The Week

 

News

Democratic club endorses Ramsey, Fox Ruby

By David Scharfenberg, Berkeley Daily Planet staff
Saturday December 15, 2001

The Berkeley Democratic Club, home to the moderate wing of the city’s Democratic Party, overwhelmingly endorsed Charles Ramsey for the 14th State Assembly District seat and Jacki Fox Ruby for the Alameda County Board of Education on Thursday. Both candidates are up for election in March. -more-


Out & About Calendar

– Compiled by Guy Poole
Saturday December 15, 2001


Saturday, Dec. 15

-more-


Julia Morgan’s Berkeley City Club serves as an inspiration

By Susan Cerny
Saturday December 15, 2001

A recent exhibit at the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum explored the concept of environmentally responsible architecture. The buildings presented in the exhibit were designed and built within the past few years and their design was distinctly contemporary. -more-


CUE files claim against LBNL

Lee Purbaugh
Saturday December 15, 2001

Editor: -more-


Precious gifts, books capture spirit of great art

By Joan Brunskill, The Associated Press
Saturday December 15, 2001

Splendor of the masters reborn in pages of many fine art booksxZ -more-


Arts & Entertainment Calendar

Staff
Saturday December 15, 2001

Pleasant Valley hands Lady ’Jackets third loss of season

By Jared Green, Daily Planet Staff
Saturday December 15, 2001

When it comes to Northern California dominance, the Berkeley High girls’ basketball team is usually right up there with De La Salle football. But although the Spartans won yet another NorCal title this season, times may be changing for the Lady ’Jackets. -more-


ZAB votes to close down Gypsy parlor

By Hank Sims, Daily Planet staff
Saturday December 15, 2001

Berkeley police officers exchanged high-fives in Old City Hall Thursday night after the Zoning Adjustments Board voted to shutter the Golden Gypsy Massage Parlor for good. -more-



Psychics could see stiff regulations in their future

By John Geluardi, Daily Planet staff
Saturday December 15, 2001

America’s Iraq policy a sham

Bill Mitch
Saturday December 15, 2001

Obituary

Staff
Saturday December 15, 2001

Floyd Lee Gill, owner and operator of Gill’s Ambassador Shoe Repair Shop in Berkeley for 48 years, died Dec. 12 from natural causes. He was 77 years old. -more-


Boycotting unAmerican city

Bill Kinney
Saturday December 15, 2001

Hyde School honors academic excellence

Staff
Saturday December 15, 2001

BATH, MAINE – The following local residents recently received academic honors from the independent, character-based Hyde School in Bath: -more-


A season to share

Staff
Saturday December 15, 2001

Following are some local-serving community agencies that can use financial and/or volunteer help. The Daily Planet is listing these nonprofits as a public service and does not have first-hand knowledge of the work of most of the agencies. -more-


Mysterious form of breast cancer crops up in three Castro Valley women

The Associated Press
Saturday December 15, 2001

CASTRO VALLEY — Within a 10-month period in 1999, three women who worked in the same office at Eden Medical Center were diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, a very rare and aggressive type of the disease that strikes just a few dozen women in the Bay Area every year. -more-


Police Blotter

– Hank Sims
Saturday December 15, 2001

Victims’ loved ones apalled by bin Laden tapes

The Associated Press
Saturday December 15, 2001

Terrorist leader reminds one Bay Area resident of a gloating, smirking criminal -more-


Bay Area Briefs

Staff
Saturday December 15, 2001

On the House

by James and Morris Carey
Saturday December 15, 2001

Installing a frost-proof sillcock -more-


Questions and Answers on the House

By Morris and James Carey
Saturday December 15, 2001

Q. Roy asks: Help! I recently moved into a house that has a wooden front door with a large oval window, which takes up most of the door. In the past two months a gap has slowly formed and grown between the door and the window molding. It is about 3/4 of an inch at the top of the window and tapers down as it follows the contours of the window. You can see through it to the outside. It appears that the window is settling. Is this possible? What can I do to fix it? Is there a caulk I should use, or will I have to replace my front door? -more-


Tip of the Week

By Morris and James Carey
Saturday December 15, 2001

Door hinge fill-in -more-


Renaissance man restores log cabins with old-fashioned tools

By Sarah Cooke, Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald
Saturday December 15, 2001

BERTHOUD, Colo. — Bent over a 14-foot-long ponderosa pine log, Peter Haney gripped a 19th-century broad ax and meticulously shaved small slices of wood from its right side. -more-


Trial of circus trainer is big moment for animal activists

By Brian Bergstein The Associated Press
Saturday December 15, 2001

Years of protesting, complaining come to a head as one prominent performer opens a bloody wound on an elephant -more-


Tribal leaders upset over Norton reshuffling of Indian trust

By Angela Turner, The Associated Press
Saturday December 15, 2001

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Interior Secretary Gale Norton says she supports forming a task force that would help her smooth money-management problems with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. -more-


Feds, academicians assessing Biosphere 2 climate

By Arthur H. Rothstein, The Associated Press
Saturday December 15, 2001

TUCSON, Ariz. — Federal, academic and international scientists will be eyeing Biosphere 2 this weekend to determine its suitability for climate research. -more-


Cuba to get first commercial U.S. food since 1963

By Alan Sayre, The Associated Press
Saturday December 15, 2001

reighter departs on two-day voyage egging on embargo debate -more-


N.C. death row inmate found to be retarded, given life terms

By Emery Dalesio, The Associated Press
Saturday December 15, 2001

RALEIGH, N.C. — A death row inmate who is said to have the mind of a first-grader became the first person to have his sentence reduced under a new North Carolina law barring execution of the mentally retarded. -more-


Students at historically black college object to TV ad limiting hairstyles

The Associated Press
Saturday December 15, 2001

BALTIMORE — A public relations firm is under fire for inviting students with only straight, chemically processed or short hair to appear in a TV commercial for historically black Morgan State University. -more-


California unemployment tops 1 million mark

By Simon Avery, The Associated Press
Saturday December 15, 2001

LOS ANGELES — The number of Californians out of work topped 1 million for the first time in nearly five years in November, as increasing job cuts in the state comprised a disproportionately large amount of the national total, officials said Friday. -more-


Deal could leave Barry Diller leading Universal

By Gary Gentile, The Associated Press
Saturday December 15, 2001

LOS ANGELES — Media mogul Barry Diller could emerge as head of Universal Studios if Vivendi Universal buys the film and TV assets of Diller’s USA Networks, sources familiar with the negotiations said Friday. -more-


Lame-duck cable provider cuts 400 of its 1,300 jobs

The Associated Press
Saturday December 15, 2001

REDWOOD CITY — Preparing to go out of business at the end of February, bankrupt cable Internet provider Excite@Home laid off 400 of its 1,300 employees Friday. -more-


Click and Clack Talk Cars

Tom & Ray Magliozzi
Saturday December 15, 2001

Breaking in brakes -more-


LeConte safety hazard concerns mount

By David Scharfenberg, Daily Planet staff
Friday December 14, 2001

Dangerous playground equipment, exposed piping and moldy bathroom floors are just a few of the safety hazards at LeConte School that parents and principal Patricia Saddler have been urging the district to fix for months. -more-


Out & About Calendar

Compiled by Guy Poole
Friday December 14, 2001


Friday, Dec. 14

-more-


Psychic abilities?

Dan Dugan
Friday December 14, 2001

Editor: -more-


Some like it hot

Sari Friedman
Friday December 14, 2001

For a good time you can search the bathroom walls for phone numbers, try a quirky new salsa recipe or get into your favorite pajamas to watch yet another rerun of “Sex in the City.” -more-


Arts & Entertainment Calendar

Staff
Friday December 14, 2001

924 Gilman Dec. 14: Hot Water Music, American Steel, F-Minus, Trial By Fire; Dec. 15: Strung Out, Limp, The Frisk, The Deadlines, The Creeps; Dec. 16: 5 p.m., Good Riddance, Missing 23rd, Downway, Audio Crush; Dec. 21: Kepi, Bonfire Madigan, Kevin Seconds; Dec. 22: The Lab Rats, Onetime Angels, A great Divide, Last Great Liar, Gabriel’s Ratchet; Dec. 23: 5 p.m., Over My Dead Body, Panic, Breaker Breaker, Some Still Believe; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926 -more-


Berkeley girls on a hot streak, beat Encinal 10-0

By Jared Green, Daily Planet Staff
Friday December 14, 2001

Berkeley High girls’ soccer coach Suzanne Sillett intentionally scheduled a very tough pre-league schedule for her team this year, intending to get the young ’Jackets ready for ACCAL play. But if the first two games are any indication, Sillett didn’t need to worry too much. -more-


Pacifica wars’ end in sight

By Judith Scherr, Daily Planet staff
Friday December 14, 2001

After almost three years of strife, peace may be returning to the five listener-sponsored Pacifica Foundation radio stations. -more-


Skeptics will write psychic test

Daniel Sabsay,
Friday December 14, 2001

A’s lose 2-time MVP Giambi to Yankees

By Ben Walker, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

NEW YORK – His long hair trimmed and his goatee shaved, Jason Giambi stepped into Yankee Stadium wearing a three-piece suit and looking like a new man. -more-


Advocates support parking study hold

By John Geluardi, Daily Planet staff
Friday December 14, 2001

City Council to consider definition of ‘culture’ -more-


Try transit first, the balanced approach

Wendy Alfsen
Friday December 14, 2001

Editor: -more-


Cal’s Coughlin named USOC female athlete of the month

Daily Planet Wire Services
Friday December 14, 2001

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Cal swimmer Natalie Coughlin was named the female November 2001 Athlete and Team of the Month Award winner for athletic accomplishments during the month by the United States Olympic Committee on Wednesday. -more-


Ecocity plan unworkable

Michael Katz and Becky O’Malley
Friday December 14, 2001

Editor: -more-


Clarification

Staff
Friday December 14, 2001

Jolyn Warford, Regional Marketing Coordinator for Whole Foods, said she provided the Planet with inaccurate information for its Dec. 5 story, “Protesters say hemp is food not drugs.” Warford said that, contrary to her previous statements, Whole Foods will continue to stock hemp food despite a new federal regulation banning the products. She said Whole Foods does not believe hemp food contains enough THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana, to justify the ban. -more-


Hemp foods already comply – no THC

Richard Rose
Friday December 14, 2001

Editor: -more-


Lakireddy judge pulls out of case

By Hank Sims, Daily Planet staff
Friday December 14, 2001

Citing a “conflict of interest,” the federal court judge presiding over the trial of Vijay and Prasad Lakireddy, sons of jailed Berkeley landlord Lakireddy Bali Reddy, has handed the case to a colleague. -more-


Scientists unsure of ecosystem’s carbon dioxide absorption rate

By Andrew Bridges, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — Scientists are uncertain how much of the carbon dioxide given off naturally each year within the North American ecosystem is reabsorbed by that system, complicating calculations of the net effect of human activities on emissions of the greenhouse gas. -more-


Bay Area Briefs

Staff
Friday December 14, 2001


2002 projections released -more-


NASA to end three-year Deep Space 1 mission

By Andrew Bridges The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — NASA will cease communicating with its Deep Space 1 spacecraft on Tuesday, ending a three-year mission capped in September when the probe imaged what may be the darkest object in the solar system. -more-


Jeremy Giambi cited for marijuana possession

By Lisa Snedeker, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

Oakland A’s hitter caught in Vegas airport with a half-ounce in bag -more-


Appeals court upholds Setencich conviction

The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court has upheld the tax-evasion conviction of Brian Setencich, California’s former Assembly speaker. -more-


State will pay guards’ legal expenses in prison rape lawsuit

By Don Thompson The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

SACRAMENTO — The California Department of Corrections said Thursday it will pay for the legal defense of three current correctional officers and one former employee accused in a pending federal civil rights lawsuit. -more-


Orange County has least smokers

By Erin McClam, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

ATLANTA — Smoking is more common in the Midwest and South than other parts of the nation, while Orange County has the lowest rate in the country, the government said Thursday in its first city-by-city study of tobacco use. -more-


Former business partner of Mickey Thompson arrested

By Christina Almeida, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

Goodwin taken into custody for slaying of racing legend, wife -more-


Actress Winona Ryder arrested for alleged shoplifting charge

By Anthony Breznican, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

BEVERLY HILLS — Actress Winona Ryder has been arrested for illegal drug possession and shoplifting from a Saks Fifth Avenue boutique, police said Thursday. -more-


Fictional friends are familiar to many generations

By Samantha Critchell, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

Babar, Curious George are renewed and fun for kids -more-


Christmas critters have their parties in merry stories collection

By Zoe Ann Shafer, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

The best holiday tales are wrapped together in “A Christmas Treasury: Very Merry Stories and Poems” (HarperCollins, $16.95, all ages), a beautiful gift from illustrator Kevin Hawkes. -more-


Mistletoe is both good and bad

By Lee Rich, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

Kiss someone under the mistletoe and you’re doing what the Druids did centuries ago. That’s all that remains from the many mistletoe legends of European peoples of centuries ago. -more-


Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders concentrated in West

By Janis L. Magin, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

HONOLULU — Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are such a tiny minority in the United States that only seven states count them as more than one-tenth of a percent of the population, according to a 2000 census report released Thursday. -more-


Feds warn California must curb Colorado water use

By Ken Ritter, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

LAS VEGAS — California must meet a commitment to reduce its dependence on Colorado River water over the next 15 years, a federal Interior Department official warned Thursday. -more-


Some water allowed to flow into grain fields

The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — With a heavy snow in the mountains, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has decided to release a small amount of irrigation water to some farmers who typically leave their fields flooded in the winter. -more-


Mother of Nevada teen slain by BIA officer says son unarmed

The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

ELKO, Nev. — The mother of a teen-ager who was slain by a Bureau of Indian Affairs police officer said the officer shot her unarmed son in the back after a struggle at their home on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation. -more-


Ag Department cuts first timber checks under new formula

By Katherine Pfleger, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

Nevada balances economy, environment in cat litter fight

By Scott Sonner, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

RENO, Nev. — Executives behind the largest maker of cat litter in the world figured they’d found the perfect place for a West Coast mine and processing plant when they discovered premium clay deposits in a high-desert valley north of Reno. -more-


A new tool in the fight against spam

By Michael Liedtke, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — If your e-mail box is already besieged by unwanted salutations and solicitations, brace yourself — the onslaught is about to get worse. -more-


Copyright violation charges to be dropped against Russian computer programmer

By Brian Bergstein, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

SAN JOSE — Charges will be dropped against a Russian computer programmer accused of violating electronic-book copyrights in exchange for his testimony in the trial of his company, ending part of a case that has generated worldwide protests. -more-


Anger, some disgust, as Americans watch bin Laden smile

By David Crary, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

Watching a smiling Osama bin Laden assess the Sept. 11 terror attacks, a man who was in the World Trade Center that day said he wanted to smash his TV screen. Said a Marine who also watched bin Laden, “He needs to be taken out.” -more-


Space shuttle Endevour reports problems with a key navigation device

By Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA struggled Thursday to understand a fleeting but perplexing problem with one of space shuttle Endeavour’s key navigation devices. -more-


Two concourses closed in Boston after FAA finds security screeners with no training

By Leslie MIller, The Associated Press
Friday December 14, 2001

BOSTON — US Airways concourses at Logan International Airport were closed for 90 minutes Thursday after the FAA discovered some employees at security checkpoints were improperly trained. -more-


Flagged intersections to help pedestrians

By Judith Scherr Daily Planet staff
Thursday December 13, 2001

Flags in Berkeley? -more-


Guy Poole
Thursday December 13, 2001


Thursday, Dec. 13


Staff
Thursday December 13, 2001

Don’t abandon what makes U.S. truly best


Staff
Thursday December 13, 2001

Music


Oregon’s Tedford named new Cal head coach

By Jared Green Daily Planet Staff
Thursday December 13, 2001

Hoping to wash away the painful memories of the recently completed 1-10 disaster of a season, Cal introduced a new head football coach on Wednesday morning. University of Oregon offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jeff Tedford will be the man to replace Tom Holmoe on the Cal sideline, agreeing to a reported five-year contract late Tuesday night. -more-


New principal brings hope to blemished Willard

By David Scharfenberg Daily Planet staff
Thursday December 13, 2001

“It’s a new day.” -more-


Gladstone makes his mark with new hiring

By Jared Green Daily Planet Staff
Thursday December 13, 2001

When Cal chancellor Robert Berdahl made crew rowing coach Steve Gladstone his surprise pick as athletic director earlier this year, he knew he was hiring an unusual candidate, one who would do things a bit differently than your average administrator. The hiring process for Cal’s new head football coach, Jeff Tedford, shows just how independent Gladstone is. -more-


Compromise cell phone antennae ordinance OK’d

By John Geluardi Daily Planet staff
Thursday December 13, 2001

After a yearlong moratorium, the City Council adopted “workable” amendments to Berkeley’s Zoning Ordinance, which will govern the placement of cell phone antennae around town. -more-


Shipp’s sharp shooting carries Bears past FSU

By Jared Green Daily Planet Staff
Thursday December 13, 2001

Southside Plan draft released to commission, public

By Hank Sims Daily Planet staff
Thursday December 13, 2001

Four years in the making, the Southside Plan came one step closer to completion on Wednesday, as a new draft was released to the public and members of the Planning Commission. -more-


City will give out Conscientious Objector information

By John Geluardi Daily Planet staff
Thursday December 13, 2001

As the City Council meeting closed in on midnight and two councilmembers had already gone home, the council voted to supply workers who answer the city’s general information phones with material about the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors. -more-


Planning Commission, public get first glimpse of draft Southside plan

By Hank Sims Daily Planet staff
Thursday December 13, 2001

Wednesday’s Planning Commission meeting had to be canceled because of an administrative error by city staff. -more-


Police department employee dies from aneurysm

Planet staff
Thursday December 13, 2001

Longtime Berkeley Police Department employee Desmond Griffen died Tuesday as a result of a brain aneurysm suffered Saturday. He was 46 years old. -more-


Apartments put to the ’quake test

By Michelle Locke The Associated Press
Thursday December 13, 2001

RICHMOND — A reinforced apartment building shook, rattled, but did not fall as engineers put it to the earthquake test Wednesday. -more-


‘American Taliban’ still source of angst

By Justin Pritchard The Associated Press
Thursday December 13, 2001

SAN ANSELMO — Even in a community where personal growth is prized above all and wealthy ex-hippies groom their children to be independent thinkers, the spiritual journey of John Walker Lindh is a shocker. -more-


Supreme Court blocks sex predator’s release

By Kim Curtis The Associated Press
Thursday December 13, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — The state Supreme Court decided unanimously Wednesday to keep a serial rapist locked up at a state mental hospital until at least February while it considers his case. -more-


PG&E asks for permission to settle claims under $100,000

The Associated Press
Thursday December 13, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — California’s largest utility wants to investigate and settle claims from its creditors who are owed less than $100,000 without review by a bankruptcy court or other creditors. -more-


Array of electric, low-emission vehicles showed off

By Steve Lawrence The Associated Press
Thursday December 13, 2001

SACRAMENTO — Bryan Woodbury may have a solution for motorists who are tired of urban gridlock: A car that can zip through traffic like a motorcycle and squeeze into the smallest parking spaces. -more-


California making environmental justice tenet of air policy

By Leon Drouin Keith The Associated Press
Thursday December 13, 2001

LOS ANGELES — Soto Elementary School’s next-door neighbor is a spaghetti network of concrete connecting four of Los Angeles’ busiest freeways. -more-


Candidate looks to vouchers to improve system

By Brian Bergstein The Associated Press
Thursday December 13, 2001

PALO ALTO — Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon said Wednesday that big school districts like the one in Los Angeles should be broken up, and he suggested offering some form of vouchers to students at underperforming schools. -more-


Anti-Arab hate crimes drop from 9-11 level

By Don Thompson The Associated Press
Thursday December 13, 2001

SACRAMENTO — The number of anti-Arab hate crimes in California has dropped to about one a day from the nearly 10 a day reported immediately after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the state attorney general said Tuesday. -more-


Authorities crack down on Middle Eastern students

By Ben Fox The Associated Press
Thursday December 13, 2001

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Immigration authorities arrested 10 people in the San Diego area Wednesday in a first-of-its-kind crackdown on Middle Eastern students suspected of violating the terms of their visas by not being in school. -more-


Davis orders increase on terrorism preparedness

By Don Thompson The Associated Press
Thursday December 13, 2001

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gray Davis ordered five state agencies to increase their terrorism preparedness Wednesday at the recommendation of his terrorism task force. -more-


Authorities arrest militant JDL members in alleged bomb plot

By Linda Deutsch The Associated Press
Thursday December 13, 2001

LOS ANGELES — The chairman of the Jewish Defense League was charged Wednesday with plotting to blow up a Los Angeles-area mosque and the office of an Arab-American congressman. -more-


Medical-marijuana less popular than predicted

The Associated Press
Thursday December 13, 2001

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Fewer people than expected have signed up for the state’s medical-marijuana program. -more-


Regulators OK selling gas co. space on pipelines

By Karen Gaudette The Associated Press
Thursday December 13, 2001

State regulators order Pacific Bell to speed up phone line repair jobs

The Associated Press
Thursday December 13, 2001

1,700 jobs cut by chip equipment maker in SJ

The Associated Press
Thursday December 13, 2001

SONICblue sues TiVo, alleging patent infringement on digital video recording

By May Wong The Associated Press
Thursday December 13, 2001

Nurses call for higher staffing levels

By Judith Scherr Daily Planet staffBy Judith Scherr Daily Planet staff
Wednesday December 12, 2001

Demonstration urges state to better staff-to-patient ratios -more-


Guy Poole
Wednesday December 12, 2001


Wednesday, Dec. 12


Senior forward one of Keys to ’Jackets’ success

By Tim Haran Daily Planet Correspondent
Wednesday December 12, 2001

Sabrina Keys remembered receiving her first three form letters from college basketball programs when she was in the eighth grade. Her first hand-written letter came as the Berkeley High basketball standout started her sophomore season. Since then it’s been a steady stream of letters, visits to college campuses and, as Keys estimated, conversations with more than 50 schools. -more-


The tritium lab is dead – long live the....?

Leuren Moret Berkeley
Wednesday December 12, 2001

ditor: -more-


Staff
Wednesday December 12, 2001


Middle class needs housing too

Michael O’Leary, Chair Berkeley Design Advoca
Wednesday December 12, 2001

Supervisors used false data to justify building Dublin juvenile hall

By David Scharfenberg Daily Planet staff
Wednesday December 12, 2001

OAKLAND – The Alameda County Board of Supervisors relied on faulty data earlier this year when it voted to build a 420-bed juvenile hall in Dublin, according to a new report by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, an Oakland-based nonprofit with a national reputation on juvenile justice issues. -more-


Listen to hemp industry

Adam Wiggins Director, Neoteric Pasadena
Wednesday December 12, 2001

Editor: -more-


Six projects vie for housing fund money

By Hank Sims Daily Planet staff
Wednesday December 12, 2001

Six housing projects for low-income and disabled people will vie for city funding at a special meeting of the Housing Advisory Commission Thursday night. -more-


Hemp can’t make you high – ban is irrational

Robert Sharpe, M.P.A. Program Officer The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation Washington, DC
Wednesday December 12, 2001

Editor: -more-


Two hometown college men make good

Staff
Wednesday December 12, 2001

Josh Daniels selected as head resident at Wesleyan University -more-


City Council delays issue on conscientious objector info

Daily Planet staff and wire reports
Wednesday December 12, 2001

Conscientious objectors will have to wait a while to pass on their information via city wires after the City Council delayed its decision Tuesday on whether or not Berkeley will lend a hand to the group’s cause. -more-


California has most Death Row inmates

By Don Thompson The Associated Press
Wednesday December 12, 2001

SACRAMENTO — California had the largest Death Row population of any state, but just nine executions since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday. -more-


Noncredentialed teachers to reach 21 percent by 2009

By Steve Lawrence The Associated Press
Wednesday December 12, 2001

SACRAMENTO — California will face a growing shortage of qualified teachers in this decade as older instructors retire in record numbers and schools hire more teachers without preliminary credentials, a study says. -more-


Bay Area Briefs

Staff
Wednesday December 12, 2001

Presidio Trust director resigns -more-


SF Bar Association announces scholarship for Afghan women

The Associated Press
Wednesday December 12, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — The Bar Association of San Francisco announced Tuesday the establishment of a three-year law school scholarship at Golden Gate University to be awarded to an Afghan woman. -more-


State Supreme Court to make decision in sex predator case

By Kim Curtis The Associated Press
Wednesday December 12, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — A serial rapist locked up at a state mental hospital nearly two weeks after a judge said he had no legal grounds to keep him in custody may be released Wednesday if the state Supreme Court refuses to hear the case. -more-


Lawmakers, officials eye new counter- terrorism laws

By Don Thompson The Associated Press
Wednesday December 12, 2001

SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers and state officials proposed a spate of new laws Tuesday to counter terrorism, including new wiretap rules and the death penalty for terror attacks. -more-


Redevelopment uproots tree farms under power lines

By Eugene Tong The Associated Press
Wednesday December 12, 2001

PICO RIVERA — Visitors to Lyon Christmas Tree Farm come with saws in hand during the holiday season, looking for the perfect tree among rows of molded pines and cypresses growing under massive electric towers. -more-


Dying shopping malls reborn as old-fashioned downtowns

By Jim Wasserman The Associated Press
Wednesday December 12, 2001

MOUNTAIN VIEW — That epicenter of holiday shopping, the enclosed suburban mall that came to symbolize 1980s culture, is becoming a powerful engine for redeveloping California. Malls where millions of teen-agers had their first kiss and suburban families roamed the food courts are being razed and reborn as entirely new visions for life, work and shopping, architects say. -more-


Compaq CEO ponders a future without HP

The Associated Press
Wednesday December 12, 2001

HOUSTON — The head of Compaq Computer Corp. told employees that the company is exploring the company’s future prospects should its $24 billion merger with Hewlett-Packard Co. fall through. -more-


Google search engine widens its net around the Internet

The Associated Press
Wednesday December 12, 2001

SAN JOSE — Internet search engine Google Inc. announced Tuesday that it now offers direct access to more than 3 billion Web documents, including newsgroup postings back to 1981. -more-


Excite@Home can continue high-speed Internet service

By Michael Liedtke The Associated Press
Wednesday December 12, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — Excite@Home received court approval Tuesday to continue high-speed Internet service for about 2.1 million subscribers through February under a series of deals that will generate $355 million for the bankrupt company while preserving the right to sue its cable partners for alleged abuses. -more-


Anna Nicole Smith’s right to inheritance debated

By Robert Jablon The Associated Press
Wednesday December 12, 2001

SANTA ANA — The fight between Playboy pinup Anna Nicole Smith and her stepson over the fortune left by her late husband went to federal court Tuesday with lawyers arguing over whether the Texas oilman intended to leave her an inheritance worth $474 million. -more-


Some wild horses still sold to be slaughtered

By Robert Gehrke The Associated Press
Wednesday December 12, 2001

WASHINGTON — Wild horses put up for adoption by the Bureau of Land Management continue to be slaughtered, in some cases within weeks of the owner gaining title of the animal, according to the latest BLM records. -more-


Critics says Rocky Flats cleanup will leave the soil contaminated

By H. Josef Herbert The Associated Press
Wednesday December 12, 2001

WASHINGTON — The government is spending $7 billion to decontaminate a former nuclear weapons plant in Colorado and turn it into a wildlife refuge. But critics said Tuesday that the cleanup will still leave the soil too polluted. -more-


Drug tunnel found in Arizona; access for half-ton of cocaine

By Arthur H. Rothstein The Associated Press
Wednesday December 12, 2001

TUCSON, Ariz. — U.S. Customs Service special agents Tuesday found a sophisticated drug tunnel running directly under the border between a wash in Mexico and a Nogales home facing the international fence. -more-


Acting to end U.S. involvement in war

By David Scharfenberg Daily Planet staff
Tuesday December 11, 2001

Several dozen student and community activists converged on the UC Berkeley campus and the surrounding area Monday to call for an end to U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan and to advocate for the protection of human rights at home and abroad. -more-


Guy Poole
Tuesday December 11, 2001


Tuesday, Dec. 11


Council may challenge huge northside project

Jim Sharp Berkeley
Tuesday December 11, 2001

Staff
Tuesday December 11, 2001

Music -more-


Council to sift through cell tower regulations

By John Geluardi Daily Planet staff
Tuesday December 11, 2001

The City Council will have to step gingerly through a thicket of potential lawsuits tonight as it considers regulating the location of wireless communication antennae, which make cell phone use possible. -more-


Middle East blame game

Anat Resnick Oakland
Tuesday December 11, 2001

Editor: -more-


A season to share

Staff
Tuesday December 11, 2001

Draft plan, substation and psychics on City Council agenda

By John Geluardi Daily Planet staff
Tuesday December 11, 2001

Among the issues the City Council will consider tonight are councilmembers’ recommendations for amendments to three elements of the Draft General Plan. -more-


Transforming BHS into many small schools

Carol S. Lashof Berkeley
Tuesday December 11, 2001

Editor: -more-


Need justice and fair play – not police state

Ronnen Levinson Berkeley
Tuesday December 11, 2001

Editor: -more-


‘Micro’ quake hits city early on Monday

Daily Planet staff
Tuesday December 11, 2001

A magnitude 2.6 “micro earthquake” that apparently did little more than rattle a few Berkeley windows at 2:54 a.m. Monday was preceded by two even smaller quakes, one measuring a magnitude of .9 at 2:44 a.m. and another measuring 2.3 at 2:42 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park. -more-


Video games lack diversity

The Associated Press
Tuesday December 11, 2001

OAKLAND — Video games offer little racial and gender diversity, and most contain some level of violence, even those developed for the youngest gamers, a children’s research group said Monday. -more-


Fairfax man fighting with Taliban recovering at U.S. base

By David Martin The Associated Press
Tuesday December 11, 2001

SOUTHERN AFGHAN-ISTAN — An American who fought with the Taliban was gaunt and dehydrated but in good condition Sunday as he recovered from a gunshot wound to his leg, a Marines spokesman said at the southern Afghan base where the man is being held. -more-


Americans open wallets to aid besieged Afghan people

By Arlene Levinson The Associated Press
Tuesday December 11, 2001

Just as Americans opened their wallets for Sept. 11 victims, charity officials say some are now giving to help civilian Afghans who have been uprooted by the war on the Taliban. -more-


Packard Foundation stays out of Compaq- HP battle over deal

By Brian Bergstein The Associated Press
Tuesday December 11, 2001

SAN JOSE — Shares of Hewlett-Packard Co. and Compaq Computer Corp. both fell Monday, their first day of trading after HP’s largest shareholder said it would vote against the proposed $24.6 billion acquisition of Compaq. -more-


Calpine troubled by fears of Enron-style collapse

By Michael Liedtke The Associated Press
Tuesday December 11, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — Calpine Corp.’s shares plunged 17 percent Monday amid investor fears the rapidly expanding power generator is headed down the same perilous path that ruined one of its biggest business partners, bankrupt Enron Corp. -more-


San Jose tech co. outlook gloomy

The Associated Press
Tuesday December 11, 2001

SAN JOSE — JDS Uniphase Corp., a leading maker of optical networking components, reaffirmed its gloomy second-quarter sales outlook Monday and predicted more bad news to come. -more-


Anti-abortion Web site raises First Amendment concerns

By David Kravets The Associated Press
Tuesday December 11, 2001

PASADENA — A flood of legal briefs to the nation’s largest federal appeals court predicts the trashing of some deeply held American ideals no matter the case’s outcome. -more-


Nobel Peace Prize awarded to U.N.

By Kim Gamel The Associated Press
Tuesday December 11, 2001

OSLO, Norway — Saying “humanity is indivisible,” U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for global cooperation in fighting poverty, ignorance and disease as he and the United Nations accepted the centennial Nobel Peace Prize on Monday. -more-


Seniors not feeling the heat at home

By John Geluardi, Daily Planet staff
Monday December 10, 2001

On a chilly December evening, Manuel Oliver, 68, his small frame encased in layers of warm clothing, turns the dials of his small electric stove to “high” and waits anxiously for the burners to glow a warm red. -more-


Out & About

Compiled by Guy Poole
Monday December 10, 2001


Monday, Dec. 10

-more-


Bombing Iraq will backfire

Sheila S. Newbery
Monday December 10, 2001

Editor: -more-


Arts & Entertainment Calendar

Staff
Monday December 10, 2001

924 Gilman Dec. 14: Hot Water Music, American Steel, F-Minus, Trial By Fire; Dec. 15: Strung Out, Limp, The Frisk, The Deadlines, The Creeps; Dec. 16: 5 p.m., Good Riddance, Missing 23rd, Downway, Audio Crush; Dec. 21: Kepi, Bonfire Madigan, Kevin Seconds; Dec. 22: The Lab Rats, Onetime Angels, A great Divide, Last Great Liar, Gabriel’s Ratchet; Dec. 23: 5 p.m., Over My Dead Body, Panic, Breaker Breaker, Some Still Believe; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926 -more-


Bears suffer another late collapse against Gaels

Daily Planet Wire Services
Monday December 10, 2001

Cal loses third straight as St. Mary’s takes over in game’s final minutes -more-


Congresswoman still feels support

By Hank Sims, Daily Planet staff
Monday December 10, 2001

OAKLAND – “It’s nice to be home,” said 9th District Rep. Barbara Lee, as she entered a town hall meeting to a standing ovation. -more-


Urgent car alert

Ken Cheetham
Monday December 10, 2001

School construction two months behind schedule

By David Scharfenberg, Daily Planet staff
Monday December 10, 2001

Construction of the new “Milvia buildings” on the Berkeley High School campus is running two months behind schedule, school officials said, pushing back the expected completion date to June 2003. -more-


Berkeley planning is too complex

Howie Muir
Monday December 10, 2001

Editor: -more-


Family, friends remember kidnap victim Xiana

By Karen Gaudette, Associated Press Writer
Monday December 10, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO – Family and friends gathered Sunday in the Santa Cruz mountains to remember 7-year-old Xiana Fairchild, abducted on her way to school two years ago. -more-


Bay Briefs

Staff
Monday December 10, 2001


Fundraiser nets $5,000 for Doggie Diner -more-


Customers come for food and a look at new cars

By Jeff Wilson, Associated Press Writer
Monday December 10, 2001

FILLMORE – An Italian dinner house is doing brisk business on the showroom floor at William L. Morris Chevrolet, where car shoppers are tempted with chicken parmigiana as they kick the tires of new cars. -more-


ExciteAtHome’s death won’t kill the company’s broadband legacy

By Michael Liedtke, AP Business Writer
Monday December 10, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO – ExciteAtHome made plenty of dumb decisions on its way to the dot-com graveyard, but what ultimately killed the company may have been its greatest accomplishment – the high-speed cable network that provided fast Internet connections to more than 4 million North American customers. -more-


Criticism mounts over fluency test

The Associated Press
Monday December 10, 2001

LOS ANGELES – Criticism is mounting among school officials over a new test designed to track students who are not fluent in English – one-fifth of the state’s public school population. -more-


Homeless ‘Camp Paradise’ cleared out by rainstorm

The Associated Press
Monday December 10, 2001

SANTA CRUZ – A homeless encampment known as Camp Paradise, which fought off city officials’ requests to leave over the past year, finally cleared out after a rainstorm caused the San Lorenzo River to spill into their Eden. -more-


Moore Foundation pledges $261 million to conservation group

By Matthew Fordahl, Associated Press Writer
Monday December 10, 2001

Silicon Valley pioneer’s organization makes one of biggest donations in history -more-


Opinion

Editorials

Officers, marines team up to play Santa for children, needy families

Bay City News
Saturday December 15, 2001

Police officers in Berkeley are once again teaming up with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves to deliver toys to the children of needy families this holiday season. -more-


BFD holiday safety tips

Staff
Friday December 14, 2001

The Berkeley Fire Department is offering several tips that could help people reduce the chances of being a fire casualty this holiday season. -more-


Amtrak train strikes minivan near Bakersfield

The Associated Press
Thursday December 13, 2001

SHAFTER — Seven people were killed when a minivan collided with an Amtrak train on Wednesday near Bakersfield, authorities said. -more-


Police Blotter
Wednesday December 12, 2001

A woman thwarted an armed, would-be robber simply by walking away from him Monday evening, according to Lt. Cynthia Harris of the Berkeley Police Department.


San Francisco embarrassed again by elections fiascos

By Margie Mason The Associated Press
Tuesday December 11, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — Several weeks after the November election, the Coast Guard fished eight ballot-box lids out of San Francisco Bay and 240 uncounted ballots were found stuck in voting machines — the latest embarrassments in the city’s sorry electoral history. -more-


Anonymous e-mail service still running after Sept. 11

By Matthew Fordahl, AP Technology Writer
Monday December 10, 2001

SAN JOSE – For years, anonymous e-mail has been a choice tool for whistle-blowers, human rights activists and undercover sources looking to protect themselves while imparting vital information. -more-