Full Text

 

News

A bit of bayou in Berkeley

By John GeluardiDaily Planet staff
Monday August 20, 2001

Judging from the sounds of fiddles, accordions and washboards, Civic Center Park was temporarily transported to the prairies and bayous of southern Louisiana Saturday afternoon during the Ecology Center’s 12th annual Cajun Festival. 

Cajun fans, and the regular shoppers that the North Berkeley Farmer’s Market, sat on the grass sipping organic beer, snacking on seafood gumbo and crawfish etoufee while listening to the traditional Cajun music, which has its roots in French, Celtic, Native American and African American traditions. 

Others crowded onto a wooden dance floor in front of the bandstand and stomped out variations of the two-step to the lively and inviting music performed by Motor Dude Zydeco and the Creole Belles. 

Joe Shelton, fresh off the dance floor, said he tries to come to the festival every year.  

“I come for the music,” he said. “The dancing is fun because you can do pretty much what you want to so long as you stay within the beat.” 

For those who wanted some tips on the two-step, Cajun dance instructor Pattie Whitehurst played Zydeco CDs to


Calendar of Events & Activities

Monday August 20, 2001


Monday, Aug. 20

 

Ad Astrea Reading Series and Open Mic Night 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Spasso Coffee House 

6021 College Ave. 

Featured readers followed by open mic. Open to the public and free. 

428-1818 www.hitx.com 

 


Tuesday, Aug. 21

 

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 fears and phobias: getting and overcoming them. 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. 525-3565 

 

Free Early Music Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Small group sings madrigals and other voice harmony every Tuesday morning. 655-8863 

 

Berkeley Fibromyalgia  

Support Group 

12 - 2 p.m. every 3rd Tuesday 

Alta Bates Medical Center  

Maffly Auditorium - Herrick Campus, 2001 Dwight Way 

Rap session. 601-0550 www.arthritis.org 

 

Slide Show: Birds in the Garden 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

A discussion follows. 644-6107 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/hhs/commsvc/seniors.htm 

 


Wednesday, Aug. 22

 

Magic Mike 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley 

Part of the Lawrence Hall of Science Wednesday FUN-days. Bay Area favorite Magic Mike with theatrical illusions and electric comedy. Museum admission $3 - $7. 

642-5132 

 

Lecture on Parkinson’s Disease 

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 

Ashby Campus 

Conference Room 3 

2450 Ashby Ave. 

Learn about the latest treatments for Parkinson’s disease. Free and open to the public. 869-6737 

 


Thursday, Aug. 23

 

Salsa Dance Classes 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Classes every Thursday with live percussionists, light refreshments, DJ playing Latin music. $10 or $15 for two. 237-9874 

 

New “Classroom Matters” Open House 

6 - 9 p.m. 

2512 9th St., Suite #3 

A Berkeley based educational center that provides tutors, mentors and support services, will hold an open house at their new location.  

540-8646 www.classroommatters.com  

 

Lecture-Program on the Armenian Opera “Arshak II” 

7:30 p.m. 

North Branch Berkeley Public Library 

1170 The Alameda 

Dr. Clifford Cranna will present a lecture-program on the world premiere of the Armenian opera Arshak II, the tale of Armenia’s fourth century warrior king. 649-3913 www.infopeople.org/bpl/ 

 

Kensington 55+ Activity Center 

9 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Social Hall of Arlington Community Church 

52 Arlington Ave. 

Conversation, Apple II computer instruction, massage therapy, German conversation group, meditation and relaxation techniques, watercolor art class, tea and coffee. Special 11 a.m. program: Holistic Health, Jan Stecher leads in Rosen Movement. 526-9146  

 


Friday, Aug. 24

 

Yiddish Conversation Group 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

644-6107 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/hhs/commsvc/seniors.htm 

 

Even Stronger Women 

1:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Free weekly cultural discussion class. This week: Poetry. 549-1879 

 

Basic Electrical Theory and National Electrical Code 

7 - 10 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Instructed by “Code Check” author/retired city of Oakland building inspector Redwood Kardon. $35. 525-7610 

 


Saturday, Aug. 25

 

The Pyramid Outdoor Cinema 

7 p.m. 

Pyramid Alehouse 

901 Gilman St. 

The Outdoor Cinema features cult classics projected on a large screen in the open-air brewery parking lot. This week, The Shining. Movies show every Saturday through Sept. 22. $5 donation. 206-682-8322 x237 www.pyramidbrew.com 

 

Copwatch: Know Your Rights Training 

11 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Copwatch Office 

2022 Blake St. 

Learn what your rights are when dealing with the police. Learn how to monitor the police safely.  

548-0425 

 

Astrojax Playday 

1 - 4 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley 

Astrojax is part yo-yo, part juggling balls and a lasso. The inventor, theoretical physicist Larry Show, will give a demonstration and instruction. Museum admission $3 - $7. 642-5132 

 

Cerrito Creek Work Party 

10 a.m. 

Meet at Creekside Park (south end of Belmont Street), El Cerrito 

Join Friends of Five Creeks in removing brush to make a new trail along Cerrito Creek. Bring work gloves and clippers if you have them.  

848-9358, f5creeks@aol.com, www.fivecreeks.org. 

 

Travel Careers Class 

8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 

Vista Community College 

2020 Milvia St. 

Vista’s annual one-day class for the public on careers in the travel industry. A full-day seminar. $5.50 981-2931 www.vistacollege.edu 

 


Sunday, Aug. 26

 

Healing 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Sylvie Gretchen on “Healing Mind.” 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 

 

3rd Annual Berkeley World Music Festival 

noon - 6 p.m. 

Durant Ave., between Telegraph and Bowditch 

Carnival and block party festival with World Music bands, performers and dancers. 649-9500 www.taasite.org


Smoke detector laws can be deadly

Robert Hagedorn Berkeley
Monday August 20, 2001

The Daily Planet received this letter addressed to councilmember Maudelle Shirek: 

Dear Councilmember Shirek: 

 

I am writing to you about a life and death matter that applies directly to all residential tenants in Berkeley. The problem is Berkeley’s flawed smoke detector law as it pertains to property owners and their tenants. Recent legislation passed by the Berkeley City Council does little to address this problem. 

The smoke detector law is well intentioned, but incomplete. The law requires landlords to provide their tenants with functioning smoke detectors. So far, so good. Unfortunately, smoke detector batteries last anywhere from six months to two years, depending on several variables. When the battery discharges, the detector begins to emit an annoying chirp, signaling the need to replace the battery with a fresh one. Sometimes the detector itself needs to be replaced. Some tenants will replace the battery themselves, some ask the landlord to replace the battery, and some remove the battery and replace the detector on the wall or ceiling, where the smoke detector now becomes a piece of useless decorative plastic. Carbon monoxide detectors present the same problem. Tenants are often too busy to concern themselves with a smoke detector, thus inviting tragedy to strike. Multiple tenant apartment buildings containing common areas, locked attics, locked basements, and locked storage areas make the issue of individual tenant responsibility moot. Besides, the tenants do not own the building. 

The city ordinance which applies to smoke and carbon monoxide detectors needs to be modified so landlords will be required to replace the batteries at periodic intervals, perhaps once a year, and with alkaline batteries (the best). The landlord must also be required to test and replace the entire detector unit if it is not functioning properly. 

Thank you for your attention in this matter. 

 

Robert Hagedorn 

Berkeley 


Arts & Entertainment

Staff
Monday August 20, 2001

Ashkenaz Aug. 21: 9 p.m. Slavonkian Traveling Band. 8 p.m. dance lesson w/ Joyce Clyde. $10; Aug. 22: 9 p.m. Badenya Les Freres Coulibaly, $10; Aug. 23: 10 p.m. - 2 a.m. Dead DJ Night with Digital Dave. $5; Aug. 24: 9:30 p.m. Caribbean All Stars $11; Aug. 25: 9 p.m. California Brazil Camp Benefit, $10; Aug. 26: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. Middle Eastern Dance Workshops with Ma Shuga Mira Murijan and Nanna Candeleria. $45. 8 p.m. Harmonia, $10; Aug. 28: 9 p.m. Gerard Landry and the Lariats, $8; Aug. 29: 8 p.m. Earl White Oldtime Band, Bluegrass Intentions, plus clogging lessons. $10, Kids under 12 Free; Aug. 30: 9 p.m. Samite, Forward Kwenda, $10; Aug. 31: 9:30 p.m. Wawa and the Oneness Kingdom, The Calypsonians, $10; 1317 San Pablo Ave. 525-5054 www.ashkenaz.com  

 

Eli’s Mile High Club Doors open at 8 p.m. Aug. 25: Carlos Zialcita; Every Friday, 10 p.m. - 2 a.m., Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

 

JupiterAug. 21: Groove.org; Aug. 22: Stolen Bibles; Aug. 23: Beatdown w/ DJs Delon, Yamu, and Add1; Aug. 24: 5 Point Plan; Aug. 25: Mitch Marcus Quintet; Aug. 28: Big Lou and Polka Casserole; Aug. 29: Secession; Aug. 30: Beatdown with DJ’s Delon, Yamu and Add1; Aug. 31: Realistic CD Release Party; All music starts at 8:00 p.m. 843-7625 www.jupiterbeer.com  

 

La Peña Cultural Center Aug. 24: 8:30 p.m. Professor Terry’s Circus Band Extraordinary, $16; Aug. 25: 9:30 p.m., Edgardo Cambon’s Candela, $10, 8:15 p.m. Salsa dance class w/ Diego Vásquez, $13; In the Cafe, 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

Indigo Event Center Aug. 25: 4:20 p.m. Musicians for Medical Marijuana Benefit concert. Sound Tribe Sector 9, Lost at Last, The Mermen, Ten Ton Chicken, Scott Huckabay, Strawberry Alarmclock, Buzzy Linhart, plus special guests, $25. 1988 Broadway at 19th, Oakland. 869-5391 www.m4mm.org  

 

Third Annual Berkeley World Music Festival Aug. 26: Noon - 6 p.m. Block party and carnival, Grupo Ilu Fun Fun, Petit La Croix, Samba Ngo, O-Maya, Fito Reinoso y Su Ritmo y Armonia. Durant Ave. between Telegraph Ave. and Bowditch. 

 

TUVA Space Aug. 25: 8 p.m. Vanessa Lowe and the Lowliflies, Ira Marlowe, Hoarhound. 3192 Adeline St. 655-9755 

 

 

“Frank Olivier’s Twisted Cabaret” Aug. 24 & 25, 8 p.m. Frank Olivier is joined by Uncle Paul Nathan and The Twisted Cabaret Band. All tickets $16. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 845-8542 www.juliamorgan.org 

 

“Loot” Through Aug. 25, Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 7 p.m. Special Performance Aug. 20, 8 p.m. General Admission: $15, Students / Seniors: $10. La Val’s 1834 Euclid Avenue 655-0813 

 

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

 

“Reefer Madness” Aug. 22, 23: 9 p.m. A new one-act theatre piece adapted from a 1936 government-funded film opens a critical eye to the control of our society. Performed by The Elemental Theatre Group La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Avenue. Wednesdays are “pay what you can,” Thursdays $5 - $10. 655-4150 

 

“Soul Harmony” Aug. 25: 5 - 7 p.m. A spirited one-woman show of history, culture, and entertainment. Written by Joy Holland, directed by Ava Coaxum. Presented at the Black Repertory Theater. 3201 Adeline St. $10 donation. 652-3399 

 

 

Pacific Film Archive Aug. 21: 7:30 p.m. The Direct Cinema Tradition; Aug. 22: 7:30 p.m. The Werewolf of Washington; Aug. 23: 7:30 p.m. Contempt; Aug. 24: 7 p.m. The Heart, 9:20 p.m. The Outcast; Aug. 25: 7 p.m. Moonfleet, 8:45 p.m. The Blue Gardenia; Aug. 26: 3 p.m. Duck Soup, 5:30 p.m. The Wanderers, 7:25 p.m. Dora-Heita; Aug. 28: 7:30 p.m. Doodling; Aug. 29: (free screenings) 7:30 p.m. The Horror of Party Beach, 9:15 p.m. The Crater Lake Monster; Aug. 31: 7 p.m. The Makioka Sisters, 9:35 p.m. A Woman’s Testament; Gen. Adm.. $7, The New PFA Theatre 2575 Bancroft Way 642-1412 

 

 

“BACA National Juried Exhibition: Works on Paper” Through Aug. 31: Wed. - Sun. Noon - 5 p.m. Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893 

 

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

 

“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.  

 

“A Fine Line” Through Aug. 24, Tuesday - Friday, noon - 5 p.m. or by appointment. An exhibition works by Kala Fellowship winners for the years 2000 and 2001. Kala Art Institute 1060 Heinz Avenue 549-2977 

 

“Geographies of My Heart” Collage paintings by Jennifer Colby through Aug. 24; Flora Lamson Hewlett Library 2400 Ridge Road 649-2541 

 

“MFA Survey Exhibition 2001” Third annual exhibition of works of recent graduates from Bay Area master of Fine Art programs. This year featuring artists working in three-dimentional media. Through Aug. 18 Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth Street 527-1214 

 

“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. Atelier 9 2028 Ninth St. (at Addison) 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

 

“New Visions: Introductions 2001” Through Aug. 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. Pro Arts 461 Ninth St., Oakland 763-9425 

 

“Sistahs: Ethnographic Ceramics” Through Aug. 22, Reception July 29 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 3023 Shattuck Avenue 548-9286 ext. 307 

 

“Squared Triangle” Through Oct. 5. noon - 6 p.m. Reception for the artists, Aug. 18: 4 - 7 p.m. A minimal art exhibit featuring three Bay Area artists working in different mediums while achieving the same elegant simplicity. The Crucible, 1036 Ashby Ave. 843-5511 www.thecrucible.com


KPFA reaches out to disabled community

By Daniela Mohor Daily Planet Staff ff
Monday August 20, 2001

Members of the disabled community discussed ways to improve KPFA’s coverage of disability issues at a special meeting organized by the public radio station on Saturday afternoon. 

The meeting, which took place at the North Berkeley Senior Center, was the 10th of a series of gatherings designed to help KPFA’s first elected Local Advisory Board assess the needs of the community it serves. Unlike previous meetings, Saturday’s event was specifically designed to get input from the disabled community on the station’s programming. For Berkeley’s disabled people, this was the first opportunity in years to express their wish to hear specific issues that affect them on the radio. 

“Our stories, our struggles are not reported on mainstream media,” said Gerlinde Busch, one of the organizers, who is also blind. “These stories, like the inaccessibility of the built environment, are the stories of our daily life.” 

Like Busch, most of the approximately 50 people who attended – there were KPFA staff members with and without disabilities, Berkeley activists and disabled listeners from San Francisco – felt that KPFA gives little space in its programming to the challenges they face everyday. Unemployment, the need for affordable housing and health care, for instance, are critical issues they would like to be systematically covered. 

But more than anything, the attendees said they wanted KPFA to reflect the diversity of their community. 

“We are different, we are a diverse community and our issues are influenced by what else we are, if we are woman or man, our race and other things we are,” said Busch, during a short presentation on disabled issues. “There are many issues covering our own life experience.” 

One of the disabled community’s main concerns, some said, is to have the media include all kinds of disabilities in its coverage. While some disabilities are visible, others are not, they said. For those who suffer from emotional or mental disabilities, for instance, the struggle for their rights can be particularly hard. 

“All the listed issues around disability are great, but a lot of times there are other issues that are silent when it comes to people with psychiatric disabilities,” said Carol Patterson from the Independent Living resource center in San Francisco. “For a lot of us, the issue is having services available that we can access. People get turned away because their issues are not serious enough.”  

People with psychiatric disabilities, she added, must be suicidal or show they have a severe disability to be taken into consideration. 

Social exclusion was another issue raised at the meeting.  

To Bienestar Davis, a former teacher and social worker who recently lost her vision, there are still many prejudices against disabled people. Most of the time, she said, visually impaired people get jobs working with other blind individuals. Therefore, they do not manage to fully integrate into mainstream society. 

“Because we happen to be blind doesn’t mean that we have to work only with the blind,” she said. “The more we expose the whole society [to] who we are and what we do, the more we will be able to break down those barriers.” 

After receiving comments from the public, KPFA staff members submitted proposed solutions to the audience, who gathered in small discussion groups. 

Among other things, the station plans to initiate a weekly program that addresses disability and to insure that disability issues will be integrated into other general programs. KPFA also offered to train its staff members on disability awareness and to secure at least one candidate with disabilities for the next Local Advisory Board election in October. 

KPFA Community Needs Assessment Committee will hold another meeting next Saturday in Richmond. So far, the radio station has heard from communities in Petaluma, Sacramento and San Jose, among others. It has also sent letters asking for feedback on its programming to 23,000 listeners. At this time, the committee has received about 1,600 responses. The information gathered will create a report to be used for programming changes. There is currently no scheduled time frame for those changes.


Rhetoric can’t fully explain a complicated market

John Koenigshofer Berkeley
Monday August 20, 2001

Editor: 

 

Marion Syrek’s letter of 8/10 barely deserves to be dignified by a response. However, her misunderstanding is so profound it must be corrected. 

As is often the case, extremists and ideologues employ generalized and inflated rhetoric to make their uninformed case. Syrek suggests that all “stockholders, landlords and moneylenders” are “parasites” and will eventually be “driven out of the temple.” Using Biblical imagery she attempts to imbue her beliefs with higher authority and credibility. The trick fails. Anyone participating in the marketplace understands her erroneous and superficial assertions. 

First, when stockholders receive dividends they have earned it. Their labor, converted to money, converted to stocks is put to work to support/invest in companies. The dollars raised by the companies via stock sales is used for research, development and expansion (innovation and job creation). Often times stock investors, who risk their money, (which is the symbol of their labor) will lose money. When an investment goes well and dividends are paid they are compensated for the use (and risk) of their money. 

Money is the most abstract form of capital. Classically speaking, capital is anything that produces value. So, be it a tractor plowing fields or money invested to create a better tractor that plows fields more quickly, it is all capital at work. It is labor at varying degrees of abstraction. 

“Moneylenders” are no different. They earn and/or consolidate capital (money) organize and systemize its distribution and make it available, often to those with a good idea, vision or inspiration. In some cases these funds build homes, bridges or even laboratories where stock financed companies do research seeking a cure for AIDS or a thousand other diseases. Once again, capital in motion creates jobs and innovation. 

Landlords too earn what they are paid. Landlords often work(ed) at some trade, earn money and buy a building. That is, trade labor (symbolized by money) for a structure. The new the landlord might rebuild, improve, and expand that structure. Once it is rented the landlord pays taxes (into the public coffers) on the property and profit. The landlord also pays to insure, repair, manage and maintain the structure. It is not a passive process. It involves earning capital, investing it (risking it), working and creating a usable item/object or service which is provided in exchange for pay (rent). 

Like most knee-jerk leftisms Syrek prefers simplified and vilified interpretations of our profoundly complex and fluid system. She forgets that the market economy has doubled the average human life span and increased food production 50 fold in this century alone. This system has inspired the technology that allows us to circle the planet in a couple of days, visit grandma across the continent in mere hours and to instantly speak with someone on the opposite side of the Earth. The market economy encourages and facilitates our inquiry into the very nature and foundation of life as reflected in the mapping of the genome and other profound sciences. 

Syrek should consider housing (without hot water), communications (a phone in every fourth home), quality of food (no fresh vegetable in winter), water (often not potable) and medicine (hard to find) in Moscow in ‘980. Consider also the stagnation of Soviet science in the areas of transportation, computer technology and bio-genetic research. A non-market economy guarantees one thing, stagnation. 

Who are the “wealthy” Syrek refers to? The actor I know who has just received his “big break” after years of effort and on his way to Los Angeles to make big money? Or the long time poor painter who now garners $30,000 per painting after years of refinement and discipline? Is it the Vietnamese immigrant who arrives in the U.S. with no money and now employs a half dozen people in a gardening business, owns his own home and several apartment units? Perhaps it is the Russian immigrant I know who does hard physical labor, builds capital, develops credit, borrows money, buys houses, rebuilds them and sells them for a profit? Or maybe it is the person I know who invented Handi Wipes and made a fortune. Perhaps it is my cousin and her husband who are nurses and earn over $’70,000 per year. They have just returned from a 4 month trip to Asia and Europe. 

Simple stated market economy allows people to pursue and realize dreams. This is good for individuals and society. The creation and inspiration of the individual elevates and improves society. 

The view Syrek represents is less a political or economic one and more the sour grapes psychology of those who prefer complaint to creativity. I pity those who spend their time whining rather than inventing. The greatest thing an individual can do is transcend his/her circumstances and limitations. Such growth only occurs in the challenging and rewarding environment of a free market economy. The alternative is collective mediocrity under the parental control of lumbering bureaucratic states. 

I prefer the challenge. 

 

John Koenigshofer 

Berkeley 


Skaters get their power from the sun

By Jon MaysDaily Planet staff
Monday August 20, 2001

When Jonah Most told his mother that he was looking for something to do this summer, she suggested that he get a special project going – something like creating a solar-powered skateboard. 

So Most, 12, hooked up with Daniel Holtmann-Rice, 15, and Tom Burchill, 20, and got to work in June. The trio knew each other through skateboarding and building ramps in their quiet north Berkeley neighborhood. Burchill is a Volkswagen enthusiast who likes to rebuild engines and has a shed full of auto parts. In short, he’s a gearhead. Most characterized Holtmann-Rice as “the computer genius.” 

Now, two months later, they are putting together a three-person, six-foot-long skateboard that will be powered completely by the sun. 

“I never worked with electric motors before. I never worked with alternative transportation, especially a four-wheeled machine. So when [Most’s] mom popped the challenge, I was extremely excited,” Burchill said.  

The group hopes to have the skateboard – fashioned after the Maherajah-style board popular in the 70s – running in time for the Solano Stroll early next month and perfected in time for the “How Berkeley Can You Be?” parade in October. After that, Most said they may consider offering rides to people or create something more involved and interactive for the Earth Day festival. 

“We haven’t really decided what that will be. We’re open to suggestions,” Most said. “We want it to be a hands-on thing.” 

The skateboard is not yet tested or even completely constructed, but the group is confident it will work. By cannibalizing an axle and gear drive assembly from a push lawn mower and combining it with two 12-volt batteries, computer and motors from a recently donated electric wheelchair – the skateboard has enough juice to make it go.  

But the group wanted to make sure it would use renewable energy, so they are going to hook the batteries up to a backpack fitted with a two-foot by three-foot solar panel. The panel will trickle-charge the battery on sunny days. Although the wheelchair motors have the technology to turn, they want to use its energy for straight-away power and incorporate a skateboard’s natural foot-turning method. 

To accomplish that, they constructed a sandal on the top of the board that will turn a gear system below the board connected to four nine-and-a-half-inch wheels.  

They still haven’t figured out how exactly that will work and are experimenting with a fan belt from a tractor and grip tape from a skateboard.  

The wheelchair has motors powerful enough to travel about 10 mph while carrying a 300-pound person, but by reducing the gear ratio with smaller wheels, Holtmann-Rice said it will have enough torque to carry 350 pounds about seven mph. 

The group makes regular trips to the hardware store and spends quite a bit of time asking for grants and donations. Most said they have garnered the attention of city councilmembers Linda Maio and Miriam Hawley as well as Access Innovations of Hayward — the company that donated the wheelchair.  

City Councilmember Kriss Worthington is helping the trio get a solar panel — the most expensive component of their invention — donated.  

The sum total of their efforts adds up to about 20 to 25 hours a week.  

“It’s pretty much like a part-time job,” Burchill said.  

It’s fairly good practice though, since eventually Burchill said he would like to work as a solar systems installer. Next, they plan on reconstructing the donated wheelchair and donating to someone who needs it.  

“We want to give it back because it was given to us so easily,” he said.  

With less than a month before the Solano Stroll, the group is focusing on the task at hand.  

“It will be working by Sept. 9, we’re not so sure about the solar panel, but it’ll be moving,” Most said.  

And Most said it will definitely be ready to carry them the length of the Berkeley parade. 

“It’ll be regenerating itself throughout the parade,” he said. “Especially if it’s a nice day.” 

 

For more information on the project or to make donations, e-mail Most at solarboard@hotmail.com


Bush’s stem-call ‘compromise’ fails to satisfy either side

Dr. Max Alfert Professor of Biology, U.C. Berkeley
Monday August 20, 2001

Editor: 

 

The decision announced today by Mr. Bush on stem cell research is exactly the kind of “compromise” one should have expected: Neither fish nor fowl, it won’t satisfy the wishes of either party about this problem but will result in extra-windfall profits for some medical entrepreneurs at the expense of needy patients. 

The limited number of already existing stem cell lines is mostly in private hands under patents; any research findings that may be useful to combat various illnesses will be dispensed according to the rule of supply and demand to those willing and able to pay high prices for their treatment, whatever the market will bear. Mr. Bush has now sweetened the pot by throwing tax moneys at those entrepreneurs (as if they were oil companies?). For a long time the pharmaceutical industry has spent much more money on advertising than on research because it benefited from the results of medical research done through grants given by the Government to researchers at universities and in Government laboratories. The results of their efforts were then often turned over for exploitation to private business companies. This administration is just running true to form... 

 

Dr. Max Alfert 

Professor of Biology, U.C. Berkeley 


Using the tax break for something worthwhile

Kate S. Elman Emeryville
Monday August 20, 2001

The Daily Planet received this letter addressed to President Bush: 

Dear Mr. President: 

 

You have been criticized lately for some things you have done. This note is to praise, and to thank you for some things you have done exactly right! 

Such as the income tax rebate. My check arrived last week, and after a brief consultation with my conscience I donated it to the Planned Parenthood Association. As you may know, their mission is to provide women with information about and the opportunity to control the size of their families. 

Planned Parenthood is indeed a faith-based organization, which works for and believes in the day when all children are wanted and all families are a reasonable size. When that goal is reached, we will all be much closer to a world free of hunger and malnutrition, and the suffering which these conditions bring. 

Thus you are, of course, right in believing that people spend their money more wisely than do governments. 

Thank you again! 

 

Kate S. Elman 

Emeryville 


Blighted industrial sites home of new development

The Associated Press
Monday August 20, 2001

EMERYVILLE — Ten years ago, this sliver of a town was a blighted urban joke of the Bay Area, a smokestack hamlet that became an apparition of tattered warehouses and dead industrial buildings. Below ground was worse. 

The dirt held a devil’s cauldron of solvents, heavy metals and 55-gallon barrels of chemicals buried before World War II. 

“Arsenic, pesticides, petroleums. It had the works,” says Ignacio Dayrit, a City Hall redevelopment specialist. 

But today, experts call Emeryville a leader and national model in remaking industrial wastelands. 

Wherever you go in Emeryville, thanks to a prime location and the Bay Area’s 1990s high tech explosion, there are new lofts and apartments, hotels and entertainment centers on cleaned-up land. 

This success and others like it, including the California Speedway built over an extinct Kaiser Steel site in Fontana, are proving enviable. As suburban growth becomes constrained and people flock to central cities, municipalities and land developers view thousands of blighted acres as growth’s new frontier. Some estimate the state has 90,000 vacant sites behind barbed wire and chain link fences. 

Though states like Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Jersey are considered trailblazers in brownfields development, California has more sites than any other state, says Stephanie Shakofsky, director of the California Center for Land Recycling. 

At the state Capitol, legislators are awakening to possibilities for these so called “brownfields.” 

Now beneath the Capitol dome, cities, environmentalists, lawyers, state agencies, developers and insurance companies are jostling over who will clean them up and to whose standards. 

One proposal symbolizes the struggle. A bill that would give cities new power to investigate vacant sites for possible contamination and force cleanups is being heard Tuesday by the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee, which killed it last year and a competing bill this year. 

Author Sen. Martha Escutia, a Democrat who represents vacant industrial areas east of Los Angeles, wants to build central-city housing on the cleaned up sites. 

Escutia says California cities are up against thousands of land owners who prefer not to know what’s beneath their property. Many, fearing huge cleanup costs and liability, have simply fenced off their land. They neither sell nor develop. 

But other powerful interests have their own ideas. Environmentalists say Escutia’s approach is not strict enough and business says it’s too strict. 

Meanwhile, as debate continues in Sacramento, Emeryville is beginning its biggest brownfields project yet. Near the city’s IKEA furniture and home store, a developer is planning the Emeryville Town Center. The Main Street mix of condominiums, stores and entertainment occupies land that once housed a lime and sulfur plant, paint pigment manufacturer, trucking company and insecticide plant. 

Robert Doty, an attorney who guided Emeryville through the cleanup, calls this simple real estate economics.  

“Projects that were once thought of as ‘Oh God, don’t go there,’” he says, “are now being developed with some very nice features.” 


UC Berkeley extends public input on construction

Bay City News Service
Monday August 20, 2001

UC Berkeley has announced that it will extend its period for public comment on a draft document that details potential environmental impacts of proposed campus construction. 

The public now has until Aug. 30 to comment of the draft environmental impact report. 

The campus is proposing to replace Stanley Hall and Davis Hall with seismically adept structures to house the university's health science laboratories as well as the research facilities of the bioengineering and information technology departments. 

According the draft EIR, construction noise and the loss of tennis courts and a skateboarding area on Hearst Avenue are the significant, unavoidable impacts that will result if the university goes ahead with its bintentions. 

The university's proposal would convert the tennis court into parking spaces, something that some members of the community were concerned about during a public hearing held earlier this year. 

The university is considering relocating the courts, although it is not part of the current proposal. 

Community members were also concerned about parking availability and traffic congestion during construction. According to the EIR, while truck traffic will have an impact, trips could be scheduled to minimize the disturbance. 

The draft EIR also found that the project would raise the total number of developed acres on campus above that envisioned in the university's Long Range Development Plan, which addresses construction on campus from 1990 to 2005. In order to comply with the plan, the university would have to amend it. 

In addition to the creation of two new buildings, the proposed project calls for the seismic retrofit of three other buildings, and an extension to Soda Hall, the computer sciences building.


Davis renews hopes of saving Edison

By Karen Gaudette Associated Press Writer
Monday August 20, 2001

California governor wants to help power company avoid bankruptcy; some senators are unconvinced 

 

SAN FRANCISCO – Fresh from a summer break, lawmakers return to Sacramento on Monday to the unfinished business of how to prevent Southern California Edison from following the state’s largest utility into bankruptcy. 

Should Edison go down that road, ratepayers could face higher rates ordered by a bankruptcy judge to help pay the utility’s $3.3 billion debt, warned a group of utility, consumer advocacy and state representatives Sunday. 

Wall Street investors could doubt the state’s commitment to solving its energy problems and not buy enough bonds for California to recoup the billions it has spent buying electricity, they said. The state’s economy could flounder. 

The group, which included the general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and a representative of utility employees, urged lawmakers to pass one of many plans before the Legislature that would give Edison just under $3 billion to climb out of debt. 

“The alternative to getting Edison restored to stability is bankruptcy, and that’s ultimately bad for California,” said Hilary McLean, a spokeswoman for Gov. Gray Davis. Bankruptcy, McLean said, would leave many of the utility’s financial decisions up to the court, and lessen the state’s influence. 

Not all lawmakers think bankruptcy is the worst outcome. 

Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Marina del Rey and head of the Senate Energy Committee, has said it’s not clear there’s anything the state can gain by negotiating with one utility while the other is in bankruptcy. 

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. filed for federal bankruptcy protection April 6 and has continued paying county taxes, past-due bills to independent energy producers and still keeps the lights on with help from the state. 

However, legal experts predict the case — which involves more than 50,000 creditors and billions of dollars — could take years to resolve. Though U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali has said he won’t touch electric rates, raising them is an option at his disposal to ensure the utility has enough money to pay back its debts. 

Just how Edison should be saved, and whether it’s necessary, have been subjects of debate since the start of the year, when the financially troubled utility’s credit rating plummeted and it lost its ability to buy electricity for its own customers. 

The state has spent more than $9.6 billion buying electricity for Edison customers, as well as those of PG&E and San Diego Gas and Electric Co. since January. 

To get that money back, it needs to float some $12.5 billion in bonds. To do that, it needs to convince Wall Street investors that enough money is flowing into the state from ratepayers to keep the state funded. 

The upcoming week should tell much about how the state plans to meet its energy needs and solve existing funding and supply predicaments: 

— State power regulators meet Thursday in San Francisco, and are scheduled to decide whether SDG&E customers will see higher electric rates to help the utility cover its energy-buying losses. 

The Public Utilities Commission also will decide whether electricity customers in California can continue to choose who delivers their electricity the same way they pick a long distance phone service. 

And, it will decide whether to allow the water department to receive rate increases without public review — a dramatic loss of PUC authority which for perhaps the first time has brought together consumer advocates, utilities and the state’s major industry and trade groups in opposition to an energy-related issue. 

— The state’s Public Power Authority — charged with building power plants if private investment doesn’t build enough to comfortably meet California’s energy needs — meets for the first time Friday. 

It is yet unclear whether the agency also eventually will take over the Department of Water Resources’ power-buying duties, or work with the manager of the state’s power grid to schedule sufficient amounts of electricity to keep rolling blackouts from returning to the Golden State.


State power traders to be pulled from control room

The Associated Press
Monday August 20, 2001

LOS ANGELES – The agency that buys and sells electricity on behalf of the California government will pull traders from a power grid control room. 

Six buyers from the state Department of Water Resources will be removed from the Folsom control room of the California Independent System Operator by Sept. 1, said Pete Garris, who oversees state power purchases. 

The water department is the largest buyer of electricity in the West. 

Cal-ISO, which runs California’s power transmission system, is supposed to be independent of any party involved in the state’s electricity market. 

But there is an increasing chorus of concern about its impartiality, especially since Gov. Gray Davis was allowed to appoint the agency’s board members under emergency measures approved amid blackouts earlier this year. 

Davis appointees also head the water department, which has been buying billions of dollars worth of electricity for debt-ridden private utilities during the power crunch. The state spent more than $909 million on power in July alone. 

The Cal-ISO control room holds secret bid information and other sensitive market data. State officials have said the access is crucial to ensuring a decent power supply. But power industry executives and lawmakers say the setup has given the state an unfair advantage over private firms.


When things go wrong, companies often re-install retired CEOs

By Linda A. Johnson AP Business Writer
Monday August 20, 2001

TRENTON, N.J. – When the European Union blocked Honeywell Inc.’s merger with General Electric last month, throwing Honeywell in limbo, its board of directors knew they needed a new leader fast to reassure skittish shareholders and stabilize the company. 

They didn’t look far. 

The board had already been courting retired chief executive Lawrence Bossidy. Within hours of the EU’s announcement, CEO Michael Bonsignore was out and Bossidy was back at the helm of the Morris Township automotive and aircraft equipment maker. 

With so many other companies laying off workers amid a slumping economy, falling sales, missed earnings targets and plunging stock prices, a number of major corporations have tried Honeywell’s strategy, bringing back a respected leader from retirement. 

“I think we started really seeing it about a year ago,” said John Brandt, editorial director of Chief Executive magazine. “I call them re-CEOs.” 

Companies that have reappointed a retired chief executive, at least temporarily, amid a leadership crisis include such household names as Xerox, Campbell Soup and computer makers Apple and Gateway. 

In Cupertino, Apple Computer co-founder Steve Jobs left the company in 1985 but returned as an adviser in 1996. The following summer, the board removed CEO Gil Amelio after several years of losses and named the charismatic Jobs interim CEO. 

In January 2000, after slashing costs, introducing popular new computers such as the iMac, returning Apple to profitability and sending its stock shares soaring, Jobs reassured Mac enthusiasts by dropping the “interim” from his title. 

Sometimes the executive’s chair is barely cold when company directors call. 

At San Diego-based Gateway Inc., founder and chief executive Ted Waitt left in January 2000. A sales slump and layoffs led the personal computer maker’s board this January to announce Waitt was returning as CEO; the news sent Gateway’s shares up nearly 15 percent. 

Others include telecommunications giant Lucent Technologies, chemical maker Hercules Inc., financial-software company Intuit and the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain, HCA. Contact lens maker Bausch & Lomb last month rehired its previous CEO as chairman, and fiber-optics maker Corning Inc. did the same thing in June. 

“I think there’s generally acclaim from the shareholders when they bring back these legendary CEOs,” Brandt said. “They tend to be someone who had a run of anywhere from 5 to 10 to 20 years and really established a role of dominance and leadership.” 

One reason for the trend is that corporate boards often must give the outgoing CEO a golden parachute worth tens of millions of dollars, said Yale Tauber, senior executive compensation consultant at William M. Mercer consultants. 

If no internal candidate is ready to take over, the board likely would have to pay millions more to lure a CEO away from another company — to make up for unvested stock options and other perks the executive would lose by changing jobs. 

“So who better but to take the CEO whom I know and like, at least for the time being?” Tauber said. 

That person might already be drawing a pension, and thus less likely to demand big bucks. 

“I do expect more (of this) because we have much more shareholder activity, much more media coverage and boards are much more sensitive to their responsibilities,” Tauber said. 

Honeywell’s board saw plenty of appeal in Bossidy, who delivered 31 straight quarters of earnings growth and increased productivity while CEO of Morristown-based AlliedSignal from 1991 through April 2000. Bossidy engineered the December 1999 merger of that company with Minneapolis-based Honeywell, then stepped aside a few months later. 

While GE appeals the European Union’s ruling, Bossidy must review Honeywell’s options, continue integrating all the Honeywell and AlliedSignal businesses and boost falling operating margins. 

At Lucent Technologies in Murray Hill, Henry Schacht, the first CEO of the AT&T spinoff, remained at the helm until October 1997. He was a consultant to the once high-flying maker of telecommunications equipment until February 1999. 

Under successor Richard McGinn, Lucent stumbled repeatedly, misreading industry trends, missing earnings targets and even restating previously reported earnings. Schacht was brought back in October 2000. He’s since cut tens of thousands of jobs and started a restructuring and cost-cutting plan that even eliminates free coffee for employees. 

Sometimes, a CEO’s reincarnation is brief, with a carefully chosen successor soon in place. 

At Campbell Soup Co. in Camden, CEO Dale F. Morrison resigned suddenly in March 2000, after a year of disappointing earnings and a difficult restructuring. Directors at the world’s biggest soup maker promptly brought back David W. Johnson, the CEO who tripled the company’s market value from 1990 through 1997. 

Johnson beefed up marketing and instituted a “back to basics” plan focusing on soup rather than other food products. He retired again in January, when the board installed veteran food company executive Douglas R. Conant. 

Occasionally the CEO reincarnation is a personal mission. 

“Often the CEO will come back because he’s or she’s been with the company a long time, built it all up and as a matter of pride doesn’t want to see it destroyed,” Tauber said.


When things go wrong, companies often re-install retired CEOs

By Linda A. JohnsonAP Business Writer
Monday August 20, 2001

TRENTON, N.J. – When the European Union blocked Honeywell Inc.’s merger with General Electric last month, throwing Honeywell in limbo, its board of directors knew they needed a new leader fast to reassure skittish shareholders and stabilize the company. 

They didn’t look far. 

The board had already been courting retired chief executive Lawrence Bossidy. Within hours of the EU’s announcement, CEO Michael Bonsignore was out and Bossidy was back at the helm of the Morris Township automotive and aircraft equipment maker. 

With so many other companies laying off workers amid a slumping economy, falling sales, missed earnings targets and plunging stock prices, a number of major corporations have tried Honeywell’s strategy, bringing back a respected leader from retirement. 

“I think we started really seeing it about a year ago,” said John Brandt, editorial director of Chief Executive magazine. “I call them re-CEOs.” 

Companies that have reappointed a retired chief executive, at least temporarily, amid a leadership crisis include such household names as Xerox, Campbell Soup and computer makers Apple and Gateway. 

In Cupertino, Apple Computer co-founder Steve Jobs left the company in 1985 but returned as an adviser in 1996. The following summer, the board removed CEO Gil Amelio after several years of losses and named the charismatic Jobs interim CEO. 

In January 2000, after slashing costs, introducing popular new computers such as the iMac, returning Apple to profitability and sending its stock shares soaring, Jobs reassured Mac enthusiasts by dropping the “interim” from his title. 

Sometimes the executive’s chair is barely cold when company directors call. 

At San Diego-based Gateway Inc., founder and chief executive Ted Waitt left in January 2000. A sales slump and layoffs led the personal computer maker’s board this January to announce Waitt was returning as CEO; the news sent Gateway’s shares up nearly 15 percent. 

Others include telecommunications giant Lucent Technologies, chemical maker Hercules Inc., financial-software company Intuit and the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain, HCA. Contact lens maker Bausch & Lomb last month rehired its previous CEO as chairman, and fiber-optics maker Corning Inc. did the same thing in June. 

“I think there’s generally acclaim from the shareholders when they bring back these legendary CEOs,” Brandt said. “They tend to be someone who had a run of anywhere from 5 to 10 to 20 years and really established a role of dominance and leadership.” 

One reason for the trend is that corporate boards often must give the outgoing CEO a golden parachute worth tens of millions of dollars, said Yale Tauber, senior executive compensation consultant at William M. Mercer consultants. 

If no internal candidate is ready to take over, the board likely would have to pay millions more to lure a CEO away from another company — to make up for unvested stock options and other perks the executive would lose by changing jobs. 

“So who better but to take the CEO whom I know and like, at least for the time being?” Tauber said. 

That person might already be drawing a pension, and thus less likely to demand big bucks. 

“I do expect more (of this) because we have much more shareholder activity, much more media coverage and boards are much more sensitive to their responsibilities,” Tauber said. 

Honeywell’s board saw plenty of appeal in Bossidy, who delivered 31 straight quarters of earnings growth and increased productivity while CEO of Morristown-based AlliedSignal from 1991 through April 2000. Bossidy engineered the December 1999 merger of that company with Minneapolis-based Honeywell, then stepped aside a few months later. 

While GE appeals the European Union’s ruling, Bossidy must review Honeywell’s options, continue integrating all the Honeywell and AlliedSignal businesses and boost falling operating margins. 

At Lucent Technologies in Murray Hill, Henry Schacht, the first CEO of the AT&T spinoff, remained at the helm until October 1997. He was a consultant to the once high-flying maker of telecommunications equipment until February 1999. 

Under successor Richard McGinn, Lucent stumbled repeatedly, misreading industry trends, missing earnings targets and even restating previously reported earnings. Schacht was brought back in October 2000. He’s since cut tens of thousands of jobs and started a restructuring and cost-cutting plan that even eliminates free coffee for employees. 

Sometimes, a CEO’s reincarnation is brief, with a carefully chosen successor soon in place. 

At Campbell Soup Co. in Camden, CEO Dale F. Morrison resigned suddenly in March 2000, after a year of disappointing earnings and a difficult restructuring. Directors at the world’s biggest soup maker promptly brought back David W. Johnson, the CEO who tripled the company’s market value from 1990 through 1997. 

Johnson beefed up marketing and instituted a “back to basics” plan focusing on soup rather than other food products. He retired again in January, when the board installed veteran food company executive Douglas R. Conant. 

Occasionally the CEO reincarnation is a personal mission. 

“Often the CEO will come back because he’s or she’s been with the company a long time, built it all up and as a matter of pride doesn’t want to see it destroyed,” Tauber said.


Ford says ignition design safe, but lawsuits allege 11 deaths

By David Kravets Associated Press Writer
Monday August 20, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO – While Ford Motor Co. maintains that alleged defects in its ignition system in 20 million cars don’t cause stalling or endanger passengers, a series of lawsuits nationwide blame stalling in various models for crashes in which at least 11 people died and 31 were injured. 

Also, internal Ford memos indicate the company was concerned that the ignition design could make engines stall — resulting in “rapid catastrophic failure” — at high temperatures. 

Most of the records examined by The Associated Press were produced by Ford as part of a California class-action suit. The lawsuit accuses the company of using a stall-prone ignition system in some models between 1983 to 1995, in part to save $2 per car in manufacturing costs. 

The judge overseeing the lawsuit has said Ford knew its design was defective and concealed the problem from federal regulators. 

Ford maintains there is no defect or safety issue, and says that cars can stall for any number of reasons. However, it is negotiating a settlement to the class-action suit that plaintiffs lawyers say could cost the company between $750 million and $1 billion. 

Alameda County Judge Michael Ballachey could rule as early as Monday on the proposal that would involve, among other things, reimbursing Ford owners nationwide who paid for ignition repairs. 

In the first detailed analysis of deaths and injuries blamed on stalling in Fords with the ignition devices, the AP examined 802 lawsuits filed in courthouses across the nation. Most were settled out of court with no acknowledgment of liability. 

The AP excluded all accidents that did not clearly involve stalling engines, as well as cases that involved other factors, such as reckless driving. Remaining were 23 accidents from Connecticut to California, among them four fatal crashes that left 11 dead. 

Some consumer advocates see shades here of the Ford Pinto debacle of the 1970s, in which 27 people died from exploding gas tanks in rear-end collisions. Ford recalled the Pinto after wrongful death lawsuits brought intense media scrutiny. 

“What is quite clear in both instances, with the Pinto and ignition switches, you had a horrendous safety defect that was costing lives, and in both instances Ford knew about it and did nothing,” said Clarence Ditlow, who heads the Center For Auto Safety in Washington, D.C. 

Ford representatives would not comment in detail about the internal memos and the lawsuits alleging stalling caused deaths and injuries. The Dearborn, Mich., automaker maintains its ignition modules are safe, citing repeated government investigations that resulted in no recalls. 

“There’s never been any proof of failure of this component,” Ford attorney Richard Warmer said, a position Ford has held since the first stalling complaints surfaced in the 1980s. 

“We stand behind our products,” company spokeswoman Kathleen Vokes added in response to this story. She declined to comment in more detail, citing a gag order in the class-action case. 

No court other than Ballachey’s has found the devices defective. Ford’s settlements customarily prohibit injured parties from disclosing the amounts paid or releasing evidence. 

The proposed settlement in the class-action involves compensation for repairs and has no legal impact on the settled individual lawsuits involving deaths and injuries blamed on stalling Ford vehicles. 

The lawsuits the AP reviewed describe Ford engines stalling in fast-food driveways, on railroad tracks and on highways — all without warning. Some stalled as soon as new owners left the dealers’ lots. Several of the suits describe repeated vehicle repairs, some to the point of replacing the engine. 

When an engine stalls, power steering and brakes become less responsive, and vehicles unexpectedly lose speed. Some drivers were able to safely pull over. Others were rear-ended, blindsided or lost all control. 

On April 15, 1990, when Asali Johnson of San Jose was 19, she and seven friends crowded into a 1990 Mercury Sable on a trip to Reno. The car stalled in the Sierra Nevada foothills and lost control, flying several hundred feet down a wooded embankment. 

Three of her friends died and four others were injured. Johnson, now a quadriplegic, settled with Ford for $12,500. 

Johnson said there are days when she can speak of the accident, and others when her memories are too traumatic. 

“Blood has a smell to it. Sometimes you can talk about it and sometimes you cannot,” Johnson said. “It’s sort of obvious to me that Ford doesn’t care about its customers.” 

The ignition device, known as a thick film ignition switch, or TFI module, regulates electric current to the spark plugs. In 29 models made between 1983 and 1995, the module was mounted on the distributor, near the engine block. 

According to internal company records, Ford moved the modules there to increase fuel efficiency and save manufacturing costs. In a Sept. 11, 1981 “program alert” Ford sent to engineers and managers, the company said the move would save $1.50 to $2 per vehicle. 

Another company document indicates the automaker had evidence that placing the module on the distributor could cause sudden engine failure. 

On May 4, 1988, Ford sent a “component maximum temperature chart” to its engineers that listed the optimum temperature exposure of the TFI module at 220 degrees, and warned of dire consequences at temperatures exceeding 257 degrees. 

“The peak temperatures listed are the absolute maximums at which the devices should operate,” the memo reads, adding, “Excursions beyond peak can result in rapid catastrophic failure.” 

Ford’s own testing showed engines exceeded the 257-degree peak, according to numerous company documents. Ford projected the repair cost at $146 per module, but still it denies any defect. 

“We don’t think there’s anything that needs to be replaced. Our ignition system is as good as anybody’s,” Ford attorney Warren Platt said in a recent interview. 

The company maintains that any problems with the modules were resolved when it recalled about 1 million of the devices in some 1984 and 1985 vehicles whose engines tended to run hotter than other models. Ford cited “unexpected warranty claims” as the reason for that voluntary recall. 

Jeff Fazio, the lawyer suing Ford in the California class action, declined to comment because of the gag order. “These parts are defective and they know it,” Fazio has said in earlier interviews. 

Judge Ballachey said Ford was living in an “Alice in Wonderland” dream for calling its vehicles safe, and said the company deceived federal regulators by concealing evidence that the ignition modules were prone to fail at high temperatures. 

Four investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found no safety problems related to the ignition switches. However, a key NHTSA official involved in these probes now says Ford withheld documents regulators should have seen before deciding against a wider or involuntary recall. 

“It is likely we would not have closed the case,” said Michael B. Brownlee, the former director of the NHTSA’s defects investigative arm. 

Nelda Rohling said a faulty ignition module cost her father his life in 1993. 

Rohling was in the back seat of her family’s 1989 Ford Tempo as they ran errands near Lubbock, Texas, when the engine suddenly died. 

“We started to cross the highway at a stop sign and the car dies,” said Rohling, who recalled that the vehicle had a history of stalling. “Dad’s jiggling, jiggling to get the car on. We were looking at this car coming down on us.” 

The impact killed Martin Allen, and severely injured Rohling and her mother, Margaret Allen. Ford settled their lawsuit for an undisclosed sum without admitting liability. 

Some individual lawsuits are still headed for trial. 

Six Tulare County, Calif., people and an unborn child were killed when their 1991 Tempo allegedly stalled and swerved into an irrigation canal in 1998. That car also had a history of stalling, according to their survivors’ attorney, Benjamin Schonbrun of Venice, Calif. 

“We believe a jury will find that a TFI module stalling was the cause of this accident,” Schonbrun said. 

One Ford owner says he walked away from a vehicle that he called a “death trap” after too many close calls. 

Gilbert Shaw of Blue Anchor, N.J., said his 1987 Ford Aerostar repeatedly stalled but the dealer could not find the problem. Tired of the headaches and near-death experiences, Shaw said he quit making payments to Ford and the company repossessed the minivan. 

“We had almost been killed three different times in three different states,” Shaw said.


Crucible fires burn for those practicing, learning metal arts

By Erika Kelly Daily Planet correspondent
Saturday August 18, 2001

The Crucible’s barren Ashby street facade belies the fires burning inside the brick warehouse.  

Yet a planned mural depicting orange flames and metal machinery, and a towering neon sign, will soon offer a glimpse of the fire arts – welding, metal casting and jewelry design, among others – that are practiced there. 

The mural, designed by local artist M.S. Hove, is expected to get under way this month and will further establish the Crucible’s presence in the community, said Crucible founder Michael Sturtz. 

Sturtz, a sculptor and teacher, launched the Crucible in 1999 in a quest to bring the art and industry of metal work together in one place. 

Beginning with a $1,700 grant from Levi Strauss and Co., the facility has grown from 6,000 to 17,000 feet in less than three years. A team of artists and craftspeople now offer  

hundreds of classes a year and complete  

commissioned metal works for clients throughout the Bay Area. The city has given the Crucible a grant of $42,000 for its vocational education efforts. 

“This place is very much connected to the real world,” said Sturtz. “This place is very accessible. We’re promoting creativity on a bunch of levels. Not everyone is going to become a metal sculptor.” 

A recent peak inside the Crucible revealed a lively hive of artists, students and craftspeople working in a variety of metal media. Jewelry students manipulated tiny pieces of copper and silver, while a group of women welded a car sculpture destined for the Burning Man festival, near Gerlach, Nevada. 

Another group of students crafted wax molds that will eventually be cast in iron. Aryana Gauder, a young artist, worked intently on her giant wax cockroach, every tiny hair and tentacle lovingly carved. 

“Michael (Sturtz), on the first night, was saying these things are going to be around a lot longer than we are, so I thought – cockroaches,” Gauder said, explaining the inspiration for her sculpture of the famously indestructible insect.  

Jim Wilson carved a dog-shaped urn to hold the ashes of his late golden retriever, Otis. 

“Right now he’s sitting in a box on the mantle, and I decided he deserved something better than a box,” said Wilson. 

The molds will serve as foundations for ceramic casts, which in turn will be filled with molten iron. To melt the iron, the class will fire up the cupola, a giant metal furnace.  

Lighting the cupola is a day-long event that Crucible staff say should not be missed. Forced air and a steady diet of iron and coke, or coal waste, feeds the furnace, which emits a volcanic flame from the top opening and a river of molten iron from a hole at the bottom. Students and staff stand by to catch the flowing metal and pour it into their molds. 

“If you like fire, it’s one of the most intense experiences you can have,” said teacher Nick Diphillipo, grinning widely. “You’re very involved with it. You’re not a spectator; you’re dancing with it.” 

The allure of playing with fire and the earth’s other elements has drawn a diverse group of people to the Crucible. 

“We attract a lot of people who are in the midst of changing their lives in some way,” said Sturtz. 

David Sands, a career electrical engineer, became a Crucible student and volunteer after he quit his job with a Santa Clara start-up that hadn’t paid him in six months. 

Searching for his dream job, he began creating metal elements for interior and exterior designs, including the new San Francisco restaurant Maurice. 

“Hopefully it will make me rich and famous, or just rich. Or just famous,” Sands said about his new career. 

He volunteers his electrical engineering skills at the Crucible, and in return finds inspiration for his own work. 

“All of the people I’ve met here are quality. They’re craftspeople, they’re not just artists. Every time I come here I see someone doing something amazing that makes me say, ‘Oh my god, I want to learn how to do that,’” said Sands. 

In addition to teaching, Crucible artists also take on manufacturing and sculpture jobs. They were responsible for the bronze plaque commemorating Barry Bonds’ 500th home run, which was recently installed at Pacific Bell Park. The Bonds plaque, which is detailed down to the ball player’s famous earring, was a challenge, admitted sculptor Alex Smith. One of the legs cracked, and attempts to fix it left the illusion that Bonds was wearing a garter belt. Smith amputated the leg and added a new one, leaving no sign of the metallic lingerie. 

Lucky Thomas, who interns with shop manager and artist Mark Metz in return for class time, has been inspired by his experiences. 

“It’s one of a kind. It’s a resource that we don’t have around here. This could be a startup for other people to look at.” 


Calendar of Events & Activities

Saturday August 18, 2001


Saturday, Aug. 18

 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Center Street @ Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

12th Annual Cajun & More Festival. Live music by: Motor Dude Zydeco, Johnny Harper’s Carnival, Creole Belles, Sauce Picuante. Food, crafts fair, micro-breweries, and free Cajun dance lessons with Pattie Whitehurst. Free event open to the public. 548-3333 www.ecologycenter.org 

 

The Pyramid Outdoor Cinema 

7 p.m. 

Pyramid Alehouse 

901 Gilman St. 

The Outdoor Cinema features cult classics projected on a large screen in the open-air brewery parking lot. This week, Grease. Movies show every Saturday through Sept. 22. $5 donation. 206-682-8322 x237 www.pyramidbrew.com 

 

KPFA Meeting for the Disabled Community 

1 - 4 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

A community meeting with KPFA’s Listener Advisory Board to voice concerns regarding the station’s coverage of disability issues. 707-795-2890 

 


Sunday, Aug. 19

 

Hands-On Bicycle  

Repair Clinics  

11 a.m. - Noon  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Learn how to fix a flat from one of REI’s bike technicians. All you need to bring is your bike. Tools are provided. Free 527-4140 

 

Tibetan Culture 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Stephanie Hoffman on “Preserving the Tibetan Literary Heritage.” 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. This Sunday is International Family Day. 654-6346 www.westberkeley.com 

 

Opus Q Auditions 

4 - 6 p.m. 

The University Lutheran Chapel 

2425 College Ave. 

Opus Q - The East Bay Men’s Chorale is preparing for its first full season. Gay men and their allies are invited to audition for the world’s newest GALA ensemble. 664-0260 www.opus-q.com 

 

The Bungalow - Tradition and Transformation 

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Instructed by architect/contractor Barry Wagner. $35. 525-7610 


Monday, Aug. 20

 

Ad Astrea Reading Series and Open Mic Night 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Spasso Coffee House 

6021 College Ave. 

Featured readers followed by open mic. Open to the public and free. 

428-1818 www.hitx.com 


Tuesday, Aug. 21

 

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 fears and phobias: getting and overcoming them. 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. 525-3565 

 

Free Early Music Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Small group sings madrigals and other voice harmony every Tuesday morning. 655-8863 

 

Berkeley Fibromyalgia Support Group 

12 - 2 p.m. every 3rd Tuesday 

Alta Bates Medical Center  

Maffly Auditorium - Herrick Campus 

2001 Dwight Way 

Rap session. 601-0550 www.arthritis.org 

 

Slide Show: Birds in the Garden 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

A discussion follows. 644-6107 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/hhs/commsvc/seniors.htm 


Wednesday, Aug. 22

 

Magic Mike 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley 

Part of the Lawrence Hall of Science Wednesday FUN-days. Bay Area favorite Magic Mike with theatrical illusions and electric comedy. Museum admission $3 - $7. 642-5132 

Lecture on Parkinson’s Disease 

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 

Ashby Campus 

Conference Room 3 

2450 Ashby Ave. 

Learn about the latest treatments for Parkinson’s disease. Free and open to the public. 869-6737 


Thursday, Aug. 23

 

Salsa Dance Classes 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish  

Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Classes every Thursday with live percussionists, light refreshments, DJ playing Latin music. $10 or $15 for two. 237-9874 

— compiled by Guy Poole 

 

New “Classroom Matters” Open House 

6 - 9 p.m. 

2512 9th St., Suite #3 

A Berkeley based educational center that provides tutors, mentors and support services, will hold an open house at their new location.  

540-8646 www.classroommatters.com  

 

Lecture-Program on the Armenian Opera “Arshak II” 

7:30 p.m. 

North Branch Berkeley Public Library 

1170 The Alameda 

Dr. Clifford Cranna will present a lecture-program on the world premiere of the Armenian opera Arshak II, the tale of Armenia’s fourth century warrior king. 649-3913 www.infopeople.org/bpl/ 

 

Kensington 55+ Activity Center 

9 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Social Hall of Arlington Community Church 

52 Arlington Ave. 

Conversation, Apple II computer instruction, massage therapy, German conversation group, meditation and relaxation techniques, watercolor art class, tea and coffee. Special 11 a.m. program: Holistic Health, Jan Stecher leads in Rosen Movement. 526-9146  


Community fights back and protests Maio’s firing of popular disability commissioner

By Miya Rodolfo-Sioson chair, Commission on Disability
Saturday August 18, 2001

Craig’s removal unjust 

 

The Commission on Disability lost its most active member and strongest advocate on Aug. 6 when City Councilmember Linda Maio removed Karen Craig from her position on that commission. As chair of the COD and a member of the disability community, I am upset not only by the loss of a valuable Commissioner, but also by the manner in which she was dismissed. Karen’s removal is also related to unjust accusations made by Maio and Councilmember Dona Spring about the Commission as a whole. 

Karen’s work on the COD has been tireless. Through her leadership of the Outreach Subcommittee, the downtown Starbucks and numerous local banks have installed access modifications including accessible counters and automatic door openers. She has continuously fought to improve the accessibility of AC Transit buses and to remove obstacles from sidewalks and stores. She recently succeeded in getting disability advocates and organizers of the Berkeley Free Folk Festival together to discuss access improvements at the event. Karen helped create the City’s safety light program for pedestrians and bicyclists, and “parking warning” flyers for cars blocking sidewalks and curbcuts. She has been the COD’s liaison to the Library, I-80 Overpass and Warm Pool committees, Public Works and Police Review Commissions, and Transportation Commission Traffic Calming Subcommittee. Finally, she was a core organizer of the historic Measure E campaign. 

Despite four and a half years of dedicated service, Karen has been abruptly dismissed, ostensibly over one issue – her outspoken criticism of Easy Does It, the current contractor for the City’s Emergency Services Program for the Severely Disabled. Maio never expressed to Karen concern regarding her behavior before this summer. It appears her dismissal has little to do with Maio’s sudden attention to this matter, but is instead primarily a political favor to Spring, who has tried to discredit Karen as well as the entire Commission. 

According to an Aug. 6 letter Maio wrote to Karen, Spring convinced Maio that “contention” supposedly created by the COD’s objection to a particular EDI policy “has caused capable people to leave EDI”. The Commission believes that this policy – -of using Measure E funds to buy equipment for individual clients – is inappropriate and may violate the ordinance. The COD cannot be held responsible for staff resignations because it opposes a policy. 

At the Dec. 9, 2000 City Council meeting, Spring fumed that the COD “has always been very critical of EDI” and that she did not “expect that (the Commission is) going to approve any money for EDI.” The August 10 Daily Planet article quotes Spring as criticizing Karen for wanting to “micromanage” EDI and for creating “an unresolvable conflict”. 

It is unjust to accuse Karen and the Commission of trying to interfere with EDI operations. The COD’s recommendations regarding EDI are valid, and many of them are echoed in two city-sponsored evaluations of the agency. Commissioners do not criticize to promote conflict, but to improve service. The fact that our opinions differ from those of Spring or EDI should be taken at face value and not misinterpreted as an effort to impede or do harm. 

Although contact between the Commission and EDI was previously very tense, a working relationship has developed in recent months. The COD approves of EDI’s recent attempts to dispatch in-house, pre-schedule calls and experiment with case management. Karen, Commissioner Marissa Shaw and I have met with EDI staff twice since April to discuss different ways of addressing service problems. While we did not resolve the difficult issues, we did explore common ground. The Commission also supported EDI’s funding request in January and did not oppose the funding it solicited last month. 

Despite Spring’s accusations, recent interactions between the COD and EDI demonstrate that our differences are not unresolvable. Discrediting the Commission and dismissing Karen from it may bolster Spring’s political influence, but it does nothing to improve relations in the disability community. Karen, the Commission and the community deserve better than such realpolitik. 

 


Slamming fits lifestyle for one poet

Marc Polonsky Daily Planet correspondent
Saturday August 18, 2001

Kenny Mostern’s committed to writing poems about every day issues. 

“There are tons of slam poems about instant attraction, tons of erotic poems about this or that kind of sex,” the veteran slam poet says, “but you’d be hard pressed to find many about staying in a relationship for 12 or 15 or 20 years.” 

This is not to say that Mostern, who has been doing slam poetry since 1996, shuns erotica. In one of his own signature pieces, “Feminists Are Sexy!” he combines flamboyant sexual celebration with modern identity politics.  

A New York native, Mostern got his doctorate in ethnic studies at UC Berkeley in 1995, and then went off to teach English at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he became “the cool young leftie professor,” published a book about African-American autobiographies, and immersed himself in an intense study of literary theory. He discovered slam poetry “accidentally” in 1996, when he attended the southeast regional poetry slam finals. He “fell in love with it “ and also saw it as “a great excuse to organize Knoxville’s first and only multiracial arts event” – a highly successful and well-attended poetry slam.  

Mostern was 29 years old at the time and though he had been writing fiction since his childhood, he had never been a performer. “Slam really fit a lot of my political and personal needs at that moment in time,” he says. Slam also briefly made Mostern into a more prominent figure in Knoxville; he was profiled in the cover story of the weekly entertainment paper.  

Mostern was drawn back to Berkeley, however, both because “the Bay Area pushes me and challenges me,” and because his wife Ruth was still here, finishing her doctorate in Chinese history. On leave from the University of Tennessee in the spring last year, he won enough local slams to qualify as a finalist for the 2000 Berkeley/San Francisco nationals team. Last January, he left his professorship in Knoxville and rejoined his wife – his sweetheart of 16 years – once and for all. Mostern, 33, is concerned that the local slam scene is overly youth-centered and he points out that “Slam’s roots are not in a youth movement. Marc Smith, who started slam in Chicago, was in his late 30s or early 40s. I would like to see younger poets think in terms of long-term agendas, and what it means to build communities that are going to last and grow. There’s this notion that people who think in more institutional or intellectual terms are no longer cutting edge, that when you get older you don’t learn or cross boundaries as much.” 

Mostern sees slam as “a means to a variety of other things. I’m interested in new kinds of venues that will maintain the emotional impact of slam, and the intense emphasis on dynamic performance that slam provides.  

He organized a prototype event in June, “Poetry of the Political Imagination,” which took place at the Stork Club in Oakland, and drew 75 paying customers on a Monday evening, and featured nine of the Bay Area’s premier slam poets. One of Mostern’s main themes is work. “I have a tremendous commitment to poems about work, poems about labor. We spend huge amounts of time doing boring-ass shit because we need to get paid and eat. It’s incredibly boring, but that’s the whole point that, to me, is connected with doing political poems about big structures, like the economy. Now, I’m also committed to the centrality of race and gender in all political discussion, but more important to me than the immediate emotional impact of separate events is, how can we understand the big structures that affect race and gender and class?” He chuckles. “Obviously, I’m the only person around who’d write a poem about the language of the NAFTA treaty.” 

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all currencies are created equal, that they are endowed by their federal reserve bank with certain unalienable Rights, that among them are liquidity, frictionlessness, and the pursuit of the highest profit margin. 

Mostern seems bemused by his own strong academic credentials. “I’m from a working class background and neither of my parents went to college. I’m an unusual person to have a Ph.D. But I’m not antagonistic to theory; I’m interested in what Marx and Freud have to do with my work.” When suggested that his poetry might be described as primarily “sociological,” he grinned and said, “I’m completely comfortable with that word. Many artists tend to believe that they are either absolutely original and channeling only themselves, or that they are channeling the gods somehow. But I’m very aware that I am doing neither of those things. I am channeling my society.” Kenny Mostern has three poetry chapbooks and a CD for sale, which are available at Diesel Books at 5833 College Ave. He can be reached at KennyM@poetryslam.com 

 

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


Arts

Saturday August 18, 2001

924 Gilman St. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Aug. 18: Dr. Know, The Sick, Society of Friends, Manchurian Candidates, Shut the F*ck Up; $5. 924 Gilman St. 525-9926. 

 

Ashkenaz Aug. 18: 9:30 p.m. Zydeco Flames. 8 p.m. dance lesson w/ Cheryl McBride. $11. Aug. 19: 8 p.m. Open Stage w/ Koko De La Isla, Ernesto Hernandaz, Jeff Hawkins. $8; Aug. 21: 9 p.m. Slavonkian Traveling Band. 8 p.m. dance lesson w/ Joyce Clyde. $10; Aug. 22: 9 p.m. Badenya Les Freres Coulibaly, $10; Aug. 23: 10 p.m. - 2 a.m. Dead DJ Night with Digital Dave. $5; Aug. 24: 9:30 p.m. Caribbean All Stars $11; Aug. 25: 9 p.m. California Brazil Camp Benefit, $10; Aug. 26: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. Middle Eastern Dance Workshops with Ma Shuga Mira Murijan and Nanna Candeleria. $45. 8 p.m. Harmonia, $10; Aug. 28: 9 p.m. Gerard Landry and the Lariats, $8; Aug. 29: 8 p.m. Earl White Oldtime Band, Bluegrass Intentions, plus clogging lessons. $10, Kids under 12 Free; Aug. 30: 9 p.m. Samite, Forward Kwenda, $10; Aug. 31: 9:30 p.m. Wawa and the Oneness Kingdom, The Calypsonians, $10; 1317 San Pablo Ave. 525-5054 www.ashkenaz.com  

 

Eli’s Mile High Club Doors open at 8 p.m. Aug. 18: Craig Horton /CD Release; Aug. 25: Carlos Zialcita; Every Friday, 10 p.m. - 2 a.m., Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

 

Freight & Salvage Coffee House Aug. 18: Mighty Prince Singers, Talk of Da Town, $17.50; Aug. 19: John Fahey Tribute Concert, $19.50; All shows 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St. 548-1761 www.freightandsalvage.org 

 

Jupiter Aug. 18: Blue & Tan; Aug. 21: Groove.org; Aug. 22: Stolen Bibles; Aug. 23: Beatdown w/ DJs Delon, Yamu, and Add1; Aug. 24: 5 Point Plan; Aug. 25: Mitch Marcus Quintet; Aug. 28: Big Lou and Polka Casserole; Aug. 29: Secession; Aug. 30: Beatdown with DJ’s Delon, Yamu and Add1; Aug. 31: Realistic CD Release Party; All music starts at 8:00 p.m. 843-7625 www.jupiterbeer.com  

 

La Note/Jazzschool Aug. 19: 4:30 p.m. Hazel Carter, 5:30 p.m. Bryan Girard & Friends, 6:30 p.m. T3 (Kirk Tamura Trio); Free. 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373  

 

La Peña Cultural Center Aug. 18: 8:30 p.m. Mission (roots hip hop), $8; Aug. 19: 3:30 p.m. Domingo de Rumba; Aug. 24: 8:30 p.m. Professor Terry’s Circus Band Extraordinary, $16; Aug. 25: 9:30 p.m., Edgardo Cambon’s Candela, $10, 8:15 p.m. Salsa dance class w/ Diego Vásquez, $13; In the Cafe, 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

ACME Observatory Aug. 19: 8 p.m. Solo performance by Jason Kahn, Brown Bunny Ensemble. $9.99 suggested donation. TUVA Space, 3192 Adeline @ MLK Jr. Way. 649-8744 http://sfSound.org/acme.html 

 

Indigo Event Center Aug. 25: 4:20 p.m. Musicians for Medical Marijuana Benefit concert. Sound Tribe Sector 9, Lost at Last, The Mermen, Ten Ton Chicken, Scott Huckabay, Strawberry Alarmclock, Buzzy Linhart, plus special guests, $25. 1988 Broadway at 19th, Oakland. 869-5391 www.m4mm.org  

 

Third annual Berkeley World Music Festival Aug. 26: Noon - 6 p.m. Block party and carnival, Grupo Ilu Fun Fun, Petit La Croix, Samba Ngo, O-Maya, Fito Reinoso y Su Ritmo y Armonia. Durant Ave. between Telegraph Ave. and Bowditch. 

 

TUVA Space Aug. 25: 8 p.m. Vanessa Lowe and the Lowliflies, Ira Marlowe, Hoarhound. 3192 Adeline St. 655-9755 

 

 

“Frank Olivier’s Twisted Cabaret” Aug. 24 & 25, 8 p.m. Frank Olivier is joined by Uncle Paul Nathan and The Twisted Cabaret Band. All tickets $16. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 845-8542 www.juliamorgan.org 

 

“Loot” Through Aug. 25, Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 7 p.m. Special Performance Aug. 20, 8 p.m. General Admission: $15, Students / Seniors: $10. La Val’s 1834 Euclid Avenue 655-0813 

 

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

 

“Reefer Madness” Aug. 22, 23: 9 p.m. A new one-act theatre piece adapted from a 1936 government-funded film opens a critical eye to the control of our society. La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Avenue. Wednesdays are “pay what you can,” Thursdays $5 - $10. 655-4150 

 

“Soul Harmony” Aug. 25: 5 - 7 p.m. A spirited one-woman show of history, culture, and entertainment. Written by Joy Holland, directed by Ava Coaxum. Presented at the Black Repertory Theater. 3201 Adeline St. $10 donation. 652-3399 

Pacific Film Archive Aug. 18: 7 p.m. Ministry of Fear, 8:45 p.m. House by the River; Aug. 19: 3 p.m. National Velvet, 5:30 p.m. I Am Two, 7:15 I Am a Cat; Aug. 21: 7:30 p.m. The Direct Cinema Tradition; Aug. 22: 7:30 p.m. The Werewolf of Washington; Aug. 23: 7:30 p.m. Contempt; Aug. 24: 7 p.m. The Heart, 9:20 p.m. The Outcast; Aug. 25: 7 p.m. Moonfleet, 8:45 p.m. The Blue Gardenia; Aug. 26: 3 p.m. Duck Soup, 5:30 p.m. The Wanderers, 7:25 p.m. Dora-Heita; Aug. 28: 7:30 p.m. Doodling; Aug. 29: (free screenings) 7:30 p.m. The Horror of Party Beach, 9:15 p.m. The Crater Lake Monster; Aug. 31: 7 p.m. The Makioka Sisters, 9:35 p.m. A Woman’s Testament; Gen. Adm.. $7, The New PFA Theatre 2575 Bancroft Way 642-1412 

 

“BACA National Juried Exhibition: Works on Paper” Through Aug. 31: Wed. - Sun. Noon - 5 p.m. Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893 

 

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

 

“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.  

 

“A Fine Line” Through Aug. 24, Tuesday - Friday, noon - 5 p.m. or by appointment. An exhibition works by Kala Fellowship winners for the years 2000 and 2001. Kala Art Institute 1060 Heinz Avenue 549-2977 

 

“Geographies of My Heart” Collage paintings by Jennifer Colby through Aug. 24; Flora Lamson Hewlett Library 2400 Ridge Road 649-2541 

 

“MFA Survey Exhibition 2001” Third annual exhibition of works of recent graduates from Bay Area master of Fine Art programs. This year featuring artists working in three-dimentional media. Through Aug. 18 Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth Street 527-1214 

 

“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. Atelier 9 2028 Ninth St. (at Addison) 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

 

“New Visions: Introductions 2001” Through Aug. 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. Pro Arts 461 Ninth St., Oakland 763-9425 

 

“The Political Art of: Diego Marcial Rios” Through Sept. 20, Addison Street Window Gallery, 2018 Addison St. hdrios@msn.com 

 

“Sistahs: Ethnographic Ceramics” Through Aug. 22, Reception July 29 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 3023 Shattuck Avenue 548-9286 ext. 307 

 

“Squared Triangle” Through Oct. 5. noon - 6 p.m. Reception for the artists, Aug. 18: 4 - 7 p.m. A minimal art exhibit featuring three Bay Area artists working in different mediums while achieving the same elegant simplicity. The Crucible, 1036 Ashby Ave. 843-5511 www.thecrucible.com 

 

“Ten Years Here” Exhibit celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Turn of the Century Fine Arts. Through Sept. 14, Sat & Sun 1-5 p.m. Reception Aug. 4 2:00 - 7:00 p.m. 2510 San Pablo Avenue 849-0950 

 

 

Readings 

 

Boadecia’s Books Aug. 18: “Hell on Heels” tour with Daphne Gottlieb and Thea Hillman; Aug. 24: Andrea Gabbard discusses “Girl in the Curl: A Century of Women’s Surfing”; Aug. 25: Ann Bannon reads from her lesbian pulp classic “Beebo Brinker.” All events start at 7:30 p.m. and are free. 398 Colusa Avenue 559-9184 www.bookpride.com 

 

Black Oak Books Aug. 19: “Wildest Alaska: Journeys of Great Peril in Lituya Bay” by Philip L. Fradkin; Aug. 21: June Jordan’s memoir “Soldier: A Poet’s Childhood”; Aug. 22: Ruth Daigon’s “Payday at the Triangle”; Aug. 23: Phil Cousineau’s “Once and Future Myths: The Power of Ancient Stories in Modern Times”; Aug. 27: Catherine Brady, Jean Herlund, Frances Payne Adler, and Marianne Villanueva and others to celebrate CALYX Book’s 25th Anniversary, “Cracking the Earth”; Aug. 28: Kent Nerburn reads from “Road Angels: Searching for Home on America’s Coast of Dreams”; Aug. 29: Sylvia Brownrigg reads from her new novel, “Pages For You”; All shows at 7:30 p.m. free of charge. 1491 Shattuck Avenue 486-0698 

 

Café de la Paz Poetry Nitro performance showcase with open mike. Aug. 20: Avotcja; 6:30 p.m. signup, 7 - 9 p.m. reading. 1600 Shattuck Ave. 843-0662 

 

Cody’s Books - Poetry Flash Aug. 22: Trane Devore and Shauna Hannibal; Aug. 29: The New Now Millennium Anthology Reading with Editor H. D. Moe; All are a $2 donation. Readings at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-0837 

 

Coffee Mill Poetry Series Aug. 21: Featured Readers: Victoria Joyce and Theresa Bamberger; Both 7-9 p.m. Free. 3363 Grand Ave., Oakland for info. 465-3935 or 526-5985, or Email: ksdgk@earthlink.net 

 

“Coffee Break Readings and Refreshments” Aug. 18, 4 to 5:15 p.m. Oakland Public Library-Rockridge Branch. Open-mic poems, monologues and dramatic scenes, presented by Opera Piccola. For ages 10 and up. 5366 College Ave. Free. 238-3134 ww.oaklandlibrary.org 

 

Spasso 7-9 p.m. Aug. 20 Arthur Weil, Reflections of the Moment, Poetry is for Sissies; Aug. 27 Kira Allen; Sept. 3 Theme: dignity of labor; Sept. 10 Sharron Jones-Reid, Fruit of the Spirit Poets, Acoustic Musicians, Comedians, Rappers, Performance Artists, Writers All Welcome is located at 6021 College Ave. Free admission. 

 

Tours 

 

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

 

Golden Gate Live Steamers Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park Small locomotives, meticulously scaled to size. Trains run Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sunday, noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623  

 

 

Museums 

 

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

 

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

 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology will close its exhibition galleries for renovation. It will reopen in early 2002. On View until Oct. 1 : “Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture.” “Sites Along the Nile: Rescuing Ancient Egypt.” “The Art of Research: Nelson Graburn and the Aesthetics of Inuit Sculpture.” “Tzintzuntzan, Mexico: Photographs by George Foster.” $2 general; $1 seniors; $.50 children age 17 and under; free on Thursdays. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Ave. 643-7648 or www.qal.berkeley.edu/~hearst/ 

 

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. Susan Cerny’s collection of over 200 tops from around the world. “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 

 

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. “How Big Is the Universe?” Aug. 1 through Aug. 24. Learn how to determine the distance of celestial objects, one of the purposes of the Hubble Space Telescope. Daily, 2:15 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, 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu Daily, 3:30 p.m. $7 general; $5 seniors, students, disabled, and youths age 7 to 18; $3 children age 3 to 5 ; free children age 2 and younger. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu  

 

Oakland Museum of California, A Legacy of Early California Paintings: The Shumate Collection, through Aug. 19; Every Worker is an Organizer: Farm Labor and the Resurgence of the United Farm Workers, through Aug. 26; Made in Oakland: The Furniture of Garry Knox Bennett, through Sept. 2; After the Storm: Bob Walker and the Art of Environmental Photography, through Sept. 16; Half Past Autumn: The Art of Gordon Parks, through Sept. 23; Rustler Ranch Mastodon Project, through June 30, 2002; Wednesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday, noon - 5 p.m., Closed Monday and Tuesday. $6 general; $4 youths (6-17), seniors and students with ID. Free for Museum members and children 5 and under. Free admission the second Sunday of the month. 10th & Oak Streets, Oakland. 238-2200 www.museum.org 

 

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

 

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

 

 


Rock climbing novices celebrate achievements

By Kenyatte Davis Daily Planet staff
Saturday August 18, 2001

The youth from the Cal Adventures rock climbing camp celebrated five days of hard work Friday by picnicking with their families and camp advisors in the shadows of Pinnacle Rock at Remillard Park, at Keeler Avenue and Poppy Lane in the north Berkeley hills. 

After a week spent learning rock-climbing techniques and a morning spent climbing up and repelling down the 30-foot Pinnacle, the 10 to 13 year olds were happy to feast with their instructors, parents and fellow students; but most were even more enthusiastic about getting back on the rock after lunch. 

“I love climbing because it’s a great challenge,” said 13-year-old Nora Somogy. “Making it to the top feels really good, especially after you’ve worked so hard to get there.” 

The camp has been running in weekly sessions since June 18 and has taught 8 to 15 year olds techniques in climbing, bouldering (climbing small rocks more quickly without ropes), repelling and belaying (supporting a climber from the ground with a rope to prevent injuries). 

Nick Buchanon, head guide for Youth Rock, has been working with the campers all summer.  

“I like this camp because it’s a great way to introduce kids to a sport that requires a professional introduction to,” he said. “It also gives them a new appreciation for their city, this is a side of Berkeley a lot of people never get to see.” 

Each session begins with a Monday introductory class at the climbing wall at UC Berkeley, and is followed by visits to three other rock sites during the week. 

The $135 camp lasts three hours each day for a week, with sessions in the morning and the afternoon.  

Each session has space for 12 students, and all sessions, except for this week, have been full. No space is available for next week’s camp. 

For many students the camp is the first exposure to rock climbing, and it seems to leave a good impression on many of the young minds. 

“My cousin recommended it to me,” said 10-year-old Nicole Tomita. “I came last year too. I love the climbing part, but everything about the camp is really great.” 

Although rock climbing has been classified as an inherently dangerous sport, the camp supervisors did a great job watching over their young students and only one person (a clumsy reporter) suffered even a minor injury. However, one student did have some good advice for any prospective rock climbers: 

“Don’t get rope burn,” said Somogy, “because it hurts!”


District may lag in testing for play structure arsenic

By Daniela Mohor Daily Planet staff
Saturday August 18, 2001

Despite a nationwide controversy surrounding the safety of arsenic-treated wooden play structures,the Berkeley Unified School District has not taken any steps to reassure concerned parents. 

According to a national study released by two environmental groups last May, exposure to equipment made of wood and treated with a preservative made of chromium, copper and arsenic (CCA) can lead to serious diseases, including cancer, heart problems, and diabetes. 

After the report was released, the city and at least one independent school  

took measures to make sure that the children using their playgrounds were not exposed to such hazards. The district was not as quick to react. No test has been done yet to determine whether its wooden play structures contain arsenic, and the  

issue does not seem to have been  

thoroughly discussed. 

Board of Education Director John Selawsky said that at the board’s meeting on July 5, members were told that the district’s wooden playground equipment was not treated with CCA. 

“We were informed that apparently there was no arsenic in the structures,” he said. Selawsky, however also said he had not seen any document corroborating that. 

Other school board members were not available for comment Friday. 

Gene Le Sevre, the BUSD director of plant operations, said that an October 2000 report on the district’s playground safety had not visually identified the presence of arsenic. He also acknowledged that neither the structures nor the soil had been tested in a laboratory to determine whether they were contaminated with arsenic. 

But the district, he said, will soon address the issue. The October 2000 playground safety audit, Le Sevre said, is part of a plan to refurbish play structures. The district hired a consultant to identify unsafe conditions and make recommendations based on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines for public playgrounds.  

Although it did not include laboratory tests, the audit led to the allocation of money that could be partly used for that purpose, according to Le Sevre. “We identified the problems, we got the money approved, now we have to develop a plan to implement the corrections and that’s going to happen next month,” he said. 

The budget approved for the implementation of this safety plan is $400, 000. A breakdown of the budget is not available yet, Le Sevre said. 

Superintendent Michele Barraza Lawrence could not confirm, Friday, whether part of that district money will be used for testing the structures for arsenic. 

Only half a dozen of the district’s more than 60 playgrounds are made of wood, but a number of people involved in environmental issues have expressed their determination to see all risks of exposure disappear. 

“The city sealed all the wooden structures and took samples of the soil,” said Nabil Al-Hadithy, the manager of the city’s Toxics Management Division. “I very much doubt that the BUSD has done that. It would be nice if they had at least sealed the wood in compliance with the (California Department of Health Services codes).“ 

The Community Environmental Advisory Commission, on the other hand, will soon bring to the City Council a recommendation that asks it to address, among other things, the problem of Berkeley’s non city-owned playgrounds. That includes private and public schools. 


Craig one of best advocates for disabled

Philip Martin Chavez Berkeley Philip Martin Chavez Berkeley
Saturday August 18, 2001

The Daily Planet received this letter addressed to Councilmember Linda Maio: 

 

I’m writing to you to express my outrage regarding the dismissal of Karen Craig from the Commission On Disability. Karen is and has been one of best advocates for people with disabilities in the City of Berkeley for a long time now.  

Her numerous accomplishments are almost of legendary status.  

She has shown time and time again that she is willing to go that extra distance to accomplish our goals related to making this City as accessible and disability aware as any city in the world.  

She is a tireless worker who does way more than her share of the load required of Commission members. It would be impossible to replace someone of her status and devotion. I would strongly urge you to reconsider your action. 

It’s painfully obvious that this decision didn’t come directly from you, but originated from Councilmember Dona Spring. Ms. Spring does not represent, or ever will represent all the people with disabilities in the City of Berkeley.  

It’s extremely distressing to see that other councilmembers constantly look to Ms. Spring as the voice of the disabled citizens of Berkeley.  

Frankly, I rarely agree with her political views when it comes to disability issues, and I know I’m not alone in that regard. The City Council should look to its appointed Commission on Disability.  

That’s where and why Ms. Spring sees Karen as a threat as she (Ms. Craig) is seen as a Disability leader. I honestly thought you were above this type of political maneuvering but obviously I’m either wrong or you really were unaware of the motivating factors behind Ms. Spring’s request to have Karen removed from the Commission.  

It is well known that Councilmember Spring and Karen Craig don’t see eye to eye on many issues but this is no reason to have her dismissed in this unjust manner. 

By Ms. Spring and yourself unfairly using the “Easy Does It issue” as the reason negates all of Ms. Craig’s other accomplishments. I also believe that Karen was making good headway with Easy Does It in recent months. I believe you have been sorely misled by Scott Luebking who does not represent anyone but himself.  

I would be more than happy to discuss this issue with you further. I once again would like to strongly urge you to reconsider your decision and have Ms. Craig reinstated. 

 

Philip Martin Chavez 

Berkeley 


Vigil strives to honor those who have died

By Judith Scherr Daily Planet staff
Saturday August 18, 2001

Some die on the streets, some in crack houses, some with a bullet to their heads. Their deaths might get a quick mention on the back pages of a newspaper. The stories of their lives, however – even at their funerals – are overshadowed with the dark clouds that surrounds what bluesman Masallah calls the “dubious circumstances” of their deaths. 

Still. These were flesh and blood people who were loved and may have contributed to their communities during much of their lives. 

“A person is a person – he’s still a human being,” said Tyrone Bailey, whose idea it was to hold a memorial at San Pablo Park on Friday. “We need to look at them, see what they’ve done positively. 

“It’s time to put aside the shame.” 

Bailey, better known as Mr. “T”, owns a limousine service and said he has brought many people to funerals over the years and seen in certain situations that “people are not really able to say their good-byes.” 

This then was that opportunity. 

Stanley Cotton was among those remembered with the lighting of a candle on Friday. “He’d police the street along Martin Luther King from Stuart to Adeline Street,” Bailey said. He would allow no one into the area selling drugs. “He kept the neighborhood safe.” 

And Jimmy Carter was first a merchant seaman, then he worked in anesthesiology. “Look at all the people he saved before he fell down on his knees,” Bailey said. 

Then there was Greg Lomac. Without his brother Bobby knowing it, he helped support him financially so that he could pursue his dream of becoming a musician, Masallah said. 

The group of some 30 people that gathered at San Pablo Park in southwest Berkeley knows what it’s like to be down. Most of them are clients at the Drop In Center on Adeline Street, which co-sponsored the event with Bailey. Many of them are homeless, substance abusers, and down and out. They came to pay tribute to friends and family who had died over the last year. 

“These are our loved ones. They passed on,” said Elder Timothy Fortt of the Ephesian Church of God in Christ, calling on the living to make better lives for themselves, to “leave a (proud) memorial.”  

Elder Fortt spoke to the gathering about getting beyond their problems – drugs, alcohol, criminal activities. 

He wasn’t looking down on those struggling with various problems. He had been among them – homeless, in and out of the penitentiary, a dope fiend, a thief. 

“There is a way out,” said the robust man, dressed in black ministerial clothes. “I cried out to God with a needle in my arm, sitting in a shooting gallery.” 

And then made his way back. 

There’s not just one path out, it happens differently for different people, he said. But it does happen. “We can have an up day.” 

And they did, eating barbecue, listening to Masallah’s blues and telling stories of those they will remember for a long time. 


Removed commissioner caring, dedicated

Peni Hall Berkeley
Saturday August 18, 2001

Editor: 

I admit I am not seeped in the intricacies of Berkeley politics. But the firing of a dedicated and caring member of the Commission on Disabilities, Karen Craig shocked and saddened me.  

I know the Easy Does It issue was difficult and divisive. I think lots of folks were mad. I was. Some people were obviously mad at Karen, so much so that an entire body of work that made life easier, safer and generally better for disabled,seniors and others was completely ignored. 

I was involved in the recent meeting between all the folks involved with the Berkeley Free Folk Festival. In a room full of divided and frustrated people,she facilitated a fair and constructive meeting. I think everyone learned something.  

I don’t know if this regrettable action is a done deal. I hope not. The firing happened immediately before the long vacation of the City Council. How courageous. 

When the City Council starts in September, I hope there will be a reconsideration.  

 

Peni Hall 

Berkeley


Students weave Web sites, careers

By John Geluardi Daily Planet staff
Saturday August 18, 2001

Switching speaking personas between streetwise youth, motivational speaker and drill sergeant, Jessy Gonzalez captivated the attention of 28 high school students on the last day of a summer computer course. 

“When people say ‘hard work,’ we don’t want you to take one step back, we want you to step forward and I mean two steps forward,” he said to the students. 

Gonzalez, a technical trainer with Street Tech, a nonprofit computer training and job placement agency, was one of a variety of speakers who addressed the students during the intensive two-week course organized by the nonprofit Berkeley Foundation for Opportunities in Information Technology. The course is free and takes place in a computer lab and classrooms donated by the UC Berkeley. 

BFOIT was founded in 1998 and was formed to address the lack of racial, ethnic and gender diversity in the information technology departments in California colleges. 

“Our goal is to get the kids on a University Campus to demystify it, increase their self-confidence and give them some technology skills,” said BFOIT Executive Director Jesse Reynolds. 

Reynolds said the students are recruited from high schools all over the Bay Area and that some of them took the bus or BART from as far away as Danville each morning of the course.  

On Friday, the last day of the course, the students presented the web sites they had made on an overhead projector. The subject matter on the web sites included things that most teenagers are interested in, Berkeley High School senior Jasmine Jackson created a page with photos of her favorite movie stars, Derrick Estrada put together a visual homage to his favorite players on the Los Angeles Lakers and Mark Edmunds proudly presented family photos and another section with photos of “tight cars.” 

Jackson, who said she planned to take computer classes at Berkeley High School in the fall, said she enjoyed the summer course. “I had to think in a different way,” she said. “On some of the projects we worked on, like the flow charts we created, I had to step back and ask myself, ‘how do I make this work?’” 

Constance Conner, a computer and information science instructor at City College of San Francisco, told the students that is was important for women to pursue a degree in information technology. “In 1998 women made up only 18 percent of graduates with a degree in computer science,” she said. “If you remember anything, remember that the four-year degree is like gold.” 

Conner, who was the last scheduled guest speaker, said she was pleased to see the gender make up of the summer course, which was over 50 percent girls. 

The web sites were the culmination of two weeks of intensive study beginning at 9 a.m. and going until 4:30 p.m. On most days, the students spent their lunch hour listening to talks from prominent people in education and the information technology field. 

The speakers included Vice President Wendy Jeansonne, of Oracle Corporation’s Product Internationalization division, Dan Garcia a computer science lecturer from UC Berkeley and Barbara Simons, visiting Stanford computer science professor. 

BFOIT is sponsored by a variety of tech companies including Sun Microsystems, Microsoft and Oracle. 

Reynolds said the students often became frustrated during the two weeks because of the amount of information they were expected to absorb. “They get frustrated but they’ll be surprised in a couple of weeks at how much they learned,” he said. “With just two weeks we have little choice but to challenge them.” 

Reynolds added that only two students did not complete the course. 

Reynolds said that BFOIT assists the students as much as possible after they finish the course by making connections with other courses, educational advice or whatever assistance they need to further their careers. 

“We’re sort of like a pipe line,” he said. “We plug the leaky pipe when we find where it is students wander off their career path.” 

For more information about Berkeley Foundation for Opportunities in Information Technology call 666-2930 or visit their Web site at www.bfoit.org. 


Center Street restaurant brings back memories

By Susan Cerny
Saturday August 18, 2001

A Berkeley Observed article published a few weeks ago sparked the interest of a reader. Richard Dinkelspiel, who celebrated his 88th birthday this year, looked at the photograph of Center Street and exclaimed, “Ennors Restaurant was right there! Mom and Dad always had dinner there when they visited Berkeley from Suisun where the Ennors had their first restaurant.” 

Harvey W. and Marie Edith Ennor came to Berkeley in 1918 from Suisun City in Solano County, and established a sandwich and soda shop in the building next door.  

The restaurant was so popular, that five years later they built a grand, two-story, plus full basement, brick-sided, steel-framed building at 2128 Center St. in 1923 designed by James Plachek.  

When the new Ennors opened on Nov. 17, 1923, the Courier reported, “... many requests that the Ennors enlarge their scope and meet the growing demands of the growing city (have) received response....the puddings and sauces concocted by Mrs. Ennor; the ices, bakery and candies manufactured by Mr. Ennor gained and kept the best customers in Berkeley.” 

The Courier article continued, “Sanitation, cleanliness and comfort for the help will bring out real service; even dish-washing is done by sterilizing steam...behind it all will be Mr. Ennor, to give personal attention to many things...” 

Ennors was not only a restaurant, candy store and bakery, but also had a grocery and butcher shop.  

On the second floor there was a banquet hall for 300 guests, with a dance floor of seven-inch thick maple.  

Perhaps because of the stock market crash in 1929, the Ennors sold the building in 1930 and took jobs running the catering department in the Durant Hotel. However, by 1934 they were proprietors of the True Blue Cafe at 2081 Allston Way.  

The Ennor Building now houses Act I & II movie theaters.  

For over 30 years the second story brick facade of the building was hiding behind a huge metal sign with a bold 1970s super-graphic design proclaiming: “Act I & II.” A few years ago the sign was removed and the original second story brick facade was restored.  

 

 

Susan Cerny writes Berkeley Observed in conjunction with the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association. Richard Dinkelspiel is her father.


Court says police wrongfully relegates disabled officers

The Associated Press
Saturday August 18, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Jose Police Department has relegated its disabled officers to “unsatisfactory jobs” in which they have “little or no possibility for promotion,” violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, an appeals court ruled Friday. 

The three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in its unanimous ruling, reversed a lower court decision, which dismissed a suit filed by six current and former officers who said they were banished to degrading jobs and denied promotions because of their disabilities. 

The officers suffered neck and back injuries while on duty, said Frank Jelinch, lawyer for four of the officers.  

Only one remains on the force; all are seeking unspecified damages. 

“They were really treated as second-class citizens and called names. They had to live in that environment. It took exceptional courage to come forward and complain,” Jelinch said.  

“They say, ‘Now you’ve been injured so you’re not of the same value to us as you were before.”’ 

 

Under an agreement between the department and the police union, 30 positions have been designated “modified duty” and are the only jobs available to disabled officers. 

Some officers claimed they made coffee, ran errands or worked in office space that also functioned as a supply room. Able-bodied officers harassed them, pushed them around and called them names like “lame,” “faker” or “whiner.” 

The disabled officers said they worked the worst shifts and were given the least desirable days off. They also were denied promotional opportunities, according to the suit. 

“Our position is that we have accommodated every officer who cannot work patrol ... in meaningful positions,” said Clifford Greenberg, the department’s lawyer. “We take great issue with the court’s saying it’s undesirable.” 

Greenberg said it’s likely he will go to trial rather than ask the court for a rehearing. 

The appeals court said, under the ADA, disabled officers should be allowed to consider and accept any positions for which they’re qualified. And officers should be considered qualified as long as they “can perform the essential functions” of the job. 

”(The ADA) requires every type of employer find ways to bring the disabled into its ranks, even when doing so imposes some costs and burdens,” Judge Stephen Reinhardt wrote for the court. “The City of San Jose’s police department must participate in this process, as long as they can do so in a manner that will not compromise public safety.” 


Thousands of dollars spent to alter state term limits

The Associated Press
Saturday August 18, 2001

SACRAMENTO — Lawmakers, corporations and special interest groups have poured more than $800,000 into a drive to change California’s term limit laws to let some lawmakers stay longer in office. 

Legislatures in 11 out of 19 states with term limits tried this year to change or eliminate them. But California will be the first to ask voters to peel back the bounds they set for elected officials 11 years ago. 

If it works here, experts say, it could work in other states where doubts have arisen about the effectiveness of limiting politicians’ tenures. 

“Everyone’s going to be watching California, just as they did a decade ago,” said Patrick Basham, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C. 

The California initiative’s supporters had collected 1 million signatures Friday, mostly using paid signature gatherers, organizer Howard Owens said. To qualify for the ballot, the group needs to collect signatures of at least 670,816 registered voters by Oct. 1, but the group wanted to gather more than 1 million to in case some aren’t valid. 

If the signatures are accepted, voters in this state will decide March 5 whether to modify the term limits law approved by 52 percent of voters in 1990. 

Already, it’s clear California’s term limits fight will resemble the 1990 battle. 

It will be expensive. The anti-limits group had raised $812,000 and spent more than $1 million in the first six months of this year, campaign finance reports show. 

Top contributors included Ameriquest Capital Corp., an Orange, Calif.-based subprime lender; the top trial lawyers political action committee; and the Modesto-based E&J Gallo Winery, a major contributor to Democratic Gov. Gray Davis. 

While hesitant to openly lend their names to an anti-limits movement, many legislators are backing it. State Sen. Don Perata and former Assemblyman Bruce Young, both Democrats, are leading it, while Democratic Sen. Betty Karnette, term limited in 2004, donated $20,000. 

Plus, the group received a $150,000 loan from a group called “Former Leaders for an Effective Government,” which has received donations from an array of state lawmakers. It will produce strange coalitions. The largest supporters of the initiative include liberal-leaning unions and conservative corporations: The Northern California Carpenters’ PAC has chipped in the same amount as the Chevron Corp. 

“There are other groups who ... are going to fight tooth and nail to stop this turning back of the clock,” Basham said. 

Washington-based U.S. Term Limits has poured millions of dollars into passing and protecting term limits laws nationwide. 

“Voters overwhelmingly support term limits,” said Stacie Rumenap, the group’s deputy director. “It is clear that this effort is being financed at the idea of politicians and special interests who hate term limits.” 

Owens disagrees, saying there are “a lot of people that are uncomfortable with having to kick out our best legislators when they are just really getting their feet on the ground and learning what the process is all about.” 

He and others point to the statewide electricity crisis that has rookie lawmakers grappling with complex issues to keep the lights on in California. Term limits supporters, however, say the deregulation law that caused the crisis was written by the last pre-limits Legislature in 1996. 

California lawmakers can now serve up to three two-year Assembly terms and up to two four-year terms in the Senate, although those limits can be stretched if someone is first elected to fill a midterm vacancy. 

The initiative would let a senator seek one more term and Assembly member two more if enough voters in their districts signed petitions backing the extension. 

The signatures would have to equal at least 20 percent of the votes cast for that office in the previous general election, a total initiative supporters say will be hard to reach. Opponents, however, say well-connected legislators will have no problem paying signature collectors to reach that number. 

In some states, term limits have had mixed reviews. 

Many states have seen limits lead to more minorities and women being elected, said Jenny Drage, a policy specialist for the National Conference of State Legislatures. 

Still, Drage said, legislatures are losing skilled leadership, which can hurt over the long run. 

Meanwhile, the initiative’s backers also have been criticized for the wording of their proposed ballot measure, whose preamble reads like a pro-term limits statement. 

That’s “a sneaky attempt to be a pro-term limits initiative,” Rumenap said. 

Owens, however, said voters will understand “we are not trying to do away with term limits. We are trying to get some exceptions to it.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

U.S. Term Limits at www.termlimits.org, The National Conference of State Legislatures website contains information about term limit legislation at http://www.ncsl.org, and the CATO Institute at http://www.cato.org/ 


Owner should be singing happy tune for new engine

By Tom and Ray Magliozzi King Features Syndicate
Saturday August 18, 2001

Dear Tom and Ray: 

My son took his 2000 Jeep Wrangler in to the car dealership for its 10,000-mile checkup. When he went to pick it up, he drove it across the lot, and it died. He restarted it, and it died again. The mechanic took it back in, and it had no oil in it. It turned out that he had drained out the old oil but hadn't put any new oil in. Not good. The dealership says it might have to replace the engine. But I’m told that a car gets “tuned” to its own engine, and that with a new engine, the Jeep’s value will drop $10,000. I fail to understand the logic. Can you explain? — Bill 

TOM: No, we can’t. This sounds like complete bull feathers to us, Bill. 

RAY: If you get a new engine after 10,000 miles, you’ve basically been given 10,000 free miles. So what's the problem? 

TOM: And if your son sells the car with 60,000 miles on it, he can advertise it as having only 50,000 miles on the engine. That’s a plus that should net him at least an extra 50 bucks in the transaction. 

RAY: If you’re worried about this becoming a collectors’ item or some such thing, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. This is not a ’56 T-bird or a ’63 Corvette. Heck, it's not even a 2000 Toyota RAV4. 

TOM: And in all my years of working on cars,  

I’ve never seen an engine tune itself to a particular car. It’s not like a heart transplant, where you have to take immunosuppressants to keep the body from rejecting the organ. The engine will take, trust me. And you should take it. Trust me on that, too. It’s a good deal, and the dealership has done the stand-up thing by replacing the engine for you.  

•••  

Got a question about cars? Write to Click and Clack by e-mail at the Car Talk section of cars.com on the World Wide Web.


Tech turnaround more elusive after latest warnings

By Lisa Singhania The Associated Press
Saturday August 18, 2001

Hopes for a tech turnaround suffered another blow this past week when Ciena Inc. and Dell Computer Corp. became the latest sector bellwethers to report weak results and pessimistic forecasts. 

The wave of bad news, which came as the Nasdaq composite index hit lows not seen since April, only exacerbated Wall Street’s already sour mood after months of stock hemorrhaging. Even next week’s expected interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve is unlikely to cheer investors fed-up by a market that can’t seem to advance. 

“We’re grappling with the fact that 2001 is a write-off. Now we’re setting our sights on 2002, but the longer the recovery gets put off, the more nervous Wall Street becomes,” said John Forelli, portfolio manager for the John Hancock Core Value Fund. “In the meantime, investors are beginning to fear that consumers might pull back and that the next step for the economy is down.” 

Specifically, Ciena warned Thursday that it would miss earnings and revenue forecasts for its fourth quarter and fiscal 2002 because of a slowdown in spending in telecommunications carriers. The optical network equipment maker’s warning came after it beat third quarter expectations, despite a nearly 80 percent drop in profits. The same day, Dell Computer met second quarter expectations, but said its third-quarter results would likely fall short of Wall Street’s estimates because of soft demand and falling prices. 

But analysts hesitated to blame Ciena or Dell for the market’s weakness, even though both stocks ended the week lower. They contend the problem is the lack of indications that earnings are going to improve, rather than worries about individual companies’ performance.  

Investors have also been disheartened by the number and magnitude of similar announcements coming from outside the technology sector, all reminders of how widespread the economic malaise is. This week alone, a handful of retailers – including Gap, Tiffany and Wal-Mart – reduced their forecasts for future quarters. 

“This is what the dissolution of hope looks like and the trading pattern we’ve been seeing is beautifully emblematic of it,” said Chris Wolfe, equity market strategist for J.P. Morgan Private Bank. “The market goes up and people think maybe we’re too high and things get crushed. Then people get hopeful again, and it starts over.” 

The Fed is expected to lower interest rates by a quarter percentage point at its meeting next week – its seventh rate cut this year – but analysts are doubtful such a move will do much for stocks. 

Although a bigger-than-expected cut might temporarily boost stocks, such a move could also intensify fears that the Fed knows something investors don’t, and the economy is in worse shape than thought. 

Lisa Singhania is a business analyst for The Associated Press


Ford Motor Co. plans to cut 4,000 jobs

The Associated Press
Saturday August 18, 2001

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. plans to slash between 4,000 and 5,000 white-collar jobs in North America by the end of the year, a high-ranking Ford executive told The Associated Press on Friday. 

The employees will be offered “very good” early retirement packages, said the company official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The cuts account for about 10 percent of the automaker’s salaried work force in North America. “We’ve become much more efficient and the jobs are not needed anymore,” the executive told the AP. “It’s an incredibly competitive market and the economy has slowed.” 

Ford, the world’s second largest automaker, was to make the announcement Friday. 

The source said he expects all the people who are leaving to be gone by December. Further details were unavailable. 

Once thought to be in a position to overtake General Motors Corp. as the world’s leading automaker, Ford’s momentum slipped into reverse last August with the recall of 6.5 million Firestone tires, many of which were installed as original equipment on its popular Ford Explorers. 

Adding to Ford’s woes were disappointing showings in two influential industry studies. Ford assembly plants were shown to be last among the U.S. automakers in quality in the J.D. Power initial quality study, and while still first among domestic car companies in productivity, the Harbour Report found Ford’s lead diminishing. 

In the second quarter that ended June 30, Ford lost $752 million in large part due to the costs of replacing 13 million Firestone tires and restructuring charges involving Mazda Motor Corp., of which Ford owns a one-third interest. 

The automaker was expected to take a charge of about $1 billion against its third-quarter earnings to cover the initial cost of the job cuts, The Detroit News reported. 

Ford management also has begun reviewing the possible delay of some planned vehicle models, which would lower the company’s design and engineering costs, The New York Times reported. 

Shares of Ford were up 92 cents, or more than 4 percent, to close at $23.47 in trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. 

The yearlong economic slowdown has been hard on automakers and other companies struggling with slumping demand. To cope, they have scaled back production and capital investment and laid off workers. In July, the unemployment rate held steady at 4.5 percent as businesses cut fewer workers than the month before. 

In January, DaimlerChrysler AG announced an aggressive restructuring program at its U.S.-based Chrysler division that would result in the loss of 26,000 jobs over the next three years, about 20 percent of the company’s North American work force. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.ford.com 


Israeli tanks move into Palestinian territory

The Associated Press
Saturday August 18, 2001

JERUSALEM — Israeli tanks rolled into a Palestinian area in the southern Gaza Strip early Saturday and exchanged fire with militants, leaving one dead and 10 injured, Palestinian officials said. 

Shortly after midnight Friday, Israeli tanks and bulldozers moved about 150 yards into Palestinian territory on the outskirts of the town of Khan Yunis, Palestinian security sources said on condition of anonymity. 

Palestinian gunmen fired on the Israeli forces as they moved in, the security sources said. Doctors at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis said one Palestinian was killed and 10 were injured. 

The Israeli military had no immediate comment, but Israeli forces have ventured into Palestinian areas in Gaza on numerous occasions during the current conflict, often to tear down houses and buildings being used for cover by the militants. 

The Israeli incursions have drawn international condemnation, and in the past, the Israeli forces have retreated, usually after only a few hours. 

The Israeli action came after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon made a military tour of the Gaza Strip on Friday to visit Israeli soldiers in the volatile region. 

Sharon toured Gush Katif, a collection of Jewish settlements in the southern Gaza Strip, his office said. The settlements have come under frequent attack by Palestinian gunmen and from militants firing mortars. 

Also, Israeli forces and Palestinians clashed Friday in Rafah, a town along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, not far from the spot Sharon visited. 

Eight Palestinians were wounded, four of them seriously, according to doctors at the Rafah hospital. The Israeli army said its troops came under fire from Palestinians and shot back. 

It was not clear where Sharon was when the shooting broke out. The southern end of the Gush Katif settlements are less than a mile from Rafah. 

Also Friday, Israeli police stopped a car entering Israel from the West Bank, overpowered two Palestinians inside and found a powerful bomb that weighed 22 pounds, police said. 

After the car was stopped, police evacuated the Israeli Arab town of Baka al-Gharbiyah. A bomb-disposal robot then fired four bullets at the bomb, exploding it on the main street of the town. There were no injuries. 

Police said the two men arrested belong to the militant group Islamic Jihad, which has claimed responsibility for many bombings. 

A pair of Palestinian suicide bombings during the past week appeared to diminish support for Sharon, who won a landslide victory in February with the promise that he would end the Palestinian uprising. 

A Gallup poll published in the Maariv newspaper said only 21 percent of Israelis believed he could end the violence, while 70 percent said he would not. Nine percent said they did not know. 

In a Gallup poll last month, 43 percent believed Sharon could end the violence, and 41 percent disagreed. 

Sharon’s own standing also took a beating, with 49 percent of the people approving of his performance as prime minister, while 42 percent expressed dissatisfaction. In last month’s poll, 59 percent said they were satisfied. 

The latest poll questioned 593 Israeli adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. 

With the Mideast violence dragging into its 11th month, a growing number of Israeli politicians are talking about the possibility of Israel taking unilateral steps to separate itself from the Palestinians. 

The Haaretz newspaper said a number of politicians were setting up a movement to push for unilateral separation, including Cabinet minister Dalia Itzik, and former minister Haim Ramon, both from the moderate Labor party, along with Michael Eitan from Sharon’s hard-line Likud and Dan Meridor, leader of the Center party. 

Separation efforts could include building a fence between Israel and the West Bank. Israeli troops now man checkpoints on the roads, but most of the border area can be crossed on foot. 

Such plans would have to address how to handle the 200,000 Jewish settlers scattered throughout the West Bank. 

Israeli opponents of unilateral separation say it would mean handing over large parts of the West Bank to the Palestinians without a peace accord. 


Jamaica considers legalizing marijuana for private use despite U.S. protests

The Associated Press
Saturday August 18, 2001

KINGSTON, Jamaica — In the heart of Kingston, about a dozen men stand in an open-air emporium stacking long buds of marijuana even though the crop is illegal in Jamaica. 

“High-grade, the best ... smell it,” says a dreadlocked 27-year-old Rastafarian at the “Luke Lane” market, who gives his name only as Toro as he holds a bud in the air and beckons to a passer-by. Sale completed, he lights a joint of rolled marijuana and smiles. 

These days, he has a lot to be happy about. 

A government commission recommended Thursday that marijuana be legalized for personal use by adults – a move the government will likely endorse despite opposition from the United States, which has spent millions to eradicate the crop on the Caribbean island. 

“(Marijuana’s) reputation among the people as a panacea and a spiritually enhancing substance is so strong that it must be regarded as culturally entrenched,” said the commission’s report. 

The National Commission on Ganja – as marijuana is known here – also said Jamaica should allow the use of marijuana for religious purposes. This is important to the Rastafarian minority, who worship deceased Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie as a prophet and use marijuana  

as a sacrament. 

Prime Minister P.J. Patterson last year appointed the commission, which included academics and doctors.  

So far, he and elected officials have not publicly commented on the report. But Ralston Smith, an aide to Patterson, said: “My gut feeling is that the commission’s recommendations will be followed.” 

Any change in existing drug laws would have to be approved by Parliament. And legalization, even for personal use, could cause friction with the United States and violate the 1988 U.N. Convention Against the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Jamaica signed the accord. 

“The U.S. opposes the decriminalization of marijuana,” Michael Koplovsky, a U.S. Embassy spokesman, said Thursday. 

Over the last 20 years, the United States has worked with Jamaica to burning marijuana fields and carry out other anti-drug efforts.  

It has also provided aid to fight drug trafficking in Jamaica, the Caribbean’s largest marijuana exporter and a major transshipment point for cocaine bound for Europe and South America. 

The commission addressed these concerns in its report, urging the government to “embark on diplomatic initiatives ... to elicit support for its internal position and influence the international community to re-examine the status of cannabis.” 

 

Between 1992-98, the United States provided $7.8 million to Jamaica to eliminate marijuana production and trafficking. The most popular method has been to chop down the plants and burn the fields. 

Indian indentured servants are thought to have brought marijuana to Jamaica in the 19th century. Its use as a medicinal herb spread rapidly among plantation workers, with some using ganja tea to alleviate aches, and others using rum-soaked marijuana as remedy for coughs and fevers. 

But it was not until the 1960s and 1970s, with the rise to popularity of Bob Marley and other reggae icons, that marijuana began to gain acceptance outside poor neighborhoods. 

Marijuana’s deep roots were clear in Luke Lane after word spread of the commission’s recommendation. Among the patrons was 43-year-old Horace Clarke, who was also buying school supplies for his three children. 

“At night, when the children are sleeping, sometimes I smoke a little with my lady,” Clarke said as he bought a quarter ounce for about $2.50. 

The vendors were pleased at the possibility the it might be legal to use marijuana, even though selling the drug would remain illegal. 

All had stories of being chased by the police, “If you’re going to smoke it, you have to get it and we sell it,” said a dealer who gave his name only as Metro. 

He said he earns about $100 on a good day. 

“This money doesn’t go out to buy guns, it goes to food that fills the bellies of my children and puts them in school clothes and pays their school fees,” he said. “What’s criminal about that?” 


Lamile Perry breaks 5 wheelchair track records

By Kenyatte Davis Daily Planet staff
Friday August 17, 2001

The Bay Cruisers proved they were worthy of their name when they flew through the National Junior Wheelchair Track and Field Championships, capturing over a dozen medals, breaking nine national records and receiving the award for the best large team in the country. 

The Championships were held on the New Brunswick, N.J., campus of Rutgers University between July 21 and July 28. 

Berkeley’s own Lamile Perry led the way breaking records in the 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500-meter track events and one field event as well as picking up three additional gold medals. 

The team, sponsored by Berkeley-based Bay Area Outreach and Recreational Program, has competed in the wheelchair games since 1986 and has been coached by San Francisco resident Tim Orr since then.  

“The award shows how well each of our individual athletes did,” said Orr. “It shows how well rounded our team really is.” 

BORP was started in 1975 by a disabled UC Berkeley student named, Susan Sygall and her able-bodied friend Sue Belanger who fought for disabled access to the university’s physical education classes.  

Since then, the Berkeley-based non-profit has been dedicated to helping physically disabled people in the Bay Area take part in any activities that people without disabilities can.  

The program sponsors programs in tennis, basketball, kayaking, swimming, body conditioning and many more for both youth and adults. 

For more information on BORP call 849-4663 or visit their Web site at www.borp.org.


Friday August 17, 2001

 

924 Gilman St. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Aug. 17: Blood Brothers, True North, The Cost, Red Light Sting, Betray The Species; Aug. 18: Dr. Know, The Sick, Society of Friends, Manchurian Candidates, Shut the F*ck Up; $5. 924 Gilman St. 525-9926. 

 

Ashkenaz Aug. 17: 9:30 p.m. Near East Far West. $12; Aug. 18: 9:30 p.m. Zydeco Flames. 8 p.m. dance lesson w/ Cheryl McBride. $11. Aug. 19: 8 p.m. Open Stage w/ Koko De La Isla, Ernesto Hernandaz, Jeff Hawkins. $8; Aug. 21: 9 p.m. Slavonkian Traveling Band. 8 p.m. dance lesson w/ Joyce Clyde. $10; Aug. 22: 9 p.m. Badenya Les Freres Coulibaly, $10; Aug. 23: 10 p.m. - 2 a.m. Dead DJ Night with Digital Dave. $5; Aug. 24: 9:30 p.m. Caribbean All Stars $11; Aug. 25: 9 p.m. California Brazil Camp Benefit, $10; Aug. 26: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. Middle Eastern Dance Workshops with Ma Shuga Mira Murijan and Nanna Candeleria. $45. 8 p.m. Harmonia, $10; Aug. 28: 9 p.m. Gerard Landry and the Lariats, $8; Aug. 29: 8 p.m. Earl White Oldtime Band, Bluegrass Intentions, plus clogging lessons. $10, Kids under 12 Free; Aug. 30: 9 p.m. Samite, Forward Kwenda, $10; Aug. 31: 9:30 p.m. Wawa and the Oneness Kingdom, The Calypsonians, $10; 1317 San Pablo Ave. 525-5054 www.ashkenaz.com  

Eli’s Mile High Club Doors open at 8 p.m. Aug. 18: Craig Horton /CD Release; Aug. 25: Carlos Zialcita; Every Friday, 10 p.m. - 2 a.m., Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

 

Freight & Salvage Coffee House Aug. 17: Mitch Greenhill & Mayne Smith, plus Spiral Bound, $16.50; Aug. 18: Mighty Prince Singers, Talk of Da Town, $17.50; Aug. 19: John Fahey Tribute Concert, $19.50; All shows 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St. 548-1761 www.freightandsalvage.org 

 

Jupiter Aug. 17: The Mind Club, Old school funk grooves with sonic swirls of acid jazz; Aug. 18: Blue & Tan; Aug. 21: Groove.org; Aug. 22: Stolen Bibles; Aug. 23: Beatdown w/ DJs Delon, Yamu, and Add1; Aug. 24: 5 Point Plan; Aug. 25: Mitch Marcus Quintet; Aug. 28: Big Lou and Polka Casserole; Aug. 29: Secession; Aug. 30: Beatdown with DJ’s Delon, Yamu and Add1; Aug. 31: Realistic CD Release Party; All music starts at 8:00 p.m. 843-7625 www.jupiterbeer.com  

 

La Note/Jazzschool Aug. 19: 4:30 p.m. Hazel Carter, 5:30 p.m. Bryan Girard & Friends, 6:30 p.m. T3 (Kirk Tamura Trio); Free. 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373  

 

La Peña Cultural Center Aug. 17: 8:30 p.m. Music and dance performance by Jaranón y Bochinche, $12; Aug. 18: 8:30 p.m. Mission (roots hip hop), $8; Aug. 19: 3:30 p.m. Domingo de Rumba; Aug. 24: 8:30 p.m. Professor Terry’s Circus Band Extraordinary, $16; Aug. 25: 9:30 p.m., Edgardo Cambon’s Candela, $10, 8:15 p.m. Salsa dance class w/ Diego Vásquez, $13; In the Cafe, 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

ACME Observatory Aug. 19: 8 p.m. Solo performance by Jason Kahn, Brown Bunny Ensemble. $9.99 suggested donation. TUVA Space, 3192 Adeline @ MLK Jr. Way. 649-8744 http://sfSound.org/acme.html 

 

Indigo Event Center Aug. 25: 4:20 p.m. Musicians for Medical Marijuana Benefit concert. Sound Tribe Sector 9, Lost at Last, The Mermen, Ten Ton Chicken, Scott Huckabay, Strawberry Alarmclock, Buzzy Linhart, plus special guests, $25. 1988 Broadway at 19th, Oakland. 869-5391 www.m4mm.org  

 

Third annual Berkeley World Music Festival Aug. 26: Noon - 6 p.m. Block party and carnival, Grupo Ilu Fun Fun, Petit La Croix, Samba Ngo, O-Maya, Fito Reinoso y Su Ritmo y Armonia. Durant Ave. between Telegraph Ave. and Bowditch. 

 

TUVA Space Aug. 25: 8 p.m. Vanessa Lowe and the Lowliflies, Ira Marlowe, Hoarhound. 3192 Adeline St. 655-9755 

 

“Frank Olivier’s Twisted Cabaret” Aug. 24 & 25, 8 p.m. Frank Olivier is joined by Uncle Paul Nathan and The Twisted Cabaret Band. All tickets $16. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 845-8542 www.juliamorgan.org 

 

“Loot” Through Aug. 25, Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 7 p.m. Special Performance Aug. 20, 8 p.m. General Admission: $15, Students / Seniors: $10. La Val’s 1834 Euclid Avenue 655-0813 

 

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

 

“Reefer Madness” Aug. 22, 23: 9 p.m. A new one-act theatre piece adapted from a 1936 government-funded film opens a critical eye to the control of our society. Performed by The Elemental Theatre Group La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Avenue. Wednesdays are “pay what you can,” Thursdays $5 - $10. 655-4150 

 

“Soul Harmony” Aug. 25: 5 - 7 p.m. A spirited one-woman show of history, culture, and entertainment. Written by Joy Holland, directed by Ava Coaxum. Presented at the Black Repertory Theater. 3201 Adeline St. $10 donation. 652-3399 

 

Films 

 

Pacific Film Archive Aug. 17: 7 p.m. Bonchi, 9:05 p.m. Money Talks; Aug. 18: 7 p.m. Ministry of Fear, 8:45 p.m. House by the River; Aug. 19: 3 p.m. National Velvet, 5:30 p.m. I Am Two, 7:15 I Am a Cat; Aug. 21: 7:30 p.m. The Direct Cinema Tradition; Aug. 22: 7:30 p.m. The Werewolf of Washington; Aug. 23: 7:30 p.m. Contempt; Aug. 24: 7 p.m. The Heart, 9:20 p.m. The Outcast; Aug. 25: 7 p.m. Moonfleet, 8:45 p.m. The Blue Gardenia; Aug. 26: 3 p.m. Duck Soup, 5:30 p.m. The Wanderers, 7:25 p.m. Dora-Heita; Aug. 28: 7:30 p.m. Doodling; Aug. 29: (free screenings) 7:30 p.m. The Horror of Party Beach, 9:15 p.m. The Crater Lake Monster; Aug. 31: 7 p.m. The Makioka Sisters, 9:35 p.m. A Woman’s Testament; Gen. Adm.. $7, The New PFA Theatre 2575 Bancroft Way 642-1412 

 

Exhibits 

 

“BACA National Juried Exhibition: Works on Paper” Through Aug. 31: Wed. - Sun. Noon - 5 p.m. Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893 

 

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

 

“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.  

 

“A Fine Line” Through Aug. 24, Tuesday - Friday, noon - 5 p.m. or by appointment. An exhibition works by Kala Fellowship winners for the years 2000 and 2001. Kala Art Institute 1060 Heinz Avenue 549-2977 

 

“Geographies of My Heart” Collage paintings by Jennifer Colby through Aug. 24; Flora Lamson Hewlett Library 2400 Ridge Road 649-2541 

 

“MFA Survey Exhibition 2001” Third annual exhibition of works of recent graduates from Bay Area master of Fine Art programs. This year featuring artists working in three-dimentional media. Through Aug. 18 Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth Street 527-1214 

 

“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. Atelier 9 2028 Ninth St. (at Addison) 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

 

“New Visions: Introductions 2001” Through Aug. 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. Pro Arts 461 Ninth St., Oakland 763-9425 

 

“The Political Art of: Diego Marcial Rios” Through Sept. 20, Addison Street Window Gallery, 2018 Addison St. hdrios@msn.com 

 

“Sistahs: Ethnographic Ceramics” Through Aug. 22, Reception July 29 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 3023 Shattuck Avenue 548-9286 ext. 307 

 

“Squared Triangle” Through Oct. 5. noon - 6 p.m. Reception for the artists, Aug. 18: 4 - 7 p.m. A minimal art exhibit featuring three Bay Area artists working in different mediums while achieving the same elegant simplicity. The Crucible, 1036 Ashby Ave. 843-5511 www.thecrucible.com 

 

“Ten Years Here” Exhibit celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Turn of the Century Fine Arts. Through Sept. 14, Sat & Sun 1-5 p.m. Reception Aug. 4 2:00 - 7:00 p.m. 2510 San Pablo Avenue 849-0950 

 

 

Readings 

 

Boadecia’s Books Aug. 17: Lynne Murray reads from her latest Josephine Fuller mystery “At Large”; Aug. 18: “Hell on Heels” tour with Daphne Gottlieb and Thea Hillman; Aug. 24: Andrea Gabbard discusses “Girl in the Curl: A Century of Women’s Surfing”; Aug. 25: Ann Bannon reads from her lesbian pulp classic “Beebo Brinker.” All events start at 7:30 p.m. and are free. 398 Colusa Avenue 559-9184 www.bookpride.com 

 

Black Oak Books Aug. 19: “Wildest Alaska: Journeys of Great Peril in Lituya Bay” by Philip L. Fradkin; Aug. 21: June Jordan’s memoir “Soldier: A Poet’s Childhood”; Aug. 22: Ruth Daigon’s “Payday at the Triangle”; Aug. 23: Phil Cousineau’s “Once and Future Myths: The Power of Ancient Stories in Modern Times”; Aug. 27: Catherine Brady, Jean Herlund, Frances Payne Adler, and Marianne Villanueva and others to celebrate CALYX Book’s 25th Anniversary, “Cracking the Earth”; Aug. 28: Kent Nerburn reads from “Road Angels: Searching for Home on America’s Coast of Dreams”; Aug. 29: Sylvia Brownrigg reads from her new novel, “Pages For You”; All shows at 7:30 p.m. free of charge. 1491 Shattuck Avenue 486-0698 

 

Café de la Paz Poetry Nitro performance showcase with open mike. Aug. 20: Avotcja; 6:30 p.m. signup, 7 - 9 p.m. reading. 1600 Shattuck Ave. 843-0662 

 

Cody’s Books - Poetry Flash Aug. 22: Trane Devore and Shauna Hannibal; Aug. 29: The New Now Millennium Anthology Reading with Editor H. D. Moe; All are a $2 donation. Readings at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-0837 

 

Coffee Mill Poetry Series Aug. 21: Featured Readers: Victoria Joyce and Theresa Bamberger; Both 7-9 p.m. Free. 3363 Grand Ave., Oakland for info. 465-3935 or 526-5985, or Email: ksdgk@earthlink.net 

 

“Coffee Break Readings and Refreshments” Aug. 18, 4 to 5:15 p.m. Oakland Public Library-Rockridge Branch. Open-mic poems, monologues and dramatic scenes, presented by Opera Piccola. For ages 10 and up. 5366 College Ave. Free. 238-3134 ww.oaklandlibrary.org 

 

Spasso 7-9 p.m. Aug. 20 Arthur Weil, Reflections of the Moment, Poetry is for Sissies; Aug. 27 Kira Allen; Sept. 3 Theme: dignity of labor; Sept. 10 Sharron Jones-Reid, Fruit of the Spirit Poets, Acoustic Musicians, Comedians, Rappers, Performance Artists, Writers All Welcome is located at 6021 College Ave. Free admission. 

 

Tours 

 

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

 

Golden Gate Live Steamers Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park Small locomotives, meticulously scaled to size. Trains run Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sunday, noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623  

 

 

Museums 

 

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

 

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

 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology will close its exhibition galleries for renovation. It will reopen in early 2002. On View until Oct. 1 : “Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture.” “Sites Along the Nile: Rescuing Ancient Egypt.” “The Art of Research: Nelson Graburn and the Aesthetics of Inuit Sculpture.” “Tzintzuntzan, Mexico: Photographs by George Foster.” $2 general; $1 seniors; $.50 children age 17 and under; free on Thursdays. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Ave. 643-7648 or www.qal.berkeley.edu/~hearst/ 

 

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. Susan Cerny’s collection of over 200 tops from around the world. “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 

 

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. “How Big Is the Universe?” Aug. 1 through Aug. 24. Learn how to determine the distance of celestial objects, one of the purposes of the Hubble Space Telescope. Daily, 2:15 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, 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu Daily, 3:30 p.m. $7 general; $5 seniors, students, disabled, and youths age 7 to 18; $3 children age 3 to 5 ; free children age 2 and younger. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu  

 

Oakland Museum of California, A Legacy of Early California Paintings: The Shumate Collection, through Aug. 19; Every Worker is an Organizer: Farm Labor and the Resurgence of the United Farm Workers, through Aug. 26; Made in Oakland: The Furniture of Garry Knox Bennett, through Sept. 2; After the Storm: Bob Walker and the Art of Environmental Photography, through Sept. 16; Half Past Autumn: The Art of Gordon Parks, through Sept. 23; Rustler Ranch Mastodon Project, through June 30, 2002; Wednesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday, noon - 5 p.m., Closed Monday and Tuesday. $6 general; $4 youths (6-17), seniors and students with ID. Free for Museum members and children 5 and under. Free admission the second Sunday of the month. 10th & Oak Streets, Oakland. 238-2200 www.museum.org 

 

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

 

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

 

 


Tribune should retract prejudiced editorial

Kriss Worthington Berkeley City Council member
Friday August 17, 2001

The Daily Planet received a copy of this letter written by Councilmember Kriss Worthington to The Oakland Tribune responding to an Aug. 14 editorial in which the author called Worthington a “coward” and accused him of “advancing what seems to be a single agenda in a city widely known for its diversity.” 

 

An open letter to The Oakland Tribune: 

As a little kid I loved to go to the library and read newspapers and magazines from around the world. It opened my mind to many kinds of people in this beautiful world. 

My social studies teacher insisted I had to read The New York Times, a good and fun habit I still indulge in when time permits. Almost five years ago I was elected to the Berkeley City Council and apparently became newsworthy. In addition to devouring the written word, I began to answer reporters’ questions. 

During that time, I have had fun chatting with reporters from many Bay Area publications, including Tribune reporters William Brand, Cecily Burt, and Angela Hill. Sometimes they asked tough questions, and sometimes they quoted the other side too much for my taste, but we had an appropriate professional respect for each other. 

Imagine my surprise to have this relationship jolted by an editorial trashing me as a person worthy of being despised, insulting me by calling me names such as “despicable” and “coward,” and attributing quotes to me that were snippets strung together out of context! 

In addition to the personal insult, many have called or written to tell me that the editorial was insulting to the entire lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community because of the ferociousness and because it suggests that if I care about gay issues I have “a singular agenda.” 

To people who know me from my work on housing, health care, education, and organizing against racism, sexism, ageism, and prejudice against the disabled community, it comes as a surprise to be told that I have a singular agenda. 

The lesbian/ gay community is part of the whole fabric of our society. 

We walk side by side with our sisters and brothers in movements for racial justice. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our sisters for choice and against sexism. 

I don’t want just to complain. I want to propose positive steps you can take. To send a clear message to the entire community that you truly do not condone anti-gay policy, I propose that you consider the following ideas; 

1. I request that you issue a clarification/correction/retraction (whatever you choose to call it) to correct the mistaken impressions you may have created in people’s minds by attributing a caricature of an opinion and a cartoon of an agenda to me, rather than taking the time to research what I actually said and did. 

2. Write a timely strong editorial unequivocally in favor of the Boy Scouts of America dropping its official policy of anti-gay discrimination, so we can use the current controversy for positive good. 

3. As an early step in that direction, please join us in encouraging the local Diablo Silverado Council to adopt a strongly written statement in opposition to the national policy of anti-gay discrimination. 

4. The Tribune should provide domestic partner benefits to all its employees. This is being done by many outstanding cities and corporations throughout the country. 

5. In addition, I request that you issue an apology not to me personally, but to the lgbt community for insulting our simple efforts to raise questions about anti-gay discrimination. 

I welcome the opportunity to meet with the editorial board to clarify the facts and to discuss these proposals face-to-face in an atmosphere of mutual respect. 

Let’s work together to take one more step in America’s journey towards fairness and justice for all. 

 

Kriss Worthington 

Berkeley City Council member


Friday August 17, 2001


Friday, Aug. 17

 

Candle Lighting Service 

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

San Pablo Park 

Russell and Mabel streets 

A candle lighting service for friends and loved ones in Berkeley and surrounding areas who have passed on. Free food (barbecue), drinks, table games, softball and entertainment. 653-3808 

 

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. Intake process required. Meeting Fridays through Aug. 17. $8 - $35 sliding scale per session 548-8283 x534 

 

Project Underground’s  

5th Birthday Party 

6 - 9 p.m. 

On the roof of Project Underground's Office  

1916A Martin Luther King Jr. Way  

Entertainment, food, drinks, childcare, raffle prizes and more. Everyone is invited to celebrate the organization’s success. $20 donation, nobody will be turned away due to lack of funds. 705-8981 www.moles.org 

 

Opus Q Auditions 

3 - 5/ p.m. 

The University Lutheran Chapel 

2425 College Ave. 

Opus Q - The East Bay Men’s Chorale is preparing for its first full season. Gay men and their allies are invited to audition for the world’s newest GALA ensemble. 664-0260 www.opus-q.com  

 

Even Stronger Women 

1:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Free weekly cultural discussion class. This week: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. 549-1879 

 

Commission on Aging 

Transportation Subcommittee 

3 - 5 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Public forum/ meeting to discuss transportation issues. 644-6050 

 


Saturday, Aug. 18

 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Center Street @ Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

12th Annual Cajun & More Festival. Live music by: Motor Dude Zydeco, Johnny Harper’s Carnival, Creole Belles, Sauce Picuante. Food, crafts fair, micro-breweries, and free Cajun dance lessons with Pattie Whitehurst. Free event open to the public. 548-3333 www.ecologycenter.org 

 

The Pyramid Outdoor Cinema 

7 p.m. 

Pyramid Alehouse 

901 Gilman St. 

The Outdoor Cinema features cult classics projected on a large screen in the open-air brewery parking lot. This week, Grease. Movies show every Saturday through Sept. 22. $5 donation. 206-682-8322 x237 www.pyramidbrew.com 

 

KPFA Meeting for the Disabled Community 

1 - 4 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

A community meeting with KPFA’s Listener Advisory Board to voice concerns regarding the station’s coverage of disability issues. 707-795-2890 

 


Sunday, Aug. 19

 

Hands-On Bicycle  

Repair Clinics  

11 a.m. - Noon  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

All you need to bring is your bike. Tools are provided. Free  

527-4140 

 

Tibetan Culture 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Stephanie Hoffman on “Preserving the Tibetan Literary Heritage.” 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. This Sunday is International Family Day. 654-6346 www.westberkeley.com 

 

Opus Q Auditions 

4 - 6 p.m. 

The University Lutheran Chapel 

2425 College Ave. 

Gay men and their allies are invited to audition for the world’s newest GALA ensemble. 664-0260 www.opus-q.com 

 

The Bungalow - Tradition and Transformation 

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Instructed by architect/contractor Barry Wagner. $35. 

525-7610 

 


Monday, Aug. 20

 

Ad Astrea Reading Series and Open Mic Night 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Spasso Coffee House 

6021 College Ave. 

Featured readers followed by open mic. Open to the public and free. 

428-1818 www.hitx.com 

 


Tuesday, Aug. 21

 

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 fears and phobias: getting and overcoming them. 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. 525-3565 

 

— compiled by Guy Poole 

Free Early Music Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Small group sings madrigals and other voice harmony every Tuesday morning. 655-8863 

 

Berkeley Fibromyalgia Support Group 

12 - 2 p.m. every 3rd Tuesday 

Alta Bates Medical Center  

Maffly Auditorium - Herrick Campus 

2001 Dwight Way 

Rap session. 601-0550 www.arthritis.org 

 

Slide Show: Birds in the Garden 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

A discussion follows. 644-6107 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/hhs/commsvc/seniors.htm 

 


Wednesday, Aug. 22

 

Magic Mike 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley 

Part of the Lawrence Hall of Science Wednesday FUN-days. Bay Area favorite Magic Mike with theatrical illusions and electric comedy. Museum admission $3 - $7. 

642-5132 

 

Lecture on Parkinson’s Disease 

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 

Ashby Campus 

Conference Room 3 

2450 Ashby Ave. 

Learn about the latest treatments for Parkinson’s disease. Free and open to the public. 869-6737 

 


Thursday, Aug. 23

 

Salsa Dance Classes 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Classes every Thursday with live percussionists, light refreshments, DJ playing Latin music. $10 or $15 for two. 237-9874 

 

New “Classroom Matters” Open House 

6 - 9 p.m. 

2512 9th St., Suite #3 

A Berkeley based educational center that provides tutors, mentors and support services, will hold an open house at their new location.  

540-8646 www.classroommatters.com  

 

Lecture-Program on the Armenian Opera “Arshak II” 

7:30 p.m. 

North Branch Berkeley Public Library 

1170 The Alameda 

Dr. Clifford Cranna will present a lecture-program on the world premiere of the Armenian opera Arshak II, the tale of Armenia’s fourth century warrior king. 649-3913 www.infopeople.org/bpl/ 

 

Kensington 55+ Activity Center 

9 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Social Hall of Arlington Community Church 

52 Arlington Ave. 

Conversation, Apple II computer instruction, massage therapy, German conversation group, meditation and relaxation techniques, watercolor art class, tea and coffee. Special 11 a.m. program: Holistic Health, Jan Stecher leads in Rosen Movement. 526-9146  

 

Friday, Aug. 24 

Yiddish Conversation Group 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

644-6107 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/hhs/commsvc/seniors.htm 

 

Even Stronger Women 

1:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Free weekly cultural discussion class. This week: Poetry. 549-1879 

 

Basic Electrical Theory and National Electrical Code 

7 - 10 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Instructed by “Code Check” author/retired city of Oakland building inspector Redwood Kardon. $35. 525-7610 

 

Saturday, Aug. 25 

The Pyramid Outdoor Cinema 

7 p.m. 

Pyramid Alehouse 

901 Gilman St. 

The Outdoor Cinema features cult classics projected on a large screen in the open-air brewery parking lot. This week, The Shining. Movies show every Saturday through Sept. 22. $5 donation. 206-682-8322 x237 www.pyramidbrew.com 

 

Copwatch: Know Your Rights Training 

11 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Copwatch Office 

2022 Blake St. 

Learn what your rights are when dealing with the police. Learn how to monitor the police safely.  

548-0425 

 

Astrojax Playday 

1 - 4 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley 

Astrojax is part yo-yo, part juggling balls and a lasso. The inventor, theoretical physicist Larry Show, will give a demonstration and instruction. Museum admission $3 - $7. 642-5132 

 

Cerrito Creek Work Party 

10 a.m. 

Meet at Creekside Park (south end of Belmont Street), El Cerrito 

Join Friends of Five Creeks in removing brush to make a new trail along Cerrito Creek. Bring work gloves and clippers if you have them.  

848-9358, f5creeks@aol.com, www.fivecreeks.org. 

 

Travel Careers Class 

8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 

Vista Community College 

2020 Milvia St. 

Vista’s annual one-day class for the public on careers in the travel industry. A full-day seminar. $5.50 981-2931 www.vistacollege.edu 

 

Sunday, Aug. 26 

Healing 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Sylvie Gretchen on “Healing Mind.” 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 

 

3rd Annual Berkeley World Music Festival 

noon - 6 p.m. 

Durant Ave., between Telegraph and Bowditch 

Carnival and block party festival with World Music bands, performers and dancers. 649-9500 www.taasite.org 

 

Monday, Aug. 27 

East Bay Heritage Quilters 

7:30 p.m. 

First Unitarian Church 

1 Lawson Road-Moeser Lane @ Arlington, Kensington 

Lecture: On the Road to Quiltmaking, a Personal Journey  

Non-members $3. 834-3706 

 

Tuesday, Aug. 28 

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. 525-3565 

 

Free Early Music Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Small group sings madrigals and other voice harmony every Tuesday morning. 655-8863 

 

Poetry Through Time II 

7 p.m. - 8 p.m. 

Judah L. Magnes Museum 

2911 Russell St. 

Bay Area poets Opal Palmer Adisa, Phyllis Koestenbaum, Reuven Goldfarb, and Martha Evans will read. A brief open reading will conclude the program. 549-6950 www.magnesmuseum.org 

 

Wednesday, Aug. 29 

 

Thursday, Aug. 30 

Salsa Dance Classes 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Classes every Thursday with live percussionists, light refreshments, DJ playing Latin music. $10 or $15 for two. 

237-9874 

 

Lost in the Wilderness 

7 p.m. 

REI 

1338 San Pablo Avenue 

Jason Flesher, a Search and Rescue member for almost 20 years, will share his nine rules for surviving in the wilderness. Free. 

527-4140 

 

Kensington 55+ Activity Center 

9 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Social Hall of Arlington Community Church 

52 Arlington Ave. 

Conversation, Apple II computer instruction, massage therapy, German conversation group, meditation and relaxation techniques, watercolor art class, tea and coffee. Special 11 a.m. program: Music, Hugh Kelly plays harmonica and leads sing-along. 526-9146 

 

Attic Conversions 

7 - 10 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Seminar taught by architect Andus Brandt. $35. 525-7610 

 

Friday, Aug. 31 

Start a Writing Group—and Keep It Going 

10 a.m. - noon 

North Branch Berkeley Public Library 

1170 The Alameda 

Dr. Kathy Briccetti will host a workshop on How to Start and Maintain a Writing Group. This free workshop requires pre-registration by Aug. 29th. 

644-6850 www.infopeople.org/bpl/ 

 

Even Stronger Women 

1:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Free weekly cultural discussion class. This week: movie on Emma Goldman followed by discussion. 549-1879


City nets 4 redistricting plans

By John Geluardi Daily Planet staff
Friday August 17, 2001

By Wednesday at closing time, the City Clerk’s Office had received four proposals to redraw the boundary lines of the eight council districts in order to distribute the city’s population equally within each. 

Two of the proposals appear to be designed to create a large block of like-minded voters, another was incomplete and a fourth was inspired by the mathematical challenge of regrouping large numbers of residents while minimally moving boundary lines. 

The city is required to redraw the lines every 10 years based on the population numbers tabulated in the Decennial Census. According to the 2000 Census, Berkeley gained only 19 people in the last 10 years, but there were significant population shifts within the city. 

Based on the total population of 102,743, the city must redraw the district boundary lines so each district contains as close to 12,850 people as possible.  

The City Charter prohibits large variations in the shape and makeup of the districts by requiring boundary lines not be moved significantly from their original 1986 positions.  

The one plan that appears to meet that criteria was submitted by Michael O’Malley and David Blake who said they were challenged by the mathematical aspects of the project. The two men, who reluctantly agreed to be refereed to as math nerds, worked on the complex project by painstakingly adding up the residents of each block and then adjusting the lines by no more than one block from the existing lines. 

“We kept very close to the original lines,” O’Malley said. “In our plan there’s only two blocks that were not formerly on an existing boundary line.” 

Sitting at a local restaurant on Thursday, the table covered with maps, charts and Thai food, the two men were pouring over the other three redistricting proposals. 

“This proposal was done with a computer program,” Blake said with disdain and then, after some shuffling of documents and serving plates, held up a sheaf of well-handled yellow paper covered with pencil marks and eraser smudges. “You want to see our high-tech system?” 

Two of the other proposals were less focused on the mathematical challenges and sought instead to increase a political power base within certain districts.  

The Associated Students of the University of California submitted a plan that drastically altered the shape of districts 7 and 8. Josh Fryday, vice president of ASUC External Affairs, said the design sought to create a newly formed District 7, in which 71 percent of the voters would be under the age of 24. 

The ASUC members said their goal was to elect a student to the City Council who would represent them on issues of housing, transpiration and safety. 

Another group of 25 people most of whom belonged to either the Panoramic Hill Neighborhood Association or the Claremont–Elmwood Neighborhood Association, submitted a plan that increased the number of homeowners in District 8. 

In order to create the new district, the group moved District 8’s western boundary six blocks into the southern portion of District 7. The result is a fairly large deviation from the current boundary lines. 

“We thought this plan made the most sense to keep a neighborhood feel,” said Mary Ann McCamant. “The boundary we propose is made up of a lot of single-family homes and people who are fairly active in homeowners’ associations among which there is a lot of cross fertilization.” 

McCamant said issues the neighborhoods have in common are traffic on Ashby Avenue, impacts related to Alta Bates/Summit Medical Center and a controversial proposal for new lighting at Memorial Stadium on the UC Berkeley campus. 

Berkeley resident Elliot Cohen submitted an incomplete proposal. Cohen was not available for comment Thursday but he wrote on the submission form that “the deadline came faster than I thought!” He also offered to complete the proposal if he could be allowed more time. 

City Attorney Manuella Albuquerque issued an opinion on Thursday in which she said the predominant factor in deciding the city’s new boundary lines will be the requirement of the City Charter that the lines be minimally changed. 

She said in her opinion that the City Council can consider changing district lines to include communities of interest, but “they must do so only within the constraints imposed by the City Charter.”  

The City Council will hold public hearings on the redistricting proposals Sept. 13 and 25. A decision on the new district lines is expected Oct. 2.


Cal athletic director preps for success

Daily Planet wire services
Friday August 17, 2001

The honeymoon is almost over for new Athletic Director Stephen Gladstone. Just two months on the job, he's been busy preparing the department for the coming year.  

But things will shift to an even higher gear when the fall sports season begins in a few weeks.  

In an interview with Berkeleyan writer Lyn Hunter, Gladstone talked about his goals for the department, philosophy for success and commitment to Berkeley's student athletes. Following are excerpts from that conversation. 

 

You're such a successful crew coach, winning numerous national championships both here and at Brown University. How did you get started in this line of work? 

 

A: I rowed in high school and at Syracuse University and loved it. While working on my English degree, I took a job at an investment firm overseas. I hated it. I thought: "Is this what life's going to be about?" But occasionally, we ask ourselves the right question. I asked myself where I was happiest and the answer was on the river. I couldn't make a living rowing since it isn't a professional sport, so I thought about coaching.  

Given your achievements in rowing, you obviously have a knack for getting athletes to perform at their highest level. What's your secret for success and how will you transfer this to the various sports programs now under your purview? 

Most athletes participating in high-level intercollegiate sports want to be successful, but some aren't sure how to do it. The challenge of coaching is not just the X’s and O’s, but understanding people, finding ways to reach them, to get them to trust you and their teammates. The coach has to make clear what's required and set a standard for the way athletes train, interact with one another and how they treat themselves. The coach is a guide to attaining success; they don't trick, cajole, control or hold hands. If you can get an athlete to accept this way, the synergy reinforces itself, creating not only a strong team, but a depth of connection that is very powerful. I think most of our coaches in the department are already on this path or are in various stages of development. When given permission, I'm happy to share my experiences of some 30 years in the trenches with them. But I don't want to push or lecture. I plan to have periodic roundtables with all the coaches so we can share with each other our successes and failures.  

 

What are your thoughts about athletes moving on to the pros before graduating? 

 

A: This is always going to be an issue when a collegiate athlete is performing at a high level. Look at John McEnroe and Tiger Woods.  

With a signature athlete, I can accept that they may go professional before graduating. What is not acceptable is to have athletes who aren't drafted spend two or three years with our program and still not graduate. It means we haven't fulfilled our mission. Our overall graduation rate is excellent, but in our revenue sports (football, basketball), the numbers aren't so good. This isn't unique to Berkeley, but it's something we want to improve. It's crucial for our coaches to work closely with advisers so that we can fully support our athletes and make sure they don't fall through the cracks.  

We will partner with Derek Van Rheenen, the new director of the Athletic Study Center, to help meet these goals. 

Last year, a Berkeley professor admitted giving two student athletes credit for courses they hadn't earned. 

 

How might you prevent this from happening again?  

 

A: The responsibility of honesty, of telling the truth, lies with the athletes, the coaches, the faculty and, on top of that, internally in my office. We all have to look very carefully at academic progress, and if at any time, something looks suspicious, it is incumbent upon us to dig deep to see what's going on.  

I hope to develop a system that allows us to monitor this progress with care so this doesn't happen again.  

Though this professor may have had good intentions, you don't help by not telling the truth. Saying it's OK to cheat is not a good message to give.  

There is growing concern across the country that collegiate sports have become too commercial, with program budgets spiraling out of control.  

 

 

 

 

 

What is your take on this issue? 

At Berkeley - and I believe it is this way at most public universities - we are required to be self-sufficient. We receive a minimal amount of money from the general campus budget. We believe there is an educational value to providing a broad athletics program on campus, but that requires money. Since it doesn't come from the university or the state, we rely on revenues from football and basketball games, which involve TV contracts, corporate sponsorships and advertising. You could argue that if our universities truly believe that sports is part of the academic mission, and not just a public relations tool, then why not help fund it? That's how the Ivy League schools do it. By not funding sports, universities are in some ways inviting commercialization of sports. 

 

What are some of your goals for the department over the next year? 

 

I would like to see endowments and annual giving increase for all our non-revenue teams. I want to see our teams performing at a higher level, particularly football. Tom (Holmoe, head coach) and his staff are aware of what they need to do. I also want our administrative and coaching staff on the same page, working together to create an atmosphere of support for each other. Improving these relationships will bring our programs forward. 

Our goal is not simply to put championship flags on the wall, but to understand and appreciate what went into getting that flag on the wall. We – administrators, coaches and athletes – can all get satisfaction from that.


Karen Craig: hard-working commissioner

Carol Denney Berkeley
Friday August 17, 2001

Editor 

A letter came quietly through the mail August 7th which ended the appointment of one of the Commission on Disabilities' hardest working members, Karen Craig. 

The letter, from District 1 Councilmember Linda Maio, implied that her representative had caused or aggravated discord within the disabled community. 

The irony, from anyone's perspective, is that the letter came shortly after a meeting in which organizers and advisors for the Berkeley Folk Festival met publicly in an accessible location for the first time in the six year history of the festival, a meeting which the current director swore only months ago would never take place. 

Karen Craig did not speak much at this July meeting. What she did was harder. She invited parties to a six year long conflict to meet under the umbrella of a Commission on Disabilities subcommittee so that participants could meet in a neutral atmosphere. She helped craft an agenda that accommodated all parties, she chaired the meeting and kept the tenor of the comments gentle, full of jokes, and on schedule. 

And she got fired. The buzz out of City Hall is that even associating with those who raise critical concerns about disability issues rocks the boat that some city council members would prefer to float quietly through community waters. Staff who support this quieter course talk about “incremental” changes over time, time which six years has yet to dent in the case of the folk festival. 

The meeting did not resolve anything. Nobody made demands, nobody made promises. People listened, or did a good job of seeming to listen. People who ordinarily argue for the “intimacy” of small venues had a good chance to hear the impact of “intimacy” on people, disabled and otherwise, who need space to maneuver, tune instruments, jam, or chat with friends without disrupting the show. People who favor relocation had a chance to consider the wealth of relocation options available in the community and the wealth of decisions that go into making such a choice. Karen Craig made sure that all participants were treated respectfully, and unlike in past years, no one was singled out as a “troublemaker” or made a scapegoat. 

And she got fired. 

Karen Craig can point to many years of difficult work on behalf of the disabled community, all the more difficult in a world where sometimes one literally can't get through the door. Years of proposals, motions, letters, wording and rewording policy to try to include all community concerns are the best testimony to the legacy of her commitment. This work will not end with the termination of her appointment to the Commission, it will just be a little bit harder to do. 

The Commission on Disabilities and the Berkeley community will certainly get the message that Karen Craig’s “activism” cost her the position. But the real factor may not have been her “activism” but rather her willingness to set that activism aside and let real dialogue happen, thus making real change possible. To those in the City of Berkeley who wish only quiet, election-friendly, ineffective waters, people with a commitment to change and an ability to bring together others in discord are potentially dangerous, for their approach is revolutionary. 

 

 

Carol Denney  

Berkeley


Little change seen in scores of state tests

By Erika Kelly Daily Planet correspondent
Friday August 17, 2001

Initial analysis of the 2001 Stanford 9 test scores, released this week, revealed little change from last year’s scores among Berkeley students. 

The 10-hour SAT9 exam tests students in math, reading and language skills and compares achievement for students in grades two through 11 throughout the state. 

Chris Lim, associate superintendent of instruction for the Berkeley Unified School District, cautioned against evaluating students too heavily based on these results. 

“I think it’s just one assessment of several you should be using,” said Lim. 

She stressed the importance of a variety of evaluation tools, including portfolios, class performance, project work, critical thinking and writing skills. 

Still, Lim was encouraged by the Berkeley students’ math results, which were slightly higher than the reading and language scores.  

She credited teachers’ use of other assessment tools during the school year that guides them in their evaluation of whether the students are meeting the state content standards. “(These tests) help to determine what the kids are learning and then it impacts what you’re teaching, so it is a closed cycle,” Lim said. 

The SAT9 test is part of Gov. Gray Davis’ efforts to hold schools accountable for meeting statewide education standards. Schools that perform well are eligible to receive monetary awards, while schools that perform poorly face sanctions.  

Several Berkeley teachers protested the monetary awards they received for last year’s positive test results, calling them “bribes,” and voluntarily gave their awards away. 

The test scores may reveal more patterns once administrators can further analyze differences between groups of students, said Lim.  

Some of the groups Lim plans to compare are male and female students; students who are economically disadvantaged and those who are not; and students who are receiving special education services and those who are not.


Nonprofit fights environmental degradation

By Daniela Mohor Daily Planet staff
Friday August 17, 2001

In the four years she has been working at Project Underground, a Berkeley-based nonprofit organization that fights against abusive gold mine and oil exploitation, Catherine Baldi has seen the organization grow.  

She has seen the staff increase to nine. She has seen the budget swell. And she has even seen a few communities come out victorious in what she characterizes as their battle against corporate interests. 

Created in 1996 in reaction to the murder of an environmental activist in Nigeria, Project Underground started as one of the few organizations trying to raise awareness around the human rights implications of environmental issues all around the world, according to Baldi. 

“It started out of the need to build a bridge between the human rights and the environmental movements and the indigenous rights movement,” said Baldi, who is Project Underground’s information coordinator. “We’ve evolved into an organization that has a very strong presence in the environmental movement and has the expertise about oil and mining impacts.” 

This expertise, Baldi explained, allows Project Underground to expose these problems and educate communities all over the world on the environmental consequences of oil and mine exploitation. At the beginning, she said, the organization spent much time doing “direct action,” such as demonstrations. But now Project Underground focuses more on supporting the communities by providing them with technical, legal, and scientific assistance.  

“We have built much more accountability through our campaigns,” said Baldi. “We do more of the direct support work and less direct action. We’re kind of a resource transfer organization.”  

Project Underground also works locally, taking advantage of its proximity to the U.S. government and international financial institutions. It uses different kinds of public pressure to get the corporations to stop their operations. 

One of Project Underground’s first campaigns, Baldi recalled, was against a Louisiana-based company called Freeport McRoRan. This corporation operates the world’s largest gold mine in Indonesia and is accused by Project Underground of protecting its profitability at any human and environmental cost. 

Project Underground’s public pressure, Baldi said, led other organizations to join the anti-Freeport McRoRan campaign and consequently, the company admitted human rights observers into the area. 

This is among the accomplishments that have given Project Underground the credibility it needed to grow quickly. In five years, its staff has doubled and its budget is almost four times what it used to be. During fiscal year 1997-1998, the organization counted on no more than $175, 000. This year, it received $800, 000 from private donors and foundations, such as the Richard and Rohda Goldman Fund or the Global Environment Project Institute. This financial support will allow the organization to keep working on its three current campaigns. It will also permit it to pursue other projects, including the creation of a North American network of activists and communities and the development of a database. 

Project Underground will celebrate its fifth anniversary with a fund-raiser Friday from 6 to 9 p.m., at its offices at 1916A Martin Luther King Jr. Way. French-Senegalese singer Henry Pierre will perform, as will a group of Native American drummers called The Young Eagle Singers. There will Guatemalan food, a raffle and childcare. For more information, call 705-8981 or go to: http://www.moles.org 


BRIEFS

BDP Staff
Friday August 17, 2001

Grant will help rebuild Tilden Park carousel 

 

The East Bay Regional Park District will be receiving a $197,000 grant to restore the deteriorating machinery of the Tilden Park carousel.  

The grant was approved by the California Coastal Conservancy and made available through Proposition 12 - the Safe Neighborhood Parks, Clean Water, Clean Air, and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2000 - passed by California voters last year.  

The 1911 carousel receives over 150,000 visitors each year, making it one of the park district’s most popular attractions. Restoration of key mechanical parts is necessary if the carousel is to continue operating.  

 

UC Berkeley students  

mentor Vista students 

 

When Kathleen Jones-West transferred from Vista Community College to UC Berkeley in 1998 to complete her college degree, she dreamed of helping others make the same jump. 

This fall, her dream will materialize when four Vista graduates arrive at UC Berkeley as transfer students - the first products of a unique mentoring program started by Jones-West. And, the program is scheduled to expand to four other community colleges. 

For the past two years, the Vista students have been befriended and encouraged by UC Berkeley student mentors who have worked to make the campus a familiar and possible goal. Many Vista students do not plan to continue on for a four-year degree, or they may feel that the campus - only three blocks away - is unreachable. “Coming to UC Berkeley has been a goal since I was 12 years old,” said Adam Ebrahim of Fresno, who will enter as a transfer student this fall. For years, despite having the drive to reach his goal, Ebrahim nevertheless said that UC Berkeley was “largely unapproachable.” 

“I'd been working so hard for so long, I didn't have a realistic idea of how to proceed,” said Ebrahim.  

Teaming up with a UC Berkeley mentor was “absolutely great,” he said. “He walked around with me. I met people. I became very comfortable.” 

Ebrahim said his mentor also helped him focus his work so that he could avoid wasting academic time. 

Comments like these are music to the ears of Jones-West, who, though she has passed control of the program to others, still gets calls from students who tell her she has changed their lives. Jones-West is currently a second year graduate student in UC Berkeley's School of Social Welfare. 

Her “Starting Point” program, meanwhile, has been adopted by UC Berkeley as a regular part of its curriculum and is set to expand from Vista College to San Francisco City College this year, followed later by Contra Costa and Chabot community colleges.  

So far, about 100 UC Berkeley students have been trained as mentors.  

 

Volunteers sought to help with annual Solano Stroll 

 

Volunteers are wanted to help with the Solano Avenue Stroll, Sept. 9. People will be asked to put up posters and act as parade monitors. Those interested can call 527-5358 or go to www.solanostroll.org 

 

Online system helps track academic progress 

 

UC Berkeley is launching a new online system that lets undergraduate students monitor their academic progress on the Web by providing current information about courses needed to meet major, UC, and campus requirements. With the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS), students can track their completed requirements, see which have not been completed, and consider possible courses to take in the future. 

“The Degree Audit Reporting System is the next step in the campus-wide effort to provide students with online tools to use during their academic careers at Cal. Tele-BEARS and Info-BEARS provide students with registration information, Bear Facts lets them view transcripts and change personal information, and now DARS enables them to monitor their progress through their academic career at UC Berkeley,” says Registrar Susanna Castillo-Robson. 

DARS is available to UC Berkeley undergraduates beginning in the fall. 

The Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) automatically creates reports that reflect a student’s progress toward completing a degree in his or her declared major, taking into account not only completed UCB course work, but transfer courses and courses in progress. Students order DARS reports  

by accessing the system  

through Bear Facts (bearfacts.berkeley.edu) and clicking the DARS link on the home page. 

After providing the requested information, students receive a report via e-mail within 24 hours.


Groups lobby for national Juneteenth Day

The Associated Press
Friday August 17, 2001

 

 

LOS ANGELES — Groups pushing to make Juneteenth a national holiday are meeting in Southern California to get the word out about the historic day commemorating an end to slavery. 

The fourth annual National Juneteenth Convention and Expo will take place in Ontario on Friday and Saturday. 

The convention will serve to “educate the country of the significance of Juneteenth,” said Ronald Myers, founder of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation.  

“The agenda will include a discussion of how to respond to the Bush administration’s lack of participation and support for Juneteenth.” 

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day a Union Army general went to Galveston, Texas, to inform the last slaves there that they were free – more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. 

Last June, President Bush issued a greeting observing the day and encouraging “all Americans to learn more about the role of African-Americans in U.S. history,” but convention organizers say they want more. 

Ken Liasius, a spokesman for the White House Office of Public Liaison, said there is nothing Bush can do without action from Congress. 

Juneteenth is observed in about 200 cities nationwide and is an official holiday in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Delaware, Idaho and Alaska. Dozens of other states have legislators who have either introduced or plan to introduce resolutions or bills acknowledging Juneteenth, Myers said, adding that California is on the list. 

Assemblyman John Longville, D-Rialto, plans to introduce a resolution recognizing Juneteenth when the Legislature meets later this month.  

He said he also will sponsor a bill next year to make Juneteenth an official unpaid holiday. 

“It is a significant date that has gotten a lot of attention over the years,” he said. “Over the last decade more people have become aware ... at first it wasn’t widely appreciated. 

Although it is important for individual states to recognize the day, Myers said, his group’s main push is to make it a national holiday. 

“Our nation needs healing from all that slavery has inflicted on generations of Americans,” he said.  

“Surely, as the former governor of Texas, where it has been observed as a paid state holiday since 1980, you would think President Bush is aware of the importance of Juneteenth.”


State conservation buoyed by incentives, weather

The Associated Press
Friday August 17, 2001

SACRAMENTO — Higher electricity rates and state-funded rebates on energy efficient appliances have helped Californians conserve power this summer. But the main reason for that may be due more to the weather than Gov. Gray Davis. 

“We have had a break with the weather, which has been to our advantage,” said Susanna Garfield, spokeswoman for the California Energy Commission. “A third of our electricity use in the summer during peak demand times is from air conditioners.” 

California, the nation’s most populous state, has one of the lowest per-capita rates for energy use, second only to Rhode Island. 

That’s no surprise to Robert Sanford, an appliance salesman at the Marin City Best Buy, who said customers at his store now ask about appliances’ energy use. Six months ago, “it wasn’t even something anyone looked at. 

“People are looking at these for the long haul now. They want to know the energy savings,” he said. 

In other states, people “think we’re sitting out here in our hot tubs,” Garfield said. “But per capita, we’re very efficient.”  

Conservation has happened for several reasons, experts say, including education programs, rebates on power bills and energy-efficient appliances and higher electricity bills. 

State-funded programs “may have had more of a symbolic effect” than a practical one, said Severin Borenstein, director of the University of California Energy Institute at Berkeley. 

Borenstein said all the programs have contributed to the savings – and the corresponding lack of blackouts, but “the leading effect has been Mother Nature. We have had phenomenal weather.” 

Also, the perceived threat of higher electric bills has likely encouraged conservation, although recent rate increases were aimed at large power users, such as commercial customers, Borenstein said. 

“Flex Your Power,” the state’s education campaign, encourages residents to shift their energy-thirsty appliance use to the evenings when the danger of blackouts has passed. 

“Consumers we’ve talked to have made changes,” Garfield said.  

“They are shifting their use – running the dishwasher later, doing laundry at night.” 

Though not all customers are using less, shifting use to off-peak times helps flatten out the peaks in energy use that can bring blackouts, she said.  

The biggest incentive the state has offered is money – rebates for upgrading to energy-efficient appliances and on electricity bills, which state regulators recently increased. 

State energy officials have paid out $60 million to utility customers in rebates as part of Davis’ 20/20 summer conservation plan, which offers a 20 percent rebate for cutting electricity use by 20 percent. 

Nearly a third of PG&E and Edison customers qualified for the rebates in July, and about 38 percent of San Diego-area customers saw some relief on their bills. 

Other state-sponsored efforts encourage long-term drops in energy consumption, from handing out compact fluorescent light bulbs and rebates for most any energy-saving gadget from insulation to energy-efficient air conditioners.  

The state has set aside $50 million in rebates for upgrading to energy-efficient appliances to supplement rebate programs already underway by utilities. 

Sales of any appliance with the Energy Star label has tripled since last year at Cherin’s Appliance in San Francisco, said Lou Cherin. 

“Everyone is energy conscious now,” said Cherin, whose sons own the appliance store. “And there are substantial rebates. The rebates bring the price down dramatically.” 

Upgrading appliances saves a lot of power, without forcing people to make a lifestyle change, Garfield said. A new Energy Star-labeled refrigerator uses half the electricity of a 10-year-old one, she said. 

The rebates have spurred a run on new refrigerators, said San Diego Gas & Electric Co. spokeswoman Jennifer Andrews, with that utility giving out 20,000 rebates of up to $200 for any new energy-efficient appliances. 

 

In the last five months, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has received 52,000 rebate appliances for refrigerators, compared to 11,700 during the same period the year before, said PG&E spokeswoman Christy Dennis. More than 15,000 PG&E customers have upgraded washing machines, compared to half that amount the year before. 

More than 47,000 Edison customers have applied for rebates on appliances, said Gil Alexander, a utility spokesman. 

——— 

On the Net: 

The California Energy Commission: http://www.energy.ca.gov 


Stores continue pulling gel candies linked to deaths

The Associated Press
Friday August 17, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — Two major grocery chains have pulled a type of imported jelly candy from thousands of supermarkets nationwide after public health officials here warned they were linked to the choking deaths of two children. 

Grocery chain Albertson’s said Thursday the gel candies, sold under the names Fruit Poppers and Gel-ly Drop, will be removed nationwide from all its 2,500 stores.  

Albertson’s first pulled the candies from 195 stores in Northern California on Wednesday. 

“We want to better understand what the health risks are before we put them on our shelves again,” said Stacia Levenfeld, an Albertson’s spokeswoman.  

“The FDA has not given us any indication if these are safe or not.” 

Safeway pulled Jelly Yum brand candies from 200 of its Northern California stores last week. A company spokesman said the chain does not carry the candies in any other region. 

The gel candies, the size of a coffee creamer, are individually packed in small, soft plastic cups and sold in bulk in plastic jars. The brightly colored candies have become popular over the last two years among American kids after they met with success in Asia. The sweet gel usually comes with a piece of fruit inside a shell of conjac jelly that health officials in Hong Kong, Seattle, Ottawa — and most recently the San Francisco Bay Area — have warned does not readily dissolve in the mouth. Some jars carry a labels warning that the candies are not safe for children under age 6, others age 3. 

The candy is linked to the deaths of Deven Joncich, 3, of Morgan Hill in November and Michelle Enrile, 12, of San Jose last month. In both cases, rescue workers said they couldn’t dislodge the sticky gel from the children’s throats. 

The Santa Clara County Department of Public Health at a news conference Wednesday warned the public about the candy, recommending that it be cut in pieces before it’s given to small children. 

“We decided to do something after the death of Michelle on July 30 and after learning of another death in Seattle,” said Joy Alexiou of the county Health Department. “We want to  

make sure parents read those warning labels.”  

A warning label says the candy is unsafe for children under 6 years old. 

Health department officials in King County, Wash., posted a similar advisory on their Web site last summer after a child died from choking on gel candies. 

Around the world, more than a dozen deaths are tied to the candy.  

Most are in Asia, where the candy originated in 1995. In Japan, the candy has gotten the nickname “deadly mouthful.” 

Taiwan-based Sheng Hsiang Jen Foods Co., the manufacturer of the gel candies blamed for the two deaths in the Bay Area, maintains the candy is safe.  

“Whether it was a mini-fruity gel, a piece of meat, a hot dog, or any hard candy, the result could have been the same,” a company statement said. 

An FDA official said the agency is aware of the situation and continues to look into the two California deaths. But when the FDA will comment on the issue is unclear.


Blazes under control in Northern California

The Associated Press
Friday August 17, 2001

SACRAMENTO — Firefighters battling the largest fire in Northern California contained it Thursday morning, while residents living near another fire were allowed to return to their homes as that blaze also wound down by evening, officials said. 

About 50 miles north of Susanville, the Observation fire claimed 67,700 acres, said Jeff Fontana, a spokesman for the Susanville Interagency Fire Center. The more than 900 firefighters and personnel involved in the $2.7 million effort contained it Thursday morning. 

Crews were being demobilized and sent home, and Gov. Gray Davis hailed them and the other “brave men and women” fighting that and three other fires. 

Meanwhile, all lanes of Interstate 80 that had been closed by the fire near Emigrant Gap were open Thursday.  

That fire had shut down parts of that major freeway for three straight days. 

A fire about 13 miles east of the town of Likely in Lassen County had claimed 33,101 acres as of Thursday evening. Firefighters continued working through sweltering conditions, although winds had died down, said Hilary Ford, a Modoc National Forest information officer. 

The Blue fire, which was 45 percent contained as of Thursday, had posed a threat to Eagleville, a small community of about 100 people and Jess Valley, with its 50 residents, but then headed in a different direction, said Wayne Chandler, a fire information officer for the Modoc National Forest. 

More than 1,576 firefighters and personnel, 47 fire engines, and eight helicopters responded to the Blue fire. Full containment was expected Wednesday. The cost of the fire was estimated at $1.2 million. 

Firefighters were clearing foliage Thursday after getting ahead of a blaze in the Mendocino National Forest that had grown to 14,705 acres. 

Winds remained calm, which is “good news,” said Rick Barton, fire spokesman. 

Barton said indirect line construction was completed and firefighters had begun a burn out operation Thursday evening. 

The fire has destroyed 10 homes and 16 outbuildings and 11 firefighters have received minor injuries since the blaze began Aug. 8 near Stonyford in Colusa County. 

More than 1,583 firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service, state forestry department and local fire departments were fighting the Trough blaze, which was 64 percent contained as of Thursday evening.  

Full containment was expected Monday. The cost of the fire was estimated at more than $8.4 million. 

Some residents were allowed to return to their cabins after 6 p.m. Thursday after being evacuated because of a fire in the steep forest near a remote spot near Emigrant Gap, about 70 miles northeast of Sacramento. 

 

The fire had claimed 2,462 acres as of that evening. 

Residents in the Yuba Gap area and Emigrant Gap area, as well as about 150 campers in nearby campgrounds, had been evacuated earlier in the week. 

More than 1,155 firefighters had contained 90 percent of the blaze by Thursday evening, with full containment projected by 6 p.m. Friday, said Andy Williams, a Tahoe National Forest information officer. 

Williams said crews there were winding down and either being sent home or to assist at other fires. 

Three firefighters suffered heat stress and one suffered a minor eye injury, officials said. 

Using aircraft to drop water, firefighters kept the fire from spreading north of the freeway, the main highway between Northern California and states to the east. 

Officials said the fire was reported Sunday afternoon by a lookout on Saddleback Mountain near Downieville, about 25 miles north of the fire. Its cause is still under investigation. 

— 

On the Net: 

Read about fires at http://www.cdf.ca.gov 


Marine World fatality after ride

The Associated Press
Friday August 17, 2001

VALLEJO — The death of a woman who suffered bleeding in the brain after riding a spinning teacup-style ride at Six Flags Marine World has officials wondering if such rides should be more closely studied. 

Authorities are now investigating the death of the 42-year-old, who last month was this summer’s second fatality involving a brain injury at a Six Flags theme park in the state. 

“In a matter of weeks, we have seen two of them,” said Dean Fryer, spokesman for the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health. “That raises the question, ’Has this been going on and nobody’s known or tracked it?’ I don’t have an answer.” 

Fryer said he has no evidence that the woman had a pre-existing medical condition or that the bleeding that occurred on her brain resulted from riding the Monkey Business ride. The attraction was reopened after it was found to have no mechanical problems. 

“We don’t have jurisdiction to investigate anything other than mechanical operations,” Fryer said. “Our jurisdiction is to look at the operations of the ride to ensure it is safe and operated in a safe manner and according to the manufacturer’s specifications.” 

Jeff Jouett, park spokesman, said he doesn’t believe the death was ride-related. 

On July 21, the woman said her head hurt and she was lightheaded and numb on her left side after riding the attraction twice. Park medical officials treated her on site, and she was transported to an area hospital where she died after two days. 

The park and the state did not know of the woman’s death until this month. 

No autopsy was performed on the woman’s body. 

In June, a woman died from heart disease related to hypertension after riding a roller coaster. Pearl Santos, 28, had a ruptured brain aneurysm. An autopsy showed that the stress of riding the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita was the probable culprit. 

More study into brain-related injuries associated with theme-park rides has been requested by Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass. 


Report says feds discriminate with grants

The Associated Press
Friday August 17, 2001

WASHINGTON — Federal officials routinely discriminate against religious groups when handing out grant money, taking constitutional concerns about the separation of church and state too far, the White House contended in a report Thursday. 

Head Start centers shouldn’t be forced to remove religious signs from walls, the report says, and housing regulations shouldn’t bar organizations dubbed “primarily religious” from participating in community development programs. 

The report, based on data from five federal departments, reiterates many of the points White House officials have made for months as they campaign to direct more government money to religious groups. 

Until now, that campaign has focused on getting Congress to pass legislation opening government’s doors wider to churches, synagogues and other “faith-based organizations.” With this report, the White House is arguing that federal agencies have the power under current law but often act as if they don’t. 

“It is not Congress but these overly restrictive agency rules that are repressive, restrictive and which actively undermine the established civil rights of these groups,” the report concludes. 

The report repeatedly asserts that it is unconstitutional for these agencies to discriminate against religious organizations, although that point is widely debated and far from settled. 

For many years, the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to give taxpayer dollars to “pervasively sectarian” organizations, to keep government from establishing religion or intruding upon it. 

In recent years, the court has opened the door to funding of some religious groups, but so far the court has stopped short of abandoning its earlier, more restrictive rulings. 

Asked about this debate, Bush domestic policy adviser John Bridgeland said that’s why legislation is needed — to make it clear that religious groups can get the money. In the meantime, he said, departments may suggest policy changes. 

President Bush, who ordered the report, suggested regulatory action might be coming. 

“We now see exactly what kind of obstacles stand in the way of a more compassionate America,” he said in a statement. “We look forward to addressing these inequities through legislation, administrative action and education.” 

Titled “Unlevel Playing Field,” the report includes information from five agencies – Health and Human Services, Education, Labor, Justice and Housing and Urban Development – each of which searched for institutional barriers that prevent religious and community-based groups from taking part in government programs. 

Some agencies, the report says, put religious groups into two categories: “too religious” and “secular enough.” Where participation is not banned outright, it says, religious organizations often face an “unwelcoming environment.” 

Civil liberties groups responded that established law is being followed. 

“What they call barriers, most people would call the Constitution of the United States,” said the Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. “Highly trained, nonpartisan government employees are trying to obey the Constitution as written, not the fanciful interpretation the White House wishes for.” 

 

The broader question — whether religious groups should be allowed to offer more programs with government money — has been the subject of a six-month debate in Congress. Legislation approved by the House would make it clear that such groups may compete for grants without putting aside their own religious character. The matter is pending in the Senate. 

The report also concluded: 

—It is hard to measure precisely how much federal money religious groups now get, though anecdotally it appears they get very little. That is partly because they choose not to apply for it, fearing they will be forced to strip away their religious character. 

—Federal officials have largely ignored “charitable choice” laws, which open government welfare, drug treatment and community development programs. They have done little to help states and local governments comply with the new rules. 

—Very little is done to measure how well the groups that get the bulk of government money actually perform, meaning there’s little rationale for giving the same groups the big contracts every year. 

—Cumbersome regulations and requirements make it hard for smaller organizations — both religious and secular — to participate in federal programs. 


Committee proposes some Internet access to federal court records

The Associated Press
Friday August 17, 2001

WASHINGTON — People could log onto their home computers instead of going to the federal courthouse to get information on many cases under a plan to put records on the Internet. 

A panel of judges stopped short of directing that all cases be available online, however, taking a tentative step into the Internet age with civil cases first. Records would be edited to remove personal information that could be used by cyber criminals. 

Recommendations that were released Wednesday follow two years of work and could become the standard not only for all federal courts but some state judiciaries. 

A committee of 14 judges said records of criminal cases should not be put on the Internet for now because “information could then be very easily used to intimidate, harass and possibly harm victims, defendants and their families.” They said the policy should be reviewed within two years. 

“I’m encouraged they haven’t slammed the door on criminal cases. They apparently want to take a go-slow approach, which may be the best thing,” said Tom Newton, attorney for the California Newspaper Publishers Association 

With privacy advocates on one side and media groups on the other, judicial leaders are walking a tightrope as they decide how to make records available not only by paper at courthouses but also online. 

News associations argue that all public records should be treated the same and should be accessible through the Internet, which provides quick availability. Opponents contend those records can include private things like financial information and medical records. 

Court officials would doctor Social Security numbers, dates of birth and minor children’s names in online records, under the plan. 

“I’m pleasantly surprised,” said Chris Hoofnagle, attorney for the Washington-based Electronic Privacy Rights Information Center. “There’s clearly a recognition and sensitivity to privacy issues.” 

Paul McMasters, First Amendment ombudsman at the Freedom Forum in Arlington, Va., was disappointed. 

“Just when the information age promises to make those criminal records truly public, this committee is suggesting they really shouldn’t be that public after all,” he said. 

The Judicial Conference of the United States, which sets policy for courts, meets Sept. 11 and will consider the recommendations by the Committee on Court Administration and Case Management. 

“The federal courts are not required to provide electronic access to case files ... nevertheless, the federal courts recognize that the public should share in the benefits of information technology, including more efficient access to court case files,” the committee said in its report. 

The committee said Congress should change bankruptcy laws to allow judges to seal those cases to protect privacy. Hoofnagle said bankruptcy records are an easy source for people to get personal information to use for identity theft. 

The report proposed keeping off the Internet cases involving Social Security challenges, like those filed by injured workers. The Social Security Administration asked for an exemption, and the committee agreed that those are “of little or no legitimate use to anyone not a party to the case.” 

The Justice Department had expressed concerns about criminal cases being available on the Internet. 

Federal courts around the country are handling Internet access differently. The committee said policies should be the same nationwide. 

The committee said people who go online to get federal court documents should have to register with a government-run records system, which charges a fee. 

——— 

On the Net: 

U.S. Courts privacy debate: http://www.privacy.uscourts.gov/ 


Pollution killing more people than traffice crashes

The Associated Press
Friday August 17, 2001

WASHINGTON — More people are being killed by pollution from cars, trucks and other sources than by traffic crashes, researchers estimate in a report that says cleaning up would prolong the lives of thousands of people. 

The researchers, in a study in the journal Science, said that cutting greenhouse gases in just four major cities — Sao Paulo, Brazil; Mexico City; Santiago, Chile and New York City — could save 64,000 lives over the next 20 years. 

Greenhouse gases, principally carbon dioxide or ozone, are those pollutants that tend to trap the sun’s heat in the atmosphere or to affect solar radiation. 

The gases have been blamed for causing global warming, but the study’s lead author, Devra Lee Davis, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz School in Pittsburgh, said the effects are not just long-term. 

“The message in our study is that there are real and immediate health benefits” in reducing greenhouse gases, she said. 

She said that burning of fossils fuels, such as gasoline in cars or coal in power plants, can create air pollutants such as ozone, airborne particles small enough to be inhaled, carbon dioxide and other gases. The pollutants, said Davis, can cause people to die prematurely from asthma, breathing disorders and heart disease. 

“It is our best estimate that more people are being killed by air pollution ... than from traffic crashes,” said Davis. “There are more than a thousand studies from 20 countries all showing that you can predict a certain death rate based on the amount of pollution.” 

Some experts, however, say that the direct connection between air pollution and death is not that clear, even in cities. 

Dr. Russell V. Luepker, a cardiologist and professor at the University of Minnesota, said that air pollution is not recognized as a significant cause of heart disease in the United States. 

“It is not a major factor in developing heart disease, but it does play a role in acute episodes that can kill you,” said Luepker, an expert designated by the American Heart Association as a spokesman. “More people either come to emergency rooms or die of heart disease during pollution episodes,” but the pollution did not start the disease, he said. 

Dr. Marian Frieri, a professor of medicine and an asthma expert at State University of New York at Stony Brook, said that air pollution can contribute to asthma inflammation but is only one factor on top of another condition. 

Davis and four co-authors said that adopting greenhouse-gas abatement technologies now available could prevent thousands of cases of chronic bronchitis and save millions of days of restricted or lost work. 

“We’re not talking about Buck Rogers-like, futuristic technologies,” Davis said. 

She said although the study concentrated on just four cities that have a combined population of 45 million, the conclusions probably could be applied to cities worldwide. The data are consistent with a World Health Organization study that estimated that air pollution would cause about 8 million deaths worldwide by 2020, she said. 

Dr. Jonathan Patz of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said the study by Davis and her co-authors draws “an important conclusion.” 

“It shows that there are significant health benefits to be had from reducing emissions from the burning of fossil fuels,” he said. 

Carbon dioxide and other gases from the burning of coal and oil have been blamed by many researchers for warming of the climate. Some have predicted long-term and varied global effects, including such phenomena as melting glaciers, rising sea levels and recurring weather extremes. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Global warming: http://www.ipcc.ch 


Unusual circumstances in Texas stay of execution

The Associated Press
Friday August 17, 2001

AUSTIN — The successful last-minute attempt to spare the life of convicted killer Napoleon Beazley included two unusual twists: the judge who presided over Beazley’s trial asked the governor to stop the execution, and one of his own appeals lawyers admitted doing a poor job. 

Beazley was 17 when he killed John Luttig, the father of a federal judge who has ties to three U.S. Supreme Court justices. The case has divided the Supreme Court and renewed criticism of states that apply the death penalty to teenagers. 

A state appeals court stopped the execution four hours before Beazley was to die by injection on Wednesday so it could review his case.  

Just before the court ordered the delay, Beazley’s trial judge, Cynthia Kent, faxed a letter to Gov. Rick Perry asking him to commute Beazley’s sentence to life in prison. 

Although the trial was free of error, the judge wrote, Beazley’s life should be spared because of his age at the time of the murder.  

In Texas, juries decide whether convicted killers should be executed. 

Perry said Thursday he was aware of the judge’s letter but wouldn’t say what he would do. Perry can grant a 30-day reprieve from execution, but can’t order a commutation without the recommendation of the state Board of Pardons and Paroles, which already voted to proceed with the execution. 

Smith County District Attorney Jack Skeen Jr., said he opposes the surprise request and would “strongly urge” Perry against commuting the sentence.  

Kent didn’t immediately return a call for comment Thursday and her staff said the judge wouldn’t comment on a pending case. 

The judge’s letter is “very unusual,” said Rob Owen, an adjunct professor at the University of Texas law school and director of the school’s capital punishment clinic.  

Owen said he had never heard of a judge writing such a letter in a capital murder case. 

“She has grown to agree that while he deserved to be punished, he was not the most dangerous criminal who deserved to be executed,” Owen said. 

Also rare, Owen said, was a sworn statement from one of Beazley’s appeals attorneys, blaming himself for mistakes in his case.  

Although claims of inadequate counsel are common on direct appeal, it is unusual for an appeals attorney to criticize himself later, Owen said. 

Robin Norris, who represented Beazley in one of his rounds of appeals, has submitted a sworn statement admitting his investigation and preparation of the case were incomplete.  

He also said he didn’t research or brief the issues regarding Beazley’s age. 

Norris also said his caseload was too heavy because he was handling several other death penalty cases at the same time. 

“I feel a good case can be made for my responsibility for the shortcomings of my investigator,” Norris said.  

“If I’m not going to be responsible, nobody will be.” 

Beazley would be the 19th U.S. prisoner to die since 1976 for a murder committed by a person younger than 18.  

He would be the 10th in Texas, where he was among 31 death row inmates who were 17 at the time of their crime. 

Beazley, a high school class president and star athlete who also had dealt drugs and carried firearms, killed Luttig as he and his wife were returning home to Tyler.


Study finds hands-free phones still distracting

The Associated Press
Friday August 17, 2001

DETROIT — A study released Thursday said hands-free devices for cell phones do not appreciably reduce driver distraction, suggesting laws mandating the use of such devices may be ineffective. 

The study, conducted by University of Utah researchers, concluded distractions are caused by concentration on the conversation, rather than dialing or holding the phone. 

“It’s not where the hands are, but where the head is,” said Chuck Hurley of the Itasca, Ill.-based National Safety Council, which reported the study in the August/September issue of its publication Injury Insights. 

The study involved 64 participants in a simulated driving environment. Participants who were talking on their cell phones missed twice as many simulated traffic signals and took longer to react to those signals they did detect. There was no significant difference, however, between drivers using hands-free devices and those using hand-held phones. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that driver distraction – including talking, eating, reading or even changing radio stations – is involved in 20 percent to 30 percent of all crashes. 

The president of the trade group representing the cell phone industry did not dispute the study’s findings but echoed the safety council’s call for drivers to use phones and other electronic devices responsibly. 

“Any activity a driver engages in, besides the task of driving, has the potential to distract,” Tom Wheeler, president and CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, said in a statement. 

In June, New York became the first state to pass a ban on using cell phones while driving. At least a dozen localities and 23 foreign countries have established bans, and at least 39 states are considering similar laws. An estimated 119 million Americans use cell phones. 

Concern over new potential driver distractions is growing as automakers make available new on-board devices that make it possible, for instance, to send and receive e-mail, check appointments and ask for directions. 

——— 

On the Net: 

National Safety Council: http://www.nsc.org 


Gardening isn’t just gardening, it’s life

By Sari Friedman Daily Planet correspondent
Friday August 17, 2001

Grinding a slug under the heel of your boot and then selecting flora to tenderly cultivate. Methodically exterminating generations of snails and then constructing your very own greenhouse.  

Covering some earth with a patio while transforming another space into a pond which you carefully nurture and refer to as a “womb chamber.” 

Welcome to “gardening.”  

“My garden is all about balance, about choices,” writes Simone Martel, who spent important moments of her childhood alone with her black cat, Sylvia in a garden in the Berkeley Hills.  

As a teenager, Martel found herself wandering through the four acre Blake Estate, a manifestly cultivated garden in Kensington which is open to the public on weekdays, and within which the president of the University of California resides.  

While Martel herself was in college, she married and moved into a home in the Berkeley flats. Martel’s book, “The Expectant Gardener,” recently published by Berkeley’s Creative Arts Book Company, chronicles Martel’s 10 years in this house, where she made the journey from novice gardener to expert amateur horticulturist.  

Martel documents this journey plant by plant and year by year – from the daffodils which bloom in the first warm days of February, to the tomato plants which bear fruit into November.  

Every plant has its own strength and meaning, such as the trailing lobelia on her front porch which still have the power to make her mother wince.  

Martel points out that where some people see a flower, she now perceives a process; she finds herself marveling at how a few dusty seedlings can turn into eight foot hollyhocks, and an almond shaped tuber becomes a big blooming dahlia.  

She also finds herself feeling prejudiced against some plants, while favoring others. She characterizes plant varieties as “banal” or “placid.” 

Martel’s heading toward that pivotal moment in which she will “garden” her own life and have her first child. 

“Mother Nature” isn’t so compliant as Martel would like.  

Martel warily deals with the weeds which flourish in every month of the year, and her personal ambitions – such as for white oleander (Nerium oleander) are periodically destroyed by climactic changes or the invading seeds from neighboring gardens. 

Sometimes Martel herself becomes fickle: planting, then ripping out, flower varieties; landscaping with native shrubs, then adding exotics.  

The chores never seem to end and Martel is meticulous and obsessed.  

She moves through scores of gardening tomes and catalogs; gets personal about the “wonders of mulch” and takes issue with the bias against conventional lawns. (She likes a little lawn.) 

What I like best in “The Expectant Gardener,” is Martel’s analogy between a garden and life.  

We hear that “A hard frost strikes about once every five years. When it does, only the toughest, most established hibiscus, bougainvillea, and other tropical plants survive.”  

We learn about how much difference “time” makes – the passing years help some plants to mature and grow comfortable. We learn that when a plant bolts it grows quickly, makes seeds, and dies prematurely. In hot weather; for example, lettuce sometimes bolts and becomes too bitter to eat. 

But my favorite bit of wisdom is this: “Gardening had taught me that time passes, seasons go by, things change. If you wait too long, sometimes it’s too late.” 

After 10 years of gardening Simone Martel concludes that nature is uncontrollable. When it is time, Martel harvests her garlic chives and one day she goes into labor. She asks herself: “Why do we make gardens? Why on earth do we bother?” 

She answers: “You have to learn to cherish. You have to dare to take the risk, to bother, to care.” 

Sari Friedman is finishing her first novel and teaches writing at local community colleges. She can be reached at Literate2@Yahoo.Com


Industry Standard magazine to file for bankruptcy

The Associated Press
Friday August 17, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — Sinking along with the Internet economy that it covered, the Industry Standard will suspend publication next week and file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to an internal company memo obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. 

The San Francisco-based weekly magazine’s 150 employees will receive the bad news Monday when they return from a week of forced vacation, according to sources familiar with the plan. About six employees will be retained to continue running the Standard’s Web site and report on the technology industry, the sources said. 

If it can reorganize its finances under the bankruptcy court’s supervision, the Standard hopes to revive the magazine, sources said. 

Boston-based International Data Group, the Standard’s majority owner, declined to comment Thursday. 

The memo from Standard Media International’s investors and board of directors blamed the 3-year-old magazine’s failure on a deep technology industry slump that has resulted in mass layoffs and drastic cutbacks. With few buyers in the market, companies reduced their advertising budgets, which hit the magazine hard. 

After raking in $140 million in revenue last year, the Standard is on a pace for $40 million this year, a drop-off of more than 70 percent, the memo said. 

“The company’s ’vital signs’ have been dropping precipitously in the face of a severe correction in the overall market,” the memo said. 

This year’s dramatic reversal in fortune came on the heels of an aggressive expansion last year that included a long-term lease for expensive office space that would accommodate more than 600 employees. The payroll climbed to about 400 workers last fall when advertising revenue began to fall, prompting management to begin backpedaling. 

Despite a series of cost-cutting measures adopted since the dot-com downturn, the Standard couldn’t shed enough expenses to stay alive, the memo said. 

In the past year, the Standard has lost more than $50 million, the memo said. After striking out in its last-ditch attempts to raise $10 million from venture capitalists and other investors this week, the Standard’s board decided to go the bankruptcy route, sources said. 

The bankruptcy petition will likely list more than $50 million in liabilities, sources said, a stunning reversal from early 2000 when the magazine was valued at $200 million during a $30 million round of financing from investors led by Flatiron Partners and Chase Capital Partners. 

Bulging with snazzy ads proclaiming how technology industry would change the world, the Standard became a benchmark for the dot-com industry. As it covered the rise of unprofitable Internet companies that became Wall Street darlings, the Standard joined in the celebration with fancy parties and elaborate technology conferences. 

With a staff of business journalists plucked from well-established publications around the country, the Standard became perhaps the best-known of the flashy magazine to crop up in the San Francisco Bay area. 

The Standard isn’t the first of its breed to cash in its chips. 

In June, Business 2.0’s parent company sold the magazine for a reported $68 million to AOL Time Warner, which transferred the name to its eCompany magazine. Other prominent New Economy magazine such as Red Herring and Upside have been dumping workers and searching for cash infusions. 

——— 

On The Net: 

http://www.thestandard.com 


Economists encouraged by falling consumer prices

The Associated Press
Friday August 17, 2001

WASHINGTON — A sharp drop in the cost of gasoline and other energy products helped drive down consumer prices in July by the largest amount in 15 years. 

There also was good news on two other fronts Thursday: Housing construction posted its best performance in 17 months and the number of workers filing jobless benefits declined, suggesting better days ahead for the slumping economy. 

“This is all great economic news,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Economy.com. “After all the gloom, which was getting thicker and thicker, there is a little break in the clouds and sunlight is poking through.” 

Even so, stock indexes were down slightly by midafternoon as investors focused more on companies’ profit and revenue warnings than on the broader economy. 

While Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and his colleagues have plenty of room to cut interest rates further, given the tame inflation, economists are predicting that policy-makers will opt for a quarter-point reduction rather than a more aggressive half-point when they meet Tuesday. 

“I think it’s close to a slam dunk for a quarter-point cut,” said Tim O’Neill, chief economist for Bank of Montreal and Harris Bank. “The Fed doesn’t have the inflation monkey on its back. Housing is still amazing. Jobless claims are encouraging and manufacturing, which has been the weakest part of the economy, may be bottoming out.” 

To avert a recession, the Fed has cut interest rates six times this year, totaling 2.75 percentage points. One of the reasons the central bank has been able to act so aggressively is that inflation has been contained. 

So far this year, consumer prices have increased at an annual rate of 2.8 percent, compared with an increase of 3.4 percent for all of 2000. 

After edging up by 0.2 percent in June, the government’s most closely watched inflation gauge actually fell by 0.3 percent in July. It was the first drop this year in the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index and the best showing on inflation since a 0.4 percent decline in  

April 1986.  

The “core” rate of inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, moderated in July, rising by 0.2 percent, compared with a gain of 0.3 percent in June. 

A second report showed that the housing market continues to thrive. 

Housing construction rose by 2.8 percent in July to an annual rate of 1.67 million, the best performance since February 2000, the Commerce Department said. 

 

“We’re cruising along,” said David Seiders, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders. Low interest rates and the fact that most Americans still have jobs have kept activity solid. 

A third report suggested that layoffs may be slowing. New claims for state unemployment insurance fell by a seasonally adjusted 8,000 to 380,000 last week. The more stable four-week moving average of claims also fell to 370,750, the lowest since early March. 

In the months ahead, economists believe inflation will remain well-behaved. Soaring energy prices, which caused consumer inflation to jump by 0.6 percent in January, have eased. Also, the slowdown has made it harder for companies to raise prices and many businesses are reluctant to make big increases in workers’ pay and benefits. 

A 5.6 percent plunge in energy prices accounted for much of the good inflation news for July. 

Gasoline prices fell by 11 percent in July. Nationwide average prices at the pump have tumbled since peaking May 18 at $1.76 a gallon. 

Natural gas prices, which posted a record decline in June, fell by 4.1 percent in July. Home-heating oil went down by 2.8 percent. 

After soaring by a record 3.8 percent in June, electricity prices eased in July, rising 0.6 percent. That probably is little comfort to California residents coping with a power crisis caused by shortage of electrical generating capacity. 

Clothing prices fell 0.6 percent and airline fares were down 0.2 percent. 

All these lower prices swamped higher prices for other goods. Food prices rose 0.3 percent in July. Prescription drug costs rose 0.6 percent and tobacco costs shot up 4.8 percent, the largest increase since September 1999. 

——— 

On the Net: 

CPI:http://www.bls.gov/ 

Jobless:http://www.ows.doleta.gov/news/news.asp 

Housing starts: http://www.census.gov/indicator/www/housing.html 


Nosebleeds can signify something serious

The Associated Press
Friday August 17, 2001

DALLAS — Nosebleeds can be a nuisance. Or something more serious. 

While some nosebleeds have transient causes, others may be caused by injury or high blood pressure, says Dr. J.R. Williams, assistant professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center. 

“There is not just one fix-all,” he said. “It is important to determine which type of nosebleed you are having so it can be properly treated.” 

A nosebleed that starts from the front part of the nose and only exits one nostril probably is an anterior type – most often caused by lack of humidity. Other possible causes include chronic nose picking, sinus infection, or reactions to such medications as inhalants, aspirin, ibuprofen or anticoagulants. 

A posterior nosebleed comes from deep in the nose and flows down the back of the mouth and throat, even if the patient is upright. It could have been caused by by a sports- or accident-related injury, or the person could have high blood pressure. Either possibility calls for treatment. 

Williams has this advice for handling a nosebleed: 

“To stop a nosebleed, pinch the soft parts of the nose together, and slightly tilt the head back for five minutes. If bleeding has not stopped, gently blow the nose to evacuate all clots. Then spray a decongestant-nasal spray quickly into both nostrils, followed by another five minutes of pinch-pressure. Applying ice to the nose and cheeks may also help slow bleeding.” 

After bleeding slows, you may pack your nose lightly with tissue, first tipping the tissue with a bit of petroleum jelly. That will prevent the resumption of bleeding when the tissue is removed. 

“Resumed bleeding after the above fails at home should more than justify seeing a physician,” Williams said. 

Get to a doctor or emergency room if the bleeding cannot be stopped or recurs, if bleeding is rapid or blood loss is large, the person feels weak or faint, or if blood goes down the back of the throat instead of through a nostril. 

 

The emergency room doctor will first try to cauterize by applying silver nitrate to the bleeding site. If it can’t be controlled this way or if bleeding is too brisk, electrical cautery will be used. In severe cases, a radiologist may put a catheter into the affected blood vessel and insert gelfoam to control the bleeding. 


Make changes, lose the medicine

The Associated Press
Friday August 17, 2001

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Make a few changes in your life, and you could reduce or even eliminate the need for blood pressure medicine, advises the Mayo Clinic Health Letter. 

The newsletter echoes the advice you may hear from your doctor: 

• Lose it if you’re overweight. Even 7 to 10 pounds can help. 

• Exercise. Try to be physically active for 30 to 40 minutes each day. 

• Eat right. Choose foods with less fat, including low-fat dairy products. Eat more grains, fruits and vegetables. This will ensure adequate intakes of potassium and calcium, which may lower blood pressure. Using olive oil in cooking also may help. 

• Reduce sodium. Limit your intake of sodium to 2,000 to 3,000 milligrams a day. Sodium in salt causes fluid retention, which in turn can raise blood pressure. 

• Stop smoking. Nicotine can raise your blood pressure. 

• Limit alcohol. No more than 1 ounce of alcohol daily for men, half that amount for women. An ounce translates to 2 ounces of 100-proof liquor, 24 ounces of beer, or 10 ounces of wine. 

• Limit caffeine. Caffeine can raise blood pressure in some people. 

• Manage stress. Meditation, rhythmic exercises such as tai chi, or having a pet are good ways to help reduce stress. 


Career stems baseball, military, school services

By Mary Barrett Special to the Daily Planet
Thursday August 16, 2001

Charles Richardson tends his thriving garden of beans, tomatoes, peppers and corn in the side yard of his north Berkeley home. 

“Watching baseball on TV is like watching this corn grow – boring,” he says. “But playing competitive ball, now that’s exciting.” And he’s the man who knows. 

For five years, from 1946 until he was drafted, Charles Richardson played in the Negro Leagues, barnstorming through every state and into Mexico, Cuba and the Philippines. A tall, imposing man in his early 70s, Richardson was a talented southpaw in the 1940s. 

“Baseball was the game when I was a kid, the national sport; we all played it. You had to be good at baseball if you wanted to get any notoriety around here.” 

Richardson said he thought a black idol from Berkeley, Johnny Allen, would be the first African American to play in the major leagues. “Of course Jackie Robinson got that distinction. Johnny Allen was an outstanding athlete, born and raised in Berkeley. He and others from the Negro Leagues played in Bay View Park in Oakland and at San Pablo Park in Berkeley, during their off season. Fifteen hundred to 2,000 people would come out to watch those guys play.” 

Johnny Allen let Charles Richardson know that he was ready, at 16, to play league ball when Richardson, as if overnight, had come into a man’s strength. But his parents were against him leaving high school to go off with the barnstorming teams. 

“I had to vilify my father, made it seem like he never let me do anything, so he got mad and put me on punishment, and then I left. I felt very guilty about that for a long time.” 

Richardson was the oldest of 10 children and always felt needed as a youngster. Any money he made selling papers, shining shoes, delivering mail during World War II, went to help his family. The depression was just over and his parents needed every little bit of money they could get. 

“It’s a wonderful feeling to be needed. I feel sorry for kids today – nobody needs them.” 

Playing with the Ford Taggers, the San Francisco Cubs, the Sea Lions and the Oakland Larks, Richardson made $250 or $300 each month, sometimes more, good money for the times. Half of it he sent home. 

“It was a tough, tough way to earn a living though. Most places did not welcome black people. When we played in states like Wyoming, Montana, Utah, parts of California, we couldn’t get a hotel room, so we slept on the bus. A lot of places restaurants wouldn’t serve us so we made a diet off of lunch meats.” 

Richardson said playing in little towns was entertainment before TV. “We did the circuits, just like big bands and the circus. We played local teams. You had to win, but keep the game close and, at the same time, look good doing it. You had to be a good athlete to do that. We’d invariably win games, but in every little town, there’d be people on those teams who were outstanding. We had respect for those guys who could play.” 

Barnstorming meant playing two games a day, the second perhaps just a few miles down the road from the first, and playing every little town, it seemed, in the country. 

“The parks were like a drive-in movie. People would park their cars around the fences, there’d be just a small bleacher section. Most of the fans were white. Sometimes traveling, we’d not see another black person for six weeks.” 

Richardson played first base usually but, because the teams played nine games each week, and there were only 15 players, nearly everyone had to pitch. 

“I had never pitched as a kid, but I found out I had good stuff on the ball. I was a wild left-handed pitcher and frequently walked people. My arm would get exhausted. The greatest game I ever pitched, I didn’t walk anybody. I think we lost the game, but nobody walked!” 

Right after World War II, Richardson played in the Philippines. His was the first baseball team to go in after the war and they were treated like celebrities. Filipino fans packed the games. They treated the men with adulation, and Richardson, the very youngest player, remembers this experience fondly because he was treated not only like an equal, but like a very special man. 

Richardson had a chance to play with Jackie Robinson’s All Stars in 1948 which, Richardson says, sounds a lot better than it was. Robinson and another Dodger, Roy Campanella, would come out west and pick up local players to do exhibition games locally.  

“You didn’t get to travel all over the country with Robinson, just Oakland, San Francisco, Vallejo, maybe L.A. He had respect for us because we were good players. He was a nice guy who’d pick up the tab at dinner.” 

Everyone had dreams of making it to the major leagues after ‘47 when Jackie Robinson became a Brooklyn Dodger. Every black person in the United States became a Dodger fan in ‘47, Richardson believes. 

“To be truthful, I thought I was going to the majors, too. I was, we used to call it, ‘chesty.’ Some of the guys I played against, and with, weren’t considered to be as good a ball player as me and they made it. I thought it would be just a matter of time.”  

But, Richardson adds, it was also a matter of luck. 

“I was drafted into the army and went to the Korean War. I was gone for two years and when I came back the Black Leagues were being disbanded. They were playing to empty houses because of television. You could watch the Yankees for free on TV, why go out to see us?” 

Richardson was only 20 and felt sorry for himself. “I had been born in the wrong time,” he said. “But then I realized I’d had a chance to play with and against the best athletes of the time. I got to do exactly what I wanted to do, my dream was always to be a ball player. It was a wonderful thing for me.” 

He and his buddy, Pumpsie Green, the first black man to make the Boston Red Sox and the last team to integrate, worked out every day at the Berkeley YMCA. Richardson says he’s not a big baseball fan anymore, he can’t sit through a game on TV because it moves so slowly and all you see is spitting and scratching, but any time he goes out to a game, usually taking a bunch of kids with him, he’s glad he’s gone. And he has respect for today’s super stars.  

“That ball is this big (he shows a small circle with his hands) and it’s coming at you 96 miles an hour, you still have to hit it. You can take all the steroids in the world, but you still have to hit that damn ball.” 

After his baseball career was over, and his stint in the Korean War, Charles Richardson started working for the Berkeley Unified School District and went back to school part time. He graduated from Cal State Hayward with a degree in sociology. At work, he went from a custodial position to Coordinator of Student Support Services at West Campus and Berkeley High School. He worked 39 years for B.U.S.D., finishing his career as a Child Welfare and Attendance Officer.  

While in Korea, in the face of death, he realized how much he wanted to marry and have children. He and his wife Alice Richardson, who also devoted her work life to the Berkeley schools, have been married for 49 years and have three children. Charles III is a professional photographer living in New York City, Kim is an East Bay resident who works at the Surgery Center in Oakland, and Alison works at the University of San Francisco,as the director of student activities. 

In retirement, Richardson works for the Berkeley Police Department in a job designed to keep kids out of the Criminal Justice System. He’s a man who values the stability a strong community can provide to its youth. 

“I learned, playing ball, how to work hard at something. You work hard you improve. You might not be the best, but you’ll be better than you were.” 

He talks about a young, almost homeless boy he worked with. “I told his mother, send him to school, he’ll get breakfast maybe, and lunch. You’ll be able to look for work without him tagging along with you.”  

Richardson says things have changed since he was growing up and all the neighbors looked after all the kids. “Even Spud Murphy, the old wino, would warn us, ‘I’m a see your dad’ if we were hanging out, cutting school or smoking a cigarette.” 

“I’m like a neighbor,” he says, “looking out for the kids.” 

Charles Richardson is the neighbor we’d all like to have. 


Oakland’s Brown right on

Letters to the Editor
Thursday August 16, 2001

 

Editor: 

Jerry Brown has consistently betrayed his avowed principles and the voter constituency that elected him as mayor of Oakland. Our best response might be to confine him for 30 days with nothing but food, water and a tape deck whereupon he would spend those days doing nothing but listen to “We the People,” the KPFA radio shows that gave him the podium to rant, rave and energize our left-leaning citizenry, desperate for some political vision and leadership. Yet, ironically and much to the chagrin of his audience and followers, Brown has finally showed the courage and perspective he so gallantly cried out for during his reign as radios’ greatest rhetorician. 

Anybody who has spent time trying to teach in many of our public schools knows how enervating the discipline problems have become. As a veteran of that system I can testify to the classroom mayhem and the consequent demands to maintain order that zap teachers of their energy and consequently… their rightful job… to teach children, not police them. 

While many of us are in denial about this deplorable situation or spin our tops, coming up with one ineffective remedy after another, Brown’s experiment with the Military Academy shows that he has grasped this unfortunate reality and is willing to take a giant step forward in prototyping a solution. Frankly, my experience suggests that not only do we need boot camp academies but perhaps the presence of the National Guard itself, in every problematic school. 

Back in the 1940’s and 50’s we had to deal with larger class sizes, and various other obstacles to effective education. But teachers weren’t burned out yelling, screaming chasing and reporting undisciplinable students. This was largely because public school children back then had the fear of failure appropriately ingrained into their mind’s eye and heart. There is nothing wrong with this fear of failure. When applied proportionately it helps us develop the skills to survive and hopefully contribute to our society and culture. Today that fear has taken a back seat in the classroom and has been relegated to the students who must, all too often, defy their peer groups and bear an “uncool,” “unhip” nerd-like image in order to get anything done. 

Brown’s Academy is a courageous recognition of these problems. We should all support Mayor Brown, the children and staff in this effort. My only question is: does it go far enough? 

 

Marc Winokur 

Oakland


Thursday August 16, 2001

 

924 Gilman St. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Aug. 17: Blood Brothers, True North, The Cost, Red Light Sting, Betray The Species; Aug. 18: Dr. Know, The Sick, Society of Friends, Manchurian Candidates, Shut the F*ck Up; $5. 924 Gilman St. 525-9926. 

 

Ashkenaz Aug. 16: 10 p.m. - 2 a.m. Dead DJ Night with Digital Dave. $5; Aug. 17: 9:30 p.m. Near East Far West. $12; Aug. 18: 9:30 p.m. Zydeco Flames. 8 p.m. dance lesson w/ Cheryl McBride. $11. Aug. 19: 8 p.m. Open Stage w/ Koko De La Isla, Ernesto Hernandaz, Jeff Hawkins. $8; Aug. 21: 9 p.m. Slavonkian Traveling Band. 8 p.m. dance lesson w/ Joyce Clyde. $10; Aug. 22: 9 p.m. Badenya Les Freres Coulibaly, $10; Aug. 23: 10 p.m. - 2 a.m. Dead DJ Night with Digital Dave. $5; Aug. 24: 9:30 p.m. Caribbean All Stars $11; 1317 San Pablo Ave. 525-5054 www.ashkenaz.com  

 

Eli’s Mile High Club Doors open at 8 p.m. Aug. 18: Craig Horton /CD Release; Aug. 25: Carlos Zialcita; Every Friday, 10 p.m. - 2 a.m., Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

 

Freight & Salvage Coffee House Aug. 16: David Jacobs-Strain and Joe Craven, $16.50; Aug. 17: Mitch Greenhill & Mayne Smith, plus Spiral Bound, $16.50; Aug. 18: Mighty Prince Singers, Talk of Da Town, $17.50; Aug. 19: John Fahey Tribute Concert, $19.50; All shows 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St. 548-1761 www.freightandsalvage.org 

 

Jupiter Aug. 16: Beatdown with DJ’s Delon, Yamu and Add1; Aug. 17: The Mind Club, Old school funk grooves with sonic swirls of acid jazz; Aug. 18: Blue & Tan; Aug. 21: Groove.org; Aug. 22: Stolen Bibles; Aug. 23: Beatdown w/ DJs Delon, Yamu, and Add1; Aug. 24: 5 Point Plan; Aug. 25: Mitch Marcus Quintet; Aug. 28: Big Lou and Polka Casserole; Aug. 29: Secession; Aug. 30: Beatdown with DJ’s Delon, Yamu and Add1; Aug. 31: Realistic CD Release Party; All music starts at 8:00 p.m. 843-7625 www.jupiterbeer.com  

 

La Note/Jazzschool Aug. 19: 4:30 p.m. Hazel Carter, 5:30 p.m. Bryan Girard & Friends, 6:30 p.m. T3 (Kirk Tamura Trio); Free. 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373  

 

La Peña Cultural Center Aug. 17: 8:30 p.m. Music and dance performance by Jaranón y Bochinche, $12; Aug. 18: 8:30 p.m. Mission (roots hip hop), $8; Aug. 19: 3:30 p.m. Domingo de Rumba; Aug. 24: 8:30 p.m. Professor Terry’s Circus Band Extraordinary, $16; Aug. 25: 9:30 p.m., Edgardo Cambon’s Candela, $10, 8:15 p.m. Salsa dance class w/ Diego Vásquez, $13; In the Cafe, 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

ACME Observatory Aug. 19: 8 p.m. Solo performance by Jason Kahn, Brown Bunny Ensemble. $9.99 suggested donation. TUVA Space, 3192 Adeline @ MLK Jr. Way. 649-8744 http://sfSound.org/acme.html 

 

Indigo Event Center Aug. 25: 4:20 p.m. Musicians for Medical Marijuana Benefit concert. Sound Tribe Sector 9, Lost at Last, The Mermen, Ten Ton Chicken, Scott Huckabay, Strawberry Alarmclock, Buzzy Linhart, plus special guests, $25. 1988 Broadway at 19th, Oakland. 869-5391 www.m4mm.org  

 

Third annual Berkeley World Music Festival Aug. 26: Noon - 6 p.m. Block party and carnival, Grupo Ilu Fun Fun, Petit La Croix, Samba Ngo, O-Maya, Fito Reinoso y Su Ritmo y Armonia. Durant Ave. between Telegraph Ave. and Bowditch. 

 

TUVA Space Aug. 25: 8 p.m. Vanessa Lowe and the Lowliflies, Ira Marlowe, Hoarhound. 3192 Adeline St. 655-9755 

 

“Frank Olivier’s Twisted Cabaret” Aug. 24 & 25, 8 p.m. Frank Olivier is joined by Uncle Paul Nathan and The Twisted Cabaret Band. All tickets $16. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 845-8542 www.juliamorgan.org 

 

“Loot” Through Aug. 25, Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 7 p.m. Special Performance Aug. 20, 8 p.m. General Admission: $15, Students / Seniors: $10. La Val’s 1834 Euclid Avenue 655-0813 

 

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

 

“Reefer Madness” Aug. 22, 23: 9 p.m. A new one-act theatre piece adapted from a 1936 government-funded film opens a critical eye to the control of our society. Performed by The Elemental Theatre Group La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Avenue. Wednesdays are “pay what you can,” Thursdays $5 - $10. 655-4150 

 

“Soul Harmony” Aug. 25: 5 - 7 p.m. A spirited one-woman show of history, culture, and entertainment. Written by Joy Holland, directed by Ava Coaxum. Presented at the Black Repertory Theater. 3201 Adeline St. $10 donation. 652-3399 

 

Pacific Film Archive Aug. 16: 7:30 p.m. Rancho Notorious; Aug. 17: 7 p.m. Bonchi, 9:05 p.m. Money Talks; Aug. 18: 7 p.m. Ministry of Fear, 8:45 p.m. House by the River; Aug. 19: 3 p.m. National Velvet, 5:30 p.m. I Am Two, 7:15 I Am a Cat; Aug. 21: 7:30 p.m. The Direct Cinema Tradition; Aug. 22: 7:30 p.m. The Werewolf of Washington; Aug. 23: 7:30 p.m. Contempt; Aug. 24: 7 p.m. The Heart, 9:20 p.m. The Outcast; Aug. 25: 7 p.m. Moonfleet, 8:45 p.m. The Blue Gardenia; Aug. 26: 3 p.m. Duck Soup, 5:30 p.m. The Wanderers, 7:25 p.m. Dora-Heita; Aug. 28: 7:30 p.m. DGen. Adm.. $7, The New PFA Theatre 2575 Bancroft Way 642-1412 

 

“BACA National Juried Exhibition: Works on Paper” Through Aug. 31: Wed. - Sun. Noon - 5 p.m. Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893 

 

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

 

“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.  

 

“A Fine Line” Through Aug. 24, Tuesday - Friday, noon - 5 p.m. or by appointment. An exhibition works by Kala Fellowship winners for the years 2000 and 2001. Kala Art Institute 1060 Heinz Avenue 549-2977 

 

“Geographies of My Heart” Collage paintings by Jennifer Colby through Aug. 24; Flora Lamson Hewlett Library 2400 Ridge Road 649-2541 

 

“MFA Survey Exhibition 2001” Third annual exhibition of works of recent graduates from Bay Area master of Fine Art programs. This year featuring artists working in three-dimentional media. Through Aug. 18 Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Traywick Gallery 1316 Tenth Street 527-1214 

 

“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. Atelier 9 2028 Ninth St. (at Addison) 841-4210 or visit www.atelier9.com 

 

“New Visions: Introductions 2001” Through Aug. 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. Pro Arts 461 Ninth St., Oakland 763-9425 

 

“The Political Art of: Diego Marcial Rios” Through Sept. 20, Addison Street Window Gallery, 2018 Addison St. hdrios@msn.com 

 

“Sistahs: Ethnographic Ceramics” Through Aug. 22, Reception July 29 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery 3023 Shattuck Avenue 548-9286 ext. 307 

 

“Squared Triangle” Through Oct. 5. noon - 6 p.m. Reception for the artists, Aug. 18: 4 - 7 p.m. A minimal art exhibit featuring three Bay Area artists working in different mediums while achieving the same elegant simplicity. The Crucible, 1036 Ashby Ave. 843-5511 www.thecrucible.com 

 

“Ten Years Here” Exhibit celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Turn of the Century Fine Arts. Through Sept. 14, Sat & Sun 1-5 p.m. Reception Aug. 4 2:00 - 7:00 p.m. 2510 San Pablo Avenue 849-0950 

 

 

Readings 

 

Boadecia’s Books Aug. 17: Lynne Murray reads from her latest Josephine Fuller mystery “At Large”; Aug. 18: “Hell on Heels” tour with Daphne Gottlieb and Thea Hillman; Aug. 24: Andrea Gabbard discusses “Girl in the Curl: A Century of Women’s Surfing”; Aug. 25: Ann Bannon reads from her lesbian pulp classic “Beebo Brinker.” All events start at 7:30 p.m. and are free. 398 Colusa Avenue 559-9184 www.bookpride.com 

 

Black Oak Books Aug. 16: Mandy Aftel and her new book, “Essence and Alchemy: A Book of Perfume”; Aug. 19: “Wildest Alaska: Journeys of Great Peril in Lituya Bay” by Philip L. Fradkin; Aug. 21: June Jordan’s memoir “Soldier: A Poet’s Childhood”; Aug. 22: Ruth Daigon’s “Payday at the Triangle”; Aug. 23: Phil Cousineau’s “Once and Future Myths: The Power of Ancient Stories in Modern Times”; Aug. 27: Catherine Brady, Jean Herlund, Frances Payne Adler, and Marianne Villanueva and others to celebrate CALYX Book’s 25th Anniversary, “Cracking the Earth”; Aug. 28: Kent Nerburn reads from “Road Angels: Searching for Home on America’s Coast of Dreams”; Aug. 29: Sylvia Brownrigg reads from her new novel, “Pages For You”; All shows at 7:30 p.m. free of charge. 1491 Shattuck Avenue 486-0698 

 

Café de la Paz Poetry Nitro performance showcase with open mike. Aug. 20: Avotcja; 6:30 p.m. signup, 7 - 9 p.m. reading. 1600 Shattuck Ave. 843-0662 

 

Cody’s Books - Poetry Flash Aug. 22: Trane Devore and Shauna Hannibal; Aug. 29: The New Now Millennium Anthology Reading with Editor H. D. Moe; All are a $2 donation. Readings at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-0837 

 

Coffee Mill Poetry Series Aug. 21: Featured Readers: Victoria Joyce and Theresa Bamberger; Both 7-9 p.m. Free. 3363 Grand Ave., Oakland for info. 465-3935 or 526-5985, or Email: ksdgk@earthlink.net 

 

“Coffee Break Readings and Refreshments,” Aug. 18, 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Oakland Public Library-Rockridge Branch. Open-mic poems, monologues and dramatic scenes, presented by Opera Piccola. For ages 10 and up. 5366 College Ave. Free. 238-3134 ww.oaklandlibrary.org 

 

Tours 

 

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

 

Golden Gate Live Steamers Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park Small locomotives, meticulously scaled to size. Trains run Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sunday, noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623  

 

 

Museums 

 

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

 

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

 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology will close its exhibition galleries for renovation. It will reopen in early 2002. On View until Oct. 1 : “Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture.” “Sites Along the Nile: Rescuing Ancient Egypt.” “The Art of Research: Nelson Graburn and the Aesthetics of Inuit Sculpture.” “Tzintzuntzan, Mexico: Photographs by George Foster.” $2 general; $1 seniors; $.50 children age 17 and under; free on Thursdays. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Ave. 643-7648 or www.qal.berkeley.edu/~hearst/ 

 

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. Susan Cerny’s collection of over 200 tops from around the world. “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 

 

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. “How Big Is the Universe?” Aug. 1 through Aug. 24. Learn how to determine the distance of celestial objects, one of the purposes of the Hubble Space Telescope. Daily, 2:15 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, 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu Daily, 3:30 p.m. $7 general; $5 seniors, students, disabled, and youths age 7 to 18; $3 children age 3 to 5 ; free children age 2 and younger. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu  

 

Oakland Museum of California, A Legacy of Early California Paintings: The Shumate Collection, through Aug. 19; Every Worker is an Organizer: Farm Labor and the Resurgence of the United Farm Workers, through Aug. 26; Made in Oakland: The Furniture of Garry Knox Bennett, through Sept. 2; After the Storm: Bob Walker and the Art of Environmental Photography, through Sept. 16; Half Past Autumn: The Art of Gordon Parks, through Sept. 23; Rustler Ranch Mastodon Project, through June 30, 2002; Wednesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday, noon - 5 p.m., Closed Monday and Tuesday. $6 general; $4 youths (6-17), seniors and students with ID. Free for Museum members and children 5 and under. Free admission the second Sunday of the month. 10th & Oak Streets, Oakland. 238-2200 www.museum.org 

 

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

 

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

 


BHS senior takes seat on board

By Erika KellyDaily Planet correspondent
Thursday August 16, 2001

Serena Chandler, a Berkeley High School senior, never dreamed she’d be in the chair she’d be seated in Wednesday night, when she would take her place as student director on the Board of Education. 

“My freshman and sophomore year, I never would have imagined myself here. I was totally unplugged from the school. I didn’t see the point of getting involved,” said Chandler, who was born and raised in Berkeley by her parents Patricia and Jeff Chandler. 

Now, as student director, she will be the voice of students in school board debates, a role she is taking over from Niles Xi’an Lichtenstein. 

Chandler doesn’t consider herself “political,” a word she associates with the boring politicians she sees on television who inspire her only to channel surf. Still, she embodies the saying that “all politics is personal.” 

“I’m not a big ‘political’ person, but I care about things that affect my people,” she said. 

Her interest in politics was sparked by local issues and her avid reading of books about the Black Panthers, Che Guevara and the Cuban Revolution, among others. 

“Political change is so interesting to me, with so much political oppression in the community. I just put my foot in and it caught me,” said Chandler. 

In the last year, she joined other students to protest the plan to build a youth jail in Dublin, as well as the new truancy policy proposed by BHS Principal Frank Lynch. Chandler credits the truancy debate with inspiring her to run for student director. 

“I wanted to have a greater voice in decision making,” she said. 

Chandler, together with a group of students, felt that the school’s plan to fail students who had a certain number of absences did not deal with the root causes of truancy. 

“It would have punished students instead of educating them,” she said. 

In a presentation before the school board in July, Chandler joined other members of the group Youth Together in proposing an alternative plan to combat truancy, which would provide students with greater support and guidance before punishing them for their absences. 

School board President Terry Doran’s interaction with Chandler convinced him that she is well prepared for her new position. Chandler and the other students impressed Doran with their desire to find solutions to the truancy problem, not just protest the plan. 

“As adults we sometimes forget how our policies will impact students in a concrete way. We may have a tendency to generalize. The student voice brings anything we do some perspective and concrete feedback from the student point of view, and we need that always. I really believe that Serena has the ability and desire to do that in an aggressive and positive way.” 

Among friends and family, Chandler has earned a reputation as a good listener and problem solver, qualities which they believe will help her meet her new responsibilities. 

“I think she’s willing to listen more than talk and do something about what she hears,” said Inga Arguta, 17, Chandler’s best friend. “Every single problem she hears about from a student, she’ll try to change it; if she can’t change it, she’ll try to reason with the student and administrators.” 

Nico Cary, 16, one of Chandler’s three brothers, agrees. 

“She lends an ear to anyone who needs to talk. She can get in that person’s dimension and help them out,” said Cary. 

Chandler has not yet decided what she wants to accomplish during her tenure. Instead, she believes her mission will be informed by student concerns and issues that emerge during the school year. 

“It makes me nervous, honestly, because I’ve never been in that type of setting. It will be a new learning experience. I can’t learn this in a book,” said Chandler before heading off to her first meeting. 

 


Thursday August 16, 2001


Thursday, Aug. 16

 

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. 869-2547 

 

Ancient Native Sites  

of the East Bay 

7:30 p.m. 

Room 160 Kroeber Hall, University of California Campus 

Christopher Dore will discuss “Space and Place at Two East Bay Shellmounds.” Jason Claiborne, archaeologist with Archeotec, Inc., will discuss his recent work and the delicate position of playing “archaeo-police” versus serving the client in a talk entitled “Insuring the Future of the Past.” $10 841-2242 

 

Salsa Dance Classes 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Classes every Thursday with live percussionists, light refreshments, DJ playing Latin music. $10 or $15 for two. 237-9874 

 

Kensington 55+ Activity Center 

9 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Social Hall of Arlington Community Church 

52 Arlington Ave. 

Conversation, Apple II computer instruction, massage therapy, German conversation group, meditation and relaxation techniques, watercolor art class, tea and coffee. Special 11 a.m. program: Travel, Jackie Hetman presents “A 17-Day Train Trip Through Namibia.” 526-9146. 

 

The Candy Cottage 

1:30 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health 

2230 Shattuck Ave. (Lower Level) 

“The Candy Cottage” is a short comedy written and performed by the Hall of Health staff, for children ages 3 to 12. The play provides information about eating healthy, the food pyramid, and what vitamins and minerals do for your body. The Hall of Health is a hands-on community health-education museum and science center sponsored by Children’s Hospital of Oakland. Free. 549-1564. 

 


Friday, Aug. 17

 

Candle Lighting Service 

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

San Pablo Park 

Russell and Mabel streets 

A candle lighting service for friends and loved ones in Berkeley and surrounding areas who have passed on. Free food (barbecue), drinks, table games, softball and entertainment. 653-3808 

 

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. Intake process required. Meeting Fridays through Aug. 17. $8 - $35 sliding scale per session 548-8283 x534 

 

Project Underground’s  

5th Birthday Party 

6 - 9 p.m. 

On the roof of Project Underground's Office  

1916A Martin Luther King Jr. Way  

(between Berkeley Way and Hearst)  

Entertainment, food, drinks, childcare, raffle prizes and more. Everyone is invited to celebrate the organization’s success. $20 donation, nobody will be turned away due to lack of funds. 705-8981 www.moles.org 

 

Opus Q Auditions 

3 - 5/ p.m. 

The University Lutheran Chapel 

2425 College Ave. 

Opus Q - The East Bay Men’s Chorale is preparing for its first full season. Gay men and their allies are invited to audition for the world’s newest GALA ensemble. 664-0260 www.opus-q.com  

 

Even Stronger Women 

1:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Free weekly cultural discussion class. This week: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. 549-1879 

 

Commission on Aging 

Transportation Subcommittee 

3 - 5 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Public forum/ meeting to discuss transportation issues. 644-6050 

 

— compiled by Guy Poole 

 


Saturday, Aug. 18

 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Center Street @ Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

12th Annual Cajun & More Festival. Live music by: Motor Dude Zydeco, Johnny Harper’s Carnival, Creole Belles, Sauce Picuante. Food, crafts fair, micro-breweries, and free Cajun dance lessons with Pattie Whitehurst. Free event open to the public. 548-3333 www.ecologycenter.org 

 

The Pyramid Outdoor Cinema 

7 p.m. 

Pyramid Alehouse 

901 Gilman St. 

The Outdoor Cinema features cult classics projected on a large screen in the open-air brewery parking lot. This week, Grease. Movies show every Saturday through Sept. 22. $5 donation. 206-682-8322 x237 www.pyramidbrew.com 

 

KPFA Meeting for the Disabled Community 

1 - 4 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

A community meeting with KPFA’s Listener Advisory Board to voice concerns regarding the station’s coverage of disability issues.  

707-795-2890 

 


Sunday, Aug. 19

 

Hands-On Bicycle Repair Clinics  

11 a.m. - Noon  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Learn how to fix a flat from one of REI’s bike technicians. All you need to bring is your bike. Tools are provided. Free  

527-4140 

 

Tibetan Culture 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Stephanie Hoffman on “Preserving the Tibetan Literary Heritage.” 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. This Sunday is International Family Day. 654-6346 www.westberkeley.com 

 

Opus Q Auditions 

4 - 6 p.m. 

The University Lutheran Chapel 

2425 College Ave. 

Opus Q - The East Bay Men’s Chorale is preparing for its first full season. Gay men and their allies are invited to audition for the world’s newest GALA ensemble. 664-0260 www.opus-q.com 

 

The Bungalow - Tradition and Transformation 

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Instructed by architect/contractor Barry Wagner. $35. 

525-7610 

 


Monday, Aug. 20

 

 

Tuesday, Aug. 21 

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 fears and phobias: getting and overcoming them. 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. 525-3565 

 

Free Early Music Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK) 

Small group sings madrigals and other voice harmony every Tuesday morning. 655-8863 

 

Berkeley Fibromyalgia Support Group 

12 - 2 p.m. every 3rd Tuesday 

Alta Bates Medical Center  

Maffly Auditorium - Herrick Campus 

2001 Dwight Way 

Rap session. 601-0550 www.arthritis.org 

 

Slide Show: Birds in the Garden 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

A discussion follows. 644-6107 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/hhs/commsvc/seniors.htm 

 


Wednesday, Aug. 22

 

Magic Mike 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley 

Part of the Lawrence Hall of Science Wednesday FUN-days. Bay Area favorite Magic Mike with theatrical illusions and electric comedy. Museum admission $3 - $7. 

642-5132 

 

Lecture on Parkinson’s Disease 

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 

Ashby Campus 

Conference Room 3 

2450 Ashby Ave. 

Learn about the latest treatments for Parkinson’s disease. Free and open to the public. 869-6737 

 

Thursday, Aug. 23 

Salsa Dance Classes 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Classes every Thursday with live percussionists, light refreshments, DJ playing Latin music. $10 or $15 for two. 237-9874 

 

New “Classroom Matters” Open House 

6 - 9 p.m. 

2512 9th St., Suite #3 

A Berkeley based educational center that provides tutors, mentors and support services, will hold an open house at their new location.  

540-8646 www.classroommatters.com  

 

Lecture-Program on the Armenian Opera “Arshak II” 

7:30 p.m. 

North Branch Berkeley Public Library 

1170 The Alameda (at Hopkins) 

Dr. Clifford Cranna will present a lecture-program on the world premiere of the Armenian opera Arshak II, the tale of Armenia’s fourth century warrior king. 649-3913 www.infopeople.org/bpl/ 

 

Kensington 55+ Activity Center 

9 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Social Hall of Arlington Community Church 

52 Arlington Ave. 

Conversation, Apple II computer instruction, massage therapy, German conversation group, meditation and relaxation techniques, watercolor art class, tea and coffee. Special 11 a.m. program: Holistic Health, Jan Stecher leads in Rosen Movement. 526-9146  

 

Friday, Aug. 24 

Yiddish Conversation Group 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

644-6107 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/hhs/commsvc/seniors.htm 

 

Even Stronger Women 

1:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Free weekly cultural discussion class. This week: Poetry. 549-1879 

 

Basic Electrical Theory and National Electrical Code 

7 - 10 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Instructed by “Code Check” author/retired city of Oakland building inspector Redwood Kardon. $35. 525-7610 

 

Saturday, Aug. 25 

The Pyramid Outdoor Cinema 

7 p.m. 

Pyramid Alehouse 

901 Gilman St. 

The Outdoor Cinema features cult classics projected on a large screen in the open-air brewery parking lot. This week, The Shining. Movies show every Saturday through Sept. 22. $5 donation. 206-682-8322 x237 www.pyramidbrew.com 

 

Copwatch: Know Your Rights Training 

11 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Copwatch Office 

2022 Blake St. 

Learn what your rights are when dealing with the police. Learn how to monitor the police safely.  

548-0425 

 

Astrojax Playday 

1 - 4 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley 

Astrojax is part yo-yo, part juggling balls and a lasso. The inventor, theoretical physicist Larry Show, will give a demonstration and instruction. Museum admission $3 - $7. 642-5132 

 

Cerrito Creek Work Party 

10 a.m. 

Meet at Creekside Park (south end of Belmont Street), El Cerrito 

Join Friends of Five Creeks in removing brush to make a new trail along Cerrito Creek. Bring work gloves and clippers if you have them.  

848-9358, f5creeks@aol.com, www.fivecreeks.org. 

 

Travel Careers Class 

8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 

Vista Community College 

2020 Milvia St. 

Vista’s annual one-day class for the public on careers in the travel industry. A full-day seminar. $5.50 981-2931 www.vistacollege.edu 

 

Sunday, Aug. 26 

Healing 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Sylvie Gretchen on “Healing Mind.” 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 

 

3rd Annual Berkeley World Music Festival 

noon - 6 p.m. 

Durant Ave., between Telegraph and Bowditch 

Carnival and block party festival with World Music bands, performers and dancers. 649-9500 www.taasite.org 

 

Monday, Aug. 27 

East Bay Heritage Quilters 

7:30 p.m. 

First Unitarian Church 

1 Lawson Road-Moeser Lane @ Arlington, Kensington 

Lecture: On the Road to Quiltmaking, a Personal Journey  

Non-members $3. 834-3706 

 

Tuesday, Aug. 28 

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. 525-3565 

 

Free Early Music Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK) 

Small group sings madrigals and other voice harmony every Tuesday morning. 655-8863 

 

Poetry Through Time II 

7 p.m. - 8 p.m. 

Judah L. Magnes Museum 

2911 Russell St. 

Bay Area poets Opal Palmer Adisa, Phyllis Koestenbaum, Reuven Goldfarb, and Martha Evans will read. A brief open reading will conclude the program. 549-6950 www.magnesmuseum.org 

 

Wednesday, Aug. 29 

 

Thursday, Aug. 30 

Salsa Dance Classes 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Classes every Thursday with live percussionists, light refreshments, DJ playing Latin music. $10 or $15 for two. 

237-9874 

 

Lost in the Wilderness 

7 p.m. 

REI 

1338 San Pablo Avenue 

Jason Flesher, a Search and Rescue member for almost 20 years, will share his nine rules for surviving in the wilderness. Free. 

527-4140 

 

Kensington 55+ Activity Center 

9 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Social Hall of Arlington Community Church 

52 Arlington Ave. 

Conversation, Apple II computer instruction, massage therapy, German conversation group, meditation and relaxation techniques, watercolor art class, tea and coffee. Special 11 a.m. program: Music, Hugh Kelly plays harmonica and leads sing-along. 526-9146 

 

Attic Conversions 

7 - 10 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Seminar taught by architect Andus Brandt. $35. 525-7610 

 

Friday, Aug. 31 

Start a Writing Group—and Keep It Going 

10 a.m. - noon 

North Branch Berkeley Public Library 

1170 The Alameda (at Hopkins) 

Dr. Kathy Briccetti will host a workshop on How to Start and Maintain a Writing Group. This free workshop requires pre-registration by Aug. 29th. 

644-6850 www.infopeople.org/bpl/ 

 

Even Stronger Women 

1:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Free weekly cultural discussion class. This week: movie on Emma Goldman followed by discussion. 549-1879


Something constructive can come of the quandary

By Mayor Shirley Dean
Thursday August 16, 2001

I sometimes claim I was seven feet tall before I became mayor of Berkeley but got so short – under five feet – from everybody beating on me! Nothing brought that home to me more than the recent episode involving the Boy Scouts. In response, I am determined to carve something constructive out of the embarrassing happenings of last week. 

Last week was to be routine starting with greeting visitors from our sister city, Sakai. Instead, Berkeley became the center of an international storm of controversy. By now, you know the story. Thirty-eight Japanese boy and girl scouts accompanied by American Boy and Girl Scouts who were hosting the visitors were to meet with me in the Civic Center Building. Councilmember Kriss Worthington challenged the legality of the meeting, my presence as mayor at the meeting, and holding the meeting on public property. Councilmember Worthington said that because of their discriminatory policies, he didn’t want it to appear in any way that the city of Berkeley supported the Boy Scouts, and suggested that I should separate the group and meet only with the Girl Scouts.  

Boy Scouts of America have a national policy prohibiting membership to gays, but neither the Girl Scouts nor the scouts in Japan have such a policy. Local Boy Scout leaders and members have publicly stated their disagreement with the BSA national discrimination policy even though this has subjected them to strong criticism from others in scouting. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that the BSA, as a private organization, can legally hold such a policy. Change must come from within, but while scout councils around the country, including San Diego and recently Boston, are joining the movement for change, it hasn’t been enough – yet. 

While our city attorney ruled that the original meeting as planned was entirely legal since no city funds were being used, I re-scheduled it to a private location because I didn’t want the Japanese children to be caught in the cross fire of the controversy over an American Boy Scout policy. Some say I should have pushed ahead with the meeting, including using the police and arresting anyone who protested, regardless of the consequences. I don’t think that would have been very wise in the face of the inevitable protest that would have confronted non-English speaking children visiting this country. My first responsibility was to protect the visiting foreign children whose parents were thousands of miles away. I also felt a duty to the Berkeley Boy Scouts and their parents who should be encouraged for the stand they have taken. Once in the middle of a protest, you can’t put the genie back into the bottle, so better safe than sorry, I re-scheduled the meeting. Ironically, because I acted to remove the children from the controversy, the Chronicle wrote an editorial criticizing me for not "leaving the kids out of it." You figure it out!  

The bright note is that I had my meeting, as mayor of Berkeley, with our Japanese visitors and all of us had a wonderful time – full of joy and friendship. Yes, American Boy and Girl Scouts were present with their families. Our meeting was held in El Sobrante, not because I or the scouts didn’t want it in Berkeley, but because the logistics of obtaining a hall on short notice that could accommodate 300 for potluck dinner didn’t work out for Berkeley. The Japanese leaders expressed their great appreciation for protecting the children, and I am pleased that the local Girl Scout organization also expressed its support for my position. Best of all was being with the many fine young people who had shared the previous week with one another.  

The criticism this subject has stirred up has caused embarrassment to our tolerant and caring community. Now we need to get down to the hard business of holding a constructive discussion of what we are going to do to change things. Scouting can provide experiences for children that teach them about the environment, foster teamwork, instill life-long values, and create lasting friendships. Scouting is important for both girls and boys. We need to end the damaging discrimination policies of the BSA. I have made a firm commitment to meet in September with representatives from our local Boy and Girl Scout organizations to develop a strategy that will contribute to this goal.  

 


Gay group criticizes ‘homophobic’ editorial

By John GeluardiDaily Planet staff
Thursday August 16, 2001

East Bay Pride, the largest gay organization in the East Bay, announced Wednesday that it has severed its relationship with the Oakland Tribune because of a “homophobic” editorial attacking Councilmember Kriss Worthington. 

The editorial, which appeared on the front page of the Tribune’s Opinion Section on Tuesday, criticizes Worthington’s role in the cancellation of an annual visit by a group of Japanese scouts with Mayor Shirley Dean. The Tribune is owned by the Alameda Newspaper Group, which owns 10 other newspapers in the Bay Area including the Vallejo Times-Herald and the Marin Independent Journal. 

The editorial begins with a definition. “DESPICABLE: deserving to be despised, contemptible.” It then suggests that if readers want a visual image to accompany the definition, they could use a “mug shot of Berkeley Councilmember Kriss Worthington.” The piece also calls Worthington a “coward” and a “small-time politician.” 

Worthington, who is gay, said he simply raised questions about the annual event because the Japanese scouts were to be accompanied by members of the Mt. Diablo-Silverado Boy Scout Council of America, the same troop that was the subject of a widely-covered lawsuit when it kicked out Eagle Scout Tim Curran for being gay in 1980.  

Founder and director of EBP, Peter King, said the language used in the editorial was clearly homophobic and was more than an attack on Worthington. “That editorial said more about how the Oakland Tribune feels about gay rights than anything it had to say about Kriss Worthington,” King said. “The tone and phraseology in that editorial exposes the Tribune’s thinly veiled contempt for the gay community.” 

King said that words like “despicable,” “cowardly” and “contemptible” are traditionally used to describe gays. 

Nancy Conway, vice president and executive director of the Oakland Tribune, admitted the language was strong but insisted it was not meant to be homophobic. “We wouldn’t run something we thought was homophobic,” Conway said. “We had a good relationship with East Bay Pride and I regret this has escalated to this point.” 

Conway declined to say who wrote the piece and would only say it was one of the Tribune’s editorial writers. 

King said the decision to end the Tribune’s sponsorship was not made lightly because the paper was the largest sponsor of the Gay Pride Festival. 

“But in the end the decision was easy because the bottom line is our organization fundamentally represents a community that’s still struggling to gain rights against people that have a deep-seated prejudice,” King said. 

Kind added that shortly after sending out a press release about the cancellation of the Tribune’s sponsorship, EBP was contacted by two San Francisco newspapers offering to sponsor the festival. 

King said the EBP’s decision to cancel the Tribune’s sponsorship was not in support of Kriss Worthington, but was intended to make a stand for the larger gay community.  

“We are not only angry but we’re deeply disappointed and hurt because we thought these were our friends,” King said. “This was not an attack on Kriss Worthington, this was a homophobic attack on the gay community.” 

Worthington said he was surprised at the intensity of the editorial. “I’ve certainly never seen an attack that was so ferocious,” he said. “I would say it’s so beyond the pale that it was worse than the things the Berkeley City Council (members) usually say about each other.”  

Worthington said he was surprised at the editorial’s insinuation that as an elected official, he pursues only gay issues. “Anyone who goes to City Council meetings knows that I have fought hard for Latinos, Asians and African Americans, all of which are underrepresented on city commissions,” he said. “Gay issues are about 1 percent of what I work on.” 

Worthington added that in addition to the harshness of the attack, he was misquoted in the editorial. “They have me adopting an tiquated language,” he said about being quoted using the word ‘homosexual.’ “For them to fabricate a quote using old-fashioned language, which I never use, calls into question their journalistic integrity.” 

Conway said the Tribune sometimes likes to take strong stands on certain issues. “We run pieces that are controversial,” she said. “The editorial was not an attack on who Kriss Worthington is but we found faults with his methods and we stand by that.” 

King said Conway’s explanation was hard to believe and that the Oakland Tribune should apologize. “They clearly owe the gay community an apology and I would like to see a retraction and an editorial that is just as strongly worded denouncing the Boy Scouts of America’s anti-gay policy,” he said.


City sponsors safety light program

By Daniela Mohor Daily Planet staff
Thursday August 16, 2001

 

 

Residents driving at night are beginning to see lights flashing like lightening bugs all over Berkeley.  

The city’s Injury Prevention Program is sponsoring the sale of safety lights that make pedestrians, bikers and people using wheelchairs more visible in the dark. 

Thanks to the city initiative, Wheelchairs of Berkeley on Shattuck and Ashby avenues and the Berkeley Bike Cage in the downtown Berkeley BART station, started selling various kinds of flashing lights at discounted prices two weeks ago. People can buy up to three items for approximately half their price. Instead of paying $40 for a safety vest, they can buy it for $17. The flashing belt costs $8 instead of $22 and the arm/leg band $6 rather than $16. 

“People are getting them at the cost at which the vendor can purchase them,” said Dina Quan, director of the Injury Prevention Program, part of the Health and Human Services Department. Distribution of the safety lights are part of a five-year safety education campaign developed by the Health and Human Services Department as part of a city-wide effort to reduce Berkeley’s high rate of bicycle injuries.  

In March 2000, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Task Force reported that Berkeley had more than two times the rate of pedestrian and more than four times the rate of bicycle injuries compared with the state figures. “In comparison with 44 cities of a similar size in the state of California,” the report stated, “Berkeley ranks No. 1 in both pedestrian and bicyclist injury and death.” 

So the task force recommended a number of initiatives, including the provision of affordable safety equipment for pedestrians, bikers and wheelchair users. 

One of the main advantages of the program, Quan said, is that it benefits the disabled community. For years people with disabilities had asked the city to address their specific safety needs.  

“This was a big issue among folks on the Commission on Disability,” said Quan. The Injury Prevention Program got continuous feedback from the commission in the process of developing the program to make sure the city-sponsored lights would be most suited to wheelchairs. 

Unlike older safety lights, these products are not only reflective when a car shines its light on them, but include a small battery so they can cast light on their own. They can therefore be visible up to one mile away. Another advantage is that they can be attached to different parts of a wheelchair or a blind person’s cane.  

Wheelchair visibility lights are usually designed for the back of the chair. In some situations that is not enough to avoid accidents. Last November, for instance, Karen Craig, former member of the Commission on Disability, was hit by a car despite her back lights. The driver couldn’t see them. Since using the new flashing lights, Craig said she feels much safer. 

“I find it to be very effective,” she said. “When I cross the street now cars stop way before. They see me from far away.” 

 

 

 


Berkeley lab nabs computer funding

Bay City News
Thursday August 16, 2001

The U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced today that it has received nearly $2 million this year and expects to receive an additional $6 million over the next three years to participate in an advanced computing program. 

According to the lab, the money will be used to develop new tools and technologies for a $57 million Department of Energy program called Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing.  

Of the 51 programs funded nationwide, scientists at the Berkeley lab will lead six and be key partners in six others. 

Some of the programs the Berkeley lab will work on include developing software for terascale computing, which is the task of performing trillions of calculations per second, finding better, more efficient ways to use high-end computer systems and working on the Department of Energy Science Grid.  

The grid is a multi-laboratory project that links the high-end computers of several organizations to perform complicated calculations. 

Laboratory Director Charles Shank said, “Berkeley Lab is home to the world’s most powerful unclassified supercomputer as well as some of the world’s most advanced scientific research facilities.” 

He went on to say, “With these research projects now under way,  

The Department of Energy is poised to redefine how scientific research is conducted.”


Bristol-Myers offers competing drug for free

The Associated Press
Thursday August 16, 2001

NEW YORK — Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. is offering a free, one month supply of its prescription cholesterol drug Pravachol in a bid to capture patients who took a competing drug Bayer Corp. pulled from the market last week amid safety concerns. 

Full-page ads in at least three major newspapers Monday offered users of Bayer's drug Baycol a free 30 day supply of Pravachol. Patients must get their doctor to prescribe the drug for them to take advantage of the offer. 

Bayer removed Baycol from the market Aug. 8; the drug has been linked to 52 deaths. 

Merck & Co. took out a full page ad in last Friday's Wall Street Journal with a banner headline designed to alert Baycol users to its drug Zocor. But Bristol-Myers's more aggressive stance likely reflects that Pravachol is the company's biggest selling drug and has been losing market share to Zocor and market leader Lipitor, which is made by Pfizer Inc. 

Bristol-Myers' ads appeared in The New York Times, USA Today and The Philadelphia Inquirer, according to Bristol spokeswoman Bonnie Jacobs. She did not know if the campaign would continue. She declined to discuss other marketing strategies for Pravachol. 

On the Net: 

http://www.bms.com/landing/data/index.html 

http://www.merck.com/ 

http://www.pfizer.com


10,000 reasons to love Gaia?

Wednesday August 15, 2001

Editor: 

Re: Hank Resnik’s operatic claim that the “enormous...Gaia Building...has immediately become one of the best buildings anywhere in Berkeley,” and that “low-rise structures nearby should be bulldozed – or shipped out to Walnut Creek.” 

(Letters, Aug.11): Anyone who values Berkeley’s sense of place and its walkability should beware this destructive attitude, which I think Hank is deliberately exaggerating.  

To promote a healthy downtown that doesn’t choke on traffic, our task is clear: to carefully preserve, and reuse, our early-20th-century structures and streetscapes that were built around the needs of pedestrians, rail commuters, and bicyclists. The last thing we want to do is bury these assets under newly-built dark Satanic malls. 

For vivid examples of how preservation-based revitalization has benefited other American downtowns, check out Richard Moe and Carter Wilkie’s fascinating book, “Changing Places.” 

I had the privilege of serving with Hank for several years on the board of the Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition, which Hank co-founded. I know Hank as one of the kindest, most open-hearted people in town – but I can’t agree with his take on the Gaia Building. The latter is a monstrous, Stalinist-style monument to civic corruption.  

Could we put the black shroud back on it? 

Shortly after I left BFBC’s board, BFBC accepted a $10,000 grant from the Gaia Building’s developer, Patrick Kennedy.  

I thought that was a bad idea: I feared the money would come with strings attached, and would compromise the credibility of what was then Berkeley’s leading bicycle-advocacy group.  

And indeed, you might say that the Gaia Building now looks about $10,000 more valuable to Hank than it does to me and to other neutral observers. 

 

Michael Katz 

Berkeley 

 


Wednesday August 15, 2001


Wednesday, Aug. 15

 

Space Weather 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley 

Part of the Lawrence Hall of Science Wednesday FUN-days. Explore the Space Weather exhibit, talk to NASA researchers, look for sun spots, make a sundial, cast sun prints. Museum admission $3 - $7. 642-5132 

 

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 

 

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. Free. 802-1725 

 

Dramatic Presentation based on Life Stories 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

A presentation based on the life stories of senior citizens who were interviewed at the Center by students of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. 644-6107 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/hhs/commsvc/seniors.htm 

Thursday, Aug. 16 

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 

 

Ancient Native Sites of the East Bay 

7:30 p.m. 

Room 160 Kroeber Hall, University of California Campus 

Christopher Dore will discuss “Space and Place at Two East Bay Shellmounds.” Jason Claiborne, archaeologist with Archeotec, Inc., will discuss his recent work and the delicate position of playing “archaeo-police” versus serving the client in a talk entitled “Insuring the Future of the Past.” $10 

841-2242 

 

Salsa Dance Classes 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Classes every Thursday with live percussionists, light refreshments, DJ playing Latin music. $10 or $15 for two.  

237-9874 

 

Kensington 55+ Activity Center 

9 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Social Hall of Arlington Community Church 

52 Arlington Ave. 

Conversation, Apple II computer instruction, massage therapy, German conversation group, meditation and relaxation techniques, watercolor art class, tea and coffee. Special 11 a.m. program: Travel, Jackie Hetman presents “A 17-Day Train Trip Through Namibia.” For more information call 526-9146 or 547-1969. 

The Candy Cottage 

1:30 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health 

2230 Shattuck Ave. (Lower Level) 

“The Candy Cottage” is a short comedy written and performed by the Hall of Health staff, for children ages 3 to 12. The play provides information about eating healthy, the food pyramid. Free. For more information call:  

549-1564. 

 


Friday, Aug. 17

 

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 Aug. 17.  

$8 - $35 sliding scale per session  

Call 548-8283 x534 or x522 

 

Opus Q Auditions 

3 - 5 p.m. 

The University Lutheran Chapel 

2425 College Ave. 

Opus Q - The East Bay Men’s Chorale is preparing for its first full season. Gay men and their allies are invited to audition for the world’s newest GALA ensemble. For more information: www.opus-q.com or call 664-0260. 

 

Even Stronger Women 

1:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Free weekly cultural discussion class. This week: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. 549-1879 

 


Saturday, Aug. 18

 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Center Street @ Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

12th Annual Cajun & More Festival. Live music by: Motor Dude Zydeco, Johnny Harper’s Carnival, Creole Belles, Sauce Picuante. Food, crafts fair, micro-breweries, and free Cajun dance lessons with Pattie Whitehurst. Free event open to the public. 548-3333 www.ecologycenter.org 

 

The Pyramid Outdoor Cinema 

7 p.m. 

Pyramid Alehouse 

901 Gilman St. 

The Outdoor Cinema features cult classics projected on a large screen in the open-air brewery parking lot. This week, Grease. Movies show every Saturday through Sept. 22. $5 donation. 206-682-8322 x237 www.pyramidbrew.com 

 


Sunday, Aug. 19

 

Hands-On Bicycle  

Repair Clinics  

11 a.m. - Noon  

Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

1338 San Pablo Ave.  

Learn how to fix a flat from one of REI’s bike technicians. All you need to bring is your bike. Tools are provided. Free  

527-4140 

Tibetan Culture 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

Stephanie Hoffman on “Preserving the Tibetan Literary Heritage.” 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. This Sunday is International Family Day. 654-6346 www.westberkeley.com 

 

Opus Q Auditions 

4 - 6 p.m. 

The University Lutheran Chapel 

2425 College Ave. 

Opus Q - The East Bay Men’s Chorale is preparing for its first full season. Gay men and their allies are invited to audition for the world’s newest GALA ensemble. For more information: www.opus-q.com or call 664-0260. 

 

The Bungalow - Tradition  

and Transformation 

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Building Education Center 

812 Page St.  

Instructed by architect/contractor Barry Wagner. $35. 

525-7610 

 

— compiled by Guy Poole 

 

 

 


Monday, Aug. 20

 

 

Tuesday, Aug. 21 

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 fears and phobias: getting and overcoming them. 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 

 

Free Early Music Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK) 

Small group sings madrigals and other voice harmony every Tuesday morning. 655-8863 

 

Berkeley Fibromyalgia Support Group 

12 - 2 p.m. every 3rd Tuesday 

Alta Bates Medical Center  

Maffly Auditorium - Herrick Campus 

2001 Dwight Way 

Rap session. 601-0550 www.arthritis.org 

 

Free Computer Class for Seniors 

9:30 - 11:30 a.m. and 1 - 3 p.m.  

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited, call ahead for a reservation. 

644-6109 

 

Slide Show: Birds in the Garden 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. (at MLK Jr. Way) 

A discussion follows. 644-6107 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/hhs/commsvc/seniors.htm 

 


UC students have own idea to reconfigure districts 7,8

By John GeluardiDaily Planet staff
Wednesday August 15, 2001

The Associated Students of the University of California held a news conference Tuesday after submitting a redistricting plan that could elect the first student to the City Council and shift the city’s balance of power in the progressives’ favor. 

“We have seen our electoral strength diluted with major pockets of our community divided among no less than five districts,” Vice President of External Affairs Josh Fryday said in a letter that accompanied the plan. “The division has limited the student voice on key issues from housing to transportation.” 

The plan, submitted by four representatives of the ASUC, calls for a major reconfiguration of districts 7 and 8. Under the plan both districts, which are to the south of campus, would be tilted 90 degrees to the east putting District 8 in the southeastern corner of the city and District 7 immediately to the south of campus.  

The result would be that 71 percent of the registered voters in District 7 would be under the age of 24, Fryday said. 

“For the first time we would be able to put a student on the City Council who would represent student issues such as housing, transportation and safety,” Fryday said, speaking on the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center steps. “When these issues came up, we would have someone backing students at all times.” 

The City Charter requires the boundaries of the eight districts be adjusted every 10 years so there are an equal number of residents in each. According to the 2000 Census, two districts showed a drop of nearly 3,000 residents. District 8 lost 1,600 people and District 7 lost 1,300. The charter requires the city adopt a redistricting plan that puts 12,850 residents in each district by the end of December. 

The City Clerk will be accepting redistricting plans from the public until 5 p.m. today. City staff will also submit a plan. The City Council will consider all submissions and is scheduled to hear public comment on redistricting plans on Sept. 13 and 25. The council is expected to adopt a redistricting plan on Oct. 2. 

As of Tuesday afternoon, the ASUC had submitted the only plan. 

The new configuration would have District 7 bounded by Hearst Avenue in the north, Oxford and Elllsworth streets to the west and Parker and Derby streets to the south. District 8 would be bounded to the north by Parker and Derby streets, to the west by Elllsworth Street and Shattuck Avenue and the City of Oakland to the south. The plan would absorb all of the sororities, fraternities and other student housing currently in District 8, into District 7. 

Working against the student plan is the City Charter, which mandates the districts not be significantly altered in shape. The students argue that the major reconfiguration they are calling for is allowed under the Federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, which makes it illegal to break up communities of interest such as seniors, Socioeconomic groups and, the ASUC argues, students. 

The plan would also shake up the political makeup of districts 7 and 8. Currently District 8, represented by Councilmember Polly Armstrong, is considered a moderate district. District 7, represented by Councilmember Kriss Worthington, is considered to be progressive. 

Both councilmembers handily won their districts in 1998. Worthington took 61 percent of the vote and Armstrong took 58 percent. 

If the ASUC plan is adopted, Worthington would suddenly reside in the more moderate District 8 and Armstrong’s district would be reconfigured to contain a larger portion of District 7, which is traditionally progressive.  

A possible result is that Worthington would have to face Armstrong in the 2002 council race. The two councilmembers are considered by most council watchers to be opposites politically and neither could be mistaken as timid. 

Worthington is running for the state Assembly in 2002 but said if he lost, he would look forward to campaigning against Armstrong in a newly formed District 8. 

“I think it would be a fascinating race,” said Worthington, who was observing the press conference. “It would certainly be an entertaining and colorful race given our history.” 

Later, during a telephone interview, Armstrong responded to Worthington’s comments simply by saying “I don’t find Mr. Worthington at all entertaining.” 

If Armstrong lost to Worthington or another progressive opponent, and assuming a student elected to the council would be progressive, the power balance on the council could shift left increasing the number of progressives on the council from five to six and reducing the moderates to three. 

Armstrong said she has served her district well and is not worried about any potential reconfiguration. “I’ve done a good job for the last six years and I would have to say I would do well in District 8 no matter what it looks likes,” she said. 

Armstrong said that people forget that a large percentage of her district is made up of students and that she worked hard for them to organize the Class Pass program, which allows students to ride AC Transit anywhere the system goes, once they pay a mandatory one-time fee of about $18 per semester.


Don’t ostrocize, exercise vote

Wednesday August 15, 2001

Editor: 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington is not necessarily my favorite local politician, but Dennis Kuby (letters, Aug. 9) muddles history and points in a disturbing direction by recommending, however tongue-in-cheek, a form of modern ostracism for Worthington. 

Kuby says the ancient Athenians imposed exile on “politicians who abused their public office.” Not quite so, at least not always. Ostracism was employed against more than one citizen as a result of public envy, not misdeeds by the office holder.  

For instance, consider the Archon, Aristeides the Just, who was sent into exile not because of disreputable actions, but because the Athenians “entertained feelings of dislike toward all of more than common fame and reputation,” according to Plutarch. 

There’s a story (perhaps apocryphal) that when Aristeides asked a friend why he had voted to ostracize him, the reply was, “I got tired of hearing you called ‘the Just’.”  

(That should, however, be a cautionary story for Worthington who, in my experience, misses no occasion to mention how honest and honorable he is.) 

Athenian ostracism involved public gatherings where at least six thousand citizens had to vote to confirm.  

Might I gently suggest that those who wish Mr. Worthington sent into political retirement will have their opportunity by casting ballots in the upcoming Assembly primary and election rather than by throwing symbolic potsherds now? 

Kuby also proposes that Worthington be imprisoned.  

Here, again, history is misunderstood. The ancient Athenians did not impose confinement along with ostracism.  

The ostracized individual had to leave Athens for ten years, but could go pretty much anywhere and kept his property and rights as a citizen. Hardly the same as a cell on Alcratraz! 

Finally, we should ask whether, even here in the long self-styled “Athens of the West,” we would want to too closely follow the political practices of an early democracy that denied citizenship and the vote to all women and all non-native men, vigorously practiced and depended on slavery, and was frequently at war with, and overbearing towards, its neighbors? 

 

 

Steven Finacom 

Berkeley


Pacifica crisis reheats with show under siege

By Judith Scherr Daily Planet staff
Wednesday August 15, 2001

The crisis within the Pacifica family of listener-sponsored radio stations may be coming to a head, as the morning news magazine produced by popular host Amy Goodman was canceled Tuesday and replaced, in much of the country, by a rerun of an old show. 

KPFA, Berkeley’s Pacifica station, however, ran the original show, sent directly to the station through high-speed cable lines. 

Amy Goodman, host of “Democracy Now!” has reportedly been in heated battle with Utrice Leid, interim station manager at the New York Pacifica station WBAI, having been relegated to a small cramped studio from where she has been asked to produce her shows. 

Tensions within Pacifica first became evident in Berkeley in 1999, when the Pacifica Foundation Board refused to renew the contract of a popular station manager. The crisis escalated as on-air programmers discussed the manager’s removal over the air, violating the Pacifica executive director’s gag order. Firings and bannings from the air waves ensued. Pacifica closed down the station and piped shows in from Texas and hundreds of people took to the streets in Berkeley, with one demonstration topping 10,000 people. 

Programmers returned to the air and KPFA no longer faces a gag order. However, the fight between activists and the Pacifica Foundation Board, which holds the license to the five stations around the country, has escalated and spread to other listener areas: Los Angeles, Houston, Texas, Washington, D.C., and New York.  

Activists are calling for full disclosure of the board’s expenditures, calling for a board representative of the listeners that is not self-perpetuating, and opposing what they see as the push to “dumb down” Pacifica programming in order to attract a wider audience. 

Goodman’s dispute with her bosses is one part of that fight, with her signing off the air each day, saying she is speaking from “the studios of the fired and the banned,” referring to the more-than-a-dozen WBAI paid and volunteer staff that have been removed from their jobs at the listener-sponsored station. 

Goodman reportedly produced Tuesday’s broadcast from a nearby community television station and sent it by cable to be “uplinked” to the satellite for broadcast, but WBAI managers refused the program. 

This came after a night of negotiations, during which Goodman was attempting to get placed back into a main studio, rather than broadcast from the cramped room which “dissident” Pacifica Board member Tomas Moran called “substandard.” 

Goodman’s decision not to broadcast her shows, whose topics range from political events in East Timor to racial strife in New York City, in the poor conditions of the small studio, comes on the heels of allegations of physical intimidation on the part of the WBAI interim manager, Moran said. 

Moran, who has been among the board minority taking the side of the activists, said he has been trying to contact interim Board Chair Ken Ford.  

“I want him to tell us how the executive director is dealing with this,” he said. “I’ve had no response from Ken Ford.” 

He also had no response from Ford to earlier e-mails immediately following Goodman’s allegations Friday of physical intimidation by Leid. According to KPFA Public Affairs Director Philip Maldari, Goodman said she came upon Leid going through the personal effects of one of the fired staffers. She told Leid to stop and when Leid didn’t, Goodman went and got a camera to photograph Leid going through the individual’s possessions. Leid allegedly took the camera from Goodman by force and pushed Goodman as well. 

The Daily Planet was unable to reach Goodman, Leid, Executive Director Bessie Wash, Pacifica’s pubic relations spokesperson Angela Jones, or Board Chair Ken Ford. Wash, however, posted a message on the Pacifica Web site Tuesday which reads: 

“We are disappointed that Amy Goodman has chosen not to host the award-winning Democracy Now! from the studios of WBAI. This is an unfortunate situation that serves only to deprive the show’s listeners of programming important to them. 

“While we maintain a policy that prevents us from publicly discussing internal disputes and personnel matters, we will continue to try to bridge any differences and find a suitable arrangement for those involved. Whatever our differences are, we feel that the devoted listeners of the show should not be penalized. Pacifica apologizes to the listeners of Democracy Now! and is committed to returning the show to the air as soon as possible.”  

 


City mocked for standing against execution

Wednesday August 15, 2001

Editor: 

I’m surprised that your editor’s story on the San Francisco Chronicle’s attack on Berkeley made no reference to its editorial cartoon (Aug. 9), which lists “To Stop Mumia’s Execution” among the sins of a City Council wearing a Mao cap. 

A hit man, Arnold Beverly, has confessed that he and another, Kenneth Freeman, now dead, were hired by the mob and corrupt police to kill, and did kill, Officer Faulkner, and that Mumia Abu-Jamal had nothing whatever to do with it. Beverly says that the contract was because Faulkner “interfered with the graft and payoffs made to allow illegal activity” such as prostitution, gambling and drugs. 

On July 19, Federal Judge William H. Yohn refused to allow Beverly to be deposed on the grounds that new evidence of Mumia’s “actual innocence” is not admissible!  

He cited the very recent Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, which requires that the facts of the case as determined by the state court “shall be presumed to be correct.” 

He also cited the 1993 U.S. Supreme Court in Herrara v Collins, ruling that a “potential claim for actual innocence...absent an independent constitutional violation, may not be the subject of a federal habeas petition.”  

This means that an innocent person may be executed if the Constitution was adhered to in procedure! 

On Beverly’s charge against the Philadelphia police, in 1995 six Philadelphia police officers pled guilty to charges of falsifying evidence and planting drugs. In an affidavit filed with Mumia’s new appeal in state court, former FBI paid informer Donald Hersing documents Philadelphia police involvement in protection rackets and payoffs, exactly as Beverly states. Alphonso Giordano, the ranking officer on the scene of Faulkner’s murder, and a key witness at Mumia’s preliminary hearing, was never called to the trial itself because of corruption charges hanging over his head, which later led to his resignation from the force. 

Mumia has been in prison for twenty years.  

That is longer than one serves for murder, unless deliberately intended beforehand, which the prosecution did not charge and which is a requirement for the death sentence.  

In any case, therefore, he should go free. 

 

 

Bill Mandel 

Oakland


State senator poses gun legislation

By Erika Kelly Daily Planet correspondent
Wednesday August 15, 2001

State Sen. Don Perata unveiled legislation Tuesday that would hold gun manufacturers liable for what he called irresponsible design and marketing of their products. 

The legislation would repeal a section of California state law that shields gunmakers from product liability lawsuits, and would subject them to the same laws as manufacturers of other products, said Perata, speaking at the Eastmont Mall police substation in East Oakland. 

The announcement comes on the heels of a state Supreme Court ruling that the manufacturer of the guns used in the 101 California St. massacre could not be held legally responsible for the 1993 San Francisco shooting. 

The case was brought by the victims of Gian Luigi Ferri, who walked into the law offices of Pettit & Martin in July 1993, carrying two assault weapons and a pistol and opened fire. Ferri killed eight people and wounded six others before committing suicide. 

Perata’s bill, SB 682, would repeal Civil Code Section 1714, which the Supreme Court cited as the reason for its ruling. It would also introduce language that would hold gun makers responsible for the way  

they design, distribute and  

manufacture guns. 

“The way guns and ammunition are marketed and packaged has a lot to do with how they’re used and why they’re used lethally,” said Perata. 

Perata said gun manufacturer Navegar, which made the assault rifles Ferri used, marketed their product irresponsibly, by touting the gun’s fire power and fingerprint resistance.  

“Who wants to buy a gun that doesn’t show fingerprints?” asked Mike Barnes, president of the Brady Campaign to End Handgun Violence, who joined Perata at the press conference. “There’s only one kind of person that wants to buy that kind of gun.” 

Perata and Barnes were also joined by members of the Million Mom March, Alameda County Sheriff Charles Plummer, Oakland Police Chief Richard Word, and Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Chief Larry Todd, representing the California Police Chiefs Association. 

Berkeley Mayor Shirley Dean, interviewed by phone Tuesday, said she supported Perata’s proposed legislation and others aimed at reducing gun violence, including a ban on assault rifles and small handguns known as Saturday Night Specials. 

“The more guns we get off the street, the better. This is a major public health problem for teenagers and young people,” Dean said. 

Holding gunmakers responsible would encourage them to install trigger locks and increase research on so-called “smart guns,” which can only be fired by their owners, said Dean. 

Representatives for gun owners and manufacturers deny that the California statute provides special protection for gun manufacturers. 

“That gunmakers can’t be sued under California law is wildly inaccurate,” said Jim Vogt, a lawyer with the Chicago law firm of Wildman, Harrold who is representing gun manufacturer Sturm, Ruger and Company, Inc., in the case brought against gun makers by 12 California counties. 

Gunmakers may, in fact, be sued under current legislation, said Vogt, but the case must show that injury was the result of a specific manufacturing defect. 

The current statute puts gunmakers on equal footing with other manufacturers in product liability cases, said Vogt. It was enacted in 1983 in response to a flurry of lawsuits against makers of Saturday Night Specials. 

Perata’s legislation would open gun manufacturers up to a different type of lawsuit, one that would argue the relative benefits and harm brought by guns, said Chuck Michel, a lawyer for the National Rifle Association and spokesman for the California Rifle and Pistol Association. Such lawsuits would be very costly to fight, Michel said. 

“They don’t have the pockets to litigate suits like that. They would be litigated to death,” said Michel. 

He also pointed out that gunmakers should not be held more accountable than automobile makers whose cars were driven by drunk drivers. 

City Councilmember Dona Spring disagreed. 

“Why should guns be held to this standard, and not knives or other things?” asked Spring. “Because they are so deadly at such a distance and are so pervasively used to do harm to people that the maiming, and killing and carnage needs to stop.” 


Alta Bates Summit CEO announces resignation

Summit/Alta Bates sources
Wednesday August 15, 2001

OAKLAND— Irwin Hansen, president and chief executive officer of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center said today that he will resign, effective September 1.  

Hansen stressed that the decision to leave the institution comes at the right time for the medical center and in his own career. 

Hansen said, “There’s never an ideal time to leave a job you love, but as a result of the hard work of the board, management and physician leadership, we’ve initiated a strategic plan for the future. We now have the road map in place to take the medical center to a new level. Despite the challenges that lay ahead, Alta Bates Summit will remain the premier health care organization in the East Bay.”  

The chair of the Alta Bates Summit board of trustees, Lawrence D. Fox, confirmed that the board had received and accepted the resignation. Warren Kirk currently Chief Operating Officer will assume responsibilities as interim CEO, Fox said. 

When Hansen arrived at Summit in 1993, the medical center was on the verge of bankruptcy following a bitter and divisive strike. His initial priorities were to stabilize the business, renew the medical center’s mission of community health, and find a financial partner to sustain the organization long term. Under Hansen’s leadership, Summit affiliated in 1999 with Sutter Health and merged with Berkeley’s Alta Bates Medical Center.  

Community and healthcare leaders expressed regret at Hansen’s announcement. “Irwin has taken a ‘tough love’ approach to healthcare in our community,” said State Senator Don Perata (D – Oakland). “He has a big heart but has always been a straight shooter. I’ve come to rely upon him as one of the most credible voices in the healthcare field. I hope he will continue to stay active here, continuing to advocate for our diverse ethnic, senior, and special needs communities.” 

“This news is extremely sad,” said Rose Ann De Moro, Executive Director of the California Nurses Association. “Irwin is one of the most sensitive CEOs with respect to health care, the community and the nursing profession. I personally will miss our positive working relationship.”  

“I have enjoyed the opportunity to get to know and work with Irwin over the past three years,” said Van Johnson, president and CEO of Sutter Health. “I have been impressed by his dedication to preserving vital community health care resources and by his vision for bringing Summit and Alta Bates Medical Centers together. Through Irwin’s leadership the medical center created a strong plan to take the organization to the next level,” Johnson added. 

“Irwin quickly demonstrated his commitment to creating a true partnership and community health. Irwin’s innovative approach was instrumental in the establishment the Ethnic Health Institute and the Health Ministry/Parish Nurse programs that are models for the entire country,” said Frank E. Staggers, Sr., M.D., president of the California Medical Association and an Alta Bates Summit physician.  

Hansen went on to acknowledge the outstanding team work demonstrated at Alta Bates Summit in the recent successes in quality care outcomes: The best hospital in the East Bay; Summit’s intensive care unit named one of the Top 100 ICUs in the U.S.; Alta Bates and Summit OB services among the best in the nation; Alta Bates’ outstanding heart attack outcomes; and Summit one of only three medical centers in California recognized for excellence in coronary artery bypass graft surgery clinical outcomes. 

“I’ve been running urban healthcare institutions non-stop for the past twenty years. While I love the work, it’s time for me to take this opportunity to pursue some things that I’ve put off for years,” Hansen said. “My first task will be to put 1,000 miles on my new bicycle. I’m looking forward to spending some time with my wife and daughters. I think it’s time for me to stop wearing a name tag around the house.”


Police Briefs

Wednesday August 15, 2001

An incident between a cyclist and a motorist raged out of control late Sunday night, leaving a man and his bike banged up. 

According to Lt. Russell Lopes, a bicyclist was riding north on Arlington Avenue around 11 p.m. when the passenger in a mid-1980s blue Jeep Cherokee yelled at him to “get the … off the road” as the auto whizzed past the bicycle. The bicyclist, angered by the remark, allegedly sped up to the car and followed it as it made a left on Yosemite Road. 

According to Lopes, when the driver of the Jeep realized that the biker was following him, he slammed on the brakes causing the bicyclist to swerve to avoid ramming into the car. The driver then allegedly sped up causing the cyclist to fall to the ground. According to Lt. Lopes, the driver then ran over the bike and then backed over it before driving to the next intersection, making a U-turn and running over the bike again. 

After the motorist ran over the cyclist’s bike the third time, the cyclist allegedly jumped onto the roof of the motorist’s car. The motorist then sped in reverse causing the cyclist to tumble off the roof and hood of the car before finally driving away. 

The bicyclist suffered cuts and bruises on his face and arms but refused medical attention. 

••• 

Two robberies at gunpoint were reported to the Berkeley Police Department over the past five days. 

Three female UC Berkeley students were robbed Saturday night near the corner of Bowditch and Haste streets, according to Lt. Lopes. 

According to Lopes, two men in their early 20s approached the victims while walking on Bowditch around 10 p.m. One of the suspects allegedly had a gun in his hand and was pointing it at the ground when he demanded that one of the women give him her bag. According to Lopes, once the victim handed her backpack over, the suspects ran off. There were no injuries. There are no suspects. 

Early Monday morning a couple in their early 20s were walking home on Dwight Way when two men between the ages of 18 and 25 approached them, according to Lopes. One of the men allegedly asked the victims if they knew what the time was before showing them a semi-automatic weapon and demanding their wallet and purse. According to Lt. Lopes the victims obliged and the suspects ran off. There were no injuries. There are no suspects. 

 

— compiled by Kenyatte Davis


Alternative high school garden gutted

By Erika Kelly Daily Planet Correspondent
Tuesday August 14, 2001

The garden is now barren where ripe tomatoes, strawberry vines and corn stalks once grew, but educators at the Berkeley Alternative High School already have plans to replant the garden removed by the school district last week in an effort to control rodents in the area.  

Rats have infested the city-owned housing adjacent to the alternative school, prompting the city to call for a cleanup at the homes, the school and the neighboring King Child Development Center.  

But educators argue that the rodent abatement project should not have targeted the school garden. Removing debris in the area would have been sufficient, said Travis Smith, garden resource team leader who works with student gardens throughout the school district.  

Smith said garden produce showed no signs of rodent damage, countering the city’s contention that the garden was providing food for the rodents. 

“Removing the trash and wood stacks was a good first step. I think they would have found that, along with trapping (rodents) in the sewers, would have improved the (situation),” said Smith. 

In addition to the school garden, an abandoned garden at the preschool was also removed. Work crews also carted off an old dumpster, a stack of wood and a pile of mattresses used by homeless people. They also mowed down an unkempt grassy area between the schools and the homes. 

The cleanup was part of a citywide effort to eliminate harborage – debris and vegetation that creates shelter – for rodents. 

“In an effort to jump on the problem, we on the city side initiated a cleanup on city properties. And we called on our colleagues in the school district to look at their buildings and to remove any debris and anything that would harbor rodents,” said Arrietta Chakos, chief of staff in the City Manager’s Office. 

Berkeley Alternative High School Principal Alex Palau is satisfied that the school has addressed the city’s rodent concerns and plans to replant the garden once school begins. 

“We need to make sure that whatever concerns there are around rats are met. I think we’ve gone that extra step,” said Palau. “I think we’ve addressed their concerns and hopefully it’s a closed issue.” 

Communication between the city and the school could have been better, observed Palau, who pointed out how difficult it is to get in touch with school administrators and teachers in the summer months. 

When Palau learned of the city’s plan he arranged to meet with city officials at the school to discuss what should be done with the garden. So he and Smith were surprised to arrive at the school last week to find workers already beginning to remove the plants. 

Along with the plants, the cleanup crew planned to destroy the tiered wooden boxes that formed the structure of the garden. But, in what Palau and Smith characterize as a compromise deal, they took the plants but left behind the wooden structure. 

Although the garden is now barren, Smith is already busy growing plants for students to transplant to the garden. 

The garden is part of the district-wide Nutrition Network Program, which offers teachers and students hands-on opportunities to learn about nutrition and science. 

“There are some projects that are serving a greater purpose, and I think this is one of those projects. It serves a nutritional purpose and an educational one, and we’re going to hold onto it,” Palau said. 


Guy Poole
Tuesday August 14, 2001


Tuesday, Aug. 14

 

 

Berkeley Camera Club  

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church  

941 The Alameda  

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

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 

 

Free Early Music Group 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Small group sings madrigals and other voice harmony every Tuesday.  

655-8863 

 

Free Computer Class for Seniors 

9:30 - 11:30 a.m. and 1 - 3 p.m.  

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited, call ahead for a reservation. 644-6109 

 

Auditions for Tom Stoppard’s “Travesties” 

7 p.m. 

Live Oak Theatre 

1301 Shattuck (at Berryman) 

Held by the Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, there are parts for five men and three women ages 20 - 70. No appointment is needed; no remuneration. 

525-1620 www.actorsensembleofberkeley.com. 

 

The Candy Cottage 

1:30 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health 

2230 Shattuck Ave. (Lower Level) 

“The Candy Cottage” is a short comedy written and performed by the Hall of Health staff, for children ages 3 to 12. The play provides information about eating healthy, the food pyramid, and what vitamins and minerals do for your body. The Hall of Health is a hands-on community health-education museum and science center sponsored by Children’s Hospital of Oakland. Free. For more information call: 549-1564. 

 


Wednesday, Aug. 15

 

 

Space Weather 

Noon - 2 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

UC Berkeley 

Part of the Lawrence Hall of Science Wednesday FUN-days. Explore the Space Weather exhibit, talk to NASA researchers, look for sun spots, make a sundial, cast sun prints. Museum admission $3 - $7. 642-5132 

 

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 

 

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. Free. 802-1725 

 

Dramatic Presentation based on Life Stories 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave.  

A presentation based on the life stories of senior citizens who were interviewed at the Center by students of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. 644-6107 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/hhs/commsvc/seniors.htm 

 


Thursday, Aug. 16

 

 

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 

 

Ancient Native Sites of the East Bay 

7:30 p.m. 

Room 160 Kroeber Hall, University of California Campus 

Christopher Dore will discuss “Space and Place at Two East Bay Shellmounds.” Jason Claiborne, archaeologist with Archeotec, Inc., will discuss his recent work and the delicate position of playing “archaeo-police” versus serving the client in a talk entitled “Insuring the Future of the Past.” $10 

841-2242 

 

Salsa Dance Classes 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

1414 Walnut St. 

Classes every Thursday with live percussionists, light refreshments, DJ playing Latin music. $10 or $15 for two. 237-9874 

 

Kensington 55+ Activity Center 

9 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Social Hall of Arlington Community Church 

52 Arlington Ave. 

Conversation, Apple II computer instruction, massage therapy, German conversation group, meditation and relaxation techniques, watercolor art class, tea and coffee. Special 11 a.m. program: Travel, Jackie Hetman presents “A 17-Day Train Trip Through Namibia.” For more information call 526-9146 or 547-1969. 

 

The Candy Cottage 

1:30 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. 

Hall of Health 

2230 Shattuck Ave. (Lower Level) 

“The Candy Cottage” is a short comedy written and performed by the Hall of Health staff, for children ages 3 to 12. The play provides information about eating healthy, the food pyramid, and what vitamins and minerals do for your body. The Hall of Health is a hands-on community health-education museum and science center sponsored by Children’s Hospital of Oakland. Free. For more information call: 549-1564. 

 


Friday, Aug. 17

 

 

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 Aug. 17.  

$8 - $35 sliding scale per session  

Call 548-8283 x534 or x522 

 


Do not shoot the messenger

Robert Clear Berkeley
Tuesday August 14, 2001

Editor, 

I attended the Community Environmental Advisory Commission meeting where the toxins manager, Nabil Al-Hadithy, released the preliminary results of the Harrison Park air study. Nabil was criticized by one of the commissioners at the meeting for not releasing the preliminary report earlier.  

Now Doug Fielding (8/8/01) is criticizing him for releasing it at all.  

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. 

Nabil reported on the initial study results, and he also arranged a conference call with the report’s author so that commissioners could ask questions and make comments.  

Mr. Fielding was one of the major proponents of the Harrison field park so I can understand him being disappointed by the initial results, but the impulse to shoot the messenger is not a useful one.  

With regards to timing, Mr. Fielding does not seem to realize that this is a public safety issue. Analysis and response goes hand in hand with the measurements. Waiting, would make the study less useful, and if there is in fact a hazard, would be irresponsible. 

Mr. Fielding also attacked Nabil for the skate park debacle and general mismanagement. I have attended almost all the CEAC meetings for the last three years, and Mr. Fielding has not.  

Mr. Fielding shows no appreciation for the difficulties under which Nabil works. I have been consistently impressed by his responsiveness to commission and public requests.  

To the best of my knowledge he has performed his duties in a professional manner. I think the city of Berkeley is lucky to have him. 

Most of the more technical points Fielding raises were discussed at the last CEAC meeting. If he has anything more to add, I am sure Nabil and CEAC would be interesting in hearing it. 

 

Robert Clear 

Berkeley 

 


Staff
Tuesday August 14, 2001

 

924 Gilman St. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Aug. 17: Blood Brothers, True North, The Cost, Red Light Sting, Betray The Species; Aug. 18: Dr. Know, The Sick, Society of Friends, Manchurian Candidates, Shut the F*ck Up; $5. 924 Gilman St. 525-9926. 

 

Ashkenaz Aug. 14: 9 p.m. Tom Rigney & Flambeau. 8 p.m. dance lesson w/ Patti Whitehurst. $8; Aug. 15: 9 p.m. Jerri Jheto. $10. Aug. 16: 10 p.m. - 2 a.m. Dead DJ Night with Digital Dave. $5; Aug. 17: 9:30 p.m. Near East Far West. $12; Aug. 18: 9:30 p.m. Zydeco Flames. 8 p.m. dance lesson w/ Cheryl McBride. $11. Aug. 19: 8 p.m. Open Stage w/ Koko De La Isla, Ernesto Hernandaz, Jeff Hawkins. $8; Aug. 21: 9 p.m. Slavonkian Traveling Band. 8 p.m. dance lesson w/ Joyce Clyde. $10; Aug. 22: 9 p.m. Badenya Les Freres Coulibaly, $10; Aug. 23: 10 p.m. - 2 a.m. Dead DJ Night with Digital Dave. $5; Aug. 24: 9:30 p.m. Caribbean All Stars $11; Aug. 25: 9 p.m. California Brazil Camp Benefit, $10; Aug. 26: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. Middle Eastern Dance Workshops with Ma Shuga Mira Murijan and Nanna Candeleria. $45. 8 p.m. Harmonia, $10; Aug. 28: 9 p.m. Gerard Landry and the Lariats, $8; Aug. 29: 8 p.m. Earl White Oldtime Band, Bluegrass Intentions, $10; Aug. 30: 9 p.m. Samite, Forward Kwenda, $10; Aug. 31: 9:30 p.m. Wawa and the Oneness Kingdom, The Calypsonians, $10; 1317 San Pablo Ave. 525-5054 www.ashkenaz.com  

 

Eli’s Mile High Club Doors open at 8 p.m. Aug. 18: Craig Horton /CD Release; Aug. 25: Carlos Zialcita; Every Friday, 10 p.m. - 2 a.m., Funky Fridays Conscious Dance Party with KPFA DJs Splif Skankin and Funky Man. $10; 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 655-6661 

 

Jupiter Aug. 15: Lithium House, electro/drum & bass styles with live jazz; Aug. 16: Beatdown with DJ’s Delon, Yamu and Add1; Aug. 17: The Mind Club, Old school funk grooves with sonic swirls of acid jazz; Aug. 18: Blue & Tan; Aug. 21: Groove.org; Aug. 22: Stolen Bibles All music starts at 8:00 p.m. www.jupiterbeer.com; or call the hotline: THE-ROCK. 843-7625  

 

La Note/Jazzschool Aug. 19: 4:30 p.m. Hazel Carter, 5:30 p.m. Bryan Girard & Friends, 6:30 p.m. T3 (Kirk Tamura Trio); Free. 2377 Shattuck Ave. 845-5373  

 

La Peña Cultural Center Aug. 17: 8:30 p.m. Music and dance performance by Jaranón y Bochinche, $12; Aug. 18: 8:30 p.m. Mission (roots hip hop), $8; Aug. 19: 3:30 p.m. Domingo de Rumba; Aug. 24: 8:30 p.m. Professor Terry’s Circus Band Extraordinary, $16; Aug. 25: 9:30 p.m., Edgardo Cambon’s Candela, $10, 8:15 p.m. Salsa dance class w/ Diego Vásquez, $13; In the Cafe, 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568 

 

Shattuck Down Low Lounge Every Tuesday: 9:30 p.m., Posh Tuesdays with DJ’s Yamu, Delon, Add1, and Tequila Willie. Shattuck at Allston. www.thebeatdownsound.com  

 

ACME Observatory Aug. 19: 8 p.m. Solo performance by Jason Kahn, Brown Bunny Ensemble. $9.99 suggested donation. TUVA Space, 3192 Adeline @ MLK Jr. Way. 649-8744 http://sfSound.org/acme.html 

 

Indigo Event Center Aug. 25: 4:20 p.m. Musicians for Medical Marijauna Benefit concert. Sound Tribe Sector 9, Lost at Last, The Mermen, Ten Ton Chicken, Scott Huckabay, Strawberry Alarmclock, Buzzy Linhart, plus special guests, $25. 1988 Broadway at 19th, Oakland. 869-5391 www.m4mm.org  

 

Third annual Berkeley World Music Festival Aug. 26: noon - 6 p.m. Block party and carnival, Grupo Ilu Fun Fun, Petit La Croix, Samba Ngo, O-Maya, Fito Reinoso y Su Ritmo y Armonia. Durant Ave. between Telegraph and Bowditch. 

 

TUVA Space Aug. 25: 8 p.m. Vanessa Lowe and the Lowliflies, Ira Marlowe, Hoarhound. 3192 Adeline St. 655-9755 

“Frank Olivier’s Twisted Cabaret” Aug. 24 & 25, 8 p.m. Frank Olivier is joined by Uncle Paul Nathan and The Twisted Cabaret Band. All tickets $16. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. 845-8542 www.juliamorgan.org 

 

“Loot” Through Aug. 25, Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 7 p.m. Special Performance Aug. 20, 8 p.m. General Admission: $15, Students / Seniors: $10 La Val’s 1834 Euclid Avenue 655-0813 

 

“Reefer Madness” Aug. 22, 23: 9 p.m. A new one-act theatre piece adapted from a 1936 government-funded film opens a critical eye to the control of our society. Performed by The Elemental Theatre Group La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Avenue. Wednesdays are “pay what you can,” Thursdays $5 - $10. Contact Zachary Rouse or Tisha Sloan for more info at 655-4150 

“Romeo & Juliet” Through Sep 2, Tuesdays – Thursdays. Bruns Memorial Amphitheater. Shakespeare’s classic about a young couple that meets, falls in love and dies in just five days. Adults: $22 - $41 youth (under 16): $12 - $41. 

 

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

Pacific Film Archive Aug. 14: 7:30 p.m. Odds and Ends; Aug. 15: 7:30 p.m. Angel, Angel, Down We Go; Aug. 16: 7:30 p.m. Rancho Notorious; Aug. 17: 7 p.m. Bonchi, 9:05 p.m. Money Talks; Aug. 18: 7 p.m. Ministry of Fear, 8:45 p.m. House by the River; Aug. 19: 3 p.m. National Velvet, 5:30 p.m. I Am Two, 7:15 I Am a Cat; Aug. 21: 7:30 p.m. The Direct Cinema Tradition; Aug. 22: 7:30 p.m. The Werewolf of Washington; Aug. 23: 7:30 p.m. Contempt; Aug. 24: 7 p.m. The Heart, 9:20 p.m. The Outcast; Aug. 25: 7 p.m. Moonfleet, 8:45 p.m. The Blue Gardenia; Aug. 26: 3 p.m. Duck Soup, 5:30 p.m. The Wanderers, 7:25 p.m. Dora-Heita; Aug. 28: 7:30 p.m. Doodling; Aug. 29: (free screenings) 7:30 p.m. The Horror of Party Beach, 9:15 p.m. The Crater Lake Monster; Aug. 31: 7 p.m. The Makioka Sisters, 9:35 p.m. A Woman’s Testament; Gen. Adm.. $7, The New PFA Theatre 2575 Bancroft Way 642-1412 

Boadecia’s Books Aug. 17: Lynne Murray reads from her latest Josephine Fuller mystery “At Large”; Aug. 18: “Hell on Heels” tour with Daphne Gottlieb and Thea Hillman; Aug. 24: Andrea Gabbard discusses “Girl in the Curl: A Century of Women’s Surfing”; Aug. 25: Ann Bannon reads from her lesbian pulp classic “Beebo Brinker.” All events start at 7:30 p.m. and are free. 398 Colusa Avenue 559-9184 www.bookpride.com 

 

Black Oak Books Aug. 15: Molly Giles reads from her debut novel “Iron Shoes”; Aug. 16: Mandy Aftel and her new book, “Essence and Alchemy: A Book of Perfume”; Aug. 19: “Wildest Alaska: Journeys of Great Peril in Lituya Bay” by Philip L. Fradkin; Aug. 21: June Jordan’s memoir “Soldier: A Poet’s Childhood”; Aug. 22: Ruth Daigon’s “Payday at the Triangle”; Aug. 23: Phil Cousineau’s “Once and Future Myths: The Power of Ancient Stories in Modern Times”; Aug. 27: Catherine Brady, Jean Herlund, Frances Payne Adler, and Marianne Villanueva and others to celebrate CALYX Book’s 25th Anniversary, “Cracking the Earth”; Aug. 28: Kent Nerburn reads from “Road Angels: Searching for Home on America’s Coast of Dreams”; Aug. 29: Sylvia Brownrigg reads from her new novel, “Pages For You”; All shows at 7:30 p.m. free of charge. 1491 Shattuck Avenue 486-0698 

 

Café de la Paz Poetry Nitro performance showcase with open mike. Aug. 20: Avotcja; 6:30 p.m. signup, 7 - 9 p.m. reading. 1600 Shattuck Ave. 843-0662 

 

Cody’s Books Poetry Flash Aug. 15: Poet’s Dinner Contest Anthology Reading, David Alpaugh, Martha Bosworth, Tim Nuveen, Charlene Villella, read from their new anthology, Remembering, 25 years of first and grand prize-winning poems at the annual Poets Dinner Contest; Aug. 22: Trane Devore and Shauna Hannibal; Aug. 29: The New Now Millennium Anthology Reading with Editor H. D. Moe; All are a $2 donation. Readings at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-0837 

 

Coffee Mill Poetry Series Aug. 21: Featured Readers: Victoria Joyce and Therese Bamberger; Both 7-9 p.m. Free. 3363 Grand Ave., Oakland for info. 465-3935 or 526-5985, or Email: ksdgk@earthlink.net 

 

“Coffee Break Readings and Refreshments,” Aug. 18, 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Oakland Publis Library-Rockridge Branch. Open-mic poems, monolouges and dramatic scenes, presented by Opera Piccola. For ages 10 and up. 5366 College Ave. Free. 238-3134 ww.oaklandlibrary.org 

 

Tours 

 

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

 

Golden Gate Live Steamers Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Lomas Cantadas Drive at the south end of Tilden Regional Park Small locomotives, meticulously scaled to size. Trains run Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides: Sunday, noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting. 486-0623  

 

 

Museums 

 

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

 

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

 

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology will close its exhibition galleries for renovation. It will reopen in early 2002. On View until Oct. 1 : “Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture.” “Sites Along the Nile: Rescuing Ancient Egypt.” “The Art of Research: Nelson Graburn and the Aesthetics of Inuit Sculpture.” “Tzintzuntzan, Mexico: Photographs by George Foster.” $2 general; $1 seniors; $.50 children age 17 and under; free on Thursdays. Wednesday, Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Kroeber Hall, Bancroft Way and College Ave. 643-7648 or www.qal.berkeley.edu/~hearst/ 

 

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. Susan Cerny’s collection of over 200 tops from around the world. “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 

 

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. “How Big Is the Universe?” Aug. 1 through Aug. 24. Learn how to determine the distance of celestial objects, one of the purposes of the Hubble Space Telescope. Daily, 2:15 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, 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu Daily, 3:30 p.m. $7 general; $5 seniors, students, disabled, and youths age 7 to 18; $3 children age 3 to 5 ; free children age 2 and younger. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu  

 

Oakland Museum of California, A Legacy of Early California Paintings: The Shumate Collection, through Aug. 19; Every Worker is an Organizer: Farm Labor and the Resurgence of the United Farm Workers, through Aug. 26; Made in Oakland: The Furniture of Garry Knox Bennett, through Sept. 2; After the Storm: Bob Walker and the Art of Environmental Photography, through Sept. 16; Half Past Autumn: The Art of Gordon Parks, through Sept. 23; Rustler Ranch Mastodon Project, through June 30, 2002; Wednesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday, noon - 5 p.m., Closed Monday and Tuesday. $6 general; $4 youths (6-17), seniors and students with ID. Free for Museum members and children 5 and under. Free admission the second Sunday of the month. 10th & Oak Streets, Oakland. 238-2200 www.museum.org 

 

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

 

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

 


Civic Center receives quake monitoring equipment

By John Geluardi Daily Planet staff
Tuesday August 14, 2001

The city’s newly remodeled Martin Luther King Civic Center Building is being fitted with monitoring equipment that will measure just how much the six-story building shakes, rattles and rolls during the next earthquake. 

“This will provide useful information to the (The United States Geological Survey); it will provide useful information to the entire earthquake design community and it will provide useful information to the city of Berkeley,” said Manager of Capital Projects John Rosenbrock. 

The USGS is currently installing a “motion accelerograph” system at the base of the building and in the ceiling of the fifth floor. The City Council unanimously approved the joint program between the city and the USGS on July 24. The city provides only for the wiring to connect the instruments and the USGS pays for the equipment, its installation and its maintenance. 

Rosenbrock said the city will be able to compare building movement to the anticipated displacement of the 74 state-of-the-art base isolators the Civic Center rests on. The isolators are designed to allow the building to sway up to 30 inches in any direction during an earthquake. The base of the building is surrounded by a moat that will allow the movement.  

The isolators were installed during the $38 million renovation that was completed in May. Public Works Director Rene Cardinaux said the isolators have been used to counteract bridge movement for many years, but they are still considered new technology in buildings. 

“No matter how well you design anything, there’s still a certain amount of theory involved,” Cardinaux said. “And you just can’t predict how the earth is going to move in an earthquake.” 

According to a July 24 report from the Department of Public Works, the monitoring equipment will be placed at the base of the buildings near the isolators and in the ceiling on the fifth floor. Rosenbrock said the information gathered from the fifth-floor monitors will be compared to information gathered at the base of the building. The difference in movement will help the evaluation of the base isolators’ efficiency. 

The information will be transmitted electronically to the USGS offices in Menlo Park where it will be recorded and analyzed. A viewing monitor will be available in the Civic Center lobby so the public can access the information as well.  

The seismic-monitoring equipment is expected to be operational no later then the end of September. 


Dark sky ordinances save energy

Yolanda Huang member, Parks & Recreation Commission
Tuesday August 14, 2001

 

Editor: 

This past week you ran an AP story of dark sky ordinances. One proposed ordinance has floated around Berkeley for the last two years.  

On April 17 the Parks and Recreation Commission requested that the City Council draft and adopt an appropriate “night time outdoor lighting” ordinance.  

The purposes are two fold, one to save electricity by having light illuminate the ground and not the sky, and secondly, to preserve the recreation of amateur astronomy.  

 

Yolanda Huang  

member, Parks & Recreation Commission  

 


Surrogate mother sues Berkeley couple

The Associated Press
Tuesday August 14, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — A California couple embroiled in a trans-Atlantic surrogate parent lawsuit has lined up another would-be family for twins that a British woman is carrying. 

Helen Beasley, now 25 weeks pregnant, sued Charles Wheeler and Martha Berman, alleging that the Berkeley couple backed out of a pregnancy deal and abandoned her after Beasley refused to abort one of the twins. 

On Sunday, the couple’s lawyer, Diane Michelsen, said another set of American parents has been found to take over the surrogacy contract. 

“There has been and continues to be a fully qualified couple who is ready, willing and able to immediately accept the custody of the children,” she said. 

Michelsen wouldn’t say why her clients don’t want the babies now, after going to all the trouble and expense of having the husband’s sperm and a donor egg implanted in a surrogate mother’s womb. 

“Family building is a very private matter,” she said. 

Michelsen also denied that anyone ordered Beasley, 26, to abort one of the twins. She said it was more of a “request,” as outlined in the contract, which called for a “selective reduction” if Beasley became pregnant with more than one baby. 

Beasley says they also had a verbal agreement that the abortion decision would be made before the 12th week of pregnancy. Beasley said she informed the couple that she was carrying twins about eight weeks into her pregnancy, and that it wasn’t until the end of the 13th week that they told her to abort one of the fetuses. 

Beasley refused, saying it would be too risky at that point. 

She also said she has no legal rights to the twins and will not be able to take care of them, but does not want Wheeler and Berman to have them. 

“I believe that these parents have made it expressly clear that they have not wanted these children,” Beasley told CNN Monday. 

Michelsen, who wouldn’t identify the adoptive couple, said there was “never any possibility” that the twins would be abandoned. She said Beasley’s attorney, Theresa Erickson, knew this but still chose to file a lawsuit. 

“It was all priorly agreed to and they were not willing to separate the children,” Michelsen told The Associated Press on Sunday. “If the children were to be gestated together, they wanted to keep the children together.” 

Beasley met Wheeler and Berman a year ago over the Internet on a Web site for surrogate parents. The couple agreed to pay her $19,000 to bear their child, according to court documents, and she underwent in-vitro fertilization in California in March. 

Erickson told The Associated Press that the couple has paid Beasley $1,000 of the promised sum. 

“They have abandoned these babies because they have abandoned Helen,” Erickson said. “All Helen wants is a couple to love them and take care of them.” 


Bigots and fountains in City Hall

Stuart Sidells Berkele
Tuesday August 14, 2001

 

Editor: 

Congratulations to Kriss Worthington for his tireless efforts to expose discrimination in all its ugly guises, most recently the Boy Scouts of America. 

There are other, perhaps more sinister, organizations operating openly in our Berkeley society which should be similarly exposed for blatant discriminatory policies.  

For instance, groups which oppose a woman’s right to choose, misleadingly referred to as Pro-Lifers, discriminate against women, which is also sexist. Fundamentalist Christians, Roman Catholics, and Mormons fit this profile. 

Why members of these and other discriminating organizations continue to be permitted to use Berkeley public facilities such as City Hall, its drinking fountains and bathrooms, should be disturbing to all Berkeley peoples. 

Here’s hoping Mr. Worthington will next turn his attentions to these other discriminatory groups, expose them too, and root them out. Go get ‘em Kriss! 

 

Stuart Sidells 

Berkele


Business school dean resigning at year’s end

Daily Planet services
Tuesday August 14, 2001

The University of California, Berkeley business school dean who once served as President Clinton’s National Economic Adviser is leaving to head the London Business School. 

Laura Tyson, dean of the Haas School of Business, announced plans Monday to resign by Dec. 31. She was appointed dean in 1998 and is the only woman currently leading a major business school in the United States. 

“Laura Tyson has shown wonderful leadership as dean of the Haas School. She has led the school to new levels of prominence and fostered an innovative learning environment that will continue to greatly benefit today’s business students. We wish her the best in her new position and I am delighted that she sees a return to Berkeley in her future plans,” said Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl. 

Berdahl announced that professor Benjamin Hermalin, who has been serving as associate dean for academic affairs and chair of the faculty at the Haas School since 1999, has been appointed interim dean. Hermalin, 39, is the Willis H. Booth Professor of Banking and Finance and has been with the Haas School since 1988. He has a joint appointment with the Department of Economics and is a co-founder and director of the private online academic publishing company Bepress. 

The campus will undertake a national search for the permanent deanship, said the chancellor. 

Tyson, 54, will be on leave from her faculty position at UC Berkeley and said she plans to return to the campus at some point in the future. She has been a professor at the Haas School since 1990 and at the campus since 1977. 

“I have been offered the possibility of fulfilling a long-held dream of spending a few years in London and doing so in a way that I believe will enhance my skills as a professor and university administrator,” Tyson said in her communications with her Haas School faculty colleagues. 

Tyson said the London appointment will provide her with a perfect vantage point from which to study the globalization of business.  

She became known for her research in international economics, including her widely acclaimed book, “Who’s Bashing Whom - Trade Conflict in High Technology Industries.” 

Before becoming dean of the Haas School, Tyson served from January 1993 through December 1996 in the Clinton Administration, where she was a key architect of the President’s domestic and international economic policy agenda during his first term in office.  

Between February 1995 and December 1996, she served as the President’s National Economic Adviser and was the highest ranking woman in the Clinton White House.  

During her tenure as Haas School dean, Tyson successfully negotiated an agreement with the university administration to grant the Haas School greater financial and operational autonomy.


The doctor is not always right

Gene Bernardi Berkeley
Tuesday August 14, 2001

Editor: 

Even when you are an M.D., prefacing your statements with “In fact” doesn’t make them factual. (Planet July 27) Grossman, after his review of six “studies of the Lawrence Berkeley Lab’s national Tritium Labeling Facility (NTLF), concluded all the physicists and health scientists involved were in unanimous agreement that the Tritium Lab is not poisoning anybody.  

All the physicists and health scientists authors, other than Franke and NIH, depend for their livelihood on the Dept.. of Energy which owns the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.  

Furthermore, all these “studies,” including Franke’s (not yet Finalized) are based solely on data provided by LBNL. 

Below I address some of the Grossman’s so-called facts: 

• City Consultant Bernard Franke’s draft study did not find that the Tritium inventory in trees and ground water is small. Franke stated: “Tritium in trees within a 200 meter radius from the NTLF stack was estimated by LBNL to be less than 1Ci.”  

First, this is an estimate by the body under scrutiny.  

Second, use of the numeral one and measurement in curies is misleading. One curie of Tritium is dangerous. The reason the amount of Tritium in vegetation and ground water is expressed in picocuries (of which there are a trillion in a curie) is because EPA’s maximum allowable standard for Tritium in drinking water is 20,000 picocuries per liter.  

The major criticism of Franke’s draft report is that he did not answer the question: what do the high levels of organically bound Tritium in vegetation (345,000pCi/K) and Tritium in rainfall (239,000 pCi/L) mean in terms of the Tritium concentration in the air and ground water?  

Hopefully, Franke’s final report will address this crucial question. 

• Is it a coincidence that the Berkeley Lab has curtailed NTLF’s tritiations and, therefore, Tritium emissions since the city of Berkeley on Dec. 24, 1996 wrote to the California Department of Health Services and asked them “to require an independent soil and vegetation testing for tritiated water vapor and organically bound Tritium at the site of the Lawrence Hall of Science...?” 

Why is it that the independent soil and vegetation testing has not yet taken place? Instead, the lab is doing self-testing of the soil, vegetation and air while NTLF operations are minimal. Their results will be forwarded to the U.S. EPA which the Lab expects will overturn it’s 1998 reassessment that found LBNL qualified as a Superfund Site because Tritium in air samples inside the Lawrence Hall of Science exceeded EPA’s cancer Risk Screening Concentrations. 

 

Gene Bernardi 

Berkeley 


Police cite homeless advocates who took over empty building

The Associated Press
Tuesday August 14, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — Nine advocates for affordable housing were cited Monday, two days after breaking into and taking over an abandoned city-owned building to draw attention to their cause. 

The squatters had turned on the electricity and had planned to turn on the water and start cleaning up the place if the school district, which owns the four-story building, had allowed them to stay. 

But Tony Irons, city architect and the school district’s chief operating officer, said he called police at 2 p.m. after the activists refused to leave. 

“It is an immediate and serious health hazard,” he said, adding that there was asbestos and lead throughout the building. “It’s really bad in there. It’s even off-limits to the maintenance staff.” 

Police cited the following: Diana Valentine, 27; Mara Raider, 30; Samuel Dodge, 25; Michael McCarron, 32; L.S. Wilson, 49; Ted Gullicksen, 48; James Hewitt, 30; Thomas Gomez, 37; and Jeffrey Giaquiento, 26. All were released without bail or fines, according to police spokesman Dewayne Tully. 

Four homeless people and four activists broke into the fence-enclosed building late Saturday, and another activist joined the group Monday.  

The historic building, built in 1910 as a school, was home to several city offices until it was damaged in the October, 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.  

It was declared unsafe soon after and has been vacant since. 

“Just because there is money available to take over the building and redo it, maybe there might be other properties much more suited to what they have in mind,” said school district spokeswoman Jackie Wright, who added there are currently “no announced plans for that property.” 

She also said “the district is taking extra precautions to make sure that property won’t be broken into again.” 

The occupation was designed to draw attention to homelessness and gain support for a new city ordinance proposed by San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly. 

The ordinance would identify unused and underused city-owned buildings for review by a committee, which would then assess their suitability for use as homeless shelters or service providers. 

“Homelessness is a crisis and it should be the thing that we look at first,” Daly said.  

“(The ordinance) directs that unless there’s an overriding local use or compelling reason why the property should not be turned over on a rental basis for use by the homeless.” 

San Francisco estimates about 5,400 homeless people live in the city of 777,000.  

Advocates put the total much higher. The city has fewer than 2,000 shelter beds, which are assigned by lottery. 

Gomez lived in Golden Gate Park before occupying the building. He said he’s trapped in a cycle of not being able to get a job because he has no place to live and not being able to find a place to live because he doesn’t have a job. 

“To be employed, it helps to have a place to shower, a place to shave, a place to cook,” he said Monday morning from an open second-floor window before the arrests.  

“Most of the homeless people who are able-bodied do grunt labor ... usually for very little money and you still don’t have a place to stay.” 

Advocates agree many of the newly homeless are the working poor. 

“People are making what used to be a living wage and finding that it’s not enough to rent in San Francisco,” said Gullicksen of San Francisco-based Homes Not Jails, which organized the occupation.  

“The shelters are full of people who can’t afford to rent.” 

Monthly rents in San Francisco currently range from about $1,800 to $3,500 for a one-bedroom apartment. 

San Francisco’s Real Estate Department has no estimate of how many city-owned buildings are currently vacant, according to spokesman Steve Legnitto. 

“The city tries to use every facility that we have,” Legnitto said.  

“The only reason we don’t use it is if it’s in need of repair. If it’s in need of repair, we use it for storage. The public perception of what is not being used may be completely different from the truth.” 

But housing advocates like Gullicksen look at a vacant building and see shelter for needy people. 

“The politicians see property in San Francisco as too valuable to just give away. They’ll keep it vacant for 10 years rather than let homeless people fix it up and live here,” he said.  

“Even if we can stay here a month and provide housing for 100 people for one month, we’ve done more than most.”


What you don’t know....

George Kauffman Berkeley
Tuesday August 14, 2001

Editor: 

Our efforts to close down the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories does not warrant Prof. Grossman’s letter of 27 July.  

Please inform our medical doctor and professor that Dr. Lawrence did not know of the radioactivity he was handling, so it rendered him and his staff sterile.  

If Lawrence didn’t know this, one wonders what does Dr. Grossman not know? 

 

George Kauffman 

Berkeley


Bill would exempt hottest areas from power blackouts

The Associated Press
Tuesday August 14, 2001

SACRAMENTO — Desert dwellers could get a break if California is hit by rolling power blackouts later this summer. 

Gov. Gray Davis said Monday he had signed a bill that requires the Public Utilities Commission to consider the potentially harmful effect of extremely high temperatures when considering where to allow rolling blackouts. 

The measure was introduced by Sen. Jim Battin, R-Palm Desert, who represents much of the Southern California desert. 

The law already requires the PUC to set priorities among utility customers for service. The commission has exempted facilities providing essential public services from rolling blackouts. 

Other customers on the same electricity grid circuits as those police offices, fire departments, hospitals and government agencies needed for national defense are also exempt. 

 

On the Net: Read the bill, at www.sen.ca.gov


Go ahead – spend now, save later

By John Cunniff The Associated Press
Tuesday August 14, 2001

As the economy weakens, the word is being spread to consumers from all directions, including Washington and the business community: If you care about the economy get out and spend. 

Spend now, save later. Spend your tax rebate. Your help is needed. 

All perhaps understandable in the short term, since reluctance to spend might hasten a recession, but it is strikingly at odds with another imperative. 

The latter, very much in the news only months ago, is that the consumer must save. Savings will be needed, consumers were warned, for tuition, medical care, retirement and, yes, for economic growth. You can’t blame consumers for thinking they’re being torn in different directions. 

The ironies are many. For one, were they not taxed the funds that are now being rebated, they might have been able to save more for the future. And now that they are urged to spend, they will, of course, be taxed again. 

They will be taxed at the gasoline pump. They will pay sales taxes at the local retailer. They will pay taxes on the interest earned in savings accounts. And on dividends earned, even though dividends may already have been taxed at the corporate level (and passed on in consumer prices). 

While these taxes may help pay the cost of running government, and might help the economy in the short term, they do little to resolve the long-term problem of low savings, a condition that is growing worse. Earlier this year, with the savings rate barely above zero, a study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute found fewer Americans saving for retirement, and fewer even able to determine what they’ll need. 

First, income taxes are levied when earned. Though already taxed, what’s put away may be taxed as interest on savings. If invested in companies (that have already paid corporate taxes), the dividends earned might be taxed. When sold, taxes may be owed on stocks. And in the end, there may be estate taxes. Amid all this, of course, may be sales taxes. 

Whatever the reasons, and whether for the short term, such as finding a way out of the slump — or the longer term, such as saving for the future — there exists a serious economic dilemma. 

The most optimistic outcome, one based in a sort of Rube Goldberg conception, is that consumer spending will jump-start the economy into growth, enabling people to earn more, and then save more for the future. 

In short, there could be a happy ending. But short-term or long-term, you can be sure that taxes will play a role, significant and perpetual. 

John Cunniff is a business analyst  

for The Associated Press


Chevron,Texaco closer to merger

The Associated Press
Tuesday August 14, 2001

NEW YORK — Chevron Corp. and Texaco Inc. have signed a consent order with the Federal Trade Commission, outlining the terms they expect to meet in order to gain regulatory approval for their merger. 

In a filing made with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, the two companies also said their shareholders would vote on the merger on Oct. 9 – by which time they hope to have received regulatory clearance for the deal. 

Texaco, based in White Plains, N.Y., said it anticipates divesting its U.S. refining and marketing affiliates, certain natural gas processing and transportation facilities and some of its jet fuel marketing businesses. 

“However, we cannot assure (shareholders) that the FTC will accept the terms of the consent order agreement, or that it will not seek to impose other conditions or otherwise challenge the merger,” the company said in its filing. Texaco spokesman Paul Weeditz would not say whether the company had found buyers for any of these assets. 

Texaco refines crude oil in the United States under two separate affiliates, Equilon Enterprises and Motiva Enterprises. 

Texaco owns a 44 percent interest in Equilon, with the rest belonging to Shell Oil Co. Texaco and Shell each own one-third of Motiva; the rest is owned by Star Enterprises, a joint venture between Texaco and the Saudi Refining Co.  

“Texaco has been negotiating with Shell and Saudi Refining concerning a possible purchase of Texaco’s interests in Equilon and Motiva. However, no agreement has been reached,” the company said in its filing. 

 

Shell and Texaco reportedly have been wrangling over a price. 

San Francisco-based Chevron agreed to buy Texaco in October 2000 in a deal now worth about $38 billion. Under the terms of the deal, Chevron will be renamed ChevronTexaco Corp. Holders of Texaco stock will receive 0.77 shares of ChevronTexaco for each share of Texaco they own. 

European regulators have already granted their approval. 

On Monday, shares of Texaco were down 24 cents to $69.40 on the New York Stock Exchange, while Chevron’s shares fell 6 cents to $91.69. 

——— 

http://www.chevron.com 

http://www.texaco.com 


Emery Worldwide Airlines grounds plane fleet

The Associated Press
Tuesday August 14, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — Emery Worldwide Airlines agreed to ground its 37-plane fleet Monday after the Federal Aviation Administration confronted the cargo carrier with more than 100 apparent violations of government safety regulations. 

The suspension runs the next 30 days, but Emery Worldwide’s planes probably won’t fly for two to four months, said FAA spokesman Les Dorr Jr. 

In the mean time, Emery, which delivers freight to 200 countries, will stay in business by using airplanes flown by Wichita, Kan.-based Ryan Aviation and other contractors. 

With its planes on the ground, Emery said it will furlough about 800 of its 1,100 employees. The airline’s main hub is in Dayton, Ohio. It also operates nine regional hubs in: Los Angeles; the Sacramento area; Dallas; Chicago; Atlanta; Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; Charlotte, N.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Orlando, Fla. 

Emery, owned by Palo Alto-based CNF Transportation Inc., had been under FAA scrutiny since January 2000. 

In February 2000, an Emery DC-8 crashed after taking off from Mather Field near Sacramento, killing the three-member crew. Monday’s suspension prompted the National Transportation Board to postpone Aug. 22-23 hearings on the Mather Field crash. 

Emery specializes in delivering freight weighing at least 70 pounds and accounted for nearly half of CNF’s $5.6 billion in revenue last year. The company lags well behind the leading rapid shipping service, FedEx, which had revenue of $19.6 billion last year. 

Both Emery and its contractor, Ryan, are named in a whistle-blowers’ lawsuit alleging that the carriers have been forcing their pilots to fly unsafe planes for years so freight deliveries arrive on schedule. 

In a 1997 complaint filed in an Ohio federal court, attorneys for former Ryan pilots Eugenia Smith and Carlton R. McLain allege that Emery and Ryan “fly a fleet of aging aircraft which require substantial maintenance and often suffer equipment failure. Some of the aircraft are severely corroded.” 

The case is still open, and most of the documents produced so far remain under court seal, said Ann Lugbill, a Cincinnati attorney representing McLain and Smith, who were fired by Ryan in 1996 and 1997, respectively. 

Ryan and Emery have denied the allegations in the whistle-blowers’ suit, which seeks a 25 percent cut of any civil penalties and damages that the government receives from the carriers. 

Regulators decided to crack down on Emery after concluding the airline’s management was unlikely to address widespread safety problems. 

“The FAA is not in the business of putting an air carrier on the ground,” Dorr said. “We only do it when it gets to the point where a carrier can’t find and fix their own problems.” 

Dorr said Monday’s action represented the FAA’s largest suspension of a carrier’s fleet since the government grounded ValuJet in 1996 following a crash that killed 110 people in Florida Everglades. 

Emery regards the FAA’s action as “unnecessary and unwarranted,” said CNF spokeswoman Nancy Colvert. 

“We knew we had issues with the FAA, but we really thought we had remedied most of these things,” she said. 

CNF’s stock fell $1.19 to close at $30.31 in Monday trading on the New York Stock Exchange. 

The suspension is expected to drive up CNF’s expenses substantially during the next few weeks as Emery pays contractors for air freight. 

But the crackdown could be a plus if it pushes the company to improve its safety procedures or results in a decision to cut long-term costs, said industry analyst John Barnes of Deutsche Banc Alex Brown. 

In announcing the suspension, the FAA cited Emery for making improper and inadequate repairs to “mechanical irregularities” that had been flagged by the airline’s pilots. The FAA said Emery also made unapproved alterations to its aircraft and chastised Emery for inadequate record keeping and failing to follow the policies in its manuals. 

Monday’s suspension represented the latest setback for Emery, which suffered an operating loss of $377 million on revenue of $1.1 billion during the first six months of this year. At the same point last year, Emery registered an operating profit of $20 million on revenue of $1.2 billion. 

This year’s first-half loss stemmed mostly from a $340.5 million charge Emery took to reduce its operating fleet from 54 to 37 planes. Emery attributed the cutbacks to the slowing economy and the loss of contracts to handle priority and express mail for the U. S. Postal Service. 

Emery lost the contracts to Federal Express in January, triggering a federal lawsuit against the Postal Service. In March, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims upheld the Federal Express contract, but Emery is appealing. 

Emery generated an operating profit of $28 million on revenue of $229 million from the express mail contract last year, according to CNF’s annual report. 

Emery is continuing to deliver express mail for the Postal Service in the eastern United States until Aug. 26. The carrier already had contracted with other airlines to handle the express mail delivery before Monday’s suspension, Colvert said. 

——— 

On The Net: 

http://www.cnf.com 

http://www.faa.gov 


Opinion

Editorials

Two-fifths of schools in Davis program slip on test

By Jennifer Kerr Associated Press Writer
Monday August 20, 2001

YUBA CITY – Everyone was ecstatic a year ago when test scores soared at April Lane Elementary, one of 430 schools in the first group going through Gov. Gray Davis’ three-year improvement program. 

This summer, however, scores are flat and morale is down as the school begins its crucial third year. 

“I feel disappointed,” said teacher Clarence Craft, reading about “Clyde Monster” to first- and second-graders in summer school. “To go up that much, I wanted to go up again. Taking a step back is not going forward.” 

April Lane and the other 429 schools face dire consequences a year from now if they don’t meet their improvement goals: takeover by the state and possible closing of the school. 

April Lane is not the only school sweating this new school year. An Associated Press analysis of test scores released last week shows nearly half of the 430 schools saw reading and math test scores drop or stay the same. 

Unless they do better this year, they could be facing the serious sanctions just when Davis is running for his second term and is under political pressure. The Democratic governor has made improvement in test scores a central part of his first term; the improvement program was a key part of the school package he pushed through the Legislature in his first few months in office. 

The 430 schools won’t know for sure if they met this year’s 5 percent growth goal until their Academic Performance Index numbers are calculated by the state in October. The complicated API formula is based on the Standardized Testing and Reporting exam or STAR test. 

However, 132 of the 291 elementary schools in the program, or 45 percent, saw the percentage of second-graders who scored at or above the national average in reading drop or stay the same. 

And 34 of the 52 high schools, or 65 percent, had 11th-grade math scores fall or stay the same. 

“It’s never encouraging when scores go down, but the schools didn’t get to where they are overnight. It’s going to take time for them to come back,” says Daniel Chernow, executive director of the University of California, Los Angeles, School Management Program, which has been advising 50 schools in the program. 

Moreover, it’s problematic to judge schools on year-to-year test score changes because such numbers are very volatile due to the small sample of students in a school and one-time factors such as illness or a distracting barking dog, says Thomas Kane, professor of policy studies and economics at UCLA, who has studied test scores in North Carolina and California. 

“Even if a school is making steady progress, it may not be reflected in test scores every single year,” he said. 

The 430 schools chosen for the first group in October 1999 all had test scores in the bottom half of the state. They spent their first year planning how to improve and put those plans into effect last year, using state grants that will continue this year. 

Some of the schools chose structured outside programs, such as Success for All or Ventures Education Systems. Others put together highly individualistic plans with the common threads of heavy reading, test practicing, teacher training and parent involvement. 

April Lane is trying those common threads, with mixed success over the past two years. 

When it started the program in 1999, its base API was 554, in the lowest 40 percent of state schools. Its 2000 test scores were spectacular, even though the plan was just being written that year. Its target was a 12-point increase, but its API jumped to 671, qualifying the school and its teachers for some of the $677 million in rewards offered by Davis. 

However, its 2001 test scores are less encouraging. Scores went up in eight of the 16 grade and subject measurements but down by the same total percentage points in the other eight. 

Principal Craig Guensler says he thinks April Lane will not meet its goal of increasing six points in the 2001 API to be released in October. 

He partially blames the huge number of changes in the school over the past year — a new reading program, a switch from year-round to traditional calendar and a less-than-successful parent liaison experiment. 

The school decided to use Open Court Reading, a very structured phonics-based program by SRA-McGraw-Hill that has greatly improved test scores in many districts. It also chose the company’s math program, Math Explorations and Applications. 

The Open Court books weren’t received until last January, so teachers just used them as supplements last year, he said. Teachers are getting intensive training in Open Court this week, just before school starts on Thursday. 

The “Clyde Monster” story that Craft was reading to his summer-school students is in an Open Court book. He thinks the program looks good and thinks it should improve test scores. 

The switch from a four-track year-round school to a traditional schedule is a big change, one that is disruptive now, but should help the school in the long run, says principal Guensler. Schools on multitrack year-round schedules have troubles with teacher training and communication, since the full faculty is never present at the same time. 

April Lane will also be able to do its STAR testing at one time, instead of spreading it over four tracks over several months, he said. 

The school’s effort to improve parent participation by hiring a parent liaison to encourage involvement didn’t work as planned last year. The woman hired for the job quit after five months because of conflicts with her other job that changed from part-time to full-time. Guensler will be hiring a new liaison this fall. 

The school has had trouble getting parents involved, the principal believes, because they don’t realize what a difference they can make and “some people seem to be afraid to come to a school.” 

With its new calendar, April Lane was able to hold its first summer school, for 155 children identified by teachers as needing extra help. They spent four hours a day on reading and two on math during the four-week program. 

The school might offer more after-school classes during the year to further help kids who are behind, the principal said. 

“We should see a significant gain next year,” predicts Guensler. 

Kindergarten teacher Marilyn Sensney says the state test puts a lot of pressure on the teachers and the students. 

“It’s all based on test scores, because you’re under the gun if you don’t improve,” she said. 

Schools in the program are not really competing against each other, but against themselves to improve by 5 percent, says state Department of Education spokesman Doug Stone. 

“What we’re asking for is a realistic goal,” he said. 

 

Not going as planned 

 

Here are some Standardized Testing and Reporting exam or STAR test results for schools in the governor’s three-year improvement program. Scores in reading and math are the percentages of students scoring at or above the national average: 

FIRST GROUP of 430 SCHOOLS (Started program in 1999) 

READING: 

• Second grade: 132 of 291 schools, or 45 percent, declined or stayed the same. Range comparing 2000 score to 2001 is a decline of 35 percentage points to an increase of 41. Median is a gain of 2. 

• Fourth grade: 115 of 288 schools, or 40 percent, declined or stayed the same. Range is a decline of 25 to an increase of 28. Median is a gain of 2. 

• Eighth grade: 41 of 98 schools, or 42 percent, declined or stayed the same. Range is a decline of 27 to an increase of 28. Median is a gain of 2. 

• 11th grade: 26 of 52 schools, or 50 percent, declined or stayed the same. Range is a decline of 13 to an increase of 16. Median is a gain of .5. 

MATH: 

• Second grade: 124 of 291 schools, or 43 percent, declined or stayed the same. Range is a decline of 45 to an increase of 39. Median is a drop of 9. 

• Fourth grade: 107 of 288 schools, or 37 percent, declined or stayed the same. Range is a decline of 40 to an increase of 43. Median is a gain of 3. 

• Eighth grade: 60 of 98 schools, or 61 percent, declined or stayed the same. Range is a decline of 42 to an increase of 61. Median is a drop of 1. 

• 11th grade: 34 of 52 schools, or 65 percent, declined or stayed the same. Range is a decline of 18 to an increase of 14. Median is a drop of 3.5. 

ENGLISH-LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS 

• Fourth grade: Students proficient or above in the standards-based questions ranged from 58 percent to none. The median is 15. 

• Eighth grade: Range is 62 percent to none. Median is 17. 

• 11th grade: Range is 31 percent to 5 percent. Median is 19. 

 

SECOND GROUP of 430 SCHOOLS (Started in 2000) 

READING: 

• Fourth grade: 76 of 245 schools declined or stayed the same. Median is a gain of 4. 

• Eighth grade: 51 or 116 schools declined or stayed the same. Median is a gain of 1. 

• 11th grade: 33 of 71 schools declined or stayed the same. Median is a gain of 1. 

 

Source: Associated Press analysis of STAR test data from state Department of Education. Number of schools is greater than 430 because both elementary and middle schools can have eighth grades.


Video shows city employees disposing of homeless’ belongings

The Associated Press
Saturday August 18, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — A video obtained by a Bay Area television station shows Department of Public Works employees dumping shopping carts full of the personal belongings of homeless people into the back of a garbage truck. 

The tape chronicled an emotional outburst by one homeless man, who watched as his belongings were dumped. 

The video was taken early Wednesday morning in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill neigborhood near Cesar Chavez and Bayshore, said Paul Boden, director of San Francisco’s Coalition on Homelessness. Boden apparently had some strong feelings about the issue. 

“This is the standard operating procedure for how the city and county of San Francisco treats homeless people, Boden told KTVU-TV Thursday. 

Still, Boden said the city has a right to confiscate and return shopping carts to the businesses they originally belonged to, though he added that is not happening. 

“This is strictly a harrassment compaign to let homeless people know that they are despised, unwanted and should get the hell out of town,” Boden said. 

City workers are told to gather abandoned property, said George Smith, director of the mayor’s Office on Homelessness. 

“Our standing operating procedure is to keep the streets clean,” he said, adding that abandoned property is bagged and stored for 90 days, during which owners can pick up their belongings.


Court mandate says officers must make traffic stops safely

The Associated Press
Friday August 17, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — Law enforcement officers are required to use “reasonable care” when making traffic stops, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday. 

The decision stems from a 1996 case in which four people were hurt after a pickup truck struck their car that a California Highway Patrol officer had ordered to stop in the median rather than on the right shoulder. 

The family sued the driver of the pickup, the driver of the car, the CHP and the officer who stopped them. 

A lower court dismissed the case, saying Officer Richard Hedgecock was not responsible for the crash that injured three young children and their father when the truck rear-ended the Toyota Camry. They were stopped in the median of six-lane state Highway 78 in San Diego County after a traffic stop. The driver had stepped out of the car and was unhurt. 

The CHP Officer Safety Manual specifically says “effective techniques should be used to ensure stopping on the right shoulder rather than in the median.” 

On the day of the accident, Michael Lugtu, the girls’ uncle, was driving the Camry about 85 mph in the far left lane. It was “dry, visibility was good and traffic was moderate to  

fairly heavy,” according to 

court documents. 

Hedgecock testified that CHP procedures gave him discretion whether to stop a driver in the median area or on the right shoulder.  

He said he thought stopping the vehicle in the median, which was 10 feet wide, was safer than the shoulder, which was about eight feet wide. 

The lower court agreed and dismissed the suit. 

“Hedgecock had no duty to stop plaintiffs on the right shoulder as a matter of law,” the court said. 

That decision was overturned Thursday by an appeals court, which reinstated the suit and said ”a law enforcement officer has a duty to exercise reasonable care for the safety of those persons whom the officer stops. The case may now proceed. 

“There was insufficient justification under the present circumstances for Hedgecock to subject plaintiffs to the risks inherent in such a stop,” said Chief Justice Ronald M. George writing for the 4-1 court. 

In her dissent, Justice Janice R. Brown said the high court’s decision would likely cause more accidents than it prevents because it will reduce officers’ ability to use their own discretion and force them to make all traffic stops on the right shoulder, even when it may be safer to stop in the median.


Judge postpones Ford ignition trial

The Associated Press
Tuesday August 14, 2001

A proposed legal settlement that could cost Ford Motor Co. as much as $1 billion prompted a judge Monday to postpone a class-action trial on allegations that faulty ignition switches caused millions of cars and trucks to stall. 

The proposed deal comes four months after the judge ordered Ford to recall as many as 2 million vehicles in California. If approved, it would expand the remedy to 5 million vehicles nationwide and replace the recall with a warranty allowing owners to be reimbursed for replacing ignition switches. 

A settlement would limit the financial exposure to Ford, already involved in a recall of tires on its Ford Explorers, which are being investigated in connection with more than 100 highway deaths. But Ford shares dropped 4.2 percent to $23.73 Monday by late afternoon. 

Analyst David Healy, with Burnham Securities Inc., blamed news of the ignition switch settlement as well as media reports about the Big Three automakers’ loss in market share and a decision by UBS Warburg to downgrade Ford stock from “hold” to “reduce.” 

“I like Ford long-term, but I have a hard time seeing it in the short term,” Healy said. “It’s a matter of 20/20 hindsight. I think Ford knew of the problem but should have taken care of it years ago.” 

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Michael E. Ballachey has said Ford misled government inspectors and was living in an “Alice and Wonderland” dreamland by denying that defective ignition switches were installed on 23 million vehicles. 

“I think this is basically a win for consumers,” Jeff Fazio, a lead attorney in the class-action case against Ford, said Sunday, before the judge imposed a gag order. “It could have been years before the cars were fixed, but with this it could come soon.” 

Ballachey met in his chambers Monday with attorneys for about 45 minutes and then emerged to make the only public comment he allowed: “We’ve had discussions on the progress of settlement talks. Those are ongoing,” he said. Ballachey also sealed the transcript of the closed-door meeting. 

He scheduled the next meeting with attorneys for Aug. 20, and delayed jury selection for a week, to Aug. 27. 

Earlier Monday, Ford issued a statement saying “the cost of $750 million to $1 billion currently being speculated about in the media are substantially overstated.” 

Fazio based the $1 billion figure on court records in which Ford has said it would cost $150 or more to replace each switch. 

Ford has already settled hundreds of wrongful death, injury and other lawsuits in connection with the stalling allegations. However, the Detroit automaker denies that the ignition devices are defective and cause the vehicles to stall. 

“All government data, 18 years’ worth, prove that our vehicles are as safe or safer than other vehicles,” the company said Monday, adding that investigations by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration found no safety defect. 

Ballachey, however, has said that evidence produced in the case shows that Ford repeatedly deceived regulators about problems with the switch. 

The suit challenged Ford’s placement of the thick film ignition (TFI) module, which regulates electric current to the spark plugs. In 300 models sold between 1983 and 1995, the module was mounted on the distributor near the engine block, where it was exposed to high temperatures. 

Ballachey, the nation’s only judge to order a vehicle recall, found last year that Ford was warned by an engineer that high temperatures would cause the device to fail and stall the engine. Ford’s own documents show the company confirmed the problem in internal studies, and could have moved the module to a cooler spot for an extra $4 per vehicle. 

Under Sunday’s announced agreement, Ford said it would replace the ignition devices on all Ford vehicles nationwide that have stalled and have no more than 100,000 miles, which is an estimated 500,000 to 650,000 vehicles in California and an estimated 5 million nationwide. 

The agreement also says Ford will extend all warranties to 100,000 miles for affected vehicles and pay to replace the ignition if it stalls and needs replacing before the new 100,000 mile warranty is up. 

“A lot of hard work has gone into reaching an agreement and we hope the judge supports it and brings this issue to a close,” said Kathleen Vokes, a Ford spokeswoman. 

Ballachey’s recall ruling was in the preliminary stages of the case, which was expected to go to trial later this month. 

Ballachey said Ford concealed the stalling information from federal safety regulators, who were studying hundreds of complaints about Ford vehicles stalling. The government found no safety problems with the modules, but a NHTSA official said the government would not have closed the case if Ford had given the agency key documents unveiled in the class-action case. 

“Had that information been in hand, I would not have closed either investigation without appropriate resolution,” said Michael B. Brownlee, the former director of the NHTSA’s defects investigative arm. 

Fazio said he wants to settle because, under the recall order, it could have taken years, if ever, before the vehicles would have been fixed. That is because Ford had said it would appeal the recall order, which affects all 1983-1995 Ford models in California. 

The automaker said judges do not have the same power as does the NHTSA to order a vehicle recall. Under the deal, the vehicles could be fixed or the cost of previous replacements could come as early as next year, Fazio said. 

The case is Howard vs. Ford, 763785-2.