Families from all over the East Bay joined Berkeley residents for a daylong Fourth of July celebration at the Marina Wednesday.  

The alcohol-free event, which organizers predicted would attract from 5, 000 to 6,000 people during the day and as many as 60,000 for the evening’s fireworks, offered a variety of activities, many of which were designed for children.  

Some of the festivities took place in the sailing club parking lot, where a few dozen organizations and food vendors set up their booths. Across the street, organizers had erected a stage on a lawn, where Professor Gizmo, a colorful one-man band, kicked off the event playing accordion, cymbals and harmonica simultaneously thanks to a peculiar multi-task instrument. A group of belly dancers followed, and the program would later include Oakland blues artist Birdlegg and Latin music. 

The rest of the activities took place near the Shorebird Nature Center, where dozens of people laid out blankets, set up chairs and fired up barbecue grills on the picnic area. A Berkeley Police Department booth took fingerprints that children could take home with them, which would help police if the child was ever reported missing. A group of musicians formed a “community drumming circle” and there was space for Frisbee, football, and volleyball. Kids who felt more creative could become carpenters for a few hours, building and painting wooden structures at Adventure Playground.  

Little in this fifth daytime Fourth of July event at the Marina evoked the historic significance of the national holiday. A clown dressed in the colors of the American flag, and the stage decorations were the only indicators this was a patriotic celebration. At the beginning of the afternoon, event promoter Lisa Bullwinkel, said a statement would be read from Sen. Barbara Boxer talking about what the Fourth of July means for the community, but more than anything the celebration was a family friendly event, an opportunity for people to relax and have fun. 

And to many people indeed, that is what the Fourth of July is all about. 

When asked what this holiday means to him, Jimmy Fuentes, a Mexican American who lived his whole life in Berkeley and attends the Marina celebration with his wife and two children every year, answered: “En verdad, fiesta...It’s just to take the family out and enjoy the sun.” 

To Scott Kellstedt, father of two, the Fourth of July means the same. “It means summer,” he said, before adding that it had not always been that way for him. A native of New England, Kellstedt sees a difference between the way the national holiday is celebrated in his home state and in California. 

“The Fourth of July in New England is much more patriotic, much more giving that feeling of how important that event is in our history. Here in California it just seems like a summer holiday.”  

Kellstedt said when he was a kid, he would put a copy of the Declaration of Independence on his bike, ride to the Fourth of July parade, and salute when soldiers went by. 

Bullwinkel said part of the reason for the local lack of patriotism could be that, in Berkeley, people enjoy much more freedom than residents of other areas, and therefore give less weight to the original meaning of Independence Day. “ (The Fourth of July) is about life liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” she said. “In Berkeley, we make sure that we have all these rights in a big way, so some people think that celebrating the Fourth of July in Berkeley is a little patriotic and hokey.” 

However, even in the liberal Bay Area, there are still people who demonstrate their attachment to the value of the nation’s history. Cookie and Cote Reese, a couple of musicians from El Cerrito, stuck out of the crowd. Dressed in colorful Fourth of July costumes, they came to the Marina attracted by the program, but that was not their only motivation to celebrate. 

“It’s independence day, it’s the moment when this country was formed and became an entity,” said Cookie Reese. “The country is the way it is because of that break with the colonial power. We’re very aware of that.” 

Thursday, July 5

Public Works Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Discussion and possible action regarding adoption of a new street-sweeping policy. 

Housing Advisory Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. 

The Rental Housing Safety Program will be among the items under discussion. 

Summer Noon Concerts 2001 

Noon - 1 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza 

Shattuck at Center St. 

Weekly concert series. This week Capoeira Arts Cafe and company, Brazilian extravaganza. 

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 “What do we/can we expect from the Church?”  

654-5486 

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 

Bear Safety 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Learn how to travel in bear country without mishap. Wilderness guide Ken Hanley will discuss the characteristics of black bears and grizzlies for anyone venturing into their territories. Free. 

527-4140 

Quit Smoking Class 

6 - 8 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis Street 

A six week quit smoking class. 

Free to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 or e-mail at: quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

James Joyce Conference 

9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 

Clark Kerr Campus 

2601 Warring Street 

Part of a week-long conference entitled “Extreme Joyce/Readings On the Edge.” Today includes panels on Dubliners, Ulysses, Marginal Feelings in Joyce, and Joyce and Anarchy. From 4 - 5:30 p.m. workshops and reading groups on Teaching Joyce. $15 - $25. 642-2754  

Community Environmental  

Advisory Commission 

7 p.m. 

2118 Milvia Street 

First floor conference room 

Among agenda items, a follow up on arsenic in playgrounds and the California Environmental Quality Act and Skate Park tank enforcement. 

705-8150 or 644-6915 (TDD) 

Friday, July 6

Disability Awareness and  

Outreach Committee 

1 - 3 p.m. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Building 

2180 Milvia Street 

Maple Room (Third Floor north) 

Agenda includes guidelines for accessibility of special events 

Therapy for Trans Partners  

6 - 7:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center for Human Growth  

2712 Telegraph Ave. (at Derby)  

A group open to partners of those in transition or considering transition. The group is structured to be a safe place to receive support from peers and explore a variety of issues. Intake process required. Meeting Fridays through August 17.  

$8 - $35 sliding scale per session  

Call 548-8283 x534 or x522 

Strong Women: The Arts,  

Herstory and Literature 

1:15 - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

Taught by Helen Rippier Wheeler, this is a free weekly cultural studies course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program. Today, view the 1939 movie “The Women.” Free.  

Call 549-2970 

James Joyce Conference 

9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 

Clark Kerr Campus 

2601 Warring Street 

Part of a week-long conference entitled “Extreme Joyce/Readings On the Edge.” Today includes panels on Ulysses, Ireland and the Politics of Culture, Joycean Border-Crossings, and Joyce and Frank Zappa. $15 - $25.  

642-2754 

James Joyce Conference  

Closing Banquet 

6 - 11 p.m. 

UC Faculty Club 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Joycean entertainment and dancing. Reservations required, call 415-392-1137. 

Homage to Chiapas 

7 p.m. 

Ecology Center 

2530 San Pablo Avenue 

Bill Weinberg, author of “Homage to Chiapas.” 

548-2220 

Saturday, July 7

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

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

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 548-3333 

Sunday, July 8

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

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

Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute Open House 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Free introduction to Tibetan Buddhist culture, including: Prayer wheel and meditation garden tour, Tibetan yoga demonstration, information on Tibetan art project, class and program counseling and a talk on “Relaxation and Meditation.” Followed at 6 p.m. by “Mind and Mental Events.” Free.  

Buddhist Psychology 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Sylvia Gretchen on “Mind and Mental Events.” Free. 843-6812 

West Berkeley Market 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Ave., between 3rd and 4th  

Opening day for the new, family-oriented West Berkeley Market. 

Crafts, music, produce, and specialty foods. 654-6346 

— compiled by Sabrina Forkish and Guy Poole 

Waving the flag no simple matter for Asian Americans 

By Ling-Chi Wang 

Pacific News Service 

In May, Oregon Congressman David Wu – the nation’s first and only Asian American member of the House of Representatives – was invited to the U.S. Department of Energy to deliver a speech to Asian Americans in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. 

But he was stopped at the door by a security guard who asked – several times, the Congressman says – if he was an American. Wu offered his identity card showing he was a member of Congress. The guards still denied him entry. 

Eventually, a supervisor intervened and Wu and an aid were allowed to enter the building so that he could give his talk about Asian American community progress during the last 200 years. 

The Energy Department claims the question is asked of everyone entering, but Wu’s colleague, Congressman Michael E. Capuano, passed the door the next day by simply checking a box on a form. 

For most Chinese Americans, this was another illustration of how pervasive racial profiling has become, and how paranoid our government is in its dealing with any Chinese Americans. 

An outraged S.B. Woo, key founder of the 80/20 Initiative, a Chinese American political action committee, urged every Chinese American to buy an American flag and hang it out the window or display it in the front yard on July 4. 

S.B. Woo is a former lieutenant governor of Delaware and a professor of atomic and molecular physics. His deep admiration for American democracy gave him a vision of many thousands of Chinese homes festooned with American flags sending out the message that “we too are Americans.” 

But no sea of flags can uproot America’s deep racism against Chinese Americans. Professor Woo fails to recognize this. He should know that citizenship and loyalty don’t involve flag-waving or pledges of allegiance. They come from the exercise of our rights under the U.S. constitution. 

Flag-waving has particular significance for older Chinese Americans because, during the 1950s and 1960s, they were compelled to raise the flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan) on every ceremonial occasion to prove their loyalty to the U.S. Why? Because flying the ROC flag also signified their hatred of Taiwan and America’s then-number-one enemy, “Red China.” 

No amount of American flag raising will prevent what happened to Congressman David Wu – who may well wear an American flag pinned on his lapel, and has lots of flags in his offices in Washington, D.C. and in Portland. 

Only courageous actions, not words – definitely not flag-flying – will get us anywhere. Silence and meaningless gestures mean acceptance of second-class citizenship. 

Accused Los Alamos scientist Dr. Wen Ho Lee also has an American flag in his home. That did not protect him from being subjected to judicial lynching instigated by the government and to nine months of cruel and unusual punishment. 

Nothing in the U.S. Constitution requires any American to raise a flag in order to establish citizenship or prove loyalty. 

The U.S. Supreme Court has steadfastly overturned the conviction of any American who burned the American flag as an act of protest. Burning of the American flag is an act of desecration and presumably, disloyalty, yet the court sees it as a legitimate expression of commitment to the Bill of Rights and patriotism. 

I am not advocating flag-burning, but I do not think people should hang their American flags on July 4. Both are legitimate exercises of free speech guaranteed by the Constitution. 

PNS Contributor Prof. Ling-Chi Wang is Chair of the Ethnic Studies Department at the University of California at Berkeley. 

Oxford Street opponents of Beth El should have purchased property 

Editor: 

Regarding the letter “Good deeds” (7/3), the author must be laboring under the old prejudicial conundrum that all Jews are obscenely wealthy and their temples are lined with gold.  

I am not a member of temple Beth El, but I know many of their congregants and they are elderly and on fixed incomes. The younger members are struggling financially to provide their children with a good education.  

To ask the Temple to sell its newly acquired property to the City of Berkeley for $1 is ridiculous!  

The Temple must have already spent a small fortune to purchase the land and to do studies, drawings and engineering to protect the ecology of the land and to try to satisfy their new neighbors.  

On the other hand I have noticed hundreds of signs saying “Save Codornices Creek” and they are in front of typically expensive Berkeley hills homes. If each of these concerned home owners were to ante up a few hundred or more dollars, they could have easily purchased this choice property and kept the Temple “out of my backyard...any place but not in my backyard!”  

A. Broudy  

Berkeley

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

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology “Approaching a Century of Anthropology: The Phoebe Hearst Museum,” open-ended. This new permanent installation will introduce visitors to major topics in the museum’s history. “Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” ongoing. This exhibit documents the culture of the Yahi Indians of California as described and demonstrated from 1911 to 1916 by Ishi, the last surviving member of the tribe. $2 general; $1 seniors; $.50 children age 17 and under; free on Thursdays. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Ave. 643-7648  

Lawrence Hall of Science “Science in Toyland,” through Sept. 9. Exhibit uses toys to demonstrate scientific principles and to help develop children's thinking processes. “Space Weather,” through Sept. 2. Learn about solar cycles, space weather, the cause of the Aurorae and recent discoveries made by leading astronomers. This interactive exhibit lets visitors access near real-time data from the Sun and space, view interactive videos and find out about a variety of solar activities. “Within the Human Brain,” ongoing. Visitors test their cranial nerves, play skeeball, master mazes, match musical tones and construct stories inside a simulated “rat cage” of learning experiments. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. Space Weather Exhibit now - Sept. 2; now - Sept. 9 Science in Toyland; Saturdays 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. 642-5132 

Berkeley Opera “Carmen” by Georges Bizet, Jonathan Khuner conducting, July 13 through July 22. Final production of the season. Russell Blackwood directs the opera which is sung in a new English adaptation by David Scott Marley. Special Family Matinee: “How an Opera is Put Together,” July 8, 2 p.m. $10 general; $5 children under 14. $30 general; $25 seniors; $15 youths and handicapped; $10 student rush. Friday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 7 p.m.; July 14, 2 p.m.; July 22, 7 p.m. Julian Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave., Berkeley. (925) 798-1300, (510) 841-1903 or www.berkeleyopera.com 

Albatross Pub Music at 9 p.m. unless noted otherwise. July 5: Keni “El Lebrijano.” 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473  

Jupiter “Post Junk Trio” July 7: 8 p.m. “Beatdown with DJs Delon, Yamu, & ADD1” July 12, 19, 26: 8 p.m. Chilled-out downtempo beats and cutting-edge visual displays. “Ben Krames & Candlelight Dub” July 6: 8 p.m., “Salvation Air Force” July 11: 8 p.m., Sizzling “hard-acid-free-groove jazz” Enjoy beers and beats under the stars. www.jupiterbeer.com; or call the hotline: THE-ROCK (843-7625) 

Freight & Salvage July 6 and 7:Ferron $18.50; July 8: Ambuya Beauler Dyoko, Zimbabwean thumb piano (mbira) music $16.50; July 12: Kevin Welch, Kieran Kane, Renegade Country $16.50; July 13: Jeremy Cohen's Violinjazz Vintage string swing $16.50; July 14: Tim O'Brien and Darrell Scott, American roots music $18.50; July 15: Carol McComb, Sterling originals $17.50 Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 1111 Addison St. 548-1761 or 762-BASS or www.thefreight.org 

Ashkenaz July 6: 9:30 p.m., Ras Midas, Junior Jazz, Native Elements,Reggae. $11; July 7: 9:30 p.m., Kotoja, Dance lesson with Comfort at 9 p.m. Afro-beat. $11; July 10: 9 p.m., Anoush, The Kolevs, Balkan music with an 8 p.m. dance lesson by Steve Kotansky. $10; July 11: 9 p.m., Mz. Daa and Blues Alley, West Coast swing and blues with an 8 p.m. dance lesson by Nick and Shanna. $8; July 12: 9 p.m., Boubacar Traore, Delta blues, Mali-style with this string master. $12; July 13: 9:30 p.m., Tamazgha, Middle Eastern. $10; July 14: 9:30 p.m., Paul Pena, Zulu Exiles, Tuvan throat singing and township jive. $12.1317 San Pablo Ave 525-5099 www.ashkenaz.com 

924 Gilman St. July 7: The Stitches, Real Mackenzies, The Briefs, The Eddie Haskells, The Spits; July 13: Special Duties, Oppressed Logic, Violent Society, Zero Bullsh*t, Born Dead; July 14: Lonely Kings, Onetime Angels, Stay Gold, Thought Riot, Youth Gone Wild; July 15, 5 p.m.: Bobbyteens, Los Rabbis, Finky Binks, Off Balance, $5. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St. 525-9926. 

Rose Street House of Music July 13: 8 p.m. “Doria Roberts & Making Waves” Featuring special guest slam poet Aya de Leon. $8-20 donation. No one turned away for lack of funds. 

Live Oaks Concerts Berkeley Art Center, July 15: David Cheng, Marvin Sanders, Ari Hsu; July 27: Monica Norcia, Amy Likar, Jim Meredith. All shows at 7:30 unless otherwise noted Admission $10 (BACA members $8, students and seniors $9, children under 12 free) 

The Starry Plough Pub July 6: Deke Dickerson and The Eccofonics $8; July 7: Faun Fables, Majesty's Monkey $6; July 12: The Clumsy Lovers, Mad Hannan, $6; July 13: Drums and Tuba, Mega Mousse, $7; July 14: Jerry Joseph and The Jackmormons, The John Shipe Band $7 

Sunday and Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:45 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck Ave. 841-2082. 

Theater 

“Do You Hear What I Am Seeing?” July 5: 7:30 p.m. One man show by David Norris, a two-hour sampling of Joyce’s works with Norris’ insights. Part of the week-long conference “Extreme Joyce/Reading on the Edge.” $10. Julia Morgan Theater 2640 Collage Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Passionate Words Passionate Moves” July 5: 8 p.m. Latin American dance and storytelling in Spanish. 

“Romeo and Juliet” Through July 14, Thurs. - Sat. 8 p.m. Set in early 1930s just before the rise of Hitler in the Kit Kat Klub, Juliet is torn between ties to the Nazi party and Romeo’s Jewish heritage. $8 - $10. La Val’s Subterranean Theater 1834 Euclid 234-6046 

“A Life In the Theatre” Runs through July 15. Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. David Mamet play about the lives of two actors, considered a metaphor for life itself. Directed by Nancy Carlin. $30-$35. $26 preview nights. Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant 843-4822 

“The Laramie Project” Through July 22: Weds. 7 p.m., Tues. and Thur. -Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. (After July 8 no Wednesday performance, no Sunday matinee on July 22.) Written by Moises Kaufmen and members of Tectonic Theater Project, directed by Moises Kaufman. Moises Kaufman and Tectonic members traveled to Laramie, Wyo., after the murder of openly gay student Matthew Shepherd. The play is about the community and the impact Shepherd’s death had on its members. $10 - $50. The Roda Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2015 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Iphegenia in Aulis” Through August 12: Sat. and Sun. 5 p.m. No performances July 14 and 15, special dawn performance on August 12 at 7 a.m. A free park performance by the Shotgun Players of Euripides’ play about choices and priorities. With a masked chorus, singing, dancing, and live music. Feel free to bring food and something soft to sit on. John Hinkel Park, Southhampton Place at Arlington Avenue (different locations July 7 and 8). 655-0813 

Exhibits 

“Watershed 2001” Through July 14, Wednesday - Sunday Noon - 5 p.m. Exhibition of painting, drawing, sculpture and installation that explore images and issues about our watershed. Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893 

Rachel Davis and Benicia Gantner Works on Paper Through July 14, Tues. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Watercolors by Davis, mixed-media by Gantner. Opening reception June 13, 6 - 8 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 www.traywick.com 

Constitutional Shift Through July 13, Tuesdays - Fridays, noon - 5 p.m. Permanence and personal journey link Hee Jae Suh, Ursula Neubauer and Marci Tackett. Korean-born Suh explores an inner psychological world with a dramatic series of self-portraits. Neubauer explores self-portraiture as a travel map of identity with multiple points of view. Tackett explores Antarctica’s other-worldly landscape in a series of stunning digital photographs. Kala Art Institute 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 

“The Trip to Here: Paintings and Ghosts by Marty Brooks” Through July 31, Tues. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 1 a.m. View Brooks’ first California show at Bison Brewing Company 2598 Telegraph Ave. 841-7734  

Bernard Maisner: Illuminated Manuscripts and 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 

“New Visions: Introductions 2001” July 12 - August 18, Wed. - Sat.: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Juried by Artist- Curator Rene Yanez and Robbin Henderson, Executive Director of the Berkeley Art Center, the exhibition features works from some of California’s up-and-coming artists. Reception July 12 from 6 - 8 p.m. Pro Arts 461 Ninth St., Oakland 763-9425 

“Geographies of My Heart” Collage paintings by Jennifer Colby through August 24; 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) 

“Queens of Ethiopia: Intuitive Inspirations,” the exceptional art of Esete-Miriam A. Menkir. Through July 11. Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 3023 Shattuck Ave. 548-9286 ext. 307 

“The Decade of Change: 1900 - 1910” chronicles the transformation of the city of Berkeley in this 10 year period. Thursday through Saturday, 1 - 4 p.m. Through September. Berkeley History Center, Veterans Memorial Building, 1931 Center St. Wheelchair accessible. 848-0181. Free.  

Readings 

Cody’s 7:30 p.m. July 9: Sheila Kohler reads “Children of Pithiviers”. Kohler is also the author of “Cracks”. $2 donation; July 10: 7:30 p.m. Mandy Aftel talks about her book, “Essence and Alchemy”. $2 donation; July 12: 7:30 p.m., Carol Muske-Dukes reads “Life After Death”; July 14: 7:30 p.m., Alexander Cockburn and John Strausbaugh discuss Cockburn’s book “Five Days That Shook the World” and Strausbaugh’s “Rock ‘Til You Drop” ; July 15: 7:30 p.m., Jimmy Santiago Baca discusses “A Place to Stand”; July 16: 7:30 p.m., “Critical Resistance to the Prison-Industrial Complex” A panel discussion. Organizers and participants in the 1998 Berkeley conference Critical Resistance produced a special issue of the journal Social Justice, about the prison industrial complex.  

$2 donation. 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-0837 

Cody’s 1730 Fourth St. July 12: 7 p.m., Debra Levi Holtz, “Of Unknown Origin”; July 13: 7 p.m., Joe Di Prisco reading “Confessions of Brother Eli”  

$2 donation. 559-9500 

Weekly Poetry Nitro Mondays 6:30 p.m. sign up, 7 - 9 p.m. reading. Performing poets in a dinner atmosphere. June 25: Featuring Steve Arntsen; July 2: Featured artist April Ipock. Cafe de la Paz 1600 Shattuck Ave. 843-0662 

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  

Dance 

Jupiter “Strictly Tango” July 10: 8 p.m. Dale Meyer heads up this ensemble as they perform original compositions and dance-style tangos. www.jupiterbeer.com or call the hotline: THE-ROCK (843-7625)

The Board of Education will consider a resolution to investigate the use of biodiesel fuel for its school buses tonight, at the last regular meeting before the board’s one month summer recess. 

Biodiesel fuel is made from vegetable oil and the recycled oil of deep fryers, like the kind McDonald’s uses for its French fries.  

Studies by the EPA have found that vehicles using biodiesel fuel emit up to 80 percent less pollution into the atmosphere than vehicles burning petroleum-based fuel. 

Berkeley’s 10 recycling trucks already run on 100 percent biodiesel fuel.  

School buses in Phoenix, Ariz., and Medford, N.J., have shifted to the fuel as well. 

The resolution on the school board’s agenda tonight calls for school district staff to report back to the board by October on the possible benefits of a shift to biodiesel fuel, and any financial implications. 

Also at tonight’s meeting, the board could vote to approve staff recommendations that call for a public hearing to be held in September to reexamine the district’s 2001-2002 budget.  

Citizen members of a board advisory committee are calling for the hearing, arguing that the district’s budget information was so disorganized in the days leading up to the budget’s passage that there may well be pools of money that were not properly accounted for. 

District staff argue in their recommendation to the board they will have all their final budget information in place by September, enabling them to give the board and the public a clear picture of any extra funds that may have become available.  

The hearing would give the public a chance to weigh in on how extra funds ought to be spent. 

A number of board members are on record saying they would move first to fund teaching positions cut from the high school this spring if funds become available. 

Other ideas floated by board members for where unexpected funds ought to be directed next year include: to increase the district’s custodial budget; to add one administrative position at Berkeley High; to restore two middle school safety officers who were terminated as part of this spring’s budget cuts; and to fund the creation of an Emergency Disaster Plan.

No self-respecting James Joyce scholar would fail to be in Dublin on June 16, 2004; but this year, anyway, Berkeley is the place to be. 

Joyce, the Irish novelist who probably changed the face of literature more than any other person this century, has something of  

a following.  

By setting his master-work, “Ulysses,” on June 16th, 1904 - an un-newsworthy day in Dublin when most everything happens in the minds of those you meet - Joyce revealed the everyday as epic poetry.  

As a result, the day’s a holiday. Called Bloomsday (after the protagonist of “Ulysses,” Leopold Bloom), it’s the day all the Joyceans will see the road rise up to meet them on their way to Dublin in 2004 for the centennial celebration and accompanying literary conference.  

But this year the Joyce conference, called “Extreme Joyce/ Reading on the Edge,” is in Berkeley. 

“We have people here from Uruguay, Germany, Spain, France, England, Ireland and all over the states. This conference occurs every year,” said UC Berkeley English professor, John Bishop, one of the conference organizers. “Every odd numbered year in North America, every even year in Europe, and it floats from city to city.  

“Last year it was in London, year before in Charleston, S.C., year before that in Rome, Bishop said. “So this is Berkeley’s turn to play host to all the people who play host to us.”  

The conference is taking place at UC Berkeley’s Clark Kerr campus throughout the week, and Tuesday night the program brought a number of performers to the Krutch Theater from the Bay Area and far beyond.  

Interwoven with some Irish singers performing the traditional ballads and limericks Joyce’s work is full of, the night was highlighted by a drama and a set of dramatic readings from Joyce’s work. 

The drama, performed by Rory Johnston’s Strolling Players, presented a collection of excerpts from Joyce’s last and most-difficult work, “Finnegans Wake.” 

“That ‘Finnegans Wake’ play was the West Coast premier of a play that was written by the Irish playwright, Denis Johnston,” Bishop said. “The director is the playwright’s son. It was kind of hard to follow if you don’t know Joyce’s work, so I wish it had been set up better.”  

The set of dramatic readings were entitled “Joyce’s Women.” They enlivened, with a welcome passion and sensuality, some of the richest passages in all of Joyce’s work. Performed by the Bay Area Bloomsday Players, a quartet of women who - transplants from Ireland, garbed in period dress - had brogues to accompany them.  

“(Grania Flanagan) did a good job of reading Molly (Bloom from ‘Ulysses,’) and that reminded me of what a strong feeling Joyce had for, let’s say, the physical actuality of a woman’s life,” said Sheldon Brivic, professor of English at Temple University and author of “Joyce’s Waking Women: An Introduction to Finnegans Wake.”  

“Even though (Joyce) was born in the 19th century and had certain old-fashioned attitudes,” Brivic said, “his attention to the psychological lives of women was very important. It influenced and impressed a lot of women at the time, (especially) women writers.” 

Some might wonder who comes to these things - if it’s just academics, or maybe just people with a stunning likeness to Joyce - but Bishop says there are others.  

“There’s many academics or people who are really devoted to Joyce, but there’s also a lot of lay people,” Bishop said, “who come regularly, who are unaffiliated with the schools at all. They may be into the arts, or just interested.”  

Of course, the term “lay people” begs comparison to a certain type of religious commitment, and the Joyceans don’t deny it. 

“(The Joyce Scholar) Fritz Senn said studying Joyce is a great substitute for life,” Brivic said with a grin. “I’ve been studying Joyce for 35 years. It’s something that engages, keeps you discovering new things. I’ve written four books on Joyce, and I’m doing something else right now, but I hope to get back to it.” 

Michael O’Shea, professor of English at Newberry College in South Carolina, perceived a distinct difference between students of Joyce and those who spend their time with other authors. 

“Of all the literary groups I’ve been involved with, this one seems able to retain a sense of enjoyment of literature,” O’Shea said. “The work is serious in the sense of being rigorous, methodical, thoroughly-researched and examined, but most of the people working with Joyce’s texts retain a sense of humor and retain the capacity to weave that humor into their work.” 

They look a little more ragged than they do on their respective campuses, where, wearing their collared-shirt uniforms, they stride absently between desks and podiums.  

This week they wear blue jeans, beat-up sneakers and conference t-shirts, shabbily tucked, which say things like “Extreme Joyceans” or “Unmitigated Joyce.” They look like kids with lollipops. Their candy – James Joyce.  

So is the Joyce conference the literary equivalent of a religious gathering, a world entered yearly by a group of devotees who find true community perhaps only with each other? 

“‘Ulysses’ is about two people who are alone, and they come together at the end and sit down and drink cocoa and talk,” Bishop said. “So I think Joyceans - just because they like the book - are drawn toward the value of communion and coming together. Everybody I know that comes to these things, or almost everybody, likes joke-telling and song-telling and nonsense and being a little off-color – the things that Joyce is.”  

He looked across the verandah of Krutch Theater to the staircase and the people milling out and off towards downtown and Beckett’s Irish Pub to rejoin the rest of the crowd.  

“We also have kind of a bash,” he said. 

Tonight: A two-hour, one-man show, sampling Joyce’s work along with commentary, performed by Trinity College Don and Joyce Scholar David Norris. Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Avenue Admission: $10. Call the box office at 925-798-1300 

WALNUT CREEK — State officials say they will attempt to shut down a pharmacy believed to be the source of cortisone shots tainted by meningitis that caused three deaths. 

The Attorney General’s Office filed a petition Tuesday alleging Doc’s Pharmacy in Walnut Creek used inadequate sterilization equipment and improperly used equipment, contributing to the May 11 contamination, the Contra Costa Times reported. 

Up to 38 people received the shots at two Contra Costa outpatient clinics.  

Of those, 13 were hospitalized following the injections, five of whom contracted meningitis, including the three that later died. Twenty-five other patients continue to be monitored and receive care. 

The petition alleges “gross negligence” by the pharmacy and its owner, Robert Horwitz. It says Horwitz did not supervise the technician who prepared the batch of shots and that she did not properly sterilize her hands. 

Horwitz is scheduled to appear before an administrative law judge in Oakland on Friday.  

Officials say they will seek to shut down the pharmacy and to suspend Horwitz’ pharmacy license until a hearing is held. 

“There has been a significant departure from the standard of care here that we believe poses an extreme threat to public health,” said Lloyd Paris, a deputy attorney general working on the case.

EL SEGUNDO — Aviation experts building a flying replica of the world’s first airplane have found the Wright stuff was a little wrong. 

Orville and Wilbur Wright made four brief flights Dec. 17, 1903, marking the first time a manned, heavier-than-air plane sustained powered flight. That same day, a gust of wind mangled their handmade aircraft and it never flew again. 

Now, new research on the 1903 Flyer – including by Air Force test pilots who flew a jet modified to behave like the original plane – shows the beginnings of aviation could well have meant the death of the Wrights that winter day. 

“I’d say it was almost a miracle they were able to fly it,” said Jack Cherne, a TRW Inc. engineer who is chairman of the Wright Flyer Project, sponsored by the Los Angeles chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. 

The group is one of at least three nationwide that aim to complete flying reproductions in time for the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ flights near Kitty Hawk, N.C. 

None, however, has accumulated the wealth of data that the AIAA group has on the 1903 Flyer, which was later reconstructed and is now on display at the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. 

“It’s like balancing a yardstick on one finger, two at one time. If you lose it, it goes – quickly,” said Fred Culick, a professor of aeronautics at the California Institute of Technology who is first in line to pilot the plane. 

The exercise also humbled Air Force test pilots, each with hundreds of hours of experience flying the world’s most advanced aircraft, when they recently tried their hands at the stick. 

“Every pilot, his first try, crashed the simulator. It took less than a second. That’s how quickly it gets away from you,” said Capt. Tim Jorris, one of a small group of pilots at Edwards Air Force Base who took turns flying the simulator as part of a senior project. 

The pilots eventually took to the skies in a Learjet 24D programmed to fly like the original Flyer. Most had to rely on a computer-assisted stability augmentation system to keep the business jet aloft. 

“I thoroughly cannot imagine the Wright brothers, having very little experience in powered aircraft, getting this airborne and flying,” said Major Mike Jansen. “My respect for what they did went up immediately the first time I took the controls.” 

As the project’s members begin work on the replica they intend to fly, perhaps as early as next summer, they are tweaking the Wrights’ original design to improve the plane’s performance. 

Modifications will include changes to the plane’s airfoil, or shape of its wings, and its canard, which will boost its stability in the crucial pitch axis. A more powerful Volkswagen engine will drive the twin propellers. And a computer feedback system will assist the pilot in keeping the plane aloft. 

The “stand-off” replica will ultimately seem virtually identical to the original to the casual observer. 

“The only point to this is to give the public the impression of the first flight — repeatedly and safely,” Culick said. 

Ken Hyde, a retired American Airlines pilot who is spearheading his own effort to complete a flying reproduction, said straying from the original design defeats the purpose of honoring the Wrights. 

Hyde said his The Wright Experience flyer would change nothing from the original design, except the quality of some materials. He hopes to learn to fly the airplane — while tethered in a Virginia wind tunnel — before attempting to leave the ground. 

“What is the purpose of changing the airplane in the first place? You’re not going to learn their secrets of how they were able to develop flight in such a short time,” Hyde said. “It’s certainly not a tribute to them; it’s a tribute to us today.” 

Members of the AIAA group said their effort balances authenticity with safety. 

“We want the experience, but we don’t want to kill ourselves,” said Cherne, who worked on the Apollo moon missions. 

——— 

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

OPEC’s decision not to increase oil output beyond current levels offered little to cheer consumers, but some energy analysts suggested that motorists and buyers of home heating oil might still benefit if Iraq moves quickly to resume its crude exports. 

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed Tuesday to stick with its existing production quotas and to meet again in September to review market conditions at that time. 

The cartel braced for softer crude prices as Iraqi President Saddam Hussein showed a willingness to resume the oil shipments he suspended a month ago in a dispute with the United Nations. 

“Maybe Saddam has done the American consumer a favor,” said Peter Gignoux, head of the petroleum desk at Salomon Smith Barney in London.  

“I guess the consumer comes out the winner in this because prices will come down.” 

The head of Iraq’s OPEC delegation, Saddam Hassan, told reporters earlier that Baghdad was prepared to renew its daily exports of 2.1 million barrels of oil “within a week” – if the U.N Security Council extends the oil-for-food humanitarian program for Iraq without any reference to a proposal to overhaul sanctions. 

Iraq had vigorously objected to the U.S.-backed British proposal. In the face of Russian opposition, Britain abandoned the plan in favor of a simple rollover of the oil-for-food program now in effect. 

On Tuesday, the Security Council voted to extend by five months the oil-for-food program, which allows Baghdad to sell unlimited amounts of oil provided revenues are used to buy food, medicine and other essentials. 

Afterward, Iraq’s U.N. Ambassador Mohammed al-Douri declined to say whether Baghdad will accept the extension and resume its oil exports.  

He said a reference in Tuesday’s resolution to a prior June 1 resolution, which refers to the U.S.-British plan, “is unacceptable in principle.” 

OPEC president Chakib Khelil told a news conference that a resumption in Iraqi exports might have a short-term “psychological” impact on oil markets but added that OPEC expected prices to stabilize later in July and August whether or not Iraq comes back to market. 

“There was a complete consensus on not increasing production at this stage,” he said after the OPEC meeting. 

OPEC pumps about two-fifths of the world’s oil, with an official production of 24.2 million barrels a day. 

Several oil ministers played down Iraq’s potential impact on prices. 

“It’s just another source of supply and we have said we will handle either shortage or glut in the market,” Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali Naimi told reporters just before the meeting. Saudi Arabia is OPEC’s biggest producer. 

Naimi foresaw an increase in seasonal demand for crude as refiners begin processing heating oil for sale this winter. 

“We will probably see (inventory) withdrawals in the next few months,” he said. 

Mehdi Varzi, senior energy consultant at London-based investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, agreed that oil prices were unlikely to collapse if Iraq restores the exports it suspended on June 4. 

He said, “I don’t see why prices should spike, unless there’s a rebound in the world economy.” 

OPEC delegates plan to meet again Sept. 26 to review market conditions at that time.  

A possible decrease in demand due to the slowing U.S. economy and a downturn in growth in Europe was “our main concern,” OPEC Secretary-general Ali Rodriguez told the news conference. 

Leo Drollas, chief economist at the London-based Center for Global Energy Studies, warned that the rising demand for heating oil was sure to push up crude prices in the fall and winter. 

“The U.S. is out of the woods as far as gasoline is concerned, but in Asia and Europe, the demand for oil is starting to build up again,” Drollas said.

GENEVA — After 15 years of knocking at the door of the World Trade Organization, China is finally on the verge of entering the global trade forum. 

Officials said Wednesday that after six days of talks at WTO headquarters, just about every aspect of terms of membership was settled, clearing the way for China to join the Geneva-based body soon. 

“This meeting has resulted in a major breakthrough in all the issues regarding China’s accession,” said Pierre-Louis Girard, the Swiss diplomat chairing the talks. 

“As a result of this development I think we can with some confidence envisage a wrapping up of this process, which has lasted now for 15 years, in what I hope will be the very near future,” he said. 

Chinese chief negotiator Long Yongtu said he would stay in Geneva until the next round of talks, scheduled July 16, to speed things along. 

The hope is that China’s entry into the WTO can be officially endorsed at November’s ministerial meeting in Doha, Qatar, to add gloss to what are otherwise likely to be tricky discussions on whether to launch a new round of trade talks following the collapse of the Seattle conference in 1999. 

Under this scenario, China would become a full member early next year. 

“After going through this long negotiation process we know it is still not time for celebration, and there is still a lot of work before us,” said Long. 

However, Girard listed a whole series of areas where agreement had been reached, including patents and other intellectual property rights; subsidies; agriculture and antidumping measures. 

One of the outstanding arguments over agriculture was apparently resolved Wednesday, relating to concern felt by developing countries about a U.S.-Chinese deal on agricultural subsidies. 

Under WTO rules, developing countries have the right to subsidize 10 percent of agricultural output, but Washington refused to accept that figure for China. The two nations finally agreed on 8.5 percent. 

India, South Korea and Malaysia were concerned that this may set a precedent, and might even prompt the United States to demand stricter subsidy terms for developing countries across the board in the future. 

They therefore insisted that the final WTO agreement must contain a sentence stating that the U.S.-China bilateral deal does not set a precedent. Washington rejected this. 

Girard refused to elaborate on the nature of the compromise. But he said that the wording of the WTO text would make it clear that the agricultural subsidy commitments “are solely those of China and will not prejudice developing countries existing rights or future negotiations.” 

The biggest remaining problem to finalizing the Chinese terms of entry appeared to be over what constitutes a “branch” of a company — an issue linked to U.S. insurance giant AIG. 

Under the membership agreement, new companies entering the life insurance market in China must have 50 percent Chinese ownership. 

AIG claims that it is exempt from this because it is already doing business in China. It is not clear whether a new AIG office would be a branch of the head office or would constitute a new company — in which case the 50 percent ownership rule would apply. 

The issue has caused strife between the United States and the European Union, which insists that the same rules must apply to all insurance companies. EU companies operating in China are joint ventures, with a high level of Chinese ownership. 

Beyond the WTO-wide talks, China is still trying to settle a bilateral deal with Mexico. That also may hold up the process as other nations wait to see the details of the Mexican agreement. 

Other countries waiting to join the 141-nation WTO include Russia, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. 

———— 

On the net: 

World Trade Organization — http://www.wto.org 

“Discretionary” money is a rare bird these days in the jungle of school finances. 

As the Berkeley Unified School District’s budget continues to shrink, central office staffers are doing all they can to pull in new state and federal grants to bolster the funding at various school sites. 

In some cases schools are entitled to state and federal money – based on enrollment and income levels – that comes earmarked for specific programs. In other cases, the district must file a competitive application, describing in minute detail what it plans to do with funds, and then wait with fingers crossed as the first day of school looms larger and larger on the horizon. 

But what about money for those ideas that teachers hatch over the summer? What about money for a “Classroom Publishing Center,” so students can truly grasp the power of the written word; or a few hundred dollars for a sculpture class that exposes students to an entirely different form of expression. 

How about field trips to Aquatic Park, the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, or the public library? How about $50,000 to support an unprecedented, community-driven effort to help failing high school freshman get back on track? 

Money for these kinds of things very likely would not exist if it were not for the Berkeley Public Education Foundation. 

The foundation was founded in 1983, just five years after Proposition 13 capped local property taxes, leaving parents and others to watch in despair as local school funding dried up. 

“If you think the (school) board meetings are tough today, they were pretty horrendous (in the early ’80s),” said Berkeley Public Education Foundation Executive Director Mary Friedman. 

Friedman witnessed the change as her three children passed through Emerson elementary school from 1973 to up until 1986. At the beginning of the period, Friedman said, “It was how a school is supposed to be.” There was art and music instruction twice a week for every class. There was a nurse and a P.E. specialist and more.  

By the mid-’80s, all of it had fallen victim to budget cuts. 

Friedman and a number of her friends got so fed up with watching the school board approve cut after cut that they decided to form the Berkeley Public Education Foundation.  

Although former school board member Steve Lustig helped spearhead the movement to launch the foundation, the level of public discontent with the school board ran so high at the time that Friedman et al decided to keep the foundation completely separate from the board. Its mission was to give direct support to Berkeley’s public school teachers, and show them how much they were appreciated by the community. 

In its first few years, the foundation was a modest affair. In the 1984-85 school year it gave away $6,684 to help schools buy extra books and begin to build “school gardens.” The following year the number doubled to $13,298, with the money going again towards books, maps and extra science equipment. 

For contributions, Friedman used any list she could get her hands on: lists of neighborhood residents; lists of parents at certain schools; lists of parents associated with particular sports teams. For an office, she used her dining room table. 

“It was very primitive,” Friedman said. 

But the money poured in at an increasing rate. The wake of Proposition 13 was so devastating, Friedman said, that all through the eighties there was a heightened awareness about the need to direct more money back into schools, in any way possible. When the state government gave a tax rebate in 1988, for example, the foundation raised $120,000 by asking people to hand their rebate checks over to the foundation. 

All around the state, “Local Education Foundations” like the Berkeley Public Education Foundation were popping up, giving the communities a way to come together and lend support to schools, whether financial or otherwise. 

“You had programs being cut that people really thought were important and were counting on,” said Susan Sweney, executive director of the California Consortium of Education Foundations. 

“Most of the foundations (there are over 400 in California today) got started with something being cut, or (people) wanting to do some creative, innovative things that they couldn’t do,” Sweney added. 

As the Berkeley Public Education Foundation grew, it took on a leadership role around issues of education in the community. When it looked like the district would have to go a year with no music program at all in the mid-’90s (until new funding kicked in through the Berkeley Educational Excellence Project (BSEP) parcel tax), the foundation raised $300,000 in six months and presented it to the school board. The program was saved. 

“That’s the best kind of campaign,” Friedman recalled with evident pride. “When you’re just looking at bridge funding.” 

A few years later, the foundation launched a campaign to raise the money needed to fully fund the district’s ambitious plans for the new Rosa Parks school, created through months of meetings and consultation with the people living in the neighborhood around the school.  

Before becoming involved in a project, Friedman said, “We need to see that the people who are going to benefit most directly are really committed.” 

Tapping foundations, businesses and individual donors, the Berkeley Public Education Foundation was able to raise the $1.1 million needed to move forward with the construction of Rosa Parks. 

The foundation has helped with other spontaneous fund raising campaigns over the years. It has grown from a organization of concerned outsiders to an organization that partners closely with the school board and even has an office in the district’s central administrative building. 

And all the while the foundation has continued to pump discretionary funding to Berkeley teachers, one at a time, for everything from Winter Mountaineering lessons, to a lesson meditating on “African Oral Tradition & Walt Disney.”  

In the 2000-2001 school year, the Berkeley Public Education Foundation contributed $717,209 in classroom grants, money for the Longfellow Theater remodeling, and money for the Berkeley High Health Center.  

The dollar amounts may not be staggering, but the base of community support that the foundation represents for school initiatives is invaluable, according to Sweney. 

“Really it isn’t a lot of money,” Sweney said. “What it is, is money that has no strings on it. It’s discretionary. That’s what makes it very powerful. 

“It’s money that allows a community to do something that they think is very important.”

Tuesday, July 3

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 Don, 525-3565 

James Joyce Conference 

9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 

Clark Kerr Campus 

2601 Warring Street 

Part of a weeklong conference entitled “Extreme Joyce/Readings On the Edge.” Today includes panel on Finnegans Wake as well as looking at issues such as Joyce and carnality, computers, border-crossings, and cinema. From 4 - 5:30 p.m. workshops and reading groups on Teaching Joyce.  

$15 - $25. 642-2754  

Landmarks Preservation Commission 

4 p.m. 

Civic Center Park 

MLK Jr. Way and Center Street 

Review of the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Repair and Rehabilitation of Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park. 

705-8111 or 644-6915 (TDD) 

Wednesday, July 4 

Ice Cream Social 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley 

Part of the Lawrence Hall of Science Wednesday FUN-days. Bring your own picnic, ice cream provided by LHS. Free museum admission today with a library card, regular admission $3 - $7. 

642-5132  

4th of July at the  

Berkeley Marina 

Noon - 10 p.m. 

Families are invited to picnic on international food, hit the beach, take free sailboat rides, get their faces painted or relax with a massage. People can decorate their bikes at the Shorebird Nature Center and participate in the Decorated Bicycle Parade at 7 p.m. Madame Ovary’s egg puppets will perform and Adventure Playground will be open all day. Wacky Art Cars will be on display. Music begins at 2 p.m. with Zambombazo 2; Bird Legg and the Tite Fit Blues Band come on at 5 p.m.; Kollasuyo it at 7 p.m. and MotorDude Zydeco’s at 9 p.m. Fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Cars in by 7 p.m. when street closes to traffic, out only after 10 p.m. Free admission. No alcohol. Sponsored by the city. 548-5335 

Thursday, July 5

Public Works Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Discussion and possible action regarding adoption of a new street-sweeping policy. 

Housing Advisory Commission 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. 

The Rental Housing Safety Program will be among the items under discussion. 

Summer Noon Concerts 2001 

Noon - 1 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza 

Shattuck at Center St. 

Weekly concert series. This week Capoeira Arts Cafe and company, Brazilian extravaganza. 

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 “What do we/can we expect from the Church?” 654-5486 

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 

Bear Safety 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Learn how to travel in bear country without mishap. Wilderness guide Ken Hanley will discuss the characteristics of black bears and grizzlies for anyone venturing into their territories. Free. 

527-4140 

Quit Smoking Class 

6 - 8 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis Street 

A six week quit smoking class. 

Free to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 or e-mail at: quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

James Joyce Conference 

9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 

Clark Kerr Campus 

2601 Warring Street 

Part of a week-long conference entitled “Extreme Joyce/Readings On the Edge.” Today includes panels on Dubliners, Ulysses, Marginal Feelings in Joyce, and Joyce and Anarchy. From 4 - 5:30 p.m. workshops and reading groups on Teaching Joyce. $15 - $25. 642-2754  

Community Environmental  

Advisory Commission 

7 p.m. 

2118 Milvia Street 

First floor conference room 

Among agenda items, a follow up on arsenic in playgrounds and the California Environmental Quality Act and Skate Park tank enforcement. 

705-8150 or 644-6915 (TDD) 

Friday, July 6

Therapy for Trans Partners  

6 - 7:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center for Human Growth  

2712 Telegraph Ave. (at Derby)  

A group open to partners of those in transition or considering transition. The group is structured to be a safe place to receive support from peers and explore a variety of issues, including sexual orientation, coming out, feelings of isolation, among other topics. Intake process required. Meeting Fridays through August 17.  

$8 - $35 sliding scale per session  

Call 548-8283 x534 or x522 

Strong Women: The Arts,  

Herstory and Literature 

1:15 - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave.  

Taught by Helen Rippier Wheeler, this is a free weekly cultural studies course in the Berkeley Adult School’s Older Adults Program. Today, view the 1939 movie “The Women.” Free. Call 549-2970 

James Joyce Conferenc 

9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 

Clark Kerr Campus 

2601 Warring Street 

Part of a week-long conference entitled “Extreme Joyce/Readings On the Edge.” Today includes panels on Ulysses, Ireland and the Politics of Culture, Joycean Border-Crossings, and Joyce and Frank Zappa. $15 - $25.  

642-2754 

James Joyce Conference  

Closing Banquet 

6 - 11 p.m. 

UC Faculty Club 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Joycean entertainment and dancing. Reservations required, call 415-392-1137. 

Homage to Chiapas 

7 p.m. 

Ecology Center 

2530 San Pablo Avenue 

Bill Weinberg, author of “Homage to Chiapas.” 

548-2220 

Saturday, July 7  

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

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

Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

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

548-3333 

Sunday, July 8 

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

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

Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

Tibetan Nyingma Institute Open House 

3 - 5 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Free introduction to Tibetan Buddhist culture, including: Prayer wheel and meditation garden tour, Tibetan yoga demonstration, information on Tibetan art project, class and program counseling and a talk on “Relaxation and Meditation.” Followed at 6 p.m. by “Mind and Mental Events.” Free.  

Buddhist Psychology 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Sylvia Gretchen on “Mind and Mental Events.” Free. 

843-6812 

West Berkeley Market 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Ave., between 3rd and 4th  

Opening day for the new, family-oriented West Berkeley Market. 

Crafts, music, produce, and specialty foods. 

654-6346 

Monday, July 9 

Draft Environmental  

Impact Report for UC Berkeley Northeast Quadrant project 

7 - 8:30 p.m. 

105 North Gate Hall 

UC Berkeley 

Public hearing on the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Northeast Quadrant Science and Safety Projects, which will replace old, seismically poor research facilities with modern, safe structures. 

642-7720 

Tuesday, July 10 

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 Don, 525-3565 

Writing and Resistance  

In A Culture of Amnesia 

6 - 7:45 p.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Avenue 

Classroom #2 

Part of a workshop series on concepts and strategies for resistance through the spoken and written word, taught by Joyce E. Young. $12. 

849-2568 www.lapena.org 

Wednesday, July 11 

What’s Cooking? 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley 

Part of the Lawrence Hall of Science Wednesday FUN-days. Fun experiments you can do in your own kitchen. Museum admission $3 - $7. 

642-5132 

“Global Banquet”  

7:30 p.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Avenue 

Part of the Anti-Globalization series. Tonight a presentation of “Global Banquet,” a look at farmers both local and in developing countries trying to survive in the global economy. Discussion led by Anuradha Mittal. Small donation requested. 

849-2568 www.lapena.org 

Thursday, July 12 

Summer Noon Concerts 2001 

Noon - 1 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza 

Shattuck at Center St. 

Weekly concert series. This week East Bay Science and Arts Middle School evoke the sounds of Trinidadian Carnival with a steel drum performance. 

(gp) 

Hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Slide Presentation. 

Twenty years in the making, the 150-mile Tahoe Rim Trail is now complete. Tahoe Rim Trail Association board member Trena Bristol joins TRT through-hikers Steve Andersen and Art Presser for a slide presentation on great day hikes and backpacking trips on the TRT. Free. 

527-4140 

(gp) 

Quit Smoking Class 

6 - 8 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis Street 

A six week quit smoking class. 

Free to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 or e-mail at: quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Remediation of Under Prescribing  

Pain Medication 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1902 Hearst Avenue 

A public hearing on AB 487, Remediation of Under Prescribing Pain Medication, with Assemblywoman Dion Aroner, medical experts, and patients. 

540-3660 

art.SITES SPAIN 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop and Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Avenue 

Sidra Stitch, author of “art.SITES SPAIN: Contemporary Art and Architecture Handbook,” will present a slide show and talk on the most recent trends in art and architecture in Spain. Free. 

843-3533 

Friday, July 13 

Therapy for Trans Partners  

6 - 7:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center for Human Growth  

2712 Telegraph Ave. (at Derby)  

A group open to partners of those in transition or considering transition. The group is structured to be a safe place to receive support from peers and explore a variety of issues, including sexual orientation, coming out, feelings of isolation, among other topics. Intake process required. Meeting Fridays through August 17.  

$8 - $35 sliding scale per session  

Call 548-8283 x534 or x522 

Strong Women; The Arts, Herstory and Literature 

1:15 - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

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

Call 549-2970 

Saturday, July 14 

Sunday, July 15 

Hands-On Bicycle Repair Clinics  

11 a.m. - Noon  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

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

527-4140 

Buddhist Practice 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Mark Henderson on “Fearlessness on the Bodhisattva Path.” Free. 

843-6812 

(gp) 

Second Annual Wobbly High Mass 

7:30 p.m. 

La Pena Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck (@ Prince St.) 

Presented by Folk This! and friends, an evening of musical satire, subversion and sacrilege. This year’s theme is “Reclaiming Tomorrow,” a historical journey toward a future society without classes or bosses. 

$8 

849-2568 

West Berkeley Market 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Ave., between 3rd and 4th Streets  

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

654-6346 

Monday, July 16 

Tuesday, July 17 

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 best vacations, trips, and travel experiences. 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 

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 Don, 525-3565 

Berkeley School Volunteers 

10:30 a.m. - noon 

1835 Allston Way 

Orientation for volunteers interested in helping in academic and recreation programs being held in Berkeley public schools this summer. 

644-8833 

Writing and Resistance  

In A Culture of Amnesia 

6 - 7:45 p.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Avenue 

Classroom #2 

Part of a workshop series on concepts and strategies for resistance through the spoken and written word, taught by Joyce E. Young. $12. 

849-2568 www.lapena.org 

(gp) 

Wednesday, July 18 

Blisters No More: Finding the Proper Boot Fit 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

REI footwear expert Brad Bostrom will show you how to make your feet more comfortable out on the trail. Bring your boots and socks to this interactive clinic. Free. 

527-4140 

(gp) 

Berkeley Communicator Toastmasters Club 

7:15 a.m. 

Vault Cafe 

3250 Adeline 

Learn to speak with confidence. Ongoing first and third Wednesdays each month. 

527-2337 

Ice Cream Day at LHS 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley 

Part of the Lawrence Hall of Science Wednesday FUN-days. Make your own ice cream and compare it to a commercial brand. Museum admission $3 - $7. 

642-5132 

(gp) 

Support Group for Family/Friends  

Caring for Older Adults 

4 - 5:30 p.m. - 3rd Wednesday of each month 

Alta Bates Medical Center  

Herrick Campus 

2001 Dwight Way 

3rd floor, Room 3369B (elevator - B) 

The group will focus on the needs of the older adult with serious medical problems, psychiatric illnesses, substance abuse, and their caregivers. Facilitated by Monica Nowakowski, LCSW. 

Free. For more information call 802-1725 

Thursday, July 19  

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 meeting will be a game night.  

654-5486 

Summer Noon Concerts 2001 

Noon - 1 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza 

Shattuck at Center St. 

Weekly concert series. This week The Waikiki Steel Works perform vintage acoustic Hawaiian steel guitar music. 

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 

(gp) 

Quit Smoking Class 

6 - 8 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis Street 

A six week quit smoking class. 

Free to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 or e-mail at: quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

(gp) 

Backpacking Yosemite’s High Country 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Slide Presentation. 

Marvin Schinnerer will share highlights from two favorite trips out of Yosemite’s Tuolumne Meadows. Free. 

527-4140 

Berkeley School Volunteers 

3 - 4:30 p.m. 

1835 Allston Way 

Orientation for volunteers interested in helping in academic and recreation programs being held in Berkeley public schools this summer. 

644-8833 

Friday, July 20  

Therapy for Trans Partners  

6 - 7:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center for Human Growth  

2712 Telegraph Ave. (at Derby)  

A group open to partners of those in transition or considering transition. The group is structured to be a safe place to receive support from peers and explore a variety of issues, including sexual orientation, coming out, feelings of isolation, among other topics. Intake process required. Meeting Fridays through August 17.  

$8 - $35 sliding scale per session  

Call 548-8283 x534 or x522 

Strong Women; The Arts, Herstory and Literature 

1:15 - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

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

Call 549-2970 

Saturday, July 21 

(gp) 

Ohtani Bazaar 

4 p.m. - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley Higashi Honganji Temple 

1524 Oregon Street 

Games, prizes and activities for children. Japanese food will be available. Free admission. 

236-2550 

Sunday, July 22 

(gp) 

Ohtani Bazaar 

Noon - 7 p.m. 

Berkeley Higashi Honganji Temple 

1524 Oregon Street 

Games, prizes and activities for children. Japanese food will be available. Free admission. 

236-2550 

Buddhist Practice 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Jack Petranker on “Going Beyond the Way We Live Now.” Free. 

843-6812 

West Berkeley Market 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Ave., between 3rd and 4th Streets  

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

654-6346 

Tuesday, July 24 

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 Don, 525-3565 

Round-the-World Journey 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop and Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Avenue 

Brad Newsham, author of “Take Me With You: A Round-the-World Journey to Invite a Stranger Home,” will present a talk and slide show. Newsham took a 100-day trip through the Philippines, India, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and South Africa looking for a stranger to bring to America. Free. 

843-3533 

Writing and Resistance  

In A Culture of Amnesia 

6 - 7:45 p.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Avenue 

Classroom #2 

Part of a workshop series on concepts and strategies for resistance through the spoken and written word, taught by Joyce E. Young. $12. 

849-2568 www.lapena.org 

Wednesday, July 25 

Toymaker Day 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley 

Part of the Lawrence Hall of Science Wednesday FUN-days. Make toys out of recycled materials with artists from the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse. Museum admission $3 - $7. 

642-5132 

Thursday, July 26 

Summer Noon Concerts 2001 

Noon - 1 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza 

Shattuck at Center St. 

Weekly concert series. This week The Brazilian Workshop under the direction of Marcos Silva, Jazzschool students perform traditional Brazilian music. 

(gp) 

Quit Smoking Class 

6 - 8 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis Street 

A six week quit smoking class. 

Free to Berkeley residents and employees. 

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

(gp) 

Wilderness First Aid 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Jim Morrisey, senior instructor at Wilderness Medical Associates, will teach you the basics of field repair for the human body: Blisters, wounds, fractures, lightning strikes, snake bites and more. Free. 

527-4140 

(gp) 

Ancient Native Sites of the East Bay 

7:30 p.m. 

Room 160 Kroeber Hall, University of California Campus 

Andrew Galvan, an Ohlone Indian and co-owner of Archaeor, will discuss and share the benefits of osteological studies of prehistoric human skeletal remains. Prof. Ed Luby, research archaeologist for the Berkeley Natural History Museums, will discuss his work on mortuary feasting practices. $10 

841-2242 

Southeast Asia and Japan 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop and Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Avenue 

William Ford, author of “Southeast Asia and Japan: Unusual Travel,” will present a talk and slide show of his adventure travels. Free. 

843-3533 

Return of the Zapatour 

7 p.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Avenue 

Members of the Chiapas Support Committee report on their trip to Chiapas, including slides and videos. $8 - $15. 

849-2568 www.lapena.org 

Friday, July 27  

Therapy for Trans Partners  

6 - 7:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center for Human Growth  

2712 Telegraph Ave. (at Derby)  

A group open to partners of those in transition or considering transition. The group is structured to be a safe place to receive support from peers and explore a variety of issues, including sexual orientation, coming out, feelings of isolation, among other topics. Intake process required. Meeting Fridays through August 17.  

$8 - $35 sliding scale per session  

Call 548-8283 x534 or x522 

Strong Women; The Arts, Herstory and Literature 

1:15 - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

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

Call 549-2970 

Saturday, July 28 

Sunday, July 29 

Hands-On Bicycle Repair Clinics  

11 a.m. - Noon  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Learn how to adjust your brakes from one of REI’s bike technicians. All you need to bring is your bike. Free  

527-4140 

Buddhist Teacher 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Eva Casey on “The Life of Padmasambhava.” Free. 

843-6812 

West Berkeley Market 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Ave., between 3rd and 4th Streets  

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

654-6346 

Tuesday, July 31 

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 Don, 525-3565 

Wild Women Travel Writers 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop and Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Avenue 

An evening with members of the Wild Women Travel Writers’ Group, authors of “Wild Writing Women: Stories of World Travel,” will read from their book and conduct a panel discussion on the “Art of Travel Writing.” Free. 

843-3533 

Writing and Resistance  

In A Culture of Amnesia 

6 - 7:45 p.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center 

3105 Shattuck Avenue 

Classroom #2 

Part of a workshop series on concepts and strategies for resistance through the spoken and written word, taught by Joyce E. Young. $12. 

849-2568 www.lapena.org

Throw the rascals out; vote third party in 

Editor: 

It seems that none of the state legislators who voted for deregulation of the power industry will be running for re-election. So how are we going to turn the rascals out? 

Simple. Just remember that all the politicians who got us into this mess were members of either the pro-business Republican Party or the pro-business Democratic Party. If we can’t vote against individual rascals, we can vote against the two parties who joined hands to perpetrate this outrage. 

But since you can only vote against someone by voting for someone else, we need to have a party on the ballot that is not responsible for the current energy mess. 

The Peace and Freedom Party is close to having enough voters registered as its supporters to regain its ballot status.  

Voter registrars are reporting a big swing in registrations away from the two major parties and into the independent category. But the “Declines to State” classification will not be putting any candidates on the ballot. 

So at this point, a very useful step towards resolving the energy crisis might be to switch our registrations, to get the Peace and Freedom Party back on the ballot. 

Marion Syrek 

Oakland 

Look behind headlines to understand Oklahoma City 

Editor: 

There is a similarity and a difference between the children killed at Waco and the ones killed at Oklahoma City. The similarity is that none of the children deserved to die; the difference is that one of the groups of children was killed by U.S. government agents who are paid by our federal tax dollars. 

While outraged letter writers use the words “monster” or “the devil” to describe McVeigh, you’ll notice none of them used the words “crazy” or “insane” since anyone who saw McVeigh on TV knew these terms didn’t apply. 

I grew up in western New York and attended the same business school as McVeigh (although I had graduated before he was born), served in the U.S. Army overseas (he during the Gulf War era, myself during the Vietnam War era) and am labeled an “Urban Terrorist” by the Feds for my participation and frequent arrests and jail terms for non-violent civil disobedience protesting nuclear weapons and nuclear power. 

What the U.S. media focused on was “what” happened at Oklahoma City rather than “why” it happened.  

My point being that while I don’t condone killing children at Waco or Oklahoma City, I can understand why the former led to the latter. 

Joe Kempkes 

Oakland 

Editor:  

In the true tradition of good works, Beth El should sell the Codornces creek area of its Oxford property to the city for a dollar, and Beth El should scale back the size of its project. This would update Beth El good works to present day living conditions. 

Timely good works today in Berkeley include creek opening and actions to minimize projects that use lots of automobiles - those global warmers and polluters.  

The Beth El help for after school programs and for the elderly are certainly admirable. But the historic tradition of good works includes many instances wherein a doer cites such things as helping the elderly, when the doer would be more relevant to the spirit of good works by taking on a different issue.  

In South Africa of some 15 years ago, for instance, the government touted its wonderful social welfare system for elders.  

The government talked a lot about its help to the elderly.  

But what was needed 15 years ago was good works to change the South African government so that black as well as white seniors in South Africa received the good works.  

It is hoped that Beth El will seize the moment and join forces with others engaged in Berkeley's updated good works, such as opening the creeks.  

Ted Vincent 

Berkeley

The residents of the 19th century Victorian at 1545 Dwight Way would be the first to admit how spacious and attractive their front porch is, but they tend not to sit out on it too much. 

They know what they like about it: the pleasant breeze, the late afternoon and its fade to the colors of twilight. But they want to keep the neighbors at ease and avoid any mistaken ideas. 

“The stigma’s still there,” Tim Falke said. “It would be, ‘Well, they’re just a bunch of drug addicts hanging out on the porch.’ 

“Until I became one, I was saying the same thing. And at the same time I was saying that, I was addicted and I couldn’t quit.” 

Falke is a recovering, prescription-drug addict, and the Dwight Way house, a clean and sober home, is owned, run and under continued renovation by a non-profit organization called STEPS (Sobriety Through Education and Peer Support). 

After completing treatment for drug addiction at a program in Oakland, Falke learned about the STEPS house and thought the peer support there would help his recovery.  

But the name STEPS also stands, in a way, at least, for Gary Ferguson, who founded it. A recovering addict, Ferguson lives in the house and is its community director. 

“There were six people here when we started,” Ferguson said. “Currently there are 15 people, and eight available beds.” 

But before the move-in could even happen in April 2000, Ferguson and others had their work cut out  

for them. 

“This place was filthy,” Ferguson said. “Me and three other board members came in and just did a bunch of stuff.” Then (the non-profit organization) Christmas in April came in and worked on the house. 

Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson attended the open house STEPS hosted last month, and said he liked what he saw. 

“Many of the programs in the county that offer assistance to individuals with alcohol and drug addictions have been started by grassroots individuals who have themselves gone through some of these challenges,” Carson said in a telephone interview Monday.  

“I’ve known Gary for a long time, and he’s going about all these things the right way.” 

Ferguson explained that there had been some misunderstandings about the kind of house it was when the project was first announced. 

“These are the same people that say they’re liberals, and that’s why they came to Berkeley. But when healthcare comes, and this is healthcare,” he said, pointing down to the floor of the kitchen. “When the reality of healthcare comes, they say, ‘Oh, no, what is this a halfway house?’  

“It’s not a halfway house,” Ferguson said, “and that needs to be made clear. It’s a clean-and-sober house for people who choose to live in a clean and sober environment so they can repair some of the things that have happened in their lives.” 

While it’s not a halfway house, rules are strict. Residents must attend two meetings each week and there is random drug testing. If a resident fails, he can reapply once for readmission after an absence of 30 days, Ferguson said. 

Ferguson, like Falke, says he feels no hostility toward the members of the community. He saw very clearly why misconceptions occur. 

“What I can do for that man is show him, through my life, that I have changed,” Ferguson said. “That I have made other choices, that I am an asset to this community, and that I deserve a place in this community just like he does.”  

Ferguson laughed, relating how one neighbor, seeing all the volunteers working to bring the house together, had had a change of heart. 

“He said, ‘Anybody that’s got that many kinds of people helping them work on their house can’t be all that bad, but we got our eye on you.’ And he smiled.” 

Carson said he hoped that the community even more. 

“If there are private organizations like Christmas in April to help them further improve the facility,” Carson said, “that would go a long way towards creating the right kind of environment. 

“They need an environment that doesn’t take them away from the community, and that gives them support and helps them remain productive people,” Carson said. “We need to identify different segments of the community to work as a board, who could help bring resources to this facility.”  

Like any good program director, Ferguson expressed, in his own genial way, the types of assistance the house is still in need of.  

“There’s a bathroom area that needs to be redone,” Ferguson said. “There’s some electrical work that needs to be done as well. 

“We’re asking for carpenters, plumbers, all people of trades to come and help us restore this house to its original beauty so it can change and become beautiful just like the people who are changing inside of it.” 

Bedroom furniture, garden equipment, the needs are plenty. But Ferguson is confident. 

“I’m hoping people (will see us) and say, ‘You know what, man, those people are really trying, not just talking about it. They’re doing their part.’  

“STEPS is doing its part, so I’m hoping we can get people to come and help,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about.”  

STEPS can be reached at 540-5459.

Berkeley Lite’s an occasional column of commentary, illuminating those who’d like to shine us on.  

You’ve seen these commercials on TV. 

Oh, come on, even YOU turn the tube on sometimes. 

There’s this woman from Philip Morris grinning in a helicopter (not a hair out of place, dare I say) as she delivers supplies to (well-dressed) war-ravaged refugees - some smokes, too, I’d wager. Think the ad’ll make us forget loved ones lost to lung cancer?  

Good deeds. There’s the wealthy landlord Reddy, importer of underage girls for his (and allegedly his sons’) sexual greed. The judge took the man’s good works – seems he had a school built in his home town in India – into account when handing down the sentence.  

Charity. Also makes me think of that check-cashing company purchase of 100 dictionaries for Franklin Microsociety School in west Berkeley, an area from which most real banks have long-since fled. Hope the microcity school teaches the young’uns to calculate the interest these places charge. 

Another grammar school lesson: When you put scrawny trees out in the street, some SUV’s gonna clobber them. 

Doesn’t take a scientific genius to figure that out. Well, surprise, a couple of the ah, immature trees – red sunset maples (which will grow up in a quarter of a century) stuck out in the street on University Ave. got knocked over. Our Measure S dollars at work – right?  

All that work building little islands for trees that will be run over and still, the nearby intersection at Shattuck and University avenues remains un-reengineered and dangerous as ever. 

On the brighter side of lite. 

That judge in the Reddy case who knocked time off for “charitable” behavior, also added jail time for the severity of the man’s misdeeds. This part of the ruling actually gave me faith (me of little of that stuff) to see a Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong stand up to the prosecution and defense, which had suddenly become a team- imagine the Giants holding hands with the Dodgers. The guys had struck a deal, a plea bargain in lawyer-babble. The judge, however, said the prosecution-defense agreement failed to take full account the girls’ trauma and Reddy’s attempt to shut witnesses up. Would a male judge have done the same? Hope so. 

In another justice story, remember the local cops who were giving out lattes to people who – mon dieu – obeyed the speed laws. 

Well, I’ve got a better one. How ’bout us simple citizens giving lattes or something to Berkeley’s finest who do 25 in the 25-mile zones posted on our main streets. Ever seen a cop doing 25 on Dwight Way, Ashby or Sacramento? Give him (or her) a latte.  

Or a voucher to the City Hall Cafe. 

That’s the now-empty room on the left when you walk into the newly renovated Civic Center Building. 

More of our tax dollars at work. The powers that be thought someone would want to open a cafe there but, according to Deputy City Manager Phil Kamlarz, cafe owners don’t think they can make a big enough profit from the city hall crowd. Now the city’s looking for someone with a coffee cart - or something. 

Meanwhile, they seem to keep the lights burning bright in the to-be-cafe room.  

I guess it’s just in case some coffee-cart person wants to check it out. 

Or something. 

AT&T Communications of California Inc. is accusing Pacific Bell Telephone Co. of overcharging for access to its local telephone infrastructure to keep competition at bay, according to suit filed Monday in U.S. District Court. 

The suit is a high-stakes dispute in the aftermath of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, a law Congress adopted to open monopolistic phone services to competitors to cut consumer costs. It allowed competitors to build their own infrastructure, buy phone time from their competitors to resell, or lease a competitor’s infrastructure to offer a competing phone service. 

AT&T, along with MCI Worldcom Network Services Inc., allege that San Francisco-based Pac Bell, which controls about 75 percent of California’s residential telephone market, is unlawfully making it too expensive to compete in an area that Congress required opened to competition. 

Pac Bell, a unit of San Antonio-based SBC Communications, the nation’s second-largest local phone company, said the lawsuit’s motive was an effort to thwart or stall Pac Bell’s entrance into California’s $16 billion annual long-distance market. AT&T, MCI and Sprint carry 80 percent of California long-distance phone service. 

“It’s clearly an effort by them to stall our entry,” said Bill Mashek, a Pac Bell spokesman.  

“The rates that we charge our competitors to use our network were set by the Public Utilities Commission here in San Francisco.” 

The suit came nearly a week after Pac Bell asked regulators to allow it to move into the state’s long-distance market. 

Regulators, using a carrot-and-stick-approach, said that Pac Bell could only sign up long-distance customers if it convinces state and federal officials that its local phone market is truly competitive. One provision is that competitors have access to phone lines and other technology to provide their services. 

The suit also contends that the state’s Public Utilities Commission has unlawfully allowed the alleged lofty prices for the competitors to use Pac Bell’s infrastructure.  

AT&T and MCI said that the PUC authorized Pac Bell to charge $1 billion in overhead costs to lease local telephone systems, a figure that is more than double what AT&T and MCI said is necessary. 

An AT&T vice president told The Associated Press that California’s local residential telephone market, which is virtually controlled by Pac Bell, could never be opened to competitors if the courts do not alter the pricing arrangements that the state Public Utilities Commission approved in 1999. AT&T said Pac Bell is authorized to charge more for AT&T to lease equipment than it could recover from residential customers. 

“We have no plans to enter the market ... if prices remain the same,” Rose Johnson, an AT&T vice president, said. “This is not a threat. This is a fact.” 

AT&T, a subsidiary of AT&T Co. of New York, is separately challenging the PUC’s approval of non-overhead costs of leasing the equipment from Pac Bell necessary to offer local phone service. The PUC is reviewing those costs. 

Commission spokesman Armando Rendon said regulators have not seen the suit and could not comment. 

AT&T’s Johnson acknowledged that she hoped the suit could thwart Pac Bell’s application into the long-distance arena until it reduces leasing prices. 

“If they’re allowed into the long distance marketplace while they have these conditions, they will very quickly monopolize,” Johnson said. 

On Wednesday, Pac Bell submitted a 3,000-page application with the PUC in a bid to provide long-distance service in California. The PUC said that it would not make a recommendation to federal regulators for at least two months. 

SACRAMENTO — California enters the third day of the new fiscal year Tuesday without a state budget, while Democrats are faced with rounding up an additional Republican vote because a lawmaker left for a trip abroad. 

Democratic Assemblyman Lou Papan of Millbrae left Sunday morning for a 10-day vacation to Spain. Now, Assembly Democrats must find five GOP votes instead of four to approve a 2001-02 budget by the required two-thirds margin. 

Papan voted for the estimated $101 billion budget three times last week. Each time, Republicans held out over a quarter-cent sales tax issue and the budget failed to gather enough votes in the Assembly. 

The Senate also failed to approve the budget early last week and hasn’t voted on it since. 

Neither chamber took up the budget Monday, and the Senate adjourned until Thursday. 

Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg of Van Nuys ordered members to stay within three hours travel time from Sacramento, but no sessions were scheduled until Thursday. 

Papan, whose district includes south San Francisco, Daly City and Millbrae, is not eligible for re-election next year because of term limits. 

Papan’s office issued a statement Monday that said he scheduled the trip “several months ago,” anticipating the Legislature would meet the June 15 constitutional deadline to approve a state budget. 

A six-member panel of lawmakers negotiating a budget plan did not send a budget to the full legislature until June 22. The June 15 deadline is rarely met and holds no penalties. 

The next missed deadline was Sunday, the day the budget was to take effect. Previous court rulings prevent the state from shutting down if a budget isn’t adopted by July 1. 

Meanwhile, budget negotiations continued Monday among party leaders, but little progress was made. 

As a condition for voting for the budget, Republicans are insisting that the Legislature agree to extend a quarter-cent sales tax cut that is scheduled to expire Jan. 1 because of a sagging economy and lower state budget reserves. 

Allowing the cut to expire would give the state an additional $600 million in the new fiscal year. 

Democratic leaders tried to pick up Republican support for the budget Friday by offering an array of agriculture-friendly and other targeted tax breaks. But GOP lawmakers say they won’t budge on a spending plan that includes a tax increase. 

—— 

On the Net: 

See budget information at http://www.lao.ca.gov 

Papan’s Web site at http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a19/ 

WASHINGTON — Consumers, a key force keeping the economy afloat, continued their vigorous spending in May. That, along with improvements in manufacturing and solid construction activity, made economists more hopeful the country will be able to skirt a recession this year. 

The latest batch of economic news Monday offered encouraging signs for an economy that has been stuck in low gear since last year. 

“There’s light at the end of the tunnel. It may not be a beacon but it’s promising,” said Richard Yamarone, economist with Argus Research Corp. “All three reports are good news and support an economic recovery.” 

Consumer spending, which accounts for two-thirds of all economic activity, rose in May for the second month in a row by 0.5 percent, a better-than-expected showing that came despite the choppy economy and a rash of layoffs. 

The Commerce Department’s report also showed that Americans’ incomes grew by 0.2 percent for the second straight month. The spending and income figures aren’t adjusted for inflation. 

“The consumer has been the economy’s savior,” said Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisors. “Neither rain, nor heat nor lack of income will stay the consumers from their rounds of spending money.” 

Meanwhile, a key gauge of industrial activity in June turned in its best performance in seven months. Even with the improvement, the measure was at a level indicating that the manufacturing sector of the economy remained in recession. 

The National Association of Purchasing Management said its purchasing index rose to 44.7 percent from 42.1 percent in May. An index above 50 signifies growth in manufacturing, while a figure below 50 shows contraction. June’s 44.7 percent reading was the highest since 47.9 percent in November. 

Analysts were heartened that the index regained some lost ground and were hopeful that the worst of the manufacturing recession may be over. 

“Manufacturing remains weak but is firming,” said Merrill Lynch economist Stan Shipley. 

In a third report, construction spending rose by a bigger-than-expected 0.3 percent in May, following a 0.4 percent rise. Lower interest rates have helped keep the industry stable during the slowdown. 

All of May’s strength came from spending on big government projects, such as schools and highways, and increased spending on housing. 

To stave off recession, the Federal Reserve has slashed interest rates six times this year. The most recent reduction, of a quarter-point, came last week. The other five cuts were each by a bolder half-point. 

Economists predict that the economy in the recently ended second quarter will probably hit its lowest point since the slowdown began in the second half of last year. Many believe the economy grew by a barely discernible rate of 0.5 percent in the April-June quarter. 

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has said one of the biggest factors determining whether the country will skirt a recession is how well consumers hold up during the slowdown. 

With Monday’s reports, economists said they are increasingly hopeful the economy will rebound near the end of the year as the Fed’s interest-rate cuts and Congress tax-cut refunds take hold. 

The increase in consumer spending in May was led by a 1.2 percent jump in purchases of costly manufactured goods, such as cars and washing machines. That followed a tiny 0.1 percent rise in April. 

Spending on nondurable goods such as clothes and food rose 0.5 percent in May, compared with a previous 1 percent increase. Spending on services grew by 0.3 percent for the second month in a row. The services category includes such things as gas and electric utilities, visits to doctors, bus and train fares and rent for housing. 

None of the spending figures are adjusted for inflation. 

With spending outpacing income growth, the personal savings rate — savings as a percentage of after-tax income — dipped from a negative 1 percent in April to a negative 1.3 percent in May, matching a record monthly low set in January. 

The savings rate doesn’t provide a complete picture of household finances because it doesn’t capture gains realized from such things as higher real estate values or financial investments, economists say. 

“Consumers are staying in red and meanwhile keeping the overall economy in the black,” said National Association of Manufacturers President Jerry Jasinowski. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Consumer income and spending: http://www.bea.doc.gov/briefrm/tables/ebr8.htm 

Purchasing managers: http://www.napm.org/ 

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is proposing the first new offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico in more than a decade with plans to offer new oil and gas leases in an area covering 1.47 million acres, Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced Monday. 

Norton said the lease area along the Outer Continental Shelf – at least 100 miles from the shorelines of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi – has enough oil to run a million families’ cars for six years and enough natural gas to heat the homes of a million families for 15 years. 

“Clearly, development of resources in the OCS is an important part of our national energy strategy,” she told reporters. “My decision today represents a very reasonable compromise.” 

A final decision on the sale will be made in October and, if approved, an auction for the leases would take place in December, Norton said. 

Interior officials said they expect the auction to raise $136 million. Since 1982, the government has collected $110.4 billion from its oil leases. Drilling could begin in the next two to 10 years, officials said. 

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said President Bush listened to the people of Florida and worked with governors of states adjoining the Gulf of Mexico to “come out with a plan that is environmentally sensitive and balanced.” 

The area, known as Lease Sale 181, originally covered 5.9 million acres when it was proposed by the Clinton administration in 1997 after consultations with then-Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles. 

Opposition from Florida’s tourist industry and environmentalists delayed the sale. Bush revived the plan when he took office, but it met with immediate opposition from his brother, Jeb Bush, who succeeded Chiles as Florida’s governor. 

Speaking from his parents’ summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, Jeb Bush said the compromise “reflects significant progress in Florida’s fight to protect our coastline.” 

“Any lease sales that do occur in the 181 area will occur off the coast of Alabama, not Florida,” he said. “Floridians have spoken loud and clear, and their voices have been heard by President Bush.” 

Charles Lee, senior vice president of the Florida Audubon Society, said the proposed sale “sounds like a big improvement over what was put on the table in Lease Sale 181. 

“I think most of us would prefer to prevent drilling anywhere in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, but it sounds like it’s moving in the right direction, and the right direction is as far away from Florida as we can get it,” he said. Some environmental groups were still upset. 

“More rigs mean more pipelines and tankers, and thus a higher risk to Florida and Alabama’s coastal economies and fisheries,” said Frank Jackalone, the Sierra Club’s Florida staff director. 

The House, with Florida Reps. Jim Davis, a Democrat, and Joe Scarborough, a Republican, leading the effort, voted last week to block the sale as part of an appropriations bill for the Interior Department. The Senate has not acted on the legislation and it could be September before any ban could become law. 

While the decision reduces the size of the leasing area, Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., expressed worry that it also might foreshadow more drilling and exploration. 

“Now is the time to begin serious consideration of a national energy policy that doesn’t put sensitive coastlines or other environmental systems at risk in order to drain America first,” he said. 

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., called the proposal “the proverbial camel’s nose under the tent — to allow big oil companies into the rest of the Gulf of Mexico.” 

The sale area originally came as close as 17 miles to Pensacola in Florida’s Panhandle. The area being offered for lease was reduced to one-fourth its original size in response to widespread opposition in Florida and from environmentalists nationwide. 

The new lease area would begin 285 miles west of Tampa and would be at least 138 miles from Panama City, Fla. It also is 146 miles from Port Fourchon, La., but only 64 miles from Venice, La., Interior Department officials said. 

Oil and gas rigs now dot the western and central waters of the Gulf of Mexico, but no federal lease has been offered in the eastern gulf since 1988. Officials estimate that the new, reduced lease area contains at least 185 million barrels of oil and 1.25 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. 

All but one of Florida’s 23 House members voted against offshore oil drilling. Many said they now support the administration’s proposal, partly because Florida risked infringing on neighboring states that want the oil leasing revenues. 

“There’s only so far we can push our sovereign rights,” said Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla. “It’s only so long before the state’s going to look a spoilsport in the equation.” 

Scarborough said the House measures last week to delay new leases and to ban new permits for Great Lakes drilling were “political earthquakes for the administration and had a very significant impact on moving them toward the inevitable.” 

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines — A Muslim separatist group said Monday it was looking into an unconfirmed report that its rebels saw members of the extremist Abu Sayyaf moving hostages, including an American the abductors say they beheaded. 

Despite the Abu Sayyaf’s repeated claims to have killed Guillermo Sobero of Corona, Calif., three weeks ago, soldiers scouring Basilan island in the southern Philippines for kidnappers and captives have never found his body. 

Eid Kabalu, a spokesman for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said Monday that its rebels reported seeing the Abu Sayyaf marching hostages through the jungle about 10 days ago, including all three Americans seized at a beach resort May 27. 

Kabalu stressed the information could not immediately be verified, and MILF leaders were seeking a better explanation from rebels in the field. 

“They said they saw the Americans and they were still alive and Sobero was still alive,” Kabalu told The Associated Press by telephone. “We are still trying to verify this.” 

That might take days, he said. 

Kabalu said the Americans were recognizable “by the color of their skin and the shape of their noses.” 

Military chief of staff Diomedio Villanueva said he did not know whether the report was credible. 

“I don’t have any confirmation from our ground troops,” Villanueva told Associated Press Television News. “It will be better if (the MILF) can help us in this matter by bringing out the body or the person of Mr. Sobero.” 

A spokesman for the military’s Southern Command said officials had not given up trying to find Sobero alive. 

“In the absence of concrete proof that he is dead, our position is that he is still alive, and that would add credence to the report of the MILF,” Lt. Col. Danilo Servando said. 

U.S. Embassy officials did not return phone calls. 

The Philippine Daily Inquirer on Monday quoted the MILF as saying Sobero might still be alive. 

The MILF has helped in the past with hostage releases and recently signed a cease-fire with the government. 

The two other American hostages are Martin and Gracia Burnham, a Christian missionary couple from Wichita, Kan., who have lived for years in this impoverished Southeast Asian island nation. 

The Abu Sayyaf says it is fighting for an independent Muslim state. The government calls the group a band of bandits specializing in kidnappings for ransom.

A 78-year-old woman was nearly killed Saturday afternoon when an attempted purse snatch escalated on the 2300 block of McGee Avenue. 

As the victim prepared to leave her home about 3:30 p.m. she noticed a car driving slowly back and forth along her street, said Lt. Russell Lopes, spokesperson for the Berkeley Police Department. When she was about to get into her car, a man allegedly grabbed her from behind, took her purse and ran to the car parked directly behind hers.  

He ran to the same car she had seen driving up and down the block earlier. Lopes said the victim started screaming that her purse had been stolen, and her 60-year-old brother, who shares the McGee Avenue home, ran out and began punching the suspect in the face through the open car window as the suspect attempted to start the car.  

At the same time, the victim opened the passenger door and attempted to retrieve her purse from the seat, Lopes said. When the victim had her upper body in the car the suspect allegedly sped in reverse causing the open car door to deeply cut the victims legs, which caused her to fall and hit her head on the cement.  

Lopes said the suspect then sped away. 

The victim was in stable condition after surgery at Highland Hospital in Oakland.  

Police are still looking for the suspect described as a white or Hispanic male, 26-30 years old, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet 1 inch with black hair in a ponytail driving a blue or gray 1989 to 1991 model two-door car. 

••• 

A man walking home was attacked and cut deeply by a man with a knife near Mabel and 67th streets just after midnight on Saturday. 

Lopes said the victim was approached by a casual acquaintance that accused the victim of owing him $20. The suspect allegedly pulled a folding blade and slashed at the victim, cutting him severely on the right hand. 

The victim was treated at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley and released. No arrests have been made. 

••• 

The manager of the Ramada Inn at 920 University Ave. was arrested for spraying a traveler in the face with an aerosol can of air freshener. 

Lopes said the victim, who lives in Hartford, Conn., was loitering with a group of friends in the lobby of the Ramada Inn when the manager asked him to leave.  

When he refused, the manager allegedly sprayed him in the face with an air freshener burning the victim’s eyes. 

The suspect was arrested and charged with assault with a caustic chemical and the victim, who declined medical attention was served a citation for trespassing. 

Coming off of a rousing victory over Modesto Christian on Friday, the St. Mary’s boys’ basketball team went into the weekend portion of the Cal Basketball Team Camp with hig spirits. But after an easy win over outmanned Mater Dei, the Panthers came crashing back down to earth. 

Going up against Northgate in the first round of the 16-team tournament that ended the camp, the Panthers were the favorites. Even without sophomore DeMarcus Nelson, who injured his knee and back on Friday, St. Mary’s took a quick 9-0 lead in the opening minutes. But Northgate’s 3-2 zone slowed the Panther attack, forcing point guard DeShawn Freeman to dish the ball by denying him penetration, and the Northgate shooters came alive. 

Without Nelson, the Panthers’ pressing defense was a step slow in their second game of the day, leading to several easy layups for the Mustangs. When their wing shooters got hot late in the first half, the Panthers found themselves down by six at halftime. 

It got worse in the second half, as Northgate continued to get open looks as the Panthers scrambled around on defense. They extended their lead to 17 with six minutes to go, and looked assured of a big upset win. Freeman took things into his own hands in the closing minutes, blowing by the defense for several acrobatic layups. But in the end, the best St. Mary’s could do was close the gap to six points with less than a minute remaining. 

“We looked really slow out there today,” St. Mary’s head coach Jose Caraballo said after the loss. “I’m not sure we deserve to win tonight if we play like we just did.” 

But the Panthers still had an inspired effort left in them to close Saturday’s action. They were up against BSAL rival Salesian, who had fallen in overtime to Riordan (San Francisco). The Panthers beat Salesian three times last season, and Chieftan star John Winston plays on the Oakland Soldiers with Freeman, Nelson and St. Mary’s sharpshooter John Sharper, so the teams are very familiar with each other. 

Playing without Nelson and center Simon Knight, who is out for the summer following knee surgery, Freeman and Sharper dominated, leading their team to an eight-point victory in their third game of the day. 

The Panthers didn’t have much rest ahead, however, as the win over Salesian earned them a spot in Sunday’s consolation final four. Facing Bishop O’Dowd, St. Mary’s once again showed why Caraballo feels they are ready to take on the top teams in the state with a dominating 20-point win. 

“This tournament is a good test for us to prove we’re ready to take on the D-1 level schools,” Freeman said. “We’re going to be a force to be reckoned with.”

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins. $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Sundays, Memorial Day through Labor Day) Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

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

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology “Approaching a Century of Anthropology: The Phoebe Hearst Museum,” open-ended. This new permanent installation will introduce visitors to major topics in the museum’s history. “Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” ongoing. This exhibit documents the culture of the Yahi Indians of California as described and demonstrated from 1911 to 1916 by Ishi, the last surviving member of the tribe. $2 general; $1 seniors; $.50 children age 17 and under; free on Thursdays. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Ave. 643-7648  

Lawrence Hall of Science “Math Rules!” A math exhibit of hands-on problem-solving stations, each with a different mathematical challenge. “Within the Human Brain,” ongoing. Visitors test their cranial nerves, play skeeball, master mazes, match musical tones and construct stories inside a simulated “rat cage” of learning experiments. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. Space Weather Exhibit now - Sept. 2; now - Sept. 9 Science in Toyland; June 21: 6 a.m., Solar Eclipse Day Computer Lab, Saturdays 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. 642-5132 

Holt Planetarium Programs are recommended for age 8 and up; children under age 6 will not be admitted. $2 in addition to regular museum admission. “Constellations Tonight” Ongoing. Using a simple star map, learn to identify the most prominent constellations for the season in the planetarium sky. Daily, 3:30 p.m. $7 general; $5 seniors, students, disabled, and youths age 7 to 18; $3 children age 3 to 5 ; free children age 2 and younger. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu  

The UC Berkeley Art Museum is closed for renovations until the fall. 

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for year membership. All ages. July 6: Victim’s Family, Fleshies, The Modern Machines, Once For Kicks, The Blottos; July 7: The Stitches, Real MacKenzies, The Briefs, The Eddie Haskells, The Spits 525-9926  

Albatross Pub Music at 9 p.m. unless noted otherwise. July 3: 9 p.m., pickPocket ensemble; July 4: Whiskey Brothers; July 5: Keni “El Lebrijano.” 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473  

Berkeley Arts Festival June 30: 7:30 p.m. Marvin Sanders and Vera Berheda, plus Mozart, Beethoven, Hadyn and Fuare in the gallery; July 1: 11 a.m., “Free Jazz on the Pier” The Christy Dana Quartet (on the Berkeley Pier). All shows at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted Donations requested 2200 Shattuck Avenue 665-9496 

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. July 6 and 7: Ferron. 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org; 548-1761 

Live Oaks ConcertsBerkeley Art Center, July 15: David Cheng, Marvin Sanders, Ari Hsu; July 27: Monica Norcia, Amy Likar, Jim Meredith. All shows at 7:30 unless otherwise noted Admission $10 (BACA members $8, students and seniors $9, children under 12 free) 

Leopold’s Fancy July 2: 8 p.m., Traditional Irish music, part of “Extreme Joyce/Reading On the Edge,” a conference celebrating the works of James Joyce. Free. 2271 Shattuck Ave. 642-2754 

Dramatic Joyce July 3: 7:30 p.m. Dramatic interpretations of the works of James Joyce by local and international actors. Introduction by UC Berkeley Professor John Bishop with commentary by and conversation with the audience. Part of the week-long conference “Extreme Joyce/Reading on the Edge.” Free. Krutch Theater, Clark Kerr Campus 2601 Warring Street 642-2754 

“Cuatro Maestros Touring Festival” July 4: 8 p.m. Music and dance performed by four elder folk artists and their young counterparts, accompanied by Los Cenzontles. $12 - $18. Julia Morgan Theater 2640 Collage Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Do You Hear What I Am Seeing?” July 5: 7:30 p.m. One man show by David Norris, a two-hour sampling of Joyce’s works with Norris’ insights. Part of the week-long conference “Extreme Joyce/Reading on the Edge.” $10. Julia Morgan Theater 2640 Collage Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Romeo and Juliet” Through July 14, Thurs. - Sat. 8 p.m. Set in early 1930s just before the rise of Hitler in the Kit Kat Klub, Juliet is torn between ties to the Nazi party and Romeo’s Jewish heritage. $8 - $10. La Val’s Subterranean Theater 1834 Euclid 234-6046 

“A Life In the Theatre” Runs through July 15. Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. David Mamet play about the lives of two actors, considered a metaphor for life itself. Directed by Nancy Carlin. $30-$35. $26 preview nights. Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant 843-4822 

“The Laramie Project” Through July 22: Weds. 7 p.m., Tues. and Thur. -Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. (After July 8 no Wednesday performance, no Sunday matinee on July 22.) Written by Moises Kaufmen and members of Tectonic Theater Project, directed by Moises Kaufman. Moises Kaufman and Tectonic members traveled to Laramie, Wyo., after the murder of openly gay student Matthew Shepherd. The play is about the community and the impact Shepherd’s death had on its members. $10 - $50. The Roda Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2015 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Iphegenia in Aulis” Through August 12: Sat. and Sun. 5 p.m. No performances July 14 and 15, special dawn performance on August 12 at 7 a.m. A free park performance by the Shotgun Players of Euripides’ play about choices and priorities. With a masked chorus, singing, dancing, and live music. Feel free to bring food and something soft to sit on. John Hinkel Park, Southhampton Place at Arlington Avenue (different locations July 7 and 8). 655-0813 

Pacific Film Archive July 3: 7:30 p.m., Pineapple. Pacific Film Archive Theater 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

Ako Castuera, Ryohei Tanaka, Rob Sato Through June 30, Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Group exhibition, recent paintings. Artist’s reception June 9, 6:30 - 9 p.m. with music by Knewman and Espia. !hey! Gallery 4920 B Telegraph Ave., Oakland 428-2349  

“Watershed 2001” Through July 14, Wednesday - Sunday Noon - 5 p.m. Exhibition of painting, drawing, sculpture and installation that explore images and issues about our watershed. Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893 

Rachel Davis and Benicia Gantner Works on Paper Through July 14, Tues. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Watercolors by Davis, mixed-media by Gantner. Opening reception June 13, 6 - 8 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 www.traywick.com 

Constitutional Shift Through July 13, Tuesdays - Fridays, noon - 5 p.m. Permanence and personal journey link Hee Jae Suh, Ursula Neubauer and Marci Tackett. Korean-born Suh explores an inner psychological world with a dramatic series of self-portraits. Neubauer explores self-portraiture as a travel map of identity with multiple points of view. Tackett explores Antarctica’s other-worldly landscape in a series of stunning digital photographs. Kala Art Institute 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 

“The Trip to Here: Paintings and Ghosts by Marty Brooks” Through July 31, Tues. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 1 a.m. View Brooks’ first California show at Bison Brewing Company 2598 Telegraph Ave. 841-7734  

Bernard Maisner: Illuminated Manuscripts and 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 

“New Visions: Introductions 2001” July 12 - August 18, Wed. - Sat.: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Juried by Artist- Curator Rene Yanez and Robbin Henderson, Executive Director of the Berkeley Art Center, the exhibition features works from some of California’s up-and-coming artists. Reception July 12 from 6 - 8 p.m. Pro Arts 461 Ninth St., Oakland 763-9425 

“Geographies of My Heart” Collage paintings by Jennifer Colby through August 24; 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) 

“Queens of Ethiopia: Intuitive Inspirations,” the exceptional art of Esete-Miriam A. Menkir. Through July 11. Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 3023 Shattuck Ave. 548-9286 ext. 307 

“The Decade of Change: 1900 - 1910” chronicles the transformation of the city of Berkeley in this 10 year period. Thursday through Saturday, 1 - 4 p.m. Through September. Berkeley History Center, Veterans Memorial Building, 1931 Center St. Wheelchair accessible. 848-0181. Free.

1-2-3-What are we fighting for? 

Editor: 

Let me get this straight: The CIA brings peace to Jerusalem; Bush and Putin exchange Father’s Day greetings. Listen, folks ... the revolution’s gone and frankly, comrades, I don’t give a damn. 

George Kauffman 

Berkeley 

Beth El gave neighbors lip service while stonewalling 

Editor: 

I am writing with reference to the Beth El Project and a statement which is constantly made by Beth El spokesmen. I would like to set the record straight regarding the allegation that Beth El has been trying to work with the neighbors over a four-year period and, in fact, has met with them a number of times (15 was mentioned at the June 24 City Council meeting), all to no avail. The implication of this is, of course, that the neighbors are difficult, demanding, and unreasonable. 

I would like to point out that in all of these meetings, Beth El has not responded in any significant way to the requests of the neighborhood regarding size and parking. We met, Beth El listened, went away, and returned with its plan unchanged except for a few minor revisions which in no way significantly impacted the design or project. 

This has certainly been a frustrating process: Beth El paying lip service while stonewalling. Whenever I think of what could have been, in terms of cooperation between citizens and developers, I am reminded of a ZAB meeting at which neighbors of a Dwight Way project that was approved by ZAB, spoke about how they supported the project. From the very beginning, they said, the developer worked with them in a straightforward and honest fashion to reach a conclusion acceptable to all. They were pleased and proud to speak in support of the project. I was struck, at the time, by the difference between that project and the one we are faced with on Oxford Street. And, I might add, I still am. 

This project has taken four years to get to this point. If Beth El sticks to the facts and tries to work out the problems in a forthright, cooperative manner rather than appealing to the emotions, we might get somewhere. 

Carol Connolly 

Berkeley

Monday, July 2

James Joyce Conference 

9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 

Clark Kerr Campus 

2601 Warring Street 

Part of a week-long conference entitled “Extreme Joyce/Readings On the Edge.” Today includes panels on Ulysses, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Finnegans Wake, and Joyce in the Classroom. From 4 - 5:30 p.m. workshops and reading groups on Teaching Joyce. $15 - $25. 

642-2754  

Tuesday, July 3

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 Don, 525-3565 

James Joyce Conference 

9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 

Clark Kerr Campus 

2601 Warring Street 

Part of a week-long conference entitled “Extreme Joyce/Readings On the Edge.” Today includes panel on Finnegans Wake as well as looking at issues such as Joyce and carnality, computers, border-crossings, and cinema. From 4 - 5:30 p.m. workshops and reading groups on Teaching Joyce. $15 - $25. 

642-2754  

Wednesday, July 4

Ice Cream Social 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley 

Part of the Lawrence Hall of Science Wednesday FUN-days. Bring your own picnic, ice cream provided by LHS. Free museum admission today with a library card, regular admission $3 - $7. 

642-5132  

4th of July at the Berkeley  

Marina 

Noon - 10 p.m. 

Families are invited to picnic on international food, hit the beach, take free sailboat rides, get their faces painted or relax with a massage. People can decorate their bikes at the Shorebird Nature Center and participate in the Decorated Bicycle Parade at 7 p.m. Madame Ovary’s egg puppets will perform and Adventure Playground will be open all day. Wacky Art Cars will be on display. Music begins at 2 p.m. with Zambombazo 2; Bird Legg and the Tite Fit Blues Band come on at 5 p.m.; Kollasuyo it at 7 p.m. and MotorDude Zydeco’s at 9 p.m. Fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Cars in by 7 p.m. when street closes to traffic, out only after 10 p.m. Free admission. No alchohol. Sponsored by the city. 548-5335 

Berkeley Communicator  

Toastmasters Club 

7:15 a.m. 

Vault Cafe 

3250 Adeline 

Learn to speak with confidence. Ongoing first and third Wednesdays each month. 

527-2337 

Thursday, July 5

Summer Noon Concerts 2001 

Noon - 1 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza 

Shattuck at Center St. 

Weekly concert series. This week Capoeira Arts Cafe and company, Brazilian extravaganza. 

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 “What do we/can we expect from the Church?”  

654-5486 

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 

Bear Safety 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Learn how to travel in bear country without mishap. Wilderness guide Ken Hanley will discuss the characteristics of black bears and grizzlies for anyone venturing into their territories. Free. 

527-4140 

Quit Smoking Class 

6 - 8 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis Street 

A six week quit smoking class. 

Free to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 or e-mail at: quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

James Joyce Conference 

9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 

Clark Kerr Campus 

2601 Warring Street 

Part of a week-long conference entitled “Extreme Joyce/Readings On the Edge.” Today includes panels on Dubliners, Ulysses, Marginal Feelings in Joyce, and Joyce and Anarchy. From 4 - 5:30 p.m. workshops and reading groups on Teaching Joyce. $15 - $25. 

642-2754  

Friday, July 6

Therapy for Trans Partners  

6 - 7:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center for Human Growth  

2712 Telegraph Ave. (at Derby)  

A group open to partners of those in transition or considering transition. The group is structured to be a safe place to receive support from peers and explore a variety of issues, including sexual orientation, coming out, feelings of isolation, among other topics. Intake process required. Meeting Fridays through August 17.  

$8 - $35 sliding scale per session  

Call 548-8283 x534 or x522 

Strong Women; The Arts,  

Herstory and Literature 

1:15 - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

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

Call 549-2970 

James Joyce Conference 

9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 

Clark Kerr Campus 

2601 Warring Street 

Part of a week-long conference entitled “Extreme Joyce/Readings On the Edge.” Today includes panels on Ulysses, Ireland and the Politics of Culture, Joycean Border-Crossings, and Joyce and Frank Zappa. $15 - $25.  

642-2754 

James Joyce Conference  

Closing Banquet 

6 - 11 p.m. 

UC Faculty Club 

UC Berkeley Campus 

Joycean entertainment and dancing. Reservations required, call 415-392-1137. 

Saturday, July 7  

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

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

Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

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

548-3333

More than 50 environmental organizations settled their stands on Civic Center Park on Saturday to celebrate Berkeley’s first David Brower Day. The event was sponsored by the Earth Island Institute, the city of Berkeley, the Ecology Center and radio station KPFA. The five-hour event began at noon and attracted about 2,500 people.  

Instituted by the City Council last November, the David Brower Day is meant to honor the late environmental activist, but it is also an opportunity for his followers to raise awareness of environmental issues.  

“This is about getting young people tuned into the environment and the need to protect the environment,” said John A. Knox, executive director of the Earth Island Institute.  

One of the big attractions of the afternoon was the so-called Eco-Restoration Decathlon, an 11-step course from stand to stand destined to make children think about the environment in an entertaining way. After taking part in a number of activities such as making recycled paper, climbing a wall, recording a video on energy or tasting roasted corn from Chez Panisse, the children received a certificate of completion.

Campaign finance reform will be taken up by the House of Representatives just after returning from the Fourth of July recess, sometime during the week of July 9. The League of Women Voters warns that now is the critical time for concerned citizens to mobilize to get Congress to pass no bill other than the ”real reform bill,” the Shays-Meehan Campaign Finance Reform Bill.  

This is the strong, bipartisan bill previously pushed through the House twice and based on the McCain-Feingold bill that the Senate passed in April. It will stop corporations, unions, and wealthy individuals from giving unlimited amounts of money to candidates’ campaigns and the political parties. 

The League of Women Voters urges you, yes YOU, to act! We need a landslide of public support from members of all parties and independents for the Shays-Meehan bill. Here’s what you can do. Write, call, fax, or e-mail your Representative in Congress — both in Washington and at here in California. 

The message is: 

•You support the Shays-Meehan campaign finance reform bill because it will ban soft money and close the sham “issue” ad loophole that allows campaign spending to escape from disclosure; 

•You oppose all weakening amendments and especially ”poison pills” designed to kill the bill or weaken bi-partisan support; 

•You want the voices of citizens to be heard in politics over special interest money and only Shays-Meehan will do this. 

(Address your letters to: Representative, U.S. Congress, Washington, D.C., 20515. Call the Capital switchboard with a direct message or to get an e-mail address: 202-224-3121 or your representative’s local district office.) 

This is a tough battle that needs every citizen's involvement, regardless of party affiliation. Although the House leadership has agreed that campaign finance reform legislation will be scheduled for floor action right after the Fourth, they will be pushing the Committee on House Administration bill. 

This bill falls short of the definition of meaningful campaign finance reform and doesn’t ban soft money or limit money for sham ”issue” ads. The champions of reform in the House, Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT) and Rep. Marty Meehan (D-MA), will offer their bill on the floor as a substitute to the committee bill. You need to make your Representative understand the importance to you that s/he support only Shays-Meehan. 

Background on the process clarifies why only Shays-Meehan will do. If Shays-Meehan, based on McCain-Feingold, passes, it will go directly to the Senate for final passage and we will know exactly what the provisions are. 

It would bypass a conference committee, controlled by opponents in the House leadership and necessary to resolve the differences between some other House bill and the Senate’s McCain-Feingold. The opportunity to pass meaningful campaign finance reform legislation will not have been squandered. 

President Bush says he will sign campaign finance reform into law if Congress passes it. We need to give him that opportunity with Shays-Meehan/McCain-Feingold. Contact your Representative today! 

Jo Ann B. Price is the president of the Berkeley/Albany/Emeryville League of Women Voters

The City Council decided not to include a campaign finance reform program as part of the $524 million budget approved last week because the city manager’s office decided the proposed program had not been thoroughly studied. 

Councilmember Dona Spring had proposed funding $150,000 over the next two years for the Local Campaign Finance Reform program. The voluntary program, in theory, would have reduced the influence of well-heeled campaign contributors on local politics by setting campaign spending limits and providing public matching funds to serious candidates. 

But the city manager recommended the council hold off on approving the funds until the policy is thoroughly discussed and evaluated, according to Deputy City Manager Phil Kamlarz. 

Spring said the finance reform program could be considered again during the midyear budget cycle.  

“The Berkeley mayoral race now costs upwards of $300,000 and that’s as much as some congressional races cost in rural areas,” Spring said. “When candidates have to raise those kind of dollars, they become beholden to whatever special interest they’re getting money from.” 

Spring added that the high cost of campaigns precludes potential candidates who don’t have access to large contributors from participating in the public process.  

“Democracy is not working correctly if only those with the gold rule,” she said. 

Philips Lighting Company, one of the world’s largest lighting company’s with 10,000 employees in North America alone, has chosen Berkeley as the place to show the nation how its energy efficient light bulbs can help ease the growing energy crisis. 

Starting last week, the company began a project to replace all the bulbs along an entire block of Telegraph Avenue – in ground level businesses and more than 40 residential units – free of charge. 

Philips officials estimate that the move will reduce energy consumption on the block by up to 45 percent, cutting the amount the block pays PG&E each year to $5,840 from an estimated $10,512. 

“A big part of these projected savings come from installing compact fluorescent bulbs, which are a fantastic but surprisingly little-known solution for home and office,” said Larry Wilton, President and CEO of Philips Lighting Company North American, in a written statement. “Really, if we could stop debating over long-term

A night of stories was the idea, and a lot of people seemed to have it Friday night as an eclectic group of writers, scholars and performers assembled for a panel discussion at the Julia Morgan Theater. 

Part of the Berkeley Arts Festival, the Berkeley Stories event was organized to benefit the David Brower Center, an environmental and art center recently proposed and partially approved by the city. 

As people edged slowly through the doorway into the dimmed theater, smiling at the few spare seats, a steady hum was rising.  

As panel moderator Malcolm Margolin of Heyday Books began his introduction, the event title received his quick and candid attention.  

“There’s something a little bit self-indulgent or self-congratulatory or almost embarrassing about devoting an evening to Berkeley stories,” Margolin said. “You know: ‘Aren’t we unique?’ and ‘Aren’t we wonderful?’ or something like that.  

“Yet on the other hand, it’s something that I really feel strongly we have to do. That this sense that Berkeley is unique,” he said, “is something that really had better be made articulate.” 

The panel members all lived in Berkeley at some time or another. Usually they arrived as part of the strange migration to the Bay Area that began in the late ‘50s and stretched out into the ‘70s. Most have been here since. 

But to call it a ‘panel discussion’ isn’t right. It was a chat. Or a tete-a-tete. It was informal, intimate. 

Before beginning his story, artist Leonard Pitt wondered if the audience might reach the mass critical to the resolution of a serious question.  

“Does anyone here remember Wilkinson’s Restaurant on Shattuck Avenue?” he asked. 

To some nods and yesses, he responded excitedly.  

“You do?” he said. “I’ve not been able to find anybody who remembered that place, and I thought I couldn’t pass up this evening with all of you here.”  

Determined, Pitt cut into the roaring laughter.  

“It was on Shattuck on the east side of the street. Can anyone remember exactly what block it was on? Between Center and Allston, or between Center and...?” 

“Between University and the next street south,” a woman in the audience yelled. 

“Really?” he responded, seeming surprised. “On the last block?” 

“Yeah,” she replied, irrefutably. 

Sometimes, instead of a question that needed answering, it was just a brief confirmation passed between friends.  

“I got a place, by the way, on Dwight Way,” said poet Al Young. “And I don’t know how many of you remember Al Baker, I think his name was. He ran a cigar store?”  

To the audience shouts he responded, “You remember him,” and went on.  

“Al said, ‘I own a property on Dwight Way, and there’s an empty place in there,’ he said. ‘Why don’t you just go over there until further notice?’  

“I didn’t know he was gonna sell the place,” Young laughs. 

Sometimes there was simply the feeling of doors being opened. 

“Then meeting Maxine,” said actor Earl Kingston of panel member and author Maxine Hong Kingston, “of course she was the Berkeley co-ed of my dreams.” 

This intimacy gave way to many kinds of stories, many of which related to each other in strange ways. 

“You’re going to hear about a lot of connections tonight,” author Ernest Callenback said, “some of which we [panel members] don’t know about either. 

A panel- member would tell a story and it would later come out that the story’s subject had contributed to a publication or acted in a film that another panel member had been involved in. And these were only the connections that occurred within the panel. 

“I want to finish by telling you another paranoid story,” Callenbach said. “We’re going to probably fall into patterns here this evening.” 

Callenbach told a story about the day the editors of the Canyon Cinema News, a periodical calendar of underground film events, discovered that they had some unexpected subscribers. 

“We received a check from the CIA library,” Callenbach said. “Worse of all the check was not for [the usual subscription price] of $3, it was for $2.40. They had given themselves a discount.  

“Now, after a few more beers, we decided we would play a little game. We made up a cryptogram and it said, ‘CIA cheapskates take unwarranted discounts and do not pay full price.’”  

They sent the CIA its last issue with this note.  

“About 10 days later a check comes in the mail for [the difference],” Callenbach said. 

Later, political-scientist Jeff Lustig confirmed Callenbach’s belief that there would be some content overlap.  

“Being on a panel is like being in the surf or something, with the different currents,” Lustig said, “I keep getting pulled off what I was thinking of saying. 

“Ernest Callenbach mentioned Canyon [Cinema] and paranoia,” Lustig said, which made him think of a related anecdote about his friend Bob Turpin. 

“We were driving in from Canyon to Berkeley,” Lustig said, “telling some jokes or something, and his 7-year-old daughter said, ‘Daddy, what’s paranoia?’ because the word kept cropping up. And he very pertly said, ‘Paranoia, honey, is when you think there’s more people after you than there really are.’”

SAN FRANCISCO – News that Gov. Gray Davis intervened in contract negotiations between Bay Area Rapid Transit and several unions has cooled most BART employees, delaying a possible strike that was scheduled to begin at midnight Saturday. 

None of the three major unions went on strike, despite threats earlier Saturday from one union that said it planned to strike regardless of Davis’ intervention if a resolution wasn’t reached by the deadline. 

Norma Del Mercado, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3993, issued a statement six minutes prior to midnight, saying the union would not strike as a sign of solidarity with BART’s other unions. 

BART officials said commuter trains would continue running as usual. 

“BART service will operate according to normal schedules as a result of the governor’s decision to begin the fact-finding process associated with a 60-day cooling off period,” BART Board President Willie B. Kennedy said in a statement Saturday. “We are disappointed that we were unable to reach a new contract agreement by June 30.” 

Larry Hendel, spokesman for the Service Employees International Union Local 790, also said the members of that union would report to work. 

A spokeswoman for the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 confirmed they would hold off on picketing as well. 

But Del Mercado said the AFSCME may take further action. 

“First we question the governor’s legal authority to issue an order affecting our union when neither AFSCME nor BART management has requested a ’cooling off’ period,” Mercado said in the statement. “Early next week we intend to get a court order to remove our union from the governor’s order.” 

Del Mercado said union members are “trying to protect our jobs and our membership.” She said BART district management has used the “language in our contract to erode our union one by one.” 

Del Mercado alleged that when a union member leaves a position, the job description is “tweeked” and then a non-union person is brought in to fill that job. 

AFSCME members fill budget, payroll, financial and construction supervisor positions at BART, Del Mercado said. They also hold train controller positions, a job that’s similar to air traffic controllers, Del Mercado said. 

Davis convened the panel to help quell heated contract negotiations between the groups and prevent a disruption of public transportation. 

BART’s three largest unions, represent 2,800 employees. 

Union organizers requested Thursday that the governor intervene to keep commuter trains running through the summer. On Friday, San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown also urged Davis to invoke the “cooling off period,” saying it would allow further negotiations and a continuation of transit service. 

“A work stoppage or lockout would create a grave disruption to thousands of people commuting for work throughout the Bay Area,” Davis said in a statement. “A prolonged work stoppage would cost millions to businesses and employees and may even cost many their jobs.” 

Carol Vendrillo of El Cerrito, Franklin Silver of Oakland and Berkeley Judge Joseph R. Grodin were appointed by Davis on Friday to investigate the issues surrounding the labor dispute. 

Grodin is a former State Supreme Court justice and Vendrillo and Silver are professional arbitrators, according to Davis’ spokeswoman Hilary McLean. 

She said both BART and union organizers were amenable to the three looking into the matter. And she confirmed the panel may be doing more than just fact-finding. 

“They have expertise in the area of mediating disputes,” McLean said. “And I believe that’s part of their goal — that they can aid in resolving the dispute. That would be in everyone’s best interest.” 

The panel will likely hold public hearings in a fact-finding effort before submitting a written report to Davis by July 6.

RICHMOND – Unidentified attackers killed two young men on a residential street shortly before midnight Friday, police said. 

Jason DePaul Reed and Stanley Arness Gordon Jr., both 19, died from multiple gunshot wounds at the scene, said Deputy Bill Brinks with the Contra Costa Coroner’s Office. 

Richmond homicide Detective Joe Valle said Saturday police investigators did not know what events led to the attack or the motive behind the shooting, the Contra Costa Times reported. 

The bodies were found next to a gray Chevrolet that Reed’s mother, Loretta Anderson, said belonged to him. 

“When other people had some kind of dispute, he would step in and try to resolve things,” Anderson said. 

Gordon, who lived with a guardian in Hercules, had been shot and wounded a few months ago, Anderson said. He had been friends with Reed since junior high school.

LOS ANGELES – A laid-back but focused attitude prevailed Sunday morning among representatives of movie and television actors and producers negotiating to avoid an industry-crippling strike. 

The contract for the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists expired at 12:01 a.m., but most of the 100 negotiators appeared in good spirits as they returned to the headquarters of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers later that morning. 

“We’re all working over there,” said SAG spokesman Greg Krizman, who would not comment on whether an agreement was close at hand. But unnamed sources told the Los Angeles Times that an agreement could be reached as soon as Sunday. 

The alliance’s courtyard also offered a sign that the closed-door negotiations were heating up. 

During talks Saturday, the courtyard invariably held at least five or six negotiators taking a break; some of them killed time tossing a football. After two and a half hours of talks Sunday, the courtyard had drawn only a few people for cigarette breaks. 

“We couldn’t find the football,” Krizman joked. 

Television crews crowded outside the headquarters Sunday in anticipation of an agreement. The pace of the talks picked up as the contract deadline approached, although the expired contract will remain in effect as long as the talks progress. 

Both sides said they remain committed to reaching a new contract that would avert a potentially damaging walkout for the entertainment industry. Neither side has commented in detail about the status of negotiations. 

Uncertainty over the negotiations had prompted studios to accelerate production. Even with an agreement, Hollywood production could stall because producers wouldn’t start a new movie until an actors’ deal was made final, and it takes nearly eight weeks to complete preproduction work. 

Fall TV shows, which begin filming in the summer, also could be delayed for weeks. 

Among the guilds’ top concerns is increasing pay for the nearly 75,000 actors who earn between $30,000 and $70,000 annually. 

Only about 2 percent of the guilds’ membership earn more than $100,000 a year, including multimillion-dollar celebrities such as Jack Nicholson and Russell Crowe. 

Krizman said a strike was not imminent. Even if talks broke down, he said, the guild would require a strike authorization vote from members before initiating a work stoppage. 

That vote would take between four and five weeks to complete. 

Fears of a walkout rumbled through the entertainment industry for much of last year when the robust economy prompted speculation that union demands would be steeper. 

The fluctuating market has since cooled that sentiment and has been credited with pressuring both sides to reach a compromise without a work stoppage. 

Last year, the actors’ unions staged a six-month strike by commercial actors that might have driven as much as $1 billion worth of work overseas. 

The actors’ negotiations have been more low-key than the Writers Guild of America talks in May. 

The writers guild settled its new contract in early June, increasing overall pay by more than $41 million over the previous agreement. After that, many analysts predicted the actors would accept a similar deal.

The City Council unanimously approved the city’s $524 million two-year budget Tuesday with a unanimous vote and many are saying the rare council consensus is an endorsement of City Manager Weldon Rucker. 

“The manager really tried to include the desires of the councilmembers and meet the needs of the city,” said Dayle Bartlett, aide to Vice Mayor Maudelle Shirek. “And as evidence of his success there was a 9 to nothing vote to support him.” 

Rucker is quick to deflect praise by saying it was a cooperative council that is really responsible for the smooth budget process, which in the past has been fraught with ill will and acrimony. 

“The results were favorable, but it is really due to the staff and the commissioners buying into the process and the participation of all the councilmembers establishing their priorities,” Rucker said. “From there it was relatively easy to focus in on including those priorities.” 

Rucker also gave credit for the success of the budget to staff members Deputy City Manager Phil Kamlarz and Budget Manager Paul Navazio who were the architects of the budget. He said working out a municipal budget is like trying to hit a moving target because revenues are subject to uncertainties such as the current energy crisis, which can cause fluctuations in state and federal funding as well as the local economy. 

“Phil may be one of the best budget people in the nation and Paul brought a tremendous energy to the process,” Rucker said.  

The last biennial budget was approved on June 22, 1999 by vote of 5-3 with one abstention. According to Councilmember Kriss Worthington, that budget was approved after the progressives fought with the moderates who were aligned with former City Manager James Keene. Keene left Berkeley in August to take the city manager post in Tucson, Ariz.  

Rucker, who has worked for the city for 29 years, was previously acting city manager from 1993 to 1996. He assumed the post as acting city manager again after Keene’s departure and was given the position officially by the City Council in February.  

Rucker is credited by both factions on the council for proposing a budget that found a solid middle ground between council priorities and what was available in the city’s coffers. 

“It was an astronomical improvement over the last budget process,” Worthington said. “The city manager took both the mayor’s suggestions and (Councilmember) Dona (Spring)’s suggestions and put almost all of them in and took the time to explain the reasons for those suggestions he didn’t include.”  

Both Mayor Shirley Dean and Spring submitted budget recommendations for programs they felt needed more funding or for new programs that were not included in the city manager’s proposed budget.  

Dean agreed that Rucker did a good job of finding a practical middle ground. An example is the recommendations for arts grants. Dean suggested $143,000 in her proposal; Spring wanted $70,000 and the city manager suggested $100,000 which is the amount the council finally approved.  

Dean said it’s important the council work to stay focused on the current budget proposals and not try to add programs that would tip the budget’s balance. 

“The city manager certainly deserves a lot of credit for balancing the budget and getting unanimous agreement,” Dean said. “But the budget is only a plan. Now it’s up to the council to stick by what’s been approved and not wander all over the place.”  

Currently the budget is not technically balanced. For example in the adopted budget expenditures during the first year are greater than revenues by nearly $5 million. But according to Kamlarz, the budget cannot legally pencil in certain grants or include unspent funds from previous year’s programs, both of which he said would cover expenditures. 

Bartlett summed up the budget process: 

“The councilmembers are happy, our reserves are healthy and if there’s any problems, we still have the midyear review opportunity to rethink, redo and if necessary reformulate things.”

Saturday, June 30

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 548-3333 

First Annual Brower Day  

David Brower’s Environmental Legacy Celebrated 

Noon - 5 p.m. 

Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park 

Outdoor festival celebrating the Earth and the late David Brower. Lee Stetson will perform “The Spirit of John Muir” in the Florence Schwimley Little Theater, 12:30 and 2 p.m., and at 3 p.m. a special screening of "In the Light of Reverence" by the Sacred Land Film Project. Julia Butterfly Hill will join filmmaker Toby McLeod for a special panel following the film. 415-788-3666 

Science of Spirituality 

5 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

2727 Collage Avenue 

Professor Andrew Vidich will speak on “Rumi: Mystic and Romantic Love, Stories of Masnavi.” Childcare and vegetarian food provided. Free. 

925-830-2975  

Bonfire III: Stories  

and Songs By the Sea 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Marina 

Spinnaker Way, near Olympic Circle Sailing Club 

Come for Havdala and share stories, sing and watch the flames dance. Bring food and drink to share, kosher s’mores provided. 

848-0237 

Know Your Rights 

11 - 2 p.m. 

2022 Blake St. 

Copwatch workshop: Learn what your rights are when dealing with the police. Special section on juvenile rights.  

548-0425 

Bay Area Eco-Crones 

11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

1066 Creston Road 

Networking, information sharing, project planning and ritual.  

Call ahead, 874-4935. 

2001 Paul G. Hearne  

Leadership Award Workshop 

4 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. at MLK 

Michai Freeman, one of 11 recipients of the 2000 Paul Hearne Leadership Award of $10,000, will discuss how she applied for the award and how you can too. The award is given by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and is open to any individual with a disability.  

RSVP required. Reserve your space by e-mailing your name and address to michai@gladtobehere.org, or by calling 548-6425 ext 2. First 10 registrants will receive free membership to AAPD. 

Sunday, July 1

Buddhist Psychology 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Annette Anderson on “Insights from Buddhist Psychology.” Free. 

843-6812 

Jazz on the Pier 

11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Berkeley Pier  

The Christy Dana Quartet performs on the Berkeley Pier at the foot of University Ave. and Seawall Dr. The CDQ ensemble led by trumpeter and jazz educator Christy Dana with the Bay as a backdrop. Bring your folding chairs, sunblock and jackets. Free.  

AC Transit Bus 51M 

649-3929 

Music and Meditation 

8 - 9 p.m. 

The Heart-Road Traveller 

1828 Euclid Avenue 

Group meditation using instrumental music and devotional songs. Free.  

496-3468 

Monday, July 2

James Joyce Conference 

9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 

Clark Kerr Campus 

2601 Warring Street 

Part of a week-long conference entitled “Extreme Joyce/Readings On the Edge.” Today includes panels on Ulysses, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Finnegans Wake, and Joyce in the Classroom. From 4 - 5:30 p.m. workshops and reading groups on Teaching Joyce. $15 - $25. 

642-2754  

Tuesday, July 3

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 Don, 525-3565 

James Joyce Conference 

9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 

Clark Kerr Campus 

2601 Warring Street 

Part of a week-long conference entitled “Extreme Joyce/Readings On the Edge.” Today includes panel on Finnegans Wake as well as looking at issues such as Joyce and carnality, computers, border-crossings, and cinema. From 4 - 5:30 p.m. workshops and reading groups on Teaching Joyce. $15 - $25. 642-2754  

Wednesday, July 4

Ice Cream Social 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley 

Part of the Lawrence Hall of Science Wednesday FUN-days. Bring your own picnic, ice cream provided by LHS. Free museum admission today with a library card, regular admission $3 - $7. 

642-5132  

4th of July at the  

Berkeley Marina 

Noon - 10 p.m. 

People can decorate their bikes at the Shorebird Nature Center and participate in the Decorated Bicycle Parade at 7 p.m. Madame Ovary’s egg puppets will perform and Adventure Playground will be open all day. Music begins at 2 p.m. with Zambombazo 2; Bird Legg and the Tite Fit Blues Band come on at 5 p.m.; Kollasuyo it at 7 p.m. and MotorDude Zydeco’s at 9 p.m. Fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Cars in by 7 p.m. when street closes to traffic, out only after 10 p.m. Free admission. No alcohol. Sponsored by the city. 548-5335 

Berkeley Communicator  

Toastmasters Club 

7:15 a.m. 

Vault Cafe 

3250 Adeline 

Learn to speak with confidence. Ongoing first and third Wednesdays each month. 

527-2337 

Thursday, July 5

Summer Noon Concerts 2001 

Noon - 1 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza 

Shattuck at Center St. 

Weekly concert series. This week Capoeira Arts Cafe and company, Brazilian extravaganza. 

— compiled by Sabrina Forkish and Guy Poole 

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 “What do we/can we expect from the Church?”  

654-5486 

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 

(gp) 

Bear Safety 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Learn how to travel in bear country without mishap. Wilderness guide Ken Hanley will discuss the characteristics of black bears and grizzlies for anyone venturing into their territories. Free. 

527-4140 

(gp) 

Quit Smoking Class 

6 - 8 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis Street 

A six week quit smoking class. 

Free to Berkeley residents and employees. 

Call 644-6422 or e-mail at: quitnow@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

James Joyce Conference 

9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 

Clark Kerr Campus 

2601 Warring Street 

Part of a week-long conference entitled “Extreme Joyce/Readings On the Edge.” Today includes panels on Dubliners, Ulysses, Marginal Feelings in Joyce, and Joyce and Anarchy. From 4 - 5:30 p.m. workshops and reading groups on Teaching Joyce. $15 - $25. 

642-2754  

Let The Sales Tax Yo-Yo 

Remember the state’s economic boom way back in 1998-2000? Because of those flush times, Californians are enjoying a nice sunny-day bonus this calendar year: a quarter-cent cut in the state sales tax. 

Didn’t notice? Well, the cut will save each person only about $31 a year. But that adds up to $1.2 billion in state revenue.  

And now that gloomier economic times are here the state needs every quarter-cent it can get to avoid making deep cuts in programs such as health care and education. 

The quarter-cent was added a decade ago, when recession was slamming California. As a result of a political compromise, legislators crafted the law in a way that the amount would automatically be cut in good times and be reinstated in bad.  

So, at the end of this year, it’ll be back. Maybe. 

Republicans, you see, want to cut that amount from the sales tax permanently, and they are threatening to block passage of the $100-billion-plus budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.  

They’re being penny-wise and pound-foolish. 

The tax was raised in 1991, with a provision that it would be cut again if the state had two consecutive years with budget surpluses amounting to more than 4 percent of the state’s general fund total.  

Since then, the state has enjoyed several billion dollars’ worth of other tax cuts as well, including cuts in the income tax and a major reduction in the vehicle registration tax.  

The state’s tax burden is now at about the national average, and there has been little clamor for more cuts. 

Critics point out that by nature, sales taxes are regressive, hitting low-income people hardest because much of their income goes for necessities — even in California, where groceries and prescription drugs are exempt.  

Some moderate Democrats have expressed concern about letting the sales tax climb back to its previous statewide level of 7.25 percent. They don’t want to be depicted by their 2002 election campaign opponents as tax-raisers. 

But this is not a new tax or a raised tax. It merely is reverting to its former level. If better times return, the tax cut will go into effect again. Rainy days are here.  

The prudent thing for California this year is to put this money to use on important state programs. 

– Los Angeles Times 

June 26  

Affirmative action loses more ground 

Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court took a step in the right direction of ending all discrimination, even that based on the seemingly benign intention of helping minorities. The matter remains unresolved, but the United States is closer to the day when people are treated as individuals, not members of favored or disfavored groups. 

The case was Texas v. Hopwood and involved the University of Texas Law School’s policy of granting special preferences to the admission of Latino and African-American applicants. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the policy as discrimination against whites.  

The state of Texas appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case, allowing the 5th Circuit ruling to stand. 

“It’s an important decision,” Ward Connerly told us; the Oakland businessman also heads the American Civil Rights Institute and was co-author of the California Civil Rights Initiative, Proposition 209, which banned such discrimination in state government. In 1997 the U.S. Supreme Court, similar to this new case, allowed Prop. 209 to stand without comment.  

And just last year the California Supreme Court upheld Prop. 209. 

“It’s a not the decisive decision I would like to see, which will have to await further court action,” he added. “But there’s a steady pattern coming from the courts, two steps forward, one step backward, to get rid of preferences in this nation. That does not bode well for those wanting preferences for race, gender and ethnicity.” 

He pointed out that on May 29, the Supreme Court also refused to hear a case decided by the 9th Circuit Court allowing — in a step backward — such preferences to stand at the University of Washington. 

“This is an untenable situation in the long run,” Roger Clegg, general counsel of the Center for Equal Opportunity, told us of the conflicting decisions. “Sooner or later the Supreme Court will have to settle this issue.” 

The cases that might do this include a lawsuit against affirmative action at the University of Georgia, which last month was argued before the 11th U.S. Circuit, a lawsuit against the University of Michigan’s undergraduate admissions policy and another against the U of M’s Law School admissions policy. 

The continuing confusion, he explained, stems from the 1978 Bakke decision concerning admission to the University of California Medical School at Davis, in which the high court splintered, producing six different opinions.  

Four members were four affirmative action, four against. Justice Lewis Powell also was in favor, but only to the extent that race may be taken into account as one factor of diversity among many. His opinion turned out to be the “controlling” opinion most cited since then. 

Mr. Clegg pointed out that such confusing decisions not surprisingly produce confusing results in cases in lower courts. Moreover, the historical discrimination that the Bakke case was supposed to remedy ended a generation ago. 

From our position here in California, in the midst of a society that is increasingly mixed racially, ethnically, culturally and in many other ways — with intermarriage producing combined backgrounds in offspring — the best chance of harmony is to treat persons as individuals. 

Quotas and other forms of discrimination are the prescription for division and hatred. We hope that the Hopwood decision is a harbinger of the Supreme Court finally ending the confusion by taking up a major case and ruling clearly against preferences. 

The Orange County Register  

June 26, 2001 

Bracing for blackouts: Will FERC’s cap lower the price? 

As the political temperature rises along with the thermometer, the guiding hand of government is beginning to reappear on the West’s energy landscape.  

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has devised a new floating price cap for electricity that moves with the mix of plants operating at any given hour in 11 western states. 

The free-market purists inside FERC have resisted this reality. But after more than a year of skyrocketing prices and billions of dollars of bleeding in California, FERC is reluctantly attempting to define a decades-old law that is supposed to keep prices “just” and “reasonable.” 

The idea is to cap the price of power at any given time based on what it costs the least efficient generator to produce power. In theory, this is supposed to provide a reasonable reward to generators that are more efficient.  

The question is whether this indeed will be reasonable, or excessive. The only track record — and it is limited — is what has happened inside California for the past few months. Here a similar price cap has been in place, but only when demand has crept close to outstripping supply.  

The resulting price has been less than in a troubled market without caps, but far more than California paid before the market went haywire. 

Any price cap can be gamed and this one is no exception. The FERC system creates the obvious incentive for power producers to withhold electricity from an efficient unit (suddenly down for “maintenance”) and offer as a replacement some pricey power from an inefficient “peaker.”  

If any grid operator throughout the West bites at this bait, all 11 states lose, and potentially lose big. 

FERC is misguidedly attempting to avoid another form of short-term price intervention, which would be to cap the price of each generating facility based on its actual costs. This smells too much like the era of regulation for some.  

Yet compared to FERC’s new, ever-floating price cap, a firmer cap would have been easier to implement.  

Perhaps more important, this system stood a better chance of increasing the availability of supply since it would have removed any incentive to withhold power to game the price. 

That said, FERC’s new cap is an important political milestone. FERC should remain ready to learn and react quickly to any lessons about this cap that the market may soon teach us. 

June 19, 2001 

The Sacramento Bee —  

——— 

June 21, 2001 

The Sacramento Bee — Justice Stanley Mosk: California loses its tribune of human rights 

For longer than most Californians have been alive, state Supreme Court Justice Stanley Mosk, who died Tuesday at age 88, was California’s brightest beacon of liberty. From the beginning of his public career, when he served at age 30 as the youngest Superior Court judge in the state, to the end of his tenure as the longest-sitting Supreme Court justice in California history, he turned his abundant energy and intellect to protecting and expanding individual rights. 

In 1947, as a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, he struck down as unconstitutional racially restrictive real estate covenants used to prevent blacks and others from buying houses in particular neighborhoods, a decision that prefigured a later U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Elected as attorney general in 1958, he fought to force the Professional Golfers Association to end its whites-only clause. 

Appointed to the high court in 1964 by Gov. Edmund G. “Pat” Brown, he wrote decisions barring prosecutors from racially discriminating in removing jurors and the University of California from using racial quotas in admissions. Some saw this latter ruling as a detour from Mosk’s generally liberal views, but for Mosk it was consistent with his understanding of equal treatment under the law. 

Mosk’s greatest contribution to the law and rights was pioneering the theory of “independent state grounds.” The rights of the people were lodged not just in the Bill of Rights and the transitory interpretations of the U.S. Supreme Court majority, Mosk argued. They were embedded as well in state constitutions, which sometimes offered greater protection to individuals than the minimum required by federal courts. The doctrine, widely adopted by state courts around the country, is the source of many path-breaking state privacy rulings and has given states the chance to become agents for legal change. 

A devoted liberal, Mosk was also an adept politician, twice elected to statewide office and handily winning reconfirmation to the court each time he appeared on the ballot. He knew how far and how fast the court could go without provoking a public backlash. Personally opposed to the death penalty, he nevertheless followed the law in capital cases, even voting to expand its application. Had Gov. Jerry Brown named Mosk chief justice in 1977, instead recklessly appointing the rigid and mercurial Rose Bird, chances are good that California could have been spared a decade of polarization that harmed the courts and set the state on a course that limited some of the rights that Mosk so eloquently championed. 

In choosing a successor to Mosk, Gov. Gray Davis must remember that he isn’t replacing just a single justice. He is filling a void on the court that has lost its best legal mind, its best writer, its institutional memory and its most watchful guardian of individual rights. The chances of finding another Stanley Mosk are slim. But the governor who uses Mosk as a model won’t go far wrong, for either the court or California. 

——— 

June 20, 2001 

The Sacramento Bee — Paying for the pill: Court points the way to gender equity 

Last week, a federal judge ruled under federal antidiscrimination laws that a Seattle drugstore chain must cover the cost of birth control pills for female employees. That welcome outcome might come off as old news to California women, who have enjoyed the benefits of a similar state law signed by Gov. Gray Davis back in 1999. But the suit, filed by Planned Parenthood on behalf of Jennifer Erickson, a pharmacy manager for the Bartell Drug Co. stores, is very important to women here and in the 11 other states that have passed gender-equity prescription-coverage laws. 

That’s because Bartell doesn’t use an HMO or outside carrier to provide health insurance. Instead, like many large companies, it is “self-insured” and pays for insurance claims out of a company cash reserve. According to a 1974 federal law, these “self-insured” companies are exempt from state insurance law, and therefore don’t have to pay for birth control pills, or the other Federal Drug Administration-approved contraceptive prescriptions in states where such coverage is mandated. 

With this ruling, Bartell will have to pay. Beyond Bartell, however, it’s unclear the impact this decision will have on employers nationwide. Planned Parenthood representatives say they hope the decision will scare companies into compliance or spur other cheated female employees to seek justice in the courts. 

But even if the Bartell decision gets applied broadly, women at companies with fewer than 15 employees and those who purchase their own insurance would still have to open their own wallets for birth control. This will only change with a revision of federal law. 

Critics contend that forced coverage of birth control will send monthly insurance payments through the roof. Their argument doesn’t make much sense. Why battle against paying for a relatively inexpensive prescription that can prevent a $10,000 pregnancy, plus continued health costs for an additional child? 

Maybe this is the reason a federal bill, the Equity in Prescription Coverage Act, has languished in Congress since 1997. This year, the bill has been reintroduced, and it is time for Congress to act to make the coverage available to all women. In 1998, Congress approved contraceptive prescription coverage for members of the House, the Senate and their families. Maybe this year, they’ll see fit to return the favor and extend the benefit to the rest of us. 

——— 

June 26, 2001 

The Fresno Bee — Cal Grants still beyond reach for many 

California’s expanded student aid program was supposed to pave a golden road to college for thousands of graduating high school seniors this year. Get good grades and prove your financial need, students were told, and the state will give you a Cal Grant — up to $3,500 a year for tuition and other expenses at a public university or $9,708 at a private university. 

The trouble is, the state’s application process has proven to be so complex that many students who most need scholarships haven’t been able to get them. 

California now must either simplify the Cal Grant process or provide extensive application assistance to prospective students — probably both — if the state is to deliver what Gov. Davis has touted as “the most generous college financial aid program in the nation.” 

Despite a Cal Grant funding boost of 35 percent, the California Student Aid Commission, or CSAC, expects to hand out 2,100 fewer awards this year. It’s not for a lack of need. 

More than 100,000 high school seniors applied. A third were rejected for not meeting income or achievement guidelines. 

What’s truly worrisome is the one in four students who may have been eligible but were disqualified because they’d omitted application information or, in some instances, simply checked the wrong box. The complex, six-page federal application form required by CSAC asks detailed questions about a student’s family assets and income, including tax return information that some applicants may not have had by the March filing deadline. 

California had expected to give $221 million in grants to incoming college freshmen by fall. But officials have only spent $186 million on awards. 

The balance — $35 million — has been sent back to the state’s general fund. 

Meanwhile, thousands of students who could have used a slice of that money for their college dreams are pondering how to pay tuition fees in the fall. Returning college students and others who took time off after high school aren’t entitled to grants but can compete for a set pool of financial aid through a separate Cal Grant program. 

There are plenty of qualified applicants in this group: More than 51,000 prospective students were eligible, yet more than half were turned away for lack of funds. So why not shift the untapped $35 million — an amount less than the state has been known to burn in a single day of electricity purchases — to the grant program for older and re-entry students? 

Despite long odds in a summer when the governor wants to increase his budget reserve, some legislators are sensibly trying to do just that. If they succeed, some 20,000 students whose average family income is $19,000 will get the help they need to go to college. 

But in the longer term, if California is to keep its promise, the Cal Grant application process needs major surgery, soon. 

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins. $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Sundays, Memorial Day through Labor Day) Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

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

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology “Approaching a Century of Anthropology: The Phoebe Hearst Museum,” open-ended. This new permanent installation will introduce visitors to major topics in the museum’s history. “Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” ongoing. This exhibit documents the culture of the Yahi Indians of California as described and demonstrated from 1911 to 1916 by Ishi, the last surviving member of the tribe. $2 general; $1 seniors; $.50 children age 17 and under; free on Thursdays. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Ave. 643-7648  

Lawrence Hall of Science “Math Rules!” A math exhibit of hands-on problem-solving stations, each with a different mathematical challenge. “Within the Human Brain,” ongoing. Visitors test their cranial nerves, play skeeball, master mazes, match musical tones and construct stories inside a simulated “rat cage” of learning experiments. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. Space Weather Exhibit now - Sept. 2; now - Sept. 9 Science in Toyland; June 21: 6 a.m., Solar Eclipse Day Computer Lab, Saturdays 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. 642-5132 

Holt Planetarium Programs are recommended for age 8 and up; children under age 6 will not be admitted. $2 in addition to regular museum admission. “Constellations Tonight” Ongoing. Using a simple star map, learn to identify the most prominent constellations for the season in the planetarium sky. Daily, 3:30 p.m. $7 general; $5 seniors, students, disabled, and youths age 7 to 18; $3 children age 3 to 5 ; free children age 2 and younger. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu  

The UC Berkeley Art Museum is closed for renovations until the fall. 

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for year membership. All ages. June 30: The Cost, Pg. 99, Majority Rule, 7 Days of Samsara, Since by Man, Creation is Crucifixion; July 6: Victim’s Family, Fleshies, The Modern Machines, Once For Kicks, The Blottos; July 7: The Stitches, Real MacKenzies, The Briefs, The Eddie Haskells, The Spits 525-9926  

Albatross Pub Music at 9 p.m. unless noted otherwise. June 30: Larry Stefl Jazz Quartet; July 3: 9 p.m., pickPocket ensemble; July 4: Whiskey Brothers; July 5: Keni “El Lebrijano.” 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473  

Anna’s Music at 8 p.m. June 30: Anna and Susie Laraine and Peri Poston; 10 p.m., The Ducksan Distone. $2 weeknights, $3 weekends. 1801 University Ave. 849-ANNA  

Ashkenaz June 30: 9:30 p.m. Tropical Vibrations. 1370 San Pablo Ave. 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com 

Berkeley Arts Festival June 30: 7:30 p.m. Marvin Sanders and Vera Berheda, plus Mozart, Beethoven, Hadyn and Fuare in the gallery; July 1: 11 a.m., “Free Jazz on the Pier” The Christy Dana Quartet (on the Berkeley Pier). All shows at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted Donations requested 2200 Shattuck Avenue 665-9496 

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. June 30: Jim Hurst & Missy Raines, Due West; July 5: Druha Trava; July 6 and 7: Ferron. 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org; 548-1761 

Jupiter All shows at 8 p.m. June 30: Go Van Gogh 2881 Shattuck Ave. 843-8277 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts July 1: 1 & 2 p.m., “Kourosh Taghavi: The Beauty of Iranian Music and Stories of its Origins” $5 - $10. 2640 College Ave. 654-0100 

Live Oaks Concerts, Berkeley Art Center, July 1: Matthew Owens; July 15: David Cheng, Marvin Sanders, Ari Hsu; July 27: Monica Norcia, Amy Likar, Jim Meredith. All shows at 7:30 unless otherwise noted Admission $10 (BACA members $8, students and seniors $9, children under 12 free) 

125 Records Release Party June 30: 9:45 p.m. Anton Barbeau and Belle De Gama will celebrate the release of their albums The Golden Boot: Antology 2 and Garden Abstract respectively. These are the first two albums released on the 125 Records label, founded by Joe Mallon with his winnings from his appearance on “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.” $5. Starry Plough 3101 Shattuck Avenue 841-2082  

Leopold’s Fancy July 2: 8 p.m., Traditional Irish music, part of “Extreme Joyce/Reading On the Edge,” a conference celebrating the works of James Joyce. Free. 2271 Shattuck Ave. 642-2754 

Dramatic Joyce July 3: 7:30 p.m. Dramatic interpretations of the works of James Joyce by local and international actors. Introduction by UC Berkeley Professor John Bishop with commentary by and conversation with the audience. Part of the week-long conference “Extreme Joyce/Reading on the Edge.” Free. Krutch Theater, Clark Kerr Campus 2601 Warring Street 642-2754 

“Cuatro Maestros Touring Festival” July 4: 8 p.m. Music and dance performed by four elder folk artists and their young counterparts, accompanied by Los Cenzontles. $12 - $18. Julia Morgan Theater 2640 Collage Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Do You Hear What I Am Seeing?” July 5: 7:30 p.m. One man show by David Norris, a two-hour sampling of Joyce’s works with Norris’ insights. Part of the week-long conference “Extreme Joyce/Reading on the Edge.” $10. Julia Morgan Theater 2640 Collage Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Romeo and Juliet” Through July 14, Thurs. - Sat. 8 p.m. Set in early 1930s just before the rise of Hitler in the Kit Kat Klub, Juliet is torn between ties to the Nazi party and Romeo’s Jewish heritage. $8 - $10. La Val’s Subterranean Theater 1834 Euclid 234-6046 

“A Life In the Theatre” Runs through July 15. Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. David Mamet play about the lives of two actors, considered a metaphor for life itself. Directed by Nancy Carlin. $30-$35. $26 preview nights. Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant 843-4822 

“The Laramie Project” Through July 22: Weds. 7 p.m., Tues. and Thur. -Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. (After July 8 no Wednesday performance, no Sunday matinee on July 22.) Written by Moises Kaufmen and members of Tectonic Theater Project, directed by Moises Kaufman. Moises Kaufman and Tectonic members traveled to Laramie, Wyo., after the murder of openly gay student Matthew Shepherd. The play is about the community and the impact Shepherd’s death had on its members. $10 - $50. The Roda Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2015 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Iphegenia in Aulis” Through August 12: Sat. and Sun. 5 p.m. No performances July 14 and 15, special dawn performance on August 12 at 7 a.m. A free park performance by the Shotgun Players of Euripides’ play about choices and priorities. With a masked chorus, singing, dancing, and live music. Feel free to bring food and something soft to sit on. John Hinkel Park, Southhampton Place at Arlington Avenue (different locations July 7 and 8). 655-0813 

Films 

Pacific Film Archive June 30: 7, 9:10 p.m. Nenette and Boni; July 3: 7:30 p.m., Pineapple. Pacific Film Archive Theater 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

Exhibits 

Ako Castuera, Ryohei Tanaka, Rob Sato Through June 30, Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Group exhibition, recent paintings. Artist’s reception June 9, 6:30 - 9 p.m. with music by Knewman and Espia. !hey! Gallery 4920 B Telegraph Ave., Oakland 428-2349  

“Watershed 2001” Through July 14, Wednesday - Sunday Noon - 5 p.m. Exhibition of painting, drawing, sculpture and installation that explore images and issues about our watershed. Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893 

Rachel Davis and Benicia Gantner Works on Paper Through July 14, Tues. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Watercolors by Davis, mixed-media by Gantner. Opening reception June 13, 6 - 8 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 www.traywick.com 

Constitutional Shift Through July 13, Tuesdays - Fridays, noon - 5 p.m. Permanence and personal journey link Hee Jae Suh, Ursula Neubauer and Marci Tackett. Korean-born Suh explores an inner psychological world with a dramatic series of self-portraits. Neubauer explores self-portraiture as a travel map of identity with multiple points of view. Tackett explores Antarctica’s other-worldly landscape in a series of stunning digital photographs. Kala Art Institute 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 

“The Trip to Here: Paintings and Ghosts by Marty Brooks” Through July 31, Tues. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 1 a.m. View Brooks’ first California show at Bison Brewing Company 2598 Telegraph Ave. 841-7734  

Bernard Maisner: Illuminated Manuscripts and 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 

“New Visions: Introductions 2001” July 12 - August 18, Wed. - Sat.: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Juried by Artist- Curator Rene Yanez and Robbin Henderson, Executive Director of the Berkeley Art Center, the exhibition features works from some of California’s up-and-coming artists. Reception July 12 from 6 - 8 p.m. Pro Arts 461 Ninth St., Oakland 763-9425 

“Geographies of My Heart” Collage paintings by Jennifer Colby through August 24; 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) 

“Queens of Ethiopia: Intuitive Inspirations,” the exceptional art of Esete-Miriam A. Menkir. Through July 11. Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 3023 Shattuck Ave. 548-9286 ext. 307 

“The Decade of Change: 1900 - 1910” chronicles the transformation of the city of Berkeley in this 10 year period. Thursday through Saturday, 1 - 4 p.m. Through September. Berkeley History Center, Veterans Memorial Building, 1931 Center St. Wheelchair accessible. 848-0181. Free.  

Readings 

Weekly Poetry Nitro Mondays 6:30 p.m. sign up, 7 - 9 p.m. reading. Performing poets in a dinner atmosphere. June 25: Featuring Steve Arntsen; July 2: Featured artist April Ipock. Cafe de la Paz 1600 Shattuck Ave. 843-0662 

“Berkeley Stories” June 29: 7:30 p.m. Stories of local Celebrity Artists. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 549-3564  

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  

St. Mary’s shines at Cal team camp 

Jose Caraballo said in March that his St. Mary’s basketball team would be ready to play with any team in the state next season. The Panthers took their first step toward proving that on Friday, beating reigning Northern California champion Modesto Christian, 42-35, at the Cal Basketball Team Camp in the RSF Fieldhouse. 

“We just want to make sure we can compete at this level, and the only way to figure that out is to play teams of this caliber,” Caraballo said. 

The game wasn’t the most formal, with a running clock and uneven officiating, but the Panthers’ diversified offense and suffocating pressure defense left no doubt that it meant a lot to the home team. Despite a distinct height disadvantage (6-foot-10 center Simon Knight had knee surgery last week and is lost for the summer), St. Mary’s used their superior quickness and shooting to put Modesto Christian away. 

“We’ve got the best guards in the state, on the West Coast, and we’re proving that we’re a force to be reckoned with,” said St. Mary’s point guard DeShawn Freeman. 

The most spectacular matchup was at the point, where Modesto Christian’s Richard Midgely faced off against Freeman. Midgely, who has verbally committed to Cal, is considered by many to be the top point guard in California, but he looked a step slow at times against the quicksilver Freeman, who penetrated seemingly at will.  

“We both know each other’s games. I’m good, and that’s all that matters to me,” Freeman said. “We’re both big-time players, so it’s all good.” 

Freeman converted several spectacular layups over the Modesto Christian big men, but also dished out assists to John Sharper and DeMarcus Nelson on the wings. Sharper was hot early, hitting two three-pointers in the first five minutes. 

“We’re improved with DeMarcus, no doubt. Now when I drive, I can go either way, because I’ve got John on one side and DeMarcus on the other to kick the ball out to,” Freeman said. 

Friday was Nelson’s first game with the Panthers. The sophomore transfer from Vallejo High inserted himself nicely into the offense, penetrating and shooting pull-up jumpers with ease, but looked a little confused at times in Caraballo’s full-court press defense. But given a full season of work with his new coaches and teammates, last year’s Cal-Hi Sports Freshman of the Year should add another dimension to an already fearsome defense. 

“The fast-breaking and up-tempo stuff is part of the reason I wanted to play here. It’s good for me, makes me a better player,” Nelson said. 

The newest Panther said he isn’t worried about moving from the point to a wing position. 

“I can do other things. I can pass, I can rebound, I can defend. So it’s not a real big adjustment for me.” 

Without Knight, the inside work fell to forward Chase Moore. Moore is just 6-foot-4 and was overmatched by the oversized Modesto Christian front line, which included a seven-footer. The Crusaders dominated the boards but failed to capitalize on several putbacks, and Moore showed a nice touch by pulling up over the seven-footer for three straight scores in the second half. 

Meanwhile, the Crusaders were simply outmatched in the open court. Freeman, Sharper, Nelson and fellow guards Matt Straus and Tim Fanning were never all on the court together, but at times it seemed like the Panthers had seven men on the floor, scrambling to get their hands on the ball. With Moore cleaning up any sloppy Crusader outlet passes, when the ball left Midgely’s hands it was in serious jeopardy. 

“As long as I have this type of player, I’m going to play this type of ball,” Caraballo said. “I’ve got John and DeShawn back, and they’re great players. Now with DeMarcus? Look out.” 

The Panthers played it cool after the game, probably because they have more challenges ahead this weekend. They were set to play De La Salle on Friday night, and will face perennial SoCal power Mater Dei at 9 a.m. today. After the morning round of games, the 16 teams in at the camp will be placed in a tournament which will culminate with a final four on Sunday. 

“It’s good to get out here against these teams. It lets us know that we can play at the D-1 level,” Freeman said.

About 30 representatives of local and state health-care institutions met to discuss California’s inadequate hearing screenings for newborns at the Berkeley-based Center for the Education of the Infant Deaf Friday. 

The group, convened by CEID Director Jill Ellis and Assemblymember Dion Aroner, has met once each year for three years to discuss the need for hearing screenings for newborns and the role early recognition of hearing problems plays in the  

language, cognition, social, and emotional  

development of deaf and hearing-impaired  

children. 

“It’s everybody’s issue,” Aroner said in her introductory remarks. “We have to cross the border incomewise as well as every other way, to ensure that every youngster has been screened, so that we can ensure that when these kids will be entering school, they are not going to have such a significant deficit that they will never catch up.” 

In July 1999, the state legislature passed AB 2780, which makes all hospitals approved by the California Children Services responsible for providing hearing screenings to all newborns. The law also allocates state funding for screening tests and follow-up services. But few hospitals meet the state requirements.  

According to specialists, this is a serious problem because screening a newborn’s hearing helps optimize the treatment for hearing loss. Studies have shown that a hearing-impaired child diagnosed within the first six months of life has a much greater chance of reaching the reading and speaking level of a child with no hearing loss by age two or three. 

“Most people in California are unaware that there is a law because many hospitals here are not doing (the screening) yet,” Ellis said. “Fifty percent of the deaf kids are healthy kids. So many times they are not identified until they are two and a half or three years old.” 

The experience of Sarah Moulton and Tammy Taylor, both mothers of hearing-impaired children who attend the CEID, illustrate the difference between early- and later-identified children with a hearing loss. Moulton’s daughter, Kirian, was about two years old when doctors diagnosed her severe-to-profound hearing loss. Today, Kirian is articulate, but she has to struggle more than children such as J.B., who was tested at the birth and received his hearing aid when he was only 10 weeks old. Thanks to the early diagnostic evaluation and the early intervention program he was soon enrolled in, J.B. now has the language of other two year olds. 

Nationally, the number of babies screened has increased from 35 percent to 65 percent. In California that figure only reaches 19 percent. But according to Rick Jimenez from Natus Medical, a company producing medical devices for newborns, the number of children who are screened and don’t receive follow-up services is even more alarming. The first two hearing screenings happen before the baby leaves the hospital, he explained. The diagnostic evaluation happens later. Today, in 30 to 50 percent of the cases of newborns referred for diagnostic evaluation, there are no records of whether the babies are actually screened.  

AB 2780 addresses that problem, but it may still take more than a year until the state requirements are put into practice. Hospitals have until Dec. 21, 2002 to be certified for a hearing screening program and many of them are likely to wait until the last minute.  

“The hospitals are not ignoring this programs,” said Toni Will, director of the UCSF Hearing Coordination Center. “But there are obstacles.” Challenges include the cost of the equipment required to perform newborn hearing screenings and inadequate staffing. Another issue still to be addressed is the problem of insurance coverage for the tests. 

At a time when commentators around the world are still taking turns lambasting President George Bush’s decision to withdraw from the 1997 Kyoto agreements for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by industrialized nations, representatives from India, Indonesia, South African and the Philippines have been in Berkeley this week studying strategies for reducing such emissions in their own cities. 

It’s all part of the Cities for Climate Protection Program (CCP), a global campaign launched by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives in 1993 to help cities around the world create and implement aggressive strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  

More than 400 city and county governments in the United States, Europe, Asia, African and Australia are participating in the program today, including, as of Thursday, New York City.  

In the United States alone about 100 participating cities managed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a total of 10 million tons in 2000, according to Michelle Wyman, director of public affairs for ICLEI’s U.S. office, which is in Berkeley. 

Berkeley has been part of the CCP program since the very beginning and has a detailed plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that is in some ways a model for other cities to follow, according to ICLEI Outreach Coordinator Susan Ode. While the Kyoto agreement would have called for the United States to reduce its emission levels to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012, for example, the Berkeley plan approved in 1998 aims to reduce emissions to 15 percent below 1990 levels by 2010. 

“We are thrilled that staff from our international offices are here to learn about how effective local action on climate protection has been in the United State,” said Nancy Skinner, international director of the CCP campaign, in a written statement. “They will take what they learn here to engage cities in their own countries to reduce global warming pollution in their communities.” 

A study by the prestigious National Academy of Sciences concluded earlier this month that greenhouse gas emissions could raise temperatures by between 2.5 and 10.4 degrees before the end of the century, contributing to rising sea levels and changing weather patterns. 

The visitors to Berkeley this week have little trouble imagining the impact of such a change. 

“As an island nation, the Philippine people are concerned about sea-level rise, and the increase in the frequency and severity of hurricanes and tropical storms,” said Pam Gallares-Oppus, CCP Regional Manager for Southeast Asia and a native of the Philippines. 

In India, climate change is “something people are facing every day,” according to Ramamurthi Sreedhar, one of two visitors from India in the Berkeley ICLEI office this week. Sreedhar said extreme weather events such as droughts, cyclones and floods have helped people at least understand the potential impact of global warming – even if there is still reluctance to acknowledge the ways in which they contribute to the problem, both as individuals and as a nation. 

“They have to recognize that there are certain activities of their own that are effecting it: energy use, cutting forests, and industries not following regulations,” Sreedhar said.  

But in a country where nearly 40 percent of the population lives in poverty, Sreedhar added, the emphasis tends to be on finding ways to expand industry and create new jobs rather than on environmental protection. 

Even the pollution regulations that are in place in India are often not obeyed, Sreedhar said. 

“Enforcement systems are weak, so you can get away with violating laws.” 

These are just some of the obstacles that Sreedhar, Gallares-Oppus and the other visitors to Berkeley this week must work to overcome when they return home and attempt to persuade municipal leaders to join the CCP campaign, said CCP Technical Program Coordinator Jim Yienger. 

“To get cities to agree, you need to go through a political process,” Yienger said. “That’s basically the first step.” 

Sreedhar said he plans to concentrate on cities with populations ranging from 300,000 to 1.2 million to start, with the hope that in relatively small communities (both Bombay and Delhi India have more than 10 million people) it will be easier to organize support for the CCP strategies and objectives. 

In the past CCP-participating cities have worked to: create building codes that enhance energy efficiency; launch home weatherization programs; promote solar energy use; create energy audit plans for businesses; encourage dense residential develop near public transit hubs; implement and expand recycling programs; and promote greater reliance on “green” power generation, to name just a few strategies. 

“A lot of political commitment is required in these kinds of activities,” Sreedhar said. “It’s easier to generate that kind of interest in small places.” 

Lorraine Mashiane, a representative from South Africa’s CCP office visiting Berkeley this week, said she has been amazed to see how far Berkeley has come already in its own efforts to reduce emissions.  

“The amount of work that has already been done; the efforts by everybody – the whole community – not just a particular group of people; it’s really impressive,” Mashiane said. 

The South Africa CCP office has already sent out invitations to 25 South African cities to submit proposals for how they might become involved in the CCP program, Mashiane said. She said she expects to choose five cities to work with intensively in the year ahead. 

Leluma Matooane, another South African CCP representative, said some cities in South African have already begun efforts to reduce emissions, in part because air pollution has reached levels where it significantly impacts the quality of life. The cities of Cape Town and Durban, in particular, suffer from a “brown haze” created by automobile exhaust and oil refinery emissions, he said. 

But while most of the foreign CCP representatives in Berkeley this week were looking for tools to improve the quality of life at home, the recognized that there was only so much they can do working in isolation.  

“The climate change thing is a global issue,” Mashiane said. “It’s not just about a particular country.” 

According to Skinner, the United States is responsible for 26 percent of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere each year, although it accounts for only 4 percent of the world population. 

Matooane said Bush’s decision to withdraw from the Kyoto commitments represents a “setback” for those working to reverse climate change everywhere. But, he said, “It doesn’t stop us from doing something about it.” 

Berkeley Observed 

Looking back, seeing ahead 

In 1898 a group of north Berkeley women founded a club devoted to educating the public on the healthful benefits of living simply in homes designed to provide plenty of fresh air, sunlight and greenery.  

The club was called the Hillside Club. The ideals promoted by the club were published in pamphlets and distributed to the public.  

In reaction to the excesses of the Victorian Age, the club advocated that homes should be simple and free of unnecessary decoration; wood siding should be left unpainted to weather naturally; and interiors should be filled with handmade or homemade furniture and decorative objects.  

The club believed that the benefits of country living could be developed in Berkeley, thereby creating a new kind of city that was in harmony with the landscape. 

Writer and naturalist Charles Keeler, a great proponent of this “arts and crafts” philosophy and an important influence in the founding of the Hillside Club, wrote a book “The Simple Home” in 1904 that describes how to achieve such a house.  

Architect Bernard Maybeck, whose name is associated with the concept of “building with nature,” designed his first “simple home” for Keeler at the top of Ridge Road in 1895.  

The house was built of unpainted redwood, both inside and out, and all the construction members were left exposed. Soon the north Berkeley hillside was covered with unpainted wood-sided houses set in lushly informal gardens. 

Even the neighborhood public Hillside School was designed in the rustic, back-to-nature style.  

It was built in 1915.  

It was covered with unpainted brown shingles and its wide covered porch was supported with posts of unpeeled redwood logs.  

The children went to school in a building very much like the homes they lived in.  

On September 17, 1923, a raging wildfire swept down from Wildcat Canyon destroying much of the early hillside neighborhood including the original Hillside School.  

Only a few of the early homes north of the university campus still stand.  

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

Last summer, eight members of the Berkeley Bishops Chess Team traveled to Straffen, Ireland, to compete with the top-rated European Junior Champion Chess Team.  

This week the Berkeley Bishops are hosting nine children and five adults from Straffen, continuing the cultural exchange that began with a chess tournament last year. 

Straffen is a small village of 850 people, situated 40 miles west of Dublin. Last year Straffen Elementary School won the title of Junior Champions of Europe.  

The Berkeley Bishops spent a week with host families in the village. When the final tournament was played the Bishops won two out of three matches.  

Organizer Elizabeth Shaughnessy was the Irish Women’s Chess Champion in 1970 and former head of the Berkeley Board of Education.  

Shaughnessy said she was the first to start a school-based chess program on the West Coast in 1982 when she founded the Berkeley Chess School. Since then enrollment continues to climb, with 4,000 kids enrolled throughout the Bay Area in this year’s program.  

“It is the largest program on the West Coast,” Shaughnessy said.  

The children participating in the program generally range from third to sixth grade with a few exceptions.  

“If a younger kid is particularly bright, we let them join,” Shaughnessy said.  

How do kids benefit from such a program? 

“It helps the kids to learn how to focus, to problem solve, how to make decisions, and understanding the consequences of those decisions,” said Lanette Chan-Gordon, executive director of the Berkeley Chess School. 

Shaughnessy said, “The kids learn the responsibility of their own decisions.” 

A part from chess, the Irish children are enjoying their trip. 

Straffen student Niall Kiernan,11, was impressed by the Golden Gate Bridge. 

“We don’t have anything like that in Ireland,” he said. “There are more lights here too.” 

Donal Spring, 14, also of Straffen, agreed that not only were there more lights, but there is “more sun too.” 

The weather in Ireland made a big impression on Mahnoosh Moghadam, 9, of Berkeley, who visited Straffen last year with the team.  

“They have a lot of rainbows there. It’s always raining. I saw two rainbows at a time. Lots of horses too.” 

The big rematch is on Monday. 

OAKLAND — Unions representing BART employees have asked Gov. Gray Davis to help avert a strike on the commuter train network. 

BART’s three largest unions, representing 2,800 employees, have voted to authorize a strike beginning midnight Saturday. 

But they also have asked Davis to impose a 60-day cooling off period that would allow negotiations to continue. 

“Should the governor grant our request, BART riders can be assured there will be no strike on Sunday morning,” said Larry Hendel with the Service Employees International Union 790, which represents maintenance and clerical workers. 

A Davis spokesman said Friday evening the governor has not yet decided how to respond to the requested intervention. 

BART managers have opposed the cooling-off period, saying they to reach an agreement this weekend. 

“They have to get serious at the bargaining table,” BART General Manager Tom Margro said of his union counterparts. 

A strike would affect 335,000 commuters in the San Francisco Bay area.

SAN JOSE — The nation’s largest state lottery prize, a record $141 million, couldn’t have gone to a more deserving man, according to friends and neighbors of Alcario “Al” Castellano, a retired grocery store clerk who volunteered often to help Mexican-American groups. 

Castellano, 66, chose the one-time cash option when he bought his ticket, which means that within the next six weeks he will receive $70,794,364. After taxes, Castellano will net about $50.9 million. 

“My wife and I will never be able to spend all of this money. This is for our family and future generations,” he grinned. 

The former migrant farm worker plans to retire in comfort, take vacations with his wife, and most importantly, provide for his family.  

He said he would immediately pay off his three children’s student loans. 

“I am the luckiest man alive today because I have a loving wife, three great children and some grandchildren,” he said.  

“I am proud to take care of their every need from now on because I just got luckier.” 

The couple also plans to donate to local charities they are familiar with, particularly ones fostering education, leadership and arts and culture for Latinos. 

“We know that winning the Lotto will change our lives,” Castellano said. “The one thing we do know is this will not change our core values.” 

Castellano thanked his wife Carmen profusely for the years of support that she had given him. 

She wants to visit Mexico, Europe and Peru. 

“I’ve always dreamed of seeing those pyramids,” she said. “Now maybe our dreams will come true.” 

Castellano is a fairly quiet man, but one whose face is well-known at the city’s many Mexican American cultural events, acquaintances say. Often behind the lens of a video or still camera, Castellano has spent many years amassing images of the city’s rich Hispanic culture. 

“He was the most supportive person,” said Melinda Chacon, a box office worker at Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose who met Castellano when he videotaped a beauty pageant she was in. “He’s very well deserving. I’m sure everybody felt the same way.” 

Carmen Castellano, a semiretired secretary at 62, is a board member of the folkloric dance group Los Lupenos, among other organizations. 

“We went through a pretty rough year last year, and he and his wife have been there doing pretty much whatever they could,” Maria De La Rosa, the dance group’s artistic director. “He took it upon himself to come in and clean for us, mopping the lobby, vacuuming the floors and taking the garbage out.” 

Castellano was the dairy manager at a San Jose Safeway store before he retired with a bad back, said coworker Bob Skillicorn. 

“You sit and think ’It’s a sin for one person to win that much money.’ But when it’s someone like him, well, I’m really happy for him,” Skillicorn said. “He’s a real down to earth individual and a very strong family man. I know he’ll do the best for his family and community by giving back something.” 

Castellano bought the ticket Saturday at Alex Wang’s liquor store, where he has bought tickets for 15 years. 

“We’ve known each other so long,” Wang said. “He’s a nice guy. He’s smiling all the time.” 

Wang’s smiling, too: he gets $705,000 for selling the ticket. He plans to buy a car for his wife, Ling, and put the rest in the bank. 

Wang said Castellano always marked two of his own numbers and let the computer do the rest with quick picks. The winner was the last number he bought that day: 3, 22, 43, 44 and 45 and Mega number 8. 

Ticket buyers must decide at the time of purchase whether to take a one-time payment or 26 annual checks. Castellano chose the lump sum when he bought his ticket Saturday. 

He said he woke at dawn Sunday, brewed coffee, and plucked his ticket from the refrigerator where it was posted with a magnet. 

He sat down to read the paper and began matching the numbers, one by one. 

“Now, what’s going on here?” he said to himself. “Is this real? I can’t believe it.” 

He went outside for a walk, came back into the kitchen and checked the numbers again. He woke Carmen, “and she started getting hysterical and started dancing.” 

Born in New Mexico, he moved with his family to California to pick crops when he was 9. He volunteered for the Army after high school in the mid-1950s. He and Carmen met at a dance in Salinas. 

He has been a member of the local chapter of the American GI Forum, a Hispanic veterans group that produces annual Cinco de Mayo and Fiestas Patrias festivals. He shows up with his video camera at Hispanic parades, mariachi festivals, charity fund-raisers and other community events so often that the newspaper called him “the Mexican-American community’s unofficial videographer.” 

The largest previous single-state lottery prize before the current record jackpot was $118.8 million in 1991 in California — that was shared by 54 winners. 

The largest multistate jackpot came in a Powerball game in 1998: $295.7 million, shared by 13 machinists in Westerville, Ohio. The world’s largest jackpot ever won by an individual was $197 million, won by a nanny in Boston in 1999 in the multistate Big Game lottery. 

The Castellanos were quiet and nervous as they turned in the ticket Thursday, Lottery spokeswoman Norma Minas said. 

With shouts of “Arriba!” whistles and thunderous applause, Los Angeles mayoral candidate Antonio Villaraigosa was greeted like a conquering hero here at a gathering of Hispanic officials. 

Though Villaraigosa lost the race to white candidate James Hahn, Hispanic officials, buoyed by census data showing their growing numbers, believe that victory – greater political power – is inevitable. 

This year, census findings showed there were 35.3 million Hispanics in 2000, or about 12.5 percent of the population. They now rivals blacks, who number between 33.9 million and 35.4 million, as the country’s leading minority group. 

“It means influence, it means buying power, it means having a greater voice and being able to have more officials that can represent that voice,” said Deborah Ortega, a city council member in Denver, Colo. 

Ortega was one of about 900 Hispanic elected officials, from city council and school board members to members of Congress, that attended this week’s National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Education Fund annual meeting. 

At the conference, they swapped strategy on how to translate their growing numbers into political power by mobilizing the immigrant vote and by backing “crossover” candidates with broad appeal in areas without Hispanic majorities. 

Many were brimming with excitement generated by Villaraigosa’s campaign, which they said raised the profile of Hispanic politicians and demonstrated Hispanic voters’ support and higher-than-average turnout. Hispanics made up 22 percent of the electorate June 5, compared to 15 percent in 1997. 

“I have no tears. I put all my sweat on that battlefield,” Villaraigosa said Thursday to a crowd of about 500 who greeted him with hugs, cheers and a standing ovation. “There was an energy, an excitement there, that all of us can tap into.” 

There are about 5,000 Hispanic elected and appointed officials across the country, ranging from sheriffs and school board members to mayors and U.S. representatives. 

Still, Hispanics represent just 1 percent of elected officials in the country. Hispanics account for 4 percent of members of Congress and there are just seven Latinos in elected, statewide offices. 

On one hand, these numbers “generate great pride,” said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the NALEO Educational Fund. “On the other side, they show we have so much more work to get done.” 

Much of that work lies in cultivating crossover candidates that appeal to voters beyond the Hispanic community. The association chose the Bay Area as the site for its conference to highlight San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales’ success at garnering votes outside the Hispanic community, which accounts for about 30 percent of the city’s population. 

Hispanic leaders are hoping to apply the lessons learned in California to North Carolina, Arkansas and other areas that saw explosive growth in Hispanic populations over the last decade. 

Forthcoming mayoral elections in New York and Houston promise to be high-profile tests of Hispanic candidates Fernando Ferrer and Orlando Sanchez, and the association plans to make phone calls and walk precincts in those cities to get out the vote. 

“The Latino mayors of large cities that have succeeded have that crossover appeal,” said Michael Madrid, vice president of San Antonio, Texas-based political consulting firm Guerra DeBerry Coody. “It allows them to transcend ethnic labels.” 

Dale Prairie, a council member in Bernalillo, N.M., said he plans to take that lesson to heart in his next campaign. He believes he lost a bid for county treasurer because he did not have the votes of high-tech employees and elderly people. Now he realizes the importance of courting those constituencies. 

“Latinos are looking forward to growing more in numbers and being able to win more elections in their own communities,” he said. 

Besides appealing to broad coalitions of voters, candidates must also attract a new bloc of immigrant voters. Since 1993, 5.3 million immigrants became naturalized citizens; of those, 2.3 million were Hispanics, said Louis DeSipio, an associate professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

Helping immigrants to register to vote, teaching them about voting rights and the importance of voting, and urging them to go to the polls were the focus of one workshop at the conference. 

Officials also dug into the nuts and bolts of governing at workshops on school finance, municipal budgets, education and affordable housing. Such discussions indicate political maturity in the Hispanic community, Madrid said. “It’s not just about breaking into the system, it’s about making the system work.” 

What’s next? “Short of electing somebody to the White House, electing a United States senator is the next breakthrough we need to make,” Vargas said. 

“The last election in 2000 broke new ground. You had two middle-aged white men speaking Spanish,” Vargas said. “Success at the ballot box is going to require Latino strategies. We want these parties to work for the vote of the Latino community.” 

On the Net: 

National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials: http://www.naleo.org/

LOS ANGELES — Frustrated by the postponement of a state hearing on workers’ rights, dozens of immigrant workers rallied outside Gov. Gray Davis’ local office Friday and urged full enforcement of labor laws. 

A delegation of activists delivered a letter to Davis’ office and met with a member of the governor’s staff who assured the workers there would be a budget increase for the Department of Industrial Relations and agreed to look into the group’s request to have a meeting with Davis, said Joann Lo with the Garment Worker Center. 

A phone call to Davis’ press office was not immediately returned. 

“We demand more attention and resources to ensure the rights of workers to fair wages, safe working conditions and an efficient process to demand recourse for labor law violations,” the 

letter stated. 

“Conditions for immigrant workers are not better now than they were under the previous administration, and the Department of Industrial Relations continues to fail under your administration to adequately uphold and enforce current labor laws.” 

Day laborers marched up and down the sidewalk in front of the Ronald Reagan State Building alongside janitors and garment and restaurant workers carrying signs that said “put labor laws into action.”  

Wearing brightly colored T-shirts and chanting in Spanish, a couple hundred workers turned out for the midday rally. 

Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, is chairman of the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee that had been scheduled to hear from the workers Friday.  

The meeting was postponed until July 26 because of schedule conflicts, Koretz said, including prolonged budget negotiations that are under way in Sacramento. 

Workers want the next budget to include an additional $5.5 million for enforcement of labor laws.  

The budget likely will include about a $5 million increase, Koretz said, which is only part of what is needed to improve the situation. 

“Funding is the problem. There’s not enough funding for inspectors. If the laws were enforced actively it would make a huge difference,” Koretz said. 

The Department of Industrial Relations is so short-staffed and underfunded that the average employer of immigrant workers is likely only to get a random visit from inspectors every 60 to 100 years, Koretz said. 

Immigrant workers who claimed to have fallen victim to corrupt employers spoke through interpreters Friday to tell of their own experiences and frustrations in trying to get the state to respond to their complaints. 

Mateo Cruz, a day laborer who said he cleaned restaurants for 40 days for one employer, contends he is owed $2,000 after putting in 12-hour days. 

Yeny Saavedra, a garment worker who says she worked up to 15 hours a day sometimes, filed a complaint against her employer for failure to receive overtime pay, but has not received any funds. She said she is owed some $15,000 in back overtime pay, penalties and damages. 

The workers want a commitment that the hearing will be held at the new scheduled date of July 26, and Koretz said he hopes it won’t have to be rescheduled again. 

“One way or another we’re going to have a hard-hitting hearing, and we’re going to dramatize (these abuses) as much as possible,” he said.

SAN QUENTIN — They call them the “worst of the worst” – death row inmates who spend hours fashioning weapons out of unlikely materials and hurl filthy concoctions at passing guards. 

Some want violent inmates evicted to other facilities, pointing to an increase in attacks on staff as proof that aging San Quentin State Prison, built in 1852, isn’t equipped for the bleeding edge of 21st-century malefaction. 

“The people in (maximum security) prisons are in more secure prisons than our current death row,” says Stephen Green, assistant secretary of the Youth and Adult Correctional Agency. “That’s the problem with San Quentin. It just simply isn’t as secure as it should be to have that kind of inmate there.” 

Part of the nation’s largest prison system – California has 160,000 inmates – San Quentin doesn’t have the no-contact design of modern prisons, which use remote-control doors and other innovations to keep prisoners separate from guards. 

At San Quentin, officers have constant hand-to-hand dealing with inmates, pushing in and retrieving food trays, exchanging clean laundry for dirty, and escorting prisoners to the showers and exercise yards. The cells, which are made of bars, have a metal screen in front, but that’s not enough to stop “gassing” attacks, the noxious practice  

of throwing mixtures of urine and feces. 

Officers also are at risk when they collect an inmate’s food tray.  

The design of the food slot means the officer and inmate are inches apart and if the officer is distracted, sometimes intentionally by another inmate, the inmate can pull the officer’s hands through the slot. 

While the majority of death row prisoners do not cause problems, attacks have increased threefold in the past year and a half in the Adjustment Center, the place where the most disruptive death row inmates are sent, prison officials say.  

Forty-five of the center’s 85 inmates have attacked guards, according to prison staff. 

“We’ve had officers that have had their arms grabbed as they’re trying to issue a tray of food and the inmate takes a slashing device and slashes at their wrists,” says Tony Jones, president of the San Quentin correctional officers’ union. Some inmates have made spears by rolling up a newspaper very tightly, coating it with oatmeal to create a hard crust and then finding a piece of metal for the tip, creating a weapon “every bit strong enough to stick into a cement wall or stick into you.” 

A number of ideas have been floated about what to do with San Quentin: Close it, move death row, split death row into two or break it down into smaller units distributed to maximum security prisons throughout the state. 

A state study on the feasibility of closing San Quentin is due at the end of this month for review by state officials and the governor, who has final say. 

Meanwhile, a more modest proposal is making its way through the Legislature that would send up to 30 of the most troublesome inmates to California State Prison, Sacramento, a modern facility next to Folsom State Prison. 

That idea, put forward by Assemblyman Joe Nation, D-San Rafael, has passed in the Assembly and is scheduled for a Senate committee hearing July 10.  

Not surprisingly, the bill is less than popular with residents of the Folsom area. 

Jones opposes the idea of closing San Quentin. 

“We’ve rebuilt this institution in the last 10 years completely. I don’t think that it’s a broken-down institution that can’t go on,” he said. 

But he thinks getting rid of the worst death row inmates is a good idea. 

“Even if it was to move 10, it would help,” he says. “You’re housing an inmate in a facility that currently poses a clear and present danger to all staff that works with them.” 

Inmate advocates say not all violence can be blamed on inmates.  

They suggest some of the recent violence may have been in reaction to restrictions on visiting and access to exercise yards. They oppose the idea of moving inmates away from San Francisco, which is where a large number of death row lawyers practice. 

“The only people who should be moved out are the ones who suffer from severe mental illness,” says Robert Bryan, who represents a number of death row inmates. 

Steve Fama of the Prison Law Office, which provides free legal services to help improve inmates’ living conditions, said he’s concerned that inmates who get moved out won’t have the same access to legal resources like law libraries and will be allowed fewer attorney visiting days. 

Fama’s also unsure whether the increased assaults are “the start of the trend or merely another turn of the wheel” and thinks the state should take a closer look at the Adjustment Center to see what’s going on with inmates, staff and supervisors. 

“The idea that moving 10 or 20 inmates ... is going to solve the problem is a little naive,” Fama says.

LOS ANGELES — California’s power crisis and the struggling technology market will keep the state’s economy teetering on the edge of recession for at least the rest of the year, economic forecasters say. 

Even without factoring in the continuing costs of keeping the state’s cash-strapped utilities in operation, California’s economy – the fifth largest in the world – is rapidly slowing and will struggle to keep from shrinking, according to the Anderson Forecast released Thursday. 

Californians are jittery over the reliability of the state’s power system, worried about their jobs and have lost much of their confidence in the economy, said Tom Lieser, senior economist with the quarterly report, based at the University of California at Los Angeles. 

The UCLA economists estimated consumer spending in the first quarter, adjusted for inflation, declined 3.3 percent in the state as paper riches based on vanishing stock options, known as the “wealth effect,” disappeared. “The recent weakness of taxable sales ... likely means that the wealth effect on consumer spending, which was an important determinant of the 1999-2000 gains, is now dead in California,” Lieser said. 

He estimated the state’s unemployment rate – 4.9 percent in May – would reach 6.3 percent by 2003 before turning around. 

One bright spot in the forecast was state exports, which remained high with 13.2 percent year-to-year growth from the first quarter last year, Lieser said. 

But the power crisis, fueled in part by increasing demand from the high-tech industry and limited hydroelectric capacity due to drought in the Northwest, is an increasing drain on the state. 

California has spent billions of dollars buying electricity for its largest utilities, which have been losing money for the past year due to high wholesale power prices and deregulation rules that prevented them from passing the high costs on to consumers. 

A report prepared by Cambridge Energy Research Associates, an energy research group that co-sponsored Thursday’s Anderson Forecast forum, concluded that by bailing out the utilities and shielding consumers, the state would end up with huge debt and more rolling blackouts this summer. 

The report suggests the power crisis would end sooner if consumers bore the brunt of rising electricity costs because that would force conservation. 

That drew sharp criticism from Steve Maviglio, spokesman for Gov. Gray Davis. 

“Already without a rate increase we’ve had an 11 percent reduction in energy use from last May to this May,” Maviglio said. “And there’ll be a rate increase hitting June bills that should cause even further reductions.” 

On the national front, Anderson Forecast Director Edward Leamer said the risk of recession had dropped slightly from an earlier report, from 90 percent to 80 percent. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Anderson Forecast: http://www.uclaforecast.com 

WASHINGTON — A researcher who had been preparing to work on human cloning has agreed not to attempt an experiment or research until the legality of the effort is determined, the Food and Drug Administration reported. 

FDA spokesman Lawrence Bachorik said Friday that his agency has inspected a lab set up by Brigitte Boisselier in an effort to attempt human cloning. 

She signed a statement committing not to attempt human cloning and not to do research using human eggs until the legality of human cloning is determined, Bachorik said. 

Lawmakers have been preparing legislation to outlaw human cloning. In the meantime, FDA has insisted that no experiments can go forward without its approval.  

That hasn’t discouraged a religious organization called the Raelian Movement, which argues that life on Earth was created by extraterrestrial scientists. 

Its leader, Rael, started a lab – directed by Boisselier – where he vowed to clone a human somewhere in the United States. 

Another group, led by an Italian fertility doctor, is promising to find another country where cloning is legal. Both teams say they have people ready to volunteer for the first human effort. 

In its issue due on newsstands Monday, U.S. News & World Report says that a federal grand jury in Syracuse, N.Y., is investigating the Raelian lab. Bachorik declined to say where the lab is located. Boisselier formerly taught chemistry at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. Boisselier told a House energy and commerce subcommittee in March that her lab had received a letter from FDA warning that it would be against the law to proceed with cloning without permission. 

At that time she said she did not know whether the company operating the lab, Clonaid, would proceed anyway. 

She dismissed safety concerns, saying the problems have all come in cloning animals and do not apply to potential human cloning.  

She said she was working with a father who was devastated by the death of his son and wants to clone him. 

The FDA says any human cloning experiments in the United States would need its approval and, based on safety concerns, the agency would not approve any applications at this time.  

Clones are created when the genetic material from a single cell is injected into an egg cell that has had its genes removed. The resulting baby would be like an identical twin born years later. 

Ethicists note that the clone would not be a copy of the original person.  

He or she would grow up in a different environment at a different time, said Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania.

WASHINGTON — Screening tests for breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer will be covered by Medicare beginning on July 1, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday. 

The new coverage comes under a law passed by Congress last December. The legislation calls for The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to phase in coverage for certain tests and therapies that detect diseases early, when there is the best chance for treatment. 

“Medicare must play a leading role in preventing, containing or slowing illness,” said HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson. “By increasing preventive services we can save lives.” 

Under the law, most preventive services require a 20 percent co-pay of a Medicare-approved amount. The new law applies to those who are not considered at high risk for cancer – those who are considered high-risk cases are already covered. Under the new measure, women can request coverage every two years for Pap Smear tests, which help millions detect precancerous cervical cells in time to prevent cancer.  

Medicare recipients are also now entitled to a screening colonoscopy every 10 years. 

On The Net: 

Medicare: http://www.medicare.gov 

WASHINGTON — Defying a veto threat, the Democratic-controlled Senate passed sweeping patients’ rights legislation Friday night, promising millions of Americans new health care protections and the ability to sue their HMOs. 

The 59-36 vote sent the bill to the House, where the White House and Republican leaders were hoping to rework it to restrict lawsuits. 

The legislation is a “going to protect the patients of this country, the families, the children, the women, the workers in this nation,” said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., a leading supporter. 

GOP critics saw it differently, and said so. Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., a physician, said the measure was “more concerned about protecting the rights of trial lawyers than providing Americans with affordable high-quality health care.” 

But an alternative proposal that would have reduced the threat of lawsuits, supported mostly by Republicans, was swept aside, 59-36, moments before the final vote. 

Designed to combat HMO horror stories, the legislation as originally drafted would give an estimated 190 million Americans new protections such as the right to emergency room care, access to specialists, minimum hospital stays for mastectomies and access to government-run clinical trials. 

Patients could appeal any HMO’s denial of care to an independent reviewer. The legislation also would permit patients to sue if they lose their appeal and to recover substantial damages if they win in court. 

President Bush issued a veto threat against the bill last week, saying he agreed with the need to protect patients but was concerned the measure would prompt lawsuits, drive up the cost of insurance and cause businesses to cancel coverage. 

Republicans made the same point repeatedly during the debate, and Democrats agreed to a series of changes they said would alleviate the problem. 

“I think we made a lot of improvements,” Daschle told reporters. “And I think the president should reconsider” his veto threat. 

Republican officials said that was unlikely, at least until Democrats agreed to further reduce the threat of lawsuits and the potential for enormous sums to be awarded in damages. 

Supporters and critics of the bill have generally agreed on the need for patient protections – an issue that garners consistently high support in public opinion polls. 

But they clashed often over the lawsuits that Democrats, aligned politically with the nation’s trial lawyers, say are necessary to enforce those rights. Republicans, generally aligned with the health insurance industry, tried at several points to curtail the potential for suits. 

One change, adopted on Thursday, would shield an estimated 94 percent of the nation’s employers from lawsuits. 

The bill’s supporters agreed to others on Friday. 

One would limit class action lawsuits. Another would require virtually all patients to complete an independent appeal of an HMO’s denial of care before going to court. 

Supporters raised objections to proposals to limit damages that patients could recover in successful lawsuits, and also objected to further restrictions on patients’ abilities to bring suits. 

“At some point Senator Kennedy and Senator (John) McCain and Senator (John) Edwards are going to get serious and negotiate” on the legal issues, said Nickles, referring to the lead sponsors of the measure. 

Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., proposed the amendment to foreclose most suits while independent appeals were ongoing. 

Passage, on a vote of 98-0, means denial of care decisions will ultimately be reviewed by “somebody who is objective, somebody who is an expert,” he said, and will result in “doctors making decisions instead of lawyers.” 

Thompson’s amendment would permit lawsuits in limited circumstances when appeals were in progress, principally when they consumed more than 31 days. 

Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, authored the amendment to reduce the potential for class action suits, and it, too, cleared on a vote of 98-0. 

But other changes advanced by critics were swiftly sidetracked by the bill’s supporters. 

Among them was one amendment by Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., to ban all patients’ rights lawsuits against employers with 15 employees or fewer. It was killed on a vote of 55-43. 

——— 

The bill, S. 1052, can be found at http://thomas.loc.gov 

WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney, experiencing heart problems for the third time since last November’s election, expected doctors to implant a pacemaker Saturday to even out a rapid heartbeat. Declaring himself otherwise fit, he said he would resign if ill health began hindering his work. 

Looking trim and bit pale at a surprise White House news conference, Cheney tried to minimize his latest ailment by predicting he would return to work Monday and welcoming the prospect of a second term. 

He has suffered four heart attacks over a quarter century, the last one in November, and was hospitalized in March to reopen a partially blocked artery — a health history that has become a nagging political question for the administration. 

“The doctors have assured me there’s no reason why either the procedure or the device that’s being implanted should in any way inhibit my capacity to function as the vice president,” said Cheney, 60. 

The odds were that he would need the pacemaker implanted, Cheney said, and he seemed resigned to it. “I look on this an insurance policy,” he said. 

The 30 minute news conference was conducted with almost no notice, a rare breach of protocol that aides hoped would give Cheney a chance to deliver the news before it leaked. Bush advisers felt they had mishandled the November and March hospitalizations, which raised questions about whether Cheney was fit to remain as next in line to the presidency. 

“If it were the doctors’ judgment that any of these developments constituted the kind of information that indicated I would not be able to perform, I would be the first to step down,” the vice president said. “I don’t have any interest in continuing in the post unless I’m able to perform adequately.” 

Clearly trying to ease any voter concern, he repeated the sentiment in the news conference – and again for a Philadelphia radio station. “If the docs ever come in and say, ‘Look, we really think you ought to ease off,’ I’ll be the first to recognize that and step down and let somebody else take over,” Cheney told WPHT. 

An unusually influential vice president, Cheney headed Bush’s transition team, played a major role in Cabinet and top personnel selections and chaired the White House energy task force. He is a top foreign policy adviser, the chief congressional lobbyist and sure to be at nearly every important White House meeting. 

Cheney said he informed Bush on Tuesday that doctors were recommending the test and, probably, a pacemaker. The news was closely guarded, though some in the White House spent as much as two days preparing for Friday’s announcement, which included a statement from Cheney’s doctor. 

In that statement, Dr. Jonathan Samuel Reiner said Cheney wore a heart monitor for 34 hours and the device detected four brief episodes of abnormally fast heartbeats. “Mr. Cheney felt none of these occurrences,” the statement said. Advisers later said Cheney wore the device over the weekend at home, not at work. 

Saturday’s test will involve running thin wires through a vein in Cheney’s leg, and into his heart.  

The wires have sensors that detect the way electricity ripples across the muscles that pump the heart, and will help doctors assess the risk of future arrhythmia. Doctors will decide on the spot whether to implant the pacemaker. 

That device is about the size of a pager, weighing less than 80 grams, and is placed under the skin of the upper chest. It can correct an irregular heartbeat with a low-level shock. 

More than 150,000 Americans, mostly over 60, have pacemakers. The devices are usually used to adjust slowing heartbeats; Cheney’s rapid heartbeat could be more serious. 

“This has the potential to become a serious issue,” said Dr. Jeff A. Brinker, a cardiologist and pacemaker specialist at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center. He called Cheney’s type of arrhythmia “more disturbing” than a normal pacing problem with the heart. 

Cheney said the pacemaker was merely insurance against the possibility that his heart would again begin pumping out of time. “It may never actually be needed,” he said. 

He calmly fielded 26 questions and showed some humor. With a crooked half-smile, he said the pacemaker is “an energy efficient device. It runs for five to eight years, without having to replace the batteries.” He also repeated that his wife, Lynne, “is in charge of my food supply.” 

Aides say he has lost more than 20 pounds in recent months, 

Cheney said Bush would have to decide who would be the GOP running mate in 2004 but “if I’m in shape to do it, and if my health permits, then I’d be perfectly happy to serve.” 

PARIS — Secretary of State Colin Powell voiced doubt Friday that a U.S.-British plan to overhaul sanctions on Iraq would be approved soon by the U.N. Security Council. The problem is Russia, which is holding out. 

“We’ve had some progress over the last 24 hours with the French and the Chinese, but I’m not saying they are all aboard yet,” Powell said. 

In New York, acting U.N. Ambassador James Cunningham announced that four of the five permanent council members – the United States, Britain, China and France – had agreed on a list of military-related items that might be exported. The list would have to be reviewed by the U.N. committee monitoring sanctions against Iraq. 

“We were very encouraged” by the support from France and China, Cunningham said, calling the list a key part of the U.S.-British plan. 

But Russia, Iraq’s closest council ally, remains adamantly opposed to the proposal, and did not agree on the list. Russia has threatened to veto the resolution if it comes to a vote. 

Powell said Russia was protecting its commercial interests and was not convinced all sanctions would ultimately be removed. 

The secretary of state said he would speak to Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov over the weekend. Cunningham and other diplomats said they expect high-level diplomatic contacts to continue ahead of a Tuesday deadline. The Security Council scheduled another meeting on Iraq for Monday afternoon. 

The U.S.-British plan would lift most restrictions on civilian goods entering Iraq while plugging up lucrative Iraqi smuggling routes and tightening enforcement of an arms embargo imposed after Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The Iraqi government vehemently opposes the plan. 

The proposal is incorporated in a resolution to extend the U.N. oil-for-food program, which allows Iraq to sell oil if the proceeds are spent on food, medicine and other essential goods. When agreement wasn’t reached on a sanctions overhaul in early June, the program was extended until July 3. 

The current Security Council president, Bangladesh’s U.N. Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury, said he expects another temporary extension because of differences on the sanctions overhaul. 

“I believe the bigger resolution is not possible,” Chowdhury said. “It is absolutely difficult.” He explained that his assessment was based on a discussion on Iraq held by the council behind closed doors Friday afternoon. 

While in the Middle East, Powell lobbied Foreign Ministers Hubert Vedrine of France, Tang Jiaxuan of China and Jack Straw of Britain by telephone. 

As he flew from Jordan to Paris for a meeting with Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Powell told reporters he was pleased with the success he had rallying other Security Council members to support a new sanctions policy. 

In Jordan, Powell said, he promised King Abdullah II that the United States would try to minimize the impact of the new sanctions. Jordan, a neighbor and key trading partner of Iraq, has voiced deep reservations about the U.S.-British proposal, worried that it would devastate its economy. 

In New York, Iraq’s Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Riyadh Al-Qaisi reiterated Baghdad’s vehement opposition to the plan during an open Security Council meeting Thursday and at a press conference on Friday. 

Iraq halted all oil exports, except to its neighbors, in protest. Al-Qaisi said Friday that Iraq will not resume oil exports if the Security Council approves a resolution that makes any mention of altering the current sanctions.

VIEQUES, Puerto Rico — Fighter jets dropped dummy bombs on the U.S. Navy’s firing range on the island of Vieques on Friday, while security officers detained five protesters who invaded Navy lands. 

F-14 Tomcats and F-18 Hornets conducted exercises over the range on the island’s eastern tip, said Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Katherine Goode. She said the exercises would continue into the night and would conclude either Friday night or Saturday. 

Among three protesters detained Thursday was New York State legislator Adam Clayton Powell IV, who was turned over to U.S. marshals. In a court appearance on Friday, he refused to post $2,000 bail and was returned to a federal detention center in the San Juan suburb of Guaynabo. 

No trial date has been set for Powell, the latest of several New York City politicians to join local protesters in calling for an immediate end to the bombing.  

At least 73 people have been arrested for trespassing on restricted lands since the bombing resumed last week, Goode said. 

The five detained on Friday were captured near the fence bordering the island’s civilian area, where most protesters have been detained. 

Although President George W. Bush this month ordered the Navy to leave in 2003, many Puerto Ricans say that is too long to wait. 

Three other New York politicians who were imprisoned for protesting were freed Friday morning after spending 37 days in jail. 

State Assemblyman Jose Rivera, 65; Bronx County Democratic Party chairman Roberto Ramirez, 51; and New York City Councilman Adolfo Carrion Jr., 40, walked out of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn shortly before 9 a.m. 

Their fellow prisoner, the Rev. Al Sharpton, also convicted of tresspassing during Vieques protests, must remain in jail until Aug. 15. 

In the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan, meanwhile, tensions had subsided after a Thursday night clash between opponents of the bombing and pro-U.S. statehood activists, who raised a U.S. flag above a chapel built as a center of prayer for those who oppose the Navy bombing. 

Five people were injured in clashes between the groups, and many demanded that the U.S. flag be lowered. 

On Friday, the U.S. flag still flew at the top of the pole, above a Puerto Rican flag and a smaller blue-and-white Vieques flag. Police stood guard around the flagpole. 

——— 

On the Net: 

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

Anti-Navy site: www.viequeslibre.org 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

I've been reading your column for a long time, and I've noticed an interesting pattern in the questions. I see a lot of dealerships trying to “wait out” customers on repairs that should be done under warranty. I was under the impression that if the dealership does work under warranty, it gets the same amount of money as if it had done the work for a retail customer. So why would they want to wait people out? Am I wrong? — Matt 

TOM: Well, legally, they can't “wait people out” as a way to avoid fixing a problem, Matt. If you complain about a problem while the car is covered under warranty, the manufacturer is obligated to fix the problem, even if the warranty expires before they actually fix it. 

RAY: But you're right that a lot of dealers are not eager to fix problems under warranty. Generally speaking, the manufacturer pays a lower labor rate to the dealer for warranty work. And, since the parts come from the manufacturer, the dealership can't earn its usual markup on the cost of parts, either. 

TOM: Plus, it's hard to sweet-talk the manufacturer into buying a fresh set of fuzzy dice every time they come in. 

RAY: But a lot of the fault here lies with the manufacturer. The manufacturers have traditionally made it less appealing for dealers to do repairs under warranty. In order to keep dealers from taking advantage of the warranty reimbursements, they've historically made those reimbursements small and authorization hard to get. 

TOM: In recent years, most manufacturers have seen the effects of these policies (angry customers), so they've increased their warranty reimbursements and have used other means of ensuring that unnecessary work doesn't get charged to them (like installing secret video cameras in the coffee machine). But manufacturers still don't pay as much as you do when you make an appointment. 

RAY: Despite the disincentive, some dealerships have realized that doing warranty work graciously can be good – in the long term – for business. Such good service can create a customer for life. And, over a lifetime, that customer can be worth a lot more to the dealership than the few hundred bucks they forgo by replacing the customer's transmission under warranty. 

TOM: But until warranty repairs generate income equivalent to nonwarranty repairs, there will always be dealers out there who will shirk the warranty work -- assuming they've got enough work that they can pick and choose. So you can blame the shortsighted dealers, but some of the blame also has to go to the manufacturers for creating this customer-unfriendly disincentive.  

Got a question about cars? Write to Click and Clack in care of this newspaper, or e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk section of cars.com on the World Wide Web.

NEW YORK — An interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve is usually cause for celebration on Wall Street. But investors had to sleep on it before rallying the day after the Fed’s sixth such move of the year. 

Analysts weren’t surprised by the initially cautious response to the rate cut Wednesday; the market has become increasingly convinced that better corporate earnings, not Fed policy, will presage any business turnaround. 

“We still haven’t seen the effect of the initial rate cuts, so it’s harder to get excited about the sixth one,” said Rafael Tamargo, director of equity research at Wilmington Trust. 

The rate reduction also was widely anticipated, meaning investors had been buying and selling on lower rates ahead of the official announcement. And the cut was smaller than the market had wanted — a quarter of a percentage point, rather than the half-point many money managers predicted. 

What changed? 

“I think people thought about it overnight and realized it didn’t matter” that the cut was smaller than expected, Tamargo said. “What mattered was that the Fed had made the cut and indicated it would cut again if necessary.” 

Still, the market’s reaction illustrates one of the frustrating truths about Wall Street in an economic downturn. 

Although the Fed’s interest rate cuts have provided a buffer against strong selloffs by reassuring investors that help is on the way, the reductions haven’t provided a catalyst for a significant, sustainable rally. 

Instead, with more than 600 corporate warnings this quarter, the market has become even more hesitant to commit to stocks of companies that can’t say their performance will soon improve. 

Analysts say the market is mired in what’s called a trading range, with the averages unable to advance or fall below a certain level. 

The Dow Jones industrials, for example, have been trading between 10,500 and 11,400 since mid-April. The Nasdaq has been hovering between 2,000 and 2,300 since about the same time, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index has traded between 1,200 and 1,300. 

“In a trading range, people generally trade off extremes in investor sentiment,” said Richard Cripps, chief market strategist at Legg Mason in Baltimore.  

“What we’ve seen this week is a market that had become oversold and negative, so people started buying.  

“They’ll sell when the market becomes too high. But the overall market won’t advance beyond that.” 

Don’t expect the time of year to help either. Summer is traditionally a slower time for Wall Street and business deals. Trading volumes tend to decrease as the nation goes on vacation. 

All of these factors played a role this past week. 

So did news that a federal appeals court had reversed a lower court ruling that had ordered the breakup of Microsoft intensified the positive sentiment. Analysts say bargain hunting influenced trading, too. 

The end of the quarter was still another contributor. With the second-quarter ending Friday, professional money manager spent the early part of the week selling and adjusting their portfolios.  

As the week wore on, that pressure decreased, allowing stocks to advance somewhat. 

New earnings warnings on Friday dampened investors’ enthusiasm somewhat, although the indexes managed moderate gains. Trading volume was also light before the Independence Day holiday. 

“The problems still remain, and until there’s solid signs that the economy and earnings are improving, the sustainability of any advance is going to be questionable,” said Charles White, portfolio manager for Avatar Associates. 

For the week, the Dow lost 102.19, or 1 percent, after dropping 63.81 to 10,502.40 on Friday. 

The Nasdaq gained 125.70, or 6.2 percent, for the week, following a 35.08-point gain to 2,160.54 Friday. 

The S&P 500 index was essentially unchanged for the week, slipping 0.97, or 0.1 percent. It dipped 1.82 Friday to 1,224.38. 

The Russell 2000, which measures the performance of smaller company stocks, 23.99 or 4.9 percent for the week after gaining 9.65 Friday and closing at 512.64. 

The Wilshire Associates Equity Index, the market value of NYSE, American and Nasdaq issues, was $11.41 trillion Friday, up $94.69 billion from last week. A year ago the index was $13.62 trillion. 

Lisa Singahina is a business writer for The Associated Press.

PALO ALTO — Computer and printer giant Hewlett-Packard Co. has asked its 45,000 U.S. employees to take pay cuts or use additional vacation days in an effort to trim costs. 

According to a memo released Thursday, employees have three choices: a 10 percent pay cut, eight additional paid vacation days, or a 5 percent cut and four additional vacation days. The program is not mandatory. 

The vacation must be taken before the end of October, when HP’s fiscal year ends. The pay cuts would last through Oct. 31. 

Accrued vacation days are a liability, the company says, and the program would help HP save money. 

The company has been hard-hit as demand for personal computers, peripherals and servers collapsed amid the economic downturn. 

Analysts expect Hewlett-Packard to earn 20 cents a share for the third quarter, which ends July 31, and 30 cents a share for the fourth quarter ending Oct. 31, according to Thomson Financial/First Call. 

A year ago, the company earned 49 cents in the third quarter and 41 cents in the fourth quarter. 

In January, HP announced it was cutting 1,700 marketing positions. Four months later, HP said it was trimming 3,000 management jobs. The company currently employs about 90,000 people worldwide. 

International employees also will be asked to make sacrifices, but their choices will depend on local labor laws. 

Shares of HP were up 9 cents, to $27.34, in early afternoon trading Friday on the Nasdaq Stock Market. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Hewlett-Packard: http://www.hp.com 

By Jared Green 

Daily Planet Staff 

The St. Mary’s boys’ basketball team won a Division IV state championship last season and will move up to Division I next year to take a shot at the state’s bigger schools. It will be a big adjustment for the coaches and players to make, but the Panthers will get their first up-close look at the big boys this weekend at the Cal Basketball Team Camp at the RSF Fieldhouse in Berkeley. 

The camp will consist of a combination of drills, competitive games and a speech by Cal head coach Ben Braun. 

The St. Mary’s players will play at least four games against some of the best teams in the state. Their first opponent at 3 p.m. on Friday will be Division I runner-up Modesto Christian, which returns star point guard Richard Midgely, a senior-to-be who has verbally committed to play for the Bears. The Panthers won’t get much of a rest following that game, as perennial power Mater Dei awaits at 9 p.m.  

A good night’s sleep will be in order at that point, because a matchup with state semi-finalist De La Salle awaits at 10 a.m. on Saturday. And if that isn’t enough, the 16 teams at the camp will be organized into a mini-tournament that afternoon, continuing into Sunday. 

Other teams at the camp include St. Mary’s BSAL rival Salesian, Bishop O’Dowd and Oakland Tech, who will bring their budding star, junior forward Leon “The Show” Powe. 

The camp will be the first chance for most of the Panthers to get to know their newest teammate. Sophomore transfer DeMarcus Nelson is expected to be a big part of the championship push next year, as he should slot in nicely at the swingman spot vacated by Jeremiah Fielder, the team’s lone senior starter last season. Nelson was named the state’s best freshman last year by several organizations.

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins. $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Sundays, Memorial Day through Labor Day) Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

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

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology “Approaching a Century of Anthropology: The Phoebe Hearst Museum,” open-ended. This new permanent installation will introduce visitors to major topics in the museum’s history. “Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” ongoing. This exhibit documents the culture of the Yahi Indians of California as described and demonstrated from 1911 to 1916 by Ishi, the last surviving member of the tribe. $2 general; $1 seniors; $.50 children age 17 and under; free on Thursdays. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Ave. 643-7648  

Lawrence Hall of Science “Math Rules!” A math exhibit of hands-on problem-solving stations, each with a different mathematical challenge. “Within the Human Brain,” ongoing. Visitors test their cranial nerves, play skeeball, master mazes, match musical tones and construct stories inside a simulated “rat cage” of learning experiments. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. Space Weather Exhibit now - Sept. 2; now - Sept. 9 Science in Toyland; June 21: 6 a.m., Solar Eclipse Day Computer Lab, Saturdays 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. 642-5132 

Holt Planetarium Programs are recommended for age 8 and up; children under age 6 will not be admitted. $2 in addition to regular museum admission. “Constellations Tonight” Ongoing. Using a simple star map, learn to identify the most prominent constellations for the season in the planetarium sky. Daily, 3:30 p.m. $7 general; $5 seniors, students, disabled, and youths age 7 to 18; $3 children age 3 to 5 ; free children age 2 and younger. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu  

The UC Berkeley Art Museum is closed for renovations until the fall. 

924 Gilman St. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless noted $5; $2 for year membership. All ages. June 29: Barfeeders, Pac-Men, Hell After Dark, A.K.A. Nothing, Maurice’s Little Bastards; June 30: The Cost, Pg. 99, Majority Rule, 7 Days of Samsara, Since by Man, Creation is Crucifixion; July 6: Victim’s Family, Fleshies, The Modern Machines, Once For Kicks, The Blottos; July 7: The Stitches, Real MacKenzies, The Briefs, The Eddie Haskells, The Spits 525-9926  

Albatross Pub Music at 9 p.m. unless noted otherwise. June 30: Larry Stefl Jazz Quartet; July 3: 9 p.m., pickPocket ensemble; July 4: Whiskey Brothers; July 5: Keni “El Lebrijano.” 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473  

Anna’s Music at 8 p.m.June 29: Anna and Susie Laraine and Sally Hanna-Rhine; 10 p.m., Hideo Date; June 30: Anna and Susie Laraine and Peri Poston; 10 p.m., The Ducksan Distone. $2 weeknights, $3 weekends. 1801 University Ave. 849-ANNA  

Ashkenaz June 29: 8:30 p.m., Fountain’s Muse CD release party and Musicians and Fine Artists for World Peace fundraiser, with Obeyjah and others; June 30: 9:30 p.m. Tropical Vibrations. 1370 San Pablo Ave. 525-5054 or www.ashkenaz.com 

Berkeley Arts Festival June 30: 7:30 p.m. Marvin Sanders and Vera Berheda, plus Mozart, Beethoven, Hadyn and Fuare in the gallery; July 1: 11 a.m., “Free Jazz on the Pier” The Christy Dana Quartet (on the Berkeley Pier). All shows at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted Donations requested 2200 Shattuck Avenue 665-9496 

Freight & Salvage All music at 8 p.m. June 29: Don’t Look Back; June 30: Jim Hurst & Missy Raines, Due West; July 5: Druha Trava; July 6 and 7: Ferron. 1111 Addison St. www.freightandsalvage.org; 548-1761 

Jupiter All shows at 8 p.m. June 29: Zoe Ellis Quartet; June 30: Go Van Gogh 2881 Shattuck Ave. 843-8277 

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts July 1: 1 & 2 p.m., “Kourosh Taghavi: The Beauty of Iranian Music and Stories of its Origins” $5 - $10. 2640 College Ave. 654-0100 

Live Oaks Concerts, Berkeley Art Center, July 1: Matthew Owens; July 15: David Cheng, Marvin Sanders, Ari Hsu; July 27: Monica Norcia, Amy Likar, Jim Meredith. All shows at 7:30 unless otherwise noted Admission $10 (BACA members $8, students and seniors $9, children under 12 free) 

125 Records Release Party June 30: 9:45 p.m. Anton Barbeau and Belle De Gama will celebrate the release of their albums The Golden Boot: Antology 2 and Garden Abstract respectively. These are the first two albums released on the 125 Records label, founded by Joe Mallon with his winnings from his appearance on “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.” $5. Starry Plough 3101 Shattuck Avenue 841-2082  

Leopold’s Fancy July 2: 8 p.m., Traditional Irish music, part of “Extreme Joyce/Reading On the Edge,” a conference celebrating the works of James Joyce. Free. 2271 Shattuck Ave. 642-2754 

Dramatic Joyce July 3: 7:30 p.m. Dramatic interpretations of the works of James Joyce by local and international actors. Introduction by UC Berkeley Professor Part of the conference “Extreme Joyce/Reading on the Edge.” Free. Krutch Theater, Clark Kerr Campus 2601 Warring Street 642-2754 

“Cuatro Maestros Touring Festival” July 4: 8 p.m. Music and dance performed by four elder folk artists and their young counterparts, accompanied by Los Cenzontles. $12 - $18. Julia Morgan Theater 2640 Collage Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Do You Hear What I Am Seeing?” July 5: 7:30 p.m. One man show by David Norris, a two-hour sampling of Joyce’s works with Norris’ insights. $10. Julia Morgan Theater 2640 Collage Ave. 925-798-1300 

“Romeo and Juliet” Through July 14, Thurs. - Sat. 8 p.m. Set in early 1930s just before the rise of Hitler in the Kit Kat Klub, Juliet is torn between ties to the Nazi party and Romeo’s Jewish heritage. $8 - $10. La Val’s Subterranean Theater 1834 Euclid 234-6046 

“A Life In the Theatre” Runs through July 15. Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. David Mamet play about the lives of two actors, considered a metaphor for life itself. Directed by Nancy Carlin. $30-$35. $26 preview nights. Berkeley City Club 2315 Durant 843-4822 

“The Laramie Project” Through July 22: Weds. 7 p.m., Tues. and Thur. -Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. (After July 8 no Wednesday performance, no Sunday matinee on July 22.) Written by Moises Kaufmen and members of Tectonic Theater Project, directed by Moises Kaufman. Moises Kaufman and Tectonic members traveled to Laramie, Wyo., after the murder of openly gay student Matthew Shepherd. The play is about the community and the impact Shepherd’s death had on its members. $10 - $50. The Roda Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2015 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Iphegenia in Aulis” Through August 12: Sat. and Sun. 5 p.m. No performances July 14 and 15, special dawn performance on August 12 at 7 a.m. A free park performance by the Shotgun Players of Euripides’ play about choices and priorities. With a masked chorus, singing, dancing, and live music. Feel free to bring food and something soft to sit on. John Hinkel Park, Southhampton Place at Arlington Avenue (different locations July 7 and 8). 655-0813 

Films 

Pacific Film Archive June 29: Molba 7:30, Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors 9:10; June 30: 7, 9:10 p.m. Nenette and Boni; July 3: 7:30 p.m., Pineapple. Pacific Film Archive Theater 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch) 642-1412 

Exhibits 

Ako Castuera, Ryohei Tanaka, Rob Sato Through June 30, Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Group exhibition, recent paintings. Artist’s reception June 9, 6:30 - 9 p.m. with music by Knewman and Espia. !hey! Gallery 4920 B Telegraph Ave., Oakland 428-2349  

“Watershed 2001” Through July 14, Wednesday - Sunday Noon - 5 p.m. Exhibition of painting, drawing, sculpture and installation that explore images and issues about our watershed. Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893 

Rachel Davis and Benicia Gantner Works on Paper Through July 14, Tues. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Watercolors by Davis, mixed-media by Gantner. Opening reception June 13, 6 - 8 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth St. 527-1214 www.traywick.com 

Constitutional Shift Through July 13, Tuesdays - Fridays, noon - 5 p.m. Permanence and personal journey link Hee Jae Suh, Ursula Neubauer and Marci Tackett. Korean-born Suh explores an inner psychological world with a dramatic series of self-portraits. Neubauer explores self-portraiture as a travel map of identity with multiple points of view. Tackett explores Antarctica’s other-worldly landscape in a series of stunning digital photographs. Kala Art Institute 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977 

“The Trip to Here: Paintings and Ghosts by Marty Brooks” Through July 31, Tues. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 1 a.m. View Brooks’ first California show at Bison Brewing Company 2598 Telegraph Ave. 841-7734  

Bernard Maisner: Illuminated Manuscripts and 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 

“New Visions: Introductions 2001” July 12 - August 18, Wed. - Sat.: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Juried by Artist- Curator Rene Yanez and Robbin Henderson, Executive Director of the Berkeley Art Center, the exhibition features works from some of California’s up-and-coming artists. Reception July 12 from 6 - 8 p.m. Pro Arts 461 Ninth St., Oakland 763-9425 

“Geographies of My Heart” Collage paintings by Jennifer Colby through August 24; 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) 

“Queens of Ethiopia: Intuitive Inspirations,” the exceptional art of Esete-Miriam A. Menkir. Through July 11. Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 3023 Shattuck Ave. 548-9286 ext. 307 

“The Decade of Change: 1900 - 1910” chronicles the transformation of the city of Berkeley in this 10 year period. Thursday through Saturday, 1 - 4 p.m. Through September. Berkeley History Center, Veterans Memorial Building, 1931 Center St. Wheelchair accessible. 848-0181. Free.  

Readings 

Cody’s Books 2454 Telegraph Avenue All events at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. June 25: Pamela Rafael Berkman reads from her book “Her Infinite Variety: Stories of Shakespeare and the Women He Loved.” 845-7852 

Weekly Poetry Nitro Mondays 6:30 p.m. sign up, 7 - 9 p.m. reading. Performing poets in a dinner atmosphere. June 25: Featuring Steve Arntsen; July 2: Featured artist April Ipock. Cafe de la Paz 1600 Shattuck Ave. 843-0662 

“Berkeley Stories” June 29: 7:30 p.m. Stories of local Celebrity Artists. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 549-3564  

Tours 

“Berkeley in the Sixties” Berkeley Arts Festival presents free speech Veterans Kate Coleman and Michael Rossman leading a tour from Sather Gate Friday June 29, 3 p.m. 

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  

Dog rage case captures headlines 

Editor:  

Same day cases of two criminals showed unequal justice and unbalanced news coverage. Sadly, they apparently reflect the fact that in our warped society cute little dogs are more important than vulnerable women and children. Subsequent information indicates that donations in dog cases attract more donors than cases involving children and other innocent crime victims. The rest of the civilized world is aware of our distorted values. I am one of many decent Americans who are offended by these trends.  

The road rage dog killer’s conviction made front page headlines in major newspapers. Back pages reported the criminally worse Berkeley landlord who imported teenage girls for sex. Proudly, Berkeley Daily Planet provided more balanced coverage.  

A pregnant teenage victim died. The lenient sentence is another affront to the numerous victims and U.S, laws. Lakireddy Bali Reddy committed innumerable crimes in America, for over 20 years, of rape and exploitation of women, children and workers from his native India. He has chronically violated tax, labor, visa and immigration laws plus committed countless sex crimes. He is an habitual, serial rapist and pedofile. His Berkeley rental real estate empire is worth over $50 million. This is only a portion of his vast wealth. The fines and prison time should fit the serious crimes.  

Two million dollars and 97 months is not justice. The creepy dog killer deserves 36 months.  

Unfortunately, Federal Prosecutor John Kennedy appears to have been influenced by Reddy’s wealth and high-priced attorneys. Conscientiously, Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong addressed the leniency. Her hands were tied by Kennedy’s dubious reluctance to fully prosecute, and rigid sentencing guide lines. She lengthened the sentence because of; (1) terrible harm to some of the younger victims; (2) efforts of Reddy to tamper with witnesses. Reddy’s light sentence probably won’t be fully served. He’ll likely be allowed to serve time at Club Fed, Lompac, the plushest of U.S. prisons. The defense sought and defended leniency because Reddy reluctantly apologized and at 64 and will be over 70 when probationed. This greedy pervert showed no mercy to his frightened, young, vulnerable, defenseless, powerless and impoverished victims. Ironically, the judge took into account Reddy’s philanthropy. He donated schools and other good deeds to the village where the exploited victims, who’s victimhood subsidized his wealth, came from.  

This case is another deplorable example of a wealthy criminal influencing the judicial system. Yet another case of under prosecuted abuse and exploitation of women and children by a rich, male criminal in our all too sexist and racist society. But the vile killing of a pet is more news worthy. Double shame.  

Carol Gesbeck DeWitt 

Oakland 

Sewer spills do real creek damage 

Editor: 

Opponents of the Beth-El relocation project declare their concern with the construction on Codornices Creek. They might better concern themselves with the city sewer system, which allows raw sewage to discharge into Codornices Creek and other waterways in the surrounding hill area. Fish cannot spawn in contaminated water. 

The city has systematically looted sewer funds over the years, leaving citizens with a poorly functioning, polluting sewer system. Now City Hall suggests that the sewer tax be raised 3 percent to cover the shortfall.  

Let’s just say that if the tax money were spent as intended by the voters we would have functioning sewers and cleaner creeks. The argument against the relocation of Beth-El might then be less specious. 

Evelyn Giardina 

Berkeley 

Enron fries state  

Editor: 

Confused by the good cop act of Pat Wood, new powerhouse on FERC (the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)? Look at it this way: the Enron-brokered fix is in. 

The Bush gang realized that the generators went too far and a revolution had begun. California has established a statewide public Power Authority, cities are looking into municipal power (even in Republican Orange and San Diego Counties) , State officials are suing and sounding almost serious about seizing plants and jailing executives. Jeffords jumps ship - and everywhere, States put deregulation on hold. 

Suddenly, there’s Wood, hand-picked by Enron, announcing something sort of like price controls - and the media declares a Davis victory. But to see who’s really winning, notice how Davis and Enron want so many of the same things: 

Preserve deregulation, just “make it more fair.” Enron’s middleman “marketer” business - buy and sell anything, anywhere, to anyone - only works in deregulated markets. Davis pretends deregulation is irreversible. 

Enron’s had a field day for the past year, but now it’s time to move on to the next scam. CEO 

Ken Lay has engineered a strong-sounding FERC for the same reasons the most powerful electricity company of 1903 invented state Public Utility Commissions (PUCs) and convinced fellow gougers to play along: 

• to protect investor-owned companies from public power. Outraged at the high rates and low tricks of profit-mad companies, many cities established non-profit municipal utilities, which provided more reliable power for 50 percent lower rates; 

• to protect investor-owned companies from each other, reducing ruinous competition that caused wild price swings, disrupted service and drove some companies into bankruptcy (note: this didn’t work with the weak regulation of 1903 and it won’t work now); 

• because regulators would always be just paper tigers, easily manipulated, no match for wealthy energy companies. 

Stamp out environmental restrictions. Strip away our power to stop construction of power plants and transmission lines. Force us to accept dirty air. 

BUILD MORE GAS-FIRED POWER PLANTS! Davis has signed long-term contracts that lock California into a whole new generation of gas-fired power. Energy gougers will make way more than “market rates” for years to come; Wall Street and Bechtel will get a big cut of this bonanza. 

Forget energy efficiency. Davis claims to promote energy efficiency, while eliminating the most effective programs. 

Build huge centralized power plants, maintaining firm control of energy in very few corporate hands. Postpone adoption of “distributed generation” (aka “self-generation” - small-scale power sources located at point of use) such as “cogeneration” (using waste heat from factories to generate electricity), fuel cells, rooftop solar panels or microturbines (small, gas-fired generators). Begin a vast expansion of the grid - more high-voltage lines and towers - even though a lot of power is lost in transmission. Excess transmission capacity benefits marketers like Enron. 

Co-opt the “renewable energy” crowd. Rooftop solar will not be an option, but Enron’s talking wind farms in California and Duke’s planning high-tech solar installations in the desert. Both fit in with long-distance transmission and centralized control. (Strange as it may seem, Texas now leads the nation in wind energy.) One of the great mysteries of the year is why Davis hardly ever mentions renewable energy. Does he think Duke and Enron are enough? 

Davis’ favorite sayings: “Get the State out of the power business” and “Get California utilities back in business” are not the comments of a man committed to making the most of the State Power Authority. 

But we have one now. And now, more than ever: we need public power, lower rates, clean air and water, jobs and money stay in the community.  

Barbara George, director Women’s Energy Matters 

Sacramento 

clutches of the energy corporations. Begin a vast expansion of the grid, more high-voltage lines and towers rammed through by sweeping powers of eminent domain. Excess transmission capacity benefits marketeers like Enron.  

Coopt the “renewable energy” crowd. Rooftop solar will not be an option, but Enron’s talking wind farms in California and Duke is planning huge high-tech solar installations in the desert. Both fit in with long-distance transmission and centralized control. (Strange as it may seem, Texas now leads the nation in wind energy.) 

Davis’ favorite sayings: “Get the State out of the power business” and “Get California utilities back in business” are not the comments of a man committed to a State Power Authority. But we have one now. And that could make all the difference. 

By Barbara George, Director of Women’s Energy Matters

Friday, June 29

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.  

Therapy for Trans Partners  

6 - 7:30 p.m.  

Pacific Center for Human Growth  

2712 Telegraph Ave.  

A group open to partners of those in transition or considering transition. The group is structured to be a safe place to receive support from peers and explore a variety of issues, including sexual orientation, coming out, feelings of isolation, among other topics. Intake process required. Meeting Fridays through August 17.  

$8 - $35 sliding scale per session  

Call 548-8283 x534 or x522 

Strong Women: Arts, Herstory  

and Literature 

1:15 - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center  

1901 Hearst Ave. 

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

Call 549-2970  

Carefree/Carfree Tour 

3 p.m. 

Sather Gate 

UC Berkeley 

Telegraph at Bancroft 

Walking tour from Sather Gate to People’s Park entitled “Berkeley in the Sixties.” Free. 486-04 11  

Saturday, June 30

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

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

548-3333 

First Annual Brower Day  

David Brower’s Environmental Legacy Celebrated 

Noon - 5 p.m. 

Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park 

Sustainable Crafts Market, organic and vegetarian food. Lee Stetson will perform “The Spirit of John Muir” in the Florence Schwimley Little Theater, 12:30 and 2 p.m., and at 3 p.m. a special screening of "In the Light of Reverence" by the Sacred Land Film Project. Julia Butterfly Hill will join filmmaker Toby McLeod for a special panel following the film. 

415-788-3666 

Science of Spirituality 

5 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

2727 Collage Avenue 

Professor Andrew Vidich will speak on “Rumi: Mystic and Romantic Love, Stories of Masnavi.” Childcare and vegetarian food provided. Free. 

925-830-2975  

Bonfire III: Stories and  

Songs By the Sea 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Marina 

Spinnaker Way, near Olympic Circle Sailing Club 

Come for Havdala and share stories, sing and watch the flames dance. Bring food and drink to share, kosher s’mores provided. 

848-0237 

Know Your Rights 

11 - 2 p.m. 

2022 Blake St. 

Copwatch workshop: Learn what your rights are when dealing with the police. Special section on juvenile rights.  

548-0425 

Bay Area Eco-Crones 

11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

1066 Creston Road 

Networking, information sharing, project planning and ritual.  

Call ahead, 874-4935. 

2001 Paul G. Hearne Leadership 

Award Workshop 

4 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. at MLK 

Michai Freeman, one of 11 recipients of the 2000 Paul Hearne Leadership Award of $10,000, will discuss how she applied for the award and how you can too. The award is given by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and is open to any individual with a disability.  

RSVP required. Reserve your space by emailing your name and address to michai@gladtobehere.org, or by calling 548-6425 ext 2. First 10 registrants will receive free membership to AAPD. 

— compiled by Sabrina Forkish and Guy Poole

If Planning Commissioners have their way, the city-owned parking lot on Oxford Street (between Allston Way and Kittridge Street) may one day be home to a world class environmental education center, a community theater and the largest single concentration of affordable housing built in the city in the last  

15 years. 

And it would all fit under one roof. 

That, at least, is the vision described in the Oxford Lot Project Recommendations document approved by the Planning Commission Wednesday. 

The question of what to do with the Oxford lot is not a new one. Most agree that it is the most significant parcel of land available for new development in downtown Berkeley today. As recently as four years ago, according to Planning Commission Chairperson Rob Wrenn, city officials and UC Berkeley officials discussed the possibility of building a multi-level parking structure on the site to accommodate the increasing numbers of cars visiting the downtown area. 

That, said Wrenn, would have been “an atrocious use of that site.” 

A few years later the City Council approved a statement saying the preferred use for the Oxford lot, under any future development plans, would be for affordable housing and “art space” – performance and exhibition space for the numerous “nomad” art groups in Berkeley who have no dedicated facilities of their own. 

But when the city made no moves to actually develop the site, Wrenn and  

Planning Commissioner Vice Chair Zelda Bronstein asked council members for the chance to come up with a more specific development plan – to help get the ball rolling. (Any plan created by the Planning Commission would then be submitted to the City Council as a non-binding recommendation to be considered whenever the council found time to put it on the agenda.) 

Wrenn, who has led 11 subcommittee meetings and two public workshops on the Oxford lot project since December, said Wednesday that the a Planning Commission subcommittee came at the project from the point of view of trying to determine “what public benefit we can provide with this public land.” 

The subcommittee identified four things that serve the public interest, but are extremely hard to come by in Berkeley, Wrenn said: affordable housing, community art space, nonprofit office space and parking. 

The final recommendation to the City Council, approved by the Planning Commission at its Wednesday meeting by a vote of 8-to-0 with one abstention, constitutes one of the most ambitious mixed-use development projects ever envisioned for Berkeley’s downtown, according to Stephen Barton, Berkeley’s interim director of housing. 

On top of two floors of underground parking – with somewhere between 150 and 200 public parking spaces – the Planning Commissioners have envisioned a five-story building. The top three floors would include at least 90 units of housing, with no less than 50 percent of them reserved for people with a household income at 60 percent or less of the median household income for the Berkeley area (today around $70,000 for a family of four).  

Affordable housing in Berkeley has been built in increments of 10 and 20 in recent years, Wrenn said, and has fallen far short of meeting the demand. 

The first and second floor of the building envisioned by the Planning Commission would be divided between a 100-seat community theater and gallery space (on the ground floor) and office and conference meeting space for the recently-formed David Brower Center, an international environmental education center proposed by a consortium of environmental groups including the Earth Island Institute and the Rain Forest Action Network.  

“This is a very complex and ambitious process that we’re putting forward, and it would be wonderful if we could pull it off,” said Zelda Bronstein Wednesday. 

Stephen Barton warned the commission, however, that it is still far from clear that its plan is feasible. 

“We need to clearly see what’s being put forward by the Planning Commission as an ideal, rather than what’s going to come out of the other side of the process,” Barton said. 

In an interview Thursday, Barton said the proposed project would have to involve numerous funding sources to get off the ground, including a major investment from the city to build the parking structure and the affordable housing. Furthermore, Barton said, the sheer number of arts groups which would have to collaborate on the project, helping to raise money for the art space and then keeping the space rented out after its built, complicates the project. 

There are still no good estimates of what such a project might cost, Barton added. If the cost proves to be too high, the city might have to consider a different mix of uses for the building, such as a mix that could provide more future revenue to balance the development cost. 

Still, Gilbert Chan, a construction and project management consultant working with the proposed Brower Center, said the group has already raised $2 million for the project and expects to raise up to $10 million more in the months ahead. The are numerous wealthy benefactors who revere David Brower, the Berkeley native and founder of the Sierra Club for whom the center is named, and are eager to contribute to a center in Berkeley that would work to uphold his legacy, Chan said. 

Furthermore, Chan said he has worked on projects more complex than the one proposed for the Oxford lot, in terms of the number of players expected to collaborate in the work and the multiple sources of funding that must be tapped. 

“If we didn’t think it was possible, we wouldn’t be in there pulling for it,” Chan said. 

Chan said he hopes to see the City Council adopt the Planning Commission’s recommendation this summer and begin to advertise for developers, so more detailed project planning can begin in the fall. It could be three to four years before the project is completed, Chan estimated. 

Cal forward Sean Lampley, the 2001 Pac-10 Player of the Year, was drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft Wednesday by his hometown Chicago Bulls.  

A graduate of St. Francis DeSales High School in Chicago, Lampley finished his Golden Bear career this past season as Cal’s all-time leading scorer with 1,776 points. As a senior, he was voted an honorable mention Associated Press All-American. He led the Pac-10 in scoring with 19.5 points per game, while also averaging 7.2 rpg and 3.3 apg.  

The 6-foot-7, 225-pounder was a two-time All-Pac-10 selection and was voted Most Valuable Player of the 1999 National Invitation Tournament when he led the Bears to the title.  

Taken with the 45th overall selection of the draft, Lampley was one of four players chosen by the Bulls Wednesday. Chicago also added high schoolers Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry and shooting guard Trenton Hassell out of Austin Peay.  

“He’s a real seasoned kind of college player,” TNT analyst Kenny Smith said of Lampley. “He knows his limitations. It’s a good pick. He’s going to be able to score in the NBA.”  

Lampley is the first Cal player to be drafted since Sean Marks was taken in the second round of the 1998 draft by the New York Knicks.

If Planning Commissioners have their way, the city-owned parking lot on Oxford Street (between Allston Way and Kittridge Street) may one day be home to a world class environmental education center, a community theater and the largest single concentration of affordable housing built in the city in the last  

15 years. 

And it would all fit under one roof. 

That, at least, is the vision described in the Oxford Lot Project Recommendations document approved by the Planning Commission Wednesday. 

The question of what to do with the Oxford lot is not a new one. Most agree that it is the most significant parcel of land available for new development in downtown Berkeley today. As recently as four years ago, according to Planning Commission Chairperson Rob Wrenn, city officials and UC Berkeley officials discussed the possibility of building a multi-level parking structure on the site to accommodate the increasing numbers of cars visiting the downtown area. 

That, said Wrenn, would have been “an atrocious use of that site.” 

A few years later the City Council approved a statement saying the preferred use for the Oxford lot, under any future development plans, would be for affordable housing and “art space” – performance and exhibition space for the numerous “nomad” art groups in Berkeley who have no dedicated facilities of their own. 

But when the city made no moves to actually develop the site, Wrenn and  

Planning Commissioner Vice Chair Zelda Bronstein asked council members for the chance to come up with a more specific development plan – to help get the ball rolling. (Any plan created by the Planning Commission would then be submitted to the City Council as a non-binding recommendation to be considered whenever the council found time to put it on the agenda.) 

Wrenn, who has led 11 subcommittee meetings and two public workshops on the Oxford lot project since December, said Wednesday that the a Planning Commission subcommittee came at the project from the point of view of trying to determine “what public benefit we can provide with this public land.” 

The subcommittee identified four things that serve the public interest, but are extremely hard to come by in Berkeley, Wrenn said: affordable housing, community art space, nonprofit office space and parking. 

The final recommendation to the City Council, approved by the Planning Commission at its Wednesday meeting by a vote of 8-to-0 with one abstention, constitutes one of the most ambitious mixed-use development projects ever envisioned for Berkeley’s downtown, according to Stephen Barton, Berkeley’s interim director of housing. 

On top of two floors of underground parking – with somewhere between 150 and 200 public parking spaces – the Planning Commissioners have envisioned a five-story building. The top three floors would include at least 90 units of housing, with no less than 50 percent of them reserved for people with a household income at 60 percent or less of the median household income for the Berkeley area (today around $70,000 for a family of four).  

Affordable housing in Berkeley has been built in increments of 10 and 20 in recent years, Wrenn said, and has fallen far short of meeting the demand. 

The first and second floor of the building envisioned by the Planning Commission would be divided between a 100-seat community theater and gallery space (on the ground floor) and office and conference meeting space for the recently-formed David Brower Center, an international environmental education center proposed by a consortium of environmental groups including the Earth Island Institute and the Rain Forest Action Network.  

“This is a very complex and ambitious process that we’re putting forward, and it would be wonderful if we could pull it off,” said Zelda Bronstein Wednesday. 

Stephen Barton warned the commission, however, that it is still far from clear that its plan is feasible. 

“We need to clearly see what’s being put forward by the Planning Commission as an ideal, rather than what’s going to come out of the other side of the process,” Barton said. 

In an interview Thursday, Barton said the proposed project would have to involve numerous funding sources to get off the ground, including a major investment from the city to build the parking structure and the affordable housing. Furthermore, Barton said, the sheer number of arts groups which would have to collaborate on the project, helping to raise money for the art space and then keeping the space rented out after its built, complicates the project. 

There are still no good estimates of what such a project might cost, Barton added. If the cost proves to be too high, the city might have to consider a different mix of uses for the building, such as a mix that could provide more future revenue to balance the development cost. 

Still, Gilbert Chan, a construction and project management consultant working with the proposed Brower Center, said the group has already raised $2 million for the project and expects to raise up to $10 million more in the months ahead. The are numerous wealthy benefactors who revere David Brower, the Berkeley native and founder of the Sierra Club for whom the center is named, and are eager to contribute to a center in Berkeley that would work to uphold his legacy, Chan said. 

Furthermore, Chan said he has worked on projects more complex than the one proposed for the Oxford lot, in terms of the number of players expected to collaborate in the work and the multiple sources of funding that must be tapped. 

“If we didn’t think it was possible, we wouldn’t be in there pulling for it,” Chan said. 

Chan said he hopes to see the City Council adopt the Planning Commission’s recommendation this summer and begin to advertise for developers, so more detailed project planning can begin in the fall. It could be three to four years before the project is completed, Chan estimated. 

Cal Athletic Director and Men’s Head Crew Coach Steve Gladstone was named Pac-10 Conference Men’s Rowing Coach of the Year by Pac-10 Comissioner Tom Hansen on Thursday.  

Gladstone led the California men to the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) national title this spring for the third consecutive year. California was ranked No. 1 in the U.S. Rowing Coaches Poll throughout the year and completed a third-consecutive undefeated season. The Bears also won the Pac-10 Championships for the fourth straight year.  

Gladstone earned his ninth Varsity Challenge Cup title, which ranks second to Cornell’s Charles “Pop” Courtney, who won 11 IRA’s between 1901-1915. The Coach of the Year honor is the fourth consecutive for Gladstone and fifth overall. Gladstone, who completed his fifth season in his second stint as head coach at California, also won the award in 1979.

The nonprofit organization East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse filed a lawsuit against the University of California on Tuesday morning, to contest its refusal to renew the Depot’s lease of the university-owned Marchant building at 6701 San Pablo Ave. 

The lawsuit filed at the Alameda County Superior Courthouse in Oakland is the latest step the Depot has taken in a dispute that started more than a year ago. At that time, UC Berkeley announced it wouldn’t extend the Depot’s lease because it wanted to use the space to relocate part of its staff during the retrofitting of campus buildings. The 1995 agreement between the Depot and the university had given the nonprofit organization a five-year lease and an option to rent the space for an additional five years after the expiration of the first rental term on Jan. 1, 2001. The lawsuit contests the university’s claim that the depot has the right to exercise the renewal option only “with landlord’s consent.” 

“Normally an option to extend the lease is absolute. It’s the right of the tenants in their own discretion to decide whether to exercise it and the landlord has no choice,” said Myron Moskovitz, one of the two attorneys representing the Depot, during a press conference. “This language that the university put in at the last minute ‘with landlord consent’ is very unusual. It was not part of the original agreement and should not be given (credence).” 

The university, Moskovitz said, could have denied the option between January and May of this year by proving that it needed the space for its own purposes, but failed to do so. “They’ve claimed in the abstract that they might need it, but there has never been a particular department, a particular professor that has asserted the need for that place,” said Moskovitz. 

Created in 1979, the award-winning East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse recycles used art, educational, and household material and provides them at low cost to schoolteachers and artists. It primarily serves the communities of Berkeley, Emeryville and Oakland, but also does recycling in Contra Costa County. As many nonprofit organizations, it has a tight budget and would probably not be able to subsist if it had to pay more for rent than the 47 cents per square foot it pays now.  

According to David Elliott, president of the Depot’s Board of Directors, raising the rent of the 4,500 square-feet space may be the real motive for the university’s refusal to renew the lease. “They have brought several people from the outside to rent this place at market rates, which means it’s not the university’s need,” he said. “It’s just a way of getting more money.” 

To attorney Zona Sage, this lawsuit raises the question of the responsibility of the university toward the community. The initial rental agreement between the two parts involved, she recalled, was the result of a mitigation plan developed by UC Berkeley that now seems to be neglected. 

“This was part of a joint effort between the city of Berkeley and the university to minimize negative aspects of its expansion within the city,” she said. “It’s unfortunate that they’re going back and have made this with the this non-profit organization and essentially with the city of Berkeley.” 

The University Real Estate Services refused to comment on the dispute Tuesday afternoon. 

If the outcome of the lawsuit goes in favor of the university, the Depot will face eviction on a 90-day notice. Director Linda Levitsky, who has the support of more than 1,500 artists, teachers, students, and other Depot customers, as well as of councilmembers Linda Maio and Donna Spring, said she was optimistic. She hopes the lawsuit will set an example for other organizations facing the same difficulties.  

“I’m sad it has come to this, but it has and now we move forward,” she said. “The way we go as a nonprofit that is being evicted will pretty much set the course for how other nonprofits will have to respond.” 

Panel on infant hearing screening reconvenes 

In conjunction with the Center for the Education of the Infant Deaf, Assemblymember Dion Aroner will reconvene an advisory panel today to address the lack of consistent newborn hearing screenings. State law mandates that newborns and infants undergo hearing screenings and that a system is in place to perform follow up and tracking of those diagnosed with hearing impairments. 

“However, close to three years after the passage of (the state law) there are still newborns who are not being tested in California,” according to a statement issued by Aroner’s office. “Systems, equipment and processes are still not in place and hearing impaired children are undiagnosed and experiencing developmental delays as a result.” 

The meeting is at 11:30 a.m. at the Center for the Education of the Infant Deaf, 1810 Hopkins Street, at The Alameda. Call Ian Barlow, 540-3660. 

Applications available for Solano Stroll space 

Applications for booth space for the Solano Stroll are available and may be downloaded from the Internet at www.solanostroll.org. The stroll will be Sept. 9. Organizers say it draws crowds of 150,000 people from all over California. Call 548-5335. 

Women arrested for protesting on restaurant 

SAN FRANCISCO – Polly Strand, a 68-year-old Berkeley resident, along with Erica Sutherlan, a 19-year-old student and Jennifer Schneider, a 32-year-old San Francisco resident were arrested Wednesday after climbing onto the roof of a San Francisco Burger King during a protest sponsored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.  

The animal rights organization wants Burger King to commit to maintaining the animals it uses in more humane conditions.

SAN FRANCISCO — A stand of redwoods that is the size of San Francisco and is home to 23 endangered species would be preserved in a $60 million plan between the state, a timber company and a Bay Area open-space group. 

The Save-the-Redwoods League is hoping to purchase 25,000 acres of land along California’s North Coast from Portland, Ore.-based Stimson Lumber Co. and turn control over it to the state. 

The land, known as the Mill Creek property, is three times the size of the Headwaters Forest, the preservation of which attracted stiff opposition in 1998. 

The plan for this parcel of densely forested hills about 475 miles north of San Francisco has been less controversial, but will likely find its biggest challenge in getting state budget approval. 

So far, state lawmakers have allocated $17.5 million in the proposed budget for acquiring the land, but that could change as budget negotiations continue — Gov. Gray Davis has said he wants to trim $400 million from the proposed $101 billion budget. The money promised to the deal faces a challenge from park-starved urban areas. 

“It’s in a key area, we’re constantly trying to link existing parks,” said Steve Capps, a spokesman for the State Parks Department. “We’re competing against urban interests, especially in Southern California, which is park-starved.” 

Save-the-Redwoods has already raised $15 million in private funds, which the state’s Wildlife Conservation Board has matched. With $30 million in their pocket, preservationists need the state funding to help seal the deal. 

The land would link up existing parks, including Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park and parts of the Smith River National Recreation area and Redwood National Park. 

The land also contains some of the healthiest watersheds in the state because its waterways – including Mill and Rock creeks and the Smith River – are generally clear of sediment and stay at a good temperature for the fish. That makes it an ideal home to endangered fish including the coho, chum and chinook salmon, as well as steelhead and cutthroat trout. 

“When you find these key ecosystems that are in good condition, it’s important to keep those healthy,” said Mark Stopher, habitat conservation manager with the state Department of Fish and Game. “It’s important to have these sources that keep generating these fish.” 

Most of the land has been logged in the past 50 years, but there are still more than 100 acres of old growth redwoods left. 

Save-the-Redwoods has eyed the property since the 1930s, when it listed it as one of four major acquisition goals. The others, which include land in Humboldt County on the North Coast, and in the Big Sur area, have been accomplished. 

Representatives of Stimson Lumber could not be reached for comment Thursday. 

If it gets further funding, the acquisition is expected to be completed in a year. 

“I don’t think this opportunity will come up again,” said Kate Anderton, executive director of Save-the-Redwoods. “This forest will reconnect these forests in a fabric of habitat.” 

LONG BEACH — Giving a glimpse at the hostile tone the state’s next gubernatorial contest likely will take, Secretary of State Bill Jones attacked Democratic Gov. Gray Davis on Thursday for his handling of California’s energy crisis. 

Jones, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor in 2002, expects to face Davis in next year’s general election. 

Davis, who is expected to seek re-election, has not formally announced his candidacy but has already raised more than $26 million. Jones has not had to report his campaign contributions yet but it is widely believed he will have only a fraction of that sum. 

“During all my years in public service, I have never seen anyone shirk as many tough decisions or seek to blame as many people for his own shortcomings as I’ve seen from Gray Davis in the last two years,” the secretary of state said at a Long Beach Chamber of Commerce luncheon. 

“His inattention to duty, inaction and lack of leadership has unnecessarily caused much of the economic turmoil our state faces today.” 

Davis press secretary Steve Maviglio said Thursday the governor will be “putting more power online in the next two weeks than in the previous 12 years.”  

He pointed to Davis’ 23 executive orders to speed the building of power plants and the 25 percent reduction in energy use in state-run buildings. 

“The facts speak for themselves,” Maviglio said. “The governor licensed the first power plant in 12 years within four months of taking office, in April 1999.  

While federal regulators were still holding hearings, the governor last summer signed legislation and executive orders.” 

Davis has cited the energy deregulation plan signed into law by his Republican predecessor, former Gov. Pete Wilson, as the start of California’s energy woes and has accused power suppliers of manipulating prices. 

He also has attacked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulates wholesale energy transactions, and President Bush for not stepping in to help the state.  

Regulators recently agreed to cap electricity prices throughout the West; Bush has opposed price controls in energy markets. 

Jones laid the blame for the state’s energy crisis on Davis, who he said failed to heed early warning signs of the problem last summer and has devoted more attention to building his campaign coffers than solving the state’s problems. 

“Rather than practicing political gamesmanship, Gray Davis should have paid more attention to the state’s pressing policy issues and avoided his multibillion dollar energy mistakes,” Jones said. 

Although Davis took office during a time of prosperity, the state now faces a weakening economy and “antibusiness climate,” Jones said.  

Stealing a page from the book of California’s favorite son, former President Reagan, he asked voters if they are better off than they were four years ago. 

A survey published Thursday by the Los Angeles Times showed that a majority of Californians agree with Davis that energy companies have manipulated the electricity market to boost their profits.  

Nearly half of those polled also gave Davis low marks for his handling of the crisis. Still, he received nearly four times as much support as Bush. 

More than 60 percent of respondents deemed the energy crisis the state’s top problem and more than half believe there hasn’t been enough progress to resolve it. 

The Times interviewed 1,541 residents over four days beginning Saturday. The paper said the poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. 

Jones made no reference in his speech to his Republican opponents by name, but noted that he’s the only GOP candidate to have won statewide elections twice.  

Outgoing Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, a moderate Republican who has endorsed Democrats in the past, is contemplating a run for the office, and businessman William E. Simon Jr. recently announced his candidacy. 

In an interview with The Associated Press, Jones criticized Riordan for having crossed party lines in partisan races with both endorsements and donations.  

Jones also trumpeted his own experience as a longtime lawmaker and faithful Republican and noted that Simon hasn’t held statewide office.

The person holding the winning lottery ticket from Saturday’s record-breaking $141 million jackpot is losing thousands of dollars in interest money for each day spent laying low, financial advisers say. 

“How much they’re losing every day is amazing,” said Richard Del Monte, director of Del Monte Group Retirement Planning in Danville. 

“I don’t think the person knows, because why would you walk away from that kind of money every day?” 

The winner, who chose a lump sum payment rather than annual payments, will get about $70 million now for the winning ticket. After taxes, the person will receive a net amount of about $42.3 million, Del Monte said. 

If that money were invested in a money market account with four percent interest, the total earned per day would be $4,635, or nearly $1.7 million per year, he said. 

Still, the lucky winner has 180 days to come forward from the date of the win. 

The lottery has a list of unclaimed jackpots dating back to 1987 and totaling nearly $132.3 million – not counting the smaller prizes, as little as $1, that go unclaimed each year, lottery spokeswoman Norma Minas said. 

“Every year we have about $30 million that goes unclaimed statewide,” she said. “Every now and then we do have an unclaimed jackpot. But for this particular jackpot, I highly doubt that it will go unclaimed.” 

Minas said she thinks the winner is probably getting his financial advisers together. 

“It takes a team of financial advisers to deal with this type of thing,” she said. “Because all of a sudden, you’ve come into a very large amount of money – and managing that is a job in itself. 

“Once winners find a good adviser, they can relax and enjoy their lives. They can help their families, purchase new homes and cars and fund a college education.” 

Thirty-four percent of lottery sales go to public education, Minas said. That money is paid quarterly. This winning jackpot alone raised $80 million for public schools in the state. If no one comes forward to claim the record-breaking jackpot, that money will also be handed over to public education. 

Who can win the prize isn’t limited. Even illegal aliens or non-U.S. residents can claim a jackpot. 

“You can be from any country in the world and buy a lottery ticket,” Minas said. 

But a person who is not a U.S. citizen must pay a 31 percent federal withholding tax, rather than the 28 percent normally charged to a citizen. 

The largest unclaimed lottery jackpot to date was a $25 million prize won on Jan. 8, 2000, in San Diego. Another unclaimed jackpot was won in Pearblossom, Calif. in Los Angeles County on Jan. 20, 1996, Minas said. Though there are only 2,235 residents in the unincorporated town, no one ever claimed that $15 million dollar prize. 

Winners cannot change their payment option after buying a lottery ticket, officials said. If the winner didn’t choose a payment option, the state pays a lump sum. 

When the winner does come forward, he or she will have to wait two to four weeks for a check to be issued while the ticket is checked for authenticity and tampering.

PETALUMA — A 17-year-old boy who said a man abducted him at gunpoint and forced him to drive fours from the North Coast to the Central Valley early Monday now says the kidnapping was a hoax. 

Petaluma police cited and released the boy on a misdemeanor charge of filing a false report, Sgt. Ralph Evans said. The boy apologized, but was admitted Tuesday to a Santa Rosa mental health center for evaluation. 

He told police he was driving to his job as a sheet metal worker in Novato on Monday morning when a man approached his Ford truck, flashed a gun, got in and ordered him to drive to Interstate 5 near Fresno. 

The boy did indeed drive to the Central Valley town of Mendota, where he called his mother and said he had dropped the man off. But police investigators soon learned from a gas station clerk that they boy was alone. 

When police detectives questioned him Tuesday morning, the boy admitted the story was false. 

“He said he was under a lot of stress lately,” Evans said. 

Family members cited a grandfather who is terminally ill with a neurological disease. The boy has no criminal record. 

An adult could face up to a year in county jail for a false police report. In juvenile court, the boy might face probation, a recommendation for counseling — or, possibly, incarceration. 

SAN DIEGO — An accusation that a respected lab toxicologist intentionally poisoned her husband has shocked former colleagues who recall her as a meticulous scientist with a sweet disposition. 

“It just doesn’t fit,” said Richard Hogrefe, the president of TriLink Biotechnologies, where Kristin Rossum worked until her arrest. “We don’t believe it.” 

Prosecutors have charged Rossum, 24, with murder for the death of her husband, who was found dead in his bed, rose petals scattered around him. The scene was reminiscent of the film “American Beauty,” and police said that was her favorite film. 

One of Rossum’s lawyers, however, said the film wasn’t a favorite of hers, but of her husbands. They also argue that Rossum lacked the motivation or the personality to kill Greg de Villers last November. 

“Anyone who meets her loves her,” attorney Gretchen von Helms said Thursday. “She’s just a sweet, genuine person.” 

Rossum intends to plead innocent at her arraignment Monday, von Helms said. 

The case has sparked interest because of the macabre details and the unlikely principals — two successful young people with accomplished parents and bright prospects. 

Prosecutors allege Rossum stole a powerful painkiller from the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office, where she worked at the time of de Villers’ death in November. She allegedly administered a fatal dose to him, possibly with other drugs, then scattered the rose petals on the body. But that sounds unlikely to Dale Chatfield, Rossum’s chemistry professor who worked in a university lab with her for six hours a week for one semester in 1999 and doubts that his former student would commit murder, then incriminate herself by sprinkling flower petals on the body. 

“She’s a very bright, meticulous young lady,” Chatfield said. “She’s not a person to do things that are sloppy and out of place.” 

Rossum told authorities that her husband committed suicide, though his family, police and prosecutors rejected that possibility. 

“My son couldn’t have killed himself,” his father, Dr. Yves de Villers, said by telephone from his home in Monaco. 

His brother, Jerome, told the Los Angeles Times that before their 1999 marriage, de Villers worried that Rossum had a drug problem but felt he could rescue her. 

“They were in love for some time and then something happened,” he told the paper. “I don’t have all the pieces to the puzzle. But I hope by questioning her, the truth will come out.” 

Investigators have pointed to an affair that Rossum was having with her boss at the medical examiner’s office, Michael D. Roberston, who police say is a suspect in the case and is believed to have returned to his native Australia. 

But Rossum’s lawyer, who acknowledges the affair, said it suggests a likely motivation for de Villers’ suicide, not murder. Rossum had no insurance claim or anything else to gain by his death, von Helms said. 

Rossum and de Villers met as they were starting college in San Diego. They became serious but her parents, both professors, insisted they not marry until after graduation, she said. 

In 1999, Rossum graduated with highest honors in biochemistry from San Diego State University and the couple wed soon after. 

De Villers went to work at a biotech firm; Rossum worked at the medical examiner’s office, where authorities said she used methamphetamine and became involved with Robertson, a nationally known expert on toxicology. 

About a month after de Villers’ Nov. 6th death, both Rossum and Robertson were fired from the medical examiner’s office. In February, she joined TriLink as an assistant chemist. 

At the biotech firm, she volunteered for extra work, joined the softball team and was well-liked by other employees at the small company, Hogrefe said. Her arrest Monday came as a shock. 

“She’s a star here. She’d only been here four months but she was going places,” he said. 

Judges cannot declare firearms illegal under the state’s assault-weapons ban law, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a decision the dissenting chief justice said created a “loophole” in the 1989 act. 

In a 4-2 vote that featured a blistering dissent by Chief Justice Ronald M. George, the high court ruled that a semiautomatic rifle is legal if it is not explicitly designated illegal under 1991 amendments to the act. 

Justice Janice Rogers Brown, agreeing with arguments made in the case by the National Rifle Association, wrote that the 1991 provisions – enacted to ban the proliferation of generic versions of outlawed weapons – was too vague for gun owners to know which of the so-called copycat weapons of the Russian-made “AK series” were illegal. 

Without explicitly listing each weapon, Brown wrote, “Ordinary law-abiding citizens could suddenly find themselves ... subject to prosecution.” 

The immediate fallout of Thursday’s decision is that an untold number of copycat weapons to the AK series are now legal in California. 

George wrote that the “Legislature recognized the impossibility of compiling a comprehensive list” of all AK series rifles and therefore chose not to when it wrote the 1991 amendments. 

“By refusing to heed the clear statutory language classifying all AK series rifles as assault weapons, whether specifically identified by name or model or not, the majority creates a loophole in California’s assault weapons control legislation that the Legislature plainly intended to eliminate,” George wrote. 

Thousands of people in California have been convicted wrongly for possessing, transporting or using AK series weapons, said Chuck Michel, a lawyer for the National Rifle Association. 

“It took years to clarify this mess and in the meantime hundreds or perhaps thousands of accidental felons were created by a law that was pushed through without a full consideration of the consequences,” Michel said. 

The state attorney general’s office was reviewing the decision Thursday and would not comment on Michel’s assertions, spokesman Nathan Barankin said. 

Thursday’s decision was based on a 1994 confiscation of an AK series rifle from a Delano attorney who was given the gun instead of payment from a client. 

Authorities seized the weapon on grounds it was banned under the 1991 amendments. Kings County Superior Court Judge Peter M. Schultz ruled that the weapon was illegal, a decision the high court reversed Thursday. 

Still, George wrote that the court’s decision may be minimized by amendments the Legislature enacted to the assault-weapons act in 1999. 

That year, lawmakers adopted a provision that bans assault-weapons based on a host of features instead of makes and models – a move that makes illegal hundreds of so-called copycat weapons not clearly defined in the law. That provision has not been tested in California’s courts. Gun proponents said the Supreme Court decision gives them fodder to challenge it. 

The NRA’s Michel said Thursday’s decision bolsters arguments that the 1999 amendments are illegal because outlawed guns are not clearly identified. 

“A lawsuit will be filed challenging this,” he said. 

The decision means that some copycat weapons to the AK series will now be legal. 

That is because some of the weapons do not have the features that would make them illegal under the 1999 provisions. Those features include semiautomatic rifles having a detachable magazine for bullets, and one of the following: a pistol grip, a stock with a hole for a thumb, a grenade launcher and, among other features, a flair launcher. 

“It’s conceivable that you have an assault weapon that fell under the 1991 category and isn’t covered by the new legislation,” said John S. Dulcich, the attorney who won Thursday’s case on behalf of Delano lawyer J.W. Harrott. 

Under the high court’s closely watched decision last year upholding the original assault-weapons law, a majority of justices noted that the state attorney general’s office has the discretion to add weapons to the list of the hundreds of weapons already banned. 

Gun-control advocates said Thursday that Attorney General Bill Lockyer has greatly expanded the number of illegal weapons, but worried Thursday’s decision gives the state’s top law enforcement officer too much leeway. 

“What if the next attorney general is not as aggressive as Lockyer?” asked Dennis Henigan, an attorney for the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence. 

The Roberti-Roos Assault Weapons Control Act of 1989 originally outlawed 75 weapons that are high-powered and have rapid-fire capabilities. The Legislature passed the nation’s first law banning such weapons after a gunman, Patrick Purdy, fired a semiautomatic weapon into a Stockton school yard, killing five children and injuring 30. 

Following California’s lead, several states and the federal government passed similar or even stricter bans. 

The case decided Thursday is J.W. Harrott v. Kings County, S055064. 

WASHINGTON — Timber industry groups hope Mark Rey will champion their causes, since he once worked for them. But environmentalists see him more as Darth Vader. 

“There is nobody who has been more intimately involved in the timber industry’s various efforts in the last 20 years to promote logging in the national forest than Mark Rey,” said Mike Anderson, senior research analyst with The Wilderness Society. 

Rey’s supporters say environmentalists are being unfair – that he is a man who does compromise and that he should be listened to because of his expertise. 

If confirmed by the Senate, Rey will become the Agriculture Department’s undersecretary in charge of the Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service – responsible for 192 million acres of public lands, over 46,000 employees and a $6.4 billion budget. 

Rey would come to the job as conservationists raise flags about Bush’s environmental decisions. Many have protested as the administration works to revamp a Clinton-era ban on logging and road-building on a third of the national forests – a policy Rey regularly criticized as a sweeping, misguided national initiative. 

Some environmentalists are just as concerned about administration efforts to revise rules regarding forest management, unveiled last year, that give increased importance to the ecological values of national forests, among other changes. Rey also has complaints about that Clinton-era policy, but he declined  

an interview. 

Rey, 48, was born in suburban, middle-class Canton, Ohio. His parents, not exactly the outdoor types, scratched their heads when he began studying forestry in college. But Rey’s credentials as an Eagle Scout explained his interest in the trees. 

He earned degrees in wildlife management and forestry, and went on to get a masters of science in natural resources policy and administration in 1975 from the University of Michigan. 

Rey has worked for the National Forest Products Association, American Forest Resources Alliance and American Forest & Paper Association, all timber industry groups. In 1995, he took a job working for Senate Republicans as the top aide to the Energy and Natural Resources’ forests subcommittee. 

But his positions — as policy analyst, strategist, lobbyist and eventually public servant – have pitted him against environmentalists. 

And his work for the timber industry reportedly caught the attention of the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, who had Rey’s name in his Montana cabin. It was found along with other Northwest timber industry leaders, whom Kaczynski had targeted. 

Environmentalists such as Mike Anderson worry that Rey will try to chip away at Clinton legacies, such as the Northwest Forest Plan, a 1993 management plan adopted after a federal judge shut down logging in the region to protect the endangered spotted owl. 

Though Anderson has a list of grievances with Rey, he highlights the timber salvage rider, a piece of legislation that temporarily suspended environmental laws to expedite the sale of timber killed by forest fires and insects on national forests around the country. 

The rider ushered in a revival of old-growth timber sales in the Northwest that had been withdrawn for environmental concerns. 

While Rey s– for writing it, the former general counsel for oversight and investigations at the House Resources Committee points out that many others had a hand in it. 

“You find this mythical notion that has been manufactured by environmentalist opponents in order to create a target. Mark, like others at times, has become that target,” said Duane Gibson, now the staff director of the House Transportation highways and transit subcommittee. 

The forest products industry, though encouraged by the nomination, insists it still has to win its cases on the merits with Rey. 

“We don’t feel he approaches our issues with hostility, as the Clinton administration did,” said Michael Klein, spokesman for American Forest & Paper Association. On some issues, Rey is part of compromises. This included a bill last year to provide communities near federal forests the option to break a historic link between timber harvest and funding schools and roads. 

But the bill also reconnected communities to the land by offering greater flexibility in how they spend the money — a key element of Western Republican support. 

“Though we had profound differences, we were able to work out some pretty constructive approaches,” said Chris Wood, a top Forest Service aide during the Clinton administration. 

“He’s not Darth Vader. He’s maybe Darth Vader Lite,” Wood added. 

Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, believes much of the resistance from environmental groups is “out of respect” for Rey. He considers him “one of the most authoritative people on forest management issues of anyone in Congress.” 

“He is someone to be reckoned with,” the senator said. 

WASHINGTON — A committee on Thursday sent dueling campaign finance bills to the House floor, moving Congress a step closer to enacting the biggest changes in a quarter-century in the way the nation pays for its elections. 

“Today we are here to mark the beginning of the end of the soft money system in American politics,” said Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass., author with Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., of the bill that would ban the flow of unregulated donations to political parties. 

In a carefully orchestrated procedure, the Republican-controlled House Administration Committee unfavorably reported the Shays-Meehan bill to the floor while favorably reporting legislation by Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, that is the choice of the House Republican leadership. 

But Shays-Meehan, similar to the legislation that passed the Senate in April, will be the bill to beat when the House takes up the campaign finance issue in the week after the July 4th recess. 

A coalition of Democrats and about 50 Republicans passed similar versions in the House in 1998 and 1999, only to see the bills die in the Senate. But this year Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Russ Feingold, D-Wis., succeeded in passing their partner bill, vastly improving chances for the first big change in campaign spending law since 1974. 

“We can’t be arrogant about this because we could lose big time,” said Shays, noting that the GOP leadership was mobilizing to defeat or debilitate their bill. “But we’ve had a little practice at this.” 

“We’re in an arms race,” Shays said, noting that the previous night his own party, led by President Bush, had gathered at a fund-raiser that brought in a record $20 million for GOP congressional candidates. 

“I’m a little hung over from the fund-raiser last night,” joked McCain, a longtime critic of money politics, as he joined Shays and Meehan at a news conference. 

Shays-Meehan would attempt to slow down this flow of money into politics by banning soft money, or unlimited contributions that unions, corporations and individuals may donate to political parties for uses other than expressly advocating a candidate’s election or defeat. 

It also bars unions, corporations and some independent groups from broadcasting certain types of political advertising within 60 days of an election or 30 days of a primary. 

On the issue of hard money, the regulated contributions made directly to candidates, the bill makes a concession to the Congressional Black Caucus and other Democrats unhappy with the Senate bill’s doubling of the hard money limit an individual can make to a candidate per election to $2,000. 

Under Shays-Meehan, the limit for Senate campaigns would increase to $2,000, but it would stay at $1,000, adjusted for inflation, for House elections. 

On the whole though, Shays-Meehan mirrors the Senate-passed bill. The sponsors hope to get their bill through the House with few changes, so that it can be accepted by the Senate without the need for a House-Senate conference that could be used by opponents to derail final passage. 

Ney would ban parties from raising or using soft money for federal election activities such as TV ads, but would permit soft money that goes to voter registration and get-out-the-vote activities. The limit to such donations would be $75,000. 

Ney requires those running “issue ads” in the final days of an election to better identify themselves, but doesn’t ban them as Shays-Meehan does. He keeps the current hard money limits for individual donations, but allows hard money contributions to political parties to increase. 

His approach, he said, was “a reasonable step that should appeal to many interests.” 

At stake is a soft money flow that reached nearly $500 million in the last election, about double what the two parties raised during the 1996 presidential election. 

“Any bill which doesn’t ban soft money is not a reform bill at all,” said Rep. Michael Castle, R-Del. “Soft money is a curse on our system.” 

The Supreme Court this week bolstered the Shays-Meehan side by ruling that hard money contributions that parties make to candidates could be limited. Opponents argued that limits were illegal and undemocratic. 

“The campaign finance zealots have chosen to limit and regulate two of America’s most precious commodities, free speech and freedom of association,” said Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov/ 

Jack Lemmon, who brought a jittery intensity to his roles as finicky Felix Unger in “The Odd Couple,” the boastful Ensign Pulver in “Mr. Roberts” and a cross-dressing musician in “Some Like It Hot,” has died. He was 76. 

The two-time Oscar winner died at a hospital Wednesday night from complications related to cancer, spokesman Warren Cowan said. 

Lemmon’s talents were so broad that of his seven lead-actor Oscar nominations, five were for dramas and two were for comedies. 

Among his dramatic roles were the violently thirsty alcoholic in “Days of Wine and Roses,” the aging, past-his-prime salesman driven to theft in “Glengarry Glen Ross,” and a father desperately searching for his son in “Missing.” 

“What a career. What range,” said John Davis, producer of “Grumpy Old Men,” “Grumpier Old Men” and “Out to Sea,” three of Lemmon’s last pairings with Walter Matthau. “He made some of the most memorable movies of our time. Jack was always changing gears.” 

Throughout his career, and especially in films with Matthau, Lemmon was often cast as the well-meaning fellow, a trifle square, who is taken advantage of or beset by disaster. 

The Harvard-trained actor started in films in the mid-1950s, shooting to stardom in 1955 as the mousy Pulver in the World War II comic drama “Mr. Roberts.” The role won him a supporting-actor Oscar. 

In 1962, Lemmon switched from lighthearted comedies to intense drama, earning his first Academy Award nomination as a lead actor for “Days of Wine and Roses.” 

Lemmon won a best-actor Oscar for 1973 with “Save the Tiger,” in which he played a dress manufacturer whose shady dealings are at odds with the idealism of his youth. 

“I seldom think that I’m up for a good role,” he said in 1975. “I nearly walked out on ‘Days of Wine and Roses’ and ‘Some Like It Hot’ because I didn’t think I could handle the demands they made upon me as an actor. But if you think I’m insecure now, you should’ve seen me when I was first breaking in.” 

Off-screen, the actor seemed sad, said Don Widener, who wrote the 1975 biography “Lemmon.” 

“For all his persona on screen, he was one of the saddest men I’ve known,” Widener said Thursday. “You could see it in his eyes. The face would be laughing, but his eyes were sad. I never found out why that was.” 

Last year, he won an Emmy for playing a dying professor in the TV adaptation of the best seller “Tuesdays With Morrie.” Also last year, he received a Golden Globe for best actor in a TV production of “Inherit the Wind.” 

“Just watching Jack Lemmon made me want to get into this business,” said Hank Azaria, a co-star in “Tuesdays With Morrie.” “He could bring grace and dignity to his work even when he was playing ungraceful, undignified people.” 

Lemmon was at the center of an unusual tribute in 1998, when Ving Rhames beat him out for a Golden Globe for best actor in a TV movie or miniseries. Rhames called Lemmon up on stage and gave him the trophy. 

Rhames said Thursday it was a spur-of-the-moment gesture and that he had at that time only seen a couple of Lemmon’s films. 

“God laid it on my heart to give him that award. I was just the vessel to show him the love that Hollywood has for this man,” said Rhames, who later had dinner with Lemmon. “I didn’t know him well, but I really feel the influence of Jack Lemmon on my life from that little moment, that little 20 seconds we had together.” 

Much of Lemmon’s best-loved work resulted from collaborations with Matthau, who died last summer, and writer-director Billy Wilder. 

Lemmon first teamed with Wilder for “Some Like It Hot,” the 1959 comedy in which he and Tony Curtis played musicians who dress in drag and join an all-girl band to hide out from mobsters. 

A year later, Lemmon and Wilder were back with “The Apartment,” with the actor starring as a sad-sack loser at love who falls for his boss’ mistress, an elevator girl played by Shirley MacLaine. 

“Anything I could say about this great human being and artist is not enough,” MacLaine said. “We have lost the profound master of emotional canvas painting. Name the feeling, he could paint it with himself as the brush.” 

Wilder and Lemmon teamed up on five other films. Among them was “The Fortune Cookie,” the actor’s first film with Matthau. 

Lemmon’s prim-and-proper persona and Matthau’s slovenly grouchiness made for a combination that stood alongside Bud Abbott and Lou Costello or Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis as one of the great comic buddy duos. 

Among their best-loved collaborations was “The Odd Couple” in 1968, with Lemmon’s Felix a fussy contrast to Matthau’s sloppy Oscar Madison in the comedy about two divorced men sharing an apartment. Thirty years later, they reprised those roles in an unsuccessful sequel. 

Lemmon and Matthau had better results with the two “Grumpy Old Men” movies in the 1990s. 

John Uhler Lemmon III was born Feb. 8, 1925, in a hospital elevator in Newton, Mass. He had a case of jaundice, prompting a nurse to comment, “My, look at the little yellow Lemmon.” 

His father owned a bakery business, and he was brought up in comfortable circumstances. He made his acting debut at 4 in an amateur play. He also taught himself to play piano. 

Lemmon was a sickly boy who required 13 operations before he was 13. To build himself up, he trained in the gym at Andover prep school and became a fleet runner. 

When he returned from Navy service as an ensign in World War II, Lemmon told his father he wanted to act, saying, “I’ll have to try it or all my life I’ll wonder.” 

With $300 from his father, Lemmon moved to New York, landing roles on radio, television and Broadway. When Lemmon got to Hollywood, studio boss Harry Cohn insisted on changing the actor’s name, arguing that critics would use it as a weapon by declaring him and his movie lemons. Lemmon stood his ground. 

Lemmon returned to Broadway in 1985 for a well-received revival of Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night” and had cameo roles in recent years in such movies as “JFK” and “The Player.” 

Lemmon was married from 1950 to 1956 to actress Cynthia Stone, and they had a son, Chris. In 1962, he married actress Felicia Farr, with whom he had a daughter, Courtney. 

Besides his wife and children, Lemmon is survived by a granddaughter and two grandsons. A private funeral is planned. 

A sharp knife can make a carving job easier and safer. 

We learned this from our dad. During his stint in World War II, he was a meat cutter in the Army. As kids, we were spellbound by dad’s “war stories” about Marseilles, New Caledonia and Fiji. 

Instead of the standard issue rifle, dad settled for a carving knife. 

He remained proud of his trade, and no dull knives ever were found in the Carey home. Dad never let the already sharp blade touch the meat until giving it a few swipes on his bone-handled honing rod or “steel.” The sound of the blade gliding along the honing rod was a Pavlovian experience, as young Carey mouths watered in anticipation. 

Many who cook expect a knife to perform at peak although they do little more than wash it. They spend hours in the kitchen preparing culinary delights only to massacre them with a dull knife. 

A razor-sharp knife can make a world of difference when carving the turkey at Thanksgiving or slicing ham during the holidays. 

All knives are not created equal. Most are made of carbon steel. They hold an edge well, but they are tough to care for. When washed, if they are not promptly dried, they will easily stain. On the other hand they are the easiest to sharpen. 

Knives made of stainless steel are the easiest to care for. They are unbelievably wear-resistant and the chromium in their steel makes them virtually rust- and stain-resistant. In contrast to a carbon steel knife, the stainless steel knife is hard to sharpen, due to its excellent wear- resistance. 

Always on the cutting edge, knife manufacturers have combined beauty with function to come up with a steel alloy known as high-carbon stainless steel.  

These knives of the future combine the sharpening properties of carbon steel with the stain-resistant qualities of stainless. 

Simply stated, sharpening a knife involves grinding the steel blade against something abrasive like a sharpening stone. While there are a myriad of sharpening devices on the market, the most effective is the whetstone.  

It is an abrasive block make from natural stone. Some whetstones are made from manufactured materials such as ceramic, aluminum oxide or carbonium. 

Whetstones are made with varying degrees of abrasives. The smaller the abrasive material, the finer the stone and the smoother the finish. 

A whetstone works best when lubricated with a touch of light-grade machine oil or water.  

Some stones work properly only when used with water. The lubricant acts to carry away metal particles as they are removed from the surface of the knife. The lubricant also helps to suspend these particles to prevent them from being ground into the stone’s surface. Don’t be stingy when using the lubricant. It can make a difference in the finished product. 

Knife sharpening is a lot like sanding wood where you start with a coarse paper and complete the job with fine paper. In the same fashion, start the sharpening process using a stone with a coarse surface and repeat the process on a stone with a fine surface.  

Separate stones can be used for each phase; however, a combination stone (one with both surfaces) is less expensive. 

A few essentials required when sharpening are above-average light, eye protection and a location where metal particles won’t contaminate food.  

Start by placing the whetstone on a stable surface with its end facing you and lubricate the stone with oil or water.  

Continue to add lubricant periodically during the sharpening process. 

Lay the heel of the blade flat on the stone with the edge of the knife facing you. The spline of the knife should be slightly raised so that the angle between the blade and the stone is about 15 degrees. 

Gently draw the blade across the stone, making several passes – moving it from the heel toward the tip as you go. Be careful to catch the entire length of the blade. Next, switching hands, do the other edge, always making sure to draw the blade toward you. Periodically wipe the blade with a clean soft cloth or paper towel, and have a close look at your progress under ample light. 

Don’t expect to be a pro immediately.  

It takes practice. With time and a bit of patience you’ll find that holding the correct angle will become easier and the back-and-forth motion natural. 

The final step involves removing the waste metal, which is created when sharpening, but not ground off during the process.  

These particles are wire-like burrs along the knife’s edge. This “wire edge” is not readily visible, and must be removed for the knife to be truly sharp. The tool most commonly used to remove the wire edge is called a “steel” or steel-honing rod.  

These are available at most department stores and fine cutlery shops. Use a steel with a secure handle that is protected by a guard to avoid injury. 

As with the whetstone, the angle between the blade and the rod should be maintained at about 15 degrees. Beginning at the blade’s heel, draw the knife along the rod toward the handle, maintaining a steady, gentle pressure. Flip the blade over and repeat the process. 

For more home improvement tips and information visit our Web site at www.onthehouse.com. 

Readers can mail questions to: On the House, APNewsfeatures, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020, or e-mail Careybro@onthehouse.com. To receive a copy of On the House: Plumbing or On the House: Painting, send a check or money order payable to The Associated Press for $6.95 per booklet and mail to: On the House, PO Box 1562, New York, NY 10016-1562, or through these online sites: www.onthehouse.com or apbookstore.com. 

James and Morris Carey are feature writers for The Associated Press

Q: I open any tap in my house and I hear a train-like noise. It also feels as if air is being sucked into the tap. When we use two taps, the noise disappears. Using two taps is not a permanent solution. So tell us what kind of problem we are facing and how to fix it. 

A: If faucets screech when you turn them on and pipes hum when water’s running, chances are you have a bad main inlet valve or a bad pressure- regulator valve. Water enters a home at only one point, and if all faucets groan and howl the same all through the house, the main inlet valve is bad where water enters your home.  

Over time, rubber gaskets can become brittle. Running water rushes in, passing over the gasket and acts like the reed in a clarinet with pipes carrying the sound to every faucet and fixture, making it hard to pin down the source. In this case, check the main inlet valve, but if it screeches at only one location, then check the gasket of that particular faucet. Repairs can be done with basic tools, for under $10. 

Q: I have well water in my home and of course the water smells. Someone told me if you take out the rod in the water heater, the water won’t smell anymore. But what rod is it and how do I get it out? 

A: The problem occurs when the metal rod in-glass lined water heaters (used to improve the life expectancy of the glass lining) combines with waterborne sulfate-reducing bacteria (not harmful to consume), resulting in the production of hydrogen sulfide. The water is not dangerous to consume, but is difficult to swallow if you dislike the smell of rotten eggs. 

Solution 1: Replace the magnesium metal rod (cathodic protection anode) with one made of aluminum (it might not be available for your brand water heater). The aluminum rod produces 30 percent less current and therefore generates less hydrogen gas, while causing enough current to adequately protect the glass liner. 

Solution 2: We do not recommend this alternative. Doing so will void the manufacturer’s warranty. Unscrewing it from the tank and replacing it with a threaded plug can accomplish complete removal of the metal rod. 

Solution 3: Find the origination point of the sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and eliminate it. SRB is most prevalent in new-water supply pipes contaminated by soil during construction.  

The soil carrying the SRB eventually ends up as solids at the bottom of the water heater. A thorough flushing to remove the dirt, then a second flushing with a dash of chlorine, and finally a third flush to clean should do the trick. Hydrogen gas without the presence of SRB will go unnoticed. SRB is not so easy to remove if your water company pumps the bacteria into your home right along with the water. This will, in fact, be the case as increasingly water districts continue to reduce or cease their use of chlorine (as many have). Sulfate-reducing bacteria are devastated by chlorination, but will thrive otherwise. 

It is possible to inadvertently contaminate your own water supply by allowing sulfate-reducing bacteria (not to mention other more dangerous bugs) to enter your water system at your own property through your sprinklers, for example, by not using anti-siphon sprinkler valves, which prevent “backwash.” Backwash could also result when a water main in your neighborhood is turned off while your garden hose is running in a muddy puddle.

SAN JOSE — Three years after the government brought antitrust charges against Microsoft Corp., the competitors with the most to gain from the case find themselves shaking their fists at the software titan more than ever. 

The federal appeals court decision Microsoft cheered Thursday was largely expected by rivals – some already had been pushing for a second antitrust lawsuit being considered by state attorneys general. 

The more immediate issue for the high-tech world is the power Microsoft is wielding as it includes, or “bundles,” an increasing amount of software with its new operating system, Windows XP, and links more Web applications through its .NET and Hailstorm initiatives. 

“I think we’re dealing with the most vicious competitor of the last 30 years in technology, and they’re only getting stronger,” said Matthew Szulik, chief executive of Red Hat Inc., a North Carolina-based seller of software for open-source computing systems. “All the industry has ever wanted is a level playing field.” 

Two of Microsoft’s biggest competitors, Yahoo! Inc. and America Online Inc., had no comment. Sun Microsystems Inc. also did not immediately respond to the ruling. 

The decision is not expected to have any immediate affect on most rivals, since none has operated under the assumption that the breakup would be carried out. 

“We’ve been competing with Microsoft for five years and winning,” said Eric Liu, a spokesman for RealNetworks Inc., which makes Internet audio- and video-playing software.  

“We’ve never built our strategy around any legal or regulatory action.” 

Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft says its strategies are aimed at making life easier for consumers and speeding up the development of the Web. But other companies say Microsoft’s real agenda is to insinuate itself into nearly everything on personal computers and the Internet. 

“Microsoft is always in a position to copy what you got, bundle it with Windows and give it away for nothing,” Oracle Corp. chief executive Larry Ellison said this week.  

“You have got to give them credit. They’ll keep bundling things with Windows and driving people out of business.” 

When U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ordered Microsoft to split into an operating system company and a separate software seller, some of the biggest winners figured to be AOL, Sun and Oracle, which have Internet-services plans of their own.  

It also appeared to be a victory for the Linux open-source operating system for PCs. 

Though the breakup was reversed and punishment of Microsoft was turned over to a different judge, competitors were pleased that the court confirmed an essential element of the case: that Microsoft illegally used its monopoly to gain an unfair advantage. 

Among the features being rolled into XP are “firewalls” and other anti-hacker programs.  

That puts the software giant in more direct competition with a whole new field of companies, including makers of Internet security hardware like SonicWALL Inc. of Sunnyvale. 

Raj Dhingra, SonicWALL’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, doesn’t sound too scared. He said most businesses realize they need hardware like SonicWALL’s plugged into their networks to ensure security. 

However, he said many consumers might get a false sense of security from having firewall software in XP. If anything, the well-known and widely distributed Windows systems make fat targets for hackers, Dhingra said. Having security features in an operating system “does not equate to having full-fledged protection,” he said. 

RealNetworks has made similar claims that the individual features thrown in with Windows are not the best in their classes. 

Red Hat’s Szulik worries more about the products and ideas that he says may never come to fruition.  

Fewer and fewer people, he says, are willing to start a software company that can’t win distribution through Microsoft’s platforms. 

“I hear about this kind of stuff all the time,” said Mike Pettit, president of ProComp, a coalition of Microsoft opponents. “A company can’t get the first round of financing from anyone other than their relatives once they run into that roadblock. That’s frightening. ... (Microsoft has) just sucked all of the innovation from the industry.” 

Some venture capitalists, however, say Microsoft’s Internet initiatives are creating new opportunities for developers. 

“If there are people in the valley telling you that Microsoft has such a heavy hand that nothing can get out the door that’s competitive, that’s ludicrous,” said Chuck Hirsch, who once sold a startup he founded to Microsoft and now is a managing director at Madrona Venture Group in Seattle. 

“Microsoft is clearly a very strong and smart competitor,” he said. “However, even they, as great as they are across the board, can’t do everything. So there are opportunities.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.microsoft.com 

http://www.procompetition.org 

WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for state unemployment insurance fell last week, the third drop in a row, suggesting that the flurry of job cuts this year may be easing. 

The Labor Department reported Thursday that new applications for jobless benefits for the workweek ending June 23 declined by a seasonally adjusted 16,000 claims to 388,000, the lowest point since early May. 

Many economists were predicting that claims would rise. 

The week before, new claims plunged by 31,000, after dropping by 2,000 in the prior week. 

“This is certainly a bright spot for a labor market that has been weak,” said Richard Yamarone, economist with Argus Research Corp. “The job market may be stabilizing.” 

On Wall Street, stocks soared as investors cheered a federal appeals court’s reversal of the breakup of software giant Microsoft and the Fed’s interest-rate cut. The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 131.37 at 10,566.21. 

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday cut interest rates for the sixth time this year to boost the sagging economy. The latest reduction was a conservative one-quarter percentage point; the other five were one-half point each.  

Investors were unmoved by the smaller cut Wednesday but they decided on Thursday that it was a good enough reason to rally. 

Meanwhile, the more stable four-week moving average of jobless claims, which smoothes out week-to-week fluctuations, also fell last week to 416,000, the lowest level since the beginning of the month. 

Economist Clifford Waldman of Waldman Associates viewed the decline in jobless claims as a positive development, but cautioned: “It’s way too premature to call this a turning point in the labor market, especially because of a rash of weak earnings reports coming from the corporate sector.” 

The economic slowdown has been hard on companies struggling with slumping demand. 

To cope, they have sharply cut production and laid off workers. In May, the unemployment rate edged down to 4.4 percent, but businesses eliminated 19,000 jobs. Nortel Networks and International Paper are among companies that have recently announced layoffs, and economists expect the jobless rate will rise in the months ahead. 

In addition, higher energy costs have squeezed corporate profits. 

Still, the jobless claims report comes during a week that has generated other good economic news, offering hope that the economy, which has been mired in a slowdown for a year, may be showing some signs of improving. 

On Tuesday three reports showed that consumer confidence in June rose to its highest level of the year; demand for big-ticket items jumped in May; and new-home sales rose solidly. 

Thursday’s report also showed that for the workweek ending June 16, 42 states and territories reported a decrease in claims and 11 reported increases. The information lags a week behind the national figures and is not seasonally adjusted. 

North Carolina reported the biggest drop in claims, down by 12,427 because of fewer layoffs in the food, electronics, trade, textile, apparel and furniture industries. Illinois saw claims go down by 3,175 due to fewer layoffs in the construction, service and manufacturing businesses. 

Tennessee had a 2,675 decline in claims because of fewer layoffs in a variety of industries, including transportation, textile, apparel and lumber. 

California reported the biggest jump in new claims, up by 1,262 because of layoffs in the electronics and agriculture industries. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Department of Labor: http://www.doleta.gov/ 

NEW YORK — This is about the mouse that didn’t roar. 

An anthropomorphic cartoon mouse, star character of “Listen to the Raindrops,” is the latest recruit in the campaign to persuade kids and their elders that too much noise can not only drown out the simple, pleasurable sounds of life but hurt their hearing and learning. 

“Listen to the tick-tock 

...of the clock 

“Listen to the key turn 

...in the lock,” says the mouse, as it cocks its ear to capture sounds often lost under the thunder of machines and traffic. 

Just published by the League for the Hard of Hearing in New York City, the book is destined, the organization hopes, to homes, schools, libraries and ultimately, into the consciousness of very young children to help them avoid learning 

and hearing problems caused by  

excessive noise. 

It’s light entertainment for a child but a serious part of the League’s “Stop That Noise” campaign to get the public to listen up about the dangers of noise. 

” ‘Listen..’ helps us fill an important niche in these efforts, by reaching very young kids, and is in every state of the union,” says Joseph Brown, League spokesman. 

No pricey public relations consultants were called in to dream it up. Both author and artist of this brief rhyming tale to be read by or to young children have long been dedicated to the dual causes of quiet and hearing. 

For Arline Bronzaft, the author, it’s her first children’s book. Bronzaft’s landmark study about the deleterious effects of subway noise on children’s learning, done in 1975 as her doctorate dissertation, established her reputation as one of the country’s leading authorities on noise pollution. Since then her expertise has been sought for issues as diverse as air flight patterns and decibel levels in New Orleans’ French Quarter. 

For the artist, Steve Parton, it’s very personal. His daughter, Caitlin, lost her hearing to meningitis at 22 months and at 2 years became one of the first and youngest recipients of a cochlear implant. Parton, a professional artist who has illustrated children’s books and created animated sequences for Broadway and television, has been active with the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the League for the Hard of Hearing. 

With the implant, Caitlin, now 15, was able to master language and join mainstream school classes. She’s an honors student at a suburban high school, active on the school newspaper and, according to her mother, Melody James, enjoys all types of music. 

Bronzaft recalls she resisted at first when a friend and colleague, the late children’s author Augusta Goldin, told her she must write a children’s book with a message about noise. 

“It wasn’t my thing. It wasn’t my field,” she says. Her writing has been academic, based on her research into noise, education and psychology. But she started jotting down lines on the way home from her visit to Goldin. 

“Within an hour, I had the whole thing written. It was just as it is in its final form. 

“It was in verse, but I wasn’t even aware I had written it that way.” 

What a reader will notice in the book is ears. Big ones. In one drawing, the mouse is shown with ears stretching clear across a double-page spread. 

“Because it was about sound, I was interested in creatures with ears,” Parton says. “So we went down from elephants to mice. And it just made sense to use a mouse because that’s what you would expect to find in such a noisy place like New York City, where I lived.” 

Where there are, as the text says, “Airplane roars,/ firecrackers,/ and jackhammers,/ honking horns, sirens,/ and door slammers.” 

Bronzaft received the book’s first “review” from her toddler granddaughter, Alexandra Rose Santoro. 

“When she came to that page that shows all the things that make bad noise — the airplanes, jackhammers, sirens — she banged her fist on the page and shouted, ’No! No!’ ” 

——— 

On the Web: 

http://www.lhh.org/noise/index.htm 

ROSEMONT, Ill. — Men and women aren’t created equal, at least when it comes to problems with their bones, joints and muscles. 

You’ve probably heard that women athletes are more likely than their male counterparts to suffer serious knee injuries on the basketball court – in fact, four to six times more likely, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.  

And that young women preoccupied with body image can abuse their nutrition, leading to musculoskeletal disorders. 

But you may be surprised to learn that men are increasingly at risk for that allegedly female condition, osteoporosis. 

The AAOS looked at how sex differences affect these conditions during an overview session at its spring meeting. 

Research doctors investigating the higher rate of knee injuries among women – often an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) – looked at biomechanical and neuromuscular factors that may contribute to the risks. 

They compared women and men in both pivoting sports – basketball, volleyball, soccer – and non-pivoting sports – cycling, crew, and running, for example. 

“We found that female athletes in the pivoting sports often has less muscle protection at the knee that their male counterparts,” said Dr. Edward M. Wojtys, director of the Med Sport section of orthopedic surgery at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.  

“That lack of muscle protection, which helps absorb the load on the knee joint, may contribute to the injury susceptibility.” 

Movement technique also may play a role, according to Dr. Freddie H. Fu, chairman of orthopedic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh.  

“Neuromuscular factors, like how an athlete lands from a jump, may also be factors in injury risk.  

“It’s important that female athletes learn proper and jumping and landing techniques as part of their conditioning and training.” 

Women active in sports are especially susceptible to a condition known as the Female Athlete Triad: eating disorders that can range from mild to severe, as in anorexia and bulimia; absence of menstruation; and the increased risk of stress fractures and development of osteoporosis. 

“We have found that there are certain types of stress fractures that may be predictive of underlying osteoporosis, and these fractures are seen in patients with disordered eating,” said Dr. Jo A. Hannafin, associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Cornell University Medical College and orthopedic director of the Women’s Sports Medicine Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. 

Osteoporosis is something that men have to think about, too. One in eight men will develop an osteoporosis-related fracture in his lifetime, according to the researchers. 

“Men have a different pattern of osteoporosis than women,” said Dr. Joseph M. Lane, professor of orthopedic surgery and assistant dean of medical students at Cornell University Medical College in New York City. 

“For example, a drug used to treat prostate cancer in men can put a man at increased risk of developing osteoporosis because it interferes with gonadal hormones. 

“It’s important that awareness of osteoporosis among men is raised, because men are much more likely to die from the complications of an osteoporosis-related fracture than women.” 

On the Web: 

American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons - http://www.aaos.org.

American business men buy IDs in back-alley market 

ORLANDO, Fla. — The mother of a Marine killed in Vietnam received his dog tags in an Independence Day ceremony after two Florida businessmen found them for sale in a back-alley market in Ho Chi Minh City. 

Rob Stiff and Jim Gain were so sickened at the discovery of Lance Cpl. Allan George Decker’s tags that they returned to Vietnam in May to buy them and hundreds of others.  

Upon returning to America, they began trying to reunite soldiers and their families with the lost tags. 

On Wednesday, the men gave Decker’s mother the tags at the Orlando cemetery where he was buried after his death in 1968. 

“I just hope that other families can find the kind of peace that I have felt today,” Ruth Decker said. “The Lord had his hand in this from the beginning.” 

Since the end of the war, Vietnamese field workers have found all sorts of military debris: boots, helmets, badges, buttons, medals and dog tags. 

Servicemen usually wore the tags – silver discs that listed a soldier’s name, military identification number and blood type – around their necks, but in the field many put them in their boots so they wouldn’t jingle. 

Stiff and Gain weren’t looking for war mementos when they traveled to Vietnam in January. They wanted to check the commercial climate for possible business ventures. But in a market not frequented by tourists, they found the dog tags dangling from a string. 

“It was really eerie and we were disgusted,” said Stiff, 27. 

Despite their revulsion, they left the tags there. But back home in America, they couldn’t escape the memory. 

“People asked, ‘What if they’re fake?”’ Stiff said.  

“Well, our question was, ’What if they’re real?”’ 

In May, they returned to Vietnam to buy all the American dog tags they could find. It took days to scour Ho Chi Minh City and sort through thousands of tags – some printed in Vietnamese, others destroyed or illegible – and returned home with about 640. 

The total cost of the tags was $180. They sometimes paid less than 14 cents each. 

Stiff and Gain transcribed what was printed on each the best they could, then complied a database of names and ID numbers to list on their Web site: www.founddogtags.com. 

A dozen tags matched names listed on the black granite Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. 

“One day, Jim comes into my office and says, ’You won’t believe this. We’ve got matches for the Wall,”’ Stiff said. 

One of the first names they uncovered was Decker’s. With the help of Rep. Ric Keller, an Orlando Republican, and the Defense Department they tracked Ruth Decker to her home in Punta Gorda and called her June 21. 

“She was so full of joy,” Stiff said. 

Decker began his Vietnam tour as a machine-gunner with the 2nd Battalion, 27th Regiment of the 3rd Marine Division on Feb. 16, 1968. 

On Aug. 25, 1968, the 19-year-old Marine was killed in Quang Nam province, one of more than 58,000 Americans to die in Vietnam. He had lost his dog tags during his six months in Vietnam. 

“Allan was killed on a Sunday, and we didn’t receive the word until the following Thursday,” said Ruth Decker. “My husband and I were just crushed.” 

“But the next day, we received a letter from his buddy,” she said. “He said that Allan believed in God very strongly, and He will take care of him. And that was my consolation right from the beginning.”

CHICAGO — United Airlines is pulling the plug on its $4.3 billion purchase of US Airways – a deal that has been in trouble for months because of a weakened economy, industry woes and antitrust concerns. 

While stopping short of declaring the deal dead, the two airlines said Monday that they are talking about scuttling it. 

United is convinced the deal will not win regulatory approval, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. 

Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said last month he expected the government to reject the merger. 

The deal would have been the biggest airline merger in history. But both airlines have problems of their own to sort out – United has slipped to No. 2 behind American Airlines and US Airways has shaky finances. 

Some experts see the long-expected collapse of the deal as good news for everyone. 

“It’s good for United because it can focus on its real business challenges. It’s good for US Air because they can focus on being a stand-alone carrier. And it’s good for the consumer, who won’t lose a lot of competition because of the merger,” said Michael Boyd, an industry consultant in Evergreen, Colo. 

United unveiled the merger plan in May 2000, hoping to increase its presence in the lucrative East Coast market and nearly triple its daily flights to more than 6,400 a day. 

It quickly ran into opposition from rivals, unions, Congress, consumer groups and state attorneys general, many of whom complained it would reduce competition, particularly in the Washington area. 

To try to ease antitrust concerns, United agreed in January to sell some US Airways assets to American Airlines, including half of US Airways’ Washington-New York-Boston shuttle. 

But experts said a complicated, costly deal no longer made financial sense for United. 

The airline reported a worse-than-expected first quarter loss of $313 million and said it expects a double-digit decline in revenue for the second quarter. United also signed a contract with its pilots last year, giving them 45 percent raises over four years. 

The Association of Flight Attendants had threatened to strike United if the merger proceeded. 

United will have to pay US Airways a $50 million breakup fee if it ends the agreement after Aug. 1. Before that date, the breakup fee is substantially higher, but United is asking to pay only $50 million. 

US Airways stock sank $3.41 to close at $20.89 Monday on the New York Stock Exchange. United’s parent, UAL Corp., fell 45 cents to $34.70.

Mail pouring in for hospitalized boy attacked by pit bull 

OAKLAND – Tensions are rising and extra workers have been brought in to handle the high volume of mail from well-wishers to the Richmond boy attacked by three pit bulls earlier this month. 

Officials at Mechanics Bank have clerks working steadily to sort through letters, cards and checks to Shawn Jones, who lies in critical but stable condition recuperating from his wounds. 

The account set up for Jones by the Richmond Police Department is off-limits to everyone, even Jones’ family, until a trust has been set up. 

Police say several of Jones’ relatives who have had little contact with him have come forward seeking access to the money donated to him. This has caused concern among potential donors, volunteers say. 

“The majority of (donors) I have spoken with are very concerned about where the money will be directed,” said Richmond police Sgt. Enos Johnson. “They have clearly stated that the money should go to the boy and have been adamant about that.” 

Central Oakland improving crime record with new residents 

OAKLAND – New residents in Central Oakland have helped transform the once violent neighborhood into a family haven. 

The high tech boom not only created new jobs but attracted thousands of new residents — mainly young families — into this East Bay community, displacing drug violence. 

With a population of about 400,000, Oakland is improving its crime record faster than similar-sized cities with higher murder rates. 

Gwendolyn Singleton, a long time Central Oakland resident, feels happy to see children playing and her neighbors working in their yards. For her it’s difficult to believe it is the same street where her son was gunned down six years ago. 

Oakland homicide rate plummeted 53 percent between 1992 and last year. 

Only one of the 37 slayings during the first half of this year was in Oakland’s central area. 

A San Francisco Chronicle analysis shows that last year drugs were the motive for only 14 percent of the 85 killings in the entire city of Oakland. 

Drugs motivated 40 percent of the city’s slayings in 1992.

Approved by the City Council last Tuesday, the city’s budget is based on funding streams that include property taxes, parking fines and sales tax. 

The largest contributor to the city’s General Fund – which pays for most of the city’s basic services and the personnel that provide them – is property taxes at 22 percent. Over the next two years property taxes are expected to add $45 million to city coffers.  

The next largest contributor is sales tax, which city officials say will probably account for $19 million or 14 percent over the next two years. 

Taxes charged on utilities contribute 13 percent or $27 million.  

Funding streams in the 5-7 percent range include parking fines, which were raised from $22 to $23 to help pay for various programs in the new budget. That should bring in about $14 million. The hotel tax is expected to bring in $6.5 million. 

Enterprise Funds are kept separate from General-Fund taxes. They are generally raised for a single purpose such as the sewer fund which is financed through property taxes.  

The Sewer Fund, according to the municipal code and state law, is supposed to be spent only on programs related to the city’s sewers. Over the next two years the sewer fund will raise $18 million and will pay for the city’s multi-year project of updating the entire system of sewer lines.  

Other Enterprise Funds include the Permit Service Center Fund, Off Street Parking Fund and the Marina Operation Fund.  

In total, through various taxes and fees, the city is expected to bring in $517 million over the next two years.

The Associated Press 

An environmental group is taking the Bush administration to court over its decision to suspend tighter arsenic standards for drinking water that had been adopted by former President Clinton. 

The Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Environmental Protection Agency and its administrator, Christie Whitman, for ignoring a June 22 congressional deadline for having a new plan to reduce arsenic levels. 

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and several of her Democratic colleagues – including Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer of New York, Jon Corzine of New Jersey, Paul Wellstone of Minnesota and Harry Reid of Nevada – said they would file papers in support of the NRDC’s lawsuit. 

“When Congress sets a deadline, we don’t mean for it to be ignored,” Boxer said Thursday. “Clearly, what the Bush administration is doing is very harmful to the health of our people ... and they are turning their back on the law.” 

The goal is to force the EPA to revert to the Clinton standard that would allow no more than 10 parts per billion of arsenic in tap water. The current standard is 50 ppb. 

The twin actions, alleging the administration violated provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Administrative Procedures Act by suspending the Clinton standard, are to be filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. 

Erik D. Olson, a senior attorney with the NRDC, whose prior lawsuits have pushed the EPA to obey deadlines, said Bush’s action threatens the health of millions of Americans. 

“There is absolutely no scientific or legal excuse for delaying or weakening protection of the public from arsenic,” he said. “It’s clear that the Bush administration is simply thumbing its nose at Congress and at the law by suspending this important arsenic protection.” 

Last fall, Congress amended the 1974 Safe Water Drinking Act and ordered the EPA to adopt a new arsenic standard by this summer. 

Clinton announced the 10 ppb standard three days before leaving office in January. But the Bush administration suspended it until next February, leaving in place at least for the meantime the current 50 ppb arsenic standard established in 1942. 

The administration has said the EPA doesn’t have enough evidence to justify the $200 million annual cost to municipalities, states and industry of meeting the Clinton standard by 2006. 

Whitman spokeswoman Tina Kreisher said the EPA still will set a new arsenic standard for communities to comply with starting five years from now. 

“We are not missing the important deadlines,” she said. “The earliest compliance date is in 2006 and we will not miss that date. A new, lower standard than the 50 ppb will be in place.” 

Whitman has asked the National Academy of Sciences to study the risk factors involved in setting the standard at anywhere from 3 ppb to 20 ppb. She also has convened an EPA working group to study costs to local communities. 

On the Net: 

EPA Office of Water: http://www.epa.gov/ow 

Natural Resources Defense Council: http://www.nrdc.org