Kass Schwin, president of Vital Vittles, has gradually evolved from a baker to a problem solver. Over the past 25 years operating Berkeley’s homegrown organic bread business, she thought she had been through it all.  

How about the time in 1982 when someone lost a sewing needle in the bags of whole wheat flour? They had to examine each finished loaf with a giant magnet, only to throw away the whole day’s baking when they couldn’t find the needle. 

And then there was the time when they lost power while the loaves were browning in the oven. The crew had to turn the gears by hand, then dump the leftover rising dough into the trash. That day, they dutifully punched down the discarded dough when it grew out of the garbage bins.  

But after the attacks on the World Trade Center disrupted the economy last month, Vital Vittles, on this side of the country, almost did not receive the ingredient they needed most. During the chaos of disaster, the New York company that distributes their organic grain could not deliver its products. Vital Vittles was again tested as it went down to its last grain of wheat.  

“It’s really a hard business to run,” Schwin says, as she recalls the company’s vulnerable times, past and present. “We’re still struggling; it’s not a slam-dunk at all.”  

Overcoming these difficulties is exactly what makes their 25 years in operation so sweet. The 20-person team plans to celebrate their silver anniversary with an open house today from 9:30 a.m. until noon. They’ll provide samples of their strictly kosher and organic goods, and run tours of the bakery for the public.  

According to Schwin and the crew, “The joy is in still being here.” 

Vital Vittles began in 1976 with a granite stone mill. They were the first of their kind to grind and sell organic grain, while being heavily influenced by Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring.” Realizing the need for a finished product for the organic grain, those at Vital Vittles progressed into an off-hour bakery, and then into a full-time organic and kosher bakery. 

“Our bakery started before other good (organic) bread,” Schwin says. Those at the bakery pride themselves in contributing to the rise in organic foods, for instance by supporting organic farmers. “We started good things,” she says. 

Five days a week, baking starts at 5 a.m. in the converted firehouse that is their headquarters. They handle up to 2,200 pounds on heavy baking days and their product line ranges from cinnamon rolls, to multigrain bread, to vegan cookies. Every ingredient is organic and they bar dairy products to remain kosher.  

Although they open the bakery for retail three days a week, they’re still mostly wholesale. They distribute their goods to health-conscious Bay Area stores such as Whole Foods, and lately, the Grocery Outlet. 

“Feeding people is what motivates me,” Schwin says. “I love it when people can taste something healthy and it tastes good.” 

In the beginning of their quarter-century of business, their main challenge was finding organic ingredients like organic corn oil. Organic suppliers were not around in the same numbers as they are today. But today marketing and competition is the company’s main problem. Because more well-known brands like Orowheat have started to produce organic bread, Vital Vittles must defend and fight for its shelf space in grocery stores, according to Schwin. Also, larger corporations have bought many of the suppliers that they deal with. Since they deal with fewer companies, their business has become more vulnerable.  

Their defense to these recent changes has been to keep customer interest strong by creating new products. For instance, creative bakers now produce vegan chocolate chip brownies and banana bread in order to stay ahead of the competition.  

Huong Tran, a “superwoman” who has been a part of Vital Vittles for two decades, concocts many of the new baked goods. Recently, she used organic baking to solve a perennial problem among parents. “Kids don’t like vegetables,” she says about the product her son inspired, named “Daniel’s Carrot Bread.” “We have to find some way to make them eat it.” 

Their flexible tactics have kept them afloat throughout the decades. Despite Vital Vittles’ Berkeley bearings, some of their bread is distributed through UPS across the country. The company has won supporters far outside Bay Area limits. A handful have joined simply through the company’s website. 

One customer on the east coast recently requested that the Vital Vittles send bread to cheer up a friend. “I think your bread looks like it’s made with caring and love,” the customer said to them. The friend that needed the extra joy views the shaken Manhatten skyline each morning. 

Schwin says she hears compliments like these all the time.  

Older customers have told her that they stopped using laxatives after switching to their bread. Others claim to have lost weight through the food. 

“I feel like people’s lives change when they start eating our bread,” she says. 

Barron Willis, local carpenter and customer for nine years, says that the bread complements his vegetarian lifestyle and lightens his health problems. 

“It’s refreshing,” he says, while he and his wife buy fresh goods straight from the bakery door. “It’s the only bread that we eat.”  

Janice Voss, an active astronaut, even honored the company by bringing Vital Vittles bread into outer space with her. A photo of the bread in zero gravity greets customers by the bakery door. 

Despite the changes over the years, Vital Vittles still has some enduring standards. They still doggedly hand-make their bread. They only hire “nice” people (many of them former refugees or devoted customers). They focus on small-scale baking. And they use the same granite stone mill from 1976 as the starting point for their products.  

Finally, those at Vital Vittles still believe that their healthy, yet popular product sells itself.  

“You know what drug dealers say,” Schwin says, as she slickly pushes a reporter some bread to sample. “The first one’s free.” 

The Silver Anniversary celebration is 9:30-noon at 2810 San Pablo Ave. 

After trailing 13-9 in the first game Tuesday, the Berkeley Yellowjackets women’s volleyball team scored 14 unanswered points on their way to a three-game victory over the Alameda Hornets. 

The ’Jackets, who picked up their eleventh victory against four losses, were led by middle blockers Desiree Guilliard-Young and Vanessa Williams, who combined for 15 kills and 6 blocks in the team’s 15-13, 15-3, 15-7 victory. 

The Hornets seemed to have control throughout the first game, scoring on the first possession and advancing their lead to 4-2, and again to 7-3 before Berkeley coach Justin Caraway decided to call a timeout and talk to his team. 

“I just told them to relax,” Caraway said after the game, “I told them that if we just settled down and played our game, this team wouldn’t be able to beat us.” 

Apparently he was right. After a service error gave Berkeley the possession, junior Danielle Larue served for four straight points, with Guilliard-Young recording a block and a kill to tie the game at 7-7. 

But Alameda answered back by scoring the next four points in their next three possessions and again found themselves with a comfortable lead over the ‘Jackets. 

The ’Jackets scored in their next two possessions on aces by junior Rachel Phillips and sophomore Nadia Qabazard, but Alameda came back with two points of their own, bringing them as close to victory as they’d be throughout the night at 13-9. 

The ’Jackets scored the next five points, with Guilliard-Young dominating the middle with back-to-back stuffs and a kill before Alameda took a timeout. 

It proved to be too little too late, though, as directly after the stoppage Guilliard-Young recorded yet another block to put the game away, 15-13. 

Berkeley’s momentum carried them to a quick lead in the second game as Larue served for another eight points, including two aces. 

“Losing that first game took a lot out of them emotionally,” said Caraway, “with all our mistakes and their leading the whole way, they felt like that was their best chance to get one from us.” 

Berkeley kept putting points on the board in the second game with Guilliard-Young serving for four points and junior Brittany Mabry serving for three for a 15-3 final. 

In what would prove to be the final game, Berkeley started flat again, giving up four points in Alameda’s first possession. They made up for it by scoring five points on Guilliard-Young’s service, and another four points on the service of sophomore Mollie Wolf.  

The score was 9-5 and scoring went back and forth as Alameda climbed within three at 10-7. Caraway called another timeout, which was evidently an effective strategy as his ’Jackets didn’t stumble for the rest of the way. They held the Hornets at seven points as Wolf served for two and Qabazard served for three to end the match. 

Berkeley plays at Hercules at 6 p.m. tonight.

Thursday, Oct. 4

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 

Community Environmental  

Advisory Commission 

7 p.m. 

2118 Milvia St., Suite 200 

Discussion of venue for future Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will continue. 

Public Works Commission Meeting 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St. 

Commission will draft a council report from the Commission on Disability on traffic signal accessibiliy. 

Housing Advisory Hearing 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2930 Ellis St. 

Public hearing on a proposed amendment to the Unified Building Code that would ban the installation of new open hearth fireplaces and allow only installation of new wood burning appliances approved by the Federal EPA or the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. 

The Lost Daughters of China 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Ave. 

Karin Evans discusses the complex societal and cultural issues surrounding the adoption of abandoned infant girls from China. 843-3533 

Saturday, Oct. 6

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

The Cal Sailing Club, a nonprofit sailing and windsurfing cooperative, give free rides on a first come, first served basis on the first full weekend of each month. Wear warm clothes and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children must be at least 5 years old and must be accompanied by an adult. Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

Fire Suppression 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar St. 

Free classes in Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). 981-5605 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Poetry Reading 

3 - 5 p.m. 

South Branch Berkeley Public Library 

1901 Russell St. 

Bay Area Poets Coalition holds an open reading. 527-9905 

Sunday, Oct. 7

Animal Blessings 

10 a.m. 

All Souls Episcopal Parish 

2220 Cedar St. 

Celebration of the Feast of St. Francis allows pets to gather in the courtyard. Following the service, the public is invited for refreshments and a children’s zoo with a pony, chickens, rabbits and ferrets in the courtyard. 

West Berkeley Market 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Avenue, between Third and Fourth Streets  

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

Monday, Oct. 8

Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults Inquiry Program 

7:30 p.m. 

St. Mary Magdalen Parish 

2005 Berryman St. 

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

Franciscanism, Understanding the Vision 

1 - 2 p.m. 

Franciscan School of Theology 

1712 Euclid Ave. 

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

Tuesday, Oct. 9

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2-7 p.m. 

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

Berkeley Camera Club 

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda 

Share your slides and prints with other photographers. Critiques by qualified judges. Monthly field trips. 531-8664 

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 

Town Hall Meeting 

4 - 6 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. 

The Affordable Housing Advocacy Project presents a discussion on the Berkeley Housing Authority Howmeownership Program. 548-5803 

Wednesday, Oct. 10

PRC Meeting Cancelled 

The meeting of the Police Review Commission scheduled for Oct. 10 has been cancelled.  

Amendment to Zoning  

Ordinance Meeting 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

The Planning Commission will consider an amendment to the zoning ordinance to prohibit the conversions of existing building space from any other use to office use and the development of new office uses of 5000 square feet or more in the mixed use-light industrial zoning district. 

Toddler Storytime 

7 p.m. 

West Berkeley Library 

1125 University Ave. 

For families with children three years or younger, a program to expose the youngest readers to multicultural stories, songs and finger plays. Every Wednesday through Nov. 28. 

Following is Vice Mayor Maudelle Shirek's statement delivered at the Congressional Black Caucus Convention last week in Washington, D.C. 

Honorable Representatives: 

Thank you for the opportunity to let this 90 year old woman address you. I am Maudelle Shirek, Vice Mayor of patriotic, peace-loving Berkeley, California and I’ve served on the City Council for 17 years. I am here to support your colleague and my friend, Barbara Lee, who I have known most of her adult life. I would like to read the text of an ad from the San Francisco Chronicle signed by 200 individuals which echoes my sentiments: 

“We condemn the violent acts perpetrated against innocent people in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania. We grieve the loss of human life and the horrific human suffering. Now is the time for careful consideration of an appropriate response. We salute Congresswoman Barbara Lee for her courage in casting the one vote in Congress against war. Her vote was a recognition that war will only worsen the crisis. Thank you Congresswoman Barbara Lee for voting your conscience and being an inspiring leader of peace-loving people everywhere.” 

I grieve for those killed and injured in the terrible, tragic suicide bombings of Sept. 11; 

I also grieve for their families and friends; 

I also grieve for the Afghani people whose country has been hijacked by a small group of people resulting in civil war, abject poverty, and five million people leaving the country. Long- term famine conditions resulted in 5.3 million Afghanis receiving U.N. food aid last year. The landscape is covered by more landmines than any other country, leaving a population more physically maimed than any other; 

I also grieve for the one and one-half million Iraqis, mostly children under 5, who have died during the past 10 years due to United Nations/United States trade sanctions on necessities such as food and medicine; 

I also grieve historical inequities resulting in the expropriation of lands from the indigenous people in the Americas to the Palestinians in the Middle East and all areas of the world where colonialists subjugated people and drew borders with no regard to local conditions; 

I also grieve that we are in total denial of the global AIDS cataclysm, on par with the Holocaust and Bubonic Plague, which has taken 22 million lives and continues to kill over 8,000 daily, over 90 percent of them Africans; 

Why can’t we be honest with ourselves? A military war against a defenseless, innocent people will only result in the creation of more terrorists. As Ghandi said, “An eye for an eye will only blind the world.” We should follow the Oklahoma City bombing response and seek out the individuals responsible and bring them to justice. We can do this under the U.N. Charter and the World Court by suing Afghanistan for harboring terrorists, to ascertain if this is actually the case. We should not forget that the CIA funded, armed and trained the Taliban. We gave them $43 million in aid this year for drug eradication. 

Our role in the world must be to alleviate pain and suffering, not cause it. No one will win the proposed military conflict. Knee jerk vengeance will only give ammunition to those who mine human desperation to lash out against innocent people. 

If we are to declare war, let us declare war on the causes of terrorism. Let us declare war on hunger. Let us feed Iraqi children and the Afghanis crowded in refugee camps who get one meal of grain every three days. Let us honestly reconcile historical grievances be they made by Africans, African-Americans, indigenous peoples, Palestinians, Jews, Japanese or others. 

Let us declare war on disease. Let us make a $2-$3 billion dollar contribution to Kofi Annan’s Global Health Fund to eradicate the horrendous human suffering caused by AIDS, malaria and TB. Do you realize that Norway’s per capita contribution to this fund is $25, while America’s in only 67 cents? Barbara Lee has made AIDS, hunger, poverty and justice her priorities. Won’t you join her? 

Forty billion dollars would go a long way in solving these problems and in making us friends throughout the world. Let us choose this path rather than the present course which may very well lead to our own destruction. On behalf of my constituents in California’s Ninth Congressional District, I thank you. 

MUSIC 

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

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

albatrosspub@mindspring.com  

Anna’s Oct. 4: The Irrationals A Cappella; Oct. 5: Anna sings jazz standards, 10 p.m. Hideo Date Blues; Oct. 6: Ed Reed, 10 p.m. The Distones Jazz Sextet; Oct. 7: Danubius; Oct. 8: Renegade Sidemen, Calvin Keyes; Oct. 9: Open Mic; All shows begin at 8 p.m. 1801 University Ave. 849-ANNA www.annasbistro.com 

Ashkenaz Oct. 4: 10 p.m. Grateful Dead DJ Night, $5; Oct. 5: 9 p.m. Obeyjah, Winton Jarrett, Village Culture, $10-20; Oct. 6: 9 p.m. Tom Rigney and Flambeau, $11; Oct. 7: 7 p.m. Singer/Songwriter Showcase, $6-8; 1317 San Pablo Ave. 525-5054 www.ashkenaz.com 

Café de la Paz Poetry Nitro, performance showcase with open mike. All shows free, 7 - 10 p.m. 

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

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

Freight & Salvage Oct 4: Darol Anger & Mike Marshall; Oct 5: Golden Bough; Oct 6: The Limeliters; Oct 7: Eddie From Ohio; Oct 8: All Nation Singers, Walter Ogi Johnson, Thunder; All shows start at 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St. 548-1761  

www.freightandsalvage.com 

Jupiter Oct. 4: Beatdown with DJ’s Delon, Yamu, and Add1; Oct. 5: The Opinions of Dr. Abecus; Oct. 6: Crowsong; Oct. 9: Hydeus Kiatta Trio; Oct. 10: Cannonball with DJ Aspect; Oct. 11: Beatdown with DJ’s Delon, Yamu, and Add1; Oct. 12: Japonize Elephants; Oct. 13: J Dogs; All music starts at 8:00 p.m. 2181 Shattuck Ave. 843-7625 www.jupiterbeer.com  

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

Live Oak Concerts Oct. 7: Tom Rose and Miles Graber; Oct. 14: A Harvest of Song, an evening of premiers of works, $8-10. Both shows start at 7:30 p.m. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St.  

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

Henry Clement & His Gumbo Band and Posse Oct. 5: 9:45 p.m. A mixture of zydeco, blues, New Orleans rhumba boogie, funk, and swamp-rock sounds. Eli’s Mile High Club, 3629 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, Oakland 

Laszlo Varga & Friends Oct. 7: 4 p.m. Solo cello and chamber music. $10 general admission, Free under 18 and cellists. The Crowden School, 1475 Rose St.,  

559-6910 

Rebecca Riots Oct. 12: 7:30 p.m. $20-23. Montclair Women’s Cultural Arts Club, 1650 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. 339-1832 

Synchronicity Oct. 14: 2 p.m. Piano and percussion duo fuses classical and jazz music into a visual experience. $10 adult, $5 child. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. 845-8542 www.juliamorgan.org 

Shafqat Ali Khan Oct. 20: 8 p.m. Concert of classical Ragaa, Sufi, Urdu, Persian Ghazel, and other popular musical styles from India. $20 general admission, $15 students. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. 845-8542 www.juliamorgan.org 

THEATER 

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

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

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

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

“Approach” through Oct. 27: Thur. - Sat., 8 p.m. An examination of the search for intimacy as our most precious form of survival. Written by Susan Wiegand, directed by Katie Bales Frassinelli. $15 general admission, $10 students and seniors. Eighth Street Studio Theatre, 2525 Eighth St. 655-0813 www.shotgunplayers.org 

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

www.berkeleyrep.org 

FILMS 

Fine Arts Cinema Oct 4 - Oct 9 “Battleship Potemkin.” Directed by Sergei Eisenstein; 2451 Shattuck Ave. 848-1143 

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

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

“Lisa Picard is Famous” Oct. 12-19: Mockumentary chronicles New York actress who hopes to get more than a fleeting taste of fame when a racy cereal commercial brings her unexpected national notoriety. Shattuck Cinemas, 2230 Shattuck Ave. 843-3456 

EXHIBITS 

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

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

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

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

www.adaptgallery.com  

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

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

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

cathycade@mindspring.com 

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

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

Readings 

Boadecia’s Books Sept. 21: Deborah Kesten, “The Healing Secrets of Food;” Sept. 22: A special All Poetry Dyke Open Myke, to participate call 655-1015 or feroniawolf@yahoo.com; Sept 28: The Return of Gaymes Night; Sept 29: Ellen Samuels and other contributors to “Out of the Ordinary: Essays on Growing Up with Gay, Lesbian & Transgender Parents”; Oct. 5: Mark Pritchard reads from “How I Adore You”; Oct 6: Terry Ryan reads from “The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 words or Less”; Oct. 12: Susan Gaines reads from her novel “Carbon Dream”; Oct. 18: Patricia Nell Warren reads from her novel “The Wild Man”, Oct. 22: J.M. Redmann reads from “Death By the Riverside”; All events start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise. All events are free. 398 Colusa Ave. 559-9184 www.bookpride.com 

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

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

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

Coffee Mill Poetry Series Oct. 16: 7 - 9 p.m. Steve Arntsen and Kathleen Dunbar followed by open mike reading. 3363 Grand Ave., Oakland 465-3935 ksdgk@earthlink.net 

Eastwind Books of Berkeley Sept. 29: 7 p.m. Kip Fulbeck reads from his first novel, “Paper Bullets”; Oct. 13: Leonard Chang reads from “Over the Shoulder”; Oct. 20: Miriam Ching Louie reads from “Sweatshop Warriors: Immigrant Women Workers Take on the Global Factory”; 2066 University Ave. 548-2350 

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

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

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

Michael Parentini Oct 4: 7:30 p.m. Discusses and signs copies of his latest book “To Kill a Nation” at Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library 6501 Telegraph Ave 595-7417 

Susan Griffin Oct. 12: 7 - 10 p.m. Presents slide show and discusses her latest book “The Book of Courtesans: A Catalogue of Their Virtues”. $10 refundable with book purchase. Gaia Arts and Cultural Center, 2116 Allston Way 848-4242  

Tours 

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

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

Museums 

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

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

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

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

Lawrence Hall of Science “Within the Human Brain,” ongoing. Visitors test their cranial nerves, play skeeball, master mazes, match musical tones and construct stories inside a simulated “rat cage” of learning experiments. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. Space Weather Exhibit now - Sept. 2; now - Sept. 9 Science in Toyland; Saturdays 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. 642-5132 

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

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

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

The progressive faction on the City Council prevailed Tuesday by approving a controversial redistricting plan that one moderate councilmember called “the most outrageous public policy” she had seen since being elected to the council. 

After closing a public hearing and exchanging strong rhetoric, the council, which had six plans to choose from, approved the one designed by residents David Blake and Michael O’Malley by a vote of 5-4.  

The vote fell exactly along party lines with council progressives Vice Mayor Maudelle Shirek and councilmembers Kriss Worthington, Dona Spring, Linda Maio and Margaret Breland voting for the plan. 

While the plan was approved in concept by the council, the exact language will be voted on at the council’s Oct. 9 meeting. 

Moderates were outraged at the approved plan, which they said was a thinly veiled attempt to weaken moderate Councilmember Polly Armstrong in District 8 by increasing the student population in her district from 40 percent to an estimated 52 percent.  

They also said the Blake-O’Malley plan strengthened Councilmember Kriss Worthington’s district by maintaining neighborhood groups that support him and keeping just enough students to continue voting for him, but not enough for a student candidate to challenge his seat on the council.  

Under the Blake-O’Malley plan, District 7 has approximately 62 percent students, according to Blake, a former part-time aide to Councilmember Linda Maio. 

Moderates also said the plan was “railroaded” through the public process because last-minute changes were made during a Monday meeting with David Blake, Shirek, Breland and Spring. Worthington was also at the meeting but came after the alterations were made to the plan, according to Blake. 

Progressives argued that moderates’ complaints were “sour grapes” and that overall the plan had changed little since it was submitted in August. They added that last minute changes were minor and the moderates weren’t going to like the plan no matter what. “It was pretty obvious we hit a nerve,” Councilmember Dona Spring said. “Councilmember Armstrong really didn’t want more students in her neighborhood and her colleagues defended her.” 

The City Charter requires the city’s eight districts be re-drawn every 10 years according to population shifts reported by the United States census. The charter also requires the council to approve adjusted district boundaries by Dec. 31. 

According to the 2000 Census, Berkeley’s population is 102,743, which requires the city to redraw district lines so that as close to 12,843 people are in each district. 

The situation was made more complex by an inaccurate census undercount in districts 7 and 8. Despite the blunder, the council is bound by the charter to ignore the undercount and use the inaccurate numbers to redraw district lines, which caused the shifting of larger groups between districts than would have otherwise been necessary. 

City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque advised the council the plan it chose should follow the charter requirement that “any redistricting shall preserve, to the extent possible, the council districts originally established in 1986.” 

But Albuquerque said interpretation of the word “preserve” could mean preserving geographical shape or preserving residents. 

The actual numbers of the amended Blake-O’Malley Plan were not available on Wednesday, but the original plan attempted to maintain the geographical shape of the existing districts according to the City Charter requirements, but shifted 9,322 people into different districts citywide including increasing the student population in District 8, which is currently dominated by homeowners. 

The moderates favored a staff plan known as “Scenario 5,” which also maintained geographical lines and only shifted 7,838 residents into other districts citywide. But Scenario 5 moved greater numbers of students into Worthington’s district and more homeowners into District 8. 

Prior to the council vote, Hawley, who had 1,195 constituents shifted in the Blake-O’Malley Plan, said she was amazed that the plan was changed at the last minute. She said last minute changes were a violation of public process. 

“Adoption of this plan would be the most outrageous public policy I’ve seen since I’ve been on the council,” she said. “This is truly an outrage.” 

Armstrong was clearly upset by the approval of a plan, which she said was fashioned behind closed doors. 

“With the wave of a wand (the progressives) destroyed a district, that was created in 1986 as a largely homeowner district, by putting in significantly more students.” 

Worthington said students deserve better representation and that Armstrong will have to pay closer attention to student issues.  

“I believe that the students and neighbors will get a lot more attention this year in District 8 because having 10 percent more students means they can’t be totally ignored,” he said on Wednesday.  

Mayor Shirley Dean said the approval of the Blake-O’Malley plan was at best a shrewd manipulation of public process and at worst a violation of it. “It’s about political protection and adding to the power of Kriss Worthington,” Dean said. “It is so nauseating.” 

Spring said the heavy rhetoric was “the most acute case of sour grapes she’s ever seen.” 

The Cal women’s volleyball team (4-5) broke a four-match losing streak by defeating visiting Saint Mary’s (2-9), 3-0 (30-24, 30-28, 30-25), Tuesday evening at Haas Pavilion.  

The Bears had to come from behind in every game, but had enough talent to pull out the match. Cal was led by senior setter/outside hitter Candace McNamee, who finished the match with a .316 hitting percentage (nine kills, three errors, 19 attempts) and had a career-high five service aces. McNamee was especially effective with her jump serve in the first game, tying the game, 21-21, on a service ace and then giving the Bears a 25-21 lead with four of the five points coming from aces.  

Other top players for Cal were freshman middle blocker Camille Leffall and juniors Reena Pardiwala and Leah Young. Leffall had a .533 hitting percentage (nine kills, one error, 15 attempts), Pardiwala had a .333 hitting percentage (eight kills, three errors, 15 attempts) and a team-high 10 kills and Young had a team-high 10 kills and finished with a .318 hitting percentage (10 kills, three errors, 22 attempts).  

Saint Mary’s was led by junior Rachel Avilla’s eight kills and Brooke Lowry added 10 digs.  

The Bears will next host Oregon on Friday, Oregon State on Saturday and No. 7 Arizona on Monday, with all matches beginning at 7 p.m. at Haas Pavilion.

Editor: 

Flags on Fire trucks, on porches, on lapel buttons, and sides of buildings? Of course, this a free country!  

And, I am protesting the “WAR” talk and the open-ended war powers authorization by congress (with the exception of Rep. Barbara Lee).  

There is no contradiction there. Wearing the flag, as I do, gives me the right, the license, to scrutinize what our “leaders” and the military do, to appeal for alternative ways of solving terrorist violence other than more killing, bombings, and other of the habitual urges for revenge. I do not fully trust Bush, Cheney, Powell team, any more than during the Gulf war. I revere our flag, it is imprinted in my psyche, from growing up knowing only F.D.R. as my president, saluting the flag as a Boy Scout, seeing it flying every Fourth of July and Memorial Day, and seeing it draped on my father’s casket, dead due to illnesses from gas in WWI. 

During all my years as a patriot I took advantage of my freedom in America to protest when I felt it to be appropriate, to show my disdain for violent, exploitative, and unethical decisions by elected officials and corporate powers.  

My rights and my love for our flag were most deeply imprinted as a permanent-mind picture on the morning we American POWs heard of the death of FDR from our German Guards. It was April 13, 1945 and 10,000 captured allied airmen were on a march from a POW camp in Nuremberg to Stammlager VII-A near Munich, Germany. We were angry at the guards, suspecting another attempt to demoralize us. 

The early morning air was misty cool, and our grundgy 1,000-man column was stopped in a wooded dell alongside a stream and ordered to attention. The American officer in charge announced that the German commander of our guards had given permission for a special announcement; his voice faltered, and I knew then that the rumor was true.  

He spoke the words we did not want to hear and asked for a moment of silence. A bugler out of sight in the woods across the stream played taps.  

Simultaneously, a small American flag appeared briefly to our right partially hidden by foliage. Chins quivered and tears flowed freely, the three minute ceremony was over, and the order came, “Right Turn, March.” We were headed for another town in Southern Bavaria, in the glorious spring time, while the front line bombardments rumbled in the distance. 

Now, I protest the talk of “WAR” and do so wearing the flag proudly. I fought in aerial combat, and lost dear friends in a “war” to defend the “free world” against a brutal enemy, Adolph Hitler. As a P.O.W. a vicious reality emerged for me and many others: once a war is begun God is on no ones side as attacks and counter attacks wreak carnage on both sides. Now the awful truth has reached American soil, horrible beyond words. I earned the right to “just say no” to revengeful violent actions that beget the same, and yes to seeking non-violent alternatives. 

Ken Norwood 

Berkeley 

A major makeover of one of the city’s most central downtown blocks will be on the agenda when the city’s Zoning Adjustments Board meets tonight. 

The ZAB will hear a proposal for a new five-story, 176-unit residential development immediately behind the Berkeley Public Library, between Kittredge Street and Bancroft Way. The site is currently home to a parking garage. 

In addition, the ZAB may decide tonight whether or not to grant a permit for the demolition and reconstruction of the Berkeley Inn, on the same block at the corner of Bancroft and Milvia Street. 

The residential project, called “Library Gardens,” is being proposed by TransAction Companies, which, 10 years ago, built the block-sized Berkeley Center complex, located across Kittredge from the Library Gardens site, where the Shattuck Cinemas are now housed. 

The Library Gardens project, which has already received approval from the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Design Review Committee would also include a public plaza, an outdoor childrens’ play area, ground-level retail space and expanded parking underground. 

With its 176 units, the complex would contain nearly twice as many apartments as the recently-approved Gaia Building, which Patrick Kennedy’s Panoramic Interests is building almost directly across Shattuck Avenue. It will be one of the largest housing developments ever built in Berkeley – excluding the campus – Housing Director Steve Barton said. 

The units planned are one and two-bedroom apartments, ranging in size from 525 to 793 square feet. Twenty percent of the project will be affordable to low and moderate income people. 

John DeClercq, senior vice president of TransAction, said that the project would blend in with the many historic and civic structures in the downtown area while contributing to the revitalization of the neighborhood. 

“We’re very proud of it,” he said. “Our architect has created something that is well-designed and attractive, something that’s going to contribute to downtown residential life.” 

The project has evolved considerably since it was first introduced over a year ago. Planning department staff thought the original design, which called for 196 apartments and no retail space, was “too crowded.” The view of the north facade of the Berkeley Public Library, a city landmark, would have been blocked, and the line of sight from what DeClercq characterized as a “historic window” would have been broken by the building. 

In the current plans, the project is separated from the library by a public plaza and a semi-public children’s park. The plaza would include outdoor seating for a cafe. The Habitot Children’s Museum, which currently leases space in the Berkeley Center, is expected to lease the park for programs during the day; at night, it would be available for Library Gardens residents.  

The view now carries across the plaza and down what DeClercq called the project’s “Parisian corridor,” which leads to the main entrances into the residential area. 

DeClercq said that the project, as currently designed, should pass muster at the ZAB easily. 

“In all honesty, we think this is a 9-0 project,” he said. “We’re not going to ask for extra height. We’re not looking for waivers or variances. Our project fits the city code in every way.” 

Planning staff said they had mailed out 535 notices about the project, and received only two letters in reply, both of which were in support of it. The letters were from the Berkeley Public Library and the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. 

If the project is approved, parking in the downtown area will be disrupted for six to seven months as the old “Hinks” parking garage, which has spaces for 362 vehicles, is demolished and the new garage, which will have 455 spaces, is built. 

To mitigate the problem, TransAction has proposed to lease parking space from the University of California on the weekends. During the week, valet parking would be instituted at the city’s other downtown parking garages. Additional space would be rented at Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto, on Fourth Street, and at Golden Gate Fields at the foot of Gilman. Shuttle buses, paid for by the developer, would run between those lots and downtown.  

Because this plan involves the use of city-owned parking structures, it must be approved separately by the City Council. DeClercq said he expected the council to hear the matter some time next month.  

The ZAB must approve or deny a permit for the project before Jan. 15, but may act as early as tonight. 

Also before the board is a request by Sudha Patel, owner of the Berkeley Inn. Patel has submitted plans to tear down the 13-unit motel, which was built in 1925, and to construct a three-story, 30-unit hotel. The Berkeley Inn is located next to the southwest corner of the Library Gardens project. 

Planning department staff say that they have not received any letters concerning Patel’s request. 

The ZAB must approve or deny a permit for this project either tonight or at its meeting next week. 

The ZAB meets at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 

Editor: 

We, the Board of Directors of the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA), express our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the innocent victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11.  

We very strongly condemn the perpetrators of these heinous crimes against innocent victims. We, like others across America and the world, have been affected, heartbroken, and touched by this terrible tragedy.  

We honor those brave passengers aboard the fourth hijacked plane who thwarted the hijackers’ attempts to inflict even more harm.  

We express our gratitude for the heroism of our firefighters, policemen, and emergency workers, many of who made the ultimate sacrifice of giving their lives, so that others may live. 

We sincerely hope for justice for all the victims of the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We hope that our anti-terrorism activities will prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future. 

We express our solidarity with our South Asian, Middle-Eastern, and other brothers and sisters in the United States who are being victimized and terrified by the backlash of discrimination and hate crimes (e.g. the murder of an innocent Indian Sikh), based on ethnic, cultural, political, and religious prejudice and stereotyping.  

We join all Americans in strongly condemning such discriminatory actions against those who are law-abiding U.S. citizens, residents and visitors. We call on the law enforcement agencies to enforce the law in instances where hate crimes have been committed. 

Submitted by Vincent M. Baduel, 

San Lorenzo 

for GAPA, San Francisco 

Faced with slim pickings in the search for a new associate superintendent for finances, the Berkeley School Board on Wednesday was expected to approve a $23,000-per-month contract with a Southern California consulting firm to carry out the district’s financial functions in the short term. 

Two part-time consultants with Vicenti, Lloyd and Stutzman, an educational services firm based in La Verne, Los Angeles County, have managed the district’s problem-plagued finances since the summer departure of associate superintendent Cathy James, after 11 years. 

“We thought when they first were hired that we would have a business manager sooner than it’s turned out to be,” said School Board President Terry Doran. 

The district’s finances have been plagued in the last two years by persistent fallout from the Y2K computer bug and a difficult ongoing transfer of computer operations to a new system. In August, the Alameda County education department deemed the 2001-2002 Berkeley Unified School District budget unacceptable because it overstated revenues by up to $2.5 million and omitted federal revenues and categorical programs totaling some $17 million. 

District Superintendent Michele Lawrence said at that time that the district could not meet a Sept. 8 deadline to fix its books. As a result, Alameda County officials were scheduled to formally announce the rejection of the budget at Wednesday’s board meeting. This will trigger intervention by a state-appointed budget committee. 

“The districts that have the greatest trouble recruiting are the ones that have had financial difficulties in the past,” said Kevin Gordon, executive director of the California Association of School Business Administrators (CASBO). 

Lawrence and her staff have been searching for a new business services chief, but Doran said the small pool of qualified candidates so far may necessitate either a second round of ads and queries or the hiring of a professional search firm. 

“There isn’t an active recruitment right now,” Lawrence said Wednesday.  

Dr. David Gomez, the district’s associate superintendent for administrative services, said options under consideration included looking outside California, offering a higher salary, or changing the job description or title. The first round of advertisements, Gomez said, had specified a maximum salary of $126,000. Doran said the next might rise to $150,000. 

In the meantime, the consultants are working at an annual rate of $276,000. The gap between the figures can be partially accounted for by the benefits package awarded to full-time employees, said Gordon, the CASBO chief. The consultants, said Doran, are also doing extra work on streamlining and reorganizing processes. 

The consultants are staying at “local hotels, not expensive ones,” Gomez said. 

Gordon said that the consultants’ extra cost may be a good investment. California school districts, with the most ambitious educational mandates in the country, are faced with attaining “world class standards on a third-world budget” and need to allow the time to find someone who is a proper fit for the district. 

“This is not someone who is a bean counter, this is not somebody who worries about where the furniture is going to be placed,” Gordon said. “This is a person who has to have a very broad understanding of the goals of the district and that helps to drive the budget and fiscal processes of the district to achieve those goals.” 

“It’s a broader job; it’s a leadership job,” Gordon said. 

Doran and other school board members said Wednesday afternoon that the resolution was “not controversial” among board members and that they expected it to pass. 

“It is absolutely necessary,” Doran said.

At midnight on Saturday, the Shattuck Down Low Lounge, Berkeley’s newest downtown nightclub, pulsed with activity. But outside, the streets stood silent. Theatergoers exiting Shattuck Cinemas bee-lined to their cars, and the manager at nearby Original Mel’s Diner closed up for the night. Even Starbucks, a bastion of insomnia, slumbered in the dark. 

“This is the busiest block in downtown, and there’s nobody around,” said Sergeant Abebe Lemma of PR&T Security, a private security firm hired by the theater’s property owner to patrol the area until 2 a.m. “It’s no San Francisco.” 

Not yet. But city officials hope that the activity at the Down Low marks the birth of a nightlife.  

“We don’t want a place that dies at 5 p.m.,” said Deborah Badhia, executive director of the Downtown Berkeley Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to revitalizing downtown. “We want a downtown with activity at all hours of the day and night.” 

The association’s efforts began in 1989 at the behest of downtown property and business owners seeking to invigorate the area lacking in vitality. To that end, some $150 million has been spent for public and private development projects, according to Badhia. Restaurants such as Via Centro and Santa Fe Bistro developed outdoor seating, and the new 91-unit Gaia building went up. The city also loaned $4 million to the Berkeley Repertory Theatre for its expansion and doled out $1.2 million to other arts groups seeking to move into the area. 

But even Badhia and her cohorts understand that it will take time for late night customers to reach the critical mass necessary to keep more businesses open.  

The Shattuck Down Low Lounge, one of two downtown establishments to receive approval for an expanded hours use permit this year, represents one of the tests.  

“We get people all the way up to 1:45 a.m.,” said Ace Johnson as he checked IDs of customers entering the club at 2284 Shattuck. Johnson estimated that there were already 175 to 200 people inside the club, which opened in July. It can hold 344.  

“It’s a pretty swanky club,” said Andro Hsu, a UC Berkeley graduate student who just moments earlier had been one of the 50 people out on the floor dancing to the jazz-fusion band Sfunk. “I’d come back.” 

“The club itself is gorgeous,” said Sara Roth, 24. “This could be a hotspot. It’s got so much potential.” 

Daniel Cukierman, the owner, stood at the edge of the dance floor, satisfied with his take. He said he makes enough, especially on weekends, to offset his expenses. “I’m taking my time. Right now, I want to build a nice clientele.” 

But how much time before downtown’s nightlife picks up is unclear.  

Since the mid-1990s, several arts groups and restaurants have established themselves in the area, among them Capoeira Arts Café, Downtown and Venus. Moreover, the city’s 1990 Downtown Plan, which guides future development, specifically “encourages nighttime and weekend activities that provide a longer period of activity in the area” and calls for incentives such as tax benefits and density bonuses to promote growth.  

“The mayor recognizes that for a city to thrive, it needs a vibrant downtown that attracts people from both within the city and outside of it,” said Jennifer Drapeau, chief of staff for Mayor Shirley Dean. “A lot is happening now and more will be happening soon. It’s an ongoing effort.” 

Drapeau said that within the next few months the Aurora Theatre and JazzSchool will be opening on Addison Street. In addition, Freight and Salvage, Shotgun Players and the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra are trying to secure space in the area. Drapeau also said that the mayor is working with city and university-owned garages to increase parking options for nighttime visitors.  

But for night owls, bar hoppers and club goers, there are still few post-midnight options. The last movies at Shattuck Cinemas and United Artists Berkeley begin at 11 p.m. And on one recent Saturday at 1 a.m., only Down Low, Beckett’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, Jupiter, Thalassa, Au Coquelet Café and Sun Hong Kong Restaurant remained open. 

Ciaran McDunphy, manager at Beckett’s, which opened eight months ago, said that part of the problem is perception. “We have to think: Why is it quiet on Saturday night? It’s because people are going to the city. But why are people going to the city? It’s because they think that there’s nothing in Berkeley.” 

At Jupiter, 70 people sat in the outdoor beer garden. Doorman Paul Tatum said that many patrons are stunned by the lack of clubs in Berkeley. “There’s a massive pull to the city (San Francisco),” he said, because “club hoppers require options. They want to go from one place to another and that requires a strip of clubs all within walking distance.” Tatum said that Berkeley lacks the “romantic aestheticism” of San Francisco and that it would take “a massive effort” to get people to come to Berkeley. 

Nevertheless, Tatum and others continue to work to make it happen and try to share the night owls who do show up. “If people want to dance, I send them across the street,” said McDunphy. “If people want a microbrewery, I send them to Jupiter. We all talk. It’s in our best interest. The more people who come downtown, the better it is for everyone.” 

But the Downtown Berkeley Association believes it will happen: A recent report issued by the organization points out that the ground floor vacancy rate in downtown was less than 4 percent in 2000 compared to 16 percent in 1992. 

Key to developing a night clientele are new residents. The 91-unit Gaia building on Allston Way opened this summer and another 300 housing units are two years from completion. 

Mary Lee, an undergraduate at UC Berkeley who just moved into the Gaia building, said she enjoys the convenience of her new apartment and the shops, but adds that they shut down by 9 p.m. “After midnight only a few bars are open,” she says. “Nothing really happens here.” 

LOS ANGELES — The Senate may have moved to normalize trade relations between this country and Vietnam, but lingering hostility and the current state of trade with the Asian nation may block any windfalls for California firms looking to cash in on the agreement. 

Last year, California companies exported just $78.8 million in products to the nation of 80 million people, said Bruce Smith, principal economist for the state Department of Finance. 

That represents less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the state’s total exports. 

Those products mostly included heavy equipment and agricultural items — commodities that are unlikely to increase dramatically even though the agreement calls for Vietnam to reduce tariffs and remove other trade barriers. 

“It’s not one of the glamour markets,” said Jack Kyser, chief economist with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. “And there’s still a lot of hostility in this country toward the government in Vietnam.” 

The Senate on Wednesday approved the plan to normalize trade between the two former enemies. The House endorsed the measure last month, and President Bush said he will sign it. 

The flip side of the trade equation doesn’t appear much more lucrative. 

Detailed import numbers for California firms involved in trade with Vietnam were not immediately available. But Smith said total imports from Vietnam passing through California totaled just $436 million last year and included mostly agricultural commodities like coffee and rice. 

That’s less than 1 percent of total imports passing through the state. 

California has the largest population of Vietnamese people outside of that nation. The Little Saigon area of Orange County is home to 300,000 Vietnamese. Nearly 79,000 live in San Jose. Statewide, the Vietnamese population grew 60 percent during the past decade. 

Kyser believes a critical impediment to increased trade will be the “legacy of hostility” between Vietnamese-Americans and the communist regime in their homeland. 

“That may make it difficult to get trade going,” Kyser said. “After a year or so, we may see a change in those attitudes.” 

Not everyone believes those sentiments will hamper trade. 

Co Pham, chairman of the Vietnamese-American Chamber of Commerce, believes many of the group’s 400 statewide members will move quickly to do business with the Asian nation after prohibitive U.S. tariffs are reduced. 

He expects those firms can easily cash in on the market among Vietnamese immigrants for seafood, fruit and other commodities from their native country. 

As Vietnam prospers from such exports, he believes it will be able to afford expensive tech and manufacturing equipment from this country to rebuild its infrastructure. 

“Vietnam has lots of resources — coal, gas and diamond mines — but needs machinery to get it,” he said. “I think with this trade agreement it will have a good chance to rebuild.” 

LOS ANGELES — Walt Disney Co. took big financial hits at its theme parks and ABC television network after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks but has seen steady recovery during the past two weeks, a company executive said Wednesday. 

Still, it’s too early to predict the prospects for fiscal 2002 in any detail, Disney president Bob Iger told Wall Street analysts during a teleconference. 

“Despite the current climate, the turnaround is a matter of when — not if — because of the brand strength of Disney,” he said. 

Burbank-based Disney was one of the hardest hit entertainment companies in the days after the terrorist attacks because of its extensive media and theme park holdings. Its stock price plummeted more than 20 percent to $16.98 on Sept. 20. Since then it has rebounded and closed Wednesday at $19.91. 

“Lots of things are slowly getting back to normal,” said Paul Kim, senior media analyst at New York-based Kaufman Brothers LP. ”(Iger) appeared to be realistic and sober in his assessment.” 

Disney generates 35 percent of its annual $1.2 billion in net income from its worldwide theme parks. Another 30 percent comes from its ABC broadcasting operation. 

Even before the attacks, Disney theme parks were plagued by lagging attendance as the sluggish economy kept travelers at home. 

Iger began his Wednesday presentation with a video clip from an address last week in which President Bush urged Americans to “go down to DisneyWorld in Florida, take your family and enjoy life the way you want to enjoy it.” 

“That surprised us, and we appreciate it enormously,” Iger said. 

Without providing specifics about attendance or revenue, Iger cited a “drop-off” at Disney theme parks in this country as leisure travel stalled immediately after the attacks. 

He said DisneyWorld was hit harder than Disneyland because 50 percent of visitors to the Florida resort arrive by plane. Only 25 percent of Disneyland guests travel to the California attraction by air. 

To compensate for the losses, employees’ hours have been cut and strategic marketing efforts are under way. 

“We’ve seen an uptick in attendance almost every day since Sept. 11,” Iger said. “Experience informs us that people keep taking vacations during difficult times. Those who don’t are only delaying them.” 

As proof, Iger noted that advance bookings at Disney resorts are now running ahead of cancellations. 

Concerning ABC, Iger said Disney expects to recoup more than 90 percent of the revenue from advertising it pre-empted while airing 91 consecutive hours of attack coverage. Other networks also offered nonstop news. 

Iger did not put a pricetag on that advertising but Kim said it could have exceeded $10 million a day. However, like vacation travel, that advertising was not lost but simply deferred, Kim said. 

Iger said additional financial promise is reflected in the upcoming theatrical release of the film “Monsters Inc.” and “Snow White” on DVD and VHS. 

“The last few weeks are no bellwether for what’s ahead,” he said. 

CHICAGO (AP) — In its latest concession to the severe dropoff in air travel, United Airlines said Wednesday it is discontinuing its United Shuttle brand at the end of October and incorporating at least some of those flights into United and United Express flights. 

It was not immediately clear how many flights would be eliminated, United spokesman Joe Hopkins said. He said it’s not yet certain how many daily flights the airline will be operating as of Nov. 1 when the latest cutbacks are incorporated, saying the schedule is still being worked on. 

United Shuttle operates mostly in the West, using a fleet of 59 Boeing 737 airplanes. Before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that caused passenger demand to slump badly, it offered about 468 daily flights. 

The nation’s second-biggest airline said United or United Express will continue to offer service in nearly all markets that currently have Shuttle service. 

The service cutback is the second announced this week by United, which said Monday it will downgrade service in several cities at end of the month. 

Since Sept. 11, the airline has reduced its schedule from 2,400 daily flights to about 1,900. Last week, it announced that it will fly 69 percent of its schedule beginning Nov. 1. It also has said it will cut at least 20 percent of its work force of about 100,000. 

United said it continues to adjust its operation to reflect softened demand. It said it sees, in particular, less demand for heavy-usage, quick-turnaround flights in its system. 

“Our goal is to maintain the best possible schedules for customers and communities that rely on United for service, while maintaining flexibility to fine-tune our capacity to meet demand,” said Christopher D. Bowers, United Airlines’ senior vice president-North America. “Eliminating Shuttle allows us to achieve this by using a mix of either larger or smaller jet aircraft depending on market conditions and frequency needs.” 

Hopkins said discontinuing the United Shuttle brand means that “instead of a 737, you might see a bigger airplane” operating the route under the United or United Express brand. 

On Monday, United said it will end all service in Little Rock, Ark.; Bellingham and Yakima, Wash.; Lynchburg, Va.; and Victoria, British Columbia. It also said it will withdraw service from Allentown, Pa.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Norfolk, Va.; Portland, Maine; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; and Santa Barbara, Calif.; and replace it with United Express, its regional carrier. 

Also being eliminated are United Express service between Washington-Dulles and Allentown, Pa.; Cincinnati, Akron and Canton, Ohio; Louisville, Ky.; and Knoxville, Tenn.; and nonstop service between Washington-Dulles and Sacramento, Calif. 

OAKLAND — Kaiser Permanente won the bidding war to assume the lease for a high-tech warehouse formerly used by Webvan, the now bankrupt online grocer. 

The Oakland-based HMO will take over the warehouse, equipment and software used by the defunct dot.com. Kaiser will pay more than $3.5 million for the technology and machinery that make the automated warehouse function. 

The HMO outbid Louis Borders, founder of Webvan and the Borders bookstore chain. 

Foster City-based Webvan filed for bankruptcy in July. Two firms are handling the sale of Webvan’s warehouse equipment, computers, trucks, office furniture and other hard assets. 

SAUSALITO — Like many on the West Coast, amateur radio operator Robert Sanford was roused from his bed around 6 a.m. on Sept. 11. 

“My friend, Mike, called me. He said, ‘You gotta get up. The World Trade Center’s been hit by a plane,’”’ Sanford said. 

The New York City native and 10-year radio enthusiast immediately went to his den, or “command center,” as he calls it, and turned on his computer and television. 

Another East Coast friend used the Internet to feed Sanford radio transmissions between police and fire officials and their dispatchers. 

“I started listening and I thought, ’Maybe I should record this stuff,”’ he said Wednesday. 

As he watched the tragic events unfold on his television screen, it quickly felt more personal. 

“I was hearing people who were at the scene, rather than reporters in a nonchalant voice remaining calm,” he said. “People at the scene were pretty much screaming for help. That brought a whole different feeling to it.” 

More than two hours later, Sanford, 44, who sells appliances at Best Buy, left for work. 

The transmissions he recorded offer a behind-the-scenes look at how rescue personnel quickly organized to deal with an unprecedented disaster. 

Just after the first tower collapsed, a New York City fire dispatcher responded to a voice calling for help. 

“I’m beneath the north pedestrian bridge,” the voice said. “I don’t have much air. There was a building collapse. I was on the street. I don’t have much air. Please send somebody.” 

“Listen to me,” the dispatcher responded. “You need to calm down and relax. We do have somebody on the way over to you. Get off the air. Remain calm.” 

Often, in those first hours after the collapses, the dispatcher called for a unit and received only silence in return. 

After the second tower collapsed, a police dispatcher tracked perhaps a dozen reports of officers trapped. In an emotional exchange, he tried to pinpoint the location of a seriously injured officer, who could barely speak. 

“Try to talk into your radio,” he said on the air. “What was your last location? What was your last location? Talk to us.” 

“Help me,” was all the trapped officer could utter, her voice laced with pain. 

Sanford was stunned by what he heard. 

“These guys are the best of the best. They can handle anything that’s thrown at them, but this was too much even for them,” Sanford said. “The bedlam on the radio — everyone was kind of losing it.” 

SACRAMENTO (AP) — Citing the increased costs, Gov. Gray Davis vetoed bills Wednesday that would have encouraged medical students to practice in underserved areas and discouraged mothers from abandoning newborns. 

Davis also turned down bills that would have allowed people in drug rehabilitation programs to receive welfare and food stamps and allowed school personnel to help students take nonprescription medicine with parental permission. 

In each case the governor cited the cost of the bill in veto messages to lawmakers. 

The medical student bill, by Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Culver City, would have allocated $1 million to help repay the school loans of medical students who agreed to practice in areas with a shortage of physicians. 

Davis said the assistance should come from the local sites that benefitted from the additional doctors. 

He vetoed a similar bill last year. 

The governor also cited cost in vetoing a bill that would have authorized $1 million for a media campaign to inform pregnant women about a law that tries to prevent the abandonment of newborns in trash bins or other unsafe places. 

Under that statute, enacted last year, a mother who surrenders a newborn at a hospital emergency room or other place designated by county officials won’t face child abandonment charges. 

Davis said he was “highly supportive” of the media campaign bill by Sen. Jim Brulte, R-Rancho Cucamonga, but that there wasn’t money to pay for it in the increasingly strapped state budget. 

He ordered administration officials to work with the Education Department and attorney general’s office on an outreach plan that would “address this issue in a cost-effective manner.” 

Davis said the student medication bill could have been interpreted as a state-mandate on schools that could cost the state $40 million a year. He said he would sign a similar bill next year that was “clearly permissive in nature rather than mandatory.” 

Supporters said the welfare bill by Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, D-Los Angeles, would have helped people stay off drugs and out of prison. 

The measure would have allowed people convicted of drug use or possession after 1997 to take part in the CalWORKs welfare-to-work program and to receive food stamps if they take part in drug treatment programs. 

Davis said the state shouldn’t be expanding eligibility for CalWORKs “due to continuing economic uncertainty.” 

The governor also signed bills that will: 

— Allow taxpayers to donate part of their state income tax returns to a fund for lupus research, once another voluntary contribution fund is dropped from state tax forms. 

— Require the state Coastal Conservancy to prepare a plan to complete the 1,200-mile California Coastal Trail. 

— Allow rental car companies to temporarily rent passenger vehicles registered in other states for use in California. The measure is intended to mitigate any shortage of rental cars stemming from the disruption of airline service after the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. 

SACRAMENTO — State agencies filed more than $1 billion in claims against Pacific Gas and Electric Co. in federal bankruptcy court Wednesday, the deadline for seeking such payments. 

California Attorney General Bill Lockyer also reiterated his request that the federal Securities and Exchange Commission review the transfer of billions of dollars by PG&E to its parent company, PG&E Corp. 

The California Department of Water Resources submitted a claim for $258.7 million on top of the $179.4 million it sought in an initial filing last week for energy purchases it made on behalf of the company’s customers since PG&E filed for bankruptcy April 6. 

Additional claims were filed by a dozen agencies, including the departments of Fish and Game, Toxic Substances Control, various regional water quality control boards, Board of Equalization and Franchise Tax Board. Those claims are for such things as unpaid taxes and environmental cleanup costs, said Lockyer, who submitted the $1.1 billion worth of claims on the state’s behalf. 

PG&E “is committed to fulfill all of its valid claims, including all legitimate tax and other governmental obligations,” the company said in a statement. 

Lockyer had earlier advised state agencies to avoid filing claims in the bankruptcy court because it could jeopardize the state’s sovereign immunity, the state’s right not to be sued in federal court. But the state risked not being included in the bankruptcy settlement if it missed Wednesday’s court-ordered deadline for submitting claims. 

In his supplemental petition to the SEC, Lockyer accused PG&E Corp. of transferring the money from its subsidiary as part of an “asset grab under cover of the bankruptcy reorganization.” 

He contended the corporation is attempting to avoid scrutiny by the California Public Utilities Commission and the SEC, but argued the SEC has an obligation to review the transfer “with the interests of the utility customers in full focus.” 

That accusation is “completely false,” PG&E said in its statement. The company said it anticipates an SEC review lasting several months, and said Lockyer is misinterpreting federal law.

SAN FRANCISCO — Emergency closure of offshore state rockfish and lingcod fisheries is necessary to offset high early season catches and protect the species from dangerous overfishing, state Department of Fish and Game officials said Wednesday. 

The department has recommended the closure to the Fish and Game Commission and an announcement is expected Friday on whether the fishing will be banned from some offshore sport fisheries south of Cape Mendocino all the way down California’s coast. 

Only waters deeper than 120 feet would be off limits. Nearshore fishing in more shallow waters along the coast and in shallow offshore water near rocks and islands will not be restricted. All commercial offshore fishing of the species was stopped Oct. 1. 

The closure is aimed at protecting bocaccio and canary rockfish, which in June were projected to exceed their annual commercial and recreational limits of roughly 220,400 pounds and 48,488 pounds, respectively. The daily sport limit was two bocaccio at least 10-inches in length and one canary rockfish per fisherman. For lingcod, the limit was two fish beyond 26 inches per fisherman and 1,121,836 pounds for the commercial and recreational annual limit 

Bocaccio and canary rockfish are typically found in deep water, and although lingcod are not endangered, they also are off limits to sports fishermen because they are usually found in the same depths as rockfish. The restriction eliminates the chance of catching rockfish instead of the desired lingcod, said Steve Wertz, a fish and game marine biologist. 

“Both species are considered overfished and this is the second year for a rebuilding plan for bocaccio and the first for canary,” Wertz said. “It isn’t a pretty situation for those species.” 

Curt Degler of the United Anglers Nearshore Chapter in Santa Rosa said he’s been scuba diving and spear fishing in California’s waters for 25 years and has never seen such a decline in the number of fish. While he’s happy with the department’s intervention, he fears it will push more commercial and recreational fishermen to shallow water where they will continue to take rockfish and lingcod. 

“I completely stopped (spear fishing) about a year ago, and prior to that I was losing my heart for it,” he said. “I just didn’t feel right about it. I wasn’t seeing them. I’m not going to add to the problem.” 

By John Geluardi 

Daily Planet staff 

Across Berkeley, walking caravans of school children accompanied by parents - and in some cases politicians - took to the streets Tuesday morning carrying brightly colored signs to participate in International Walk to School Day. 

“Besides being fun, it’s a great way to promote the benefits of walking or riding to school,” said Berkeley Unified School Board Member John Selawsky, who rode his bicycle along with a walking caravan. “It’s also a great way of interacting with neighbors and getting to know your community better.” 

The annual event is part of a national Safe Routes to School campaign, which works to increase the number of kids walking to school by making the streets safer for pedestrians. Joining communities across the country, the Bicycle Friendly Berkeley Coalition’s Safe Routes To Schools program organized walking caravans to seven of the city’s elementary schools for the annual event. 

The California State Senate approved a bill providing $70 million statewide in September for creating safer routes to schools and educating students, parents and teachers about the benefits of walking or biking to school. The bill is expected to be signed by Gov. Gray Davis by the end of October. 

One walking caravan, headed for Malcolm X Arts and Academic Magnet School, began its 15-block trip at 7:20 a.m. from College Avenue. About 15 people started on the walk but as the group made its way down Woolsey Street, stopping at homes along the way to collect more parents and students, the ranks of the colorful procession swelled to nearly 50 people and one dog. 

Also joining the walking caravan en route were supportive city officials, including Mayor Shirley Dean, Councilmember Kriss Worthington and Transportation Commission Chair Stephen Wheeler. 

Kids and parents carried brightly colored signs painted with traffic safety messages such as “Slow down for Kids.” Two school girls carried yellow cardboard cutouts in the shape of a vehicle with “Malcolm X Walking School Bus” written on its side. Many drivers honked in support as the caravan made its way to school along the tree-lined residential streets of south Berkeley. 

“Walking to school is important because it saves oil,” said Malcolm X student Hanna Curtiss. “And basically I’ve never really walked to school before. It’s fun.” 

Berkeley’s Safe Routes to Schools Project Manager Sarah Syed, who organized the walking caravans at the seven elementary schools for Walk to School Day, said it was important for city officials to participate in the event. 

“It’s great to have city leaders walk along with the kids so they can see how short the traffic light cycles are at intersections and how fast the traffic is.” 

Katherine Capps, who joined the caravan with her daughter Miranda Hourula, said she felt secure walking with a large group, but has reservations about walking to school in smaller groups of two or three people. 

“Crossing the streets in Berkeley has become dangerous,” she said. “There have been times when I’ve been in the middle of the crosswalk with two or three kids and cars still race through as if we weren’t there.” 

The walking caravan encountered one aggressive driver on Woolsey Street who felt the adult bicyclists accompanying the group were not moving fast enough. The woman, driving a maroon Volvo with three school-aged passengers, honked her horn as she accelerated onto Woolsey Street dangerously near one bicyclist. 

Unsatisfied, the woman stopped her car and yelled unintelligibly in the general direction of the walking caravan before speeding away. While no children were in danger, some of the parents said the driver’s behavior was unsettling. 

Wheeler agreed that some Berkeley streets are dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists but said the majority of neighborhood streets are really quite safe. He said that parents who feel they have to drive their kids to school have become a “little too overprotective.” 

“Ironically parents are making the situation more dangerous for kids because so many of them are driving their kids to school, which creates more traffic,” he said.  

Wheeler added that it would only take improving safety at a few key intersections to make Berkeley a safer place overall to walk and bicycle to schools. 

The mayor’s husband, Dan Dean, a former Berkeley High School counselor, who also joined the walking caravan, said one benefit of children walking to school is they have used up some excess energy by the time they arrive in class and are ready to concentrate.  

“Walking to school is also great for waking up the kids who don’t wake up so easily in the morning,” he said.  

Selawsky said walking or bicycling to school promotes health in two ways; by getting kids in the habit of exercising and by reducing automobile pollution.  

“If some of the people who walked or rode in the caravan today continue to do it on a regular basis, then it was a success,” he said. 

Wednesday, Oct. 3 

Special PRC Meeting 

The meetings of the Police Review Commission scheduled for Sept. 26, Oct. 10 have been cancelled. A special PRC meeting will be held Oct. 3 at South Berkeley Senior Center. Regular PRC meetings will resume on  

Oct. 24. 

Commission on the Status of Women Meeting 

7:45 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St. 

Commissioners wil hear report from subcommittee on sexual harassment and violence against women and the mayor’s special study groups report on domestic violence. 

Community Action Team 

7 p.m. 

3260 Sacramento, Second Floor 

Community Action Team Advisory Group hosts evaluation of the Sept. 12 Town Hall Summit and reviews the groups work plan and next steps. 665-6809 

Fire Safety Commission  

Meeting 

7:30 p.m. 

Fire Department Taining Facility 

997 Cedar St. 

The buffer zone subcommittee will provie a report on activities in and around the buffer zone, and report on meetings of the subcommittee. 

Toddler Storytime 

7 p.m. 

West Berkeley Library 

1125 University Ave. 

For families with children three years or younger, a program to expose the youngest readers to multicultural stories, songs and finger plays. Every Wednesday through Nov. 28. 

Prose Writers’ Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley/Richmond Jewish Community Center Library 

1414 Walnut St.  

From op-ed to fiction, memoir to the feature article - a community 

writers' group to support and encourage a community of interests. Workshop format. Free. 524-3034 

Thursday, Oct. 4 

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 

Community Environmental  

Advisory Commission 

7 p.m. 

2118 Milvia St., Suite 200 

Discussion of venue for future Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will continue. 

Public Works Commission Meeting 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St. 

Commission will draft a council report from the Commission on Disability on traffic signal accessibiliy. 

Housing Advisory Hearing 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2930 Ellis St. 

Public hearing on a proposed amendment to the Unified Building Code that would ban the installation of new open hearth fireplaces and allow only installation of new wood burning appliances approved by the Federal EPA or the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. 

The Lost Daughters of China 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop &  

Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Ave. 

Karin Evans discusses the complex societal and cultural issues surrounding the adoption of abandoned infant girls from China. 843-3533 

Saturday, Oct. 6 

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

The Cal Sailing Club, a nonprofit sailing and windsurfing cooperative, give free rides on a first come, first served basis on the first full weekend of each month. Wear warm clothes and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children must be at least 5 years old and must be accompanied by an adult. Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

Fire Suppression 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar St. 

Free classes in Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). 981-5605 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Poetry Reading 

3 - 5 p.m. 

South Branch Berkeley Public Library 

1901 Russell St. 

Bay Area Poets Coalition holds an open reading. 527-9905 

Sunday, Oct. 7  

Animal Blessings 

10 a.m. 

All Souls Episcopal Parish 

2220 Cedar St. 

Celebration of the Feast of St. Francis allows pets to gather in the courtyard. Following the service, the public is invited for refreshments and a children’s zoo with a pony, chickens, rabbits and ferrets in the courtyard. 

West Berkeley Market 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Avenue between Third and Fourth Streets  

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

Monday, Oct. 8 

Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults Inquiry Program 

7:30 p.m. 

St. Mary Magdalen Parish 

2005 Berryman St. 

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

Franciscanism, Understanding the Vision 

1 - 2 p.m. 

Franciscan School of Theology 

1712 Euclid Ave. 

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

848-5232 

Tuesday, Oct. 9 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2-7 p.m. 

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

Berkeley Camera Club 

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church 941 The Alameda 

Share your slides and prints with other photographers. Critiques by qualified judges. Monthly field trips. 531-8664 

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 

Town Hall Meeting 

4 - 6 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. 

The Affordable Housing Advocacy Project presents a discussion on the Berkeley Housing Authority Howmeownership Program. 548-5803 

–compiled by Guy Poole 

“Berkeley Lite” heavy handed  

Editor, 

I am writing in response to your recent “Berkeley Lite” editorial regarding the School Board, Superintendent Michelle Lawrence, and the Brown Act. I refer to it as an editorial because even though it appeared on the front page of your fine paper instead of the editorial section, it seemed both far too personal, and very much an opinion to be classified as news.  

Let’s start with that first “clandestine” trip to Southern California. I was a part of that team, so unlike you, I can report first hand. There were so many people from the school community on that delegation, that we could have painted BUSD on the side of the airplane. I thought that it was the most innovative step that we had taken in this district, and it proved to be so very worthwhile. Should the board have issued an open invitation to the community? Would they have gotten better press if they had invited you along? Neither would have been appropriate in this stage of the interview process. I didn’t take part in any of the earlier stages of the selection process, because the board wanted to include as many people as possible in the process, and divided up the tasks.  

Next we moved on to a positive future for the district and the board, as Michelle seemed to bring much of the experience and expertise that we needed. So far, you’re the only person that I’ve heard question her abilities or motives. 

Yes, the board needs to take charge, and to be less dependent on the staff. That has always been a problem, and is part of the reason that we chose Ms. Lawrence. She is working hard to train the directors, and to develop the necessary independence, but this is a huge change in the culture of our board. An obvious part of that process was when she suggested that they conduct a preliminary evaluation of her performance. You related this to an annual review. We expect a 100 day review of elected officials and other important positions; why do you think we should wait until our superintendent has been on board for a year before the board gives her any feedback or direction? 

For her to recommend that the board should evaluate her performance now is a positive recommendation, one that encourages them to take charge and insure that she is moving in the right direction. Sure, it shouldn’t have taken place in the employee’s home, but to imply that something improper was intended is ludicrous.  

The district, the many volunteers (thousands) who work in the district, and the greater community are working hard to move ahead and make the BUSD as fine as it should be. What role does the Daily Planet plan to take in this effort? So far your message is clear, and I find your thirst for conflict very disappointing.  

Mark A. Coplan 

Willard Parent 

Don’t renovate Cal stadium 

Editor: 

UC Berkeley is about to start a campaign to raise private funds to renovate Memorial Stadium. It is projected to cost millions for a seismic retrofitting and also a facelift. It seems like a very expensive item for a football team that only plays five to six games a season. Since there is such demand for other facilities on campus, it would seem narrow-minded not to think of how else that space could be utilized. Why not have the football team play in the Oakland Coliseum (Network Associates Stadium). It is currently a better facility than Memorial Stadium and its location and access to Mass Transit is superior. The campus then could demolish the stadium for other uses. Part of the new space could be used to build a world class training facility for all athletes.  

The training facility would go much further in helping the athletic teams to succeed than renovating an old stadium. Particularly, training facilities are more critical to football players than others. However, it would still help the other athletes as well – male and female. Another portion of the space could be devoted to student housing. The money to build to the student housing usually comes from the state. However, with rents so sky-high in the Bay Area, a creative university-private partnership to build affordable (reasonably) priced rental units for students should be considered. I think newly built facilities can also be engineered to better withstand seismic activity than renovating old facilities. 

I am big sports fan. However, the idea of a football stadium in the location of Strawberry Canyon is something that made sense in the early 20th century but is very unpractical in the early 21st century. Critics, particularly the Alumni will say, how will the students get to the games?  

What they don't realize is that much of the student population is living far from the campus due to the housing shortage and high rents. You could give the UC students subsidized BART tickets to get to the Coliseum on gameday as part of their ticket purchase. The idea of the stadium on campus is a romantic notion of the alumni. In Pittsburgh, Pa. the Steelers and the University of Pittsburgh are sharing a new downtown stadium and alleviating the heavy burden on the university to do it on their own. They probably have had better football tradition than Cal in the last 50 years. It is time to think creatively regarding Memorial Stadium and using it's space for other facilities. It is ironic that creative thinking needs to be called for in a place like Berkeley. 

Mike Ganim 

Berkeley 

Correcting the record: Local 39 wants reasonable repayment 

Editor:  

Thank you for Jeffrey Obser's story on BUSD suing its own employees over the district's payroll error in your Sept. 29 edition. It is a convoluted, difficult issue to explain and he did a very balanced job of reporting. I want to correct one misstatement made by Rick Spaid, a Local 1 spokesperson, in regards to actions by Stationary Engineers, Local 39. Mr. Spaid is quoted as saying that Local 39 “definitely gave people the impression they would not have to pay this money back.” Mr. Spaid knows better. Local 39 helped employees write signed declarations addressed to the School Board and the Superintendent in June. These declarations stated unambiguously that employees were willing to pay back any monies they had been paid in error. They asked for two things: an accurate accounting of what they had been overpaid and a reasonable repayment plan so that they and their families wouldn't suffer any further hardship. The District has not complied with either request and has chosen instead to sue these employees.  

Stephanie Allan, 

Stationary Engineers,  

Local 39  

IAC stands against racism 

Editor: 

As the one of the organizers of the Rally for America held on campus Monday, and a leader of the Israel Action Committee, I feel I must respond to Cheryl Leung's accusations printed here about the behavior of the Israel Action Committee, Jewish Student Union, and other groups and individuals involved in the rally. At no time did any official participant in the rally direct any slur at a Muslim student.  

The rally was covered by dozens of journalists, including the Daily Planet. Most articles reported how we made it crystal clear that we stand against racism and hate directed at Arabs, Muslims, Jews, and Israelis. Not one reporter mentioned anything about our speakers attacking anyone due to their religion or national origin, because it did not happen.  

Ms. Leung is correct in saying that the rally was pro-America, and that it was also in support of America's allies such as Israel, England, Japan and other countries who have stepped up to stand with America. Ms. Leung apparently sees supporting America and her allies as a bad thing, not surprising considering that thousands of Palestinians supported by Ms. Leung and the group she represents, Students for Justice in Palestine, danced in the streets upon hearing the news of America's disaster. Indeed Students for Justice in Palestine held a celebration called Intifada Week on campus last week. Considering that American citizens have been killed by suicide bombings in Israel as part of the Intifada, in light of the World Trade Center suicide bombings one has to question exactly what message SJP and its representatives are trying to send with their Intifada celebrations and attacks on student groups who want to support the struggle against terrorism. 

Randy Barnes 

Berkeley 

Make protests peaceful this time 

Editor: 

No apology needed for removing flags from Berkeley fire trucks. Protecting firefighters and equipment was smart. We should dust off the “family album” and show this generation of firefighters and demonstrators why protection might be needed. In the ’60s anti-war demonstrations, the flag and anyone or anything it was attached to became a target, especially police, their vehicles, and even firefighters. Back then, when downtown Berkeley was, in effect, bombed by demonstrators, we had to be escorted home from school by the National Guard to protect us from all that peace and love that had become very ugly, very scary, and very destructive.  

What kind of behavior will be tolerated in our city this time? The nostalgic troublemakers are already strategizing. Berkeley had better back up its No Hate Zone claim, or nothing said here will be credible. Buzzwords like tolerance, diversity, peace, and understanding won’t mean a thing if Berkeley allows the behavior we saw three decades ago. Want the flag to keep flying on fire trucks? Then don’t let the flag become the dividing line again. Think leaders should resolve things peacefully? Then don’t slide backward into using rocks and bottles and fists and burning flags to get your message across. And when the rioters tell us, “Sometimes people get hurt and things get broken when you’re standing up for what you believe in!” remember that’s exactly what may have to happen in this war against terrorism that we’re now in.  

Jeanne Gray Loughman 

Fourth-Generation Berkeley Native

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

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

Café de la Paz Poetry Nitro, performance showcase with open mike. All shows free, 7 - 10 p.m. 

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

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

Freight & Salvage Oct 3: The Robin Nolan Trio; Oct 4: Darol Anger & Mike Marshall; Oct 5: Golden Bough; Oct 6: The Limeliters; Oct 7: Eddie From Ohio; Oct 8: All Nation Singers, Walter Ogi Johnson, Thunder; All shows start at 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St. 548-1761 www.freightandsalvage.com 

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

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

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

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

www.calshakes.org 

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

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

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

www.berkeleyrep.org 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

www.adaptgallery.com  

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

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

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

644-1400 cathycade@mindspring.com 

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

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

www.atelier9.com 

Boadecia’s Books Oct 6: Terry Ryan reads from “The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 words or Less”; All events start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise. All events are free. 398 Colusa Ave. 559-9184 www.bookpride.com 

Cody’s on Fourth Street Oct 5: 7 p.m. Glen Davis Gold reads from “Carter Beats the Devil”; Oct 12: Cody’s For Kids- Rosemary Wells and Bunny Party; 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500 

Cody’s on Telegraph Avenue Oct 4: Eric Seaborg looks at “Adventures in the Atomic Age: From Watts to Washington;” Oct 5: Victor Villasenor reads from “Thirteen Senses;” All shows at 7:30 p.m. 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852 

Cody’s Other Venues Oct 7: 7 p.m. Coleman Barks- The Soul of Rumi First Congregational Church of Berkeley 2345 Dana 

Lunch Poems Reading Series Oct 4: 12:10 p.m. Ishmael Reed; Morrison Libary in Doe Library at UC Berkeley. Free  

642-0137 http://www.berkeley.edu/- 

calendar/events/poems/ 

Michael Parentini Oct 4: 7:30 p.m. Discusses and signs copies of his latest book “To Kill a Nation” at Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library 6501 Telegraph Ave  

595-7417 

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  

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

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

UC Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology will close its exhibition galleries for renovation. It will reopen in early 2002. 

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

Lawrence Hall of Science “Within the Human Brain,” ongoing. Visitors test their cranial nerves, play skeeball, master mazes, match musical tones and construct stories inside a simulated “rat cage” of learning experiments. “Saturday Night Stargazing.” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. Space Weather Exhibit now - Sept. 2; now - Sept. 9 Science in Toyland; Saturdays 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. 642-5132. 

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

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

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

Hundreds of Berkeley High students came home a day early from a Yosemite National Park field trip Monday after other park guests complained of noise, threats and vandalism. 

Trip leaders said the students, all attending the experimental Common Ground “small school,” was merely the largest and most visible youth group at the Curry Village site on Sunday night and may have taken the blame for others’ behavior. 

But a spokesperson for Yosemite Curry Services, which runs the park’s lodging concession, maintained Tuesday that those who complained were not mistaken in singling out the Berkeley High group. 

“The complaints were coming from the location of the sites where they were staying,” said Karen Hales, the concession spokesperson. “That’s not to say there might not have been a couple of kids from another high school who might have been contributing to the problems, but we didn’t have any reason to believe that was the case.” 

Common Ground leaders and students interviewed by the Daily Planet concurred widely that two other high school groups had been asked to leave Curry at 5 a.m. Monday, but Hales said she had “no knowledge” of any other school group being asked to leave. 

Common Ground was founded a year ago to provide a curriculum oriented towards the environment and social justice. About 320 of its 420 students, plus 16 teachers and nine chaperones, left Berkeley early Sunday morning and planned to stay in Yosemite until Tuesday. Instead, most ninth and 10th graders left at 3 p.m. Monday. The rest left at 7:30 p.m. and were dropped off at the school late at night. 

As tired students straggled in late to class Tuesday, rumors circulated of arrests, drug use and inappropriate sexual activity.  

No arrests were made, said Scott Gediman, a ranger and spokesperson for the park. And what actually happened, differs according to the person answering the questions. 

“The reality of what happened is radically different from the fabrication and perception that has developed,” said Dana Richards, the Common Ground coordinator. “It’s kind of a nightmarish ‘telephone’ game that has emerged.”  

Principal Frank Lynch on Tuesday said he had talked to park officials.  

“I got a phone call from a ranger,” Lynch said. “‘It was a lot of kids, it was noisy and a little rowdy and all that, but all in all it wasn’t a bad group at all,’ he said.” 

Organization a problem 

The problems started at about 8 p.m. Sunday. Kathy Dervin, a chaperone and parent of a ninth-grader, said check-in was slow and Curry Village had mistakenly booked the amphitheater twice. “We had literally hundreds of students sitting and waiting to get into their cabins” with no central place to assemble them, Dervin said. Meanwhile the adults were stretched thin walking groups of four or five students at a time to 72 tents. 

At 9 p.m., Hales said, the first of 20 complaints started coming in. Guests in the huge city of 620 white canvas tents said Berkeley High students were jumping on moving vehicles, banging on cabin doors, throwing rocks at younger students, yelling and harassing other guests, and using drugs and alcohol. 

Chaperones of two large elementary school groups, Hales said, complained their children were “terrified.”  

“They were being threatened, they were saying they were going to beat them up, that they were shaking their cabins,” Hales said.  

Blamed for visibility? 

Richards said the problems had stemmed from placing a high-spirited urban high school group close to a group of sixth graders “trained to report everything to their teachers.” 

“Just the fact that they were a pretty big group there made it pretty easy for people to say, if something bad happened, it must have been them,” Richards said.  

“There was significant reason to believe there were students from other high schools that had performed these more egregious acts, like the jumping up and down on the car,” Richards said. “No one could produce any names of any Berkeley High students, no one could identify any Berkeley High students, who were related to any of the acts other than walking down the road instead of walking down the path, and other than general noisiness.” 

“Berkeley High School students cussed at each other at the customary rate for Berkeley High School students,” Richards admitted. 

Richards and Dervin both said a middle-school principal who made the most sweeping complaint made explicit reference to African-American boys. 

“If you can, draw a picture of a woman putting her hands up around her head to gesture a large afro,” Richards said. “Now, none of our kids have big afros.” 

“We have a very diverse student population,” Dervin said. “On the face of it that doesn’t mean anything, but it means differences, and people make judgments.” 

“On the basis of big black boys in the dark,” Richards said, “and on the basis of, ‘There are a bunch of students from Berkeley High on a program called Common Ground, without being able to identify anyone,’ she filed a complaint against Berkeley High.” 

Park representatives and student leaders each claim they were the first to decide on the early departure for Common Ground.  

“Curry Village was a mess,” Dervin said. “We had a lot of students and the growing sentiment was that it was too large of a group to manage.”  

“There were too many kids and a bad combination of age groups,” Richards said. 

Richards said he informed rangers late Sunday night that he would arrange it as soon as buses could be summoned, but the next morning, armed with written complaints, other rangers showed up to give them a nudge. 

“No one ever came to me and said, ‘you have to leave,’ said Richards. 

“They were asked to leave,” said Park Ranger Gediman. “But when they were asked to leave they were planning to leave anyway.” 

Some had fun anyway 

At lunchtime Tuesday in Martin Luther King Jr. Park, adjacent to campus, Marcella Leath, a senior in the Common Ground program, retorted emphatically to a circle of friends seated about her on the grass. 

“We were not kicked out of Yosemite!” she said. 

“It’s really aggravating because everybody’s saying that, and it’s not true,” said Leath in an interview. “Common Ground is already totally underestimated by the school because of what we’re trying to do.” 

Another student, who would identify herself only as Laura, said she had enjoyed hiking and yoga on the weekend, and she did not see Berkeley students engaged in any “super-bad behavior.” 

“For me personally, the weekend was really great,” she said. 

“It was really ambitious of us to try this in the first place,” said Leath. 

“The staff and parent volunteers did their absolute best. They got absolutely no sleep the entire trip.” 

A Shattuck Avenue pizza shop that opened for business in August has become Alameda County’s first restaurant to be certified “green” by the Bay Area Green Business Program. 

Extreme Pizza, a sports-themed pizza parlor located at 2352 Shattuck Ave., is the first East Bay location for the burgeoning San Francisco-based Extreme Pizza chain. 

Melanie Sheaves, general manager of the Berkeley restaurant, says that its commitment to sound environmental practices comes directly from the chain’s owners. A long-term Extreme Pizza employee, she said that the company’s green practices are one of the reasons she enjoys working for it. 

“I’m very proud of it, absolutely,” she said. 

Sheaves says that the Green Business Program did an extensive inspection of the restaurant immediately after construction of it was finished. Everything from the restaurant’s low-flow faucets to its recycling procedures were scrutinized before the certification was awarded. 

Environmental considerations were at the forefront of the shop’s design. Furniture at the restaurant, for instance, is made entirely of recycled materials. 

“Because we built this store from the ground up, we got to customize everything,” said Sheaves. 

Extreme Pizza has an extensive “reduce and recycle” program, said Sheaves. Tables are wiped with cloth, not paper, towels. Napkins are made from bleach-free recycled paper. Leftover food is donated to programs serving the homeless. 

“The only things we don’t recycle is food that goes bad – which is hardly anything,” she said. 

The Green Business Program, which is sponsored by local governments, utility companies and the Association of Bay Area Governments, has only recently come up with environmental standards for the restaurant industry. 

Susan Sasaki, GBP consultant, said that in addition to certifying businesses, the program provides aid to companies in complying with local and county regulations. 

“From the beginning, we’ve focused on technical assistance to small businesses,” she said. 

The GBP has already developed standards for green auto shops, printers, hotels and other industries. Seventy Alameda county businesses are already green-certified under guidelines specific to those industries. The GBP’s next project, Sasaki said, is to devise guidelines for landscaping firms. 

Sasaki said that going green is a sound business move.  

“Businesses benefit economically by being green,” she said. “They save money by being energy-efficient, but they also get more business.” 

Presumably, too, in the environmentally-aware East Bay, green businesses earn the respect and devotion of employees like Sheaves. 

“I still live in San Francisco,” she said. “But I take BART to work.” 

The Green Business Program can be contacted at 531-5377.

Dissatisfied with the university’s draft Environmental Impact Report on the various construction projects proposed for the northeast quadrant of the UC Berkeley campus, the City Council voted unanimously in executive session Tuesday to seek outside legal counsel to advise them on how best to respond to the environmental document. 

Fifteen people addressed the council before the closed-door session, called to explore whether the city ought to sue the university over the EIR for its proposed Northeast Quadrant Science and Safety Project. 

Speakers, many of whom live near the proposed project – to include the demolition and reconstruction of Stanley Hall and Davis Hall North, and the addition of a new building next to Soda Hall – argued the construction would keep Hearst Avenue closed for four years, forcing traffic onto adjacent streets. The noise and dust would be intolerable, they said. 

Some 460 employees are to be added to those who now work in this area of the campus, the “farthest away from public transit,” argued neighborhood activist Doris Willingham. 

Pamela Sihvola, co-chair of the Committee to Minimize Toxic Waste and L.A. Wood, a commissioner on the Community Environmental Advisory Commission, expressed concern over toxic residue from laboratories that would be dismantled and reconstructed. “The final EIR for the NEQSS should list the inventory of all the radioisotopes and hazardous chemicals that have been used in Stanley Hall during its life time,” and other buildings under consideration for demolition, they wrote. Studies then should be made of the soil and groundwater “to determine the degree of contamination of all NEQSS sites.” 

Others pointed out that a major earthquake fault runs near the site, which is, therefore inappropriate for laboratories using hazardous materials. Northeast Berkeley resident Jeannie deVries argued the university should put the labs at its Richmond facility. 

Opponents of the project – there were no supporters who spoke at the meeting – pointed to the University of California at San Francisco whose growth was limited by legislative action. Similar limits were placed on the growth of the Oakland airport, they said, arguing that the legislature should place limits on UC Berkeley expansion. 

No university spokesperson was available to respond after the late afternoon meeting. In past interviews, the university has argued that it has no choice but to upgrade the buildings to make them earthquake safe. The projects “are proposed to facilitate new research and teaching efforts in the public interest,” an introduction to the draft EIR says.

The “Blake-O’Malley” redistricting plan squeaked by with a 5-4 margin Tuesday night, to the outrage of the moderate council faction. 

That was because Dave Blake, co-author of the plan, met with three progressive members of the council – Vice Mayor Maudelle Shirek, councilmembers Margaret Breland and Dona Spring – Monday afternoon before the plan came back to council. As a result of those meetings, Blake made changes to the district boundaries he had originally proposed. 

Moderates contended that neither they nor the public had seen the new iteration of the plan. 

Councilmember Margaret Breland argued that she would vote for the plan she thought was best. 

To this, Councilmember Polly Armstrong responded: “Let’s not have any of that self-righteous crud. This is spitting in the face of the City Charter. But they have five votes and they will do what they want to do.” 

She continued: “It’s just politics, it’s just politics, it’s just politics.” 

The five voting in favor of the plan were: Shirek, Spring, Breland and councilmembers Kriss Worthington and Linda Maio. 

See Thursday’s Daily Planet for a detailed look at the new districts.

SAN FRANCISCO — Some of the nation’s most kid-friendly cities are struggling to keep their children. Recent census figures show they aren’t faring too well. 

While San Francisco boomed during the 1990s, it ended the decade with 4,100 fewer kids than it began. This youthful city has passed Seattle to become the major American city least likely to have a household with kids. 

The lure of bigger back yards and better schools in the suburbs continued to draw families away from desirable cities such as Austin, Texas and Portland, Ore. Mighty housing costs muscled out others. 

“It’s just crazy that I can’t live where I’m from,” said Laurie Alessandra, 35, a native San Franciscan who left to find an affordable two-bedroom apartment for her partner and twin girls she is adopting. “It breaks my heart. It’s a cool city for kids.” 

Indeed, many of the kid-bare cities rank as the nation’s most kid-compatible places. Portland, Seattle and San Francisco rated among the top five major cities for kids in one 2001 survey. 

“You would think that people with kids would gravitate toward these cities,” said Tim Cline of Zero Population Growth, the Washington, D.C.-based group that ranked the cities. 

Instead, San Francisco has polished its reputation as a destination for those old enough to vote but too young for a mid-life crisis. 

“Cities actually serve as marriage markets,” said Edward Glaeser, a Harvard professor of urban economy. “They’re attractive places for young singles to be.” 

In San Francisco, puppies have become as prevalent as toddlers — there are an estimated 100,000 dogs in a city with 112,800 residents under age 18. 

Other cities, notably industrial metropolises such as Detroit, Baltimore and Milwaukee, also lost under 18 population. But they shrank overall. 

San Francisco was unique among major American cities in that it grew by 53,000 people to 777,000 residents during the 1990s — and still lost kids. Over that span, it also became the nation’s first city to budget for kids’ programs and even impaneled a “children’s council” to coordinate city agencies, said Deborah Alvarez-Rodriguez, director of San Francisco’s department of children, youth and their families. 

“Kids and families are certainly coming in for our services,” said Alvarez-Rodriguez. “What we need now is for them to stay and live here.” 

City leaders are meeting to discuss reversing the alarming trend. 

San Francisco’s school district is the only of California’s 10 largest with a shrinking enrollment. Kids live in fewer than one in five San Francisco households, compared with more than one in three households nationally, according to Census 2000 data. 

Some day-care centers that once had year-long waiting lists now scramble to fill their ranks. 

“We’ve never ever had to go out recruiting children before,” said Judith Baker, who for nearly 30 years has been executive director of the publicly subsidized South of Market Childcare, Inc. 

By the end of August, the center had filled only about 50 of 68 slots for children from low-income families 

Those with the means to leave must choose between their nesting instincts and the rush of city life that attracted them in the first place. 

“We wanted to be able to afford a place with a yard,” said Holly Schick, 32, who moved with her husband, Robin, from San Francisco in 1999 — when their son Isaac was two. 

Not all families are leaving cities in droves. 

In Seattle, where mayors have mounted campaigns to keep kids in town, the under-18 population grew 3 percent even though it didn’t match the city’s overall growth rate of 9 percent, according to census data. 

”(Children) are the canaries in the mine shaft of livability, whether that’s the safety of our streets, or any other criteria,” said deputy mayor Tom Byers. “I don’t think any city can be really healthy without its fair share of kids.” 

A man was the victim of a car-jacking early Sunday morning at the corner of Curtis Street and Hearst Avenue, according to police. 

Police say that around 1 a.m. Sunday, a man left a late-night business establishment with several friends. After saying goodnight to his companions and turning to walk toward his dark green Toyota Camry, he noticed a man allegedly running toward his car. The victim was opening his car door when the suspect hit him over the head with a bottle, then grabbed him by the throat, according to Sgt. Kay Lantow, police spokesperson. 

The suspect allegedly told the victim to hand over his money. The victim handed him his wallet. The suspect then told the victim to give him his car keys, police said. When the suspect went to retrieve his keys from his pocket, the suspect made a sudden move, police said. Thinking he was about to be hit again, the victim dropped his keys and blocked his face. 

The suspect retrieved the keys, told the victim not to “do anything stupid” and drove away in his car, Lantow said. As of Monday afternoon, the car had not been recovered. 

Police describe the suspect as a white male, around 19 or 20 years old, 5 feet 8 inches, weighing about 145 pounds. He was wearing a dark beanie cap, and his face was covered with a dark blue bandana. 

*** 

Wild Oats Market on University Avenue reported that it suspected an employee of stealing approximately $700 from a cash register Saturday. The theft was not noticed until around 11 p.m., but a co-worker told the police that an employee had left suddenly in the middle of his shift. 

*** 

A man died at Golden Gate Fields horse-racing track early Saturday morning. 

The Alameda County coroner’s office ruled that Raul Medina, a 22-year old native of Tamaulipas, Mexico died from natural causes after suffering from a seizure. 

Police say that a person who works in the stables at Golden Gate Fields heard someone cry out in pain sometime before 8:50 a.m. Suspecting that a horse had injured someone, the employee looked through a door and saw Medina lying on his back and pounding at his chest with his clenched fist. 

Paramedics were called. They determined that Medina had suffered a seizure, and transported him to the Highland Hospital emergency room in Oakland. 

A police spokesperson said that officers on the scene were initially concerned about blood found on Medina’s clothing. However, the coroner’s report said that the blood was from an earlier injury. 

*** 

A man was held up at knife-point outside his home at the corner of Ninth Street and Bancroft Way early Saturday morning, police said. 

The victim told police that four people, two men and two women who frequently loitered on the corner approached him around 5:30 a.m. as he exited his home. 

As they came near, one man raised his shirt, pulled out a switchblade knife and opened it with the push of a button, police said. The man with the knife pointed it at the victim, while the other man stood nearby, police said. The two women allegedly stood at some distance. 

The victim took out his wallet and asked his assailants if they wanted his money. They took the $110 he had with him and left, Lantow said. 

The suspect who carried the knife is described as a black male between the ages of 21 and 24, approximately 5 feet 9 inches, clean-shaven and with short, black hair. He was wearing a blue T-shirt, blue jeans and tennis shoes. The other man was around 19 years old, 5 feet 6 inches with a 3 inch afro. He was wearing a red T-shirt, blue jeans, black tennis shoes and a black ski cap. 

*** 

A man and a woman, both in their early 20s, were robbed by two men, one of whom carried a gun, while they walked down College Avenue Friday night. 

The couple had walked past Woolsey Street when they passed a man they described as “obese.” The woman said that the suspect turned around and began to follow them. After a short distance, another heavy-set man sprung out from behind a hedge, Lantow said. He allegedly pointed a gun at the couple. 

The suspects demanded the couple’s money, police said. They handed them their wallets, which contained approximately $150 in addition to their credit cards and identification. 

Police say the suspects are black males in their mid-to-late 20s or early 30s. The gunman was about 5 feet 10 inches, 200 pounds, and wore all black clothing, with a scarf or possibly a turtleneck sweater covering his face. The heavier man was 5 feet 10 inches, 250 pounds, and wore a waist-length leather jacket and baggy pants. He had short or shaved hair.  

Police say that at least one other robbery was committed in the last week by victims who match the descriptions of the suspects. 

– compiled by Hank Sims

LOS ANGELES — Hotels across California saw some of the lowest occupancy rates in a decade after the terrorist attacks and have moved quickly to lay off workers and retool marketing plans, industry officials said Tuesday. 

Hardest hit were hotels in San Francisco and Anaheim, where occupancy dropped by about half from the same period last year to 42 percent for the week ended Sept. 22, according to an analysis by Ernst & Young Hospitality Group. 

Los Angeles also saw a steep drop, with occupancy rates falling by about one-third to 53 percent. 

The empty rooms have hotels cutting their work force and scrambling to revise marketing plans to attract locals for weekend getaways instead of jittery air travelers from out of state. 

“People can drive, and they still want to do things,” said Ernest & Young hotel industry consultant Jeffrey Dallas. 

Many hotels have resorted to layoffs to balance their books. Between 25 percent and 40 percent of hotel union members in the state have been laid off or had hours reduced, union officials said. 

“It’s been devastating,” said David Koff, senior research analyst for the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union. “I expect it’s happening less at unionized hotels, where there are protections in place for workers, than at nonunion hotels.” 

About 207,000 Californians were employed by the hotel industry at the end of August, with an annual payroll of about $3.7 billion. 

San Francisco and Anaheim were hurt more than other cities because the falloff came during the busy convention season. Los Angeles does not book as many big meetings and group events in September, Dallas said. 

The decline compounded existing problems in San Francisco, where hotels already had seen demand slow as a result of the demise of many dot-coms. 

“The economy was soft before but this really had a tremendous effect on us,” said Roxy Stone, director of sales and marketing for the Grand Hyatt San Francisco. 

San Francisco hotels could take longer to recover than those in Southern California because the city relies more on visitors who travel by plane, Dallas said. 

By contrast, Anaheim and Los Angeles are in a better position to cash in on regional business and auto travel, he said. 

Despite cancellations in September, most conventions scheduled in California through the end of the year are expected to take place and aid hotel occupancy and revenue, Dallas said. 

“The bookings for conventions appear to be holding,” he said. “But there is still a period of uncertainty ahead.” 

SAN FRANCISCO — State power regulators on Tuesday settled a suit by Southern California Edison, allowing the utility to pay its estimated $3 billion debt in part by retaining record rate hikes levied on customers this spring. 

The agreement comes a week before the state Legislature was scheduled to reconvene under orders from Gov. Gray Davis to construct a rescue plan to help Edison pay its debts and avoid following Pacific Gas and Electric Co. into bankruptcy. 

Davis canceled the special session Tuesday afternoon. 

“Their settlement has protected the public interest and will allow the state’s second-largest utility to return to financial health,” Davis said in a written release. 

Consumer groups called the agreement a “bailout” and said the state Public Utilities Commission had failed Californians by conducting negotiations in secret rather than allowing lawmakers to publicly hash out how Californians would be affected. 

“They just bailed out Edison. These unelected officials appointed by Gray Davis did what the Legislature refused to do, and in secret agreed to order the ratepayers to bail out the company that brought us deregulation,” said Harvey Rosenfield, president of the San Diego-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. “Now we have to pay off Edison’s losses to protect its shareholders.” 

The PUC countered that by helping Edison pay its debts, the utility will be able to restore its good credit rating and once again buy electricity, helping the state begin pulling away from its role of power-buyer. 

“Until we can get the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or the courts to say that the debts are unreasonable, we need to pay the debt to keep Edison out of bankruptcy,” said PUC President Loretta Lynch. “I think that this is a balanced compromise, but clearly it does allow ratepayers to pay off some of the back debt.” 

Under the settlement, Edison will release the PUC from all claims in its suit, and will withdraw any challenges to other commission decisions related to the energy crisis. 

Tuesday’s settlement requires Edison to: 

— Use its available cash and incoming revenue to pay roughly $3 billion in debt. 

— Not pay dividends on its common stock through 2003, or earlier if it pays its debts in full. The PUC can determine whether to prevent it from paying its 2004 dividend. Edison can resume paying dividends in 2005. Edison shareholders will forego at least $1.2 billion in dividends, the PUC estimates. 

— Spend 100 percent of any refunds issued by FERC, or money obtained from suits against power sellers, on paying its debts. 

Ron Olson, an attorney for Edison, urged U.S. District Judge Ronald S.W. Lew to quickly approve the settlement, saying creditors are trying to force the utility into involuntary bankruptcy. He also said the settlement would be fair to the company’s shareholders. 

The settlement stems from a suit filed by Edison against the PUC in Los Angeles federal court in November 2000, in which Edison claimed the PUC’s refusal to raise electric rates in light of soaring power costs violated federal law and was an unconstitutional taking of property. 

Los Angeles County, which is Edison’s second-largest customer base, and San Francisco-based consumer advocate The Utility Reform Network both are parties to the suit, and Lew gave them until 4:30 p.m. Wednesday to file any objections. 

Edison and the PUC then would have to reply to their arguments by Thursday morning, Lew said. 

“It’s a $3.3 billion bailout they negotiated in secret and approved without public notice, which suggests they are ashamed, as they should be,” said Michael Strumwasser, an attorney representing TURN. 

Since January, the state has spent nearly $9 billion buying power on behalf of Edison, PG&E and San Diego Gas and Electric customers after high power costs they were unable to collect from customers due to a rate freeze pushed them into debt. Their credit ratings plummeted, rendering them unable to buy their own power. 

LOS ANGELES — Dr. John Cunningham Lilly, who championed the study of interspecies communications during a career that probed the mystery of human consciousness, has died. He was 86. 

Lilly died Sunday of heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, his family said. 

An inventor, author and researcher, Lilly was a member of a generation of counterculture scientists and thinkers that included the likes of Ram Dass, Werner Erhard and Timothy Leary, all frequent visitors to the Lilly home. He never failed to stir controversy, especially among mainstream scientists. 

“There were those who thought he was brilliant, and there were those who just thought he was insane. I, of course, thought he was a little bit of both,” said Jennifer Yankee Caulfield, who worked on a Lilly-led project in the early 1980s to teach dolphins a computer-synthesized language. 

Lilly first gained renown in the 1950s, for his development of the isolation tank. Lily saw the tanks, in which users are isolated from almost all external stimulus, as a means of exploring the nature of human consciousness. 

He later combined that work with his efforts — for which he is perhaps best known — to communicate with dolphins, as well as experiments in the use of psychedelics. 

“During a session in an isolation tank, constructed over a pool where dolphins were swimming, I participated in a conversation between the dolphins. It drove me crazy, there was too much information, they communicated so fast,” Lilly wrote of one such experience. 

Dolphins figured large in the 19 books Lilly wrote, including “Man and Dolphin” and “The Mind of the Dolphin.” 

“It was realizing there is a universe greater than just humans,” his daughter, Cynthia Lilly Cantwell, said of his research. 

Lilly’s work inspired two Hollywood movies, “The Day of the Dolphin” and “Altered States.” 

Lilly was born Jan. 6, 1915, in Saint Paul, Minn. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the California Institute of Technology and studied medicine at Dartmouth Medical School before earning his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. 

During World War II, he conducted high-altitude research and later trained as a psychoanalyst. 

In the 1950s, he began studying how bottlenose dolphins vocalize, establishing centers in the U.S. Virgin Islands and, later, San Francisco, to study the cetaceans. A decade later, he began experimenting with psychedelics, including LSD and ketamine, often while floating in isolation. 

“That first trip was a propulsion into domains and realities that I couldn’t even recount when I came back. But I knew that I had expanded way beyond anything I had ever experienced before, and as I was squeezed back into the human frame, I cried,” he wrote of his first such experience. 

Lilly lived in Malibu, Calif., before he retired to Maui, Hawaii, in 1992. He remained an active lecturer, including in Japan. 

Lilly is survived by his first wife, Mary Lilly; a brother, David Lilly; two sons, John Jr. and Charles; daughters Cynthia Lilly Cantwell and Pamela Krans; and four adopted adults, Nina Castelluccio, Lisa Lyon Lilly, Barbara Clarke-Lilly and Philip H. Bailey. 

Plans for a memorial service in Los Angeles were pending. 

SACRAMENTO — It will take three weeks for the National Guard to phase in increased security measures at all 30 California commercial airports, officials said Tuesday. 

Troops wearing camouflage fatigues and carrying M-16 assault rifles will back up airport security officers and local police beginning Friday at Los Angeles and San Francisco international airports. 

It will be another week before they take their posts at nine other airports designated as a second priority by the Federal Aviation Administration. The 19 remaining airports won’t have the extra guards until Oct. 19, Gov. Gray Davis said. 

On Monday, Davis said troops would begin fanning out to airports beyond Los Angeles and San Francisco over the weekend. But the governor and national guard spokesmen said Tuesday it will take longer to get the troops trained. 

The initial round of Federal Aviation Administration training will begin Wednesday for the more than 100 guard members who will patrol Los Angeles International and the 75-80 troops needed at San Francisco. Troops will receive 16 hours of training over two days. 

The second round will go to airports in Sacramento, San Diego, Oakland, Orange County, San Jose, Ontario, Burbank, Long Beach and Fresno. 

The third batch will go to the remaining airports: Palm Springs, Oxnard, Indian Wells, Crescent City, Arcata-Eureka, Redding, Chico, Santa Rosa, Monterey, Stockton, Modesto, San Luis Obispo, Merced, Visalia, Santa Maria, Bakersfield, Santa Barbara, Carlsbad and Imperial. 

California has asked the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C., to initially pay for deploying 730 troops at the state’s airports, but that could change as needed, said Adjutant General Paul Monroe Jr. 

The National Guard will back up airport security officials at passenger checkpoints for four to six months, until the federal government can take over airport security. 

Davis said he believes the troops’ conspicuous presence will help ease travelers’ fears, not aggravate them, in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks involving California-bound commercial airliners. 

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has called up 493 additional California National Guard and Reserve members, officials said Tuesday. 

They include 13 members of the 940th Security Forces Squadron, Air Force Reserve, Marysville; 70 members of the Headquarters Detail, 49th Military Police Battalion, Army National Guard, Pittsburg; 167 members of the 870th Military Police Company, Army National Guard, Pittsburg; 167 members of the 270th Military Police Company, Army National Guard, Placerville; and 76 members of the 452nd Security Forces Squadron, Air Force Reserve, Riverside. 

About 1,414 Army reservists and Army National Guard members from 13 units in seven states, and about 619 more Air Force reservists from 12 major units in 10 states, were called to active duty under the latest mobilization. 

Also Tuesday, Davis’ office announced a California day of remembrance commemorating victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. 

Among those expected to attend a noon service next Tuesday on the Capitol’s west steps are relatives of Californians who died in the four planes originally bound for Los Angeles and San Francisco. Others include firefighters, police officers and labor union members. 

POMONA, Calif. (AP) — Rodney King, victim of the police beating that led to the 1992 Los Angeles riot, pleaded innocent Tuesday to a misdemeanor charge of being under the influence of the drug PCP. 

King, 36, represented himself during his Superior Court appearance, speaking briefly to enter his plea, to say he understood the charge and confirm his identity. 

The charge stemmed from an Aug. 28 arrest by Claremont police at a hotel. Police said King mistakenly told a clerk that his car had been stolen. The clerk told officers that King, whose girlfriend had taken his car, appeared to be under the influence of drugs. 

If convicted, King would face a drug diversion program, said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. 

In a separate legal action, Pomona police on Tuesday presented Los Angeles County prosecutors a case involving King’s arrest Saturday after a traffic stop near a park. 

Police said they received complaints that King was bothering people and exposed himself to others. According to police, he displayed symptoms of PCP intoxication. 

King has twice spent 90 days in jail for misdemeanor domestic abuse convictions in the past few years. 

He remains on probation in San Bernardino County for a March 1999 incident in which he admitted abusing the mother of his teen-age daughter in Fontana. 

King’s 1991 beating led to riots when four officers were acquitted of state charges. Two officers were later convicted in federal court of violating King’s civil rights. 

King won a $3.8 million settlement in a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles. 

SACRAMENTO (AP) — Arizona Sen. John McCain is returning a favor to California Secretary of State Bill Jones. 

McCain is supporting Jones in the race for the Republican nomination for governor. Last year Jones took a political risk when he switched his support from now-President Bush to the Arizona senator during the 2000 presidential race. 

In a letter to supporters, McCain praised Jones, whom he called his “friend and fellow reformer,” and urged backers to contribute money to Jones’ campaign. 

Although he is the state’s highest ranking Republican, Jones is the financial underdog in what is likely to be a three-way primary in March for the GOP nomination to take on Democratic Gov. Gray Davis. 

Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, a businessman who has poured millions of his own money into past campaigns, is expected to announce this month that he will run for governor. Wealthy Los Angeles businessman Bill Simon also is seeking the GOP nomination. 

Bush personally urged Riordan to run earlier this year as part of an effort to boost the Republican Party in Democrat-dominated California and in a move that many saw as a snub to Jones. 

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court said Tuesday that the Environmental Protection Agency cannot be sued to enforce clean water laws. 

The decision stemmed from a suit the Sierra Club brought against the EPA last year claiming the government had evidence that the Nogales International Wastewater Treatment Plant, in Nogales, Ariz., was polluting the Nogales Wash and the Santa Cruz River. 

Because of cracked sewage pipes, the suit maintained, hepatitis and cholera have been detected in the two waterways. 

Environmentalists sued the International Boundary and Water Commission, and the city of Nogales, both of which operate the plant, and they sued the EPA. The Sierra Club reached an out-of-court settlement with the city and water commission to clean up the plant, but appealed a federal judge’s decision barring the group from demanding that the EPA take action against the plant. 

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals noted that the EPA, like criminal prosecutors, are immune from suits for actions they do not take. The appeals panel said the government, not the judiciary, should decide what environmental action should be done, just as prosecutors decide whether to charge a suspected criminal. 

Two other federal circuits have ruled similarly. All three circuits, however, said the public has the right to sue suspected water polluters, which resulted in the settlement of the Sierra Club’s case. 

The Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest in Tuscon, which argued the case on behalf of the Sierra Club, urged the 9th Circuit not to follow its sister circuits. 

“We felt the two other circuits had decided it incorrectly,” said the group’s attorney, Joy Herr-Cardillo. 

She said the group was considering asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision. 

The high court might be more apt to intervene had the 9th Circuit ruled otherwise. The Supreme Court usually reviews cases when there is a split among circuits. 

The case is Sierra Club v. Whitman, 00-16895. 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A federal judge unsealed 20 of 22 documents sought by Asian-American advocacy groups trying to prove racial profiling in the prosecution last year of nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee. 

The papers unsealed Tuesday by Judge James Parker had been reviewed for national security purposes, and most had been censored to protect classified and sensitive information, Assistant U.S. Attorney Paula Burnett said. 

Burnett told Parker the government did not oppose unsealing nearly all the documents, which were referred to in court by number only. Their contents were not immediately disclosed. 

Roger Myers, lawyer for San Francisco-based Chinese for Affirmative Action, said he hadn’t had a chance to argue about what was censored. 

Parker said if Myers and other lawyers want any of the censored material made public, they could return to court. The judge added, however, that he believed the material would be “of no importance whatsoever.” 

The government has denied it engaged in any racial profiling. 

One document remained sealed at the request of one of Lee’s attorneys. The judge ordered another document kept secret because of national security concerns. 

The 61-year-old Lee, who worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory for 20 years, spent nine months in solitary confinement before pleading guilty in September 2000 to one count of breaching national security. 

The government dropped 58 other counts when Lee admitted using an unsecured computer to download a defense document. 

At the time, Parker apologized for keeping Lee jailed in the months before the plea deal, saying the Justice and Energy departments had misled the judge and “embarrassed our entire nation.” 

The prosecution came after congressional investigations into suspected espionage on behalf of China. There was sharp disagreement within the government, including the FBI and CIA, over whether Lee was a possible spy. 

Taiwanese-born Lee, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was never charged with espionage. Asian-American groups believe he was arrested at least partly because of his Chinese ancestry. 

“I think this case far more than any other has resonated with the Asian-American community,” said Diane Chin, executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action. 

BOSTON — Acting Gov. Jane Swift unveiled new security steps Tuesday that include a new chief of security at Logan International Airport, where hijackers boarded the two planes that smashed into the World Trade Center. 

State Police Superintendent Col. John DiFava replaces Joseph Lawless, who was reassigned to oversee security at the Port of Boston. 

“That two of those planes took off from Logan airport is particularly painful for us,” Swift said. 

She also announced the creation of a State Police anti-terrorism unit and a new cabinet-level position — Director of Commonwealth Security — that mirrors President Bush’s decision to create an Office of Homeland Security. 

“Three weeks ago, a vicious terrorist attack changed our world,” Swift said. “As we continue to grieve for those lost, we are beginning to understand the new realities facing the nation and our commonwealth.” 

She urged officials in Washington to federalize security at airports, which is now provided by airlines. 

Lawless, who was appointed in 1993 as Massport’s head of public safety, came under increasing scrutiny after the hijackings of American Flight 11 and United Flight 175. 

Lawless has said the hijackers apparently boarded the flights without violating existing security measures. 

DiFava, a law enforcement officer with 26 years of experience, will serve in the new role for 45 days while a committee studies what steps Logan must take to improve security. 

Swift is proposing $26 million for public safety expenses this year as a result of the attacks. 

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Imagine crossing Puget Sound aboard the ferry Microsoft, or hopping the Starbucks for a weekend in the San Juan Islands. Tight budgets have state officials looking at selling advertising — including naming rights — on Washington state’s fleet of ferries. 

The ferry system began exploring the idea this year as it came to grips with the loss of its share of a motor vehicle excise tax repealed last year. 

“We’re in a financial bind and we’ve got to look for creative ways to get out,” said Pat Patterson, director of public affairs for Washington State Ferries. “It goes from naming rights to restroom advertising.” 

While Patterson says renaming one of the 29 vessels would be a big step — perhaps a step outside the bounds of good taste — she’s not ruling anything out. 

“I do think that’s kind of an extreme example — unless of course Bill Gates wants a ferry named after him,” Patterson said. 

A Microsoft spokeswoman was carefully neutral. 

“We’ve not been approached,” said Stacy Drake from the company’s Redmond headquarters. ‘So without any details it’s hard to tell whether we’d be interested.” 

Starbucks was similarly noncommittal, even though the company’s green-and-white cups are a good match for the ferries’ hulls. 

“It’s too soon to say anything,” said Audrey Lincoff, a spokeswoman for the Seattle-based coffee corporation. “But when you think about it it’s kind of a cool thing.” 

The ferries are bare of advertising now, with only a few racks of brochures inside. Their names honor everything from landlocked Eastern Washington cities (Wenatchee and Walla Walla) to American Indian tribes (Klickitat and Elwha). 

But repeal of the excise tax scuttled more than 20 percent of the system’s revenue, forcing fare hikes, route cuts, layoffs and a cash transfusion from the Legislature. 

So why not advertising? Even without plastering Starbucks’ appropriately nautical double-tailed mermaid on the side, the ferries have lots of space available in their corridors, cafeterias and restrooms. Cheery logos laminated to tabletops could greet bleary-eyed coffee drinkers. 

The brochure racks bring in $170,000 a year, Patterson said. A more aggressive campaign may make many hundreds of thousands. 

Patterson says several companies have expressed interest in buying access to a captive audience of the 26 million commuters and tourists the system carries each year, including Ackerley Group, a major player in the billboard industry. Patterson is fielding proposals and plans to bring a report to the state Legislature next year. 

On land, local transit districts already wrap their buses in advertising for everything from the beloved Seattle Mariners to local TV news personalities. Extending the idea raises the somewhat alarming prospect of a 20-foot image of a 6 o’clock anchor’s face cruising into Elliott Bay. 

“Right now all these options are open,” said state Rep. Beverly Woods, a Republican who represents Poulsbo, a ferry-dependent community across Puget Sound from Seattle. “Whatever we do needs to be in good taste. I don’t know if we’re going to go so far as naming rights.” 

The Mariners play in Safeco Field, a privilege for which Safeco Insurance paid a cool $40 million. The NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics defend the hardwood in Key Arena, named for Key Bank. King County is considering selling naming rights to some of its facilities, including the velodrome at Marymoor Park, to help offset its pending budget deficit. 

Aboard the ferries themselves, commuters don’t seem to mind the idea. “Ads are everywhere anyway on buses, signs and cars, why not on ferries?” Heather Hiles, 18, of Bremerton, told The Sun. 

But a word to the wise if that Starbucks logo shows up: The company’s named for a character in Moby Dick. And like almost everybody else in Ahab’s crew, he went down with the ship. 

NEW YORK — The city easily sold $1 billion in bonds Tuesday to meet immediate costs from the World Trade Center disaster, selling out in just two hours as investors placed $4 billion worth of orders. 

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani called the response to city bonds the strongest in New York City history. He said people were eager to “make a statement that they support New York, but also that they realize the economy of New York is a very, very strong one.” 

City budget director Adam Barsky termed the bond sale a “home run.” 

The offering through the city’s Transitional Finance Authority will help the city pay trade center-related expenses such as unemployment insurance premiums, overtime, private contractors’ charges for removing debris and the cost of housing and feeding rescue workers. 

Giuliani had urged New Yorkers to buy the bonds as a way of showing confidence in the recovery of their city. The cost of cleaning up the trade center ruins and rebuilding the surrounding area has preliminarily been placed at $39 billion. 

Jay Donnaruma, a Paine Webber analyst, said Tuesday’s buyers covered the spectrum from individuals to mutual funds.While patriotism played a role in the sale, Donnaruma said the Federal Reserve’s lowering of a key interest rate Tuesday was also a factor. 

It made the bonds as attractive as money market accounts or certificates of deposits which investors have to pay taxes on. 

“This is a safe place to be,” Donnaruma said. “People say, ‘We feel good about it. This is something we can do to rebuild.”’ 

The interest rate on the one-year bonds, which are free from city, state and federal taxes, is 2.1 percent. 

The state has authorized city spending of up to $5.5 billion in state and federal money for trade center costs, and expanded the Transitional Finance Authority’s bonding limit by $2.5 billion. 

SACRAMENTO — State revenues tumbled far below forecasts in the past three months and budget officials warn that emergency reserves could dry up if the economy continues to sag. 

California took in $1 billion less than expected in income and corporate taxes and other revenues in July, August and September, the first three months of the fiscal year, according to figures released Tuesday. 

Budget officials attribute the drop to an already weak economy and the financial fallout of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. 

“Clearly we are heading for very difficult times here in California,” said Brad Williams, senior economist for the California legislative analyst’s office. 

Gov. Gray Davis has warned that he will veto some bills because of expected budget shortfalls, and state departments are crafting plans to shave their budgets. 

Assemblyman Tony Cardenas, an Arleta Democrat who chairs a special budget committee, said he will call for budget hearings before the beginning of the legislative session in January. 

Davis signed a $103 billion state budget in July that included $2.6 billion in reserves. But Cardenas said continued monthly revenue shortfalls will likely exhaust the reserve before the end of the fiscal year. 

“This year’s budget was termed the most difficult in 10 years, and next year’s will be even harder,” Cardenas said Tuesday in a prepared statement. 

California’s treasury is highly dependent on income tax, capital gains, corporate profits and sales tax revenues. 

The state’s income tax and corporate profit revenues fell $567 million short of projections in September, which is a key month in determining the state’s fiscal strengths. 

And while officials haven’t determined the precise effect the attacks are having on the economy, they say that layoffs and consumer reluctance to spend have endangered the treasury. 

Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, announced Monday the creation of a task force to study the impact of the attacks on the economy. 

Davis, who has been pushing for residents to start flying again and visiting the state’s tourist spots, said he is concerned with the drop in consumer spending since the attacks. 

ANAHEIM — Two high-profile restaurants are closing their doors at Disney’s California Adventure after failing to pack in big enough crowds at the struggling theme park. 

Disney spokesman Ray Gomez said Avalon Cove, a seafood restaurant owned by Wolfgang Puck Food Co., closed Monday. It was the first defection of a tenant since the theme park opened in February. 

Robert Mondavi Corp. also said it will no longer operate its Golden Vine Winery and restaurant but will remain a park sponsor. Disney will now take over control of the Mondavi attraction. 

“We want to eliminate further financial exposure,” said Nancy Light, a spokeswoman for the Oakville, Calif-based winery. The company will record a charge of more than $12 million related to its investment in California Adventure. 

A Wolfgang Puck spokesman declined to comment about the restaurant closure. 

The departures raise more concerns about lagging attendance and future prospects at the $1.4 billion resort that features a theme park, hotel and Downtown Disney development. 

When California Adventure first opened, Disney officials estimated about 7 million people would come through the turnstiles annually, or about 19,000 a day. 

But disappointing attendance prompted Disney to cut admission prices this summer from $43 to $33 for adults. Children accompanied by an adult received free admission through Labor Day weekend. 

Disney does not release actual attendance figures. But the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that the park drew a daily average of about 4,500 people during the week before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. 

Both departing eateries were designed to help lure affluent tourists to the park. 

Avalon Cove was a 350-seat restaurant and lounge that sat overlooking a faux bay in the park’s Paradise Pier section. Gomez said a new restaurant will replace Avalon Cove, catering to families and children. 

At the Golden Vine Winery, visitors could sample various Napa Valley vintages, dine at its restaurant, or shop at its gourmet store. 

SAN FRANCISCO — EMI Recorded Music will license its extensive artist catalog to pressplay, the online service that hopes to bring legitimate music downloads to consumers before year’s end. 

With the deal, EMI becomes the first of the five major labels to sign with both pressplay and MusicNet, two services set to launch later this year. 

MusicNet is a joint venture between BMG, EMI, Warner and Seattle-based technology company RealNetworks. Sony and Universal are the venture partners behind pressplay, and have promised their catalogs to that service. 

“This agreement represents another major step forward for pressplay as we prepare to launch our service,” pressplay president and CEO Andy Schon said Tuesday. 

“By combining EMI’s extensive library with the vast amount of music from Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group that we have already secured, pressplay will offer consumers the single most comprehensive online music experience.” 

EMI’s roster of popular artists includes Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz and Snoop Doggy Dogg. 

The massive expansion into online music sales represents uncharted territory for each of the top five labels. All have battled the tide of free music online made possible by Napster and other file-sharing programs such as Gnutella and Morpheus. 

Pressplay offers consumers direct delivery of online music. MusicNet is a platform consisting of record label content and the RealNetworks technology that can be licensed for use by distributors looking to build subscription music services. 

Jupiter Media Metrix analyst Aram Sinnreich predicts that pressplay and MusicNet can co-exist, and that the EMI crossover deal breaks the ice for other labels to follow. EMI focuses solely on music production and not on distribution, so it was the likely first candidate for a crossover licensing deal. 

“They don’t want to own distribution. They’re just a record company,” Sinnreich said. He said it would be some time before either service is perfected to consumer satisfaction. 

“I think that both services will continually have to be revamped and re-conceived for the next few years before the right features and the right price point is decided upon,” Sinnreich said. 

While the city has taken steps to close down the last of Berkeley’s mobile food vendors, the City Council offered a temporary reprieve Tuesday for a popular organic food cart. 

The council approved a recommendation by Councilmember Kriss Worthington to postpone closing Veggie Heaven until the city determines if food carts will be allowed to operate at all in Berkeley. In addition, the council asked the city manager to clarify by Oct. 9, the licensing and re-licensing policy for food carts.  

Finance Director Fran David said the city already has an ordinance that only allows any food cart to operate for four years before the business becomes ineligible for license renewal. She added that no new licenses have been issued in the last two years and the owners of all remaining food carts have been given notice that they will have to shut down. 

David was unable to verify how many food cart businesses are in the city or which ones are currently operating without a license. 

Veggie Heaven is one of three food carts currently operating just outside the UC campus on Bancroft Way at Telegraph Avenue. The other two carts are the Chinese Kitchen and Musahi. All three sell lunch items for under $5.  

Food carts have been a tradition at the busy intersection since the 1960s. At one time there were as many as eight small businesses selling affordable meals primarily to students.  

Veggie Heaven, which sells burritos, wraps and combination rice plates, has been particularly popular not only for its affordable prices, but because it prepares all of its menu items with organic vegetables and meats.  

Worthington said it would be a shame if Veggie Heaven closed down because it is one of the few places where students can find an affordable, healthy meal.  

“The Veggie Heaven cart is one of the most popular because it’s one of the few places students can find inexpensive organic food,” he said. 

But despite its popularity, David said Veggie Heaven has not had a license to operate for at least 18 months. She said when current owner, Shihadeh Kitami, purchased the business, the operating license became invalid. 

David said the food cart ordinance was designed to help burgeoning entrepreneurs get started in the restaurant business with the hope that within four years they would be able to grow into permanent establishments. 

Kitami, who has in fact opened up Razan Organic Kitchen on Kittredge Street near the university, did not return calls to the Daily Planet on Monday. 

“If Mr. Kitami wanted to get a valid license for Veggie Heaven he would have to reapply to the city and his name would go at the bottom of a list that has over 100 names on it,” she said.  

David said the presence of the food carts is being re-assessed according to the Southside Plan, which is currently being developed. The plan, which is months away from approval by the City Council, would create policy guidelines for building and economic development in the area south of campus. 

University officials and the director of the Telegraph Area Association said the food carts have been controversial in the past but they were unaware of any recent complaints. 

“There were aesthetic concerns about where they were located– right at a major entrance to the campus– and there were problems with littering and the Telegraph Avenue merchants were concerned that students and faculty might stop (at the carts) and get a handy lunch instead of heading down Telegraph where they might shop, in addition to eating,” said Irene Hegarty, the director of community relations for the university. 

Hegarty said the litter issues were resolved by placing more trash receptacles in the area. 

But Hegarty said the carts could conflict with future plans to redesign Sproul Plaza, which is adjacent to food cart location. 

Owners of two nearby businesses, Blakes and Smart Alecs restaurants, said the food carts were of little concern to them.  

“We have a different clientele,” said Harry Keally, part owner of Blakes. “We’ve been here for two years and the food carts have never been an issue.” 

Scott Pennington, who works across the street, said he eats at Veggie Heaven three times a week. He said he didn’t like the idea of losing an affordable and convenient lunch source. “It’s hard to find good, inexpensive and healthy food,” he said. 

Tuesday, Oct. 2

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2-7 p.m. 

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

Closed-door City Council Meeting 

5:30 p.m. 

Sixth Floor Conference Room 

2180 Milvia St. 

Council will consider whether to initiate legislation challenging the anticipated approval by the UC regents Long Range Development Plan Amendment. Public comment before closed session. 

City Council meeting 

7 p.m. 

2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

Council may choose preferred redistricting plan and hear a presentation on the Draft General Plan. 

Urban Gardening Training 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

Santa Fe Bar & Grill 

Learn and enjoy how to intensively grow organic produce at potluck lunch at 1 p.m. 841-4740 

Berkeley Camera Club 

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda 

Share your slides and prints with other photographers. Critiques by qualified judges. Monthly field trips. 531-8664 

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 

Middle East Panel Discussion 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Pacific School of Religion Chapel 

1798 Scenic Ave. 

The Graduate Theological Union presents a liberation theoretical/political view of the middle east from Jewish, Muslim and Christian perspectives. beamorris@hotmail.com 

Wednesday, Oct. 3

Special PRC Meeting 

The meetings of the Police Review Commission scheduled for Sept. 26, Oct. 10 have been cancelled. A special PRC meeting will be held Oct. 3 at South Berkeley Senior Center. Regular PRC meetings will resume on Oct. 24 

Fire Safety Commission Meeting 

7:30 p.m. 

Fire Department Training Facility 

997 Cedar St. 

The buffer zone subcommittee will provide a report on activities in and around the buffer zone, and report on meetings of the subcommittee. 

Toddler Storytime 

7 p.m. 

West Berkeley Library 

1125 University Ave. 

For families with children three years or younger, a program to expose the youngest readers to multicultural stories, songs and finger plays. Every Wednesday through Nov. 28. 

Prose Writers’ Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley/Richmond Jewish Community Center Library 

1414 Walnut St.  

From op-ed to fiction, memoir to the feature article - a community 

writers' group to support and encourage a community of interests. Workshop format. Free.  

524-3034 

Thursday, Oct. 4

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 

Community Environmental  

Advisory Commission 

7 p.m. 

2118 Milvia St., Suite 200 

Discussion of venue for future Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will continue. 

Housing Advisory Hearing 

7:30 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2930 Ellis St. 

Public hearing on a proposed amendment to the Unified Building Code that would ban the installation of new open hearth fireplaces and allow only installation of new wood burning appliances approved by the Federal EPA or the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. 

The Lost Daughters of China 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Ave. 

Karin Evans discusses the complex societal and cultural issues surrounding the adoption of abandoned infant girls from China. 843-3533 

Saturday, Oct. 6

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

The Cal Sailing Club, a nonprofit sailing and windsurfing cooperative, gives free rides on a first come, first served basis on the first full weekend of each month. Wear warm clothes and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children must be at least 5 years old and must be accompanied by an adult. Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

Fire Suppression 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar St. 

Free classes in Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). 981-5605 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Poetry Reading 

3 - 5 p.m. 

South Branch Berkeley Public Library 

1901 Russell St. 

Bay Area Poets Coalition holds an open reading. 527-9905 

Sunday, Oct. 7

West Berkeley Market 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Avenue, between Third and Fourth streets  

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

Monday, Oct. 8

Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults Inquiry Program 

7:30 p.m. 

St. Mary Magdalen Parish 

2005 Berryman St. 

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

Franciscanism, Understanding the Vision 

1 - 2 p.m. 

Franciscan School of Theology 

1712 Euclid Ave. 

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

848-5232 

Tuesday, Oct. 9

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2-7 p.m. 

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

Berkeley Camera Club 

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda 

Share your slides and prints with other photographers. Critiques by qualified judges. Monthly field trips. 531-8664 

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 

Town Hall Meeting 

4 - 6 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center 

2939 Ellis St. 

The Affordable Housing Advocacy Project presents a discussion on the Berkeley Housing Authority Howmeownership Program.  

548-5803 

Wednesday, Oct. 10

Amendment to Zoning  

Ordinance Meeting 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

The Planning Commission will consider an amendment to the zoning ordinance to prohibit the conversions of existing building space from any other use to office use and the development of new office uses of 5000 square feet or more in the mixed use-light industrial zoning district. 

Toddler Storytime 

7 p.m. 

West Berkeley Library 

1125 University Ave. 

For families with children three years or younger, a program to expose the youngest readers to multicultural stories, songs and finger plays. Every Wednesday through Nov. 28. 

Prose Writers’ Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley/Richmond Jewish Community Center Library 

1414 Walnut St.  

From op-ed to fiction, memoir to the feature article - a community 

writers' group to support and encourage a community of interests. Workshop format. Free.  

524-3034 

Saturday, Oct. 13

Shelter Operations 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar St. 

Free classes in Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). 981-5605 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Farmers’ Market Fall Fruit Tasting 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Center Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

Free samples of the whole range of fall fruit. There will be a wide variety of apples, pears and persimmons at a central location for taste-testing. 548-3333 

Pow Wow and Indian Market 

10 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Civic Center Park 

Enjoy Native American foods, dancing and arts and crafts in Berkeley’s tenth annual Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration, this year honoring Mille Ketchesawno. 595-5520 

Monday, Oct. 15

Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults Inquiry Program 

7:30 p.m. 

St. Mary Magdalen Parish 

2005 Berryman St. 

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

Franciscanism, Understanding the Vision 

1 - 2 p.m. 

Franciscan School of Theology 

1712 Euclid Ave. 

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

848-5232 

Editor: 

Whether Rep. Barbara Lee’s Sept. 14 vote left you proud, puzzled or apoplectic, let’s be clear about what she was voting on.  

It was not whether (in one critic’s words) “to approve giving war powers to the president.” 

As Lee acknowledged both before and after her vote, the Constitution and the War Powers Act give the president ample authority to unleash devastating retaliation against our attackers.  

That retaliation can continue for 90 days before Congressional approval is required. 

What Lee opposed was giving up Congressional oversight in advance – and indefinitely – before the Bush administration had identified the perpetrator, much less a strategy for responding. 

The administration requesting that blank check had just presided over the most deadly failure of intelligence and homeland defense in American history.  

Its diplomacy had been a disaster: for eight months, it had antagonized most of the world, and enraged the Arab world, by regressing into arrogant unilateralism. Yet it had kept the odious Taliban regime on life support – serving as its largest foreign patron, to the tune of at least $43 million. 

Now place yourself in Lee’s shoes: Would you have voted to give this gang a blank check? Some very gray and sober heads joined Lee in worrying that the Congress was rushing into passing a “second Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.” (That is, a repeat of the wrong-headed 1964 measure that allowed past presidents to escalate and extend the Vietnam War – wasting thousands of young American lives, and accomplishing nothing.) Her fellow critics included two distinguished Vietnam veterans, Senators John McCain and John Kerry, both of whom helped narrow the Sept. 14 resolution. 

In 1964, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed 416-0 in the House and 88-2 in the Senate. Before long, the two Senate dissenters (both West Coast renegades) looked like geniuses. 

Rep. Lee wisely resisted a rushed, emotional statement of outrage that inadvertently gave the Bush administration authorization to blunder into unending war. Let’s be grateful for her foresight. And now let’s hope our non-cowboy allies keep this administration focused on a constructive response. 

Michael Katz 

Berkeley 

MUSIC 

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

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

albatrosspub@mindspring.com  

Café de la Paz Poetry Nitro, performance showcase with open mike. All shows free, 7 - 10 p.m. 

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

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

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

www.freightandsalvage.com 

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

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

THEATER 

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

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

www.calshakes.org 

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

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

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

www.berkeleyrep.org 

FILMS 

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

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

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

EXHIBITS 

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

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

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

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

www.adaptgallery.com  

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

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

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

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

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

www.atelier9.com 

READINGS 

Boadecia’s Books Oct 6: Terry Ryan reads from “The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 words or Less”; All events start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise. All events are free. 398 Colusa Ave. 559-9184 www.bookpride.com 

Cody’s on Fourth Street Oct 5: 7 p.m. Glen Davis Gold reads from “Carter Beats the Devil”; Oct 12: Cody’s For Kids- Rosemary Wells and Bunny Party; 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500 

Cody’s on Telegraph Avenue Oct 2: Jonathan Franzen reads from “The Corrections”; Oct 4: Eric Seaborg looks at “Adventures in the Atomic Age: From Watts to Washington”; Oct 5: Victor Villasenor reads from “Thirteen Senses”; All shows at 7:30 p.m. 2454 Telegraph Ave. 845-7852 

Cody’s Other Venues Oct 7: 7 p.m. Coleman Barks- The Soul of Rumi First Congregational Church of Berkeley 2345 Dana 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore Oct 2: 7:30 p.m. “Dancing with the Witchdoctor: One Woman’s Adventure in Africa” by Kelly James. 1385 Shattuck Ave.  

|843-3533 

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

Michael Parentini Oct 4: 7:30 p.m. Discusses and signs copies of his latest book “To Kill a Nation” at Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave. 595-7417 

TOURS 

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

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

MUSEUMS 

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

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

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

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

Lawrence Hall of Science “Within the Human Brain,” ongoing. Visitors test their cranial nerves, play skeeball, master mazes, match musical tones and construct stories inside a simulated “rat cage” of learning experiments. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. Space Weather Exhibit now - Sept. 2; now - Sept. 9 Science in Toyland; Saturdays 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. 642-5132 

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

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

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

Parents and advocates of Latino students will gather Sunday at Rosa Parks Elementary School to exchange ideas with Michele Lawrence, the Berkeley Unified School District’s new superintendent, on possible remedies for the students’ unique difficulties in the school system. 

“We wanted to introduce the new superintendent to the Latino community in a formal way so they would get a sense of who she is, as well as what she plans to do within the district,” said Santiago Casal, director of the Cesar Chavez Solar Calendar Project, which seeks to commemorate the late labor leader at the Berkeley waterfront. 

A group of Latino community leaders met with Lawrence Thursday in a preliminary session that was scheduled for one hour but went on instead for two and drew praise from participants, according to Casal. 

“I was very surprised at how accurate her own perspective and perceptions were, her reading of the culture and climate that exists here in Berkeley, in the district,” said Father Rigoberto Caloca-Rivas, executive director of the Multicultural Institute, a Berkeley non-profit that sponsors minority outreach and education programs.  

“She seems like a very strong person in terms of, number one, stomaching the things that are happening in the Berkeley schools, but also stepping into (them),” said Beatriz Leyva-Cutler, executive director of Bay Area Hispano Institute for Advancement, which provides bilingual child care. 

The superintendent, whose maiden name is Barraza, is herself a Latina. She came to Berkeley from Paramount, a Los Angeles County school district that is three-fourths Latino. 

Caloca-Rivas and Leyva-Cutler will co-host Sunday’s event, offering brief opening remarks and translating when necessary. 

“It’s a very non-threatening kind of thing,” Caloca-Rivas said, “mostly to let her know that we’re not an invisible community here in this district.” 

High on the list of topics will be the pattern of depressed achievement levels among Latino students as a group. 

“We want to reduce the racial inequality that exists here in the educational system and at Berkeley High,” said Caloca-Rivas. “The main thing is to bridge that achievement gap.” 

“The Latino parents have been very concerned about the high dropout rate, and the equity issues around the quality of education they receive,” said Rosa Parks Principal Alison Kelly, who restructured bilingual education into two-way immersion programs at her school and two others before taking her current position. Two-way immersion gradually shifts students from mostly Spanish language teaching to mostly English instruction between kindergarten and fifth grade. 

“They tend to get tracked in (English Language Learning) programs, shelter programs, and the parents are concerned that this isn’t preparing them for university, not giving them the required coursework they need for college. The other part of it that the research is really clear about is the parental involvement and the educational level of parents. So it’s a combination of things and it’s very complex.” 

Leyva-Cutler said much could be accomplished by “the parents simply feeling welcomed at the schools. What happens when there is no Spanish-speaking staff at any of the schools?” 

Father George Crespin, the pastor at the Latino-dominated Saint Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Berkeley and another forum participant, also called for more Hispanic role models among the teachers and staff. At the high school, he said, the effort to create small schools “would be an important piece.” 

“I think in the primary school, making sure that no kid gets out of third grade unable to read and write in English (is important), because if kids don’t pick it up by that time, we see a gradual falling behind, and if we get the basics, that shouldn’t be a problem,” Crespin said. 

Bilingual education has often been passionately discussed at Latino advocates’ forums in the past, but Kelly said the new statewide policy of retention – keeping students back in English immersion until they reach grade level – has shifted debate to finding enough room in the immersion programs. 

“Because of that, bilingual education is not necessarily a priority,” said Caloca-Rivas.  

However, accountability of staff and teachers was second only to the achievement gap among the sources of frustration cited by the Latino advocates. 

“You really can’t evaluate people, because you can’t get hold of people, (and can’t figure out) their roles and responsibilities, who they are accountable to,” said Caloca-Rivas. “Everything starts to get very fuzzy and unclear when you start asking for that accountability.” 

Lawrence said Monday that her priority would be to implement “very simple basic things” such as holding teachers accountable who are not taking attendance, returning parents’ phone calls in a timely manner, and ensuring that parents either receive information sent home from school in their primary language or have access to translation services. 

More broadly, she said, parents of Latino students want their children to have access to more challenging coursework and to feel more connected to their schools. 

“There are numbers of processes that are not community friendly, that make either the immigrant or the uneducated parent, who has no background with school systems because of their lack of schooling themselves, have a much more difficult time negotiating through school systems,” Lawrence said. 

The forum will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7 at Rosa Parks Elementary, 920 Allston Way. For more information, call Beatriz Leyva-Cutler at 524-7300. Other participating groups include Berkeley Organizing Congregations for Action (BOCA), Mentoring for Academic Success (MAS), Chicanos/Latinos for Academic and Social Success (CLASS), Latinos Unidos, and the Duran Foundation.

Editor: 

Senator Dianne Feinstein wants a moratorium on student visas. Some of the terrorists who entered this country did so on business visas. Should there be a moratorium of such visas? Should American business people be confined in this country for six months? Will American students be allowed to travel abroad during this period? Should they be allowed to travel, but only to Canada and Mexico? How will Oxford and Cambridge treat Americans, when British nationals aren’t allowed to study in this country? 

The Star Bulletin did a poll that found 53 percent of Canadians support the creation of a USA-Canada security perimeter, even if it means accepting INS policies. And 59 percent of respondents subscribed to the following statement: “I don’t mind giving up some of our national sovereignty if it increases overall security in North America.” 

Even the diploma mills that essentially sell visas to so-called students applying from abroad do a better job than the State Department in screening them. This year approximately one-half of the best and brightest Chinese already accepted to such prestigious graduate schools as Stanford, USC, UC San Diego, UCLA and UC Berkeley were denied visas by the Embassy in Beijing, and consulate-general and consulates throughout China. 

Meanwhile, millions of East-bound visitors have gotten off planes in Honolulu alone. I was the only one frisked from the ANA flight when I arrived at Narita Airport last Monday. 

Richard Thompson 

in Korea  

By Judith Scherr 

Daily Planet staff 

It took Maria 17 years before she told anyone her schizophrenic husband had been beating her all those years. Maria, not her real name, knew there was something terribly wrong with Juan, but was too ashamed to pour her heart out to anyone. 

“The stigma keeps people from accessing services,” said Debbie Arthur, coordinator of the city’s domestic violence prevention services. People, especially in the Hispanic and Asian communities, think, “If I go (to a therapist), I’m crazy.”  

In his recent report, U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher wrote: “A constellation of barriers deters minorities from reaching treatment. Many of these barriers operate for all Americans: cost, fragmentation of services, lack of availability of services, and social stigma toward mental illness. But additional barriers deter racial and ethnic minorities; mistrust and fear of treatment, racism and discrimination, and differences in language and communication.” 

The racial divide between those accessing services and those who do not has been a concern to Berkeley’s mental health staff for a number of years. Whites and African Americans are much more likely to access services than Hispanics and Asians, Arthur said. 

Effective treatment services depend on the mental health staff’s understanding of the client’s ethnicity and culture and the role race plays in the client’s life, said Matthew Mock, director, since 1988, of the city’s mental health services for children. 

And so Berkeley’s mental health team is trying a variety of strategies to make services more accessible to minority communities, from changing the climate of the mental health waiting rooms, to sensitizing mental health workers to cultural diversity, to taking services to the clients, whether they are in churches or on the streets. 

Race and culture matter 

“In going to the clinic, people may find (the stress factors in their daily lives) replicated by going in the door and asking for help,” said Matthew Mock. 

So the clinic attempts to employ people who speak a variety of languages, to provide materials in a number of languages and to understand the needs of clients who may have had to take three buses to get there.  

The race and language of minority patients are critical in the relationship with the therapist. Of course, when the client is talking, the therapist must be able to understand the words he’s saying. “But when we talk about culturally appropriate services, we’re not talking only about language,” Arthur said. 

The therapist must understand the meaning behind the words. 

Employing mental health staff to match the language, culture or ethnicity of all the Berkeley clients would be ideal and the city’s mental health division can partially meet that need by employing interns of diverse backgrounds. 

But a therapist and client cannot always be paired by their ethnicity and culture. And that’s where staff training in “cultural competence,” comes in. 

Cultural competence means, in part, understanding the role race plays in the client’s life. 

A Euro-American therapist must “know about the legacies of slavery, or of the Japanese internment,” Mock said. She should understand the long-term effect of the Chinese exclusion laws and about the particular kinds of stress immigrants face here. The therapist needs to understand what it means if his immigrant client is a political refugee. 

A third generation Chinese-American, Mock says traditional western therapy is not acceptable in his community. “My parents would never seek out someone like me,” he said. Mock’s parents would be reluctant to talk about personal problems to a stranger. “They would not seek help outside their own community,” he said. And they would not define the problem in the way traditional western psychotherapy sees mental health issues. Rather, they would probably see one person’s depression, for example, as an imbalance within the family structure, rather than a problem of the individual. 

A Southeast Asian and Latin American might interpret symptoms of mental illness differently, said Fred Madrano, who heads the city’s Health and Human Services Department, where the division of mental health is housed. “We can’t assume that we all see (the same thing) in the same way.” 

Therapists also need to understand that the role of the family and the extended family varies with people of different cultures. 

“(The family structure) comes in the door with women who walk in the door,” Arthur said. 

Training the mental health staff 

Berkeley mental health tries to sensitize its staff to these kinds of cultural differences and train people in how to make the client aware that the therapist understands the diversity issues and will listen with an open mind as the client talks about race and culture as part of his life and a part of what is stressing him. 

Part of that training underscores that race, in itself, is a stressor and must be considered by the therapist, along with the other stressors therapists learn about in their graduate school work. Racism, oppression, and marginalization can be significant factors in a person’s depression. These factors can cause trauma in a person’s life, Mock says. 

While the city stresses the importance of cultural awareness among its mental health staff, Mock is a critic of schools that omit questions of race when they train mental health workers and the state licensing procedure which does not require training in this area. “There is no (statewide) mandate that they have to be trained to work with different cultural communities,” Mock said. “This is an ethical issue.” 

Further, “While being highly acknowledged as having deleterious effects in society, the impact of power inequities and manifestations of oppression on mental health or illness is rarely taught in schools,” Mock wrote in a 1995 paper for the California Psychological Association: 

Need for minority mental health workers 

Training in cultural competence is only one piece of the answer. A more fundamental response would be creating a larger pool of minority mental health workers. High school students need to be funneled into the profession early, Mock says. 

The Latina Center located in Berkeley and Richmond, is attacking the problem in a unique way. Through a four-year grant, it is training a pool of paraprofessional mental health workers, who will fan out in communities from Hercules to Oakland. They’ll reach out especially to Hispanic women and attempt to remove the stigma attached to seeking services for mental health problems. They will go to churches and other community venues where the Hispanic community gathers, and facilitate peer support groups. 

“(Latinos) feel ashamed” if they need help, said Miriam Wong, the center’s director. “People need to come together and start talking about what is going on.” 

Going to the people 

Part of the challenge is to go out of the clinic to where people are. The city has a mobile crisis team that does this kind of work, often working on the streets with the city’s homeless population. 

Schools are another venue to which the city’s mental health team takes its services. Students at Berkeley High, for example, can access mental health services by going to the health clinic, rather than going to a mental health clinic. There, behind closed doors, a youth can “take off his hood and start talking about issues in his life,” Mock said. 

Mental health workers are now also in three elementary and two middle schools where they can work with both students and parents. 

The mental health staff also intervenes in the judicial system, keeping people out of jail and helping them “stay out of trouble,” Mock said. Wong adds, however, that both the courts and the police department need more training in order to differentiate between a person who needs mental health services and one who needs to be jailed. 

“There’s never enough resources,” said Harvey Turek, who heads up the city’s mental health division. 

Wong agrees, shakes her head sadly and refers back to the case of Maria, who’s schizophrenic husband battered her for years. Juan is in jail and will be there for a while, Wong said. But he’s not getting any help and won’t be any better when he gets out. 

“He’ll probably be worse,” she said. 

BOX 

Berkeley mental health services can be reached at the following numbers: 

Adult services: 2640 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

644-8562 

Family Youth and Children’s Services 

1925 Derby St. 

644-6617 

Editor: 

Ms. Leung “challenge(s) Mr. Breiman to produce evidence of an SJP member ever advocating the destruction of the state of Israel,” something that I can do quite easily. 

Will Youmans, a vocal member of SJP, routinely questions the very validity of the state of Israel saying that the “first sin” of the Arab-Israel conflict was Jews moving to the British Mandate Palestine at the beginning of the last century. If the state is not valid, it should be destroyed. Fortunately it is very valid. 

Often SJP rallies contain posters or chants calling Zionism “racism.” If the Jewish nationalistic movement is racist then it is illegitimate, thus Israel would be illegitimate and should be destroyed. Fortunately, Zionism is no more racist than any other nationalistic movement, including Palestinian nationalism. 

The SJP Mission Statement calls for “the right of return and repatriation for all Palestinian refugees to their original homes and properties.” If all of the Palestinian refugees and their 2.5 million children and grandchildren move to Israel, that would be demographic suicide for the Jewish state; thus the “destruction of Israel.” Fortunately, Israel says it will not budge on that topic, but has instead offered reparations if they come alongside reparations to the 700,000 Jewish refugees forced to flee their homes in Arab states after the creation of Israel in 1948. 

Students for Justice in Palestine and its members do call for the destruction of the state of Israel, only in less than blunt words. Fortunately, not everyone believes your blanket statement that SJP does not advocate the destruction of the state of Israel. And fortunately Israel will never cease to exist. 

David Singer 

UC Berkeley student 

SAN FRANCISCO — Despite efforts to persuade people to abandon their cars and take mass transit, walk or ride a bicycle, 82 percent of Bay Area commuters drive or ride in a motor vehicle, according to Commute Profile 2001. 

The annual survey conducted by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s ride-sharing project also reports that about 17 percent of the region’s 3.5 million commuters are riding to work with others in either organized or casual carpools — an increase of 3 percent over last year and the highest rate since 1996, when carpooling began a decline. 

Bay Area-wide, 65 percent of commuters said they drive solo to and from work. That share has changed little in the nine-year history of the survey. 

BART, Caltrain and several smaller transit agencies reported steep ridership increases in the past two years, but transit still accounts for just 12 percent of the commute, according to the survey. 

Researchers interviewed 3,600 people older than 18 and with full-time jobs outside their homes. 

*** 

OAKLAND — A shiny pink bag and the nervousness of the man carrying it led to the seizure Saturday of $1.2 million of suspected black tar heroin by a veteran police sergeant, authorities said. 

Sgt. Ersie Joyner III arrested Hector Ramirez, 22, on suspicion of possession of heroin and possession of heroin for sale. Joyner said the pink bag Ramirez was carrying caught his eye. 

When Ramirez saw Joyner he began “acting hinky, he dropped the bag and started walking across the street,” said Joyner. 

Joyner saw what he thought was packaged narcotics spill from the bag. Joyner stopped Ramirez and confiscated the bag that contained at least 1,000 grams of suspected black tar heroin in six different plastic bags. 

If sold on the street, that would mean at least 60,000 $20 doses, said Alameda County district attorney’s inspector Jim Kimzey. 

Editor: 

The expansion of Alta Bates Hospital Emergency Room and the possible closing of the emergency room at Summit is bizarre, given the vulnerability of the Alta Bates location. In a major disaster, the potential for the Alta Bates emergency room being inaccessible is high. The only access to the emergency room is from Ashby Avenue, or through a narrow street off Telegraph Avenue. If Ashby Avenue were blocked, say by fire engines, excessive traffic or whatever, few could access the facility. 

We need emergency rooms at Sutter, at Kaiser, at Highland, at Fairmont. These locations are not as vulnerable to being cut off at times of disaster as the ER at Alta Bates. 

The same could be said for the idea of Alta Bates being the only birthing center in the area. 

Again, if Ashby Avenue is blocked, or the little street off Telegraph is jammed, women will be having babies in their cars.  

Who is doing disaster planning for Berkeley and Oakland? It seems to me that the location and capacity of hospitals is an important component of planning for the next earthquake or war. 

Margot W. Smith 

SAN FRANCISCO — California officials agree the state’s general fund must be repaid for the nearly $9 billion the Department of Water Resources has paid for electricity, but months-long debates over the details continue to slow progress. 

Attempts to issue $12.5 billion in bonds already have been delayed until 2002 due to disputes between Gov. Gray Davis, state power regulators, the utilities, consumer advocates and business groups. 

State Treasurer Phil Angelides warned last week the state could suffer a $9.3 billion budget deficit should delays continue, and that would affect funding for other state programs. 

“We have what in many ways is a bizarre situation,” said Gary Cohen, chief counsel for the PUC. 

And the plot thickens elsewhere on the energy front: 

— Five major creditors are threatening to push a second California utility, Southern California Edison, into bankruptcy, days after Davis called lawmakers back to Sacramento to craft a rescue plan for Edison. Pacific Gas and Electric’s bankruptcy reorganization plan would remove the utility’s transmission lines, power plants and natural gas pipelines from any state regulation, which state officials say is more reason to keep Edison from following PG&E’s path. 

— The Department of Water Resources, the state agency that buys electricity for the customers of three utilities, continues to negotiate with the PUC and utilities over how much ratepayer money each utility must give the state in exchange for the power the state buys. Under the current plan, PG&E customers would pay $600 million more than Southern California utility customers, which PG&E calls an unfair shifting of rates. 

— State power regulators have asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to force power companies to renegotiate long-term power contracts they signed earlier this year with the state. The contracts are now considered grossly overpriced, and could leave California energy customers paying more than twice the forecasted market rates for electricity. The DWR’s rate plan would lock in those contracts at their current rates, PUC President Loretta Lynch said Monday. 

“Our feeling is that if the contracts stay in force as they are now, they’re expensive, and it’s unlikely rates will go down,” Cohen said. 

“If the (DWR’s) rate agreement goes forward, generators have no incentives to renegotiate because we’ve guaranteed the price,” he said. 

Before the bonds are issued, the state must resolve how the people who eventually buy the bonds will be paid, whether long-term power contracts the state has locked in are fair, and whether the Public Utilities Commission must change electric rates at the request of the state without ensuring those rates are reasonable and are the result of prudent spending decisions. 

Both options currently before the state — a plan put forth by the Department of Water Resources and Senate Bill 18xx proposed by Sen. John Burton, D-San Francisco, require the PUC to rescind its authority to assume or reject rate requests. The PUC could take up the DWR’s plan at its Tuesday meeting. 

Consumer advocates, businesses, financial analysts, the state Legislature and PUC commissioners have rallied behind Burton’s bill, and PG&E already has sued the state to stop the DWR’s plan from going forward. 

Davis’ spokesman Steve Maviglio said Monday the bill is “dead on arrival” based on the treasurer’s recommendation. 

“It creates more uncertainty about the bond sale and repayment at a time when we already have economic uncertainty,” Maviglio said. If the PUC rejects the DWR’s plan Tuesday, Maviglio said it likely means the PUC would need to draft a new version. 

Lynch said Burton’s bill makes paying bondholders the first priority of ratepayer dollars, possibly garnering the state a lower interest rate and saving ratepayers money. 

“I share the goal of repaying the general fund,” Lynch said. ”18xx bonds are the ones more likely to be issued without delay or prohibition,” she said. 

Lynch acknowledged battles over who owes money to whom will continue regardless of which plan is approved. 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Hispanic group filed a federal lawsuit Monday charging that congressional and state Senate redistricting plans approved by California lawmakers dilute the power of Hispanic voters. 

“It is unacceptable and illegal to jeopardize the voting rights of historically disenfranchised minority voters,” said Antonia Hernandez, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. 

“The district lines compromised the basic principles of community and the electoral process and are illegal.” 

A spokesman for Gov. Gray Davis, Roger Salazar, defended the plans. 

“No plan is perfect and not everybody is going to be happy. But from our perspective the maps produced this year are fair and balanced,” he said, noting that Hispanic lawmakers helped draft the plans and most of them voted for the new districts. 

State Sen. Don Perata, the chairman of the Senate elections committee, said the plans would probably result in the election of more Hispanics to the Legislature and Congress. 

“The claim of discrimination — especially intentional discrimination — is ridiculous,” the Oakland Democrat said. “These are fair plans in which minority populations fare very well....” 

The suit is the second to challenge some of the new legislative and congressional districts since Davis signed bills last week implementing the plans. 

A group of Stockton-area officials filed a suit in Sacramento County Superior Court on Friday contending the plans violated the state constitution by dividing San Joaquin County among four Assembly districts, two Senate and two congressional districts. 

Lawmakers are required to draw new districts every 10 years to reflect population changes revealed by the census. 

MALDEF, a nonprofit group that promotes Hispanic rights, said the Senate and congressional plans violate the U.S. Constitution and federal Voting Rights Act by: 

— Putting heavily Hispanic neighborhoods in the western San Fernando Valley into two congressional districts to prevent voters from electing a Hispanic candidate. Critics have suggested that political consultant Michael Berman, the chief architect of the congressional plan, drew the districts in that way to save his brother, Rep. Howard Berman, D-North Hollywood, from a primary election challenge by a strong Hispanic candidate. 

— Leaving four Hispanic neighborhoods in San Diego — Barrio Logan, Logan Heights, Golden Hills and City Heights — out of the new heavily Hispanic 51st Congressional District to save another incumbent, Rep. Bob Filner, D-San Diego. 

— Packing Hispanic voters into a Norwalk-area state Senate district in which Hispanics make up more than 75 percent of the population instead of creating two districts with Hispanic majorities. 

The suit asks the court to bar the state from using the new districts and to impose its own redistricting plans if state lawmakers and the governor fail to adopt new plans in time for next year’s elections. 

Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, like Davis a defendant in the MALDEF suit, said he was pleased the lawsuit did not challenge the new Assembly districts. His statement didn’t mention the Senate and congressional districts were also approved by his house. 

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ordered an appeals court to reconsider whether California lawmen could be sued for applying pepper spray to shackled anti-logging protesters. 

A federal judge had ruled that the spray caused only “transient pain” and was a legitimate way to end protests. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the suit. 

The Supreme Court on Monday sent the case back to the appeals court and said judges should review it again in light of a high court decision last year that said a police officer acted reasonably in removing a protester from a speech by then-Vice President Al Gore in 1994. 

Humboldt County, the city of Eureka and two officers were sued by nine people who staged sit-ins at Pacific Lumber Co. headquarters and a congressman’s office over the cutting of ancient redwood trees. 

When the demonstrators, who had chained themselves with a 25-pound steel device, would not leave, law officers swabbed pepper spray near the demonstrators’ eyes or sprayed it in their faces. 

The government agencies contend they are immune from the suit because officers used only reasonable force and that the appeals court’s ruling “renders law enforcement impotent to perform its most fundamental task: to enforce the laws of the jurisdiction served.” 

“This function is the very foundation of a law-based society — the alternative is anarchy,” they said in the appeal. 

The protesters, part of the group EarthFirst!, said the force was excessive. The protests at the company offices and the office of Rep. Frank Riggs, R-Calif., a logging supporter, were among multiple ones in the fall of 1997. 

Lawmen usually ended the protests by using a cutting machine to separate and arrest demonstrators for trespassing. 

Because of safety concerns, top lawmen decided to apply pepper spray to demonstrators whose arms were locked in metal bands. Some demonstrators unlocked themselves after pepper spray was applied to their eyelids. Others refused and were eventually cut loose with the grinding tool. 

Deputies’ videotapes of the sit-ins show demonstrators screaming after the spray was applied. Some of demonstrators said they now have nightmares and panic attacks and suffer from depression. 

“The demonstrators were immobile, peaceful and non-threatening,” they told the court. “Far from being a threat, the demonstrators were the most vulnerable people present.” 

The case is Humboldt County v. Headwaters Forest Defense, 00-1649. 

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gray Davis signed a flurry of bills Monday including a measure boosting unemployment benefits, four energy-related measures and an effort to prevent meningitis outbreaks. 

Davis has until Oct. 14 — or two weeks — to sign about 1,000 bills sent to him last month in the final days of the legislative session that cover topics from energy to junk food in schools. 

On Monday, he approved 50 bills, including one by Sen. Richard Alarcon, D-San Fernando, that would increase the state’s unemployment benefits beginning next year. 

Davis also announced the state will launch a public education campaign to reach out to airline industry workers laid off after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Those workers are eligible for speeded-up benefits under an executive order Davis signed after the attacks. 

Also Monday, Davis signed legislation including the following: 

— Two bills by Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento, to discourage selling tobacco to minors. 

One attempts to keep potent, candy-flavored cigarettes known as bidis or beedies out of the hands of minors. The measure would allow the sale of bidis only in bars and other businesses that don’t allow minors to enter. 

The other allows the Department of Health Services to conduct sting inspections of retailers where public complaints or previous violations of tobacco sales to minors have occurred. 

— Two bills to increase awareness of meningitis. One, by Sen. Rico Oller, R-San Andreas, requires the state Department of Health Services to develop and carry out a meningitis prevention plan by June 30, 2002. 

The other, by Assembly Republican leader Dave Cox of Fair oaks, requires the health department to provide vaccine information to school districts, colleges and universities to give to students. 

A recent outbreak of meningitis caused several student deaths in Northern California. 

— Four bills from the special session stemming from the statewide energy crisis. 

The bills include a measure to expand a grant program promoting biomass energy; a tax break on interest on loans financed through public utility districts to purchase energy efficient products; matching grants for local governments to buy battery backup systems for traffic signals; and a bill to protect small business and homeowners from unreasonable rate increases. 

— A bill by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, banning a practice called “key money,” in which landlords charge large sums of cash to pay for attorney fees for preparing rental agreements as a condition of signing or renewing leases. 

The practice is prevalent in downtown Los Angeles’ fashion district and has cost millions of dollars for merchants, many of whom are Korean immigrants, according to a press release issued by the governor’s office. 

— A bill by Assemblyman Marco Firebaugh, D-Cudahy, barring the use of any state, county, city, or court seal on campaign materials or mass mailings with the intent to deceive voters. 

The legislation stems from a South Gate case in which a campaign mailer falsely depicted a court petition disqualifying a candidate for city council. 

Meanwhile, Davis vetoed a measure that would have permitted adult students in the state’s welfare-to-work program to apply up to six hours of study time toward their work requirement. 

In a veto message, Davis wrote that he opposed the legislation by Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Los Angeles, because it reduces the work requirements for students receiving the aid. 

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — About 2 million Mexicans failed to convert their border-crossing cards into new high-tech IDs by the Oct. 1 deadline, and hundreds were turned back Monday when they tried to get into the United States. 

Some said they were unaware of the cutoff date for getting the new “laser visas,” while others lacked the proper documents or said they had been expecting the U.S. government to grant an extension, as some members of Congress have requested. 

The new ID cards are required for short trips along the 1,962-mile-long U.S.-Mexican boundary in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. 

But news of the policy change didn’t reach Maria Isabel Gallegos, 66, a Tijuana, Mexico resident who was turned away as she tried to cross the border in San Diego, preventing her from visiting a sick daughter in the United States. 

“I hope they’ll give me one soon,” Gallegos said. 

Inspectors at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego, the world’s busiest border crossing, barred 25 Mexicans from entering the United States between 6 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., said Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for the Immigration and Naturalization Service in San Diego. 

The number turned back was a tiny fraction of the 130,000 people who cross each day at the San Diego border, which has been under heightened security since the Sept. 11 attacks. 

“We were relieved to see the word seemed to get out to most folks,” Mack said. 

The change presented an inconvenience for some. Isabel Lopez Flores, 66, traveled 4 1/2 hours from the interior town of Aldama, Mexico, so she could go to JC Penney in the Texas border town McAllen to buy a new pair of glasses. 

“They told me this wasn’t good anymore. I had no idea,” Flores said, shocked, as she held up her passport. 

One Texas entry point had turned away about 200 people since midnight, border officials said. 

In Arizona, about 100 people were turned back from the state’s seven ports of entry during the first half of the day, said Russell Ahr, Immigration and Naturalization Service deputy district director. 

“The awareness of the new card is greater than we probably expected, and the inconvenience has been minimal,” Ahr said. 

Congress mandated the use of the new cards in 1996 but has extended the deadline at least twice. 

About 5.5 million of the old permits, which look like a driver’s license, were issued. The new ones arrive 60 to 90 days after they are applied for and feature fingerprints and data encrypted in magnetic strips, which officials hope can prevent fraud and forgery. 

Not all border points have equipment to read the new cards. In San Diego, inspectors pass the visas through a scanner that can provide basic data about the immigrant. But the port still doesn’t have the machines that can call up a digital version of the person’s photo and fingerprint. 

The cards permit Mexicans to enter the United States and travel within 25 miles of the border for up to 72 hours at a time, and are important to cities like San Diego and McAllen, where merchants depend on business from Mexico. 

The State Department, which issues the cards, has asked Congress to extend the deadline again, but lawmakers have yet to vote on it. Rep. George Gekas, R-Pa., and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., chairmen of the House and Senate immigration subcommittees, support another extension. 

In a letter marked urgent and sent to President Bush on Saturday, Rep. Solomon Ortiz, a Democrat from Corpus Christi, predicted “a major disruption in the commerce of the entire southern border” if an extension was not granted. He said the lack of equipment made such an order especially important. 

NEW YORK — New York City offered $1 billion in bonds for sale Monday to start paying for the aftermath of a terrorist attack Mayor Rudolph Giuliani branded “maniacal” during an address to the United Nations. 

The short-term bond offering will pay for such things as debris removal and unemployment insurance for workers who have been put out of work by the World Trade Center collapse. 

In a preliminary estimate last week, Senate aides said it would cost about $39 billion to clean up from the Sept. 11 attack and rebuild the city. Washington has pledged at least $20 billion. 

House Speaker Dennis Hastert, following a tour Monday of the trade center ruins with 108 other members of Congress, said no one can know how much the recovery effort will cost. “We don’t know if that’s the iceberg or the tip of the iceberg,” Hastert said. 

House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt, also on Monday’s tour, called the damage “incomprehensible.” 

“It is the face of evil, and it’s hard to understand how people can hate other people as much as obviously has happened here,” he said. 

As a drizzle fell in Central Park, 2,500 mourners gathered under tents at a private memorial for employees of Cantor Fitzgerald, a bond firm that lost about 700 employees at the trade center. 

They clutched each other and wept as five people who lost their spouses addressed the crowd, along with the mayor and the firm’s chief executive, Howard Lutnick. Lutnick’s brother, Gary, was lost in the attack. 

“In these past three weeks, we have felt more pain and sadness than I think collectively any of us had ever thought we could bear,” Lutnick said. “And I know that I speak for everyone here when I say we miss — oh boy, do we miss — our friends and family.” 

Fire Department Chaplain Alfred Thompson said more bodies have been discovered in the past 2 1/2 days than in the previous 10. The movement of some larger beams in the wreckage has helped workers locate remains, he said. 

“We’re finding a lot of stuff in there. ... It’s not a happy sight,” said construction worker John Yannucci. 

He said crews were hampered by hot spots in the still-smoking ruins. 

As of Monday, city officials said 5,219 people were missing in the terrorist attack, while 344 were confirmed dead and 289 dead were identified. 

Giuliani said at the United Nations that the trade center was targeted because of the diversity of the city’s population and the openness of American society. Citizens of 80 nations are among the presumed victims, he said. 

“On one side is democracy, the rule of law; on the other is tyranny, arbitrary execution and mass murder,” Giuliani said. “We’re right and they’re wrong. It’s as simple as that.” 

He said the terrorists’ reasons were “insane, maniacal.” 

Giuliani said it would be a “very nice, symbolic gesture” for people to buy bonds in his city’s time of need. 

Investors buying the city’s bonds face low risk because New York has been guaranteed federal relief money, said Robert Kurtter, an analyst at Moody’s Investors Service. 

“They’ll sell like hot cakes,” said Jay F. Donnaruma, an investment analyst with Paine Webber. 

Since the one-year bonds are exempt from city, state and federal taxes, their yield will be comparable to or better than certificates of deposits available through banks, Donnaruma said. 

On Wednesday, President Bush will make his second trip to New York since Sept. 11. He has been concerned about the effects of the attack on children and plans to visit a school, spokesman Ari Fleischer said. 

The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Joe Allbaugh, said he would also visit the city to address “quite a few problems” with the cleanup effort. He did not explain what they were. 

“This is going to take months — it’s going to take three to four months just to get to the ground level,” Allbaugh said. “This is going to be better than a year to resolve this debris problem at the site.” 

Gov. George Pataki said he would dispatch more than 300 National Guardsmen to New York state airports starting Friday. Bush last week called on all states to use the Guard to provide additional security at airports. 

Students at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, about four blocks from the trade center, returned to their school for the first time since Sept. 11. The college was not heavily damaged but had been taken over by as many as 2,000 rescue workers. 

Rush-hour traffic was moderate Monday morning as commuters entering Manhattan faced the same restrictions that were tested Thursday and Friday. Mandatory carpooling was in effect at bridges and tunnels heading into lower and midtown Manhattan from 6 a.m. to noon. 

Trains and buses were crowded, but not unusually so, city transit spokesman Al O’Leary said. 

BOSTON (AP) — The head of security at the city’s Logan Airport is being ousted, three weeks after terrorists crashed two planes hijacked from the airport into the World Trade Center, an official in the governor’s office said Monday. 

Joseph Lawless had handled security for then-Gov. William Weld when he was appointed in 1993 as the head of public safety at the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs Logan, the Port of Boston and several regional airports. 

“He will be removed very soon,” the source said. 

Gov. Jane Swift was scheduled to make a speech Tuesday night to discuss her plans for tightening security at the Massachusetts Port Authority and throughout the state. 

A call left for Lawless’ spokesman after business hours Monday was not immediately returned. Lawless has an unlisted home phone number and could not be located for comment. 

It was unclear whether Lawless would be reassigned to another position after his removal from the $130,000-a-year security post. 

Swift on Monday called security lapses at the airport “unacceptable.” About 150 National Guard members will be assigned to Logan and the state’s other airports starting Friday. 

“I believe Logan is safe, although I think we need to continue to address unacceptable security breaches there,” she said. “I don’t think we should engage in buck-passing.” 

Lawless, a state police officer for 13 years, defended his credentials in the days after the attack. He also said preliminary findings suggested the hijackers had apparently boarded the flights without violating existing security measures. 

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — State lawmakers were upset about a ban of on-air displays of patriotic symbols by newscasters at a TV station owned by the University of Missouri-Columbia. 

The legislators pledged to sharply scrutinize future university budget requests after seeing e-mail by KOMU-TV News Director Stacey Woelfel that said: “Leave the ribbons at home when reporting or anchoring for KOMU News.” 

He said Sept. 27 the policy is a matter of journalistic ethics, to demonstrate to the NBC affiliate’s viewers “that in no way are we influenced by the government in informing the public.” 

Staffers include scores of journalism students for whom the KOMU newsroom is a working laboratory. And since KOMU is in the unusual circumstance of being a commercial television station owned by a taxpayer-supported university, some of the newsroom instructors receive part of their salaries from state funds. 

Woelfel said in an interview that KOMU’s status as a government-owned station made it all the more important to let viewers know its news reports are “free from government influence.” 

The station competes in the Columbia-Jefferson City market against ABC and CBS affiliates, which said their newsrooms have imposed no similar policy. 

State Rep. Matt Bartle said “the state-owned TV station should not unconstitutionally violate the free speech rights of its employees,” but he doubted legislative budget actions would have an effect on the policy because KOMU doesn’t rely on state funds for its operations. 

The KOMU debate is part of a national discussion among journalists about whether flag displays during an intense period of grief and patriotism are consistent with trying to appear objective on stories. 

NEW YORK (AP) — Few criminal trials have taken place in the city since the attack on the World Trade Center because the Police Department, stretched to maintain high security, could not free up officers to testify. 

That should change this week. 

In a sign that the city is inching toward business as usual, the department was ordered to make its officers available to the courts starting Monday. 

Judge Jonathan Lippman, New York state’s chief administrative judge, said some criminal trials that were under way at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks have proceeded, but only a very few have begun since then. Court officials had no firm statistics but estimate that only 10 percent of the normal number of cases been heard since the attack. 

In a typical week, court officials say, felony trials would number in the low hundreds citywide. 

Prosecutors said the suspension of criminal trials has created slight backlogs, and defense lawyers said it has forced some defendants to stay in jail much longer than they would have otherwise. 

“Obviously it’s a problem in that we do have cases that have to be tried right now,” Lippman said. “The cases languish. They back up other cases. We couldn’t go too long without the system buckling.” 

The day after the terrorist attacks, Gov. George Pataki issued an executive order suspending speedy-trial rules that compel prosecutors to bring a case by a certain deadline. Unless the governor renews or modifies the order, it will expire Oct. 12. 

The suspension of criminal trials was just one aspect of an unprecedented citywide crisis in the wake of the attacks left more than 5,500 dead or missing. 

“I don’t think in the 20th century there was any total disruption to municipal government such as there has been as a result of the World Trade Center,” said Thomas Reppetto, an author and expert on New York City police and criminal justice. 

The attacks on the trade center have crippled the criminal justice system in many ways. 

Many lawyers who were based in the trade center or the immediate area lost their offices and files. Nearly one in five lawyers in the city was displaced by the blast. 

And in Manhattan, the courts and the district attorney’s office, situated just blocks from the twin towers, are still without full phone service. Barbara Thompson, a spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, said phone service was “fragile” on Monday, nearly three weeks after the attacks. 

Michele Maxian, who heads the criminal defense division for the Legal Aid Society, said the delay has created “a terrible situation” for jailed defendants awaiting trial. Many of those being held on minor charges would already have had their cases heard — and been released — were it not for the disruption. 

“They all say that they understand this but they didn’t cause it,” Maxian said. “They all want to be home with their families as much as we want to be home with our families at this time.” 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — The talk show “Politically Incorrect” has been temporarily taken off the air in Springfield because of viewer complaints about comments made by host Bill Maher after the terrorist attacks. 

The program has been discontinued on Springfield’s ABC affiliate, KSPR, until further notice after “an overwhelming number of viewers found (Maher’s) comment hateful in tone, and the sentiment was that we were being a conduit for his comments,” said Jim Schuessler, KSPR vice president and general manager. 

Schuessler said the station will decide on a week-by-week basis whether to put the show back on the air. 

Maher’s show has also been pulled in St. Louis, Joplin and several other markets across the country. 

Maher’s comments came Sept. 17, the day the major networks returned to regular nightly programming. Maher was talking with guest Dinesh D’Souza, an author and Reagan administration policy analyst, about whether the terrorists were cowards. 

Maher said: “But also, we should — we have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That’s cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it’s not cowardly.” 

Maher has since apologized, saying the comments were directed at political leaders, not the U.S. military. 

Also on Sept. 27, ABC and Maher’s agent said that most of his national tour had been canceled. 

SACRAMENTO — A special Assembly task force studying effects of September’s terrorist attacks on California’s economy and public safety will begin hearings this month in Sacramento and Los Angeles, Assembly leaders said Monday. 

Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, announced a bipartisan Assembly panel to assess fallout to the state’s multi-billion-dollar entertainment, tourism and air travel industries following the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. The 18-member task force will convene several hearings around the state in weeks ahead. 

Hertzberg, speaking in a Capitol surrounded by California Highway Patrol cars and checkpoints at entry doors, said, “This tragedy may have struck on the other side of the continent, but the shock wave is being felt in California as well.” 

Legislators may rewrite part of the state’s $103 billion budget in the months ahead to address higher costs of protecting public safety, Hertzberg said. Even before the attacks, legislators feared a $4 billion deficit in next year’s budget from an economic slowdown. 

The task force will begin with a closed meeting Oct. 9 in Sacramento, Hertzberg said. A second public hearing will follow on Monday, Oct. 15, in Los Angeles. 

The group has set no date to share its findings and recommendations. 

Hertzberg said California has had more terrorist threats, even before Sept. 11, than any other state, but “we will not be cowed. We will not live in fear.” 

Flanked by several lawmakers and Sacramento-area law enforcement officials, Hertzberg said the attacks created an “unprecedented crisis” for California. 

The fallout has hurt “tourism, entertainment and air travel, which are a big part of our state,” Hertzberg said. California tourism is a $75 billion annual industry that employs 1 million workers. 

“Forty-thousand people work at Los Angeles Airport alone,” Hertzberg said. 

While the panel’s mission so far lacks specifics, members said they could range from Capitol security to renewing leases on National Guard armories around the state to higher security spending by local police. Assemblyman Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater, said legislative leaders support CHP recommendations for concrete planter boxes and traffic barriers in front of the Capitol. Monday morning, state crews had already moved concrete garbage cans and ashtrays near Capitol entrances. 

Californians can make suggestions to the task force by calling toll free: 1-800-977-SAFE. 

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Plaintiffs in chemical exposure cases against Pacific Gas and Electric Co. that inspired the movie “Erin Brockovich” still could receive $160 million in settlement money, though a portion could be delayed by a decade under the utility’s bankruptcy recovery plan. 

PG&E filed for federal bankruptcy protection April 6, and recently filed a plan to reorganize its finances and divide more than $12.7 billion among its creditors. To go into effect, the plan must be approved by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali, and most likely by state and federal energy regulators. 

Under the reorganization plan, the 1,160 suits by plaintiffs who claim that they, their relatives or their properties were exposed to chromium 6 — which the company discharged into the air or groundwater near Topock, Kettleman or Hinkley — would receive 60 cents on the dollar for any actual damages a court rules they suffered. 

It would be issued when the utility’s reorganization plan is finalized, which PG&E forecasts will be around the end of 2002. 

The plan prevents plaintiffs from collecting the balance until 10 years after the reorganization plan is finalized. 

Ed Masry, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told the Contra Costa Times the plan was “a good indication” that PG&E was interested in bringing the dispute to a close, though he said it was too soon to grasp the full implications of the hundreds of pages of court filings that comprise the plan. 

PG&E used chromium as an anti-rust additive in the circulating water cooling systems of natural gas pipeline compressor stations in the 1950s and early 1960s. When ingested, the chemical can cause stomach upsets and ulcers, convulsions and kidney and liver damage, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. 

However, disputes continue over the chemical’s toxicity. PG&E contends that chromium 6 did not cause the plaintiffs’ illnesses, citing a new study by University of California scientists. The World Health Organization, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have listed it as a carcinogen. 

SEATTLE — A U.S. flag pulled from a Federal Building flagpole during a Vietnam War protest in 1970 is being returned to the government as the nation deals with this month’s devastating terrorist attacks. 

“It’s time,” said the man who’s kept the flag all these years. 

The man, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, turned the flag over recently to Seattle Times columnist Eric Lacitis. 

“And the flag should be flown. It represents the strength of this country — that we can move on from an era when so many people thought the government was wrong,” he said in a telephone interview. 

“The country has healed. We’ve pulled together.” In addition, “I think I’ve made a personal journey over the past 31 years.” 

The General Services Administration will take the flag back, but offers no guarantees it will fly again. 

“We may fly it some day, or we may display it in some arrangement. I don’t know what we’re going to do with it,” said Bill DuBray, the agency’s regional executive director. 

In his Monday column, Lacitis — who plans to deliver the still-bright 4- by 8-foot flag to the federal building in the next few days — suggests its musty smell will go away if it is flown again. 

It was pulled down May 5, 1970 — one day after National Guardsmen opened fire at the Kent State campus in Ohio and killed four students protesting the U.S. bombing of Cambodia. 

Galvanized by the tragedy, 5,000 people marched downtown from the University of Washington on Interstate 5, their sheer numbers overwhelming freeway traffic. 

Many wound up at the Federal Building, where — amid the speeches and chanting — one group pulled the Stars and Stripes from a flagpole out front. 

In the ensuing chaos, someone shoved the flag into the hands of the man who’s had it all these years. He tucked it under his shirt and walked away. 

“At the time, I felt it did not belong up there because we were fighting a war that was unjust,” said the man. 

Since that day, he embarked on his own journey, traveling the world, getting married, going to work and raising a family. 

The anonymity he insists on reflects concerns that all may not be forgiven, despite the years. 

“It’s just that some people still have difficulty with that part of the journey,” he said. “The story is not about me. It’s about returning something that has a better purpose than being in my basement.” 

Being a father is part of it, too. 

“You know that song, ’Teach Your Children Well?’ It’s a little hard if you have a flag that doesn’t belong to you,” he said, referring to the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song. 

He’s thought about returning it many times over the years, and came close after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. 

Since then, every time he walked past the Federal Building, he would think, “How could a building like that come down? And then I’d remember I had a flag that belonged there.” 

When hijacked planes hit the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, he thought about his flag again after his wife displayed a flag at their home. 

“The events of September 11 put someone like me in a real quandary,” he said. 

“I still resent things that our government does. But at the same time, I cherish the right to resent.”

REEDLEY, Calif. (AP) — The family of an Arab-American shop owner killed during the weekend thinks he was the victim of a hate crime. 

Abdo Ali Ahmed was shot Saturday at his convenience store after receiving a death threat and being subjected to racial slurs. 

An autopsy was ordered as deputies searched for the killers. Investigators were considering all possible motives, including robbery and racism. 

“Any time there is violence directed toward anyone of Middle Eastern descent that is always a possibility, that is something we are going to investigate,” Sgt. Dan Cervantes said Monday. 

The FBI said it has not been involved in the Ahmed case. The agency has joined in hate-crime investigations across the country after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the East Coast. 

Ahmed’s family thinks his death was part of a trend of hate crimes toward Middle Eastern immigrants. 

Ahmed, 51, was a Muslim who moved to the United States from Yemen about 35 years ago. 

“He didn’t have no enemies,” said Fahmi Kassim, Ahmed’s nephew. “He’s a very, very peaceful guy. He’s got a nice heart.” 

Ahmed recently found a death threat note on his car while he was shopping at a grocery store. He tore the note off the car and threw it away, said Madram Shuaibi, another relative. 

Sheriff’s detectives were looking for four males, probably in their teens, who were seen speeding from the East Reedley Store after the shooting. 

Relatives said nothing was stolen from the store, but Cervantes said investigators were still trying to determine if anything was missing. Ahmed apparently was alone in the store at the time. 

Since the terrorist attacks, business had dropped for Ahmed, said Stan Peterson, who runs a bar next to the store. Ahmed recently asked him for some American flags to display. 

“He wanted people to know he supported the U.S.A.,” Peterson said. 

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The state Department of Transportation said Monday it canceled a total of 111 fraudulently issued driver’s licenses as part of an investigation into its Pittsburgh office. 

As an extension of that investigation, federal authorities last week arrested 20 Middle Eastern men in seven states, including Texas, who allegedly obtained commercial driver’s licenses fraudulently. Most of those included permits to transport hazardous materials. 

Federal officials said last week they did not believe the arrests were connected to terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. But concerns about chemical or biological terrorism led to heightened scrutiny of the investigation begun more than a year ago by PennDOT. 

Joan Nissley, a PennDOT spokeswoman, said Monday that the 111 licenses included commercial and noncommercial licenses but would not say how many of each were involved. The state Attorney General’s Office refused to release specifics because of the ongoing investigation. 

Nissley said the 111 licenses included those allegedly received by 20 men arrested last week. Eighteen were accused of getting commercial licenses with permits to transport hazard materials through an examiner in Pittsburgh without the required testing or credentials. Two others allegedly had fraudulently obtained commercial licenses without hazardous materials permits. 

Nissley said the entire licensing operation in downtown Pittsburgh was investigated and one examiner was fired for his part in the alleged scheme, in April 2000. She did not release his name. 

Mary Beth Buchanan, the U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh, said Monday the federal government is prosecuting everyone who received a fraudulent commercial license and who was included in a list produced by the state. 

Buchanan said if more than the 20 Middle Eastern men received commercial driver’s licenses, “we would prosecute.” Federal law only covers commercial driver’s licenses and not noncommercial licenses. 

Transportation officials turned over the investigation to the state Attorney General’s Office in April 2000. On Sept. 21 of this year, 10 days after the attacks, the agency notified the FBI of its investigation. 

In federal warrants, the examiner who helped get the licenses is referred to as a confidential witness. He has not been charged. 

On Monday, Elmeliani Benmoumen, also known as “Ben,” was released on his own recognizance by U.S. Magistrate Kenneth Benson. Accused of arranging with the examiner to get others licenses, he must wear an electronic monitor and surrender his passport. He is not included among the 20 men accused of receiving the licenses. 

A preliminary hearing for Benmoumen and others arrested in the investigation is scheduled for Friday. 

Last week, PennDOT said it received information in February 2000 that two drivers with suspicious licenses were attempting to transfer commercial licenses from Pennsylvania to Washington state. 

The state agency said it learned of an additional 18 driver’s licenses which were fraudulently issued and that “the name of all 20 drivers appeared to be Turkish, Arabic or Pakistani.” In the release, it did not mention any other drivers who allegedly received driver’s licenses fraudulently. 

According to federal warrants, the drivers did not take required tests and some had suspended licenses at the time they got the hazardous materials permits.  

The 21 suspects were arrested last week in Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Washington. 

The glow of short, white candles dimly flickered onto a mother holding her baby. The tiny girl shivered in the humid Burmese evening.  

“That little baby was a blanket of convulsions,” said Jennifer Zurick, program director for the Burma Humanitarian Mission, a nonprofit agency located in North Oakland. 

In a recent interview, Zurick recalled that night when she watched the child’s parents who feared the worst. Although that was a year ago, Zurick remembered the details as if it had happened today. The thatched roof, the parent’s eyes, the smell of wood. The child was dying of malaria and a young medic, who goes by the name of Flower, spent the night keeping the child alive. 

The story ends well because Flower administered medicine supplied by Zurick’s mission.  

The organization is hoping such stories will help make donors anxious to attend their Friday dinner and auction at the Unitarian Fellowship Hall at 1924 Cedar St. 

The mission delivers medical supplies to Flower and other medics, who, like Flower, are volunteers and belong to the Karen minority ethnic group, a hill tribe inhabiting the eastern mountains along the Burma-Thai border. The mission treks through the mountains, hiding from soldiers of the military dictatorship, known as the State Peace and Democracy Council. The council has ruled Burma since 1962. 

Zurick and four others formed the mission three years ago. They originally met in 1996 at a Los Angeles protest against Unocal. The gas company gave $200 million to the Myanmar government, according to The Action Resource Center, a Los Angeles-based human rights group.  

The government then permitted Unocal to build the 260-mile Yadana Pipeline to shuttle natural gas from the Andaman Sea across Burma into Thailand. Jeremy Paster, now the mission’s medical liaison, spent time in jail after being arrested for civil disobedience at the Los Angeles protest. He spent the night talking with immigrants from Burma, also protesting. Paster “got a very personal sense of what these people’s condition were,” Zurick said. The group of activists then began planning the mission. 

Now Zurick works out of a one-person office in her North Oakland home. She explained that although she and her partner, Jeremy Paster, are trained wilderness medical technicians, they stick to their mission’s principles of respectful non-intervention. 

“We prefer to step back and let the Karen treat the people,” Zurick said. “We have to consider what impact we have on them. We need for them to be empowered to face their situation.” 

And from previous visits, Zurick is well aware of how tricky that is. 

At the Thai border town of Mae Sot, four mission volunteers meet up with local medics, usually in their twenties and with only rudimentary medical training. The medics describe what supplies they need. They never ask for painkillers, which Zurik said the Karen consider nonessential.  

The mission then travels into Bangkok to purchase the medicine, as well as backpacking supplies. The medics will spend the next six months doling out the medicine as they trek from devastated villages to overcrowded refugee camps.  

The medicine is in demand. In 2000, the World Health Organization evaluated health care systems in 191 countries. They flunked Burma (Myanmar), rating it at 190 – only Sierra Leone fared worse.  

Last year, the mission’s antibiotics, vitamins and other medical supplies served 10,000 displaced refugees suffering from malaria, a slew of childhood illnesses and landmine injuries, Zurick said. The volunteers who make the trip pay their own travel expenses to Burma. 

Since Burma took its independence from the United Kingdom in 1948, the ethnic Burmese majority and about 135 ethnic minorities have struggled in successive civil wars. The current martial law regime originally called itself the State Law and Order Restoration Council when the army seized control in 1962. Western countries objected to human rights violations and began setting sanctions, and in 1990 the government held a democratic election. The Council lost, but the military, now led by General Than Shwe, has kept the winning party’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Prize Winner, under house arrest since then.  

The winning party, the National League of Democracy, remains unrecognized by the Council. The military regularly imprisons the League’s members, according to Amnesty International. 

International organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and The United Nations Commission on Human Rights – as well as the city of Berkeley – continue to condemn the Myanmar government for their systematic forced labor, murder, rape and beatings of the country’s minority groups. Over the last five years, the military displaced more than 300,000 civilians, according to Amnesty International. 

To survive, the Karen grow rice around their villages and camps, said Dang Ngo, a mission member. January, when they will arrive, is the rice harvest, when junta soldiers raid and confiscate the crops, according to Ngo.  

Ngo described how last year they passed craters in the ground from landmines and bullet holes in trees. They navigated the steep, neglected trails through bamboo forests and subtropical jungles, never stepping more than a foot off path, steering clear of landmines.  

Karen volunteers tote rifles and carry medical supplies in long, colorful, all-purpose cloth squares commonly used for hauling most anything – from food to children – on one’s back. 

While Zurick and her partner don’t help in the treatment, they plan to step back even further this year. Remaining on the Thai border, they will supply the young medics with necessities and say goodbye. This also helps for the safety of the villagers. According to Ngo, the government plants spies in the villages, and when foreigners come in, suspicions rise. “It presents a danger to the locals when we go in,” Ngo said. 

Zurick said that their goal is to raise $12,000. Since they pay all of their own expenses, all funds go directly towards purchasing medical supplies.  

Providing that medicine is inspiring, Zurick said, recalling that night last year as the infant fought malaria. The next morning she found Flower, sleepy from spending the night awake. The infant, though pale and crying, was eating food, on her way back to life. 

When Alta Bates Summit announced its plan to consolidate services between its two facilities — Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley and Summit Medical Center in Oakland — East Bay lawmakers cried foul.  

The plan calls, which calls for “Centers of Excellence” to be instituted at both hospitals, seemed to break an agreement the hospitals made with the community at the time of their merger in 1999. 

In addition, the Service Employees International Union Local #250, which represents housekeepers, food service workers, some nursing positions and others at the hospitals, has been critical of Sutter Health, the Sacramento-based hospital chain to which Alta Bates Summit belongs. They, and lawmakers, have also raised questions about an unreleased report prepared by the Hunter Group, a corporate consultant who recently finished a study of Alta Bates Summit. Many think the call to consolidate was issued by Hunter.  

Alta Bates Summit CEO Warren Kirk sat down with the Daily Planet on Friday to discuss the

Monday, Oct. 1

Rent Stabilization Board  

Meeting 

Second Floor Council Chambers 

2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

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

Community Health  

Commission Meeting 

7 p.m. 

The Beanery 

2925 College Ave 

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

Personnel Board Meeting 

7 p.m. 

Bay Laurel Conference Room 

2180 Milvia St, first floor 

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

Peace and Justice Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave 

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

Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults Inquiry Program 

7:30 p.m. 

St. Mary Magdalen Parish 

2005 Berryman St. 

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

Franciscanism, Understanding  

the Vision 

1 - 2 p.m. 

Franciscan School of Theology 

1712 Euclid Ave. 

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

Dancing with the Witchdoctor 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Ave. 

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

uesday, Oct. 2

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2-7 p.m. 

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

548-3333 

Urban Gardening Training 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

Santa Fe Bar & Grill 

Learn how to intensively and organically grow produce and enjoy at potluck lunch at 1 p.m. 

841-4740 

Berkeley Camera Club 

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda 

Share your slides and prints with other photographers. Critiques by qualified judges. Monthly field trips. 

531-8664 

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 

Middle East Panel Discussion 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Pacific School of Religion Chapel 

1798 Scenic Ave. 

The Graduate Theological Union presents a liberation theoretical/political view of the middle east from Jewish, Muslim and Christian perspectives. beamorris@hotmail.com 

Wednesday, Oct. 3

Special PRC Meeting 

The meetings of the Police Review Commission scheduled for Sep 26 Oct 10 have been cancelled. A special PRC meeting will be held Oct 3 at South Berkeley Senior Center. Regular PRC meetings will resume on Oct. 24 

Fire Safety Commission Meeting 

7:30 p.m. 

Fire Department Taining Facility 

997 Cedar St 

The Buffer zone subcommittee will provie a report on activities in and around the buffer zone, and report on meetings of te subcommittee. 

Toddler Storytime 

7 p.m. 

West Berkeley Library 

1125 University Ave 

For families with children three years or younger, a program to expose the youngest readers to multicultural stories, songs and finger plays. 

Every Wednesday thru Nov 28 

Prose Writers’ Workshop 

7 - 9 p.m. 

Berkeley/Richmond Jewish Community Center Library 

1414 Walnut St.  

From Op-ed to fiction, memoir to the feature article - a community 

writers' group to support and encourage a community of interests. Workshop format. Free. 524-3034 

Thursday, Oct. 4

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 

Community Environmental  

Advisory Commission 

7 p.m. 

2118 Milvia St Suite 200 

Discussion of venue for future Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will continue. 

The Lost Daughters of China 

7:30 p.m. 

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore 

1385 Shattuck Ave. 

Karin Evans discusses the complex societal and cultural issues surrounding the adoption of abandoned infant girls from China. 843-3533 

Saturday, Oct. 6

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

The Cal Sailing Club, a nonprofit sailing and windsurfing cooperative, give free rides on a first come, first served basis on the first full weekend of each month. Wear warm clothes and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children must be at least 5 years old and must be accompanied by an adult.  

Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

Fire Suppression 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar St. 

Free classes in Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). 981-5605 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Poetry Reading 

3 - 5 p.m. 

South Branch Berkeley Public Library 

1901 Russell St. 

Bay Area Poets Coalition holds an open reading. 527-9905 

Sunday, Oct. 7

Free Sailboat Rides  

1 - 4 p.m. 

Cal Sailing Club 

Berkeley Marina 

The Cal Sailing Club, a nonprofit sailing and windsurfing cooperative, give free rides on a first come, first served basis on the first full weekend of each month. Wear warm clothes and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children must be at least 5 years old and must be accompanied by an adult.  

Visit www.cal-sailing.org  

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 

My mother's voice on the telephone crackled with anxiety. 

“What is happening? Do you think there will be war?” she asked. "I think you should just come back to India so we can all be together whatever happens.” 

“But if something does happen,” I replied, “I don't know who will be safer — you in India or me in San Francisco.” 

“That's true,” she said after a pause. “I don't know which is safer anymore.” 

We are on opposite sides of the world, but the aftershocks of the American tragedy are rippling out to the Indian subcontinent. We South Asia watchers are nervous, waiting to see how the unfolding events will affect traditional flash points between India and Pakistan, between them and their giant neighbor China, and between Hindus and Muslims within the two countries. 

Could the talk of an Islamic holy war or jihad spark more violence between India's Hindus and Muslims? I vividly remember the bloody riots in 1992-93, sparked by a Hindu mob's destruction of an old mosque in Ayodhya. 

What will happen to relations between India and Pakistan, two nuclear powers that have fought three wars with each other since becoming separate states in 1947? Their standoff over the disputed border state of Kashmir keeps them perennially on the brink of another confrontation. 

Looming over it all is China, which has occupied some 40,000 square kilometers of Indian territory since the 1962 Sino-Indian war. 

Within India, some extremist Hindus have tried to use September 11 to show that their distrust of Muslims was well founded. Some Muslim leaders have threatened to launch peaceful demonstrations if India assists the United States without being furnished with more evidence about who is to blame. Many Hindu leaders are nervous that, in return for Pakistan’s cooperation, the United States will pump funds into Pakistan that will eventually be used against India. 

The flash point in India-Pakistan relations has always been Kashmir. When I was a child, my family took pleasant vacations to Kashmir all the time. 

Now it’s virtually a military state, bristling with AK-47s and constant reports of massacres of civilians caught in the crossfire between Indian soldiers and separatist fighters. India, Pakistan, and the Taliban are all entangled there. In 1999, a hijacked Indian airliner was allowed by the Taliban to land in Kandahar, Afghanistan. To free the hostages, the Indian government released three jailed Islamic leaders. The hijackers and the three leaders went to Pakistan, where one of them, Maulana Azhar, told supporters, “I have come here because this is my duty, to tell you that Muslims should not rest in peace until we have destroyed America and India.” 

The United States now knows that it is a target of Islamic militants not just in Yemen or Saudi Arabia, but at home in New York. Many Hindu lead

Husky hex continues as Bears lose early lead 

Cal wasted a strong start and a 14-point lead as it lost another close game to Washington, 31-28, on Saturday. 

Thirteenth-ranked Washington scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and held off the Golden Bears at the end. The loss made the 2001 Bears the first Cal team to open a season with four losses. 

The Bears, who allowed 139 points in their first three games, looked like they might blow out the Huskies in the first half. The Memorial Stadium faithful, 35,172-strong, saw the Bears race out to a 21-7 lead thanks to some nifty play-calling by offensive coordinator Al Borges, a smothering Cal defense, and a tentative effort from the Huskies.  

After getting yanked in last week’s loss at Washington State, Cal quarterback Kyle Boller returned with a strong performance, throwing for a career-high four touchdown passes. He also threw for 265 yards, his second most of his career.  

Cal’s defense sacked Washington quarterback Cody Pickett three times. The Bears, who had no sacks in the first two games, now have six over the last two weeks.  

But the bigger statistics for the Bears were these: one fumble, one muffed punt, numerous dropped passes, and the first two career touchdown passes for Pickett. The redshirt sophomore threw a 42-yard scoring pass to Paul Arnold late in the first quarter and then a stunning 62-yard catch and run to Arnold late in the third quarter as the Huskies mounted their comeback.  

The Bears had the ball and some hope at the end but ended up with their third straight close loss to Washington.  

“The plays that they got were a couple of big plays, a couple of big passes,” Cal coach Tom Holmoe said. “Offensively, we had everything going for us in the first half and then we couldn’t continue that in the second half. And it came down to plays. We had to make plays.  

“We had a lot of key, key first downs that we missed, dropped balls, and we have to do that [make plays]. When you’re playing a team the caliber of Washington, you cannot spit the ball around and drop passes and jump offsides or whatever it might be.”  

Two years ago, Cal led 24-17 in the fourth quarter in Seattle before dropping a 31-27 heartbreaker. Last year, at Cal, the Bears had a 24-13 fourth-quarter lead over the Huskies before losing 36-24. This time, Cal led 21-17 in the fourth before losing. The Huskies have now won the last 19 straight games against Cal, a streak that dates back to 1976.  

Early on, it seemed the streak would end. Cal took the opening kickoff and marched 90 yards on 14 plays to score on Boller’s two-yard pass to Sean Currin. Borges mixed up his plays, calling six runs and eight passes, the highlight of the drive being tailback Terrell Williams’ option pass to Boller down to the Washington two-yard line.  

“It’s not very often (a quarterback) can catch a ball,” Boller said. “It’s a pretty cool play.”  

But the drive wasn’t perfect. Emblematic of a mistake-strewn season, Cal was whistled for a personal foul on the opening kickoff, starting at its own 10 instead of the 20-yard line after a touchback. Overall, Cal had seven penalties for 60 yards, while Washington had eight penalties for 76 yards.  

After a three-and-out for Washington, Boller led another long drive, this one lasting 10 plays for 72 yards, that ended with a TD pass to Joe Igber, finding the tailback uncovered coming out of the backfield. Igber caught the ball, scampered 19 yards and ran over a couple of Huskies before hitting pay dirt. It was the first time all season Cal scored on their first two drives.  

Boller was in complete command of the game, unlike what happened in Pullman, where his ineffective play led to Holmoe replacing him with backup Eric Holtfreter.  

“I told [Holmoe] last week, ‘I’m a competitor,’” Boller said. “I never like to sit. I was pissed off. This week, I just told myself I was going to go out there and bust my ass. I don’t want the coaches to have a reason to take me out of the game.”  

On Cal’s next possession, Boller made a nice throw to Charon Arnold for what looked like an 18-yard gain. But the senior wide receiver fumbled the ball away to Washington, which scored on the next play. Pickett threw his first collegiate touchdown pass when he hit Arnold for a 42-yard touchdown. 

Cal shrugged off its misfortune and scored again on its ensuing possession. This time, Cal ran the ball six times in eight plays. The two passes were a 33-yard throw to fullback Marcus Fields and a 14-yard strike to a wide-open Jordon Hunter for the touchdown, his first.  

“They played great,” Colorado coach Rick Neuheisel said of the Bears. “They outcoached us in the first half. I take full responsibility for not getting our team ready. We got whipped.”  

Washington’s John Anderson hit a 40-yard field goal to make the score 21-10 Cal at halftime.  

“We felt good,” Boller said. “We wished we didn’t have to come back into the locker room and that we could’ve kept playing.” 

The second half was a completely different game. Washington’s defense made some adjustments and its offense finally figured out how to score on Cal’s porous defense, which entered the game ranked 109th in the NCAA in total defense and 111th in pass efficiency defense. The 2001 Bears are also the first Cal team to allow 40 or more points in each of its first three games.  

Washington moved the ball through the air – Pickett threw 11 times for 168 yards and a score – and on the ground to outgain Cal, 227 yards to 19 in the third quarter after Cal had outgained UW, 269-96, in the first half. 

On defense, the Huskies clamped down on the passing game. They took away the passes in the flats – Igber and Fields combined for five catches in the first half and none in the second – and tightened coverage on the receivers downfield. Boller completed just one pass, an 11-yard toss to Charon Arnold for a first down, in the third quarter.  

Cal made another mistake when linebacker Chris Ball, trying to block a punt, missed the ball, ran into Huskies punter Derek McLoughlin and drew a 15-yard roughing the punter penalty. The special teams unit let the Bears down again, as Cal also turned the ball over when Washington recovered the ball after a UW punt hit the back of Cal’s LeShaun Ward.  

“Various individuals just flipped out, totally flipped out,” Holmoe said of his special teams. On Ball’s roughing the punter penalty, Holmoe added, “That wasn’t a call. The guy had no business being in there. We didn’t call a block. Those are the kind of things that make you wonder.”  

The only points in the quarter came on Pickett’s 62-yard bomb to Paul Arnold. Pickett’s throw beat cornerback Atari Callen, who generally played okay in his start in place of Ward.  

“He played a pretty darn good game, made a lot of breakups and played pretty good out there,” Holmoe said of Callen. “He wishes he had that one back.”  

Alexis finished off a couple of long fourth-quarter drives with one-yard plunges into the endzone to put Washington up 31-21.  

Boller masterminded a late drive and threw a 20-yard scoring pass to Chase Lyman. The Bears defense forced Washington to three and out on its next drive and gave the ball back to the offense. Cal had one timeout, the ball on its 30 and one last chance.  

“I was very confident,” Holmoe said. “He [Boller] had this look in his eye, like, ‘This is it. We’re going to do it.’ I’m proud of him. He’s taken a lot of heat. A lot of it is unnecessary and a lot of it is justified, but regardless he handles everything like a champion.”  

But a dropped pass by Currin ended their last drive.  

Cal has next week off before it looks for its first win of the season against the Oregon Ducks on Oct. 13.  

“We’ve got to look deep inside and bring out the best in us, cause there’s some guys who have some ghosts haunting them,” Holmoe said. “We called upon each other to play with their hearts and lay them on the line for each other, and I was proud of that. I was very proud of that. 

“I can’t be content. It’s not a moral victory. We don’t have any of those.”

The Berkeley Unified School District had to fill almost a fourth of its school principal jobs this year, and faced a shortage of candidates that administrators say is getting worse. 

“The pool of applicants is really shrinking, and we were just lucky,” said school board President Terry Doran. “This year, the amount of applicants was far smaller than it was in the past.” 

At the end of last year, Berkeley, with 19 schools, had principal openings at five schools: Willard Middle and Emerson, Jefferson, Rosa Parks and Thousand Oaks Elementary Schools. The district had to advertise a second time this summer for the Emerson position, Doran said. 

Editor: 

Cheryl Leung (letters to the editor, Thursday Sept. 27) must wake up and realize what SJP stands for. While she claims that SJP doesn’t want the destruction of Israel, we must all take a hard look at the name the group has chosen. Palestine, currently doesn't exist. Historical Palestine was all of what is now Israel and Jordan. Thus, they should be looking for justice in Jordan as well. I don't hear anyone protesting against the 15 percent Hashimites who rule the 85 percent Palestinians that make up Jordanian population. If they are discussing the administered territories (West Bank, Gaza), they should be turning to Arafat who is running a corrupt autonomy. SJP is not concerned with Jordanian policies and is not demanding explanations from Arafat.  

Instead, they turn to Israel demanding solutions. Their definition of Palestine is Israel in its entirety. Arafat was offered a Palestine in Camp David, July 2000. Too bad he couldn’t say yes. 

Devora Liss 

Berkele

STANFORD – The California cross country teams continued to show improvement at the Stanford Invitational Saturday.  

The Golden Bear men placed third of eight teams on the 4000m short course race with 78 points. Stanford won the competition with 15 points, while UC Davis was second with 69. Fresno Pacific finished fourth with 133 points.  

Stanford's Grant Robinson won the race in 10:54, ahead of his teammate Seth Hejny (11:02).  

Carlos Carballo led Cal with an 18th-place finish in 11:54. Martin Conrad placed 20th for the Bears in 12:00, and John Balzer wasn't far behind in 22nd (12:02). Cal's other scorers were John Burke in 26th (12:11) and Jeff Squires in 32nd (12:29). Also racing for Cal was Greg Jizmagian, who took 38th (12:40).  

On the women's side, Cal placed 11th out of 19 teams on the 4000m short course with 246 points. Stanford took first place with 40 points, followed by BYU with 53 and Wisconsin with 69.  

Stanford's Alicia Craig took top honors, clocking in at 12:40, ahead of BYU's Michaela Manova (12:54).  

Erin Belger led the Bears for the third-straight meet, finishing 30th in 14.26. Just a fraction of a second behind Belger was her teammate Camille Stanley. Cal's Abby Parker finished 33rd in 14:28. Other runners scoring for Cal were Lindsey Maclise (66th, 15:02) and Eva Shu (95th, 15:48). Katie White placed 101st in 15:57.

Housing officials presented a plan Tuesday to restructure the troubled Berkeley Housing Authority, which they say is on the verge of collapse because of years of “ineffective and inefficient” organization. 

The BHA, which provides rental assistance to low-income tenants, has been plagued by budget shortfalls averaging $250,000 a year due to under-use of Section 8 housing vouchers. Furthermore, officials estimate the 75 units of city-managed public housing will need a federal loan of $1.5 million to rehabilitate and repair code violations in the next year, according to a Sept. 25 Housing Department report. 

Both landlords and tenants have complained that the agency is slow in responding to problems. Landlords have been especially upset with the agency’s slowness in processing HUD-approved rent increases. Dissatisfaction with the BHA administration, a lucrative rental market and less stringent state rent control laws have caused some landlords to withdraw their rental units from the program. Doing so makes the under-used voucher problem more difficult to solve. 

Urgency has been added to the situation by the Office of Housing and Urban Development, which has given the BHA until April to add 300 Section 8 leases to its rental assistance program. If BHA does not meet that deadline, officials said it will face severe budget cuts that could result in the closing down of the agency. 

In an attempt to turn the agency around, Housing Department Director Stephen Barton and Acting BHA Manager Rick Mattessich proposed a reorganization plan to the BHA Board

Local artists and residents gathered Friday night at the Pro Arts Gallery in Oakland to combine their energies to create posters, collages and pictures that represented their anti-war and peacemaking expressions in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. 

Much of the work was used at Saturday’s rally at Dolores Park in San Francisco. Other pieces were taken home to display in front of living room windows and posted on nearby telephone polls. 

“I think people really need the right to speak their minds,” said Betty Kano, Pro Arts executive director and a Berkeley artist. “People really respond to art and I think art really helps to heal people and it helps people to reflect and not to act so quickly.” 

Eager participants wrote down their ideas and thoughts on a sign-in sheet before joining others at a table covered in white butcher paper. At the table, people actively painted and cut out images from National Geographic magazine issues while music from KPFA played in the background. 

“Some phrases became very popular because people pick it up, it’s worth spreading and it brings up conversation,” Kano said.  

“War just makes things worse,” and “Peace is our purpose,” were some of the slogans painted in red, white, blue and black poster paint. 

“I’m really disheartened that there seems to be such a verbal rush to develop this plan to get the troops out and find all the terrorists,” said Joan Flores, 45, of San Lorenzo.  

“People in the U.S. are kind of on this band wagon to send the troops out, it’s really a scary thought. I think that media has been really skewed with reporting and I really question the media’s portrayal of the events,” Flores said, adding that she seeks out alternative radio stations for news coverage on Afghanistan and Pakistan. 

People talked about current and past political issues, and focused on the aftermath of the attacks.  

“We’ve lost a lot of people but it’s not just us it’s everybody involved,” said Gail Gove, an artist from Berkeley who had friends and acquaintances in New York City during the attacks on the World Trade Center but said retaliation is not the solution.  

“We have a tendency to see ourselves as individuals and see other groups as big threats,” she said. “So many people don’t understand what the bombings we’ve done in Iraq and I certainly don’t want to see that done to Afghanistan.” 

Kano said the idea for the art-making session developed after she attended a BART Alert rally. 

“It’s empowering to express yourself in this way,” Kano said, adding that by contributing artwork, citizens are playing an active role. “We’re making anti-war real.” 

Within a week’s time, Kano sought out donations for art supplies by contacting local galleries including Elida Scola and encouraged people to participate by through e-mails, fliers and by word of mouth.  

“It’s just very therapeutic to be with people,” said Judi Hirsch, an artist and middle school and high school teacher in Oakland. “War is tragic and absolutely not the thing to do,” Hirsch said. 

Pro Arts is a nonprofit, artist-based organization founded in 1974.

One East Bay community service agency is looking for volunteers to help serve the 500 meals a day that it is now able to make for people with HIV/AIDS, seniors and homebound or critically ill patients. 

Project Open Hand was recently able to more than double the meals it cooks daily with its new state-of-the-art kitchen. 

“Our Oakland kitchen, which opened in May, has the capacity to make up to 500 meals a day,’’ said Tom Nolan, Project Open Hand’s executive director. 

The organization was founded in 1985 and has been providing services to Alameda County since 1989, but for the last 12 years meals were prepared in San Francisco and then taken to Oakland for distribution. 

“The Oakland kitchen was opened in response to our speaking with health officials, social workers and other Alameda County community organizations,’’ Nolan said. 

“Through these conversations, we identified a strong need for additional services in Alameda County,’’ he said. “The goal of this new facility is to feed as many people as possible.’’ 

Additionally, a grocery center and nutrition kiosk will be opened at the Oakland site. The kiosk is designed to provide nutritional education, help people develop healthier eating habits and establish a regular menu that works with people’s drug therapies. Call 596-8200.

Maximum benifits would jump by $100 per week next year 

SAN FRANCISCO – Gov. Gray Davis has agreed to sign SB40 Monday, the bill that would increase unemployment benefits beginning next year, senior administration officials announced Sunday. 

The current maximum unemployment benefit totals $230 per week. The bill would raise maximum unemployment benefits to $330 per week beginning Jan. 1, 2002. For claims filed in 2005, as part of the stepped approach, the benefits would increase to a $450 per week maximium. 

California currently ranks 48th out of the 50 states in the level of unemployment benefits offered and is looking to dramatically improve that lowly position, according to the governor’s office. 

The bill was authored by Sen. Richard Alarcon, D-San Fernando. Supporters included the state’s labor unions. Business groups were mostly opposed, although they conceded that some increase is justified. 

Opponents of the bill argued that such increases would place a severe tax burden employers who are the sole source of funding. The benefits would first be paid from a temporary unemployment insurance fund surplus, with business tax contributions needed to fund the increased benefits in 2004 and 2005. 

Giving the unemployed more money would allow them to return to work sooner and not force them into lesser paying positions to make ends meet, Alarcon said Sunday. 

“We want our workers to be at their productive peak when their working and not taking a job that they were forced to take,” Alarcon said. 

The state Department of Finance puts California unemployment figures at 5.7 percent in 2002 and 5.6 percent in 2003. Given those projections, the benefits increase will not cost employers any extra money in taxes over the next two years, the governor’s office maintained. 

State labor leaders were pleased with the Davis’ decision. 

“We want to applaud the governor,” said Art Pulaski executive secretary treasurer of the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO. “It is important because it will help some of the most affected Californians suffering under the current economic problems.” 

“It’s going to give $100 a week more into the pockets of hundreds of thousands of workers who have lost their jobs from the troubled economy,” Pulaski said. 

In 2002, the maximum unemployment weekly benefits would improve to $330, followed by increases to $370 per week in maximum benefits beginning in 2003, $410 in 2004, and $450 at the start 2005. 

Unemployed workers would be eligible for 26 weeks of coverage. It has been nine years since the last such increase in state benefits. 

The governor’s office said the bill would go a long way toward offering added financial security for recently fired airline and technology industry workers throughout the state. 

The decision offers a second sliver of good news for airline and airport workers in particular. On Thursday, Davis issued an executive order waiving the one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits claims of airline and airport employees. 

Thousands of those employees have been laid off since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. 

Shelley Kessler of the San Mateo County Central Labor Council, overseeing worker concerns and San Francisco International Airport, looked forward to improved benefits for local employees there. 

“The airport is the largest financial engine of San Mateo County,” Kessler said. “With the advent of Sept. 11 and the economic downturn, there are a lot of workers who are in the process of losing their jobs.” 

San Francisco Bay area labor leaders predicted that 5,000 of the roughly 30,000 workers at SFO would lose their jobs due to recent cutbacks in the wake of the attacks. 

Kessler urged Davis to consider making the benefit improvements available immediately to airline workers and airport employees who have lost their jobs. 

Unemployment benefits are paid from an employer-supported fund to workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own and have made a certain amount in wages during a 12-month base period.

“Pro forma” results usually look better than official GAAP numbers; tech companies looking at  

downturn after Sept. 11 attacks 

SAN FRANCISCO – With more than $70 billion in losses already on the books, a dismal year in Silicon Valley is expected to get even bleaker in the next few weeks as high-tech companies report the results of a quarter disrupted by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. 

If their approach of recent quarters is any indication, many companies will try to downplay the severity of the financial damage by emphasizing a set of hypothetical numbers known as “pro forma” results, which are supposed to focus on the profits and losses of ongoing operations. 

These numbers, which show up in corporate press releases announcing earnings, often paint a much different picture from the official results calculated under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. 

The GAAP results, which the Securities and Exchange Commission considers to be a company’s official bottom line, are often buried in earnings announcements. 

The historically small gap between pro forma and GAAP earnings has widened into a chasm, according to an Associated Press analysis of earnings reports by Northern California’s 100 largest technology companies. 

The companies reported a combined $70.9 billion in losses this year under GAAP standards, but announced a $10 billion profit using their pro forma figures, the AP found. 

At the same time last year, the same companies reported a combined GAAP profit of $22.3 billion versus a combined pro forma profit of $27.5 billion. 

The difference primarily reflects the $82.8 billion in bad investments, layoffs and other special charges that the tech companies have reflected on their books this year, up from $5.6 billion last year. 

For its analysis, the AP tabulated earnings reports for quarters ending in 2001 for technology companies with the largest market value in Silicon Valley. 

Just one company, San Jose-based JDS Uniphase, accounted for $50.6 billion in losses, but the red ink has been widespread. 

Half of the 100 surveyed tech companies lost money this year. At this point last year, only 26 had suffered losses. 

So many companies are emphasizing pro forma results in their earnings releases that the Financial Accounting Standards Board thinks it might be time to set some definitive rules for the hypothetical numbers. The board, a private-sector group that makes the nation’s accounting rules, is accepting comments on the issue until Oct. 5. 

And the SEC has confirmed that is investigating whether the pro forma results released by several unnamed companies misled investors. If the SEC uncovers misconduct, the offending businesses can be fined. 

While analysts and accountants understand the nuances between the GAAP and pro forma figures, the distinctions aren’t always clear to everyday investors. Even some sophisticated observers say executives should not be allowed to stray so far away from the accounting methods mandated by securities regulators. 

“GAAP is there for a reason. A lot of money has just gone down the drain, but a lot of companies don’t want to be held accountable for their massive losses,” said stock market analyst David Kathman of Morningstar Inc. 

GAAP and pro forma results are just a couple of the many factors that analysts draw upon to appraise a business, said Perry Boyle, deputy director of research for Thom Weisel Partners. 

“We are looking for information that will help us figure out where a business is headed over a five or even 15-year horizon,” Boyle said. “Ultimately, people will look beyond any accounting shenanigans and figure out what is really going on. But pro forma numbers in context of full disclosure can be very useful data.” 

Some tech executives said the pro forma results are calculated to satisfy institutional investors and securities analysts who look beyond the bottom line of financial statements to evaluate a company. 

“There is a feeling out there that by reporting pro forma results we are trying to ignore GAAP, but nothing could be further from the truth,” said Anthony Muller, chief financial officer of JDS Uniphase. “We try to be as above board as possible. The pro forma results are just something that our investors requested.” 

JDS Uniphase, a maker of fiber optics equipment, buried its $50.6 billion GAAP loss — and a pro forma profit of $67 million — for the fiscal year ended June 30 deep inside a news release that led with the company’s increased sales. 

JDS hasn’t filed a complete breakdown of the GAAP loss, but its management has indicated that all but $1 to $2 billion of the fiscal-year loss will be applied to the first half of 2001. 

Pro forma figures are designed to exclude extraordinary events that can distort how a business is really performing. That’s because many expenses, such as money spent on another company’s intangible assets, involve little more than ledger entries rather than hard cash losses. 

But many slumping companies, especially in the hard-hit Silicon Valley, are using pro forma reporting to exclude items like inventory write-offs routinely considered to be a part of the ongoing business, said Chuck Hill, director of research for Thomson Financial/First Call. 

Thomson Financial/First Call gathers the quarterly earnings estimates from analysts that serve as a pivotal benchmark on Wall Street. 

“Part of this is a cyclical problem,” Hill said. “Whenever there is a downturn, you always get some companies pushing the envelope trying to make their earnings look better. Because we are coming out of a much bigger bubble this time, a lot of companies are pushing the envelope more than ever.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kirk: The relationship changes.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kirk: Right. Cardiovascular, orthopedic... 

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

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

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

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

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

Who are we talking about? Kaiser? 

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday, Sept. 29

Antiwar Rally 

11 a.m. 

Dolores Park 

19th and Dolores streets, San Francisco 

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

Disaster First Aid 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar St. 

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

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Strawberry Creek Work Party 

9 a.m.- noon 

Seabreeze Market 

University Avenue and Frontage Road 

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

848-4008  

bjanet@earthlink.com 

Forum on Censorship 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Art Center 

1275 Walnut St. 

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

Redwood Sequoia Congress 

9 a.m. through the evening 

1606 Bonita Ave. 

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

841-1182 

Get Published Workshop 

noon - 3 p.m. 

Albany Library 

1247 Marin Ave., Edith Stone Room 

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

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour 

10 a.m. - noon 

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

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc/  

Idealist.org Nonprofit Career Fair 

1 p.m. 

Preservation Park 

MLK Jr. Way and 13th St. 

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

(212) 843-3973 www.idealist.org 

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

noon - 6 p.m. 

The Crucible 

1036 Ashby Ave. 

Parking and entrance on Murray Street  

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

843-5511 www.thecrucible.org 

Sunday, Sept. 30

Sixth Annual How Berkeley Can You Be? Parade 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Ave. 

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

www.howberkeleycanyoube.com  

Potluck Brunch 

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Bateman Park 

Rockridge/Elmwood Gay Lesbian Potluck Brunch. 595-1999 

West Berkeley Market 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Avenue between Third and Fourth streets  

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

Yoga/ Tibetan 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

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

Monday, Oct. 1

Rent Stabilization Board  

Meeting 

Second Floor Council Chambers 

2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

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

Community Health Commission Meeting 

7 p.m. 

The Beanery 

2925 College Ave. 

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

Personnel Board Meeting 

7 p.m. 

Bay Laurel Conference Room 

2180 Milvia St., first floor 

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

Peace and Justice Commission 

7 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

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

Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults Inquiry Program 

7:30 p.m. 

St. Mary Magdalen Parish 

2005 Berryman St. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Editor:  

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

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

Dennis Kuby 

Berkeley

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

albatrosspub@mindspring.com  

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

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

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

tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu 

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

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

www.freightandsalvage.com 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(415) 979-4500 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

www.berkeleyrep.org 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(707) 554-2520 

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

848-0181. Free.  

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

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

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

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

www.adaptgallery.com  

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

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

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

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

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

Readings 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tours 

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

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

Museums 

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

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

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

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

Lawrence Hall of Science “Within the Human Brain,” ongoing. Visitors test their cranial nerves, play skeeball, master mazes, match musical tones and construct stories inside a simulated “rat cage” of learning experiments. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. Space Weather Exhibit now - Sept. 2; now - Sept. 9 Science in Toyland; Saturdays 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. 642-5132 

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

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

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

Berkeley comes back to beat  

El Cerrito, get Bissell’s first win 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“The district was very forthcoming to help us.” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What a dream! Was it a dream? 

Just a thought! But what a thought. 

How could one be sure, but then again maybe. 

Was this our Whale, was this our Lesson? 

The Wars of Man becoming so numerous 

With such devastating means of destruction. 

Suffering from outbreaks all over our Lands 

The recent Terrorists guided by the same great Hands? 

Do we really expect to win always? 

To be the Leader of the Free World? 

(Now, what Free World?) 

To perpetuate the killing and retribution? 

Is that our role in this Game of Life? 

Fear and torment because we can’t understand 

Maybe our Gold and God ARE the same 

With lessons coming from the same Beam of Light. 

Over and over the same lessons learned. 

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

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

But we never thought we were repeating  

Our transgressions in Volumes stretching 

Over 2000 years of our Love of possessions. 

Compassion for others has been our sanctity 

To rectify our minds and spiritual Salvation. 

Again we will pass over the meaning of 

God’s love and in His Name we will 

Take the high road to ‘Punish the Infidels’. 

Maybe the lightning and thunder of last night 

Awakened a Truth in others besides me- 

Maybe put the Sword back in the ‘Holster’? 

Finding the men responsible for our Plight 

And having those who listen to the same God as ours 

Over for Supper some Evening.  

Joy Flaherty  

Berkeley

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Editor:  

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

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

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

Maris Arnold 

Berkeley

An occasional column of  

commentary about those who’d rather shine us on. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*** 

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

Take our police department, for example. 

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

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

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

And isn’t that as it should be?  

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

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

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

Maybe you could hire a smart civilian. Go figure. 

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

*** 

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

Editor: 

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

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

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

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

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

Terry S. Doran, President, Berkeley School Board 

Keith Carson, Supervisor, Alameda County 

Darryl Moore, Trustee, Peralta Community College District 

John Selawsky, Director, Berkeley School Board 

Max Anderson, Commissioner, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board 

Maudelle Shirek, Vice Mayor, City of Berkeley 

Kriss Worthington, Berkeley City Council 

Linda Maio, Berkeley City Council 

Donna Spring, Berkeley City Council 

Larry Harris, Commissioner, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board 

Selma Specter, Commissioner, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board 

Stefanie Bernay, Commissioner, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board 

Marc Janowitz, Commissioner, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board 

Sharon Maldonado, Commissioner, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board 

Judy Ann Alberti, Commissioner, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board

Editor: 

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

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

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

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

Doris E. Willingham 

Berkeley

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

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

He decided to make the trip anyway. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He plans to visit his mother in Oklahoma for Thanksgiving.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*** 

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

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

The police have no suspects.

Dear Tom and Ray: 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*** 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*** 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*** 

Dear Tom and Ray: 

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

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

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

TOM: Inside the passenger compartment! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Several factors conspired to boost natural gas prices last winter. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*** 

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

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

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

In the Bay Area, at least three schools — California State University at Hayward, Chabot Community College and the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo — have turned over students’ records. 

Seven of the 23 California State University campuses — Hayward, Maritime Academy, Fresno, Dominguez Hills, Fullerton, Pomona and San Diego— have been asked for student records. 

At most of the campuses, aside from the blanket request for records at Fresno and a request for records on 17 students at the Maritime Academy, the FBI asked for records for only one or two students, Bentley-Adler said. 

*** 

SARATOGA — Hundreds of South Bay residents awoke early Thursday morning to the sound of an aircraft that many feared was a terrorist attack. 

The plane was harmless, performing an annual check of electrical emissions from utility lines. The yearly check is mandated by the Federal Communications Commission. 

But emergency switchboards were inundated with 911 calls starting about 3 a.m. 

“We thought for sure it was a crop duster because it kept dipping and popping up, dipping and popping up,” said Lori Fox, a Saratoga resident. “We all started closing our windows and thought, ’This is it.”’ 

Chris Duros, owner of Flight Trax since 1989, said the airplane was flying at night because air space is far less congested. 

The plane covered an area in the South Bay that included Saratoga and neighboring cities. 

Fox said residents should have received prior notice of the flight. 

*** 

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE — The military has canceled next month’s open house and air show due to safety, security and workload requirements. 

“While it’s important to provide American taxpayers demonstrations of current air power capabilities, conducting an open house safely at this time would divert critical resources from the war on terrorism,” base commander Maj. Gen. Doug Pearson said. 

The open house and air show were scheduled for Oct. 20-21. It annually draws up to 500,000 weekend spectators. 

The air show is among more than half a dozen others that have been canceled since the Sept. 11 attacks. 

*** 

INDIO — Rep. Mary Bono told elementary school students that the United States war on terrorism was genuine and the government is committed to “bring the bad guys to justice.” 

Bono, R-Palm Springs, on Thursday praised President Bush for building an international coalition to fight terrorism and his plan to beef up airport security while pushing Congress for a $15 billion bailout package for the cash-strapped airlines. 

“The most important thing is to tell these bad people that this is going to stop, and we’re going to make them stop,” Bono told about 40 students, teachers and parents gathered at Mountain Vista Elementary School. 

Principal Ann Reinhagen said parents are alarmed about reports that the terrorists may be considering chemical weapons in their attacks. Bono said officials were “starting to look at where we might be vulnerable and how we can protect our water and the air we breathe.” 

“I think our preparation has been lacking in the past,” Bono said. “I think we all knew terrorism would rear its head on American soil in the next 20 years. It just came a little sooner than we were prepared for.” 

*** 

LOS ANGELES — Firefighters have been selling up to 20,000 aluminum bracelets each day in a fund-raising effort for fallen heroes in New York. 

When city firefighter Kevin Lowe and Orange County firefighter Ray Hoffman initially ordered 3,000 bracelets, they wondered if they would be able to get rid of all of them. 

“That turned out not to be an issue at all,” Lowe said. 

Just days after word spread about the fund-raising effort, Lowe and Hoffman were selling 20,000 bracelets a day and by Thursday they had raised $300,000. 

“Our mail order is astronomical; we are receiving phone calls from all over the country,” Lowe said. “Our current manufacturer is producing 20,000 a day, and it’s not enough to deal with the demand.” 

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, Hoffman telephoned Lowe to remind him about a Newport Beach police officer shot and killed a few years ago. Fellow officers had bracelets made, which were then sold to raise money for the fallen officer’s family. 

The brief brainstorming session soon led to the order for red, anodized aluminum bracelets, which are inscribed with two crossed axes, and the words: In Memory of our Fallen Heroes F.D.N.Y. 9-11-01. 

Money raised goes directly to the wives and children of the New York firefighters who died. 

“Fire departments and other agencies are like one big family,” Lowe said. 

*** 

SANTA BARBARA — Muslim students are heading home. 

Santa Barbara City College student Sari Asiri, who was beaten unconscious last week by two strangers, is returning to Saudi Arabia on Saturday. College officials said he was leaving at the urging of his parents, who fear for his safety. 

The 21-year-old was slashed and knocked out in as he walked on Calle Real on Sept. 17, a week after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. There were no arrests. 

The beating led other area foreign students to leave. 

Mesfer Alkaltham, a 26-year-old Saudi Arabian in the University of California, Santa Barbara, Extension-International Program, said he was cutting short a scholarship from his government to go back home. 

“Before, my family was happy for me to be here to get a higher education. But first you have to have the essential things in life, such as food, shelter and safety. Now we miss the basic things,” Alkaltham said. 

At City College, four students — two from Kuwait, one from Jordan and one from Saudi Arabia — are also leaving, said Derrick Banks, director of the international students support program at the school. There are still about 20 Middle Eastern students at City College. 

In addition, about 15 Middle Eastern students from Chico State University have withdrawn. Another five students from non-Arab countries have also withdrawn, including a Brazilian student whose mother was afraid. 

——— 

LONG BEACH — It turned out legendary flag-waver Thomas “Ski” Demski’s giant Old Glory was a poor fit at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport event featuring President Bush. 

Demski, known for his massive American flags that have flown at monuments and stadiums across the United States, traveled to Chicago late Tuesday after he was asked to bring one of his flags for display at O’Hare. 

Created in honor of the release of American hostages from Iran in 1981, the flag measures 47 feet by 82 feet and weighs 127 pounds. Demski said organizers didn’t provide a big enough space for the flag. 

“We were only able to unfurl the field, and maybe one stripe,” Demski said. 

He later packed up his flag and returned to Long Beach. 

“I guess I’m back to being a Democrat,” he laughed. “But it’s not the president’s fault.” 

Demski still plans to take the flag to New York, where he is arranging to have it fly at ground zero on Oct. 11. The New York Islanders contacted Demski asking him if they could use the flag for their opening game on Oct. 13. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Supermarket giant Safeway Inc. on Friday announced higher quarterly profits amid weakening sales growth that executives said should continue as consumers react to the economic fallout from this month’s terrorist attacks. 

The chain of 1,759 stores earned $309.2 million, or 60 cents per share, in the three months ended Sept. 8 — a 15 percent improvement from net income at the same time last year of $270 million, or 53 cents per share. The earnings matched the consensus estimate among analysts polled by Thomson Financial/First Call. 

Revenue in the quarter rose 7 percent to $8 billion, but most of the gain stemmed from Safeway’s recent $530 million takeover of Genuardi’s, a 39-store grocery chain in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. 

In the most telling measure of growth, Safeway’s so-called “identical store” sales edged up by just 0.8 percent, the slowest pace in two years. This category tracks stores that have been open at least a year without being expanded. 

The Pleasanton-based company’s shares gained $1.22 to close at $39.72 Friday on the New York Stock Exchange. 

Safeway CEO Steve Burd told industry analysts that the company is bracing for sales growth in the 1 percent range in this year’s final quarter. As long as the sales growth doesn’t fall far below that rate, Burd said the company expects to meet the consensus earnings estimate of 81 cents per share for the quarter. 

The final quarter could suffer from a threatened strike at 173 Safeway stores in the San Francisco Bay area. Earlier this week, Safeway made its “last and best” offer to store workers. Union leaders recommended that the employees reject the proposal, which would raise pay by 50 cents per hour. 

If the workers turn down the offer they could strike as early as Oct. 8 and embroil the company in a bitter labor dispute for the second straight year. A year ago, a 47-day strike by truck drivers at Safeway’s Northern California distribution center lowered Safeway’s earnings by $66 million. 

In a conference call Friday, Burd emphasized that management won’t budge from its “compelling offer” to store workers. Safeway already has been hiring potential replacement workers and, in a video delivered to current employees, Burd warned the company is prepared to reduce its latest contract offer if there is a strike. 

“If you are an employee and think rationally about things, you vote for this (offer),” Burd told analysts Friday. 

Safeway store workers in the Sacramento area accepted a nearly identical offer earlier this year. 

Union leaders insist the offer isn’t enough to offset the high cost of living in the San Francisco Bay area, where a mid-priced home sells for $476,000, a 66 percent increase since the store workers signed their last contract in 1997. 

Most of the affected Safeway store workers make $11.07 per hour under the current contract, according to labor leaders. The best-paid clerks make $17.58 per hour, which Safeway says is the highest retail rate in the region. 

“We are not saying that a clerk should make $90,000 per year, but they need to make enough to buy a home or pay for gas if they have to drive into work from somewhere else,” said Dennis Kimber, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 428 in San Jose. 

Safeway paid Burd $2.53 million last year, a 92 percent raise from his 1997 paycheck. 

Redwood-Sequoia Congress will focus on activist networking 

A 5 p.m. peace walk that will include puppeteers, singers and jugglers, will kick off a weekend of progressive panel discussions and workshops on activism as part of the second annual Redwood-Sequoia Congress. 

“We’re coming together to see each other, hear each other and build relationships,” said Richard Challacombe, an organizer of RSC and a member of the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists. “You really don’t have any strength as a community until you get together and find common ground.” 

Originally the congress discussions were going to center around energy, but since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, the theme has been changed to the importance of peace. 

The panels and workshops will cover a variety of subjects and are designed to help progressive activists network and find common ground. 

“This is a rich activist community,” said Karen Pickett of the Bay Area Coalitions for Headwaters. “There are ways that people can be mutually beneficial to their various campaigns while not losing focus on their own agendas.” 

The peace walk will begin at Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Park at 5 p.m. It will stop at the Berkeley BART Station for several short speeches and then continue on to the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists where the weekend’s activities will take place.  

The opening event will include the unveiling of a mural by Alezandra Childs that was inspired by the 1955 poem “The Broken Water Jar” by Nobel Peace Prize winning poet Octavio Paz. 

After the unveiling, there will be music, poetry and speakers including KPFA talk show host Larry Bensky and Independent Media spokesperson Sue Supriano. 

There will be a series of panels and workshops on Saturday beginning at 9:30 a.m. and continuing to midnight. The five panels will cover a variety of issues such as the monopolization of food production by corporations, the plunder of the Amazon and Tongas forests and the prison industrial complex. 

In addition there will be four workshops that will offer tips on how to organize and formulate agendas, how to protest effectively and writing punchy leaflets, e-mails and booklets. 

In between the panels and workshops, there will be food and more speakers including media critic Norman Soloman. At 10 p.m. there will be dancing, skits and singing. 

On Sunday there will be several more panel discussions including one entitled “Right To Energy and Freedom From Bigotry,” which will be paneled by Mayor Shirley Dean and councilmembers Kriss Worthington, Dona Spring and Linda Maio. 

Worthington said that while the panel sounds like it’s covering two separate issues, there “is a great connection between how we treat the planet and how we treat each other.” 

The Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists is located at 1606 Bonita St. at the intersection of Cedar Street. For more information about this weekends events call 841-4824.

Friday, Sept. 28

Redwood Sequoia Congress 

1606 Bonita Ave. 

Human rights and environmental activists will gather in an annual examination of the human condition and the status of the planet. 841-1182 

Anti-War Art Making at Pro Arts  

6-10 p.m. 

461 Ninth Street, Oakland (near 12th Street BART)  

Pro Arts is providing an opportunity for artists to make their anti-war expressions visible, playable, audible and readable. Posters and other artwork can be used in the rally the next day at Dolores Park in San Francisco or for any other event the artist wishes. 763-4361 

Third Annual BFD Blood Drive 

8:30 a.m. - 2 :30 p.m. 

Fire Station #2 

2029 Berkeley Way 

In conjunction with the Red Cross, the Berkeley Fire Department is having it’s annual blood drive. Drop in or make an appointment. 981-5599 Ext. 4408 

City Commons Club 

12:30 p.m. 

Berkeley City Club 

2315 Durant Ave. 

“Inside North Korea” with Timothy Savage, Senior Planner, East Asian Security, Nautilus Institute. 848-3533 

Autumn Moon Festival 

1:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst Ave. 

Presented by the North Berkeley Senior Center’s Chinese Club. Refreshments will include moon cakes. Free. 644-6107  

Daily Prayer and Meditation 

11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

First Congregational Church 

Dana at Durant 

Chapel open for prayer and meditation. 

Race and Achievement at  

Berkeley High 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley High School, Little Theater 

2246 Milvia St. 

An evening of poetry, spoken word, and testimonials. 

Saturday, Sept. 29

Antiwar Rally 

11 a.m. 

Dolores Park 

19th and Dolores streets, San  

Francisco 

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

Disaster First Aid 

9 a.m. - noon 

Office of Emergency Services 

997 Cedar St. 

Free classes in Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). 981-5605 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Strawberry Creek Work Party 

9 a.m.- noon 

Seabreeze Market 

University Avenue & Frontage Road 

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

848-4008 bjanet@earthlink.com 

Redwood Sequoia Congress 

1606 Bonita Ave. 

Human rights and environmental activists will gather in an annual examination of the human condition and the status of the planet. 841-1182 

Get Published Workshop 

noon - 3 p.m. 

Albany Library 

1247 Marin Ave., Edith Stone Room 

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

jill@jillnagle.com 

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour 

10 a.m. - noon 

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

Idealist.org Nonprofit Career Fair 

1 p.m. 

Preservation Park 

MLK Jr. Way and 13th St. 

For individuals interested in employment or internship positions in the nonprofit sector. (212) 843-3973 www.idealist.org 

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

noon - 6 p.m. 

The Crucible 

1036 Ashby Ave. 

Parking and entrance on Murray St.  

Featuring the faculty performing hands-on demonstrations of the skills and techniques they teach. Try blacksmithing, welding, stone carving, glass enameling, and other stuff. Bring your broken or cracked metal objects and low-tech electric devices in need of repair: furniture, lamps, castings, dull knives, cracked bike frames, etc. The staff will assess the damages and if the items are repairable, they will fix them for a reasonable fee. Free event. 843-5511 www.thecrucible.org 

Sunday, Sept. 30

6th Annual How Berkeley Can You Be? Parade 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Ave. 

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

Potluck Brunch 

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Bateman Park 

Rockridge / Elmwood Gay Lesbian Potluck Brunch. 595-1999 

West Berkeley Market 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

University Avenue between 3rd and 4th streets  

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

654-6346 

Yoga/ Tibetan 

6 p.m. 

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 

1815 Highland Place 

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

Editor: 

Who will pay for the recent attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon? It looks as if, once again, it will be children who pay the price. 

In Afghanistan: When the United States attacks Third World countries, it is the weakest people – especially children – who are killed by bombs, and by the starvation and epidemics that follow. 

In the United States: Across America, there are thousands of children who are hungry, living in shelters, attending inadequate schools. The billions of dollars that will be spent on a military campaign could be used to feed, house, and educate these children. They will pay with their stunted lives. 

What kind of country does not care about the next generation? We can stop this military madness now! 

Helen Finkelstein

Berkeley Repertory Theater has kicked off the opening of its 34th season, in the company’s new Roda Theater, with a hypnotic world-premiere production of Naomi Iizuka’s new play, “36 Views.” 

Set in the pretentious and rapacious world of New York art dealers, critics and academics, “36 Views” is an intriguing mystery about fraud and authenticity in the discovery and collecting of historic fine art. 

Questions of artistic value, financial worth and personal self-identity are reflected and refracted back and forth inside the play’s complex psychological, financial and artistic hall of mirrors. 

In “36 Views,” slippery yuppie art dealer Darius Wheeler (a charming, Machiavellian, self-doubting Bill Camp), buys, sells and smuggles art genuines and fakes. 

When a 1,000-year-old Japanese “pillow book” materializes, it threatens to revolutionize the history of Asian art and turn the academic world on its ear. 

In this pillow book, a feminist account of love and infidelity reveals itself unexpectedly as a story of unfolding lesbian and bisexual love. “36 Views” turns the tables several times in the course of unraveling its tale.  

The play hits many themes, focusing on the ideas of authenticity, inauthenticity and value in art, human character and human relationships. 

This story of life in the cultural fast lane threatens to reveal itself at times as a mysterious and complex network of style, with nothing of substance at the center. 

But the story is not that cynical. In the final analysis, love saves it – maybe. “36 Views” is a romance, of sorts. 

Director Mark Wing-Davey’s production is superb, right up there with his “Galileo” from last year. “36 Views” is filled with magical, unexpected, sexy, suddenly changing visual and aural story elements. 

The acting is strong. All of the characters are interesting and distinctive. All of them have arcs that show them at the end as people different than they appeared to be originally. 

Camp is wonderful as smooth, slick, swashbuckling art dealer Darius. Liana Pai is his equal as art scholar Setsuko Hearn, matching wits in a romantic and financial cat-and-mouse game. 

Elaine Tse is effective and sexy as punky, wise-ass, mixed-media artist Claire. Ebon Moss-Bachrach is a surprising grad student turned con man. 

Peter Donat is amusing as a blustering, naive academic orientalist. Rebecca Wisocky has surprises up her sleeve as supposed art smuggler Beth. 

The electronic tech is strong in this new millennium story about art in the global village. 

Projection designer Ruppert Bohle provides strong story continuity with rear wall projections that join scenic designer Douglas Stein’s hanging designs, ultimately tying the story together in its final moments. 

Stein’s beautiful, versatile sliding-screen set tells the story simultaneously in one world and many worlds. 

Both David Weiner’s, abruptly changing lighting plot and Matthew Spiro’s sound design, play strong parts in the drama. 

For those who enjoy stylish, intellectual potboilers, this show’s for you. 

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

924 Gilman Street Sept. 28: Erase Errata, The Intima, Ibobuki, (+tba); Sept. 29: DS-13, Beware, Blown To Bits, (+tba); Oct 5: Subincision, Gary’s Agenda, Eugene (+ tba); Oct 6: Tight Brothers from Way Back When, Smash Your Face, Cherry Valence, Bare Bones; Oct 12: One Line Drawing, Funeral Dinner, Diefenbaker, Till 7 Years Pass Over Him; Oct 13: Dead and Gone, Cattle Decapitation, Vulgar Pigeons, Wormwood, Antagony; Most shows are $5 and start at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 

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

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

Café de la Paz Poetry Nitro, performance showcase with open mike. All shows free, 7 - 10 p.m. 

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

tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu 

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

Freight & Salvage Sept 28: Jenna Mammina, $16.50; Sept. 29: The Nigerian Brothers, $16.50; Sept. 30: Vasen, $17.50; Oct 2: Budowitz; Oct 3: The Robin Nolan Trio; Oct 4: Darol Anger & Mike Marshall; Oct 5: Golden Bough; Oct 6: The Limeliters; Oct 7: Eddie From Ohio; Oct 8: All Nation Singers, Walter Ogi Johnson, Thunder; All shows start at 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St. 548-1761 www.freightandsalvage.com 

Jack’s Bistro Sept. 28: 9 p.m. Tomas Michaud’s New World Flamenco Quartet, Jack London Square. 444-7171  

www.starland-music.com 

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

Jupiter Sept. 28 Anton Schwartz Quartet; Sept 29: moderngypsies.net; All music starts at 8:00 p.m. 2181 Shattuck Ave.  

843-7625 www.jupiterbeer.com  

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

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

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

Benifit Concert for the Native  

American Health Center Sept. 28: 8 p.m. Buffy Sainte-Marie, Ulali, Lorrie Church, The Mankillers. Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. 625-8497  

UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra Collaborates with Art Department Sept. 28 and 29: 8 p.m. The Symphony will perform several works during an exhibition featuring examples of Leonardo diptychs for the basis of portraying art in motion. $8 general admission, $2 students. Hertz Hall solotoff@uclink.berkeley.edu 

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

Magnificat Sept. 29: 8 p.m. First Congregational Church. The San Francisco early music ensemble of voices and period instruments present their tenth anniversary season with music of 17th century composers. Tickets $12-$45 (415) 979-4500 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

www.berkeleyrep.org 

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

Pacific Film Archive Sept. 28: 7 p.m. Ugetsu, 8:55 Sansho the Bailiff; Sept. 29: 7 p.m. Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, Part I, Joel Adlen on piano; Sept. 30: Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, Part II, Joel Adlen on piano; general admission $7, The New PFA Theatre 2575 Bancroft Way 642-1412 

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

“Reykjavik” Sept. 28 - Oct. 4: A young man’s sexual impulses go haywire when he discovers the woman he has just been to bed with also happens to be his mother’s lesbian lover. Shattuck Cinemas, 2230 Shattuck Ave. 843-3456 

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

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

UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra Collaborates with Art Department Sept. 28 and 29: 8 p.m. The Symphony will perform several works during an exhibition featuring examples of Leonardo diptychs for the basis of portraying art in motion. $8 general admission, $2 students. Hertz Hall solotoff@uclink.berkeley.edu 

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

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

(707) 554-2520 

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

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

www.thecrucible.com 

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

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

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

www.adaptgallery.com  

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

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

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

cathycade@mindspring.com 

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

644-6893 

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

www.atelier9.com 

Tours 

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

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

Museums 

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

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

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

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

Lawrence Hall of Science “Within the Human Brain,” ongoing. Visitors test their cranial nerves, play skeeball, master mazes, match musical tones and construct stories inside a simulated “rat cage” of learning experiments. “Saturday Night Stargazing,” First and third Saturdays each month. 8 - 10 p.m., LHS plaza. Space Weather Exhibit now - Sept. 2; now - Sept. 9 Science in Toyland; Saturdays 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. 642-5132 

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

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

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

Holmoe says Boller is still the starter 

Having started the season 0-3 and just heading into the tough portion of their schedule, the Cal Bears are certainly a team in need of a lift. Head coach Tom Holmoe and senior linebacker Scott Fujita are both trying to do just that. 

“When I see a player down on the sideline, I grab him and look him straight in the eye,” Holmoe said Tuesday. “I’m trying to give them my strength.” 

Fujita has taken a different tack, talking to his teammates off of the field. 

“I’ve been soul-searching for ways to help guys,” he said. “I’ve been talking to guys one-on-one, and I try to help with things outside of football. I know our coaches don’t want to focus on those things, so I’m trying to help.” 

You can’t blame Holmoe and Fujita for trying new tactics. The Bears have been a huge disappointment so far this year, being trounced by Illinois, BYU and Washington State, not exactly a Murderer’s Row of opponents. The offense, defense and special teams have all performed well below expectations, and it could get worse with powerhouses Washington, Oregon and UCLA coming in the next four weeks. 

“Our patience, our wits and our dignity will be tested to the core,” Holmoe said. “The first game (a 44-17 loss to Illinois) took the wind out of our sails, and now we have to get back in the water. We’re at low, low tide when it comes to confidence level.” 

Sailing analogies aside, Holmoe knows his job is in serious jeopardy. Several sources have said that new athletic director Steve Gladstone has already decided to axe the fifth-year head coach once the season ends. Some of Holmoe’s comments this week sound as if he considers himself a lame duck. 

“These future eight games are all we have, so we want to enjoy them,” he said. “We’re addressing some unanswerable questions.” 

A good start would be upsetting the Huskies this Saturday. Although the Bears haven’t beaten Washington since 1976, they have come very close the last two tries. Two years ago, Washington’s Maurice Shaw scored with 50 seconds left in the game to give the Huskies a 31-27 win. Last season, the Bears had a 24-13 lead in the fourth quarter, but two fumbles, an interception and a blocked punt led to Washington scoring 23 points in a six-minute stretch, ending in a 36-24 Husky win in Seattle. 

“We know we can play with them. We almost had the game locked up last year, but we let it slip away,” Cal linebacker Matt Nixon said this week. 

The Huskies have a much different look on offense this season, as the loss of quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo to the NFL has left a hole in the passing game. Replacement Cody Pickett had thrown six passes coming into the season and has yet to throw for a touchdown. 

“Their offense clearly isn’t the same without Marques, but they are a very good team,” Holmoe said. 

That may be, but injuries have hit Washington hard. In last week’s 53-3 blowout over Idaho, the Huskies lost starting tailback Willie Hearst and premier tight end Jerramy Stevens, as well as backup running back Braxton Cleman. But as usual, they have exceptional depth at running back, with Rich Alexis steps in to the starting lineup after running for 740 yards last year, and Paul Arnold could move back from receiver after switching positions to start the season. Throw in the fact that the Washington offensive line averages 306 pounds per starter, and it could be a long day for the Bears run-stoppers. 

“We know they’re gonna pound the ball, so we just have to get ready for that,” Fujita said. “The front seven made a big step up and we need to carry our momentum into this game.” 

Momentum is something the Bears would love to have on offense, but that’s hard to get when you don’t even trust your starting quarterback. Junior Kyle Boller was yanked from last week’s 51-20 loss to Washington State, the first time Boller has sat the bench since he was a freshman. 

Backup Eric Holtfreter failed to impress during his time on the field, and Boller went back in late in the game. Holmoe said Boller is still the starter heading into Saturday’s game, but hopes the wake-up call got through to him. 

“Kyle’s a competitor, so he didn’t like coming out of the game, but he accepted the decision and played better when he went back in,” Holmoe said. “We didn’t do it to give him a slap on the hand. We wanted him to step out and watch, and get his groove back.” 

Holmoe was quick to point out that the offense’s failure to get into the end zone with regularity can’t be solely blamed on Boller. 

“This is not the time to say ‘you’re our only hope, it’s all on your shoulders,’” Holmoe said. “We’ve stepped up our game on offense, but we’ve been cutting our own throats with turnovers. Once adversity hits, the wheels just come off.

The Toyota Camry cruising past their squad car didn’t match the color of the stolen Camry Emeryville police were looking for, but Detective Alan Johnson said officers quickly noticed something suspicious about its driver. The young man was so small, they could barely see his eyes peering over the dashboard. 

“He was looking over the steering wheel,” Detective Johnson, Emeryville’s theft investigator, said. “We pulled him over, and it turned out he was about 14 years old. He had his little brother with him.” 

Johnson said the boy they caught in the stolen Camry last month was one of many teen joy riders who cruise East Bay streets in stolen cars.  

Last Friday evening, Johnson patrolled the crowded rows of Emeryville’s Public Market parking lot, giving a quick wave to a security officer pedaling past on a bike. Johnson said guards and increased police presence has helped discourage thieves, who in early summer were stealing two to three cars a night from the massive lot near Shellmound Street every weekend.  

“Here somebody can take their time and pick out the car they really want,” Johnson said. “It’s the amount of cars available.” 

Most of Emeryville’s stolen cars disappear from the sprawling parking lots surrounding the large shopping areas and movie theater located in what officers call District 3, police reports show.  

Berkeley car thefts up 

These lots provide a glimpse into a larger Bay Area car theft problem. In Berkeley, for example, car thefts have increased by 33 percent since last year. Vehicle thefts throughout Alameda County have also risen dramatically in recent months, with Alameda County Regional Auto Theft Task Force (ACRATT) statistics showing a more than 16 percent increase in thefts since last year. Task force investigators said people stole nearly 5,572 vehicles in the county by the end of this August, an average of nearly 700 a month. And California Highway Patrol statistics from 2000 and 2001 show thieves statewide now favor the Toyota Camry.  

Sergeant Len Silva of ACRATT said his group brings together officers from CHP and local police agencies to create regional methods for preventing theft and recovering stolen cars. Silva said ACRATT was formed in 1995, after state agencies realized the rise in thefts “was becoming epidemic.”  

Silva said that car thefts have increased in the county, but people need to understand that periodic increases, or “spikes,” in theft are typical. 

“As bad off as we are, we’re not as bad as some other places,” Silva said, mentioning Fresno as a theft hotspot. National Insurance Crime Bureau statistics show Fresno is one of the top 10 cities for vehicle theft in the country. 

While Berkeley isn’t nearly as bad as Fresno in terms of car theft, Detective Jim Farr said he noticed a sharp rise in theft starting last year. 

“We’ve had an increase all over town,” Farr, theft investigator for the Berkeley Police Department, said. “You name the race, you name the sex, name the age. They’re all doing it. And it’s not just the same people getting arrested – it’s a new name everyday.” 

Farr said each month more than 100 cars are stolen in the city, compared to an average of 60 to 80 a month last year. He said he recently bought a club, or steering wheel lock, for his car. Compared to Berkeley’s 33 percent increase, CHP statistics show California thefts have risen less than 10 percent. 

Toyotas are the preferred car to steal 

On Tuesday, Farr read a list of more than two dozen cars stolen in Berkeley during the last week. About half of them were Toyota models. Farr, a 33-year veteran officer, said he helped bust groups of car thieves in the mid-90s that would cruise BART parking lots with filed-down Toyota keys.  

“Here comes this Toyota with five kids driving around the lot,” Farr said. “Four of the five got out, and they were all using filed keys to get Toyotas.” 

In Emeryville, where 17 of the 29 cars stolen during July were Camrys, Detective Johnson said many thieves don’t bother with special tools. 

“In the older model Camrys the ignition is really weak,” he said, mentioning late ’80s and early ’90s models. “Any key or scissors can turn over the ignition.”  

Johnson said newer Camrys are more secure. 

The Toyota Camry was followed by Honda Accord, Honda Civic, and Toyota pick-up trucks as the top cars stolen in the state during 2000, CHP spokesperson Anne DaVigo said. She said last year 181,427 vehicles, an average of nearly 500 a day, were stolen in California.  

Emeryville resident Monica Lee didn’t know her car was so popular with thieves. But when Lee, a UC-Berkeley senior, left for her Monday morning class on Sept. 10, she said she found an empty parking space where she’d left her 1990 Camry seven hours earlier. Her apartment building has a security fence, but one of its gates was broken.  

Less than a week later, officers called to say her car had been found in El Cerrito.  

When asked about plans to prevent another theft, Lee said, “I’m going to sell it and buy a new car.” 

Most cars come back 

Like Lee, most theft victims get their cars back. CHP statistics show 88 percent of California’s stolen vehicles are found eventually, although sometimes with missing parts. Alameda task force members said thieves are often looking for a joy ride, quick transportation, or car parts like stereos and airbags. And police said illegal street racers, for example, often steal cars to replace airbags they used during a crash. Other thieves sell parts to mechanics running illegal garages known as “chop shops,” police said 

The Bay Area has also had problems with car smuggling. Officer DaVigo said last fall CHP busted two gangs smuggling stolen cars out of the Port of Oakland. An undercover CHP unit caught smugglers stacking 42 stolen cars inside carriers and loading them into ships. 

But local officers said most East Bay cars face a less exotic fate. Detective Farr said three of four stolen cars found in El Cerrito last Tuesday were from Berkeley. And when a thief steals a car from the Sather Gate parking garage just south of the UC Berkeley campus, officers often find at least one other stolen car dumped there, Farr said. Police reports show stolen cars also turn up at the waterfront area and Berkeley Marina, where many car thefts occur.  

Last April, Emeryville Officer Michael Allen found a stolen Dodge Neon with a baby crying in the backseat. The car, stolen from outside a Berkeley coffeeshop, had been abandoned near Adeline and 40th streets. Allen found the 8-month-old girl, still in her carseat, about an hour after the car was stolen. 

“It was fortunate we found her so quick,” Allen said. “The communication with other agencies really helped.” 

Officers suggested that car owners protect their vehicles using car alarms, steering wheel locks, and tracking devices. But they said they couldn’t make any promises.  

Detective Johnson said he had a club and parked inside a security fence, but it didn’t stop the person who stole his ’67 Chevy Malibu a few years ago. 

“All you can do is just make it harder to steal,” Johnson said. “And hopefully, they’ll go to the next car.” 

Editor: 

On September 12 nearly 40 residents of Strawberry Creek Lodge joined together to express our support to Rep. Barbara Lee for her courageous act in standing as the sole voice in Congress in saying “no” to giving President Bush open-ended funding for wiping out whole countries “harboring” terrorists. 

In the wake of the escalating frenzy for war from the White House, the halls of Congress, the military, the media and those who stand to profit, the people of our country are being rapidly brain-washed. It is time to slow down this barrage and let the voices of reason be heard througout the media. 

We the undersigned residents of Strawberry Creek Lodge congratulate our courageous Representative, Barbara Lee, for her vote in opposition to the war powers resolution.  

We agree that the perpetrators of the terrorist bombings must be brought to justice, but we believe that more killing can only result in the death of innocent people. In addition, we have to ask, what is it in U.S. foreign policy that results in such blind hatred toward the United States? 

Your paper has the duty to reflect feelings and opinions of readers who are opposed to bombing other countries thus causing a long and deadly war. 

September 11 should remind all Americans that violence begets violence. Those behind this fearful terror must be found and punished. The frightening war propaganda should be restrained now. Please join us in calling for “Justice not Vengeance.”  

Robin Hipolito 

Berkeley

Former Mt. Tam head coach Johnson brings new system to BHS 

Each time Clarence Johnson steps onto the football turf at Berkeley High School, his sales pitch becomes a little more convincing.  

Almost immediately after arriving on campus last summer, the ’Jackets’ new varsity offensive coordinator knew he had plenty of individual talent to work with. It’s been trying to create what he didn’t see on the field – namely teamwork – which has become Johnson’s greatest challenge. 

“The biggest problem right now is that we have a lot of talented individuals but they have to learn to play as a team,” Johnson said. 

After 15 years of walking the sidelines, the former Mt. Tamalpais head coach is well aware that a successful team is built with talented players that are willing to forego individual honors if it means winning games. 

“That’s a hard sell,” Johnson said. “Especially to the kids who are used to being the star.” 

As Berkeley begins league play Friday against El Cerrito, strengthening its team togetherness may take a back seat to simply playing fundamental football. Johnson brought with him a complicated offensive playbook filled with more than 70 plays, some of which haven’t even been tested on the field yet. 

“It’s a good offense he’s teaching us,” said senior wide receiver Lee Franklin. “It’s just a matter of us learning it and executing.” 

Johnson, 43, gave up his head coaching job at Mt. Tamalpais High in Mill Valley to run Berkeley’s offense under first-year coach Matt Bissell.  

It’s been a tumultuous welcome. The ’Jackets scored just 12 points in three pre-season losses to formidable opponents Foothill, James Logan and Dos Palos.  

An entirely new coaching staff, the transfer of last year’s starting quarterback and star receiver and the graduation of the ’Jackets’ top rushing threat have all contributed to Berkeley’s early-season struggles. 

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Johnson said. “I knew going in that there was probably a tremendous amount of potential here, but I really didn’t know everything about that potential.” 

Another varsity newcomer, Bissell, who coached Berkeley’s junior varsity team last year, said that Johnson’s experience as a head coach has helped him learn the system. He also called it unfortunate that Berkeley has matched up against such tough opponents so early in the season. 

“The offense has sputtered at times, but I don’t attribute it to Clarence necessarily,” Bissell said. “None of the kids know the offense yet and we’re teaching them on the fly against very good defenses.” 

The slow start might be attributable to players adapting to the new system. But as a coach, Johnson said it’s his responsibility to raise the “stick by which we measure athletes” to ensure that Berkeley’s individual talent isn’t wasted. 

“If we hold it higher, they’re going to rise to it,” he said. “I don’t want to say they’re underachievers, but that’s what it is. It’s underachieving and the guys will settle for whatever level the stick’s at.” 

Now that Johnson wears the hat of offensive coordinator, he steers clear of eligibility issues, parents, boosters or the other administrative duties reserved for the head coach. Johnson said that he’s spending more time on the field working with football players, and that’s why he began coaching in the first place. 

“Even though we’ve lost our first three games, I’m having a great time because I’m back interacting with the kids,” he said. 

It helps that Johnson enjoys what he’s doing. After all, he spends more than 30 hours a week at practice, on the sidelines at games or in the office watching films. “It’s still not as bad as when I was head coach,” he said. 

Before he entered the coaching ranks for a Pop Warner team more than a decade ago, Johnson played as a defensive back for his high school in Baton Rouge, La. He finished his senior year in the Bay Area and attended San Francisco State University, where he ran track. 

Johnson readily admits that his competitive side dictates that he has to win football games. A league championship is a top goal, as is a trip to the playoffs. But to achieve those goals, Johnson knows he has to teach his players the importance of working together.  

“If you sell it, the team really becomes that much more important and that much better,” Johnson said. “If you’re good enough as an individual, you’ll shine even more when the team works together.” 

A few Berkeley wins could prove that the team is buying Johnson’s pitch.

A plan to rebuild and expand the emergency room at Alta Bates Medical Center is meeting opposition among neighborhood groups and a city commission. 

The plan would increase the size of Alta Bates’ emergency ward by incorporating an old radiology unit, and leaves open the possibility of future construction at Alta Bates. 

Public comment on a draft Environmental Impact Report on the project was recently closed.  

An EIR is a formal document explaining the impacts a project has on a nearby area. In this case, the EIR includes a study of the increased traffic that will result from the expansion. The EIR must include remedies when the environmental impacts are severe, or it can recommend a change in the project. 

Dr. Alan Lifshay, formerly head of the Alta Bates’ pulmonary department and currently a member of the Alta Bates Summit board of trustees, put the case for the emergency room expansion in a letter to the city’s planning department. 

“Last year, 44,000 East Bay residents turned to the Alta Bates Emergency Department for medical care in a space that was designed to accommodate 12,000 yearly,” he wrote. 

“Currently, teams of doctors, nurses and technicians work side-by-side in small, cramped rooms. Often there is little or no space left to accommodate medical equipment or visiting family members.” 

“The proposed emergency department upgrade will give Alta Bates larger treatment rooms, increased patient privacy and comfort, enough open areas for staff to circulate efficiently, and a much-needed separate entrance for ambulances, assuring improved neighborhood traffic flow.” 

But when the city’s Transportation Commission studied the draft EIR on Sept. 13, it came up with a list of concerns about traffic and parking in the neighborhood. 

Specifically, the commission said that the area of parking around Alta Bates was too widely defined, leaving the impression that there were many more parking spaces available in the neighborhood than were likely to be used. 

Some of the spaces included in the plan were as many as nine blocks away from the hospital. 

“It’s like studying traffic patterns for the University of California and saying parking in Berkeley won’t be affected, because people might park in Emeryville or Albany,” said Dean Metzger, a member of the Transportation Commission. 

“It’s a joke,” he added. 

In addition, Metzger said, while the draft EIR estimated the increase in traffic on Ashby Avenue that would follow the expansion, it took into account only increased trips by hospital patients, not by hospital staff. 

Metzger said that he and other members of the Transportation Commission were concerned about language in the draft EIR that would seem to imply that the data used in the current draft EIR – data he called “insufficient and inaccurate” – could be used in future hospital expansion plans. 

“We’re really talking about a draft EIR for the entire hospital master plan,” he said. 

“They’re using the emergency room expansion proposal to yank at peoples’ heartstrings in order to get everything else they want.” 

John Cecil, a member of the Claremont-Elmwood neighborhood group, said that he thought the draft EIR was dishonest, as it did not take into account all of Alta Bates’ operations in the Berkeley area. 

“This can’t include the comprehensive impacts of the expansion, because it has left out all the other sites Alta Bates operates in Berkeley,” he said. 

“This is supposed to be an incredibly thorough analysis of impacts, but there is no mention of interaction between (Alta Bates’) sites.” 

Carolyn Kemp, Alta Bates spokesperson, said that the hospital values the feedback it receives on its new projects. 

“We’re concerned that (community groups) have a voice too,” she said. “That’s why we’re going through the procedures that we’re going through now — to gather public comment, to hear their concerns.” 

At the same time, she said, there should be very little doubt that an expanded emergency room is needed.  

“I believe that the clinicians within a hospital are the ones who know best how to run a hospital, and we should listen to them,” she said. “This hospital has one mission, and that is to serve the community.” 

The planning department is currently reviewing all public comment on the draft EIR, and will forward its assessment of it to the Zoning Adjustments Board some time next month. The board will then choose whether or not to certify the project a few months later.

Editor: 

As long-time Berkeley residents, who have spent years living in Latin America and Asia, we urge the Daily Planet staff and readers to write and speak out against the “Ugly American,” “shoot-em-up-justice” of President Bush that is likely to cause the death of many more innocent civilians.  

The United States should use the rule of law and international agreements to insure security for all nations.  

This will be the best guarantee of our own country’s security. 

Anna Maria Taylor and  

Richard Lerner 

Berkeley

Bay Area Women Against Rape, an Oakland-based nonprofit that helps sexual assault victims navigate an often intimidating medical and law-enforcement process, will mark its 30th anniversary Friday evening with a reception at the Waterfront Hotel on Jack London Square. 

BAWAR was founded in 1971 after a young student was raped in a Berkeley High School stairwell. Executive director Marcia Blackstock, who joined the organization 23 years ago, said it was the first of its kind in the country. 

“Her mother and a few other women got together, sat around the kitchen table, and decided something had to happen,” Blackstock said. “After her assault, the treatment she received from hospital and law enforcement was pretty bad. Not intentionally bad, but there was nothing set in place for anybody to deal with sexual assault survivors.” 

The initial goals, she said, were to provide counseling to sexual assault survivors and to accompany them through the law enforcement and medical system. A 24-hour hotline was set up, and volunteers began counseling victims in person and accompanying them to hospitals, police interviews, and court. 

BAWAR’s eight paid staff and 50 volunteers now train police, clergy, therapists, and others all over Alameda County in dealing with victims sensitively. Some also work in the state prison system. 

“We do what we call “victim impact” workshops, trying to help offenders understand that there are long-term consequences to their actions,” said Ilana Gerjuoy, a volunteer for almost two years. 

BAWAR and similar organizations around the state have been instrumental in coaxing the state government to establish clear police and medical protocols. 

“I’ve worked with them for over 25 years. I think they’re a good outfit and they work well with the police department,” said Sergeant Kay Lantow, who supervises the Berkeley Police Department’s sex crimes detail and domestic violence prevention unit. “And probably they had at least some input in many of the changes as to how cases come together, are investigated, and how the county handles those things.” 

Five years ago, Lantow said, the state penal code was amended to require police to notify all sexual assault victims of their right to be accompanied by an advocate at all stages of their search for justice and medical care. Today, the Berkeley Police Department calls BAWAR for each of the 35 to 50 rapes reported annually in the city. 

“There’s a lot of progress that has been made,” said Blackstock. “I see amazing progress, but I have to couch that with a Bay Area and particularly Alameda County focus, because I think Alameda is pretty much ahead of the state in treatment of sexual assault survivors.” 

“When I go to statewide meetings” of rape-crisis advocates, said Gerjuoy, “I continue to hear rape crisis centers are doing battle with their law enforcement agencies.” 

Gerjuoy said she got involved because of a “general lack of understanding and competence” among those an assault victim must contact for help.  

“I’ve also opened up my view that any kind of anti-oppression work is linked, and men are also very valued clients,” she said. “Straight men also can be assaulted. The problem of sexual assault is really everyone’s problem. It’s not confined to women or to gay men.” 

The reward, she said, is to offer “crucial” human contact during the aftermath of a traumatic event. 

“Every time I talk to someone on the hotline or see someone in the hospital, I see the transformation they go through from the beginning to the end of the contact,” said Gerjuoy. “In the beginning they’re looking really scared and alone, then in the end when they see that they have allies and advocates. You can just see a difference in their demeanor when they realize they’re not alone in this. They say, I know I can get through the night now.” 

BAWAR’s anniversary reception, for which the group is asking $25 per person, is set for 8 p.m. to midnight at the Waterfront Hotel at Jack London Square. For information, call 430-1298 

BAYWAR’s hotline for victims of sexual assault is 834-7273.

Editor: 

I too love America.  

But I love the whole world more, because the whole world contains more of our beautifully diverse brothers and sisters, mountains and seas. 

We are ALL children of God. So many of us pray for the killing of all innocents to stop, whether the person be brown or pink. 

Common sense tells us that when we stop using money here on Planet Earth, and learn to share, peace will come naturally. 

May our hearts be filled with love for all living beings. 

Lydia Maupin 

Berkeley

“Community” is not usually a word used to describe 3,400-student Berkeley High School. 

But for 250 students and teachers, community is what high school is all about. 

“We’re much more of a family,” said Dharini Rasiah, who teaches in the video program. “We take responsibility for each other.” 

Junior Mercedes Ruiz agreed. “It’s tight-knit. We know each other really well.” 

Rasiah and Ruiz are part of Communications Arts and Sciences, a school-within-a-school program established in 1997 as a means of personalizing the often-impersonal Berkeley High experience. Head teacher Rick Ayers explained that the program is based on the philosophy that all students can do well in a small learning context. Ayers also believes that the program can serve as a model for transforming all of Berkeley High into a community of schools-within-a-school. 

A transformation of this sort is currently among the top questions before the school community and policymakers.  

“Education happens in a community, out of relationships,” said Ayers. “There is peer motivation, and students get engaged and go deeper. They can get passionate about something.” 

Small schools might help 

With Berkeley High suffering from an achievement gap between minority and white students, and concerns from board members and teachers that truancy is a problem, many parents and teachers are taking a close look at what can be learned from the experiment.  

They may be on the right track.  

According to Ayers, Communications Arts and Sciences, which graduated its first class of 60 students in 2000, has higher graduation and college admission rates than Berkeley High overall. And while the white students in the program still outperform African American students in terms of grades, he said that the average GPA of African American students in the program is higher than that of the high school. He also believes that the graduation rate for African American students is double that of the school. Neither Ayers nor the Berkeley High administration had exact figures on GPAs or graduation rates. 

“We haven’t erased the gap, but we’re making progress,” Ayers said. The program reflects the ethnic makeup of the school with approximately 39 percent white, 36 percent African American, 15 percent Asian, and 10 percent Latino. 

Ken Garcia-Gonzales, who teaches ethnic studies, thinks that the community structure is one reason that students do better. “There’s more accountability for both students and teachers,” he said. Students cannot cut class, for example, without one or more of the 10 program teachers finding out.  

In addition, parents are more involved. Garcia-Gonzales said that even though school just started, he already received e-mail from parents introducing themselves.  

In the past year, more than 140 entering freshmen applied for the popular program and 80 were accepted. The students will now embark on a four-year curriculum that emphasizes media literacy, communication skills and social justice. Students take courses in English, history, science and video production together. They enroll in math, foreign language and other electives through the high school. The program aims to reflect the population of the school and seeks diversity in skill level and ethnic make-up. 

Teachers know students  

History teacher Bill Pratt, who has been with the program from its inception, explained that the small learning environment allows students and teachers to build ongoing relationships.  

“An integral part of what we’re trying to do is personalize the education all kids get,” he said. Through the program, Pratt hopes students will find “at least a few and hopefully many adults who know them well, care about them as people and are dedicated to them as teachers.”  

Students appear to be hearing the message. “Teachers (in the program) help a lot and care more than other teachers do,” said senior Haben Godefa.  

Although Pratt said that strong student-teacher relationships can develop in the larger school, it is more difficult because teachers have different students in class each semester. Communication Arts and Sciences, on the other hand, is structured so that teachers get to know students over longer periods of time.  

“The kids that graduated last year, I taught them since they were in ninth grade,” said Pratt. “So I knew them. I knew their families. I had dinner at their houses. I’ve been on field trips with them. I’ve been through hard times and good times with them. I saw them grow up in those four years.” 

Pratt has continued to remain in contact with students, even after they graduated. One of them, Carl Nasman, class of 2001 and a freshman at UC Santa Cruz, said that he used to play basketball with Pratt and other program teachers on a weekly basis. “I can’t imagine doing that with any other teachers.”  

Teachers in the program believe that the strength of their relationships with students, as well as students’ relationships with each other, not only creates a sense of community but facilitates classroom learning.  

“There’s a broader sense of community that comes into play among groups of students who are in multiple classes together,” said Pratt. “You walk into a senior class where 80 percent plus of those kids have been in three or more classes a day together for three years, and we are able to build on those dynamics.”  

Aquanetta Brooks, class of 2001 and a freshman at San Jose State University, remembered the depth of classroom discussions about such issues as race and civil rights. “We went deep with it. We didn’t just talk about how (Rosa Parks) just sat on a bus, but how she was involved with everything. We went into the details.”  

Alumni also say that the program prepared them for college in unique ways. For David Grunwald, class of 2000 and a sophomore at UC Berkeley, the internship experience required of all seniors served as a “bridge” to college. “It gave me a lot of freedom,” he said. “Senior year, I left campus three days a week and was on my own to deal with people on my own.” 

Among the program’s greatest advocates, though, are its teachers. Many say that the interdisciplinary nature of the program allows them to collaborate with each other and support one another. “Teachers can feel the same isolation and alienation as students if they don’t find a niche, especially in a big school like Berkeley. CAS allows me to collaborate with teachers who share the same values and commitments I do and who inspire me,” said Pratt.  

Problems persist 

But despite rave reviews by alumni, students and teachers alike, it is unclear whether small learning communities like Communication Arts and Sciences can solve all of Berkeley High’s problems. 

Ethnic cliques persist despite the close-knit and ethnically mixed nature of the program. “We’ve been with each other for all four years, but we still choose who to hang out with (people of the same ethnicity),” said senior Julian James.  

In addition, there are scheduling problems. Communications Arts and Sciences classes meet during the same periods as some Advanced Placement and African American studies classes, which has caused a few students to drop out of the program.  

Although most students are able to fit the classes they need into their schedules, Pratt said that conflicts are inevitable. 

Despite the logistical difficulties, most students and teachers agree that the program offers a quality of education lacking in the rest of the high school. “You really get a chance to explore education in CAS,” stated CAS student James.  

There is sadness in everyone -  

Thousands of people are dead 

They went to work, 

Three planes struck their buildings 

Everything in flames - gone 

Not even pieces to say who they were 

Only loss to friends, family and children 

These people did nothing and yet it happened. 

Who is to blame? 

Shall we send planes and bombs? 

Kill, kill. 

Kill the others, the innocent others? 

Our country has done it again and again. 

Where to point a finger of blame? 

Always at the other but not ourselves. 

Can we not see, 

Yes, you and me? 

We are destroying the earth and its people - 

Seas rising, 

Air polluted,  

No water to drink.  

Shall we rush out and kill something? 

Am I not the enemy and the avenger too? 

Can we change our ways? 

The ways of our country? 

So much to do, 

So much to change. 

So much caring, 

So much love, 

Yet to be given.  

Geneva Agnes Gates Foote 

Berkeley

Editor: 

While Robert Mondavi gains “points” with a large contribution to the University of California (Daily Planet, Sept. 20), there is a the dark side to the Mondavi winemaking family: A concerted union-busting effort. 

The Mondavis (specifically, Peter Jr. and Marc Mondavi) have locked out the workers at their Krug Winery in St. Helena, Calif. since July 3.  

They are attempting to divide and conquer the workers by offering pay raises to a few while cutting pay to most – at a time when the winery is posting a 45 percent increase in sales. 

The 43 workers of the last unionized wine-production crew in Napa Valley remain united, though suffering as they are kept from their jobs. 

Krug Winery sells under the names Charles Krug and C.K. Mondavi.  

Boycotting these products is one more way to pressure the Mondavis to end the lock-out and bargain in good faith. 

Steve Freedkin 

Berkeley

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mayor James Hahn has agreed to head up a national task force on airport security and said he will work to restore the nation’s confidence in air travel. 

“Airport security is a top concern for mayors across the country,” said Hahn, who will lead the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ newly formed task force. 

Hahn was appointed by the president of the conference, Mayor Marc Morial of New Orleans. The task force will offer recommendations to the president and Congress for improving airport security. 

“We can see what works in our cities that maybe they’re not able to see directly at the national level,” Hahn said Thursday. 

He also said one of his top priorities would be to secure government assistance for airport employees who may be displaced as a result of new security measures, which might include replacing passenger and luggage personnel with law enforcement officials. 

Hahn said he already has sent a letter to President Bush, urging him to approve assistance packages that would include extended benefits and job training. 

The conference of mayors has also urged Bush to federalize airport security, which is now a local concern. On Thursday, Bush asked governors to mobilize their National Guard troops to boost airport security. 

UC Berkeley honored nine of its community partnership programs Tuesday during a two-hour gala held at the University House on the north side of campus. 

Hundreds gathered in the garden, ate hors d’oeuvres, drank white wine or sparkling water and admired the accomplishments of the honored organizations. 

The partners receiving recognition included Berkeley based Parents Guide Project, Suitcase Clinic, West Berkeley Neighborhood Collaboration and Berkeley Scholars to Cal. 

UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Berdahl reflected on the importance of community as he presented certificates to representatives of each of the nine groups. 

“In a time of tragedy, one’s sense of community becomes even greater,” said Berdahl, “and that makes today’s event even more appropriate, as we honor those groups that have done so much to serve our community.” 

As Berdahl described each group and its community activity, five or six representatives stepped forward to receive their awards. 

“I think this is a great first step for building a strong bond between the university and the community,” said Willie Phillips, director of the West Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corporation. “That’s a bond that needs to be built because the community at Cal has resources that the community of Berkeley needs access to.” 

Students from UC Berkeley’s Consulting Program at Haas School of Business and Urban Planning Department have been very involved in the success of the WBNDC. With the resources that the university has made available, the non-profit organization has been able to produce a weekly marketplace, an interactive Web site, and the “West Berkeley Pride Guide,” a booklet of information celebrating West Berkeley.  

“The university brings resources that no non-profit could afford to buy,” said Phillips. “They play a critical role in building up the community.” 

One of the programs that was honored was the Interactive University Project, which, according Berdahl, was one of the first sites publicized on the Internet back in 1996. 

The program uses the Internet to give teachers from the Oakland and San Francisco school districts access to the resources of UC Berkeley. IU, as it is commonly called, has been fighting the digital divide for five years, not only by working with teachers locally, but by making the powerful learning tools available to teachers and students throughout the world. The Interactive University can be accessed at http://iu.berkeley.edu. 

The Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas, was another of the honored partnerships. The center, in partnership with UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health, works with farm workers to research the effects of working in the fields and to ensure that they and their children are safe. 

Members of the Young Musicians Program, another of UC Berkeley’s community partnerships, provided the music for the evening. Students in the program attend a seven-week summer class on the UC Berkeley campus where they develop additional musical skills. The program boasts that it has sent 100 percent of its students to universities. 

At Oakland International Airport, the most common phrase used by one curb security supervisor is “no more.” No more curbside check-in. No more passengers taking their time to bid goodbye to loved ones who drop them off outside terminals. 

“They have to take care of all that on the way,” said curb security supervisor Marlon Condoll. “A car can’t sit at the curb in front of a terminal for more than one minute.” 

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the East Coast, changes along the perimeter of Oakland Airport could mean hassles and delays for passengers.  

Airlines are no longer offering curbside check-in, once considered a convenience for passengers. Instead, employees are working inside the airport to help passengers with their luggage, according to Whitney Brewer, a spokesperson for Texas-based Southwest Airlines. Federal Aviation Administration workers walk the airport making sure searches of shuttles and taxis parked outside terminals are being carried out, Condoll said. 

“It makes some customers leery, when they see me checking under a cab with a mirror,” Condoll said. “But it’s for their safety.” 

Companies that staff the airport are hiring more workers to accommodate security measures, and police officers are on hand to assist security workers, said Lester Patilla, a superintendent with the Port of Oakland, which manages the airport. The FAA must give approval before curbside check-in can resume, he said. 

Inside the airport, passengers must be prepared to have their carry-on baggage physically searched at security checkpoints, and random searches could occur at gates, Condoll said. Only passengers holding a ticket will be permitted to enter a security checkpoint, so passengers who purchase tickets electronically should contact airlines in advance, an FAA advisory warned. 

Keith Douglas, who works in Emeryville and flies frequently, said flying out of Oakland had posed no problems, and his only delay came when he decided to upgrade to first class at the last minute. Security measures at the airport following the Sept. 11 attacks are similar to those put in place during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, he said. 

“There was no curbside check-in back then, either,” Douglas said. 

While Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s proposed six-month moratorium on student visas is designed to heighten security in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, some people are saying that the measure could hurt Berkeley businesses and undermine cherished local values of freedom and democracy. 

Berkeley would be harder hit than most other parts of California if the proposed visa freeze went into effect, said Michael Dardia, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. 

“Retail businesses have been hit hard already,” he said. “Retailers that cater to foreign students would suffer some pain, because small businesses tend to be much more cash dependent. They don’t have the reserves to carry them through slow periods.” 

In the last academic year, foreign students accounted for 19.6 percent of UC Berkeley’s graduate student population, according to Thomas Cesa, a statistician in the Office of Student Research at Berkeley. 

The freeze could take $10-$15 million out of Berkeley’s economy, Dardia estimated. 

California as a whole would stand to lose $175-$350 million, which is not a lot considering the amount of money the state generates, Dardia said. “It’s trivial. The state economy is $1.3 trillion. To put that in perspective, it is about three days of auto sales.” 

On a more ideological level, local Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Berkeley, is worried Feinstein’s proposal could undermine freedom and democracy, key values in Berkeley. 

“About a million students come into the U.S. to study, and this would in effect penalize the many because of the few,” said Andrew Sousa, Lee’s press secretary. 

“These programs are one of the best ways that we can support democracy throughout the world.” 

Lee would certainly support tightening the immigration process to make sure student visas are not being abused, Sousa said. 

“There does need to be some sort of a student visa process, that is clear. We need to make sure that the people who have student visas are using those to study here.” 

Senator Feinstein proposed the freeze on student visas after reports that Hani Hanjour, one of the suspected terrorists involved in the Sept. 11 attacks, entered the United States to study English at a language school in Oakland. 

Michael Palm, marketing director for the school, a division of Berlitz International Inc. which leases space at Holy Names College, said the school had accepted a man named Hani Hanjour into the program. 

Hanjour applied to study in Oakland through an agent in Saudi Arabia, providing a two-page application and a letter from a bank to prove he had enough money to pay for the course. When the fall quarter started, he did not show up for class. 

The FBI contacted the school and took Hanjour’s files within two days of the terrorist attacks, the spokesman said. 

“We have not received confirmation from the federal authorities that this is the same individual (that was involved in the attacks),” Palm said. 

SACRAMENTO — Federal investigators are reviewing foreign students’ records at California college campuses as they probe the Sept. 11 East Coast terrorist attacks, officials said Thursday. 

Agents have likely sought records from virtually every California campus, education officials said. Schools throughout the nation have also been asked for records. 

College officials are turning over records under the direction of a U.S. Department of Education legal opinion that says student privacy protections can be violated for reasons of health and safety. 

Investigators have “specific names of students who had some sort of connection to the terrorist attacks,” said Colleen Bentley-Adler, spokeswoman for the 23-campus California State University system. “We’re cooperating with the FBI and turning over the records.” 

Already, Middle Eastern students at California schools have been held as material witnesses. In San Diego, three men, all local students, were detained because investigators think they have ties to three hijackers who lived in San Diego before helping fly an airliner into the Pentagon. 

The FBI also picked up another student in Irvine, Calif., because of his suspected connections to the hijackers. 

A former CSU Sacramento student, Raed Hijazi, is on trial in Jordan on charges he intended to attack American tourists on the eve of the millennium. Hijazi took business classes at the school in 1989, and federal authorities said he has connections with two alleged hijackers and Osama bin Laden, the “prime suspect” behind the attacks. 

In Los Angeles, FBI agents were given records Friday on one student who is believed to have been on one of the hijacked flights, CSU-Dominguez Hills spokeswoman Pamela Hammond said. She said she couldn’t reveal the student’s name. 

Charles McFadden, spokesman for the 174,000-student University of California system, said officials there believe all nine campuses have been approached by FBI or Immigration and Naturalization Service agents. 

“They are asking for specific students records for the most part,” McFadden said. Neither he nor CSU spokeswoman Bentley-Adler knew of any blanket requests. 

That may have helped mute protests over release of the records, McFadden said. 

In Sacramento, however, the Los Rios Community College District gave agents a list of students enrolled in one academic program, spokeswoman Susie Williams told the Sacramento Bee. 

District officials first asked for a subpoena but relented upon the advice of federal education officials, Williams said. The district includes American River, Consumnes River and Sacramento City colleges. 

FBI agents reviewed records at CSU-Hayward last week, said spokesman Kim Huggett. 

“I think it’s probably unusual for college campuses in California not to be visited by the FBI,” given their ethnic diversity, Huggett said. “I would be surprised if they haven’t been to every college in the Bay Area,” which has a large Middle Eastern population. 

The 370,000-student CSU system enrolled 54,500 foreign students last year from dozens of countries, including 350 from Afghanistan. 

An FBI spokeswoman in Washington, D.C., said the agency wouldn’t comment on any part of its investigation, including student record searches. Bureau spokesmen in Sacramento and San Francisco did not immediately return telephone messages left by The Associated Press. 

The solemn tone of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, was made even more somber Thursday as worshippers remembered victims of the terrorists attacks. 

A day of fasting and prayer, Yom Kippur is normally devoted strictly to the confession of sins and reconciliation with God. But at Temple Emanu-El in Miami Beach, congregants who knew victims of the tragedy were asked to stand and call out the names of the dead. 

“September 11 is the Yom Kippur for America,” Rabbi Leonid Feldman said. 

The devastation “required a wholesale change of direction for us,” said Rabbi Kenneth Chasen of Westchester Reform Temple in suburban Scarsdale, N.Y., which lost two congregants. Services had to acknowledge worshippers’ grief while maintaining the age-old emphasis on “the humility of working to improve ourselves.” 

Congregation Ohev Shalom in Orlando, Fla., preserved the same balance. Said Rabbi Aaron Rubinger: “I’m a little hesitant to allow the terrorists to hijack the High Holy Days.” 

At Touro Synagogue in New Orleans, Rabbi David Goldstein’s Thursday sermon, in the form of a letter to his granddaughter, denounced “ugly xenophobes who don’t like Jews or blacks or, right now, don’t like Arabs either. 

“May you cherish pluralism and diversity and an unyielding tolerance for everyone,” he said. 

The Yom Kippur mourning ritual, which speaks of a book with the names of who shall live and who shall die, is “a very difficult thing to sit through” for many, even in an ordinary year, said Sherry Birnbaum, who has talked with many grieving families as a counselor at Westchester Jewish Community Services in Hartsdale, N.Y. That was only made worse by the events of this month. 

Larry Sherman, a member of North Shore Congregation in Glencoe, Ill., expressed the mood of many worshippers: “I can’t get it out of my mind. It’s hard to focus on anything but what happened.” 

Psychiatrist Michael Bennett attended worship at Boston’s Temple Israel. “It’s not just a Day of Atonement. It’s trying to gain perspective on your life,” he said. 

Judaism’s High Holy Days began with Rosh Hashana, the New Year, six days after the attacks. Yom Kippur concludes the season. 

NEW YORK (AP) — Rudolph Giuliani obtained the support of two of the three mayoral candidates Thursday for a plan that would allow him to stay on at City Hall for an extra three months while he guides the city through the aftermath of World Trade Center attack. 

But Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, one of the two Democrats still in the race, declined to support the idea, saying he was worried about the precedent it would set. 

Democrat Mark Green and Republican Michael Bloomberg agreed to go along with a proposal after meeting privately with Giuliani. 

Green spokesman Joe DePlasco said Thursday the Democrat would support legislation delaying the inauguration of the new mayor for up to three months “given the unprecedented World Trade Center catastrophe, the urgent need for a seamless transition and the importance of a united city.” 

Giuliani said at a news conference Thursday afternoon that he had met with the GOP nominee and “Mike Bloomberg agreed to it immediately.” The Bloomberg campaign confirmed its support for the deal soon after. 

Ferrer said he also met with Giuliani, “but after listening to his proposal and giving it careful and thoughtful consideration I have decided that I cannot support it. I know the politics of the moment might dictate a different position, but I am deeply concerned about the precedent this would set.” 

Ferrer and Green will face off in an Oct. 11 runoff for the Democratic Party’s nomination for mayor. 

Giuliani, who is supposed to leave office Dec. 31 because of term limits, said Wednesday he was discussing a plan with candidates vying for his job that would “unify the city” and provide him some role in New York’s recovery from the World Trade Center attack. 

Giuliani has been acclaimed for his leadership since the Sept. 11 attack and has been urged by some New Yorkers to stay on to help guide the city through the crisis. 

Various ideas have been floated about a Giuliani role. They include a three-month extension of his term, overturning city term limits to allow him to seek a full third term, or giving him some kind of position in charge of recovery operations. 

Giuliani made his strongest comments about his intentions in an interview broadcast Wednesday night on CBS’ ”60 Minutes II.” He said he was open to the idea of staying past the end of his term if New Yorkers wanted him to stay. 

“I want to do something that unifies the city because I love this city,” the mayor said. 

Earlier in the day, Giuliani called Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to seek the powerful Democrat’s support on legislation that would extend his term. 

Only the state Legislature or the Democratic-led City Council can overturn term limits. While there has been support in the GOP-led state Senate, the Democratic-controlled Assembly has given it a cool reception. 

“While the speaker is not a supporter of term limits, he is uncomfortable changing the rules,” said Silver spokeswoman Eileen Larrabee. 

She said Silver told Giuliani in their phone call Wednesday that he would bring it up with Assembly members. No date was set for such a discussion. 

The general election is Nov. 6. 

HOUSTON — A “desperately ill” man became the world’s third recipient of a self-contained mechanical heart after a six-hour operation. 

The procedure Wednesday at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in Houston follows the success of two implants of the AbioCor device at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Ky. 

“The procedure ... went as expected and the patient is resting comfortably,” the hospital said in a statement Thursday. 

“It couldn’t have gone better,” Dr. O.H. Frazier, who spent more than a decade helping develop the AbioCor replacement heart at the hospital’s Texas Heart Institute, told the Houston Chronicle. “Everything looks stable now. He’s not having any problems. We have some hope for him.” 

He told the newspaper the man had been “desperately ill for a long time” with heart failure and was not a candidate for a heart transplant because of complications involving his lungs. 

If the lung problem improves, doctors will reassess the possibility of a heart transplant, he said. 

The completely internal pump, made of plastic and titanium and weighing less than 2 pounds, is powered through the skin by an external battery pack. 

The hospital did not identify the patient or give his age and said it would withhold any information about the patient for at least 30 days. Officials said a news briefing was planned for Friday to discuss the procedure. 

University of Louisville surgeons implanted the first AbioCor hearts on July 2 and Sept. 13 at Jewish Hospital in Kentucky. 

The first patient, Bob Tools, is now in his 87th day. He is gaining weight and making excursions outside the hospital. Doctors said his kidneys, liver and lungs are functioning normally. 

Tom Christerson, just 14 days removed from the surgery, is still in the early stages of recovery, but doctors said his condition is improving. 

The heart, made by Massachusetts-based Abiomed Inc., is intended for patients with end-stage heart failure who have more than a 70 percent chance of dying within a month. 

The AbioCor study is initially limited to five people nationwide. Other approved sites in addition to the Houston and Louisville facilities include Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, both in Boston, and UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. 

The Texas Heart Institute, founded in 1962 by surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley, was the site of the nation’s first successful heart transplant and the first implantation of a total artificial heart. 

CORONADO — As he watched the World Trade Center burn, Bob Hendershot knew the clock was ticking. In the safety of their San Diego home, his wife stared at the televised images and asked “What’s gonna happen?” 

The structural engineer knew that fire would most surely cause the buildings to collapse. At best, the thousands of people inside had three, maybe four hours to get out. 

In the end, the twin towers collapsed less than two hours after being rocked by jetliners. But Hendershot and his colleagues at a meeting in Coronado said Thursday they do not see the Sept. 11 disaster as a building failure. 

“From the point of view of those who escaped, this was a tremendously successful design,” he said. 

What lessons can be learned from the collapse of the World Trade Center towers is being discussed at the annual gathering of the Structural Engineers Association of California. 

Much of that will be determined after a team of “forensic engineers” goes to New York next week to begin reassembling the building debris. 

About a dozen structural engineers, metallurgists, fire protection engineers and other specialists will lay out pieces of the wreckage on a field in Staten Island, said Ron Hamburger, a member of the team. 

“Piece marks” recorded on the steel will be used as guides to enable them to put the debris together “like a giant jigsaw puzzle,” Hamburger said. 

The project will help explain what exactly caused the buildings to collapse. The engineers meeting at a Coronado resort have some preliminary ideas. 

The fires caused by fuel from the jetliners reached temperatures upward of 3,000 degrees, according to reports. Typical ceramic or asbestos fireproofing, such as that used in the twin towers, is intended to withstand fires as hot as 1,400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, steel is significantly weakened at 1,100 degrees. 

The damage from the jet crashes likely breached the towers’ fireproofing. That was why as he watched the buildings burn, Hendershot expected them to collapse. 

“Over a period of time, the steel would start to sag,” Hendershot said, recalling the time he watched the disaster unfold as emotionally traumatic. 

What likely happened, Hamburger said, was that in the intense heat, the connections which held the horizontal floor-framing members failed first. The floors then dropped off their horizontal support columns. 

“So as the floors started to fall off the columns as those connections failed, the columns would then begin to buckle,” he said. 

The weight of the dropping floors then caused a succession of buckling and collapse. 

But, Hendershot said, “these buildings withstood at least an hour, allowing thousands of occupants to exit — thousands of occupants. I think this is a testimony to quality engineering and consideration of life-safety issues.” 

Melvyn Green, who will replace Hendershot this week as the president of the California association, is joining a team of engineers who will consider whether the WTC disaster should lead to changes in building codes. 

One consideration Green has is the need to design stairways that accommodate firefighters entering buildings even as civilians are evacuating them. Workers who left the World Trade Center said they jostled to get past firefighters going up narrow stairwells. 

Designing “redundancy” in fire-protection mechanisms is another matter, he said. Green intends to stress the importance of alarms, practiced exit plans and perhaps fire wardens spaced throughout high-rise buildings. 

He also noted that the water sprinklers at the WTC were not effective against flammable liquid such as jet fuel and likely only served to spread the fire. 

The terrorist attack “was a horribly, carefully calculated procedure to do maximum damage,” he said. 

But planning for such unforeseeable catastrophes isn’t practical, due to the costs of using materials capable of withstanding intense heat, such as those used for space craft exteriors. 

“The fact is that when we design buildings, structures, bridges, we consider events that are likely to affect them, not any event that could credibly occur,” Hamburger said. The World Trade Center disaster “is not one that could credibly be anticipated.” 

Moreover, he said, the basic intent of designers is to allow people to safely evacuate a structure, not prevent structural damage. 

“Given that 90 percent or more of the occupants of the center were able to escape,” he said, “I think you would have to call it a success. A complete success? No. But a success.” 

Paint industry experts say that about 95 percent of do-it-yourself interior wall painting is done with a roller. Even a rank amateur can use a paint roller because they’re simple to use, effective and fast. 

But, even with the best and simplest of tools, there are things one should know to get the most work done while exerting the least energy. 

According to Ed Majkrzak, technical director at True Value Paint Co., “Good paint alone won’t do the trick.” Ed tells us that a good applicator is equally important. Since the roller cover itself is the most important part of the paint-rolling system, it is important to focus on how to choose the best one, and then, how to properly use it. 

The roller cover is a two-part contraption consisting of the core and the fabric covering. Majkrzak says that the core is the “foundation” of the roller cover and that the best type is made of phenolic-impregnated (resin-impregnated) craft paper. This core is made through an interesting process. First, craft paper is rolled into a continuous tube that looks like a cardboard mailer. Next, the paper tube is pressure-injected with a special resin and the whole thing is then sent into an oven and heat-cured. 

The resultant core is a hard material that is resistant to paint solvents, and creates a tube that is nearly impossible for the average person to crush. Plastic, on the other hand, will soften in certain solvents, and a plastic core that is not perfectly round will “bump” on the surface resulting in an uneven distribution of paint. 

Both water and solvents will soften the cheapest of the three cores — the plain-cardboard type. A plain-cardboard roller core will generally not hold up any longer than it takes to paint one room. 

Top-quality rollers pick up and release more paint per fill and provide more uniform coverage with less effort. Inexpensive rollers tend to mat-down, reducing the amount of paint the roller will hold and requiring more frequent fillings. 

The fabric covering also has much to do with the quality of a good roller cover. Unfortunately, all the commonly used fabrics are available in many grades, and, therefore, practically the only way to hope for good-quality material is to purchase top-of-the-line roller covers. 

Desired qualities in roller-cover fabric: 

—Ability to pick up paint. 

—Ability to release the paint evenly on the surface. 

—Ability to recover from compression. A fabric that mats down is no good. 

—What surface finishes it can create (smooth, rough, orange-peel, etc.). 

—Tendency to not shed. 

Keep the following in mind when selecting a roller cover: 

—For an ultra-smooth wall finish using enamel or semi-gloss paint, use a 1/4-inch mohair or a 1/4-inch all-purpose cover. 

—For brick or block use a 1-and-1/2-inch pile cover. 

—For flat finishes on walls and ceilings, use a 3/8ths-inch to 1/2-inch pile cover. 

Most manufacturers offer guides that suggest the best use for their roller cover. It is important to follow these guidelines. Doing so will help ensure a good job. 

Finally, it’s essential to know how to fill a roller and then how to properly distribute the paint on the wall. Properly filling a roller requires the use of a roller pan. The pan serves two purposes: a place to soak the roller with paint and a place to roll off the excess to ensure that the paint is evenly distributed throughout the roller. Dip the roller in the paint well and roll it back and forth until it is completely covered with paint. Then roll the cover back and forth over the angled section of the pan until the paint is evenly distributed all around the roller. 

Note: Don’t move a roller cover to the wall while it is dripping with paint. A dripping roller is one that is overfilled. Bring the roller back to the pan and roll it back and forth again until the paint no longer drips. 

To apply the paint, use an “M” or “W” shape stroke on the wall. Then move the roller up and down to evenly spread the paint. 

For more home improvement tips and information, visit our Web site at www.onthehouse.com. 

Q. Julie asks: I have a mildew problem on the ceiling above my shower. I do not have a window in the bathroom. I want to paint, but am worried it might just be covering a problem instead of repairing it. I use bleach about every two weeks to clean the ceiling and walls, and it does make the appearance of the mildew go away for a few days. What would be the best thing for me to do? 

A. Mildew in your home is easy to remove. Just mix one-third cup of powdered laundry detergent (less if concentrated) and 1 quart of liquid chlorine bleach with 3 quarts of warm water. Add the bleach to the water first and then the detergent. Scrub with a bristle brush, and in minutes the mildew will disappear. Rinse the area thoroughly and towel-dry. Although this reasonably mild solution can be used for most painted surfaces, you’ll want rubber gloves, eye protection and plenty of ventilation. 

But why spend time removing mildew when you can prevent it? Mildew can’t grow without a food source, and the food source that mildew thrives on is moisture. Mildew spores are in the air everywhere. They look for moist places to settle, feed and grow. 

How do you prevent mildew from growing? Reduce or eliminate the food source by cutting down on the amount of moisture, usually condensation, which settles on walls, floors and ceilings. This might not be as simple for someone who lives in Florida as for a family in west Texas, but, given varying degrees of attention, eradication is possible even in relatively humid climates. 

That you don’t have a window in your bathroom means that ventilation might be poor. Moreover, the lack of natural light provides optimal conditions for mildew growth. 

According to the Building Code, a bathroom without a window must have an exhaust fan to remove moisture and odors. Unfortunately, bath fans are often undersized, broken or simply not used. If you have an exhaust fan, make sure that it is cleaned periodically, that the duct is properly connected and in good shape and that it is always used during showering and allowed to run for 10 to 15 minutes after the shower is over. Also, check the CFM rating on your fan housing (that’s the amount of air that the fan moves expressed as cubic feet per minute); anything less than 80 cfms usually is too small for most American bathrooms. Consider upgrading to a larger model, if such is the case. 

Hot weather may not inspire any more gardening activity than plucking a juicy tomato off the vine, but don’t neglect weeding. Untended weeds become worse troublemakers later. 

Autumn is just around the corner, and its cool, moist weather is just what horse nettle, bindweed, and other perennial weeds need to firmly establish a home in your garden. Weeds weaken garden plants, diminishing the show of flowers and the yields of vegetables. 

Killing weeds now not only cuts the amount of weeding you’ll have to do next spring, it also will leave some bare soil in which to sow seeds in the coming weeks. Many perennial flowers — delphinium, clematis, and evening primrose, for example — do well if sown in autumn. Seeds of annuals such as snapdragon, poppy, and pansy can lie in the ground through winter, ready to come to life with the first breath of spring. 

Autumn is a bountiful time in the garden. The cool weather brings out the best in cabbages, Brussels sprouts, lettuces, mustard greens and turnips. Flowers such as stonecrop sedum, delphinium, viola, and, of course, chrysanthemum will burst into bloom. Even annuals like calendula, snapdragon, alyssum, and petunia continue their show until the mercury plummets well below freezing. 

But you’re not going to be able to see your flowers if they’re lost in a sea of weeds. You can kill the weeds with a hoe or a rototiller, or you can just bend down and rip them out with your bare hands, roots and all. You also can smother them beneath mulch. Four layers of wet newspaper, topped by wood chips or straw to hide the paper and hold it down, effectively kills weeds. 

Weeding need not be a daunting task. Start at one end of the garden, then slowly and methodically make your way across to the other side. Keep an eye on what you are doing, not what you have left to do. Work in the cool of early morning or evening, pleasant times to be in the garden, even if you are weeding. 

Here’s a comparison of what decorators Jane Bell Cammarata and Linda Clay estimate it would cost to buy items at a flea market to furnish a child’s room, and what the same items might cost new or at an antiques store (their purchases were hypothetical): 

- The 7- by 9-foot needlepoint rug would cost $50 at the sale; on the market, expect to spend $300 or more. 

- Slant-top desk would be a bargain at $75; a new one would probably cost about $600. 

- Yellow cabinet with glass doors would cost the decorators $125; market price for a similar item would be about $700. 

- A small lamp would go for $15 at the sale; new, it would run about $100. 

- Three pictures at the sale have an estimated cost of $20; if new, $100. 

- Two window treatments could be conjured up by the decorators from a $10 price for drapery remnants; similar new ones would be about $550. 

- The rush-seat stool would go for $7; new, it would be $45. 

- A $1 basket at the sale would cost about $10 in a store. 

- The child’s rocker picked up for $25 would cost $125 retail. 

- Bed linens, which the women say they could get for $20, would run around $200 new. 

- And the bird cage, priced at $30 for the sale, would cost around $90. 

Estimated flea market costs: $378 

Estimated retail costs: $2,820 

Estimated savings: $2,442 

Gov.Gray Davis has signed redistricting 

bills that will probably allow 

Democrats to dominate California’s 

Legislature and congres-sional 

delegation for the next decade. 

But the bipartisan measures 

also tend to strengthen Republicans’ 

hold on the seats they have 

now and may keep Democrats 

from winning a majority in the 

House of Representatives next 

year. 

“This reapportionment effort 

was a most cooperative bipartisan 

endeavor,” the Democratic 

governor said Thursday. “No 

plan is perfect, but the maps produced 

this year are fair and balanced.” 

Legislators are required to 

approve new districts for them-selves 

and the state’s congres-sional 

representatives every 10 

years to reflect population 

changes revealed by federal cen-sus. 

If one party controls the 

process it can draw the lines to 

try to create more winnable seats 

for its candidates. 

Democrats were firmly in 

charge of redistricting in Califor-nia 

this year because of their big 

majorities in the Legislature and 

the presence of Davis in the governor’s office. 

But Democrats decided to use 

the process to solidify their hold 

on the seats they have now 

instead of trying to draw several 

more Democratic leaning districts. 

That decision avoided a 

Republican Party challenge to 

the plans in court or through a 

voter referendum. 

However, a Democrat is likely 

to win the additional congres-sional 

seat that the state was 

awarded because of its popula-tion 

growth in the 1990s. That 

new seat is in Los Angeles 

County. 

Democrats currently hold 

26 of the 40 seats in the 

state Senate, 50 of the 80 

seats in the state Assembly 

and 32 of California’s 52 

seats in the House of Repre-sentatives. 

Davis said the plans were put 

together by “extremely diverse” 

legislative committees that 

included blacks, Latinos, Asians, 

gays and women. 

But some of the new districts 

have come under fire from Latino 

and Asian organizations that 

say the lines reduce the clout of 

minority group voters. 

And some female lawmakers 

have complained the 

Senate and congressional 

plans would prevent a number 

of assemblywomen from 

moving up the political ladder. 

SACRAMENTO — State Treasurer Phil Angelides said Thursday that delays by the California Public Utilities Commission mean the state won’t issue $12.5 billion in energy bonds to repay the state general fund until next year. 

Any more delays could cause a $9.3 billion deficit in the next fiscal year, Angelides said. 

California has spent nearly $9 billion buying power since January, when three utilities, who had amassed billions in debt, could no longer buy electricity for their customers. 

“This state started this year in very tough times,” Angelides said. “To keep the lights on, the state lent its nest egg, money intended for education, health care services, programs for the poor and basic services of state government. It’s time to pay that money back.” 

Before the state can sell the bonds, however, the PUC must approve two agreements, one which would set the initial portion of utility bills that will go toward repaying the state, the other to allow the state to raise electric rates if it isn’t collecting enough to repay the debts. 

To make the bonds appealing to buyers, there must be a guarantee that some part of customers’ rates will be dedicated toward repayment, Angelides said. 

But energy regulators have delayed voting on the agreements with the Department of Water Resources, the state agency charged with buying enough electricity to supply the utilities’ customers. 

PUC Commissioner Richard Bilas and other commissioners have said they aren’t happy about potentially giving up the PUC’s right to scrutinize how the state is spending ratepayer dollars and how high it could raise electric rates. 

“I think there are a lot of problems with the agreement,” Bilas said. But it may be the best the state can do and “you’ve got to trade that off against the fiscal integrity of the state.” 

After the PUC approval, it will take at least 60 days to arrange the bond sale, Angelides said, but a legal challenge could extend that timeline. The PUC is now set to vote on the issues Tuesday. 

“I see no way these bonds could be sold this year,” Angelides said. 

Without paying the state back by the 2002-03 fiscal year, the state will be short $9.3 billion, which would require cutting about 18 percent of California’s non-education spending, Angelides said. 

Such a shortfall would resemble the deficits of the mid-1990s, when the state raised taxes and made deep spending cuts, he said. 

The rate agreement has been stalled while the PUC examines an alternative plan for the bonds approved by the Legislature. 

That plan, proposed by Sen. John Burton, D-San Francisco, would set aside part of existing consumer electricity rates to guarantee the state has enough money to pay off the energy bonds. It would also limit the use of the bond money to cover electricity purchases and legislatively approved administrative costs and would require public hearings before the DWR could raise consumer rates to cover power purchases. 

Burton said there’s a consensus that his plan would save $1 billion and “make it easier to sell the bonds. Earlier this year, the treasurer endorsed splitting the bond payment, rather than giving carte blanche to the DWR.” 

Consumer advocate Jamie Court of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights also supports Burton’s plan, saying it would stop DWR and Gov. Gray Davis from having a “blank check” for power deals. 

NEW YORK — Patty Gonzales now keeps soldiers and other military toys in a closet, hidden from her 5- and 6-year-old sons. Instead, she bought them rescue hero figures such as firefighters and policemen. 

Lisa Eastman bought Lego blocks and puzzles for her 6-year-old girl and 3-year-old boy. 

In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, more and more parents are trying to rid their children’s lives of violent toys. 

“We just need a break,” said Eastman, a 38-year-old Manhattanite. “My kids now have nightmares about fires and about all those bad guys.” 

The toy industry has been doing some soul-searching, too, editing product lines, pulling toys from retail shelves and delaying release of items that might be viewed as too violent. 

And though it’s too early to gauge post-disaster buying trends, retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., have noticed more sales of firefighter and policeman figures, as well as rescue vehicles. One hot seller has been Mattel Inc.’s Fisher-Price “Rescue Heroes,” a lineup of 7-inch characters unveiled in 1998. 

Toy analysts also believe Hasbro Inc.’s newly relaunched GI Joe could be attractive to parents who want to help children act out their fears. Wal-Mart reported an initial uptick in sales of GI Joe’s since the terrorist attacks. 

For others, such as Eastman and Gonzales, military figures are just too powerful when the real thing is on city streets. 

“It’s bad enough that they see the Army in the airports,” said Gonzales, a 24-year-old from Brooklyn. 

Chris Byrne, an independent toy analyst, predicts “those nasty toys that destroy enemies for the sake of unspecified violent play” will be replaced by heroes who restore order. 

“All of this destruction and combat play has been possible because it is so abstract,” he said. “Now ’the threat’ is real.” 

Mattel, the world’s largest toy manufacturer, has already withdrawn its Heli-Jet vehicle, which belongs to its Max Steel line of merchandise based on a teen superhero cartoon series. It contains a mission card with a specific goal: Save New York City from the villain called Vitriol, who stands atop the World Trade Center, ready to blast the city with deadly energy waves. 

Bandai America aims to play down the fighting aspect of its Power Rangers action figures and push “teamwork and friendship,” says Colleen Sherfey, director of marketing. She said the company has redesigned some of its advertising and marketing. 

This re-evaluation couldn’t come at a more critical time for retailers and manufacturers, which have already shipped their products into stores for the Oct. 1 holiday deadline. 

How long consumers’ increased sensitivity will last is anyone’s guess, but many consumer advocates see a new climate favoring less violent types of toys. 

Ann Brown, chairwoman of the Consumer Products Safety Commission, said she’s against any toys that “glorify violence.” 

What’s appropriate for children, she said, are toys that help children “deal with violence,” such as Army toys and GI Joes. “Kids need to really re-enact their fears as heroes,” she said, recommending toys that emphasize rescue workers like nurses and firefighters. 

“Children have fears anyway,” she continued. “The attacks have increased those fears. ... Now they have tangible evidence to focus those fears on.” 

She and other consumer advocates are closely monitoring the video game industry. 

Video game makers have already delayed some new games containing images of the World Trade Center to remove the graphics. But for the now-delayed fall launches of games that involve terrorist or other violent activity, the issue is trickier: When will the consumer be ready? 

“Video game makers are buying more time right now,” said Dan Hsu, editor in chief of Electronic Gaming Monthly. “I think they are going to take a safer approach to content for 2002 and 2003.” 

Sega of North America indefinitely postponed its “Propeller Arena” game, involving planes in combat in various cities. It had been set for the end of the month. 

Ubi Soft Entertainment, which owns Red Storm Entertainment, has delayed its PC game, part of a series based on Tom Clancy’s novels. The new release, “Rogue Spear: Black Thorn,” has players involved in counterterrorist games. 

Natasha Spring, 38, of Petaluma, Calif., now doesn’t plan to buy her children — two boys, ages 9 and 5, and a 2-year-old girl — a game console. 

“Even if they watch sports games, it just opens the door for violent games,” she said. “I think they are going to be sticking to Disney cartoons.” 

Merchants said they see no reason to remove existing violent games, even if they involve terrorist threats. They’re leaving it to consumer discretion. 

Zany Brainy, which has avoided carrying violent video games and toys, expects parents to gravitate this holiday season toward more toys with “open-ended play.” 

“I think we will be seeing strength in Legos, trains and board games, as well as arts and crafts,” said Tom Vellios, president and chief executive officer. 

Spokeswoman Lisa Orman said the retailer also expects more participation than ever in its program allowing a violent toy to be traded in for a safer one on a designated weekend. 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Strom Thurmond returned to his job Wednesday, one day after fainting in the chamber and being taken to a hospital. 

Doctors said the 98-year-old Republican likely suffered from dehydration and kept him overnight for tests after he slumped over on his Senate desk Tuesday and was taken by ambulance to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. 

Thurmond, the nation’s oldest and longest-serving senator, left the hospital and returned the Senate in time to vote early in the afternoon against a bill normalizing trade with Vietnam. It passed 88-12 despite his opposition. 

As he sat in a front-row desk Wednesday, senators of both parties made a point of dropping by with handshakes and pats on the back. 

“Good to see you back!” declared Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. An equally enthusiastic, booming, “Welcome back!” came from Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md. 

Thurmond has had bouts of dizziness before and has been to the hospital several times, the most recent in February, when he spent a weekend in Walter Reed suffering from fatigue. 

Aides also say a degenerative hip condition keeps him from traveling extensively. Thurmond was first elected to the Senate in 1954. In 1996, at the age of 93, he became the oldest person ever to serve in Congress. 

Last week, the Berkeley City Council passed one of the first municipal food policies in the country. The policy will bring fresh, local and organic foods to the institutional food programs run by the city. The policy will also support activities that contribute to healthful eating patterns for city residents and support small scale, regional sustainable agriculture.  

Berkeley has been and continues to be known for healthy food with internationally renowned restaurants, year-round farmers’ markets and retail outlets stocked with locally and sustainable grown foods, according to a press statement by the Berkeley Food Policy Council. “Yet many Berkeley residents still go hungry, are disconnected from the source of their food, and have diets high in fats and highly processed foods,” said Jered Lawson, a member of the BFPC, which helped author the policy. 

SACRAMENTO — A letter from Southern California Edison, linking support for its so-called “bailout bill” to national security in the wake of terrorist attacks, is being hammered by opponents as a desperate act and cynical offense to thousands of Americans killed Sept. 11. 

Edison International President John E. Bryson made the link in a letter to company shareholders Sept. 21. The letter asked them to lobby California senators to pass a bill to stave off bankruptcy for the troubled utility. Edison estimates its debt from paying wholesale costs of electricity during deregulation at $3.9 billion. 

“During this time of national crisis we need stability in the California electric system,” Bryson wrote Edison shareholders. “An Edison bankruptcy will destabilize that essential system and will have major adverse impacts on an already fragile California economy.” 

Bryson called it “irresponsible and destabilizing,” for the state Senate to ignore the bill, “particularly during this time of national and economic uncertainty.” 

State Sen. John Burton, D-San Francisco, the Senate’s president pro tempore, said of the language, “I thought it was unseemly, and a desperate act from a desperate person. Maybe we’ll do them a favor and put it up for a vote and show there’s three people who will support it.” 

Bryson’s letter is a shot at winning Senate support when it returns to the Capitol Oct. 9. Senators failed to vote on the Edison bill in the last hours of the 2001 legislative session that ended Sept. 15. 

The bill, a version of a deal reached by Gov. Gray Davis and Edison in April, passed the Assembly. Earlier variations of the deal involved the state buying Edison’s transmission lines and letting the utility sell consumer-backed bonds to repay the remaining debt. 

Harvey Rosenfield, president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, called Bryson’s letter a ploy to “wrap the American flag around the bailout.” 

In a letter to Bryson, Rosenfield wrote Bryson that equating “what has happened to this nation in the last three weeks with your company’s self-inflicted financial wounds is a grievous offense to the memories of the six thousand men, women and children” killed on Sept 11. 

“Leave it to Harvey Rosenfield to exploit this,” said Edison spokesman Steve Hanson. 

Burton, who called the Edison bill a “rip off of residential people,” said it doesn’t have a chance of passing during next week’s special session. 

15,00 people gather at Dolores Park to protest U.S. presence in Afghanistan 

On a bright sunny Saturday, a day after newspaper headlines announced the first presence of American units in Afghanistan, 15,000 people — mostly young, but including older people and families with children — gathered at Dolores Park in San Francisco’s Mission District for the first mass anti-war protest to follow the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.  

A colorful crowd filled the park from late morning until 4 p.m. People sang, played instruments and carried thousands of anti-war and anti-racism signs saying, “Act now to stop the war and end racism,” “Take back the flags,” “Send food to Afghanistan not bombs” and “Justice, not vengeance.”  

It was impossible to move more than five feet without being handed colorful fliers from organizations including the Communist Party, California Prison Focus, Share International, East Bay Coalition Against War and the Youth and Student Network.  

“What do you want?” Miguel Molina from KPFA shouted into the microphone. “Peace,” the crowd cried back. “When?” continued Molina. “Now,” the crowd answered.  

“We are going to show [to] this country that we are united,” Molina said. 

Peace and anti-hate messages dominated the many speeches during the two hour protest that ended with a mile-long march through the Mission that again wound up at Dolores Park. 

“We don’t want more innocent people to be killed,” Gloria La Riva of the International Action Center, said later to the crowd. La Riva’s center was one of dozens of groups organizing the protest. 

“War against the people of Afghanistan is not the answer, neither are racist attacks against Arab Americans and Muslims. This is our answer to Bush. It might not be in the CNN but we have our own opinions and we say not to war and racism.”  

Eman Desouky of the Arab American Anti –Discrimination Committee shared her fears with the audience.  

“I’m frightened for my people; I’m frightened to walk in the street to see another window broken, to see another little girl afraid of walking to school. I’m frightened from what had happened to my people. Over 10 years of starvation of the Iraqi’s mothers and children, I am afraid for my brothers and sisters in Palestine. “  

Desouky called the people to unite and say no to racism and to not scapegoat Arab, Muslims, Middle Eastern people and those who look alike them.  

Bianca Bonilla, a Berkeley High School senior who was the youngest speaker, described “Youth Together’s” teach-ins at Berkeley High and how they were initiated after several Arab, Muslim, Sikh and south east Asian students were harassed by other students.  

“Our president, which isn’t even cool, wants to spend so much money on war instead of education,” Bonilla said to the cheering crowd.  

Later on, still shaking from the excitement of addressing the crowd, Bonilla shared her thoughts.  

“High schools shouldn’t be a place you can’t be you,” she said. “You need to be able to be yourself everywhere. People should be aware that the media is telling you one side of the story and you shouldn’t carry out your actions just according to what the media is saying.”  

After dozens of interviews for national and international media, Bonilla sounded more confident.  

“I‘m happy that people actually want to listen to what I have to say, that they listen to the youth,” she said. 

Thenmozhi Soundararajan, an Indian youth activist dressed with a traditional sari inspired the audience with her singing.  

“They took my heart and left me nothing instead,” sang the young activist who graduated UC Berkeley two years ago. “I was told several occasions to leave this country and I was born here.”  

Soundararajan was describing her experience of the last few weeks. Afterwards, she encouraged the people for action.  

“Sisters raise up, brothers raise up, we must raise up, raise up right now, take the streets, take our streets, persistent, consistent vision of peace,” she said. 

The last speaker, and the only politician, was Berkeley City Councilmember Kriss Worthington.  

“We remember today all those who died in the planes, at the World Trade Center, those who died in this country that day and those who died in many other countries in many other days because of the lack of peace and justice,” he said, rejecting the voices against anti-war protests. “In standing up for peace and justice today, you are a true heroes and patriots of America.”  

“I’m very happy to see so many young people along with people who were part of the anti-war movement in the ’60s,” said Nancy Carleton from Berkeley. Carleton joined her parents protest in the ’60s as a junior high school student. “I ‘m proud of Berkeley and the Bay Area for not being swept with into the war fever.”  

A group of almost 300 UC Berkeley students, wearing green arm bands to pledge solidarity with Arab, Muslim and Middle Eastern people and for speaking out against scapegoating was one of the most vocal groups on the March. 

“Books not bombs, teachers not troops,” they shouted.  

“I think its unjust war,” said Ronald Cruz of the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action and Integration and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary. Cruz is also a graduate student from the education department at UC Berkeley. “Disproportional numbers of people that the U.S. actively recruit and will send to kill and die in the Middle East are black, Latino and poor people, while this country segregates them into inferior schools.” said Cruz.  

Christina Hioureas, from the national organization for woman in UC Berkeley was satisfied.  

“I think it’s great that we are all united,” she said. “Today we set our differences aside and fighting for equality and justice.”  

The UC Berkeley “stop the war” coalition used the opportunity to gather a multi-campus conference a few hours after the rally. Representatives from 25 different campuses in California participated in the conference — including UCLA, Stanford, UC Irvine and the University of South California. Together, they decided the next steps for building multi-campus base coalition.  

The Berkeley student’s next action is a protest against U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., which will be held on October 2 at Feinstein’s San Francisco office. Last week, Feinstein helped introduce a bill that would ban all new visas for international students for six months.

LOS ANGELES — An Iranian national who allegedly threatened to “kill all Americans” when he was caught smoking on an international flight was ordered held without bail Friday after a prosecutor argued his actions threatened thousands of lives. 

Javid Naghani was not only a threat to the 145 people aboard Air Canada Flight 792 but to thousands of people on the ground in Los Angeles, Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Rubinstein told Judge Magistrate Jennifer Lum at a hearing in federal court on Friday afternoon. 

Naghani’s attorney, Richard Novak, argued for bail, saying his client is a successful businessman with strong ties to the community, but Lum was not moved. She ordered Naghani to return to court Oct. 15 for a preliminary hearing. 

Naghani, a legal resident with an office-cleaning business called Cleaning of America, was traveling with his wife aboard Air Canada 792 to Toronto when authorities say he was caught smoking in the Boeing 767’s bathroom. 

When flight attendants confronted him, he said he would “kill all Americans” and said he belonged to some sort of unspecified group, according to a criminal complaint filed against him Friday. Naghani also accused the staff of being racist and said, “You do not know who I am,” attendants told an FBI agent. 

“His words are how this court should judge Mr. Naghani’s actions. Those words were spoken to convey a threat and they certainly did,” Rubinstein told the judge. “He was risking the lives of everybody on that plane and also the citizens of Los Angeles that were on the ground.” 

Novak said Naghani is a successful businessman and property owner but also a person who has a drinking problem, adding that may have contributed to the confrontation aboard the plane. He said several government buildings are among those serviced by his cleaning business. 

In arguing against bail, Rubinstein said Naghani has also had previous brushes with the law, including a conviction for reckless driving in 1988 and one for possession of a dangerous weapon, a dagger, in 1995. He didn’t elaborate. 

The defendant, dressed in shorts and an untucked, button-downed shirt, tried to interrupt the hearing at one point, telling the judge the allegations were false. 

“I didn’t say those words, I swear to my mother,” he said. 

After Naghani allegedly made his threat, the pilot turned the jet around and two U.S. fighter planes escorted it back to Los Angeles International Airport less than an hour after departure. Authorities took Naghani into custody and most of the flight’s passengers eventually made it to Toronto on Friday morning. 

Flight attendants told the captain “they were intimidated, fearful and unwilling to deal with Naghani, and that Naghani needed to be removed from the aircraft,” FBI agent David Beall said. 

Naghani’s wife, Rose Hinojos, told a flight attendant her husband had been drinking wine before the confrontation. She told The Associated Press Thursday night she did not see him smoking. 

Hinojos also denounced the authorities, saying they treated her and Naghani like terrorists. 

“I was handcuffed all over like I am a terrorist,” said Hinojos, who was released after questioning. “This is not the way to treat residents. This is the United States. My husband and I are not terrorists. 

“My husband is the kindest person I have ever met,” Hinojos said, adding that Naghani, a businessman, “treats his employees very well.” 

A neighbor described Naghani on Friday as a boisterous chain smoker with a penchant for hard liquor and a “good heart.” 

Helene Apper, who has lived near Naghani for five years, said he was nervous about flying in the wake of the East Coast terrorist attacks. Apper suggested Naghani likely had too much to drink out of nervousness, but was not someone who would actually carry through on violent threats. 

“He loved America and the freedoms it gave him,” she said. 

Editor: 

I was horrified to read that the Mayor, and her office, had been targeted for political profiling, of the worst and most unfair variety, in the incident over the removal of flags from the Fire Department vehicles.  

For all those who rush to defend those wrongly accused for (supposed) political attitudes and alliances with America’s enemies, because of their ethnic identities, consider this: We are unlikely to ever contribute to the causes of peace and rational problem-solving in the world arena, when we are so quick to accuse our own, in such an unreasonable way. Mayor Dean is the last person in the world to deserve such libelous accusations. 

As it happened, I went over to the Mayor’s office on a personal errand, on Sept. 11. The mood in the office was somber, concerned, and conscientious, that the City of Berkeley respond to this national tragedy in a way that would support all those injured by the terrorist attacks.  

In addition to responding as heart-connected individuals, who wanted to do everything in their power to help, the Mayor and her staff was also mindful of the symbolic role of the city’s leadership. In particular, I was told that Mayor Dean’s first comment, upon arriving at City Center that day, was to be alarmed that the U.S. flag in front of the building had not already been lowered to half mast, in respectful honor of those killed, and the nation’s sorrow.  

Not only was Mayor Dean unreasonably accused of being responsible for the removal of the U.S. flags, she is the last person I can think of, who would have WANTED them removed. 

Those talk show hosts who attributed the act to her were more than irresponsible.  

I am shocked that they would pass on a clear and obvious lie, without any effort to ascertain the truth of the matter.  

I am surprised that their attorneys would let them expose themselves to a lawsuit for libel, just for the sake of a few cheap gibes at Berkeley’s expense.  

We ought to be rallying around our Mayor, who works like a dog to keep this unruly city grounded and functioning, instead of allowing her to be cruelly attacked by cheap pundits.  

Truth is, we don’t deserve a Mayor as good as Shirley Dean. 

Sam Herbert 

Berkeley

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A passenger allegedly uttered an anti-American threat after he was caught smoking aboard an airliner, forcing the Air Canada jet to return to Los Angeles International Airport under escort by Air Force fighters Thursday. 

The FBI identified the passenger as Javid Naghani, an Iranian citizen in the United States legally. He was in custody Thursday evening, said FBI spokesman Matt McLaughlin, and was expected to appear before a federal magistrate sometime Friday. He was not immediately charged with a crime. 

Authorities would not describe the threat. 

“Shortly after departure a male passenger was apprehended smoking in the lavatory,” said Nicole Couture-Simard, spokeswoman for Air Canada in Montreal. “The passenger became verbally abusive and uttered an anti-American threat.” 

The confrontation aboard Air Canada Flight 792 to Toronto was resolved without further incident, and the plane landed safely less than an hour after takeoff, authorities said. 

Naghani was traveling on the Boeing 767 with a woman. She was also questioned but was not arrested, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Bosley. 

A third man was questioned as a material witness, said Nancy Castles, an airport spokeswoman. 

Couture-Simard said it was not necessary to restrain the passenger and the plane’s crew had control of the situation at all times. 

“There was no physical aggression. In-flight crew handled the situation professionally. The pilot elected to return to Los Angeles as a precautionary measure only,” she said. 

There were 145 people on the plane, including a crew of seven, Castles said. The jet took off at 12:47 p.m. and returned to the airport at 1:39 p.m. Passengers were taken to the Tom Bradley International Terminal and rebooked on a flight scheduled to leave at 11:45 p.m. 

Two F-16s escorted the Air Canada flight into the airport. Castles said the jets were likely responding to a Federal Aviation Administration request after the pilot of the 767 described the situation to the FAA. 

The Pentagon recently confirmed that two Air Force generals have been authorized to order the military to shoot down any civilian airliner that appears to be threatening U.S. cities. 

The incident occurred as Gov. Gray Davis was traveling to an airport press conference by shuttle bus from a remote parking lot where all passengers who arrive by car must park. Private vehicles have been banned from roads serving terminals. 

“We were about five minutes out of Lot C when those two jets buzzed the airport, so we knew something was up,” said Davis, who announced a call-up of National Guard troops to bolster security, then took a flight to San Francisco to demonstrate confidence in air travel.