It was three days after the Sept. 11 attacks, and Angela Porter, a Berkeley grantwriter, was on her way to a candlelight vigil in Petaluma. 

“I was very upset and angry, like a lot of people were, and I felt a very strong need to do something,” said Porter. “I was in the car ... and something inside me said: ‘Walk across the country for peace.’” 

Porter quickly pushed the notion to the back of her mind. But the next morning, something remarkable happened. Lisa Porter, Angela’s twin sister, called to announce that she and her partner, Roya Arasteh, were contemplating the same idea. 

Today, Arasteh and the Porter twins, all Berkeley residents, are gearing up for an eight-month cross-country walk, called “Peace-by-Peace,” which will begin Jan. 21, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, at Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Park, and end on Sept. 11, 2002 at Lafayette Park in Washington D.C.  

Two other women have signed up for the walk, and Padraig MacRauiri, a friend in San Francisco, will drive a support vehicle and prepare meals for the first half of the journey. 

The organizers, who are not affiliated with any group, say the walk will make a statement about the importance of peace. They emphasize that the true focus of the journey is discovery. 

“It’s not a statement, but a question – what is peace?” said Lisa, a counselor at Rock LaFleche Community Day Center, a continuation high school in North Oakland. “What does it mean to walk in peace and stay in peace, even when you enter strange places?” 

“Our hope for the walk is that it inspires people to examine their lives,” added Angela, “as it has called on us to examine our own lives.” 

The organizers have already raised $1,000 for their trip and hope to raise $10,000 by the time they leave. They will attempt to raise another $10,000 on the road. 

Peace-by-Peace organizers will hold a fund-raiser and send-off party Jan. 5 at the Black Box Theatre in Oakland, 1928 Telegraph Ave., from 5 p.m. to midnight. The event will include music and poetry by a number of local artists. 

Local residents and peace groups, such as the Buddhist Peace Fellowship in Berkeley and the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization whose western regional headquarters is in San Francisco, have offered various forms of assistance – everything from help with media outreach, to advice on the type of rain gear to carry on the trip. 

But the organizers said they have purposely avoided becoming affiliated with any particular group. 

“Organizations tend to have certain agendas and expectations,” said Angela Porter, “and we didn’t want the purpose or intention of this walk to get caught up in an organization’s agenda.” 

“This is just a group of people,” added Lisa Porter, “individuals responding to something, rather than agencies.” 

Arasteh, who works at the Berkeley Public Library, said the walkers have not yet ironed out many of the trip’s details, especially for the latter half of the journey. But, she said the unplanned nature of the walk is one reason for its appeal. 

“There’s only so much organizing that we can do,” said Arasteh. “One purpose is to walk out into the openness and see what we can discover.” 

Arasteh said she was particularly interested to learn how polling figures, demonstrating widespread support for the war in Afghanistan, match up with the thoughts of real people, across the country. 

Walkers will begin by moving through the Central Valley, down to Joshua Tree National Park in southeast California and into Arizona. Peace-by-Peace will then walk through the South, visiting historic sites along the way, such as the Memphis, Tennessee site of the Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination. 

Along the way, walkers plan to meet with various local peace groups, and attend special events, such as a peace fair that friends are planning in Nashville, Tennessee. 

The Jan. 5 fundraiser at the Black Box Theatre will include performances by: Youth Speaks, a Bay Area poetry group, Water Brother, a Petaluma band, Pear Michaels, a Concord singer-songwriter, Obey Jah, a Bay Area reggae group, R. Nat. Turner and Upsurge, a Berkeley jazz poetry group, Green, a San Francisco rock group, Mary Web, a Berkeley poet, and Vukani Mawethu Choir, a Berkeley-based group that sings songs from South Africa.  

Peace-by-Peace can be reached at 644-9260. 

The Berkeley High boys’ basketball team mounted a dramatic comeback Wednesday night only to come up short in the final seconds, falling 58-55 to the Acalanes Dons in their opening-round game of the Leo LaRocca Sand Dunes Classic at Saint Ignatius Prep in San Francisco. 

After trailing by nine points with less than three minutes to play, the Yellowjackets went on a 12-2 run, finally taking the lead 55-54 on a Dontae Hall floater with 20 seconds remaining in the game. But that was the end of Berkeley's scoring, and Acalanes center Mark Ricksen soon regained the lead for the Dons with a driving layup, an acrobatic play on which he was also fouled. 

Ricksen failed to convert the three-point play, but Acalanes came away with the rebound. Berkeley had fouls to give and, after a pair of non-shooting, fouls wound the clock down to four seconds, Acalanes junior forward Zach Clark was sent to the line for a crucial one-and-one. Clark buried both free throws, and the Yellowjackets hopes for victory along with them. 

“Tonight we just waited too long to start playing basketball,” Gragnani said. “Right now we're finding new ways to show our inexperience each time out.” 

Berkeley began showing signs of life halfway through the fourth quarter, scraping together a six-point run. After a questionable foul that raised the eyebrows of several Acalanes players, Acalanes head coach Robert Collins instructed his players to keep their heads in the game. 

“Don't make faces, just play! Who cares what he calls?” shouted Collins, whose booming voice reverberated in the Saint Ignatius’ tiny Cowell Pavilion throughout the contest. 

After the ‘Jackets pulled to within three points, 46-43, Acalanes junior forward J.D. Dudum seemed to respond to Collins’ coaching, instantly erasing Berkeley's six-point run with back-to-back three pointers. 

Dudum torched the Yellowjackets for 16 points in the second half, leading all players with 22 points total. 

“We've seen him before,” Gragnani said of the 6-foot-3 Dudum. He’s a good player. Tonight we just lost vision of him from time to time, and he picked up several easy buckets.” 

Berkeley’s Robert Hunter-Ford answered Dudum with his own three-pointer, sparking the Yellowjackets' late run. Hunter-Ford led Berkeley with 14 points on the night, 10 of which came in the second half. 

The Yellowjackets now face the loser of the late game between Vallejo High and Oakland's Fremont High in a consolation bracket game Friday at Cowell Pavilion, while the Dons move on to the more spacious McCullough Gym to face the winner of the same game. 

“The way you learn is to be in that situation,” Berkeley head coach Mike Gragnani said. “We learned the hard way tonight.”

Thursday, Dec. 27

Slapstick with Derique 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive, above UC Berkeley Campus 

Ham Bone body drumming, physical comedy, and circus arts are sure to stimulate your “funny bone” as New Vaudeville artist Derique lets you into his hip style of circus arts. $3 - $7. 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Friday, Dec. 28

World Rhythms 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive, above UC Berkeley Campus 

Japanese taiko, African marimba and djembe, Middle Eastern dumbek, Afro-Cuban chekere, and conga drums celebrate musical traditions from around the world. $3 - $7. 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Bay Area Women in Black  

Vigil 

noon - 1 p.m. 

Bancroft and Telegraph Ave. 

Part of over 70 vigils worldwide in solidarity with Israeli Women in Black to protest the Israeli occupation. Please wear black, everyone welcome. 486-2744, BayAreaWomeninBlack@earthlink.net. 

Saturday, Dec. 29

Annual Kwanzaa Celebration at the Berkeley Public Library 

2 p.m. 

South Branch 

1901 Russell St. 

Storyteller Marijo and the 4th Day of Kwanzaa. All ages welcome. 981-6260. 

Magic Show 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive, above UC Berkeley Campus 

Jay Alexander performs his magical mixture of comedy and illusion with special effects that will entertain visitors of all ages. $3 - $7. 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Sunday, Dec. 30

Music and Storytelling 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive, above UC Berkeley Campus 

Familiar nursery rhymes and fairy tales come to life in musical stories by children’s performer Dennis Hysom. $3 - $7. 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Monday, Dec. 31

New Year’s Eve Party 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

A daytime holiday party for kids featuring lots of hands-on activities. $3 - $7. 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Wednesday, Jan. 2

Puppet Art Theater Company with Art Grueneberger 

10:30 a.m. 

Public Library, South Branch 

1901 Russell St. 

The classic fairytale “Jack and the Beanstalk” will be performed with a “behind the scenes” after the show. Free. Recommended for children ages 3 and up. 649-3913, www.infopeople.org/bpl/. 

Puppet Art Theater Company with Art Grueneberger 

3 p.m. 

Public Library, Claremont Branch 

2940 Benvenue Ave. 

The classic fairytale “Jack and the Beanstalk” will be performed with a “behind the scenes” after the show. Free. Recommended for children ages 3 and up. 649-3913, www.infopeople.org/bpl/. 

Baby Bounce and Toddler Tales 

7 p.m. 

Public Library, West Branch 

1125 University Ave. 

A participatory program for families with children up to age 3. Stories, songs and fingerplays as entertainment and as a way for parents to learn some new material to share with their young ones. 981-6270. 

Rotary International President to Speak at Berkeley Rotary 

noon 

H’s Lordships Restaurant 

199 Seawall Dr. 

Richard King will speak about the importance of Rotary and the impact Rotary has on the community and the world. Everyone welcome. 549-4524.  

Thursday, Jan. 3

California Desert Hikes 

7 p.m. 

Recreational Equipment, Inc. 

1338 San Pablo Ave. 

Steve Tabor will share slides and information on his favorite day hikes in Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Anza Borrego and the Mojave. 527-4140 

Puppet Art Theater Company with Art Grueneberger 

11 a.m. 

Public Library, West Branch 

1125 University Ave. 

The classic fairytale “Jack and the Beanstalk” will be performed with a “behind the scenes” after the show. Free. Recommended for children ages 3 and up. 649-3913, www.infopeople.org/bpl/. 

Puppet Art Theater Company with Art Grueneberger 

3 p.m. 

Public Library, North Branch 

1170 The Alameda 

The classic fairytale “Jack and the Beanstalk” will be performed with a “behind the scenes” after the show. Free. Recommended for children ages 3 and up. 649-3913, www.infopeople.org/bpl/. 

Editor: 

Regarding the question of a penalty for “hitting” vs. not “hitting” a pedestrian legally in a crosswalk, I note, in the Daily Planet 12-21-01, that Lt. Agnew is claimed to have said that “a ticket” (read: the statutory criminal penalty) in each of the above two alternative cases is the same. Solely from reading the California Vehicle Code, I would conclude otherwise when there is any sort of injury to the pedestrian. The cited article and that in The S. F. Chronicle describe minor injuries, albeit quite slight, in the 12-12-01 auto-pedestrian accident at Russell St. and Claremont Ave, as a result of which the victim was taken to a hospital in an ambulance.  

I would conclude that the motorist in the reported accident should have been cited additionally under VC 21971, which invokes VC 42001.18, which in turn, stipulates a $220 fine for a first violation where a subject pedestrian suffers injury – whereas VC 42001(a)(1) limits a first-offense fine to $100.  

Raymond A. Chamberlin 

Berkeley 

924 Gilman Dec. 28: What Happens Next, Rambo, Lie, Youth Riot, Lugosi; Dec. 29: Defiance, The P.A.W.N.S., Panty Raid, Sexy, Gluk; Jan. 4: Champion, Carry On, Stay Gold, The First Step, The Damage Done; Jan. 5: Iron Lung, B.G., Crucial Attack, Blown To Bits; Jan. 11: Bananas, Numbers, Lowdown, Doozers, Iron Ass; Jan. 12: Plan 9, The Sick, The Hellbillies, Oppressed Logic, Deltaforce; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926 

Ashkenaz Dec. 27: 10 p.m., Grateful Dead DJ Nite, $5; Dec. 28: 9:30 p.m., Mood Swing Orchestra, $11; Dec. 29: 9:30 p.m., Caribbean All Stars, $11; Dec. 30: 8 p.m., Marimba Pacific, $8; Dec. 31: 8 p.m., Balkan New Year’s Eve with Edessa and Anoush, $15; 1317 San Pablo Ave., 525-5054, www.ashkenaz.com.  

Blake’s Dec. 29: 11 p.m., Jack West & Curvature, $5; Dec. 31: Planting Seeds, $12; Jan. 2: Hebro; Jan. 3: Electronica w/ Ascension, $5; Jan. 4: Funk Monsters, $5; Jan. 5: King Harvest, Jomo, $5; Jan. 6: Lunar Heights, $3; Jan. 8: Operation Interstellar, $ 3; Jan. 9: Kid Glove Entertainment Presents, Hebro; Jan. 10: Electronica w/ Ascension, $5; Jan. 11: Five Point Plan, SFunk, $5; Jan. 12: Lavish Green, Stone Cutters, $5; Jan. 13: Alex Dolan & 22 Fillmore, $3; Jan. 14: All Star Jam Featuring The Steve Gannon Band & Mz. Dee, $4; Jan. 15: View From Here, $3; Jan. 16: Zion Rock, Hebro, $3; 2367 Telegraph Ave., 877-488-6533. 

Club JJang-Ga Dec. 29: Deducted Value, 3rd Rail, Noiz, Un Sed; 400 29th Ave., Oakland, (925) 833-7820, savageproductionssl@ yahoo.com. 

Cal Performances Jan. 18 and 19: both at 8 p.m., The National Acrobats of Taiwan, R.O.C. illustrates extraordinary examples of traditional Chinese folk art; Jan. 20: 3 p.m., Midori and Robert McDonald. $28 -$48. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph. 642-9988 

Roda Theatre Jan. 22 and 23: both at 8 p.m., The Berkeley Symphony, under the direction of internationally acclaimed Music Director Kent Nagano, will continue its 31st season with two performances by Schubert’s Symphony No. 5. $21, $32, $45, $10 students. Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St. 841-2800, www.berkeleysymphony.org 

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

Freight & Salvage Coffee House Jan. 5: The Bluegrass Intentions CD Release Party; Jan. 6: Allette Brooks; All shows begin 8 p.m., 1111 Addison St. 548-1761, www.freightandsalvage.org.  

Julia Morgan Theatre Dec. 31: 8 p.m., New Year’s Eve Gala Concert, Program of classical favorites of the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra; Jan 11: 8 p.m. San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, classical party music; Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org. 

Jupiter Dec. 27: Joshi Marshal Project; Dec. 28: Ben Krames & Candlelight Dub; Dec. 29: Berkeley Jazz School Presents: Kirk Tamura Trio; Jan. 2: Skye Dee Miles w/Universal Sound; Jan. 3: Chris Shot Group; Jan. 4: Diggsville; Jan. 5 Blue & Tan; All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless noted. 2181 Shattuck Ave., 843-7625, www.jupiterbeer.com. 

Yoshi’s Jazz House Dec. 26 - 31: New Year’s Fiesta, The Afro-Cuban Jazz Masters; Jan. 2 - 6: Charles Lloyd; Jan. 13: Jacqui Naylor Quartet; All shows at 8 p.m., and 10 p.m., unless noted. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakland. Check for prices and Sunday Matinees, 238-9200, www.yoshis.com. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley Jan. 6: 3 p.m., Stephen Genz in his West Coast debut; 2345 Channing Way, 527-8175, www.geocities.com/mostlybrahms. 

Berkeley Piano Club Jan.11: 8 p.m., Kate Steinbeck and Renee Witon; Berkeley Piano Club, 2724 Haste St., (510) 531-1487. 

Trinity Chapel Jan. 19: 8 p.m., Janine Johnson, harpsichord, will be playing the music of Bach, Buxtehude and Pachelbel. Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St., 549-3864 

“Una Noche de Tango ...a media luz” Jan. 1: 8 - 11 p.m., Allegro Ballroom, $15. 5855 Christie Ave., Emeryville. 415-777-3910, info@tangoamedialuz.com. 

Julia Morgan Theatre Jan. 12: 8 p.m., “Club Dance,” Teens come together to express their individual personalities and gifts as dancers. $10, Students and Seniors $6, Children ages 5 and under $6. Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org. 

Berkeley High School Dance Production Jan. 11, 12, 18 &19: 7:30 p.m., Diverse mix of classical and modern ballet to hard-core hip-hop. $5. Florence Schwimley Little Theatre, Allston way and MLK., 644-6120 

“Much Ado About Nothing” Through Jan. 8: Check theater for specific dates and times. Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy chronicles a handful of soldiers returning from a winning battle to be greeted by a gaggle of giddy maidens. Directed by Brian Kulick. $10 - $54. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Every Inch a King” Jan. 11 through Feb. 9: Thur. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m.; Three sisters have to make a decision as their father approaches death in this comedy presented by the Central Works Theater Ensemble. $8 - $18. LeValls Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave. 558-138, www.centralworks.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 

Pacific Film Archive Jan. 3: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., Unfinished Song; Jan. 4: 7 p.m., 9:15 p.m., Going By; Jan. 5: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., Under the Moonlight; Jan. 6: 1p.m., 3 p.m., Paper Airplanes, 5:30 Shrapnels in Peace; Jan.10: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., ABC Africa; Jan.11: 7:30 p.m., The Girl at the Monceau Bakery and Suzanne’s Career, 9:05 p.m. The Sign of the Lion with Place de l’Etoile; Jan. 12: 7p.m., La Collectionneuse, 8:50 p.m., My Night at Maud’s; Jan.13: 1p.m., 3p.m., Os 

“Images of Innocence and Beauty” Through Jan. 8: An exhibit featuring Kathleen Flannigan’s drawing and furniture - boxes, tables, and mirrors, all embellished with images of the beauty and innocence of the natural world. Addison Street Windows, 2018 Addison St. 

“From With These Walls” Jan. 5: Educational studio opening celebration gallery show of student works in steel, bronze, aluminum, cast iron, glass, neon, ceramic, stone and paper; jewelry. The Crucible, 1036 Ashby St. (Entrance is one block south on Murray St.) 843-5511, fran@thecrucible.org. 

“The First Five Years” Through Jan.11: Exhibit represents a selection of drawings, paintings, prints and sculpture created by students during their 7th & 8th grade years. 7a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon-Fri, 5:30- 9:30 p.m. Sat., Bucci’s Restaurant, 6121 Hollis St., Emeryville, 547-4725, www.bucci.com 

“Carving, Canvas, Color: Art of Julio Garcia and Wilbert Griffith” Through Jan.12: Brightly colored wooden figures and colorfully detailed paintings. Gallery is open by appointment and chance, most weekdays 10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.; The Ames Gallery, 2661 Cedar St., 845-4949, amesgal@home.com 

“Matrix 195” Through Jan. 13: German artist, Thomas Scheibitz’s, first solo museum exhibition in the United States showcases semi-abstract representations of everyday objects and landscapes. Wed., Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $3-$6. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Analogous Biology: Balance and Use,” Mark J. Leavitt, Dec. 20 through Jan. 19; Tue. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland. 836-0831, www.artolio.com. 

GTU Exhibit: “Holocaust Series” by Cleve Gray Through Jan. 25: Comprised of 21 works on paper that constitute “a catharsis... for all of humanity.” Mon. - Thurs. 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. noon - 7 p.m.; Free. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, Graduate Theological Union, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 www.gtu.edu 

Pro Arts: “Juried Annual 2001-02” Through Feb. 2: An exhibition of painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography and more by Bay Area and  

regional artists. Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., www.proartsgallery.org. 

“Water Media” Jan. 10 through Feb. 8: An exhibit by Christine “Caipirinha” Mulder. Capoeira Arts Cafe Gallery, 2026 Center St., 666-1349 for hours. 

Traywick Gallery: “New Work by Dennis Begg and Steve Briscoe” Jan. 5 through Feb. 9: Dennis Begg’s sculpture explores memory as the building block of consciousness, learning and experience. Steve Brisco’s paintings on paper address issues of identity through evocative combinations of text and imagery. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., 1316 10th St. 527-1214 

“Enduring Wisdom: Artwork and Stories by Homeless and Formerly Homeless Seniors” Through Feb. 15: 18 homeless and formerly homeless elders reveal how they learned and applied wisdom that is timeless. Mon. - Fri. and Sundays 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Reception and presentation by the elders Thurs. Nov. 15, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Free. St. Mary’s Center, 635 22nd St., Oakland, 893-4723 x222 

“The Other 364 Days: A Day in the Life of the Queer Community” Jan. 2 through Feb. 16: An exhibit of black and white photographs by East Bay photographer Limor Inbar-Hansen. Mon. - Fri., 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sat., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Reception for artist, Jan. 12: 6 - 8 p.m., Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St., 644-1400, limor@indelible-images.com. 

“Ansel Adams in the University of California Collections” Through Mar. 10: A selection of photographs and memorabilia presenting a different perspective on Adam’s career as one of the leading figures in American photography. Wed, Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $4- $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Migrations: Photographs by Sebastiao Salgado” Jan. 16 through Mar. 24: Over 300 black-and-white photographs of immigrants and refugees taken by the Brazilian photographer. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. $4 - $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

"Earthly Pleasures" assemblage and photographs by Susan Danis, Jan. 11 through March 30: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon. - Sat.; Sticks, 1579 B, Solano Ave., 526-6603.  

“The Art History Museum of Berkeley” 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., 841-4210, www.atelier9.com. 

Readings 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Jan. 8: Theodore Hamm discusses “Rebel and a Cause: Caryl Chessman and the Politics of the Death Penalty”; Jan. 10: Joan Frank reads from her new book, “Boys Keep Being Born”; Jan. 11: Christopher Hitchens, “Letters to a Youn Contrarian”; Jan. 14: Pamela Logan talks about “Tibetan Rescue: A Woman’s Quest to Save the Fabulous Art Treasures of Pewar Monastery”; All events are free and start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852. 

Coffee With A Beat - Word Beat reading series Dec. 29: Steve Arntson, Michelle Erickson, Clare Lewis; All readings are free and begin at 7 p.m., 458 Perkins, Oakland, 526-5985, www.angelfire.com/poetry/wordbeat. 

The Humanist Fellowship Hall Jan. 9: 7 p.m., “Our Wings Are Pregnant Seesaws,” Reading performance of a play by H. D. Moe. 390 27th St., Oakland, 528-8713. 

Sierra Club books Jan. 5: 3 - 5 p.m., Author/ Photographer Keith S. Walklet will be signing his book, “Yosemite - An Enduring Treasure.” 6014 college Ave., 658-7470, info@sierraclubbookstore.com. 

Jewish Community Center Jan. 14: 7:30-9 p.m., Emily Rose interweaves the family chronicle of her ancestors with the political and social events of the 18th and 19th centuries; Jan. 16: 7:30-8:30 p.m., Elizabeth Rosner will read from her compelling debut novel “The Speed of of Light.” Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 

Tours 

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

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 

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. Mon. and Wed., 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tues. and Fri., 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thur., 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

Oakland Museum of California “Kwanzaa Community Celebration” Dec. 30: 12-4 p.m.,Nia Kwanzaa is an African American holiday that honors black family history; Through Jan. 13: Grand Lyricist: The Art of Elmer Bischoff, featuring paintings and works on paper that trace the evolution of Bischoff’s career. $6 adults, $4 seniors and students, free for children under 5. Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. noon - 5 p.m., 10th St., Oakland, 888-625-6873/ www.museumca.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. Mon. through Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 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 summerlong 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 Dec. 26: 1 p.m., Professor Smart’s Fun with Physics Show; Dec. 27: 1 p.m., Slapstick with Derique; Dec. 28: 1 p.m., Rhythmix; Dec. 29: 1 p.m., Magic with Jay Alexander; Dec. 30: 1 p.m., Music and Storytelling with Dennis Hysom; Dec. 31: 1 p.m., New Year’s Eve Party, special daytime holiday party for kids; Dec. 26 through 31: Free Energy Star compact fluorescent light bulb; Through Jan. 26: Scream Machines: The Science of Roller Coasters; “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; Open daily, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley, 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org. 642-5132. 

Bade Museum, Pacific School of Religion “The Works of Alexander Nepote.” Nepote’s medium is a process of lyered painting of torn pieces of watercolor paper, fused together in images that speak of the spirit that underlies and is embodied in the landscape he views. Jan. 4 through Mar. 29 

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  

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

City officials are keeping a close eye on a local medical marijuana club that has been robbed at gunpoint twice during the last two months. 

The most recent incident occurred Dec. 13, at about 6 p.m., when armed robbers allegedly entered Berkeley Medical Herbs located at 1672 University Ave. and stole an undisclosed amount of marijuana and cash.  

A friend of club owner Ken Estes told police that the robbers carried automatic, Uzi-like weapons. 

Just two months earlier, the club was robbed at about the same time of day. In that incident, the robbers made off with a significant amount of cash and marijuana and escaped in a car owned by one of the club’s employees. 

The Berkeley Police Department said it would not release additional information on the latest robbery while the investigation is pending. 

Meanwhile, Councilmember Linda Maio, representatives of the Berkeley Police Department and staff from the city manager’s office have met with Estes, and have been attempting to formulate a response if problems at the beleaguered club continue. 

Arrietta Chakos, the city manager’s chief of staff, said in response to a City Council request, her office is watching the club and preparing a report on security at all the medical marijuana clubs in Berkeley. 

“We want to make sure that we keep an eye on this,” she said. “Our main concern is to maintain public safety.” 

Maio said her office has been spearheading attempts to place safety concerns about the club closer to the top of the city’s agenda. “This being the second time this has happened, we have to get a lot serious a lot faster,” she said. 

Maio said she had held a neighborhood meeting on crime in her district shortly after the first robbery occurred. The meeting had been scheduled many months in advance of the robbery and was meant to address home burglaries and street stick-ups, but she found that many of the people who attended were very concerned about the robbery at the club. 

“This is clearly not what we desire at all,” she said. “It’s unhealthy for everyone. It’s not good for the neighborhood, and it’s not good for the people that go there.” 

While the club is not technically in Maio’s district – it’s in Councilmember Dona Spring’s jurisdiction – it does lie directly across University Avenue from it. 

Maio said that she had gone by the club after the community meeting to see what was happening there. At one point she said she saw several “young-looking” people hanging around outside and on another occasion she saw a couple of large men with baggy jackets standing in front of the club facing University Avenue. She surmised that these men were part of the security operations put in place after the first robbery. 

Dorrit Geshuri, executive director of the Alliance of Berkeley Patients, defended Berkeley Medical Herbs and Estes last week, and said that the city bears some responsibility for the latest robbery there.  

According to Geshuri, the BPD had told the club to remove the “security” in front of the club on the day before most recent robbery. 

“If they had asked the club to remove security, they should have increased the police presence in that neighborhood,” she said. 

BPD Chief Dash Butler said last week that the department had suggested that the club hire a professional security service, rather than the apparently ad-hoc duo the club had employed. 

Geshuri said, though, that in the wake of the most recent robbery, Estes has planned to take additional steps to deter criminals. He will install a metal gate on the front door, so that people who wish to enter will have to be buzzed in, she said. 

He also told Geshun that he will install closed-circuit security cameras throughout the building and around its perimeter, and will change the business hours of operation so that it is only open when it is light outside. 

“We felt like this club has had a lot of problems, but we feel like it is addressable,” she said. “What we’re focusing on is making sure this doesn’t happen again.” 

Maio said that if problems at the club continue, the city could consider taking the matter before the Zoning Adjustments Board, which could declare it a public nuisance. 

“There’s a certain amount of reluctance to go in that direction, because the BPD is looking at more of a law enforcement issue,” she said. 

But the problem facing the city, said Maio, is how to take action against a problematic club without unfairly penalizing other clubs. 

“My aim is to enable people who need medical marijuana to get it, but not to take advantage of our compassion,” she said. “This is the only club we’re having problems with right now.” 

Editor:  

The Downtown Berkeley Association says it supports a balanced approach for transit and parking. However, for years parking advocates have claimed a need for balance based on demand and we built more parking.  

At what point of time in our auto oriented era have we had a balanced approach? Why do we have all of the growing congestion? Do we want more people accessing downtown with more autos and generating more congestion? What do people mean by a balanced approach? 

For balance, we need to expand our perspective and look to the future. We should look at what other cities with lots of congestion are doing. San Francisco has so much congestion and pedestrian accidents that they are considering reducing parking requirements.  

Meanwhile, more and more people are attending the many cultural, sport and entertainment events using transit in San Francisco having limited parking.  

Most cities outside the United States have little or no parking in central city areas are getting by with closely controlled and administered parking. Many of these cities inform drivers where there is available parking when entering these areas. Supplementing their limited parking, they get by because they have good transit. Better enforcement, control and charging a market rate for parking raises revenue that could supplement additional transit service.  

For Berkeley’s current situation, people evidently are accessing downtown, the university, YMCA, and city offices, encountering some congestion but are managing.  

The problem of urban living becomes evident when more and more autos are used generating more congestion and pedestrian hazards. So again where is the balance?  

While acknowledging that some people need to drive, I firmly believe there are a greater number who need not drive to downtown and use transit. UC Berkeley’s Class Pass has substantially increased use of transit and reduced the demand for parking.  

The City’s Eco Pass program should also reduce auto trips and parking. What about Downtown Berkeley Association and the YMCA instituting or encouraging similar programs? There are cities that control parking where the city gains revenues to support transit. Orlando, Fla. allows only limited private parking within the building complex and controls all public parking and from the revenues operates a convenient free exclusive way bus system serving city center.  

Vancouver, British Colombia imposes a special tax on private parking and its collected revenue supplements transit. With more revenue from parking programs as mentioned above and with more people using transit, generating more revenue, in combination this will make transit more convenient with increased frequency. So, one should not judge transit and parking at current usage.  

Therefore, I favor the Transportation Demand Study’s proposal to provide an opportunity for the city to institute programs as mentioned.  

Roy Nakadegawa P.E.,  

BART Director, District 3 

Berkeley 

Three weeks ago, when a janitorial company’s supervisor called Adalberto Mendoza, it wasn’t to extend the best wishes of the season to the janitor’s wife and four children. 

Instead, it was to let him know that he and the two other janitors employed at a Center Street building were being laid off as of Jan. 1. 

“It was very bad news for me,” said Mendoza, whose children range in age from 15 years old to seven months. “It was this job that gave us health insurance. Now there will be nothing in case the children get sick.” 

Every day for the last three-and-a-half years, Mendoza has finished work at his day job roasting coffee in Emeryville and headed to 1947 Center St. where he is paid $10 an hour to clean the six-story building from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.  

But three weeks ago, Universal Building Sevices, a unionized company that had the janitorial contract for the building for the last 13 years, informed its janitorial staff that the building’s property management company, San Francisco-based Gershon Baker and Associates, decided not to renew their contract in favor of California Janitorial, a non-union company. 

Mendoza works with janitors Maria and Leon Munoz, who will also be laid off after working at the building for 13 years.  

All three belong to Service Employees International Union, Local 1877. 

As building employees – most who work for the city, state or UC Berkeley – were leaving the site on Wednesday, Councilmember Kriss Worthington, SEIU Organizer Alvaro Gomez, Mendoza and Maria Munoz distributed fliers at the entrance to the six-story building. 

“We made our best effort to clean this building everyday,” said Munoz, who spoke through an interpreter. “It’s not fair for the property manager to make this decision overnight.” 

Many of the workers knew Mendoza and Munoz and promised to call the property management company to protest the contract cancellation. 

Karen Redman, who works in the building for the California Department of Health Services, said she knew of at least three other people in her office who had called to support the workers. 

“These guys do a great job on that building,” she said. “This is clearly about greed and not about quality of work.” 

Lori Samuel, who manages the building for Gershon Baker, did not return Daily Planet phone calls on Wednesday. According to a $2.5 million lease the city recently signed for office space in the building, the property owner is listed as 1947 Center Street Associates. However there is no telephone listing under that name in the greater Bay Area. 

The lease, renewed for five years last January, is for 18,000-square-feet of office space currently occupied by Public Works and Department of Parks and Waterfront offices.  

Worthington said the lease should be carefully reviewed. “The city should look into the possibility of breaking that lease,” he said, “especially with office rents coming down throughout the city.” 

Deputy City Manager Phil Kamlarz said the lease gave the city no control over the janitorial service. “In some of the buildings the city leases, we provide our own maintenance service but in this case the property manager has control over that,” he said. “It’s unfortunate because the city certainly supports the right of people to organize.” 

Gomez said union representatives had already contacted UBS to ask that the three janitors be hired at another location.  

“We are also hoping that if enough of the people who work in the building call the property manager will realize that this is unfair and will change their minds,” he said.

Arms are an instrument of evil, 

No measure for thoughtful men 

Until there fail all other choice 

But sad acceptance of it. 

Triumph is not beautiful. 

The death of a multitude is cause for mourning: 

Conduct your triumph as a funeral. 

– Lao Tzu, c 6th century BCE 

(Translator: Witter Bynner) 

Janet Foldvary 

Berkeley 

School board passes  

conscientious objection  

resolution 

Last week, the Board of Education voted to distribute written notices to Berkeley High School teachers and counselors, advising them that students who ask about conscientious objection to war can get further information from the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, an Oakland group. 

But the school board refused a request by the Peace and Justice Commission, a commission jointly appointed by the school board and City Council, to provide Central Committee literature at BHS, arguing that it did not have an opportunity to review the text. 

Steve Freedkin, a member of the Peace and Justice Commission, said he was not troubled by the school board’s decision on the literature. 

“My main concern is that students know there are counseling options available for conscientious objectors,” he said, arguing that BHS would be doing enough if it just notified pupils of the Central Committee’s existence and provided contact information. 

School board approves union contract 

The Board of Education voted unanimously last week to approve a union contract for the 2001-2002 year with the Public Employees Union, Local 1, which represents all classified staff in the school district. 

Classified staff includes any employee, from bus driver to instructional aide, who is not a teacher or administrator. 

The contract includes a 5.94 percent salary increase. “For the school district this year, that’s a very fair increase,” said Charles Egbert, general manager for the union. 

School board Director John Selawsky agreed, and called for greater state and federal aid to boost salaries even further. 

The new contract also calls for the district to confer with the union in developing each year’s school calendar. Egbert said the issue is an important one because many in Local 1 are paid by the day, unlike teachers and administrators who are on salary. Therefore, school vacation schedules affect union members’ incomes. 

Egbert said negotiations were business-like, and Selawsky said they were conducted in “good faith.” 

E-mail David Scharfenberg at scharfenberg@berkeleydailyplanet.net with school news for “Class Notes,”appearing every Thursday.

Editor: 

A bill now in the House seeks “to preserve the cooperative, peaceful uses of space for the benefit of all humankind.” One hundred thirty-eight countries signed a similar bill in the United Nations a few years ago. Only the United States and Israel abstained.  

On Dec. 12 President Bush publicly exulted in our “victory” over the Taliban. He said Afghanistan was a “proving ground “ for the type of operations he plans against other “rogue nations.” Sounding almost jaunty, he said the anti ballistic missile treaty is “opening up” and the space weapons program is going forward. Our president has made it clear we do not need treaties, even domestic ones like the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  

Rather, we need supremacy, grown in stages, from air to ground to space. We're almost there. We already have the technology to read a license plate from space or target a bird's eye. While the people of Afghanistan are dealing with radiation, land mines and unexploded cluster bombs on the ground, for us, the sky is the limit. If need be, we can retire there to a gated community. With less oxygen we'll have even fewer thoughts and memories. Peace on earth will be words to a forgotten song. 

For information about Preservation of Space, www.peaceinspace.com or call Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Ohio 202-225-5871. 

Gael Alcock 

Berkeley, CA 

PETALUMA — An unmanned aircraft somehow broke from its moorings as its owner worked on the engine and took to the air Wednesday afternoon in rural Sonoma County. 

Authorities weren’t sure where the Aeronaca Champion, a small two-seat plane from the 1950s, was headed, nor how it took off without a pilot. 

The owner “was working on the engine I guess and it got away from him,” said Sonoma County sheriff’s spokesman Phil Coughlin. 

The office said it was dispatched helicopters to search for wreckage east of Petaluma. The plane had less than 15 gallons of fuel, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, and would not likely have been able to stay in the air for too long. 

Authorities gave conflicting reports about when and where the plane took off. Coughlin said it left from a small, rural airstrip in the county’s southwest around 4:30 p.m.; an FAA spokesman said it left from Petaluma around 3:45 p.m. 

Editor: 

It was reported that Berkeley's parking meters are being jammed in order to park cars longer. That can be remedied with electronic parking meters that enable the city to charge for parking the way cars are now charged in the automatic bay bridge tolls.  

Cars would have devices that record the charges. That way, drivers could park as long as they wished, with no time limit. The meter charge would vary according to the amount of crowding typical for the time of day. The meter charge should be just high enough so that a driver can usually find parking within a block.  

So besides not worrying about the time, the flexible times and charges would eliminate parking congestion. Meters could also have parking meters for such charging. Let's move away from obsolete 20th century coin parking with fixed times and rates, to 21st century flexible electronic meter charging. 

Fred Foldvary 

Berkeley

SACRAMENTO — One of the state’s most notorious serial killers, serving a life sentence for the murders he said he committed at the command of voices in his head, is set to come up for parole for the ninth time on Thursday. 

Herbert W. Mullin said he killed 13 people before his arrest in February 1973. He was convicted of 11 of the killings in Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties. 

Mullin, who claimed insanity, testified that he killed on telepathic orders from his father and that he did so to prevent a major earthquake predicted for January 1973. 

“He couldn’t understand why he was being prosecuted, even,” said Dr. Donald T. Lunde, the psychiatrist who testified in Mullin’s defense. 

There was no death penalty at the time, and Mullin was sentenced to life in prison, which meant a minimum of seven years. He has been denied parole eight times. 

Edmund Kemper, who killed and dismembered his mother and seven other women between May 1972 and April 1973, was kept in a cell next to Mullin in the county jail. 

“Herbie was just a cold-blooded killer ... killing everyone he saw for no good reason,” Kemper said. “A creep with no class.” 

Mullin said he killed a drifter with a baseball bat and stabbed a hitchhiking student, but he was never tried for those. He was convicted of stabbing a priest in his confessional, shooting four camping teens, and killing a drug dealer, his wife and the wife and small children of another drug dealer. 

Mullin has since blamed many others, including his family, for making him commit the murders, even one time saying he had been under a curse when he killed. 

Opinions vary as to whether to let Mullin out. Lunde said it would be cheaper to put him up in a home and give him psychiatric treatment. But Chris Cottle, who prosecuted the case, said no. 

“I can’t imagine the authorities would ever let somebody like that out,” Cottle said. 

STOCKTON — A Stockton man accused of going on a shooting spree on Christmas, shooting his father, the mother of his 7-month-old son and then fatally shooting her mother was booked Wednesday on murder charges, officials said. 

Ramiro Gonzalez Jr., 23, was also charged with four counts of attempted murder, said Nelida Stone, a spokeswoman for the San Joaquin Sheriff’s Department. His girlfriend, Jeanette Molina, 20, was charged on identical counts, plus charges that she was an accessory to the crimes, Stone said. 

Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report around 2 p.m. Tuesday that a man had shot his father in the head, Stone said. Ramiro Gonzalez Sr., 51, was transported to an area hospital. 

“The father is in critical condition and on life support,” Stone said. 

The shooter fled the scene of the attack, went about eight blocks away and allegedly kicked in the door to a residence where the mother of his child, Mona Lisa Espinoza, 21, held their 7-month-old son, Stone said. 

The alleged shooter fired and wounded Espinoza then turned and shot and killed Espinoza’s mother Maria Alicia Espinoza, 42. The daughter was treated and released, Stone said. 

Gonzalez then reportedly barricaded himself in at the residence until a Stockton S.W.A.T. team member talked him into surrendering at 8:20 p.m. after a tense stand-off. More than 50 police officers and sheriff’s deputies were at the scene as it unfolded. 

Gonzalez and Molina were at that point taken into custody without incident, Stone said. 

Molina was charged investigators believe “she was with him when he shot his dad and she was also with him and apparently was the driver when he went to the other address,” Stone said. 

Both are expected to be arraigned in court Friday, she said. 

Detectives were still searching for the weapons used and the vehicle the suspects were driving, she said.

SACRAMENTO — Grapes and wine from Chile. Tomatoes, carrots and broccoli from Mexico. Apple juice from Hungary. Orange juice from Brazil. 

The global economy is bringing more foreign-grown produce to American tables and blurring the borders for nations and multinational corporations. Much of that produce first lands on American shores in California, itself the nation’s fruit and vegetable basket. 

Yet all produce is not created equal. 

For instance, illegal pesticide residue regularly shows up 3 1/2 times as often on produce from Mexico as on produce grown in California, according to the state’s Department of Pesticide Regulation. 

“It appears to us the disparity is getting worse rather rapidly,” particularly in the last four or five years, said Charles Benbrook, a national pesticide expert and Consumers Union consultant. 

That realization is sparking new debate from San Francisco, where a United Nations human rights investigator heard complaints this month about U.S. pesticide exports, to Washington, D.C., where it helped rekindle congressional support for “country of origin” labeling requirements in the pending farm bill. 

Developing countries generally have few controls on pesticide use, which results in more residue on produce imported by the United States, said Colorado State University sociology professor Douglas Murray, an expert on pesticide hazard reduction. 

Mexican tomatoes, for instance, had a “toxicity index” more than four times higher than California tomatoes, according to a February Consumers Union report based on 1998 data, the most recent available. 

“The U.S. produce is much cleaner than Mexico,” Benbrook said. “I would say overall, California probably produces the cleanest produce in the world.” 

California not only has what Benbrook called the world’s most restrictive regulations on pesticide use, safety and application, but its dry Mediterranean climate means growers need to use less pesticide than in more humid areas. 

That helps makes it cleaner even than produce grown elsewhere in the United States, Benbrook said. For instance, he co-authored a 1999 Consumers Union report that found higher pesticide residue on U.S. crops like peaches, winter squash, green beans, apples and pears than was on similar foreign-grown produce. 

The California Farm Bureau and Western Growers Association said they are more likely to point out the overall safety of produce than they are to play up a disparity between producers, admittedly out of reluctance to discourage consumers. 

“We certainly promote the fact that our produce is grown under these very strict and rigorous standards,” said farm bureau spokesman Bob Krauter. 

“In 97 percent of Mexican produce there was no pesticide detected whatsoever, and in 99 percent of California produce there was no pesticide detected whatsoever,” said Hank Giclas, Western Growers’ vice president for science and technical affairs. 

Critics take a different view. 

“If you magnify that out to the marketplace, that’s a lot of produce,” said Richard Wiles, senior vice president of the Environmental Working Group that has offices in Oakland and Washington, D.C. “This is indicative of the pesticide that’s out there.” 

Though foreign produce tests higher for pesticide residue, “we’re still talking about very low levels” that have resulted in no reported illnesses, said Glenn Brank, spokesman for the state Department of Pesticide Regulation. It may have more residue in part to protect it because it is being shipped long distances, he said. 

The state’s pesticide program is designed to intercept contaminated produce by sampling a small percentage at packing houses and produce terminals, then tracking problem shipments back to the grower, whose entire crop would then be suspect. 

But foreign shipments are often more difficult to trace to their source, according to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-funded study last year. In addition, produce from several different growers and packers may be commingled in the same shipment. 

Brank said California is working particularly hard to address that problem with Mexico because of the volume of Mexican produce, but hasn’t found a solution. 

“More and more, Mexico has to obey all the standards of NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement). I don’t think there is much of a difference in standards,” said Bernardo Mendez, a spokesman for the Mexican Consulate in San Francisco. “Maybe in some past years there has been some problem in enforcement, but that is getting better.” 

Eighty-seven state and national farm groups are backing a country-of-origin labeling requirement in Congress’ pending farm bill, already approved by the House of Representatives, in part because of the pesticide issue. 

“You know where your clothes come from, but you don’t know where your food comes from,” said Laura Johnston of the National Farmers Union. “It kind of makes a mockery of the strict regulations we have here when we import food from other countries that don’t have those regulations.” 

——— 

On the Net: 

www.cdpr.ca.gov 

PASADENA — A judge says next week’s Rose Bowl game isn’t a judicial emergency and the courthouse will stay open, despite predictions that a crush of fans will clog city streets during the first-ever non-holiday football contest. 

Private businesses and some local government agencies want to send employees home early Jan. 3. But courthouse officials rejected a suggestion by the city to close at noon and send the building’s 100 workers home early. 

“A football game doesn’t really qualify as a judicial emergency,” Presiding Superior Court Judge Mary Thornton House said. 

Normally the Rose Bowl follows the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day, or Jan. 2 if New Year’s falls on Sunday. But under the recently enacted rotating college football playoff format, the championship game will be played at the Rose Bowl this year, two days after the parade. 

The Miami-Nebraska game kicks off at 5 p.m. Thursday, with opening ceremonies set for 4:30 p.m. Police have urged fans to arrive by 3 p.m. because of anticipated traffic jams. 

“People really need to arrive early and people who don’t need to be in that area can avoid the traffic,” Cmdr. Mary Schander said. 

SAN FRANCISCO — A man died and his wife was rescued from the San Francisco Bay after their Jeep Cherokee careened into the chilly waters Tuesday afternoon. 

Abdel Laarif, 37, of San Francisco was pronounced dead at the scene near the St. Francis Yacht Club along the waterfront, according to the city medical examiner’s office. The cause of his death had not been determined. 

Laarif’s wife survived the crash, pulled to safety by passers-by, according to the medical examiner’s office. She was transported to a hospital and was being treated for hypothermia late Tuesday. 

The accident occurred at about 2:45 p.m. Witnesses say the car seemed to behave normally until it suddenly sped toward the wall lining the yacht club parking lot. 

“The car was going maybe five miles an hour and the next thing you know it was accelerating at 20 miles an hour and lurched up and over the curb and down over the brick wall, which was 12 feet to the ocean,” said Michael Keenan, one of three people who dove into the water to pull the couple out. 

San Francisco police Sgt. Paul Morse called the quick actions that saved the woman’s life heroic. 

Morse said emergency crews would have to wait until low tide to pull the battered car out of the water. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Prompted by rolling blackouts and some of the nation’s highest energy bills, California residents and businesses used rebates to buy record numbers of energy-efficient appliances and solar panels in 2001. 

Three major California utilities and the California Energy Commission say hundreds of thousands of Californians took advantage of dozens of rebate programs for everything from insulation to light bulbs as they tried to cut their long-term energy use and tame unruly utility bills. 

“We have never seen anything like it,” said Gil Alexander, spokesman for Southern California Edison. “Apparently, responsiveness to calls for conservation plus the desire to reduce consumption because of rising electricity rates prompted many more consumers to take advantage of programs that are offered each year.” 

Many Californians looked to their roofs for savings, cashing in rebates that cut the cost of installing pricey rooftop solar panel systems by as much as half. 

Marwan Masri, manager of the renewable energy program at the state energy commission, said the state has received and approved nearly 2,000 rebates this year for solar systems. 

“That’s huge. That’s something like maybe five times what we were receiving before the energy crisis hit,” Masri said. 

The increased demand could help spur more innovation and competition in the solar industry, which in turn could help lower costs for future customers, Masri said. 

Edison has taken more than 1 million phone calls this year from customers hoping to save on energy-efficient washing machines, refrigerators and other appliances, up from 200,000 calls the previous year, Alexander said. The utility has given out more than 70,000 rebates at a cost of roughly $15 million. 

In the San Diego area, SDG&E handed out at least 5,000 washing machine rebates and 20,000 refrigerator rebates. That’s up from 2,000 and 4,400, respectively, the previous year, said Jennifer Andrews, an SDG&E spokeswoman. 

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers hauled home more than 150,000 energy-saving lamps, dishwashers, refrigerators and other qualifying appliances totaling $17 million in rebates, said Brian Swanson, a PG&E spokesman. 

Ratepayers pay for appliance rebates, low-income power bill discounts and other programs with a small percentage of each month’s payment. Lawmakers also kicked in several million extra for each utility earlier this year after energy costs soared. 

High demand, high wholesale energy costs, transmission glitches and a tight supply worsened by scarce hydroelectric power in the Northwest and maintenance at aging California power plants contributed to driving California energy prices skyward earlier this year. 

——— 

On the Net: 

http://www.energy.ca.gov 

http://www.sce.com 

http://www.pge.com 

http://www.sdge.com 

Town crier wins  

championship 

MARTINEZ — The city’s only town crier is also believed to be the first one west of the Mississippi — and the nation’s only county crier after his appointment by Contra Costa County officials. 

Redmond O’Colonies, 51 — whose real surname is O’Connell — won the American Guild of Town Criers championship in September and finished fifth in the world championships in August. 

His duties in his home town of Martinez include appearing at ceremonies and spreading good will. One cry he’s used at local events goes something like this: 

“Oyez. Oyez. Oyez. A warm welcome awaits visitors to Martinez, California. We are home to the largest bocce ball federation in the world, the mischievous martini, the model of modesty Mr. Joe DiMaggio and the magnificent marching master Mr. John Muir.” 

O’Colonies, originally from Lancashire, England, has been working with the city since 1991 and said his job is a great way to make a living. 

Party broken up by six police departments 

VACAVILLE — Thirty officers from six police agencies were needed to quell a Christmas party that turned into a near-riot. 

A woman was shot in the arm at dawn Wednesday during the brawl involving some of the more than 1,000 people who showed up Tuesday night for the festivities at the Spitfire Bar and Grill. 

Officers responding to the report early Wednesday morning were met by a hostile crowd in the parking lot. The partygoers refused to let the officers approach the injured woman and began throwing beer bottles and rocks at the officers and their cars. 

At that point — the police donned riot gear and called for help. 

Officers from the Solano County Sheriff’s Department, the California Highway Patrol, and the Fairfield, Dixon and Vallejo police departments showed up. 

Police Sergeant Jim Mayoral says the owner of the bar rented it out for a private hip-hop party and apparently was told it would be far smaller. The violence started when the owner began turning people away after the facility had reached its legal capacity. 

Police later halted an SUV after a witness reported seeing a man with a gun enter the vehicle. He was booked for investigation of brandishing a handgun and carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle.  

It’s not clear if he fired the shot that injured the woman. 

She was treated at Vaca Valley Hospital and released. 

Officers say it took about two hours to control the situation. 

WASHINGTON — No suspects. No telltale clues. Not even a trace of Chandra Levy has surfaced in the baffling case of the missing federal intern. 

Nearly eight months after the 24-year-old disappeared in Washington, police are no closer to finding her, despite the avalanche of publicity the case has received because of Levy’s link to Rep. Gary Condit, D-Ceres, Calif. 

“No new developments to report, let’s put it that way,” Sgt. Joe Gentile, a police spokesman, said last week. 

Two police detectives and an FBI agent who specializes in difficult cases remain assigned to the investigation, considerably less manpower than the scores of officers pressed into service last summer to scour Washington parks and buildings. 

Levy’s parents, Dr. Robert and Susan Levy of Modesto, Calif., asked as far back as June that police treat the disappearance as a crime, which might have allowed police to be more aggressive in questioning people and their search for clues. Gentile, however, said the case remains a missing person investigation because there is no evidence of a crime. 

“We know they’re still working on it and we hope they’ll be able to help us solve it, to find Chandra, hopefully alive,” Levy’s father said in a telephone interview. “Or if not, to find out what happened.” 

Susan Levy described the mystery as “a living hell.” 

Billy Martin, the Levys’ Washington lawyer, said Levy most likely was the victim of a “well-planned kidnapping and removal.” 

Had Levy been the victim of a random attack, Martin believes and police agree, her body probably would have been found by now. Police also probably would have found some physical evidence — blood, for instance — in or near her apartment. 

“It’s highly unusual for no evidence of Chandra or her whereabouts to turn up, which leads us to conclude that Chandra has met with some professional or professionals who have removed every trace of her,” said Martin, a former federal prosecutor. 

Levy lost her job as an intern in the U.S. Bureau of Prisons in late April. She was last seen April 30 at a gym near her apartment. Police believe she spent the morning of May 1 surfing the Internet. Her parents received an e-mail from her that day that discussed airplane fares for her planned trip home to receive a graduate degree in public administration from the University of Southern California. 

Her trail ends there, and interviews with friends, neighbors, co-workers, employees at the gym she frequented and Condit have shed little light on what might have happened to her. 

Several days elapsed before Levy’s parents called police and Condit, their congressman, to say she was missing. When police searched her apartment a few days later, they found her wallet, computer and luggage. Only her keys were missing. 

They also stopped by Condit’s apartment around the same time for the first of four interviews with the congressman. 

Condit failed to tell investigators he was having an affair with Levy until his third interview, more than two months after Levy vanished, a police source says. He has denied any involvement in her disappearance and police say he is not a suspect. 

Martin said police could have done more early in the investigation, when leads and memories were fresher. 

“There were numerous leads, surveillance photos from apartment buildings in the immediate area, several things that could have been done that were not done,” Martin said. “But I can’t be critical of the police because they did not feel at that time that a crime had been committed.” 

Martin had stronger criticism for Condit, who Martin said was neither candid nor cooperative with investigators in the days after Levy disappeared. 

Condit has said no one in Washington “has been more cooperative” than he, although police expressed exasperation that they needed several interviews to get what they considered a complete picture of Condit’s relationship with Levy as well as his reconstruction of her comings and goings in late April. 

While the investigation continues, the media coverage has waned since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Gone are the news cameras that were a fixture at locations in California and Washington, including Levy’s apartment. There, the only visible reminder of Levy is a weathered yellow ribbon that hugs a tree near the building’s entrance. 

The building manager says he can’t bring himself to take it down. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Condit: http://www.house.gov/gcondit 

Washington police: http://www.mpdc.org 

NEWPORT, Ore. — Christian Longo, the father of the boy and girl found dead in Waldport last week, has a history of fraud and was recently charged with theft in Lincoln County. 

Christian Michael Longo, 27, was charged Dec. 11 with a crime that occurred Sept. 12. It is one of the few details that emerged Tuesday about the parents of Zachary Michael Longo, 5, and Sadie Ann Longo, 3, whose deaths have been ruled homicides. 

The whereabouts of Christian Longo; his wife, Mary Jane Longo, 35; and their youngest child, Madison Longo, 2, remained unknown Tuesday. 

Zachary’s body was discovered Wednesday floating about two feet from shore near the mouth of Lint Slough, which empties into Alsea Bay. 

Divers searching for evidence Saturday recovered Sadie’s body submerged in water about 150 yards from where her brother was found. 

Police spent Christmas Day following about a dozen leads called in since Monday, Lincoln County District Attorney Bernice Barnett said. Autopsies of the children have been completed, but the results are being withheld by the medical examiner. 

The family moved to Oregon from Michigan in the past few months. It is not known why the family relocated. 

Before their move to Oregon, the Longos spent at least seven years in Michigan. 

In 1997, the Longos bought a brick ranch-style house. In 2000, the house had a market value of roughly $80,000. Using his new home as a base, Christian Longo opened a construction cleaning firm in February 2000. 

In October, Longo was placed on three-year probation for forgery and writing bad checks in Washtenaw County. Those charges stemmed from June 2000, according to Department of Corrections records. 

Two months later, Longo was charged with larceny. The outcome of that charge is unclear. The Washtenaw County Circuit Court recently issued a warrant on Longo for a probation violation. 

In May, the Longos sold the house to Aretha Evans and her husband. Evans said she quickly began repairing the ailing house. 

Several times, Evans came home to find court papers addressed to Christian Longo pinned to the door. 

People claiming to be Longo’s former clients also began showing up, complaining about the job he had — or hadn’t — done. 

One day, a sheriff’s deputy appeared on her doorstep with one of Longo’s clients. 

“I thought, ‘Oh gosh, why did we buy this house?”’ said Evans, 50. 

Barnett, the Lincoln County district attorney, said she had no information about Christian Longo’s recent theft charge. Lincoln County Circuit Judge Robert J. Huckleberry on Dec. 17 denied a motion to issue a warrant for Longo’s arrest. 

Barnett refused to divulge if police think the Longo parents were victims themselves or were somehow involved in their children’s deaths. Barnett said investigators might release photos of the Longos on Wednesday, so the public can help police find them.  

CARSON CITY, Nev.— A drive into the Sierra Nevada can seem like a retreat from time, a return to landscapes unmolested by the 20th century. 

But the mountain range dividing Nevada and California, while largely undeveloped, is far from unaltered. George E. Gruell has the photographs to prove it. 

The 74-year-old retired federal wildlife biologist hiked and occasionally helicoptered his way to dozens of mountain spots recorded in photographs taken in the late 1800s and early 1900s. 

He hunted for the same peaks and boulders, the same vantage points. And when he found them, he took another photo. 

In a just-published book, Gruell matches the new and old images, showing how much the landscapes have changed. In scene after scene, the contemporary photographs document dense forest and lush growth. Their historical twins show leaner country in which the trees were fewer, the ground more open, the meadows more abundant. 

The face of the Sierra has filled in — and Gruell says that’s not good for wildlife, the forest and the future of the range“s ecosystems. 

He says factors that caused the growth include heavy livestock grazing a century ago that bared soil for tree seedlings to take root; logging that cleared the way for new growth; and a wet climate cycle in the 1900s. 

Most of all, Gruell argues that decades of anti-fire policies reduced wildfires, and they need to be brought back to return the Sierra to what it was. 

Gruell’s work, partly reimbursed by logging interests, touches on an impassioned debate about the Sierra Nevada’s vast forest land. Logging levels, the role of fire and the decline in wildlife have been the subject of fierce political and environmental battles for years. 

Gruell advocates prescribed burns — controlled, deliberate fires that many environmentalists favor as a way of clearing dense undergrowth. 

But he also says logging limits imposed on federal land in the last decade are too restrictive and that in many places, stands need to be thinned before periodic prescribed burns can be started. 

Gruell is well aware that his work, “Fire in Sierra Nevada Forests: A Photographic Interpretation of Ecological Change Since 1849,” is more than just a picture book. 

“This publicly advocates forest management, which involves disturbing the landscape. And there are a great many people out there who don’t want any disturbance in the landscape,” he said. 

After retiring from the U.S. Forest Service in 1987, the Carson City, Nev., resident started lecturing and consulting on fire ecology and fire’s effect on wildlife habitat. 

In 1992, the California Forestry Association, a timber industry group, offered him a contract to conduct a repeat photographic study of the Sierra Nevada. He produced a brochure of about 20 photographs and wanted to do more. So he pursued the work on his own, poring over thousands of old photographs in historical libraries. 

Gruell said he had been rejected by several publishers and was waiting to hear from another when he showed his manuscript to the Forest Foundation, a nonprofit group affiliated with the California Forest Products Commission, funded by industry companies. 

The foundation was interested in his work and paid him a fee that covered his expenses in developing the book. Gruell said the foundation also arranged to get copies of his book at cost from Mountain Press Publishing Co. in Missoula, Mont., which issued it last month. 

Gruell said he that had no reservations about taking a fee from the foundation and that it exerted no influence on his work. “It’s an objective look at the landscape and what has happened,” Gruell said. 

He snapped his first repeat photographs with a 35-millimeter camera borrowed from his aunt in the 1950s. When he joined the Forest Service in 1962, he started using large-format cameras belonging to the service. 

Again and again, his photographs showed that the landscape had been more open a century ago. Along with others, Gruell began to question the forest service policy of fighting fires and suppressing the natural fire cycle. 

He says that without nature’s cycle of frequent fire to clean out undergrowth, the forest has become so dense that fire now can reach catastrophic intensity. 

Gruell says the tree canopy has become so thick that desirable plants beneath have declined — and in places, the Sierra resembles a jungle. 

GILLETTE, Wyo. — Looking through an office window across the expansive grasslands of his family’s South African ranch, Craig Knight could spot kudu, impala and warthogs foraging across the range land his family used to raise beefmaster cattle. 

He came to the United States in 1988 and began to seek out knowledge from American ranchers about the beef industry he could take home. 

Traveling from West Lafayette, Ind., Knight made his way from ranch to ranch learning as much as he could. 

Then he arrived in Wyoming. Something about the Powder River Basin’s wide-open grasslands reminded him of South Africa. 

Looking across the mineral-rich basin, Knight saw more than cows, antelope and ranches; he saw opportunity. 

Coal mines were increasing production and environmental reclamation and the natural gas industry was just getting started. 

Mineral companies needed skilled mappers to plot and locate facilities, drainages and help plan development. 

So, he ended up staying and undertook a new career in computer-aided drafting and geographical mapping. He now has his own company, Knight Technologies Inc., which he runs with his wife. 

Now, looking out the window of his office in Gillette, Knight has the privileged perspective of seeing those early opportunities realized, even beyond what he expected. 

“I knew coal-bed methane was going to take off, but I had no idea it would take off as it has,” he said. “I don’t even think the operators knew.” 

“For this mapping business, the goal was the coal mining, to develop site mine plans and do reclamation work,” Knight said. 

While coal mines are the mainstay of the business — Knight Technologies has all but two of the basin’s coal mines for clients — work in the coal-bed methane industry is what is allowing it to grow. 

Knight Technologies is looking to double its staff to six, with an administrative assistant, an engineer and a computer-aided design and geographic information systems specialist. 

It has grown out of the cozy 1,500 square-foot office and is preparing to move into a 2,600 square-foot office space nearby. 

New development is the key to Knight Technologies’ coal-bed methane business. For every new coal-bed methane project targeting federal minerals, operators must submit a water management plan that details the location of the wells, pipelines, roads, water discharge points and reservoirs. 

Surveyors send Knight e-mail attachments or computer disks full of unformatted data x, y and z coordinate points, relating with near pinpoint precision longitude, latitude and elevation of the land, wells, pipelines and roads. 

Knight Technologies takes that information and, depending on the desired output, maps or plots the raw data on a grid, topographic map or aerial satellite photograph. 

John Dolinar is an engineer with William H. Smith, a surveyor company from Green River, who has been in Gillette on a temporary coal-bed methane job for the past year and expects to be here another year. 

The company has used Knight Technologies for the last year to map and plot all the projects that its draftsmen can’t handle. 

“Primarily we use them because we need additional help. They assist us in preparing maps by placing the data we generate,” he said. “I think they’re the only ones in the area doing that. The rest are engineering consultants that work in Gillette ... They have a better way to integrate with different systems than most of us do.” 

Pennaco Energy has started making more use of not only the mapping capabilities of Knight Technologies, but also its database management skills, as well. 

“This is the only company that I have seen in the area that make databases talk to each other and they are probably one of the better ones,” said John Kawcak, Pennaco’s drilling and construction manager. 

Knight has just completed a project that allows Pennaco’s GIS “smart maps” to automatically update weekly, inserting nested data into the map, like layers in a cake. 

With data from local conservation districts and independent soil scientists, “smart maps” also can nest information on soil chemistry and susceptibility to erosion. 

Methane companies can use these maps to help determine where to discharge water and where not to, Knight said. 

But it is not just the mineral industry that have found the services useful. 

Knight has been approached by ranchers and landowners who are interested in doing an inventory of their lands before methane wells start producing. 

Knight uses infrared satellite images taken from space to map vegetation and drainages that can be used as a baseline measurement once methane development begins. 

While coal-bed methane activity has allowed Knight Technologies to expand, recent price drops and volatility in the natural gas market don’t have Knight too worried. 

“I don’t think that the price is going to affect growth, because we’re all targeting the long term and diversifying,” he said. 

Five years ago, they said it would last five years, and now they’re saying it will last another five to 10 years still, he said Knight said his plan is to stick around and grow. 

“I love it out here, it is a small town with wide open spaces and very similar to parts of South Africa, except for the winters.” 

End ADV for Dec. 29-30 

EUGENE, Ore. — Think of a city known for coffee experts and Seattle, perhaps Portland, come to mind. But Eugene also is home to people who know a few things about whipping up a perfect double skinny latte. 

Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup has made a place for itself in the nation’s specialty coffee industry with a blend of training videos, instruction manuals and advice for entrepreneurs and corporations wanting to cash in on America’s coffee craze. 

Many baristas have learned the intricacies of making espresso-based coffee drinks by watching Bellissimo’s first video, “Espresso 101,” and a companion, “Espresso 501.” 

“We feel fortunate to be the education company for this industry,” owner Bruce Milletto said. 

Karen Foley, editor of the Portland-based trade magazine Fresh Cup, said Milletto’s statement is more fact than braggadocio. 

An ever-growing number of fancy coffee drinks are being poured each day, but many are not properly made, she said. 

“There are a lot of people out there who can use enlightenment and education on how to prepare a cup of coffee, and Bruce is definitely trying to reach those people,” Foley said. 

Bellissimo’s story is tied to the nation’s growing fondness for espresso-based drinks, a trend that has made coffee bars and drive-through stands a common sight. 

About 29 million Americans drink premium coffee each day, up from 7 million just five years ago, according to the National Coffee Association. 

Milletto, who first became interested in coffee more than a decade ago as an importer and then as a retailer, said the beverage itself is only partly responsible for the trend. 

Starbucks Corp. has grown to more than 4,700 outlets by creating a place where people like to gather, Milletto said. 

“We need a place that is as comfortable as our home or office,” he said. “We need that third place.” 

Milletto helps entrepreneurs create that place. 

Milletto has just three employees, but he hires coffee experts, authors, designers, artists, video crews, musicians and others, depending on whether he is designing a coffee bar, writing a how-to-business book or making a video. 

One of his main consultants is former partner Ed Arvidson of Bend. Milletto and Arvidson started Bellissimo as a coffee cart business in Lake Oswego in 1991 before adding video-making and consulting a few years later. 

Milletto may not be well-known in Eugene, but his customers have included such major companies as Borders Books & Music, Sarah Lee, Mrs. Fields Cookies, R. Torre & Co. (the maker of Torani syrup), Gino Rossi (an espresso machine manufacturer), plus hundreds of other firms and individuals. 

Tom Kaspar of Eugene and his partners hired Bellissimo earlier this year to help them start Coffee Zone, which opened last July in the Autzen Stadium area. 

For about $1,300, Bellissimo gave advice on recipes, menu, pricing and design of the coffee bar, Kaspar said. 

Among other menu suggestions, the consultants urged Kaspar to sell more than coffee, namely fruit smoothies and ice-based coffee drinks known as granitas. 

Bellissimo is different from many of its competitors, according to the Specialty Coffee Association of America in Long Beach, Calif. 

“It’s easy to find a consultant to help you learn about roasting, or how to put together a business plan,” said association spokesman Mike Ferguson. “But it’s very unique to find someone who can do all those things and who is publishing books and producing videos.” 

After moving to Eugene, Milletto and his wife, Jan, started a coffee bar near the University of Oregon. They later opened an espresso cart in Eugene. 

Bruce Milletto and Arvidson, a restaurant veteran who had owned the Baja Cafe in downtown Eugene, teamed up to start Bellissimo as a Lake Oswego coffee cart. 

The idea for the “Espresso 101” video came a couple of years later because the partners needed to create a more efficient way to train their employees, Arvidson said. 

Said Milletto: “There were volumes of books about wine, but there was hardly anything about coffee.” 

“So the light bulb came on” to create a training video that could be sold, Arvidson said. 

Within a couple of years, demand for “Espresso 101” and Bellissimo’s second video, “Spilling the Beans,” had grown to the point that the partners decided to sell their espresso outlets and concentrate on media products and consulting. 

“People were calling us saying, ’Do you do consulting?’ ” Milletto said. 

In 1998, Arvidson sold his interest in Bellissimo to Milletto to go into business in the Caribbean. Arvidson returned to Oregon about a year later when that did not work out, and he has been an independent consultant with Bellissimo ever since. 

Milletto declined to disclose his company’s sales, but he said they are less than $1 million a year and growing. About half of the firm’s revenue comes from consulting and the other half from media products. 

To make his most recent video, “The Passionate Harvest,” Milletto and his film crew traveled to Ethiopia, Guatemala, Brazil and Hawaii. Kenneth Davids, a San Francisco-based author and coffee expert, wrote the script and spoke in the documentary, along with other experts. 

“The Passionate Harvest” has won numerous awards, including one of 16 platinum awards at Houston World Fest earlier this year. 

Most of the $125,000 production cost was funded by corporate sponsors that included Whole Foods Market and the Brazil Specialty Coffee. 

With the subsidies, Milletto said he expects to start making a profit on the video, which sells for $80, sometime next year. 

Making videos and being known as an industry expert helps Bellissimo. 

“They do an excellent job of marketing themselves across the country,” said Foley, editor of Fresh Cup magazine. 

Similar to other young industries that grow rapidly, the gourmet coffee business is going through a shakeout, according to the Specialty Coffee Association of America. 

Between 1995 and 1999, the number of retail outlets, including drive-through stands, ballooned from 5,000 to 12,000, the organization said. Now, many weaker operators are going out of business, so the number of outlets is expected to fall to 10,000 by the end of 2003, said Mike Ferguson, the SCAA spokesman. 

But stronger operators will survive and thrive after the shakeout runs its course, he said. With specialty coffee sales growing about 8 percent a year, Ferguson said, the number of retail establishments selling fancy coffee will start to grow again, and is expected to grow to 15,000 by the end of the decade. 

Milletto said Bellissimo will profit from the trend, partly through its extensive list of media products and services, including Web site design. 

Last year, the firm published a book on coffee drive-through stands, and Milletto is finishing revisions to the nearly 700-page “Bean Business Basics,” which will go into a second printing in January. 

End ADV for Monday, Dec. 31 

LOS ANGELES — El Salvador’s savage civil war drove Roberto and Margarita Herrador north to the United States in search of a safe haven for their family. They found it in a country that, after 15 years, still won’t accept them. 

The Herradors and their three daughters are among tens of thousands of Salvadoran and Guatemalan war refugees whose applications for permanent residency, the first step toward citizenship, are languishing in INS files though their eligibility was guaranteed by an act of Congress. 

A peculiarity in Immigration and Naturalization Service procedures is creating a large and growing backlog of applications, and agency officials estimate it will take 20 years to get through them. 

That’s an eternity for families like the Herradors, who have spent years seeking their promised residency under first one program, then another. 

“There are a lot of people whose lives are on hold because of these delays,” said Robert J. Foss, legal director of the Central American Resource Center. “The INS is failing in a very big way around a group of people who have already been through the wringer more than once.” 

The people affected have been in this country for more than a decade, and most came to escape civil war. Their lives are burdened in countless ways because they don’t have green cards, the proof of permanent residency. 

“It’s created this sort of double standard for us. We have to do double the work to get anything done than the average citizen,” said Ingrid Herrador, 25, in an interview in the family’s small apartment in Mar Vista, a working class community just behind Venice Beach. “And even though we do all of that and could be really good for this society we have all these obstacles that make it almost impossible.” 

Ingrid was accepted by the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1995 but couldn’t go because she was ineligible for in-state tuition and student aid. 

The family’s legal status prevented Margarita from returning to El Salvador when her mother and then her sister died. 

Daughter Claudia, 28, must put off her dream of joining the Peace Corps until her case is resolved. 

Roberto, a trained accountant, has worked as a cashier at the same gas station for over a decade and now makes $8 an hour. Career advancement is difficult for a nonresident with only a yearly work permit. 

In El Salvador, Margarita and Roberto saw fellow activists in the Catholic church brutally murdered by death squads and the military, and feared for their own lives. Their daughters remember cowering inside as gun battles raged, and finding scattered body parts while playing near their house. Sudden noises still make Ingrid cringe. 

“We were forced to come, because we were suffering many things. We had no choice,” Margarita said, speaking in Spanish. “But we didn’t want to be in the situation we are in now.” 

The Herrador family is eligible for permanent residency under the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act, known as Nacara, passed by Congress in 1997. A different provision of the act applied to Nicaraguans and Cubans; their application process is much less stringent and most of their cases have been resolved. 

Those eligible had to, among other things, arrive in this country before 1990, live here continuously for seven years and demonstrate good moral character. 

There are millions of Salvadorans and Guatemalans living in the United States. Roughly 300,000 are eligible under Nacara and about 100,000 have filed applications. 

The delay in processing Nacara claims comes down to a quirk of INS bureaucracy. 

Nacara applications are processed by the INS Asylum Division, which handles three other types of cases — asylum seekers, new arrivals to the United States who have a credible fear of returning home and refugees overseas. The INS is required by law to process some of these cases quickly, and classifies them as a higher priority than the Nacara cases. 

Asylum and refugee cases are processed first. This fiscal year, that will take about 95 percent of the agency’s time and manpower, leaving just 5 percent to handle Nacara cases, according to agency estimates. 

With the asylum and refugee workload growing, only 6,000 Nacara cases a year are expected to be completed from now on. At that pace, it will take approximately 20 years to adjudicate all the cases, according to INS documents obtained by The Associated Press. 

Immigration officials acknowledge Nacara applicants are in an unfortunate predicament. 

“We completely understand the frustration of the Nacara applicants in terms of waiting for the adjudication,” INS spokesman Dan Kane said. “They deserve to have their applications adjudicated in a timely manner. However, we are doing the best we can with the very limited resources that we have at this time.” 

Lawmakers are aware of the Nacara delays. Immigration reform to address the problem failed to pass in Congress in 2001 despite support from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and some Democrats. 

More reform efforts were planned this session, but after Sept. 11, prospects for addressing Nacara look dim, said U.S. Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte, the only member of Congress who is of Central American descent. 

“It is not going to go away,” said Solis, whose mother is Nicaraguan and father is Mexican. “Whether it gets addressed immediately or not remains to be seen.” 

Margarita Herrador has nearly given up hope of residency for herself and her husband. But she will continue to pray nightly for her daughters to one day become U.S. citizens. 

“We have been here so long, begging them. One door opens, and another closes,” Margarita said. “When we came my daughters were little girls. Now they’re grown, and we’re in the same situation, and nothing has happened.”

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — In what may be among the most intense, well-funded investigations ever undertaken into a single species, scientists launched more than 150 studies this year to find out why the Steller sea lion population crashed and remains low. 

Over the past four decades, the population plunged more than 80 percent in Western Alaska from almost 180,000 animals in the late 1960s to fewer than 30,000. The official listing of this western stock as endangered has threatened Alaska’s $1 billion ground-fishing industry. 

That conflict, as much as the biological implications of a species sliding toward extinction, has spurred Congress to act. 

Last month, Congress appropriated $40 million for Steller studies in 2002, boosting federal funding to more than $80 million in just two years. 

The flood of money has generated laboratory experiments and field studies by hundreds of scientists spread among 25 government agencies, academic institutions and groups. 

“I don’t think there’s anything really to compare it to,” said Bob Small, director of the state’s marine mammal program and head of the 20-member recovery team formed under the federal Endangered Species Act. “As for putting money toward a specific species and its specific interactions, it’s pretty unprecedented.” 

Veteran fisheries biologist Lowell Fritz, assigned by the National Marine Fisheries Service to oversee funding and keep track of the projects, said the spending has ramped up from just under $5 million for Steller sea lion study last year. 

The sheer amount of money has astonished some scientists. 

During the early November meeting of the federal Marine Mammal Commission in Anchorage, chairman John Reynolds, a manatee specialist from Florida, used terms like “staggering” and “breathtaking” to describe the 2001 funding level of $43 million. That appropriation had been pushed by Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens. 

“It’s probably equal to all the U.S. funding spent on all the other species combined,” Reynolds said at the time. 

Within a few weeks, Stevens had secured an additional $40 million for sea lion research through a spending bill for the Commerce, Justice and State departments. 

Stevens has made clear his hope that better knowledge of sea lions will help keep the valuable commercial fishery alive. 

“Last year’s research funds are already paying dividends, and new research continues to disprove the link between fishing and the decline in sea lion populations,” he said in a written statement. 

But several biologists say the research so far hasn’t proved much except that sea lion biology is extremely complex. The things that affect sea lion survival — ocean conditions, food supply, predators — have changed over the decades, so the causes and effects are complicated. 

“It’s an unprecedented enigma,” marine mammal biologist Lloyd Lowry told the Marine Mammal Commission in November. “Steller sea lion assessment is particularly problematic because there is no smoking gun.” 

The scope of the new research is daunting. At least 115 principal investigators have recruited 300 to 400 helpers to test six general hypotheses — competition with commercial fishing, environmental change in the ocean, predation by killer whales and sharks, diseases, contaminants and mortality caused by people. 

The new studies will build on previous sea lion research and take years to sort out, Fritz said. 

Some of the most intriguing studies will look at the role played by small, silvery forage fish like capelin, eulachon and sand lance, Fritz said. 

“We’re finding that they’re a very important component of the food web, not only for fish that we like to eat, like halibut and pollock and cod, but they’re also an important part of the diet for sea lions,” Fritz said. 

One of the most controversial issues has centered on how commercial fishing affects sea lion health. One experiment off the east coast of Kodiak Island will control the level of commercial fishing in certain areas and then measure what happens to sea lions in the vicinity over time, Small said. 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico cotton farmers have declared war on a small pest that can wipe out an entire crop. 

Boll weevil eradication programs have recently been put in place throughout the entire state, according to New Mexico State University. 

“We’re actively working on eradication right now,” said Joe Friesen, the program director for the South-central New Mexico Cotton Boll Weevil Control Committee. 

“We’ve just completed our third full season of eradication. We’ve pretty much got the infestation localized to the Las Cruces area.” 

Boll weevils are insects that feed on the pollen of cotton plants, causing decreased yield and quality. They were first discovered in New Mexico in 1991. 

“It can be devastating,” Friesen said. “They’re very prolific. The boll weevil has to be gotten rid of or there won’t be cotton.” 

Friesen said his program has spent more than $2 million since 1998 in the eradication effort. 

“The weevil was clearly on its way to getting established here,” he said. 

But now a number of agencies and organizations, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the state Department of Agriculture, various farmers’ associations and NMSU have joined forces to fight the boll weevil. 

Eradication programs usually involve tracking, detecting and spraying fields where the weevils are found. 

“We identify every cotton field there is and we place boll weevil traps on those fields,” Friesen said. “When we catch a weevil in the trap, we go ahead and spray. The next week we check it again.” 

NMSU entomologist Jane Pierce says a number of factors, including changes in the timing of planting and clearing of certain weeds, have also been found to help keep boll weevils from settling in fields. 

These techniques have also proven useful in keeping populations low in fields where boll weevils are already established, she said. 

New Mexico and Texas are among the seven states that have established eradication programs because of boll weevil infestation. 

Such programs have already helped eliminate the boll weevil in Arizona, California, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Alabama. 

——— 

On the Net: 

New Mexico State University College of Agriculture and Home Economics: http://www.cahe.nmsu.edu 

Jake Fuchs has recently published his second mystery novel in the Nursery School Murders series: “The Death of a Prof.”  

Set in Berkeley, it features a nursery school teacher who is thrust into the roles of both sleuth and conscience for a gaggle of dangerous, self-involved characters.  

Coincidentally, Fuchs’ wife is a nursery school teacher, and Fuchs himself has the brashness and bushy eyebrows of Maren’s fictional husband, Aaron. But this is an invented story and Fuchs, a retired English Professor from California State University at Hayward, who wrote literary criticism throughout his career, is delighted “to be old enough to do what (he) wants” and finally focus on fiction. 

Fuchs grew up in Los Angeles, son of Hollywood screenplay writer, Daniel Fuchs. His mother collaborated closely with his father; Fuchs remembers he and his brother having to remain silent while their parents sequestered themselves in their home, deeply engaged in writing.  

A movie poster on Fuchs’ living room wall advertises one of Daniel Fuchs’ films, “Criss Cross”, a film noir that starred Burt Lancaster. 

Jake Fuchs came to Berkeley for college in 1957 and met his wife Freya at UC Berkeley right after he’d had a bout of pneumonia. Caught in the rain without an umbrella, he asked an attractive coed to let him into her apartment since he’d just been sick. She brought him in and there was her roommate Freya. They’ve been married for 39 years, have three adult children and live in North Berkeley. 

“Death of a Prof” is not of the “cozy” mystery genre, the type with innocuous crimes and quiet librarian sleuths. It is too peculiar for that. This book has horrific aspects, a shocking murder and an even grizzlier, albeit surreal, ending.  

But the main characters have depth and are handled with great consideration.  

Reading Fuchs’ book is not a skip-skip-skip across the surface from plot event to plot event to plot event. It is more often like reading a long short story with oddball twists. 

Death of a Prof spoofs Berkeley: “The common denominator for the whole town was a deeply serious, soul-involving desire for the best cooking to be had. And damn the expense.”  

Nonetheless, profound statements are made about teaching and children. Adult problems are constantly swirling around the children, jealousies, tempers and egos, and the nursery school teachers make astute observations regarding the effects of parents’ problems on their children.  

“People told (teachers)... not to worry about this child because children are resilient. But they’re not. Teachers know. Children are good at surviving, yes, but they don’t just snap back into shape,” he said. 

Fuchs feels that teachers in general, and nursery school teachers in particular, are rarely respected for the incredibly important work they do; instead they are “treated like menials.” 

Fuchs created Maren as an homage, in part, to teachers. 

Maren is a woman who prefers the company of children to adults. She is a teacher “capable of very decisive action to keep the world safe and stable for the children she teaches.” 

The book’s observations about teaching are particularly wonderful to read. Fuchs has captured intimate details of daily teaching life that few outside the profession would ever know.  

This reader especially loved the description of the school’s neighbor The playfulness Fuchs uses in describing one boy named Moby who would one day discover he’d been named for a whale is charming. Maren’s teacher voice observing that, after a child fell and started crying lustily it was safe to say the child was all right, the crying proved, it is the ultimate teacher truth. 

The marriage in the mystery between Maren and Aaron, Fuchs says, is one of people “who love each other very much but don’t seem to understand what the other wants. They keep blundering into each other’s blind spots. He pops off and is resentful and she is a little bit angry herself.” Fuchs feels that women have a tendency to think that men are less aware than they are of what is happening around them, but asserts that even his thickest character, Aaron, is more aware than his wife understands. He says one cannot draw a direct correlation to his own life from this fictional character he’s created, but one certainly wants to tease out the real-life folks from the characters. In Aaron he has portrayed a man who would never let down someone who is counting on him, especially not his wife, Fuchs says and clearly Fuchs identifies with that quality in Aaron. 

There will be other Nursery School Murders, but right now Fuchs is working on a piece about a relationship of distance between father and son.  

Fuchs can often be seen out jogging, and talking aloud to himself, an Aaron trait, that probably is just the author giving himself critical feedback. 

“Death of a Prof” is available in Bay Area book stores or through the publisher Creative Arts Book company, Berkeley (800-848-7789).  

Wednesday, Dec. 26

Professor Smart’s Fun with  

Physics Show 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive, above UC Berkeley Campus 

Professor Smart shrinks his head, has toilet paper flying, juggles and has the audience’s hair standing on end all the while demonstrating the principles of physics. $3 - $7. 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Thursday, Dec. 27

 

 

Slapstick with Derique 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive, above UC Berkeley Campus 

Ham Bone body drumming, physical comedy, and circus arts are sure to stimulate your “funny bone” as New Vaudeville artist Derique lets you into his hip style of circus arts. $3 - $7. 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

 

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Friday, Dec. 28

World Rhythms 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive, above UC Berkeley Campus 

Japanese taiko, African marimba and djembe, Middle Eastern dumbek, Afro-Cuban chekere, and conga drums celebrate musical traditions from around the world. $3 - $7. 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Bay Area Women in Black  

Vigil 

noon - 1 p.m. 

Bancroft and Telegraph Ave. 

Part of over 70 vigils worldwide in solidarity with Israeli Women in Black to protest the Israeli occupation. Please wear black, everyone welcome. 486-2744, BayAreaWomeninBlack@earthlink.net. 

Saturday, Dec. 29

Magic Show 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive, above UC Berkeley Campus 

Jay Alexander performs his magical mixture of comedy and illusion with special effects that will entertain visitors of all ages. $3 - $7. 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Sunday, Dec. 30

Music and Storytelling 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive, above UC Berkeley Campus 

Familiar nursery rhymes and fairy tales come to life in musical stories by children’s performer Dennis Hysom. $3 - $7. 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Monday, Dec. 31

New Year’s Eve Party 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

A daytime holiday party for kids featuring lots of hands-on activities. $3 - $7. 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Ongoing Events

Sundays

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  

Tuesdays

Easy Tilden Trails  

9:30 a.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, in the parking lot that dead ends at the Little Farm 

Join a few seniors, the Tuesday Tilden Walkers, for a stroll around Jewel Lake and the Little Farm Area. Enjoy the beauty of the wildflowers, turtles, and warblers, and waterfowl. 

215-7672; members.home.co 

m/teachme99/tilden/index.html 

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 and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 525-3565. 

Thursdays

Free Anonymous HIV Testing 5:15 - 7:15 p.m. 

Check in 5 - 7 p.m. 

University Health Services 

Tang Center  

2222 Bancroft Way 

Drop-in services and limited space is available.  

Call 642-7202  

Fridays

Living Philosophers Series 

10 a.m. - 12 Noon 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St. at Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

Series with H.D. Moe discussing Jacob Needleman, Jean Francois Revel, and Hilary Putnam, among others. Free. 548-3333  

Saturdays

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

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

548-3333 

Poets Juan Sequeira and Wanna Thibideux Wright 

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. Wear warm clothes and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children must be at least five years old and accompanied by an adult. 208-5460, www.cal-sailing.org. 

2002: Jan.6; Feb. 3; March 3; April 14, 27; May 12, 26; June 9, 23; July 4, 14; Aug. 4, 18; Sept. 8,22; Oct. 6; Nov. 10; Dec. 8; 

The Daily Planet received a copy of the following statement delivered to the Board of Education Dec. 19. 

With an exceptionally high turnout of 162 Berkeley High School teachers recently, 80 voted to support moving ahead with the Small Schools policy developed by the Parent/Teacher Small Schools Coalition, 56 voted to pursue another vision of Small Schools that may or may not include all BHS students attending Small Schools, and 26 teachers voted to organize Berkeley High around a large traditional urban high school mode, phasing out existing small schools. 

Where does the vote leave us? Berkeley High is at a critical moment in its history, a potential turning point, an opportunity for real structural reform. This kind of moment is precious. There is a sense of urgency one has when these moments arise before us and it is our responsibility – those of us in leadership positions – to state a position and justify it. A decision a few weeks from now is not too late, but this moment will not be with us months from now. 

In a sense you now find yourselves in the role of architects remodeling this high school - a figurative remodeling project neglected for quite some time. We are one huge extended family, the Berkeley Unified community, turning to you as the architects of this remodeling project, asking for a blueprint that is feasible, a framework that incorporates our needs, a structure that results in a finished project which functions effectively. 

We already have a strong foundation - the teachers, support staff, administrators, students, and parents. We already have contractors ready for direction from you. In fact, our new superintendent is already moving to address the contractor type tasks that administration is responsible for: fixing the the attendance record-keeping system, making the schedule and class selection system work for students and teachers, maintaining high standards for all.  

However the blueprint design for all of this is up to you. It is a common dilemma for an architect working with a large family with diverse opinions to come up with a design that pleases everyone. Keep in mind though, that there is indeed a large consensus within this family, advocating for an authentic remodeling - not just a few repairs. Most agree that the current structure with assorted small schools housed alongside a large school was never designed in a cohesive way. It crept up in an anarchic way. There is concern that a continuance of such a structure, with an undefined number of small schools added on or separated away from the large traditional school, may end up looking more like a “Winchester Mystery House” than a functioning school. There is a concern that Berkeley High’s current schizophrenic design and structure creates such a schizophrenic design that it may, in the long run, contribute to, rather than alleviate, the huge problems all agree must be tackled: truancy, violence, anonymity, lack of accountability, the achievement gap.  

I can almost hear a collective sigh coming from the board. Don’t despair, architects have structural engineers to assist. Your superintendent has already begun to contact school researchers, superintendents, principals in communities where school-wide small schools exist. I applaud you for taking steps to investigate this thoroughly and for establishing tough criteria that this school-wide small schools draft proposal must meet.  

However, it would be highly disingenuous, hypocritical, and cowardly of you to then turn around and adopt a hybrid small schools proposal of your own, such as you presented at the board workshop last month, without forcing it to meet the very same criteria. If this is the direction you are leaning in, then you absolutely must apply the same research and criteria to communities where such hybrid models are in place. This question before us is simply too monumental for you to simply give an ay or nay to one draft proposal. There is no default button on this one. 

Barry Fike 

Berkeley Federation of  

Teachers president 

924 Gilman Dec. 28: What Happens Next, Rambo, Lie, Youth Riot, Lugosi; Dec. 29: Defiance, The P.A.W.N.S., Panty Raid, Sexy, Gluk; Jan. 4: Champion, Carry On, Stay Gold, The First Step, The Damage Done; Jan. 5: Iron Lung, B.G., Crucial Attack, Blown To Bits; Jan. 11: Bananas, Numbers, Lowdown, Doozers, Iron Ass; Jan. 12: Plan 9, The Sick, The Hellbillies, Oppressed Logic, Deltaforce; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926 

Ashkenaz Dec. 25: 10 p.m., Lickshot, DJ Tony Moses, $5; Dec. 26: 10 p.m., Zulu Spear, Fireproof, $5; Dec. 27: 10 p.m., Grateful Dead DJ Nite, $5; Dec. 28: 9:30 p.m., Mood Swing Orchestra, $11; Dec. 29: 9:30 p.m., Caribbean All Stars, $11; Dec. 30: 8 p.m., Marimba Pacific, $8; Dec. 31: 8 p.m., Balkan New Year’s Eve with Edessa and Anoush, $15; 1317 San Pablo Ave., 525-5054, www.ashkenaz.com.  

Blake’s Dec. 29: 11 p.m., Jack West & Curvature, $5; 2367 Telegraph Ave., 877-488-6533. 

Club JJang-Ga Dec. 29: Deducted Value, 3rd Rail, Noiz, Un Sed; 400 29th Ave., Oakland, (925) 833-7820, savageproductionssl@ yahoo.com. 

Cal Performances Jan. 20: 3 p.m., Midori and Robert McDonald. $28 -$48. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph. 642-9988 

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

Freight & Salvage Coffee House Jan. 5: The Bluegrass Intentions CD Release Party; Jan. 6: Allette Brooks; All shows begin 8 p.m., 1111 Addison St. 548-1761, www.freightandsalvage.org.  

Julia Morgan Theatre Dec. 31: 8 p.m., New Year’s Eve Gala Concert, Program of classical favorites of the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra; Jan 11: 8 p.m. San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, sizzling program of classical party music; Jan. 12: 8:p.m., “Club Dance,” Teens come together to express their individual personalities and gifts as dancers. $10, Students and Seniors $6, Children ages 5 and under $6. Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org. 

Jupiter Dec. 27: Joshi Marshal Project; Dec. 28: Ben Krames & Candlelight Dub; Dec. 29: Berkeley Jazz School Presents: Kirk Tamura Trio; All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless noted. 2181 Shattuck Ave., 843-7625, www.jupiterbeer.com. 

Rose Street House Dec. 25: 3 p.m., Annual “Dykelah Escape-from-you-know-what-day Musical Extravaganza!”; Jan.17: 7:30 p.m., Allette Brooks. 1839 Rose St. 594-4000 x687, rosestreetmusic@ yahoo.com. 

Yoshi’s Jazz House Dec. 26 - 31: New Year’s Fiesta, The Afro-Cuban Jazz Masters; Jan. 2 - 6: Charles Lloyd; Jan. 13: Jacqui Naylor Quartet; All shows at 8 p.m., and 10 p.m., unless noted. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakland. Check for prices and Sunday Matinees, 238-9200, www.yoshis.com. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley Jan. 6: 3 p.m., Stephen Genz in his West Coast debut; 2345 Channing Way, 527-8175, www.geocities.com/mostlybrahms. 

Berkeley Piano Club Jan.11: 8 p.m., Kate Steinbeck and Renee Witon; Berkeley Piano Club, 2724 Haste St., (510) 531-1487. 

Berkeley High School Dance Production Jan. 11, 12, 18 &19: 7:30 p.m., Diverse mix of classical and modern ballet to hard-core hip-hop. $5. Florence Schwimley Little Theatre, Allston way and MLK., 644-6120 

“Much Ado About Nothing” Through Jan. 8: Check theater for specific dates and times. Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy chronicles a handful of soldiers returning from a winning battle to be greeted by a gaggle of giddy maidens. Directed by Brian Kulick. $10 - $54. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Every Inch a King” Jan. 11 through Feb. 9: Thur. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m.; Three sisters have to make a decision as their father approaches death in this comedy presented by the Central Works Theater Ensemble. $8 - $18. LeValls Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave. 558-138, www.centralworks.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 

Pacific Film Archive Jan. 3: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., Unfinished Song; Jan. 4: 7 p.m., 9:15 p.m., Going By; Jan. 5: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., Under the Moonlight; Jan. 6: 1p.m., 3 p.m., Paper Airplanes, 5:30 Shrapnels in Peace; Jan.10: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., ABC Africa; Jan.11: 7:30 p.m., The Girl at the Monceau Bakery and Suzanne’s Career, 9:05 p.m. The Sign of the Lion with Place de l’Etoile; Jan. 12: 7p.m., La Collectionneuse, 8:50 p.m., My Night at Maud’s; Jan.13: 1p.m., 3p.m., Os 

“Images of Innocence and Beauty” Through Jan. 8: An exhibit featuring Kathleen Flannigan’s drawing and furniture - boxes, tables, and mirrors, all embellished with images of the beauty and innocence of the natural world. Addison Street Windows, 2018 Addison St. 

“From With These Walls” Jan. 5: Educational studio opening celebration gallery show of student works in steel, bronze, aluminum, cast iron, glass, neon, ceramic, stone and paper; jewelry. The Crucible, 1036 Ashby St. (Entrance is one block south on Murray St.) 843-5511, fran@thecrucible.org. 

“The First Five Years” Through Jan.11: Exhibit represents a selection of drawings, paintings, prints and sculpture created by students during their 7th & 8th grade years. 7a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon-Fri, 5:30- 9:30 p.m. Sat., Bucci’s Restaurant, 6121 Hollis St., Emeryville, 547-4725, www.bucci.com 

“Carving, Canvas, Color: Art of Julio Garcia and Wilbert Griffith” Through Jan.12: Brightly colored wooden figures and colorfully detailed paintings. Gallery is open by appointment and chance, most weekdays 10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.; The Ames Gallery, 2661 Cedar St., 845-4949, amesgal@home.com 

“Matrix 195” Through Jan. 13: German artist, Thomas Scheibitz’s, first solo museum exhibition in the United States showcases semi-abstract representations of everyday objects and landscapes. Wed., Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $3-$6. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Analogous Biology: Balance and Use,” Mark J. Leavitt, Dec. 20 through Jan. 19; Tue. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland. 836-0831, www.artolio.com. 

GTU Exhibit: “Holocaust Series” by Cleve Gray Through Jan. 25: Comprised of 21 works on paper that constitute “a catharsis... for all of humanity.” Mon. - Thurs. 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. noon - 7 p.m.; Free. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, Graduate Theological Union, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 www.gtu.edu 

Pro Arts: “Juried Annual 2001-02” Through Feb. 2: An exhibition of painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography and more by Bay Area and  

regional artists. Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., www.proartsgallery.org. 

“Water Media” Jan. 10 through Feb. 8: An exhibit by Christine “Caipirinha” Mulder. Capoeira Arts Cafe Gallery, 2026 Center St., 666-1349 for hours. 

Traywick Gallery: “New Work by Dennis Begg and Steve Briscoe” Jan. 5 through Feb. 9: Dennis Begg’s sculpture explores memory as the building block of consciousness, learning and experience. Steve Brisco’s paintings on paper address issues of identity through evocative combinations of text and imagery. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., 1316 10th St. 527-1214 

“Enduring Wisdom: Artwork and Stories by Homeless and Formerly Homeless Seniors” Through Feb. 15: 18 homeless and formerly homeless elders reveal how they learned and applied wisdom that is timeless. Mon. - Fri. and Sundays 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Reception and presentation by the elders Thurs. Nov. 15, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Free. St. Mary’s Center, 635 22nd St., Oakland, 893-4723 x222 

“The Other 364 Days: A Day in the Life of the Queer Community” Jan. 2 through Feb. 16: An exhibit of black and white photographs by East Bay photographer Limor Inbar-Hansen. Mon. - Fri., 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sat., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Reception for artist, Jan. 12: 6 - 8 p.m., Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St., 644-1400, limor@indelible-images.com. 

“Ansel Adams in the University of California Collections” Through Mar. 10: A selection of photographs and memorabilia presenting a different perspective on Adam’s career as one of the leading figures in American photography. Wed, Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $4- $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Migrations: Photographs by Sebastiao Salgado” Jan. 16 through Mar. 24: Over 300 black-and-white photographs of immigrants and refugees taken by the Brazilian photographer. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. $4 - $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

"Earthly Pleasures" assemblage and photographs by Susan Danis, Jan. 11 through March 30: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon. - Sat.; Sticks, 1579 B, Solano Ave., 526-6603.  

“The Art History Museum of Berkeley” 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., 841-4210, www.atelier9.com. 

Readings 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Jan. 8: Theodore Hamm discusses “Rebel and a Cause: Caryl Chessman and the Politics of the Death Penalty”; Jan. 10: Joan Frank reads from her new book, “Boys Keep Being Born”; Jan. 11: Christopher Hitchens, “Letters to a Youn Contrarian”; Jan. 14: Pamela Logan talks about “Tibetan Rescue: A Woman’s Quest to Save the Fabulous Art Treasures of Pewar Monastery”; All events are free and start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852. 

Coffee With A Beat - Word Beat reading series Dec. 29: Steve Arntson, Michelle Erickson, Clare Lewis; All readings are free and begin at 7 p.m., 458 Perkins, Oakland, 526-5985, www.angelfire.com/poetry/wordbeat. 

The Humanist Fellowship Hall Jan. 9: 7 p.m., “Our Wings Are Pregnant Seesaws,” Reading performance of a play by H. D. Moe. 390 27th St., Oakland, 528-8713. 

Tours 

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

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 

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. Mon. and Wed., 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tues. and Fri., 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thur., 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

Oakland Museum of California “Kwanzaa Community Celebration” Dec. 30: 12-4 p.m.,Nia Kwanzaa is an African American holiday that honors black family history; Through Jan. 13: Grand Lyricist: The Art of Elmer Bischoff, featuring paintings and works on paper that trace the evolution of Bischoff’s career. $6 adults, $4 seniors and students, free for children under 5. Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. noon - 5 p.m., 10th St., Oakland, 888-625-6873/ www.museumca.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. Mon. through Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 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 summerlong 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 Dec. 26: 1 p.m., Professor Smart’s Fun with Physics Show; Dec. 27: 1 p.m., Slapstick with Derique; Dec. 28: 1 p.m., Rhythmix; Dec. 29: 1 p.m., Magic with Jay Alexander; Dec. 30: 1 p.m., Music and Storytelling with Dennis Hysom; Dec. 31: 1 p.m., New Year’s Eve Party, special daytime holiday party for kids; Dec. 26 through 31: Free Energy Star compact fluorescent light bulb; Through Jan. 26: Scream Machines: The Science of Roller Coasters; “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; Open daily, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley, 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org. 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  

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

It was a meeting of the minds. And these days, the minds tend to meet on the sticky question of small schools. 

Thursday afternoon, during a regular conference of top city and school district officials, known as the “2 X 2 Committee Meeting,” the conversation focused on the simmering controversy on whether to divide Berkeley High School into a series of small, relatively autonomous learning communities. 

Katrina Scott George, leader of the Coalition for Excellence and Equity, a community group calling for the establishment of small schools by the fall of 2003, was the catalyst. Scott George said this debate has reached a critical, new stage.  

“Only a battle remains,” she said, speaking of a “chasm” between coalition leaders, the superintendent and several members of the Board of Education, who have called for a more gradual adoption of small schools. “Things will get worse before they get better.” 

Coalition leaders argue that the creation of more intimate learning environments at BHS will engage failing students and help close the “achievement gap” between white and minority pupils. Scott George said the so-called gap is actually an “abyss,” and the school board has failed to recognize the urgency of this problem. 

Shirley Issel, president of the school board, said the coalition’s concerns have not fallen on deaf ears.  

“I think you have been, Katrina... much more successful than you know in getting across the importance of the district taking a credible approach to addressing the achievement gap,” she said. 

“I think the coalition has been immensely successful in shining a spotlight on how we need to better support our existing small schools,” she added, referring to the three schools-within-a-school already in existence at BHS. 

Mayor Shirley Dean, also in attendance at the meeting, suggested that Superintendent Michele Lawrence establish a working committee with leaders of the coalition to open lines of communication. The committee would meet on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. 

“It can work if you bring people to the table and leave your anger outside,” Dean said. “I really want to avoid a mess. It doesn’t help this city.” 

Lawrence endorsed the idea. “I see the anger, I see the focus,” she said, referring to coalition members. “But I also see this tremendous energy that I don’t want to lose.” 

Scott George dismissed the proposal after the meeting. “I think people are not listening at all to what I am saying,” she said, arguing that parents need to be more than “passive advisors” at this juncture. 

Kalima Rose, another coalition leader, said in an interview with the Daily Planet after the meeting, that the proposed committee would only be productive if it included all the players, teachers and administrators included. 

School and city leaders also discussed ongoing concerns with community access to playgrounds and other portions of seven schools in Berkeley that, by agreement between the city and district, are supposed to be open to neighborhood use after school and on the weekends. 

Neighborhood groups have long complained that the district has failed to unlock gates, at various schools, at the appropriate times, while school and city officials have raised concerns about community access to secluded areas, like the inner courtyard at Rosa Parks School, and the possibility of vandalism. 

Terry Doran, school board member, said it may be time to rehash the agreement between the city and district on the issue. He said after-school programs are going later and later, leading to overlaps with designated community time on school grounds, and creating confusion. 

Meeting participants agreed that the city and the district may have to modify the agreement in the near future. 

“I think it was clear that there will have to be a revisiting done,” said Dean, after the conference.  

Editor: 

I wish Andy Katz the best of luck in his appointment to the Zoning Adjustments Board. (Daily Planet, Nov. 28) But replacing ZAB Boardmember Poschman can’t be done by appointment alone. 

To watch Dr. Poschman work at the ZAB, was to realize the world was not going to be run for the smooth convenience of developers and city staff. He could be a stick in the eye of councilmembers too, who might fight like tigresses to prevent slight incursions in their own district – but would only be too happy to see an asbestos stamping plant, or a heliport in yours, if it meant more tax revenue for Berkeley. (And if it was a towering lifestyle live-work in the far end of their own district...oh,what the heck.)  

Like a good professor, he would make big-time developers – or even people with the drawings in hand to do the Hollywood job on a tiny bungalow – defend their thesis. Of course, every man – and woman – with a plan seethed. After all, city staff told them they could do it, political contributions had been made, they’d sue, didn’t he know there was a housing shortage, how else could it pencil out? The smooth ones just waited to get to the council for an overturn – which they often got (if they perhaps took just a little bit off the top). Or a remand to the ZAB, with an order for boardmembers to throw out their reasoning, and come up with a more pleasing verdict. Or applicants could put together the few dollars necessary to file a suit (though courts have long held that cities have the right to control development), then watch a court-shy legal department come up with points and authorities why the city should buckle.  

Dr. Poschman was – and will continue to be, I hope – the Seventh Samurai, willing to take up the lance for aggrieved citizens and neighbors not versed in every jot and tittle of zoning or planning regulation, fighting against inappropriate or outsized projects. In his gentlemanly, and often humorous way, he was quite happy popping over-inflated balloons, plans that on a grand scale, or only in a micro-neighborhood, reduced the charm and liveability that people in Berkeley have at least some small right to.  

Wherever rents are dear and money cheap, developers will never be in short supply. If one should implode in bankruptcy, there will always be a man with a plan who turns up at the ZAB, proposing their vision of Berkeley as the New Calcutta, nests and warrens of tiny rooms above street level, with a worthy Mother Theresa renting cheap on the ground. Neither will we run short of city planners to shepherd projects through, and to realize they are part of the evolution of a city.  

Yes, it’s tough here. But in spite of the Daily Planet article reporting on a difficulty in recruiting planners to Berkeley, if the economy keeps sliding, anyone with a city job will realize their good fortune. (And there are exceptions – but on the grand scale, what sort of a challenge is it to “plan” in places like Emeryville, or San Francisco? Just leave your rubber stamp on the desk; developers and expediters will handle the rest.)  

I do worry that there’s a limited supply of people like Gene Poschman though. If Andy Katz is one of them, we will be lucky. There’s no rent stream out of this deal, no capital gain, no back scratching by politicians, no city legal staff anxious to pave the way, and no city pension at the end of the day. There is an amazing amount of tsouris, aggro, consumption of paper, expenditure of shoe leather, and late hours. You could end up needing an operation.  

I wish Dr. Poschman a successful medical procedure (mark the correct hip with a felt pen), followed by a speedy recovery. Then I hope he does a Michael Jordan. He’s simply too valuable to be absent from the evolution of our city. 

Bob Howard 

Berkeley 

For residents who can’t get enough of watching city politics in action, Berkeley Community Media is expanding its cable access service to Channel 78 beginning Jan. 1.  

On Channel 78, viewers can expect more civic announcements, an expanded community bulletin board and, eventually, additional city meetings. 

Berkeley Community Media has aired live coverage of City Council, Board of Education and Rent Stabilization Board meetings on Channel 25 since 1994. Now BCM, a nonprofit funded predominantly by the city, is expanding to accommodate more educational and local programming currently competing for air time on Channel 25. 

“We are very excited about the program flexibility we will have with the new channel,” said Berkeley Community Media Executive Director Brian Scott. “Now we will be able to expand city government coverage on Channel 78 and present more consistent public programming on Channel 25.” 

In addition to the public meetings BCM now airs, Channel 78 will carry more public service announcements, meeting agendas and Berkeley job announcements.  

in case of a disaster much quicker than before because of a new Web-based electronic messaging system that will allow emergency information to be typed directly onto the broadcast image. 

“With this new system city officials sitting in their offices can reach viewers immediately,” he said. “Before it could take up to an hour or longer from the time the station collected the information from the city, formatted it and aired it.” 

The city is currently negotiating with BCM to arrange for additional city meetings to be aired on Channel 78.  

Councilmember Kriss Worthington said he would like to see expanded coverage of commission and board meetings. “It would be great to air as many meetings as we can afford to,” he said. “A lot of people have expressed an interest in seeing the Zoning Adjustment Board and Planning Commission meetings.” 

Scott said he is working to include the Californian Channel, which covers the state legislature, to Channel 78’s programming. 

“I think it’s really important to have access to the California Channel for people who want to keep up with state government,” said Worthington, who said he now watches it on Channel 26. Worthington added that Channel 26 programming is in flux, and it would be important for Channel 78 to take over the California Channel programming if Channel 26 drops the coverage. 

Berkeley Communications Manager Stephanie Lopez said the city is looking forward to increased opportunity to share city information with the public, for example, the city will be able to have more time to let the public know about its information line – 981-CITY.She said city’s information line has been an excellent feature to help the public navigate through the various city departments. 

“It has been a very popular information source without much advertising,” she said. “We get over 4,000 calls a month for all kinds information from where to pay parking tickets to how to seismically retrofit your home.” 

Scott said Channel 25 will continue to air popular community shows such as the music program “Sound Gallery,” the talk show “What’s This” and the movie review program “Trailer Trash.” 

For more information about Berkeley Community Media programming or how to get video projects aired on Channel 25 call 848-2288 or visit www.betv.org.  

SAN FRANCISCO — Travelers shuffling through airport security lines during this busy travel time are being serenaded by mariachi bands and wowed by magicians as airports attempt to ease impatience and stress. 

Lines grew even longer after a man allegedly tried to set off explosives in his shoes on a trans-Atlantic flight Saturday.  

Other travelers have been forced to slip off their shoes, as the Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to step up scrutiny for explosives. 

Some airports responded by jazzing up what, for many, became an increasingly complex trip to the airport.  

Passengers have been waiting three hours or longer at some San Francisco Bay Area airports. 

“We had a whole program of entertainment, including music, a masseuse and a magician. We went to different community groups and asked them if they would like to come to the airport,” said Cheryl Demetriff, deputy director for marketing and public relations for Sacramento International Airport. 

“Everybody loved it. People were applauding and singing along,” Demetriff said. 

At Los Angeles International Airport, holiday carolers from local high schools sang and two Santa Clauses strolled through the crowds, handing out gifts to children, said Harold Johnson, an airport spokesman 

At Oakland International Airport, a mariachi band, face painters and a guitarist entertained travelers on the busiest weekend of flying since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, said Jo Murray, airport spokeswoman. 

Not every airport could afford such festivities. 

A deficit of more than $100 million this fiscal year at San Francisco International Airport meant foregoing Christmas trees and carolers or else possibly having to lay off one or more workers, said airport spokesman Ron Wilson.

Century-old sycamores sick in Livermore 

LIVERMORE — Trees at Sycamore Grove Park are sick. 

Consultants say the 90 to 100 year-old sycamores in the state’s third-largest sycamore grove are suffering from anthracnose, a debilitating fungal disease caused by excessive soil moisture. 

The tree population, which covers about 185 acres of the 750-acre park, has been declining for nearly 15 years. 

The Livermore Area Recreation and Park District is spending $30,000 to study the cause of the moisture that prevents the sycamore trees from having a normal dry cycle in the summer. Experts believe the moisture may be due to water releases from Del Valle dam above the park. 

Man arrested for robbing taxis 

SAN FRANCISCO — Police shot and arrested a man after he allegedly robbed and stabbed a taxicab driver in the city’s Bernal Heights neighborhood early Sunday morning. 

Carleris Menendez, 22, of San Francisco, has allegedly robbed 10 cab drivers, all in the Bernal Heights district, police said. 

“Today he robbed his unlucky 11th,” Lt. Bruce Marovich said. 

Robbery detectives were staking out certain areas of the city Sunday, waiting for the robber to strike again. 

At 3:45 a.m., police say a cab driver they were following yelled for help and shouted that he had been stabbed. An officer shot a fleeing man in the leg. 

Menendez is suspected of stealing $3,000 from cab drivers, police said. “We call him the Bernal Heights bandit,” Marovich said. “But at least he didn’t kill anybody.” 

Injuries to Menendez and the cab driver were not life-threatening. 

Baseball losing out to soccer on  

Peninsula 

PALO ALTO — The city is so short of soccer fields that one parks and recreation commissioner has proposed to convert baseball fields into soccer fields. 

The suggestion is to transform the Baylands Athletic Center, a city-owned baseball diamond built in 1969, into two, possibly three, soccer fields for the American Youth Soccer Organization. 

Rick Beckwith, chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission, aired his proposal at a commission meeting last month. The proposal not only creates a clash with coaches competing for fields, but a Babe Ruth Baseball official believes it could threaten his league’s viability. 

About 150 children, ages 13 to 15, play in the local Babe Ruth league. The league practices, plays and hosts tournaments at Baylands, which boasts a lighted baseball diamond with a 500-seat grandstand. 

Beckwith said 2,500 children participate in AYSO, which doesn’t have enough soccer fields to go around. 

“There’s enough field space between Paly and Gunn for them to play all their games on those two fields,” Beckwith said, referring to Palo Alto’s high schools. 

LAS VEGAS — The story of American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh has stirred memories for a Las Vegas man who earned a Bronze Star investigating a treason case during the Korean War. 

Unlike Lindh, who is said to have been driven by a commitment to Islamic fundamentalism, the man John O’Connell helped catch appeared to be selling U.S. military secrets to North Korea for money. 

O’Connell called Lindh “a misled American.” 

“I think he fell for the Taliban’s claims that they were getting back to the fundamentals of Islam,” O’Connell told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I don’t think when he joined up with them he ever had the slightest idea that he would be fighting against the U.S. military.” 

Lindh, the 20-year-old captured by U.S. forces after a prison uprising in northern Afghanistan this month, could face charges such as providing support to terrorists, which carries a 15-year sentence, or treason, which carries a maximum sentence of death. 

O’Connell, 82, has a home display case with various medals and the Bronze Star he got in 1953 as an investigator with the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, or OSI. 

Maj. Mike Richmond of the Air Force OSI at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland verified that a John O’Connell was with the OSI in Korea during the war. Richmond said an investigator received a Bronze Star in 1953. No additional information was available. 

O’Connell, who has written an unpublished manuscript about his life, showed the Review-Journal a document citing the actions that earned him the Bronze Star. 

It says he was “instrumental in the investigation, apprehension and conviction of an individual engaged in black-marketing and seditious acts.” The man’s name was not provided. 

O’Connell, a 27-year Air Force veteran who had been a lawyer in civilian life, was a lieutenant colonel in Japan when he was assigned to investigate a black marketing scheme. 

He said the postal service noticed an Air Force tech sergeant in Seoul, South Korea, was sending unusual amounts of U.S. cash to America. 

O’Connell said soldiers at the time used military script, so any movement of cash could mean someone was selling items like American cigarettes on the black market. 

“You could buy a carton of cigarettes for a dollar from the military exchange and sell it for $14 or $15,” O’Connell said. “They could make a killing whether they smoked or not.” 

O’Connell said a pilot reported that the sergeant wanted to be flown back and forth between Korea and Japan, and the pilot agreed to cooperate with the investigation. 

O’Connell and OSI investigators followed the sergeant to Tokyo and watched him and the pilot meet with a young airman. 

The pilot and tech sergeant then returned to Seoul, where O’Connell learned that the sergeant was going to another meeting at an abandoned hut outside the city. 

When the pilot gave a signal, O’Connell said he and other OSI investigators and South Korea intelligence agents stormed the hut and found the tech sergeant with two North Korean agents. 

The sergeant had a confidential document detailing air operations of the Fifth Air Force. The North Koreans had U.S. cash. 

O’Connell said that without a word, the South Korean intelligence officers led the two North Korean agents outside and shot them. O’Connell said he was stunned. 

O’Connell said he and the pilot testified at a Tokyo court martial in which the sergeant was sentenced to 20 years in a military prison.

NEW YORK — The American who was captured fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan once met with Osama bin Laden while living in a terrorist training camp near Kandahar, a published report said. 

In the months before the Sept. 11 attacks, John Walker Lindh, 20, was given the choice between training for terrorist instruction or fighting as an al-Qaida soldier against the northern alliance, Newsweek magazine reported, citing unnamed sources. 

A Justice Department official told Newsweek that Lindh chose to fight — an issue now at the center of discussions about Lindh’s fate. 

“There’s still a lot of missing pieces,” an official working on the case told the magazine. “We’re trying to figure out exactly what he did.” 

Lindh could face charges such as providing support to terrorists, which carries a 15-year sentence, or life imprisonment, if his support resulted in a death. 

Lindh could also be charged with treason, which carries a maximum sentence of death. 

Bush administration officials told Newsweek that some authorities may want to delay charging Lindh if he has information that could help prosecute bin Laden or other al-Qaida leaders. 

Lindh was captured by U.S. forces after a prison uprising at a fortress in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif this month. 

WALDPORT, Ore. — The two children found dead here in recent days were probably brother and sister, and their deaths were not accidental, authorities said Sunday. 

Divers found the body of a young girl in a coastal inlet over the weekend, a few hundred yards from where a boy’s body had drifted ashore on Wednesday. Investigators have not identified either child. 

“It’s bad enough to have one child found dead,” said Lt. Ed Stallard of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. “But now (we) have two, and then apparently some parents that cannot or will not report the children missing.” 

Police have accounted for all local children. They have notified police agencies across the West Coast, and the FBI is searching national databases of missing children. 

The boy’s body came ashore in a small coastal inlet that feeds Alsea Bay. It appeared to have been in the water for about 10 hours, meaning it entered the water shortly after midnight. An autopsy found no obvious signs of trauma. 

Divers searching the bay Saturday found the young girl. Police believe she died at about the same time as the boy. 

The boy was between 4 and 6 years old, with light brown hair and brown eyes. The girl was about 3 years old, with shoulder-length blond hair. 

“The physical characteristics are similar” between the boy and the girl, Stallard said. “The facial features are similar. The fact that they were both found in the same body of water within a couple of feet of each other all that’s consistent with other evidence that we’ve been obtaining in our investigation.” 

The investigation has focused on a white Mitsubishi Eclipse with California license plates that was parked for hours near Waldport. 

Neighbors near the small coastal community had reported the car on the day the boy’s body drifted to shore. It was parked in an out-of-the-way private drive. The driver seemed asleep behind the wheel, then got out and stood by the car. 

He seemed to look down a forested canyon beside the road, Stallard said. Detectives looked there Friday but turned up no clues. 

A highway runs past Alsea Bay, and police have considered the possibility that a car ran off the road and sank. But Stallard said police have not found skid marks or an oil slick on the water, and divers have found no evidence of a sunken car. 

Residents in the small coastal town prepared Monday for a memorial for the two children. 

A stream of cars passed over the Highway 34 bridge Sunday, near the spot where the bodies were found. A small memorial wall emerged as people stopped to pay their respects. 

Some cried as they knelt in prayer. Others quickly placed flowers and left with hollow looks of sadness. 

“It’s terrible. This time of year it shouldn’t be like this,” said Gary Bessette, one of the mourners. “Those little kids should be running around anticipating what they’re going to get for Christmas.” 

A line of stuffed animals, teddy bears, balloons, flowers and candles were placed near the memorial. A card read: “We didn’t know you, but you touched our heart.” Another said: “Angel among us! You are loved.”

TAHOE CITY— Feet and feet of early season snow are helping to boost the winter ski season in Tahoe, which had gotten off to a slow start. 

Now, hotels bookings are on pace with last December, and some tourist industry officials are predicting that this season could exceed last year’s. 

“Everybody in the ski industry was concerned about the implosion of the dot-com industry in the Bay Area and the effects of Sept. 11,” said Greg Murtha, marketing director for Sugar Bowl Resort. “Now, we’re optimistic it’s going to be a great year.” 

Hotel bookings had slumped in October and November, but the new snow has helped turn things around.  

Cal Neva Resort on the stateline saw a drop in business, including their big draw, weddings.  

But now, all its rooms are booked for New Year’s, and it is offering special deals to attract people after the holiday. 

“People are more comfortable traveling, and the snow is terrific,” said Cal Neva spokesman Rick Talbot. “I think this is going to be a be a good year for everybody up here.” 

A series of storms have blanketed the region, and even forced the closure of Interstate 80. Chains often have been required throughout the Sierra Nevada, and the journey from San Francisco to Tahoe doubled to a seven-hour drive. 

Squaw Valley reports its snow is nearly twice as deep as it usually is at this time. 

“We’ve had 8 feet, almost 9 feet on the upper mountain,” said Eric Brandt, Squaw’s marketing director. “That’s huge for this time of year.” 

Skiers and snowboarders are making the most of the thick snow. 

“I really wanted to come,” said Nancy Rogers, during a short break at Squaw. “I wasn’t going to let anything stop me.” 

No weather event such as El Nino is causing all the snow, said Mike Pechner, staff meteorologist for KCBS radio. 

“It’s a normal weather pattern,” he said. “It just happened earlier than usual.”

FORT ORD — A dispute over air pollution and endangered species has left the U.S. Army unable to continue cleaning up this decommissioned military base, where rockets, grenades, mortars, bullets and other potentially lethal scrap lie unexploded in the brush. 

The Army is hoping to use controlled burns to clear the dense brush so it can then go in and remove the explosives. But the area is home to endangered, threatened and rare plant species, such as the Monterey sand gilia, Monterey spine flower and Seaside bird’s beak, and the California tiger salamander. 

The public also is leery about controlled burns at the base. In 1997, one burn turned into a wildfire that consumed 700 acres of land and shrouded the peninsula in thick smoke. 

“People living in cities 20 miles away had to drive with their headlights on,” said Douglas Quetin, the air pollution control officer for the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District. 

Fires, accidental and prescribed, have been frequent at the post, where explosions could be heard for miles. 

The Army was ordered to clean up the 28,000-acre site, which was declared a Superfund site largely due to the ordnance left after 77 years as an infantry training post. The area where the ammunition is concentrated is fenced off by 12 miles of concertina wire. 

The Army doesn’t own all the land anymore, having transferred 7,200 acres of it to the federal Bureau of Land Management, which has turned it into a recreational area. About 6,000 acres are slated for development by surrounding communities. And since 1995, the post, which closed in 1994, has become the campus for California State University, Monterey Bay. 

The cleanup of Fort Ord includes removing the ordnance and remedying soil and water contamination. It has cost $250 million to date and is expected to take 10 to 15 years and cost another $75 million to finish. 

The Army estimates it already has removed 42,000 pieces of the ammunition and 350 tons of lead and bullet parts from firing ranges. 

The Army is planning to publish an interim plan listing several alternatives to complete the ordnance cleanup in March. 

While the environmental review continues, explosives technicians scour the brush. They bury the unexploded ordnance to muffle the sound when they detonate it. 

Biologist Bill Collins, the environmental monitor for the removal project, says the controlled burns that would clear the chaparral would also help many of the plants there germinate. 

“If we were to go in and only use cutting as a method of clearing that chaparral, the seeding plants that require fire to germinate would disappear over time, so the habitat would change,” he said. 

It’s taken four and a half years of dogged activism, but Beebo Turman is finally “cautiously optimistic” about the state of recycling in Berkeley’s public schools. 

“I think there’s a ‘can-do’ attitude in the district now,” said Turman, a local activist who has worked as the recycling coordinator for Berkeley schools since 1997. “The first couple of years it was, ‘Don’t bother me.’” 

Recycling began in 1995, with just one school, King Middle. Today, city officials who oversee recycling at the schools said every school in the system recycles “mixed-paper,” a term referring to paper of any color. Nine of 12 elementary schools recycle aluminum lunch trays. Oxford School recycles milk cartons and cuts down on waste by using real plates and silverware.  

Individual teachers, custodians and parent volunteers at various schools collect bottles and cans and compost garden materials on a more haphazard basis, officials said. City of Franklin Microsociety Magnet School will begin recycling milk cartons shortly, they added. 

Turman worked as recycling coordinator for three years under a grant from the Alameda County Waste Management Authority. She is now a part-time employee of Berkeley’s Department of Public Works and said it was a struggle to get this far — particularly at the high school. 

“There has been very low morale with the high school custodians,” said Turman, who trains students and custodians and occasionally pays for supplies out of her own pocket. “They didn’t want to work on recycling. They saw it as another task to add to their workload.” 

Judson Owens, general services manager for the school district, said that a heavy workload and a lack of custodial crew training have slowed the high school’s recycling progress. He said short-staffing has also played a role. Janitors are often out with injuries or simply don’t show up to work. 

“Absenteeism is a real problem,” Owens said. “Out of 11 individuals, we’re lucky if we have eight or nine on a given day.” 

Last year, the city hired a part-time employee through the

Going into Saturday night’s game against highly-ranked Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco), the ’Jackets knew the Crusaders had two big weapons, forwards Marquis Kately and John Tofi. But Riordan showed that it is more than the big duo, as two of the supporting cast had big nights to help their team to a 58-39 win in Berkeley. 

With Tofi in foul trouble early, senior forward Ryan Bruno snuck through the Berkeley defense for 17 points and 8 rebounds, and point guard Josh Vergara pitched in 15 points to support Kately’s game-high 18-point effort. The Crusaders were simply too overpowering for the ’Jackets to have much of a chance. 

“Ryan plays his butt off every game, and he’s always around the basket,” Riordan head coach Rich Forslund said. “He’s a good, smart player with a very good shooting touch. He showed what he could do tonight. This was his best game of the season.” 

With the 6-foot-8 Tofi, 6-foot-5 Kately and 6-foot-4 Bruno, Riordan’s front line towered over the ’Jackets. Senior forward Damien Burns was the only Berkeley player who could find any room inside, but even he had two shots swatted away by the Riordan players. Tofi, Kately and Bruno combined for 28 rebounds, out-boarding the entire Berkeley squad. 

Burns ended up with 8 points, six rebounds and 3 steals, and Rodney Jones led the ’Jackets with 9 points, but the crowd seemed most excited when Kately was in the open court. The high-flying senior, who has signed a letter of intent with Cal, had several opportunities for highlight-reel dunks, but twice his feet slipped out from under him, and Berkeley’s hustle kept him from lifting off on two other occasions. 

“I think I was just too anxious,” Kately said of his difficulties. “We played pretty good as a team, but I’d say I only played so-so as an individual.” 

With 9 rebounds and 3 steals to go with his scoring efforts, Kately’s “so-so” night was clearly more than the ’Jackets could handle. With the score tied 4-4 halfway through the first quarter, Kately picked off a Berkeley pass and headed the other way, making a layup while drawing a foul. Tofi picked up his second foul moments later and headed to the bench, but Kately dropped in two more buckets in the quarter and Bruno scored on two putbacks. Jones hit a 3-pointer with a minute left to draw the ’Jackets within a point at 9-8, but those were the last points Berkeley would score for nearly six minutes of action. Kately finished the quarter by diving out of bounds to save a teammate’s errant pass, then came back in to hit a short jumper to give his team a 13-9 lead at the break. 

Riordan extended their lead to 27-8 before Nate Simmons finally broke Berkeley’s scoring drought with two free throws. Madiou Diouf would make a 3-pointer near the end of the half, but that was his team’s only field goal of the quarter, and when Kately got a tip-in at the buzzer, Riordan had a 32-16 advantage going into the break, a lead Berkeley would never threaten in the second half. 

“Berkeley came out hard, and they double team so much that it’s hard to run an offense against them,” Forslund said. “But with them scrambling around, we got a lot of open looks around the basket.” 

Bruno was the main recipient of those easy baskets, shooting a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor. Vergara, on the other hand, kept lurking around the perimeter, getting the ball to his big men inside and waiting for a kick-out pass. He hit two 3-pointers and slashed to the basket for two layups on his way to a season-high in points. 

The young ’Jackets did show flashes of potential, including an aggressive effort by sophomore Khion Tate. Tate scored 7 points and struggled from the outside, missing three shots from behind the arc, but showed good athleticism driving to the basket and used every inch of his 6-foot-3 frame to block a Vergara jumper and come down with the loose ball. But overall the ’Jackets just didn’t look comfortable on offense as the Riordan big men recorded 7 blocked shots in the game. 

Although Kately did manage two acrobatic layups, he never quite gave the crowd the rim-rattling jam it was waiting for. Tofi, however, managed to wow the spectators in the final seconds of the game, gathering an offensive rebound and flying over two ’Jackets for a power dunk. 

“I don’t really feel pressure to put on a show,” Kately said of his reputation as a crowd-pleaser. “But if I get the chance, I don’t mind giving the fans some entertainment.

Monday, Dec. 24

Midnight Mass 

11:45 p.m. 

St. Augustine Church 

400 Alcatraz 

Prelude music begins at 11:15 p.m., mass begins at 11:30 p.m. 653-8631 

18th Annual Telegraph Ave.  

Holiday Street Fair  

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. 

Between Dwight Way and Bancroft 

Telegraph Avenue presents a mix of free music, good food, festive lights, colorful decorations. More than 300 artists will display handmade crafts. 

Tuesday, Dec. 25

Guided Tours of Jewish Art and History 

12 - 4 p.m. 

Judah L. Magnes Museum 

2911 Russell St. 

Family Day at the Museum. The tours will present over 250 objects from the Museum’s permanent collections on display in the major exhibition “Telling Time: To Everything There is a Season.” 549-6950 www.magnesmuseum.org 

Puppets and Puppet Making 

1 p.m. and 3 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center 

141 Walnut St. 

Jennifer Levine presents “Princess Moxie Rules!” a 30 minute puppet show followed by a puppet-making project. 848-0237, www.brjcc.org. 

Gerry Tenney & California  

Klezmer Jewish Music 

2 p.m. & 3 p.m. 

2911 Russell St. 

Hands-on Art Projects. 848-0237, www.brjcc.org. 

Wednesday, Dec. 26

Professor Smart’s Fun with  

Physics Show 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive, above UC Berkeley Campus 

Professor Smart shrinks his head, has toilet paper flying, juggles and has the audience’s hair standing on end all the while demonstrating the principles of physics. $3 - $7. 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Thursday, Dec. 27

Slapstick with Derique 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive, above UC Berkeley Campus 

Ham Bone body drumming, physical comedy, and circus arts are sure to stimulate your “funny bone” as New Vaudeville artist Derique lets you into his hip style of circus arts. $3 - $7. 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Friday, Dec. 28

World Rhythms 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive, above UC Berkeley Campus 

Japanese taiko, African marimba and djembe, Middle Eastern dumbek, Afro-Cuban chekere, and conga drums celebrate musical traditions from around the world. $3 - $7. 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Bay Area Women in Black  

Vigil 

noon - 1 p.m. 

Bancroft and Telegraph Ave. 

Part of over 70 vigils worldwide in solidarity with Israeli Women in Black to protest the Israeli occupation. Please wear black, everyone welcome. 486-2744, BayAreaWomeninBlack@earthlink.net. 

Saturday, Dec. 29

Magic Show 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive, above UC Berkeley Campus 

Jay Alexander performs his magical mixture of comedy and illusion with special effects that will entertain visitors of all ages. $3 - $7. 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

Sunday, Dec. 30

Music and Storytelling 

1 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive, above UC Berkeley Campus 

Familiar nursery rhymes and fairy tales come to life in musical stories by children’s performer Dennis Hysom. $3 - $7. 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org

Editor: 

I’d like to join the endless repetitive chorus of those applauding the wisdom and courage of Representative Barbara Lee, who refused to support the American bombing and war effort in Afghanistan. Thanks, Barbara for refusing to support the series of atrocious bombings which do seem to have resulted in: 

1. Perpetuating the cycle of violence by pretty much ending the war. 

2. The liberation of an oppressed and abused Afghan people. 

3. The tenuous first stages of the liberation of Afghan women. 

4. The coming rebirth of Afghan public education. 

5. The clear collapse of an obviously unpopular Taliban regime which was largely supported and often run by non-Afghans. 

6. The legalization and rebirth of Afghan art, music, poetry, sports and politics. 

All of these, a direct result of the American bombing and war effort, were thankfully opposed by the courage and wisdom of Representative Barbara Lee.  

May we the voters in her district truly reflect the wisdom of her choices. 

I hope that many of those who opposed the Afghan war effort will be willing to admit at least the possibility of their not being completely correct.  

Certainly it would be easier to hear their other concerns about civil liberties here at home (which I share) if they could publicly acknowledge the perhaps surprising good that seems to have come from the war.  

Michael Steinberg 

Berkeley 

924 Gilman Dec. 28: What Happens Next, Rambo, Lie, Youth Riot, Lugosi; Dec. 29: Defiance, The P.A.W.N.S., Panty Raid, Sexy, Gluk; Jan. 4: Champion, Carry On, Stay Gold, The First Step, The Damage Done; Jan. 5: Iron Lung, B.G., Crucial Attack, Blown To Bits; Jan. 11: Bananas, Numbers, Lowdown, Doozers, Iron Ass; Jan. 12: Plan 9, The Sick, The Hellbillies, Oppressed Logic, Deltaforce; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926 

Ashkenaz Dec. 25: 10 p.m., Lickshot, DJ Tony Moses, $5; Dec. 26: 10 p.m., Zulu Spear, Fireproof, $5; Dec. 27: 10 p.m., Grateful Dead DJ Nite, $5; Dec. 28: 9:30 p.m., Mood Swing Orchestra, $11; Dec. 29: 9:30 p.m., Caribbean All Stars, $11; Dec. 30: 8 p.m., Marimba Pacific, $8; Dec. 31: 8 p.m., Balkan New Year’s Eve with Edessa and Anoush, $15; 1317 San Pablo Ave., 525-5054, www.ashkenaz.com.  

Blake’sDec. 29: 11 p.m., Jack West & Curvature, $5; 2367 Telegraph Ave., 877-488-6533. 

Club JJang-Ga Dec. 29: Deducted Value, 3rd Rail, Noiz, Un Sed; 400 29th Ave., Oakland, (925) 833-7820, savageproductionssl@yahoo.com. 

Cal Performances Jan. 20: 3 p.m., Midori and Robert McDonald. $28 -$48. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph. 642-9988 

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

Freight & Salvage Coffee House Jan. 5: The Bluegrass Intentions CD Release Party; Jan. 6: Allette Brooks; All shows begin 8 p.m., 1111 Addison St. 548-1761, www.freightandsalvage.org.  

Julia Morgan Theatre Dec. 31: 8 p.m., New Year’s Eve Gala Concert, Program of classical favorites of the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra; Jan 11: 8 p.m. San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, sizzling program of classical party music; Jan. 12: 8:p.m., “Club Dance,” Teens come together to express their individual personalities and gifts as dancers. $10, Students and Seniors $6, Children ages 5 and under $6. Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org. 

Jupiter Dec. 27: Joshi Marshal Project; Dec. 28: Ben Krames & Candlelight Dub; Dec. 29: Berkeley Jazz School Presents: Kirk Tamura Trio; All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless noted. 2181 Shattuck Ave., 843-7625, www.jupiterbeer.com. 

Rose Street House Dec. 25: 3 p.m., Annual “Dykelah Escape-from-you-know-what-day Musical Extravaganza!”; Jan.17: 7:30 p.m., Allette Brooks. 1839 Rose St. 594-4000 x687, rosestreetmusic@yahoo.com. 

Yoshi’s Jazz House Dec. 26 - 31: New Year’s Fiesta, The Afro-Cuban Jazz Masters; Jan. 2 - 6: Charles Lloyd; Jan. 13: Jacqui Naylor Quartet; All shows at 8 p.m., and 10 p.m., unless noted. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakland. Check for prices and Sunday Matinees, 238-9200, www.yoshis.com. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley Jan. 6: 3 p.m., Stephen Genz in his West Coast debut; 2345 Channing Way, 527-8175, www.geocities.com/mostlybrahms. 

Berkeley Piano Club Jan.11: 8 p.m., Kate Steinbeck and Renee Witon; Berkeley Piano Club, 2724 Haste St., (510) 531-1487. 

Berkeley High School Dance Production Jan. 11, 12, 18 &19: 7:30 p.m., Diverse mix of classical and modern ballet to hard-core hip-hop. $5. Florence Schwimley Little Theatre, Allston way and MLK., 644-6120 

“Much Ado About Nothing” Through Jan. 8: Check theater for specific dates and times. Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy chronicles a handful of soldiers returning from a winning battle to be greeted by a gaggle of giddy maidens. Directed by Brian Kulick. $10 - $54. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Every Inch a King” Jan. 11 through Feb. 9: Thur. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m.; Three sisters have to make a decision as their father approaches death in this comedy presented by the Central Works Theater Ensemble. $8 - $18. LeValls Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave. 558-138, www.centralworks.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 

Pacific Film Archive Jan. 3: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., Unfinished Song; Jan. 4: 7 p.m., 9:15 p.m., Going By; Jan. 5: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., Under the Moonlight; Jan. 6: 1p.m., 3 p.m., Paper Airplanes, 5:30 Shrapnels in Peace; Jan.10: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., ABC Africa; Jan.11: 7:30 p.m., The Girl at the Monceau Bakery and Suzanne’s Career, 9:05 p.m. The Sign of the Lion with Place de l’Etoile; Jan. 12: 7p.m., La Collectionneuse, 8:50 p.m., My Night at Maud’s; Jan.13: 1p.m., 3p.m., Os 

“Images of Innocence and Beauty” Through Jan. 8: An exhibit featuring Kathleen Flannigan’s drawing and furniture - boxes, tables, and mirrors, all embellished with images of the beauty and innocence of the natural world. Addison Street Windows, 2018 Addison St. 

“From With These Walls” Jan. 5: Educational studio opening celebration gallery show of student works in steel, bronze, aluminum, cast iron, glass, neon, ceramic, stone and paper; jewelry. The Crucible, 1036 Ashby St. (Entrance is one block south on Murray St.) 843-5511, fran@thecrucible.org. 

“The First Five Years” Through Jan.11: Exhibit represents a selection of drawings, paintings, prints and sculpture created by students during their 7th & 8th grade years. 7a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon-Fri, 5:30- 9:30 p.m. Sat., Bucci’s Restaurant, 6121 Hollis St., Emeryville, 547-4725, www.bucci.com 

“Carving, Canvas, Color: Art of Julio Garcia and Wilbert Griffith” Through Jan.12: Brightly colored wooden figures and colorfully detailed paintings. Gallery is open by appointment and chance, most weekdays 10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.; The Ames Gallery, 2661 Cedar St., 845-4949, amesgal@home.com 

“Matrix 195” Through Jan. 13: German artist, Thomas Scheibitz’s, first solo museum exhibition in the United States showcases semi-abstract representations of everyday objects and landscapes. Wed., Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $3-$6. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Analogous Biology: Balance and Use,” Mark J. Leavitt, Dec. 20 through Jan. 19; Tue. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland. 836-0831, www.artolio.com. 

GTU Exhibit: “Holocaust Series” by Cleve Gray Through Jan. 25: Comprised of 21 works on paper that constitute “a catharsis... for all of humanity.” Mon. - Thurs. 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. noon - 7 p.m.; Free. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, Graduate Theological Union, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 www.gtu.edu 

Pro Arts: “Juried Annual 2001-02” Through Feb. 2: An exhibition of painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography and more by Bay Area and  

regional artists. Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., www.proartsgallery.org. 

“Water Media” Jan. 10 through Feb. 8: An exhibit by Christine “Caipirinha” Mulder. Capoeira Arts Cafe Gallery, 2026 Center St., 666-1349 for hours. 

Traywick Gallery: “New Work by Dennis Begg and Steve Briscoe” Jan. 5 through Feb. 9: Dennis Begg’s sculpture explores memory as the building block of consciousness, learning and experience. Steve Brisco’s paintings on paper address issues of identity through evocative combinations of text and imagery. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., 1316 10th St. 527-1214 

“Enduring Wisdom: Artwork and Stories by Homeless and Formerly Homeless Seniors” Through Feb. 15: 18 homeless and formerly homeless elders reveal how they learned and applied wisdom that is timeless. Mon. - Fri. and Sundays 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Reception and presentation by the elders Thurs. Nov. 15, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Free. St. Mary’s Center, 635 22nd St., Oakland, 893-4723 x222 

“The Other 364 Days: A Day in the Life of the Queer Community” Jan. 2 through Feb. 16: An exhibit of black and white photographs by East Bay photographer Limor Inbar-Hansen. Mon. - Fri., 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sat., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Reception for artist, Jan. 12: 6 - 8 p.m., Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St., 644-1400, limor@indelible-images.com. 

“Ansel Adams in the University of California Collections” Through Mar. 10: A selection of photographs and memorabilia presenting a different perspective on Adam’s career as one of the leading figures in American photography. Wed, Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $4- $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Migrations: Photographs by Sebastiao Salgado” Jan. 16 through Mar. 24: Over 300 black-and-white photographs of immigrants and refugees taken by the Brazilian photographer. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. $4 - $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

"Earthly Pleasures" assemblage and photographs by Susan Danis, Jan. 11 through March 30: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon. - Sat.; Sticks, 1579 B, Solano Ave., 526-6603.  

“The Art History Museum of Berkeley” 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., 841-4210, www.atelier9.com. 

Readings 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Jan. 8: Theodore Hamm discusses “Rebel and a Cause: Caryl Chessman and the Politics of the Death Penalty”; Jan. 10: Joan Frank reads from her new book, “Boys Keep Being Born”; Jan. 11: Christopher Hitchens, “Letters to a Youn Contrarian”; Jan. 14: Pamela Logan talks about “Tibetan Rescue: A Woman’s Quest to Save the Fabulous Art Treasures of Pewar Monastery”; All events are free and start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852. 

Coffee With A Beat - Word Beat reading series Dec. 29: Steve Arntson, Michelle Erickson, Clare Lewis; All readings are free and begin at 7 p.m., 458 Perkins, Oakland, 526-5985, www.angelfire.com/poetry/wordbeat. 

The Humanist Fellowship Hall Jan. 9: 7 p.m., “Our Wings Are Pregnant Seesaws,” Reading performance of a play by H. D. Moe. 390 27th St., Oakland, 528-8713. 

Tours 

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

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 

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. Mon. and Wed., 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tues. and Fri., 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thur., 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

Oakland Museum of California “Kwanzaa Community Celebration” Dec. 30: 12-4 p.m.,Nia Kwanzaa is an African American holiday that honors black family history; Through Jan. 13: Grand Lyricist: The Art of Elmer Bischoff, featuring paintings and works on paper that trace the evolution of Bischoff’s career. $6 adults, $4 seniors and students, free for children under 5. Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. noon - 5 p.m., 10th St., Oakland, 888-625-6873/ www.museumca.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. Mon. through Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 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 summerlong 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 Dec. 26: 1 p.m., Professor Smart’s Fun with Physics Show; Dec. 27: 1 p.m., Slapstick with Derique; Dec. 28: 1 p.m., Rhythmix; Dec. 29: 1 p.m., Magic with Jay Alexander; Dec. 30: 1 p.m., Music and Storytelling with Dennis Hysom; Dec. 31: 1 p.m., New Year’s Eve Party, special daytime holiday party for kids; Dec. 26 through 31: Free Energy Star compact fluorescent light bulb; Through Jan. 26: Scream Machines: The Science of Roller Coasters; “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; Open daily, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley, 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org. 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  

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

Berkeley is in the midst of an unusual crime wave and city officials have so far been helpless to stop the culprits who are robbing $1 million from city coffers one coin at a time.  

The city manager’s office released a report on Tuesday that claims vandals are jamming small objects into parking meter coin slots. The damage is occurring at such a rapid pace that city maintenance crews can’t keep up with repairs despite the recent hiring of two additional meter maintenance workers. 

City officials say the vandals are damaging the meters for a variety of reasons. But most often it’s so they can park their cars for longer periods of time than the meters would allow without the threat of getting a ticket. 

“It may not seem like much to the people who are jamming the meters but the cumulative impact in pretty significant on city services,” Deputy City Manager Phil Kamlarz. “A million bucks is a lot of money that could be spent on much needed city programs.” 

According to the report, the neighborhoods hardest hit were around the UC campus where the 813 meters in the area were vandalized over 5,000 times during a six month period ending last November. That is four times the rate of the downtown, where 732 meters were jammed 1,250 times. The 145 meters in the Elmwood District were jammed least at 40 times during the same six months.  

UC Director of Community Relations Irene Hegarty said it would be rash to assume that that students are responsible because the majority of the vandalism is near the university. 

TEMPE, Ariz. – Senior center Ami Forney posted 20 points and 11 rebounds but it wasn’t enough to prevent Cal from losing to Arizona State 63-49 Sunday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.  

The Golden Bears fifth straight loss dropped their record to 4-5 overall and 0-2 in Pac-10 play. The Sun Devils improved to 10-3 overall and 1-1 in league play. It was the Bears’ first loss this season by more than six points.  

“We struggled to score in stretches, but our players didn’t give up,” said Cal coach Caren Horstmeyer. “Our defense was fairly good. I was trying to make sure the team didn’t put their heads down. We did stop Melody Johnson (7 points). A lot of credit goes to Ami Forney.”  

Forney posted her second double-double of the season and ninth of her career. Cal’s next leading scorer was sophomore guard LaTasha O’Keith with 9. While Forney was the only Bear in double figures, four Sun Devils had at least 10 points. Amanda Levens led the way with 16 points, followed by Betsy Boardman, Cian Carvalho and Carrie Buckner with 12 apiece.  

Cal stayed within 10 points of Arizona State for the entire first half and even led by as many as four points. Then the Sun Devils went on a 9-0 run to pull ahead 17-12 , and built their biggest lead of the first half at 28-19 before Cal freshman Jackie Lord nailed a three-pointer, her first career points, to bring the Bears within 28-22 with just under three minutes. ASU led 31-22 at the half.  

Horstmeyer was unhappy with the lack of fouls being called in the first half and was whistled for her first technical foul of the season with 18.6 seconds left in the half. The Bears and Sun Devils were each only 1-of-2 from the charity stripe in the first half. For the game, Cal was 3-of-7 and ASU was 5-of-9.  

Two and a half minutes into the second half, ASU wasted little time building its then-biggest lead of the game at 42-26. But the resilient Bears quickly put a 7-0 run (42-33) on the Sun Devils to close to within nine at 15:58. That was as close as Cal would get the rest of the game as their offense stalled. After ASU pulled away by 19, Cal clawed to within 13 following a layup by Olga Volkova.  

The Bears were hurt by 27 turnovers, including 17 in the first half.

Editor: 

The experimental mixed waste treatability study should not be restarted because:  

1. This is a dangerous experimental study using a very amateur apparatus done by macho cowboys who have already caused an accident. The accident which caused the shutdown of the Treatability Study a year ago, demonstrates what is already known, that pilot studies by amateurs are always dangerous.  

2. This study was stopped by a state agency because dangerous practices resulted in a dangerous accident and risk to the public. 12,000 Curies of tritium are stored a few feet from pure oxygen and an explosion chamber at high temperature used in the apparatus. This could blow up at any time spreading thousands of Curies of radiation everywhere.  

3. Mixed waste is a problem at all DOE and radiation facilities because they have not found an answer to the disposal problem. The other facilities are storing the mixed waste on-site until a solution is found. Other facilities — not located in an urban setting — are better places to do experimental studies.  

4. Treating the mixed waste on site does not make it safer to transport. This process has increased the amount of mixed waste because the process did not successfully separate the waste — the waste stream was still contaminated with both radioactive and chemical waste after treatment.  

This treatment is creating more mixed waste. It will be just as hazardous to transport and there will be twice as much. It is a DOE/LBNL lie that it is safer to treat it onsite and makes it safer to transport.  

The State of California shut it down because it was not safe. California has led the nation in environmental laws. The U.S. government adopted California’s environmental laws for the nation because they were more stringent and better crafted than any others. 

DOE and the U.S. government have blatantly lied for decades at their radiation and research facilities about the health hazards of radioactive materials. This is just another lie to keep the money flowing into the coffers of LBNL so that three or four people don’t lose their jobs.  

I ask you, how much is a life in Berkeley worth?  

Leuren Moret 

Berkeley 

Community Environmental Advisory Commission 

Pity the person who must find a way to make a 2000-year-old story sing. One would think that every approach, every once-novel spin on the tale, had been tried and abandoned centuries ago. 

Still, Father George Abegadan, who was installed at Gilman Street’s beautiful, old-world St. Ambrose Catholic Church in October, knows how to get the Christmas message across to his congregation. 

“The good sermon has to appeal to the heart and to the intellect,” he says. “That’s why stories are so powerful. They appeal to the whole person.” 

“When children go back to their homes and repeat a story to their parents, you have succeeded,” he says.  

Father Abegadan says that he will speak for only 10 minutes or so at each of the two Christmas sermons he will give this year.  

“The sermon used to be very long, and would preach at the people,” he says – a method he thinks is no longer effective in the modern world.  

This Christmas, Father Abegadan will tell the tale of the birth of the baby Jesus, as he does every year, and he’ll tell another story – one with a related theme, but one that his parishioners should find more accessible. 

“I love stories, and Christmas is a time for stories,” he says. “The challenge is to connect the Christmas story to our story, to the problems and aspirations of our lives.” 

Editor: 

In the Friday Dec. 14, 2001 issue you printed a picture of the grand opening of the Gaia Building. Developer Patrick Kennedy of Panoramic Interests used the event as a fundraiser for the Berkeley Emergency Food and Housing Project, another clear indication that this agency, which serves homeless and formerly homeless Berkeley residents, is gaining the support of the mainstream business community. Thank you to all who came and contributed. The event raised $4,600 for our programs. (Special thanks to Skates and Café de La Paz for their wonderful food.)  

The Gaia opening marked the beginning of a partnership between BEFHP and Panoramic Interests to provide permanent, affordable housing for our clients. The Gaia Building has more than a dozen units available at low-cost to those in need. It is the first new project by a private developer to accept Section 8 certificate holders.  

Patrick Kennedy has stepped up to the plate and is now in the planning stage of developing more housing that would include many more units dedicated to low-income residents. This plan will also eventually provide offices to our administrative staff, allowing us to expand the space currently being used for offices at our North County Women’s Center to house more women and children.  

Permanent housing is the best solution to homelessness and the problematic street behaviors that arise as the economy and housing crises add pressure on our already disenfranchised and desperate brothers and sisters on the street. This is something obviously important to the merchants of Shattuck and Telegraph avenues, as well as advocates dedicated to ending the trauma of homelessness. Add to this the advantage of housing formerly homeless individuals in mainstream housing developments and the consequential socializing that occurs for all parties involved, and everybody wins. 

Across the nation communities are reeling from the disaster of Sept. 11 and pulling in the purse strings in response to the recession. Berkeley doesn’t hoard her riches or stockpile goods in fear of deprivation. Instead, the larders are emptied and the wallets are opened and presents for the kids, food for the table, and cash to pay PG&E are all contributed.  

What a better example embodying the spirit of this season! 

Marci Jordan, Executive Director 

Berkeley Emergency Food and Housing Project 

The graduate school of journalism of the University of California at Berkeley has announced that Jay T. Harris, former chairman and publisher of the San Jose Mercury News, has been appointed as the Robert C. Maynard Fellow. 

Harris will teach classes, participate in school events and deliver Maynard Lectures on the state of American Media. At the Maynard Institute in Oakland, Harris will lecture and write a regular column for the institute’s Web site. 

Harris, 53, resigned from the Mercury News in March due to his disagreement with the business strategy and company values of the paper’s parent company, Knight Ridder. 

He spent seven years at the Mercury News, which was ranked as one of the 10 best newspapers in the country by the Columbia Journalism Review, and was responsible for expanding the paper’s business and technology coverage. 

Harris also attempted to expand the newspaper to speakers of Spanish and Vietnamese, by creating weekly newspapers in those languages. 

While at the Mercury News, Harris was able to create an ethnically diverse news team, which was made up of 30 percent minority staff.  

Harris began his career in journalism in 1970 at the Wilmington News-Journal papers in Delaware.  

Five years later he joined the faculty at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where he launched the American Society of Newspaper Editor’s annual national census of minority employment in daily newspapers. 

The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education trains journalists of color and helps the nation’s news media reflect diversity in its staff, content and business operations.

Editor: 

Let me be the first to burst your misguided bubble in regard to the political goings on at the NEA. 

Not only has your tabloid staff writer not shown any basis for the assertion that there is serious consideration of this as some sort of quashing of political speech, he has clearly missed the more likely fact that this merely a publicity stunt. 

Yours in dismay at the lack of any decent Berkeley(the home of free speech) newspaper. 

John Herbert 

Berkeley 

P.S. The mere fact that the director of the play uses the phrase “very unique” should be reason enough to withhold funding for the piece, regardless of the quality of its content.

Emeryville police are seeking the public’s help in tracking down a suspect who they say shot a man at about midnight Saturday on the 5500 block of Shellmound Street. 

Police said the male victim and his girlfriend were getting out of their car at 11:59 p.m. when the suspect drove up and shot the man in the head. 

The victim is listed in critical condition at an area hospital, officials said, adding that his girlfriend was not injured. 

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call (510) 596-3774. 

SAN FRANCISCO – The green, circular kiosk-style restrooms that sit on San Francisco’s streets cost only a quarter to use, but officials have recently found many toilets may be getting more than just a flush.  

In San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, notorious for its X-rated movie theaters and high drug activity, police listened closely after people dropped their 25 cents into the slot and stepped inside. 

“Not one flush,” said Supervisor Gavin Newsom. “The police watched for weeks, and nobody inside that toilet at night used it for the purpose it was designed for.” 

Instead, homeless people camped out inside, heroin and crack cocaine was sold and used there, and prostitutes brought a whole new meaning to the term “john.” 

Newsom has proposed a measure that would close four of the most crime-ridden commodes from 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. during a six-month trial period. 

Toilet manufacturer JCDecaux says the self-cleaning lavatories are in 550 cities worldwide, and that they are not to blame for drug and prostitution problems that existed long before the restrooms were added. 

But San Francisco police Cmdr. Greg Suhr said officers monitored eight toilets for three weeks in November. None of those commodes had more than three flushes during that time. He noted that even a homeless man told officers he “would rather go behind a tree than use one of those toilets,” Suhr said. “If a person who’s down on their luck is worried about health hazards associated with using a facility designed for the disenfranchised, that means the toilets are missing their mark.” 

But Jake Szeto, a project manager for San Francisco’s Public Works Department, said 3 million people have used the city’s 25 public toilets, which are only a problem in certain neighborhoods. He said the toilet at the corner of 6th and Mission streets will be moved because of the patrons it attracts. 

But Zine said he welcomes the new toilets as a way to reduce public urination and defecation. 

“You go in some alleys in the downtown area, the stench of urine is so overwhelming it’s ridiculous,” Zine said. “It’s a health hazard. We’ve got to do something about it.”

City boards reflecting Asian populations 

FREMONT – Asian-Americans’ representation on city boards throughout the Bay Area is beginning to reflect their cities’ diversity. 

Nearly 40 percent of Fremont’s population is Asian-American, but their representation on city boards has lagged. Now, about one-third of commissioners are Asian-American. 

The same is true for Cupertino, where about 44 percent of the population is Asian-American. About 22 percent of Cupertino’s commissioners are Asian-American, a 50 percent increase from two years ago. 

Steve Cho, Fremont’s first Chinese-American City Council member, says the increase is also a reflection of Asian-Americans’ increased willingness to get involved. 

Delta body ID’d, drowning named as cause of death 

OAKLEY – The body pulled from the Delta Friday was identified as that of boater Mike Valin, and the coroner’s office has determined that the 15-year-old died by drowning. His body was found nearly three weeks after he disappeared. 

Valin and his classmate Mark Osborn, 17, were on a duck-hunting trip with Mark’s father Kent Osborn, when strong waves dumped the boaters into the water. 

Kent Osborn said his son died of hypothermia in his arms in the water. His body has not been recovered. 

Kent Osborn said he drifted in the 50-degree water for about eight hours before being rescued by a passing boater. 

Masters’ students can’t get their transcripts 

SUNNYVALE – More than 150 Masters Institute students who saw their school close with little warning earlier this year can’t get their transcripts. 

The transcripts of 158 students are being held in a Sunnyvale storage yard, which will not release the records until someone pays the school’s bill. 

The bill was about $4,000 in April, when the state tried to retrieve the records. It’s estimated to be around $10,000 today. 

The school never reopened or filed for bankruptcy, and it’s broke now, according to a financial consultant who has handled Masters’ affairs since it closed.

SAN FRANCISCO – In crisp December, the Golden Gate Bridge soars above a sun-spangled San Francisco Bay, sinewy metal shoulders holding up a cerulean sky. 

Tourists pause to snap pictures; surfers tumble in the gray-green waters boiling below. And strolling along its wide sidewalks, National Guard Sgt. Maximilliano Vignoli is spending his son’s 7th birthday away from home, on the lookout for enemies foreign or domestic. 

Three months after the terrorist attacks, life goes on in California — but differently. 

“I can’t say that there’s been anything that has affected so many people ... like this event has,” says pollster Mark Baldassare of the Public Policy Institute of California. “For Californians, we’re talking about something that occurred on the other side of the continent that affected profoundly not only how they feel about their own safety but how they feel about their lives, their government, the people around them. It’s really pretty amazing.” 

**** 

A year ago, the big threat to the Golden Gate Bridge was that the energy crisis would zap the necklace of amber lights strung along its elegant curves. 

After Sept. 11, the burnt-orange span glowed like a bull’s-eye. 

Two words — credible threat — brought the east coast tragedy home to California with a heart-pounding rush when Gov. Gray Davis announced that terrorists might be planning rush-hour attacks against sites such as the Golden Gate and Bay bridges in San Francisco, the Vincent Thomas Bridge at the Port of Los Angeles and San Diego’s Coronado Bridge. 

It turned out the warning wasn’t that credible and the major threat appeared to be to Davis’ political career; he was scathingly criticized for going public. 

But at year’s end, troops continued to patrol the Golden Gate as well as nearly three dozen airports, at a cost of at least $2.2 million a month. 

There were other changes, some more visible than others: lines at airport security checkpoints grew longer, and lines at Disneyland got shorter as tourism and travel took a hit. 

Pacifist Berkeley voted to oppose the bombing of Afghanistan; gun-shy Hollywood pulled the Arnold Schwarzenegger terrorism film “Collateral Damage,” and put the Emmys on hold, twice. 

Concrete symbols of a suddenly frightened state sprung up overnight, including barriers around Los Angeles City Hall, the soaring landmark that flickered in living rooms of the ’50s as the shadowy building outlined on “Dragnet” Sgt. Joe Friday’s badge No. 714. 

Federal authorities threw their own dragnet around San Diego, where two of the hijackers lived, and Oakland, where one of the hijackers briefly studied flying. 

A poll taken by the PPIC in December found that more than one in three residents were at least somewhat worried that they or someone in their family would be the victim of a terrorist attack. Seven in 10 said they felt more patriotic. 

In mid-December about 1,200 mourners gathered at a grassy hilltop cemetery in Bakersfield to remember Staff Sgt. Brian Prosser, killed when a U.S. bomb missed its target in Afghanistan. 

“He was a true soldier’s soldier,” said commanding officer Capt. Jeff Leopold. 

Many puzzled over the saga of another Californian in Afghanistan, John Walker Lindh, the young man from proudly tolerant Marin County found fighting with the proudly intolerant Taliban. 

“I imagine he lost himself there. Or found himself,” said Neil Lavin, a Marin County musician. 

**** 

Change came suddenly to California. Three hours behind the east coast, many woke up to a world transformed on Sept. 11. 

Vignoli, a forklift operator in Stockton, remembers turning the TV on and staring into chaos. 

“I ... right away called to our state headquarters. I told them, ’If you need me go ahead and give me a call.” 

All four of the hijacked planes were bound for California; among those killed in the air was David Angell, co-creator and producer of TV’s “Frasier.” 

Northern California businessman Tom Burnett Jr., aboard United Airlines Flight 93, called his wife Deena on his cell phone four times, piecing together what was happening and telling her, “a group of us are getting ready to do something.” Shortly thereafter, an apparent passenger revolt brought the plane down in a Pennsylvania field, killing all aboard short of the hijacker’s intended target. 

Alice Hoglan, a United Airlines flight attendant in Saratoga, also got a call from Flight 93. It was her son, Mark Bingham, a 31-year-old rugby player and a gay man who had twice got the better of street muggers. They were cut off after a few sentences. Hoglan is sure he was part of the resistance. 

Since Sept. 11, Hoglan has become a self-taught activist, finally learning to use the computer Mark gave her as she lobbies for stricter airport safety measures, puts out a newsletter for Flight 93 families and joins the push to let families hear the black box cockpit recording. 

Before, she says, “I was aware of general terrorist threats and was complacent and not vocal and my son has lost his life because of complacency and I feel terrible about it.” 

Now, she tries to channel her energy. “It helps me to deal with my grief a little better ... if I sit more than five minutes, I  

get kind of weepy.” 

**** 

As 2002 neared, a somewhat subdued California celebrated the holidays in its usual casually polytheistic fashion — Hannukah, Ramadan, Christmas, Kwanzaa, with a nod to the Druids and a sturdy underpinning of secular Santa-ism. 

National guardsman Vignoli was scheduled to work the bridge Christmas Eve. 

It is “pretty good duty.” Grateful civilians have dropped off fried chicken, pizza, even plates of cookies. On a recent day, a yellow school bus drove slowly by, a row of small hands sticking out of the windows in a friendly wave. 

Vignoli couldn’t get home the day son Luciano turned seven. And he didn’t have time to look further than the bridge gift shop for a present. 

It turned out all right, though. 

The day before his birthday, Luciano got to see his dad and open his presents, a cap and a shirt that read, “Somebody who loves me very much went to San Francisco and got me this T-shirt.”

SACRAMENTO – Just as Californians make their New Year’s resolutions, they will start seeing a barrage of television advertisements featuring candidates making pledges of their own. 

More money was spent on political ads last year in California than any other state, and analysts predict a record-shattering blitz in the coming statewide election year. 

Two wealthy Republican gubernatorial primary contenders are prepared to pour tens of millions of dollars into beaming their message into voters’ homes. And incumbent Gov. Gray Davis will roll out ads in January, though he won’t face a challenger at the polls for 11 months. 

“The average Californian will have an easier time avoiding Regis Philbin than any of the candidates for governor next year,” said Republican campaign consultant Dan Schnur. 

Television spots form the backbone of America’s political campaign. In California, ads are seen as critical to reach voters in its diverse and sprawling communities. 

Candidates, political parties and interest groups spent an estimated $1 billion on ads in the United States in 2000 — more than quadruple that spent in 1980, said Paul Taylor, founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Alliance for Better Campaigns. 

Some 1.2 million political commercials ran on 484 local television stations nationwide in 2000, according to the Virginia-based Campaign Media Analysis Group. 

In California in 2000, an estimated $127 million was spent on 119,492 political ads — by far the most of any other state, according to the group. New York ranked second — with about $91 million spent on 74,698 ads. 

“There’s no other state like California, it is far and away the most expensive media state in the country,” Taylor said. 

Critics say the proliferation of television-based campaigns favors the wealthy or those backed by special interests. Others argue ads are an efficient way to deliver a candidate’s message because it is difficult to compete for space in newspapers and on news broadcasts. 

The nation’s most populous state — stretching hundreds of miles from Oregon to Mexico — poses a unique challenge for political candidates. From its coastal enclaves, college towns and ski villages to its farms, technology centers and Hollywood — the voters are as diverse as the geography. 

But television touches the entire state, and “there’s no way to meet 32 million people one-at-a-time, so the only way to reach them is over the airwaves,” said Schnur, the consultant who worked on former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan’s campaign earlier this year. 

To do that, however, a campaign must spend millions of dollars to cover the state’s five major media markets. They include pricey Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area and Sacramento, San Diego and Fresno. Also, there are dozens of smaller-but-critical markets, including key pockets of voters in the inland valleys. 

Airing a commercial to reach all of the major markets for a week can cost between $1 million and $2 million. 

For two of the Republicans seeking the party’s nomination for governor, ads will start in January, campaign advisers said. Riordan and investor Bill Simon are both multimillionaire businessman with campaign treasuries plump with political contributions. 

The third, Secretary of State Bill Jones, has struggled to raise money and will be unable to match his opponents in a televised ad war. 

And then there is Davis. 

The Democrat spent $25 million on television, radio and cable advertising to win in 1998, including $4.5 million in the 10 days before the general election. Of his 2002 campaign, strategist Garry South said, “I assume we’ll spend more, this will be a more expensive campaign.” 

Davis will have “a full media campaign,” including television ads, starting in January, although he has no primary opponent, South said. 

Davis anticipates the three Republicans will spend much of their time attacking Davis, South said. Already, Jones, Riordan and Simon have criticized Davis on a number of fronts. 

They “apparently want to make their mark in the primary by using the governor as a punching bag,” South said. 

Davis’ early response doesn’t surprise many political strategists. The governor has weathered a tough 2001 dominated by a statewide energy crisis and a looming $12 billion shortfall. 

His popularity dipped to an all-time low in the summer and has yet to recover, even when lawmakers across the country are enjoying boosts since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. 

During the summer, a group funded by energy companies and headed by a Republican political operative, the Washington, D.C.-based American Taxpayer Alliance, ran television ads attacking Davis’ energy policy and ending with the phrase “Grayouts from Gray Davis.” 

Davis countered with a string of radio ads detailing what he was doing to try to pull the state out of the crisis. 

For California voters, the summer volley of ads was only the beginning. Bruce Newman, a professor at Chicago’s DePaul University who has written several books on political marketing, said voters need to wade through the spots for substance. 

“They are targeted toward people’s emotions and the personality of the candidate and tend to gloss over the issues,” he said. “Scrutinize the source and be careful to listen to all sides.”

SANTA ANA – Orange County officials will make a controversial step by becoming the first in the state to use global positioning satellites to track released sex offenders. 

Starting next year, officials will require some sex offenders on parole and probation to wear wristbands linked to the satellite tracking system. 

Currently, there are about 400 convicted sex offenders on probation or parole in the county. Those whom the Orange County Probation Department considers the most likely to commit more sex crimes will end up wearing wristbands equipped with electronic transmitters, said Bill Daniel, director of special operations for the department. 

If one of those sex offenders nears a school or other location off-limits to them under state law, probation officers could swoop in and detain him, he said. 

But some critics say it seems like a violation to track people — even those convicted of sexual molestation— wherever they go. 

Officials at the Los Angeles County Probation Department said they have problems with the idea and have no plans to implement a similar program. 

“I’m not a fan of that,” said David Davies, chief of adult field services for the department. “I’m a firm believer if you need to put somebody on GPS, that person doesn’t need to be on the street. I’d really question why you’d use something like that.” 

Orange County also recently started giving periodic lie detector tests to released offenders, another controversial issue. 

Authorities said both the tracking and lie detector tests represent powerful deterrents for offenders and could also tip off police to crimes the probationers might commit. 

Only about a dozen or so counties nationwide use the GPS system to track sex offenders. Authorities in Texas came under attack earlier this year when it was learned that GPS monitoring had failed to prevent the alleged sexual molestation of a 6-year-old boy by a parolee wearing a tracking bracelet.

LOS ANGELES – Police on Saturday identified a motorist killed by the plunging body of a suicidal killer. 

Sandra Dwyer, 34, died Friday morning when the body of Osmin Bonilla hurtled about 80 feet from a Century Freeway overpass and smashed through the roof of her car on the Harbor Freeway. 

Passenger Terry Gray, Dwyer’s boyfriend of seven years and father of their 5-year-old son, sustained cuts and bruises. 

“All of a sudden, something just hit us on top of the head,” said Gray, who had a bandaged forehead. “The windshield came in on me.” 

Gray saw Dwyer bent over and the body of a man in the car. Gray managed to take control of the car and pulled it over a half-mile later.

SAN FRANCISCO – While other merchants cash in on the busiest shopping season of the year, the Gap Inc. is trying to dig itself out of a hole. 

Just how badly San Francisco-based Gap fared in the pivotal holiday shopping season won’t be disclosed until Jan. 10, but analysts are bracing for horrendous results. 

The low expectations come after a 25 percent drop in November sales at Gap stores open for at least a year. It marked the 19th consecutive month of declining comparable-store sales for Gap, which runs Old Navy and Banana Republic stores in addition to its flagship chain. 

The company already has warned it will sustain a major loss in its fiscal fourth quarter — a retailing rarity. 

Even in recessions, the fourth quarter typically heralds the most prosperous time of the year for retailers. But the Gap’s results this year have grown progressively worse since the company registered a first-quarter profit of $115 million. 

“It looks ominous for the Gap,” said industry analyst Joseph Teklits of Wachovia Securities. “If they can’t make money now, it’s kind of hard to believe that they will be able to make money in the first and second quarters of next year either.” 

If the losses mount, analysts fear the company might fall from the good graces of its lenders, a development that could trigger a liquidity crisis. Reversing the losses may require the traditionally hard-charging Gap to close dozens of stores next year, analysts predict. 

Gap declined to comment, preferring to let the company’s remarks in a Dec. 6 sales update speak for its position. In that phone call, the company said it’s “reasonable” to expect its November slide to continue through January. 

Without providing specifics, the Gap warned its fourth-quarter loss will exceed an operating loss of $48 million in the third quarter. Industry analyst Jennifer Black of Wells Fargo Van Kasper projects the Gap will lose about $135 million, a far cry from the company’s $272 million profit at the same time in the prior year. 

The Gap’s bleak outlook serves as a grim reminder of how far the company has fallen from its fashion-setting heyday in the late 1990s. 

Propelled by hip commercials touting khaki pants and a positive buzz by its then-new Old Navy stores, the Gap emerged as one of the industry’s biggest money makers during the last of the 1990s, surging to a profit of $1.1 billion on sales of $11.6 billion in its fiscal year ending in January 2000. 

Emboldened by its success, the Gap aggressively expanded, swelling from 1,854 stores five years ago to 4,176 stores today. 

But the company isn’t getting much of a return from the new stores. The company’s sales per square foot of store space is roughly the same as it was in 1995, Teklits said. 

The expansion continued even as Gap alienated many of its customers by emphasizing more trendy clothes popular among fickle teen-agers. 

As it lost shoppers, the Gap turned off investors, too. Since peaking at $53.75 in February 2000, the Gap’s stock has plummet by about 75 percent, wiping out $34 billion in shareholder wealth along the way. 

The retailer’s troubles were evident during a recent visit to one of its Old Navy stores in downtown San Francisco. With a week to go before Christmas, Old Navy had slashed some prices by as much as 75 percent. Despite the heavy discounting, racks and racks of unsold merchandise remained in the four-story store. 

Even shoppers who did buy some clothes said they weren’t impressed with Old Navy’s selection. 

“It seems like they have gotten away from the preppy stuff and gone more toward ’Euro-trash’ styles,” said Lydia Russell, 19, of Orinda, Calif. 

Marla Harrity and friends Mendy Spurgeon and Katherine Aronson-Lasigen said they almost always found something they liked at Old Navy a couple of years ago. Now, Harrity says, “It just seems like we’ve outgrown this place.” Harrity is 13 years old. 

Old Navy’s selection is meeting such resistance that the chain will have to slash prices even more drastically to clear the shelves after Christmas, Black said. 

While making space for more appealing clothes will help, Black and other industry analysts say that won’t be enough to solve the Gap’s deepening problems. Store closures are considered likely, particularly at Old Navy, a discount chain that has turned into the company’s biggest headache.

LOS ANGELES – California farmers say they are struggling with the after-effects of September’s terrorists attacks as major customers in the travel, hospitality and leisure industries cut their orders. 

The agriculture industry, already plagued for some time by falling prices and rising production costs, could hardly afford to lose business in the best of times. 

Combined with the overall economic slump, this latest blow has left many farmers struggling to break even. 

“It’s been a one-two punch, and a lot of growers are still reeling from it,” said Paul Betancourt, a cotton farmer in Kerman and president of the Fresno County Farm Bureau. 

The price of fresh vegetables dropped 24 percent on average in October and November, compared with the same period last year, according to the California Farm Bureau Federation. 

Similarly, the state’s beef industry has faced a 15 percent reduction in market-ready cattle prices since mid-September. 

As consumers opt to stay home and eat in, restaurants, hotels, airlines and amusement parks aren’t buying in the quantities they used to, triggering oversupply and lower revenues for a variety of growers, farmers say. 

“I think people are eating at home more, and they are looking in their refrigerators to see what they have before running out to the supermarket,” said Christopher Deardorff, who grows vegetables, tomatoes and strawberries in Ventura and San Diego counties. 

Deardorff has been harvesting vegetables for nearly two months and said prices on many days barely cover the cost of labor and packaging. 

Edgar Terry, who farms about 1,300 acres of row crops from Ventura to Piru, said prices on his crops of celery and peppers have actually fallen below break-even on some days. 

“Our industry was hurt badly following the events of Sept. 11,” said Bruce Berven, executive director of the Pleasanton-based California Cattlemen’s Association. “Even though now three months have passed, and people’s psyches may be starting to change a little bit, I think we are still seeing the lingering effects of that.” 

But some experts in the industry question whether the impact of the terrorist attacks is as big as some farmers say. 

University of California, Davis agricultural economist Daniel A. Sumner says that while food-service industry demand may have dropped in recent months, there has likely been an increase in demand from supermarkets and other retailers, as consumers eat at home more. 

“Just because I don’t go out to McDonald’s doesn’t mean I don’t eat that day,” said Sumner, director of the campus Agricultural Issues Center. “My guess is we’ve been hurt a little bit, but not that much.” 

Farmers, however, say most home shoppers don’t buy the same volume or the same high quality cuts as restaurants and others in the hospitality industry.

SAN FRANCISCO – The explosion of the Hispanic and Chinese populations in the United States during the past decade has been a boon for ethnic media that cater to people with limited English. 

But the growth – particularly among Spanish-language media – is upsetting Chinese immigrants in the San Francisco Bay area, where the nation’s largest Spanish-language network, Univision, is expanding with plans to buy the city’s primary Mandarin-language station, KPST, Channel 66. 

That affects people like Cheuk-Wah Chan, an elderly immigrant from Hong Kong who lives in San Francisco’s Chinatown. She could soon be left with just one option, the primarily Cantonese-language KTSF, Channel 26, to get her information. 

“With the language factor, she would have a hard time watching English news,” said her son-in-law, Albert Wang, a Fremont physician who came to the United States from Taiwan in 1972. 

Several San Francisco-based community groups and politicians have asked the Federal Communications Commission to require Univision to maintain the daily 4 1/2 hours of Chinese programming, which includes news, variety shows and soap operas. 

“There is a very strong dependence on those programs for news and information about everything ranging from the current war to more local issues,” said Diane Chin, executive director of San Francisco-based Chinese for Affirmative Action. 

Spanish-speaking immigrants, who share a common language, appear to be the biggest beneficiaries of the boom in ethnic media: Univision and Telemundo Communications Group, Inc. – the top two Hispanic networks – are growing exponentially, and their viewership has quadrupled since 1990, according to analysts. 

To a lesser extent, Chinese have also benefited. The number of Asian media outlets has grown an estimated 250 percent since 1990, to about 600 across the country, according to Jimmy Lee of Los Angeles-based Imada Wong Communications Group. 

“It’s clear that this long-ignored segment of the news media is coming into its own,” said Sandy Close, executive director of New California Media, a network of ethnic news organizations. “There are easily 2,500 ethnic news organizations in the state. The two biggest segments are Asian and Hispanic.” 

But when it comes to network television, language has contributed to the growth of Spanish-language programming, and prevented such cohesion in the Chinese market. 

“There’s no language that unifies the whole market,” said Sergio Benedixen, of Benedixen and Associates, a Miami-based polling and political consulting firm. “Language is the most important element of media. Therefore their markets are very limited,” as well as the capital they can raise, he said. 

The Chinese immigrant community is separated by language. People from Beijing and Taiwan speak Mandarin, and those from Hong Kong and southern China largely speak Cantonese. Though many are capable in both languages, it’s not enough to create a network to serve them. 

By contrast, there is no end to the prospects for Spanish-language television channels, which can reach immigrants from Peru to Mexico with equal effectiveness. 

Univision, which says it reaches 93 percent of Hispanic households in the United States, announced plans earlier this year to buy KPST and more than a dozen other stations in an effort to launch another Spanish-language network, Telefutura. 

Filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission indicate KPST, in the nation’s 5th largest television market, is one of the stations Univision might use to build the new network. 

Frances Palacios, a spokeswoman for Univision in San Francisco, declined to comment about the station, or whether the network plans to convert it to Spanish programming. 

In one of the most striking signs yet of the industry’s growth, NBC announced plans in October to buy Telemundo for about $2 billion in cash and stock. 

Analysts said those competitive pressures are behind Univision’s purchase of KPST. 

“The growth has been close to unbelievable,” Benedixen said. His firm is conducting a study on the reach of ethnic media in California, due out in early 2002. “Univision and Telemundo together are easily getting more than two-thirds of all Hispanic viewers.” 

Population growth is a main factor behind the explosion in ethnic media, Benedixen said. 

Nationally, the Hispanic population grew 58 percent between 1990 and 2000, and the Asian population grew 38 percent, according to U.S. Census data. 

In the Bay Area, the Hispanic population has grown 9 percent since 1990 and now represents 14 percent of San Francisco’s population. The Chinese population has increased 20 percent and now represents a fifth of the city’s residents. 

An increasing number of first-generation immigrants also has fueled demand for non-English sources of news and entertainment, analysts said. 

The 2000 census found 10 percent of the U.S. population is foreign born. Fifty-one percent were born in Latin America, and 26 percent were born in Asia. In the San Francisco area, Asians make up more than half of the foreign-born population, according to a 1997 survey by the census. It’s the most recent data available. 

It’s unclear how many people are watching KPST. Lee said reliable numbers are hard to come by because Chinese stations aren’t rated by Nielsen Media Research. Viewership estimates range from 50,000 to 400,000 viewers. 

The FCC has received more than 3,000 public comments on the matter, but could not provide details on how many wanted restrictions placed on the sale. Letters provided by the FCC, and details of some letters posted on the FCC Web site, all objected to the sale. 

Some analysts say if KPST ends Chinese programming, the demand will certainly be met elsewhere. 

“I don’t see this as a Darwinian competition among ethnic media,” said Close. “One way or another they’re going to find a way to do it because the need is just so great.”

By David Scharfenberg 

Daily Planet staff 

The Board of Education decided to table the latest small schools proposal put forth by the Coalition for Excellence and Equity during a raucous meeting Wednesday night. 

Students and activists both for and against the policy to divide Berkeley High School into small, autonomous, themed learning communities filled the board’s meeting room to capacity and spilled out into the hallway, holding signs, chanting slogans and speaking out of turn at various points in the evening.  

Coalition leaders say the small schools model would reduce the “achievement gap” separating white and minority students and solve other lingering problems at the high school. 

Barry Fike, president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers, and members of the Teacher Advisory Committee, a group of instructors at Berkeley High School in favor of implementing the small schools structure, presented polling data suggesting that BHS teachers support some form of compact learning communities. 

“This is one of the most exciting meetings I’ve been to in a long time,” said Terry Doran, the only member of the school board who supports the coalition’s proposal. 

The public comment portion of the meeting began with an impassioned speech by the coalition’s leader, Katrina Scott George, also a parent of a BHS 10th grader. 

“I’m here to speak to you about faith, hope and love,” said Scott George, declaring that small schools advocates will continue to pursue reform at the high school, even in the face of opposition on the school board. “Our leadership has dismissed us, has ignored us, has tried to rule us without listening to us.”  

“We will not go away, we will not back down,” she concluded, to loud applause from supporters. 

But several parents argued that small schools are not a magic bullet, and that administrators should confront problems at BHS within the existing structure. 

“The school district can address the achievement gap in a positive way, short of an upheaval at the high school,” said Monica Flessel, parent of a sophomore at BHS. 

Elsa Ramos, a single mother with a son at Berkeley High, said the current size of the high school has been instrumental to her child’s success. 

“We feel that Berkeley has a big high school where there is something good for everyone,” she said. “I love the choices my son has.” 

After the parents spoke, members of the audience called on the board to allow some of the dozens of students in the gallery to speak, even though the public comment period was over. 

Arose Umar-bey, a student in Communications Arts and Sciences, one of three schools-within-a-school currently in place at BHS, was the first to comment. 

“As a member of a small school, I can say that Berkeley High should not break into small schools,” she said. “There are so many things that Berkeley High needs to address before small schools.” 

But the rest of the students, many wearing buttons and waving signs, spoke in favor of small schools.  

“As a student of color, when I came to Berkeley High, I was expected to fail,” said Hiroshi Norillo, a junior in the CAS program, who said he had no college ambitions when he entered BHS as a freshman. Now, Norilla argued, he has bigger plans.  

“Why can’t I go to Harvard, why can’t I go to Yale?,” he asked. 

After the public comment period, Fike presented the results of the high school teacher poll, developed by the union in conjunction with the Coalition for Excellence and Equity, and the Teacher Advisory Committee. 

Respondents were directed to choose one out of three statements to describe their opinion of the coalition’s latest policy, which lays out standards, structures, admission procedures and more, in broad language, for the proposed small schools. Eighty of 162 teachers, or 49 percent, said they support the policy.  

Thirty-five percent said they did not support the proposal, and would like to “pursue another vision of small schools,” which “may or may not include the existing small schools at BHS.”  

Sixteen percent said they would like to organize BHS around “a large traditional urban high school model,” and phase out the existing small schools. 

Leslie Plettner, a BHS instructor on the Teachers Advisory Committee, strongly urged the school board to heed the call of teachers for some form of small schools.  

“You have an elected responsibility,” Plettner said. “We depend on you to listen to us.” 

But Joaquin Rivera, vice president of the school board, pointed out that many teachers do not support the coalition’s current policy. 

“It is true that 85 percent of the teachers are asking for change,” he said. “But it’s also true that half the teachers are saying they do not want the board to adopt the current policy.” 

When it became clear that the board would not have a public debate about the details of the coalition’s latest policy, Scott George stood up, recited a speech from 19th century abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and led a dramatic march of small schools supporters out of the hearing room. 

After the room cleared out, Superintendent Michele Lawrence said she could not possibly conduct a thorough analysis of small schools, and make recommendations by May, as school board member John Selawsky asked near the end of the meeting.  

She said pressing concerns around the district budget, staff evaluation systems and disaster planning would make a full analysis impossible. But, she did commit to visiting other institutions using the small schools model, and evaluating the effectiveness of the current schools-within-a-school at BHS, before the end of the year. 

In the end, Lawrence said the value of small schools is clear, but that they must be properly studied and implemented if they are to serve failing students. 

“Without sound implementation, these kids will continue to be hurt,” she said, pointing to the recent failure of a small schools model at Piner High School in Santa Rosa.

Friday, Dec. 21

18th Annual Telegraph Ave.  

Holiday Street Fair  

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. 

Between Dwight Way and Bancroft 

Telegraph Avenue presents a mix of free music, good food, festive lights, colorful decorations. More than 300 artists will display handmade crafts. 

Berkeley Women In Black Vigil 

noon - 1 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. at Haste 

(Outside Cody’s Books) 

Vigil in support of Women in Black in Jerusalem against military solutions to end the occupation of Palestine. 

Living Philosophers 

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center 

1901 Hearst St., Room C 

Presentation and discussion with H. D. Moe. 528-8713.  

Saturday, Dec. 22

Santa's Solstice Bazaar 

11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Metaversal Lightcraft 

1708 University Ave. 

Come shop while kids visit with Santa for free. Fine arts, crafts, 

clothing and gift booths in a magical and colorful scene. 644-2032, www.lightcraft.org. 

So Lovely! So Lively! Solano! 

12 - 6 p.m. 

Solano Ave. 

Berkeley and Albany 

More than 50 street performers – jazz bands, carolers, talking trees, & toy soldiers during the holiday season along Solano Ave. www.solanoave.org 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market  

Holiday Crafts Fair 

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

Martin Luther King, JR. Civic Center Park 

Fair will include organic produce, handcrafted gifts, live choral music, massages, and hot apple cider. 548-3333, www.ecologycenter.org 

Magic School Bus Video  

Festival 

10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science 

Centennial Drive, above UC Berkeley Campus 

Ms. Frizzle takes her skeptical class from outer space to inside a dog’s noise in seven different video adventures. Free popcorn and free magic school bus gift. $3 - $7. 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org 

18th Annual Telegraph Ave.  

Holiday Street Fair  

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. 

Between Dwight Way and Bancroft 

Telegraph Avenue presents a mix of free music, good food, festive lights, colorful decorations. More than 300 artists will display handmade crafts. 

Sunday, Dec. 23

A Service of Lessons and  

Carols 

4 p.m. 

St. Augustine Church 

400 Alcatraz 

The St. Augustine Choir fill an afternoon with carols. 653-8631. 

Christmas Photo Opportunity 

11 a.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 

2727 College Ave. 

Children and adults are invited to be a part of the Christmas story by dressing up and having their pictures taken by the manger. New babies and children’s dolls are invited to take turns as the baby in the manger. Costumes and cameras will be provided. 845-6830. 

So Lovely! So Lively! Solano! 

12 - 6 p.m. 

Solano Ave. 

Berkeley and Albany 

More than 50 street performers – jazz bands, carolers, talking trees, & toy soldiers during the holiday season along Solano Ave. www.solanoave.org 

18th Annual Telegraph Ave.  

Holiday Street Fair  

11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Telegraph Ave. between Dwight Way and Bancroft 

Telegraph Avenue presents a mix of free music, good food, festive lights, colorful decorations. More than 300 artists will display handmade crafts.

Planet People: 

The other night I had a dream I went to heaven; I was mobbed. 

“Well, Kauffman” said Saint Peter, “A you can see, we have a crowded agenda; you got three minutes.” 

I told him that was no problem because I’m from Berkeley. 

“You from Berkeley? Then go right in.” 

George Kauffman 

Berkele

It started in 1971 with a group of “young hippie potters” looking for a cheap place to live and practice their craft. Today, the Berkeley Potters Guild, which claims to be the oldest and largest ceramics guild in northern California, is known nationwide for the high quality of its members’ clay work. 

It celebrates its 30th anniversary this year with a show and sale that continues at the Guild’s Jones Street studios in West Berkeley through Dec. 23.  

Punning on the words “guild” and “gild,” the artists have put together an anniversary exhibit, “The Guilded Age: 30 Years in Clay,” that features a number of gold-colored clay items, most prominently a large gilded urn resembling a trophy cup. You can also see a collection of postcards announcing the Guild’s sales every year since 1972; in the first years, bearded, longhaired young artists cluster together and smile out at the camera.  

As a special gift to their customers this year, the potters have made thousands of tiny clay magnets, which they hand out at the door. 

The Guild has achieved considerable renown worldwide: members’ works have been exhibited at SFMOMA, The Asian Art Museum, the Smithsonian and in museums and galleries as far away as London and Belgrade.  

“There are good potters everywhere, but there is a real concentration of superb work here,” says Jessie Cotkin, who has been a full-time professional since 1977 and a Guild member since 1983.  

The Guild is regularly mentioned in travel sections from the New York Times to Sunset magazine.  

“They know the quality is generally very high, and there’s a wide variety of styles,” Cotkin says. 

It’s that variety that usually draws several thousand holiday shoppers and collectors out to the Guild’s annual December sale. It offers a delectable variety – everything from cups and plates to sculpture, ikebana vases, and porcelain earrings. This year’s items range from whimsical Christmas ornaments, which go for as little as $5, to elaborate clay sculptures which run into the hundreds of dollars.  

There are realistic clay fruits and vegetables and classically simple Japanese-style bowls. There are plain earthenware vessels and brightly glazed and painted ones.  

A wide variety of firing and glazing techniques are in evidence, from wheel-thrown vessels to slab construction, from raku to luster glazing. Cotkin’s work features “mishima,” a time-consuming process that involves etching the clay, firing it once, sanding it down and refiring it. 

Among the more eye-catching pieces are those by Russian-born artist Julia Kirillova, whose curious “Russian Tea Ceremony” series features sculptural teapots and cups shaped like people. Each figure has significance derived from Russian folklore, Kirillova, explains: a woman clutching a purse is supposed to bring prosperity into the home, while a musician figure exerts the influence of joy. Each is unique and has its own distinct personality. “Actually, I find it very hard to part with them,” Kirillova admits.  

The stability of the Guild makes it possible for East Bay residents to enjoy this sale year after year. The original Guild members incorporated and bought the building at the corner of Jones and Fourth in order to secure the space for 20 studios, which were then leased individually. A few years ago, when several of the original owners were ready to move on, the Guild found a new buyer who supported the arts and agreed to continue the studio arrangement. 

While each artist is an independent businessperson, members find there are advantages to sharing space. The annual sales – in May, June, and December – are well coordinated and benefit each artist. The potters also draw on one another’s expertise. “We use each other as a resource, because we’re all so different,” says Cotkin. “Somebody might be an expert in certain glazes, another person might know more about a certain firing technique. The technical aspects are so vast and varied.” 

Because their art is mostly a solitary pursuit, the Guild members say they find balance and community in having other potters around. “Pretty much I don’t talk to anybody for hours,” says Cotkin. “It’s kind of nice to be able to come out into the gallery or take a break and talk to other artists.”

924 Gilman 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, Some Still Believe; Dec. 28: What Happens Next, Rambo, Lie, Youth Riot, Lugosi; Dec. 29: Defiance, The P.A.W.N.S., Panty Raid, Sexy, Gluk; Jan. 4: Champion, Carry On, Stay Gold, The First Step, The Damage Done; Jan. 5: Iron Lung, B.G., Crucial Attack, Blown To Bits; Jan. 11: Bananas, Numbers, Lowdown, Doozers, Iron Ass; Jan. 12: Plan 9, The Sick, The Hellbillies, Oppressed Logic, Deltaforce; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926 

The Albatross Pub Dec. 27: Keni “El Lebrijano”; All shows start at 9 p.m., 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473  

Anna’s Dec. 21: Anna and Percy Scott on piano; 10 p.m., Bluesman Hideo Date; Dec. 22: Jazz Singer Robin Gregory; 10 p.m., The Distones Jazz Sextet; Dec. 23: Jazz Singer Ed Reed; All music starts 8 p.m. unless noted. 1801 University Ave., 849-2662. 

Ashkenaz Dec. 21: 8 p.m., “Celebrating the Life of David Nadel,” Aux Cajunals, Nigerian Bros., Tropical Vibrations, $8; Dec. 22: 9 p.m., SensaSamba, $11; Dec. 23: 8 p.m., Ecology Center /Media Alliance Cuba Trip Benefit, $10 - $12; Dec. 25: 10 p.m., Lickshot, DJ Tony Moses, $5; Dec. 26: 10 p.m., Zulu Spear, Fireproof, $5; Dec. 27: 10 p.m., Grateful Dead DJ Nite, $5; Dec. 28: 9:30 p.m., Mood Swing Orchestra, $11; Dec. 29: 9:30 p.m., Caribbean All Stars, $11; Dec. 30: 8 p.m., Marimba Pacific, $8; Dec. 31: 8 p.m., Balkan New Year’s Eve with Edessa and Anoush, $15; 1317 San Pablo Ave., 525-5054, www.ashkenaz.com.  

Blake’s Dec. 29: 11 p.m., Jack West & Curvature, $5; 2367 Telegraph Ave., 877-488-6533. 

Club JJang-Ga Dec. 22: Heaven & Hell, Blue Period; Dec. 29: Deducted Value, 3rd Rail, Noiz, Un Sed; 400 29th Ave., Oakland, (925) 833-7820, savageproductionssl@ yahoo.com. 

Cal Performances Jan. 20: 3 p.m., Midori and Robert McDonald. $28 -$48. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph. 642-9988 

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

Freight & Salvage Coffee House Jan. 5: The Bluegrass Intentions CD Release Party; Jan. 6: Allette Brooks; All shows begin 8 p.m., 1111 Addison St. 548-1761, www.freightandsalvage.org.  

Julia Morgan Theatre Dec. 23: 7:30 p.m., an evening of Irish music and dance with Todd Denman and friends. $10, $5 children; Dec. 31: 8 p.m., New Year’s Eve Gala Concert, Program of classical favorites of the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra; Jan 11: 8 p.m. San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, sizzling program of classical party music; Jan. 12: 8:p.m., “Club Dance,” Teens come together to express their individual personalities and gifts as dancers. $10, Students and Seniors $6, Children ages 5 and under $6. Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., 845-8542, www.juliamorgan.org. 

Jupiter Dec. 21: Crater; Dec. 22: Post Junk Trio; Dec. 27: Joshi Marshal Project; Dec. 28: Ben Krames & Candlelight Dub; Dec. 29: Berkeley Jazz School Presents: Kirk Tamura Trio; All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless noted. 2181 Shattuck Ave., 843-7625, www.jupiterbeer.com. 

La Peña Dec. 23: 3:30 p.m, Café Domingo de Rumba, Free; La Peña, 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568, www.lapena.org 

Rose Street House Dec. 25: 3 p.m., Annual “Dykelah Escape-from-you-know-what-day Musical Extravaganza!”; Jan.17: 7:30 p.m., Allette Brooks. 1839 Rose St. 594-4000 x687, rosestreetmusic@ yahoo.com. 

Yoshi’s Jazz House Dec. 22: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m., 7th Annual Youth Arts Benefit Concert and Dance, $15; Dec.18 - 23: Charlie Hunter; Dec. 26 - 31: New Year’s Fiesta, The Afro-Cuban Jazz Masters; Jan. 2 - 6: Charles Lloyd; Jan. 13: Jacqui Naylor Quartet; All shows at 8 p.m., and 10 p.m., unless noted. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakland. Check for prices and Sunday Matinees, 238-9200, www.yoshis.com. 

“Dotha’s Juke Joint: Everett and Jones Barbeque” Dec. 21: 8 & 10p.m., Faye Carol and her Off the Hook Blues Band, $15; Jack London Square, 126 Broadway at Second St., reservations, 663-7668.  

The Oakland Interfaith Youth Gospel Choir’s 5th Annual Christmas Concert Dec. 22: 7 p.m., “The Reason Why We Sing”; The Regents Theater, Holy Names College, 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland, 839-4361, www.oigc.org. 

“Music on Telegraph” Dec. 22: Kaz Sasaki Duo, Blackberry Ginger, 2520 Durant; Dec. 23: Almadecor, Ann’s Kitchen, 2498 Telegraph Ave.; All shows 2 - 4 p.m., Free. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley Jan. 6: 3 p.m., Stephen Genz in his West Coast debut; 2345 Channing Way, 527-8175, www.geocities.com/mostlybrahms. 

Berkeley Piano Club Jan.11: 8 p.m., Kate Steinbeck and Renee Witon; Berkeley Piano Club, 2724 Haste St., (510) 531-1487. 

Berkeley High School Dance Production Jan. 11, 12, 18 &19: 7:30 p.m., Diverse mix of classical and modern ballet to hard-core hip-hop. $5. Florence Schwimley Little Theatre, Allston way and MLK., 644-6120 

“Much Ado About Nothing” Through Jan. 8: Check theater for specific dates and times. Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy chronicles a handful of soldiers returning from a winning battle to be greeted by a gaggle of giddy maidens. Directed by Brian Kulick. $10 - $54. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

“Every Inch a King” Jan. 11 through Feb. 9: Thur. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m.; Three sisters have to make a decision as their father approaches death in this comedy presented by the Central Works Theater Ensemble. $8 - $18. LeValls Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave. 558-138, www.centralworks.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 

Pacific Film Archive Jan. 3: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., Unfinished Song; Jan. 4: 7 p.m., 9:15 p.m., Going By; Jan. 5: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., Under the Moonlight; Jan. 6: 1p.m., 3 p.m., Paper Airplanes, 5:30 Shrapnels in Peace; Jan.10: 7 p.m., 9 p.m., ABC Africa; Jan.11: 7:30 p.m., The Girl at the Monceau Bakery and Suzanne’s Career, 9:05 p.m. The Sign of the Lion with Place de l’Etoile; Jan. 12: 7p.m., La Collectionneuse, 8:50 p.m., My Night at Maud’s; Jan.13: 1p.m., 3p.m., Os 

“Veiled and Revealed” Through Dec. 23: Human beings, costumed in native dress are captured by visual artists in a seven-person exhibit. Sat. Dec. 8, 15, and 23, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Free. Simultaneously showing at ART-A-FACT, 1109 Addison St., and Metaversal Lightcraft, 1708 University Ave. 848-1985 

“Images of Innocence and Beauty” Dec. 19 through Jan. 8: An exhibit featuring Kathleen Flannigan’s drawing and furniture - boxes, tables, and mirrors, all embellished with images of the beauty and innocence of the natural world. Addison Street Windows, 2018 Addison St. 

“From With These Walls” Jan. 5: Educational studio opening celebration gallery show of student works in steel, bronze, aluminum, cast iron, glass, neon, ceramic, stone and paper; jewelry. The Crucible, 1036 Ashby St. (Entrance is one block south on Murray St.) 843-5511, fran@thecrucible.org. 

“The First Five Years” Through Jan.11: Exhibit represents a selection of drawings, paintings, prints and sculpture created by students during their 7th & 8th grade years. 7a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon-Fri, 5:30- 9:30 p.m. Sat., Bucci’s Restaurant, 6121 Hollis St., Emeryville, 547-4725, www.bucci.com 

“Carving, Canvas, Color: Art of Julio Garcia and Wilbert Griffith” Through Jan.12: Brightly colored wooden figures and colorfully detailed paintings. Gallery is open by appointment and chance, most weekdays 10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.; The Ames Gallery, 2661 Cedar St., 845-4949, amesgal@home.com 

“Matrix 195” Through Jan. 13: German artist, Thomas Scheibitz’s, first solo museum exhibition in the United States showcases semi-abstract representations of everyday objects and landscapes. Wed., Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $3-$6. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808 www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Analogous Biology: Balance and Use,” Mark J. Leavitt, Dec. 20 through Jan. 19; Tue. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Ardency Gallery, 709 Broadway, Oakland. 836-0831, www.artolio.com. 

GTU Exhibit: “Holocaust Series” by Cleve Gray Through Jan. 25: Comprised of 21 works on paper that constitute “a catharsis... for all of humanity.” Mon. - Thurs. 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. noon - 7 p.m.; Free. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, Graduate Theological Union, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2541 www.gtu.edu 

Pro Arts: “Juried Annual 2001-02” Dec. 19 through Feb. 2: An exhibition of painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography and more by Bay Area and  

regional artists. Pro Arts, 461 Ninth St., www.proartsgallery.org. 

“Water Media” Jan. 10 through Feb. 8: An exhibit by Christine “Caipirinha” Mulder. Capoeira Arts Cafe Gallery, 2026 Center St., 666-1349 for hours. 

Traywick Gallery: “New Work by Dennis Begg and Steve Briscoe” Jan. 5 through Feb. 9: Dennis Begg’s sculpture explores memory as the building block of consciousness, learning and experience. Steve Brisco’s paintings on paper address issues of identity through evocative combinations of text and imagery. Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., 1316 10th St. 527-1214 

“Enduring Wisdom: Artwork and Stories by Homeless and Formerly Homeless Seniors” Through Feb. 15: 18 homeless and formerly homeless elders reveal how they learned and applied wisdom that is timeless. Mon. - Fri. and Sundays 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Reception and presentation by the elders Thurs. Nov. 15, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Free. St. Mary’s Center, 635 22nd St., Oakland, 893-4723 x222 

“The Other 364 Days: A Day in the Life of the Queer Community” Jan. 2 through Feb. 16: An exhibit of black and white photographs by East Bay photographer Limor Inbar-Hansen. Mon. - Fri., 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sat., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Reception for artist, Jan. 12: 6 - 8 p.m., Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St., 644-1400, limor@indelible-images.com. 

“Ansel Adams in the University of California Collections” Dec. 12 through Mar. 10: A selection of photographs and memorabilia presenting a different perspective on Adam’s career as one of the leading figures in American photography. Wed, Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. $4- $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way, 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Migrations: Photographs by Sebastiao Salgado” Jan. 16 through Mar. 24: Over 300 black-and-white photographs of immigrants and refugees taken by the Brazilian photographer. Wed. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. $4 - $6. The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

"Earthly Pleasures" assemblage and photographs by Susan Danis, Jan. 11 through March 30: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon. - Sat.; Sticks, 1579 B, Solano Ave., 526-6603.  

“The Art History Museum of Berkeley” 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., 841-4210, www.atelier9.com. 

Readings 

Cody’s on Telegraph Ave. Jan. 8: Theodore Hamm discusses “Rebel and a Cause: Caryl Chessman and the Politics of the Death Penalty”; Jan. 10: Joan Frank reads from her new book, “Boys Keep Being Born”; Jan. 11: Christopher Hitchens, “Letters to a Youn Contrarian”; Jan. 14: Pamela Logan talks about “Tibetan Rescue: A Woman’s Quest to Save the Fabulous Art Treasures of Pewar Monastery”; All events are free and start at 7:30 p.m. unless noted. 2454 Telegraph Ave., 845-7852. 

Coffee With A Beat - Word Beat reading series Dec. 22: Debra Grace Khattab, Jesy Goldhammer; Dec. 29: Steve Arntson, Michelle Erickson, Clare Lewis; All readings are free and begin at 7 p.m., 458 Perkins, Oakland, 526-5985, www.angelfire.com/poetry/wordbeat. 

The Humanist Fellowship Hall Jan. 9: 7 p.m., “Our Wings Are Pregnant Seesaws,” Reading performance of a play by H. D. Moe. 390 27th St., Oakland, 528-8713. 

“World Ground Poetry” Dec.19: 7-9 p.m., Featuring Abdul Kenyatta & Paradise Freejahlove Supreme; World Ground Cafe, 3726 Mac Arthur Blvd., 482-2933, www.worldgrounds.com. 

Tours 

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

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 

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. Mon. and Wed., 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tues. and Fri., 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thur., 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111 or www.habitot.org  

Oakland Museum of California “Kwanzaa Community Celebration” Dec. 30: 12-4 p.m.,Nia Kwanzaa is an African American holiday that honors black family history; Through Jan. 13: Grand Lyricist: The Art of Elmer Bischoff, featuring paintings and works on paper that trace the evolution of Bischoff’s career. $6 adults, $4 seniors and students, free for children under 5. Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. noon - 5 p.m., 10th St., Oakland, 888-625-6873/ www.museumca.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. Mon. through Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 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 summerlong 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 Dec. 26: 1 p.m., Professor Smart’s Fun with Physics Show; Dec. 27: 1 p.m., Slapstick with Derique; Dec. 28: 1 p.m., Rhythmix; Dec. 29: 1 p.m., Magic with Jay Alexander; Dec. 30: 1 p.m., Music and Storytelling with Dennis Hysom; Dec. 31: 1 p.m., New Year’s Eve Party, special daytime holiday party for kids; Dec. 26 through 31: Free Energy Star compact fluorescent light bulb; Through Jan. 26: Scream Machines: The Science of Roller Coasters; “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; Open daily, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., $7 for adults; $5 for children 5-18; $3 for children 3-4. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley, 642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org. 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  

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

Cortez makes Cal staff nearly complete 

Daily Planet Wire Services 

Nearing completion of his new coaching staff, Cal head football coach Jeff Tedford announced the hiring of George Cortez as offensive coordinator on Thursday.  

Cortez, 50, has been the offensive coordinator for the reigning Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League and is the man credited with developing the talents of Jeff Garcia and other successful CFL quarterbacks. Under Cortez’s tutelage, Garcia led the Stampeders to the 1998 Grey Cup title and later has elevated his game to Pro Bowl status in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.  

“George Cortez has enjoyed a career that is synonymous with winning football,” Tedford said. “George is one of the premier offensive minds in football today, and he’s someone who shares my vision for Cal football. We’re thrilled to have him join us in Berkeley.”  

Offering 25 years of pro and college coaching experience, Cortez has been the mastermind behind some of the CFL’s most prolific offenses during the past four years as Calgary’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. In 2001, the Stampeders led the league in eight offensive categories, including scoring (25.4 ppg), and Calgary running back Kelvin Anderson gained 1,383 yards to lead the circuit’s No. 1 rushing offense. A year earlier, Cortez produced the CFL’s 2000 Most Outstanding Player in quarterback Dave Dickenson (now with the NFL’s San Diego Chargers), who guided an offense that ranked first or second in seven league offensive categories.  

Despite playing three different quarterbacks due to injuries, Cortez helped steer Calgary to its first Western Division crown of the decade in 1999, a season in which the Stampeders topped the CFL in seven offensive categories. And in Cortez’s first year as Calgary’s offensive coordinator, the 1998 Stampeders claimed the Grey Cup as the Garcia-led offense paced the CFL in 10 statistical departments.  

“Coach Cortez did an outstanding job with me for the Calagary Stampeders,” said Garcia from the 49ers’ training facility Wednesday. “He was the offensive coordinator for my last two seasons and I worked with him even before that. He had a solid feel for our system and a good understanding of the game. He puts a lot of work into it and he is very thorough in everything that he does. Obviously, Calgary has shown consistency on offense and a lot of that credit should go to him because he does a terrific job. He is somebody that I have kept in contact with since I left there. We had a good rapport. He is somebody that the players will respect and give there all for, without a doubt.”  

Cortez, a 1973 graduate of Texas A&M, also coached Calgary’s defensive line and secondary in 1997 and was the Stampeders’ offensive line coach from 1992-94 – a period during which their line led the CFL in fewest sacks allowed. One of his players, Bruce Coventon, became the first-ever offensive lineman to win the Jackie Parker Trophy as the Western Division’s Rookie of the Year in 1992. In recent years, Cortez has also served as quarterbacks coach at Southern Methodist University from 1995-96 and was defensive line and special teams coach for the CFL’s Ottawa Roughriders from 1990-91. Other coaching stops along the way have included the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes/Concordes (1983-86), plus college stints for a combined nine years at Lamar and Rice universities, as well as five years of coaching at C.E. King High School.  

With the hiring of Cortez, Tedford has filled eight of the nine assistant coaching positions on his staff. The other members of the staff are: Bob Gregory (defensive coordinator), Bob Foster (linebackers), Ron Gould (running backs), Ken Delgado (defensive line), Jim Michalczik (offensive line), Eric Kiesau (wide receivers), Dave Ungerer (special teams/tight ends). Tedford is expected to name a defensive secondary coach later this month.

Sometime in the not-too-distant future, AC Transit buses could shoot down Telegraph Avenue from the UC Berkeley campus into downtown Oakland in their own, dedicated lanes. 

Passengers would wait in computerized bus shelters, which would provide up-to-the minute details on scheduled arrivals. They would pre-pay for the ride in the shelter, so when the bus arrived, there would be no back-up behind the drivers’ fare box. 

Overall, the transit time between Berkeley and Oakland would decrease by as much as one-third. 

“We like to think of it as light-rail with rubber wheels,” said Stuart Cohen, director of the Bay Area Transportation and Land Use Coalition.  

AC Transit officials, transportation activists and regional planning agencies have been kicking around this idea for a few years now, but on Wednesday it came one step closer to reality. 

That’s when funding for the project – as well as two others that will serve Berkeley residents – was approved by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in its 2001 Regional Transportation Plan.  

Berkeley residents, members of the City Council and transportation advocates applauded the MTC for increasing funding for mass transportation. 

However, many of the same people are steaming over the amount of money awarded to two large projects – a fourth bore for the Caldecott Tunnel and a BART extension to San Jose.  

The MTC was created by the state legislature in 1970 to create long-range transportation plans for the nine Bay Area counties and to administer state and federal transportation funds for the region.  

The Regional Transportation Plan – which is comparable to a city’s general plan – determines transportation funding for the Bay Area over the next 25 years.  

Included in the 2001 plan was $151 million for the “Rapid Bus Transit” down the Telegraph corridor and on into San Leandro, $4 million for a similar – but less extensive – “enhanced bus service” on San Pablo Avenue and $1 million to subsidize bus passes for high-school and middle-school students from low-income families. 

According to Jon Twichell, AC Transit’s planning manager, the RTP money will be used to fund the first phase of the “Rapid Bus Transit” program, which will involve installing the bus shelters and the pre-pay system. 

Twichell said that another $150 million will have to be found in order to install dedicated bus lanes between Oakland and San Leandro. 

The first phase of the project should be completed sometime in the next three years, Twichell said, but despite political support for the plan, the agency could not be certain when the dedicated lanes would be ready. 

“It’s too early to give anything but a dart board answer,” he said. 

AC Transit, with the support of Berkeley and other agencies, is eyeing a different kind of service – called “enhanced bus” – for San Pablo Avenue. 

The enhanced bus service would offer similar shelters, fewer stops and a “signal preemption” system. If a stoplight is about to turn red, “signal preemption” allows the driver of a bus to keep it green for a few moments until the bus gets through. 

“The San Pablo corridor is the third or fourth most highly used in the AC Transit system,” said Councilmember Miriam Hawley, who used to represent parts of Berkeley on the AC Transit Board of Directors. “The buses down there are full most of the time.” 

“This should really speed things up down there.” 

Twichell said there are no immediate plans to put bus-only lanes similar to those planned on Telegraph onto San Pablo Avenue. 

The subsidy for low-income students will give free or reduced-price bus passes to students who qualify for federally subsidized lunch programs. The $1 million in MTC money will be matched by AC Transit, which brings the total budget of the program to $2 million for a two-year pilot program. 

School board member John Selawsky, who, along with Supervisor Keith Carson and Assemblymember Dion Aroner, lobbied the MTC on behalf of the program, said on Thursday that he expected that it would aid between 1,500 and 2,000 students from low-income Berkeley families. 

“Any low-income family with several kids has a hard time paying for bus passes,” said Hawley. “This’ll be a blessing for many Berkeley families.” 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington said that the City Council passed a unanimous resolution in support of the program, but had hoped that it would be funded for three, not two, years.  

“Once you have done a trial for three years, you get on a different track for state grants,” he said. He added that he thought there would be political pressure to extend the program for another year, so that there would be a better chance of making the program permanent. 

Worthington said that although he was pleased to see many mass transit – as opposed to highway – measures in the Regional Transportation Plan, there were several “appalling” projects approved as well. 

“It’s not a dramatic massive victory, because big chunks of the money are going to big projects like BART to San Jose, which is not a cost-effective way to spend transportation dollars,” he said. 

The MTC committed $4.3 billion to the BART extension, which will be built in two stages – to Warm Springs, a neighborhood south of Fremont, and then on to San Jose and Santa Clara. 

“BART to San Jose is one of the biggest boondoggles I’ve ever heard of,” said Charles Betcher, president of the AC Transit Bus Riders’ Union. 

“It’s very expensive, and it robs money from real, effective local transportation programs.” 

$185 million of the MTC money was earmarked for expansion of the Caldecott Tunnel – a move which dismayed many Berkeleyans. In fact the City Council unanimously voted to oppose the project. 

“It’s just going to encourage more people in Contra Costa county to drive their cars to Alameda County and San Jose,” said Worthington. “One-tenth of that amount of money spent on mass transit in that corridor could have moved just as many people.”

Editor: 

I’m writing to provide another perspective on the story: “District Removes Washington Teacher” (12/18). I know the teacher, indeed I removed my child from her class last year because the class was out of control. I removed him from the school and the BUSD because of the way the control problem was handled. The article in today’s Daily Planet makes this teacher out to be some kind of monster (she’s not, and everyone who knows her knows that!). It blames the district for a process that made her termination impossible and re-assignment difficult, until now. Don’t stop there – there’s plenty of blame to go around: 

I blame almost everyone involved. In no particular order, I blame:  

• Myself, for standing by and hoping the situation would get better. Many of us did that...so I blame all of us!  

• I blame the parents who played the system to have their kids assigned to “good” teachers, enabling the situation to continue. 

• I also blame the parents who didn’t pay close enough attention to see that their kids were getting “gypped.”  

• I blame class-size reduction (1996) which in its first year made for a lot of quick hiring and less supervision and support than a new teacher should get. This teacher’s first year at Washington there were five Kindergarten classes, three Kindergarten teachers new to Washington – two of those were first time teachers. 

This teacher was moved from kindergarten to fourth grade last year, to first grade this year, so three of her years have been “first times” at different grade levels.  

• I blame the teachers’ union for protecting the rights of our teachers so vigilantly that what could have been a private parting of the ways four years ago, is now an intolerably public one now.  

• The former principal at Washington School could have had this teacher and others re-assigned after their first year – and didn’t. She passed the problem on to the current principal.  

• The current principal could have acted sooner, and more forcefully, keeping this decision out of the venue of angry parents and one or two teachers with a clear agenda. 

Once the adults have decided not to be supportive of a teacher, its very hard to win the support of children. For that matter, the kids – why don’t we hold kids responsible for behaving themselves in a situation as crucial to their success as learning? 

In the midst of all this blaming, the message that did not come across in your article is that this teacher is a good and gentle soul. She is exceedingly bright and interesting. In the right situation she could really shine. Classroom control is a vital skill for BUSD teachers, and one not easily learned on the job. This teacher’s lack of control and organization are a fundamental flaw, but ALL OF US knew that years ago. The teacher was doomed from the day she entered that school – and the tragedy is that it took this long to chase her away. If all of us couldn’t make this teacher succeed, we could have at least have let her leave with dignity. I hope that many of you will join with me in wishing her tremendous success and happiness in her next endeavor. 

Heather Jacobsen 

Berkeley

Berkeley High basketball fans will get a chance to help the community when they come out to see the ’Jackets play on Saturday night, as the Friends of Berkeley Boys’ Basketball will be holding a toy drive. 

Berkeley will take on highly-ranked Riordan (San Francisco), giving fans a chance to see Marquis Kately, one of the best players on the West Coast and a Cal signee. Admission will be free, and fans are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to be distributed at local shelters under the Toys for Tots program. 

“We’re trying to tie the basketball program to the community,” FBBB member Bruce Riordan said “We want to get the community more involved and coming to the games on a regular basis.” 

There will be three games on Saturday, with the freshman teams tipping off at 4:30 p.m. at Donahue Gymnasium on the Berkeley High campus. The junior varsity game is scheduled for 6 p.m., with the varsity game slated for 7:30 p.m. 

The ’Jackets will also be in action tonight against St. Joseph, with the same game times. The varsity game will be a rematch of a game held two weeks ago at the Spartan Classic Tournament in Concord, won by St. Joseph. 

Friends of Berkeley Boys’ Basketball is a newly-formed organization, consisting mostly of parents of current and former players. Their activities include working with the players on community service (the team will serve food at local shelters throughout the holiday season), academic counseling and nutrition. The toy drive will be the first major event for the FBBB, which will also run a raffle during the game and host halftime entertainment. 

“We thought this would be a good way to start,” Riordan said. “This is a big game for the kids, and the timing is perfect.” 

Head coach Mike Gragnani said the FBBB has made his second year at Berkeley much easier than his first. 

“We’ve got a great parents support group, and they’re building momentum around the school,” Gragnani said. 

The toys will be distributed among 23 Berkeley shelters on the day before Christmas, according to Berkeley firefighter John Tarascio, who coordinates the department’s toy drives. 

“We’re always looking for new places to collect toys,” Tarascio said. “When (FBBB) called us, it was an easy decision to go ahead with it.” 

All three ’Jackets teams are playing well going into this weekend’s games. The freshman team is undefeated, while both the JV and varsity are coming off of tournament wins last week. 

The varsity will face the toughest challenge, with Riordan featuring Kately and 6-foot-8 post man John Tofi, who has committed to play at UTEP. The Crusaders will be the biggest team Berkeley has faced this season, but Gragnani said his team won’t play scared no matter who the opponent. 

“We want to play the best teams we can,” he said. “That’s what the preseason is for.”

CHICAGO — The cinematic journey finally began Wednesday for “Lord of the Rings” fans. 

Lovers of the fantasy epic – including some who waited decades for a big-screen version – packed theaters nationwide to see the first installment of the film trilogy debut. 

“I had high hopes for it, and they came through,” said 35-year-old Amy Shapiro, a business manager at the University of Illinois at Chicago, whose entire office took the day off to see the movie. 

“I’ve been waiting all my life for this,” she added, noting that – like many fans – she read J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy as a child. 

Reviews like those are expected to turn “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” into an instant box-office blockbuster. Advance ticket sellers have already reported that the movie based on the trilogy’s first book was responsible for roughly 85 percent of their sales this week. 

In San Francisco, fans started lining up outside the Metreon Theater just after 7:30 a.m., reading newspapers and clutching cups of coffee as they waited more than two hours for the first showing of the day. 

“We’re pretty much all a bunch of geeks,” said Marcus Flores, a 31-year-old tobacco shop manager. 

Russ Leatherman, founder of the Moviefone ticket telephone service, said the enthusiastic response was likely to make “Rings” second only to “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” this season. 

On Wednesday, fans from adults to schoolchildren lined up outside movie theaters for a chance to view the start of the journey of Frodo Baggins, a hobbit on a quest to destroy the One Ring. 

Steven Ashley was at the bustling Loews Cinema at Boston Common. He’d already seen the film on Tuesday but returned for another screening with his co-workers from Stainless Steel Studios, a game company in Cambridge, Mass. 

“I’ll probably see it again,” the 27-year-old said. “It didn’t seem like three hours. I actually wanted more.” 

Some hardcore fans had wondered if the filmmakers could ever win them over. 

Mike Field, a 44-year-old administrator at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, had thought it impossible to recreate the treacherous journey of Frodo and his alliance through villain-plagued Middle Earth. 

“As the lights went down I was sort of sitting there cross-armed like, ’Go ahead, try to impress me,”’ he said. “They certainly did.” 

Still others predicted that the film and its two sequels — all filmed at the same time — would take their place among other classic epics. Clifton Robinson, a high school student from Cleveland, said the film was “monumental — kind of like the new ’Star Wars.”’ 

Elizabeth Stone and Samantha Meyer, teen-agers from Chicago, said “Rings” was even better than “Harry Potter.” 

“I liked ’Harry Potter,’ but it got a little slow at the end,” Stone said. “This movie never slows down. It’s great!” 

Like “Potter,” “Lord of the Rings” has the advantage of a fanatically loyal fan base of readers. Hard-core Tolkien fans are known to spend hours discussing the author’s world of pint-size hobbits, ethereal elves, plucky dwarfs, imposing wizards and up-and-coming humans. 

Intertops, the Internet sports betting site, set 7-to-5 odds that “Rings” would break the $90.3 million three-day, opening-weekend box-office record set by “Harry Potter” last month. 

However, with a midweek debut, just like the previous record-holder “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace,” the largest portion of “Rings” business could come before the weekend. 

The movie stars Elijah Wood as Frodo. Ian McKellen plays the wizard Gandalf, Viggo Mortensen is Aragorn, and Liv Tyler appears as the elf Arwen. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Official movie site: http://www.lordoftherings.net/ 

Housing, land-use and transportation policies for the next 20 years were adopted by the City Council in a 5-4 vote Tuesday. The council will consider the remaining six sections of the Draft General Plan early next year. 

The Planning Commission, which toiled for two years and through 55 public meetings to develop the draft plan, had to be resourceful in developing the housing and land use polices for the simple fact that there is no available space left to build on in Berkeley, according to Senior Planner Andrew Thomas. 

To achieve the plan’s goal of creating 6,400 units of affordable housing within 20 years, Thomas said the commission had to identify areas of the city appropriate for infill development, such as in the downtown area and along transit corridors.  

“What the Planning Commission did was not really change any of the policies in the previous 1977 plan but they did focus and clarify city policy to say that this is the type of housing we want built and this is where we want to build it,” he said.  

The vote to approve the plan was split across traditional party lines with progressives, Vice Mayor Maudelle Shirek, councilmembers Linda Maio, Dona Spring, Margaret Breland, and Kriss Worthington voting in favor of the plan, and the four moderates, Mayor Shirley Dean, and councilmembers Polly Armstrong, Betty Olds, and Miriam Hawley voting in opposition.  

What follows are some of the policies the City Council approved in the housing and land use elements of the General Plan. 

Affordable housing 

The housing section of the General Plan contains 52 policies aimed at maintaining or developing decent, affordable and housing, accessible to people with disabilities, located in pleasant neighborhoods.  

It includes a number of policies directed at addressing a shortage of affordable housing by increasing the current stock from 1,600 units to 8,000 units over 20 years. 

The plan doesn’t propose specifics for achieving this goal, which is ambitious considering financial limitations and the fact that Berkeley is almost completely built out. Rather the plan suggests the city acquire the 6,400 affordable units in two ways: 

One is the development of new housing in the downtown area and along major transit corridors such as University and San Pablo avenues. Those areas have been targeted because of they are zoned for taller buildings – three to seven stories, including bonuses for inclusion of affordable housing. In addition easy access to public transportation could permit the development of more residential units and fewer parking spaces. 

Another housing policy calls for the prioritization of city resources to assist in the purchase of existing housing by nonprofits committed to maintaining high housing standards and affordable rents. 

The housing section supports a host of services to help Berkeley’s estimated 1,000 to 3,000 homeless people by encouraging the development of permanent and transitional housing. 

The plan emphasizes housing and shelter programs for the disabled, victims of domestic violence and individuals with HIV/AIDS. 

It also calls for city support to repeal the Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which blunted the city’s rent control laws by allowing the rent on vacant apartments to rise to what the market will bear. 

Land use 

The General Plan’s land use section provides city planners with guidelines for the physical development of the city. The land-use policies are closely linked to several other sections in the plan, but most closely to housing and transportation. For example, land-use polices encourage higher density housing along transportation corridors.  

As in other elements of the Draft General Plan, there are no specific uses designated for any particular parcel of land. Specific uses are spelled out in the city’s zoning laws.  

The objectives of the land use element is to preserve the character of Berkeley by maintaining the residential, commercial and industrial areas of the city. The land-use policies also seek to “minimize the impacts and maximize the benefits of the University of California on the citizens of Berkeley.” 

Through land-use decisions, the plan attempts to preserve the city’s residential districts, which cover 3,540 acres or 48 percent of the city. 

One policy specifically calls for new developments to be of similar scale and design of the homes and businesses in the surrounding areas. It also suggests that proposed projects be carefully reviewed for negative impacts such as shadows and increased traffic prior to approval.  

In addition, the plan calls for community services such as parks, schools, child care facilities and religious institutions that are accessible to residential districts. 

Downtown 

Since the adoption of The Downtown Plan in 1990, the area is well into the process of being revitalized. A host of new businesses including theaters and restaurants and the Central Library have either opened or are scheduled to open in the coming months.  

The downtown area is officially bounded by Martin Luther King Jr. and Berkeley ways, University and Durant avenues and Oxford Street. It is considered to be the city’s primary civic, office and entertainment center as well as the dominant retail area. 

While the downtown is significantly built up, it has been designated as a preferred location for developing affordable housing by offering developers density bonuses for providing affordable housing. For example, the plan suggests that developers who include certain levels of affordable housing in their projects be allowed to add up to two floors to building heights. So in the core of the downtown, developers would be able build as high as seven stories and as high as five stories in downtown areas that surround the core. 

The plan also suggests that affordable housing developed in the downtown be excluded from current parking requirements because of the easy access to BART and buses. 

Moreover, the plan includes density bonuses for developers to lease commercial space to nonprofit fine arts and performing arts organizations such as theaters, artist studios and musical venues. The exact amount of bonus space developers will be allowed will be determined by zoning laws. 

The Planning Commission removed a policy from the 1977 Master Plan that gave developers a bonus for creating retail space. 

The plan suggests the city continue to explore options for the partial closure of Center and Addison streets and Allston Way to automobiles and promote a pedestrian-friendly promenade that could be beneficial to merchants. 

The plan also encourages opening up Strawberry Creek through the downtown area. 

Industrial areas 

The land use element seeks to maintain the city’s industrial vitality, which exists mostly in west Berkeley and represents the third largest economic sector in the city. The location has traditionally been attractive to industry because of easy access to the freeway and rail lines. 

In the 1970s west Berkeley was primarily industrial but in recent years there has been some transition to light manufacturing and commercial uses. This has had both positive and negative effects on the area. On the positive side, two successful retail areas, one on Seventh Street at Ashby Avenue and another at Fourth Street and Hearst Avenue have emerged as some of the most profitable in Berkeley.  

On the negative side a reduction of industry in the area has resulted in fewer blue collar jobs. 

The plan suggests several policies that seek to maintain existing industrial uses. One asks that all business and organizations that propose non-industrial uses in west Berkeley be informed that they will be expected to adjust to industrial noise levels such as traffic and large machinery. 

Also it is suggested that the expansion of the Fourth Street commercial area be limited and retail business not be allowed in the mixed-use, light industrial district. 

UC Berkeley 

Since its earliest days, UC Berkeley has been a major factor in the physical, social and economic development of the city. It is expected to expand in coming years, enrolling an additional 4,000 students.  

Currently, approximately 18,000 university students live in Berkeley and the university provides beds for only about 1,000 of them. Because of the imbalance, the land-use element strongly discourages the university from increasing student enrollment and suggests that it maximize student housing both in Berkeley and along transit corridors in other nearby cities. 

Thomas said that the best feature about the General Plan is that if any of the policies are discovered to be lacking or too restrictive they can be amended up to four times a year. 

“None of this is written in stone,” he said.

The Daily Planet received a copy of this letter, reproduced in part, addressed to officials at the California Department of Toxic Substances Control: 

Regarding the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Petition to restart highly radioactive tritiated mixed waste treatments under a treatability study exclusion: 

We are writing this letter as a follow up to Ms. Pamela Sihvola’s phone conversation earlier today. As was indicated, it is our understanding that the LBNL has no stack monitoring devices that would monitor Tritium Labeling Facility stack emissions containing hazardous chemical constituents, including dioxin. According to LBNL’s “Tritiated Mixed Waste Treatability Study Report: 3/15/99” : methylene chloride and chloroform are present in LBNL’s mixed waste, and when oxidized contribute to the formation of dioxins as does the presence of benzene. 

Other chemical compounds mentioned in the LBNL 9/20/01 petition, and used at the NTLF tritiation operations, include pharmaceuticals, pesticides, biological compounds etc. We therefore ask you to request LBNL to provide information pertaining to how the NTLF stack emissions are monitored for the presence of these compounds and other hazardous chemicals and dioxins, and to provide you with such data. We also request that your agency is provided with information and data pertaining to monitoring of the hazardous chemical constituents of the large tritium groundwater plume at LBNL, since it now appears that NTLF stack emissions may contain hazardous chemicals as well.  

Pamela Sihvola and Barbara George,  

Women’s Energy Matters 

Berkeley

BEVERLY HILLS — It’s definitely a year for the terrifying, troubled, twisted and tragic at the movies. Solemn films about delusion, blackmail, vengeance and doomed love dominated Golden Globe contenders, including “A Beautiful Mind” and “Moulin Rouge,” which led with six nominations each. 

“A Beautiful Mind” — starring Russell Crowe as schizophrenic math genius John Nash, tormented by hallucinations — was nominated for best dramatic picture Thursday. Its other nominations included Crowe for dramatic actor, Jennifer Connelly for supporting actress and Ron Howard for director. 

Competing in the musical or comedy category, “Moulin Rouge’s” nominations included best picture, actress Nicole Kidman, actor Ewan McGregor and director Baz Luhrmann. The tragicomic musical presents Kidman and McGregor as ill-fated lovers at a Paris nightclub in 1899. 

Kidman also was nominated for dramatic actress in the horror story “The Others.” 

Also cited for two films was Billy Bob Thornton: dramatic actor for his blackmailing barber in the Coen brothers’ “The Man Who Wasn’t There”; and musical or comedy actor for “Bandits,” in which he plays a neurotic bank robber whose quirks include Thornton’s real-life fear of antique furniture. 

“This is just a theory, but maybe the good stuff is sometimes the edgier stuff, because the people making it aren’t as worried about pleasing everybody, so artistic values don’t suffer as much,” said Thornton, who also stars in the sobering death-row drama “Monster’s Ball,” which earned a dramatic-actress nomination for Halle Berry. 

The Golden Globes, awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, often are a launchpad for a film’s Academy Award prospects. But no clear favorites are taking shape from the Globe nominations and earlier movie honors, which have been spread among a wide range of films. 

Sissy Spacek, a five-time Academy Award nominee who won for 1980’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” could become the front-runner for another Oscar. Spacek, who plays a vengeful mother in “In the Bedroom,” has been a top pick in early film honors. 

“There’s so many fabulous actresses from my generation, and there really aren’t enough roles to go around,” said Spacek, 51. “Maybe a film like ‘In the Bedroom’ will make people think of us older gals, sharpen their pencils and start writing more great roles for us.” 

The Golden Globe awards will air live Jan. 20 on NBC. 

Besides “A Beautiful Mind,” “In the Bedroom” and “The Man Who Wasn’t There,” the dramatic picture nominees were the fearsome fantasy epic “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” and “Mulholland Drive,” an enigmatic nightmare of jealousy and madness. 

“Moulin Rouge” is joined in the musical or comedy picture category by the romances “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and “Legally Blonde,” the animated “Shrek” and the class-war satire and murder mystery “Gosford Park.” 

Ben Kingsley earned nominations for two dark stories. He was cited for best actor in a TV movie or miniseries in “Anne Frank” and supporting actor on film for “Sexy Beast,” in which he plays a vicious hood. 

“I think it’s very brave and a sign of maturity in any culture that it can embrace the dark side fearlessly,” Kingsley said. “It shows people don’t want to eat candy all the time. They are intelligent enough to look at the full spectrum of life.” 

Even the musical and comedy acting categories had nominees for dark or twisted tales. Thora Birch was cited for her malcontented teen in the off-kilter “Ghost World.” John Cameron Mitchell had a nomination for “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” in which he plays an East German transsexual on an anguished search for fame and love. 

“I think I always feel optimistic when the odd and twisted are recognized,” Mitchell said. “Maybe it’s because I feel odd and twisted myself and like to be recognized.” 

How such eccentric films will fare at the Oscars is uncertain. The Oscars tend to be more conservative than the Golden Globes. 

“The Hollywood Foreign Press, they’re pretty cool,” Birch said. “I always loved their offbeat choices of people to nominate.” 

Editor: 

I am 12 years old and I am a faithful Oakland Athletics fan. I am disgusted at the fact that money is ruining baseball. It is really wrong that players like Jason Giambi are putting the love of the game and the faithfulness in their team in the back of their mind and thinking of nothing but... no surprise, money! 

The New York fans are very spoiled because the Yankees have so much money they can go on a shopping spree and buy all the best players and barely make a dent in their mound of money! In a sense the Yankees are at fault for essentially ‘ruining’ the league. Plus the Yankees make the World Series so boring (except for this year when they lost!!). I say get rid of them Yanks!!!! 

Will Kruse 

Berkeley

Tanya Mandel, editor, KPFA broadcaster and activist, died Tuesday. She was 84. 

Of herself, she wrote: “I was born in 1917 in New York City.... My first political memory was the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti” in 1927, “which shocked and angered my family and their friends. My second recollection was collecting money on the street to support coal miners on strike.”  

This activity took place in her early teens. 

In 1935, with Hitler in power for two years, the German liner, S.S. Bremen, entered New York flying the Nazi flag. She and the man she would marry that year and who would be her husband for the remaining 66 years of her life, Bill Mandel, were in a massive police-assaulted demonstration at the dock as Irish-American seaman Bill Bailey, later a much-written-about figure in San Francisco, managed to pull down the flag.  

Mrs. Mandel and her husband-to-be had met picketing in support of chiefly African-American and female laundry workers seeking union recognition. 

During a period in Akron, Ohio, Mrs. Mandel, then 20, organized the movement that won the construction of that city’s first public housing project, at a time when such buildings were a major step forward in replacing slum tenements as dwellings for the working poor. 

Mrs. Mandel returned to New York during World War II, and now a mother, she was instrumental in obtaining a government-funded institution of a type until then essentially unknown in this country: a child-care center. 

Later, active in the Parent-Teachers Association, she and her husband furthered their children’s familiarization with other ethnicities by sending them to the overwhelmingly black schools in their neighborhood when other white parents would not. 

During the McCarthy era Mrs. Mandel took part in a spontaneous march through the Lower East Side when Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were executed, a parade without a permit led by three generations of the Mandel family including their then 13-year-old daughter. 

The family moved to Berkeley in 1957, where Mrs. Mandel lived for the next 40 years. In the ‘50s, she participated in the activities that won racial integration of the Berkeley schools. She was a member of the Boatrockers Democratic Club and, in the early 1960s, joined Women for Peace, organized to stop atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons when radioactive Strontium 90 began to be found in mothers’ milk. Just a week before her death, when that outcome was not expected, members wrote her a get-well card with individual comments such as these: 

“We miss you and your wisdom.” 

Another: “I miss you and your important suggestions at our meetings.” 

A third: “We miss your forceful, uncompromising comments.” 

Mrs. Mandel was an opponent of the Vietnam War from the outset. She was in daily attendance during the 11-week trial of one of her sons, a member of the so-called Oakland Seven who had organized disruptive demonstrations in an attempt to prevent the Oakland Army Induction Center from functioning. They were acquitted. Another son, a total pacifist, went to Canada to, in her words, “avoid fighting the Vietnamese people.” 

That same period saw the birth of second-wave feminism, and Mrs. Mandel, daughter Phyllis, and husband Bill were invited to join one of the very earliest women’s liberation groups.  

In 1966, Mrs. Mandel visited the Soviet Union and did so several times thereafter with a particular eye to the status of women. She was impressed by the advanced level of education for women and the social services provided for mothers and children, but struck by what she called the “male domination of every facet of life.”  

Mandel reported on her observations during a five-year stint, during which she shared her husband’s 37-year-long program on KPFA. Bill Mandel, whose radio program focused on the former Soviet Union, is the author of a number of books on the subject. 

In 1984, now in her late 60s, Mrs. Mandel participated in yet another demonstration with her entire family, this time at dawn on the San Francisco docks. It was part of a successful effort to prevent the unloading of a shipload of South African goods as part of the struggle to end apartheid. 

Jewish, and educated at home to speak Yiddish before learning English, Mandel supported the founding of Israel, “hoping at first for a joint Jewish-Arab state,” she wrote. “In 1967 and 1974 I was very disturbed at the attitude of the majority of U.S. Jews toward Palestinians and the idea of a Palestinian state.... I became involved in campaigns on behalf of the Palestinians and a Palestinian state.” 

Just before entering the operating room for the unavoidable procedure that would terminate tragically, the risks of which she knew, Mandel smiled broadly when told that the death sentence of Mumia Abu-Jamal had been set aside. (Mrs. Mandel made the choice to have the risky hip replacement surgery, rather than live in a zombie-like state, as a result of the medications she would have had to use to stave off severe pain.)  

Her strength of character and devotion to principle to the contrary notwithstanding, the term universally applied to describe Mandel by mere acquaintances as well as by those who knew her well was “sweet.” 

Tanya Mandel was a charter subscriber to the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, earlier to A.C.T., an avid concert-goer and frequent visitor to museums. Her last dinner-table conversation in the senior facility where she and her husband resided was on Girardeau’s play, “The Madwoman of Chaillot.” 

In addition to her husband, Mrs. Mandel leaves behind her three children, Phyllis, Bob and David, two grandchildren and one great grandchild. 

A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Claremont House, 4500 Gilbert St., Oakland. 

William Mandel’s most recent book is an autobiography, “Saying No to Power,” (Creative Arts, Berkeley). In it, one can find references to Mrs. Mandel on 50 pages.

Editor: 

“The driving force behind energy consumption” (Berkeley Daily Planet, 12/18), by Alice La Pierre, contains a common error in confusing “good” stratospheric ozone with ground-level “bad” ozone. Ms. La Pierre states that the resultant air pollution from increased vehicle emissions “…will contribute to the destruction of the ozone…” The exact opposite is true, actually: the nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons emitted by vehicles contribute to the production of ground-level ozone, which is an irritating pollutant and the main component of smog.  

Depletion of ozone in the stratosphere (the layer of the atmosphere that extends from 10-50 km above the surface of the planet) is a separate environmental problem, caused primarily by chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s). Stratospheric ozone is known as “good” ozone because it shields the planet from harmful ultraviolet light. “Ozone destruction” refers to the overall thinning of the ozone layer and the dramatic formation of the ozone hole over Antarctica every spring. 

Ezra Wood 

Department of Chemistry 

UC Berkeley

Friday 

Boys’ Soccer – St. Mary’s vs. Piedmont, 3:15 p.m.  

at St. Mary’s College High School 

Men’s Basketball – Cal vs. Mount Saint Mary’s, 7 p.m.  

at Haas Pavilion 

Girls’ Basketball – St. Mary’s vs. Jesse Bethel, 7 p.m.  

at St. Mary’s College High School 

Boys’ Basketball – Berkeley vs. St. Joseph, 7:30 p.m.  

at Berkeley High School 

Saturday 

Boys’ Basketball – Berkeley vs. Riordan, 7:30 p.m.  

at Berkeley High School

Editor: 

Regarding the story on sex cruising Dec. 19,  

I would like to thank you for providing a balanced, objective article. As a out Queer activist, Berkeley Citizen and a person who frequents the Aquatic Parks’ cruising scene I support the city’s goal of ensuring the park is “safe and friendly” for all if handled in a sensitive way. 

Sexual isolation and loneliness do play a major role in cruising, however cruising is not limited to “fringe” members of the Queer Community. Many of us are well-connected and active members of the Queer Community who enjoy casual, outdoor sex and recognize its importance to Queer Culture/Identity. 

Cruising will not come to a halt. No amount of police harassment and fines will resolve the issue and would be a waste of city time and funds. We only need to look at the war on drugs to see that criminalizing an issue does not create a resolution. Only education, outreach, and a review of policies can begin to address the cruising issue. 

Name withheld by request 

Berkeley 

AC Transit will operate local and transbay bus service on Sunday Schedules this Tuesday, Dec. 25, as the East Bay joins in the observance of the Christmas Day holiday.  

On this midweek holiday, AC Transit will operate transbay service, connecting the East Bay with downtown San Francisco via the Bay Bridge, on five bus routes:  

• Line C – Piedmont - Emeryville - San Francisco 

• Line F – Berkeley - San Francisco 

• Line N/NL – San Leandro - Oakland - San Francisco 

• Line O – Alameda - Downtown Oakland - San Francisco 

• Line A – San Francisco - Downtown Oakland (post midnight-only service) 

The District’s transit information operators are available to provide personalized trip-planning assistance by telephone: Dial toll-free 817_1717 (then speed-dial 1, 1, 1, 1). AC Transit's information center is open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekends and holidays – except Christmas Day. (Persons with impaired hearing, call TDD/TTY-only 1 800 448-9790.)  

Bus route maps and schedule information are also available online 24-hours a day at: www.transitinfo.org/AC.  

On Tuesday, AC Transit's ticket offices at 1600 Franklin St. in Oakland and in San Francisco’s Transbay Transit Terminal (Firstand Mission Streets) will be closed, as will be the bus system’s administrative offices in downtown Oakland.

Editor:  

The Governor's ad campaign to encourage tourism in California may be a sop to some of his political contributors and may not have much affect on tourists.. 

What is really needed is for California to examine what our competitors are doing and try their tactics too. For instance, Canadian Provinces publish free tourist booklets which list the tourist needs as any tourist would find them while driving along each numbered highway route. The progressive data for each city or town along a numbered highway route shows all the places to stay, to eat, to see, and the principal celebrations held each year. Thus a tourist can size up a locality ahead of time at home before starting out or on the road just driving along. 

At least two states, Alaska and Texas have private publishers which have put out books with the same information along highway routes. I suggest the California tourist agency should do it too and update it annually. 

The other thing California should do is to advertise how beautiful the state is after the rains from February to late May, before the weather gets so hot. 

Charles Smith 

Berkeley

The Berkeley police released detailed information Wednesday regarding last Friday’s auto vs. pedestrian accident at the intersection of Russell Street and Claremont Avenue. 

The victim, identified by The Associated Press as Berkeley resident Susan Wood, was crossing Claremont Avenue, walking westbound from the northeast corner of the intersection at about 10:05 a.m. The intersection is among those where flags are available for pedestrian use to enhance their visibility as they cross the street. The flags were placed at the intersection just the day before the accident. 

“She took the flag (from its container) and, waving the flag, began to cross from east to west,” said Lt. Bruce Agnew of the Berkeley Police Department Traffic Division.  

A northbound white Jeep Cherokee came toward the pedestrian, then veered left, hitting the left side of Wood’s body. 

While the driver avoided hitting the pedestrian head on – the impact merely spun Wood around and caused her to fall – the Jeep drove across the center line and struck a teal Jeep Grand Cherokee. Both vehicles were towed from the scene. 

Wood complained of pain and bruises and was transported by ambulance to Kaiser hospital and later released. 

The driver was cited for “failure to yield the right of way to a pedestrian,” Agnew said. 

This citation can be remedied by paying a fine or, if the driver is eligible, she can have the accident removed from her record by going to traffic school, he added. 

Agnew explained that a ticket for hitting someone in the crosswalk is identical to that of a driver entering the crosswalk when a pedestrian is crossing, where there is no contact with the pedestrian. 

In cases where death results, however, police will forward the case to the district attorney who has the option of charging the driver with manslaughter. 

In this case, if the victim opts to do so, she can go to the driver’s insurance company to recover damages or file a civil suit, Agnew said. 

Another accident 

Police reported another accident this week at the Russell Street and Claremont Avenue intersection. The two-vehicle accident occurred at 12:39 p.m. Monday.  

A driver, later found to be at fault, was driving southbound on Claremont Avenue and stopped at Russell Street to allow a pedestrian to cross. The car then turned east on Russell Street and collided with another vehicle. Both vehicles were towed from the scene. Both drivers complained of pain, but neither were transported to a hospital.  

The driver of the vehicle turning east was cited for failure to yield to oncoming traffic. 

What can be done? 

Neighborhood traffic watchers have asked the city for additional officers to beef up the traffic patrol – there are now seven officers with one out on a leave with a job-related injury – and the City Council authorized the new officers months ago. But that does not mean they are in place.  

The problem is, Agnew said, it takes about a year to get new officers on board. There is first a search, then an extensive background check, then candidates go to the Police Academy. Those who successfully complete the academy continue with four months of field training. These new members become patrol officers, and more seasoned officers move into the traffic division. The length of time it is taking to get new officers on board has been exacerbated by a high number of retirements from the department. 

The need for increased enforcement in not disputed. 

A 2000 city report cites Berkeley Department of Health statistics, which note that the city has more than two times the rate of pedestrian and more than four times the rate of bicycle injuries compared to other areas of the state.  

While complete statistics are not available for 2001, so far this year there have been two traffic-related deaths reported, one in which a pedestrian was killed when she was crossing the street at Hearst and Shattuck avenues, and another when a vehicle, pursued by a highway patrol officer, slammed into a second vehicle making a turn at San Pablo and Ashby avenues. (On average, there are one to three traffic-related deaths each year, Agnew said.) 

By contrast, there have been no homicides in Berkeley this year.

RENO, Nev. — Another powerful storm swept through the Sierra on Thursday, stalling traffic and closing schools one day before the start of winter. 

U.S. 50 was closed over Echo Summit west of Meyers, Calif., shortly after daybreak, then was reopened with chains or snow tires required. Chains were mandatory on Interstate-80 over Donner Summit. Kids in the Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District started their Christmas break early. 

A winter storm warning extended along the California-Nevada state line from north of Susanville, Calif., down the Sierra well past Mammoth Lakes, Calif. 

“We’re looking at around a foot, maybe up to 16 inches along the Sierra Crest,” National Weather Service forecaster Tom Cylke said in Reno. 

Half that amount had fallen by daybreak. 

Snow also was falling in western Nevada, slowing the morning commute from Reno south through Gardnerville. Chains or snow tires were required on U.S. 395 from Gardnerville to the California line. 

The pre-Christmas storm was adding to what’s already a memorable year in the Sierra, where Alpine Meadows has a base of more than 9 1/2 feet of snow at mid-mountain and Kirkwood, nearly 13 feet. 

“We have great coverage over the entire mountain. No obstacles. The snow quality is really good — fluffy, light, incredible skiing,” Tania Pilkinton, Kirkwood’s director of media relations said. 

“I’ve been here since 1981 and I can’t remember a year when it was so good over the Christmas holidays.” 

After two dry years, this fall has seen the snowpack grow to more than half its seasonal average. 

The U.S. Forest Service said a considerable avalanche hazard exists along the Sierra from Yuba Pass to Sonora Pass, 100 miles to the south. The greatest danger is above 6,000 feet in back country away from developed recreational areas. 

Cylke said the chance of snow showers would continue into Saturday, followed by a return of fair-weather high pressure on Sunday. Highs in the 40s will pretty much doom the possibility of a white Christmas in the valleys.

STANFORD — Stanford University has stripped three prominent gynecologic surgeons of their honorary faculty status and removed them as directors of an on-campus surgical training center. 

The rebukes came after an outside panel of medical and legal experts unaffiliated with the university conducted a year-long review and determined some research conducted by Drs. Camran, Farr and Ceana Nezhat to be “deficient.” 

While the panel did not substantiate allegations of improper patient care, it found “seriously deficient scholarship” in a journal article published by the Nezhats in 1992, said Dr. Philip Pizzo, medical school dean. 

As a result, Stanford officials no longer will allow the brothers to teach medical students or residents, nor claim any Stanford affiliation in their Palo Alto practice, Pizzo said. However, the brothers still may perform surgery at Stanford’s hospital. 

The suspensions put the future of the Stanford Endoscopy Center for Training and Technology, which the Nezhats directed, under review, Pizzo said. 

For years, the three brothers have been at the center of an unusually contentious debate in national medical circles. Admirers call the Nezhats brilliant surgeons; detractors have accused them of performing unnecessary surgeries and concealing complications from those surgeries — allegations the Nezhats consistently have denied. 

In a statement released by his lawyer, Camran Nezhat said he and his brothers were “pleased” the panel’s findings did not find fault with their surgical practices. However, the brothers strongly disagree with their suspensions, he said. Nezhat said they plan to appeal, though Stanford officials say there is no mechanism for appeals because their previous designations were a “privilege, not a right.”

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. 

Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society 

2700 Ninth St., Berkeley, CA 94710-2606 

845-7735 x11 

Shelters and places adoptable animals in loving homes. Seeks financial donations and volunteers. 

Nonprofit tax ID: 94-1347069 

Berkeley Neighborhood Computers 

PO Box 2435 Berkeley, 94702 

845-1226 

Refurbishes computers for low-income families, schools. Seeks financial 

donations, volunteers (but not computers now). 

Nonprofit tax ID: 94-3218936 

Berkeley Public Education Foundation & Berkeley School Volunteers 

1835 Allston Way, Berkeley 94703 

644-6244 

Supports Berkeley public schools with grants to teachers. Seeks community volunteers, financial donations. 

Nonprofit tax ID: 94-2918219 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra 

2322 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704 

841-2800 

Directed by Kent Nagano, brings classical music to residents, elementary schools. Seeks financial support, volunteers. 

Nonprofit tax ID: 23-7219508  

Berkeley Youth Alternatives 

1255 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94702 

845-9010; www.byaonline.org 

BYA serves Berkeley and Bay Area children, youth, and families. Seeks financial donations, tutors, mentors. 

Nonprofit tax ID: 94-1711728. 

Housing Rights, Inc. 

2718 Telegraph Ave. #100, Berkeley. (Mailing address: P.O. Box 12895, Berkeley, 94712) 

548-8776 

Provides housing counseling, tenant organizing support to low and very low income individuals. Seeks financial donations, volunteers. 

Nonprofit tax ID: 94-3-6-4129 

Malcolm X Elementary School Garden 

1731 Prince St. 

Berkeley, CA 94703 

524-2916 

Donate funds, volunteer for garden teaching science, math, nutrition, ecology to students kindergarten through fifth grade. 

Nonprofit tax ID: 94-3145183 

Northern California Land Trust 

3126 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, 94705 

548-7878 

Creates affordable homeownership through cooperatives and condominiums for low-income households. Seeks financial donations, volunteers. 

Nonprofit tax ID: 23-7380534 

Resources for Community Development 

2131 University Ave., Suite 224, Berkeley, 94704 

841-4410; fax 548-3502 

Renovates, builds affordable housing for individuals with the fewest options. Seeks financial donations.  

Nonprofit tax ID: 94-2952466 

South Berkeley YMCA 

2901 California Street, Berkeley, 94703 

843-4280 

An academic enrichment program providing tutoring in basic skills and mentoring. Seeks books, educational software. 

Nonprofit tax ID: 94-1156635 

Stiles Hall 

2400 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, 94704 

841-6010 

Helps inner-city youth stay in school; promotes lasting interracial understanding among future leaders.  

Nonprofit tax ID: 941156636. 

The Berkeley Chess School 

P.O. Box 136, Berkeley, CA 94701 

843-0150; www.berkeleychessschool.org. 

We are accepting donations which will go towards bringing chess to low-income area schools.  

Nonprofit tax ID: 94-3225242 

Women’s Daytime Drop-In Center 

2218 Alston Way, Berkeley 94702 

548-2884 

Provides meals, support, and referrals for homeless women and children. Seeks volunteers and financial donations.  

Nonprofit tax ID: 94-3123986

SANTA CRUZ — The Santa Cruz Sentinel may soon be for sale, according to its owner, Ottaway Newspapers. 

Ottaway president Joe Richter confirmed that the 145-year-old Sentinel is on a list of properties his company might be willing to sell or trade. 

“What we’re doing is taking a few of our papers and doing what we call a ‘strategic analysis of the markets,’ ” Richter said.  

A change in market conditions could change any plans to unload the newspaper, Richter said. 

Ottaway is a subsidiary of Dow Jones and Co. Peter Kann, Dow Jones’ chairman and chief executive officer, told investors at a Credit Suisse First Boston media conference recently that several papers may soon be sold or swapped with owners of other nearby papers. 

Knight Ridder owns the San Jose Mercury News as well as The Monterey County Herald, the Sentinel’s neighbors.  

Polk Laffoon, vice president/corporate relations for Knight Ridder, declined to comment on whether the company was in negotiations with Ottaway. 

Calls to Ottaway Thursday seeking further comment were not immediately returned. Calls to Santa Cruz Sentinel publisher David B. Regan also went unreturned. 

Regan told the Mercury News that his staff is obviously concerned, but is trying to put out the best possible newspaper every day. “If we get sold, we get sold,” he said. “If we get traded, we get traded.” 

Ottaway purchased the newspaper almost two decades ago from the McPherson family which had operated the Sentinel for four generations.  

The Sentinel has a daily circulation of 26,760 and a Sunday circulation of 29,352, according to the 2001 Editor and Publisher yearbook.

Oakland to pay woman struck by police car

OAKLAND — The city of Oakland will pay $2.75 million to a woman left permanently disabled when a police car struck her vehicle last year. 

Bernice Berry, 49, is confined to a wheelchair and is not expected to walk again, said her attorney, Mark Webb of San Francisco. Berry also suffered permanent brain damage in the September 2000 crash, he said. 

The driver of the police car, Officer Mark Battle, was on his way to help other officers chase a fleeing suspect when his vehicle broadsided a car carrying Berry, said Chief Assistant City Attorney Randolph Hall. 

Battle, 27, entered the intersection against a red light and was not using his siren, Hall said. Whether he had turned on his flashing lights is in dispute. 

The settlement, approved by the City Council on Tuesday night, will finance long-term medical care for Berry, a mother of four. 

Police Chief Richard Word said Battle has not been disciplined, pending the results of an internal investigation. Battle, who joined the force in November 1998, has been transferred from patrol to a sexual assault task force. 

Bridge replacement  

contracts received

OAKLAND — Bids on the first of four major contracts to replace the Bay Bridge’s eastern span came in Wednesday way over the Caltrans estimate. 

Just two bids were submitted for the first phase of the project, a pair of side-by-side viaducts – to carry traffic in opposite directions. The elevated roads will stretch eight-tenths of a mile from the Oakland toll plaza west to a single-span tower near Yerba Buena Island. 

Kiewitt FCI Manson, a joint venture based in Concord, turned in the apparent low bid of $1.04 billion. The other bid, from a Tutor-Saliba consortium, was $1.1 billion. 

Kiewitt’s bid exceeded an estimate Caltrans raised in the last couple of weeks from $746 million to $800 million. In July, Caltrans had estimated the cost at $700 million. 

The bid isn’t enough to break the bank for the $2.6 billion project, according to officials with Caltrans and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which shares responsibility for financing the eastern span replacement. 

But if future contracts for the new bridge – including the single-tower suspension span – also come in over budget, Bay Area officials and Caltrans would have to return to the Legislature to plead for more money. 

Last summer, when Caltrans said the cost of the bridge had doubled from $1. 3 billion, state legislators, especially from Southern California, were reluctant to bail out the Bay Area. 

Transportation officials were forced to make the temporary $2 toll permanent as part of the financing deal. While the region was able to avoid a $3 toll, that may not be the case next time. 

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — After 17 years of dispensing advice on everything from positions to prowess, sex columnist Isadora Alman has been dumped by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, an alternative weekly newspaper. 

Bay Guardian editor Bruce B. Brugmann cited tough financial times for axing the “Ask Isadora” column, a fixture in the paper since 1984. 

“We offered her several different options, various ways she could continue on,” Brugmann said. “She wanted to stay our highest-paid writer. There wasn’t any way to come to terms right now under the circumstances.” 

Alman was a volunteer with San Francisco Sex Information, a nonprofit sex advice service, when she began penning her column for the Bay Guardian in 1984. What began as once-monthly sex advice grew into a weekly column syndicated to 12 newspapers across the country. 

Despite Alman’s expertise in relationships, sexual and otherwise, she remains stung by the way her business relationship with Brugmann ended. 

“I had never gotten a note from Bruce. I must say that rankles,” Alman said. “I had been more than kind to the Guardian for 18 years, and I never got a ’sorry’ or a wave from Bruce.”

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday approved a bill to allow the families of the Sept. 11 victims to watch the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, the first man indicted on charges related to the attacks. 

The trial would be broadcast on closed-circuit television in the cities most affected by the plane crashes. 

The House will consider the bill next year. 

It was introduced on Wednesday by Sen. George Allen, R-Va., who modeled the legislation after a measure that allowed the families of the Oklahoma City bombing trial to watch the Timothy McVeigh trial. 

“We owe it to those victims’ families to allow them to see these open proceedings which are directly related to the horrific events of September 11 that touched their loved ones,” he said. Some families might not want to watch the trial, “but for those who do, it will help them begin to heal,” Allen added. 

Federal courthouses usually ban television cameras, but under Allen’s bill —which passed on a voice vote — the Moussaoui trial would be piped from the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Va., to secure locations in Northern Virginia, Los Angeles, New York City, Boston, San Francisco and Newark, N.J. 

Those are the places where the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania took off or would have landed, Allen said. The judge would have the option of including additional locations for viewing. 

The courthouse in Alexandria is simply too small to accommodate the large number of people affected by the terrorism attacks, Allen said. 

“If it’s an open trial ... and the courtroom facilities are simply insufficient for the victims to be able to view the trial and the proceedings, then you have to do something like this,” he said Wednesday. 

Allen’s bill limits the closed circuit viewing to only the Moussaoui trial, but he said he would support similar legislation for future Sept. 11 trials held in federal courts. 

SAN JOSE — In a surprise move, the defense rested Thursday without calling any witnesses in the elephant abuse trial of a star Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus performer. 

Mark Oliver Gebel, 31, is accused of using a hooked stick called an ankus to puncture an elephant’s skin outside a performance in San Jose last summer. Gebel was expected to testify that he did nothing wrong. 

But defense attorney James McManis said the evidence against Gebel is so weak, “there’s no need to rebut a non-case.” 

“I think this case has gone on far too long and I want to get it in the hands of the jury,” McManis said outside court. 

Deliberations are expected to begin Friday after closing arguments from both sides. Gebel, son of the legendary Ringling Bros. trainer Gunther Gebel-Williams, could face six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. 

Before resting his case, McManis asked the judge to dismiss the misdemeanor charge against Gebel, saying the allegations were not severe enough to be covered by the unique California law barring elephant abuse. 

McManis argued that the law, which was passed after an elephant was forcibly brought to the ground at the San Diego Zoo in 1989, was meant to prevent beatings and other severe punishment. Even if Gebel did strike the elephant, the wound was equivalent to a mere pinprick, McManis said. 

Prosecutor Carolyn Powell countered that the law bars any breakage of an elephant’s skin, no matter how big the wound. 

Judge Linda Condron refused to dismiss the case and end the four-day trial, saying she believed there was “substantial evidence” to support a conviction that could withstand appeal. 

The case is being closely watched by animal rights groups that for years have accused Ringling Bros. and other circuses of mistreating their animals. Few criminal charges against circus performers have resulted. 

A San Jose police sergeant and a Humane Society investigator said they heard Gebel yell at an elephant named Asia and lunge toward her, though they did not see him make contact. Those witnesses and another Humane Society investigator later saw a small blood stain just under Asia’s left front leg; one of the investigators said she saw two spots where Asia’s skin appeared to have been punctured. 

A former circus trainer who now runs an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee and the director of the Oakland Zoo both testified Thursday that after studying pictures of the stain, they also believed Asia’s skin was punctured. 

The defense has argued that the mark came off when Asia was bathed, and that a Ringling veterinarian found no evidence the animal was hurt.

MARTINEZ — A judge decided Thursday that prosecutors have enough evidence to go ahead with a trial in the grisly killings of five people last summer. 

Prosecutors say the deaths, including the daughter of blues guitarist Elvin Bishop, were part of a bizarre extortion, drug-dealing and prostitution scheme. 

The case against Glenn Taylor Helzer, 31, his brother, Justin, 29, and friend Dawn Godman, 27, was presented to a judge during the past two weeks in a preliminary hearing. 

The crimes, part of a scheme to fund a self-improvement program and spread a message of peace and love, were intended “to secure money by unlawful means for Taylor Helzer to impact America in his image,” prosecutor Hal Jewett has charged. 

All three are charged with capital murder in the stabbing deaths of Selina Bishop, the daughter of the blues guitarist, and Taylor Helzer’s former financial clients, Ivan Stineman, 85, and his wife, Annette, 78. 

The dismembered remains of the three were separated into nine duffel bags and found in the Mokelumne River in August 2000. 

The trio also faces charges in the shooting deaths of Selina Bishop’s mother, Jennifer Villarin, and the mother’s companion, James Gamble. 

The Helzer brothers and Godman have pleaded innocent to all charges, including five counts of murder, conspiracy, extortion, false imprisonment and drug possession. 

Dozens of witnesses took the stand to talk about Taylor Helzer’s plan to start a self-improvement program called “Impact America,” modeled after a program the trio attended. 

Taylor Helzer told one witness he needed $20 million to meet with politicians and get into schools to spread a message of peace and love. He said his goal was to save the world, even if he had to commit crimes to do it. 

Jewett says the trio held the Stinemans in their Concord home and forced them to liquidate nearly $200,000 in stock. Bishop’s bank account was used to launder the money. 

Taylor Helzer was portrayed by a string of witnesses as the charismatic leader of the threesome. He once told a cousin he wanted to get rich so he could start his own country — a place free of rules and regulations with its morality defined by “Impact America.” 

A police detective read Taylor Helzer’s ”12 Principles of Magic” in court, which included: “There is no such thing as right and wrong” and “I am already perfect, and therefore, can do nothing wrong.” 

He meticulously studied the law, researched mental illness and concocted money-making schemes, witnesses said. 

A friend of the trio said one proposal included finding 16- and 17-year-old runaways in Las Vegas and taking them on a cruise ship where Taylor Helzer would have sex with them. That would prepare them for sex with stockbrokers from the investment firm where Helzer had worked. 

They would then blackmail the brokers and the minors would sue their clients because they were underage. 

The trio also kept meticulous to-do lists. One found in their kitchen included the following: “Call lawyers, study multiple personalities, go to dentist, get guns, get a divorce, declare bankruptcy.” 

The Helzer brothers were raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and met Godman at a church social. Friends told investigators that Godman was a devout Mormon and moved up quickly within the church’s ranks. 

Lawyers for Godman and Justin Helzer have tried to distance their clients from Taylor Helzer, whose lawyer has said he’s mentally ill. 

A former girlfriend and Playboy centerfold told police Taylor Helzer believed he was a prophet of God. 

We both are adamant about quality, and that includes cabinetry. Nothing bothers us more than second-rate cabinet displays in home centers. They look good from a distance, and some even look pretty good up close. But, when you know what you’re looking for, most of what you’ll find are poorly constructed products with mediocre finishes, made with inferior raw materials. The unwary consumer is fooled by their cutesy designs and slick looks — all sizzle and no steak. 

Good cabinets can last for generations, and that makes them them a bargain. The best value usually is measured by weighing both cost and lifespan. In as little as a year, junky cabinets often begin to fall apart. Screws come out of hinges whether the cabinet is of poor quality or good, but in high-quality cabinets, repairs usually are far easier to make. In fact, with cheaper cabinets repairs often can be extremely difficult and costly. 

Why all the discussion about quality? We want to share with you how easy it is to repair a cabinet door, and how to diagnose and repair a couple of other common problems. We had to begin with a warning because the cabinets that need these kinds of repairs the most are the ones that are most difficult, and sometimes impossible, to repair. In fact, when trying to make a repair on a bargain-basement cabinet, there is a risk of doing more damage than good. 

Diagnosis usually is not as complex as you might think. In most cases what’s wrong is fairly obvious. How hard can it be to diagnose a loose hinge or a missing screw? But, there can be challenges. For example: It can be difficult to determine exactly where a door is rubbing or sticking. In such situations we turn to our special diagnostic tools and equipment. We head for the pantry or the medicine cabinet for a little flour or talcum powder or a stick of good old-fashioned writing chalk. Here’s why. Talc, flour or chalk on a door edge will be rubbed off in the area where a door is sticking. Here’s what to do: 

• Apply the powder to the damaged area. 

• Open and close the door a few times (the powder will be rubbed off in the exact area where the door is rubbing the frame. 

• Use a sanding machine or a plane to shave the high spot away. 

You can shave either the door or the frame, depending upon which will be least visible. All that’s left once the door fits again is to touch up with stain and varnish or paint. You don’t want to make a repair and not reseal the repair area. Unfinished wood is a major candidate for moisture damage and swelling. 

A loose hinge usually means a loose screw — sometimes a damaged hinge. If the screws are all tight and the hinge is wobbly, chances are you will have to replace the hinge — a rare problem. Usually it’s a loose screw. First, try retightening the hinge screws. Often, especially with good quality cabinetry, that’s all you’ll have to do. If any screws are stripped, the task becomes more difficult, but not impossible. Here’s what to do: 

• First, remove the hinge (at least the side where the screws are loose). 

• Next, dip toothpicks in glue and wedge as many as you can in each stripped hole. 

• When the glue dries, use a razor knife to cut off the excess toothpicks. 

• Flop the hinge back into place and reinstall the screws. It is important to wait until the glue is completely dry. Reinstalling the screws before it dries can make things worse than they were before you started. 

Often doors warp and swell or shrink. This changes how they fit in an opening. A gap at the perimeter of the door can result. Here are a couple of conditions and a couple of ways to make a repair. 

When a gap occurs along the top of the door (opposite the hinge side) you can: 

• Shim the bottom hinge, or countersink the top hinge. 

If a gap occurs at the bottom edge of the door (opposite the hinge side) you can: 

• Shim the top hinge, or countersink the bottom hinge. 

To shim a hinge, loosen the screws that hold it in place and insert a shim (matchbook cover or a thin piece of cardboard or plastic) between the hinge and cabinet frame, and retighten the screws. It doesn’t take much. 

To countersink a hinge, remove the hinge from the frame (normally you don’t have to remove the entire door), and chisel away a slight bit of wood from the area beneath the hinge. Then, refasten the hinge. Use a sharp chisel to remove only a very thin layer of wood. As with shimming, a very small amount goes a long way. 

Trick: Often applying a slight amount of pressure to the opposite side of the door will close a gap sufficiently. This takes a gentle hand and only works with certain types of hinges.  

Using force can unhinge a door, so be gentle. Shaving, shimming and countersinking always work, even when you are less than gentle. 

If you’ve got a bubble in a plastic laminate countertop it’s not a good thing. This material is used on the majority of countertops in the world and usually provides years of service without complaint. In the kitchen, water is the enemy and countertops can be its victim. Generally they are watertight and not at risk, however, occasionally the plastic laminate does separate from the substrate (the plywood or particleboard underneath) and results in a “bubble” on the surface or as a loose corner that lifts when snagged. The laminate and substrate are glued together with strong contact cement and often when it loosens, heat and pressure can reactivate its holding power. Use a hot iron with a towel (to protect the surface) and then add weight (like books) for pressure until things cool down. When removed, it should look as good as new, without your having to add a drop of glue.

There’s nothing like pruning a prickly gooseberry bush or a thorny rose on a cold day to give an appreciation for gardening gloves. Gardeners who like to wallow with their hands in the soil might frown at the idea of a gardening glove between their skin and the muck. But not every gardener enjoys dirty hands, and cold weather or thorny plants make gloves a necessity. 

Pruning can quickly bring home the limitation of a particular kind of garden glove. If the gloves are of leather that becomes stiff when wet, and eventually any gardening glove does get wet, it can become hard to grasp fine twigs you’ve cut away from the base of a bush. Working in wet weather with a glove that is not waterproof will have your fingers swimming in a dirty ooze within the gloves — a cold, wet ooze this time of year. Gloves that are all canvas, in particular, soak up water like a sponge. 

When shopping for gardening gloves, pay attention to the fit if you’re going to use them for doing anything more exacting than grabbing onto the handle of a shovel or pitchfork.  

Gloves will not be particularly comfortable for long-term use, no matter what you’re doing, if they don’t, well — “fit like a glove.” Watch for poorly placed seams. 

Perhaps the best solution to the search for the ideal gardening glove is to own two pairs of gloves, each suited to a particular task. Or even three pairs! Two or more of those pairs might even be exactly alike, but still needed so that you can use one pair while the other one is drying. 

The almost-perfect gardening glove must have a few other qualities, besides a good fit.  

The gloves should be inexpensive, or their cost should at least be in direct proportion to their durability.  

The ideal gardening glove also should not be slippery. Some contenders for the ideal gardening glove include soft leather gloves and canvas gloves whose palms and fingers are coated with rubber. 

And finally, the ideal pair of gardening gloves should be biodegradable. Then, when the gloves outlive their usefulness in protecting your hands, you can toss them into the compost pile. As compost, they could spend their afterlife nourishing the garden.

LAS VEGAS — The percentage of children living in poverty in Nevada hasn’t changed significantly over the past decade but was lower than the national average, according to the most recent estimates released Thursday by the Census Bureau. 

Children 17 and younger living below the federal poverty level in Nevada in 1998 reached 15 percent, the census figures show — lower than the nationwide average of nearly 19 percent. 

Despite Nevada’s booming population over the past decade, the ratio of poor children has remained virtually unchanged. 

The highest percentage of Nevada children living in poverty was registered in 1993 at nearly 17 percent following the Persian Gulf War. The lowest in the survey period was 14.5 percent in 1995. 

Overall, the 1998 estimates ranked Nevada as the 33rd-poorest state — tying with Kansas and Hawaii, with nearly 10.5 percent of its population below the poverty line. 

“We’re in the middle range, kind of in with the rest of the country,” said Jeff Hardcastle, state demographer. “We’re not too high or too low.” 

Although the new numbers are nearly four years old, the Census Bureau says they provide the most comprehensive look at poverty and income on the county level. 

The 1998 estimates ranked two Nevada counties — Mineral and Esmeralda — as the poorest counties, respectively, in the state for percentage of those living below the poverty level. 

Of Nevada’s 17 counties, Storey County was listed as having the smallest percentage of poor, at 6.1 percent of its population. 

Clark County — the state’s most populous county that’s home to Las Vegas — fell in the middle, with 10.8 percent of its population falling below the poverty level in 1998. 

Hardcastle attributes Clark County’s numbers to the wages paid by the casino industry for low-skill jobs such as food servers or housekeepers. 

“The types of jobs we have in southern Nevada tend to have better than average the national wage level a waitress or cook makes,” he said. 

Another factor is the transient nature of Las Vegas. 

Historically the ratio is for every two people moving into the Las Vegas metropolitan area — the nation’s fastest growing between 1990 and 2000 — one moves out, Hardcastle said. 

“That works to the benefit of the numbers, because if people don’t have a network of family and friends, they tend to go back to where they can get support or they look for job opportunities elsewhere,” he said. 

In 1998, Clark County was no longer home to the highest percentage of poor youngsters as it was a decade earlier, dropping from 18.4 to 15.6 percent. 

Instead, Mineral County children were the poorest making up 22.5 percent of the population, followed by Nye County children at 19.1 percent. 

The estimates were compiled by combining a March population survey with food stamp recipients’ records, aggregate data from federal income tax returns and figures from the 1990 census. 

The numbers will be used to determine funding for various federal programs, state experts said, adding the figures represent a general estimate, with large margins of error. 

In 1998, the federal government considered an adult with annual income of about $8,000 or less to be poor. The standard for a family of four was about $12,400. 

The census figures make no estimate of current poverty levels. 

The number of Nevadans seeking food stamps and other public assistance has increased sharply since Sept. 11, state Human Resources Director Mike Willden said. 

“We are seeing an increase in application rates and I don’t think we’ve seen the brunt of it yet,” he said. 

The AP’s analysis focused solely upon middle estimates of poverty and income provided by the Census Bureau. 

Because those estimates are built from survey data and statistical models, large margins of error may affect comparisons between different areas or comparisons of a single area’s numbers over time. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov 

LOS ANGELES — The people who put on the Grammys strive to bring the public the “freshest show” possible, but they don’t blacklist performers who appear on the rival American Music Awards, the recording academy’s president said. 

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, Dick Clark accused the president of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences of blacklisting performers who appear on his American Music Awards. The action seeks $10 million in damages and a halt to the practice. 

“We have a pact with the public and that pact, as far as I am concerned, is that we are going to give you the best artists,” the academy’s president, Dick Greene, told the syndicated television show Access Hollywood on Thursday. “We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on these artists, and we are going to give you the freshest show that you can see.” 

But, Greene added, the academy would never blacklist a performer who goes on the rival show. 

“I guess the only thing about Dick’s publicity stunt-lawsuit today that irritates me is characterizing it as some blacklist,” he said. “We don’t have a blacklist.” 

Clark accused Greene of persuading Michael Jackson to break a promise to appear on his Jan. 9 show next year and preventing Britney Spears from appearing previously. Greene also banned Sean “P. Diddy” Combs and Toni Braxton from performing on the Grammys after they appeared on his show, Clark said. 

Greene said he never tampered with Jackson or any other artist, though he indicated it is up to them to decide which show they want to appear on. 

“If you take Michael Jackson or any of the other acts that he references, you have to remember they have to make a decision,” he said. “It’s a very simple decision.” 

He added that the Grammy show only has time to showcase 14 performers out of some 500 nominees, and wants to make sure it gives the public the best show possible. 

“Think about it, 500 nominees and we can only perform 14 of them,” he said. “Why on Earth would we ever even think about taking something that had been on television a few weeks earlier and spending a couple hundred thousand dollars on a production number for them? It’s just not good television.”

Marin County native admits he was part of fighters funded by bin Laden to fight for Taliban 

WASHINGTON — Dizzy from morphine and weary from battle, American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh said in an interview soon after his capture that he had been a part of Ansar, the Arab fighters funded by Osama bin Laden who fought for the Taliban. 

He also said he had attended an Ansar training camp. 

The interview was done Dec. 2 by a CNN reporter and was aired in its entirety for the first time Wednesday. 

Walker said the Taliban fighters were organized in different branches based on ethnic groups. At first, Walker stayed with Taliban fighters from Pakistan, where he had studied for a couple of years. But then he was put with the group of Arab fighters who were funded by bin Laden because he spoke Arabic. 

“Originally I came with Pakistanis,” Lindh said. “They sent me to the Arabs.” 

What Lindh did while traveling with Taliban fighters in Afghanistan could play a key role in what charges he might face in the United States. 

Lindh, a 20-year-old American from San Anselmo, Calif., also defended the Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, saying the Quran permits Muslims to kill other Muslims in cases of holy war. 

“That is a question that is addressed in the Quran itself,” Lindh told CNN. “In certain cases Muslims by necessity can kill and ... there are situations in which a Muslim can be killed (by other Muslims).” 

Referring to jihad, the Islamic word for holy war, he said, “It’s exactly what I thought it would be.” 

Asked if it was the right cause, he said, “Definitely.” 

Lindh, who sometimes uses his mother’s last name of Walker, was found holed up with captured Taliban fighters last month after northern alliance forces quelled a prison uprising in northern Afghanistan. 

He was taken into custody by American forces and flown to the USS Peleliu, off the coast of Pakistan. 

Lindh told of dodging grenades and helping other Taliban fighters as northern alliance forces closed in on the city of Mazar-e-Sharif. 

His face was blackened from battle and he swooned as he spoke, telling the reporter he was taking morphine to quell the pain from a gunshot wound. 

Lindh said he went to join the Taliban in Afghanistan after studying in Pakistan because his “heart became attached to the movement. I wanted to help them one way or another.” 

He said that after being captured, a few Taliban soldiers hid grenades in their clothes as they were taken to prison. He called the uprising a “mistake of a handful of people” because the Taliban soldiers had agreed not to fight. 

“This is against what we had agreed upon, and this is against Islam,” Lindh said. “It is a major sin to break a contract, especially in military situations.” 

The spirits of the Taliban fighters were broken when rebel forces pumped gas, then water, into the prison, he said. 

“More than half of us were injured on that last day when they poured water into the basement,” he said. “We were standing in water, freezing water for maybe 20 hours.” 

Talk of surrender came quickly. 

The prison “was filled with the stench of bodies and we didn’t have any more weapons available. We said, ’Look we’re gonna die,”’ he said. 

“If we surrender, the worst that can happen is they’ll torture us or kill us. So right here in the basement, they’re torturing us and killing us, so we might as well surrender.” 

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Wednesday that President Bush will make a decision about Lindh once Justice Department and Pentagon officials finish reviewing his case. 

“He is being treated as someone who fought against the United States in an armed conflict. And that’s why he’s classified properly as a battlefield detainee, and he is being treated well,” Fleischer said. 

Another videotape of Lindh, taken by ABC News, showed his interrogation by CIA agents before the uprising. He sat despondent, in a dusty clearing with his hands tied behind his back. His clothing was tattered and dirty; his hair hid his face. His interrogators were Johnny “Mike” Spann, who was later killed in the uprising, and an agent known only as Dave. 

Lindh didn’t answer any questions during the interrogation and was led away.

SAN FRANCISCO — Federal prosecutors have decided not to file charges against Alaska Airlines after a three-year grand jury probe into reported irregularities at a maintenance center. 

The investigation was expanded to include the crash of Flight 261 off the California coast on Jan. 31, 2000. All 88 people aboard were killed. 

“We have decided, based on the evidence we collected, that it would not be appropriate to prosecute Alaska Airlines criminally at this time,” said Matt Jacobs, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office. 

Government lawyers will monitor a separate crash probe by the National Transportation Safety Board, which has yet to determine the cause, Jacobs said Wednesday. The airline also faces dozens of wrongful death suits stemming from the crash. 

Alaska Airlines also agreed to pay a reported $500,000 to settle a libel suit and dropped its appeal of a $44,000 penalty imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration. 

The libel suit was filed by a senior mechanic who triggered the investigation when he told FAA officials in October 1998 that maintenance records at a plant in Oakland had been faked. 

The mechanic, John Liotine, was seeking $20 million. 

Liotine’s superiors placed him on paid leave in August 1999, saying he had become disruptive. 

Terms of the settlement were confidential, but The Seattle Times quoted a source as saying Liotine would receive about $500,000. 

The Seattle-based company also dropped its appeal of a $44,000 penalty imposed by the FAA, which determined that two planes were returned to service in 1998 and made more than 840 flights before maintenance paperwork was completed properly.  

Neither was the plane that crashed. 

In settling the suit and dropping the appeal, the company made no admission of wrongdoing. Alaska Airlines spokesman Jack Evans would not comment late Wednesday on the decision against criminal charges. 

Since the probe began, the company’s maintenance operations have been overhauled and airline officials say there is little resemblance to how they were handled in 1998. 

Liotine became a key figure in the crash probe when investigators learned that in 1997 he recommended replacing the ill-fated MD-83’s jackscrew assembly, which controls up-and-down movements of the horizontal stabilizer — a part suspected of causing the crash. 

Liotine accused the company of posting false statements about him on its Web site, including a news release that said he was “incorrect” when he recommended replacement of the part. 

Another post-crash news release suggested Liotine went to the FAA because he was passed over for promotion by two supervisors he accused of falsifying maintenance records. 

In accepting the settlement, Liotine agreed to leave Alaska Airlines by the end of this month after 12 years with the company. 

LANCASTER — As many as 400 inmates rioted Thursday at a state prison and five were critically injured, authorities said. 

No guards or staff were hurt in fighting that began about 10:45 a.m. in a yard at California State Prison, Los Angeles County, said Margot Bach, spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections. The prison is in the Mojave Desert about 40 miles northeast of Los Angeles. 

The fight involved 300 to 400 maximum-security inmates in a 200-by-200-foot recreation yard that includes a grassy area, basketball courts, a soccer field and monkey bars, prison spokesman Ron Nipper said. 

“The inmates started to fight, and it just gained momentum,” with prisoners using fists and homemade weapons, he said. 

Hundreds of guards responded, using pepper spray, tear gas and wooden bullets on the prisoners, but it was unclear whether any of the inmates were hit. 

Several warning shots were then fired. It took fewer than 15 minutes to quell the riot, Nipper said. 

“There was no way they could get to a building and destroy it. We contained them in one small area and then they ran out of gas,” he added. 

Bach said 26 homemade weapons were recovered. 

Five inmates were taken by helicopter or ambulance to local hospitals, where they were in critical but stable condition with “deep puncture wounds,” Bach said. 

Another 12 inmates were treated for cuts at the prison infirmary. 

None of the wounds were believed to be life-threatening, she said. 

The prison had been under lockdown since Dec. 11, when a guard was beaten by four inmates, department spokeswoman Terry Thornton said. Inmates were just starting to get some of their privileges back Thursday when the riot began, she said. 

The prison remained locked down Thursday afternoon, with many inmates confined to their cells. Televised news reports showed dozens of others sitting outside along a prison yard fence, waiting for guards to search them and the grounds for weapons. 

Nipper said most prisoners would be released from lockdown tomorrow. The section involved in rioting, however, will slowly return to normal over several weeks as authorities try to determine which inmates were involved in the fighting. 

Those inmates involved could face criminal charges, Nipper said. 

The prison currently houses more than 4,000 inmates in its minimum- and maximum-security wings. That is about 85 percent over capacity, but Bach said it was not immediately clear whether that may have contributed to the rioting. 

“There could be any number of factors,” she said, adding that it could take several days of inmate interviews to determine the cause. 

Overcrowded prisons have been the scene of brawls involving racial unrest, but that did not seem to be the case this time, Bach said. 

“It was multiracial. There wasn’t any group attacking any other groups specifically. They all got into it,” she said. 

Last year at the prison, a racial brawl involving more than 120 Hispanic and white inmates left 10 injured. In 1999, an inmate was shot by guards during another brawl between whites and Hispanics. 

The 262-acre prison opened in 1993 and has more than 1,200 employees, including more than 800 custody staff. 

California has the nation’s largest prison system, with more than 249,000 inmates, 33 prisons and 52,000 employees. The inmate population grew by nearly 40 percent in the 1990s, spurred in part by the war on drugs and passage of a “three strikes” law that requires long prison terms for repeat felons. 

Violence is no stranger to the system. In October, a riot at the privately managed Victor Valley Medium Community Correctional Facility in Adelanto left eight inmates and two employees injured. 

In February 2000, guards shot 13 inmates, killing one, to stop a race riot at the Pelican Bay State Prison, which houses some of California’s most dangerous criminals. 

The system suffers from a shortage of guards. California ranks 48th in its guard-to-inmate ratio, according to the Connecticut-based Criminal Justice Institute. 

The corrections department last month projected a continued shortfall of 2,000 or more guards for at least the next two years, forcing tens of millions of dollars in overtime. 

Some guards have faced legal action for alleged abuse of inmates. Last year, eight Corcoran Prison guards were acquitted of violating the rights of inmates who were allegedly pitted against each other in gladiator-style fights. 

A federal civil rights lawsuit accuses three correctional officers and a former guard of setting up the rape of an inmate in 1993 by leaving him in the cell of a known sexual predator at the Corcoran prison. They were acquitted of criminal charges. 

LONG BEACH — Family and friends mourned the death of a high school student who collapsed while preparing for a Presidential Fitness Test. 

Fourteen-year-old Alan Tulia died Tuesday afternoon after practicing a run-walk mile for the state-required physical fitness exam. An autopsy report is pending. 

“Certainly the mood is one of shock, disbelief,” said Long Beach Polytechnic High School Principal Mel Collins. “Parents send their kids to school and they come home in the afternoon and this young fellow didn’t.” 

School officials said the boy complained of feeling tired after the walk-run and sat down to rest. A school nurse administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation after a friend who thought Tulia had fallen asleep couldn’t wake him. 

Tulia, who did not participate in athletics, was described as a bright boy and the top student in his freshman history class. School records show he suffered from asthma, but school officials said they don’t believe that played a part in his death. 

“Asthma was noted on his cumulative record but only a notation of just asthma and his mom told me this morning that he grew out of it,” Collins said. 

LOS ANGELES— The City Council approved a $1 million settlement with the family of a New Jersey man who was killed in an accident on the historic Angels Flight funicular railway. 

The family of Leon Praport, 83, of Old Bridge, N.J., is expected to receive a total of $3 million to settle a lawsuit filed in March. It claimed the city and 16 other entities involved in the remodeling and operation of the hillside funicular knew it was not safe. 

The Angels Flight Railway Foundation has tentatively agreed to pay $1 million, and Pueblo Contracting Services, which restored the funicular, is expected to pay $1 million, although the contract firm has not yet signed off on the deal, said Gary Dordick, an attorney for the Praport family.  

A mediator recommended the settlement, which is expected to be finalized Friday, he said. 

Praport, a Holocaust survivor who was vacationing in Los Angeles, died Feb. 1 after one car rolled downhill and crashed into the other car, in which he and his 81-year-old wife, Lola, were riding. She was badly injured. 

Councilman Eric Garcetti said the $1 million payment was the right thing to do. 

“There is no more sympathetic individual,” he said. “His wife can barely function without help. They probably could have won $10 million if this had gone to trial.” 

The century-old railway remains closed as federal investigators continue to determine what caused a cable to unravel from a drum. 

The 298-foot-long railway opened on New Year’s Eve 1901. It was dismantled in 1969 for a redevelopment project and was finally restored and reassembled in 1996 at a site close to its original location. 

City already has spent $36 million on the August 2000 convention 

LOS ANGELES — The City Council allocated more than $400,000 Wednesday to hire more employees to handle litigation resulting from police tactics at last summer’s Democratic National Convention. 

Deputy City Attorney Terree Bowers urged the council to approve her request, saying recruiting an assistant city attorney and two deputies would be more cost effective than hiring outside counsel to defend 11 pending complaints. The council agreed. 

“These are folks who can move, after those cases are settled, to other cases,” said Councilman Eric Garcetti. “And if we can build that sort of expertise with really front-line lawyers within the city, long-term it makes a lot of fiscal sense.” 

The $400,000 will add to the estimated $36 million the city has already spent on the August 2000 Convention, more than four times as much as the $8.3 million city officials originally believed they would have to pay. 

A report submitted to the council a year ago showed that most of that money — $22 million — was spent on security, including overtime pay for police officers. 

The cost overrun has irritated some council members, among them Councilman Joel Wachs, who called the event’s cost a “fraud on taxpayers of the city.” 

In August, county Supervisor Mike Antonovich said he wanted the city’s “billionaires and millionaires” who helped organize the event to reimburse the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for the extra $1.5 million it spent on security. The department originally planned to spend only $2.6 million on the convention.

LOS ANGELES — People who stockpiled drugs to protect themselves from the anthrax bacteria were warned Wednesday about a serious health threat if they take the antibiotics inappropriately during the flu season. 

“Antibiotics are not effective against viruses,” said Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding, in a statement issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. 

The agency said antibiotics can successfully help fight infections caused by bacteria. But in recent years, researchers have found that nearly all bacterial infections in the United States have become resistant to at least one antibiotic by overuse because it allows the bacteria to survive and change after a course of treatment. 

Health officials worry that people who have several months worth of Cipro or another antibiotic will feel a need to use them before they expire. 

“We’re most concerned that folks will take them for the flu because we know the demand for antibiotics is higher when a patient has the flu,” Fielding said. 

LOS ANGELES — A man who allegedly sent a co-worker a phony anthrax letter has been charged with making a criminal threat and could face up to six years in prison if convicted. 

Robert Michael Guerrero, 38, of Glendora was charged Tuesday. 

He allegedly passed a co-worker at Aerosol Service Co. in Industry an envelope containing a white powder with a typewritten message that “you’ve been infected,” according to a statement from the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. 

An investigation of the Oct. 24 letter determined that the powder was not anthrax and Guerrero was arrested Monday after authorities used a bloodhound to track the person who allegedly sent the letter, authorities said. 

Guerrero was charged with one count each of threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction and making a criminal threat. He could face up to six years in prison if convicted, along with an additional year for an allegation that Guerrero is a convicted felon. He was convicted of grand theft in 1995. 

SAN JOSE — Increased airport security has been difficult for parents, but for children, the waiting in long lines can be interminable. 

And as thousands of families stand in the hours-long lines caused by the increased security at airports, children become more and more restless, and parents, more and more frustrated. 

But there are a few survival tools parents can pack to make family trips during the busy season less of a hassle. 

“Ply them with food and games,” said Kiki Kapany of Menlo Park. She recently flew out of San Jose’s airport with a number of children. She and two other adult relatives took turns standing in line and taking the children to the bathroom and for walks around the airport. 

Amanda Prail of Livermore traveled with her husband Andrew Means and their 1-year-old daughter Briallen Means and nearly missed a recent flight to San Diego because of the increased security. To keep Briallen amused, they attempted stunts with her stroller. 

While mother Kimberly Johnson of Pleasanton gritted her teeth in the long lines, her 10-year-old daughter Jaina kept from complaining.  

But other parents weren’t so lucky, as babies cried and children whined at San Jose’s airport. 

Sue Chimsky, a San Jose travel consultant, has organized holiday trips for a number of Bay Area families, and the airport lines and ensuing boredom are their biggest dread, she said. 

“Some people are opting to just rent cars for the long weekend,” she told the San Jose Mercury News. 

That could also be stressful as more people taking the same option clog highways. But traffic seems to be small potatoes compared to airport challenges. 

“It’s very inconvenient,” Johnson said. 

To make waiting for a flight smoother, the Mercury News suggests making sure all ticket information is updated before arriving at the airport; premixing baby formula to prevent any anthrax scares; packing only what’s necessary and avoiding sharp objects; and bringing coloring books, crayons, a favorite toy, snacks and a drink for kids.

SAN FRANCISCO — Online help-wanted site HotJobs.com Monday gave Monster.com’s owner 72 hours to top a $436 million takeover bid from Yahoo! Inc., setting the stage for a bidding war between rival suitors that run two of the Web’s most popular destinations. 

New York-based HotJobs told Monster.com’s parent, TMP Worldwide Inc., that it will call off their six-month-old merger agreement unless TMP can beat an unsolicited $10.50-per-share bid made by Sunnyvale-based Yahoo less than two weeks ago. 

HotJobs set a 9 a.m. EST Thursday deadline for TMP to improve its all-stock offer, which was valued at $9.11 per share based on TMP’s closing price Monday on the Nasdaq Stock Market. 

If TMP doesn’t sweeten the pot, HotJobs said it will enter into formal negotiations with Yahoo. Jilting TMP would cost HotJobs $17 million to cover a merger termination fee and other expenses during the six-month courtship. 

TMP will respond to HotJobs’ ultimatum “at an appropriate time,” spokesman David Rosa said. 

Industry analysts have anticipated a bidding war for HotJobs since Yahoo unexpectedly entered the fray with its Dec. 12 bid. 

Investors are betting that HotJobs will be sold for more than Yahoo’s stock-and-cash offer of $10.50 per share. HotJobs’ shares gained 26 cents to close at $10.73 Monday on the Nasdaq. TMP climbed 40 cents to close at $41.50 and Yahoo fell 27 cents to close at $16.65. 

Yahoo’s pursuit of HotJobs caught some analysts off guard because the site ranks a distant second to Monster.com in the online recruitment market. HotJobs has a database of about 5 million resumes while Monster.com has 14 million resumes. 

The HotJobs bid is part of Yahoo’s effort to rebound from a yearlong financial slump through the addition more revenue-generating features at its popular Web portal. 

HotJobs charges employers and recruiters to list job openings and collects fees for access to its resume database. The company also sells human resources software. 

Like many other dot-coms, HotJobs remains unprofitable. Through the first nine months of the year, HotJobs lost $21.2 million on revenue of $92.6 million. 

Yahoo runs the third most popular Web site behind AOL and Microsoft, according to Jupiter Media Metrix. Monster.com ranked 39th in the Jupiter Media Metrix’s latest rating. 

Although it’s not as well known as Yahoo, TMP Worldwide is the larger company with $1.1 billion in revenue through the first nine months of the year. Yahoo generated $528.5 million in revenue during the same period. 

As of Sept. 30, Yahoo had $346.1 million in cash versus TMP’s $317.6 million. 

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On The Net: 

http://www.hotjobs.com 

http://www.yahoo.com 

http://www.monster.com 

http://www.tmp.com 

SAN FRANCISCO – Ever wanted to stay in a fancy hotel or take a ride on this city’s famous cable cars? Well, now is the time because end-of-year deals abound and crowds do not. 

The slowing economy and terrorist attacks have shut off the valve of tourists who typically stream into one of America’s most-loved places to visit. 

“There’s definitely more elbow room in the city these days,” said Laurie Armstrong of the city’s Convention & Visitors Bureau. “It’s a little bit calmer, which is nice.” 

But visitors are coming back – slowly. Hotel occupancy averaged 59 percent in September, which was off a third of the rate a year ago. In November, occupancy was down by about 10 percent, Armstrong said. 

Hotels are throwing in perks such as free parking and tickets to shows like “The Nutcracker” to entice tourists during the winter months, which are typically slow. 

The city also is boasting new attractions to help bring back repeat visitors. 

The Chinese American National Museum and Learning Center recently opened in the renovated Julia Morgan Chinatown YMCA. It houses more than 50,000 pieces of Chinese art and artifacts. 

In his State of the City address in October, Mayor Willie Brown said tourism, which is the city’s bread and butter, will be aided by an outreach plan. Brown said it will go as far as calling potential visitors on the phone and personally inviting them to the city. 

San Francisco discounted holiday packages include “Holiday Magic: San Francisco Style,” which offers deals from 35 hotels through the end of the year. The other is “Romance: San Francisco Style,” which includes 22 offers from January through March. 

“We’re going to be especially happy to see visitors from the rest of California,” Armstrong said. “I think they’ll notice the spirit of welcome, of community, of heightened hospitality, if you will.”

Editor: 

In 40 years of living in Berkeley, I have noticed that the pedestrian/car ratio is shifting, and that street practices are becoming more like New York. In that city, pedestrians know that they are unprotected. When they cross, they are extremely vigilant. 

Bay Area pedestrians often presuppose that they always have the right of way. 

Pedestrians with babies in strollers even wait with the stroller in the street, where a turning car might suddenly come. 

I have invented my own form of a flag, white paper to wave in front of me at night, while still watching and waiting. The most dangerous crossings are those where many drivers make turns, such as Hearst and Shattuck. At Bancroft and Oxford a bus turning north nearly ran down a man with a white cane who had stepped into the street. 

The orange flags will help only if the user waves the flag way out in front, since rapid motion catches attention. 

But even that is useless if the driver is looking away. 

Ultimately it is always the pedestrian who has to keep alert, as we become more and more like New York 

Susan Tripp 

Berkeley

BERKELEY — The former chairman and publisher of the San Jose Mercury News has joined the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley. 

Jay T. Harris, 53, was appointed the Robert C. Maynard Fellow at the Graduate School of Journalism, the university announced Thursday. 

Harris, who resigned from the newspaper in March, will teach classes and deliver the Maynard Lectures on the state of the American media. 

The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education trains journalists of color and helps the nation’s media reflect the nation’s diversity. 

LOS ANGELES — Home prices in California surged to new heights in November, even as a weak job market led to a sizable decline in the overall number of sales, according to a report released Thursday. 

The statewide median home price reached $278,740 last month, up 11.2 percent from a year earlier and 2.4 percent higher than in October, the California Association of Realtors reported. 

However, the overall volume of home sales slipped 0.2 percent last month compared to October, and 12.4 percent from the same period a year ago — one of the strongest months on record. 

Real estate analysts consider job growth the biggest driver of the housing market. With the state’s unemployment rate hitting 6 percent last month for the first time in three years, the drop-off in volume was no surprise. 

But the slowing activity does not signal that homes will get less expensive any time soon, market watchers say. 

“If prices are holding up in the downturn, imagine what’s going to happen in good times,” said Stephen Levy, director of the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy. 

While uncertainty in the economy has left many home shoppers wary of making a major purchase, a severe housing shortage is keeping prices high. 

“California will always be a supply restricted market,” said Jeff Meyers, chief executive of Meyers Group, a real estate consulting firm in Irvine. “I don’t expect overall prices to decline.” 

A few areas will continue to show weakness, however, including the San Francisco Bay area and the statewide markets for luxury and vacation homes, he said. 

With the effects of the tech bust still playing out, the median home price in San Francisco dropped to $466,610 in November — a 2.3 percent decline from a year earlier. 

In Santa Clara County, a cornerstone of Silicon Valley, the median price dropped 9.3 percent to $498,500. Both areas, however, showed modest month to month increases. 

San Francisco Bay Area prices are still high enough to drive many buyers to the Central Valley, where prices climbed 14.7 percent from the same period a year ago, even as the volume of sales fell 18.3 percent. 

“We’re pretty much on base for December,” said William Burger, a broker with Coldwell Banker in Orangevale. “We’ve seen a little softening at the upper end of the market, but we’re pretty optimistic about next year.” 

In Southern California, where the impact of the national recession has been much weaker, median home prices posted double-digit gains from the year-ago period. In November, they were up 10.7 percent in Los Angeles County, 11.1 percent in Orange County and 19.1 percent in Ventura County. 

Orange County, however, showed a decline in the median price between October and November of 0.5 percent. 

The latest figures are encouraging as far as their effect on the overall economy, Levy said. 

During the last recession in the early 1990s, home construction came to a screeching halt as supply outpaced demand. Economists blamed the heavy drop-off in building activity as one of the reasons for the prolonged downturn in California during the early 1990s. 

“This is evidence that the housing market today is in no way overbuilt,” Levy said. 

SAN FRANCISCO — The roughly 40,000 California customers of fallen energy giant Enron Corp. are in a pickle. 

If they cling to their contracts with the Houston-based energy seller, they’ll likely keep saving thousands of dollars on their electricity and natural gas bills, but with the chance the suddenly bankrupt Enron could abruptly end their service. 

If customers voluntarily end their Enron contracts, they fear that state power regulators — who banned such energy-buying arrangements in September — will herd them back to local utilities to help the state pay its $10 billion power tab after buying electricity to avoid rolling blackouts. 

Companies and institutions from the University of California, the nation’s largest university system, to McDonald’s Corp. are closely watching the Public Utilities Commission as it begins assessing how Enron’s bankruptcy could affect energy reliability in California. 

“We’re kind of in a holding pattern,” said San Francisco Giants spokeswoman Staci Slaughter. The Giants play at Pacific Bell Park, which gets its power from Enron and has a huge Enron sign on its center-field scoreboard. 

Buying through Enron has “certainly been a beneficial cost savings for us,” Slaughter said. 

Enron customers asked PUC officials at a hearing Thursday under what circumstances they could contract with a replacement electricity provider, said Carl Wood, a PUC commissioner. 

Whether companies who signed contracts with Enron before the ban can arrange for a new provider is “a question of interpretation of the law,” Wood said. 

Calls to Enron for comment Wednesday and Thursday were not returned. 

Before the ban, roughly 80,000 large California businesses and institutions opted for “direct access” — buying their power from Enron and other energy sellers rather than local utilities. Such arrangements slashed energy costs, particularly when power prices soared earlier this year. 

Direct access advocates say customers should not be blocked from finding a replacement for Enron. 

“As it stands right now, customers could go out and sign with a new (energy service provider). The question is, would the utilities accept what’s called the direct access service request,” said Dan Douglass, legal counsel for the Alliance for Retail Energy Markets, an industry group that backs direct access. 

Pacific Gas and Electric Co., Southern California Edison and consumer advocates say direct access customers should return to their utilities. Doug Heller of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights said that would spread the state’s power debt around more customers and ease the chance of future rate hikes. 

The Department of Water Resources, which since January has bought electricity for the customers of three struggling utilities, just wants to know how much power it needs to buy to supply everyone, said Oscar Hidalgo, a DWR spokesman.  

If all customers came back, the DWR would need to buy from 800 to 1,400 megawatts extra electricity, Hidalgo said. 

The sooner DWR has an estimate, the more money it will be able to save by arranging for power deliveries ahead of time rather than buying it at the last minute, Hidalgo said. 

Enron’s customer service already is lagging, despite letters to customers saying it will continue to serve them, Edison told the PUC in a filing. 

PG&E already has begun serving former Enron natural gas customers, said Christy Dennis, a PG&E spokeswoman. The utility reclaimed the customers after an Enron affiliate was unable to prove it would pay PG&E, Dennis said. 

Enron, which had revenues of $100.8 billion in 2000, filed for bankruptcy Dec. 2 after a dramatic collapse triggered by revelations of questionable partnerships, four years of overstated profits and a failed merger with rival Dynegy.

LOS ANGELES — Anschutz Entertainment Group has spent the last few years putting its mark on Los Angeles. 

Now the private firm behind the Staples Center, the Los Angeles Kings and the Kodak Theater thinks it can turn Britain’s troubled Millennium Dome into a profitable entertainment operation. 

Timothy Leiweke, president of Los Angeles-based AEG, said the firm will use its expertise developing mega-venues in the United States to revolutionize the U.K market. 

“When you look at London, it is maybe the best entertainment district in the world, but the facilities there are very old,” he said. “We are prepared to spend quite a bit of money to develop this destination.” 

The arena, to open in 2005, will host as many as 200 events a year, including 80 concerts, as well as soccer, boxing and tennis matches. 

In addition, AEG will use the venue to showcase some of its own U.S. professional sports interests in the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association, Leiweke said. 

AEG is a division of the empire of Denver billionaire Phil Anschutz. One of the richest men in the United States, his holdings include Qwest Communications, numerous professional sports teams, the troubled theater chain United Artists and two oil companies. 

For this venture, the company is part of a consortium called Meridian Delta Ltd. that has signed a letter of agreement with the British government to acquire the costly and controversial landmark for no charge. 

In return, AEG will spend at least $200 million to develop and manage a 20,000 seat arena enclosed in the Millennium Dome. The other two members of the venture, London’s Quintain Estates Ltd. and Australia’s Lend Lease Europe Ltd., will build homes and offices on prime real estate surrounding the Dome on the Thames River. 

The British government will receive an undisclosed portion of any profits generated by the consortium. It hopes to recoup millions of pounds of taxpayer money sunk into the project, which has been derided as one of the greatest white elephants in British history. 

The government had intended the Dome’s mixture of exhibits, interactive technology and live shows to serve as a symbol of the new century in Europe. But officials badly miscalculated attendance.  

The site closed last Dec. 31 after garnering much public ridicule. 

“Our vision for this project is much different from the original,” Leiweke said. When the new Dome is opened, it will be an entertainment destination that includes restaurants, casinos, bars, offices and residences, he said. 

“We believe if we build it, they will come.” 

Taxpayers may end up paying the bill 

SACRAMENTO — The first major analysis of California’s reaction to 2001’s power crisis says “significant risks” still abound for the state’s electricity supply. 

State Auditor Elaine Howle reported Thursday that hurried decisions made during the energy crisis can’t guarantee power during times of tight supplies nor assure construction of new power plants. The state is also locked into buying power whether or not it’s needed, and at costs that may be higher than market prices. 

Taxpayers may end up paying for hidden costs into the billions of dollars, she said. 

“We certainly think that attempts should be made to renegotiate some of these contracts,” the auditor said. 

Howle saluted the Department of Water Resources for doing its job — buying $10.7 billion worth of power in nine months and contracting 10 years worth of power for $42.6 billion. 

But the audit team’s monthslong study found that DWR can’t end contracts with suppliers who don’t deliver and it didn’t seek contract terms standard in the energy industry. 

The state’s water department — an agency thrust into the power crisis early this year with little experience — mainly threw large amounts of money to suppliers to assure 10 years of electricity, the 258-page audit stated. Auditors said the mission “dwarfed the department’s capabilities.” 

Gov. Gray Davis’ office referred calls to DWR, which responded to the criticism, saying it did its best under trying circumstances. 

“Where we’re at here is some very serious Monday morning quarterbacking,” said DWR spokesman Oscar Hidalgo. “It’s easy to look back and say you should have, could have done that. The options were limited, the times were difficult. We haven’t forgotten that, but a lot of people have.” 

Thomas Hannigan, DWR director, said the agency successfully stabilized power prices and kept lights on despite dire forecasts of summer blackouts. He added that 70 percent of the long-term energy contracted by the agency will come from new power plants, an achievement “not even conceivable in the first half of this year.” 

The report provided an inside look at days of crisis following the state of emergency Davis declared Jan. 17. During winter and spring, the state spent $60 million to $100 million a day for power and asked numerous times for $500 million from the state’s general fund within 10 days. From Feb. 2 to March 2 alone, DWR hurriedly negotiated $35.9 billion in long-term power contacts with experienced energy firms. 

Those are the problem contracts, Howle said, adding that one contract saddles the state with the new costs of emission controls. Another makes the state pay future property tax hikes on its power plants. 

“Certainly, the state was in a difficult position, leverage wise, because we were in a crisis situation,” said Howle. “But things happened very quickly and there were cost consequences for that.” 

Hidalgo said DWR will try to reach new deals with long-term energy suppliers. 

“We’ve had some dialogue with the counter-parties. I can’t speak too much for the negotiations, he said. “They are under way. We are looking at all options, every aspect of the contracts, each and every contract.” 

Steve Stengel, spokesman for Houston-based energy supplier, Dynegy Inc., said, “We’ve said for several months that we have a legally binding agreement with the state, but that we would be willing to discuss the contract if it was mutually beneficial.” He said the state contacted Dynegy about the contract. 

“But to my knowledge,” he said, “there have not been any discussions at this point.” 

SUNNYVALE — Shares of Juniper Networks Inc. fell nearly 18 percent Thursday after the network equipment company warned its fourth-quarter profits and revenue will not meet forecasts. 

The company now expects revenue in the range of $150 million to $155 million, down from its earlier estimate of $200 million. Earnings, excluding special items, will be about 5 cents per share. 

Analysts were expecting 10 cents per share and revenue of $202 million for the period ending Dec. 31, according to a survey by Thomson Financial/First Call. 

In the year-ago period, the Sunnyvale-based Juniper earned $84.6 million, or 24 cents per share, excluding items, on $295.4 million in revenue. 

The lower-than-expected sales are the result of caution by carriers and service providers in the current economic climate, the company said. 

“We will continue to focus on our financial metrics and our ongoing profitability, despite the challenging environment,” said Scott Kriens, Juniper’s chief executive. 

Shares of Juniper fell $4.08 to close at $18.85 in trading Thursday on the Nasdaq Stock Market. It was the third most heavily traded stock on the Nasdaq. 

——— 

On the Net: 

Juniper Networks: http://www.juniper.net/