then he referred the reporter back to the cops’ traffic bureau. By that time, the person who could have retrieved the computerized data had gone home. 

*** 

So now we’re waiting patiently for a proposed Sunshine Ordinance - a law to expand the public’s access to public information – to actually wend its way to council action.  

A month or so ago, Armstrong had pulled the resolution off the consent calendar, where items are passed unanimously and without discussion. She said she needed to learn more about whether the bottleneck for the free flow of information is city staff or if legislation is the key to opening up city government. 

We believe stronger laws are needed to close loopholes in the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law.  

Still, Armstrong has a point. The real deal has less to do with legislation than attitude. Do city bureaucrats want the public to know what’s going on and have the ability to participate in government? Does the City Council have the will to make sure the bureaucrats make maneuvering the halls of city government facile both for those who are familiar with bureaucracies and for those less familiar with the complexities of city government? 

*** 

And now for a little gossip that could scarcely pass for public information. What would you think about having a poet for our next assemblymember? We’ve been told that today people are meeting with UC Professor and poet June Jordan to encourage her to make a run for the office. Just think, AB632928: “Owed to the price gaugers...” in iambic pentameter. 

Still, perhaps the idea of Jordan’s candidacy is just another straw man. Or woman.  

‘Vanguard Jazz Orchestra: Suite for Pops’ 

Sat. April 28, 8 pm 

Zellerbach Hall,  

UC Campus 

$18 - $30 

UC Jazz Big Band  

7 p.m.  

Every Monday night since February 1966 a stellar group of jazz musicians has played at the Village Vanguard in New York City.  

This band was known for the first few decades of its lengthy career as the Thad Jones- Mel Lewis Big Band, but since the passing of its former leaders, it has used the simple name Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.  

On Saturday night, they will invade Zellerbach Auditorium to perform Thad Jones' monumental composition “Suite for Pops” an homage to the father of jazz, Louis Armstrong, in celebration of his centennial.  

This work is monumental not only in its length (well over an hour long), but because of the quality of the performers required to do it justice. The best session players in the Big Apple can swing the daylights out of any chart, but they really dig into the depths of this great work, exploring the many emotions which “Pops” evokes.  

This is no cute compilation of top moments from Armstrong’s “Hot Five” arranged for big band.  

Far from it. Thad Jones composed this Suite in honor of his mentor, the great pioneer of swing, but all the material is fresh, save the occasional citation of various sources, from Bird to Gershwin, who were also inspired by Satchmo.  

The opening movement “Meetin’ Place” evokes the first fiery moments when session musicians play, shout, growl and spar together, reveling in the excitement of melodic cooperation and symbiosis.  

The predominant Latin rhythm reminds us of the contribution from that genre to the modern corpus of jazz.  

Short muscular solos abound to introduce the band members. The second movement “The Summary” is a sweet ballad that points to Armstrong’s generous heart and warm personality.  

The Suite originally ended with “The Farewell,” but in the current version this movement forms a kind of melancholy reflection on mortality before moving on to more raucous tones of “Toledo by Candlelight” and the lush harmonies of “The Great One,” in which the band members testify how much Pops meant to each of them.  

The Suite concludes with a pensive blues tune “Only for Now” leading to an invocation of a proper New Orleans funeral parade and wake called “A Good Time Was Had by All.”  

Jones said, “The whole idea of the Suite was to have something tangible, a retrospective of a man I loved and revered. A good deal of effort, thought and love went into this. (Armstrong) made me happy, made my foot tap, my head nod, my fingers snap and my lips smile. And you know what? He was pure and honest. Just simply Louis.”  

Even if this composition were not related to Armstrong, it would still be a great work performed by a brilliant band of sixteen of the best jazzmen around; but when the final movement concludes with a chorus of whoopin' and hollarin,’ Satchmo’s big toothy smile will be flashing down from heaven adding a special sweetness to the Suite. 

Miko Sloper can be reached at miko@cheerful.com

SAN FRANCISCO — Although it hasn’t yet been requested, District Attorney Terence Hallinan said Wednesday that he won’t oppose any attempt to move the trial of Marjorie Knoller and Robert Noel in the dog mauling death of Diane Whipple. 

“We don’t intend to fight a change of venue,” he said. “We want a speedy trial.” 

The two lawyers charged in the dog mauling death of their neighbor had their arraignment postponed for a third time Wednesday while they continued to seek legal counsel, a tactic that riled prosecutors. 

Knoller and Noel appeared before Judge Herbert Donaldson, who continued their arraignment until May 9. Hallinan bristled at another delay in prosecuting the couple in the high-profile case. 

“Under the California Constitution, the people have a right to a speedy trial,” Hallinan told the court. “I don’t see why we can’t go ahead with the arraignment at this point.” 

Knoller faces a second-degree murder charge in the Jan. 26 death of Diane Whipple. Knoller and Noel both face charges of involuntary manslaughter and keeping a mischievous dog that killed a human being. 

Jan Lecklikner, the public defender representing Knoller, said her client was in the final stages of negotiations with a private attorney and told the judge that should be resolved by May 9. 

“I’m working 24-7 on this case,” Lecklikner said. “No time is being wasted.” 

Knoller and Noel never turned to face Whipple’s partner, Sharon Smith, who was seated in the front row. Behind Smith sat several members of Whipple’s St. Mary’s College lacrosse team, dressed in matching red practice T-shirts. 

Smith and the team members shared hugs, consoled each other and fixed their gaze on Knoller and Noel when the couple entered the courtroom. 

Smith and Whipple’s mother, Penny Whipple-Kelly of Fairfield County, Conn., have filed wrongful death suits against the couple. 

Kate Kendell, a lawyer with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, is representing Smith and arguing that she is entitled to pursue such a claim as would a surviving spouse or relative. 

Kendell said the arraignment delays would work against her case by dulling the public outrage against Knoller and Noel. 

“I think it will be very easy for public sentiment and public empathy to be reignited when once again proceedings get underway that really delve into the actual facts and the gruesome nature of what happened to Diane Alexis Whipple,” Kendell said. 

Knoller, 45, and Noel, 59, remain in jail in lieu of bail. Knoller, who faces a possible sentence of 15 years to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder, is being held on $2 million bail. The bail for Noel is $1 million. 

The couple was caring for the two Presa Canario-mastiffs when the dogs — a 120-pound male named Bane and a 113-pound female named Hera — fatally mauled Whipple, 33, a lacrosse coach. 

Current law makes owning a mischievous animal that kills a person a felony punishable by up to three years in prison. A bill introduced by state Assemblywoman Carol Migden, D-San Francisco, would hold an animal’s caretaker responsible for such an animal’s actions — even if they’re not the owner. 

Migden’s bill got unanimous approval Tuesday from the Public Safety Committee and next goes to the Appropriations Committee that Migden chairs. 

Prison officials say the animals were part of a dogfighting ring run out of Pelican Bay State Prison by inmates Paul Schneider and Dale Bretches, who are serving life sentences without parole. 

In one of the case’s many strange twists, Noel and Knoller adopted Schneider as their son in a procedure that became official just three days after Whipple’s death. 

SAN FRANCISCO – Last week, 73-year-old Zhenfu Ge lost her daughter to cancer. And because of the death, Ge also lost her legal right to stay in America. 

If her daughter, Yanyu Wang, had survived until Thursday, Ge would have left her hearing before the Immigration and Naturalization Service as a permanent resident of the United States. 

But her chances of staying legally in the United States died with her daughter, an American citizen who was sponsoring Ge’s green card application.  

Ge now faces deportation to China, and separation from the grandchildren she promised a dying Wang she would help raise. 

“It’s very hard for me to leave them here,” Ge said through an interpreter Thursday after an INS officer told her she has to leave the country. “This is something I cannot do.” 

But the law clearly says Ge cannot stay, according to INS spokeswoman Sharon Rummery. 

“Your heart goes out, you know,” she said. “It’s unfortunate, but it happens.” 

Ge’s application appeared to be a sure thing. 

“They even said that if my wife was alive, (Ge’s green card) would have been approved,” said John Mark, Wang’s husband, who lives with Ge and his two children in Sausalito. Because he is a son in law and not a blood relative, Mark cannot take over Ge’s green card application. 

Since the spring of 1998, Ge has been in the San Francisco Bay area taking care of her 3-year-old granddaughter and 9-year-old grandson. That summer, Wang was naturalized as a U.S. citizen and immediately filed as a sponsor for her mother’s green card. 

The INS set Thursday for Ge’s hearing to become a permanent resident. But then, on April 15, Wang succumbed to lymphoma. 

Ge next will receive a letter asking her to leave the country. If she remains and the INS finds out, she will be face deportation. 

Ge then could appeal the deportation order. But that only would postpone her departure temporarily, because immigration lawyers who have reviewed the case agree she has no legal grounds to stay. 

Meanwhile, Mark is considering a lasting solution. He could appeal a deportation order, though a reversal is rare. He also has contacted federal lawmakers, asking them to shepherd through Congress legislation specifically allowing Ge to get a green card. 

Meanwhile, Ge wonders how the loss of her daughter also could lead to separation from her grandchildren. 

“I just don’t understand why it has to be so strict,” Ge said.

S.F. supes want crackdown on illegal billboards 

SAN FRANCISCO – A crackdown on illegal billboards won approval from the Board of Supervisors’ finance committee Wednesday. 

Supervisor Mark Leno’s legislation enacts fines of as much as $2,500 a day on companies that put up unpermitted billboards and landlords of buildings that are the hosts for such signs. The money would go to enforce the city’s billboard laws. 

Leno’s proposals also require every billboard to include the sign’s permit number, legal dimensions and owner in letters big enough to read from the street. 

But San Francisco Beautiful, a group dedicated to the beautification of the city, wants tougher action — a ban on all legal or illegal billboard sites. 

Advertising companies grudgingly went along with most of Leno’s legislation but pointed out that in addition to jobs in the sign industry, lots of small businesses and nonprofit social service agencies that own buildings and collect money by leasing sign space will be harmed. 

The legislation will be submitted for its first reading by the Board of Supervisors next Monday. The board probably will decide on the proposal in two weeks. 

Former Oakland City Council member ousted 

OAKLAND – Former Oakland City Council member Leo Bazile has been forced out of the legal profession amid allegations he won a court settlement for his son, then spent the money himself. 

State bar prosecutor Andrea Wachter said Wednesday that Bazile was ordered on inactive status this month after allegedly violating a disciplinary agreement. 

Bazile had promised to finish defending two murder cases, then resign his state bar membership, Wachter said. However, he then represented a partner’s client and may have lied about expediting the second murder case, Wachter said. It has yet to go to trial. 

The action stems from a complaint by Jabari Bazile, Leo’s 24-year-old son. He said he never received a $144,000 settlement won by his father in a wrongful-death suit over the nursing home death of Jabari’s mother. 

Jabari’s attorney says Leo Bazile has agreed to reimburse his son for the missing money. 

Leo Bazile served on the Oakland City Council from 1983 to 1992 and also made two unsuccessful runs for mayor. 

City Attorney  

to step down 

SAN FRANCISCO – City Attorney Louise Renne announced Thursday she will not run for re-election when her current term, the latest in her 15-year tenure as city attorney, expires in Janaury 2002. 

“Every moment I have spent as city attorney has allowed me the opportunity to exercise my best judgment on behalf of the city that I love,” Renne said in a statement. “As far as I am concerned, there are few challenges more satisfying, but the time has come for me to pursue other professional interests that I have long put on hold, and also to spend a lot more time with my grandchildren.” 

Renne was appointed city attorney in 1986. She was elected in 1989 and re-elected in 1993 and 1997. 

Renne, 63, is credited with strengthening San Francisco legally in areas such as transportation, public health, telecommunications and energy regulation. Her office has engaged in litigation and consumer protection actions against the tobacco industry, gun manufacturers, airlines, escrow and title insurance companies and national banks. 

Woman to pay for stowaway’s burial plot 

SAN JOSE – A woman was so touched by the desperation of a stowaway who died in the sky curled up in the wheel of a jetliner that she has agreed to pay for a plot at a Palo Alto cemetery. 

The woman, who wants to remain anonymous, was told as recently as Wednesday morning that she would not be able to bury the body of Tommy Mayloa, 19, at the Alta Mesa Cemetery in Palo Alto because San Mateo County has an exclusive contract with a San Jose cemetery to bury its unclaimed bodies. She has since gotten permission to bury him in Palo Alto. 

“He seemed so desperate,” said the woman. “He’s just about the same age as my nephews, and it just hit me. This was something that I could do for him.” 

Scotland Yard investigators are not even sure the body is Mayloa’s. They say he clambered inside a 767 jet at London’s Gatwick Airport on Feb. 19. 

They think he was a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Investigators believe Mayloa’s parents were killed a few years ago, and, depressed and terrified, he fled to Europe. He eventually ended up homeless, without identification papers, in London. 

The man will be buried early next week in a sunny plot near a bench where the woman could come and visit every once in a while and bring flowers. She did not know Mayloa’s religion, so she has picked a pair of praying hands and the words “A Child of God” to be engraved on the headstone.

SAN FRANCISCO – A federal judge entered innocent pleas Thursday for 13 Nuestra Familia gang members and associates facing a litany of federal charges including murder, robbery, conspiracy and drug-related crimes. 

The charges came in a 25-count indictment handed down last week at the end of a three-year, $5 million joint local, state and federal investigation. 

The 12 men and one woman filled the jury box in Judge Charles Breyer’s courtroom. Most were heavily tattooed and all wore red jail jumpsuits. They also wore 18-inch leg chains, waist chains with handcuffs and maximum security boxes, which covers the locks on the handcuffs so they can’t be picked. 

Everyone entering the courtroom had to pass through a metal detector and allow any bags to be searched. Inside, dozens of U.S. marshals and other officers kept an eye on the defendants and a handful of family members attending the arraignment. 

Tom Klenieski, spokesman for the U.S. marshals, said it had been about 20 years since the federal courthouse had used such drastic security measures. 

“These guys came from a maximum-security prison,” he said. “Some of them were serving life sentences.” 

Authorities say five leaders of the Nuestra Familia gang — Ceasar Ramirez, 40, Rico Garcia, 34, Gerald Rubalcaba, 46, Tex Marin Hernandez, 47, and Jacob Enriquez, 40 — were responsible for the murders of at least five men between 1997 and 1999. 

They and other members also unsuccessfully tried to arrange the killings of at least 10 more men and women, officials said. 

Several members orchestrated their crimes from behind the walls of Pelican Bay State Prison, authorities said. 

Now, all 13 defendants are being housed at the maximum security unit at the North County Jail in Oakland, Klenieski said. 

Nuestra Familia originated within prison walls in 1965 among Hispanic inmates from rural Northern California as a means of protecting themselves against rival prison gang members. 

On Thursday, the defendants were arraigned by Magistrate Jim Larson, then had a status conference before Breyer, who set a Jan. 28, 2002, trial date despite the objections of defense lawyers. 

Attorney Richard Mazer, arguing that client Rubalcaba could face the death penalty, said he has more than 50,000 pages of discovery to review and asked the judge to push back the date. 

But Breyer simply urged the defense lawyers to begin work immediately on the case. 

“The decision as to whether the case is ready to go to trial is one that the court will make,” he said. ”(But) I don’t want people to leave the courtroom with the impression that this date ... is not realistic from the court’s point of view.” 

Breyer also scheduled a court hearing for July 19.

SACRAMENTO — A fight over an artificial reef project has led a Sacramento Superior Court judge to declare unconstitutional a state agency empowered to rule on coastal development. 

Environmentalists say Judge Charles Kobayashi’s ruling this week that the 29-year-old California Coastal Commission is unconstitutional could seriously damage the state’s coastline. 

Kobayashi said the commission violated the principle of checks and balances because it performs legislative, executive and judicial duties. 

Because the Legislature appoints two-thirds of the commission, it should only have legislative powers, Kobayashi ruled. 

His ruling could drastically change the commission’s makeup or take its power to decide appeals and issue permits. 

Commission opponents say it must be reorganized to answer to voters, while supporters say its political freedom helped it protect the coast. 

“If this stands, it will essentially cripple the Coastal Act,” said commission spokeswoman Sarah Christie.  

“It would so fundamentally weaken California’s coastal program that it would put the coastline in dire jeopardy.” 

Kobayashi’s ruling came in a suit filed by the Marine Forests Society of Balboa, which has experimented with artificial reefs off Newport Beach for about 12 years, attorney Ronald Zumbrun said. 

As part of its test for ways to grow kelp in areas without vegetation, MFS planted used tires on the ocean floor to attract mussels. The Coastal Commission ordered the group to stop in 1999 because MFS had not been issued a permit. The group then sued the commission to keep working. 

An appeal is expected on the ruling. 

The commission denied the reef permit because it competed with another state program, Zumbrun said. 

“It’s fair to say egos and revenge play a part,” he said.  

“We want to see it function as a normal agency, not one that is answerable to no one.” 

Many environmentalists, however, call the commission the only protection against potentially disastrous projects like the one by MFS, said Mark Massara, director of the Sierra Club’s coastal program. 

MFS “dumped all these tires and concrete and plastic off Newport Beach, and while it may be a functioning fish reef, it can also be characterized as a big pile of junk at the bottom of the ocean,” Massara said. 

“The commission is what has taken rich people’s very large projects and made them a bit smaller so we can actually make it to the coast,” Massara said. 

If upheld by appeals courts, the ruling could affect matters before the board now but not past decisions, said John Findley of the Pacific Legal Foundation. 

Findley said he has long contended the commission is unconstitutional. 

A 1972 voter initiative created the California Coastal Commission, which the Legislature made permanent in 1976. It has 12 voting members who can make decisions on issues ranging from building permits to parking fees to oil exploration. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Coastal Commission: http://www.coastal.ca.gov 

Marine Forests Society: http://www.marinehabitat.org/ 

Consumers should avoid a lollipop imported from Mexico and found to contain a high level of lead in its wrapper, the Food and Drug Administration said. 

The lollipop is a dark brown tamarind candy bearing the brand “Bolirindo” and sold mostly in California and in some Southwestern states, the FDA said Thursday. 

Routine testing of children by the California Department of Health Services found three cases in which 2-year-olds who had the candy developed elevated levels of lead. The finding prompted state health authorities and the FDA to analyze the lollipop for lead contamination. 

“Preliminary findings indicate that at least the lollipop wrapper’s exterior may have exceedingly high concentrations of lead,” about 21,000 parts per million, the FDA said in a statement. 

The FDA urged that the lollipop not be consumed and that it be kept from children. 

“Eating the lollipops may expose (children) to dangerously high levels of lead, especially if the candy becomes damp or if the wrapper is chewed or eaten,” the statement said. 

The agency urged that children who may have eaten such lollipops be checked for lead exposure. 

The lollipop is a soft, dark brown tamarind fruit candy on a white or orange stick, wrapped in an orange-red wrapper with the word “Bolirindo” in white letters and a picture of a tamarind fruit.

SANTA MONICA — The Navy’s new low-frequency sonar creates an “acoustic traffic jam” that threatens the way whales and dolphins communicate, environmentalists claimed Thursday in a stepped-up campaign against the system. 

“If deployed, all species and marine animals could be affected,” said Natural Resources Defense Council attorney Joel Reynolds. 

Reynolds was joined by actor Pierce Brosnan and other opponents of the sonar system in a press conference before the first of three public hearings scheduled by the National Marine Fisheries Service on the issue. 

The fisheries service will decide if the Navy should be exempt from environmental protection laws, which would give the military clearance to deploy the sonar system.  

The Navy has said its sonar, designed to detect quiet submarines by emitting sound waves at 180 decibels, does not pose a significant threat to marine life. 

But environmentalists are trying to convince the fisheries service otherwise.  

They say the sonar system harms whales and other sea creatures, and they want more research before the Navy should be allowed to move forward. 

“The effects of LFA (low-frequency active sonar system) might not be known for years,” said scientist Rod Fujita, who has worked with the NRDC on the issue. 

An environmental impact report commissioned by the Navy found that humpback whales stopped singing or extended their mating songs when exposed to the sounds.  

However, there were no biologically significant responses from the whales or the effects were temporary, said Lt. Jensin Sommer, a Navy spokeswoman. 

The study recommended limiting the use of the sonar in breeding areas, but it found no evidence that the sound leads to abnormal behavior. 

Environmental groups say the Navy has failed to demonstrate that the sonar does not cause whale breaching 

Reynolds said the sound waves can be heard hundreds of thousands of square miles away.  

That can disrupt whale communication, such as mating and feeding, and can cause the creatures to veer off their migratory paths. 

“We’re talking about an acoustic traffic jam that can lead to the extinction of species,” he said. 

The group charged that a different sonar system used during a Navy exercise off the Bahamas in March 2000 was responsible for the mass stranding of four species of whales and dolphins. 

“Sound is perceived physically in water,” said Naomi Rose of the Humane Society.  

“It causes the sheering of tissue and lungs. ... It’s like what happens when an opera singer shatters glass.” 

Navy scientists said the whale deaths in the Bahamas were linked to a mid-frequency sonar that has no correlation to the new system, which is less intrusive. 

The hearing in Los Angeles will be followed by one in Hawaii and Silver Springs, Maryland, said Kenneth Hollingshead, a biologist with the fisheries service. A decision is expected later in the summer. 

On the Net: 

Fisheries service: http://www.nmfs.gov 

U.S. Navy’s sonar program: http://www.surtass-lfa-eis.com 

NRDC: http://www.nrdc.org

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gray Davis’ plan to keep middle-school students in class longer each year suffered a setback Thursday in the Senate Education Committee. 

Although Davis modified his plan by providing more money for poorer schools, the committee did not vote on the bill containing his plan when it passed 31 other bills Thursday. The bills now go to the Appropriations Committee. 

All bills that spend money must be approved by policy committees by Friday. 

Davis had first proposed spending $100 million in the 2001-2002 budget for middle schools that add 30 days to their school year. He hoped to expand the increase to all middle schools in three years, at an eventual annual cost of $1 billion. 

On Wednesday, Davis changed his plan, lengthening the year by only 20 days and using the savings for grants for the state’s lowest-performing schools. 

Opponents said his original plan would give money to schools that didn’t need it, including those in affluent areas with high test scores. Lawmakers are trying to focus money and new programs this year on schools with scores in the bottom 20 percent on the statewide test. 

Davis’ plan passed the committee muster Wednesday but the committee didn’t take a final vote on it Thursday. 

A Davis spokeswoman said Thursday that the governor hopes the committee will consider the bill again on May 9. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Read the bill, SB1020 by Sen. Martha Escutia, D-Commerce, at 

http://www.sen.ca.gov. 

Read Davis’ education proposals at http://www.ose.ca.gov 

SACRAMENTO — State lawmakers decided Thursday to put California in the business of building power plants and place gasoline refineries at the bottom of the blackout list. 

However, another energy-crisis bill to speed up approval of new power plants stalled when Republican senators objected to an amendment allowing workers furloughed during blackouts to collect unemployment insurance. 

The Assembly approved a bill that would create a new state power authority that could finance, buy, operate and build electricity generating plants. 

The new California Consumer Power and Conservation Financing Authority could issue up to $5 billion in revenue bonds to pay for the projects. The bonds would be repaid when the electricity is sold to utilities or consumers. 

The new authority would also do long-term planning to “ensure this kind of crisis never happens again,” said Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys. Hertzberg said the authority would provide no more than 15 percent of the state’s power needs. 

Republicans refused to vote for the authority bill. Minority Leader Dave Cox of Rancho Cordova called it “socializing the system.” 

The bill was approved 47-28 and returned to the Senate for a vote on amendments added by the Assembly. 

The vote was 78-0 for the bill to make petroleum refineries among the last customers affected by rolling blackouts. It also goes to the Senate. 

The petroleum industry says even brief electricity outages can force a refinery shut down for days, curtailing the state’s supplies of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. 

In the Senate, the plant-siting bill fell one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed when Republicans accused Democrats of breaking an agreement that the bill only would deal with the approval of new power plants. 

“This is the time for deals to be kept,” said Senate Republican leader Jim Brulte, R-Rancho Cucamonga. 

Republicans objected to an amendment, added in the Assembly, that would allow workers to collect unemployment insurance if they are forced to leave work without pay because of blackouts. 

The Senate agreed, however, to allow the bill’s author, Sen. Byron Sher, D-Stanford, to bring it up again for another vote in the future. 

The bill would expedite the approval process for a new or remodeled power plant by the California Energy Commission. It would shorten the time that local governments have to review the proposal, and it would make commission decisions subject to review by the state Supreme Court without first going through lower courts. 

The bill would also shorten the approval time for “repowering” or remodeling existing plants from 12 months to 180 days. It would require the state Air Resources Board and local air districts to speed up their approval of antismog plans for new and remodeled plants. 

On the Net: Read the bills, SB28x by Sher, SB6x by Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, D-San Francisco, and AB57x by Assemblyman John Dutra, D-Fremont at http://www.sen.ca.gov

SACRAMENTO — Frustrated by soaring energy prices and tightening supplies, lawmakers lashed out at power generators Thursday, and implied some should go to jail. 

Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante joined Assembly Democrats in their attempt to make overcharging for electricity a felony punishable by prison for corporate officers and forfeiture of 10 percent of a company’s assets. 

Meanwhile, analysts from the Independent System Operator, which runs the state’s power grid, told a Senate investigating committee generators owe California more than $6 billion in refunds for artificially driving up prices to unprecedented levels. 

Market manipulation affected 98 percent of the hourly bidding on electricity between May and November, testified Anjali Sheffrin, director of the ISO’s department of market analysis. 

A shortage of supply and suppliers created a classic oligopoly, where just five major electricity wholesalers found they could name their price without necessarily coordinating their actions, Sheffrin said. The shortage-driven price spiral soon spread to other Western states, she said. 

“In an oligopoly market, everybody benefits from high prices,” she told the Senate Select Committee to Investigate Price Manipulation in the Wholesale Energy Market. 

Prices averaged 30 percent higher than they should have since May, ISO Market Monitoring Manager Eric Hildebrandt told the same committee. 

However, ISO’s studies were not designed to identify individual generators who overcharged, Hildebrandt said, and he did not suggest generators acted illegally. 

As part of its investigation, the committee subpoenaed confidential ISO power-bidding records. 

Investigators won’t find anything, said Jan Smutny-Jones, executive director of the Independent Energy Producers Association. “The generators that are being investigated did not create this market.” 

“If what they’re doing isn’t illegal, it ought to be,” Bustamante said as he proposed making price gouging a felony. “If they think they’re going to get away with this, they’re wrong.” 

Assemblyman Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater, compared the energy crisis to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and his bill to a crackdown on wartime profiteering. 

Those who “rob millions of Californians of billions of dollars” should face the same prison time as if they had burglarized a house, Cardoza said. 

Investigators haven’t found any wrongdoing, Cardoza and Bustamante said, because they didn’t dig deeply enough. 

Their bill calls for a million-dollar award and whistleblower protection to anyone who provides proof that generators illegally drove up energy prices. 

Prices would drop, they said, if the bill passes and generators who don’t overcharge have nothing to fear. 

Smutny-Jones joined Republicans who said the bill would discourage generators from selling energy to California when the state needs power to stave off summer blackouts. 

Lawmakers acted a day after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, in a late-night order, limited energy prices during the state’s power emergencies. 

FERC has ordered generators to justify $124 million in possible overcharges for three months this year, an amount state officials call too small. 

Meanwhile, lawmakers split along partisan lines on two energy bills, derailing a Senate bill designed to speed up approval of new power plants. Republicans balked at an amendment that would let workers collect unemployment insurance if blackouts force them to leave work without pay. 

Assembly Democrats used their majority to send the Senate a bill creating a new power authority that could issue up to $5 billion in revenue bonds to build or operate power plants. 

Both parties supported an Assembly bill that would make gasoline refineries among the last to be subject to rolling blackouts. The petroleum industry argued an outage could shut down a refinery for days and result in shortages of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. That bill now goes to the Senate. 

——— 

On the Net: Read SB6x, SB28x, AB57x and AB67x on the Web at http://www.sen.ca.gov 

SANTA CRUZ — Adragon De Mello, no longer the boy wonder who graduated college at age 11, is about to face a challenge that life as a child prodigy could not have prepared him for. 

De Mello, now a 24-year-old high-tech worker, took custody Thursday of his father – the man who tried to push him toward greatness, and who hoped his son would be a Nobel Prize winner by the age of 16. 

Agustin De Mello, dying of bladder cancer, was arrested March 15 after an alleged shootout with police. He has been released to the custody of his son pending trial. 

“This is a lot better,” Adragon said moments before his dad walked out of jail. “It killed me walking in here and seeing him.” 

Agustin will be under house arrest at his home along wind-swept bluffs overlooking a popular Pacific Ocean surfing spot. He will be electronically monitored, with a band around his ankle, pending his May 29 trial. 

“He wants to die at home. That’s been his concern from day one. He did not want to go to the hospital,” said Santa Cruz County assistant district attorney Christine McGuire. 

The father and son became the center of a national debate in the 1980s over parents pushing children toward academic achievement. It led to a long estrangement between the two that only recently has been reconciled. 

Adragon received an associate degree with highest honors in 1987 from a two-year junior college at age 10. He graduated a year later from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a degree in computational mathematics, becoming the youngest college graduate in U.S. history. 

University officials later reviewed Adragon’s record, and said the boy had been allowed to take an “unconscionable” course load. 

But Agustin wanted more, and publicly spoke of his hopes that his son would win a Nobel Prize and go on to lead an “intergalactic government.” 

Adragon never attained all his father’s goals. In fact, he spent most of his teenage years trying to recapture the childhood he never knew. 

Now, his life as a young adult again is centered on his dad. 

He has spent the last few weeks sitting in a packed Santa Cruz courtroom, watching his shackled father cling to life in a rumpled jail jumpsuit. There were breaks in the proceedings so Agustin could go into a nearby bathroom and bleed. 

His body wracked with pain, the 71-year-old Agustin phoned police March 15 saying he was gravely ill. 

“My problem is I’m dying of cancer. I’m standing here in a bathtub bleeding to death,” he told the 911 dispatcher. 

Four hours and several gunshots later, Agustin was taken from his home in handcuffs by a SWAT team. It remains unclear what happened during those four hours, but Agustin now is charged with assault with a deadly weapon. 

The odyssey that now has reunited father and son began when Adragon was just 6 weeks old. It was then that his proud father said Adragon uttered his first word: “Hello.” 

By 3, Adragon had learned how to read and write, his father claimed. And, even if those were exaggerated memories, no one could deny that Adragon was bright beyond his years. 

But as Adragon’s academic achievements came together, the family fell apart. By the year he graduated from UCSC, Agustin was battling for custody against Adragon’s mother, Cathy Gunn, who felt the boy was being pushed too hard. A judge gave them joint custody. 

Adragon ended up living with his mother in Sunnyvale, enrolling in junior high and trying to catch up with a childhood supplanted by computers and scientific theories. 

At first, Adragon was awful at being a kid. He swung his first baseball bat at age 12, only to see it fly wildly out of his hands. He had little experience with sports or children his own age after being sheltered by his dad for so many years. 

“A lot of people feel that I should have some sort of grudge against him for what happened when I was younger,” Adragon said. “There were years, mostly in teen-age years, that I was pretty bitter.” 

Adragon, living under the name James Gunn, graduated from Homestead High School in 1994, six years after receiving his undergraduate degree. After moving away from his father, he learned to drive and how to play with other children. 

Now, during jail visits, Adragon and Agustin have repaired their strained relationship. 

“I know he’s proud of me. Of course I didn’t get a Nobel Prize,” Adragon said. “I really didn’t have the desire to.” 

Back in his cluttered waterfront home, Agustin stood surrounded Thursday by pictures and momentos – as well as dozens of his weightlifting trophies, and photos of Albert Einstein. 

With his health fading, Agustin said the only constant in his life is his relationship with Adragon. 

“He’s the best son in the world. We’ve always had a great relationship,” Agustin said. 

as Adragon stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down sheepishly. 

“I’ve always been proud of him. I’ve always wanted him to be happy doing what he wanted to do. Things got sidetracked for many, many reasons but it had nothing to do with his talent.”

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress called for a federal ban on human cloning Thursday. 

“There is no need for this technology to ever be used with humans,” said Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. 

He supports legislation in the House and Senate that would make it a federal crime to clone a human, participate in human cloning or import human clones to the United States. Violators could get 10 years in prison and a minimum $1 million fine. 

A congressional ban may be seen as redundant since federal regulators have never approved such experiments fearing the research could produce deformed babies. 

Lawmakers want to keep scientists from applying the same technique used to clone Dolly the sheep in 1997 on humans. 

The White House has indicated that if Congress passes a cloning ban bill, President Bush would sign it. 

The Food and Drug Administration says any human cloning experiments in the United States would need its approval, but opponents want a federal law strong enough to back up the regulators’ authority. 

There are human clone bans in Germany and other nations, the lawmakers said. 

Clones are created when the genetic material from a single cell is injected into an egg cell that has had its own genes removed. The resulting baby would be like an identical twin born years later. 

Despite the success of Dolly, cloned cows, mice and pigs, most animal clones die during embryonic development. Others are stillborn with birth defects. Mothers miscarry, and sometimes die, too. 

Most scientists oppose human cloning because of such risks, but some infertility doctors and a religious cult plan to try human cloning within the next year. 

Those plans, aired at a congressional hearing last month, have spurred opponents to action. 

“The scientists who created Dolly had over 200 attempts before Dolly was born,” said Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., a physician. “The prior attempts resulted in malformed, sickly creatures that had to be euthanized. 

“We cannot allow this scenario to play out with humans,” said Weldon, who is co-sponsoring the House bill with Bart Stupak, D-Mich. 

Some Congressional lawmakers tried unsuccessfully to ban cloning a couple of years ago, but lawmakers couldn’t agree on whether a ban should stop disease-fighting research that uses techniques similar to cloning. 

Debate over funding of such research – using embryonic stem cells – has emerged this year. 

During the Clinton administration, the federal government published guidelines that would permit funding of embryonic stem cell research provided the funds were not used to kill the embryo. Private researchers would extract the stem cells from fertility clinic embryos and then pass the cells along to federally funded researchers. 

The Bush administration has placed this federal funding on hold pending a Health and Human Services Department review. HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson told a House committee Thursday that a decision should be made in about a month. 

——— 

On the Net: 

House Committee on Energy and Commerce: http://www.house.gov/commerce/ 

WASHINGTON — The House voted Thursday to make it a federal crime to harm a fetus during an assault on its mother, urging action on behalf of “unborn victims.” Abortion rights advocates decried the bill as a foot in the door toward legal recognition of fetuses as people. 

After a lengthy and sometimes testy debate that included pictures of a woman holding her stillborn child who died after she was assaulted, the House passed the bill 252-172, almost identical to the 254-172 margin by which it was passed a year ago. 

Unlike last year, this bill has the support of the White House and its new occupant. Former President Clinton had promised to veto it if it ever reached him. It didn’t, largely because there was little support for it in the Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee, now evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, has yet to set a hearing on the issue this year. 

The White House said this week, “The administration supports protection for unborn children and therefore supports House passage.” 

House supporters characterized the bill as an anti-crime measure, not an abortion issue.“The law must not look upon a violent criminal’s unborn victims with an indifferent eye,” said House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas. “Every young life must be acknowledged. And every young life must be protected from predatory criminals.” 

DeLay assailed a Democratic amendment that would have stiffened penalties for harming a pregnant woman but not made harming a fetus a separate crime. “Life and death should not be subsumed beneath a semantic fog,” he said. 

But opponents called the measure a veiled attempt by conservatives to chip away at abortion rights guaranteed in the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. 

“This would be the first time in the federal legal system that we would begin to recognize a fertilized egg, a zygote, an embryo or a fetus,” said Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich. “That’s what the bill is trying to do. No sneaking around today, fellas.” 

Rep. Nancy Johnson, a moderate Republican from Connecticut, warned her colleagues that the consequences of passing the bill would be extraordinary. 

“What happens if a woman has a miscarriage because she worked too hard or she didn’t take care of herself? That may not be in this bill but, let me tell you, it’s the next one down the road,” she said. 

The bill would apply only to crimes in federal jurisdiction, but about half the states have similar laws. The Supreme Court in 1989 upheld Missouri’s version, one of the broadest, which describes an “unborn child” at any stage of prenatal development as a person. 

“Today is about bringing the country together to put people in jail who deserve to go,” said Rep. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. , the bill’s author. 

A related law in North Carolina was used earlier this year to convict former Carolina Panthers football player Rae Carruth on charges of conspiracy and use of an instrument — a gun — with the intent of destroying an unborn child in the slaying of his pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams. 

Adams was ambushed and shot in her car. The child — a boy — was delivered by emergency Caesarean section and is being raised by Adams’ mother. Family members have said the child has developmental problems and cerebral palsy. 

One House member, Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., voted present. Robyn Wheeler, his spokeswoman, said he voted present because he believes the bill was poorly written and would eventually erode a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy. 

——— 

On the Net: 

The bill, H.R. 503, can be found at http://thomas.loc.gov 

WASHINGTON — The global economy is facing its biggest threats since the worldwide financial crisis of 1997-98, the International Monetary Fund warned Thursday as it sharply cut its economic forecasts for this year. 

The IMF’s worries centered on problems facing the United States and Japan, which have the world’s biggest economies. IMF officials also said Europe is doing too little to fight the global slowdown. 

In its latest World Economic Outlook, the IMF slashed its forecast for global growth for this year by a full percentage point, to 3.2 percent compared with projections published last October. 

The 183-nation international lending agency, preparing for its spring meetings, also warned that a global recession cannot be ruled out, especially if a hoped-for rebound in the United States does not come. 

“The outlook remains subject to considerable uncertainty, and a deeper and more prolonged downturn is clearly possible,” the IMF said in its gloomiest economic assessment since the end of the late 1990s Asian currency crisis. 

The IMF’s projection of 3.2 percent global growth would be down from 4.8 percent growth in 2000 and would represent the slowest pace since the world economy expanded just 2.8 percent in 1998, at the height of the Asian currency crisis. 

In the 1997-98 crisis, a red-hot U.S. economy kept the world from toppling into recession. This time, however, the weakness is originating in the United States as it battles a dramatic slowdown caused by plunging stock prices and cutbacks in consumer demand. 

The IMF predicted the U.S. economy will expand by just 1.5 percent this year, its poorest showing since the last U.S. recession ended in 1991.  

In its October forecast, the IMF pegged U.S. economic growth this year at 3.2 percent, more than double the current estimate. 

The fund also significantly lowered its forecasts for other countries. It slashed growth expectations for Japan, the world’s second-largest economy, to just 0.6 percent this year, and reduced the growth forecast for 12 European nations to just 2.4 percent. 

Still, the IMF found reason to be optimistic that the United States will rebound this year. It pointed to consumer demand bolstered by aggressive interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve and to expected congressional approval of most of President Bush’s $1.6 trillion, 10-year tax-cut program. 

Another hopeful sign, IMF officials said, were promises by new Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to attack the root problems of his nation’s 11-year economic slump, including bad loans held by the nation’s banks. 

IMF officials were less positive, however, about developments in Europe. Just Thursday, the European Central Bank, which controls monetary policy in the 12-nation euro currency area, refused again to reduce interest rates. 

“In a slowdown such as we are experiencing, ... it is desirable that the central bank of the second largest economic area in the world would be a part of the solution rather than a part of the problem,” IMF chief economist Michael Mussa complained to reporters Thursday. 

Interest rates as well as the overhaul of operating policies for the IMF and its sister lending agency, the World Bank, will be prime agenda items at the institutions’ spring meetings in Washington this weekend. 

Unlike last year, the discussions are not expected to draw thousands of protesters, whose activities clogged streets near the White House and resulted in more than 1,300 arrests last spring. 

U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill and Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan will meet with their counterparts from the world’s seven richest industrial countries Saturday as a prelude to the IMF-World Bank meetings Sunday and Monday. 

The finance discussions will focus on current economic trouble spots. Principal ones include Argentina, mired in recession and battling turbulence in financial markets that has spilled over to its Latin American neighbors, and Turkey, seeking more IMF loans to stabilize its economy. 

The Turkey loan package probably will be approved by the IMF board soon, but under stricter guidelines set by the United States. The Bush administration is hoping to avoid huge IMF bailout packages approved during the Clinton years. 

——— 

On the Net: IMF site: http://www.imf.org 

World Bank site: http://www.worldbank.org 

Treasury Department: http://www.ustreas.gov/ 

WASHINGTON — What Americans saw in the presidential campaign, they’re pretty much getting in the president. 

Three months on the job, President Bush is pushing the tax cuts and education package he promised as a candidate, while bending to some political realities on both. 

He’s broken a few environmental promises. But overall, say those who study presidential policy, he’s been true to his limited agenda. 

“The relationship between campaigning and governance is clear in this president,” said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, dean of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Few of the big promises have worked through the pipeline but that’s not unusual this early. 

“What 100 days really tells you is what’s going to come next,” Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer said Thursday from Crawford, Texas, where the Republican president was visiting his ranch. 

“The staff’s directions are to implement the president’s program,” Fleischer said. “We haven’t set an artificial deadline.” 

Bush seems likely to succeed with tax relief, if not with the whole tax package he came to Washington to sell. 

His pledge to put more money and effort into education is being borne out, too, although his wish to give parents school vouchers in everything but name may fall by the wayside. 

Bush is also pressing ahead with giving religious groups access to tax dollars to help them provide social services, an idea that dates to the earliest days of his candidacy. 

By this point in 1993, Bill Clinton had already built piles of promises kept, broken and tangled. 

Family leave was accomplished. Middle-class tax relief was abandoned. The issue of gays in the military was a hopeless mess. 

To James Pfiffner, a George Mason University political scientist who wrote “The Strategic Presidency: Hitting the Ground Running,” Bush has lived up to the subtitle of that book. 

With his “rifle” approach, Bush is striking a greater percentage of targets than Clinton did with his shotgun, Pfiffner said. 

“You maximize your chances if you focus narrowly,” he said. “He’s been very disciplined and on message.” 

The ambiguity some say is inherent in being a “compassionate conservative” has come in handy for the president, too. 

“Bush ran a more thematic campaign and one of the realities of doing so is that it’s harder to hold you accountable for kept and broken promises,” Jamieson said. “He was never forced to a level of detail.” 

Not everything is moving apace. 

Bush still hopes to allow oil drilling in the coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which he says is important for a secure energy future. But his administration is showing reluctance to press the matter against congressional opposition. 

One of his defining campaign promises was to let younger workers use some of their Social Security taxes to build private retirement accounts. 

That seems destined to be studied a good long time before anything happens. The stock market is weaker than when he floated the plan and changing Social Security is hard in the best of times. 

Just as Clinton started out with liberal elements of his agenda, Bush began with a tilt to the right. 

On the environment, Bush broke a commitment on the control of carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, and he proposes to spend $13 million to protect tropical forests instead of the minimum $100 million a year he promised in the campaign. 

He opposed the Kyoto treaty on global warming before and after Election Day. 

Beyond substance, Bush promised a new tone – more civility, less partisanship, honor in the White House. 

To that end, he has extended tender considerations to lawmakers and, in a striking outreach early on, went to Democratic congressional retreats. 

Yet while granting him certain charms, Democratic leaders say he’s not been interested in compromise. 

“It is my way or the highway every day,” said Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, the House minority leader. 

Bush, in contrast, believes there has been a break from the bickering of the past, Fleischer said. “He knows it’s not totally changed but he’s seeing it change and change for the better.” 

That’s one area of disagreement between Bush and Democratic leaders: They dispute how well they’re getting along.

Spring is an important time of year for home dwellers. It’s when we get a chance to shake the winter dust out of our pillows and mattresses and begin the process of cleaning our home inside and out. If you have a regular routine, the process can be easier and even fun. We have a pressure washer that makes cleaning everything outside a breeze. We use it to clean spider webs from beneath the eaves, dirt from the walls – especially at the trim over doors and windows, windows, screens, doors, patios and walks, patio furniture, the barbecue, statuary and more. The trick is to start high and work down. Begin at the roofline and work your way to the ground. Start at one corner of the house and work your way around. Don’t use too much pressure. You won’t want that powerful spray to take any paint off. Be sure to use detergent with the pressure washer. Most have a feature that mixes cleaners and other concoctions into the pressurized spray. 

A pressure washer will do a good job by itself, but the addition of detergent and a little elbow grease will result in a cleaner, brighter result. If you have a one-story home, a short pole with a scrub brush on the end will allow you to do most of the cleaning with both feet planted squarely on the ground. 

This is the one time of year when you will appreciate having a full hip roof. That’s the kind that has an overhang all the way around. You can reach everything that needs cleaning with your feet on the ground. If not, you will need a ladder or scaffolding of some kind to reach additional stories or those areas where the siding is farther from the ground – like at dormers, copulas or gable ends. A gable-wall is where the wall extends up to the peak. 

Tip: Someone once told us that the only difference between a single-story home and its multistory counterpart was the stairs. Granted stairs are good exercise, but, if you have a choice, get a treadmill instead. Owning a single story home is significantly more cost-effective. Take for example the cost of maintenance. Everything you do to maintain a multistory home costs more. 

Whether your screens are made of copper, steel, aluminum or nylon, you will need to use caution during cleaning. Older metal screens have a tendency to rip and – old or new – aluminum and nylon screens can easily be stretched out of shape. And, they don’t bounce back. Once a screen is stretched, it stays that way. After the screen has been removed, lay it on a flat surface and wet it thoroughly. Use a sponge of soft bristle scrub brush to wash both sides. While the screen is drying, clean the window frame and wash and dry the window itself. If you don’t have a pressure washer, use a stiff bristle brush to clean the grooves and tracks in the frame. Once the window is clean, reinstall the screen. Plants and shrubs should be protected during the cleaning process. Press wooden stakes into the ground around fragile plants and drape a lightweight plastic cover over the stakes. This will prevent surrounding activity from unnecessarily breaking limbs and branches. 

Remove fabric covered pads and other cloth or cloth-covered items from harm’s way. Although most patio furniture pads are made to withstand attack by water, chances are they will last a lot longer if they aren’t inundated with water and detergent. 

Finally, be careful when using ladders, scaffolding and heavy equipment such as a pressure washer. Anytime you work with equipment that sprays anything, you should wear eye protection and protective clothing. And when it comes to ladders and scaffolding, make sure you have a helper to steady things

Prop for floppy plants 

Certain top-heavy plants, like delphiniums, Asiatic lilies and peonies, tend to flop over just as their blossoms look their best. The Optica Plant Support System from Luster Leaf keeps flowering plants upright without getting in the picture itself. 

Flexible fiberglass rods loop around individual plants or prevent groups of plants from spilling into paths; the rods attach to stakes with small connectors. Although the best time to support plants is when they’re young, the system also works on mature stems. Stake heights range from 24 to 36 inches, while rings adjust from 6 to 24 inches in diameter. All components are interchangeable, which means supports can be customized for any plant. 

Ten prepackaged combinations of stakes and rods are available. Prices range from $3.39 for a single stake and rod to $9.99 for a multipiece system that supports up to an 8-foot-long flower border.  

Finding the right site for vegetables 

Location, location, location is more than just a mantra for home buyers; it also holds for vegetable gardeners. One essential is good soil drainage with no standing water, even after the heaviest rain. 

Other practical advice: 

Pick a spot away from trees and shrubs that might compete with vegetables for water, nutrients and light. 

Be sure the location is sunny. Leafy vegetables, such as lettuce and spinach, require direct sunlight four to five hours daily.  

Root vegetables, like carrots and beets, need five to six hours of sun. And fruiting vegetables, including tomatoes, peppers and zucchini, require at least eight hours each day. 

Locate the garden near a water source to make irrigating easy and convenient. 

If possible, situate the garden so you can see it from a window. Besides enjoying its beauty, you’ll also be more likely to notice what needs tending, letting you take full advantage of the harvest. 

Don’t overfeed your trees 

Spring is when most homeowners fertilize the plants around their yard, including trees. Just don’t overdo it, cautions Deborah Smith-Fiola, an agent with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension in New Jersey. 

“While fertilizing causes a spurt of rapid growth, too much can harm the plant over the long term,” she explains. 

Fast-growing, overfertilized trees end up with smaller root systems that absorb water and nutrients less efficiently than slower-growing trees.  

The result is that trees are more susceptible to stress, including drought. They also have lower levels of stored carbohydrates and defensive chemicals, making them more susceptible to all kind of pests.  

What’s more, the lush growth overfertilizing encourages invites certain pests, including aphids and scale insects. 

Attracting butterflies 

Butterflies are becoming increasingly scarce as residential and commercial development destroys their habitats and endangers many species.  

You can help reverse the decline by growing plants butterflies feed on.  

The results are mutually beneficial because a landscape attractive to butterflies, such as the tiger swallowtail, is rich in flower color and enhanced by the beauty of these winged creatures. 

“Butterfly Gardening,” from the University of Minnesota Extension Service, is a great way to get started. The 21-page guide ($5) lists plants preferred by butterflies.

Fifty women, forced to marry when they don’t want to, turn the tables and murder their grooms during a bloody wedding ceremony in Charles Mee’s bizarre comedy “Big Love,” which opened Wednesday in a strong production at Berkeley Repertory Theater. 

Mee’s play was the big hit last year at Louisville’s Humana Festival, the most important annual staging of new plays in the country. 

“Big Love” is based loosely on Greek playwright Aeschylus’ fifth century drama “The Suppliant Women,” thought by some to be the oldest surviving play in the western world. 

In the original story, 50 women are forced against their will to marry their cousins. Before the weddings occur, however, the women escape to a foreign country and seek refuge.  

The king of that country initially helps them, but eventually buckles to political pressure, and supports the marriages. The women then plan the murder of the grooms. One woman backs out from the murders and marries her groom. 

Aeschylus’ original play was part of a trilogy, of which only the first play has survived. Legend indicates possible ways the story might have ended. 

Mee’s unusual update of this story plays in large part as a comedy. Set in present time, 50 brides arrive on the run from Greece, wearing slightly bedraggled wedding gowns and carrying their suitcases, at a palatial room in Italy that they initially believe to be part of a fancy hotel. 

They burst into song – Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me.” Then with the grooms soon in pursuit, angry bridal ringleader Thyona (K.J. Sanchez) rallies her sisters for a counterattack. 

The production starts wonderfully – colorful and funny. But after its first flash of unusualness, the story becomes a hodge-podge. The real art in this Berkeley Rep production is director Les Waters’ wonderful staging. Waters directed last year’s Humana Festival world premiere of the play. 

As far as the script goes, the dialogue and story verge on gender politics cliché. The characters are more types than individuals. 

The pack of 50 brides is represented principally by three – the angry woman (Sanchez), the blonde bimbo (Aimee Guillot), and the thoughtful woman (Carolyn Baeumier). 

Not speaking Greek, I can’t vouch for the original, but this contemporary American version is written without any poetry that may have existed in the original. 

The dialogue is filled with didactic speechifying and predictable gender politics rhetoric that sound very familiar. The three brides and the three grooms debate the differences between women and men. 

Groom Constantine (Mark Zeisler) emerges as a troglodytic right-wing soldier. He believes that "life is rape," ready to tie a woman to the bed and set her one fire with gasoline. At the play’s end, the trial by the murdering women of the one sister who decides to marry is especially sententious and gassy. 

The backwards and forwards anachronisms created by merging two different cultures and periods of time often don’t fit well together. 

The wedding, for example, doesn’t make sense in this modern retelling. Why are these modern, 21st century women – bright, resourceful, thoughtful, wealthy – trapped in these marriages? 

The merging of the two cultures forces the script into over-the-top-comedy, making the story cartoony, and undercutting its emotional subtext. 

The murders at the end don’t make sense for these modern characters, who have many more options in their lives than women from 5th century B.C. The killings seem more pathological than political. 

Having said all that, director Waters and his cohorts have created a very visual and sensual production in a script where there is a lot of room for director and actors to fill in the blanks. The sudden, stylized helicopter arrival of three soldier/grooms is an astonishing moment. 

There’s a wonderful scene early on where the three women suddenly fly into spasms of what it’s like to be beaten up by men, and how they can bounce back and survive it. 

Later, a parallel spasm of the three men – sort of a frustrated guy dance on what it’s like to be a man--evolves into professional wrestling choreography. The wedding scene near the end of the play quickly becomes a food fight, then an orgy, then a mass murder. 

There are many good performances. Carolyn Bauemier, shedding her bride’s dress and hopping nude into a bathtub on arriving in Italy at the top of the play, shows her comfort in  

her femaleness. 

Lauren Klein is riveting in two roles, first as a sleepy old Italian woman dressed in traditional black, talking about the joys of marriage, and the disappointments with her 13 sons. Later Klein shoes up as a dizzy party socialite, thrilled at the prospect of a wedding, in a sex-obsessed puritan way. 

Tony Speciale is outstanding as the homeowner’s gay nephew, enjoying his time with the brides who are fascinated by stories of his Ken and Barbie collection. J. Michael Flynn is wonderful in two roles – as the compromise-seeking homeowner, and later as a party Casanova. Scenic designer Annie Smart’s pink-and-blue, boys-and-girls drawing room veranda, and Robert Wierzel’s carnival of bright lighting explode a dazzling performance space. 

This might turn out to be a popular play for the p.c. set, but for me the mixing of two styles from two eras created a story in which the pieces didn’t fit together well. 

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

SAN FRANCISCO— Struggling online grocer Webvan Group Inc. continued a crash financial diet Thursday by shedding its Atlanta delivery system and laying off 885 employees – about 25 percent of its work force. 

The Atlanta closure will jettison 485 workers. Webvan is trimming another 400 workers at its Foster City headquarters and a Kirkland, Wash. administrative office as the company tries to ration its cash until its unprofitable business starts making money. The company is promising to become self-sufficient during the second half of next year. 

Webvan still has a long way to go to fulfill the pledge. 

The company Thursday reported a first-quarter loss of $86.1 million, or 18 cents per share, on sales of $77.2 million. That compared to a a loss of $75.4 million, or 17 cents per share, on sales of $37.5 million at the same time last year. 

The latest setback raised Webvan’s losses to $697 million since 1998. 

In its scramble to survive, Webvan is slashing expenses. The Atlanta closure comes just a few days after the company decided to shut down its Sacramento service. In February, Webvan exited the Dallas market. 

After setting out to deliver groceries in 26 markets by the end of 2002, Webvan has whittled its operations to seven markets – San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Seattle, Chicago and Portland, Ore. 

“The key question now is whether they have cut enough,” said industry analyst Jeetil Patel of Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown. 

Webvan’s newly appointed CEO Robert Swan thinks so. Webvan appointed Swan, formerly the company’s chief operating officer, to the CEO job Thursday.  

He replaces George Shaheen who resigned two weeks ago. 

“We feel like we have the right market footprint now,” Swan, 40, said during an interview. “I feel more confident about our model every day.” 

Patel believes Webvan should retrench even further by getting out of the Pacific Northwest and focusing on its California and Chicago operations. 

With the latest cuts, Webvan now has enough cash – $115 million as of March 31 – to make it through the end of this year, Swan said in an interview Thursday. Previously, Webvan had warned investors that the company might need to raise an additional $5 million to $15 million to make it through the year. 

The company still needs at least $25 million to stay in business next year, Swan said. Webvan has hired Goldman Sachs & Co. to explore its financing alternatives, which include the possibility of borrowing the money from several of its existing investors. 

Webvan’s service has developed a dedicated following. About 84 percent of the company’s first-quarter orders came from repeat customers.  

Webvan reported 761,780 active customer accounts as of March 31. 

The company’s profit hopes received a boost at the end of the first quarter when its Orange County distribution center generated a positive cash flow.  

Management pointed to the breakthrough as a sign that delivering groceries to online shoppers is a viable business. 

Investors aren’t convinced. In trading Thursday on the Nasdaq Stock Market, Webvan’s shares fell 10 cents to close at 14 cents. As part of an effort to boost its shares above $1 and avoid getting bumped off the Nasdaq, Webvan announced that its board has approved a reverse 25-to-1 stock split. 

The reverse stock split would result in a 25-fold reduction in the number of outstanding shares of Webvan stock – a change that the company hopes will dramatically increase the trading price of its shares. 

On The Net: 

http://www.webvan.com

The business school of the University of California at Berkeley honored the investment banker whose firm helped launch Apple Computer with a lifetime achievement award. 

The Haas School of Business announced Monday that William Hambrecht is the 2001 recipient of the Lester Center Lifetime Achievement Award for his innovations and contributions to the world of business. 

Hambrecht is the co-founder of the firm Hambrecht & Quist, famous for managing the initial public offerings of Genentech, and People Express, in addition to Apple, in 1981. 

By 1997, the firm had worked with over 700 companies, including Adobe Systems, Convergent Technologies, Sybase, and Apollo Computer.  

Among the companies was Boston Beer, maker of Samuel Adams Boston, the company that helped him dream out his most recent venture. 

Boston Beer's CEO, Jim Koch, insisted that 25 percent of the IPO shares be taken away from institutional investors and geared toward individual customers.  

The results were that in 1996, the $10 million IPO was oversubscribed by $30 million, as a result of the beer drinkers. 

That experience has led to the creation of Hambrecht's new firm, WR Hambrecht & Co., which uses the Internet to create a system that let all investors – acting either institutionally or individually – bid for IPO stocks. 

The OpenIPO, as the system is called, is built around a Dutch auction model, which allows the investors – not investment banks – set the price. 

“With his new OpenIPO concept, (Hambrecht) has once again changed the rules of the game, creating an innovative and distinctive offering for his new firm,” said Jerome Engel, executive director of the Lester Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation,  

Most recently, his company has led the internet initial stock offering of Peet's Coffee and Tea.

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for a year membership April 27: Atom & His Package, Phantom Limbs, Har Mar Superstar, The Frisk, Shubunkins; April 28: 7 Seconds, Throwdown, Vitamin X, Over My Dead Body, Breaker Breaker 525-9926  

Ashkenaz April 25, 8 p.m.: Fling Ding with Crooked Jades, Bluegrass Intentions, clogging lesson; April 26, 10 p.m.: Dead DJ night with digital dave; April 27, 8 p.m.: Musicians for Medical Marijuana Benefit featuring Fact or Fiction with Martin Fierro, Shelly Doty X-Tet; April 28, 9:30 p.m.: Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums, 8 p.m. dance lesson; 1370 San Pablo Ave. (at Gilman) 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com  

Eli’s Mile High Club Doors open at 8 p.m. April 27: Carlos Zialcita; April 28: J.J. Malone; May 4: Henry Clement; May 5: Terry Hanck; May 11: Jimmy Mamou; May 12: Fillmore Slim 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland 655-6661  

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. April 25: An Evening Honoring Kenny Cahn with Caren Armstrong, Doug Blumer, John Lester, Christie McCarthy, The Urban Acoustic Dude and others; April 26: Cheryl Wheeler, Steve Seskin; April 27: Sol Y Canto; April 28: Roy Rogers & Norton Buffalo; April 29: Bryan Bowers; April 30: Sharon Shannon; May 5, 10 a.m. - Noon: West Coast Live with author P.D. James and Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser; 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzschool/La Note All music at 4:30 p.m. May 6: David Creamer Trio; May 13: Michael Zilber Group 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373 or visit www.jazzschool.com  

Cal Performances April 28, 8 p.m.: Vanguard Swing Orchestra, UC Berkeley Big Band $18 - $30; April 29, 3 p.m.: Mezzo-Soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson sings Handel, Lieberson, and Schumann $28 - $48; May 4 & 5, 8 p.m.: Merce Cunningham Dance Company presents “Way Station,” “BIPED,” and “Rainforest” $20 - $42 Zellerbach Hall UC Berkeley; April 22, 3 p.m.: Violinist Gill Shaham and Pianist Orli Shaham perform Coplan, Faure, and Brahms Hertz Hall 642-9988 or www.calperfs.berkeley.edu  

The Pirate Prince April 29, 8 p.m. The first production for the new Hillside Players. Princesses, pirates, witches and modern dialogue in a family-geared show. Free admission, reservations required Hillside Club 2286 Cedar St. 528-2416  

Alla Francesca April 25, 8 p.m. Performing French and Italian love songs of the 14th century $28 First Congregational Church 2345 Channing Way 642-9988 or e-mail: tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu 

“Rome Wasn’t Burnt In A Day” April 27, 7:30 p.m. Earth First! campfire singer/songwriter Danny Dolinger playing songs of love, revolution, bravery, cowardice and group hygiene. $5 Unitarian Fellowship Hall 1924 Cedar (at Bonita) 548-3113 

Community Music Day at the Crowden School and Crowden Center for Music April 28, 1-5 p.m. Music and dance performances and storytelling. Families can make their own instruments, watch a master violin maker at work, or go to the Instrument Petting Zoo to try playing different instruments. Rose Street at Sacramento in Berkeley. Free. Call 559-6910.  

Russian Chamber Orchestra April 28, 8 p.m. Featuring Piano Soloist Yakov Kasman, Soprano Svetlana Niktenko, and the Konevets, a vocal quartet from St. Petersburg. First Congregational Church 2345 Channing Way 415-478-2277 

Bella Musica April 28, 8 p.m. & April 29, 4 p.m. Hear how various composers through the ages view the plight of the lovelorn, from the ardent exclamations of Morley’s “Fire, Fire” to the intoxication of the “Coolin” by Samuel Barber. $9 - $12 St. Joseph the Worker Church 1640 Addison St. 525-5393 or www.bellamusic.org 

“Music from the Mediterranean and Beyond” April 29, 2 p.m. Zahra combines Arab folk roots with the groove and influences of modern music $5 - $10 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 www.juliamorgan.org 

People’s Park 32nd anniversary Festival April 29,12:30 - 6 p.m. Performances by, among others, Rebecca Riots, X-Plicit Players, Shelley Doty X-tet, with special guests Wavy Gravy, Frank Moore, Stoney Burke, Kriss Worthington and many more. Also including skateboarding demos, animal petting farm, puppets, and “surprises.” People’s Park Haste St. & Telegraph Ave. 848-1985 

Community Women’s Orchestra Family Concert April 29, 4 p.m. Conducted by Ann Krinitsky, featuring works by Rossini, Richter, Beethoven. Free or by donation. Piano solo by Dr. Pearl Toy. Malcolm X School 1731 Prince St. 653-1616 

UC Dance Theater Spring 2001 Season Program A: April 27, 28, 8 p.m. A premiere of “Soulmate” by Marni Wood, “New Work” by Anne Westwick and “New Work” by Christopher Dolder with original music by Edwin Dugger. Program B: April 28, 29, 2 p.m. “Esplanade” by Paul Taylor, reconstructed by Mary Cochran, “American Decades” by David Wood, “Le Matin sans Minuet” by Christopher Dolder, and “Treading” by Christopher Dolder $6 - $12 Zellerbach Playhouse UC Berkeley 601-8932 

Movement April 26, 7 p.m. Movement will be presenting various dance styles such as commercial jazz, hip-hop, swing, lyrical, and a fusion of jazz and hip-hop. Featuring student choreography as well as professional choreography from LA and New York $5 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 or www.juliamorgan.org 

Reflejos de Mexico April 28, 2 p.m. The dance troupe celebrates the vast richness of the Mexican culture. Park of Dance Week. $10 - $12 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

Odissi Dance April 28, 7 p.m. Reputed to be the most lyrical of the seven main forms of Indian classical dance with its liquidity of movement and graceful expression. $18 - $28 Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 www.juliamorgan.org 

Music and Dance of Bali May 5, 8 p.m., May 6, 2 p.m. Forty-five member ensemble Gamelan Sekar Jaya presents rhythms of Balinese gamelan in an orchestra of gongs, drums, flutes and bronze metallophones accompanied by several of Bali’s skilled dancers. $8-$16 Saturday, $5-$10 Sunday Julia Morgan Theatre 2640 College Ave. 925-798-1300 

www.juliamorgan.org  

Cody’s Books 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852 All events at 7:30 p.m., unless noted April 24: Chitra Divakaruni reads “The Unknown Errors of Our Lives”; April 25: Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel discuss “Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect”; April 26: Maud Casey and John Searles read from “The Shape of Things to Come” and “Boy Still Missing” 

1730 Fourth St. 559-9500 All events at 7 p.m., unless noted April 26: Mother of three Wynn McClenahan Burkett will read from “Life After Baby: From Professional Woman to Beginner Parent”;  

“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. April 26: Ray Skjelbred; May 3: Lucy Lang Day with host Dale Jensen; May 10: Jamie Kennedy with host Mischell Erickson; May 17: Gregory Listach Gayle with host Mark States; 2116 Shattuck Ave. 644-0155. 

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

Holloway Poetry Reading Series April 25, 5 p.m. Chris Nealon reads from his new book “Ecstasy Shield” Sponsored by the UC Berkeley Department of English Maude Fife Room (315) Wheeler Hall UC Berkeley 653-2439 

PSR Professor Book Release Celebration April 25, 3 - 5 p.m. Karen Lebacqz and Joseph D. Driskell, co-authors of “Ethics and Spiritual Care,” and Randi Walker, author of “Emma Newman: A Frontier Woman Minister,” will be honored at this faculty book forum. Hear reviews of the books by the authors. Pacific School of Religion PSR Bade Museum 1798 Scenic Ave. 849-8252 

Selected Poetry of Yehuda Amichai April 29, 10:30 a.m. Chana Bloch and Chana Kronfeld, co-translators of Yehuda Amichai’s “Open Closed Open,” will read their translations from the Hebrew. Book signing to follow. $4 - $5 Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237  

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. Through April 29, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. See an amazing display of plants that are sources of commonly used fibers and dyes. 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 

City Commons Club Speaker Series All speakers at 12:30 p.m. April 27: Wen-Hsing Yeh, professor of history, UC Berkeley speaks on “The Culture of China in a Changing World” $1 admission with coffee Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant Ave. 848-3533 or 845-4725 

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. May 8, 5:15 - 6:30 p.m.: “What Makes Water Wet?” Richard Saykally, professor of Chemistry, UC Berkeley (refreshments served in 410 O’Brien Hall at 4:15 p.m.) 212 O’Brien Hall, UC Berkeley 642-2666  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute Free Lectures All lectures begin at 6 p.m. April 29: Barr Rosenberg on “The Ornament of the Middle Way”; May 6: Sylvia Gretchen on “Faith, Doubt, and Refuge in Buddhist Practice”; May 13: Abbe Blum on “Tapping Into Creativity”; May 20: Miep Cooymans and Dan Jones on “Working with Awareness, Concentration, and Energy”; May 27: Eva Casey on “Getting Calm; Staying Clear”; June 3: Jack van der Meulen on “Healing Through Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga)”; June 10: Sylvia Gretchen on “Counteracting Negative Emotions” Tibetan Nyingma Institute 1815 Highland Place 843-6812 

“The New Economy” April 25, 6:45 p.m. Dick Walker, UC Berkeley professor and chair of the California Studies Center, will discuss current work force issues, the class divide, and future trends. Free South Berkeley Library 1901 Russell St. (at MLK Jr. Way)  

West Coast Regional Spartacist Educational April 28, Noon Jon Wood, of the Spartacist League, will speak: “Defend the Gains of the Cuban Revolution”; 3:30 p.m.: George Foster, central committee, Spartacist League, will speak: “For Socialist Revolution in the Bastion of World Imperialism” 60 Evans, UC Berkeley 839-0851 

“Reading Technologies” May 2, 4 - 6 p.m. Ivan Illich, visiting scholar at UC Berkeley in anthropology, will talk about the history, visual architecture and meaning of reading from the time of classical print cultures and the medieval monk to the innovation and detachment of today’s digital era. Free Morrison Reading Room Doe Library UC Berkeley 642-5339 

“Hunting T. Rex” May 6, 2 p.m. A talk by Dr. Philip Currie, curator of dinosaurs, Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology. Currie asks the question: Was there social interaction amongst the Tyrannosaurs? $3 - $7 Lawrence Hall of Science UC Berkeley 642-5132 or visit www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Berkeley 1900 May 7, 7 p.m. Richard Schwartz, author of Berkeley 1900, a book about life at the turn of the 19th century, will speak at the Friends of Five Creeks’ monthly meeting. Albany Community Center (downstairs) 1249 Marin 848-9358 

Peopling of the Pacific May 11, 8 p.m. Dr. Patrick Kirch, department of Anthropology, UC Berkeley, will review results of archaeological research in the Pacific Islands, providing a current overview of Oceanic prehistory. 370 Dwinelle Hall UC Berkeley 415-338-1537  

No to the FTAA 

Editor: 

As I read about the proceedings of the Free Trade Area of the Americas meetings in Quebec City, I ask myself, how important is it for the United States consumer to save a few cents each time we buy orange juice? This may not seem like an important question but this is exactly the reason Brazil and other countries would like to see the FTAA become a reality: access to U.S. markets. 

But how would this help us? It would certainly put a burden on U.S. orange growers to sell at lower prices, forcing more family farmers out of business and/or forcing growers in turn to reduce wages/benefits for workers. It would also mean that our glass of orange juice has traveled many extra thousands of miles to reach our breakfast tables, resulting in countless tons of unneeded pollution and wasting immense amounts of energy. But we will save a few cents at the store! 

Let your politicians know that the FTAA is a bad idea for our country and for the world. 

David Ceaser 

Berkeley 

Beth El is a very good neighbor 

Editor: 

In a letter to the Berkeley Daily Planet (April 14-15), Susan Schwartz expresses some concerns about possible noise and disturbance should Congregation Beth El move into its new premises in her neighborhood. I hope I can alleviate some of those fears from personal experience, because I am the closest neighbor of Beth El (bordering their property in an L-shape on two sides) in their current premises. The Beth El kitchen window overlooks our living room with less than 15 feet and only a wooden fence between us.  

We are not members of the synagogue, but have valued its presence and made use of its excellent community programs. 

Camp Kee Tov’s summer session is the busiest time of the year for Beth El in terms of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, but we have been struck by the organization and efficiency with which Camp Kee Tov guarded against irritation to the neighbors. (This included counselors on the sidewalks directing traffic to move quickly at the open and close of each day.)  

Generally, the synagogue is the best neighbor one could have - extremely quiet, unintrusive, and without any traffic problems. I have never had anyone block the entrance to my driveway/garage, and nor has my husband had trouble finding a spot nearby for his car. I see people walking to synagogue on a Saturday morning and they greet us courteously. I hear and see the nursery school children playing in the backyard - the noise level is never disturbing. The students at after-school religious classes can be a little noisy during breaks, but those voices will not be audible to neighbors of the new site. Sunday morning classes for teenagers have been a non-event for us as neighbors at 9 am; only staff members arrive at 7 or 8 am during the week and I never hear them. Evening meeting or adult education classes are no more noticeable than the comings and goings of my other neighbors, and in fact provide us with an additional sense of security when our home is empty. 

In addition, my husband has his office at home, overlooking the most frequently used entrance to Beth El, but his work and conference calls have never been disturbed.  

As far as the holding of bar mitzvah parties on weekends goes, Saturday nights are the only regular possibilities. There have been some parties at the current site but the noise level has been negligible. It seems impressive to me that the designers of the new site have added additional cushioning by incorporating soundproofing, air conditioning (so that windows are closed during nighttime gatherings), inward-facing buildings, and landscape screening, not to mention some on-site parking. Most importantly, as neighbors we have the protection of Berkeley’s noise ordinance: if a party is too noisy, the music is cut off at 10 p.m. 

On a number of occasions I have walked past the new property, which seems overgrown and run down and in need of an appreciative and vigorous owner. I wish Beth El the best luck there, but our family will always remember with nostalgia our time living next to the synagogue.  

Linda Press Wulf and Stanley Wulf 

Berkeley 

Mammogram story did disservice  

Editor: 

The Associated Press report that the Daily Planet chose to reprint, concerning the impact of mammograms, did a disservice to your readers (“Routine Mammograms Impact Cancer Deaths”). There remains absolutely no substantial proof that mammograms have reduced the breast cancer death rate in any way whatsoever. As a matter of fact, death from breast cancer has been rising at an alarming rate, regardless of mammograms, chemotherapy and radiation.  

The American Cancer Society is surely part of the problem; responsible for funneling millions of dollars annually into a failed program of treatment, uninterested in discussing or addressing the causes of cancer. They have succeeded only in keeping the money flowing and the public ignorant. 

Your readers should note that the current study they’ve been touting was devised by scientists employed by the American Cancer Society. Any independent studies have shown no correlation at all between conventional advice and long-term survival. The most comprehensive, independent study done to this date (a 20 year study in England), suggests that women who do absolutely nothing live longer quality lives than those who follow doctor’s orders. 

Michael Bauce 

Berkeley 

Community must address crime 

Editor:  

I am the mother of one of the pedestrians attacked and beaten by three “high-school-aged assailants” mentioned in the April 18 police briefs. I felt moved to let readers know that the (understandably) anonymous description of the victims (bad word – target of violent intentions, perhaps?) and the results of the vicious, even pointless, assaults, begs for expansion.  

First, to know that our son, much like the Daily Planet’s readers and the other targets of the attack, comes from a loving, caring family. We moved to Berkeley in 1979, believing it would be like Ann Arbor, with sunshine year-round and safe for any 10-year-old. We were soon relieved of both myths (the safety issue after only two trips down Telegraph Avenue).  

Then, years later, this. We’re still waiting for facial x-ray results - fractured bones or ‘just’ lingering soreness? The broken finger is splinted in a short-arm cast. The blood-filled, black-and-blue eyes are slowly resolving. We thank God for his life. Other parents have not been so lucky.  

This son, our youngest ‘child’ (could he be ‘a man walking along...listening to a portable CD player’?) kept the attack from us for three days.  

He apologized for not showing up to help with his dad on Thursday due to some ‘muscle aches.’ When the truth came out he said, “Mom, I didn’t think you would be able to handle seeing my face as it was then.” I woke up at four the next morning and cried until past dawn.  

Ohlone Park is notorious for ‘campers’ and other character-disordered types using public grounds as toilets and/or lying-in-wait for locals naive enough to think they can take a walk after dark.  

The Police Department claims most attackers in Berkeley come from Richmond and Oakland.  

So what is being done? Where are the neighborhood citizen patrols? Where is the improved lighting in streets and parks (voted down in the last election)? Why the apathy among neighbors? Imagine this: a man admitted looking out of his window as the criminals knocked my son to his knees, but didn’t call 911 because he “thought it was just some kid getting beat up.”  

name withheld by request 

Editor: 

I am a teacher at the Berkeley Independent Study program writing in reference to Ben Lumpkin’s Monday piece on the Alternative School. What about us? Our program has far more students and staff (approximately 200 students and 30 teachers) than the Alternative High School. So, in fact, the three acre campus has to hold around 350 people. Independent Study is a part of Berkeley High but is also an alternative program located on the campus of the Alternative High School. We are the largest alternative program on the campus of the Alternative High School and one of the largest alternative programs in the entire Berkeley Unified School District? How can you write an article about the campus without mentioning the majority of the people who work and study there? 

Doug Healy, 

Teacher, Berkeley Independent Study 

Wednesday, April 25

Planning Commission  

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. There will be discussion of amendments to the general plan. 

Stagebridge Free Acting  

& Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 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 

The New Math  

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. Free 

Gray Panthers General  

Meeting 

1:30 p.m.  

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St.  

Sandra Weese of SEIU Local 250 and two hospital workers will tell about their campaign to improve staffing ratios and conditions in California Nursing Homes.  

548-9696 

Thursday, April 26

Fire Suppression Class  

1 - 4 p.m. 

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 

Trail of a Lifetime  

7 p.m.  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Deborah Brill and Marty Place hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, from the snowy northern terminus in Canada’s Manning Provincial Park, to the Mexican border. They will share highlights of their 2,658-mile trip and will give you tips on how to plan a trip of your own. Free 527-4140  

Free Smoking Cessation Class  

5:30 - 7:30 p.m.  

Six Thursday classes through May 17.  

Call 644-6422 to register and for location  

Free Blood Pressure  

Screenings  

Noon - 1 p.m.  

Alta Bates Summitt medical Center  

2450 Ashby Ave.  

Health Education Center, Room 203 Samuel Merritt College 

A screening for individuals with a potential risk for high blood pressure. 869-6737  

Plan Reading Seminar 

7 - 10 p.m.  

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Conducted by Andus Brandt.  

$35 525-7610 

Eastshore State Park  

Workshop 

7 p.m. 

Hs Lordship’s Restaurant 

199 Seawall Dr 

Berkeley Marina 

Discussion of planning issues and opportunities surrounding the park. 888-988-PARK 

Friday, April 27

Stagebridge Free Acting  

& Storytelling 

Classes for Seniors 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

First Congregational Church  

2501 Harrison St.  

Oakland  

Call 444-4755 www.stagebridge.org 

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. 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 

50 Plus Fitness Class  

9:30 a.m. - Noon 

UC Berkeley (varied locations)  

A class for those 50 and over which introduces participants to an array of exercise options. Demonstration and practice will include strength training, Tai Chi, Alexander Technique, and more. Fridays through May 11.  

$10 per individual session 

Pre-register: 642-5461  

Lost in Dreamland?  

10 -11:30 a.m.  

Alta Bates Summit  

Medical Center 

Summit North Pavilion, Cafeteria Annex A  

350 Hawthorne Ave.  

Dr. Jerrold Kram, pulmonologist, sleep specialist and director of the California Center for Sleep Disorers, will talk about sleep disorders and how to remedy them. Free 

869-6737 

Saturday, April 28

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way  

and Milvia Street 548-3333 

Berkeley Bay Festival  

11 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

Berkeley Marina  

160 University Ave.  

The Festival, held at the Marina since 1937, has had an environmental education and boating theme for the past 22 of those years. A variety of organizations will be on hand to inform and inspire people to learn how they affect the environment and to take action. Free 644-8623 

— compiled by  

Chason Wainwright 

El Salvador Reconstruction Plans  

10 a.m. - 3 p.m.  

Institute of Governmental Studies  

Moses Hall, Room 109  

UC Berkeley  

Four leaders from El Salvador, representing urban and rural community development initiatives will be on hand, along with Senator Liz Figueroa, to discuss facts and priorities of their emergency management/disaster relief efforts in the wake of the recent earthquake. Free  

415-970-1033 

Working People Against Deregulation 

7:30 p.m. 

Fellowship of Humanity  

390 27th St. (at Broadway) 

Oakland 

Join energy workers, teachers and other workers in a discussion about the issues surrounding the California energy crisis. Speakers include: Drew Bonthius, executive board member Oakland AFT 771, David Walers, power plant worker and member of IBEW 1245, and Eugene Coyle, Energy Economist.  

$3 

261-4269 

An Energy Efficient Home 

10 a.m. - Noon  

2530 San Pablo Ave. (at Blake)  

Mark Gorrell, architect/consultant, will discuss how to reduce energy costs in existing houses and design new homes to minimize energy costs.  

$7.50 - $10  

548-2220 x233 

International Family Fair  

11 a.m. - 5 p.m.  

New School of Berkeley  

Bonita St. (between Cedar & Virginia)  

Games and activities for children, a huge raffle, food from Christie’s Vegetarian Cafe, and a variety of live entertainment, including a Capoeira demonstration. Free  

548-9165 

BASA Spring Festival  

5:30 p.m.  

Cesar Chavez Center  

Bancroft & Telegraph  

UC Berkeley  

An evening celebration of African culture featuring student and professional performances, dance, a fashion show, music, poetry, drama, and African cuisine from local African restaurants.  

$5 - $10 including dinner 

595-1307 

Sierra’s Solutions to the Energy Crisis 

10 a.m. - Noon  

2530 San Pablo Ave.  

The Sierra Club presents a panel discussion on energy conservation and a general membership meeting of the club’s Alameda group.  

527-0176 

Sunday, April 29

Berkeley Waterfront Walking Tour  

10 a.m. - Noon  

Led by Susan Schwartz and sponsored by the Berkeley Historical Society.  

848-0181 

Hands-On Bicycle Repair Clinics  

11 a.m. - Noon  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Learn how to maintain the drive train and to repair the chain of your bicycle from one of REI’s bike technicians. All you need to bring is your bike. Free  

527-4140 

People’s Park 32nd Anniversary Festival  

12:30 - 6 p.m.  

People’s Park  

Haste St. & Telegraph Ave.  

Performances by, among others, Rebecca Riots, X-Plicit Players, Shelley Doty X-tet, with special guests Wavy Gravy, Frank Moore, Stoney Burke, Kriss Worthington and many more. Also including skateboarding demos, animal petting farm, puppets, and “surprises.”  

848-1985 

The Reform Future 

Noon  

Fellowship of Humanity  

390 27th St. (at Broadway)  

Oakland  

Craig Wilson, anti-Buchanan delegate, will discuss the future of the Reform Party.  

655-7962 

The Ornament of the Middle Way 

6 p.m.  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

This text by Buddhist master Shantarakshita to be discussed by Barr Rosengerg. 

Free 

843-6812 

Monday, April 30

Politics of Permits  

7 - 10 p.m.  

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Contractor/Mediator Ron Kelly will explain how to get your permit approved.  

$35  

525-7610 

Venus & Mars  

7:30 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St.  

Rabbi Yaacov Deyo, founder of LA’s speed dating will explain how to pick a mate, make your relationship thrive and how to fight effectively.  

$10  

848-0237 

Over the objections of representatives of the Police and Health and Human Services departments, a divided City Council passed a proposal Tuesday night that would make dislodging homeless people sleeping in public a low priority.  

State law 647j makes it illegal to sleep outside. The resolution also calls on the council to look at funding storage lockers, detox programs and other homeless services in next year’s budget. 

Deputy Police Chief Roy Meisner argued that his officers already make moving homeless people from their sleeping places a low priority. It’s only when someone complains that the police jump in, he said, noting that out of 72 police reports on persons lodging in public, only 16 people were arrested in 2000. 

Moreover, he said, when issues are made “low priority” officers do not enforce them at all. “The rules become confusing.” 

Health and Human Services Department head Fred Madrano argued that such a ruling would have a negative impact on the good  

working relationship homeless workers from his department have with the police. 

Councilmember Linda Maio agreed with much of what Meisner and Madrano said. However, she noted that a handful of officers do arrest homeless people who sleep in public. Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who brought the resolution to the council, gave the example of a homeless person who was cited, then did not make it to his court date because he had no address at which he could receive notice of the court date. He spent a month in jail. 

The vote was split along typical party lines with progressives Vice Mayor Maudelle Shirek, and councilmembers Maio, Worthington, Margaret Breland and Dona Spring voting in favor. Moderates Mayor Shirley Dean, Mim Hawley and Betty Olds voted in opposition and Councilmember Polly Armstrong abstained. 

Councilmember Polly Armstrong said she took offense at the item. Berkeley’s “treatment of the homeless is exemplary,” she said, lashing out at Worthington. 

“I’m offended that the fact that a councilmember has taken a very fragile segment of our community and made them more afraid.” 

The first vote followed a second unanimous vote affirming the work of the police and human services departments. 

Thirty-two of more than 100 demonstrators calling for the University of California to divest from Israel were arrested Tuesday afternoon when they occupied Wheeler Hall on the UC Berkeley campus.  

Comparing Israeli occupation of Palestine to South African Apartheid, the students said that UC had a moral charge not to invest in companies with strong economic ties to Israel. The demonstration began at noon and ended at about 6:30 p.m. after police cleared the building.  

The students decided to occupy the building after the UC Regents did not respond to an April 12 letter demanding that UC divest over $6 billion from 16 corporations with strong relationships with Israel.  

Protester Abdul Zahzah pointed to Hewlett Packard as one egregious example. Hewlett Packard has a research lab at Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology, which does extensive military research, he said. 

Zahzah quoted South African freedom fighters Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, who compared the Palestinian situation to that of South African apartheid.  

Student Yalda Afshar wrote that the Israeli Law of Return “epitomizes” Israeli apartheid. The law grants any Jew full citizenship rights, while Palestinians displaced during Israeli expansion are not allowed to return and remain refugees in diaspora. 

When the students heard nothing from the Regents, said protester Ehssan VanDaei, they decided to demonstrate to apply pressure. 

“By them not responding we needed to escalate,” VanDaei said.  

After marching from Sather Gate, the students padlocked seven of the nine doors providing entrance to the front of Wheeler Hall. They impeded entrance to the other two doors by linking arms. 

The police monitored the situation, and allowed the demonstration to continue until about 3:30 p.m., always ensuring that the demonstrators had left some entrances accessible. When the police received several complaints from professors and students that classes were canceled and students could not enter the building, they began to arrest demonstrators and remove the padlocks, said Captain Bill Cooper. 

Of the 32 people arrested, 19 were Berkeley students. All were released on promises to attend a court hearing.  

Trey Davis, UC spokesperson said that the student demands for a 10-day turn around in decision making could not be met. 

“The time frame is completely impractical,” he said. “They were basically giving the regents one week to divest $6 billion. The regents meet about once every two months. A decision like this, even if the regents are inclined to divest would not be something you would do over a weekend.” 

Davis said that the fight for divestment from South Africa took years, and that there are no precedents for the Regents to hold a special meeting for a student demonstration. “There are provisions for emergency actions based on acts of nature, natural disasters, national emergencies, nothing for something like this,” he said.  

But, for Boalt Law Student Will Youmans, that is not sufficient. “If it were some major crisis like the investment portfolio goes bankrupt,” he said, “they could deal with it.” The lack of any response was the most frustrating. “If they would have said we need more time, that would have been a response,” he said. “The regents have all the time in the world, but for the Palestinians time is running out.” 

While 100 pro-Palestinian students circled the steps of Wheeler Hall, about 50 members of the Israeli Action Coalition and Berkeley Hillel stood outside, some draped in Israeli flags, holding a counter demonstration. They called for an end to violence in Israel.  

The students in support of Israel said that their “Rally for Peace” was planned well in advance as part of Israel Week, and that they made an ad hoc decision to follow the protesters when they marched from Sproul Plaza to Wheeler.  

“We want people to see both sides of the story,” said Oren Lazar. “We hope that the regents will look at the facts and know this is sensationalism.” 

Moshe Wertham, visiting from Jerusalem, held a sign in support of Israel and thoughtfully watched the demonstrators. “I’m sure 90 percent of these people have never been to Israel,” he said. “What bothers me the most is how many of them are Jewish.” Wertham said that the marching students didn’t understand the violence perpetrated by Palestinians on Israeli citizens. 

Since September 410 Palestinian supporters and 70 supporters of Israel have been killed in clashes in the region. 

Randy Barnes, of the Israeli Action Coalition called the students’ calls for divestment “misguided.”  

“There are inaccurate parallels being drawn between Israel and South Africa,” he said. “It’s counterproductive to peace.” 

Demonstrator Reema Dodin discounted the IAC calls for peace. “They say they want peace, but it’s a peace based on their rules,” she said, rules that don’t include a full Palestinian state that meets Palestinian demands. 

At 6:30 p.m., over 100 participants sat on the steps outside of Wheeler Hall, in a generally jubilant mood. “I think it went really well, the message we sent to the Regents was clear,” said Youmans. “We will not tolerate an investment portfolio that entrenches a system of apartheid that undermines basic Palestinian rights.”  

Two students from Hillel remained on the steps among the demonstrators until the group had begun to disperse. They held up a banner calling for Peace in Israel.

Nearly two years after a committee warned Berkeley High School that the elevated failure rate of its students of color, among other concerns, could jeopardize its accreditation as a public school, there is still no coherent, schoolwide plan for addressing the problems, according to a recent report. 

“Progress is at best spotty and fragmented,” according to the report issued by a Western Association of Schools and Colleges committee last month. “It’s sad to see the lack of progress made by a staff and community so rich in talent and resources.” 

WASC is one of six associations in the United States, responsible for accrediting schools in California, Hawaii and U.S. territories throughout the Pacific. 

While the report praised the high school’s “solid core of very experienced teachers,” “rich program of electives”, and standardized test scores “far above the average in the state,” it said there was as yet no effective process in place for addressing problem areas. 

Based on interviews with long-time Berkeley High staff, the report criticized the school for failing to make progress in a number of areas identified as problematic by the WASC committee two years ago, including the achievement gap, student attendance, staff development, and curriculum alignment with state academic standards.  

In particular, the report cited a lack of leadership and collaboration as potential reasons why there is still no clear schoolwide plan of action. 

“The school still appears to address issues in a fragmented manner and this fragmentation, in the judgment of this committee, prevents any significant school-wide progress addressing (trouble spots),” the report said. 

WASC accredits schools for terms of anywhere from one to six years, with shorter accreditations intended to put schools on notice that their progress has not been satisfactory. Last spring Berkeley High received a one-year accreditation.  

Despite the strong criticism in the recent report, Berkeley High Principal Frank Lynch said Tuesday that he believed the school would get another one year extension this June, giving Berkeley High next year to improve its response to the WASC critique. 

“What we should do is take a look at the recommendations and just move forward from there,” Lynch said, adding that the school had to be careful not to “process it to death.” 

In the past, the school district may have “shot itself in the foot,” Lynch said, by talking about improvements without actually making a decision about the best course of action. 

But Lynch said the school has taken concrete steps to deal with some WASC concerns. In response to criticism that BHS teachers made little use of technology in instruction, the school has, with the help of a new technology grant, installed 250 new computers, hired a technology coordinator and begun training teachers to use computers in class. 

As for the achievement gap, Lynch pointed to the Village 9 program, which supports Berkeley High freshmen with student mentors and tutors and encourages teachers to meet weekly to identify collaborative strategies for boosting student achievement.  

The WASC report credited Lynch with moving “slowly, but consistently” to deal with the school’s critical weaknesses. And it acknowledged that Berkeley High has been hampered by a turnover in leadership in recent years, citing the fact that there have been no less that four principals at the school in the last five years. 

“Nobody has time to get on board and get up to speed before they’re cleaning up their resumes and looking where they’re going next,” said Berkeley High teacher Rick Ayers Tuesday. “The leadership has to come from the top.” 

Stephen Goldstone, interim superintendent of Berkeley Unified School District, said Tuesday that he believed principal Lynch had initiated a process that would eventually solve the school’s accreditation problems. 

“Frank Lynch takes it very seriously and is providing the leadership that is going to be needed to address (WASC) concerns,” Goldstone said. 

The WASC accreditation process begins with “self-study,” where the school does an extensive assessment of its own strengths and weaknesses, based on class observation, interviews with students, samples of students work, and careful study of school records, among other criteria. 

“We look at the overall program,” said Marilyn George, the associate executive director of the WASC Accrediting Commission for Schools. “We don’t just look at the (standardized test scores) in isolation.” 

Next, a WASC “Visiting Committee” of teachers and school administrators drawn from throughout California visits the school to make their own assessment. Other visits will follow if the school’s progress is judged to be lacking.  

George said WASC criteria for judging schools changed in the mid-nineties to place more emphasis on student achievement. 

“Everything is student centered,” she said. “How do you know students are achieving, and is the school doing everything possible to support that?” 

Goldstone said this change could explain why Berkeley High’s achievement gap had become a major sticking point for accreditation. 

“It’s harder and harder to get a six-year accreditation,” Goldstone said. “The process is becoming much more rigorous...and more meaningful.” 

Ayers said the fact that the Visiting Committee is made up of educators gives the group’s findings added legitimacy. 

“These aren’t some bureaucrats up in Sacramento,” Ayers said. “They got a good look at the school, and they got it absolutely right.” 

Berkeley High Parent Teacher Student Association President Kristin Shepherd agreed. 

“We failed to collaborate and we’ve failed to act,” Shepherd said. “We have many too many creative ideas and not enough good, solid, straight-forward taking care of business.” 

Shepherd said it’s up to parents to hold the school staff accountable for making the necessary changes in the year to come, in large measure by giving principal Lynch all the support he needs. 

“This school is too complex for a single administrator,” Shepherd said. “It’s our job to keep a principal for once.” 

Shepherd mailed a copy of the WASC report to all Berkeley High parents this week in advance of a PTSA meeting next Tuesday, at 7:30 p.m., in Berkeley High’s Little Theater. Hereafter every PTSA meeting will focus on addressing the WASC recommendations until the process is completed successfully, Shepherd said. 

“It’s nothing we can’t accomplish, but we have to focus, we have to work together.” 

The city’s sewer repair project is on schedule, according to a Department of Public Works status report on the 30-year plan to repair the city’s damaged and aging sewer lines. 

The city mandated the Sanitary Sewer Capital Improvement Plan in 1986 after the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Board issued Berkeley a Cease and Desist Order requiring the elimination of sewer and storm drain overflows that were causing untreated sewage to flow into the Bay through the city’s creeks and drainage systems. 

In the 14 years since the plan was implemented, the city has made good progress, according to the report. The plan called for the repair of 50 percent of city-owned sewer lines and the construction of relief sewers designed to add capacity to the system. So far the DPW has replaced or repaired nearly 150 miles, or 29 percent of the city’s sewer system. This includes 12 miles of new relief lines. 

“We’re ahead of where we thought we’d be but we’re still behind where we’d like to be,” said Director of Public Works Rene Cardinaux. 

Cardinaux said the budget for the sewer program this year is $6.3 million. About $4.5 million was spent each year for 14 years since the plan was first put in place, he said.  

Cardinaux said the DPW has placed a high priority on repairing sewer lines near creeks. According to the DPW report to council, approximately 75 percent of the sewer mains within 100 feet of all open creeks have been repaired or replaced.  

The report also says that 65 overflow connections between the sewer system and the storm drain system have been eliminated which “greatly reduced the pollution of the creeks.” 

Susan Schwartz, president of Berkeley nonprofit Friends of Five Creeks, said she as been pleased with the city’s efforts so far. “They’ve done the work much faster than expected,” she said. “And they’ve been very responsive to problems when they arise.” 

Schwartz said that the DPW quickly repaired a ruptured pipe near the middle fork of Codornices Creek last year. 

“Now what we need is an ordinance to make sure residential lateral lines are unbroken whenever a home is sold,” Schwartz said. “Home values have gotten high enough around here where it won’t be a great hardship to make sure your property’s sewer line is working.” 

According to the Friends of Five Creeks Web site, somewhere between 70 and 90 percent of lateral lines are broken, cracked or leaking. Schwartz said inspection at the time of sale would be the best way to ensure that lateral lines are in working order. According to Hands On plumbing of Lafayette, the cost for inspection would run between $125 and $250 for a private home.  

Cardinaux said that another ongoing problem is residential storm spouts illegally hooked up to sewer systems instead of to storm drains. “This causes a lot of excess water to flow throughout the sewer system, which causes overflow situations,” he said.  

A University of California professor who gave two football players credit for course work they didn’t do is stepping down from a prestigious position overseeing outreach for the nine-campus system. 

Alex Saragoza, who had served as vice president of educational outreach for the UC system for 10 months, said in his resignation letter released Tuesday that he was concerned his efforts “have been compromised by recent outside events.” 

Saragoza previously was suspended for the fall 2001 semester from his other job as a UC Berkeley ethnic studies professor. He is resigning effective June 30 as vice president of outreach, which involved recruiting and preparing disadvantaged students for UC schools. 

UC Irvine Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Manuel N. Gomez has been appointed Saragoza’s interim replacement. 

Documents released earlier after a public records requests by the San Francisco Chronicle showed that Saragoza retroactively enrolled football players Michael Ainsworth and Ronnie Davenport in spring 1999 classes to allow them to remain eligible to play football during the 1999 season. 

A report by an investigator hired by the university said Saragoza could not produce evidence showing the students did the work. 

Cal is recommending that its athletic program be put on probation for a year and the football team lose four scholarships. The team would also have to forfeit its September 1999 win against Arizona State because of the contributions of Ainsworth and Davenport. The Pacific-10 athletic conference will make a disciplinary recommendation to the NCAA in June. 

The investigation found no one on Cal’s coaching or athletic program staff was involved. 

UC President Richard C. Atkinson said in a statement that Saragoza’s resignation was necessary but something he accepted “with great personal regret.”

SACRAMENTO — Each May for the last four years, California lawmakers received a pleasant surprise as higher-than-expected income tax returns let them spend some extra money and cut taxes. 

This year, state budget writers warn, the fondly remembered “May Surprise” will be more of a springtime shock. A slowing economy, coupled with the power crisis siphoning money from the state treasury, could force lawmakers and Gov. Gray Davis to shave billions from the 2001-02 budget. 

In turn, that may lead to the first real fights over spending priorities between the Democratic governor and a Democratic Legislature since Davis took office in 1999. 

“The party’s over,” said Jean Ross, executive director of the California Budget Project, a fiscal watchdog group. 

Each day, as lawmakers finish a budget larger than that of most nations, more signs of financial trouble emerge. On Tuesday, the bond rating firm Standard and Poors lowered its credit rating on California state bonds, citing the energy crisis. A lower bond rating effectively raises the state’s costs of borrowing money. 

State Treasurer Phil Angelides is lobbying legislators this week to approve selling bonds to help pay back the general fund for more than $5.7 billion in power buys since January. 

As they prepare for the bond sale, state officials also await the final numbers from April’s tax returns, knowing all the while that a nationwide economic slowdown, particularly in the technology industry, will cut some state revenues. 

“It’s safe to say there won’t be this huge windfall that we’ve had the last few years,” said Sandy Harrison, spokesman for the governor’s Department of Finance. 

In January, Davis proposed a $104.7 billion budget that, he said, would tackle California’s energy crisis, boost teacher training and give shoppers a three-day sales tax suspension. 

Davis will release his revised budget, adjusted to reflect the amount the state receives from 2000 income and capital gains taxes, on May 14. 

The governor hopes to sign the final budget, which goes into effect July 1, by the end of June. 

This year, however, not only will Davis and legislators face their most uncertain tax climate in years, they may also “have a lot more of a tug-of-war ... on priorities than we saw last year,” said Assemblyman Tony Cardenas, an Arleta Democrat who chairs the joint committee writing the state’s budget. 

Cardenas and other lawmakers already have said they may oppose Davis’ $1 billion proposal to keep middle-school students in class for six weeks longer each year. 

This comes as Angelides works with lawmakers to approve selling revenue bonds to repay the general fund for energy purchases. 

A key part of the budget, Angelides told a Sacramento group Tuesday, will be $4 billion worth of interim loans he negotiated with three banks. He said the loans could be in jeopardy, however, unless the Legislature gives the state permission in the next week to issue bonds to repay them. 

“We need enough at least to get the ball rolling so we can conclude our interim financing and start paying back the general fund,” Angelides said. 

——— 

On the Net: See the governor’s budget at www.governor.ca.gov or the Department of Finance at www.dof.ca.gov 

SACRAMENTO — Some rural areas in California have such a shortage of medical specialists that some children must wait two years or more for routine surgeries, such as tonsillectomies, two lawmakers said Tuesday. 

A bill by Assembly members George Runner, R-Lancaster, and Virginia Strom-Martin, D-Duncans Mills, would encourage doctors to volunteer for “mercy missions” to care for patients in those areas. 

Doctors organized two such missions to Shasta County recently to help about 100 children who needed ear, nose and throat surgeries. Pamela Jones of Redding said her daughter was left “high and dry” when her surgeon moved. Redding has two ear, nose and throat specialists to handle surgeries, she said, and the waiting list included hundreds of patients. The family waited for two years until Danielle Jones’ simple tonsil and adenoid inflammation worsened and she could no longer breathe through her nose, her mother said. 

“Playing the clarinet was the biggest joy that she had, but she couldn’t play anymore,” Pamela Jones said. 

To prove she has recovered, Danielle Jones played a short clarinet solo at a Capitol press conference Tuesday. 

Missions only put a Band-Aid on a larger problem – doctors leave because they aren’t paid enough to treat Medi-Cal patients, said Dr. Anny Murphy, a physician with the Shasta Community Health Center. 

“But I have real patients who can’t wait for that problem to be solved.” Murphy said. “So I’m willing to do whatever it takes to take care of that child right now in the office and this is one way to do it.” 

The bill would require the state Department of Health Services to solicit specialists for a registry of physicians willing to go travel on the missions. 

DHS would also raise private money for the program. Doctors would be paid by Medi-Cal, if the patient was enrolled in the program. Private money would pay for uninsured patients, but physicians would also donate their time, Runner said. 

The California Medical Association, which represents physicians, supports the bill, which CMA President Frank Staggers called “only one of the solutions” needed to improve access to medical care. 

CMA also wants a 20 percent increase in Medi-Cal reimbursement rates, financial help for hospitals that have lost money on emergency room services and incentives to recruit more doctors to the state. 

On the Net: 

Read the bill, AB548, at www.leginfo.ca.gov

LOS ANGELES — A fire that damaged a Tosco refinery in Southern California is not expected to affect gasoline supplies or prices, analysts said Tuesday. 

The inferno, which may be under investigation for months, broke out in a cooker unit at the facility in Carson and burned for hours Monday. The unit burns coke, a type of coal, in the process of refining crude oil. No one was injured. 

The cooker unit remained shut down Tuesday, and other parts of the refinery operated at reduced levels, Tosco officials said in a statement. They had no estimates on the extent of the damage or the amount of time it will take to fix the cooker unit. 

But Tosco’s nearby Wilmington refinery, where processed crude from Carson is sent to be refined into the gasoline and other products, continued to operate at normal levels, the company said. 

Analysts said that if the fire had limited gasoline production, it would have delivered a significant blow to Californians on top of recent spikes in gas prices that have hit the entire country. Jay Wilson of J.P. Morgan Chase said the Tosco complex produces about 6.5 percent of the state’s gasoline. 

“We’re lucky in the sense that the incident, while unfortunate, is not going to have much of an impact on gasoline prices,” said analyst Paul Y. Cheng of Lehman Brothers. 

But Wilson said Tosco’s “margins are going to suffer a little bit,” because the loss of the cooker prevents the company from using lower grades of crude oil. 

Two investigators with the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health were at the scene Tuesday, conducting interviews and waiting for a crew to clean up asbestos left from the fire, Cal-OSHA spokesman Dean Fryer said. He said it’s not uncommon for such investigations to take three or four months to complete. 

On March 30, Tosco agreed in a settlement with state regulators that it had committed five serious or “willful” violations linked to a 1999 flash fire that killed four workers at its Avon refinery near Martinez. 

Tosco agreed to pay Cal-OSHA $462,630 in fines – a record amount for refinery safety violations. The deal requires the approval of the Cal-OSHA appeals board. 

“Honestly, no fine can compensate for the lives that were lost in the tragic fire two years ago,” Tosco spokesman Jeff Callender said. “But we’ve since been able to identify lessons learned to ensure the longtime safety of our plant.” 

NEW YORK — Consumer confidence dropped sharply in April, underscoring increasing fears among Americans about their jobs and the economy. 

The New York-based Conference Board said Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index fell to 109.2, down from 116.9 in March. The April survey was completed before the Federal Reserve unexpectedly cut interest rates for the fourth time this year. 

But economists played down the timing, saying much of the April drop reflected a souring assessment of business conditions and job prospects. The index has declined for most of the past year, but consumers’ assessments of business conditions and job prospects had remained strong – until April. 

“This plunge ... is a significant turn for the worse, to my way of thinking, because what it’s saying to me is that the cumulative affect of layoffs and rising energy prices is now really reaching into people’s pocketbooks,” said David Orr, chief economist for First Union Corp. in Charlotte, N.C. 

Orr said such immediate concerns won’t be eased by a cut in interest rates, an assessment seconded by Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board’s Consumer Research Center. A similar surprise rate cut in January had little effect on consumer confidence figures for the following month. 

“It’s clear that consumers have begun to worry about employment trends and these concerns are gnawing away at consumer confidence,” Franco said. 

In the new survey, 27.9 percent of consumers rated current business conditions as good, down from 33 percent in March. Another 13.3 percent rated conditions as bad, up from 10.8 percent. 

On employment, 14.2 percent of those surveyed said jobs are “hard to get,” up from 12.6 percent last month. Those saying jobs are plentiful fell from 43.8 percent to 40 percent. 

The Conference Board index, based on a monthly survey of some 5,000 U.S. households, is considered a key indicator because consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of the nation’s economic activity. The index compares results to its base year, 1985, when it stood at 100. 

The April confidence survey was completed April 17, the day before the Fed’s latest cut in interest rates, Franco said. The Fed has cut rates a total of 2 percentage points this year. 

Analysts believe Fed officials clearly had investors in mind in the timing of last week’s cut, hoping to bolster consumer confidence, which has sagged as Americans watched trillions of dollars of paper wealth evaporate over the past year in a stock market swoon. 

But April’s confidence figure shows that consumers remain doubtful and are likely to restrain their purchases, economists said. That, together with lower spending by businesses, could slow an economic rebound. 

“That’s not good news,” said Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer at First Albany Corp. “It’s consistent with this notion that the economy at best may recover in the third or fourth quarter, but that it won’t be much of one.” 

The April drop returned consumer confidence to the same level it was at in February, reflecting increasing pessimism about both current and future business conditions. 

Economist Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisors in Holland Pa., said: “This is a warning sign to the Fed that the economy is not yet out of the woods.” 

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

NEW YORK — Lucent Technologies Inc. lost a bigger than expected $3.69 billion in the just-ended quarter as the communications equipment maker was hit hard by the financial meltdown of a customer, wireless network operator Winstar Communications Inc. 

Agere Systems, the semiconductor business spun off from Lucent, announced Tuesday it will cut 2,000 jobs or 11 percent of its work force, blaming the weak communications market. The cuts primarily will be at manufacturing facilities in Pennsylvania, California and Florida. 

Lucent’s net loss for the first three months of 2001, its second fiscal quarter, was equivalent to $1.08 per share. It included 15 cents per share from bad loans to Winstar, which filed for bankruptcy last week, and investment losses. 

Overall, the loss reflected $2.7 billion in one-time expenses, including 2,000 of the 10,000 job cuts planned under the cost-cutting effort announced earlier this year, Lucent said Tuesday, The $2.7 billion figure was well beyond the range of $1.2 billion to $1.6 billion Lucent had expected. 

Excluding those charges and any financial results from Agere, the Murray Hill, N.J.-based company posted an operating loss of $1.26 billion, or 37 cents per share. 

In the same period a year ago, Lucent posted a net profit of $755 million, or 23 cents. Excluding discontinued operations, the company had an operating loss of $1.31 billion, or 39 cents a share, in the year-ago quarter. 

Agere also announced second-quarter earnings loss of $148 million, or 15 cents per share, on $1.19 billion in revenue. The company cited the one-time restructuring costs associated with the break up from Lucent and acquisition expenses made while part of Lucent as well as tax adjustments. 

Revenues from Lucent’s second quarter totaled $5.92 billion, down 18 percent from $7.15 billion in the same period a year ago. Company officials said that revenues actually grew 36 percent compared with the final three months of 2000. 

Industry analysts had expected Lucent to post a per-share operating loss of 23 cents and revenues of $6 billion for the just-ended quarter, according to a survey by Thomson Financial/First Call. 

Lucent, spun off from AT&T Corp. in 1996, is among the most widely held stocks in the country and was a favorite of analysts until last year, when a string of strategic missteps and profit disappointments led to the ouster of Lucent’s chief executive and a major restructuring. 

“As we’ve said, fiscal year 2001 is a transition and rebuilding year for Lucent,” Lucent chairman and chief executive Henry Schacht said in a statement. 

Lucent said it expects to cut the remaining 8,000 jobs under its restructuring plan by the end of the current quarter. 

After the results were announced, shares of Lucent finished up 80 cents a share to close at $10 on the New York Stock Exchange. 

——— 

On the Net: http://www.lucent.com 

From Quebec City to Berkeley 

Editor: 

Today at 4:30 p.m., a mass rally calling for an end to the criminalization of homelessness will be held on the steps of the Berkeley City Council Chambers, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way.  

The council is slated to vote tonight on the Homeless Human and Civil Rights Resolution, as well as, to consider thousands of dollars in cutbacks in homeless services. 

It is not coincidental that today's rally will occur just days after 30, 000 protesters gathered in Quebec City to denounce the negotiations of the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas.  

It is not coincidental because the corporate-dominated globalization against which protesters in Quebec rallied themselves, the neoliberal economic order which the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas seeks to expand, is a large root cause of homelessness and poverty in our community. 

It is the flight of thousands of high-paying manufacturing jobs overseas during the last three decades; the withdrawal of subsidized housing, welfare, and other social safety net spending; and the growth of the prison industrial complex – all three of these hallmarks of corporate globalization and neoliberal governments around the world – which has left so many disenfranchised poor and homeless on the streets of Berkeley. 

What is fundamentally at stake both in the struggle for homeless human rights in Berkeley and in the struggle for fair trade, workers rights, and environmental protection represented by the broad coalition of protesters in Quebec City; what is fundamentally at stake in both cases is the claim that human life is more important than profit; the claim that equality, justice, and democracy should be the pillars of human society and not merely words we inscribe upon buildings. 

In Quebec City, protesters decried the creation of a new global governance system devised for, by, and of representatives of multinational corporations and elite trade officials; a governance system which excludes the vast majority of civil society.  

In Berkeley, homeless people are decrying a legal system which not only excludes them from its governance process, but criminalizes their very existence with laws such as California Penal Code 647j, which says that sleeping outside – and hence homelessness itself – is a misdemeanor. 

What is at stake in Berkeley and Quebec, on a local and a global level, is a fundamental questioning of the distribution of wealth and power in our world. We live in a world where some few individuals own billions of dollars and vast quantities of land; while billions of our brothers, sisters, and children live in poverty – in various states of oppression and disenfranchisement.  

We live in a world of horrendous inequalities which are growing larger every day. We live without democracy, with a government on all levels that responds more to corporate interests and the lure of those few with money, than it does to fundamental human values and rights. 

And so the struggle continues, as it has for 508 years upon this continent. The struggle continues as the memories of our ancestors – of Martin and Gandhi, of Malcolm and Zapata – urge us forward: forward into the light of hope, towards the dream of a world where no one is deemed a second class citizen; a world where no one has their very existence deemed illegal by a repressive state – not homeless people, not immigrants, not African-Americans, not natives, not gays and lesbians, not Jews, not pagans. And so we struggle forward into the light of hope, towards a world of democracy, justice, and liberty. 

Darren Noy 

Lead Community Organizer for Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS) 

Consultant didn’t address breadth of parking problem 

The Daily Planet received a copy of this letter originally sent to Interim Planning Director Wendy Cosin, edited for length. 

I am writing on behalf of the First Congregational Church of Berkeley and of the churches or church-related organizations whose names are appended below.  

Representatives of many of our neighboring institutions and I attended the final workshop you convened on March 19 at Trinity Hall to hear an informal report on the Southside/Downtown Transportation Demand Management Study. 

We were all very concerned to hear the city had commissioned and was accepting a report on traffic management in our area that only addressed part of the problem.  

Traffic in our area is a seven-day a week, morning, afternoon and evening problem. Yet we were informed that the consultants had only considered the issue of commuting and thus traffic from 6 to 8 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays. Yet as we, who have our organizations based there, must provide parking for our members and visitors, such a limited study hardly addresses the problem of traffic. 

The main arterials, e.g., Bancroft, Durant, Piedmont, College, Dana, Fulton, are congested throughout the day. Parking is an all-day problem. Our church lot, which has 55 spaces, is often filled on weekdays and officers like myself who visit it frequently on church business arrive to find the lot full, in many cases by commuters, and we have to look for parking in the street or paying lots. The consultant merely stated, out of ignorance rather than study, the church lots were underutilized! That is hardly the case. 

Evenings can be especially bad with event parking in the Haas Center, Zellerbach Hall, Hertz Hall, and our churches, which also function as community events centers. The First Congregational Church of Berkeley, for example, seats 750 people and often has capacity or near capacity crowds for such events as the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra.  

When asked about non-commuter traffic, weekend traffic and event traffic the consultant said he had not studied and had no idea of the numbers. And he was only doing his job.  

We believe it would be irresponsible on the part of the city, and negligent to property owners, to ignore this traffic created by the busy social, cultural and sports calendar of Southside institutions.  

These very events are an essential part of what makes Southside a distinct and vital part of Berkeley. And they were ignored! The street vendors on Telegraph bring surges of traffic on the weekends. These vendors are licensed by the city. How can it encourage and support this business and not consider parking for the visitors who patronize the vendors? 

Sunday church services for the Presbyterian, Congregationalist, Baptist and Methodist churches now fill not only our own lots, much of the city parking facility between Durant and Channing, but, most importantly, the university Stiles lot bounded by Bancroft, Dana and Durant, and the tennis court lot between Channing and Haste. Yet we are told by the university that the former lot will be built on in two to three years and that the latter lot will probably be built on in five years.  

Our parishioners will have no place to park. The city has refused the offer of the Presbyterians to add the two floors to the municipal parking facility, which it was designed to accommodate. 

We urge the city to complete the study, to develop accurate figures on current traffic throughout the day and evening on the number of parking spaces needed to accommodate this traffic.  

Henry Snyder 

for the FCCB 

Rev. Esther Hargis 

First Baptist Church of Berkeley 

Mary Ann Peyovich, General Manager, Berkeley City Club 

A program to boost test scores at Washington Primary School does not resort to workbooks or rote instruction. It calls on Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Langston Hughes, paints and fancy footwork to stimulate learning. 

The federally-funded program called ArtsBridge brings music, poetry, dance, drama and visual arts to the school. Instructors are UC Berkeley students. 

Saturday, as part of Cal Day – when the university opens its doors to past and future students – Mary Ough’s second graders from Washington School, showed off what they had learned from instructor Michelle Garcia. 

A dancer, choreographer and student of dance, Garcia put together a dance/poetry program focused on the Harlem Renaissance. All classes at Washington School are studying the arts renaissance that was centered in Harlem’s black community in the 1920s. 

One by one, students stood before the microphone, with an audience of several dozen proud parents and  

a group of Cal Day visitors. Each student recited a Langston Hughes poem, then the boys – who had been running around like penned-up puppies just moments before the presentation began – focused completely on the dance they performed to a Louis Armstrong song. The girls acted out in dance form the celebrated Jimmy Cox song “Nobody knows you when you’re down and out.”  

Ough said that when the students participate in learning, through acting, dancing or reciting poetry, their understanding of the subject goes to a deeper level. “The more you get involved, the more you understand and the more you remember,” Ough said. 

Garcia said she believes dance gives the children a creative outlet for their energy, which allows them to focus more on their studies. Dance has also helped the children build a new vocabulary – for example, they learned what “solo, duet, and trio” means, she said. 

Moreover, Garcia said art opens up new avenues to the children, teaching them that they can be poets or dancers some time in the future.  

Garcia said she has brought dancers to the class – male dancers in particular – to show the whole class, and especially the boys, that professional dance could be in their futures. She plans to bring a group of slam poets to class in the next few weeks. 

“They give so much to me,” Garcia said of her students. “They put more work and effort into the program than I could ask of any 8-year-old. They’re so wonderful.” 

For people living around LeConte Elementary School, the school’s ample playground is one of the few pieces of green space around.  

For a long time it has doubled as a public park (it is listed as such on the city’s Web page), with children in the Ellsworth and Russell streets neighborhood playing basketball and swinging on the swings until dusk on the long summer days. 

But a couple of weeks ago, a number of LeConte neighborhood parents were disturbed to learn that their access to the park could be taken away at a moment’s notice. 

After parents expressed concern that LeConte students had found drug paraphernalia and dog feces in the park, Berkeley Unified School District security personnel began closing the park after the end of the school day, Berkeley Police Lt. Bud Stone said Monday. 

LeConte School Principal Patricia Saddler was unavailable for comment Monday afternoon, but sources at the school confirmed that the park was being closed early out of concern for student safety. 

Neighborhood resident Lisa Bullwinkel said she was dismayed to find the park locked up after 6 p.m. when formerly it had stayed open until 10 p.m. 

“We’re like rats in a maze,” Bullwinkel said, bemoaning the lack of open space in the area. 

“I don’t want my kid playing in the streets. I want him in a park. I don’t want the park to be closed right when we need it.” 

“A lot of work went into making it the neighborhood green space,” said LeConte resident Ray Kennedy, referring to residents who have volunteered labor to maintain the school’s gardens and grounds. 

Kennedy said he found the park locked up this past weekend when he tried to go there with his preschool-aged son. 

“The school year is going to end in a couple of months,” Kennedy said. “They need to have some arrangements to make sure the place is open.” 

LeConte Neighborhood Association President Karl Reeh said that in the past the gates to the playground have sometimes been left open all night, something that he agreed was not in the best interests of the community. But to close the park before the end of daylight hours deprives residents of a valuable neighborhood resource, Reeh said. 

“It’s the only open space in (the) LeConte (neighborhood), and we treasure that as something that we use a lot,” Reeh said. 

An issue that has been the subject of debate for more than a year in the community will come to the City Council tonight: a proposal to build a four-story commercial and residential building at 2700 San Pablo Ave. 

The council will hold a public hearing on an appeal of the Zoning Adjustment Board’s decision to deny a use permit for the building. 

The developers, Patrick Kennedy’s Panoramic Interests and the nonprofit Jubilee Restoration, are appealing the decision, claiming that the ZAB improperly found the building incompatible with the neighborhood. 

The developers’ proposal is for a four-story structure with 48 units of housing, five of which would be designated for low-income tenants. There would be about 5,500 square-feet of commercial space on the ground floor. 

In November, the ZAB denied the permit by a vote of 7-0 with two abstentions. The proposed design of the 44,300-square-foot building is too dense and too tall, ZAB members said.  

The developers argue the plan conforms to the West Berkeley Plan, which calls for increased housing and more neighborhood oriented businesses. 

The Neighbors for Responsible Development, formed primarily of neighbors of the proposed site, submitted a petition with 400 signatures of people who support housing on the site but argue that the building is too large.  

They say the neighborhood primarily consists of one and two-story homes and the proposed project is too dense and out of scale to its surroundings.  

Councilmember Mim Hawley said that she will recuse herself from the council’s discussion and vote on the issue at the request of the City Attorney. Hawley may have a conflict of interest because of projects she was involved in while an AC Transit director.  

The council generally does not make a decision on the night of a public hearing. 

Compassionate treatment of the homeless 

The council will address the question of a proposed moratorium in Berkeley on the state law which makes sleeping in public places illegal. The proposal also asks the city manager to look for ways to fund detox programs, places for the homeless to stay during the day, rainy-day vouchers, storage facilities and adequate shelter beds. 

Office development moratorium 

Another issue will be a moratorium on new office development in west Berkeley. The Planning Commission recommended the council enact a one-year moratorium on office development in the Mixed Use-Light Industrial District, also known as the MULI, in west Berkeley. 

The staff report on the recommendation says the moratorium should remain in effect until the impact of the growing number of offices on blue-collar jobs, and on artists and artisans can be determined. 

Another concern is increased traffic congestion posed by more offices. 

The council report, approved by Planning Commission Chair Rob Wrenn, said that 348,821 square feet of office space has been developed in the MULI in the last three years. 

Consent Calendar 

An item on the consent calendar – items generally approved by the council unanimously and without discussion – asks that the Planning Department adopt policy guidelines for development projects that include complete descriptions and renderings of the buildings’ height, mezzanines, elevators and all accessory structures before they are submitted for approval. 

Also on the consent calendar is a resolution to extend the comment period on the Draft General Plan for two weeks until May 1. 

1301 Oxford St. 

The council will likely schedule two public hearings related to the proposed 35,000 square-foot Beth El Synagogue at 1301 Oxford St. 

The public hearings will assist the council in reconciling opposing decisions by two different permit boards. One was the Zoning Adjustments Board’s decision on March 8 to approve a use permit for the development and the other was the Landmark Preservation Commission’s decision on March 5 denying an alteration permit, which would set the stage for the demolition of two existing building standing in the way of the project’s construction. 

Both of the decisions have been formally appealed by the Beth El congregation and the Live Oak Codornices Creek Neighborhood Association. LOCCANA has strongly opposed project. Its members say the development will preclude the Codornices Creek, which runs through a culvert of the property, from ever being daylighted. They also say the synagogue would increase parking and traffic problems in the neighborhood. 

At last week’s City Council meeting the council unanimously approved mediation for the two parties in the hopes they could reach a compromise.  

Berkeley Housing Authority 

The Berkeley Housing Authority will hold a meeting at 6:30 p.m. immediately before the regular City Council meeting. The BHA will likely approve rental subsidies for the Section 8 Choice Voucher Program that will go into effect on May 1. 

BHA approval will raise section 8 rents on all qualifying units from studios to six bedroom apartments. 

According to a letter included with the BHA report to council, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department has already approved the rental increases.  

The BHA will also hear a progress report on the authority’s efforts to award Section 8 certificates to a waiting list of 1,592 applicants. 

The Housing Department report informs the BHA that recently hired BHA interim manager Sheila Maxwell has submitted her resignation.  

Executive session 

The City Council will hold a closed session meeting with representatives of the Berkeley Police Union. There will be time for public comment prior to the closed session.  

The closed door will be held at 2180 Milvia St. on the fifth floor at 5:30 p.m., with 10 minutes of public comment available before the session. 

The City Council meeting and the Berkeley Housing Authority Meeting will be held in the City Council Chambers at 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. The BHA meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by the City Council meeting at 7 p.m. 

The BHA and the City Council meeting will be broadcast live on KPFA Radio 89.3 and Cable B-TV (Channel 25). 

Judith Scherr of the Daily Planet staff contributed to this article. 

OAKLAND — A few months after he took office, Taiwan-born Councilman Danny Wan got a request from City Hall security: Could he come downstairs to help a resident who spoke only Chinese find the right department? 

He was glad to help, but “it made me really wonder. What other services are out there that no one can access?” 

On Tuesday, Wan and fellow council members are expected to pass a groundbreaking ordinance requiring city departments that deal with the public to have, or make plans to hire, some bilingual staff. 

“The city has an obligation to provide the basic city services such as police and fire to everybody who pays taxes. Just because somebody may not be fluent in English yet does not mean they should be excluded,” Wan said. 

Advocates believe Oakland would be the first city in California, and perhaps the nation, to mandate bilingual hiring. San Francisco supervisors are scheduled to vote on a similar ordinance in May. 

California and federal laws already require agencies to make their programs and services accessible to people with limited English, but those requirements aren’t enforced and compliance is spotty, civil rights officials say. 

Before he left office, President Clinton signed an order boosting the federal language requirement. Conservative groups, which believe English should be the nation’s official language, are working to overturn that. 

The Oakland ordinance “sounds more progressive than other municipalities,” said Walter Bacak, executive director of the American Translators Association, based in Alexandria, Va. 

The ordinance, sponsored by Wan and council President Ignacio De La Fuente, would require that departments – such as those involving fire, police, senior citizens centers, building permits and other services – identify public-access positions and determine whether they have employees in them who can speak Spanish or Chinese, the prevalent languages of limited-English speakers in Oakland. 

Departments that don’t have such employees will have to start filling vacancies with bilingual workers. 

The ordinance, which would be phased in over two years, also requires setting up an in-house translation center, the major cost of the new measure at an estimated $200,000 to $300,000 a year. 

Language has been a hot-button issue for multicultural America, with more than 20 states declaring English the official language. Those states include California, where voters approved a constitutional amendment making English the official language in 1986, although it hasn’t been enforced. 

Mauro E. Mujica, chairman and CEO of the group U.S. English, thinks Oakland is going too far. 

Mujica, who speaks four languages, said it’s always a good idea to hire bilingual workers, but “to institutionalize it and pass a regulation that requires municipalities to hire people that are specifically bilingual in certain languages – that will get them into a lot of trouble.” 

Oakland resident Yu-Yung Shen thinks the bilingual policy is a “very good” idea. 

He was stopped in Oakland’s Chinatown about a year ago for running a red light. Because of his limited English, he couldn’t explain that he had entered the intersection on a green but had to stop halfway through, eventually getting stuck on the red, because a pedestrian had stepped off the curb, out of sight of the policeman. 

When he went to pay the ticket, no one at the counter spoke Cantonese, so Shen paid the $290 fine and also sat through an all-English traffic school. 

An Oakland police spokesman said the department does have a translation service available by radio. However, the person being stopped has to be able to speak enough English to request it. 

The new ordinance, Wan said, would require the police department to put bilingual officers in regions with large numbers of non-English speakers, such as Chinatown. 

For Shen, being able to count on speaking to someone in his own language would be a big improvement. 

“That way I can always present my case,” he said, speaking through an interpreter. “If I get into trouble, I can explain my situation.”

SAN JOSE — A school bus driver opened fire on her co-workers at their bus yard early Monday, killing a man and wounding three women, police said. 

A co-worker subdued the shooter and held her until police arrived, ending the spree at the Laidlaw Education Services yard just before 6 a.m., police spokesman Rubens Dalaison said. 

“We’re considering him a hero,” Dalaison said.  

“He was able to disarm her and hold her until the police could get the handcuffs on her.” 

The suspect was identified as Cathline Repunte, 36, who had worked for Laidlaw for about six years and regularly drove high school students, said Ronn English, the company’s director of human resources for the West. Investigators had not determined the motive or where the handgun used in the attack came from. 

Sherry Reed-Price, a Laidlaw training supervisor, said she was not aware of any issues that could have upset the woman. 

Repunte didn’t appear to have been particularly close with her fellow drivers, but gave “no clues, no hint” of any problems, English said. She had passed the background checks and drug tests required of drivers, he said. 

“She just came in, she did her job, and she left,” English said. “Folks would say ‘Hi’ to her, she would wave or say ‘Hi’ back. She was always polite, pleasant. We didn’t have any problems with her.” 

Repunte lives in an apartment in a working-class section of San Jose, where several neighbors said they never talked to her.  

Her nearest neighbor, CeCe Baleros, said the woman had lived there about a year or two and they had never spoken. 

The man who was killed was a 48-year-old driver and trainer for Laidlaw who had worked there since 1997, English said. His name was being withheld while police notified his family. 

Dalaison said the man was killed outside the bus yard office.  

The three women who were wounded, ages 47, 51, and 57, all were expected to survive, though one underwent surgery for a gunshot to her abdomen. 

Two of the women were found in a barricaded office, Police Sgt. Steve Dixon said. Dispatchers who handled the 911 call could hear gunfire in the background, Dixon added. 

Dalaison said around 30 employees were in the bus yard or office, though not all witnessed the shooting. Police arrived just as Laidlaw employee Gregory Alan Lee subdued Repunte outside the building, Dalaison said. 

The shooting forced the bus yard to stay closed all day while police investigated.  

About 2,500 San Jose students were delayed from 30 minutes to two hours as buses owned by the school district and nearby districts had to fill in, said Rose Bedard-Carr, the district’s director of auxiliary services.

LOS ANGELES — A flight attendant filed federal discrimination charges against American Airlines on Monday, saying her employee health plan does not cover reproductive care for women but provides Viagra for men. 

Martina Alexander said after being refused coverage for infertility treatments in 1999 she learned her health plan does not cover pap smears or birth control pills either — but does cover Viagra for impotent male employees. 

“Is a male reproductive organ more valued than a female reproductive organ? That is the question I asked myself when I was turned down by the company for infertility treatment. I was shocked, upset and angry when I realized that females didn’t seem to be treated as though they were as important as men,” said Alexander, 36, who has worked as a flight attendant since 1987. 

In a charge filed Monday with the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, attorney Gloria Allred contended that American’s policy constitutes sex, pregnancy and disability discrimination. 

Gus Whitcomb, a spokesman for the 110,000-employee airline, said American’s three basic employee health plans cover all “medically necessary” procedures or medications. That can include drugs, such as Viagra, prescribed by a physician to treat male impotence. 

Allred called that absurd. 

“We believe that this reasoning is insufficient to legally justify American’s coverage decision,” Allred said. 

Other plans offered by American, including through “wellness programs” and HMOs, cover pap smears and infertility treatments, but are available only on a limited geographic basis to the airline’s workers, Whitcomb said. 

Allred said she expected the EEOC to give her the go-ahead to file a federal lawsuit against American in 60 to 90 days. 

The charges are similar to those in a lawsuit a Seattle woman filed in July against the drugstore chain she works for. 

Women’s groups have appealed to Congress and state legislatures to require health insurance companies to cover contraception, but only a handful of states have laws on the books, and those cover only state-regulated insurance plans. 

In December, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that excluding contraceptives from health plans discriminates against women, although the decision directly affected only two women. 

SACRAMENTO — After one lost her home and another lost his job, two transsexuals filed suit Monday under a new anti-discrimination law they say doesn’t go far enough to protect them. 

Supporters of transsexual and transgender rights say a favorable court ruling could set a landmark precedent that boosts protections for people who change their gender by dressing differently, taking hormones or having a sex-change operation. 

But opponents of the new law – which identifies transsexuals as a disabled group entitled to protection if they can prove their gender switch hampered their life – call it an example of bad policy gone wrong. 

Gary Johnson, 42, said he was hired last year at a Sacramento-based foster care and adoption agency. At the time, Johnson was appearing in public as a woman and using his given name, Gaynell. 

While working at Families for Children, he began dressing more masculine and was harassed, Johnson said. Eventually, he was placed on unpaid administrative leave. 

“The stress of it all was terrible,” he said. “They forced me out of the closet.” 

Johnson left his counseling job in February, but says the agency effectively fired him – a possible violation of the Fair Employment and Housing Act if he can prove the agency acted against him because of his gender change. 

Since then, Johnson has legally changed his name and began taking testosterone injections, he said. He has been unable to find another job, despite his master’s degree in family and marriage counseling, he said. 

The second lawsuit, filed by Stanantha Jaros, claims her condominium homeowners’ association tried to get her to move out once they found out that she used to be a man. 

Neither the homeowners’ association nor Families for Children returned calls seeking comment. 

Karen Holgate, policy director for the Capitol Resource Institute, said the lawsuits were examples of bad policy. 

“This is a problem you get when you pass vague laws that try to give special rights for changeable traits,” Holgate said. 

”(This is about) someone who cares more about what can be worn to work than the children he was hired to serve,” she said. “Is it really about rights or to make a statement about an extremist agenda?” 

Johanna Rasmussen, spokeswoman for Eqalus, a Sacramento-based group for the gay and transgender community, said there are an estimated 35,000 to 60,000 transsexuals living in California. 

Johnson and Jaros are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

A vote that would have made San Francisco the only city in the nation to pay for employees’ sex changes was postponed Monday after one supervisor disapproved of adding such health coverage. 

The measure needed nine Board of Supervisor votes, which was impossible with two of the 11 supervisors absent and Supervisor Tony Hall speaking against it. The issue will be taken up again next week when a full nine votes of approval can be obtained, said Supervisor Mark Leno, who has worked two years to have the benefits added. 

Calling it “a case of reverse discrimination,” Hall said he could not support the issue because his office has been inundated with opposition. He views the sex-change surgery as elective and said it would cost city workers and retired employees an extra $1.70 a month they may not want to pay. 

“This is not like heart failure,” Hall said. “This is an elective procedure.” 

The issue had not received any public opposition until Monday, but a handful of people said they did not support the benefits. 

“Why should insurance companies pay for something like this?” asked Jane Cogswell, 81, a retired nurse and long-time San Francisco resident. “Then you get paid when you’re lying in the hospital with a new penis and a new uterus.” 

Leno argued the insurance would not cover elective surgery or cosmetic procedures. It instead would pay for genital reconstruction, hormones and other medical matters such as hysterectomies and mastectomies only after a doctor deems it medically necessary. 

He stressed there would be a $50,000 lifetime cap on the benefits, which would begin July 1. 

An average male-to-female surgery costs about $37,000, while female-to-male surgery runs about $77,000, a cost Hall said is too much to force on city employees without polling them first. 

Board President Tom Ammiano and Supervisor Gavin Newsom were absent for Monday’s vote. Leno said both support the issue and will vote in favor of it next week. 

The city currently has about 14 transgender employees out of its 37,000 workers. The insurance changes that would cost $1.70 a month would include items such as hearing aids and acupuncture, in addition to the sex-change benefits. 

San Francisco apparently would be the only governmental body in the nation to make sex-change benefits available. The state of Minnesota offered such benefits, but the program was phased out in 1998. The issue was discussed in Oregon, but a commission decided against it in 1999. 

The term transgender covers a broad range of categories including cross-dressers, transvestites, transsexuals and those born with characteristics of both sexes. 

On the Web: 

San Francisco Human Rights Commission: http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/sfhumanrights/ 

CARSON — A fire that erupted at an oil refinery sent plumes of black smoke billowing over the Los Angeles area Monday afternoon. 

Balls of flame could also be seen shooting into the air at the Tosco refinery in this suburb 15 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. 

“There is black boiling smoke, jet black and periodic boiling up flames right at the base – there it is again,” Alan Wayne said from his office building about two miles east of the flames.  

“It has just blackened the sky ... I’ve had enough of this – I’m going to the hockey game.” 

Fire engines, a hazardous materials team and at least two ambulances were dispatched to the plant, although no one was reported injured, said county Fire Department spokesman Roland Sprewell. 

County Fire Capt. Brian Jordan said firefighters were pouring water on the flames to keep them under control as a crew prepared to turn off the valve delivering the fuel. The area around the valve was as hot as 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, so firefighters needed to spray water on the flames to “push the fire away from the valve” so one of them could turn it off. 

The fire broke out about 5 p.m., Sprewell said.  

The cause was not immediately known. 

As the blaze spread through the refinery, in an industrial area dotted with storage tanks, it quickly sent huge plumes of black smoke billowing into the clear-blue sky. 

Some of the smoke drifted over a nearby residential neighborhood. Fire Capt. Raymond Schindler said no one was evacuated in the immediate aftermath of the fire but fire officials were evaluating whether to order evacuations. 

“They’re monitoring the air quality downwind and will make that determination,” Schindler said. 

Jerry Martin, spokesman for the state Air Resources Board, said area residents should be wary of the thick smoke. 

“Particulates can contain a lot of different compounds some of which can easily be harmful to the public if inhaled,” he said. “If you’re downwind of the refinery I would advise people to stay indoors if at all possible. ... Children, older people, people with illnesses in particular should make sure they’re not breathing this.”

A classic opera can withstand all manner of temporal transposition and psychological interpretation. Cal Opera’s production once more proves “The Magic Flute” a classic.  

Imagine that Sarastro is not the philosophical voice of Masonic mystery, but the unscrupulous CEO of a mega-corporation; that the Queen of the Night is a sincerely caring mother of a daughter who has sold out to that corporation; Monostatos is a middle-level manager who harasses his workers; the trio of cherubim are psychiatric consultants. Sound far-fetched? Of course it is. Yet somehow it all works and presents a cohesive reinterpretation that achieves a modern relevance, instead of merely aiming for it.  

The director Axel van Chee (who also plays Papageno) emphasizes the bare plot of the opera by employing a narrator, who first introduces the characters and then presents the basis of the action in lieu of the sometimes tiresome dialogues.  

All characters sing their parts in German, while the English narrative gives context. Full translations of all sung texts are shown by overhead projector, so the language barrier is broken.  

The plot is also brought to the fore by the complete absence of scenery, machinery and staging business: all action takes place in front of the proscenium curtain. 

The members of the cast and orchestra are all quite talented musicians. Especially noteworthy is Jamie Mago as Queen of the Night, whose coloratura passages sparkle as they effortlessly soar, while she preserves a winningly warm tone for her instructional arias. Although Sepp Hammer’s Sarastro lacks vocal power in the lowest range, his suave yet smarmy acting gives the character the needed evil nuances to subvert the expected piety.  

Max Celaya portrays Monostatos with enough melodramatic gesture to provide much-needed comic relief. Van Chee successfully plays Papageno as a purely comic figure, which helps balance out the ending in which Evil triumphs.  

Michael Feuerstein and Katherine Howell present Tamino and Pamina as real people who are seduced by corporate lies and one another’s pretty pictures. Their romantic attraction seems quite plausible, fueled by fine vocal blending as much as genetic urges. Vanessa Langer’s short appearance as Papagena convinces the audience that Papageno is well rewarded for his humble earthy attitude.  

The ensemble singing and interplay of both featured trios is excellent: the three ladies-in-waiting portray a level of elegantly studied concern that nicely flirts with caricature, while the three angelic consultants display vocal beauty which matches their stunning good looks.  

The orchestra, Bay Area Classical Harmony, produces a rich well-balanced tone that never overwhelms the singers or calls attention to itself. The small string sections allow the winds and brass more emphasis, so the audience is well-reminded that Mozart’s genius included orchestrating as well as inventing melodies. 

This production aims at presenting Mozart’s magical opera to an audience of non-opera-goers. As van Chee said, “If you’ve never seen an opera, that’s great.  

“We are delivering something that you might actually relate to, instead of watching a fairy tale that talks about strange ideas that you might not be comfortable with.”  

While it clearly succeeds at making this masterwork accessible to a new audience, this interpretation reveals enough new insights and displays enough polished local talent to win over the most seasoned opera fan.  

This is the second collaboration between Cal Opera and B.A.C.H., two groups of UC Berkeley students which are not officially connected with the university.  

Music majors and talented musicians from other departments work together in their spare time to produce true community theater. Conductor Andrew Chung said, “We are interested in reaching out to the Berkeley community... even getting high school students involved”. 

Although this is obviously an amateur production, the audience is reminded that the root meaning of “amateur” is that the performers are motivated by love of the material, rather than a paycheck.  

This love shines through and easily compensates for the few minor glitches and inconsistencies which lend inevitable charm to any low-budget show. I am confident that Mozart would have been quite happy to see this production.  

All ticket sales benefit Longfellow Middle School.  

Miko Sloper can be reached at miko@cheerful.com

NEW YORK — It is an investment category containing some of the most promising stocks in the entire market, some of them possible giants of the future, but which has been almost ignored for several years. 

The small-cap category has received little more than a nod from investors during this time, when low-price momentum stocks – those capable of doubling in a week or less – overshadowed its more modest performance. 

But small-caps, traditionally those with total market values of under $300 million, might be back. Many of these relative midgets did well last year, and they’ve been outperforming large-company stocks this year. 

And, says Gerald Perritt, a former professor who did as much as any individual to bring public attention to their superior cyclical returns two decades ago, “the long-awaited overperformance leg of the cycle may be upon us.” 

Small-caps are streak hitters, but when they go on a streak it can last several years, during which their returns may greatly outpace the performance of big companies that are publicized by analysts. 

Working from the basic research in 1978 of Rolph Banz, a professor at the University of Chicago, Perritt explained in articles and books how and why traditional small caps outperformed larger stocks over long periods of time. 

In the years 1975-1982, for example, “large-cap growth stocks provided an average annual return of 12 percent. But small-cap growth stocks in the same period provided a 28.3 percent return. Then they slumped to 9.1 percent in the period 1983-2000, compared with large-cap returns of 16.4. 

Perritt – whose own small caps are really small, some with valuations of less than $100 million – was waiting for a catalyst, which he now suspects was the collapse of so-called dot-com companies. He feels that seeking safer returns, investors are likely to revisit the overlooked small caps. Institutions too. 

Because they invest in such large amounts, it is often difficult for institutional investors to deal with small caps. The volume of available shares is often insufficient, and regulations prohibit owning too much of a company. Their impact on prices also creates volatility. Perritt’s Mutual Fund Letter” as well as running “Perritt Micro Cap Opportunities,” a mutual fund, sees two ways. One, by choosing a small-cap fund. Two, by buying single companies. 

The latter choice, however, imposes big responsibilities as well as offering potential rewards. Since there is minimum guidance from professionals, it means doing your own homework and testing the market. 

John Cunniff is a business analyst  

for The Associated Press

SAN JOSE — Struggling high-speed Internet access provider ExciteAtHome Corp. picked a telecommunications industry veteran as its new chairman and chief executive Monday, ending a seven-month search. 

ExciteAtHome also announced a net loss of $832 million in the first quarter and an operating loss that fell short of Wall Street’s recently lowered expectations, and lowered its outlook for the second quarter. 

The company’s new leader is Patti S. Hart, 44, most recently head of Telocity Inc., a provider of digital subscriber lines that was bought last year by Hughes Electronics Corp. She also has been head of Sprint Corp.’s long-distance division. 

Hart replaces George Bell, who had said when he stepped down as CEO in September that he would stay on as chairman. He now will leave altogether. 

Hart joins ExciteAtHome just as the company is dealing with a cash crisis and a gutted stock price and figuring out its future direction.  

She said she would address those issues while providing “clarity and focus for the company.” 

ExciteAtHome was formed in 1999 by the merger of Internet portal Excite and cable-modem provider At Home, which just happened to be based across the street from each other in Redwood City. AT&T Corp. owns 47 percent of the company but has 74 percent voting interest. 

By marrying Web content and high-speed access, the company was billed as a potential challenger to America Online and a strong force for bringing broadband to the masses.  

But while the cable-modem business has grown decently, and now counts 3.2 million subscribers, the portal business has suffered immensely due to the plunge in Internet advertising. 

ExciteAtHome said last week it needs between $75 million and $80 million to make it through the year and is considering several options, including selling off the Web portal or selling the backbone of its network to AT&T and leasing it back.  

Shares of AtHome Corp., which does business as ExciteAtHome, lost 20 cents, nearly 5 percent, to $3.87 on Monday on the Nasdaq Stock Market, well off the 52-week high of $28. Shares sank another 17 cents in after-hours trading. 

Excluding one-time charges, the company lost $61.6 million, or 15 cents per share, down from a loss of $4.6 million, or 1 cent per share, in the year-ago period. 

The operating loss was in line with the company’s announcement last week that it would lose 14 cents or 15 cents per share.  

However, analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial/First Call were expecting 14 cents. 

Revenue rose 3 percent from the first quarter of 2000, to $142.8 million. 

Chief Financial Officer Mark McEachern said the company’s second-quarter operating loss is expected to be 16 cents or 17 cents per share, well off the First Call consensus forecast of a loss of 9 cents a share. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.excitehome.com 

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — USS Greeneville Cmdr. Scott Waddle was given a letter of reprimand Monday as punishment for the submarine collision that killed nine people aboard a Japanese fishing vessel, his attorney said. 

The punishment also included a forfeiture of half pay for two months, but that was suspended for six months. Waddle said he will retire Oct. 1, meaning he will receive his full pay until the end of his career. 

“While I regret that my Navy career has ended in this way, I know that I am one of the lucky ones because I survived the accident,” Waddle said in a statement released by his civilian attorney, Charles Gittins. 

The punishment was imposed by Adm. Thomas Fargo, Pacific Fleet commander, at an “admiral’s mast” attended by Waddle, a military attorney and several officers at Pearl Harbor Navy Base. 

Fargo concluded there was dereliction of duty and negligent hazarding of a vessel, Gittins said. 

But he said the admiral did not mention allegations of negligent homicide in the deaths of nine Japanese students and adults aboard the Ehime Maru when it was rammed by the Greeneville Feb. 9 in waters off Hawaii. 

“I understand and accept the punishment that Admiral Fargo imposed. He treated me fairly and with dignity and respect and I thank him for that,” Waddle said. 

Gittins, in an e-mail to news media shortly after the hearing ended, said Waddle explained his actions to the officers. It was not clear if Waddle would receive his pension, although Gittins has said in the past that he would keep full retirement pay. 

“Admiral Fargo thoughtfully considered Commander Waddle’s presentation and decided, nonetheless, that punishment should be imposed under the preponderance of the evidence standard applicable to such hearings,” Gittins said. 

Gittins said Fargo indicated he would accept Waddle’s forced retirement. If he had chosen not to retire, he would have had to show why he should be allowed to remain in the Navy. 

Gittins said the admiral told Waddle he was proud of his decision to testify before a court of inquiry without immunity. 

“My heart aches for the losses suffered by the families of those killed aboard the M/V Ehime Maru and the grief that this accident unfairly has thrust upon them,” Waddle said, apologizing once again for the collision and urging U.S. government settlement of claims made by the families. 

“I think about those lost at sea every day and I grieve for the families.” 

Waddle has said he plans to travel to Japan to meet with the families of the victims. He previously has apologized and accepted responsibility for the collision. 

Navy officials have acknowledged that the surfacing demonstration during which the collision occurred was done only for the benefit of 16 civilians aboard, three of whom were seated at the sub’s controls at the time. 

Waddle, in an interview with “Dateline NBC” taped before the hearing, described the shock he felt upon seeing the words “high school” through a periscope seconds after the collision. 

“Those were the first words that I read and I thought, ’Oh my God, we’ve hit ... we’ve hit some kids.”’ 

He said the Greeneville spent about 80 seconds at periscope depth before the surfacing. 

In hindsight, he said, that was not long enough. 

The hearing was conducted under Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Waddle could face other disciplinary action including fines and critical performance letters. 

On Saturday, Waddle received a copy of the report of a three-member military panel that reviewed the case. Gittins declined to describe the panel’s conclusions, but Pentagon officials have said Fargo is following the officers’ recommendation in not calling for courts martial of top Greeneville officers. 

Gittins said at the time if punishment is imposed and there is grounds for appeal, “you can be sure we will pursue the appeal. He also said Waddle has “a number of very good job offers” to consider. 

WASHINGTON — President Bush rejected Taiwan’s request to buy high-tech U.S. destroyers equipped with the Aegis combat radar system, but left open the possibility of future sales if China continues to pose a military threat to the island. 

Beijing had objected to its rival’s bid for the Aegis system, and the sale could have worsened U.S.-China relations already strained by the collision between a U.S. spy plane and a Chinese jet that led to the 11-day detention of the 24-member American crew. 

A senior White House official, speaking to reporters Monday on condition of anonymity, said Bush approved the sale of four Kidd-class destroyers, which have a much less potent ship-borne radar system that Aegis radar but would still be a step forward for Taiwan’s navy. 

The Kidd-class system could be available by 2003, providing more immediate defense than the Aegis system which would take until 2010 to build. The White House official said the Aegis system would still be available to Taiwan in 2010 if Bush decided at a later point to offer it. 

The White House also said Bush agreed to sell Taiwan up to eight diesel submarines and 12 P-3 aircraft, along with various helicopters, assault vehicles and other arms. Besides the Aegis, the U.S. deferred sales of Apache helicopters and tanks requested by Taiwan. 

Also, the United States will brief Taiwan about software for the new PAC-3 version of the Patriot air defense missile, but will review later whether to provide the system itself. 

The White House said the package was designed to bolster Taiwan’s defenses against the mounting Chinese threats from the air. The United States is bound by law to help Taiwan defend itself. “We think there is nothing in this package for China to fear,” the senior White House official said. 

Officials said Bush would not characterize his decision as a rejection of Taiwan’s request for the Aegis system, choosing the word “defer” to signal that the arms could still be sold if Beijing does not improve relations with America. 

Indeed, the White House official told reporters that China could decrease the chances of Taiwan getting the Aegis system if Beijing becomes less aggressive militarily. 

It was Bush’s first major action involving China since the country detained the 24 U.S. servicemen and women. The Chinese still hold the U.S. surveillance plane. 

Beijing fears the technology eventually could serve as a platform for a regional missile defense system that would shield Taiwan against China’s growing arsenal of short-range ballistic missiles. 

China considers Taiwan a breakaway province that must be reunited with the mainland. The Taiwan Relations Act, enacted in 1979, calls for the United States to provide Taiwan with “such defense articles and defense services ... as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability.” 

Although 102 members of Congress recently signed letters to Bush supporting the Aegis sale, its deferral sparked little immediate criticism on Capitol Hill. 

Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif., who co-wrote the House letter with Rep. David Wu, D-Calif., said he was confident Monday that Bush made his decision “based upon the best interests of the United States, Taiwan’s defense needs and peace in the region.” 

“It is not Congress’ role to micromanage decisions, only to ensure that adequate consideration is given consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act,” Cox said. 

And Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner gave a thumbs up to delaying Aegis sales before he was briefed Monday. 

Bush “is going to have my strong support,” said Warner, R-Va. 

The decision came after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld recommended the package, and Bush’s national security team agreed with the assessment, the White House official said. 

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer played down any implications for strained U.S.-China relations, calling the Taiwan decision “an annual event” and insisting that China’s recent detention of an American spy plane crew will not be the sole factor in making the decision. 

“Of course, the president’s going to consider all factors that go into Taiwan’s defense needs,” Fleischer said. 

Rumsfeld is scheduled to relay Bush’s decision to a visiting Taiwanese delegation on Tuesday after notifying senior members of Congress. 

The four Kidd-class destroyers were the only four its kind constructed. They were originally built for the Shah of Iran in the 1970s but became part of the U.S. Navy when he was overthrown before delivery. 

The ships are no longer used by the U.S. Navy, though Adm. Dennis Blair, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, told Congress last month that the Kidd-class destroyers have “plenty of useful life yet.” 

At the State Department, spokesman Richard Boucher said the arms sale decision would not be influenced by recent problems with China, including China’s continued detention of the U.S. surveillance plane. 

——— 

Associated Press writers Sandra Sobieraj and Carolyn Skorneck contributed to this report. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Two U.S. television journalists were among eight winners to take home environmentalism’s top prize Monday. 

Recipients of the 2001 Goldman Environmental Prize came from Bolivia, Rwanda, Greece, West Papua in Indonesia and New Caledonia. The prize is awarded to those from the Earth’s six geographic regions who have fought to protect the environment and people around the world. 

Florida journalists Jane Akre and Steve Wilson received the award for their research on a story about the potential health effects of recombinant bovine growth hormone. The genetically modified hormone is used to get dairy cows to produce more milk. When St. Louis-based Monsanto Co., the maker of the hormone, objected to the report three days before it was to air, the Fox Network affiliate in Florida pulled the story. 

Monsanto representatives did not immediately return calls Monday. 

The couple claims they were fired because of their story, and they later won a suit charging Fox with violating the state’s Whistleblower law. The jury found that Fox pushed them to broadcast false and misleading information. 

The television station argued that the reporters were unprofessional and refused to balance the story during a six-month editing process. 

The two were joined as winners by Oscar Olivera from Bolivia. Olivera helped return the water system in the country’s third-largest city to the public. It had been privatized, driving prices up as much as 300 percent and requiring some residents to pay a third of their monthly income for fresh water. 

Olivera on Monday was on a 30,000-person march to the country’s capital to protect the gains won last year. He said marchers were met with tear and vomit gas, and that he has been charged with treason by the Bolivian government. 

Yosepha Alomang, a spokeswoman for the Amungme in West Papua, was honored for her fight against the mining practices of New Orleans-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., a fight during which she said she has been detained and tortured by the Indonesian government. 

The company has given Alomang’s human rights group, HAMAK, a $248,000 grant for education and office space that Alomang says she will use to continue her fight. 

Other 2001 winners are: 

• Eugene Rutagarama, a Rwandan conservationist, risked his life to save his country’s last 355 mountain gorillas. After fleeing Rwanda during the genocide in the 1990s, when most of his family was killed, he returned to help rebuild the national park system and protect the gorilla habitat from human encroachment. 

• Myrsini Malakou and Giorgos Catsadorakis, two Greek biologists, have led the effort to create a wetlands conservation area located in remote northwestern Greece that crosses the borders of Albania and Macedonia. The two worked for years researching, organizing and advocating sustainable farming and economic activities to restore the area. 

• Bruno Van Peteghem of New Caledonia in the South Pacific is working to protect one of the world’s coral reefs from destruction by mining. International companies have threatened to mine large portions of the reefs, which he has campaigned to place on the World’s Heritage List. Van Peteghem said there have been efforts to intimidate him, including the suspicious burning of his family’s home. 

Each winner gets $125,000 and a small award statue.

SACRAMENTO — The Assembly’s redistricting committee Monday approved its rules for drawing new legislative and congressional districts, but no one at the hearing was very happy about the time allotted for public scrutiny of the new district lines. 

However, lawmakers insisted they would try to provide as much time as possible for the public to analyze and critique the final district maps before the Legislature approves than in September. 

The Legislature will be redrawing Assembly, Senate and congressional district lines this summer to reflect the population changes revealed by the 2000 census. The lines will determine the shape and makeup of the state’s legislative and congressional delegations for the next decade and influence which party controls Congress and the Legislature. 

The rules, approved by an 8-0 vote of the Elections, Reapportionment and Constitutional Amendment Committee, call for eight public hearings around the state before the plans are drawn. The hearings start May 4 in San Diego. 

That was an increase of one from the number of hearings proposed last week. 

Voter organizations, civil rights groups and lawmakers were more concerned Monday about later public hearings on the final redistricting plans. The rules currently call for only one day of notice before two days of public hearings on those plans. 

“Two days of hearings following one day of notice is very minimal. I think you can do better,” said Trudy Schafer of the League of Women Voters. 

Alan Clayton of the California Latino Re-Districting Coalition said at least five days are needed to look at the complicated plans and talk to communities around the state about impact of the plans. 

“I would like an opportunity for meaningful input from other than members of this house on the maps,” added Assemblywoman Jenny Oropeza, D-Long Beach. 

The committee chairman, Assemblyman John Longville, a Rialto Democrat, said it was difficult to specify time for notice and hearings on the final plans because both houses would be involved and lawmakers would be facing deadlines. 

“It is our intent to make that notice the absolutely maximum possible. It depends on how close to the deadline we are,” he said. 

He said the committee might amend its rules later to add additional time for public hearings on the final maps. 

On the Net: 

The committee’s Web page is http://www.assembly.ca.gov/erca 

Nine community organizations and 29 households saved about $500,000 when 1,500 local volunteers completed a flurry of building repairs last Saturday. 

A non-profit organization, Rebuilding Together, held its big workday “Christmas in April” to help elderly, disabled and low-income residents live independently and safely.  

The volunteers throughout Berkeley finished a variety of improvements such as creating windows, landscaping, fixing electrical wires and dealing with wasp nests.  

Some particularly timely improvements came from an ally organization called Positive Energy, which makes energy-efficient changes. They sent “Energy Teams” to each rebuilding site with the goal of saving at least $100 a year for each household. Some of their jobs included pipe insulation, installing water heater blankets and weather-stripping. 

“Not only is this a great community-building effort,” said Marty Lynch, executive director of LifeLong Medical Care, a non-profit group that serves low-income patients without insurance. “In our case, this lets us put our money into doctors and pharmaceuticals instead of into pulling weeds.” 

These exterior improvements are important to their on-site community clinic whose services may be judged by a weedy front lawn or broken doors.  

Neighborhood revitalization is one of the goals for the Rebuilding Together, said Executive Director Jill Davis. Fixing up houses combats the deterioration of low-income neighborhoods, a problem that plagues the country, she said. 

However, making modifications that increase the health, safety, and independence of its clients is the organization's most important goal.  

One resident, Sherleen Brown, 41, had the kind of situation that appealed to Rebuilding Together’s mission. Brown lives in a two-story Berkeley house with her mother, who has Alzheimer's Disease, and her sister, who has Multiple Sclerosis and is confined to a wheelchair.  

Before the 60 Rebuilding Together volunteers came and went, she had a wooden ramp that was soft and rotting. Now, it’s been reinforced with concrete so she can trust it with her sister. 

“I really appreciate the work that’s being done, that everyone lends a hand and volunteered their time,” she said. 

Volunteers also repainted her house, put in grab bars and linoleum floors, and fixed her plumbing so that they could have hot water again, even though she did not ask for any of those improvements.  

Since 1991, the Berkeley-Albany-Emeryville chapter has rehabilitated 268 homes and over 63 community facilities. It is part of the national organization that has been around since 1973.  

With the organization’s standing and success, the public support seems to be getting stronger. 

“We had the mayor [of Berkeley] doing errands and the chief of police doing carpentry,” said Davis. “We had great public support. Nobody wants to see [our clientele] lose their independence or be unsafe in their home.” 

Last April 2000, volunteers completed about $84 million worth of work nationwide.  

In Berkeley, Davis said that many interested individuals volunteered. Many more came from a variety of different organizations.  

At Brown's house, for example, the Berkeley Fire Department teamed up with Fantasy Records, an independent jazz record label, and Pi Kappa Phi, a fraternity from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Many businesses or groups “adopt” houses by donating $3,000, the average cost of material and program expenses. Other funding comes from charitable foundations or smaller. 

This year, Rebuilding Together received a record-breaking amount of corporate donations and participation, according to Davis.  

OAKLAND — Dozens of state legislators, more than a million state workers – and even Gov. Gray Davis may be indirectly profiting from California’s power woes. Calpers, the state retirement and pension system, has more than a billion dollars invested in power generators. 

KTVU reports Calpers holds more than $250 million of Enron stock, almost $153 million of Duke Energy, $90 million of El Paso Energy and $62 million in Reliant Energy. 

The governor and other lawmakers have threatened to investigate power producers for gouging California consumers. Many energy producers have been reporting record profits during the power crisis. Jim Knox, of California Common Cause, said Calpers should look at divesting its stock if the companies are profiting at the expense of California consumers. 

“I assume their Enron and Reliant stock has done quite well in the last couple of years, but it has done well at the expense of California consumers,” he said. 

But Pat Macht, a Calpers spokeswoman, says if Calpers were to divest of every stock that had a critic, it would be impossible to manage. 

Sen. Don Perata, D-Oakland, agreed with Macht. 

“We have been through this before – and it is a very complicated thing,” he said. “But for us to divest of all the energy stocks, I mean, we would be using candles.” 

In the past, Calpers has divested from South African and tobacco stocks. 

Macht said the decision was a purely financial one and that Calpers is so large it has investments in every sector – not just energy. 

It is important to point out that there is no direct conflict of interest for the governor or for any legislature, KTVU reports.

SAN JOSE — A small digital rights management company filed a lawsuit Thursday against Microsoft Corp., claiming patent infringement. 

InterTrust Technologies Corp., a Santa Clara-based provider of software and services to help businesses protect their content over the Internet, filed the suit in federal court in San Jose. The five-page lawsuit alleges that Microsoft’s digital rights management software being distributed to the public through its Windows Media Player program violates a patent that was issued to InterTrust on Feb. 6. 

InterTrust, an $8 million-a-year company founded 11 years ago, says it holds 18 patents in the field of digital rights management, and 40 others are pending. 

DRM technology has gained more attention as the protection of digital content has become a hot-button issue as consumers are accessing more and more material from the Internet, such as popular songs through Napster Inc.’s Web site. 

“Microsoft has innovated in the area of digital rights management for many years, and it’s unfortunate that InterTrust has chosen to resort to the courts rather than compete in the marketplace,” said Jim Cullinan, spokesman for the Redmond, Wash.-based company. 

Cullinan did not have further comment. The suit seeks an injunction and monetary damages.

SAN FRANCISCO — Chief federal energy regulator Curtis Hebert has made it his refrain: Price caps on wholesale electricity will hinder, not help, California’s energy crisis. Price caps will discourage the construction of desperately needed new power plants. 

But some power generators say that California’s dearth of energy supplies, and its growing demand, make it a good place to build more plants and sell more power in the years to come – even with price caps. 

“Regardless of what the (market) structure turns out to be, the state’s going to need electricity and it’s going to need to buy it from somebody,” said Bill Highlander, spokesman for San Jose-based Calpine Corp. 

Calpine is investing about $4 billion in power plants over the next four years. They will generate 9,000 megawatts, enough for more than 6 million homes. The state’s current energy crisis “hasn’t really changed our plans or our strategy,” he said. 

Eight of the 13 new power plants approved in California already are under construction. Twelve more are under review, according to the California Energy Commission, which approves power plants. 

CEC spokesman Rob Schlichting said that’s a huge boost over the last decade, when uncertainty over the rules of deregulation kept applications down. 

“The only way price caps would scare away investment is if they were set so low you couldn’t make a profit,” Schlichting said. “It’s still a market that people seem to want to come in and produce power for.” 

Other companies still planning to invest in California include North Carolina-based Duke Energy, which has two plants in the works, and Houston-based Reliant Energy, which is negotiating with the state to sell power on long-term contracts. 

Reliant’s spokesman, Richard Wheatley, wouldn’t say whether price caps alone would inhibit the company from building more plants. 

The state has talked about taking over power plants through eminent domain and implementing a windfall profits tax. Attorney General Bill Lockyer is offering a bounty for evidence of price collusion. If California wants to encourage construction, it’s got to tone down its demonization of the industry and stop adding more restrictions, Wheatley said. 

“Whenever we go into an area and consider building a power plant, we have to look at the economics of the facility, we have to look at the regulatory situation, esoteric things like what the mindset is like,” he said. “California is not the easiest place in which to do business.” 

Some power companies have invested so much in pipelines, gas reserves and plants already under construction that it would be folly to bail out. 

“We want to build in California, but we need to have regulatory stability or at least regulatory clarity to move these things forward because they’re half-billion dollar projects in some cases,” said Tom Williams, a spokesman for Duke. “That’s a lot of bananas.” 

Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Gordon Smith, R-Ore., introduced legislation Tuesday ordering the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to impose a temporary price cap in the 11 Western states. They hope to keep prices down in the short-term and give California and other troubled states a breather to make long-term decisions. 

FERC, of which Hebert is chairman, remains opposed to price caps, but after months of complaints, the board this week is considering a limited cap on the most expensive last-minute power buys. 

The proposal would cap California but not the rest of the West, and order wholesalers to sell to the state during the most extreme power shortages.  

Though it provides some cushioning, it does not address the high prices California swallows the rest of the time. That’s the point of Feinstein’s bill. 

“The crisis point is this summer to next summer and we need some federal assistance,” said Howard Gantman, spokesman for Feinstein.  

“This would assure the generators a reasonable profit and continue to spur on further investment into new plants.”

DANA POINT — Women who get regular mammograms may reduce their risk of dying from breast cancer by more than 60 percent — about twice the amount seen in large formal studies, according to a new analysis by the American Cancer Society. 

While there is little argument that mammograms are worthwhile, especially for women after menopause, the study suggests they may do substantially more good than most experts had assumed up to now. 

“Women should be told that if they get regular screening, they will reduce their risk of dying from breast cancer by about two-thirds,” said epidemiologist Robert A. Smith, the society’s director of cancer screening. 

He presented the data Monday at a cancer society meeting in Dana Point. They will be published in the May 1 issue of the journal Cancer. 

Seven landmark studies in North America and Europe have shown that mammograms save lives.  

Together, they suggest regular screening lowers the risk of breast cancer death by about 30 percent. 

However, these studies, conducted mostly in the 1970s and 1980s before mammograms became routine, may have underestimated the true benefit. 

The reason: Some women in the studies who were offered screening refuse to get mammograms, while others in the unscreened comparison groups sought out mammograms on their own. This diluted the difference between those who got mammograms and those who did not. 

The latest analysis sought to see what happened to those who actually get mammograms. It was conducted in two counties in Sweden where the use of these screening tests is very high. 

It found that those who comply with screening recommendations reduce their risk of dying from breast cancer by 63 percent when compared to the early 1970s, when mammograms were not routinely done. 

Some have questioned whether improving breast cancer survival results from catching the disease earlier through screening or from better treatments. 

However, Smith said the data suggest that screening accounts for nearly all the benefit.  

This is because no significant increase in survival is seen over time in either breast cancer patients who are too young for mammograms or among older women who refuse to get them. 

“This is a controversial point, but they make it fairly cogently,” said Dr. Marilyn Leitch of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “The contribution of treatment advances is there. But I think a large part of the improvement is related to the screening benefit.” 

The study was based on 6,807 women aged 20 through 69 who were diagnosed with breast cancer over 29 years in the Swedish counties of Dalarna and Ostegotland. Of these, 1,863 died of the disease. 

The researchers compared mortality rates in three time periods: 1968 to 1977, before mammograms were introduced; 1978 to 1987, when mammograms were offered to half of the women in the two counties in a large study; and 1988 to 1996, when mammograms were available every two years to all women over age 40. 

During the most recent period, 85 percent of the women got regular mammograms.  

By comparison, Smith estimates that between 50 percent and 60 percent of U.S. women get mammograms that frequently. 

Looking only at women who get screened opens the possibility of what researchers call selection bias. The worry is that those who get mammograms are already healthier than those who do not. It’s their good habits, not their mammograms, that make them live longer. 

However, Smith said this is unlikely to have made a big impact on the reduction seen in the study.  

When the researchers look at all women in the two counties, not just those who got mammograms, the risk of dying from breast cancer has fallen 50 percent since the 1970s. 

On the Net: 

Cancer society: http://www.cancer.org 

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp